Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 828 It's time to pay back the 8000 million.

Liu Yifei's unparalleled success is unmatched by any other female star in the Chinese entertainment industry or even the Asian entertainment industry.

Ultimately, they have the strongest capital in all of Asia standing behind them.

They not only have access to top-quality content, but also have a supporting operations team and financial resources.

All three are indispensable.

Starting from the third day of the Lunar New Year, some people with good intentions began to take action.

Peng Dailan is the Green Snake, but what about the White Snake? Does Xu Xian exist? Fahai isn't out of the question either, and even the toad spirit killed by Xiaoqing would be acceptable!

Huang Xiaoming, who was spending the Lunar New Year in Qingdao with his daughter, called Liu Yifei on the third day of the Lunar New Year.

“Why don’t you call Liu Yifei and talk to her? I don’t mind playing a supporting role for her! What, do you think I’m not good enough for her?” As soon as Da Baobei got up in the morning, she brought up the topic from last night with Huang Xiaoming again.

Huang Xiaoming took his daughter back to Qingdao for the Chinese New Year immediately after filming wrapped up for "Yunnan Insect Valley".

"Didn't I tell you already? In most cases, Yifei can't make the decision on this kind of thing. Besides, Rongchen has so many people, it's not your turn!" Huang Xiaoming was still quite clear-headed, unlike his darling who liked to make trouble unreasonably.

"How would you know if you didn't call! I'm your wife, can't you just ask me! Besides, if you don't ask, do you think no one else will? You have this relationship and you don't know how to use it, are you stupid!" Da Baobei poked Huang Xiaoming's forehead.

Huang Xiaoming sighed helplessly, "Fine, fine, I'll ask, I'll ask, okay?"

"That's more like it, let's fight now!"

Huang Xiaoming reluctantly dialed Liu Yifei's number.

To be honest, Rong Chen treated him quite well. The "Ghost Blows Out the Light" series not only brought him hundreds of millions of yuan in revenue, but also significantly enhanced his popularity in Asia and around the world.

When Liu Yifei saw Huang Xiaoming's call, she hesitated for a moment before answering the phone.

As soon as the Wonder Woman project was announced, her phone started ringing off the hook again.

Although some people didn't explicitly ask about the character, they were trying to find out the plot of "Wonder Woman" and the meaning of the bits and pieces of information revealed by DC.

"Happy Chinese New Year, Xiaoming-ge."

"Happy Chinese New Year, Yifei! Congratulations! Peng Dailan, this role is perfect for you." Huang Xiaoming said with a smile as soon as Liu Yifei answered the phone.

"Thank you, Brother Xiaoming. I heard you went back to Qingdao. How are your aunt and uncle doing?" Liu Yifei was quite humble and polite. The role of Peng Dailan was indeed the pinnacle of the Chinese entertainment industry.

She couldn't very well say something pretentious like, "What's there to congratulate?"

"Okay, please give my regards to Aunt Liu." Huang Xiaoming considered how to start the conversation.

Liu Yifei was very understanding. After listening to Huang Xiaoming talk for a few minutes without hanging up, and since it wasn't anything important, she immediately smiled and said, "Brother Xiaoming, the movie 'Wonder Woman' is led by DC, so even Li Chen can't get involved."

"You know, that's how Hollywood has always been, but they definitely take a comprehensive approach when casting. I think if there's a suitable role, they'll prioritize top artists with a fan base."

Huang Xiaoming certainly knew all this, but it was best for Liu Yifei to say it.

One important consideration in choosing Lu Han and Lin Gengxin for the film "The Great Wall" was their fan base.

Of course, Jing Tian doesn't count; they also have very powerful backers, but they're just a bunch of laymen.

His wife, Angelababy, currently has no representative works and only a so-so number of fans. Relying on his own connections, he has frequently appeared on various variety shows in the past two years, and has finally managed to barely reach the threshold of becoming a near-first-tier star.

"Of course, Xiaoming will definitely be fine with it," Liu Yifei added with a smile at the end.

Huang Xiaoming laughed and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Auntie. I'll come to see you when I get back to Beijing."

Liu Yifei agreed readily.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Xiaoli, who was sitting next to her, smiled and asked, "Was that Xiaoming?"

"Hmm, he probably didn't mean to make this call. It's rare to see him talking nonsense."

On the other side, the big baby immediately deflated.

"Huayi is getting worse and worse, what should we do?" Da Baobei said dejectedly.

"What can you do? They just spent hundreds of millions to buy your company. Are you going to turn your back and terminate the contract?" Huang Xiaoming said dismissively.

Even if Huayi is terrible, it's still bigger than a horse.

It's still one of the top five private companies, after all.

"Does this mean we're destined to only exist in variety shows?!" Baby asked the burning question.

"Why are you rolling around like this? 'Love O2O' is about to start filming, and 'League of Gods' is going to be released this summer. What do you want, Baby?!" Huang Xiaoming said irritably. Right now, he just wants to create a baby.

They're almost forty, and Director Li and Yifei's second child is about to be born!

"I want to become a top star, a top star like Liu Yifei. Can you make that happen for me?"

