On December 2023, 12, the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star", adapted from the drama of the same name, was released, and the box office received 30 million on the first day. As early as before its release, the film maintained a super high popularity in publicity, especially the special screening of the "Snow Field" at 2:25 on December 12, which not only set off a rush for tickets by fans, but also made many theaters spontaneously buy snowmaking equipment. The total pre-sale box office of the film was 30 million, and the first-day pre-sale box office was 13 million, becoming the first-day pre-sale box office champion of romance movies in Chinese film history.

However, while setting a record at the box office, the marketing of the "snow field" of the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" has also caused a lot of controversy, such as the refund rate higher than the normal value of the market, the potential safety hazards caused by "snow", and whether the noisy marketing gimmick will backfire on word of mouth, and why the "snow field embarrassment" on the premiere day was once on the hot search on Weibo. With these questions, the Beijing News reporter interviewed a number of theater workers and audiences who purchased the "snow resort" while buying tickets to experience the "snow resort" in person, and jointly analyzed the "embarrassment" behind the marketing of the "snow resort".

Filmmaker

The marketing of "snow resort" is romantic, and it is hard to find a ticket

At the end of the online drama "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" released in 2022, after the actor Zhang Wansen died in order to help the heroine Lin Beixing, Lin Beixing said alone on the snowy street: "Zhang Wansen, it's snowing." You okay? I miss you so much. This line touched countless fans at the time, quickly became popular on the short video platform, and also became the creative source of this movie version of "Snow Field".

At 2023:12 on December 5, 17, the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" officially opened for pre-sale, and at the same time, the film announced on Weibo that the film will be released from December 00 to January 12, 30 during the special viewing activities, including 2024:1 "Exclusive Confession" scene, 1:13 "Long Time No See" scene, 14:14 "I like you" field, 20:15 "Xinghe Turn" scene, etc. Among them, the "Exclusive Confession" field at 20:16 on December 20 is a "snow field" carefully designed by the filmmaker, and in this screening, the audience can enjoy a romantic snow experience in the theater. "You are by your side, it is the first snow", this is the marketing slogan played by the filmmaker for the "snow field".

To this end, the film company selected 1314,12 theaters across the country to open 30,13 "snow fields" at 14:1314 on December <>, and theaters participating in this event can get a box of artificial hand-held snow cans, a limited small card for the film and a special logo on the "snow field" platform of Maoyan APP.

After the marketing of "Snow Resort" was launched, the market sales of this session were extremely hot. A staff member at a cinema in Beijing's Chaoyang District told the Beijing News that the theater's phone was about to burst out, and many viewers inquired about the situation of the "snow resort" every day. Soon, the "snow fields" in theaters across the country were basically sold out, and there was a situation where it was difficult to find a ticket. Because the filmmaker stipulates that each theater can only schedule one "snow field", many theaters lined up the "non-snow field" of the film at 12:30 on December 13, and the attendance rate is also very high.

At the same time, in addition to the 1314,<> theaters designated by the filmmaker, a large number of theaters spontaneously organized "snow field" screenings, and these theaters made some small cards and purchased snow cans and snow machines independently, just to achieve the romantic effect of snow drifting in theaters, and even snow guns were sold out in some areas.

The Beijing News reporter typed "snow machine" in the search box of a shopping platform, and found that there were sellers who directly marked "the movie 'Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star' Adjustable Snow Volume", the price varies according to power and performance, 800 watts of wire control 221 yuan, can only spray 2-3 meters, covering 15-20 square meters; The 2000 watt vertical model is 1548 yuan, which can spray 8-12 meters, covering 65-85 square meters... When the reporter consulted the seller, the other party revealed that the sales volume has doubled recently, and there are many theaters that buy snow machines. Subsequently, the seller sent a video of the snow gun spraying snowflakes in the theater, with music, which is very romantic.

spectator

The majority of female audiences pursue a sense of ceremony

The online drama "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" is iQIYI's account-sharing drama, which will be launched in January 2022, and after the broadcast, it will refresh the record of iQIYI's account-sharing drama, becoming the first account-sharing drama to exceed 1 million views. The popularity of the marketing of the movie "Snow Field" in turn drove the broadcast of this drama that aired nearly two years ago. On December 2023, 12, the iQIYI platform drama "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" will be watched online by more than 8,1 people at the same time, and many viewers will begin to make up for the drama or rewatch it.

Most of the viewers who bought the movie version of "Snow Field" came from fans of the series. In an interview with the Beijing News, several fans showed their "top" for the series. Because the show was released in all 24 episodes at one time, a fan spent a day chasing the show and felt that this campus youth drama "has a lot of stamina and is obsessed with Zhang Wansen's character design".

As early as the launch of the film project, many fans of the series shouted for "must be the original cast" and "don't change people, all TV drama actors must be included". The movie does respect the opinions of fans, and it is created by the original cast of the series, which guarantees the viewing experience of fans of the series to a certain extent.

