During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 849 The New Year's Eve Extravaganza: A Bloodbath in the Lunar New Year Film Season
On the last day of 2015, the last blockbuster of the Lunar New Year season, "Yunnan Insect Valley," officially hit theaters.

After a day and a night of dissemination and fermentation, the popularity of "Yunnan Insect Valley" has reached its peak.

Countless netizens and movie fans stopped and stared, their desire to watch the movie reaching unprecedented heights!

After all, when it comes to appeal, Zhang Yimou is definitely among the top in China, perhaps only second to Wei Jin.

With the immense popularity of the original novel and the phenomenal success of its predecessor during the Lunar New Year season four years ago, expectations for "Yunnan Insect Valley" have been incredibly high.

So much so that even before the film was released, online pre-sale tickets had already been sold out for three days, especially for the IMAX 3D version, which was extremely difficult to obtain.

Based on the backend data, the theaters also made intensive adjustments to the screening schedule, resulting in an astonishing 52.8% screening rate for "Yunnan Insect Valley" on its opening day!

While this data may not be comparable to that of "Lost in Hong Kong" during the National Day holiday, it's important to remember that this is a highly competitive Lunar New Year film season, so generalizations cannot be made!

Looking back at the history of Chinese-language films, no film in the last five Lunar New Year seasons has had a higher screening rate than "Yunnan Insect Valley"!
"Boss, those two brothers from Huayi are probably itching to strangle you right now, haha."

During lunch break, Chen Xi, a member of the "Wandering Earth" crew, was browsing online media reports and jokingly made a comment.

Because it is obvious that this 52.8% screening rate must have been obtained by exploiting other films at great expense.

In the current film market, "Mr. Six," which has just gained popularity due to its positive word-of-mouth, is definitely the first target to be affected.

"Strangle me? Those two brothers, I could take on ten of them!"

Wei Jin pursed his lips in disdain. Although he had not received systematic training, his physical strength was undeniable, and three or five strong men could not get close to him.

Not to mention the two Wangs of Huayi, who are old and whose bodies have been weakened by alcohol and sex. Beating them would be considered unethical and bullying the elderly!
However, the actors at the table dared not engage in the conversation between Wei Jin and Chen Xi, as it involved an entertainment giant like Huayi Brothers.

For a moment, only the sound of people eating remained on the table.

"I'm going to rest first. After you finish eating, hurry up and take a nap, even if it's just for a short while. The scenes this afternoon won't be easy."

After Wei Jin finished eating, he put down his chopsticks and gave a word of advice.

After more than two months of filming, the plot of "The Wandering Earth" has progressed to more than two-thirds of its completion.

This afternoon's filming will focus on scenes involving hundreds of rescue teams driving engineering vehicles, rushing around to carry out rescue operations.

Although only a dozen or so engineering vehicles in the foreground were real, and the other vehicles were created using special effects, the scene was still large enough and the coordination was not simple.

"Okay, Director Wei."

Although it was supposed to be a break, "Yunnan Insect Valley" is, after all, Liu Yifei's film, so how could Wei Jin not care?
After returning to his room, he took out his phone and refreshed the online feedback.

As expected, after a morning of screenings, online reviews and discussions about the film sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

"Holy crap, the special effects of 'Landscape Painting' are absolutely amazing! The 3D version is so cool to watch, I highly recommend it!"

"Besides the special effects, the soundtrack is fantastic! The moment the music starts, the atmosphere of mystery and tension is instantly heightened, making it a high-energy and thrilling experience from start to finish."

"Yifei's action scenes are amazing! She's beautiful and cool! Let's all charge together and send Yifei to the 20 billion throne!"

"Zhang Yimou truly lives up to his reputation as a master director; this second installment is even better than the first. I'm already looking forward to the next installment. I suggest making a film called 'Kunlun Shrine'."

"It's clear that the production team really put in a lot of effort, especially in the research on ancient history, feng shui, burial culture, and the details inside the tombs—it's all incredibly meticulous."

"."

Seeing the almost unanimous positive reviews and an average occupancy rate of 78%, Wei Jin felt more confident.

No matter how you look at it, "Yunnan Insect Valley" has the potential to be a huge hit!

After thinking for a moment, Wei Jin posted a message on Weibo recommending "Yunnan Insect Valley" and tagged Liu Yifei.

