Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 652 The Unexpected Protagonist

Neither Lu Chuan nor Feng Xiaogang took Lu Yang seriously, or to be frank, they did not take "Kowloon Walled City" seriously.

This is the most direct manifestation of the decline of Hong Kong films.

What Li Chen is doing now may be seen by many people as a step backward in history.

Because the decline of Hong Kong films is an inevitable trend.

This is not something that can be turned around by just one or two people.

Once the Oriental Dragon awakens, not only Asia but the whole world will take notice.

The premiere of "Kowloon Walled City" was quite special. With the fame of Li Chen and the influence of the brothers Sammo Hung and Shing Lung, except for Jet Li, almost all the action actors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong and Macau were present.

Walking the red carpet with Li Chen were returnee Jiang Shuying, junior Yang Zi, and freshman Jiang Peiyao.

As soon as Yang Mi got off the car, she saw Jiang Shuying, who stood out from the crowd next to her senior.

I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt a sense of loss.

Compared to Jiang Peiyao's curiosity and Jiang Shuying's calmness, Yang Zi was much more excited.

The four of them walked onto the red carpet, and all they could hear was the shouts of "Little Leo" coming from all directions.

"Isn't that Jiang Shuying?"

"I said it looked familiar!"

"Tang Yan and Yang Mi left, new people were signed, and Jiang Shuying returned. Leo brought these three people here today. Is he hinting that he will promote these three people in the future?" The reporters in front of the red carpet were discussing.

On the red carpet, Yang Zi was extremely excited: "Boss, this is too discouraging."

"The fans of the three of us, no, not counting Pei Yao, the fans of me and Sister Shuying combined are not as many as your passers-by fans!"

Jiang Shuying and Jiang Peiyao both smiled: "Yes, boss. Who is the actor?"

Li Chen waved to the fans on both sides of the red carpet and said with a smile: "What's the difference between you three and newcomers now?"

"Bringing the three of you here not only shows off our reputation and expands our network, but it also serves as a signal."

"What signal?" Jiang Peiyao was wearing a denim outfit that was both cool and sweet. Compared with Jiang Shuying who was wearing a white V-neck dress next to her, it was relatively dull.

Li Chen glanced at Jiang Peiyao and did not explain.

For a newcomer, without capital support and background, it is extremely difficult to stand out.

Yang Zi and Jiang Shuying should have some experience, but Jiang Peiyao is really a novice.

The four left their names on the autograph board and were immediately surrounded by reporters.

"Director Li, you have new people around you. Zhou Xun, Tang Yan, and Yang Mi left, and here come these three. You are walking the red carpet together today. What do you mean by that?"

"Director Li, are these three the new talents you plan to promote next?"

"Director Li, do you think that "Kowloon Walled City" can survive the pressure from "The Feast of the King" and "1942"? "

"Yesterday, Lu Chuan's bold words about the 'Four Pharaohs' didn't really take 'Kowloon Walled City' seriously. What do you think, Director Li?"

The reporters' questions were varied.

It was not until this moment that the three golden flowers felt the charm of the boss beside them.

No matter how strong the wind and waves are, I will sit firmly on the Diaoyutai.

The dense crowds of media reporters and kaleidoscopes in front of me were almost crowding my face.

The smiles of the three of them froze a little.

But the boss still seemed to have that expressionless expression.

Li Chen also heard about the premiere of "The Banquet" yesterday.

Lu Tailang compared Cheng Long, Li An, Feng Xiaogang and Liu Weiqiang to the four pharaohs, and himself to a masked gladiator. Once he took off his veil, he would be fighting one against four. He deliberately ignored Lu Yang.

In fact, Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at him, the King of Pei.

Li Chen laughed in his heart: "I brought the three of them here today to see the world. One day, they will leave Rongchen Pictures. By that time, the three of them should be able to stand on their own like Tang Yan and Yang Mi."

Li Chen did not mention Zhou Xun in this sentence, and those who were paying attention had already heard the hidden meaning.

"Director Li, why didn't you mention Zhou Xun? Do you think they can't achieve what Zhou Xun has achieved?"

Jiang Shuying and Yang Zi were both stunned for a moment, neither of them reacted. If this reporter hadn't raised these questions, they would still be wondering how their boss would answer these questions.

"Zhou Xun's achievements are inseparable from her talent and hard work. There are so many excellent actors in the mainland, but there is only one Venice Film Festival winner, Zhou Xun."

"Whether it's Yang Mi or Yang Zi, they still have a long way to go if they want to reach Zhou Xun's level. Of course, I also hope that they can surpass Zhou Xun. It depends on themselves."

"For Rongchen Pictures, it is a piece of cake to promote a newcomer to a top star."

