A Spirited Perfect Ten

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
A very nice read on breitbart about Disney outsourcing Orlando
IT jobs. Highly recommend reading
http://www.breitbart.com/big-govern...americans-with-cheap-foreigners-on-h1b-visas/

That is such a tough thing to read and know it is happening in many facets of the US workforce. We are bowing to the price rather than the quality/value of what we consume to the point that we are running down the path to ruin.

I work in the automotive arena and the parts supply to repair your vehicles has come to the point that we are putting unsafe parts on vehicles because there is no other choice. There is nothing of quality to install at any price. When you go shopping, develop an application, produce or consume anything the first consideration is cost. This is what is at the root of our demise.

A few companies understand that quality is worth trying for, Tesla comes to mind. They are selling a grossly overpriced product along with a few others such as Rolls, Bentley, Ferrari etc. and the only reason they can do so is they are perceived as a quality product. Consumers must wake up to looking for the quality in a product rather than buying on price alone. Otherwise the US will collapse as we no longer produce anything that can be sold.

edit to add: This is at the root of what so many on these boards complain about, the cost cutting in the name of profit while the big picture quality is left by the roadside. Good enough? Its NOT good enough.
 
Last edited:

justavoice

Active Member
Photodave u grew up and sounds like had long term knowledge of Orlando happenings. Is this what wdw has become? We talk about the Disney we knew as a kid - for me lived as baby in Orlando when announced and visited regularly since 1977- and talk about rides and maintainable cleanliness compared to today but I am guilty of assuming CM not wanting to work compared to complete lack of respect and appreciation of the work created by the CM. is this the same in Cali?
 

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Photodave u grew up and sounds like had long term knowledge of Orlando happenings. Is this what wdw has become? We talk about the Disney we knew as a kid - for me lived as baby in Orlando when announced and visited regularly since 1977- and talk about rides and maintainable cleanliness compared to today but I am guilty of assuming CM not wanting to work compared to complete lack of respect and appreciation of the work created by the CM. is this the same in Cali?

Never been to Cali.
 

dhall

Well-Known Member
I doubt that considering Epcot got 9 million less visitors than MK last year.
It's possible that SE is visited by a much higher percentage of Epcot visitors than any other attraction -- perhaps enough higher to make up for that 9M deficit. Given its location, this seems somewhat likely to be at least a partial explanation.

It's also possible that Epcot's actual attendance is somewhat higher than reported, due to the way WDW assigns first turnstyle numbers -- Epcot could very well be the dinner destination for a lot of guests who spent the morning at AK or DHS, but they don't count in the total Epcot numbers released outside the company.
 

1023

Provocateur, Rancanteur, Plaisanter, du Jour
Photodave u grew up and sounds like had long term knowledge of Orlando happenings. Is this what wdw has become? We talk about the Disney we knew as a kid - for me lived as baby in Orlando when announced and visited regularly since 1977- and talk about rides and maintainable cleanliness compared to today but I am guilty of assuming CM not wanting to work compared to complete lack of respect and appreciation of the work created by the CM. is this the same in Cali?

The Disneyland resort in California is extraordinary. It will remind you of the Disney "you" grew up with. As I've mentioned before, between Disneyland and DCA you have approximately the same attraction count as all 4 parks in WDW.
It is also much less spread out and uses legacy fastpass. Cast members can be hit or miss but for the most part are excellent.

*1023*
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Good point. I found that DL and TDL required even more planning than Florida because the crowd flow patterns are completely different than WDW. DL regulars would probably laugh at me for saying that. I guess your preparation depends on the experiences at your home park.
Even with the crazy crowds, I found experiencing Tokyo Disney Resort to be rather easy. Queuing is just a more pleasant experience.
 

Cesar R M

Well-Known Member
That is such a tough thing to read and know it is happening in many facets of the US workforce. We are bowing to the price rather than the quality/value of what we consume to the point that we are running down the path to ruin.

I work in the automotive arena and the parts supply to repair your vehicles has come to the point that we are putting unsafe parts on vehicles because there is no other choice. There is nothing of quality to install at any price. When you go shopping, develop an application, produce or consume anything the first consideration is cost. This is what is at the root of our demise.

