Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 786 The World's Number One

On July 6th, the Venice Film Festival released an official poster. The poster maintained a cool and aloof style, featuring German actress Nastassja Kinski. The organizers claimed that her image could represent independent films of the 1980s.

Li Chen also received a call from his old friend Markel Muller.

Old Ma told Li Chen some inside information: "Mr. Six" was submitted to the Venice Film Festival, but it did not meet the selection criteria for the main competition and was only given a screening section.

Li Chen was puzzled; why would Lao Ma personally make a phone call about something so trivial?

"There's one more thing, Li Chen. The organizing committee has given 'Mr. Six' the status of being the closing film."

Li Chen suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. If La La Land wins an award, the two production teams will inevitably have some interaction on the last day."

"Old Ma, the Venice organizing committee has thought of everything very thoroughly!" Li Chen understood the ins and outs in an instant.

Reports indicate that the current president of Venice, Barbara, will be re-elected as the next president of Venice.

His top priority will be to find a way to engage in further discussions with the thriving landscape of Chinese film production.

Three years have passed since Barbara shouted the slogan "Let the film festival return to cinema," and despite her efforts, she has been unable to reverse the media's continued pessimism about Venice.

The rapid development of the domestic film market has made it impossible for any international film festival to ignore the presence of Chinese filmmakers.

A single film like "La La Land" is already eye-catching enough; choosing another blockbuster to close out a film festival would be the icing on the cake.

Feng Xiaogang, Wu Yifan, and Li Yifeng are all top figures in China.

Markel Muller wasn't surprised at all by Li Chen's teasing; no one knew Chinese cinema better than his old friend.

Markel laughed heartily, "I knew I couldn't hide anything from you. Barbara's had it tough too!"

Li Chen suddenly thought that if "Mr. Six" were to be nominated for the main competition at the Venice Film Festival, would Xiao Gangpao also be thinking of replicating Ge You's dream of winning a Best Actor award from one of the three major film festivals?

However, Xiao Gangpao's acting skills are just hype from the media; he plays the same pathetic character no matter what role he plays.

Li Chen didn't pay attention to the drama "The Disguiser" and in the end, Hou Hongliang still got the role.

However, for the male lead, Li Chen put in one of his own people, Zhu Yilong, who replaced Hu Ge.

Hou Hongliang had no objection to this.

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" premiered in theaters nationwide on the 10th, and Li Chen and his wife also contributed to the box office success of this domestic animated film.

Around 19 p.m. on the 10th, a commotion suddenly broke out at the screening of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" at the Shanghai Broadway Cinema.

Although Li Chen and Liu Yifei were wearing masks and baseball caps, they were still recognized by sharp-eyed audience members.

"Li Yifei and Leonardo DiCaprio are watching 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' in Theater 3!" With a shout, the media at the scene quickly blocked the theater exit and VIP passage at Lewis's 100-meter sprint speed.

Li Chen held his wife tightly in his arms, while four tall bodyguards stood beside them, blocking the enthusiastic audience.

"Excuse me, could you move aside?"

Excuse me, could you move aside?

Fortunately, the audience members weren't fans of Liu Yifei; otherwise, Li Chen and Liu Yifei's four bodyguards might not have been able to withstand the sheer number of people.

The two made their way to the exit, but the media had already blocked the way.

The microphone was immediately pushed in front of the two of them.

Li Chen simply took off his mask, and Liu Yifei followed suit, revealing her true face as well, but she gave her husband a reproachful glare.

"Director Li, you and Yifei are here today to support 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back'!"

Today is the first day of the release of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back", with a screening rate of only 7.80% and not many media outlets present.

However, everyone looked overly excited, and it's likely that the news of Li Chen and Liu Yifei appearing at the screening of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" will soon top the real-time trending searches, and the media will flock to the scene.

"Director Li, what do you think of 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back'? We never expected you and Yifei to support it! Aren't you competitors?!"

The reporters were quite surprised, after all, "Your Name" was released at the end of the month, and the two films were, in theory, competitors.

