China Entertainment's whatever you want

Due to the release of numerous excellent films, this year's summer movie season was unprecedentedly popular, with the total box office in the domestic film market exceeding 20 billion yuan in July and August, setting a new record for summer movie box office.

Filmmakers cheered, and audiences were very satisfied.

Many people believe that the impact of the pandemic on the industry has completely passed, and the future of Chinese films is incredibly bright.

In September, just as the summer movie season was starting to cool down, films scheduled for release during the National Day holiday began their promotional campaigns in earnest.

Since patriotic films have become a hit, the National Day film season has become increasingly important.

In 2019, "My People, My Country" was a huge hit during the National Day holiday. Subsequently, "My People, My Homeland" and "My People, My Parents" achieved considerable box office success during the National Day holiday in the following two years.

Meanwhile, in 2021, "The Battle at Lake Changjin" was released during the National Day holiday, grossing 64 billion RMB and breaking the box office record for domestic films at the time.

The fact that a domestic box office champion was produced during the National Day holiday demonstrates the box office potential of the holiday period, making film companies in the industry pay more attention to this period.

Xiangyang, the prosperous Tang Dynasty city.

The production team for "Joy of Life 3" has just started filming.

"Have you seen the online discussions about the movies released during the National Day holiday these past few days?"

During their lunch break, Gu Wei and Jing Tian ate and chatted in the RV.

"No, what did you say?"

Gu Wei picked up a piece of fried pork tenderloin and put it in his mouth, then casually asked.

Since the company didn't have any movies released during the National Day holiday, he didn't pay attention to them.

"The fourth installment in the 'Ex-Files' series, 'Young Marriage,' directed by Tien Yu-sheng, is scheduled for release on the 28th of this month."

Because of the box office success of "The Ex-Files 3," this movie is currently very popular, and the main cast and crew have started touring around to promote it.

"That's good." Gu Wei nodded, roughly guessing what Jing Tian was going to say.

Not good
While "The Ex-Files 4" is currently generating a lot of buzz, it's not positive buzz.

The third installment starred you and Ni Ni, but the fourth installment featured Han Geng and Liu Yase, which dissatisfied many fans and generated significant online opposition.

Gu Wei ate a bite of food and then picked up the drink on the table and took a sip.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Huayi Brothers contacted me many times, but I no longer want to act in the "Ex-Files" film series.

After "The Ex-Files 3" grossed 23 billion yuan, the "Ex-Files" series became a popular IP. It's impossible for Huayi Brothers and director Tian Yusheng not to make the film just because I'm not in it.

[The Ex-Files 4] will still be filmed; if I don't act, someone else will.

As for whether the audience is satisfied, that's not for me to decide.

"I feel that Han Geng's version of [The Ex-File 4] is likely to fail. There are too many negative voices online."

Moreover, I saw the movie poster, and his image wasn't very good; he looked fat and greasy.

"Han Geng was the lead actor in the first part of 'Ex-Files,' so it's not a big deal for him to play the male lead in the fourth part. It's just a good opportunity to connect the plot and character relationships of the first part, which is very reasonable."

If Gu Wei doesn't act in the film, it has nothing to do with him, and he doesn't care whether it's a box office hit or a loss.

The discussion surrounding "The Ex-Files 4: Early Marriage" has been far greater than Gu Wei had imagined. During the promotional tour for "The Ex-Files," many reporters and audience members asked why they didn't continue to work with Gu Wei.

Tian Yusheng looked completely innocent. Was it that he didn't want to work with Gu Wei? Or was it that Gu Wei looked down on the "Ex-Files" film series and refused to act in it?

Huayi Brothers communicated with Wei Mingtian several times, offering to increase the actor's salary and reduce their investment share. They were willing to agree to any conditions as long as Gu Wei played the role, showing their utmost sincerity. However, Gu Wei simply refused to act again, and there was nothing they could do.

"Before we started filming 【The Ex-File 4】, we communicated with Mr. Gu Wei, but he declined our invitation due to scheduling conflicts and considerations for his personal career development."

However, please rest assured that "The Ex-Files 4" will maintain the series' previous style, focusing on and discussing emotional issues between men and women in the city.

The phrase "early marriage" in the name doesn't actually mean getting married.

As Yu Fei and Meng Yun grow older, they also reach a crossroads in their marriage. Therefore, this is an opportunity to explore what kind of mindset we need to have when marriage comes into our lives in middle age.

Tian Yusheng's answer was not satisfactory to everyone, but things had already come to this point, and there was nothing that Gu Wei could do if he didn't want to play the role of a fan.

Han Geng, a member of the creative team, was always in an awkward position.

