China Entertainment: I have been a director since 05

Ma Yufei's comments have caused the number of reviews for "San Andreas" to rise rapidly.

The film officially premiered the following day!
Many netizens have given this movie extremely positive reviews.

Ma Yufei's lengthy film review was subsequently published.
"Hong Kong Trip" and "San Andreas" can be considered two gifts that Guan Ling gave to the audience in 2013. One is a Chinese emotional story, and the other is Hollywood-style special effects.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whose muscles seem ready to burst through his shirt at any moment, is perfectly suited for action-packed scenes like this.

Compared to the invincible warriors in "G.I. Joe" and "Fast & Furious," and compared to Wu Jing in "Hong Kong Trip," he naturally draws the audience into the catastrophic disaster in Hollywood, California. In this action-disaster film with a stronger fantasy element, his character is shrouded in a more legendary aura.

In some scenarios, this lifeguard is like a 007 without a suit, traveling the world with a Bond girl, switching between land, sea, and air transportation, facing life and death, and taking on seemingly impossible tasks. The forces of nature are like the henchmen of the SPECTRE and various tech fanatics, coming up with all sorts of strange and ruthless tricks, but they cannot stop his progress in the slightest.

In the disaster escape scenes of "San Andreas," many parts are filmed like action sequences, with both external grandeur and internal twists and turns.

The film features two sequences: a building collapsing and a yacht crashing into giant waves, showcasing the action-packed punches and kicks, and alternating gunfire typical of action movies.
The villains push down buildings, cause explosions, flood the city, and throw ships, but the hero played by Dwayne Johnson overcomes each obstacle faster, more ruthlessly, and more dangerous than the last.

Unlike "2012," "San Andreas" follows a completely American approach and is a product of the American mainstream ideology. The mother and Liu Yan are both women who are both wise and courageous, and when their luck is on fire, they are unstoppable.

Many people only saw Liu Yan's trembling Su brother, but never realized that throughout the entire plot, it was precisely because of Liu Yan's courage and choices that they were finally able to be rescued.

Like many disaster movies, the plots generally follow conventions, seeking to avoid any unexpected twists.

Therefore, Guan Ling's clichés are not empty words or platitudes, but the truth.

This is indeed a very clichéd movie, but it's also one of the most unsettling and deeply saddening disaster films of recent years. From my perspective, it's less emotionally moving than "Hong Kong Trip," but more suited to leaving one feeling utterly empty-eyed.

Simple, straightforward, exciting, and awesome!
That's the only review San Andreas needs.

Because it's so incredibly cliché, yet it's so captivating!

As an opinion leader and a film critic followed by many, Ma Yufei's film reviews are quite sophisticated. Although some observant people noticed that Ma Yufei wanted to say that the plot of this movie was just so-so and predictable, he didn't say a single word about it.

Instead, the entire movie ultimately boils down to seven words: simple, brutal, exciting, and satisfying.

It is absolutely wonderful.

As for the story, who cares?

The whole story is shockingly simple: California is destroyed by a tsunami, and the protagonist saves his entire family.

It works just like that.

All you need to do is add IMAX elements to this story, fill in some minor details—who the protagonist is, how powerful he is, and how he's connected to the president.

How did the tsunami hit? Where were the people at the time? How did they get there? These are just some of the many side stories.

Go rescue people, but how do we do it?

The story ends.

Wave after wave, brutal, but direct and effective!
Therefore, the film's box office performance remains impressive.

Whether it's Dwayne Johnson's bulging muscles or the close-up posters of Liu Yan ramming into people with a thug, it doesn't really matter which one has devoured every billboard in Beijing, or even the whole country.

The important thing is that people watched it and found that the movie was actually watchable.

This is enough!

Compared to the "shredder" disaster scenes in the movie "2012",
San Andreas goes a step further, adding traditional scenes of collapsed roads, broken bridges, fires, and explosions.
The skyscrapers collapsing inch by inch like dominoes create a powerful visual impact, while the collapse of landmark buildings like the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam is considered a classic disaster film.

As the climax of the film, the scene of a 15-story-high tsunami engulfing San Francisco completely surpasses the tsunami sweeping through New York in "2012".

The disaster scenes in "San Andreas" are almost seamless, which subtly increases the audience's tension.

"It feels like a fishbone stuck in my throat, I can't get rid of it" is the most genuine reaction of most viewers.

