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

Chapter 1452 Are Blockbuster Movies All Scams? The Spring Festival Film Season Gets Scammed.
"They've gone mad! Utterly mad! Feiyue Films has started wholesaling movies again!"

"I knew it! The film market will never collapse. What will truly collapse are the terrible films produced by other lousy companies!"

"Will 'The Three-Body Problem' be released in three parts? Is it like a sequel? Or will the storyline follow the three books as the main narrative, like 'The Wandering Earth'?"

"Holy crap! A sequel to Ne Zha is coming? I have to look forward to this. I really enjoyed watching Ne Zha. I never thought that Chinese animated films could produce such works."

"Shen Ao is really awesome. He first made 'All or Nothing,' and now he's preparing 'Nanjing Photo Studio.' He's got real talent!"

……

With Feiyue Films announcing several new projects, social media platforms were instantly flooded with related discussions.

Netizens were thrilled, exclaiming, "The savior of the film market has arrived!"

Clearly, everyone is full of anticipation for these new works.

Meanwhile, seeing the cinema market recover under the leadership of Feiyue Films, other film companies immediately became restless.

The long-dormant cinema market has quickly seen a surge in film releases.

Major films such as "The Legend of Deification II: The Battle of Xiqi", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero", and "Operation Jiaolong" have all officially announced their release on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and have launched an overwhelming and explosive marketing campaign, fearing that they will fall behind and miss out on market share.

Among them, the investors of "Investiture of the Gods Part II" were the most outrageous in their actions.

In order to generate buzz for the sequel, they even partnered with cinemas nationwide to launch a re-release of "The First Part of Fengshen".

Furthermore, the distributors also brought characters like Grand Tutor Wen and Deng Chanyu, who left audiences wanting more from the previous film's post-credits scene, to the forefront of the promotional campaign.

The actors who played Wen Zhong, Na Erna Qian who became famous for her one-second appearance, and the Four Demon Generals, all became marketing topics.

Bona Film Group's "Operation Jiaolong," which they staked on the company's future, employed a precise and ruthless marketing campaign.

As the first Chinese-language military blockbuster to focus on nuclear submarines, the production company immediately launched a publicity campaign centered around the main cast. At the same time, it also closely linked itself to the previous blockbuster "Operation Red Sea" produced by Feiyue Films, repeatedly emphasizing topics such as continuing the hardcore military genes and the comprehensive upgrade of the deep-sea battlefield while riding on the popularity of the previous blockbuster.

Yu Dong even made a bold statement in front of the media, saying that he would create an audio-visual feast that is even more exciting than "Operation Red Sea"!

In contrast, Tsui Hark's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero" has maintained its popularity thanks to its cast and classic IP.

This is a film produced by China Film Group, so the marketing also carries Fu Ruoqing's unique style.

He likes to use popular actors, so during the promotion, he mainly promoted Guo Jing, played by Xiao Zhan, and Hong Qigong, played by Liang Jiahui.

Leaked photos of the two actors' martial arts action scenes, Xiao Zhan's archery pose, and Liang Jiahui's beggar elder costume have been trending on social media.

Coupled with the reputation of martial arts films that Tsui Hark had built up in the past, such as "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" and "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate", the topic has remained popular.

Xiao Zhan's female fans, in particular, have expressed their intention to rent out entire theaters to support their idol after the movie is released.

In an instant, the marketing battlefield of the Spring Festival film season was filled with the smoke of battle, and each company used all its tricks to grab the audience's attention.

Many investors are hoping that this year's Spring Festival film season will be like last year, with box office revenue soaring as soon as the market opens!

At this time, Feiyue Film & Television.

After filming "The Three-Body Problem" and returning from the set, Chen Fei did not rush to move forward with the post-production process.

Because he knew perfectly well that editing the movie plot was actually relatively simple; what was really time-consuming and labor-intensive was the special effects production.

After all, there are just too many grand scenes in The Three-Body Problem, and all sorts of shocking scenes need to be polished repeatedly to present the effect he wants.

Currently, the entire special effects post-production department has devoted itself to tackling the special effects challenges of "The Three-Body Problem".

