During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 819 Mr. Wei, I can do it, please don't be merciful tonight.
The joke about the Golden Rooster Awards continued, but in the blink of an eye, the focus of the media and industry had shifted to the premiere of "Lost in Hong Kong" that afternoon.

Because throughout September, and even the entire year of 2015, this film was definitely the focus of attention for the entire industry and the media, and it was also recognized in the industry as a film with a guaranteed minimum of 10 billion yuan!

And it must be admitted that Ahri is indeed a wealthy and powerful individual.

They will not only hold the premiere in Beijing, but also hold premiere ceremonies in Shanghai and Guangzhou over the next two days.

Clearly, this is to fully unleash the potential of the "Lost in..." series IP. On set, they even shouted the slogan of aiming to break the 20 billion yuan box office mark!

What's amusing is that Ali, who has always advocated for internet thinking, also adopted this approach at the premiere.

They interacted with netizens during the live broadcast, and Bao Beier read out the online opinions about him replacing Wang Baoqiang in "Lost in Hong Kong".

Looking around, every single comment in the live stream was a curse.

In front of hundreds of media outlets, Bao Beier initially responded with a smile, but when he read the ninth point, he finally couldn't hold back anymore, lost control of his emotions, and burst into tears.
This put Wang Changtian and Xu Guangtou in a very awkward position, and they had to step in to smooth things over. After a lot of effort, they finally managed to get the matter over with.

Finally, Xu Guangtou hugged Bao Beier's bald head and kissed him, encouraging him: "You've succeeded when you can face these things with equanimity!"

To be fair, although this move embarrassed Bao Beier, it probably boosted the popularity of "Lost in Hong Kong" quite a bit.

Of course, many people online questioned whether Bao Beier was putting on a show, but Wei Jin could tell from the video that it was not staged.

After all, to perform like this on the spot, and even have to spit saliva, Bao Beier's acting skills really can't do it. This is obviously because he had a mental breakdown and was scolded to tears!

However, Ali and fiber optics do have enough influence that, in subsequent media reports, the incident was portrayed as the production company taking the initiative to respond to netizens' questions, with Bao Beier tearfully and sincerely accepting netizens' criticisms.
Furthermore, the reviews of the film are overwhelmingly positive and full of praise!

Claims such as "the best and most profound Chinese comedy film I've ever seen," "excellent in writing, directing, and acting," and "worth watching multiple times, or even downloading it for repeated appreciation."
In short, with the travel expenses fully covered, these media outlets have completely abandoned all sense of shame!

As the sun rises and sets, a new day begins, and all sorts of news emerge from within the industry.

"The third installment of the 'A Chinese Odyssey' film series, 'A Chinese Odyssey Part Three: The Finale,' written and directed by Liu Zhenwei, wrapped up filming yesterday evening at Zhenbeibao Western Film Studio!"

"The historical drama 'Nirvana in Fire,' co-produced by Shanhe Media and Daylight Entertainment, and starring Hu Ge, Yan Danchen, Wang Kai, and Huang Mengying, has seen its ratings fall short of expectations after its first two days of airing."

Yu Zheng refuted the negative reviews of "Song in the Clouds" online for the first time, using strong language and claiming that Yang Ying is the number one beauty in China.

"The film series 'From Vegas to Macau III,' produced by Bernard, written and directed by Wong Jing, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Zhang Jiahui, Liu Jialing, Li Yuchun, Xiang Zuo, and others, officially wrapped up filming this morning!"

"Director Wong Jing stated in an interview that 'From Vegas to Macau III' will continue the style of its predecessors and will be released during the Spring Festival, unafraid of strong competitors!"

Huang Xiaoming Studio issued a public announcement: Following "The Glamorous Imperial Concubine", its sister series "The Glamorous Imperial Concubine: The Splendid Years" has completed preparation and been approved for development.

Huang Xiaoming will once again serve as producer, executive producer, and lead actor, co-starring with South Korean actress Park Shin-hye in a cross-border romance.

"."

In the chairman's office of Shanhe Building, Wei Jin was scrolling through news online, looking somewhat speechless.

Goodness, in the last movie he was a powerful figure in the business world, with connections in both the legal and illegal worlds; in this one, he's the heir to a listed company, and the woman is an adopted daughter from a once-wealthy family that has fallen on hard times.
The same melodramatic plot, the same domineering CEO template—just how much does Huang Xiaoming like this type?

