China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 1103 Stand at Attention When You're Being Beaten, Dong Ge's Great Calamity

"Boss, the screening schedule for 'Li Cha's Aunt' has dropped drastically today."

With the final scene finished, "The Captain" was finally completed. At the wrap party, Zhou Yutang took a moment to listen to Chen Duling's report on the New Year's filming progress.

Thanks to the reputation that Happy Twist has built up over the years, "Li Cha's Aunt" had a strong start, with a box office of 1.06 million yuan on its opening day and a screening rate as high as 33%, far ahead of other films released at the same time.

However, this momentum could not be sustained. The box office revenue was 9536 million on the second day and 92.5 million on the third day.

With a total box office of nearly 300 million yuan over the first three days, it is a respectable achievement for a low-budget comedy film.

But for Mahua, this was a result that was not very acceptable.

After all, this year's "Hello Mr. Billionaire" set the bar too high, directly raising everyone's expectations for Mahua FunAge.

Some industry insiders even predicted that "Li Cha's Aunt" would be guaranteed to gross at least 20 billion yuan before its release.

With the release of the first wave of audience reviews, the reputation has completely collapsed, and negative reviews continue to escalate.

"Looking at the data, there's still room for it to drop."

Seeing Zhou Yutang's face gradually darken, Chen Duling whispered, "General Manager Zhang from Mahua just called, saying he needs to add some marketing funds to handle the negative online comments, and he'd like to ask you to step in."

"What, you're trying to shut up now that the project's a failure?"

Zhou Yutang smiled coldly: "The audience isn't stupid. How long can you cover it up with public relations? Tell him not to waste his time. Instead of spending money to control the comments, he should go back and reflect on his actions."

Reputation is ultimately earned through the work itself, not bought through marketing.

Even in a hands-off approach, Zhou Yutang still held high hopes for Mahua FunAge and suggested refining the project.

But with profit at the forefront, people's hearts are not united, and the team is difficult to lead.

Their current predicament can only be described as reaping what they sowed.

If you're wrong, admit it; if you're going to be punished, stand up straight. There's nothing else to say.

Most of the actors in the crew had already finished filming and left the set, leaving Governor Zhou all alone tonight. After the wrap party, he finally had some free time to have a long phone chat with Liu Tianxian.

During this period, Tianxian is in a sensitive phase and always needs to be coaxed.

Ms. Liu also went to see this movie with her best friend Shu Chang, but they only watched half of it before leaving the theater.

When Mahua (a type of fried dough twist) suffered this major setback, the executives at IKEA next door immediately celebrated.
"Haha, with screenings dropping like this, our opportunity has arrived."

"We played a winning hand terribly, but this time our new film is a sure thing."

"."

The scene in the conference room felt like an early Chinese New Year celebration.

Even the usually composed CEO couldn't help but show his delight, calmly ordering, "Raise the publicity budget for 'The Lost Tomb' to another level, and have Ge You's roadshow cover first- and second-tier cities, seizing the opportunity to grab screen time!"

"I'll arrange it right away, Mr. Wang!"

Strictly speaking, Ge You's return to the Lunar New Year film season with "The Breakup" and "Li Cha's Aunt" both belong to the comedy genre and are direct competitors.

"The Wandering Earth" focuses on science fiction, targeting a different audience, so there isn't much conflict.

The film market pie is only so big. Now that "Li Cha's Aunt" has suffered a collapse in reputation and a sharp drop in screenings, most of the freed-up screening slots will likely end up in Huayijia's hands.

……

"Mr. Zhou, congratulations on wrapping up filming for 'The Captain'."

"Thank you."

"What are your thoughts on Milk Tea's discounted sale of her Australian mansion? There are rumors that her relationship with Liu Qiangdong is strained, and they may be getting a divorce soon."

The next day, as soon as he landed at the Capital Airport, he was greeted by a huge crowd of media reporters who had been waiting for him for a long time. When the person in question came out, they immediately surrounded him.

