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

Chapter 1403 Single Film Investment! 30 Billion!
In the conference room of Feiyue Film and Television, people arrived one after another at Chen Fei's request.

After entering, everyone sat down in their respective seats and, without prior arrangement, turned on their computers to prepare for recording and reporting.

For a moment, the atmosphere was so heavy it resembled the deathly stillness before a storm.

Half an hour later, all the department heads were present, their eyes glued to the constantly changing slides of the "Three-Body Problem" project on the projection screen.

Chen Fei stood in front of the screen, the laser pointer in his hand moving precisely across the concept diagrams and data tables in sync with his steady voice:
"The Three-Body Problem project is a challenge, but also an opportunity. However, our goal is very clear: we want to make it an unprecedented science fiction epic!"

His gaze swept across the entire room, carrying an undeniable firmness.

"Come on, today is the pre-project summary meeting. Let me hear about your work progress over the past few months."

As soon as he finished speaking, the head of the special effects department spoke first, his tone revealing both excitement and concern:
"Director Chen, we've done the calculations. The main challenge is that the special effects for 'Operation Guzheng' are extremely difficult. To achieve a truly stunning effect, we need top-notch technology and a lot of time."

With current technological capabilities, several key challenges still need to be overcome, especially the detailed simulation of nano-blades cutting the ship's hull; even a slight mistake could ruin the realism.

The visual effects supervisor added, "The scene construction for the 'Three-Body Problem' game is also not simple. Scenes like the three suns in a row and the dehydrated man need to be both scientifically accurate and visually appealing. I suggested a deep collaboration with Weta Digital, as they have extensive experience in building fantasy worlds."

The CFO pushed up his glasses, his expression somewhat grave: "According to preliminary estimates, the total investment for the film is expected to be around 30 billion yuan. This is just a conservative estimate; the budget may be increased at any time for post-production promotion, special effects technology upgrades, etc."

After listening, Chen Fei nodded slightly and added:

"Don't worry about the technology. I will have top international special effects and visual effects companies such as Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic involved in the project to ensure that it reaches the top international level."

Funding is not a problem; the key is to spend money wisely and ensure that every penny has a visible effect.

Regarding the roles, I will personally oversee the casting of the three core characters: Ye Wenjie, Luo Ji, and Cheng Xin.

The location has been chosen at Shanhe Film City. I just got another plot of land approved by the government. We'll build a Three-Body Problem filming base there. Special departments will be stationed there to assist with the construction..."

The meeting lasted a full day.

From investment allocation to technological breakthroughs, from actor selection to filming locations, every detail was meticulously refined.

A visual and auditory feast about humanity's future and the mysteries of the universe is slowly unfolding...

Finally, at the end of the project approval meeting, Chen Fei waved his hand and shouted a slogan:
"The Three-Body Problem carries the expectations of so many people, and we have no way back! From today onwards, all departments will work closely together, and we will communicate and resolve any problems at any time. I want to make this film a milestone in Chinese science fiction films!"

"Yes, Director Chen!"

Everyone stood up, their eyes filled with determination and resolve.

...

After the project approval meeting concluded, the script was immediately sent for review.

Chen Fei didn't rush to announce the news; instead, he quietly began preparations...

Time flies, and it's already mid-April.

That morning, announcements from the film and television industry were released all at once, as if by prior arrangement, instantly stirring up the calm public opinion field.

"After 75 days, 'The Wandering Earth 2' has officially ended its run, with a cumulative box office of 73 billion yuan, firmly holding the top spot on the domestic film box office chart!"

"Half a month after its release, 'Hachi: A Dog' has only grossed 2 million yuan, with daily box office revenue falling below 500 million yuan. Its screening rate has plummeted from the initial 20% to 3%, essentially signaling its early removal from theaters."

"The movie 'Dragon Horse Spirit,' starring Jackie Chan and Liu Haoqian, has seen its daily box office drop below 10 million yuan after a week of release, falling far short of the film's production company's target of 1 billion yuan..."

"Filming for 'Detective Chinatown 1990' officially began today. Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Ruoyun, and other original cast members were all present, and filming for Jiang Wen's special starring scenes also started simultaneously!"

In the photos released from the set, Chen Fei, as the producer, stood in the center, unveiling the film with the main creative team, with the word "1990" on the backdrop standing out prominently.

Suddenly, heated discussions erupted online and within the industry:

"My goodness! The box office of 'The Wandering Earth 2' is incredible! 73 billion! Even just a fraction of that is more than the total box office of many movies!"

"Has Director Guo Fan firmly secured his position as the top sci-fi director in China? From 'The Wandering Earth 1' to the current 'The Wandering Earth 2,' each film is more impressive than the last!"

