Chapter 319: Summer Pre-season

On September 9, 25 days after its release, Myth was taken off the screen worldwide.

The global box office was 1.33 million US dollars, close to 11 billion RMB, including 4122 million US dollars in North America and 5878 million US dollars overseas. The domestic box office did not exceed Hero, 2.3 million RMB.

The genre of this movie is somewhat unpopular. Although there are a lot of fighting scenes for He Zhongqiu, it is still a costume romance drama as a whole.

He Zhongqiu complained that this drama helped Yinghuang gain popularity and made tens of millions of RMB in profit.

However, thanks to the distribution of this movie in North America, the American Mid-Autumn Film and Television Company also made a fortune. After deducting the publicity and promotion costs, it made more than 5 million US dollars.

He Zhongqiu is filming, while Xia Song is arranging the NBA's China preseason schedule.

This preseason game is a collaboration between the NBA and China Mid-Autumn Culture and Sports Company.

Because this is the first cooperation, it is also the first time that the NBA plays preseason games in China, and there are 6 games in total. Considering that the ticket prices in China are very low, the NBA gave a discount.

The company is responsible for arranging all matters for the Knicks, Lakers and Heat teams in Yanjing, including food and accommodation, game venues, ticket sales, publicity, etc.

Revenues from advertising, box office, television copyrights, etc. are all split 80% to 20%, with 80% going to China Mid-Autumn Festival Culture and Sports Company and 20% going to the NBA.

As the general manager of a cultural and sports company, Xia Song had considered it carefully and decided that it should be no problem to set the average ticket price at 500 yuan. This would be He Zhongqiu's first time competing in China, so the ticket prices would be much lower than those of superstar singers.

This year, the highest ticket price for King Liu's national tour was 5000 yuan, and the lowest ticket price in Anxi City was as high as 880 yuan.

The competition venue was arranged at the Workers' Stadium. For the Yanjing Olympic Games, the Workers' Stadium had been rebuilt and could now accommodate 12000 people, plus 1000 temporary seats, for a total of 13000 people.

Assuming there are 12000 seats, the box office would be 600 million, and 480% would be million. This income is enough to cover the expenses of the three teams in Yanjing, and the rest is pure profit.

As for publicity, he believes that it does not require much investment. With the influence of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, it can be done by giving the media souvenirs worth 20,000 yuan.

We shot in Hengdian for ten days, and then moved to Yanjing at the end of September to shoot in the studio of Beijing Film Studio.

They arrived in Beijing on the 30th. In the evening, He Zhongqiu and Yang Xue took Tang Laosan and Bai Laosi back to Qiuxue Garden.

The four of them played mahjong for a while before going to bed to play games.

The three women took turns fighting, but only once to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Sister Xue, please make a bigger bed. This bed is too small and there won't be enough space for more people."

"I know." Yang Xue said lazily.

"Sister Xue, this time I only played a little goblin. Can you give me the role of a big goblin next time?"

Tang Laosan felt that Yang Xue was in a good mood and immediately took the opportunity to make a request.

"If there is a suitable role, it will be given to you."

Yang Xue had suffered a lot before, but now with two helpers to share the damage, she began to feel the fun. She was less averse to the third and fourth brothers and did not refuse.

Moreover, they were all together, and neither she nor Tang Laosan and Bai Laosi were neglected. It seemed that there was no harm in having these two concubines between her and Sanjin.

That's right, the rain and dew are a little heavier.

However, the third and fourth sisters are not as healthy as her. She can barely hold on for two hours, but these two can't even hold on for half an hour. They can barely hold on for an hour, crying out to the sky, which can cost them half their lives. Let them practice the three-body posture in the future.

Starting from the National Day, the NBA League's China Summer preseason promotion began. A large number of domestic media participated in the coverage to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and the influence was very high.

A week after the announcement, ticket sales began on the 8th.

On that day, there were long queues at the Workers' Stadium ticket sales point and the twelve sales points in various districts.

Many fans came from all over the country and started queuing up at various sales outlets on the evening of the 7th.

As a result, all 72,000 tickets for six games were sold out within one day.

The six games together only have 70,000 tickets, which is equivalent to the tickets for a Guoan football match, but the ticket price is ten times more expensive.

But this is He Zhongqiu's first competition in the country in three years, so he is very popular.

This number of tickets is not enough for the Yanjing fans alone, let alone the countless fans from all over the country. Countless fans who came from all over the country returned empty-handed.

Xia Song called He Zhongqiu and said happily: “Zhongqiu, six preseason games, CCTV’s broadcast rights sold for 1200 million.

The live streaming rights of three Internet companies were sold for several million, and the in-venue advertising was sold for three to four million. There are also more than 300 additional seats that can be sold for more than one million. The company can make a lot of money this time."

"Well done." He Zhongqiu praised.

The two chatted for a while, and he said, "Brother Xia, you should hurry up with the martial arts school."

"It's already being done. The fighting events have been processed, and the martial arts school's licenses have been obtained." Xia Song said.

