During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 781 Another Treasure Found During the Bombardment
On the last day of April, four well-known films, namely "Wolf Warrior," "The Intruder," "Helios," and "Silent Separation," were released in theaters across the country at the same time.

In addition, several lesser-known, low-budget films, such as "Murmur of the Hearts" and "Goddess, Follow Me," have also been included.

Following the Spring Festival and Qingming Festival film seasons, the fiercely competitive May Day film season has officially begun.

At times like these, the competition in theater scheduling boils down to the cast, production costs, film genre, and the connections of the production company.

Among them, "My Sunshine," adapted from a popular IP, produced by LeTV, and starring Huang Xiaoming, Tang Yan, Yang Ying, and others, undoubtedly holds an advantage.

The average screening rate on the first day reached 28%, which is the highest among the May Day film seasons!
Following closely behind is "Wolf Warrior"—with strong support from Shanhe Media, Wanda Cinemas, Shanghai New Film Union, and Golden Harvest Cinemas, it ranked second with an average screening rate of 24%.

"Helios" was also favored by theaters due to its cast and production cost of 2 million yuan, with an average of 20% of screenings, ranking third.

As for the other movies, with the top three already occupying over 72% of the screenings, they still had to compete with "Furious 7," and the numbers were simply appalling!
Especially Wang Xiaoshuai's "The Intruder", which was nominated for the main competition at last year's Venice International Film Festival, had a screening rate of less than 2% on its opening day!

Under these circumstances, industry insiders generally believe that "The Intruder" will inevitably be the first film to be eliminated during the May Day holiday season.

Sure enough, the data came out the next day, and "The Intruder" was sentenced to death.

With a first-day sales figure of less than 500,000, even with a good reputation, there is absolutely no chance of a comeback.

However, the film version of "Silent Separation" did not disappoint the industry, with a box office of 5168 million yuan on its opening day.

To be honest, the opening day results were quite good, ranking among the top domestic films released this year.

But as Zhong Lifang said before, it is really too difficult to compress a hit TV series into just two hours.

In addition, the production team rushed into production, resulting in a poorly adapted script and a complete lack of post-production polishing, which led to the film's reputation collapsing.

On its opening day, "My Sunshine" received a score of less than 5 on the Impression Network, and the comments section was filled with criticism!
"Just a few minutes ago I was enthusiastically organizing all sorts of吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to criticize or roast) remarks, but soon I decided to give up. It's really hard to rant about a movie like this in just a few words."

Its plot is so melodramatic, its dialogue so pretentious, its acting so stiff, and its narrative so chaotic that it's beyond description.

"It's like a deformed pile of poop resulting from a cross between 'Tiny Times' and 'American Dreams in China,' so rotten it's unbearable to look at. The leader is truly disappointing."

"Although the TV series version also has various flaws, it is at least twenty times better than the movie version of 'Tiny Times'."

"."

Given its current reception, "My Sunshine" is likely to only last about ten days, not much different from the "Tiny Times" series.

The situation for "Helios," a film that Hong Kong cinema had high hopes for and which was even dubbed by some media outlets as an "international high-tech anti-terrorism battle," is also not optimistic.

With a box office of 30 million yuan on its opening day and a score of 6.4 on Impression.com, it's neither good nor bad. But considering the production cost of 200 million yuan, it's clear that breaking even will be difficult.

In contrast, "Wolf Warrior," which was not initially well-regarded by the industry, has delivered a stunning performance.

Not only did it achieve a record-breaking 6744 million views on its first day, but its rating on Impression.com also surpassed the 7-point mark.

Most viewers gave positive feedback; however, there were also many sarcastic and critical comments.

"Very good! This is the first time I've seen a domestically produced military action film! I used to only see this in Hollywood movies. Wu Jing really put in a lot of effort, thumbs up!"

"No flaws whatsoever, just pure action!"

"The various new equipment and unique personal charm make this a sincere work among domestic films, especially the ending line 'Those who offend China, though far away, shall be punished,' which is very inspiring!"

"Shanhe Media has a trustworthy reputation. Mr. Wei wouldn't ruin his own brand. It's worth checking out!"

"Well, it's definitely exciting, but a bit unrealistic. If any soldier in real life dared to do that, they'd be... you know... done to them by now!"

"I'm just wondering, how desperate is Wu Jing to make every special forces film a hit with his superior?"

"The story is rather simple, and there are quite a few flaws and glaring problems. It's just a Hollywood-style film disguised as individual heroism, which is a bit ridiculous."

"."