When Tien Yu-sheng first approached him to act in "The Ex-Files 4", he hesitated a bit, mainly because the third film had elevated Gu Wei's character to a very high level. He also considered that if he acted in the fourth film, it would be compared to the previous one, and fans of the series would be dissatisfied.

However, his career development over the years has been rather poor. To say it's lukewarm would be an understatement. If he doesn't produce any new works soon, he'll be forgotten. So, he gritted his teeth and took the job.

He also put in a lot of effort to make a good film.

In the movie "The Ex-File 4", "Meng Yun" is a middle-aged man with a beer belly who has become overweight. Han Geng gained 15 pounds to better fit the role, and his performance during filming satisfied Tian Yusheng.

A reporter asked him if he felt pressured to take on this role.
Han Geng smiled somewhat reluctantly: "There is definitely pressure, after all, the box office performance of [The Ex-File 3] was too excellent."

However, I have done my best to perform and interpret the character, and I will not regret it no matter what the outcome is.

At Huayi, both the eldest and youngest members of the Wang family were also discussing "The Ex-Files 4".

"The company has been working very hard on publicity and promotion recently, but the public opinion surrounding the film is still not very good."

"This might affect the film's box office performance after its release," Wang Zhonglei said with some concern.

Sitting behind his desk, CEO Wang was even more composed, his fingers crossed in front of his chest: "The influence of public opinion is inevitable, but being infamous is still being famous, and having some discussion is better than being unknown."

My greater concern is that Han Geng's performance will not satisfy the audience after the film's release.

"When word-of-mouth starts circulating, box office revenue will definitely be greatly affected."

Wang Zhonglei nodded in agreement, then complained, "Gu Wei is really something. With the box office success of 'The Ex-Files 3' and the series' popularity, he could easily rake in two or three billion yuan just by starring in it."

We've already made such big concessions, almost giving him the majority of the profits, but he still won't agree.

Why pretend to be an artist when you can't even make money?

His movie, *Extraction*, was just a popcorn action film!

Wang Zhongjun raised his hand: "There's no point in saying these things."

Gu Wei doesn't want to act, and we can't force him to.

It's good that he left; it will free the series from his influence.

"The Ex-Files 4" might have a slightly lower box office, but it won't need to share too much of its profits.

Wang Zhongjun's words seemed to make some sense, but he knew that they were mostly just self-comfort.

Even a primary school student can figure out which is more or less, half a hundred or eighty percent of fifty.

Besides, without Gu Wei, it's uncertain whether the box office will even reach fifty percent.

On September 26, Gu Wei asked for leave and left the film crew.

His first trip is to Shanghai to attend the premiere of "The Chinese People's Volunteers: Mighty Army Strikes".

Then he flew to France to visit Naza.

Rumors circulated that Gu Wei and Chen Kaige were at odds, and in reality, their relationship was indeed just so-so.

Of course, the main reason was that Director Chen had a grudge against him, and Gu Wei didn't take him seriously at all.

I attended the premiere of "The Chinese People's Volunteers" mainly to repay a favor.

Three months ago, when "Extreme Rescue" was released, Director Chen brought his family to the premiere to congratulate him. In return, Gu Wei naturally had to show up for the premiere of "The Chinese People's Volunteers".

The premiere of "The Volunteer Army: Mighty Army Strikes Back" was a grand affair, with many celebrities in attendance, but Gu Wei's appearance still caused quite a stir. Director Chen personally came out to greet him.

"Mr. Gu, thank you for coming!"

"Director Chen, congratulations on the film's release! Wishing you great box office success!"

"Thanks."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Kai left to attend to other matters, and Wu Jing, who was also present, joined him.

"Sure, I really didn't expect you to come today."

"When my movie was released, Director Chen came. How could I not show up at his movie premiere?"

"Besides, some of the actors in this movie are from my company, so it's only natural for the boss to come and support them."

Gu Wei was referring to Zhang Songwen and Xiao Yang, both of whom had roles in the film "The Chinese People's Volunteer Army".

Zhang Songwen plays the main character "Wu Xiuquan".

"Haha, me too. They've already invited me, so it's not right not to come."

Wu Jing chuckled, then whispered:
"I heard that Director Chen was holding back a lot of pride when he made 'The Volunteer Army.' This time, he made all the decisions in the crew, and he wanted to prove himself."

Gu Wei glanced at him: "Where did you hear this gossip? Why would a big director be so stingy?"

"Everyone knows this, but no one says it because they're too embarrassed to say it."

Moreover, there's nothing wrong with Director Kai wanting to make good works to prove himself.

His status and competence are undeniable, and everyone trusts his abilities.