Li Chen actually came to support his competitor.

And Liu Yifei is here too, today is the day when "Gardenia in Blossom" and "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" are being released together.

The two skipped the premiere of "Forever Young," where Liu Yifei appeared, and instead went to see "Monkey King: Hero Is Back."
Who would have thought of this?

"Sissi and I came here today purely as audience members, but I must say, it was well worth the trip. We filmmakers should naturally give more support to such a good film," Li Chen said eloquently.

"As for the competitors you mentioned, that's all nonsense. I'd like to have as many competitors as possible!"

Some audience members screamed, while others applauded continuously.

Liu Yifei nodded gently and smiled, "He just told me that he would watch it again when he has time, it's really good."

The scene was filled with laughter as Li Chen and Liu Yifei answered several questions from reporters as they walked.

Liu Yifei only breathed a sigh of relief after getting into the car.

Li Chen laughed heartily.

"What are you laughing at!" Liu Yifei said, puffing out her cheeks.

“Next time we go to the movies, I won’t take you. You’re too distinctive, wearing a mask or not makes no difference.” Li Chen returned the favor to his wife’s previous comment about his plain looks.

Liu Yifei snorted arrogantly: "If you didn't bring me, I'll bring my son by myself. Without you, my son and I can still live a carefree life."

One sentence silenced Li Chen's temper.
Before the two even returned to the riverside villa, news of Li Chen's voice in support of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" went viral on social media.

Sina Entertainment News

"Li Chen and Liu Yifei, a married couple, made a surprise appearance at the 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' theater! They praised their rivals and said the trip was worthwhile!"

"At 19:30 p.m. tonight, a commotion broke out at the screening of 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' at the Shanghai Broadway Cinema. Li Chen, president of Rongchen Pictures, and his wife Liu Yifei made a low-key appearance in the regular audience seats, without clearing the audience or using the VIP channel."

"When the end credits rolled, the audience recognized the top celebrity couple in the dim light, eliciting gasps from the entire venue. Even more surprisingly, Li Chen took the initiative to accept an interview with the media present, praising this 'rival' domestic animation without reservation."

The official Weibo account of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" posted overnight: "Thank you for the support of Director Li and his wife! Chinese animators will always remember this day."

Tian Xiaopeng also forwarded and responded: "I watched Rong Chen's trailers for 'Maleficent' and 'Your Name' 15 times. Director Li is a senior, thank you for your support, Director Li and his wife."

Netizens and media outlets alike praised it highly.

"Leonardo DiCaprio truly is a flag bearer for Chinese filmmakers; his level of achievement is beyond the reach of most people!"

"We recommend applying for the Guinness World Record for 'Most Expensive Audience Member of the Year'!"

"Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Liu Yifei say it's good, so I really can't think of a reason not to go see it!"

Li Chen and Liu Yifei's on-site explanations gave "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" a completely new treatment.

Although the screening rate on the first day of release was only 7.80%, the box office revenue was only 1795.6 million yuan.

But starting from the second day, artists from Rong Chen's group, including several top celebrities, posted their movie ticket stubs to support this domestic animation.

Theaters also adjusted their screening schedules, and the film, with a screening rate of around 15%, broke through 1 million yuan in box office revenue on the second day, achieving a spectacular comeback.

The positive word-of-mouth further confirms Li Chen's reputation.

Netizens are giving it scathing reviews: Leonardo DiCaprio recommends it, a truly heartfelt recommendation!
With the Journey to the West being so popular, another production company related to the Journey to the West couldn't stay idle either.

What's more, the female lead in this Journey to the West drama was once Rong Chen's artist.

Southern Metropolis Entertainment News

Today, Lu Jianming, the producer of "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three," posted on Weibo: "Congratulations on the start of filming for 'A Chinese Odyssey Part Three'! Liu Zhenwei is still as sharp as ever, creating another classic!"

