China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 642: Sweeping the box office in Asia, new film selection

"The TV series "The Journey of Flower", produced by Jiangdong Entertainment and adapted from the popular online novel of the same name, has officially wrapped up. The wrap-up photos of the main actors including Zhu Yilong and Zhao Liying were revealed today."

"The final season of Joy of Life is in preparation and is expected to start filming at the end of the month. Book in advance and enjoy the gift of watching the show!"

News about Jiangdong Entertainment has always been on the entertainment headlines of major portals.

"Brother Feng, the filming has just finished, and you are already talking about the premiere of The Journey of Flower. Isn't it a bit early?"

The night before the announcement of the completion of the filming, Zhou Yutang was sweating in the gym when he received a call from Zhou Ningfeng, the director of the Jiangsu Provincial TV Station. He was a little amused and helpless.

"It's getting late, let's talk first. Jiangdong's products are guaranteed."

Zhou Ningfeng's voice was full of dominance: "Jiangdong has three dramas this year, and Jiangsu TV Station must take at least two of them, no matter how much money it costs."

Zhou Ningfeng felt very uncomfortable after keeping a low profile last year.

This year, we will decisively start with a big move.

Everyone is making fun of Jiangsu Province, which is a major economic province and ranked second in the country in GDP last year.

The Jiangsu Provincial TV station has several ace variety shows. After the New Year, it held a hard advertising bidding conference and made a lot of money. It can be said that it is lucrative.

Even among the country's top TV stations, it is the one with the most financial resources.

Just as Zhou Ningfeng said.

Zhou Yutang’s Jiangdong Entertainment is a hit drama maker.

It is guaranteed to be a hit, and may even become a huge hit, and the upper limit may be a phenomenal hit.

All the S-level dramas produced by Jiangdong Entertainment have never failed, so it doesn't matter if they spend money in advance.

This is a bit like the 1980s and 1990s, the most glorious time for Hong Kong entertainment industry.

The leading Hong Kong film companies can make investors willingly pay just by showing the cast to Taiwanese businessmen.

Zhou Yutang did not make a clear commitment.

But given the relationship between the two of them, some things should be said to the point and everything else should be said without saying anything.

…………

"After four weeks of release, the domestic box office of 'Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils' has reached 19.37 billion yuan, and it currently ranks third on the Chinese film box office list!"

The Spring Festival period drained the vitality of the entire Chinese film market, making the Chinese film market the top in the world.

But after entering March, this grand occasion could not be sustained.

Mainly, the release of imported blockbusters such as Nicole Kidman's "Paddington Bear", Warner's science fiction film "Jupiter Ascending", and Disney's "Cinderella" have caused a certain impact on the Chinese film market.

In an unnoticed corner, South Korean director Lee Jae-yong quietly plunged into the East China Sea with "My Life" starring Song Hye Kyo and Kang Dong Won.

Zhou Yutang flipped through the box office report compiled by Ni Ni.

The Spring Festival movie season is gradually coming to an end. "Dark Blade" was taken off the screen with a total box office of 7.07 million yuan, and "The King's Woman 2" had a total box office of 9.75 million yuan.

Despite its terrible reputation, it is undoubtedly a success for a comedy movie like this.

Fatty Wang is just one step away from joining China's 10 billion box office club.

Having tasted the sweetness, the producers have already promoted "The King's Woman 3" to return during this year's Spring Festival to continue bringing joy to everyone.

On the contrary, "Wolf Totem", which has always been low-key, finally closed at the box office of 7.01 million yuan.

The above-mentioned films, together with Sister Lianhua's "Zhong Kui Fu Mo", have significantly divided the box office during the entire period.

"Zhou Chu" is indeed impossible to kill.

However, the song "New Creation" is still on the major music charts, and even Mr. Jin Shijie, who played the Venerable, became popular.

The scene of Chen Guilin holding a gun and killing people in the church was made into an emoticon package by netizens and widely circulated on social media and WeChat Moments of countless viewers.

It was at this time.

Li Shuang took the initiative to call: "Yu Tang, do you want to apply for an extension of the key, or think of another way to see if you can raise it to 20 billion."

"Forget it, Sister Shuang."

Zhou Yutang shook his head and chuckled, "Box office records are just numbers. Even Zhang Yimou doesn't think they mean much. We still have to wait and see how well The Marauders 2 and Detective Chinatown perform this year."

Judging from the performance of the Spring Festival period, the depth of today's movie ticket sales is definitely more than 2 billion.

With the solid foundation laid by the "Magic Thief Crime Universe", the sequel is definitely worth looking forward to.

"Row."