"I'm on set, so I don't know."

Zhou Yutang completely ignored the female reporter whose huge thunderclap almost ripped her white shirt, and quickly walked towards the car under the escort of security personnel.

To be honest, Dong Ge was destined to face this calamity.

Back in North America, with Bob Hardy leading the team in a night of revelry, nothing went wrong.

This time, however, he was on a business trip in Europe when paparazzi from The Sun photographed him having dinner with a Chinese female student and then entering a hotel together.

According to The Sun, Dong Ge came out in just ten minutes.
When the news reached China, it instantly went viral online, even overshadowing the previous online feud between Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaotong's fans.

Zhou Yutang, who was on set, had also heard about the matter. It had caused quite a stir in China, and it had reached the point where the "Milk Tea Sister" was preparing to divide her assets.
After finally breaking through the encirclement and getting on the bus, the world finally became quiet.

After replying to a few messages from his female confidantes, Zhou Yutang glanced at the film and television news.

Dong Ge has undoubtedly become a prominent figure in the Chinese entertainment industry recently, and the Hong Kong entertainment circle is also bustling with activity.

While Xiao Dangjia is making food variety shows in mainland China, preparing to expand his catering business, his beautiful ex-wife, Bai Zhijie, has announced the birth of her third child, which has attracted a lot of attention.

However, Bai Zhi's influence is still far less than that of Long Wu.

The Hong Kong entertainment industry mogul recently celebrated his 70th birthday, and the banquet was a grand event that caused a sensation in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

Countless celebrities attended his birthday celebration, including Lee Chung-kit, Hung Fat-jai, Eric Tsang, Cheung Ka-fai, Wong Jing, Tsui Hark, Julian Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, Chingmy Yau, Anita Yuen and her husband, Jordan Chan and his wife, Lau Ching-wan, Amy Kwok, Real Ting, and Miriam Yeung and her husband.
A host of superstars, movie stars, and award-winning actors and actresses are everywhere.

Andy Lau, who was holding a solo concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum at the time, went straight to the birthday banquet after the concert to sing for the guests.

Even the Macau tycoon who shared the same surname as Governor Zhou personally attended the event, presented a generous gift, and had a very pleasant conversation with Long Wu.

Overnight, Hong Kong and Kowloon were shaken.

It was as if almost half of Hong Kong's entertainment industry had gathered together; in terms of scale, it was even grander than the TVB awards ceremony.

"Boss, it'll be even more lively when you celebrate your birthday in the future, right?"

Chen Duling suddenly had a brilliant idea, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zhou Yutang: "The scale will definitely be even bigger than this."

In her view, Long Wu could only run rampant in this corner of the world, while Zhou Yutang's Jiangdong Media Group spanned multiple fields such as entertainment, sports, and capital.

In terms of strength, they are not even on the same level.

"What a show of empty pomp and circumstance."

Zhou Yutang glanced at the secretary casually.

He's been working overtime lately and forgot to assign Chen Duling any work, so she seems to be having too much free time.

We need to find a way to give her more responsibilities.
……

Upon returning to the capital, the first thing Zhou Yutang did was to go home to see his daughter.

Since filming of "The Captain" began, all sorts of things have come my way, and I haven't been able to spend much time with my child for almost two months.

This time, he declined Li Dagou's social engagements and immediately put his phone on silent mode.

In the film market, "Li Cha" suffered a crushing defeat, with its daily box office revenue continuing to decline.

"The Lost Treasure Hunt," which was highly anticipated by the two kings of Huayi Brothers, failed to live up to expectations.

Even the energetic promotional tour led by Ge You, a key figure in the Lunar New Year film season, couldn't salvage the box office slump.

On its opening day, the film only grossed 1380 million yuan, essentially marking a failure in its attempt to capitalize on the Lunar New Year box office.

