The Wind of China Entertainment 2005

Chapter 596 Backstab
The evening of July 11.

Lu Yuan returned to Beijing and met up with Liu Shishi, and together they went to the premiere press conference of "1942", the National Stadium.

In the back seat of the car, Liu Shishi lowered her head and looked tenderly at her boyfriend who was resting his head on her thighs. She listened to his light snoring and gently smoothed his eyebrows with her fingertips, feeling a little distressed.

The filming progress of the movie "Chinese Partners" is very tight.

Because Lu Yuan had to take a few days off to prepare for the release of "New World", the crew mainly filmed his scenes in the early stages, working day and night.

Several times when she called after 2 a.m., Zheng Qian told her that Lu Yuan was still filming.

"Well, are we there yet?" Lu Yuan opened his eyes drowsily.

Liu Shishi retracted her fingers and said, "Not yet, you should sleep a little longer."

"Okay." Lu Yuan tilted his head and put his face against her belly.

Liu Shishi felt a little itchy, but she held it back, took out her cell phone and looked through the latest entertainment news.

Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" was released four days ago and the box office exceeded 100 million yuan in four days.

This puts a lot of pressure on "1942" and "The Banquet", but the promotion is still in full swing.

Feng Xiaogang expects the box office of "1942" to be 800 million!

Lu Chuan said in an interview: "After filming The Banquet, I felt that adolescence was gradually leaving me, and I was very satisfied with my adolescence, because I did four things, Kekexili, Looking for the Gun, Nanjing Nanjing, and The Banquet, and I felt that I did not waste these 12 years."

Liu Shishi curled her lips. Because she was poisoned by "The Promise", she used to dislike Chen Kaican very much.

After the filming of "Search", she had a different opinion of director Chen Kaiquan. He said that Chen Kaiquan was talented but not very down-to-earth.

But she really dislikes Lu Chuan, and the stance of "Nanjing Nanjing" is enough to explain everything.

She is in her forties and still in adolescence. If "The Banquet" does not perform well at the box office, she will have to cry to her family, she thought to herself.

After about half an hour, the National Indoor Stadium came into view.

After the driver whispered a reminder, she blew into her boyfriend's ear: "Wake up, we're here."

Lu Yuan hummed twice before straightening up and yawning.

Liu Shishi took the opportunity to tidy up her wrinkled clothes, and suddenly covered her dress belt with disgust: "Did you drool while sleeping just now?"

"It's not me. I didn't." Lu Yuan turned his head away and wiped the corner of his mouth.

Liu Shishi rolled her eyes: "Luckily I'm wearing a dark color today."

There were many reporters gathered on both sides of the red carpet. Huayi’s premiere press conferences are always grand.

"Crack, click, click!"

The media were surprised to see the two people getting out of the car.

Ever since Lu Yuan terminated his contract with Huayi, he has rarely participated in Huayi's premieres and related activities. Does this mean that the past is completely over?

They've already thought of the headlines for the evening's news.

On the red carpet, Liu Shishi smiled at the camera, took his arm, and asked, "Is Ye Ning talking about Huayi?"

"It's likely." Lu Yuan was not sure.

"If we really do this, wouldn't Wang Zhongzhonglei become a traitor?"

"This kind of thing is not uncommon. Yu Dong last year is an example. He is still fine now. In fact, when Ye Ning came to me, I had a hunch. Besides." Lu Yuan paused, because Feng Xiaogang and a few others had approached the two of them.

"Mr. Lu, Shi Shi."

"Director Feng."

Feng Xiaogang shook hands with him with a smile, as if he was meeting a relative, with a very kind look.

This film, "1942", means a lot to him and it is his ambitious work.

It didn't pass the review at first, but he had to use his connections and beg for permission before it was approved. As a condition, he would serve as the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala for 14.

He gambled a lot on this, but the closer it got to the release, the less sure he became. He even felt a little regretful. If he had known earlier, he should have invited Lu Yuan to play a role.

“How’s the filming of ‘Partners’ going?”

"About a quarter."

Several people walked into the museum, chatting about trivial matters.

Feng Xiaogang casually asked, "Where is the premiere of New World going to be held?"

Lu Yuan knew that this man's implication was that he was planning to go and show his support that day. In terms of social skills, Feng Xiaogang was much better than Zhou Xinchi.

"It's not as big as Huayi, so it just found a small place."

"Haha, you make me even more curious. Remember to let me know when the time comes."

"must."

The National Indoor Stadium, one of the three main venues of the 2008 Olympic Games, has a total area of ​​8.08 square meters and 1.8 seats, with a layout similar to that of a stadium.

Huayi installed the world's largest movie screen of 600 square meters at the venue, and the screen used for mirror blackout reached 1500 square meters.