Guan Ling's film, which was released on its opening day, raked in 5300 million yuan at the box office, thanks to the lure of half-price tickets and the deadly appeal of its devastating special effects.

It directly impacted the entire entertainment industry, leaving them speechless in shock.

Crucially, this film's box office performance wasn't limited to the domestic market; in Hollywood, its opening weekend was also phenomenal, debuting at number one.

Released in 3777 theaters, it grossed $5321 million over the weekend with a per-theater average of $14089, far exceeding industry expectations!

North America!

Opening weekend grossed $5321 million!
Although it is far from comparable to movies like "Fast & Furious," and even less than Dwayne Johnson's "The Mummy Returns" in 2001, this period actually occurred shortly after Memorial Day in the United States. Due to the four-day holiday, the box office in North America experienced a certain degree of decline.

And this will continue for some time.

But at this point in time, during this non-platinum period of intense competition, when the industry generally expected the opening box office to be only around 40 million, it unexpectedly broke through to more than 53 million, which is truly surprising!

This has given a strong boost to the current North American market.

In fact, the US domestic box office market has indeed been somewhat sluggish in the past two years. The total box office in 2011 was $101 billion and in 2012 it was $108 billion, with very low growth, far below the ambitious goal of American filmmakers to "break through $120 billion in a few years". However, the huge losses of Hollywood films, such as "Tomorrowland", have also made it difficult for American films to continue.

The only option is to seek growth in film production outside of North America.

And San Andreas did indeed give the North American film market a boost.

At the same time, this movie also gave Dwayne Johnson a turning point. After all, he was the lead actor, and now Dwayne Johnson, like Jackie Chan in "2012", has instantly become a sensation in Hollywood. Even if it can't be called a milestone, it is definitely a good turning point.

……

The news that the film grossed over 400 million yuan in mainland China and over 100 million US dollars in North America in six days, with a global box office of 240 million US dollars, has completely defied expectations.

According to reports from the United States, the production cost of this film was approximately $1.1 million.

In six days, the costs have been almost completely recovered.

In other words, during its long run of the film's run, all the money it earned was pure profit.

In the United States, while this achievement may not be considered absolutely exaggerated, it is still a considerable accomplishment.

Meanwhile, the cold, hard numbers from mainland China are burning on the retinas of many.

"Director Guan, congratulations."

"Director Guan, congratulations! Looks like you're about to make a fortune again."

On set, everyone kept congratulating Guan Ling.

Guan Ling, however, remained calm, saying, "Aside from the script and investment, I wasn't involved in anything at all. Everyone is being too polite."

"So, Director Guan just wrote a script and did this movie on the side?"

Huang Bo is quite eloquent; with a casual gesture, he immediately made everyone in the room widen their eyes in surprise.

"Such an awesome movie, and you just did it casually?"

"This movie is so amazing, it'll definitely beat 'Tiny Times' and 'Badges of Fury' to a pulp!"

"Director Guan is indeed amazing."

This data is like a super earthquake wave tearing the earth's surface apart, sending chills down many people's spines.

My heart trembled.

Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai,

The shimmering lights of the Huangpu River now resemble a piece of cheap, broken glass.

Inside, Guo Xiao and Zhu Da were sleeping side by side.

It is said that they sleep with their feet touching, but in reality, the feet are not of average size, and the legs are not of average length.

So it's a bit like a son sleeping with his father.

Suddenly, a message popped up on his phone. Guo Xiao opened his eyes, removed Zhu Da's arm from his body, opened his phone, saw the results, and muttered to himself.

"Six days, four hundred million?"
"Tiny Times" grossed 7100 million yuan on its opening day!
ah? ah!
Hahahahaha! "

When Guo Xiao saw the opening day box office figures, he was first stunned, then suddenly overjoyed, because even he hadn't expected that "Tiny Times" would achieve such a high opening day box office of 7100 million yuan.
"So, I'm the real director?"

Guo Xiao was completely stunned.

Is the film industry really that easy to get by?
For the past few days, Guo Xiao was extremely nervous. He was embarrassed when online comments compared him to Guan Ling.

How can he compare to Guan Ling?

However, the box office there only reached 400 million in six days, which translates to about 60 million per day. His movie completely overshadowed that.

I'm actually this awesome?
"Guan Ling is merely using the empty name of Beijing Film Academy; he has no real talent and is not a hero. His previous advantages were overwhelming, but that was just the way things were at the time."

Guo Xiao sighed deeply when he was verifying his friendship with Zhu Da.

