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

Chapter 1413 The Unknown Future Four Months Later...

"On July 20, the highly anticipated 'Fengshen Part 7' officially hit theaters nationwide, and its box office revenue exceeded 1.3 million yuan on its opening day, making it the box office champion of the day."

Despite polarized reviews, the film still attracted a large audience to theaters thanks to its long-awaited pre-production publicity and spectacular visual effects.

Judging from the screening data, it accounted for as much as 35% of screenings on its opening day, with an occupancy rate of over 80% in prime time slots. Topics related to the "Fengshen Progeny" series continued to generate buzz on social media, with young female viewers forming the main ticket-buying demographic. Industry insiders predict that if word-of-mouth remains stable, the film has the potential to reach the 20 billion yuan box office mark.

"This morning, Happy Twist's highly anticipated new summer blockbuster, 'Super Family,' was officially released. The film, starring Allen and Shen Teng, tells the comedic story of a family with superpowers outwitting and fighting against the villain 'Chichikov' (played by Shen Teng)."

"At the same time, director Da Peng held the premiere of his new film 'Hot' in Beijing. The film focuses on the dream-chasing story of street dance teenager Chen Shuo (played by Wang Yibo) and washed-up coach Ding Lei (played by Huang Bo). Several high-energy street dance clips were shown at the premiere..."

As we move into the latter half of July, the 2023 summer movie season has officially entered its peak period.

The movie theater was filled with the smoke of battle!
"The Vanished" continues to rake in box office revenue thanks to its extended key, while "The Longest Day in Chang'an" continues to perform well thanks to its positive word-of-mouth. "The First Part of Fengshen" and "Super Family" are going head-to-head, with their daily box office numbers vying for the top spot and their screening rates fluctuating subtly every day.

One day, "Fengshen" was in the lead, but the next day, "The Incredibles" took the lead with its comedic advantage. Several films took turns occupying the daily crown, and the competition was fierce and evenly matched.

Following closely behind, Da Peng's "Hot" saw explosive pre-sales after its release date was set, with Wang Yibo's street dance image winning over countless fans, and the high praise at the premiere making it a hit even before its release.

And coincidentally, the release date of "Sicario 2," produced by Feiyue Films, was announced on the same day as that of "Hot".

As a sequel to the series, the hardcore action movie fans who had built up the previous film had been eagerly anticipating it. The desert car chase and cross-border drug bust scenes in the trailer have been dubbed by netizens as "the most exciting and thrilling film of the summer".

From a macro perspective, although this year's summer movie season did not produce an absolute blockbuster like the Spring Festival season, it was successful in terms of variety and quantity.

With a full range of genres including suspense, animation, epic, comedy, youth, and action, it has finally managed to catch up with the quality of the Spring Festival films in terms of quantity and popularity.

Amid the market boom, capital operations have also been active.

Taking advantage of the summer box office recovery, Wanda Cinemas has once again announced the sale of some of its shares.

When Chen Fei saw the message, he made the decision almost without hesitation: "Take them all!"

Feiyue Films has been expanding its cinema terminal business in recent years, but what it lacks is access to top-tier cinema chains like Wanda.

During the Spring Festival, Longxiang Capital had already acquired 30% of the shares.

The fact that the other party is now actively selling off its assets presents a good opportunity to expand its territory.

Immediately, Zhou Shouzi's team followed up overnight...

A few days later, the equity transfer agreement was officially signed, and another 30% was pocketed, allowing Feiyue Films to expand its cinema empire by another 30%!
At the same time, the TV drama market is also fiercely competitive.

The recurring episodes of "The Beginning" have viewers eagerly anticipating the series, the love triangle in "Longing for Each Other" dominates the trending topics every day, the martial arts storyline in "Lotus Pavilion" sparks a viewing frenzy, and the ancient costume aesthetics of "Jade Bone Distance" continue to break into new circles...

The viewership and discussion levels of several dramas are neck and neck, and netizens can even analyze the micro-expressions of supporting characters in hundreds of words.

Only "Twilight Romance," starring Yang Ying, was defeated in this fierce competition.

As the popularity continued to decline and the number of views fell below 10 million, the platform directly cut off the non-prime time slots for the show, and even the official Weibo account stopped updating promotional content.

This highly anticipated "transformative work" ultimately withdrew from the summer box office battle quietly.

However, Yang Ying herself hasn't been idle. She's working hard to cultivate an independent woman persona while also setting her sights on various international fashion shows...