When fan Xiao A saw the special screening of "Snow Field", he opened the ticketing platform to grab tickets as soon as possible, and finally only grabbed two tickets in a theater far away from the school. Another fan, Maruko, grabbed two tickets at first, but after a few days, he found out that this theater was not a "snow resort", and after refunding the tickets, he mobilized his roommates in the same dormitory to help find a theater with the "snow field" logo, and finally grabbed the tickets.

When asked why you chose the "Snow Resort" session? Several respondents almost all mentioned the term "sense of ritual". "Watching a movie in the cinema, you can also see the snow, how romantic, how ceremonial" "13:14 'Snow Field', 1314 originally had a strong sense of ceremony, a lifetime, in the theater with snow and boyfriend to witness this moment, there are few such opportunities"...

According to the portrait of the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" in the professional version of Lighthouse, female viewers account for 85.1% and viewers under the age of 24 account for 74.4%. The user portrait is obvious: young female audiences are the main consumer force of the film. And several fans interviewed by the Beijing News are all women. Female audiences like romance and pursue a sense of ritual, and the marketing of "Snow Resort" just hits the consumption preferences of female audiences.

controversy

"Snow field embarrassment" is on the hot search

While the marketing of the "snow field" of the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" brought huge box office benefits, it also caused a lot of controversy, such as the refund rate higher than the normal value of the market, the fire safety hazards that may be caused by snow cans or snow guns, and topics such as "embarrassment of the snow field" and "Zhang Wansen local blizzard" rushed to the hot search.

　　1

The viewing message is not equal, resulting in a high refund rate

Maoyan and Taopiao Ticket show that as of December 2023, 12, the number of refunds for "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" has exceeded 16 million, and the average refund rate of the two platforms is 100.18%. The normal refund rate for a movie is generally 1% to 2%. Many viewers questioned that the pre-sale box office of the movie is so high, there may be "water injection" behavior.

In response to the film's higher-than-normal refund rate, the Beijing News interviewed some theater managers and audiences. Manager Chen, who has been working in theaters for many years, told the Beijing News that this kind of special schedule of movies, and pre-sale is opened 25 days in advance, and it is normal for the ticket refund rate to be high. Because some theaters got the inside news in advance, they opened the "snow field" before the official announcement of the filmmaker, and some fans bought movie tickets for the show. After that, the film officially announced the special screening event of "Snow Field", and marked the special logo of "Snow Field" on the Maoyan ticketing platform, at which time fans chose to refund or change the tickets they had purchased before, which led to a sudden increase in the refund rate.

Many fans confirmed this statement. Because the filmmaker's official announcement of the special viewing information of "Snow Field" is a bit lagging behind, some fans chose to buy tickets "betting" and bought tickets for the 12:30 show on December 13 in multiple theaters, "just gambling on luck". There is a fan who has a even more bumpy experience of buying a ticket and refunding it. On the first day of the pre-sale, she bought a ticket for the evening of December 14. Later, I found out that there was a "snow resort" at 12:30, so I quickly refunded my night ticket and bought a new "snow resort". didn't think about it, a few days later, the theater canceled the "Snow Field" screening, and finally she found a theater with a "Snow Field" and grabbed the ticket. She went through two bounces alone.

Many theaters originally participated in the special screening of "Snow Field", but later canceled the screening due to various reasons. On December 12, the official Weibo of Vientiane Cinema announced that in order to effectively protect the personal and property safety of the audience, Vientiane Cinema decided to cancel the special snow event of the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" released from December 12 to 12. According to the official account of Vientiane Cinemas, there are 30 Vientiane Cinemas across the country, and all of them have canceled the "Snow Resort" screening, which is a large number of refunds. Moreover, the cancellation of the "snow resort" screening nationwide is not only a chain brand of Vientiane Cinemas.

　　2

The artificial snow sprayed by the snow tank is "flammable" and has a fire safety hazard

Fire safety is the most controversial issue in the "snow field" of the movie "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star". After the cancellation of the "Snow Resort" screening at Vientiane Cinemas, the Beijing News called the staff of the Shenzhen store to inquire about the matter, and the staff of the other party said that the main reason for the cancellation of the screening was "due to safety concerns". Many theaters in Beijing did not choose the "snow field" special screening, and the Beijing News reporter asked the Universal CityWalk Cinema by phone why there was no "snow field" show, and the other party said "there is no such arrangement".

The five Beijing stores of the Capital Cinema also did not arrange "snow resort" screenings. Yu Chao, deputy general manager of the Capital Cinema, told the Beijing News that the main reason is that the "snow" sprayed out may have potential safety hazards, and the "snowflakes" float everywhere and float onto the screen, the stains are difficult to clean, will pollute the screen, and the viewing effect will be reduced, so the "snow field" screening was not done.

The Beijing News reporter also called more than a dozen theaters in Beijing that have "snow fields" to show them, and the fire departments in some places have intervened in the fire safety problems that may be caused by "snow", so in terms of the time and scale of "snow", compared with the romantic scenes of snow falling in the theaters on the Internet before, it is relatively conservative.

