The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 556 The realm is different
The red sun is high, the cool breeze is blowing, and the grass is soft.

When he just got up in the morning, he heard the chirping of magpies. Chen Hao said that there might be something good today or there might be a visitor.

Li Shengyao chuckled and shook his head.

After he returned from France, people visited him almost every day, and there was no need for a magpie to warn him.

At ten o'clock in the morning, when the sun was warm, someone came to visit again.

Xu Zheng and Huang Bo came together, both carrying gift bags.

Xu Zheng still has a bald head and wears a peaked cap.

At this time, his face was red, his face was rounder, and his belly was bigger.

The production of "囧囧" has been completed and the schedule has been confirmed. It will be released on August [-]st.

This schedule coincides with the beginning of the domestic film protection month, which can be said to give "Thailand" the best schedule besides the Lunar New Year schedule.

This schedule was secured by Lee Sheng-yew. He personally called Han Sanping and said that the movie would definitely make a lot of money and that it would be able to unleash its full potential in this schedule.

Xu Zheng was very excited after hearing the news and immediately called Li Shengyao to express his gratitude.

"You don't need to thank me. "Lost in Thailand" is the first movie you directed, and it is also a magnificent movie."

Lee Sung-yew directed three film circles last year, namely "Zodiac", "Chinese Partner", and "Thailand".

Both "Zodiac" and "Chinese Partners" have small investments, and only "Thailand" is Fenghua's main investor.

He knows very well that this is a billion-level movie that deserves attention.

After Li Shengyao returned to China, Xu Zheng had not visited him yet. This time he came to express his sincerity.

Huang Bo also looks very good. He has become a first-line actor in China. His rise to fame should be second only to Bao Qiang, and he has established himself in the film industry faster than Huang Xiaoming, Chen Kun, and Lu Yi, the so-called top four actors.

Both of them were carrying gifts, smiling and very polite.

When Xu Zheng saw Li Shengyao, he took off his hat, revealing his round bald head.

"Come in, let's talk."

Whether it is Xu Zheng or Huang Bo, they have been blessed with good fortune in recent years.

The two people's luck will probably last until 2020. Before then, the movies they made, whether they were starring or directed, did not lose money.

Huang Bo's first film as a director, "A Good Show," did not lose money, which is really rare.

In Li Shengyao's previous life, these two people mainly made movies for Guangwang and helped Guangwang make a lot of money.

Lee Sing-yew doesn't intend to drag these two people into glory, but he can invest in their movies.

After a while, the three of them sat down at the small round table in the yard, and the cook poured tea.

Xu Zheng and Huang Bo first congratulated Li Shengyao for winning the Palme d'Or, and then chatted for a while about recent events in the entertainment industry.

There were no major events in 2012. The only special thing was probably the rise in traffic.

Before 2012, there were naturally many traffic stars, such as Li Yuxuan and Korean idols, who were all big traffic users.

But their traffic is not that conspicuous on the Internet, especially on Weibo, which is not that busy.

And 85 Flowers, Liu Shishi, and Da Mi Mi have a lot of fans on Weibo and their traffic is very large.

For example, Lu Han, who signed a few idols in Korea, is even more powerful.

Fans compete in everything, including retweets, likes, replies, and the number of airport pick-ups.

The organized and large-scale support activities of Peninsula fans have officially entered the mainland and are developing rapidly.

Xu Zheng and Huang Bo both lamented that as people born in the [-]s, when they were young, they chased the Four Heavenly Kings, but buying a cassette to support them would not be so crazy.

"Director Li, do you think these traffic figures can make a lot of money by acting in movies?"

"You can make a small profit, but you can't make a big profit."

Just like the high-power "Far Cry", it is said that the investment was only 800 million, and it got 5000 million at the box office, which is a small profit.

But if the production cost is high, it’s hard to say whether it can make money.

Li Shengyao added: "Most of the people chasing traffic are young people, and students account for a large proportion. Students have time to refresh data, but their wallets are not deep, so they are not the main movie watchers."

Xu Zheng nodded. He picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, glanced at Huang Bo, and planned to get down to business.

"Director Li, did "Parasite" not participate in the Shanghai Film Festival this time?"