The total number of invited media, film critics, filmmakers, and a small number of influential movie fans reached 6000, and the venue was packed with people.

Lu Yuan and Liu Shishi were sitting in the second row. Not long after they sat down, Wang Baoqiang came over with a smile on his face.

After the box office of "Lost in Thailand" exceeded 1 billion, this man's salary skyrocketed, and his personality inevitably changed a little. Facing the camera, he became more confident, no longer smiling foolishly, and had some burdens.

Lu Yuan finished chatting with Chen Daoming on the left, turned around and asked, "Baoqiang, what are you busy with recently?"

Wang Baoqiang smiled and said, "I'm filming Iceman with Zhen Zidan."

"Action scene?"

"Correct!"

Lu Yuan congratulated him: "Congratulations. When we were filming Soldier Assault, I remembered that you dreamed of becoming a martial arts star. This time, your dream has finally come true."

Wang Baoqiang grinned, revealing a row of big white teeth.

Liu Shishi listened for a while and said, "I thought you would continue to make comedies."

"Everyone thinks so." Wang Baoqiang scratched the back of his head, with a silly smile on his face.

"More than one person around me advised me that this path is great and I should just go for it. But I don't think it's challenging. If I were in my 50s today, I would just take it slow. But I'm young now, so I have to try. Even if I fail, I still have a chance to start over."

Lu Yuan lamented that although Wang Baoqiang started out as an extra, his pursuit of excellence was unmatched by most people in the circle.

If he continues to take on comedies, Wang Baoqiang's pay for a single movie will easily exceed 10 million.

His current screen image is honest and rustic, and the audience likes it.

If he makes a hasty transformation, what if his image is ruined or even affects the audience's perception of him? It would be a huge risk.

Wang Baoqiang continued: "In fact, in addition to Iceman, I also took on an action movie."

"what?"

"One Man's Martial Arts World!"

Lu Yuan noticed that his expression was more excited than before, and asked in surprise: "A good book?"

"Yeah!" Wang Baoqiang nodded heavily: "I think it's at least better than "Iceman"."

"Male No. 1?"

"No, the male lead is still Zhen Zidan, and I am the second male lead, a villain, a very contrasting, very crazy character."

Lu Yuan was inspired. He glanced at Liu Shishi who was playing on her phone and asked, "Who is the director?"

"Chen Desen, he filmed The Besieged City before."

Wang Baoqiang noticed his action just now, understood what he meant, and added: "This play is invested by Yinghuang."

Yinghuang Lu Yuan plans to have a chat with Yang Shoucheng.

If the script allows, he wouldn't mind playing a female fighter role for Liu Shishi.

This girl's acting range is very narrow, and her other scenes are relatively mediocre, but her costume and fighting scenes are exceptionally brilliant.

People came in one after another.

During this period, many people came to show their faces in front of him, and Wang Zhonglei also came over and said a few hypocritical polite words.

Liu Shishi noticed that this guy kept looking back: "What's wrong?"

Lu Yuan was puzzled: "I didn't see anyone from the cinema chain. Ye Ning said on the phone that the five major cinema chains would be there tonight. Could it be that there was a problem with Xingmei instead of Huayi?"

At seven o'clock, the lights in the venue dimmed and the 600-square-meter screen slowly lit up.

"Nineteen Forty-Two" begins screening.

The story of the film is simple and plain, restoring the history of the great drought in He Nan in 1942.

The whole play is told in two parallel lines.

The background is that the Japanese army attacked He Nan, the National Army pressed for military rations, and Chairman Chiang was surrounded by news of the loss of troops and territory, and had no time to pay attention to the huge natural disaster in He Nan.
On a small level, Zhang Guoli plays the old landlord. When the disaster first came, he believed that with his own survival wisdom and the surplus food stored in his home, he would be able to resolve all crises, and his family would still live well in the near future.

But things went against their wishes, and as the situation took a serious turn for the worse, the family began to flee.

Feng Xiaogang used a lot of overhead shots in this film.

Planes were bombing in the sky, soldiers were looting on the ground, the land was barren and there were starving people everywhere, it was unbearable to look at.

The audience looked down at the endless stream of disaster victims, the devastated land, the iron forks piercing their chests, and the flesh and blood in the center of the explosion. They felt that life was as thin as paper, and it was shocking, and a chill ran down their spines.

The hungry and cold wanderers in the besieged city, the starving people shivering in the wind, the commander who turned a blind eye, the officials who dared not report the death
At the end of the film, Zhang Guoli accidentally suffocated his only grandson to death. He was left alone, leaning on a wooden stick, with a dead air all over his body, walking slowly on the muddy snowy road.

This scene seems particularly sad.

