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Southern Metropolis Daily reporter Jian Yue On August 5, a public account certified as "Shenbo International Cinema" issued a statement refusing to screen "Reverse Life". The statement mentioned, "We are well aware that as a single cinema, the impact on the box office of a movie is minimal, and cinemas should not take the initiative to give up the summer box office, but we firmly believe that the rules of the film industry need to be consciously abided by by all practitioners. Refusing to broadcast "Reverse Life" directed by Xu Zheng is the fulfillment of our promise in the 2020 "Joint Statement on the Online Premiere of the Movie "Lost in Russia"". Time may make people forget, but there will always be people who remember the importance, fairness and urgency of consciously abiding by the rules of the film industry."

The statement also read: "We will not go into the specific reasons and the ins and outs here. We do not call on anyone to support our actions, nor do we accept anyone's opposition to our actions. Although we are small and imperfect, this decision is based on our true love for movies and encourages filmmakers to abide by their duties, respect and fairness."

It is reported that the movie "Lost in Russia" is directed and starred by Xu Zheng, and is the third work in the "Lost in Russia" series. The first two works "Lost in Thailand" and "Lost in Hong Kong" achieved box office revenues of 1.267 billion and 1.614 billion in 2012 and 2015 respectively.

Lost in Russia was originally scheduled to be released in theaters during the 2020 Spring Festival, but due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all movies during the Spring Festival, including Lost in Russia, were withdrawn. On the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, the filmmakers of Lost in Russia suddenly announced that Lost in Russia will premiere online on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and users can watch the entire film for free on ByteDance's online video platforms, including Douyin, Xigua Video, Toutiao, and Huanxi Premiere app. At the same time, Huanxi Media announced that the original guaranteed distribution agreement for Lost in Russia was terminated, and signed a copyright licensing agreement with ByteDance for no less than 630 million yuan.

Xu Zheng responded to the incident in a post: "Thank you Huanxi Media! Thank you Toutiao (ByteDance)! Thank you to all the previous distributors and promoters! Thank you to all the creators, actors, and all the behind-the-scenes production staff! I feel a little sorry for them because many departments are working to achieve the best audio-visual experience on the big screen, and they have devoted countless days and nights to this. I said before that everything we do is to serve the audience, and in the new day, I have got what I wanted!"

Xu Zheng treated the guests, ByteDance paid the bill, and the audience watched the movie for free, which should have been a good thing that everyone was happy about. But then, a statement signed by "more than 20,000 practitioners in the Zhejiang film industry" leaked, demanding an end to the online broadcast of "Lost in Russia", otherwise there would be a boycott of Huanxi Media and Xu Zheng's film works.

The statement said that the Internet premiere of the film "Lost in Russia" produced by Huanxi Media was an act of undermining the basic rules of the industry, and listed three reasons:

1. The movie "Lost in Russia" was originally a theatrical movie, but was withdrawn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Huanxi Media can choose to release it at an appropriate time afterwards and continue to enjoy its economic rights. However, theaters across the country also invested a considerable amount of money in screening the movie "Lost in Russia". This "Lost in Russia" behavior has caused significant losses to theaters across the country.

2. As the Chinese film industry has developed to date, we support new model breakthroughs, but innovation must be based on basic market principles. The early target of the movie "Lost in Russia" was the cinema. Cinemas across the country promoted the movie "Lost in Russia". Cinemas are the main propaganda base, but the profits are now enjoyed by Internet platforms. This behavior is not innovation, but a dishonest behavior of protecting oneself without caring about the interests of others.

3. During this special period, the film industry took the overall situation into consideration and most theaters temporarily stopped normal operations, enduring huge economic losses without any regrets. However, Huanxi Media, based on its own selfishness, disregarded the interests of others, and took special measures during this special period to hijack public opinion.

At the same time, 22 cinema companies and the Guizhou Film Distribution and Exhibition Industry Association jointly issued the "Emergency Request to the Competent Department to Regulate the Film Window Period" (hereinafter referred to as the "Request"), stating that the free premiere of "Lost in Russia" on the Internet violated the basic rules of the industry. The "Request" believes that the behavior of "Lost in Russia" means that the current window period for movie releases has been shattered, which is inconsistent with the theater revenue and the payment model cultivated by the industry for many years. It is a trampling and deliberate destruction of the current Chinese film industry and distribution mechanism, and will play a destructive leading role. The "Request" also suggested that "due to the withdrawal of the film due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, the film can completely choose to be released at an appropriate time and continue to enjoy its economic benefits." The 22 cinema companies and the Guizhou Film Distribution and Exhibition Industry Association agreed that they would reserve the right to prosecute for losses caused by this behavior.

As Xu Zheng's first theatrical film after Lost in Russia, the total pre-sale box office of Backward Life is over 6 million yuan. There are still 4 days before the film is released, and it is not yet clear how much the boycott of Shenbo International Cinema will affect the box office and reputation of the film. It is worth noting that in addition to Backward Life, Xu Zheng has another "囧" series film "囧途" that has not yet been released. It is also directed and acted by him. The film has been filed in Beijing in 2023.