China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 1013 Grand Opening, Heroes Emerge from Among the Young

"The patriotic military blockbuster 'Operation Red Sea,' released during the Spring Festival in China, has grossed a total of 52.65 billion yuan over four months, ranking second on the all-time box office chart for domestic films and creating a milestone for military-themed movies!"

"The director list for the 70th anniversary tribute film 'My People, My Country,' co-produced by Shanghai Film Group, Xi'an Film Group, Jiangdong Film Group, and others, with Han Sanping as the chief director and Zhou Yutang as the executive producer, has been released. The star-studded cast has caused a sensation in the film industry. The film is expected to officially enter the shooting stage in the second half of the year!"

If last year's "Wolf Warrior 2" showed everyone the box office potential of mainstream commercial films with military and patriotic themes, then...

Then, with the release of "Operation Red Sea" at the beginning of this year, the film and television industry has undoubtedly been completely blown up.

These two films alone grossed over 110 billion yuan at the box office.

Asia was shaken, and even the world film industry was shaken, with extensive coverage given to the topic.

Rumors circulated that if Governor Zhou hadn't felt the time was right to take it down, the higher-ups might have granted an extra month's extension for the key.
In everything we do, we should follow the general trend; this will allow us to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

The same applies to mainstream commercial films. Projects that align with the mainstream and have strong official support have become the answer in the current film market.

"Boss, there are a lot of people online who are criticizing us for making a living off our patriotism."

The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. Jiangdong's two films raked in billions, inevitably drawing envy and sarcastic remarks from some.

Wu Jing faced immense pressure last year, and Jiang Dong, who was behind the operation, was also inevitably targeted by crickets who tried to exploit his patriotism.

"Whatever, it's just a dog barking."

Zhou Yutang shrugged, completely unmoved, and let Eileen apply his makeup.

The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds.

In the dark ages of China, there were many traitors, so it is not surprising that there are now people who cannot stand to see the country prosper.

Some people's kneecaps have long since softened, and they automatically kneel down whenever they see English.

Anything from foreigners is always good; even the air outside smells sweeter—it's a beacon of civilization.

With mainstream films and television dramas becoming huge hits, and seeing Jiang Dong's family raking in the profits, many film and television companies in the industry couldn't sit still any longer.

Finding market trends is not easy, so following the Grand Commander's lead is always a safe bet, right?

In mid-June, similar mainstream commercial films began to spring up like mushrooms after rain.

Huayi Brothers was quick to seize the opportunity, launching "The Eight Hundred" immediately. The film had barely finished shooting when they started various promotional campaigns.

Song Ge, who manages Beijing's cultural industry, has collaborated with China Film Group on "Desperate Rescue" in addition to "Fengshen". Cehua and Hengdian Film & Television jointly initiated the project "The Long Journey Home", which is also adapted from a true story.
It involves huge interests, and everyone is very patriotic.
Even the slightest movement in the film and television industry did not escape the notice of Governor Zhou, who was in Shanghai.

His team had already collected the relevant information, then compiled it and handed it over to Chen Duling for organization, before finally presenting it to Governor Zhou.

He didn't pay much attention to it because the rice wasn't that delicious.

The prerequisite for making a good patriotic project is to make fictional elements look real and then present them to the audience.

That requires the operator to genuinely believe that the event is true.

Otherwise, even with superb skills, real events can be filmed as if they were fictional, making them difficult to be convincing.

Huayi Brothers has already set a precedent, and the cautionary tale of "Sky Hunter" is brought up from time to time to be ridiculed.

On the opening day of the Shanghai International Film Festival, Zhou Yutang tidied herself up a bit in the styling room, glancing at the box office statistics Chen Duling handed her as if it were just a funny story.

"Not bad."

"."

Chen Duling and Eileen almost lost their composure.

You call this acceptable?

With half the year gone, the film and television industry has begun its mid-year review, and it has been revealed that Jiangdongjia is now far ahead.

Just look at the films produced by Jiang Dongjia in the first half of the year: "Operation Red Sea" raked in 52.65 billion yuan, "How Long Will I Love U" accumulated a total box office of 15.37 billion yuan, and "The Unknown" also steadily grossed over 15 billion yuan during its half-month run. Even the weakest film, "Wrath of Silence," earned 1.98 million yuan.
The total box office reached over 85 billion!
Yes, it performed consistently and still accounts for half of the domestic film market!

Around 5 p.m.

A hundred-meter-long red carpet was laid out early outside the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

The two sides of the median strip were packed with people, and the dense array of cameras and microphones from various media outlets resembled a lush thicket.

Fans from each group were there to show their support for the celebrities who were present.

As filmmakers, judges, and crew representatives from home and abroad walked the red carpet, the flashbulbs suddenly blared as bright as day.

The main creators of several films, including Jiang Wen's "Hidden Man" and Ning Ying's super blockbuster "Asura," all made an appearance.

You have heartthrob Eddie Peng, I have cute puppy Wu Lei, and veteran superstars like Jackie Chan and Andy Lau are also there to support you.