As for editing dialogue scenes, that can be postponed for now; there's no rush.

Therefore, in the first few days after returning, Chen Fei immediately immersed himself in the work that had been piling up for a long time.

For example, signing off on film and television project approval documents, finalizing the post-production marketing budget for "The Three-Body Problem," distributing year-end bonuses to all company employees, and casually chatting with department heads about New Year's plans...

At the same time, he checked the cooperation reports and contracts with the cinemas one by one to ensure that no details of the Spring Festival film scheduling negotiations were overlooked...

After working non-stop for several days, he finally sorted out all these miscellaneous matters and had time to look up and pay attention to the current cinema market.

After glancing through the data, Chen Fei nodded in satisfaction.

The promotional momentum of "Ne Zha" is in no way inferior to its competitors during the Spring Festival season.

Under Jiaozi's leadership, the team launched roadshows in almost every major city across the country, from parent-child interactive events to animation industry exchange meetings, and every event was packed.

With the first film, "Ne Zha," having already grossed 5 billion yuan, audience expectations for the sequel were extremely high, and pre-sale tickets easily surpassed 100 million yuan.

Looking around, the internet is full of calls for "waiting for Ao Bing and Nezha to appear together again" and "wanting to see them defy fate again."

Looking at the entire film production industry, a vibrant and diverse scene unfolds.

In addition to the ongoing casting process for "Nanjing Photo Studio," directed by Shen Ao, which aims to capitalize on the popularity of the realistic subject matter of "All or Nothing," "731," co-produced by Changchun Film Studio and Poly Group, has also been officially announced.

On the other hand, Jackie Chan, who is already 71 years old, is still not idle. His new film "Chasing the Wind" has been approved, continuing his consistent action comedy style.

Following the success of "The Annual Meeting Cannot Stop!", Da Peng has been planning a period comedy called "Lychee of Chang'an".

This movie is adapted from Ma Boyong's novel of the same name, which already has the IP's popularity.

Even Jiang Wen, who was previously criticized for his controversial subject matter, has quietly started filming his new movie.

Furthermore, China Film Group has clearly not given up on the "Volunteer Army" series, and has launched a sequel, "Volunteer Army: Bloodshed and Peace," determined to continue developing the IP of mainstream war films.

After the controversy surrounding the critical reception of "Man Jiang Hong", Huanxi Media began to seek breakthroughs by collaborating with Chen Peisi to produce the film "The Stage", adapted from the classic play of the same name.

Chen Peisi's comedic talent combined with his solid foundation in stage plays has generated considerable anticipation among audiences.

For a time, the film and television market was incredibly lively.

Regardless of whether they ultimately succeed, each team exudes confidence.

Chen Fei felt quite gratified watching the lively scene.

Because, putting aside the market environment, this atmosphere where everyone is putting in their best effort to create is what the film and television industry should be like.

While he was pleased, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

The film market in the past two years is far worse than before the pandemic!

If the total box office can break 10 billion, it will be considered a "big hit". It is unknown how long it will take to return to the glory of 20 billion or 30 billion in box office revenue.

He secretly thought that perhaps once the Three-Body Problem trilogy was released, it might be able to ignite the sluggish market.

……

Chen Fei was busy until late January before he finally finished all his work.

Looking at the date marked as the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month on the calendar, he breathed a sigh of relief, officially took his annual leave, and rushed home.

However, to his surprise, as soon as he opened the door, he heard some gossip from Liu Yifei:

"Honey, you know that popular celebrity Lu Han, right? Let me tell you, it seems he broke up with Guan Xiaotong, the girlfriend he dated for seven or eight years."

"what?"

Chen Fei was stunned for a moment, not quite able to react.

He didn't pay much attention to Lu Han, but he had heard about their relationship before.

After all, when Lu Han officially announced his relationship back then, he crashed Weibo's servers and the topic trended for several days. It can be called the pinnacle of top-tier celebrity relationship announcements!
He still remembers this incident vividly.

Chen Fei changed his shoes and sat down on the sofa: "Didn't they date for several years? How come they suddenly broke up?"

