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

Chapter 1443 "Joy of Life 2" and Xu Zheng's Return

"Several films released during the Lunar New Year season, including 'The Angry Tide,' 'Ocean's 8,' and 'Burst Point,' have officially been pulled from theaters, suffering dismal box office results..."

"The crime film 'The Third Brigade,' produced by Wanda Pictures and distributed by Feiyue Pictures, officially ended its theatrical run yesterday, with a total box office of 10.76 billion yuan."

"The Hollywood blockbuster 'Aquaman 2' has been taken off the screens, with its domestic box office taking in 4.65 million yuan."

"The key extension announcement for 'All for the Winner' has been released. The film's release date will be extended to February 22nd. After one month of release, the cumulative box office has exceeded 25 billion yuan!"

"..."

As we entered the latter half of January, the nearly two-month-long Lunar New Year film season finally came to an end.

However, looking back at the entire release schedule, the results left many industry insiders sighing with disappointment.

Apart from "All for the Winner" which continued its strong run and announced a key extension at the end of January, extending its release date to February 22, almost all other films suffered major setbacks.

When films like "The Raging Tide," "Ocean's 8," and "Burst Point" were officially taken off the screens, their box office revenue did not exceed 300 million yuan, and they did not even reach the cost of production.

Although "The Third Brigade," originally produced by Wanda Pictures and distributed by Feiyue Pictures, performed slightly better, accumulating a total box office of 10.76 billion yuan, it still fell short of initial market expectations.

The Hollywood blockbuster "Aquaman 2" completely failed to resonate with the Chinese market, grossing only 4.65 million yuan at the domestic box office, less than a fraction of the first film's box office, making it the worst-performing imported film in this year's Lunar New Year season.

The performance during the New Year's Day period was also unsatisfactory.

The only "dark horse" was "The Annual Meeting Can't Stop!", which successfully broke through 10 billion yuan in box office revenue thanks to word-of-mouth and became the lifeline for the New Year's Day box office.

However, the rest of the films still couldn't escape the fate of flopping.

The plot of "Lives of Omission" was criticized for being old-fashioned and "consuming the nostalgia of Hong Kong films". "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" was boycotted by audiences because of its "drastic adaptation of the TV series". "Golden Finger" did not meet box office expectations. Feng Xiaogang's "If You Are the One 3" ended up with a dismal box office of less than 1 million yuan.

Several of the films received ratings below 5.5 on Douban, indicating a terrible reputation.

Even the new movies released in January failed to reverse the market downturn.

Jason Statham's "The Beekeeper" features exciting action scenes, but its plot is thin and lacks originality, resulting in a box office of only 2.3 million.

"What's in the Zoo?", starring Jia Bing and Liu Yan, attempted to take the "absurd comedy" route, but due to awkward jokes and chaotic logic, it grossed less than 80 million yuan in its first seven days, becoming another typical example of "box office poison".

However, amidst a chorus of flops, "Temporary Robbery," starring Aaron Kwok, Lin Chia-tung, and Richie Jen, managed to garner some attention on social media thanks to a few memorable scenes.

In the film, Aaron Kwok plays a ruthless bandit wearing an exaggerated wig, who banters with Lin Jiadong's cowardly robber in front of a bank counter. His line, "We're here to rob, not to perform a comedy sketch," makes the audience burst into laughter.

When Richie Jen's character, a policeman, confronts Aaron Kwok, he suddenly pulls out a "childhood photo" to reminisce about the past, a plot twist that many viewers found amusing.

Another clip, showing three people fighting over stolen money in the rain and getting soaked by a passing water truck, was edited into a short video and spread across the internet, becoming one of the highlights of the film.

Even with these iconic scenes, "The Temporary Robbery" still couldn't escape the pitfalls of being a "Hong Kong film formula".

The plot revolves around "robbery and counter-attack," but it is full of plot holes and the characters are one-dimensional, so viewers can guess the ending just by watching the beginning.

Ultimately, after five days of release, the film only grossed 180 million yuan. At the same time, due to declining word-of-mouth, its screenings were drastically reduced, completely eliminating any possibility of a comeback.

In stark contrast to the sluggish film market, the television drama market experienced a boom in late January!

With "Blossoms" officially ending its run, "Joy of Life 2," produced by Feiyue Pictures, successfully took its place, premiering exclusively on Youku on January 25.

As a sequel to the hit drama "Joy of Life", the series not only brought back the original cast including Zhang Ruoyun, Li Qin, Chen Daoming, and Wu Gang, but also added talented actors such as Mao Xiaotong and Ning Li. It became a hit even before its release, with pre-orders exceeding 300 million.

On its first day of release, "Joy of Life 2" broke several records.

Within one hour of its premiere, the show garnered over 10000 views on Youku, breaking the platform's record for most popular drama series.

首更6集播放量破5亿，相关话题#庆余年2开播即高能#、#范闲朝堂鏖战#等12个话题全部登上热搜，其中5个话题更是冲进热搜榜前十。

The audience reviews were overwhelmingly positive:

"It's still the same familiar taste! It's so refreshing! Fan Xian's wit and Emperor Qing's unfathomable nature haven't changed, and the plot pace is even faster than the first season."