Throughout the latter half of July, the film and television industry was like a boiling pot!
Looking around, box office figures, viewership, equity changes, and artist activities are all intertwined, creating a dazzling spectacle.

And this wave of enthusiasm continues to rise as more and more new films are scheduled for release.

……

Before we knew it, it was the end of July.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the desk.

Chen Fei put down his paintbrush and rubbed his sore shoulders.

The storyboard artwork for "The Three-Body Problem" has finally been finalized!
For the past ten days or so, he has practically welded himself to the office, but thankfully his efforts have paid off...

The secretary then pushed open the door and walked in, saying softly, "Chairman Chen, here's your coffee."

"Okay, put it down." Chen Fei rubbed his sore neck and casually asked, "Has anything noteworthy happened in the film and television industry lately?"

The secretary thought for a moment and replied, "The most popular one is still 'The First Part of Fengshen,' which has already grossed over 8 million yuan in just 10 days."

As for word-of-mouth, it remains the same, extremely polarized. Those who like it watch it two or three times, saying it's "worth the ticket price," while those who dislike it are ranting about it online..."

Chen Fei picked up his coffee and took a sip, not feeling too surprised.

Because he had expected it to be like this.

This film's style is already unconventional, and coupled with Tencent and Alibaba's marketing logic—which only caters to the core audience and silences any criticism—it's a recipe for disaster.

In the short term, it may be able to retain some people, but what about in the long term?

The word-of-mouth was so divided that it will be difficult for subsequent installments to reverse the impression.

Internet giants always think that data can solve everything, but what they don't realize is that movies are not fast-moving consumer goods.

Spending money and effort to suppress all negative reviews may create a seemingly positive impression, but in reality, it pushes potential viewers further away.

Once the novelty wears off, who will still be willing to pay for this kind of 'precision feeding'?
Chen Fei put down his coffee cup and continued, "Besides this, are there any others?"

"Yes!" the secretary continued, "The Happy Twist production 'Super Family' has both suffered at the box office and in terms of word-of-mouth. After 9 days of release, the box office has just exceeded 2 million yuan, and the Douban score has dropped to 4.5. It has been criticized by the audience for its awkward jokes and unrealistic plot. Many people say that this is the worst work of Happy Twist in recent years."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei shook his head helplessly.

Happy Twist has really fallen behind in recent years.

Looking back at the amazing performance of "Goodbye Mr. Loser" in its early years, and comparing it with the current stalemate, it's clear that they seem to be caught in a vicious cycle.

They either repeat old jokes or force-pile jokes, turning 'comedy' into a 'joke collection'.

In addition, with the proliferation of comedies in the past two years, audiences have long been tired of them. Without something real, how can it possibly stand out?

Feiyue Films did not invest in this film because its script had not even passed the review of the censorship department, let alone reached Chen Fei's side.

The secretary continued rambling on: "There's also 'Fever' and 'Sicario 2.' Both movies have been in theaters for two days now, and their box office numbers are neck and neck."

"Sicario 2" is slightly ahead, having grossed over 2 million in two days, while "Fever" has grossed 1.6 million, a relatively small difference.

Chen Fei hummed in agreement, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table: "The foundation of the 'Sicario' series is there, action movie fans recognize this IP, so it's normal for the box office to be stable."

“But ‘Passion’…” He thought of Wang Yibo’s name, “Among the younger generation these past two years, he’s been very popular, hasn’t he?” The secretary replied, “Yes, he’s doing well in film, music, and variety shows, with amazing resources.”

Chen Fei raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity rising in his heart.

Logically speaking, his management company shouldn't have that much power, right?
With so many film resources, including big-budget and mainstream productions, it's not something you can just get easily.

This suggests that either there's powerful backing from behind, or... they've connected with an even more powerful entity!
After all, resources don't just fall from the sky in this industry.

"Okay, you go out first."

Chen Fei waved his hand, signaling his secretary to leave first.

After the office door closed gently, he took his slightly chilled coffee cup and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, rows of office buildings stand side by side, and the traffic on the road weaves a golden ribbon of light.

Looking out, the outline of the "Flying Leap Film and Television Park" under construction in the distance is clearly visible; it is a corner of the entertainment empire he personally built.

Tomorrow will be August 2023!

Chen Fei took a sip of coffee, his fingertips trembling slightly.

There are only four months left until he is reborn from his previous life.

"Time flies so fast!"

