It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 1375 The Lunar New Year film season is poised to begin, and high-quality productions are on the way...

Feiyue Films.

In the movie screening room, the lights were so dim that only the screen shone.

Chen Fei sat in the middle of the front row, watching the finished post-production of "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Return of the South China Sea" by Ning Hao, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing back and forth on the armrest of his seat.

On screen, Liu Ye, who plays Hu Bayi, jumps into the deep sea wearing diving goggles, and the camera follows him through swaying seaweed.

Sunlight refracted through the water's surface, creating dappled patterns of light, and even the trails of the rising bubbles were so clear that they seemed almost tangible.

Putting the plot aside, the visual effects are absolutely amazing!
Suddenly, a group of glowing anglerfish swam out from the shadows, their eerie blue fluorescence illuminating the outline of the shipwreck.

The rusty hull, the broken mast, and even the copper coins scattered on the deck all have a wet and realistic feel to them!
This scene doesn't seem like special effects; rather, it's as if the underwater world has been brought into the movie screen.

The most shocking part is the scene where the "South China Sea Mermaids" appear.

Shu Chang, who plays Shirley Yang, holds up a searchlight, the beam piercing the darkness and illuminating the eerie creatures with human bodies and fish tails.

Each scale gleamed with a mother-of-pearl luster under the light, its pupils were the murky hue characteristic of deep-sea creatures, and when it opened its mouth, it revealed fine, sharp teeth. Accompanied by a low hiss, one could almost feel the icy vapor it exhaled.

Chen Minghao, who plays Fatty Wang, was so frightened that he dropped his entrenching tool on the ground. The sound of metal clashing echoed in the theater, causing people to instinctively shrink back.

The underwater tomb scenes further integrated special effects and plot seamlessly.

When Hu Bayi triggered the mechanism, the entire sunken ship suddenly flipped over, and the camera followed the main characters in a state of "weightlessness".

The oppressive feeling of seawater flooding in, the terrifying sight of the terracotta warriors opening their eyes in the tomb, and Wang Pangzi's struggle when he is entangled in seaweed—every frame exudes a suffocating tension.

For a moment, Chen Fei even felt himself sinking, until Shirley Yang burst open the exit and sunlight poured in, at which point he breathed a sigh of relief along with his character.

"These underwater special effects cost even more money than the lunar surface in 'Lone Ranger'," Chen Fei remarked softly.

Ning Hao did not disappoint him. He did not use cheap special effects to fool the audience, but was really thinking about how to make the audience believe that there are miracles in the deep sea.

The patterns of the corals, the resistance of the water flow, and the habits of the creatures are so detailed that they resemble a documentary, yet they also carry the fantastical feel of an adventure story.

The screening ended and the lights came on.

Ning Hao took off his 3D glasses, turned around to look at Chen Fei, his eyes filled with anticipation: "How was it? Did you tarnish the reputation of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'?"

Chen Fei stood up, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder: "It's more than just not smashed. The level of special effects is so good that it's going to keep the later adventure movies up at night."

Good special effects are never about showing off skills, but about making the audience forget "this is special effects" and willingly immerse themselves in the story. That is the essence of making special effects blockbusters.

Clearly, "The Return to Ruins of the South China Sea" has succeeded.

Seeing Chen Fei nod, Ning Hao's tense shoulders instantly relaxed: "Now that you've passed this test, I can finally relax."

As he spoke, he handed over another bottle of water. "Now we need to get down to business. We need to set a release date."

Chen Fei unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow at him: "You're still thinking about that?"

“Of course,” Ning Hao’s eyes gleamed with a competitive light. “I told you when filming started that I wanted to go head-to-head with Avatar 2.”

Now that post-production is finished, my confidence hasn't diminished at all; in fact, it's even stronger! Our underwater special effects might not be any worse than their Pandora!

Chen Fei was amused by his enthusiasm: "Cameron has been preparing for more than ten years, and you're going to compete with him?"

"It's not about box office revenue, it's about showing our spirit." Ning Hao leaned forward, his tone serious. "Domestic audiences always think that Hollywood special effects are the pinnacle, and I want to show them that our own team can create something that's just as good as theirs."

The underwater world of *The Return of the South China Sea*, in terms of imagination and detail, is arguably no less impressive than *Pandora*. I just don't think its mere technical skill is anything special.

Chen Fei remained silent for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

He knew that Ning Hao was not blindly confident; the completion of "The Return of the South China Sea" was indeed solid, especially the immersive underwater 3D shots, which were very competitive even on an international scale.

"Avatar 2 is set to release on December 16th, and Walton Pictures and 12th Century Fox have already started their pre-release hype. Do you really want to clash with it?"

"A collision is inevitable, but we need to find the right moment." Ning Hao had already planned it out. "December 16th is too close; a head-on collision could easily result in mutual destruction."