In addition, renowned directors such as Gu Changwei, Xu Guangtou, Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, Lam Chiu-yin, Benny Chan, and Chan Ho gathered together.

Even several top Hollywood stars walked the red carpet.

In short, the stars were dazzling and eye-catching.

But the most eye-catching film is undoubtedly "Dying to Survive," which was personally led by the Grand Commander of Jiangdong.

Especially the moment Zhou Yutang walked down the red carpet, the sound of camera shutters clicking was incessant, and countless flashes of light went off wildly.

"WOW, BOSS, your popularity is insane!"

Newly crowned Oscar winner and Hollywood heartthrob Joaquin Phoenix is ​​a special guest of the Shanghai International Film Festival organizing committee.

In addition, there's Jason Statham, star of "The Meg," Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz, and Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway.
With a star-studded cast, you might mistake it for the Hollywood Oscars.

Ren Zhonglun smiled smugly at Zhou Yutang, puffing out his chest proudly: "We two have a lot of influence!"
In reality, most people were only there to support the Shanghai International Film Festival because of Governor Zhou's influence.

"Amazing!"

Anne, a short-haired beauty with a big mouth, gave the Grand Commander a loving hug.

This legendary media mogul also wields considerable influence in Hollywood.

The big-mouthed beauty attended the awards ceremony of the China Film Festival for the first time, and to her surprise, Zhou Yutang's popularity base seemed to be even more explosive than she had imagined.

Since we're setting up a stage for a performance, we need to consider all aspects.

Tonight, the hosts are Cao Kefan and Chen Chen, pillars of Shanghai's Tomato TV.

The two of them cooperated very well.

It is estimated that the leaders were very satisfied with the arrangements for tonight, and the representative delivered a passionate speech.

The opening ceremony film was originally scheduled to be "Dying to Survive," but it was later changed to "Animal World" directed by Han Yan due to Governor Zhou's negligence.

With his time management skills at their peak, Governor Zhou had no time to explain any film creation concepts to everyone.
He'd just satisfied his relationship with the long-legged, sassy girl in Shanghai and Ni Ni, and before he'd even forgotten to find time for a secret rendezvous with Meng Ziyi, Zhang Ruonan was coming to Shanghai soon to promote her drama.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, as well as the 10th anniversary of director Xie Jin's death, so a short documentary film was made.

The whole process was fairly standard, but the light show was quite something.

Governor Zhou only made an appearance at the official banquet afterwards. Jiang Wen, the chairman of this year's judging committee, took the initiative to invite him, and then left early to go to the second private gathering.

The two met through Sister Yu's introduction and have known each other for more than 10 years. This time in Shanghai is Zhou Yutang's home turf, so naturally he will make the arrangements.

Jiang Wen followed them to the private club in Shanghai that wasn't open to the public. Looking around, he felt that the environment was not only serene but also understatedly luxurious, and he couldn't help but sigh:
"Wow, they really know how to enjoy life!"

"This place is really nice."

Zhou Yun, standing beside him, also smiled gently.

In fact, Jiang Wen is not unsophisticated, and he is not short of money, but he is not as rich as outsiders think.

When it comes to enjoying life, he naturally can't compare to Governor Zhou.

Since we're here, we'll make the best of it; a true Beijing man will never show any weakness.

Jiang Wen and his wife followed Zhou Yutang to the tea room of the club, exchanging a few pleasantries. Watching the beautiful woman in the cheongsam move with such fluid grace, Jiang Wen picked up his teacup and gulped down the top-grade pre-Qingming Longjing tea in one go, then smacked his lips.
"good."

"."

Logically speaking, it would be against the rules for the jury president to contact nominees privately at the very beginning of the film festival.

But since Ren Zhonglun personally visited Jiangdong three times to persuade Governor Zhou, some unspoken rules don't need to be brought to the forefront.

Film festivals, large and small, both in China and abroad, are all about distributing profits, just in different ways.

For Zhou Yutang, the Golden Goblet trophy wasn't important; meeting an old friend in Shanghai was a rare treat.

The Grand Commander of Jiangdong was no ordinary man. He understood Zhou Yun's intentions simply by observing Zhou Yun's frequent winks at Jiang Wen. After chatting for a while about the summer movie season, seeing that the time was right, he took the initiative to speak:
"Director Jiang, what are your plans for new projects after 'Hidden Man'?"

Do you have a suitable notebook?

"Not yet, the screenwriting entries submitted for this year's Golden Screenplay Award aren't very good."

Zhou Yutang shook his head and chuckled softly.

With its prestigious screenwriting award (and generous prize money), it has attracted waves of screenwriters from across Asia.

But good scripts are rare and hard to come by; there aren't always perfect scripts every year.

“Well, your sister Zhou has a project on her hands. Could you help her make some decisions?”

Jiang Wen glanced at his wife and scratched his head.

"Oh?"

Setting down his teacup, Zhou Yutang listened attentively: "I'd like to hear the details."

Jiang Wen often privately discussed film shooting techniques with Zhou Yutang.