"Tsk tsk, the costumes, props and sets are still excellent. The political intrigue in the court scenes is so captivating."

"The new characters are outstanding. Mao Xiaotong's portrayal of the eldest princess of Northern Qi is so adorable! This role seems tailor-made for her."

"You should compare the first and second parts carefully. Fan Xian went from coming from the countryside to now being a powerful figure in the imperial court. His growth is so exciting!"

"I hope there will be a third part..."

With its immense popularity and positive reviews, "Joy of Life 2" not only became the first phenomenal drama series of 2024, but also boosted the number of new members on the Youku platform.

Within three days of its release, Youku saw a surge of over 500 million new members, with many viewers even subscribing to annual memberships in order to watch the finale ahead of time.

Industry insiders predict that, based on its current popularity, "Joy of Life 2" is expected to surpass 50 billion views, becoming another domestic drama that achieves both critical acclaim and popularity after "Blossoms Shanghai"!
As a result, Feiyue Films has once again gained widespread recognition, and its image as a "high-quality" brand has become increasingly popular.

On one hand, the film market is experiencing a "collective downturn," while on the other hand, the TV drama market is experiencing a "hot breakout."

The film and television industry in late January presented a stark contrast between booming and bustling scenes.

Many analysts believe that this phenomenon precisely illustrates that, whether it's a movie or a TV series, viewers ultimately pay for high-quality content.

Only works with solid plots, vivid characters, and excellent production can stand out in the fierce market competition.

Those works that rely on "celebrity influencers" and "emotional marketing" will ultimately be eliminated by the market.

Speaking of film and television projects that rely on "emotional marketing" to attract attention, Chen Fei recently noticed a new film project called "Life Against the Tide" while browsing industry news.

This project, produced by Ruyi Pictures and launched in conjunction with Xu Zheng, has been generating considerable buzz since its official announcement.

Previously, due to the TST scandal, Xu Zheng temporarily put aside his directing work and transitioned to producing, launching low-to-medium budget projects such as "Hello, Yanjing" and "Fake Dad".

Although it did not cause any major upheavals, it can be said that the impact of the negative events has been gradually eliminated.

Now, several years later, he has returned to directing, bringing "Life Against the Grain" to the forefront, which has naturally attracted a lot of attention.

However, after carefully studying the synopsis of "Life Against the Grain," Chen Fei felt that something was amiss.

The film emphasizes "realism," focusing on the food delivery worker community and telling the story of the protagonist's rise from a lowly delivery worker to an entrepreneur.

However, the synopsis contains several unrealistic settings.

For example, the protagonist gains investment by doing just one act of heroism and achieves a leap in social class in just six months.

Furthermore, the descriptions of the daily work of delivery drivers remain superficial, focusing only on their exposure to wind and sun, completely ignoring real pain points such as delivery pressure, platform algorithm exploitation, and occupational risks. It's more like a superficial story packaged with the tropes of a rags-to-riches tale.

The more Chen Fei learned about it, the less optimistic he became. Ruyi was currently doing a lot of marketing, releasing a documentary about the lives of delivery drivers, hiring Xu Zhengpao for publicity, and talking about the feelings of ordinary people, but the core of the story was fundamentally untenable.

It's important to understand that today's audiences have very high expectations for realistic themes.

Such 'pseudo-realistic' works are easily spotted for their flaws.

If nothing unexpected happens, they're probably going to suffer a major setback this time!
He was analyzing the situation on the news page when he suddenly heard the whispers of his staff behind him:

"Have you guys seen the trending topics? Yu Shuxin's driver missed his exit on the highway and reversed in the emergency lane, causing the fan convoy following behind to reverse as well. That's so dangerous!"

"I saw it. The traffic police in the capital have responded and said they are investigating. If an accident happens, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Tsk tsk, Yu Shuxin's studio did issue a statement saying that the third-party vehicle company would handle it, but can they really completely shirk responsibility for this?"

Chen Fei paused his thoughts, listened intently for a few moments, and his brows gradually furrowed.

He did have some impression of Yu Shuxin; she was a popular actress who had become a sensation in the last two years and was signed with Huace Media.

With her sweet looks and cute, silly persona, she has gained a lot of fans, and the topics of "little drama queen" and "silly beauty" promoted by the outside world have been dominating the trending searches for years.

However, this high-speed reversing incident completely shattered his carefully constructed public image.

Emergency lanes are lifelines, and reversing on highways is a serious violation that not only endangers the driver but also poses a significant safety hazard to other vehicles. It's no exaggeration to say that it's "disregarding human life"!
"Becoming famous through persona marketing is inherently unstable, and to make matters worse, they've committed traffic violations..." Chen Fei thought to himself with disdain.

On the surface, this action appears to be the driver's fault, but the fact that the fan convoy followed suit and reversed also reflects a lack of guidance from the team regarding the fans' behavior.