However, one thing must be acknowledged: Huang Xiaoming is definitely a model of hard work among male celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry.

She had just finished filming "Xuanzang" and immediately started a new project, while also being busy with her wedding. She is truly dedicated!
Just thinking about Huang Xiaoming's wedding in two weeks made Wei Jin's head buzz.

Because in addition to the four imperial concubines, Liu Shishi, Bai Bin, Liu Yan, Wen Yongshan, Fan Bingbing, Yang Mi, and Nazha all received invitations.

Even excluding those who were genuinely unable to attend, a conservative estimate suggests that the number of women present at the wedding who had relationships with the Wei and Jin dynasties was at least in the double digits.

They say three women make a drama, so I hope I don't cause any trouble for myself.

"dong dong dong~~"

The knocking on the door suddenly interrupted Mr. Wei's reverie. He looked up and saw that it was Wen Muye.

"Senior, I've finished the storyboard for 'Sheep Without a Shepherd,' could you give me some pointers?"

"Row."

Wei Jin nodded, took the documents handed to him by Wen Muye, and began to read them.

It's clear that although he was picky before, once he accepted a script, Wen Mu put his heart into it.

These dozens of pages of storyboards are the best proof, including the original script he was given, which was already covered with numerous notes.

"Not bad, you really are talented. This type of storyboard is not difficult for you."

Upon hearing this, Wen Mu's previously serious face broke into a smile, as all his hard work over the past few days had finally paid off.

"What are your thoughts on the actors?"

Wen Mu shook his head, "Not yet. Senior brother, do you have any suggestions?"

"I've already decided on Zeng Li for the female lead, and for the male lead, I'd like Zhang Songwen. As for the other roles, you can decide for yourself."

To be honest, the original Xiao Yang did a good job, but he's only just entered the film industry and has a strong comedic background, so it will be a bit difficult for him to handle this role.

As an artist under the company, Zhang Songwen's acting skills are absolutely qualified, and his overall qualities are also very suitable for the role, so he can definitely handle it.

Besides, Zhang Songwen has already helped clear several hellish dungeons, so it's time for Boss Wei to give him a reward.

"No problem. Teacher Zeng and Teacher Zhang are both excellent actors. Their collaboration will definitely be a great help to the project."

Wen Mu had no objection to Wei Jin's arrangements and readily agreed, but then he changed the subject.

"However, senior brother, since Teacher Zeng, a Cannes Best Actress winner, is in the cast, I think the lineup should be even stronger."

What do you think about casting Gong Li for the role of the second female lead, the police chief? Two award-winning actresses acting together would be absolutely amazing!

"Hmm? You've got some serious ideas, kid." Wei Jin raised an eyebrow, glancing at Wen Mu with surprise. But then, upon further reflection, he had to admit that the idea was indeed brilliant!
As a high-ranking and charismatic police chief, Gong Li is definitely among the top actresses of her generation in the Chinese film industry.

As for the original Chen Chong, hmph, his bias is so extreme, Boss Wei wouldn't even look at him. He should just go cool off somewhere else!

With this in mind, Wei Jin nodded under Wen Mu's expectant gaze.

"Okay, then inform President Zhong later and ask her to personally extend the invitation. Also, the script can be submitted for review as soon as possible."

"okay!"

As expected, the vice president of Shanhe Media Group personally approached Gong Li to offer her the role, and the script was so excellent that Gong Li's team agreed after only one day of consideration.

The news that the script for "Sheep Without a Shepherd" had been submitted for review has also spread within a small circle of people in the industry, attracting a lot of attention.

Sure enough, several long-term partners, such as Fiber Optic Lao Wang, Xi'an Film Studio Chairman Deng, Shanghai Film Studio Ren Zhonglun, and Wanda Ye Ning, all called to inquire about the situation.

Even though La Peikang himself was too embarrassed to make a phone call, he sent his secretary to inquire about the situation.

Wei Jin did not hide anything from this, stating frankly that it was Wen Muye's project and that the budget had not yet been finalized. He added that if the investment budget was high, he would inform everyone.

Clearly, Wei Jin's words subtly conveyed his refusal.

Because "Sheep Without a Shepherd" is a series, it is generally not possible to bring in other investors.

However, perhaps because Wen Mu was not well-known and his past record was not particularly impressive, these companies did not persist in pursuing him despite his polite rejection.

