China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 1104 A Shocking Premiere: Mysteries of the Tang Dynasty

Many film and television companies in the industry like to use the name of a top Hollywood production team to create hype when they do promotions.

They readily boast about their Oscar-level special effects team's painstaking efforts in creating masterpieces.

But in the end, when it comes to the actual works, nine times out of ten it's just a case of false advertising, and the effect is disappointing.

There are many intricacies involved. Putting aside the need to use special effects to manipulate the budget, it's not necessarily that the so-called top Hollywood special effects teams are incompetent.

It's really hard to say how much thought the foreigner put into it.

They often ask for exorbitant prices, then subcontract the project, export it, and then resell it domestically. This kind of thing does happen.

Only Zhou Yutang, from humble beginnings, spared no expense and invested heavily to build his own team from scratch, which led to Vision Media's current status as a top-tier international company.

Others only watched the spectacle, and only Han Sanping and his group knew the truth.

The rise of Vision Media is, to some extent, deeply intertwined with the industrialization of China's film industry.

Today marks a glorious moment for this company, solidifying its position as a world-class visual effects production firm.

After Zhou Yutang finished speaking with Wu Jing, the microphone was passed to Lu Han.

Compared to his youthful awkwardness on stage a few years ago, he has shed the impetuousness of a popular idol and gained a more mature and reserved demeanor.

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Han smiled and said, "I am truly honored to participate in a project like 'The Wandering Earth.' I am especially grateful to President Zhou for giving me the opportunity to play the role of Liu Qi. During my time on set, learning from Brother Jing, Uncle Da, and all the other senior actors, I have come to understand the true weight of the word 'actor.'"

Next, Wu Mengda, Zhao Jinmai, and other main creators delivered their heartfelt remarks.

After going through the usual procedures, it was finally time for the movie screening. As the dragon logo appeared, this Chinese sci-fi blockbuster finally unveiled its mystery.

In the opening minutes, the post-apocalyptic setting is quickly established through cross-cutting of news clips and underground classroom scenes.

Because the sun is rapidly aging and expanding, Earth faces the crisis of being swallowed up.

The coalition government launched the "Wandering Earth" project—to build tens of thousands of planetary engines to propel Earth out of the solar system.

The underground city's living scenes are incredibly detailed, quickly drawing viewers into the story.

Seventeen-year-old Liu Qi, harboring resentment because his father Liu Peiqiang had been away on a space station mission for many years and missed his mother's funeral, secretly sneaked out of the underground city with his younger sister Han Duoduo.

"Isn't that Director Ning?"

When Liu Tianxian saw the black market merchant's aura, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

A burst of low laughter erupted at the premiere.

There's no other reason than that the designs of the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix are indeed hilarious.

Young Master Zhou, who was standing nearby, leaned over and chuckled softly, "Lei Datou's look is quite funny."

However, they quickly suppressed their smiles, their faces replaced by shock.

As the camera pans across the frozen CCTV building, the Shanghai Olympic Building, and the Oriental Pearl Tower half-buried in snow.
These familiar landmarks, appearing in a state of apocalyptic destruction, instantly evoked a sense of resonance and a profound feeling of sorrow.

Everyone present held their breath, their attention following the unfolding plot.

As Earth passed by Jupiter, the surge in gravity caused widespread failure of the planetary engines, and Earth was gradually captured by Jupiter's gravity, facing the crisis of colliding with Jupiter.

Liu Qi escapes the underground city with his younger sister Han Duoduo and unexpectedly joins a global rescue operation.

During the event, Han Ziang, played by Wu Mengda, drove a transport vehicle across the icy plains. While protecting Han Duoduo during the rescue, he was seriously injured by falling steel bars.

On his deathbed, Han Zi'ang took out a treasured photo of his daughter, and his emotions completely erupted.

The veteran actor's nuanced performance vividly portrayed family affection and attachment to his homeland, bringing tears to the eyes of many in the audience.

As the story unfolds, facing the impending doom of Earth colliding with Jupiter, Liu Qi proposes a crazy plan to ignite Jupiter.

Global rescue teams turned around and worked together to provide support, with Leonardo DiCaprio's minor role as an astronaut sacrificing himself to propel the space station.
"We still have families to protect, we don't want to abandon Earth, and we hope everyone will come back and fight together."

When Han Duoduo tearfully broadcast her distress call to the world, rescue teams from various countries, who had previously given up on the rescue, turned around and, braving the extreme cold and storms, gathered at the equatorial engine.
Finally, Liu Peiqiang piloted the space station and resolutely crashed it into Jupiter, like the most dazzling fireworks blooming in space.

Accompanied by rousing music, the film reached its emotional climax.

Wow!
When the end credits rolled, there was a few seconds of silence before thunderous applause erupted.

It was clear that the audience's emotions had been thoroughly stirred. Zhou Yutang and the main cast returned to the stage for an interview, and the applause from below continued unabated.