……

In the blink of an eye, only one week remains in December. This also means that there is less than a week left until the release of "The Wandering Earth".

As China's first hard science fiction film, this movie has attracted much attention since its preparation.

The film, starring Wu Jing (known for his role as the Grand Commander of Jiangdong) and featuring cameos from a host of Hollywood A-listers including Leonardo DiCaprio, Anne Hathaway, and Joaquin Phoenix, is a testament to the power of the Jiangdong Grand Commander.
Not only the domestic film and television industry is eagerly anticipating the premiere of this movie.

This is also true in the international film and television industry.

After all, Zhou Yutang is a world-renowned super-rich man from the Oriental Media Group.

Jiangdong International Pictures also has a certain influence in Hollywood. In addition to the Hollywood stars who made cameo appearances, the Hollywood directors and actors who collaborated with Zhou Yutang also promoted "The Wandering Earth" on their social media platforms.

The most outrageous thing is that Douyin (TikTok) both in China and abroad pushes movie-related content every day, with all kinds of trailers and behind-the-scenes clips emerging one after another.

During halftime of a Liverpool FC match, movie trailers were playing on the giant screen in the stadium.

In addition, the PC and mobile versions of "PUBG" are also making continuous efforts, with the latest "Wandering Earth Collaboration Event" launched simultaneously, where players can obtain exclusive skins by completing tasks.

With such a multi-pronged approach, "The Wandering Earth" generated immense buzz even before its release, attracting a huge amount of attention.

The premiere invitations for the film have already been sent out.

In the past few days, it has become very popular in the domestic film and television industry to share this gold-embossed premiere letter on social media platforms.

—Anyone who can go to Xia Ke Dao to drink Laba porridge is a master.

Similarly, receiving an invitation to the premiere of a new film personally directed by the Grand Commander of Jiangdong seems to have become a testament to one's status.

Even without the Jiangdong online army exerting any effort, major marketing accounts naturally wouldn't miss this traffic feast.

"The world premiere of the film 'The Wandering Earth,' directed by Zhou Yutang and starring Wu Jing and Lu Han, is just around the corner!"

"This film is the pioneering work of the Jiangnan Nantianmen science fiction film series. Following it, film and television projects such as 'The Three-Body Problem' will be launched, ushering in a new era for science fiction films in China!"

Time flies, and it passes by in the blink of an eye.

Before we knew it, the premiere day arrived.

Half a day before the official start, Li Shuang and Chen Xi had already arrived at the scene ahead of time.

Instruct the reception team to ensure that the reception process goes perfectly.

There's no way around it; the boss likes to be a hands-off manager, so the subordinates naturally have to make arrangements for him in advance.

Outside the Jiangdong Jiahe Cinema, the scene was already crowded with people. Out-of-town media, unfamiliar with the rules, were still peering around, searching for the young media tycoon.

Veteran photographers like those from Afei Studio appeared remarkably relaxed, having already secured the best shooting positions inside and set up their cameras.

"Brother Fei, I just counted, there are at least three hundred media outlets today."

"Hehe, we are among the first batch of invited media. There are many foreigners outside who can only watch helplessly, trying their best to get in."

Looking at the media reporters crowding the perimeter, the team members of Afei Studio stood tall and proud, feeling a sense of superiority.

"Brother Fei, when will the Grand Commander arrive?"

"Wait a little longer, it's still early."

Ah Fei glanced at the time on his wristwatch and said nonchalantly.

Even though the main figures haven't arrived yet, the presence of the two former heads of China Film Group, Han Sanye and La Peikang, has already attracted countless eyes.

Following them, film company executives including Ren Zhonglun, Fu Zong of Huaxia Film, Tian Ming of Mingjie, Zeng Maojun of Wanda, Wang Changtian of Enlight Media, Li Dagou of Xiaoma Benteng, and Ke Liming, the CEO of Ruyi, entered the venue one after another.

