China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 1032 One Emperor and Three Kings, More Explosions to Come
It's not some Hollywood sci-fi disaster movie-style tale of a chosen one abandoning his homeland to discover a new world—a solitary legend.

Instead, they shouldered the responsibility of their homeland and searched for the future of civilization in the vast universe.

Taking the Earth on a journey.

This is a kind of romance that only people from China can understand.

"It's a good movie."

Old Tian, ​​who is usually very strict, was deeply moved and gave him extremely high praise.

At that moment, he felt only satisfaction and pride.

—This is a film made by his beloved student.

Not only are the visual spectacles stunning, but the scenes are also incredibly impressive.

What's more, Zhou Yutang's technique juxtaposes the insignificance of humanity with the warm emotions when facing cold disasters, thus evoking a deep resonance from the audience.

Achieving this is already a milestone for Chinese science fiction films.

The screening room wasn't just filled with Jiangdong executives; Zhou Yutang was chatting with Lao Wang from Enlight Media.

Several film school professors also joined in the fun, sitting down and discussing amongst themselves.

Although it's just a finished product and the movie hasn't actually been released, everyone here is a professional who has been working in the film and television industry for at least ten years.

From their perspective, their heartfelt and intuitive feelings are:
This is an absolutely stunning movie!

"Vision Media is really something else these days."

Old Wang was still replaying the movie scenes in his mind; they definitely met the standards of a top Hollywood blockbuster.

The vast majority of the special effects in this science fiction film were created by the elite team at Vision Media.

Ten years ago, it would have been unimaginable that China's film industry could have matured to this extent.

It was after Zhou Yutang reached the top that the entire entertainment industry was revitalized.

Old Tian was so happy today that he couldn't help but drink a few more glasses of wine when he went to the Jiangdong Canteen for dinner. With a flushed face, he asked his beloved disciple:
"Are you sure you're going to release a Lunar New Year film?"

"Yes."

"Haha, I'm looking forward to watching it again at the cinema!"

After smacking his lips, Lao Tian downed another cup of Maotai and let out a burp.

Zhou Yutang was having a bit of a headache; he hoped Lao Tian wouldn't get drunk.

"Mr. Zhou, what are the follow-up publicity plans?"

Chen Xi wasn't here today, so a senior executive from Soochow Film & Television asked.

"Do it according to the S-level standard."

Zhou Yutang casually said, "Let the publicity department come up with a plan first and give it to President Chen. I'll take a look then. There are still three or four months left, so let's take it slow."

There is still enough time before the Lunar New Year celebrations.

As one of the three kings under the emperor in the circle, Zhu Yilong is naturally the focus of attention of countless people, and he can't keep a low profile even if he wants to.

First, the scandalous rumors made it to the top of the trending searches, and then the phenomenal drama "Snow in the Sword" aired up to the part where the handsome Wudang hero Hong Xixiang rides a crane down to the south of the Yangtze River.

It is said that Hong Xixiang is the reincarnation of Lü Zu, and is the pinnacle of combat power in the original work.

He spends most of his time training in Wudang Mountain, vowing not to leave the mountain until he becomes the best in the world.

Then, in a moment of enlightenment, he attained the status of a terrestrial immortal and rode a crane down to the south of the Yangtze River to find his beloved, who was Xu Fengnian's elder sister, Xu Zhihu, the Princess of Beiliang.

He took her on a journey around the world and severed the remaining fortunes of various countries with a single sword strike, which could be considered a small favor to Xu Fengnian.

Finally, when Xu Zhihu was nearing the end of his life, Hong Xixiang sacrificed himself, cultivated for another three hundred years, and prayed that heaven and earth would open a path for Xu Zhihu to ascend to heaven.

Strictly speaking, "Snow in the Snow" broke free from the constraints of a pure martial arts drama. After this part of the story was completed, Brother Long dominated the trending topics on the entire internet that night.