"Look at 'Hachiko' and 'The Spirit of the Dragon Horse,' the contrast is truly striking... Have Feng Xiaogang and Jackie Chan both lost their touch?"

"I wonder which movies 'Detective Chinatown 1990' will clash with during next year's Spring Festival? Looking forward to it."

Unlike the praise from netizens, some people in the industry sourly said that "The Wandering Earth 2" only benefited from the popularity of its subject matter.

But then someone retorted, "That's what happens when you spend four years honing your craft, and you earn your profits through hard work. If you're so capable, why don't you go and try it yourselves?"

As soon as he said that, all the gossip vanished without a trace.

Enjoying the benefits?
Do you really think this benefit is so easy to come by?

Putting everything else aside, the special effects shot of the "space elevator" alone is enough to shut out all other companies.

If this isn't filmed well, it could end up like "Bureau 749"!

You should know that Lu Chuan is still locked up behind "high walls" right now.

……

After attending the opening ceremony of "Detective Chinatown 1990", Chen Fei didn't have time to rest and rushed to the celebration banquet of "The Wandering Earth 2" with Liu Yifei.

The red carpet outside the banquet hall was already packed with media, and flashbulbs were going off like stars.

When Chen Fei led Liu Yifei onto the red carpet, the scene erupted in cheers.

"Director Chen! Any news on 'The Wandering Earth 3'?"

Will there be a sequel?

"I've heard you're starting a new project, is that true?"

The reporters' questions came like a tidal wave.

Chen Fei smiled and waved his hand, his tone relaxed, but he didn't get to the point: "You'll have to ask Guo Fan about that! You can urge him to write the script more often."

The audience burst into laughter.

Finding they couldn't get any scoops from him, the media immediately turned their cameras to Liu Yifei, asking curiously, "Director Liu? When will your new movie, 'The Room Next Door,' be released?"

Director Liu?

Liu Yifei seems to like this nickname quite a bit.

She glanced at Chen Fei and saw the encouragement in his eyes before smiling and replying, "The release might be a little later because we received an invitation from the Venice International Film Festival and will be exhibiting there first."

These words immediately caused an uproar at the scene!

"Venice?! Your debut film is going to one of the three major international film festivals? That's amazing!"

"Holy crap! This film stars Gong Li and Maggie Cheung. With this cast, they're guaranteed to win awards at Venice!" "My god, this is Liu Yifei's directorial debut art film, and she's going straight for international film festivals?"

The surrounding fans screamed excitedly, "Congratulations to Sissi on winning the award! May the box office be a huge success!"

Chen Fei stood to the side, watching Liu Yifei surrounded by flashing lights, his eyes full of smiles.

These were "students" he had personally trained, and at this moment, he couldn't be more proud.

As the two walked into the banquet hall side by side, Guo Fan greeted them with a smile: "I heard the commotion outside while I was inside. They're going to Venice! That's big news! Congratulations in advance to Director Liu on winning the award."

Liu Yifei smiled and thanked her, then went to the group of women where Xie Nan and the others were.

Chen Fei then put his arm around Guo Fan's shoulder and asked, "The movie's out of theaters now, what's the plan?"

"Not for now. I'm planning to take a break for at least half a year. I'm exhausted..." Guo Fan muttered to himself.

Chen Fei laughed heartily, completely understanding how he felt.

Back when he finished filming Avengers: Endgame, he felt the same way. He was so tired that all he wanted to do was sleep until he was completely exhausted.

The banquet hall was filled with the clinking of glasses and the presence of elegant ladies.

Meanwhile, while the success of "The Wandering Earth 2" was still being repeatedly mentioned, the news that "The Room Next Door" was about to embark on its journey to Venice had quietly become the new focus.

Fans are still excited about Liu Yifei's directorial debut going to the Venice International Film Festival, and are posting the hashtag "Waiting for Sisi to win a big award".

They simply hoped the film would win awards.

However, investors and directors in the industry have gleaned a deeper meaning from this incident.

Chen Fei's ability to promote people is truly admirable!

During a meeting, the chief producer of a certain company remarked, "Look at Director Chen. His wife wanted to make a movie, so he personally wrote the script and even invited two award-winning actresses, Gong Li and Zhang Manyu, to star in it."

Now look what's happened! His debut film is being sent straight to Venice—this isn't filmmaking! It's clearly an attempt to propel his wife to the position of "international female director."

Someone nearby chimed in, "That's right! If it were us, let alone getting Gong Li and Zhang Manyu to appear in the same frame, it would be difficult to even get them to glance at the script. Few in the industry can match our connections and influence."