In addition, representatives from well-known companies in the industry, such as Bilibili, Tencent, Bona Film Group, New Classics Media, Cehua Media, and Yinghuang, were also led by their CEOs or senior executives from the film and television sector.

The artists from Jiangdong were naturally all present, with Hong Kong stars led by Andy Lau and Tse Ting-fung.
Andy Lau, in particular, is a recognized workaholic, personally coming to support the event in addition to his own concerts.

The Deng couple, the Huang couple, Young Master Zhou, Xu Jinglei, and Li Lianhua had just passed by when Lu Yang, Wen Muye, and Guo Fan, the three great generals of Jiangdong, arrived.

The three are now leading figures among the new generation of directors, and they specially put aside their work to come and support the event.

In addition, renowned directors in the industry, such as Ning Hao and his wife, Xu Guangtou and his wife, Chen Kaige and his wife, Jiang Wen and his wife, Feng Xiaogang and his wife, Gu Changwei, and Director Jia, also made their appearances, further pushing the atmosphere of the event to a climax.

Looking around, it covers almost half of the domestic film and television industry.

"Only he could pull off such a grand display."

Chen Hong brought her son, Arthur, to the premiere with Chen Kaige. Upon seeing the bustling crowd at the premiere, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"Let's take Arthur inside first to greet everyone."

"Ah."

Chen Kaige nodded, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

It is said that important leaders will be attending today, and additional police officers have been deployed to provide security.

Such a spectacle is even grander than the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony!

They were able to make a movie premiere almost as big as an awards ceremony.

In the vast entertainment industry, there is only one person, the Grand Commander of Jiangdong.

The poet Chen and his wife led Chen Feiyu around to make him known everywhere, while Xu Cainu's little follower Li Gengxi was winking at Zhuang Dafei.

The latter came to the scene with her mother, a former host in Beijing. Both of them had studied acting at the school down the mountain and often hung out together in private. They were known as the best sisters of Sanlitun.

The flashbulbs never stopped, and the atmosphere reached its peak when Zhou Yutang's black Maybach stopped at the entrance.

"Mr. Zhou! Look here!"

"Ahhh, the Grand Commander is so handsome!"

"Governor Zhou! May I say a few words?!"

Shouts rose and fell, and Zhou Yutang stepped into the surging waves of sound.

China's first hardcore sci-fi blockbuster, it can be said to have lived up to the expectations of the world.

Zhou Yutang did not arrange any performance segments. The original author and consultant Liu Cixin, Wu Jing, Lu Han, Li Guangjie, Wu Mengda, Zhao Jinmai and other main creators took the stage and began to talk about the filming process.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the premiere of 'The Wandering Earth.' I am Zhou Yutang, the producer, director, and executive producer of this film..."

Many people immediately burst into enthusiastic applause, including the leaders from Guangdong General Manager and Longxuan, who nodded in agreement.

Liu Yifei sat with Zhou Xun today.

She tilted her head slightly, as if listening to Zhou Xun's whispers, but her bright, sparkling eyes were always following the composed figure on the stage.

"More than 3000 visual effects artists poured their hearts and souls into this project."

Zhou Yutang's voice echoed through the venue via microphone, "We've drawn over 3000 concept design sketches and produced over 4000 initial special effects shots, which were ultimately refined to 2003."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, his eyebrows slightly raised, his expression triumphant: "I'm not saying this to elicit sympathy, but simply to let everyone know that this is the result of the entire effort of Chinese visual effects artists, constructing a visual aesthetic system rooted in Chinese culture."

The leader from Longxuan was the first to clap, and the entire venue erupted in applause in an instant.

Miss Liu smiled slightly and clapped her hands gently.

She liked Xiao Zhou's unserious side in private, and how he could be childish at times.

But the man standing under the spotlight, radiating brilliance, seemed like a blazing sun.

The confidence and charm that radiated naturally when she was strategizing made Liu Tianxian's heartstrings tremble slightly.
(End of this chapter)