On the side of the road, a little girl about 4 years old knelt in front of the bodies of her family members.

Zhang Guoli walked a long way in a trance, but after thinking for a while, he turned back, hunched over, and asked, "Ni'er, you're cold, stop crying."

The little girl's hair was as messy as grass and her face was covered with dirt. She sobbed and said, "Everyone in my family is dead. I don't even recognize the rest of them."

Zhang Guoli sighed sadly: "Ni'er, if you call me Master, then we know each other."

The little girl shouted "Grandpa" and followed Zhang Guoli into the distance.

"."

After the movie ended, the huge stadium became particularly depressing and there was no sound for a long time.

It seemed that everyone was immersed in the shock and sadness that had just happened.

From time to time, I heard someone pulling out paper or blowing their nose.

The rustling sound also came from his ears. Lu Yuan looked at Liu Shishi with her head resting on his shoulder with red eyes, and sighed in his heart, "1942" is a sincere work by Feng Xiaogang.

But it is too depressing, a bit like a documentary, and the audience may not be willing to pay for it.

It’s a very contradictory thing that a good movie doesn’t necessarily mean that the audience will like it or that it will necessarily have a high box office.

Although Feng Xiaogang explained many times in front of the media that this movie is not for laughs, it is undeniable that the vast majority of the audience came for the comedy, but when they found that it was not what they wanted, they were inevitably dissatisfied.

He actually understands Feng Xiaogang quite well.

Many people think that Feng Xiaogang’s entry into the film and television industry began with "Beijingers in New York" or "The Story of the Editorial Department".

Actually not. Since "Triumph at Midnight", he has been trying to climb up little by little.

His main job at that time was script supervisor and production manager, or to put it bluntly, he was a gofer.

But he understands art and can assist artists. He gradually started from the position of artist and gradually penetrated into the film and television industry.

There is one very important characteristic that has enabled Feng Xiaogang to rise from a stage manager to his current position, which is that he never misses an opportunity and is good at flattery.

Even if the opportunity seems harsh and difficult, he will definitely grab it.

Feng Xiaogang has been able to get to where he is today because of his ability to rise and fall, and to bend and stretch.

So much so that Ye Daying and others ridiculed him for being shameless and nicknamed him Feng Pants.

But this does not mean that Feng Xiaogang got to his position by being shameless.

The audience is very smart. If you are shameless and incompetent, you won’t get to where you are today.

There are so many shameless directors, who else can make it?
Feng Xiaogang has his own advantages, and he has an extremely accurate grasp of the struggles and mentality of small urban people.

In addition, there is Wang Shuo, one of the top three urban civilian authors in China, Liu Zhenyun, the most distinctive author of rural urbanization in China, and Liu Hen, an author who has a very good balance between business and art.

If he continues along this path, he can completely rely on Feng's comedy and make his fortune with one trick.

But after becoming famous, most people will pursue higher achievements.

Feng Xiaogang was resentful of the disdain of Ye Daying and others. He was a little ambitious, a little unwilling, and a little envious. He wanted to try a different path to see if he could become an artist.

So he filmed "The Banquet" to prove that he could also make a costume blockbuster, even though it was crap.

They also filmed "A Sigh", "Aftershock", "Assembly", and today's "1942".

"Clap clap clap!"

At the same time, the audience in the museum finally came back to their senses from the film, applauded, and began to talk.

"There is not a single ray of blue sky or green leaves in this film. It is so depressing."

"It is undoubtedly a good film, and Feng Xiaogang put a lot of effort into it."

"Zhang Guoli is totally unlike himself, his acting is really good."

"Why do I feel that this movie is not suitable for the Lunar New Year release? Watching a tragedy on a happy day."

"."

After the movie ended, the main creators came on stage to share the hardships and details of the filming.

In order to portray the hunger feeling of the Ha Nom disaster victims, the leading actors were also starving during filming.

Zhang Guoli said that after filming this movie, he realized that human dignity starts from the belly.

Xu Fan on the side also agreed, thinking that sometimes acting cannot be done just by relying on feelings, and that bringing this trance-like expression of having nothing to eat into the role is very real.

To sum it up in one word: bitter!

The reporter repeated the old question and asked Feng Xiaogang about his box office expectations.

This time Feng Xiaogang did not give a specific number, contrary to his usual practice. Instead, he said: "I believe that no director would not have an expectation for the box office after making a movie. The reason why I did not tell you this time is because I was afraid of underestimating the box office of this movie."

The reporter asked again: "1942 is a good movie, but it is not your usual comedy. During the screening just now, many viewers said it was too depressing."