The "snow" equipment of some theaters is the snow cans provided or prepared by the filmmaker, and the online price is about 4 yuan for a can, and there are also many theaters that have purchased snow guns, whether it is a snow tank or a snow machine, the snow sprayed out is foamy artificial snow. In response to the safety of artificial snow, a reporter from the Beijing News consulted a seller who sells snow guns on a shopping platform, and the other party replied: Do not touch open flames. After the "snow" falls, it will melt away and it will be cleaned up. The staff of the Shuangqiao store of Jinyi Cinema told the Beijing News that this artificial foam actually has some safety hazards, "our superior unit said to try to get as little or no as possible", so the "snow" can only cover a small part of the theater, and after the movie is over, the theater staff will spray it in the aisle with a snow can, and it is impossible for the audience to have a can.

Bona International Cinema Tongzhou Tuqiao Store also attaches great importance to the potential fire safety hazards of the "snow field", and the staff told reporters that the employees will also hold fire extinguishers at the door at that time, in case of fire, they can be dealt with in time.

The day before the release of "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star", the reporter snapped up a ticket for the "snow field" at 13:14 in Tiananmen Store of Poly International Cinema on the ticketing platform. On the day of the release, the reporter went to experience it himself. Before entering the venue, each audience member receives a raincoat. During the whole film screening, the theater staff is located in the four corners of the theater, and at the beginning and end of the film, the hand-held snow guns spray "snowflakes" in the direction of the audience, which lasts for a long time, and the "snow" is very large, even if they are wearing raincoats, they will get on the clothes, and the back of the seats is covered with a thick layer, which increases the burden on the cleaning staff.

Artificial snow does hide a lot of safety hazards, theaters are confined spaces, people gather, there are many lighting machines, these are all heat sources, all of which have the potential to cause fires. A long time ago, the fire and rescue detachment of Tongzhou District, Beijing, conducted an experiment on the safety of snow spray cans: taking a snow can and spraying it at a lit alcohol lamp, the flame burned more violently. Because the main ingredient in the snow can is a polymer resin compound, which is flammable, and there is pressure in the snow can, if it is sprayed into people's eyes, mouth and nose, it will also cause harm to the body, so the atmosphere must be created with safety as the bottom line.

　　3

Gimmick marketing side effects: "embarrassing, ugly, not a good experience"

After the screening of "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" and "Snow Field", topics such as "Snow Field Embarrassment" and "Zhang Wansen's Local Blizzard" once rushed to the hot search on Weibo. Netizens have posted pictures of the "snow field", and some viewers are covered with a thick layer of "snow", and the theater is in a mess. Some netizens commented: "There is a feeling of a beautifully dressed bride and groom who have a wedding trouble with a fire extinguisher", and even some viewers were so angry that they wanted to "call the police" after being sprayed with foam.

For many audiences, the experience of "snow field" is not good, especially some theater staff are unprofessional, turn on the field lights when the movie is halfway through, distribute snow cans to the audience in the front row, let everyone shake it and spray "snow", and then turn off the lights after the end. The reporter bought a ticket to watch the "snow field", and the look was not comfortable. The "snowflakes" sprayed by the snow gun are interrupted during the movie, which affects the smoothness of the movie, and the snow gun can only spray the audience at close range due to the limited spray distance. The staff didn't have time to clean up the "snowflakes", and the screening of this one was delayed for 9 minutes because of the queue to receive commemorative cards and raincoats.

As for the marketing point of "Snow Field", some netizens said that they "feel deceived", because the whole story of the movie takes place in the summer, a period of time before and after the end of the college entrance examination, and the scene about the snow only appears in a few flashback shots at the end of the film, with a total duration of less than one minute, which is somewhat incompatible with the point of movie marketing.

The movie "The Last Night on Earth", which was released on December 2018, 12 on New Year's Eve, is a typical case of film marketing. Before the release of the film, the promotional slogan of "One Kiss New Year's Eve" made the audience mistakenly think that it was a romantic love film, but when the audience really walked into the cinema, they found that the interweaving of long shots, dreams and reality was full of literary and artistic atmosphere, and the audience not only did not feel the romance at all, but also fell into "the sleepiest night on earth", which was called "fraudulent marketing" by the audience.

In addition to topics such as "embarrassment in the snow field", "Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Star" has appeared on the hot search, and "ugly" has also appeared on the Weibo hot search list, and the noisy marketing has begun to eat away at word-of-mouth. If you look at the box office revenue alone, "Twinkle Twinkle Star" can be regarded as a successful marketing, but good marketing must not only bring high box office to the film, but also output good content for the audience, so that the filmmaker, the theater, and the audience all benefit. If you completely rely on drama fans and marketing gimmicks to harvest the box office, then word-of-mouth will soon be backlashed, and a work still depends on quality and content.

Beijing News reporter Teng Chao

(Source: Beijing News)