"Mr. Zhou, this movie is amazing! It's definitely the most amazing sci-fi movie I've ever seen!"

"Thank you."

"I'd like to ask, what are your expectations for the box office?"

"Actually, this film wasn't just made for Chinese audiences; we also wanted to show the world the power of Chinese science fiction. So we chose a difficult path: to release it simultaneously through global channels, for which we invested a lot of resources."

"But since there is no precedent for this, foreign cinemas may not give it a high initial number of screenings. It's hard to say exactly how many screenings there will be at the moment."

After a pause, Zhou Yutang continued, "As for domestic box office expectations, I hope that 'The Wandering Earth' can set a precedent and create a new milestone for domestic film box office."

As soon as he said that, the eyes of the reporters from all the media outlets below suddenly focused on Zhou Yutang, like flashlights that had been turned on.

It's not a box office record for domestic science fiction directors.

It is a new milestone in the box office performance of domestic films.

Currently, in terms of box office revenue for a single film, "Joker," directed by Jiangdong Dadudu, is still the top performer, raking in a staggering $20.73 billion last year and achieving legendary status.

The highest-grossing domestic film is "Wolf Warrior 2," directed and starring Wu Jing, which has accumulated a total box office of 60.13 billion yuan in China, standing out from the crowd.

Zhou Yutang's current meaning is clearly that "The Wandering Earth" is expected to break the 6 billion yuan mark at the box office, setting a new ceiling for domestic films!

Without going into anything else, it's already booked as the top story in tomorrow's film and television section.

The reporters at the scene went wild, and a barrage of cameras and microphones were pointed at the stage.

The little cannon below smacked its lips, its eyes filled with envy.

That's how a true man should act.

Now, despite his prestigious reputation as one of the three veteran directors in the Chinese server, he is merely sitting at the table of the billion-dollar club.

Let alone comparing him to the then-powerful Governor Zhou, any one of the three great generals of Jiangdong could easily outshine him.

Xu Fan, who was next to Xiao Gangpao, leaned over and whispered, "Old Feng, what do you think?"

"Hard to say."

Little Cannon shook his head.

"Why is it hard to say?"

"Based on the current situation, we can guarantee at least 2 billion, 3 billion would be considered a success, and 4 billion would already exceed expectations."

From a professional perspective, Xiao Gangpao covered his mouth and began to analyze: "Six billion? How can he even say that? 'Wolf Warrior 2' barely made it even after eating patriotic food. Don't forget there are still two strong imported blockbusters, and several more blockbusters in the New Year's season. It will definitely divert screenings." "But he's Zhou Yutang."

Xu Fan paused for a moment, then hesitated before asking, "What did he say?"

"He also said it has nothing to do with Liu Yifei, why don't you believe him?"

Little Cannon scoffed: "He's always been good at marketing, with endless tricks up his sleeve. Just take his words with a grain of salt."

Feng Xiaogang and his wife whispered among themselves, while Chen Shiren and his wife also discussed the matter. Renowned directors such as Ning Hao and Gu Changwei sighed with emotion.

Sitting in the front row, China Film Group Chairman La Peikang's expression was slightly off.

After the premiere, a cocktail party was arranged.

Ren Zhonglun searched around in the crowd and saw La Peikang getting up to leave. He smiled and walked over to invite him, "Chairman La, why are you leaving now? Let's have a drink together later."

"No, I have other things to take care of."

La Peikang forced a smile and declined, then hurriedly got up and left his seat.

As he got into the car, the secretary instinctively felt that his boss's face was ashen. He had also attended the premiere, so he knew exactly what was wrong.
I was only sitting on the bottom halfway up the seat, and I didn't dare to breathe loudly at all.

Know your own affairs.

The film "Shanghai Fortress," rushed to completion, was intended to capitalize on the momentum of domestic science fiction and gain a share of the market.

But after watching "The Wandering Earth", I realized that something was wrong.

The difference between the two is so great that it is completely crushed.

The publicity plan has already been finalized, and it's like an arrow on a bowstring. We have no choice but to comply. What can we do?
……

The premiere ended, and related news quickly appeared on major portal websites, firmly dominating the film and television headlines.

"Directed by Zhou Yutang, China's first hardcore sci-fi blockbuster, The Wandering Earth, is coming soon!"

"The Grand Commander of Jiangdong presided over the premiere, with leaders from Dragon TV and Guangdong TV standing by, and more than 300 media outlets from home and abroad gathered!"

"The Wandering Earth, a must-see film for the Lunar New Year season, has surpassed 100 million yuan in pre-sale box office revenue. The film will be officially released on the 28th!"

"Commander Zhou boldly declared: 'Our goal is to set a new milestone for domestic film box office, aiming for 60 billion yuan!'"

"."

With the premiere of "The Wandering Earth" concluded, the first wave of online audience ratings has been released.