Moreover, the studio's response downplayed the severity of the issue and failed to truly recognize its seriousness, an attitude that could easily provoke further controversy.

He took out his phone and checked the trending topics. Sure enough, hashtags such as #YuShuxinFleetReversingOnHighSpeed# and #CapitalTrafficPoliceInvestigatingYuShuxinFleet# had already climbed to the top of the trending list.

Online comments overwhelmingly expressed skepticism:

Reversing in the emergency lane? Are you crazy! Don't you know how dangerous that is?

"What the hell? The fans are even following suit, is this what they call 'positive guidance'?"

"Hehe, the studio is shirking responsibility by passing the buck to a third party. They've completely ruined any goodwill they have."

"..."

Chen Fei closed the page and shook his head.

Whether it's a film or television project or an artist's career, relying on false marketing and fabricated personas will not lead to long-term success.

If "Life Against the Grain" doesn't revise its core story, it will eventually be abandoned by the audience.

If Yu Shuxin fails to face this incident squarely and take responsibility in a timely manner, she will inevitably suffer a major setback in the future.

After all, audiences can accept that artists have flaws, but they will never tolerate behavior that disregards rules and treats human life lightly!

...

The entertainment industry in January seemed to be on "acceleration," with one exciting event after another.

While "Joy of Life 2" is still airing, Zhang Ruoyun has gained another wave of fans with his clever and cunning "Fan Xian", while Li Qin's "Lin Wan'er" has topped the trending search list for her delicate acting skills.

Even Tian Yu, who played "Wang Qinian" with few scenes, became a treasure actor in the hearts of the audience with his humorous lines.

Many of the lead actors are incredibly popular, and topics related to the series occupy half of the trending searches every day.

On the other hand, the controversy surrounding Yu Shuxin's team reversing at high speed has not subsided, and many topics are still trending on the hot search list.

Many netizens are still criticizing the artist's team for ignoring the rules, and the fans' attempts to defend the artist have also provoked a lot of resentment.

But no one expected that one wave would subside only for another to rise!
Less than a day later, Yu Zheng suddenly posted on social media, publicly criticizing Zhao Qing, an actress in his new drama, for not managing her figure well. He bluntly stated that she looked fat on camera, which affected the viewing experience, and explicitly demanded that she lose weight to 85 pounds within a month.

These words immediately sparked controversy.

Many netizens feel that 85 pounds is too harsh on an adult woman, and that it is evidence of excessive PUA (Pick-Up Artist) tactics employed by celebrities.

Some people question whether using weight to control actors and ignoring acting skills is putting the cart before the horse.

Even more dramatically, that same evening, actress Xu Jiao directly reposted Yu Zheng's post, publicly questioning: "Where did the standard of 85 jin come from? Isn't health more important than numbers?"

Xu Jiao's statement instantly propelled the topic to a fever pitch, with netizens overwhelmingly supporting her and believing that she had spoken the truth that the industry dared not say.

In response to the questions, Yu Zheng quickly stated that it was just advice given in private to the artist, which was taken out of context, and that the misunderstanding had been cleared up.

A few days later, he posted another article emphasizing that he advocates losing weight healthily, rather than extreme dieting.

This subtle change in attitude has added even more discussion to the controversy.

Before the "weight loss controversy" had even cooled down, rumors of a relationship between Jin Chen and Hu Xia were suddenly exposed.

Media outlets photographed the couple at a restaurant, and afterwards they returned to their apartment complex together, displaying a very affectionate relationship.

The news caused an uproar across the internet!

No one expected that Yu Zheng would be the first to "break down"!
During the live stream, he seemed to be alluding to the couple's relationship, saying that some people don't avoid suspicion when they're dating, which affects the filming schedule, and his words were full of dissatisfaction.

Even more surprisingly, actress Zhu Xudan also posted on social media, implying that a certain celebrity was morally corrupt and interfered in other people's relationships.

Although no name was mentioned, netizens quickly connected it to Jin Chen, and various speculations flew around, creating another wave of trending topics.

And so, January in the entertainment industry came to an end amidst various controversies and trending topics.

On the 29th, China.com officially released the list of "Top Ten New Youths in China", and Xiao Zhan and Dilraba Dilmurat were both selected.

The former has gained widespread recognition for its continuous efforts in the film and television and public welfare fields, as well as its long-term involvement in rural education public welfare projects.

Dilraba Dilmurat has demonstrated her acting skills through numerous realistic dramas, and as the XJ Cultural Ambassador, she actively promotes ethnic culture, making her selection well-deserved.

The announcement of the rankings caused an instant uproar among fans of both sides!
Fans shared the couple's past charitable deeds and achievements, once again dominating the trending topics list.

Compared to the previous controversies, the positive energy brought by this honor has added a touch of solemnity to the entertainment industry, which has been bustling for a whole month.

Meanwhile, with the popularity of the New Youth List, January 2024 quietly passed.

On the very first day of February, the Spring Festival film season suddenly became a hot topic on social media!
(End of this chapter)