Moreover, "The Octagon" is releasing at the beginning of the month, and "Avatar 2" is in the middle of the month. Both of these are related to you. If a real conflict breaks out, it will be our interests that suffer.

He paused for a moment and then shared his thoughts: "I think December 30th is a good date. It can avoid the opening weekend of Avatar 2 and also ride the wave of the New Year's Day holiday."

After its release, the film gained popularity through word-of-mouth, which coincided perfectly with the tail end of the Spring Festival film season. The Spring Festival season is so long; if the film performs well, it might just be able to grab a share of the market.

Chen Fei nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Releasing the film on December 30th, with the New Year's Day holiday preceding it and the long screening period during the Spring Festival, is indeed a safer option than squeezing it into mid-December.

Moreover, with "The Octagonal Cage" scheduled for early December, "Avatar 2" for mid-December, and "The Return of the South China Sea" for the end of the month, the three films will stagger their release dates, allowing each to shine while also creating a synergistic effect as a "December movie guide".

Chen Fei laughed and said, "You've got a plan so clever that even the cinema manager would applaud you. You don't want to go head-to-head with 'Avatar 2,' but you still want to ride the coattails of two release dates. You're quite shrewd."

“It’s not about being meticulous, it’s about being genuine.” Ning Hao laughed as well. “Our special effects team has worked hard for more than half a year, and I don’t want their hard work to be drowned out by the Hollywood publicity tsunami as soon as it’s released.”

On December 30th, let's give audiences some time to cool down. After the initial excitement of "Avatar 2" wears off, watching our deep-sea adventure might offer a more nuanced experience.

“Okay.” Chen Fei immediately made the decision. “Let’s set it for December 30th. I’ll talk to the distribution team and have them communicate with the cinemas in advance about scheduling, and try to get at least 35% of the screenings in the first week.”

"Alright!" Ning Hao slapped his thigh. "I knew you understood me. We'll create a 'deep sea vs. alien' gimmick. We won't have to put down anyone. We'll just tell the audience that if they want to see special effects blockbusters, they don't have to wait for Hollywood. Our own movies are good enough!"

Chen Fei, seeing the light in his eyes, joked, "Don't be too happy yet. What if the audience only recognizes 'Avatar'?"

"I'll accept that," Ning Hao said stubbornly. "But at least I tried, which is better than hiding in the back and not daring to show my face!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei gave him a thumbs up.

"Ambitious!"

……

Time flies. On October 21st, several news items suddenly topped the headlines of major news websites and portals, instantly attracting widespread attention across the internet.

"The Film Bureau announced: In accordance with the Film Administration Regulations and related provisions, after review, the film 'Candle in the Tomb: The Return of the South China Sea,' produced by Feiyue Films, directed by Ning Hao, and starring Liu Ye, Shu Chang, and Chen Minghao, meets the standards for public release and is approved for public release."

"This morning, Feiyue Films officially announced on its official Weibo account that 'Candle in the Tomb: The Return of the South China Sea' will be released on December 30th, entering the New Year's Day holiday season."

"As the final installment of the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' film series, this film will bring to a close the adventure of Hu Bayi, Shirley Yang, and Fatty Wang."

Continuing the hardcore adventure style of its predecessor, the film focuses on the mysterious depths of the South China Sea, telling the story of a trio who, in search of the legendary "Qin King's Bone-Illuminating Mirror," venture deep into an underwater shipwreck tomb, confronting mermaids, sea monsters, and bizarre mechanisms, uncovering the secrets of a thousand-year-old shipwreck on the brink of death.

"Feiyue Films simultaneously released plot details of 'The Return of the South China Sea': This adventure is different from the previous deserts and tombs. The Iron Triangle will venture into the unknown deep sea for the first time and face multiple crises such as 'sea monster attack on the ship', 'tomb overturning', and 'mermaid curse'."

Liu Ye's character, Hu Bayi, will show a more complex side in the film. On the surface, he is cynical, but in reality, he carries the secret of unraveling the connection between his family and the curse.

Shu Chang's character, Shirley Yang, will continue to be calm and decisive, but she discovers clues related to her family during the shipwreck.

Chen Minghao's character, Fatty Wang, remains the team's "atmosphere maker," but his weakness is exposed at a crucial moment.

It is reported that the film's ending will leave the ultimate suspense of whether the "Iron Triangle" has truly retired, giving the series an open ending...

In a promotional interview, director Ning Hao stated: "As the final installment of the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' series, we don't want to just make a 'monster-fighting adventure film'."

Shipwrecks in the South China Sea carry a thousand years of maritime civilization, and the legends of mermaids contain the ancients' imagination of the deep sea. These are all unique cultural symbols of China.

He also revealed that to recreate the realism of the "underwater tombs," the team spent 18 months building a 1:1 scale model of the shipwreck. Underwater filming employed a combination of real-world footage and CG technology; the single shot of the "shipwreck flipping" was filmed 76 times. He hopes that viewers will feel that these legends are not fabricated, but rather a romance hidden within history!