Well, the reason I don't tag other people is naturally to curry favor and get some praise.

Unwittingly, Wei Jin noticed another film, "A Moment of Paradise," and couldn't help but shake his head.

This film, starring Shen Teng and Mary, is clearly trying to replicate the miracle of "Goodbye Mr. Loser".

Unfortunately, the production company was stubborn and chose this release date, which will most likely cause problems.

After all, although Shen Teng and Mary have become popular, they are still newcomers in the film market.

In terms of appeal and influence on the audience, she is far inferior to Zhang Yimou and Liu Yifei, a world apart.

As a result, "A Moment of Heaven" didn't generate any buzz at all, completely overshadowed by "Yunnan Insect Valley," with a screening rate of less than 8%!

The same applies to occupancy rates; even "The Breakup Guru," whose daily box office performance continues to show a downward trend, cannot compare.

Wei Jin was almost certain that this "One Thought to Heaven" would only be a one-week visitor at most.

It's even possible that it will be abandoned by the market after the New Year's Day holiday.

However, as comedians, Shen Teng and Mary both have strong hearts, so they should be able to handle it, right?
As the head of China's leading entertainment group and a top international director, Mr. Wei's every move attracts a lot of attention.

When Wei Jin and his crew started working on the big-scene scenes, that Weibo post had already been reposted by countless celebrities and artists in the industry.

Many people, such as Huang Xiaoming, Qiao Zhenyu, and Chen Xiao, even left messages saying they would book the entire venue, but unfortunately, Boss Wei couldn't see them at the moment.

However, perhaps feeling immense pressure, or perhaps wanting to follow suit, Feng Xiaogang also stepped forward to once again advocate for "Mr. Six".

A long Weibo post at 5 PM not only peddled the nostalgia for the hutong culture of Beijing, but also made no attempt to hide the praise for Wu Yifan and Li Yifeng.

In Feng Xiaogang's words, Wu Yifan and Li Yifeng were the starting point for the qualitative change in "Mr. Six" and will be the backbone of the future film and television industry. Even he himself learned a lot from the two during the filming process and benefited greatly.
Good heavens, everyone in the industry was shocked by this move. They didn't have to be so humble to try and attract brainless fans to boost box office revenue.
What can a renowned director learn from two popular celebrities? What can they teach Feng Xiaogang, and how can he benefit from it?

All I can say is that Feng Xiaogang truly lives up to his reputation as someone who rose from humble beginnings; he can say the most shameless things with complete confidence!

Wei Jin didn't have time to mock Feng Dapao, because after filming a large-scale scene, the crew welcomed two beauties who came to visit the set—Liu Shishi and Jin Chen.

To be honest, this was the first time Liu Shishi had ever visited a Wei-Jin drama set in all these years, so she was curious about everything she saw.

She even secretly hoped to play the leading lady of the Wei and Jin dynasties, even though she knew the chances were slim.

After a day of filming, Wei Jin arranged a dinner party. Since it was New Year's Eve, they decided to go for a high standard – a deluxe seafood set meal!
The entire crew was overjoyed. Although they had eaten plenty of seafood before, it couldn't compare to the king crab and Australian lobster at a five-star hotel.

Only Sun Qian's smile seemed forced, because for the past two weeks, visitors had been coming to visit the set one after another.

That stunning Liu Yan just left this morning, and two more have arrived this evening. Judging from their luggage, they'll probably be staying for a few days.

Poor thing, she had just begun to enjoy the newfound favor and hadn't even had a chance to fully savor it before she felt she was about to be banished to the cold palace!

"Perhaps I should take the initiative, or..."

Boss Wei didn't have mind-reading abilities, so he naturally didn't know what the 18-year-old girl was thinking. After the dinner, he took Liu Shishi and Jin Chen back to their room.

"Um~~~"

As soon as he entered the room, Liu Shishi's hot body pressed against him, her soft red lips decisively sealing Wei Jin's desire, while her small hands wandered restlessly.

No wonder, she hadn't eaten meat for three whole months since the pleasure at the end of September.

At 27 years old, it must have been incredibly tough to endure this for so long.

If it weren't for the fact that I've been busy with press releases before the new year, she would have come to visit me on set long ago!
As for Jin Chen, he was even worse.

Good heavens, she hasn't tasted anything for more than half a year since the Shanghai Film Festival.