Only Old Wang, the fiber optic engineer, had a hint of resentment in his voice when he hung up the phone.

After dealing with the calls from these people, Wei Jin picked up a document on the table and began to read it—it was a report on the ratings of "Nirvana in Fire" provided by the TV drama production department.

In fact, previous media reports were not unfounded; the initial viewership ratings for "Nirvana in Fire" did indeed fall short of expectations.

With a premiere rating of only 0.9%, this marks a new low for TV dramas produced by Shanhe Media in recent years.

Unfortunately, this is a historical drama about political intrigue, and it has a long setup in the early stages, so it's a slow-burn type of show.

Given that "The Disguiser" is currently airing and the plot is at its climax, it's understandable that the show had a poor start.

Fortunately, by the eighth episode last night, the ratings had steadily increased to 1.2%, so the brand was not ruined.

Moreover, it has received excellent reviews online, with a rating of over 9 points on Impression.com, making it a truly unique gem among period dramas!
Based on this positive reception, the TV series production team anticipates that as the plot progresses, it will easily surpass 2 ratings, and reaching a peak of 3 ratings is also possible.

Wei Jin also expressed his strong agreement with this assessment.

He hadn't paid much attention to the specific ratings of "Nirvana in Fire" in his previous life, but he figured that a political drama considered a classic shouldn't have had too low ratings.

After putting down the documents, Wei Jin checked his email again and found a summary of the box office results for "Maze Runner: The Scrambler's Descent" sent by Hunter.

The film was released in global markets last Friday, but its performance can only be described as below expectations.

Compared to its predecessor, the production cost of "Maze Runner 2" doubled, reaching $60 million.

However, after the first three days, neither the 3640 million in the North American market nor the 7180 million in the global market could compare to the first film.

Moreover, its reputation has also declined significantly. Not only did its IMDb rating drop from 7.5 to 7.2, but its Rotten Tomatoes score plummeted from 81% for the first film to 49%.

According to assessments by Hollywood professional organizations, given the strong performance of "Black Mass" which was released at the same time, "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" is estimated to barely break $300 million in global box office revenue.

Hunter felt very guilty in the email because it was his idea to increase the budget, and he was also in charge of reviewing the script.

Wei Jin took this in stride and offered words of comfort in his reply email.

After all, in the film and television industry, it is perfectly normal for sequels to not be as well-received or as successful as their predecessors.

Moreover, even with a doubled budget, based on a final box office of $2 million, "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" still has a profit margin of over 100%.

We can't expect every film to make over 100 million US dollars in profit, can we?
The following day, the annual Bazaar Charity Night was held in Beijing.

Compared to last year's lackluster lineup, this year's lineup is much more impressive.

According to the previously announced list, more than 400 business leaders, entertainment stars, cultural figures, and social celebrities will gather at Bazaar Night to contribute to charity.

In fact, this is an inevitable result of the rapid development of the film, television, and entertainment industry.

Because camera time, exposure, public image, social circles, trending topics, status, and so on are all things that celebrities must fight for.

Of course, Wei Jin had never been interested in such occasions, so he arranged for Zhong Lifang to attend on behalf of the company and make the donation on his behalf.

After leaving the company, Wei Jin went to the Golden House and enjoyed Song Yi's attentive service.

Today's card game was initiated by Song Yi, naturally to thank Boss Wei for getting her a role in "The Disguiser".

Although Song Yi is only the second female lead in this drama, she is very popular and eye-catching due to her character design and styling, and receives a lot of support.

This can be seen from the fact that Song Yi's Weibo followers surged by more than five million in just over twenty days since the premiere of "The Disguiser"!
It's worth noting that even though she had previously starred in "About Time" and "The Taking of Tiger Mountain," the company did a lot of marketing for her.

However, movies do not increase an actor's national recognition as much as TV dramas. Over the past two years, Song Yi's Weibo followers have remained around five or six million.

Now, one drama has propelled her to over ten million Weibo followers, instantly elevating her to near-A-list actress status. Who wouldn't be excited?!
However, perhaps because he hadn't eaten meat in a long time, Song Yi, who clearly wanted to repay the debt of gratitude, quickly collapsed under the persuasion of Boss Wei.

"Xiaoyi, are you alright?"

Song Yi gently released him, her face flushed with shyness yet unwavering determination, "President Wei, I can do it. Please don't hold back tonight."

~~~
(End of this chapter)