The registration deadline for the Shanghai Film Festival is usually mid-May, and this year it is May 14th.

Lee Sung-yew's "1937" participated in the Shanghai Film Festival last year, but "Parasite" did not participate this year.

The main reason is that they have already participated in the Cannes Film Festival and there is no point in going to the Shanghai Film Festival. Actors such as Liang Jiawui and Liu Dehua said that they do not need to participate in the competition for the best actor at the Shanghai Film Festival.

In addition, they will participate in movie promotion in June.

Li Shengyao did not sign up for "Parasite".

Xu Zheng is a native of Shanghai. He has been performing dramas in Shanghai in his early years and is very familiar with people in the Shanghai circle.

It should be the organizer of the Shanghai Film Festival.

"Parasite" is a good film and won the Palme d'Or. If a film like this participates in the Shanghai Film Festival, it can add luster to the festival.

"I didn't participate. We have to do promotions in June and don't have time to go to Shanghai to compete."

Xu Zheng scratched his head. People from the Shanghai Film Festival hoped that he could persuade Li Shengyao that even if the registration deadline had come, they could be accommodating and allow "Parasite" to participate.

He agreed immediately.

However, facing Li Shengyao at this time, he saw that Li Shengyao had no intention of participating. He couldn't explain any of the reasons that he had thought of before coming.

He didn't dare to persuade him at all.

Although the weather today was excellent, with sunshine and warm wind, and Director Li was smiling, he did not dare to say anything more about what Li Shengyao was sure about.

"I can't agree to this kind of thing again."

Xu Zheng secretly made a decision in his heart, and then said another thing.

"Director Li, the Shanghai Film Festival asked me to tell you something."

This is the second thing that the leaders of the Shanghai Film Festival asked him to do. If Lee Sheng-yew does not agree to participate in "Parasite", he will say the second thing.

"What's up?"

"That's right, the Shanghai Film Festival would like to ask you if you are interested in being the chief seal of the jury of the Shanghai Film Festival?"

Lee Sheng-yew just confirmed directly that "Parasite" will not participate in the film festival competition.

Xu Zheng didn't dare to persuade him.

This time, he planned to tell his reasons early so that he would not dare to say more later.

"The film festival gave me some preferential treatment."

"Preferential treatment?"

Xu Zheng nodded, "Director Li, they said that the Shanghai Film Festival will take care of Fenghua's artists in the future, and will also help you promote "Parasite". In addition, if you are the chief seal of the jury, everything will be based on you, absolutely not Will interfere with your decision."

Huang Bo sat aside with an envious look on his face.

In his opinion, this is the highest honor. If he becomes the chief seal of the Shanghai Film Festival jury, all the stars in the Chinese entertainment industry will support him.

Li Shengyao didn't have much emotion.

If it were the year before last, having Lee Sheng-yao serve as the chief judge of the Shanghai Film Festival would indeed have enhanced his credentials.

But that’s no longer possible. He won two Palme d’Ors, and now it’s time for him to raise his profile at the Shanghai Film Festival.

Even though there are so many Chinese entertainment stars participating in the Shanghai Film Festival every year, it is still a Category A film festival, but this film festival has little gold content, and people in the industry will not take the awards from the Shanghai Film Festival as honors.

Lao Mouzi became the chief seal of the Venice Jury in 2007. This is a position that truly highlights honor.

That year "Lust, Caution" won the Golden Lion Award. It is difficult to say that it was not for the operation of Lao Mouzi.

If Lee Sing-yew serves as the chief judge of the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival in the future, he will naturally take care of Chinese-language films.

Li Shengyao doesn't really want to be the chief seal of the Shanghai Film Festival, except that he doesn't have enough talent.

He wants "Parasite" to be released on June [-]th. He has to promote it beforehand and has no time to be a judge.

Xu Zheng thought for a while and quickly added: "In addition, the Shanghai Film Festival owes you a favor. We can discuss anything in the future."

Li Shengyao smiled and then said slowly: "Thank you to the leaders of the Shanghai Film Festival for me. I have to promote "Parasite" in June and I don't have time to be a judge."

Xu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Although he failed, he finally finished talking about these two things.