"Also released were photos from the film's opening ceremony, showing Mo Wenwei's character design and Zhong Xintong in a group photo. Furthermore, Lü Jianming confirmed in a Weibo comment that Tang Yan will play Zixia Fairy." Liu Yifei called Tang Yan to congratulate her best friend.

Only afterwards did Liu Yifei belatedly realize: "Did you deliberately drag me to see 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back'?"

She knew her husband's character too well; he was extremely purposeful in everything he did.

Since he knew she would be the center of attention wherever she went, he still deliberately went to the regular hall with her.

"You're only just realizing it now? They say women become stupid for three years after pregnancy, but in your case it's been more than three years!"

"You're the idiot!" Ms. Liu roared, throwing a cushion at her husband.

Li Chen laughed heartily.

"Are you deliberately supporting this domestic animation?"

"Of course, if we don't support it, are we going to support 'Lady of the Dynasty: Yang Guifei'?"

Speaking of this blockbuster film, which has been fraught with twists and turns and is set to be released at the end of the month, Li Chen was somewhat dismissive.

Li Chen ignored Fan Bingbing's invitation, even though the film was co-directed by Zhang Yimou and Tian Zhuangzhuang, and the two leads were the male and female leads of his film "Passengers".

Fan Bingbing didn't force him. Now that Brother Chen has such power, he does whatever he wants.

Just like his and Liu Yifei's sudden appearance to support "Monkey King: Hero Is Back", the film's box office exceeded 7 million yuan in just one week.

"Ming-ge, have you called Chen-ge yet?" Fan Bingbing and Li Ming rode together in a black van towards the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

“We’ve called. Director Li probably won’t come. It seems to be for our publicity. You know what I mean.” Li Ming smiled gently.

Fan Bingbing frowned slightly. Of course she knew about the promotion of "Yang Guifei," which focused on her and Li Ming's passionate scenes.

Especially the scene that was about to start, which was arguably the most thrilling scene she'd ever filmed since "Apple".

A few days later, Fan Bingbing's film "Yang Guifei" held its premiere in Beijing.

Beijing News reported

"Last night, the premiere of the film 'Lady of the Dynasty: Yang Guifei' was held in Beijing. This is a commercial blockbuster that marks the second collaboration between the two after 'Passengers'."

"The two passionate scenes between Li Ming and Fan Bingbing on horseback and the final scene where they 'love each other even in death' are quite explicit, leaving the first batch of viewers speechless."

"Then today, the production company released another lychee poster that sparked the imagination, casting a rosy hue over this seemingly serious large-scale historical costume film once again."

When "Empress Wu Zetian" was broadcast, Li Chen wanted to watch it purely out of curiosity, since he had never seen it in his previous life and had it edited into a big-headed doll.

However, this "Yang Guifei" series has been taking a shameless approach since its promotion began.

The way the two lychees are arranged is enough to make anyone's imagination run wild and want to find out more.

The breasts that were drastically cut off in "The Legend of Wu Datou" are all brought back in "Yang Guifei".

With the success of the Chinese animated film "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" as a precedent, the highly anticipated "Monster Hunt" has finally been released.

Following this was Da Peng's PPT mashup of "Jianbing Man"!
The latter, thanks to the fans accumulated by "Men's Diary" and the numerous celebrity cameos, grossed 130 million yuan on its opening day, only 40 million yuan less than "Monster Hunt".

But among the directors who grossed over 100 million yuan on the first day, Da Peng is the youngest.

China Film Report
"Since its release on July 16, 'Monster Hunt' has topped the box office charts and, together with 'Jian Bing Man' and 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back,' has helped the mainland film market achieve its biggest box office ever."

"On July 20, the official Weibo account of the film's box office announced that the film had grossed over 100 million yuan for five consecutive days, making it the current box office champion among domestic films during the summer season. Meanwhile, 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' has also surpassed 900 million yuan, becoming the runner-up in the all-time box office rankings for animated films in mainland China."

The advantage of "Your Name" lies in the fact that "Maleficent" preceded it, making it a truly simultaneous global release compared to other films.