The ratings on both TV stations in Jiangsu and Shanghai reached new highs, and the online viewership also exploded. Short video clips of Zhu Yilong riding a crane down to the south of the Yangtze River were everywhere, including short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou. Zhu Yilong also earned the nickname "the most affectionate in the snow".

Before the rumors surrounding Xu Zixuan had even died down, the director's team struck while the iron was hot, releasing another trailer for "Shadow".

The overall design, with its high-quality ink-wash style, is truly eye-catching.

It went viral on social media platforms, which is quite exciting.

As for Zhu Yilong, who is the lead actor, he is truly standing at the forefront of the storm.

The other one of the three kings is Tangren's number one male star.

Having received Governor Zhou's advice in Shanghai, their execution was truly top-notch.

Director Diao Yinan's "The Wild Goose Lake" is scheduled to start filming in October. Hu Ge decisively turned down his own engagements and went to Wuhan ahead of time to experience the life of the male lead at the bottom of society.

"No, what happened to Lao Hu?"

When Zhou Yutang received the photo of Hu Ge sent by Liu Shishi, he thought he had seen a homeless man, and his face twitched slightly.

The night scene in the photo is enchanting. Tangren's top guy is holding a bottle of liquor, his eyes are hazy, he's wearing a tank top, flip-flops, and his hair is messy. He's pointing at someone with a big tattoo on his left arm, looking every bit the blond gangster.

At first glance, you would never recognize this as the handsome young man Li Xiaoyao.

But given his background as Tangren's top male star, he wasn't exactly slovenly; he just had a kind of hard-working, unfortunate quality.
"Hmm, it has a bit of Zhou Zenong's style, but it's still lacking."

Zhou Yutang made a comment.

"Hahaha, Lao Hu said you taught him, how did you end up teaching him like this?"

“I told him to take some time to reflect and experience Zhou Zenong’s life firsthand, but I didn’t actually make him become a Sanhe brother.”

"Goose, goose, goose~~~"

Liu Shishi has always had a low threshold for laughter, and at this moment she was overjoyed, laughing until her stomach hurt.

After their long phone call, she liked Yuan Hong's Weibo post.

Hu Ge's new film "The Wild Goose Lake" was filmed in Wuhan, Yuan Hong's hometown. As a good friend, Yuan Hong naturally had to treat him to a warm welcome.

His photo with Zhang Xinyi and her husband, along with Hu Ge, also went viral.

"Dying to Survive" has gone completely on a killing spree, dominating the summer box office with virtually no suspense.

With both critical acclaim and box office success, it further cemented the legendary status of the Grand Commander of Jiangdong.

Most viewers have very simple and down-to-earth thoughts.

As long as a movie is made with care and can bring emotional value, I am willing to go to the cinema to support it.

After all, with subsidies from various platforms these days, a movie ticket costs about the same as a cup of milk tea.

However, compared to the soaring box office, film companies in the industry are more concerned about the film's investment cost of 7500 million.

The return on investment could even exceed sixty times, which is terrifying and makes one's scalp tingle.

"Based on this box office trend, we can apply for another round of extension keys next month."

Chen Xi had just returned to the capital from out of town and immediately reported to Governor Zhou, offering his constructive opinions.

With the influence of the Grand Commander of Jiangdong, obtaining a two-month extension key should be no problem at all.

In this way, the box office of "Dying to Survive" can be continuously pushed up, which are all Zhou Dudu's remarkable achievements.

"A one-month extension should be sufficient."

Zhou Yutang shook his head and chuckled; he really had no obsession with box office records.

"Boss, what do you think about moving the release date of 'Hello Mr. Billionaire' forward?"

"You mean, going head-to-head with IKEA?"

Zhou Yutang was slightly taken aback.

“Yes! The screening schedule for ‘Dying to Survive’ has stabilized.” Chen Xi said earnestly, “I think the audience’s emotions have been suppressed for a month. At this time, promoting a comedy will definitely be twice as effective.”

Zhou Yutang glanced at Chen Xi and almost laughed.