Feng Xiaogang pursed his lips and said: "This is a normal phenomenon. Audiences need different movies, some that make them happy, some that make them feel cathartic. I cannot control the audience. I hope that the audience will gain something after watching the movie and feel that they did not waste their money on the movie ticket. I think that is the most important thing."

"One is box office, the other is word of mouth. How do you balance the contradiction between the two?"

"Box office and word of mouth make no difference to me. I only make any movie I think is interesting. I never think of anyone as my savior. The audience is not my God, and I am not the audience's God. We are just friends."

Lu Yuan was watching from the audience, Feng Xiaogang was still the same Feng Xiaogang.

The press conference was about to end. Except for Feng Xiaogang, all other main creators left the stage, and then Wang Zhonglei came on stage.

Wang Zhonglei held the microphone and said in a dignified manner: "1942 is a good movie. It is Xiaogang's masterpiece. Guo Li and others have paid too much for this movie. If it cannot be shown to the audience as scheduled due to profit sharing, it will be a pity for both the actors and the audience. Huayi is willing to give up certain interests for the audience."

"boom!"

There was an uproar at the scene!

Huayi is going to make trouble, Wang Zhonglei said it so righteously, could it be...
Sure enough, as soon as the words fell, five people walked out from the other side.

As Lu Yuan looked over, the five people were representatives from the five major cinema chains: Wanda, China Film South, Zhejiang Hengdian, Guangdong Jinyi, and Dadi.

Ye Ning, Zhao Jun.
"Crack, click, click!"

The sound of shutter clicks was incessant, and everyone present realized that Huayi was going to stab them in the back. When disaster struck, everyone fled for their own lives, and no one cared about the lives of their teammates.

On the stage, Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang hugged the five people, seemingly expressing reconciliation.

Ye Ning raised an eyebrow at Lu Yuan, poked at the center of the stage, and declared victory.

“As Mr. Wang said, 1942 is a good film, and we hope it can get the box office it deserves, so the cinema chain decided to adjust the revenue sharing ratio and reach a step-by-step revenue sharing agreement with Huayi.

即《一九四二》上映后，票房在3亿内，分账比例维持43%：57%。超过3亿的部分，45%：55%。超过8亿部分，47%：53%。”

Industry insiders in the audience suddenly realized that this step-by-step incremental profit sharing meant that "1942" was trying to win over the subsequent market through word of mouth.

Liu Shishi blinked her eyes: "So Huayi really decided to be a traitor?"

"Yeah." Lu Yuan nodded. The settlement reached between Huayi and the cinema chain meant that the Avengers were completely defeated.

What will happen to Star Media and the other three companies? We agreed to be on the same front and advance and retreat together.
He frowned and said, "I wonder what Han Sanping and Qin Hong will think when they find out."

Perhaps Wang Zhonglei himself was aware that Huayi was not doing the right thing, so after the five major cinema chains announced the adjustment of the profit-sharing ratio, he hurriedly announced the end of today's premiere press conference.

Lu Yuan and Liu Shishi got up and left, preparing to attend the dinner, and were surrounded by reporters.

"Lu Yuan, what do you think of '1942'?"

“A good movie.”

"Then do you think there is a chance that the box office of 1942 will reach 800 million?"

"It depends on the audience. The box office of a movie is determined by many factors. Every audience has different tastes and likes different genres. In addition, the release date and so on. Moreover, many times, the box office cannot be used to simply measure the quality of a movie."

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he pulled Liu Shishi towards Ye Ning and others.

Before the press conference was over, reporters had already reported the relevant news, causing an uproar outside.

Qin Hong soon learned this information from Weibo.

He was obviously very surprised, and later wrote a meaningful sentence on Weibo: "Life is always a learning process. This incident has allowed me to learn and understand you all more deeply."

Some enthusiastic netizens felt that he had not finished speaking, so they helped to supplement his words, and learned more deeply and witnessed everyone's shamelessness!
Qin Hong was still very concerned about his own image and resisted the urge to curse directly!
Huayi is such a piece of shit.

At the dinner, Ye Ning hung up the phone, shook his phone, and said, "Everyone, Qin Hong has given in."

He smiled proudly: "The King's Feast is willing to reach a concession with us on a decreasing revenue sharing ratio: 43% in the first week, 41% in the second week, and 39% in the third week, until the end of the film."

Huayi became a traitor, the alliance collapsed, and Xingmei could only beg for mercy.

"1942" hopes to win the subsequent market with word of mouth, while "The Banquet" uses profit-sharing points to achieve the goal of scheduling more screenings and expanding market share.

This completely different way of sharing profits meant that Star Media and Huayi instantly turned from allies to rivals.

Lu Yuan was eating his food, his mind wandering.

After tonight, "1942" will definitely compete with "The Banquet"!

(End of this chapter)