A few companies understand that quality is worth trying for, Tesla comes to mind. They are selling a grossly overpriced product along with a few others such as Rolls, Bentley, Ferrari etc. and the only reason they can do so is they are perceived as a quality product. Consumers must wake up to looking for the quality in a product rather than buying on price alone. Otherwise the US will collapse as we no longer produce anything that can be sold.

edit to add: This is at the root of what so many on these boards complain about, the cost cutting in the name of profit while the big picture quality is left by the roadside. Good enough? Its NOT good enough.
I still wonder if the constant recalls cost less than actually selling cheap unsafe stuff..

Reminds me of the airline industry.. they wont fix crap unless they were demanded and their fleets grounded.
 

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Meanwhile.. at Iger's House...

wmI5PXs.jpg

They be counting the dosh of the new Star Wars merchandise.


Catching up on the thread and I must say... (@Cesar R M)

THAT sir, is awesome. You are my spirit animal. :hilarious:
 

Nubs70

Well-Known Member
I still wonder if the constant recalls cost less than actually selling cheap unsafe stuff..

Reminds me of the airline industry.. they wont fix crap unless they were demanded and their fleets grounded.
In the case of the Pinto, it is a well documented case where the actuaries found the the number of fatalities and subsequent payouts cost less than a recall. Therefore, they made no changes to the car.
 

Quinnmac000

Well-Known Member
congrats to those of you in the UK and France. Disney has pushed up the premiere of Star Wars EP 7 in France to December 17 and UK it will come out on the 18th instead of the 19th. US has remained the same
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Arnold 0-Commie Propaganda 1
This could easily have happened to a Disney tentpole.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-film-execs-claim-terminator-820874?utm_source=twitter
China Film Execs Claim 'Terminator' a Victim of Box-Office Fraud to Boost Propaganda Movie
Something stinks at the Chinese box office – at least, that's what the CEOs of the country's two largest private film studios are suggesting.

Since its release on Aug. 28, Chinese propaganda film The Hundred Regiments Offensive has been battling Paramount's Terminator: Genisys for the top spot at the Chinese box office, now the world's second-most-valuable film market.

The Chinese government has cited patriotism spurred by last week's 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II as the key to the film's success. But a broad swath of China's film community – from ordinary viewers to cinema managers to studio heads – has raised questions about the nationalistic war epic's outsize performance.

Produced by a group of state-owned film companies to celebrate the WWII anniversary, The Hundred Regiments Offensive came from behind to dominate Terminator Genisys at Chinese box office for the week of Aug. 31 to Sept 6, grossing $39.40 million over Terminator’s $26.67 million, according to Beijing-based research firm Entgroup. But Regiments achieved its sudden surge from far fewer screenings than Terminator – 99,728 for Regimentscompared with 250,435 showings for Terminator – suggesting that the government-backed movie either racked up a phenomenal per-screen average or there is more to the story.

Wang Zhonglei, president of the influential private Chinese film studio Huayi Brothers, which recently signed a raft of dealsextending its ties with Hollywood, has been a vocal critic of the Regiments results. Huayi Bros.’ romantic drama Tale of Three Cities, starring Tang Wei, opened the same Friday (Sept. 28) as Regiments.

As box-office results were coming in that Friday night, Wang shared a message with his 9.94 million followers on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter: ”Where’s all the box office gone? Please keep those dirty hands away!” The message was accompanied with data showing that Huayi’s Tale of Three Cities had 7.03 percent of screenings that day but took just 1.54 percent of box office, while Regiments was said to have taken 30 percent of total box office in China from just 10.12 percent of showings. By Tuesday (Sept. 1), Regiments accounted for 57.67 percent of all box office for the day, from just 11.64 percent of screenings – a near impossible feat, Chinese film figures say. Terminator Genisys, meanwhile, accounted for nearly 30 percent of screenings in China on Sept. 1, but pulled in just 14.93 percent of the total revenue.

Yu Dong, CEO of Bona Film Group, China’s other major private studio, weighed in with a similarly outspoken message on Chinese social media. "We never steal others' box office, so please don't steal ours,” he said to his followers on WeChat. The message was accompanied by a mock search warrant, designed in the style of promotional materials for Bona's police thriller The Dead End, which was competing with Regiments and Terminator in Chinese cinemas. The poster invites cinemagoers to share any evidence of box office fraud.