He gazed at his reflection in the glass, and in a daze, he could still see the figure from his past life, sweating profusely on the construction site.

Wearing faded work clothes and worn-out rubber shoes, his biggest wish was simply to earn more money.

Having been given a second chance at life, I never imagined I'd end up like this!
From getting into the Beijing Film Academy through the college entrance exam to now owning two major entertainment companies, Flying Leap Pictures and Walton Pictures, as well as Pan-Asia chain cinemas and multiple streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu... his works have swept the box office and awards both domestically and internationally!

From the Chinese-speaking market to a global reach, "Ghost in the Lantern" achieved great success in its overseas distribution, while "The Wandering Earth" and the "Avengers" series sparked a movie-going frenzy in North America...

He is no longer an ordinary person who can only look up at the stars in a construction shed, but stands at the top of the global entertainment industry, becoming someone that countless people look up to!
Looking back on my life, it has truly been a magnificent and eventful one!

A smile appeared on Chen Fei's lips, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

God gave him a second chance at life, so he should cherish it.

He didn't come here to enjoy himself, much less to repeat a mediocre existence.

Now that he has opened the door to "entertainment," he should take this path further and wider.

In his eyes, Hollywood hegemony and so-called industry barriers should all be broken down.

He wants to make his name the most dazzling presence in the global entertainment market!

In his previous life, he could only dream of the stars and the sea while working on construction sites, but in this life, he will use his own hands to bring it to life before his eyes.

His era has only just begun, and it is far from over.

Although the future four months from now is unknown, he firmly believes that as long as he moves steadily along the path he is on and leads his team to maintain a sense of awe for high-quality content, they can easily weather any storms they encounter.

"Jingle Bell--"

The phone rang suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

He took his phone out of his pocket and saw the word "wife" flashing on the screen.

Chen Fei's fingertip swiped across the answer button: "Hello?"

"Honey!" Liu Yifei's excited voice immediately came from the other end of the phone, filled with barely suppressed joy, "The lineup for the opening ceremony of the 80th Venice International Film Festival has been announced!"

Chen Fei's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly guessed the key point. He smiled and asked, "The Room Next Door was nominated?"

"Mmm!" Liu Yifei's voice brightened even more, like she had a piece of candy in her mouth. "Not only was it nominated for Best Film, but it also received a Best Director nomination! Gong Li and Zhang Manyu were both nominated for Best Actress..."

She chattered away, her words flying by, like an excited little bird.

Chen Fei listened quietly, his smile deepening and his eyes filled with satisfaction.

"The Room Next Door" was a "gift" he gave to Liu Yifei last year, with a niche subject matter.

As the director and producer, Liu Yifei has put in a lot of effort, and being shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival is indeed the best affirmation for the entire team.

After she calmed down a bit, Chen Fei said with full support, "Since you've made it to the finals, then prepare well. Arrange your dress and team in advance, and I'll go with you."

Let's not just be happy; we need to launch a major public relations campaign and try to win the grand prize!

"Mmm! Thank you, honey~" Liu Yifei's voice was sickeningly sweet, the last syllable drawn out with a touch of playfulness. "Oh, by the way, come home early tonight, okay? I... I can give you a reward~"

Chen Fei chuckled softly, "Okay, I'll definitely be back soon. Send the child to Mom's."

"Row!"

Liu Yifei hung up the phone somewhat shyly, then immediately opened WeChat and sent a message to her best friends: "The film 'The Room Next Door' has been nominated for Venice! I'll take you to watch the red carpet live!"

In an instant, message notification sounds rang out one after another.

Jing Tian sent a string of celebratory emojis: "That's awesome! I hope you win a big prize!"

Shu Chang followed closely behind: "I want to go too! Take me with you! I want to go to Venice too!"

Zhao Liying was relatively meticulous: "Is there anything I can help you with? I can take leave and go over."

"Article 20" has already started filming quietly, and she is currently on set, unlike the others who are relaxing at home on vacation.

Liu Yifei replied, "No, you're busy~ I'll treat you when I get back from Venice!"

"it is good."

Just as the two finished their conversation, Han Jianu sent another message: "Wen Muye and I are traveling around the world, haha. When you get to Venice, we'll come over too... I wish you a big win in advance!"

Looking at the densely packed blessings on the screen, Liu Yifei smiled broadly, replying to each one with thanks, her fingers flying across the screen.

Almost simultaneously, news releases from the outside world also sprang up like mushrooms after rain...

(End of this chapter)