He and Huang Bo looked at each other, then changed the subject, "Director Li, "Parasite" should be able to earn 1937-[-] million at the box office this time like "[-]", right?"

Li Shengyao smiled and said, "It's unlikely. "Parasite" is a feature film, so it would be great to have [-] million."

In his previous life, "Parasite" performed well in Europe and the United States.

It has not been released in the Mainland, but Li Shengyao feels that even if this movie is released, the box office will not be too high.

If it is about modern urban themes, mainland people like to watch movies that can trigger topics.

For example, the "Ex" series, such as "Gone Girl", such as "All or Nothing".

Economic development in Europe and the United States has stagnated, and it is very difficult for ordinary people to transcend classes. Class conflicts are relatively intense, which can arouse resonance.

As for the mainland, currently, the economy is in a period of rapid development, everyone is making money, and class conflicts are not obvious.

It is difficult for "Parasite" to arouse emotional resonance. Li Shengyao felt that [-] million would be enough to complete the task.

This movie's main ticket sales are still in Europe and the United States.

Anyway, I will definitely not lose money. If I can win the Palme d'Or, I have completed the task.

Under such circumstances, Lee Sheng-yew doesn't really care about the box office of "Parasite" in the Mainland. Of course, he will still do the promotion that needs to be done.

After all, after all they have put in so much effort, Andy Lau, Leung Ka Hui and the others need movies to maintain their popularity, and they still need publicity and a high schedule of movies.

It's just that he has confidence in his heart and won't be depressed and angry just because the box office is low.

Xu Zheng was surprised when he heard this.

Lee Sheng Yew is known as the most successful commercial film director in Asia. Is it possible that this time he will capsize in the gutter?

He carefully observed Li Shengyao and was puzzled when he saw that Director Li did not feel depressed at all.

Then I thought that "Parasite" won the Palme d'Or, and Lee Sung-yew is worth tens of billions. It seems that there is really no need to pay too much attention to the movie box office.

He was envious in his heart, and then thought of the movie he directed, "Director Li, what do you think "囧" can achieve?" Upon hearing this, Huang Bo immediately became interested.

"Director Li, do you think there are [-] million?"

The box office of domestic movies in the Mainland exceeded [-] million the year before last, and this figure was maintained last year.

At present, except for the two "If You Are the One", which have more than 4 million, the box office of other comedy films in the mainland market is not very high, that is, several of Ning Hao's movies have exceeded 2 million. The year before last, with the help of Li Shengyao, "No Man's Land" won More than [-] million.

It is difficult for those comedies produced by Huang Baiming to exceed [-] million yuan.

For others, such as Happy Family, Wang Jing will also make some comedies, all of which are difficult to earn even 5000 million yuan.

Huang Bo, Xu Zheng and the others had talked before, and everyone thought that [-] million would be a huge deal.

Li Shengyao smiled, "Of course it's more than [-] million."

In his previous life, "囧囧" can be said to have come out of nowhere, suddenly raising the box office of domestic films to more than one billion.

This is something no one thought of.

Especially comedy movies. The box office of comedy movies is not very high at this time.

Movies worth [-] million, such as "Tangshan Earthquake", "Let the Bullets Fly" and "Jinling Thirteen Hairpins" are all top blockbusters.

He thinks that starting from 2012, mainland people like to watch comedies more than before, and people no longer blindly pursue super blockbusters.

"I feel that "Lost in Thailand" will be a hit, and the box office will exceed "Let the Bullets Fly" and "The Thirteen Hairpins" by [-] to [-] million, or even [-] billion."

When Xu Zheng and Huang Bo heard this, their eyes widened.

Xu Zheng glanced at the birds flying in the sky and made sure it was real and not a dream, so he asked softly: "Director Li, can you be so tall?"

"OK."

Although it has not been released yet and the final box office is uncertain, Xu Zheng was still very excited when he heard Lee Sheng-yew's words. If "囧" can have a box office of one billion, then he will be the first Chinese director to have a box office of one billion in the mainland market. .

It should be something to be proud of.

He couldn't help but glance at Li Shengyao and thought that Fenghua owned the copyright for "The Man on the Road".

So why doesn’t Lee Sheung Yew direct a movie that can break over one billion in mainland China?