Plenty of film fans have taken Yu up on the offer. Since Regiments’ release, moviegoers have been circulating photos of suspicious tickets they received from Chinese cinemas. The photos show printed tickets for Regiments with screening details for other movies scribbled over them. Chinese bloggers cite the photos as evidence that cinemas are channeling box-office revenue away from Terminator and Huayi and Bona’s movies to prop up the results for Regiments. For example, when moviegoers ask for tickets to Terminator, cinema staff log the sale for Regiments while ushers rewrite the tickets by hand for the Terminator screening (some moviegoers have even posted videos of the process).

Chinese industry sources say the cinemas are simply responding to a set of incentives imposed on them by China Film Distribution, the distribution wing of the all-powerful state studio, China Film Group.

A widely circulated essay, titled "Entertainment Capitalism” and published anonymously in China last week, alleges that all major cinema chains were ordered by CFD to hit specific box office targets for Regiments. The chains that reached their quotas would be rewarded with a special revenue sharing arrangement throughout Regiments’ first week on release, Aug. 28 to Sept. 3. For all Regiments tickets sold, CFD would allow cinemas to keep 100 percent of the revenue and would further reimburse them for the usual 8.3 percent in taxes Chinese cinemas pay on ticket sales. Typically, for a Chinese domestic film, the producer and distributor take as much as 43 percent of box office (Hollywood movies take a maximum of 25 percent of box office in China). Thus, cinemas were given a powerful financial incentive to sell as many Regiments tickets as possible – not to mention the official umbrage they might face for failing to hit their target.

A cinema chain manager in Beijing, who spoke with THR on the condition of anonymity, said the essay’s claims were accurate. The manager said his company's programming director was asked by CFD to attend a meeting in which the details of the arrangement were explained. "They also called us and ordered us to book two sold-out dummy shows before Sept. 3," the manager added.

As Terminator was both foreign and the biggest performing title at the time, it naturally became the top target for graft. The cinema chain manager said he believes $11 million (70 million yuan) is a "conservative estimate" for how much the Paramount film lost from ticket sales channeled to the state propaganda picture during CFD's period of preferential treatment.

The box-office data over the alleged “CFD special treatment period” indeed suggests something was amiss. On Sept 3, the final day of CFD’s full revenue offer to cinemas, Regiments came in first at the box office with $7.99 million over Terminator’s second-place $5.71 million. The next day, Regiments plummeted to sixth place, pulling in just $670,000, while Terminatorreturned to the top with $5.40 million.

The Hollywood Reporter contacted Paramount for comment, but representatives could not be reached at the time of publication.

Despite the allegations of graft,Terminator: Genisys has been a huge surprise hit in China. As of Sept. 7, the film had grossed $111.92 million there – well over its disappointing $89.6 million performance at the North American box office, elevating an undisputed flop into international hit status. But with the previously announced Terminator 6 sequel hanging in the balance – and now fully dependent on foreign ticket sales – every $10 million counts.
 

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Arnold 0-Commie Propaganda 1
This could easily have happened to a Disney tentpole.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-film-execs-claim-terminator-820874?utm_source=twitter
China Film Execs Claim 'Terminator' a Victim of Box-Office Fraud to Boost Propaganda Movie
Something stinks at the Chinese box office – at least, that's what the CEOs of the country's two largest private film studios are suggesting.

Since its release on Aug. 28, Chinese propaganda film The Hundred Regiments Offensive has been battling Paramount's Terminator: Genisys for the top spot at the Chinese box office, now the world's second-most-valuable film market.

The Chinese government has cited patriotism spurred by last week's 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II as the key to the film's success. But a broad swath of China's film community – from ordinary viewers to cinema managers to studio heads – has raised questions about the nationalistic war epic's outsize performance.