Li Shuang was also very straightforward: "You are the boss, you have the final say."

La Peikang had booked a celebration banquet early in the morning and called to confirm it, and mentioned this year's Golden Rooster Awards in passing.

"Boss La, is it too early to talk about this now?"

"If Chi Ling is submitted, it will definitely win a prize."

La Peikang stole the show at the seminar on Zhou Chu, and was obviously in a good mood. He even joked, "You are such a big star now, I have to make an appointment with you in advance."

"We'll see then. I may not be able to attend."

Zhou Yutang thought about his itinerary.

Before joining the crew, I will go to Haojiang for the recording of the variety show "Longing for Life".

There will be at least one movie and one TV series in the second half of this year.

The celebration banquet for "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" was held as scheduled.

When it comes to saving face, La Peikang is definitely even better than Han Sanping.

The combined box office revenue in Taiwan and Hong Kong was 83 million.

The number of moviegoers in South Korea successfully exceeded 10 million, and with the scattered box office revenue from surrounding areas such as the island country, it added up to about 500 million.

The box office in Asia exceeded 25 billion!
Such an achievement is simply incredible.

Several state-owned film groups and industry entertainment leaders have received invitations.

The dinner was attended by many guests. In addition to Mr. Jin Shijie who was still in the crew of "Assassins 2", Zhang Yimou and several other leading actors were present.

Lao Wang from Guangguang arrived early and immediately aimed at Zhou Yutang with a very enthusiastic attitude.

"Boss Wang, you always bother Sister Xiaoping."

Zhou Yutang gave Lao Wang some reassurance: "When there is a big project, we can still cooperate."

As he was unable to appear in "Detective Chinatown", Wang Changtian probably felt that everyone's relationship had become a little dull.

Recently, he sent his trusted general, Li Xiaoping, to Jiangdong Entertainment several times.

"Yu Tang, we have been working together for so long that we can be considered a family."

This is what Wang from Guangguang was waiting for. He immediately raised his glass and said, "If you have a big project, bring Guangguang with you. We can negotiate any price."

"There is a chance."

Zhou Yutang raised his glass and clinked it with Wang Changtian.

In order to "improve his life", he sold all his shares in Huayi, made a profit of over 100 million yuan, and now he still holds shares in Guangxian.

It is also because the work done by Wang Guangjian is to his liking. If there is a big project that requires sharing financial risks, Guangjian will definitely be a good partner.

Wanda has the advantage of cinema chains, and Guangxian’s own local distribution network and national media channels are also unique in the entertainment industry.

The main creators of the crew were invited to the stage by the host.

Zhou Yutang let Lao Mouzi stand in the center position, with him and La Peikang on the left and right.

The ice sculpture of the box office figure of "19.39 billion" was shattered, and the applause and flash lights in the venue rang out continuously.

The film and television company bosses, directors, and producers.

There was some envy in the look he gave Zhou Yutang.

It’s only the beginning of the year, and we’re starting with a big move.

The investment in "Zhou Chu" was not large, but the returns were huge, even more than the profits of several entertainment companies in a whole year.

Jiangdong has several movies ready to be released next, I wonder what the situation will be like.

Jiangdong Entertainment has been able to grow to its current scale thanks to the great contribution made by the Grand Commander of Jiangdong as the helmsman.

After getting rid of a bunch of actresses and producers who wanted to approach him, Zhou Yutang noticed Wang Baoqi in the crowd.

He was talking to Mrs. Ma beside him, showing his white teeth and a simple smile.

Mrs. Ma was holding a glass of red wine, looking around. When she saw Zhou Yutang coming over, she pulled Baoqi's arm excitedly.

"Mr. Zhou, congratulations on the box office success. I went to the cinema to watch it twice. It was really enjoyable."

Wang Baoqi grinned and took the initiative to introduce his wife.

"Haha, you performed well in last year's "One Man's Martial Arts"."

Zhou Yutang smiled and patted Baoqi's shoulder, then nodded lightly to Mrs. Ma.

"It's a pity that the box office is not very good. I may lose money."

Wang Baoqi scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

That movie needed to make at least 3 million at the box office to recoup its costs, so it was considered a small loss-making film that was well-received but not popular.

"Don't be discouraged, try more."

Zhou Yutang consoled him, "I have a new play, probably in June or July, do you have time?"

"Boss Zhou is looking for me for his new play?"

Wang Baoqi's plain face suddenly showed an irrepressible surprise, and he said excitedly: "I, I'm sure there will be no problem."

"Why don't you ask what kind of movie it is?"

"Yu Tang, since you chose me, you must think I'm suitable. I believe in your judgment."