“Actually, it’s not a confirmed breakup,” Liu Yifei handed him her phone, showing him a clip from Lu Han’s live stream. “It’s mainly because he was in a really bad state during his live stream a few days ago, swearing and giving the middle finger, which caused a lot of controversy.”

Then netizens discovered that the two hadn't been seen together for almost six months, leading them to speculate that his drunken outburst was due to a breakup.

Chen Fei shook his head as he watched Lu Han's flushed face and agitated tone in the video.

He recalled his relationship with Liu Yifei, from dating to marriage, and felt quite emotional.

Actually, getting married sometimes really requires a bit of drive.

The longer it drags on, the easier it is for the initial enthusiasm to be worn away, and eventually, even the courage to be moved is lost.

As the saying goes online, in the end, love is all about conscience.

If you've been dating for seven or eight years and there's still no sign of marriage, that can say a lot.

What Chen Fei didn't expect was that Lu Han's controversy was just the beginning.

Just two days later, another popular celebrity, Ma Tianyu, was exposed by crew members for acting like a diva. He was not only frequently late for filming, but also often forgot his lines and delivered them incoherently during filming.

Following that, Qin Xiaoxian, who gained popularity through crosstalk and had been marketing himself as a "rich second generation," was also exposed by netizens as a fake rich second generation. Even the luxury car he drove was rented, and his persona collapsed overnight.

Throughout January, the entertainment industry seemed to be experiencing a season of scandals involving popular celebrities, with new negative news constantly popping up on trending topics.

Chen Fei was starting to have doubts; were these people being bewitched?

Why did the building collapse, and why did they all collapse at once?
It wasn't until the end of January, when several major films scheduled for the Spring Festival began their premiere promotions, that the public outcry over the scandals involving popular celebrities was finally somewhat quelled, and public attention was brought back to the films released in theaters.

However, as the Spring Festival season approaches, new unusual practices have emerged in the film and television industry.

As animated films, "Ne Zha" and "Boonie Bears: Reboot" are primarily aimed at family audiences. Therefore, it is reasonable for them not to hold a formal premiere but instead to hold advance screenings for families, which is generally accepted by the audience.

What's puzzling is that several other major live-action films also collectively canceled their traditional premieres.

Even when there were promotional activities, they were all changed to the form of "meet and greet with the main cast," avoiding the screening of the finished film at all.

Just like with "The Second Part of Fengshen", director Wu Ershan only brought young actors such as Yu Shi, Han Pengyi, and Ci Sha to the event, and the whole event revolved around the behind-the-scenes stories of the filming.

The various interactive activities created a lively atmosphere, but not a single word was mentioned about what the final film would look like, whether the plot would continue the story of the previous work, or the proportion of special effects shots. It's no exaggeration to say that the audience didn't even see a single frame of the actual film; it was all behind-the-scenes footage.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero" and "Operation Jiaolong" are exactly the same.

The former only allowed Xiao Zhan, Liang Jiahui, and director Xu Ke to talk about Guo Jing's chivalrous spirit and the martial arts action design during filming, and then showed a few short fight scenes before hastily ending the film.

The latter was more straightforward. Lin Chaoxian and the lead actors only talked about the difficulties of filming the submarine and the challenges of producing the deep-sea scenes. They didn't even show any new shots that weren't in the trailer. They treated the "behind-the-scenes" as the main characters, and the finished film seemed to be an unspeakable secret.

Chen Fei has already returned to the courtyard house with his wife and son.

He was lying in a rocking chair, scrolling through promotional articles and videos of various films, his doubts growing stronger, and a bad premonition rising in his mind.

In the past, most films released during the Spring Festival would hold premieres early, inviting media, film critics, and some viewers to watch the films in advance, relying on word-of-mouth to drive pre-sales.

After all, good works are not afraid of being watched, and the earlier they are revealed, the more popularity they can accumulate.

But these films are all keeping a low profile, not even daring to release the finished product in advance. Is it because they are not confident?

He frowned at his phone screen, muttering to himself, "Could they all be secretly planning something big?"

This operation can only be solved in two ways.