Produced by a group of state-owned film companies to celebrate the WWII anniversary, The Hundred Regiments Offensive came from behind to dominate Terminator Genisys at Chinese box office for the week of Aug. 31 to Sept 6, grossing $39.40 million over Terminator’s $26.67 million, according to Beijing-based research firm Entgroup. But Regiments achieved its sudden surge from far fewer screenings than Terminator – 99,728 for Regimentscompared with 250,435 showings for Terminator – suggesting that the government-backed movie either racked up a phenomenal per-screen average or there is more to the story.

Wang Zhonglei, president of the influential private Chinese film studio Huayi Brothers, which recently signed a raft of dealsextending its ties with Hollywood, has been a vocal critic of the Regiments results. Huayi Bros.’ romantic drama Tale of Three Cities, starring Tang Wei, opened the same Friday (Sept. 28) as Regiments.

As box-office results were coming in that Friday night, Wang shared a message with his 9.94 million followers on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter: ”Where’s all the box office gone? Please keep those dirty hands away!” The message was accompanied with data showing that Huayi’s Tale of Three Cities had 7.03 percent of screenings that day but took just 1.54 percent of box office, while Regiments was said to have taken 30 percent of total box office in China from just 10.12 percent of showings. By Tuesday (Sept. 1), Regiments accounted for 57.67 percent of all box office for the day, from just 11.64 percent of screenings – a near impossible feat, Chinese film figures say. Terminator Genisys, meanwhile, accounted for nearly 30 percent of screenings in China on Sept. 1, but pulled in just 14.93 percent of the total revenue.

Yu Dong, CEO of Bona Film Group, China’s other major private studio, weighed in with a similarly outspoken message on Chinese social media. "We never steal others' box office, so please don't steal ours,” he said to his followers on WeChat. The message was accompanied by a mock search warrant, designed in the style of promotional materials for Bona's police thriller The Dead End, which was competing with Regiments and Terminator in Chinese cinemas. The poster invites cinemagoers to share any evidence of box office fraud.

Plenty of film fans have taken Yu up on the offer. Since Regiments’ release, moviegoers have been circulating photos of suspicious tickets they received from Chinese cinemas. The photos show printed tickets for Regiments with screening details for other movies scribbled over them. Chinese bloggers cite the photos as evidence that cinemas are channeling box-office revenue away from Terminator and Huayi and Bona’s movies to prop up the results for Regiments. For example, when moviegoers ask for tickets to Terminator, cinema staff log the sale for Regiments while ushers rewrite the tickets by hand for the Terminator screening (some moviegoers have even posted videos of the process).

Chinese industry sources say the cinemas are simply responding to a set of incentives imposed on them by China Film Distribution, the distribution wing of the all-powerful state studio, China Film Group.

A widely circulated essay, titled "Entertainment Capitalism” and published anonymously in China last week, alleges that all major cinema chains were ordered by CFD to hit specific box office targets for Regiments. The chains that reached their quotas would be rewarded with a special revenue sharing arrangement throughout Regiments’ first week on release, Aug. 28 to Sept. 3. For all Regiments tickets sold, CFD would allow cinemas to keep 100 percent of the revenue and would further reimburse them for the usual 8.3 percent in taxes Chinese cinemas pay on ticket sales. Typically, for a Chinese domestic film, the producer and distributor take as much as 43 percent of box office (Hollywood movies take a maximum of 25 percent of box office in China). Thus, cinemas were given a powerful financial incentive to sell as many Regiments tickets as possible – not to mention the official umbrage they might face for failing to hit their target.

A cinema chain manager in Beijing, who spoke with THR on the condition of anonymity, said the essay’s claims were accurate. The manager said his company's programming director was asked by CFD to attend a meeting in which the details of the arrangement were explained. "They also called us and ordered us to book two sold-out dummy shows before Sept. 3," the manager added.

As Terminator was both foreign and the biggest performing title at the time, it naturally became the top target for graft. The cinema chain manager said he believes $11 million (70 million yuan) is a "conservative estimate" for how much the Paramount film lost from ticket sales channeled to the state propaganda picture during CFD's period of preferential treatment.

The box-office data over the alleged “CFD special treatment period” indeed suggests something was amiss. On Sept 3, the final day of CFD’s full revenue offer to cinemas, Regiments came in first at the box office with $7.99 million over Terminator’s second-place $5.71 million. The next day, Regiments plummeted to sixth place, pulling in just $670,000, while Terminatorreturned to the top with $5.40 million.