Although Wang Baoqi looked naive, he was not stupid. He agreed without thinking.

The two chatted about their schedules for a while and talked about the Running Man variety show.

Following Wu Jing, Bao Qie will also withdraw from Running Man, and the Running Man team will be renewed this year.

In addition to Lu Han, the program team is also contacting another heavyweight guest to fill the position.

"I have accepted a military-themed variety show. I will be in it for the entire show. The recording will start at the end of this month and I cannot leave during the show."

"A real man?"

"Hey, Yu Tang, how did you know?"

Wang Baoqi was stunned. Wasn’t this program supposed to be kept confidential?

"The show is good, record it well."

Zhou Yutang patted Baoqi's shoulder and said with a smile: "The film needs to be prepared slowly. It will probably start shooting in the middle of the year. I will inform you of the specific time then."

With his connections in the TV drama industry, there are no secrets at all for the TV station.

As we gradually enter the Internet age and entertainment options become more diverse, TV ratings are gradually declining.

All TV stations are in a state of internal competition. Mango TV wants to restore its former glory, and the "Longing for Life" co-produced with Mingjie Company is its key variety show.

But we didn't put all our eggs in one basket and made other preparations.

For example, the variety show that Bao Qi participated in is a large-scale national defense education special program jointly launched by Mango TV, the Chinese military and the August 1st Film Studio.

In fact, the first to use this approach was the South Korean MBC TV variety show "Real Men", which was based on a 24-hour real military experience and required celebrity guests to deeply experience the army's high-intensity training and simple life.

Audiences like to watch celebrities being tortured, and this variety show had good ratings after it was broadcast in South Korea.

"Didn't Wang Baoqi get Zhou Yutang's project?"

"Fortune favors fools!"

Many people were staring at Zhou Yutang, seeing the two of them having a very pleasant conversation. Wang Baoqi nodded frequently, his mouth almost stretched to his ears, and many people began to speculate.

There are many artists who are extremely envious and jealous.

Everyone in the entertainment industry knows that as long as you can get Zhou Yutang’s project, you will be able to succeed.

"Baoqi, what's going on?"

Wang Baoqi's agent came over and asked, "Does Zhou Yutang really have a project for you?"

"Is it the movie Detective Chinatown?!"

Behind the black-framed glasses, the agent with dark circles under his eyes thought rapidly and asked rapidly. "Hmm."

Wang Baoqi nodded. "I just heard from Yu Tang that this is a comedy suspense movie. It is expected to start shooting in June or July. How about my schedule by then?"

"In the middle of the year, a play had already been signed."

"Then help me turn it down and pay them the penalty for breach of contract."

"."

Seeing Wang Baoqi's firm attitude, the agent, who was obviously suffering from kidney failure, did not hesitate and muttered, "I don't know what Zhou Yutang was thinking. He rejected such a good project as "The Great Wall" and let Brother Chen Kai take it."

"Don't meddle in things that are not your business!"

Wang Baoqi said: "People want me to make a movie, which means they think highly of me. This is an opportunity for me."

"Okay, okay, we're all family."

Sensing that the atmosphere seemed a bit tense, Madam Ma patted Wang Baoqi's arm:
"You should also say less. Xiao Song is really doing this for your own good."

"You want to use Baoqi?"

In the evening, Zhou Yutang returned to Zeng Li's house. The beautiful woman in green bent over to change the man's slippers and asked curiously.

She must know about Zhou Yutang's new project, and there are even many people who want to find connections and have their eyes on her.

"Only Bao Qi can play that role."

When Zhou Yutang was hugging the beautiful lady in green, he inexplicably thought of Madam Ma who was dressed up tonight and the manager with dark circles under his eyes.
I sent a message to Ni Ni and asked her to do something.

The news of the celebration banquet for "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" dominated the headlines of major media outlets.

Both the media and the audience gave full marks to Zhou Yutang and Zhang Yimou's collaboration.

At this critical juncture, Zhang Yimou's literary planner Zhou Xiaofeng launched a new book: "Fate: Loneliness Zhang Yimou".

This is her work based on the records of Zhang Yimou's real life, which aims to show the real Zhang Yimou to the audience.

Zhou Yutang took it and flipped through it.

As expected, he is worthy of being Zhang Yimou's exclusive literary planner.

He followed the national master in several plays in succession, and even the script of "Zhou Chu" was revised by Zhou Xiaofeng in the later stage.

The language is sharp and to the point, and the writing skills are quite profound.