Either the final product didn't meet expectations and they were afraid of exposing its flaws by screening it early, so they simply relied on behind-the-scenes sentiment and lively interactive elements to win over the audience first.

Or they might be trying to create a sense of scarcity, like Jia Ling did with "Hot and Spicy," deliberately building up anticipation and then using mystery to attract audiences on the day of release.

But in either case, it's not a good thing for the audience.

The former is "afraid of failure," and the latter is "using tricks," both of which clearly lack confidence in their work.

……

January 28th is Lunar New Year's Eve again.

This year, Liu Xiaoli did not return to Chongqing, but instead stayed in the capital to spend the Spring Festival with her daughter and son-in-law.

Firstly, I wanted to spend more time with my grandson, and secondly, I could help prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

The old man was getting on in years, and his hands trembled terribly when he made dumplings, so she volunteered to take over the job.

According to traditional custom, the older person must go first before others can help.

Grandma was making dumplings. Little Stone, wearing tiger-head shoes and a little apron, was jumping around the table, sometimes reaching out to grab the dough, sometimes standing on tiptoe to watch Liu Xiaoli roll out the wrappers, and muttering, "I want to make dumplings too, I want to make a little rabbit dumpling."

"Okay, okay, I'll wrap it for you later..."

While rolling out dough and coaxing her grandson, Liu Xiaoli suddenly turned to Liu Yifei and asked, "Qianqian, when are you planning to have your second child?"
If you're planning to have one, you'd better hurry, while I'm still healthy enough to help take care of it. In a few years, my back won't be what it used to be, and my energy won't be up to par, so I won't be able to help anymore.

The kitchen fell silent for a few seconds after he said that.

Little Stone still didn't understand what "second child" meant and continued to fiddle with the dough in his hands.

Liu Yifei blushed and scolded, "Mom, what are you saying? This can't be rushed."

“What’s there to hide? We’re all family.” Liu Xiaoli stopped rolling the dough and turned to look at Chen Fei, her eyes full of expectation. “You two aren’t young anymore. Yifei is already considered an older mother now. In a few years, her physical condition will be even worse, and it will be difficult for her to have children…”

When Xiao Shitou was born, she was cared for by the postpartum nanny. She had to get up at night to feed him and change his diapers, and she didn't dare to be careless at all.

She's always worried about leaving her child with strangers, fearing he might get hurt.

So now she's thinking that if her daughter and son-in-law could have another child, she could continue to help take care of it, which would save the young couple a lot of trouble.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei immediately nodded: "Mom, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Once I've finished the post-production work for 'The Three-Body Problem,' I'll take a break next year and not take on any new projects. At that time, Yi Fei and I will definitely prepare to have a second child."

He knew what Liu Xiaoli was thinking.

Elderly people all hope for a large and prosperous family, especially since they now have stable careers and the energy to have another child.

This was actually Chen Fei's own idea.

With such a large business empire in hand, how could you not have more children to expand your family line? You can't just hand it all over to Little Stone, can you?
This is actually not conducive to management.

The business is so large that even Chen Fei, the founder of Longxiang Capital and Feiyue Film & Television, often finds it difficult to manage everything.

The best way is actually to have several sons, so that each of them can inherit a portion of the family business.

Liu Yifei sat to the side, listening to her mother and husband's conversation. The blush on her face had not yet faded, but a hint of excitement stirred in her heart.

She glanced at Chen Fei, then at her bouncing son, and nodded gently.

Actually, she really wanted to have another child, so that Xiao Shitou would have a companion and the house would be more lively.

The old man sat to the side, listening to the family talk about having a new baby, and smiled, saying slowly, "Good, good, it's good to have more children, so our family can prosper even more."

……

The sun shone exceptionally brightly on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

As in previous years, Chen Fei and Liu Yifei led the cheerful little stone into the movie theater.

However, this year, their first choice is "Ne Zha" rather than "Boonie Bears".

Although Chen Fei had already seen the finished film in advance, sitting in the screening room now, looking at the familiar red and blue figures on the screen, he couldn't help but feel emotional:

Dumpling's animation skills have been getting better and better in recent years.