The Hollywood Reporter contacted Paramount for comment, but representatives could not be reached at the time of publication.

Despite the allegations of graft,Terminator: Genisys has been a huge surprise hit in China. As of Sept. 7, the film had grossed $111.92 million there – well over its disappointing $89.6 million performance at the North American box office, elevating an undisputed flop into international hit status. But with the previously announced Terminator 6 sequel hanging in the balance – and now fully dependent on foreign ticket sales – every $10 million counts.

Dear god, we got back on topic....
 

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
Arnold 0-Commie Propaganda 1
This could easily have happened to a Disney tentpole.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-film-execs-claim-terminator-820874?utm_source=twitter
China Film Execs Claim 'Terminator' a Victim of Box-Office Fraud to Boost Propaganda Movie
Something stinks at the Chinese box office – at least, that's what the CEOs of the country's two largest private film studios are suggesting.

Since its release on Aug. 28, Chinese propaganda film The Hundred Regiments Offensive has been battling Paramount's Terminator: Genisys for the top spot at the Chinese box office, now the world's second-most-valuable film market.

The Chinese government has cited patriotism spurred by last week's 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II as the key to the film's success. But a broad swath of China's film community – from ordinary viewers to cinema managers to studio heads – has raised questions about the nationalistic war epic's outsize performance.

Produced by a group of state-owned film companies to celebrate the WWII anniversary, The Hundred Regiments Offensive came from behind to dominate Terminator Genisys at Chinese box office for the week of Aug. 31 to Sept 6, grossing $39.40 million over Terminator’s $26.67 million, according to Beijing-based research firm Entgroup. But Regiments achieved its sudden surge from far fewer screenings than Terminator – 99,728 for Regimentscompared with 250,435 showings for Terminator – suggesting that the government-backed movie either racked up a phenomenal per-screen average or there is more to the story.

Wang Zhonglei, president of the influential private Chinese film studio Huayi Brothers, which recently signed a raft of dealsextending its ties with Hollywood, has been a vocal critic of the Regiments results. Huayi Bros.’ romantic drama Tale of Three Cities, starring Tang Wei, opened the same Friday (Sept. 28) as Regiments.

As box-office results were coming in that Friday night, Wang shared a message with his 9.94 million followers on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter: ”Where’s all the box office gone? Please keep those dirty hands away!” The message was accompanied with data showing that Huayi’s Tale of Three Cities had 7.03 percent of screenings that day but took just 1.54 percent of box office, while Regiments was said to have taken 30 percent of total box office in China from just 10.12 percent of showings. By Tuesday (Sept. 1), Regiments accounted for 57.67 percent of all box office for the day, from just 11.64 percent of screenings – a near impossible feat, Chinese film figures say. Terminator Genisys, meanwhile, accounted for nearly 30 percent of screenings in China on Sept. 1, but pulled in just 14.93 percent of the total revenue.

Yu Dong, CEO of Bona Film Group, China’s other major private studio, weighed in with a similarly outspoken message on Chinese social media. "We never steal others' box office, so please don't steal ours,” he said to his followers on WeChat. The message was accompanied by a mock search warrant, designed in the style of promotional materials for Bona's police thriller The Dead End, which was competing with Regiments and Terminator in Chinese cinemas. The poster invites cinemagoers to share any evidence of box office fraud.

Plenty of film fans have taken Yu up on the offer. Since Regiments’ release, moviegoers have been circulating photos of suspicious tickets they received from Chinese cinemas. The photos show printed tickets for Regiments with screening details for other movies scribbled over them. Chinese bloggers cite the photos as evidence that cinemas are channeling box-office revenue away from Terminator and Huayi and Bona’s movies to prop up the results for Regiments. For example, when moviegoers ask for tickets to Terminator, cinema staff log the sale for Regiments while ushers rewrite the tickets by hand for the Terminator screening (some moviegoers have even posted videos of the process).

Chinese industry sources say the cinemas are simply responding to a set of incentives imposed on them by China Film Distribution, the distribution wing of the all-powerful state studio, China Film Group.