There are rumors that the old and new industry leaders are incompatible, but in fact, Jiangdong Entertainment and Huayi have no major grudges.

Or rather, Zhou Yutang never considered Huayi as his rival.

The two Wangs of Huayi started from scratch and built such a huge business empire. How could they be people who don't know the times?

Governor Zhou had long ago proven himself to be the richest man in the Celestial Empire, enjoying the Emperor's favor and possessing an indestructible body.

Perhaps the two kings privately thought that Governor Zhou was arrogant and domineering, but whenever they met in public, they would always greet each other with smiles and auspicious words.

In the end, they were able to maintain a semblance of dignity.

However, it turns out that in his early years, when he was drunk at a dinner party, Xiao Wang made a joke about Chen Xi, saying that she had no real ability and only rose to the top by clinging to powerful figures.

The saying "trouble comes from the mouth" applies here.

Women are more petty than pinholes, and Chen Xi was clearly still bothered by it. Her idea of ​​temporarily changing the schedule was to confront Hua Yi head-on.

"Do it your way."

Zhou Yutang finally smiled and nodded: "The premiere of 'Hello Mr. Billionaire' doesn't need to be too grand. You can decide what to do."

Offending Zhou's most trusted general comes with a price to pay.

The Rocket Girls have been at the peak of their popularity for the past two months, constantly leveraging their connection to the movie "Hello Mr. Billionaire" for publicity, ensuring they never lack for buzz.

If the overall tone of "Dying to Survive" is a bit heavy, it presents a certain viewing threshold.

Then "Hello Mr. Billionaire" is undoubtedly lighthearted and fun, making people extremely happy.

Zhou Yutang was talking to Chen Xi when Chen Duling, dressed in a sophisticated urban style, knocked on the door to report:
"Boss, Mr. Liu from Wanda is here."

Wanda also participated in this year's summer movie season, with a share in Enlight Media's "Animal World".

The leading giants in the industry already have a lot of overlap in their businesses.

Especially since the Grand Commander also holds shares in Enlight Media and has Huayi Brothers as a rival, everyone naturally has a lot to talk about.

Liu Xiaobing's visit to the Jiangdong Building was precisely to foster relationships and, incidentally, to discuss film scheduling.

"Congratulations, Mr. Zhou, 'Dying to Survive' is a huge success. Now we'll see if Mahua FunAge can withstand the pressure."

"Wanda's cinemas will definitely cooperate fully to ensure sufficient screenings and eliminate Huayi Brothers."

As expected of Wang Jianlin's trusted lieutenant, Liu Xiaobing was quite unrestrained and domineering, even showing a disdainful attitude towards the Wang brothers.

Chen Duling helped Zhou Yutang organize the documents, silently mourning for the Wang brothers of Huayi for three seconds.

The market sentiment has been suppressed for a month due to the "Dying to Survive" movie, so the lighthearted and cheerful "Hello Mr. Billionaire" undoubtedly has a greater advantage.

What's more, even the referee on the sidelines is one of the Grand Commander's own people. How can Huayi possibly compete?

"Thank you, Mr. Liu."

"You're too kind, we're all on the same side."

Liu Xiaobing took a sip of tea and smiled, "I heard that the leaders from Emei Factory and Sichuan Airlines came to see General Manager Zhou. Is that project promising?"

"Mr. Liu's information network is really impressive."

Everyone in the film and television industry has their own destiny and fate.

During the Shanghai International Film Festival, leaders from Chengdu Emei Film Studio and Sichuan Airlines approached Ren Zhonglun, who eagerly made an appointment.

Both sides have been communicating, but Governor Zhou has been busy with post-production work on the film recently, and he also has a promotional task for a film and a TV series, which he has entrusted to Chen Xi, the CEO of Soochow University, for negotiations.

Liu Xiaobing of Wanda Group, not wanting to be outdone, also brought up the matter.

Chen Xi and Zhou Yutang exchanged a glance, and the latter shook her head and chuckled:

"We'll have to keep an eye on it. If there's any news, we'll definitely let Mr. Liu know."