It's no exaggeration to say that their top-notch team is in no way inferior to Disney's!
On screen, the water effects in the deep sea are rendered with exquisite detail. Every ripple of water and every surge of undercurrent is so realistic that you can almost feel the dampness through the screen.

When Nezha's Hun Tian Ling is unfolded, the fiber texture on it is clearly visible.

Even the water droplets kicked up during the fight split into tiny mists in the air, and the sunlight shining through the water onto the two of them created a stunningly rich interplay of light and shadow!
Furthermore, the luster on the scales of those giant beasts changes with the range of their movements, revealing different metallic textures, and you can even see seaweed hidden in the gaps between the scales.

Such attention to detail demonstrates the production team's dedication.

At this moment, Chen Fei was absolutely certain that the success of this sequel would definitely not be worse than the first one!

Little Stone was even more mesmerized.

When he came out of the screening room, his little face was flushed, and he excitedly grabbed Chen Fei's hand and said, "Dad, Nezha is so amazing! I want to watch it a second time!"

"Okay, Mom will take you somewhere else to play first, and we'll see later."

Liu Yifei smiled and ruffled her son's hair before taking him to the children's playground in the mall.

Chen Fei then turned around and walked back to the ticket area.

He will definitely watch all the key films released during the Spring Festival.

Of all the shows, the one he was most looking forward to was "The Investiture of the Gods Part II".

After all, although the first film was quite controversial, the overall production was still acceptable.

Based on the groundwork laid by the first film, the second one should be even better.

But as Chen Fei walked into the screening room of "The Investiture of the Gods Part II" and watched the film, he suddenly became dumbfounded.

Especially when the plot progressed to the part where "Yin Jiao absorbed the power of Yuanshi Tianzun", he almost thought he was seeing things.

This plot is so outrageous it makes you want to curse!

Without exaggeration, this operation is no less than draining the State Grid's electricity while charging an electric vehicle, completely deviating from mythological logic and the original setting.

What shocked him even more was the "three-headed, six-armed little blue man" that appeared later; its design was so crude that it looked like it had been hastily pieced together.

Her bluish-green skin not only lacked texture, but her arm movements were also as stiff as a puppet's.

The most outrageous thing is that in one shot, the little blue man's head actually clipped through the film, with half of his face sunk into his shoulder. It's worse than a five-cent special effect.

As for the plot, it's a complete mess!
The main plot is vague, the subplots are rampant, and the foreshadowing laid in the previous work is either hastily concluded or completely forgotten.

Chen Fei frowned the whole time he watched it, and even wondered if he had mistakenly watched a pirated version.
After leaving the theater, he was in a daze for a moment, and a bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart.

Is this the kind of awful movie that will be released during the Spring Festival?

With some worry and unease, he went into the screening rooms for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero" and "Operation Jiaolong".

The result was equally disappointing for him.

In "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", Xiao Zhan's portrayal of Guo Jing was empty-eyed and lacked any sense of gravitas as a chivalrous figure. His scenes with Liang Jiahui were overshadowed and made him seem almost invisible.

As for Tsui Hark's signature martial arts cinematography, it has completely disappeared, with fight scenes relying entirely on fast cuts and special effects.

In contrast, "Operation Jiaolong" has completely degenerated into a show of piling up military elements. Not only is the plot full of logical loopholes, but the main characters are also practically invincible throughout the entire film.

The so-called deep-sea rescue was more like showing off special effects, completely lacking the realism and emotional impact of "Operation Red Sea".

……

It was already evening when Chen Fei walked out of the movie theater.

The setting sun in the distance dyed the sky orange-red, but his heart felt cold.

It was only then that he finally understood why the previous three films hadn't had premieres.

pit!
It's full of traps!

Clearly, what they fear is that early screenings will expose serious quality flaws, so they can only rely on pre-screening marketing to lure audiences in.

If nothing unexpected happens, this Spring Festival film season is likely to be completely ruined by these terrible movies.

Meanwhile, just as Chen Fei was driving home, the internet was already filled with insults…

(End of this chapter)