"Also, Brother Xia, how is the real estate company doing now?" he asked again.

Xia Song said: "The real estate company has no problem. The 2.5 million yuan fund was used to purchase commercial housing and office buildings two years ago. Now half of them have been delivered, some are still being decorated, some are still under construction, and a quarter of the houses have been rented out."

"Okay, there's one more thing. I'm planning to build a building with a construction area of ​​about 30,000 to 40,000 square meters, and about 30 floors. The film and television company will provide the funding. Sister Xue is in charge of this matter, so you can help out." He said.

"Okay, Mid-Autumn Festival, the building is completed. Can my two companies and the martial arts school move there as well?" Xia Song said happily.

"Of course." He Zhongqiu said.

At noon on October 10, the Knicks and the Lakers arrived in Yanjing on a special plane.

Each team had a total of 32 players, coaches and other staff. Xia Song arranged two buses to take them directly to the hotel.

He Zhongqiu did not go to the airport, but greeted his teammates and the Lakers at the hotel where he was staying and treated them to a private dinner.

He was waiting in the parking lot. Besides him, there was Xia Song, a large number of media, and some fans.

The Knicks' car arrived first. The coach leading the team was Ewing, but Rick Carlisle also came. He Zhongqiu specially invited him to travel to Yanjing.

Scott Layden also wanted to come, but the new season was about to start and he was too busy to handle it.

"Crack, click, click..."

Xia Song, who came to pick up the passengers at the airport, got out of the car first, followed by Rick Carlisle and Ewing. The media reporters all pressed the shutter button.

"Wow, that's Nash, the son of wind, Wolverine's best partner."

"Is that a gorilla? It's so dark!"

"That's Vallejo, a master at scamming people and Wolverine's apprentice."

The fans were very excited, talking and pointing.

"Hey, Rick, Patrick, guys, welcome to Yanjing."

"Hey, Wolverine."

“There are a lot of new teammates.”

"Wolverine, let me introduce you."

He Zhongqiu stood at the door of the bus to welcome everyone and greeted them for a while.

After getting off the car, Ewing introduced the newcomers.

"Boss."

All the newcomers, including Rahim, shouted respectfully.

"Hello, welcome to the Knicks."

He Zhongqiu greeted them with a smile and looked at the newlyweds.

The Knicks' 4-man roster was given to him a long time ago. He felt that the lineup for the new season was also okay. The main lineup was not weakened, and the substitute lineup was also good. The hope of winning three consecutive championships was not small. The main lineup: He Zhongqiu (5, 4), Anderson Varejao (5, 3), Shane Battier (3), Josh Howard (2, 1), Nash ()

Inside substitutes: David Lee (4), Abdur Rahim (4, 3), Michael Ruffin (4, 5)

Outside substitutes: Raja Bell (3, 2), James Jones (3), Jamal Crawford (1, 2), Tyronn Lue (1)

There are seventeen players this time, eighteen in total including him, six of whom are without contracts and will play in the preseason for the Knicks and receive some salary.

A group of hotel staff helped carry the suitcases, and then the Lakers bus came in.

The door opened, and the first person to come down was the translator sent by the company to pick up the guests, followed by Phil Jackson and Kobe.

Without O'Neal last season, the Lakers fell directly from the championship level to twelfth in the Western Conference, with a record of only 34 wins.

The record was really bad and the team management was under a lot of pressure, so at the suggestion of Jeanie Buss, the management invited Phil Jackson back.

Phil Jackson coached the Lakers for five years, earning $5 million over five years, with an annual salary of up to $5 million, which is one of the top head coach contracts in the league.

This time the contract is for 6 years and 5000 million US dollars, with an average annual salary of 800 million, and annual salaries of tens of millions in the last two years.

"Hey, Coach Jackson, long time no see. Welcome to Yanjing. I hope you like it here." He Zhongqiu smiled and stretched out his right hand.

"Hello, Wolverine, I'm very happy to come to your hometown." Phil Jackson said with a smile.

He Zhongqiu extended his hand to Kobe behind him and said with a smile: "Kobe, come on, be more enthusiastic and smile. You have a lot of fans here."

"Click, click..." The sound of media shutters continued.

"Wow, Kobe."

"So cool!"

"Kobe, take the picture."

"Kobe, autograph."

Kobe has a lot of fans and they are all very happy to see him.

As a guest, Kobe was already smiling. When he heard He Zhongqiu's words, was photographed by the media, and was welcomed by many fans, his smile was even wider.

In 2001, he and O'Neal successfully defended their titles, winning two consecutive championships and gaining fame overseas.

After defending his title, he made his first trip to China in the summer, built a basketball hoop on the Great Wall, performed various fancy dunks, and became the first person to dunk on the Great Wall.

Well, how should I put it, he is a rather arrogant person, but he has a very good attitude towards his fans and tries his best to meet their requests.

From that time on, he had more and more fans in China.

At that time, He Zhongqiu was still working as a martial artist and an extra. He was not as tall as he is now, less than two meters.