A widely circulated essay, titled "Entertainment Capitalism” and published anonymously in China last week, alleges that all major cinema chains were ordered by CFD to hit specific box office targets for Regiments. The chains that reached their quotas would be rewarded with a special revenue sharing arrangement throughout Regiments’ first week on release, Aug. 28 to Sept. 3. For all Regiments tickets sold, CFD would allow cinemas to keep 100 percent of the revenue and would further reimburse them for the usual 8.3 percent in taxes Chinese cinemas pay on ticket sales. Typically, for a Chinese domestic film, the producer and distributor take as much as 43 percent of box office (Hollywood movies take a maximum of 25 percent of box office in China). Thus, cinemas were given a powerful financial incentive to sell as many Regiments tickets as possible – not to mention the official umbrage they might face for failing to hit their target.

A cinema chain manager in Beijing, who spoke with THR on the condition of anonymity, said the essay’s claims were accurate. The manager said his company's programming director was asked by CFD to attend a meeting in which the details of the arrangement were explained. "They also called us and ordered us to book two sold-out dummy shows before Sept. 3," the manager added.

As Terminator was both foreign and the biggest performing title at the time, it naturally became the top target for graft. The cinema chain manager said he believes $11 million (70 million yuan) is a "conservative estimate" for how much the Paramount film lost from ticket sales channeled to the state propaganda picture during CFD's period of preferential treatment.

The box-office data over the alleged “CFD special treatment period” indeed suggests something was amiss. On Sept 3, the final day of CFD’s full revenue offer to cinemas, Regiments came in first at the box office with $7.99 million over Terminator’s second-place $5.71 million. The next day, Regiments plummeted to sixth place, pulling in just $670,000, while Terminatorreturned to the top with $5.40 million.

The Hollywood Reporter contacted Paramount for comment, but representatives could not be reached at the time of publication.

Despite the allegations of graft,Terminator: Genisys has been a huge surprise hit in China. As of Sept. 7, the film had grossed $111.92 million there – well over its disappointing $89.6 million performance at the North American box office, elevating an undisputed flop into international hit status. But with the previously announced Terminator 6 sequel hanging in the balance – and now fully dependent on foreign ticket sales – every $10 million counts.

Something shady happening in China? Let me retrieve my eyeballs from their sockets.
 

Iwerks64

Well-Known Member
Arnold 0-Commie Propaganda 1
This could easily have happened to a Disney tentpole.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-film-execs-claim-terminator-820874?utm_source=twitter
China Film Execs Claim 'Terminator' a Victim of Box-Office Fraud to Boost Propaganda Movie
Something stinks at the Chinese box office – at least, that's what the CEOs of the country's two largest private film studios are suggesting.

Since its release on Aug. 28, Chinese propaganda film The Hundred Regiments Offensive has been battling Paramount's Terminator: Genisys for the top spot at the Chinese box office, now the world's second-most-valuable film market.

The Chinese government has cited patriotism spurred by last week's 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II as the key to the film's success. But a broad swath of China's film community – from ordinary viewers to cinema managers to studio heads – has raised questions about the nationalistic war epic's outsize performance.

Produced by a group of state-owned film companies to celebrate the WWII anniversary, The Hundred Regiments Offensive came from behind to dominate Terminator Genisys at Chinese box office for the week of Aug. 31 to Sept 6, grossing $39.40 million over Terminator’s $26.67 million, according to Beijing-based research firm Entgroup. But Regiments achieved its sudden surge from far fewer screenings than Terminator – 99,728 for Regimentscompared with 250,435 showings for Terminator – suggesting that the government-backed movie either racked up a phenomenal per-screen average or there is more to the story.

Wang Zhonglei, president of the influential private Chinese film studio Huayi Brothers, which recently signed a raft of dealsextending its ties with Hollywood, has been a vocal critic of the Regiments results. Huayi Bros.’ romantic drama Tale of Three Cities, starring Tang Wei, opened the same Friday (Sept. 28) as Regiments.