He had always been cautious before, but now he couldn't help but ask: "Director Li, you are so optimistic about "囧", why did you let me film it in the first place?"

Li Shengyao understood Xu Zheng's doubts. If it were anyone else, they would probably compete for this honor.

However, he knows very well that this honor is meaningless, and there will soon be movies worth 20 billion, 30 billion, and 50 billion.

"I'm optimistic about you, you can make money if you take good photos and you can be elegant.

As for why I don’t film, I don’t think it makes much sense. Our country is getting better and better, and the box office will be higher in the future.

I'm in good shape now and want to make some more interesting movies. "

The sun fell on Li Shengyao, as if there was fluorescent light lingering around him. At this moment, Li Shengyao was infinitely higher in the hearts of Xu Zheng and Huang Bo.

Not the chief seal of the Shanghai Film Festival jury, not greedy for power.

I won’t direct “囧” myself, and I won’t be greedy for fame and fortune.

Focusing your energy on "Parasite" and aiming for the Palme d'Or in Cannes is a fearless spirit that requires great courage and belief.

In order to make Chinese-language films shine in the world of cinema, Director Li has paid too much.

Xu Zheng resisted the urge to stand up and bow in submission.

"Director Li, you are a role model for all of us."

He feels that compared to other mainland filmmakers, Lee Sheng-yew's level of ambition is at a completely different stage.

Some time ago, people from Raytheon invited him to drink and practice shooting, hoping that he would switch to Raytheon for his next film.

He now feels that it is not necessary and it is better to follow Li Shengyao.

Li Shengyao not only helped read the scripts, but also paid them happily and would not interfere with their creation.

This kind of magnanimity cannot be matched by others.

……

June is coming soon, and Li Shengyao is taking the "Parasite" crew to promote throughout the country.

He has Fenghua Video and has good relationships with several TV stations, so he doesn’t need to worry about not having a place to promote it.

Their schedule is very full, and they have visited several first-tier cities, as well as cities with good economic development and high box office.

On this day at Shanghai TV Station, Li Shengyao and his team participated in a program. Due to the long recording time, there was not enough recording time in the morning and two or three hours were needed in the afternoon.

The crew finished their work in the morning and had dinner at the restaurant inside Hucheng TV Station.

Li Shengyao always likes to eat in such a large canteen. It gives him the feeling of going to college and makes him look much younger.

Liu Dehua, Liang Jiahui and the others were more curious.

As soon as they sat down, a publicist from another crew came over.

This crew is the crew of "The Ruffian Hero: All-Out War". The director of this film is Cai Yuexun, and the starring actors are Zhao Youting, Huang Bo, Dabao Baobei, and Guan Ying.

Huang Bo saw Li Shengyao and immediately came forward to say hello.

Cai Yuexun and Zhao Youting followed immediately.

Zhao Youting is the actor who is being pushed hard at this time. Compared with the other two, he can be regarded as the most ambitious and perseverant actor.

Peng Yuyan and Ethan Ruan lived in the mainland for ten years, and they still spoke with crooked accents in the later years.

When Zhao Youting later acted in movies and TV shows, his Wanwan accent basically disappeared.

The only unpleasant thing about this old man is that he married Gao Yuanyuan.

Brother Hupu’s hatred for seizing his wife.

The big baby has a bad figure, but her face is really good.

She is someone who knows how to get things done. When she saw Andy Lau and Leung Jiahui, they immediately started chatting in Cantonese.

Guan Ying is a socialite in Wanwan. She is known as the woman that all female stars envy and hate in Wanwan. Her appearance is only good and her temperament is acceptable. She can act like a swan in Wanwan, but she is not good enough in mainland China.

Lee Sing-yew had little impression of "The Ruffian Heroes: All-Out War". He didn't remember the movie's box office, which should have been less than [-] million.

Dabaobao, Guan Ying, and Zhao Youting greeted Li Shengyao, exchanged pleasantries for a while, and then went to other tables.

Cai Yuexun did not leave.

He pulled up a stool and sat next to Li Shengyao. He looked helpless at this time, "Director Li, "Parasite" has such a good reputation, it will definitely sweep through June. It is really difficult for us to follow the other movies." "

There are a lot of movies produced in the mainland this year, and there are many more movies released than before.