"But to become a movie queen, it is a foolish dream just to rely on praise."

The media reporters were in an uproar. Leo is still the same Leo. There are nine buckets of arrogance in the world, but Li Chen's words are eight and a half buckets.

This kind of words is even more overbearing than what Ying Huang Yangshoucheng said back then: "Whoever I support will become famous."

To become a first-tier star is a dream that many newcomers have been longing for.

For Leo, it's effortless.

But none of the media reporters at the scene, as well as Jiang Shuying and the other two newcomers, thought that Li Chen was talking nonsense.

Yang Mi was still on the red carpet when she saw her senior being surrounded by the media again, and he couldn't even pay attention to her, a top star.

There is no top star in front of the senior, because he himself is the eternal protagonist.

“As for what you said about Lu Chuan not taking Lu Yang seriously, I have a message for him: word of mouth does not rely on online trolls, and box office does not rely on imagination. He should first successfully enter the billion-dollar director club before pursuing his dream of becoming a gladiator!”

This sentence was like a shot of high-intensity stimulant to the media reporters, and the public sentiment suddenly surged.

The reporters wanted to ask more questions, but Li Chen waved his hand and said, "Okay, stop asking. No matter how much you say, we still have to rely on the box office to speak."

"How well "Kowloon Walled City" does at the box office depends on whether the audience buys it, but in a fistfight, the four young masters of the Walled City and Wang Baoqiang, who is a Shaolin monk, can each fight one against a hundred."

The crowd burst into laughter. Li Chen's last sentence was both humorous and full of attitude.

"Boss, you are so handsome!" Yang Zi looked like a fangirl, with stars in her eyes.

Jiang Peiyao and Jiang Shuying's eyes also lit up.

A man's charm, conversation and temperament are all sure to win.

If the two are combined into one, it will appeal to all ages and genders.

"Do you still think my fans are suffering more than you?"

The three girls were delighted.

Yang Mi, who was surrounded by reporters, asked the following question: "Yang Mi, Director Li just said that Yang Zi will become a top star like you in the future."

Yang Mi smiled and said, "I never doubt this. When the senior signs someone, the moment he signs, it is like stamping a seal of approval." "Of course, I'm not talking about myself, but it's the fact."

At the premiere, Li Chen's few words in response to the media were posted online within half an hour.

The big names in the industry who came to attend the premiere looked at Li Chen with admiration, envy, appreciation, and inquiry.

Liu Dehua, who plays Tornado, has a close relationship with Li Chen and speaks without any reservations.

"You, you are unwilling to take any loss. Lu Yang just asked me how to deal with the media. Now that you have made a statement, Lu Yang and Deng Chao will not be able to fool you."

"Brother Hua, I'm just speaking the truth. We're all squeezed into the same schedule, so who wouldn't want to create a topic? If I'm not doing this for 'Nine Dragons', am I doing this for Lu Chuan and Feng Xiaogang?"

Hong Jinbao had a big belly. As soon as he came closer, he heard what Li Chen said. He smiled and interrupted, "Director Li is right, Huazi, this is just like us learning martial arts."

"When masters fight, they show no mercy. Our fight with The Banquet and 1942 is not only about who is better, but also about life and death."

Li Chen and Hong Jinbao nodded and smiled, "That's right, Brother Hua, there is no need to be soft-hearted at this time. I now finally understand why your Yingyi Entertainment is always half dead."

"I I." Liu Dehua shook his head and smiled bitterly. He said "I I" twice but couldn't make any excuses.

The two-hour "Kowloon Walled City" was full of fist-and-flesh fighting scenes, which made the guests on the scene feel energetic and not tired at all.

There was applause.

Both the media and actors at the scene were surprised to find that what impressed them most about the play was not the two leading actors, Liu Dehua who played Tornado, or Deng Chao who played Pojun.

Not to mention the other three young masters of the city.

Instead, it was Wang Baoqiang who played the villain Wang Jiu.

A group of main creators were invited to the stage.

The hosts Jingwei, Lu Yang and Liu Dehua interacted with the main creators one by one.

When asked about Wang Baoqiang, Jingwei smiled and said, "Baoqiang, do you know how everyone felt after watching the role of Wang Jiu you played in "Kowloon Walled City"?"

Wang Baoqiang scratched his head and smiled in his typical silly way: "I don't know, I hope I wasn't scared."

The stars and lucky audience members in the audience applauded.

"Let's ask a few audience members, starting with the other member of the Baolan Brothers, Wang Zulan."

Wang Zulan took the microphone handed over by the staff and shook his head and exclaimed exaggeratedly: "I can't believe he is 'Baby', it's amazing."

"I think Bao Bao was obsessed with martial arts in Shaolin Temple just like the crazy and ruthless Wang Jiu. Otherwise, Wang Jiu would not be able to practice Shaolin's unique hard qigong!"