Without a doubt, even with some controversy, Wolf Warrior's opening day box office and overall word-of-mouth are enough to make it a worthwhile film.

As for how much it can earn, that depends on the subsequent box office performance.

But conservatively speaking, even if Avengers 2 is released soon, it will definitely not be able to reach 5 million in box office revenue!
At this moment, Old Wang felt a little uncomfortable, not only because he couldn't bear to see Wei Jin suffer a setback, but also because he himself had become a laughing stock in other people's eyes.

He rejected what should have been a fiber optic project, allowing Wei Jin to snatch it up.

Old Wang could easily imagine how loud the industry would be in mocking him for being "blind to talent"!

"But who the hell would have thought that military themes would one day become popular?!"

While Lao Wang was merely upset about missing out on a project, Wang Xiaoshuai was in a complete uproar.

During the May Day holiday, while promoting his film with the crew, he posted a long Weibo post titled "This may be the best era for commercial films, but the worst era for art films!" expressing his strong dissatisfaction.

"When I saw the number of screenings on the opening day, I spent the whole day in shock, frustration and despair."

Since I started making movies, no matter how big the event was, how difficult the filming process was, or how tortuous the process was, nothing can compare to April 30th.

According to previous statistics, "The Intruder" should have had 8%-10% of the screenings, but it did not receive fair treatment in the market and was sentenced to "death" before it could be tested by the audience. This is a murder case that was foreshadowed.

The Weibo post caused a huge stir!

Director Jia Zhangke, He Ping, Gao Qunshu, and others have voiced their support;

Director Sylvia Chang of "Murmur of the Hearts," along with the production companies of several other films, were also plagued by scheduling difficulties.

Following that, many celebrities, such as Yao Dazui, Tang Wei, and Hao Lei, also came out to help promote the product.

While expressing his gratitude, Wang Xiaoshuai also accepted an interview with reporters.

Previously, there were regulations that a film could not be shown in more than one-third of any cinema, nor could it account for more than one-third of the total number of screenings in that cinema.

This is a fair market entry mechanism, giving other films a chance. But now nobody's implementing it, and excessively high screening ratios are constantly emerging. This is…

Wang Xiaoshuai's words were quite sharp, clearly targeting cinemas and even regulatory authorities. The incident caused quite a stir, garnering support and resonance from many netizens, with some even offering him advice.

But to be honest, scheduling films is a two-way choice between the market and cinemas.

Don't be fooled by the current online hype; when it comes to actually buying tickets, their actions speak louder than words, and cinemas are merely being manipulated.

However, perhaps due to public pressure, some theaters eventually made concessions and adjusted the screening schedule for "The Intruder".

However, with very low initial screenings, it missed the first-mover advantage, and even with a few percentage points of increased screenings, it was still a drop in the ocean.

As expected, once the holiday ended and the media released the box office data, the industry realized one thing.

In other words, only two films survived the May Day holiday season!
"The modern military action film 'Wolf Warrior,' co-produced by Shanhe Media and Dengfeng International and directed by Wu Jing, grossed 3.06 million yuan in its opening weekend and has already turned a profit!"

"Produced by Le Vision Pictures and starring Huang Xiaoming, Tang Yan, Yang Ying, and Tong Dawei, the urban romance film 'My Sunshine' grossed 1.83 million yuan in its opening weekend. However, due to poor word-of-mouth, its daily revenue has dropped to 30 million yuan, indicating limited potential."

"The anti-terrorism crime film 'Helios,' produced by Media Asia and starring Zhang Xueyou, Zhang Jiahui, Shawn Yue, and Janice Man, grossed 1.18 million yuan in its opening weekend, falling short of expectations and likely unlikely to break even!"

Several films, including "The Intruder," "Murmur of the Hearts," "Love Me, Watch a Movie with Me," and "Goddess, Follow Me," failed miserably, with their combined box office revenue falling short of ten million.

"Due to the diversion of audiences by numerous domestic films, the Hollywood blockbuster 'Furious 7' has seen a significant drop in box office revenue. After 22 days of release, it has only grossed 25.03 billion yuan, with daily revenue dwindling to a mere 20 million yuan."

Wei Jin paid little attention to the turmoil within the industry or the state of the film market—even as "Furious 7" was getting closer and closer to breaking records!
During this holiday, he spent time at Dongshan Villa and Yanjiao Villa with his four wives, indulging in a life of pleasure.

On the first day after his holiday, he visited the set of "The Witness".

After about half a month of filming, the scenes in Beijing are about to wrap up, and the crew will move to Tianjin next.