As box-office results were coming in that Friday night, Wang shared a message with his 9.94 million followers on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter: ”Where’s all the box office gone? Please keep those dirty hands away!” The message was accompanied with data showing that Huayi’s Tale of Three Cities had 7.03 percent of screenings that day but took just 1.54 percent of box office, while Regiments was said to have taken 30 percent of total box office in China from just 10.12 percent of showings. By Tuesday (Sept. 1), Regiments accounted for 57.67 percent of all box office for the day, from just 11.64 percent of screenings – a near impossible feat, Chinese film figures say. Terminator Genisys, meanwhile, accounted for nearly 30 percent of screenings in China on Sept. 1, but pulled in just 14.93 percent of the total revenue.

Yu Dong, CEO of Bona Film Group, China’s other major private studio, weighed in with a similarly outspoken message on Chinese social media. "We never steal others' box office, so please don't steal ours,” he said to his followers on WeChat. The message was accompanied by a mock search warrant, designed in the style of promotional materials for Bona's police thriller The Dead End, which was competing with Regiments and Terminator in Chinese cinemas. The poster invites cinemagoers to share any evidence of box office fraud.

Plenty of film fans have taken Yu up on the offer. Since Regiments’ release, moviegoers have been circulating photos of suspicious tickets they received from Chinese cinemas. The photos show printed tickets for Regiments with screening details for other movies scribbled over them. Chinese bloggers cite the photos as evidence that cinemas are channeling box-office revenue away from Terminator and Huayi and Bona’s movies to prop up the results for Regiments. For example, when moviegoers ask for tickets to Terminator, cinema staff log the sale for Regiments while ushers rewrite the tickets by hand for the Terminator screening (some moviegoers have even posted videos of the process).

Chinese industry sources say the cinemas are simply responding to a set of incentives imposed on them by China Film Distribution, the distribution wing of the all-powerful state studio, China Film Group.

A widely circulated essay, titled "Entertainment Capitalism” and published anonymously in China last week, alleges that all major cinema chains were ordered by CFD to hit specific box office targets for Regiments. The chains that reached their quotas would be rewarded with a special revenue sharing arrangement throughout Regiments’ first week on release, Aug. 28 to Sept. 3. For all Regiments tickets sold, CFD would allow cinemas to keep 100 percent of the revenue and would further reimburse them for the usual 8.3 percent in taxes Chinese cinemas pay on ticket sales. Typically, for a Chinese domestic film, the producer and distributor take as much as 43 percent of box office (Hollywood movies take a maximum of 25 percent of box office in China). Thus, cinemas were given a powerful financial incentive to sell as many Regiments tickets as possible – not to mention the official umbrage they might face for failing to hit their target.

A cinema chain manager in Beijing, who spoke with THR on the condition of anonymity, said the essay’s claims were accurate. The manager said his company's programming director was asked by CFD to attend a meeting in which the details of the arrangement were explained. "They also called us and ordered us to book two sold-out dummy shows before Sept. 3," the manager added.

As Terminator was both foreign and the biggest performing title at the time, it naturally became the top target for graft. The cinema chain manager said he believes $11 million (70 million yuan) is a "conservative estimate" for how much the Paramount film lost from ticket sales channeled to the state propaganda picture during CFD's period of preferential treatment.

The box-office data over the alleged “CFD special treatment period” indeed suggests something was amiss. On Sept 3, the final day of CFD’s full revenue offer to cinemas, Regiments came in first at the box office with $7.99 million over Terminator’s second-place $5.71 million. The next day, Regiments plummeted to sixth place, pulling in just $670,000, while Terminatorreturned to the top with $5.40 million.

The Hollywood Reporter contacted Paramount for comment, but representatives could not be reached at the time of publication.

Despite the allegations of graft,Terminator: Genisys has been a huge surprise hit in China. As of Sept. 7, the film had grossed $111.92 million there – well over its disappointing $89.6 million performance at the North American box office, elevating an undisputed flop into international hit status. But with the previously announced Terminator 6 sequel hanging in the balance – and now fully dependent on foreign ticket sales – every $10 million counts.

Completely not surprising. And I'm sure the theater owners and operators who rewrote and misbooked the ticket sales felt that they were doing nothing wrong. They way they would look at it, the system was set up to incentivize them to do it, so any perceived wrongdoing is someone else's fault. This cultural perception is at the heart of all of the graft and IP theft in China.
 

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