The most explosive content is Zhang Dapao's ten deadly sins, which was specifically recognized by Zhang Yimou's studio.
"Provoking discord between Lao Mouzi and Gong Li", "demanding Lao Mouzi to distance himself from Takakura Ken", "delaying the payment of the national teacher".
"If you look at it this way, Zhang Dapao is really quite inhumane."

Zhou Yutang originally felt that he was quite dark.

But compared with Zhang Dapao, he is simply a saint.

In recent years, Zhang Dapao's New Picture Company has been half-dead. This time when he was stepped on the head by someone, he did not come out to criticize, but his assistant jumped out to start a fight.

Pang Liwei from Zhang Yimou's studio is not someone to be trifled with either, and the two sides started a war of words online.

It was so lively for a while.

However, with the support of Jiangdong as the national teacher now, Zhang Dapao is somewhat lacking in confidence, and Zhou Xiaofeng still has some explosive material in his hands that he has not revealed.

"It's just TS's thing."

In response to Ni Ni's question, Zhou Yutang calmly gave an answer and browsed the comments on the Internet for a while.

"Zhang Dapao, are you a human?!"

"Lao Mouzi and you are connected in heart, you are playing tricks with Lao Mouzi."

"You still owe Zhang Yimou so much money, pay it back quickly."

"Thanks to Zhang Dapao for letting Lao Mouzi go. Now he is working with Zhou Yutang and is taking off immediately."

Netizens have gone all out and scolded Zhang Dapao harshly.

The breakup with New Picture was not pleasant at the beginning. Although Zhou Yutang helped to settle the issue of over-birth, the cooperation between Zhang Yimou and Zhang Dapao has been going on for so many years.

Some interest relationships cannot be explained in just a few words.

The two sides went to court, and it was another tug-of-war.

"I think Zhang Dapao must be so depressed that he might vomit blood."

Ni Ni gloated: "But this is what he deserves."

Women just hold grudges.

At that time, Zhang Dapao not only cheated Zhang Yimou, but also Ni Ni.

Now, retribution has come.

There is basically no trace of Zhang Dapao.

After the national teacher defected to Jiangdong, "Hunting" and "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" were enough to bring him back to the top, and the fame and fortune that followed were inevitable.

This is more than what he earned as a farmhand for Zhang Dapao in twenty years.

Even Ni Ni, who used to be nothing in his eyes, has now become a phoenix.

Zhou Yutang's female secretary, in a sense, represented him and naturally stood at the top of this circle.

From being a big shot in the entertainment industry to suddenly becoming a rat crossing the street that everyone wants to beat, this kind of gap is not something that everyone can bear.

However, Zhang Dapao has to thank Zhang Yuqi for suppressing the heat of this matter.

Zhuo Wei, a famous paparazzi in the circle, released explosive information.

Zhang Yuqi, who had just finished filming "The Mermaid", was revealed to have checked into a hotel with a mysterious man.

There are pictures, videos and the truth.

They dated for three consecutive days, held hands in the street, and went skiing on vacation. Their interactions were sweeter than those in dating variety shows.

She said at the beginning that she would face the situation honestly with her husband and share the responsibility, but in fact, Zhang Yuqi separated from her husband at the beginning of last year, and she also filed for divorce.

When Zhang Yuqi cheated on her husband this time, netizens applauded and called it the most gratifying cheating in history.

I guess even she herself didn't expect that she would become popular in this way and dominate the headlines of hot searches.

The most miserable person is the great director Wang Quanan, who was arrested for soliciting prostitution and has not been released yet. He was also expelled from the West Film Academy and his reputation has plummeted to the bottom.
China Film Group.

Zhou Yutang sat in the chairman's office after a long absence.

While drinking tea, I chatted with La Peikang about the recently completed filming of "The Mermaid".

He held the China Film Group's schedule in his hand.

March is basically the stage for "Jupiter Ascending" and "Cinderella".

The former was released in early March, earning 1.45 million yuan in its first week and its cumulative box office has exceeded million yuan.

The latter is even more powerful. According to the box office data estimated by China Film Group, it is expected to reach 4.5 million, and it will wreak havoc in the Chinese film market.

But what Zhou Yutang paid most attention to was Universal's super popular IP "Fast and Furious 4" which was scheduled to be released on April 12.

James Wan is no ordinary man, and his talents are not limited to the field of horror films.

I wonder if the movie "Everything Grows" co-produced by Li Yu and Teacher Fan, a pair of good friends, can be stopped.

The films that are scheduled for the May Day holiday include "Left Ear", "Silent Separation", and the Hong Kong crime blockbuster "Equator".

Zhou Yutang took a quick look and made a decision: "The Accidental Detective will be released during the May Day holiday, while The Monkey King: Hero is Back and The Piano Tuner will be released during the summer holiday."