Before the premiere even started, a report from Taiwanese media has once again stirred up the hearts of female celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry.

According to Taiwanese media reports, Forbes magazine today released its list of the world's highest-paid actresses. Liu Yifei, the Chinese actress who starred in "Vientiane Island," beat Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence to take the top spot with a pre-tax income of $5800 million.

"The runner-up and third place went to 'Jennifer Lawrence' with $5300 million and 'Black Widow' Scarlett Johansson with $3200 million!"

"It is worth mentioning that this is the first time a Chinese actress has surpassed a Hollywood actress to top the list of the world's highest-paid actresses."

"Fan Bingbing, a mainland Chinese actress known as 'Fan Ye,' ranked fifth with an annual income of $2100 million. She is the second Asian actress to make the list, following Liu Yifei."

Liu Yifei naturally didn't feel anything about these things, but other female celebrities and netizens were different.

Fans of the actress were overjoyed, feeling as if she had won an Oscar.

Fan Bingbing tasted bitterness in her mouth; the comments from netizens were too poignant.

If it weren't for Liu Yifei, she would already be very satisfied with fifth place.

After all, she was the only Asian female star on the list.

No wonder Vogou couldn't get Liu Yifei to attend the Met Ball this year!

No amount of top ten actresses can compare to a fairy you can't invite.
It turns out that this year's Met Ball organizers required the Chinese actresses who participated to take a cover photo together.

Zhou Xun and Zhang Ziyi were in the center, while she and the little swallow became background figures.

In contrast, Liu Yifei is much more carefree, never taking Met Ball invitations seriously year after year.

It's true that the man behind a woman determines her level of success.
-

On the day of the global premiere of "Your Name" in Beijing, Li Chen and Liu Yifei also flew back to Beijing.

All the artists from Rong Chen's group who weren't in the production team showed up at the CPPCC Auditorium.

As a newcomer, Zhang Ruonan walked the red carpet with Sister Meng.

"This girl has such a warm smile. Director Li's eye for talent has never failed him."

"She's very warm, very healing, and a little cute. It's been a long time since we've seen a girl like this in the Chinese entertainment industry."

"It's just that her fashion sense is a bit hard to describe; it's like she inherited it from Liu Yifei when she first debuted!"

"Haha, you know what? It's true! She might just be the next Liu Yifei!"

"It's unlikely we'll see another Liu Yifei, but she's definitely a shoo-in for one of the top ten actresses!"

The media on both sides of the red carpet were buzzing with discussion, while Zhang Ruonan on the red carpet was extremely nervous.

"I'm so nervous! I've never walked the red carpet before!" Zhang Ruonan wore an orange headband and an orange dress, and her fashion sense was definitely on par with Liu Yifei's in the past.

She and Sister Meng wore the same light blue sexy strapless dress, but their styles were completely different.

"Don't be nervous. I wasn't nervous at all the first time I walked the red carpet. I was so excited!"

"Sister Meng is truly Sister Meng!" Zhang Ruonan gave her fellow disciple a thumbs up.

"Brother and sister are here!" Zhang Ruonan suddenly saw Li Chen and Liu Yifei walking hand in hand onto the red carpet.

"Brother and sister?" Meng Ziyi thought she had misheard.

Zhang Ruonan quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "They're supposed to be brothers and sisters! The boss and his wife are much older than us, so it's not a loss for us to call them brothers and sisters."

Sister Meng nodded: "That makes sense, but I wouldn't dare! I only dare to call the boss's wife 'sister'!"

Li Chen and Liu Yifei were surrounded by reporters.

"Director Li, the two leads in 'Yang Guifei' are the male and female leads in your 'Passengers.' Will you bring Yifei along as an ordinary viewer, just like you did with 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back'?"

The media are constantly finding new topics to discuss about Li Chen.

They clearly knew that this "Yang Guifei" series would generate a lot of buzz and discussion.

(End of this chapter)