"The film's pre-sale channel will open in early November..."

With the release date announced, hashtags such as #SouthChinaSeaReturnToTheRuinsReleaseDateOnDecember30th# and #GhostBlowsOutTheLightSeriesFinale# quickly became trending topics.

The comments section exploded instantly:

"I've waited three years! Finally, the final battle of the Iron Triangle is here! I hope it will be released soon, because I'm disgusted by all the terrible movies these days."

"Deep-sea exploration combined with Chinese legends—this combination is more exciting than Hollywood!"

"Ning Hao + Ghost Blows Out the Light, the box office is absolutely guaranteed."

"Holy crap! This year's Lunar New Year film season sounds amazing! 'The Octagonal Cage' at the beginning of the month, 'Avatar 2' in the middle of the month, and 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' at the end of the month, I can't wait!"

"And then there's next year's Spring Festival film season, with 'Man Jiang Hong' and 'The Wandering Earth 2'! My goodness! Is this going to be an explosive feast all at once?"

Meanwhile, just half a day after the release date announcement of "The Return of the South China Sea" was trending, the hashtag #ManjianghongDeepSeaLinkage# quietly climbed to the bottom of the trending list.

Upon clicking, all the articles were press releases from Huanxi Media:

"Both 'Man Jiang Hong' and 'Return to the South China Sea' are major year-end productions, featuring ancient military camps and deep-sea adventures, sure to provide audiences with laughs and amazement at the end of the year!"

The accompanying images in the press release were also very deliberate.

On the left is a still from Shen Teng's period drama "Man Jiang Hong", and on the right is a deep-sea poster for "The Return of the South China Sea", which forcibly links two completely unrelated films into a "linkage".

Even more outrageous, a marketing account posted an article claiming: "The special effects team of 'Man Jiang Hong' participated in the early preparation of the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' series!"

After netizens discovered that the post was fabricated, he deleted it and reposted it, saying that "Shen Teng needs to be 'bold' to make both films," trying to capitalize on the popularity of "The Return of the South China Sea."

Seeing this, a film company's publicity director couldn't help but complain in an industry group: "Goodness, this is too shameless in trying to ride the wave of popularity."
"The Return of the South China Sea" relies on special effects and its existing IP to conclude its run, while "Man Jiang Hong" is a period suspense film. What's the connection between these two movies?

Someone immediately chimed in: "Last time, you could say they were somewhat comedic by piggybacking on 'The Lone Ranger' movie, but this time they're shamelessly trying to ride the deep-sea adventure wave. They've really lost all sense of shame in their pursuit of popularity."

Some distributors even shared screenshots of Huanxi Media's "Guide to Riding the Wave," which clearly stated:

"Closely monitor the promotional milestones of 'The Return of the South China Sea,' update relevant press releases every hour, and emphasize the concept that it is also a 'blockbuster' film..."

This blatant approach has drawn the secret contempt of many in the industry.

"In the past, when people tried to ride the wave of a trend, they would pay attention to whether the connection was from the same school or had similar themes. But now, it's just a forced association, isn't it?"

"Tsk tsk, Dong Ping has turned 'traffic supremacy' into 'rogue logic,' does he really think the audience can't see through it?"

"Who's a fool? Just you wait and see, Feiyue Films will definitely not let this go unpunished. Chen Fei is definitely planning something big."

Sure enough, it wasn't long before netizens discovered the trick.

"Can't 'Man Jiang Hong' promote itself? What's the point of always piggybacking on other people's work?"

"Yi Yangqianxi is going to star in the sequel to 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'? Holy crap! That's completely unrelated!"

"I have a strange feeling about Zhang Yimou's new movie. How come there have been so many bad practices since filming started? Are they shameless in their pursuit of hype?"

The topic was flooded with all sorts of comments.

Some people even left comments on the official Weibo account of "Nanhai Guixu": "Quickly issue a statement and stay away from these people who are trying to extort money!"

However, despite the widespread ridicule, Huanxi Media acted as if it didn't see it and continued to release its bundled press releases as usual.

Because in Dong Ping's view, even criticism generates buzz.

As long as it makes the audience think of "Man Jiang Hong" when discussing "The Return of the South China Sea", this move won't be a loss.

However, this kind of unseemly "蹭热度" (trying to piggyback on someone else's fame) has ultimately become a topic of discussion within the industry.

Some people secretly thought that this kind of approach, which only cares about traffic and not rules, is bound to fail sooner or later!

Meanwhile, at Feiyue Films, Chen Fei, watching the online farce, simply said, "Let them piggyback on it. Dong Ping will pay the price after the movie is released."

The happier he laughs now, the more he'll cry when the movie is released!

Meanwhile, in a place where no one was paying attention, Lu Chuan finally returned with his "Bureau 749"...

(End of this chapter)