That's why China Film Group and Bona Film Group were willing to invest in the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Gu Wei said magnanimously, "Originally, our differences with Director Chen were just work-related, not a real conflict. I hope his film 'The Chinese People's Volunteers' will be as successful as 'The Battle at Lake Changjin'."

Wu Jing nodded in agreement.

"It's too difficult to catch up with or surpass the Changjin Lake."

However, with this subject matter and these well-known actors, it's quite possible for it to gross three or four billion yuan at the box office.

"Then we'll see how the movie turns out."

The fact that the two parts of "The Battle at Lake Changjin" could gross 100 billion yuan is not only due to the plot and subject matter, but also inseparable from the box office appeal of Gu Wei and Wu Jing.

Although the film "The Volunteer Army" boasts a star-studded cast including Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Ziyi, Zhu Yawen, and Xiao Yang, its box office appeal is far inferior to that of Gu Wei and Wu Jing.

The two chatted for a while about the popular domestic films this year. Wu Jing mentioned the summer blockbuster "Extreme Rescue" and looked at Gu Wei with envy.

"You must be getting a lot of offers from Hollywood right now, right?"

"There are many. Since July, when the North American wildfires started with 'Extraction,' I have received many invitations from Hollywood film companies."

Do you remember what I said to you as a joke back then?

"Which sentence?" Wu Jing asked, puzzled.

Gu Wei laughed and said, "Didn't I jokingly say before that once I become famous, Warner Bros. might ask me to play Superman?"

They really contacted me.

Wu Jing's eyes widened: "Really?"
They're inviting you to play Superman?

DC's Superman?

Gu Wei nodded: "It's the Superman who wears a cape and his underwear on the outside."

That Superman from Man of Steel!

Isn't Coco Superman Henry Cavill?
His portrayals of Superman in *Man of Steel*, *Justice League*, and *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice* were excellent, perfectly capturing the image of Superman in the minds of comic book fans.

Knowing that Gu Wei wouldn't joke with him, Wu Jing was genuinely shocked.

"There's nothing we can do about it; none of the DC movies about Superman that Zack Snyder directed made money."

Warner Bros. is preparing to relaunch the Superman IP.

"That means we can't ask you to act."

I'm not saying you can't act well, it's just that yellow-skinned Superman will drive movie and comic book fans crazy!

Gu Wei laughed and said, "According to Warner Bros., Superman is an alien, so he doesn't necessarily have to be white."

Moreover, my skin is naturally fair, and my facial features are three-dimensional with some Western characteristics. If I just gain some muscle, I'd be perfect for playing Superman.

Moreover, this aligns perfectly with Hollywood's trend toward openness and diversity.

LGBT, politically correct, belongs to

"You answered it?"

Gu Wei shrugged: "Of course not."

Warner Bros. is just eyeing my popularity and box office appeal; I don't think playing Superman is a good choice.

To be honest, the script they gave me was really bad.

"Luckily, this wasn't reported, otherwise it would have been a huge news story."
"By the way, how about we go out for drinks after the premiere?"

Wu Jing extended an invitation.

Gu Wei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, my flight is tomorrow morning, I'm free tonight, I'll keep you company for a bit."

After chatting for a while, the premiere ceremony of "The Chinese People's Volunteer Army" officially began.

The program consisted of interviews, interactive sessions, games, and a movie screening at the end.

The film "The Chinese People's Volunteers: Mighty Army Strikes Back" is quite long at 141 minutes, and the premiere lasted for more than 3 hours.

"how do you feel?"

After the premiere, Wu Jing asked as he came out of the venue.

"Well done. Director Chen is indeed a great director. The film closely follows the theme of the Korean War and features a group of characters."

You can see the reactions and choices of people at all levels and in all aspects during this major historical turning point.

The stories of several leaders, commanders, army commanders, and ordinary soldiers all contribute to the advancement of the film.

I especially loved the part where Zhang Songwen led the delegation of the People's Republic of China to make its first appearance at the UN Security Council; it was truly spectacular!
However, this approach of filming an ensemble cast also has its problems; the story becomes too scattered, resulting in somewhat disjointed character portrayals and a failure to focus on the central figure.

Gu Wei hesitated for two seconds before saying this.

"Also, the character Chen Feiyu has a slightly larger amount of screen time."

It's understandable that Director Chen would promote his own son in a film, but it still somewhat disrupts the overall coherence of the storyline.

Wu Jing nodded in agreement after hearing Gu Wei's assessment.

Having worked with Gu Wei for so many years, he greatly admires Gu Wei's vision.

He felt that Gu Wei's ability to discern the strengths and weaknesses of films was unmatched in the Chinese entertainment industry. He could always accurately pinpoint what made a film good or bad, why it was a box office hit, and why it failed at the box office. (End of Chapter)