Kobe's average points per game increased from 24 points to 27.6 points, which was a significant improvement, making him the only core of the Lakers.

I wasn’t very happy because I didn’t make it to the playoffs. I practiced harder throughout the offseason.

This year, the Lakers drafted a high school center, Andrew Bynum, who is the same height as He Zhongqiu, 213 cm, and has a better wingspan than He Zhongqiu, 229 cm. He is also heavier than He Zhongqiu, with a draft weight of 125 kg, and is very strong.

But in terms of standing reach, Bynum is only one centimeter taller than He Zhongqiu. He Zhongqiu is 286 centimeters and he is 287 centimeters.

His talent is not as good as He Zhongqiu, but such talent is already very good. The Lakers management attaches great importance to him and hopes to train him into the core of the Lakers' inside line in a few seasons.

But in fact, Kobe doesn't like it very much. He hopes that the team will trade for an All-Star center, so that the Lakers can become a championship-level team again as quickly as possible.

It's not that he doesn't believe in Bynum's talent, but because he himself was a high school draft pick and his development in the first few years was not as good as Iverson and others, so he doesn't think Bynum can become a combat force like Wolverine, which would waste several years of his peak period.

Last time, there was some news about the Rockets and Yao Min's disagreements due to weight loss and team tactics. He hoped that the management would trade Yao Min, but unfortunately the Rockets quickly reached an agreement with Yao Min.

After lunch, He Zhongqiu went back to Beijing Film Academy to film, while the Knicks and Lakers rested in the hotel. They had to adjust to the jet lag at night and did not plan any activities.

The next morning, Xia Song arranged for two teams to visit the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven and Lama Temple in the afternoon.

The next morning they were arranged to visit the Great Wall and return to the hotel in the afternoon. After resting for a while, they rushed to Workers' Stadium.

In the evening, the Workers' Stadium was packed inside and out. Tens to twenty thousand fans who failed to buy tickets were crowded outside, and a large number of police forces were deployed to maintain order.

He Zhongqiu invited a group of officials from the Basketball Management Center and the Basketball Association, as well as members of the men's basketball team in Beijing, a large number of national players, such as Liu Yudong, etc., and hundreds of Olympic champions and world champions.

Many people in the entertainment industry came to Yang Xue to ask for tickets. She booked 200 tickets for the group, distributed 50 tickets within the company, and gave the rest away.

A group of Hong Kong stars, including Cheng Long, Liang Jiafei, and others, flew to Yanjing to watch the competition, including Long Wu and his son, big singer Zhou Jielun, and many more.

There was also Mr. Huo, who was pursuing Guo Jing, and the two of them also came to the scene.

At seven o'clock, the entire Workers' Stadium was already packed.

There are more than one hundred domestic sports champions and more than one hundred entertainment stars, so the lineup is quite grand.

There were more than a hundred domestic media reporters and more than a hundred foreign media reporters, crowded in the media seats at both ends, and densely packed with cameras and long guns.

Yao Ming brought a group of men's basketball team members to the Knicks locker room, including Liu Yudong and a large number of former national team members.

"I tell you, they must be playing mahjong at this time," said Dayao.

"what?"

"Play majiang?"

"impossible?"

Everyone was surprised and started talking about it.

Yao Ming smiled and said, "He Zhongqiu brought up the Knicks. He is now the honorary president of the Chinese Mahjong Association. He was the main player in the first NBA All-Star Mahjong Competition. I heard that there will be a Mahjong celebrity competition in the All-Star Game next year. It's very possible."

"Twenty thousand."

"Stop, hit. Thirty thousand."

"Shit, Anderson, don't touch 20,000, that's mahjong."

"Of course I know this is Mahjong, we are playing Mahjong. Oh, it's over, I touched the Mahjong, damn it!"

"Ha ha……"

When Yao Ming arrived outside the locker room, he knocked on the door and saw that people were actually playing mahjong inside. The atmosphere was very lively.

The locker room at the Workers' Stadium does not have function rooms like a strength training room. It is just a large locker room with a toilet and bathroom.

A mahjong table was placed in the middle, with a large group of Knicks newcomers watching. The ones playing mahjong were Nash and a few other veterans.

"And we still have two consecutive championships?"

Liu Yudong felt numb while playing mahjong before the game, and like him, many other people felt numb.

"Dayao is here."

He Zhongqiu was also watching and came out to greet them.

Hu Weidong asked: "During the Mid-Autumn Festival, playing mahjong before the game won't distract you?"

He Zhongqiu said with a smile: "We all played before the finals. Each person played three hands at most. If we won, we played. It was for relaxation and the effect was quite good."

Hu Weidong and others nodded thoughtfully, but this method was not suitable for the national team. If they played mahjong before the game, they would be scolded to death and might even be expelled.

Everyone stayed in the locker room for a while, but it was a bit stuffy with so many people, so He Zhongqiu took them to the lounge next door to chat.

(End of this chapter)