This time, as soon as the eldest sister made the suggestion, she didn't hesitate for a second and rushed over!
Similarly, Liu Shishi was not much better off, because while they were kissing, Boss Wei's large hands were already reaching out to caress her gently.

So when the kiss ended, Wei Jin noticed that the beauty in front of him had a face full of peach blossoms, and her beautiful eyes were also full of sparkle.

"Brother~"

Liu Shishi said coquettishly, hoping to start the long-awaited reunion tonight, but Boss Wei's face was full of mockery.

"Shishi, what about the surprise you promised me?"

Biting her red lips, Liu Shishi patted Jin Chen, who was still indulging in self-admiration, and said, "Da Xi, go and get the things."

What kind of allure will the intellectual and elegant Liu Shishi exude when she dons a horizontally cut-out bodycon skirt, paired with open-crotch black stockings and high heels, and gold-rimmed glasses?
If Mr. Wei had to describe it, it would be in one word—absolutely amazing!

The stunning beauty reflected in the floor-to-ceiling windows is so captivating that it makes one forget the passage of time.

~~~
After a night of passion, it was already 2016.

While Wei Jin was still embracing two hot and beautiful women in the arms of a virgin, the entire film industry outside was already in an uproar.

It's simply because "Yunnan Insect Valley" really dominated the entire market and swept the entire Lunar New Year film season!
"Produced jointly by Shanhe Media, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Wanda Media, and Fiber Optics, directed by Zhang Yimou, and starring Liu Yifei, Pan Yueming, and others."

The fantasy adventure blockbuster "Yunnan Insect Valley" raked in a whopping 2.13 million yuan at the box office on its opening day, accounting for a staggering 84.73% of the total box office!

"Following directors Wei Jin, Xu Zheng, and Ning Hao, a fourth director has been born whose film grossed over 200 million yuan on its opening day!"

"Affected by the competition from the screening of 'Yunnan Insect Valley,' the action-drama film 'Mr. Six,' which was released during the Lunar New Year holiday, saw its daily box office plummet from 5160 million yuan to 2430 million yuan yesterday, showing a precipitous drop."

"Due to the siphon effect of 'Yunnan Insect Valley,' the box office of the Lunar New Year comedy film 'The Villain Angel' dropped from 1680 million to 420 million yesterday."

"Influenced by the success of 'Yunnan Insect Valley,' the comedy film 'One Thought of Heaven,' starring Shen Teng and Mary, performed poorly at the box office on its opening day, only grossing 1146 million yuan, failing to replicate the success of 'Goodbye Mr. Loser.'"

"Directed by Ning Hao, the suspense comedy film 'Making a Name' has grossed 19.88 billion yuan in 28 days since its release, with a daily gross of 6 million yuan. It is expected to reach 2 billion yuan by the end of the holiday!"

Several major cinema chains have stated that they will further increase the screening rate of "Yunnan Insect Valley" during the New Year's Day holiday and adjust the screening times to meet the audience's viewing needs.

In Huayi's office, looking at the online data and media reports, Wang Zhonglei's face was ashen, as if he was about to explode at any moment!
"Great! Great! They still want to adjust the film schedule in this situation? They're really not giving us any chance at all!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhongjun, Feng Dapao, and Guan Hu, who were standing beside him, remained silent.

The cinema adjustments were expected, but they were a huge blow to "Mr. Six," cutting 2700 million yuan in box office revenue on weekdays. What about during the holidays?
"Bro, how about we do something about it and boost the box office first?"

"better not."

Wang Zhongjun shook his head at his brother's unreliable advice.

"Have you forgotten the lesson of Edko Films? Do you believe that if we make any moves, Wei Jin's counterattack will come immediately?"

"So, are we just going to do nothing and watch the box office continue to drop?"

Wang Zhongjun rubbed his temples and pondered for a long time before finally sighing helplessly, "Besides a direct confrontation, we can't use any other methods. Let's do our best and leave the rest to fate!"
So, today is only the ninth day of its release. In the coming week, director Guan Hu will take Wu Yifan and Li Yifeng to do more promotions to try and maintain the hype.

As for Xiao Gang, let's not wait any longer for "Pan Jinlian." Start filming immediately after the holiday and try to generate some positive attention!

Guan Hu and Feng Dapao exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)