Deng Chao on the stage immediately grabbed the microphone and interrupted, "Team Lan, Bao Bao is much more ruthless than Wang Jiu! On the set, Bao Bao beat me, the big brother of Running Man, until I cried!"

Deng Chao's revelation immediately surprised the guests at the scene.

Wang Baoqiang was still scratching his head in a naive manner. He was completely different from Wang Jiu.

Jingwei threw the question to Li Chen again.

"Director Li, you were the one who led the casting of Kowloon Walled City. I'm very curious about how you came up with the idea of ​​letting Bao Qiang play the role of Wang Jiu. We all know that in the audience's mind, Bao Qiang's first impression is that of a comedian."

"It was your debut film Lost on Journey that led to Baoqiang's acting style being identified as a comedy, but today you have broken this view yourself."

Li Chen sat in the audience, surrounded by bigwigs like Han Saping.

If someone else sat among these people, he would seem out of place.

However, Li Chen seemed to be in the dominant position. Not only was he not inferior to Han Saping, the head of Chinese film industry, but he was even more powerful than Han Saping.

Many people at the scene had this feeling, but they couldn't remember when this feeling started.

"I chose Bao Qiang because he has practiced martial arts and I promised him that I would give him a role where he could show off his skills. Secondly, the character of Wang Jiu is crazy and arrogant. Letting Bao Qiang, who is a cute 'baby' in the eyes of the audience, play the role will create an unexpected effect."

"From the feedback from the audience today, it has been proven that my choice of Ze Baoqiang to play Wang Jiu has achieved unexpected results."

"In my opinion, once this play is released, Wang Jiu will even steal the limelight from Tornado and Po Jun. Bao Qiang has endowed the character of Wang Jiu with a soul."

"Another action actor from both sides of the Taiwan Straits has to be named: Wang Baoqiang!"

Wang Baoqiang's face still has a smile on it, but if you look closely, you will find that his hands are shaking.

He finally understood what Director Li meant by that sentence that year.

Wang Jiu is a supporting role, but he may also surpass Tornado and Pojun to become an unexpected protagonist.

The production of "The Banquet" cost nearly 100 million yuan and took nearly two years to complete.

The long journey wore out all of Qin Hong's patience.

Look at the summary of screening rates sent by people below.

Qin Hong's expression kept changing, and finally he sighed helplessly.

China Film Group Star Cinema could adjust the first-day screening rate of "The Banquet" to 65%, but no one from Wanda and Dadi's other seven cinema chains would buy Qin Hong's face, let alone Lu Chuan's.

“Boss Qin, there’s nothing we can do about it. The first-day screening rate of The Banquet in the other seven theaters is only 30% at most.”

"Kowloon Walled City has Andy Lau and Running Man's Deng Chao and Wang Baoqiang joining the cast. With this lineup and the advantage of the subject matter, and the fact that it is produced by Rongchen Pictures, the screening rate is almost the same as 1942."

“Unless The Banquet can take the lead with less than 30% of the screenings on the first day, it’s hard to say what will happen next.”

"I know, get out."

Qin Hong certainly understood this principle, but was it possible? Against Feng Xiaogang and Rongchen Pictures, with their film scheduling rate not being superior, could they turn the tide?

But the production of "The Banquet" was full of twists and turns, and it had already been cheated once. After finally passing the review, he did not dare to delay it any further.

"I was really bewildered at the beginning. How could I treat Lu Chuan as a treasure!" Qin Hong had a thousand questions in her mind.

Lutaro was also extremely nervous at this moment.

Whether he can hold his head high or not depends on this shock today.

On the 29th, three major dramas kicked off.

Both Feng Xiaogang and Lu Chuan were extremely nervous.

Maybe Feng Xiaogang is a little more relaxed.

Only Li Chen, this bug, knew that "1942" would be Feng Xiaogang's Waterloo, and "The Banquet" would be the breakup scene between Qin Hong and Lu Chuan.

In the early morning of the 30th, Lu Chuan still didn't feel sleepy at all.

At three o'clock in the middle of the night, Qin Lan woke up and found that Lu Chuan was not around.

I immediately got up and walked out of the bedroom, only to see that the lights in the living room were not on. Through the light outside the window, I saw a figure sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Qin Lan immediately turned on the light and said, "What's wrong? Why don't you go to bed and sit in the living room alone?"

Lu Chuan didn't say anything and kept her eyes closed, as if she was dead.

Qin Lan was sitting next to him. Seeing him holding a cell phone, she glanced at it curiously.

There was only one text message from President Qin: The first day box office was less than 700 million, so don’t brag to me anymore!
(End of this chapter)