Wei Jin was absent from the initial filming ceremony, so it's only natural that he came to meet the main cast and crew.

In addition, we can also take the opportunity to see Sun Hao's skill level, since movies and TV series are different.

However, Wei Jin was pleased with the results of the inspection. Sun Hao was clearly well prepared, and the composition and camera movement of several scenes were strictly executed according to the storyboard.

While this approach is conventional and might seem overly technical and lacking in dynamism to many so-called film masters, at least it sets a minimum standard.

As for personal style and such, we can talk about that after our skill level and ability have improved.
The actors, on the other hand, seemed a bit nervous, perhaps because the big boss was there.

Not only did Lu Han, who is not a professionally trained actor, make several mistakes with his lines, but even Zhu Yawen, a fellow alumnus of the Beijing Film Academy and a talented actor with whom he had previously collaborated, had to do a retake.

"I remember there should be quite a few night shoots in Tianjin, right? As the producer, you need to pay close attention to the coordination and safety of the crew, as night shoots are relatively more difficult."

Yang Mi had no scenes to film today, so Wei Jin took advantage of the crew filming another take to give her a few words of advice under the sunshade where they were resting.

"Yes, don't worry, senior. I've filmed a few night scenes recently, so I know what's important."

Just then, a voice came from afar, "Sister Mi, I'm here."

Yang Mi looked at Li Ruixi, who was still a little out of breath, and complained, "Why are you so late? I told you to come early today."

"Mi-jie, have you forgotten? The company arranged a photoshoot for me for a print magazine today."

"."

Li Ruixi's blunt answer left Yang Mi speechless. "How the hell am I supposed to remember your schedule? Who's the boss here anyway?"
Besides, do you even realize how valuable it is that my sister Mi personally called?
Honestly, not only Yang Mi, but even Wei Jin standing to the side was surprised. This young girl's personality is really... well, straightforward.

"Alright, come and see your senior brother."

Yang Mi didn't dwell on it any longer. As he spoke, he took Li Ruixi's hand and began to introduce her to Wei Jin.

In both his past and present lives, this was the first time Wei Jin had ever seen Li Ruixi in person, but after looking her up and down, he had to admit that this girl's legs were truly incredible!

Perhaps because she was in a hurry, Li Ruixi was wearing flat shoes and stood next to Yang Mi, who was wearing high heels. She looked shorter than Yang Mi, but her beautiful legs exposed outside her short shorts were in no way inferior.

In other words, her legs are even longer than Yang Mi's, who is known in the industry for having the longest legs, and her leg shape is also particularly beautiful, they are so straight!
"With a figure like yours, it's a shame you're not a model!"

"Mr. Wei is joking. My height is not an advantage, so I'd better not embarrass myself."

Faced with the big boss's teasing, Li Ruixi smiled and said, "Besides, personally, I still prefer acting."

At this moment, Yang Mi chimed in, "Senior brother, don't underestimate Rui Xi just because she's not formally trained. She's very talented in acting, and many directors on various production teams have praised her."

"Really? That's pretty good. You should train him properly."

Wei Jin smiled, his words implying neither agreement nor disagreement, since he hadn't seen this girl make any splashes in his previous life.

Yang Mi could also tell that Wei Jin was being perfunctory in his words, so he immediately suggested, "Senior brother, it's true. If you don't believe me, why don't you try her acting tonight?"

"Um?!"

A question mark slowly appeared on Wei Jin's forehead. He took a deep look at Yang Mi, realizing that this was where Yang Mi was waiting for him.
Looking again at Li Ruixi, whose face was aloof, I noticed that the girl actually had a hint of eagerness on her face.

"Yes, Mr. Wei, I also want to work with a famous director to see where I might be lacking."

Goodness, this earnest invitation is really hard for Boss Wei to refuse!
To be honest, Li Ruixi's appearance isn't top-tier, but her features are still quite delicate.

Especially her cool and aloof temperament, paired with her neat and capable short hair and those incredibly long legs, gives people a great sense of accomplishment in conquering her.

~~~~
"Senior brother~ You can't just [the newlyweds enter the room and the matchmaker is thrown over the wall] and forget about her~~"

"hehe."

Wei Jin smiled, controlling the situation with one hand and guiding it in his favor, while placing his other hand on Yang Mixiang's shoulder.

"Mimi, don't worry. Let's get everything ready for filming. Your senior brother will be here to shoot your scenes soon."

"Hmm, that's more like it."

As Yang Mi disappeared from sight, the Wei and Jin dynasties felt a new wave of gentle embrace.
(End of this chapter)