He seemed quite spirited and high-spirited.

As a prime example of a small horse pulling a large cart, it can not only pull a large cart, but also turn the tires, much like a toothpick stirring a water tank.

As the director, Zhu Da was too embarrassed to say anything.

They can only cooperate through insidious and sarcastic remarks.

"Director Guo means that Guan Ling is all show and no substance."

"Isn't that right? You can wait and see. If my box office surpasses Guan Ling's, wouldn't that prove that Guan Ling is all show and no substance? You know, this is my first time making a movie!"

Guo Xiao is full of vigor and high spirits!

A sense of heroism suddenly arises.

The box office reached over 70 million on the first day, and 200 million in three days.

"I, Guo Xiao, might just become the first new director in the country to have my debut film gross over two billion yuan if I work hard!"

The film industry is too simple!

That night, Zhu Da was treated very well!
……

The most panicked thing right now is...

It is Bona, Yu Dong.

On one hand, there's a Hollywood blockbuster that grossed over 400 million in six days; on the other hand, there's a fan film that grossed 71 million in a single day.

These two films completely overshadowed "Badges of Fury".

"How the hell do you play this?"

Yu Dong scratched his head anxiously.

Beijing,

On his desk, the opening day box office results of "Tiny Times" were laid out in front of Yu Dong, making any words he wanted to say seem weak and laughable.

On one hand, there's the massive box office success of "San Andreas,"

On one side is the lavish feast of "Tiny Times" looming in front of us.

No matter how hard Yu Dong thought about it, he couldn't find a way to break the deadlock.

Both of these movies have been called bad films by some.
But what's the use?

The box office figures are still just as outrageous, aren't they?
Yu Dong pressed down on the box office results sheet with one hand; the numbers on it were cold and glaring.

Yu Dong gritted his teeth.

It seems that only two types of winners remain in the market: a devastating collapse or an overwhelming number of fans.

His hard work in filming "Badges of Fury" seems to have cooled down before it even hits the table.

Yu Dong forced himself to take a deep breath.
Even expensive cigars couldn't dispel the heaviness in his chest.

"The audience is likely to be different."

Yu Dong emphasized this while looking at his slightly pale reflection in the window.

"Jet Li and Wen Zhang should both have a solid fan base, so there's no need to be too nervous. After all, Jet Li is an internationally renowned movie star."

He kept trying to comfort himself.

But my heart was still pounding.

There was no way to chat with the people below, so after thinking for a moment, Yu Dong dialed Guan Ling's number.

"Director Guan, I'm very confused."

"In the past two years, I have seen Director Guan make money all the way and make more and more money. I suddenly realized that I am getting worse and worse. Sometimes, I really don't know what to do."

That feeling, that feeling is like you're driving a car at breakneck speed ahead, and I'm chasing after you with my two big feet.

I haven't gotten on the bus yet! I haven't gotten on the bus yet!

Guan Ling stopped the other person from pouring out their grievances, "Just say what you have to say..."

"I'm panicking. It's one thing if Director Guan beats me to death, but what if that Guo Xiao also slaps me to death?"

"What's there to panic about? At worst, we'll just lose money. That's how movies are; some make money, and some lose money."

"Director Guan seems quite calm. But I feel like this time the other side is also targeting you a bit," Yu Dong chimed in, "I hope Director Guan's films won't be wiped out in one fell swoop."

Have you seen Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle"?

Guan Ling suddenly asked.

"Seen."

Yu Dong was a little puzzled as to why Guan Ling would suddenly bring up this movie.

Guan Ling smiled and said, "Actually, I'm not worried at all about being killed by domestic directors' movies, because I even look forward to it. I hope there will be more Xu Zhengs, even in comedy films, who can come up with something amazing."

But Guo Xiao is not an option.

He's not qualified yet.

However, if Mr. Yu is here just to watch the show, I only want to tell you one thing: although this movie isn't one I'm particularly confident about, in my opinion, whether he wants to kill you two or gets killed by you two, the outcome will be clear for all to see.

Yu Dong was stunned. How could he be so confident?

Kill them both outright?

The other side's opening day box office was higher than yours.

Guan Ling smiled slightly and said to the screen, "However, the outcome of public opinion is not very important, because I will definitely beat you two to death."

Because you guys really aren't very good at it.

Yu Dong almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"This is insane! A movie that lacked confidence is trying to kill two newly released films—and it still grossed 7100 million in a single day!"
How is that possible? (End of Chapter)