Some people jokingly commented, "I think he's a typical henpecked husband. He'd never do anything his wife says, otherwise why would he spend so much money?"

But before he could finish speaking, another producer interrupted him: "What do you know? This is called ability. If you're so capable, why don't you try to get your wife a spot to participate in the Venice Film Festival?"

Many people are jealous, but even more people genuinely envy them.

I envy Chen Fei for not only producing excellent works himself, but also for being able to mobilize resources to promote the people around him.

I envy Liu Yifei for having such confidence; she can produce works at the level of international film festivals right away.

No one knows how the couple gets along in private, but those in the industry understand that being able to turn "spoiling one's wife" into a brilliant business strategy is a top-notch ability in itself.

Chen Fei's move truly earned him a thumbs-up from many people.

……

With "The Wandering Earth 2" ending its theatrical run, the film market has cooled down somewhat.

This lull meant that it was already late April.

On the 24th, "Hachi: A Dog's Tale," starring Feng Xiaogang, officially came to an end with a box office of 2.1 million yuan.

This result is undoubtedly a huge embarrassment for his status and the pre-production marketing of the film, and it even caused iQiyi's stock price to fluctuate slightly.

Gong Yu looked at the report and could only sigh inwardly.

The May Day holiday season followed as scheduled, and the film market showed some signs of recovery.

Two films produced by Tingdong Pictures, "Life is Unfamiliar" and "King of the Sky", have been released in theaters.

One is a road comedy starring Qiao Shan and Fan Chengcheng, and the other is an action film focusing on test pilots. The two films complement each other and carved out their own niche in the May Day holiday season.

In particular, "The King of the Skies" grossed 3 million yuan in its opening week, thanks to its tense and exciting aerial combat scenes and Wang Yibo's huge fan base, showing a very strong momentum!

Its fans are incredibly powerful, showering their idol with support on social media with a barrage of praise:

"Without a doubt, this is the best air combat film in the current domestic film market!"

"The moment the fighter jets roared to life, it gave me goosebumps."

"Wang Yibo is so handsome!!!"

To highlight the film's "excellence," a group of fans even brought up Li Chen's film "Sky Hunter" from a few years ago for comparison:
"Although both are air combat films, 'King of the Skies' has more realistic shots, a faster-paced plot, and no forced romantic subplots. It's miles ahead of 'Sky Hunter'!"

This statement naturally sparked controversy.

Some people strongly agreed, responding with likes: "Indeed, Sky Hunter was criticized for its chaotic pacing and the star power overshadowing the subject matter itself. King of the Sky is more dedicated to professionalism."

However, some people countered: "I don't think it's necessary to praise one while criticizing the other. Sky Hunter actually has a bigger scope, but the execution was just average. King of the Sky is not 'the best' either. The special effects are good, but the character development is a bit thin."

Those in the industry understand this clearly.

The reason why "The King of the Sky" was able to stand out during the May Day holiday was partly due to its fresh subject matter and partly due to the appeal of Wang Yibo's fans.

In addition, Tingdong Pictures' marketing strategy was also very effective. They collaborated with the military to release many documentary clips of real test pilots, blurring the lines between film and reality and winning over many fans.

When Chen Fei was preparing for "The Three-Body Problem", he heard his subordinates mention the box office performance of the two films. He simply said, "The May Day holiday is a family-friendly market, so it's normal for comedies and patriotic action films to be popular."

It's important to understand that the booming scenes in the film market always come full circle.

Some people rise to fame by taking advantage of favorable scheduling, while others are forced to withdraw due to poor reputation; this is perfectly normal.

However, the momentum of "Life is Unfamiliar" and "King of the Sky" did not last long.

Just a few days later, the Hollywood blockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" hit Chinese theaters!
Riding on the immense popularity accumulated from the first two films and the prestigious Marvel Cinematic Universe brand, it raked in 2 million yuan at the box office on its opening day, directly capturing nearly 40% of the screenings.

The momentum of the two domestic films came to an abrupt halt.

The daily box office of "Life is Unfamiliar" plummeted from 8000 million to 3000 million. Although "The King of the Sky" was supported by fans and its box office decline was slightly slower, its screening rate was squeezed to less than 15%, making it difficult to reach a new high.

Theater managers, seeing the wind blowing, have been adding screenings of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3".

Suddenly, the movie theater was filled with posters of Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon.

However, just when everyone thought that Hollywood blockbusters would completely dominate the trending topics on the internet, a statement released by Yang Mi caused a huge uproar on Weibo!

(End of this chapter)