In their previous collaboration on "Let the Bullets Fly," Zhou Yutang visited Jiang Wen's home for an in-depth conversation and even ate dishes cooked by Zhou Yun.

This woman is from Wenzhou, the same Wenzhou mentioned in the widely circulated online news about the Wenzhou Leather Factory.

Her family business is quite large; she's a true "rich, beautiful, and successful woman."

It was precisely this gentle, graceful, and poised southern woman who managed to completely captivate Jiang Wen, this man from the capital.

Governor Zhou had heard that Jiang Wen originally intended to make a movie based on Shi Jianqiao after the Republican era trilogy "Hidden Man".

Shi Jianqiao, who assassinated warlord Sun Chuanfang to avenge her father, is a rare and legendary figure. Unexpectedly, she has a new idea.

The reason for this matter still lies with Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun then began to recount the story of a young boy who, in order to realize his musical dream, left home with his father at a young age to pursue his studies, and how he broke through adversity in the face of an uncertain future.

One day, the hero will transform, and at seventeen, he will reach the pinnacle of art. Wouldn't that be exhilarating!
At the height of their conversation, Zhou Yun took a sip of tea and asked expectantly, "Mr. Zhou, what do you think?"

Zhou Yutang seemed to be deep in thought, or perhaps hesitant to speak, before finally smiling and saying, "Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young. It's exhilarating to hear, but to actually film it will be quite difficult. Director Jiang, you're under pressure."

"Pressure is what drives motivation. A man can't say no," Jiang Wen laughed.

"Sister Zhou, go talk to Chen Xi later. She's handling all the company's business now."

Zhou Yutang didn't say anything more, and chuckled softly, "Do you have her contact information?"

"There are some."

Zhou Yun smiled gently.

After staying for another half hour and chatting with Jiang Wen about the summer movie season, Zhou Yutang received a phone call and took the initiative to say goodbye, "Director Jiang, Sister Zhou, I have an appointment tonight, so I have to go first."

"Haha, which woman?"

Jiang Wen grinned, about to make a few teasing remarks, but Zhou Yun tugged at his arm and chuckled, "President Zhou, you're a busy man, and it must be quite an achievement to have built such a large business."

"Boss, I think Sister Zhou is a really nice person."

Chen Duling had a good impression of Zhou Yun. After getting into the car with Governor Zhou, she couldn't help but ask, "Don't you think her project is promising?"

Having followed Zhou Yutang for so many years, Chen Duling has also developed her skills.

It's true that Chen Xi is currently in charge of Jiangdong's film business, but if they want to start a new project, it's just a matter of Zhou Yutang saying a word.

Passing the ball to Chen Xi is actually a subtle way of refusing.

"What's the point of this?"

Zhou Yutang was still polite to Zhou Yun, but he spoke frankly to his secretary.

Despite Jiang Wen's resounding reputation as a top director in the industry, with several films receiving rave reviews, his actual financial returns are not substantial.

In reality, the only film that was truly critically acclaimed and commercially successful was "Let the Bullets Fly," but even that film had Jiangdong and Yinghuang as major production companies, so Jiang Wen didn't end up with much money.

The film market is currently booming, with many accolades and dazzling success.

Liu Shishi is thriving as a producer, and Jiang Wen's family member is probably also getting the idea.

What kind of hero emerges from among the young? Lang Lang is a perfect example.

"Lang Lang is undoubtedly a commendable musical genius, but making a movie about his personal experiences, with just this one story, completely lacks entertainment value and watchability."

"That makes sense."

Chen Duling nodded, glanced thoughtfully at Zhou Yutang, and suddenly had a whimsical idea: "Boss, what do you think? Would it be worthwhile to make your story into a movie?"

Zhou Yutang: "?"

hotel.

A cigarette burned out between my fingers.

Jiang Wen stubbed out his cigarette and wiped his face with some distress.

His intuition told him that Zhou Yutang wasn't very interested in Zhou Yunti's project.

But to be honest, I was afraid of upsetting my wife, so I thought of performing a ritual in a snail shell. For a moment, I couldn't figure it out, and then a wave of hunger struck.

When I turned around again, Zhou Yun had already brought in a bowl of noodles.

The yellow croaker noodles that you can't find in Beijing are actually from the Zhejiang region.

"You didn't eat much tonight, are you hungry?"

Zhou Yun placed the noodles on the table and quickly tidied up the clutter: "Have the hotel make a bowl of yellow croaker noodles. Eat it while it's hot."

"The flavor is light, yet extremely delicious, not bad."

The steaming hot noodles were incredibly tempting. Jiang Wen took a spoonful of soup, smacked his lips, and then ate it.

Give a thumbs up and praise it highly.

Then, disregarding all decorum, he swept up the remaining remnants.

"Eat slowly, no one will compete with you."

"what?"

"what happened?"

As the delicious yellow croaker entered his mouth, Jiang Wen spat out the soft fish bones, but then seemed to suddenly remember something. He put down his chopsticks and murmured,

"An entertainment genius, famous far and wide, would it be worthwhile to make a biographical film about him?"

(End of this chapter)