Whether it's the actors, special effects, or the color palette and visuals, many nitpicking film critics have given it unusually high scores.

Even Liu Shishi, who has become incredibly popular due to the hit drama "The Story of Minglan," didn't forget to promote the show during its promotional activities.

The long-awaited declaration by the Grand Commander of Jiangdong to set a new box office record for Chinese-language films has attracted considerable attention from the general public.

As a man who has mastered the secrets of online traffic, Lei Jun, the boss of Xiaomi, posted a short essay after returning from the premiere.

"I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of 'The Wandering Earth' just now, and it was truly amazing!"
Mr. Zhou did an absolutely fantastic job this time!

I understand that this is China's first truly hardcore sci-fi blockbuster, and all the special effects were done by a domestic team.

To be honest, after watching it, I couldn't help but think deeply, and I felt even more strongly that Xiaomi Pictures' "Weather Forecast" deserved its defeat; there's still so much to learn. Go "The Wandering Earth"! Go Chinese cinema!

If Lei Jun hadn't mentioned it, probably no one would have noticed that "Weathering With You" was quietly moved up in release date before the premiere of "The Wandering Earth".
This is Xiao Yang's directorial debut feature film. Following "The Breakup", it was released during the Lunar New Year holiday season and he spent a lot of money on marketing in the early stages.

However, it faced controversy upon release, and the poor reviews directly impacted its box office performance, accumulating only 8480 million yuan in three days.

Marketing strategies are certainly useful, but they are not a panacea; ultimately, it comes down to the quality of the film itself.

"Weathering With You" is slightly more decent than Huayijia's "The Breakup," but it's not much better; it's all stepping stones for "Bumblebee" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."

Brothers in misfortune hold hands; whoever takes off first is a dog.

These two imported blockbusters, which dominated December, continue to advance side by side.

Spider-Man has already surpassed the 500 million mark and is steadily moving towards 1 billion. Bumblebee's momentum is slightly weaker, but Maoyan estimates it has a maximum of 600 million, so it should not be underestimated.

These past few days, everyone in the industry has been focused on "The Wandering Earth," but few have noticed that Guo Jingyu quietly visited the Jiangdong headquarters.

"The creative center under General Manager Zhou is truly full of talent. The fact that the script was completed so quickly is largely thanks to Team Leader Ren."

"No, no, most of them are Director Guo's and Teacher Wei's ideas."

"Team Leader Ren is being modest."

"."

Ren Yan has made rapid progress and is now the head of the screenwriting team in the creative center, but he is still a socially awkward person.

Faced with the warm welcome from the seasoned veteran, he was momentarily at a loss for words and waved his hands repeatedly.

During this period, Zhou Yutang has been busy wrapping up filming for "The Captain" and preparing for the premiere of "The Wandering Earth".

I didn't really pay much attention to this period drama set in the Tang Dynasty, which is a genre of supernatural tales and detective stories.

The drama "The Story of Minglan" is currently a huge hit, and "Like a Flowing River" is yet to be broadcast. Several other dramas are also scheduled to air next year.

Jiangdong Family has a strong reserve of film and television dramas, but for Perfect Family, this series of projects is of paramount importance.

Over the past two months, Guo Jingyu has taken Wei Fenghua to the Jiangdong Building quite often, and finally, their hard work paid off, and the first draft of the script was successfully completed.

While Governor Zhou was at the company handling business before embarking on the nationwide film roadshow, Guo Jingyu immediately came to report on the results.

Zhou Yutang opened a document on the tablet titled "Records of Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty," and his previously casual gaze gradually turned serious: "Is it a story taken from 'Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang'?"

"President Zhou is indeed very knowledgeable!"

Guo Jingyu gave a thumbs up: "Old Wei, Xiao Ren, and I did indeed draw inspiration from Tang Dynasty tales of the strange and supernatural, such as 'Youyang Zazu'."

"interesting."

Zhou Yutang nodded slightly.

Since Jiangdong pioneered the crime and suspense genre, it has become unstoppable, with countless projects in the industry following suit.

However, most of them are limited to modern settings, and it is rare to see a story that combines tales of immortals and demons, Taoist magic and illusions with exotic stories and suspenseful detective work, which is truly refreshing.

The series features Lu Lingfeng, a general of the Imperial Guard, and Su Wuming, a disciple of Di Renjie, as the two main characters. It consists of eight unit cases: "Chang'an Red Tea", "Stone Bridge Picture", "Hall of All Beings", "Huangmei Killing", "Gantang Post Station", "Alligator God", "Human Face Flower" and "Tower of Heaven".

Each unit represents a case, but there are intricate connections between the cases.

It reaches the imperial court and connects with the common people.

It looks fresh, thrilling, and quite exciting.
[P.S.: Old Li really has a system; he can even win a championship with Dolan.]

(End of this chapter)