Now that the money was in place, Tian Xiaopeng led his team to work overtime and stay up late, and the adjustments to "The Return of the Great Sage" were almost complete.

“There are several big movies coming out in early July.”

La Peikang looked at the schedule for a long while and pushed his gold-rimmed glasses: "Yu Tang, The Tuner will be released in late June, and The Monkey King: Hero is Back will be released on July 10th. What do you think?"

"I think it's great."

Zhou Yutang only needed to look at his expression to instantly understand what he meant.

Isn’t director Chen Da’s movie “The Taoist Goes Down the Mountain” scheduled to be released in early July?
As Director Chen is in charge of "The Great Wall", China Film Group will of course provide him with support.

There is also the miserable Wu Baige. La Peikang has taken the blame for Han Sanping. The second half of "The Crossing" is scheduled to be released at the end of July.

I specially asked Xu Ke to help with the editing, but I don’t know if it can save face.

However, the release date of "The Piano Tuner" is also good. When "The Monkey King: Hero is Back" is released, students will be on summer vacation, and it will be right after "Tiny Times 4".

Meeting Xiao Si head-on was exactly what Zhou Yutang wanted.

"The Burning Sun" has to avoid July when there are many blockbusters, and Guo Fan's "Now You See Me 7" has locked in this year's National Day schedule in advance.

We first decided on the release dates for a few films, and the atmosphere of the chat became more casual.

La Peikang raised his teacup and took a sip: "Yu Tang, your Tang Detective is going to be scheduled for the Lunar New Year holiday. Will it be in time?"

"A suspenseful comedy film."

Zhou Yutang chuckled and said, "It's not a big deal, so it's not a big problem."

Chen Xi has already connected with Tyrande officials.

The film will probably start shooting in June and will be completed by July at the latest.

Including the time for post-production, it is definitely more than enough.

This year's Spring Festival movie will naturally give way to Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid".

After finalizing the release date, I went back to the company to hold a meeting and arrange the promotional work for several films.

"The Piano Tuner" is the first time that Liu Shishi plays the leading female role and carries the box office alone.

Zhou Yutang's role as producer was really not in vain, as he followed up the entire post-production of the film.

In his opinion, Liu Shishi performed at the peak of her acting career.

The character of the heroine is rich in layers, and the film has both commercial and artistic qualities, so it is completely possible to win awards in the later stages.

These are all later stories. It's just that I'm suffering. I just finished filming "Assassin's Blade 2" and now I have to join the crew of a spy war drama. I guess I will have to take leave from the crew to participate in the movie roadshow.
King Liu called Zhou Yutang several times to invite him to attend the premiere of his new movie.

Zhou Yutang did not refuse.

He wanted to see the quality of this realistic film which was said to be adapted from a true story.

It just so happened that Da Meiyu didn't have any schedule, so they made an appointment to go to the movie premiere together.

The movie "Lost and Love" has a great influence in the circle.

Official media had reported on this before, and various media outlets also reported on it.

A man, whose child was kidnapped, traveled 24 kilometers over 10 years, breaking even 50 motorcycles, searching for his child.

When the couple recognized each other later, public opinion exploded, causing a sensation and truly making people feel mixed emotions.

The cast of this drama is also luxurious.

Superstar Andy Lau, Huayi's popular young actor Jing Bo-ran, veteran film emperor Peter Leung, The Thirteenth Sister of Hong Kong, and a potential newcomer Arthur Liu.

Except for Thirteenth Sister, who had once had a verbal fight with Zhou Yutang and was a little embarrassed, the other leading actors all had a good relationship with Zhou Yutang.

The director even studied at the Film Academy and is Zhou Yutang's senior.

"Yu Tang, "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" has achieved a box office of over 25 billion, which is really amazing."

"We still need to learn more from Hua Ge."

"I should learn from you."

King Liu showed a handsome smile and gave Zhou Yutang a thumbs up.

"Compared to Hua Ge starring in this movie for free, it's nothing."

Zhou Yutang continued to brag about business with him.

King Liu's salary offer starts at tens of millions, and he really gave it his all for this movie.

After the interview with the main creators, the movie began to be screened.

The story is very touching, but both the director's expression techniques and the actors' performances have certain shortcomings.

The whole film lacked some quality.

Zhou Yutang was overlooking the entire movie from a God's perspective, thinking about how he would shoot if he was in charge of the project.

But just based on sincere emotions, it is enough to resonate with a considerable number of emotional audiences.

The famous literary beauty was moved, her eyes became red and her pupils seemed moist.

(End of this chapter)