"it is good!"

Reassured, Liu Xiaobing perked up and said with a beaming smile, "Then I'll wait for President Zhou's good news."

Nothing seemed to be said.

But some things seem to have already been decided.

With the first half of the summer movie season over, it's time for Huayi Brothers to sound the charge in the second half.

IKEA is betting heavily on the summer blockbuster "Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings," and held its premiere at the end of the month.

Similarly, with concentrated resources and extensive publicity, this premiere was held at Suzhou Huayi Cinema World Theme Park.

If you want to know if there's any potential in combining real estate and film, you should ask Huayi Brothers, the former big brother of the Chinese entertainment industry.

Originally, Governor Zhou and Hua Yi were in the honeymoon period of their relationship, and Brother Long was the actor who played Di Renjie.

Later, Governor Zhou sold off all of his Huayi shares, and the two companies parted ways. Brother Long also voluntarily withdrew from the role of Di Renjie.

This lucrative opportunity fell into the hands of Mark Chao, a rising star heavily promoted by Taiwanese capital.

With the addition of Feng Shaofeng, Lin Gengxin, Ruan Jingtian, Ma Sichun, and the maverick director Xu Ke, the cast is undeniably luxurious.

The almost 1:1 replica of the Wanxiang Divine Palace, along with the 75-meter-tall Tongtian Pagoda statue, is a real gimmick.

Zhou Yutang saw that the Boss Wang, who had not appeared in public for a long time, was on the stage, pointing out the country and showing an air of fearlessness and dominance.

When asked by the media about the box office target, the CEO confidently stated that the film was guaranteed to gross at least 10 billion yuan, and might even reach 15 billion yuan.
The harsh reality often runs counter to beautiful ideas.

"Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings raked in 1.1 million yuan on its opening day! Stunning visual effects, this is the best film of the decade from the genius director and not to be missed!"

"Hello Mr. Billionaire's screening share reached 52.5%, raking in 3.87 million yuan on its opening day. Zhou Dudu made a special guest appearance and sang a song. Happy Twist will save you from your unhappiness!"

As July draws to a close, the second half of the summer movie season enters its fierce battleground.

It's no secret that Happy Twist belongs to the Jiangdong Group. It was originally scheduled to be released in early August, but the reason for moving the release date forward is unknown to the outside world.

Until someone in the industry revealed that the two kings of Huayi had some grudges with Chen Xi, a trusted general under the Jiangdong Grand Commander.

These two established and emerging leaders are once again clashing in the capital, their rivalry carrying a hint of tension.

Everyone inside and outside the industry is watching closely. The Chinese entertainment industry has been suffering under Zhou Dudu's watchful eye for a long time, and many people are even pinning their hopes on Huayi Brothers' potential to make a comeback.

However, with the box office takings tripling on the first day, such arguments and unrealistic expectations melted away instantly, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun.

The first battle was the decisive one, and the outcome was already decided.

"As someone who has a high threshold for laughter, I was laughing so hard I almost collapsed."

"The whole theater was laughing when Shen Teng and Chang Yuan appeared; it was hilarious."

"Wow, I can't believe I even saw Zhao Benshan! The Grand Commander has quite the influence!"

"Spending 19.9 yuan to see the Grand Commander sing is already worth the ticket price."

"Burn my calories, Rocket Girls' debut song is so catchy."

"Has no one noticed that Yuan Hua's father jumped off a building? Xihong City Universe!"

"Is anyone else like me, who can no longer look at the phrase 'Sleeping Dragon' and 'Young Phoenix' the same way?"

"+1!"

The enthusiasm of netizens for watching the movie was completely ignited, and it sparked discussions across the entire internet.

The vast majority of viewers gave it positive reviews, but to each their own, and some viewers thought that "Charlotte" was more of a classic.

Regardless, as a comedy film, "Hello Mr. Billionaire" is already considered satisfactory if it can bring joy to the audience.

(End of this chapter)