For example, in early June, there were movies like "Snow White and Mirror Mirror," "The Pirates," "Get Out," "Love Island," and so on.

In mid-June, there will be movies such as "Madagascar 3", "The First Time", "Two Heroes", "The Legend of Pen" and so on.

There will also be movies of the level of "The Hunger Games" and "Painted Skin 2" in late June.

very intense competition.

Now that there is another "Parasite", Cai Yuexun can imagine how difficult it is for ordinary movies to break through, and there is a high probability that they will become cannon fodder.

Although "The Ruffian Heroes: Total War" has been pre-heated as a TV series, except for Huang Bo, the other actors have no appeal in the mainland.

He was really worried that the movie would be a stepping stone to other blockbusters.

He wanted to show off his tragic experience here and see if Lee Shengyao could use the Fenghua video to help promote it.

Li Shengyao smiled and said, "Don't worry, "Parasite" is not a traditional commercial blockbuster. This movie can earn [-] million. Even if it has completed the task, as long as your movie is of outstanding quality, there will be no problem."

Cai Yuexun was stunned when he heard this, "Director Li, are you kidding me?"

The box office of the movies produced by Lee Sheng Yew has never been low, and they have always been among the top five movies of the year in the Mainland.

If this "Parasite" only has [-] million, it can't be in the top five.

Cai Yuexun didn't believe it. After all, he was so good before and won the Palme d'Or this time. The reputation was so good and Xinwen Network helped promote it. How could the box office be lower?
While eating, Li Shengyao replied: "I'm not kidding, the subject matter of this movie is not a big hit. You don't have to worry, "Parasite" will definitely not block your way of making money. It depends on your own strength." hard."

During the Sohu Fashion Festival, Wang Zhonglei approached Lee Shengyao, hoping that Lee Shengyao could change the schedule of "Parasite" to a different time.

Huayi invested in "Painted Skin 2", and the Wang brothers were very interested in the movie.

Lee Sing-yew said at the time not to worry, "Parasite" would not be too high at the box office.

This is still the case at this time.

A few years ago, in order to avoid being slapped in the face, Lee Sheng-yew would have lowered the popularity of "Parasite".

But now there is no need.

It is not a purely commercial movie, so it does not matter if the box office is not high.

What's more important is that Li Shengyao's fame and status have been greatly improved. He does not need to worry about a movie's box office failure, which will affect his reputation in the hearts of the audience.

There are many movies in June, so naturally some people predict the box office. In fact, many people on the Internet are optimistic about "Parasite" now, and the hype is quite high.

In the future, "Parasite" will not be as good as "Painted Skin 2" at the box office, and I'm afraid it will attract a lot of ridicule.

But it doesn't matter.

Lee Sing-yew has passed the period of pursuing box office, and he really doesn't pay much attention to these things now.

Seeing that Li Shengyao was serious, Cai Yuexun was naturally very confused. He thought about his identity and felt that there was no need for Li Shengyao to lie to him.

He returned to the promotional crew of "The Ruffian Heroes: Total War" with a confused look on his face, and then repeated what Lee Sheng-yew had just said.

Zhao Youting and Dabao didn't believe Li Shengyao's words. They both felt that these were Director Li's comforting words. "Parasite" would definitely be a big hit.

However, Huang Bo had already heard Li Shengyao talk about the theme of "Parasite" and heard Li Shengyao predict the box office of this movie, so he understood that this movie might not be able to achieve high box office in the mainland.

At this time, he heard Li Shengyao say this again, still so magnanimous, but he admired it very much.

"There is no need for Director Li to lie to people. It should be like this. He himself is not very optimistic about the box office of "Parasite". We have to believe him."

Cai Yuexun knew that Huang Bo was very close to Li Shengyao. Hearing this, he couldn't help but wonder, "Director Li's previous movies were so good at the box office, why doesn't he continue this performance?"

"Director Li no longer pursues box office, his realm is different. What he pursues is high-quality movies.

However, the movie hasn’t been released yet, so it’s hard to say how well it will take off. If the audience likes it, that’s not necessarily the case. "

(End of this chapter)