Huang Xiaoming shook his head and sighed softly, then went into the room without saying a word.

During the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, "The Mermaid" dazzled everyone.

The speed at which it broke one billion in four days matched the record of "Wanxiang Island".

Of course, "Vientiane Island" broke 900 million in three days, while "The Mermaid" reached nearly 800 million in three days, so there is still a difference between the two.

Even so, the staggering figure of 1 billion in four days is enough to make them the envy of the Chinese film industry.

Such an achievement is something only Li Chen and Zhou Xingchi have accomplished in the entire Chinese film industry.

Wang Zhonglei had a truly frustrating Spring Festival this Year of the Monkey.

Every day, people are being ridiculed by the box office performance of "The Mermaid," and the entire internet is mocking them.

The old saying, "Zhou Xingchi doesn't understand movies at all," has now become a meme.

Various jokes and anecdotes online.

“Wang Zhonglei doesn’t understand Zhou Xingchi at all! Otherwise, how could he be so unwilling to part with 8000 million? Even Liu Neng wouldn’t do something like that.”

"Wang Zhonglei simply doesn't understand the true value of the title 'King of Comedy'!"

"He spent 10.5 billion to buy Feng Xiaogang's shell company worth 500 million, but he wouldn't give 8000 million to the King of Comedy. In the entire Chinese entertainment industry, I admire Brother Lei the most! His calculations are unparalleled!"

Wang Zhonglei's jokes are setting new records every day.

Eleven days after its release, Stephen Chow became the first director in Hong Kong to enter the HK$20 billion club.

Two days before the Oscars, The Mermaid was released for eighteen days, and Zhou Xingchi set a new personal record.

China Film Report
"The Mermaid raked in 30 billion yuan in 18 days! Zhou Xingchi becomes the second director in Chinese film history to achieve 30 billion yuan in box office!"

“2016年2月26日，由周星迟执导的《美人鱼》上映18天票房正式突破30亿人民币。”

"It will become the second film in Chinese film history to join the '40 billion club', following Li Chen's 'Wanxiang Island' (30 billion).

"Zhou Xingchi thus became the second director to achieve this feat, and also the first Chinese director in Hong Kong to have 10 billion, 20 billion, and 30 billion in box office revenue."

"The Mermaid has successfully climbed to the second place in the history of Chinese film box office, only 10 billion yuan away from the champion, Vientiane Island, and still has the potential to reach the top."

Industry insiders predict that if the final box office reaches 35 billion yuan, it will directly threaten the throne of "Wanxiang Island"!

Sina Entertainment News

"The Mermaid has been in theaters for 18 days now. In the first 12 days, the average daily box office exceeded 200 million yuan, making the Spring Festival film season the highest-grossing Spring Festival film season in the Year of the Monkey, and making February the first month in mainland China to exceed 1 billion US dollars."

"On the evening of February 19th, 'The Mermaid' surpassed 24.5 billion yuan at the box office, overtaking 'Monster Hunt' to become the runner-up in the Chinese box office." "Now, the film has achieved a total box office of over 3 billion yuan with its strong momentum, and it is still growing at a rate of about 40 million yuan per day. It remains to be seen whether it can surpass 'Wanxiang Island'."

In a private room at the Kunlun Hotel, a group of bigwigs gathered.

Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, and La Peikang, plus Zhou Xingchi.

Han Sanping’s left was Ren Zhonglun, his right was Zhou Xingchi, and next to Zhou Xingchi was La Peikang.

Of the four, Zhou Xingchi appeared slightly reserved.

Although Han Sanping misjudged the situation, Zhou Xingchi was able to enter the mainland market and achieve a box office of 3 billion yuan.

Both of the deputies present knew who the leader was.

"Are you confident you can take down that kid Li Chen?!" Han Sanping sat down with an imposing air, his short haircut giving him a powerful presence.

Zhou Xingchi looked embarrassed and his smile seemed very awkward.

"Director Han, I wouldn't dare to even think about that."

Ren Zhonglun chuckled and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Li Chen is just benefiting from the subject matter. It's a foregone conclusion that 'The Mermaid' will surpass 'Wanxiang Island' in terms of audience numbers. Be bolder, Director Zhou."

“Li Chen isn’t a god either. Before he debuted, who could compete with you in terms of box office revenue?”

Zhou Xingchi nodded silently and Ren Zhonglun gave him a perfunctory smile.

La Peikang, who was standing to the side, also spoke up: "Director Zhou, you and Li Chen are both rare talents in Chinese cinema. We are happy to see healthy competition between you two. Director Han, don't you agree?"

“That’s right. This time, you have to be fair to everyone in ‘The Demon Subduing Chapter.’ You can’t let that kid Li Chen take advantage of the situation again!” Han Sanping’s words were tantamount to giving La Peikang a direct message.

Han Sanping narrowed his eyes and glanced at La Peikang. His meaning was clear: "I misjudged 'The Mermaid,' but don't worry, 'The Demon Slayer' will definitely be made up for by China Film Group."

Ren Zhonglun quickly chimed in, "That's right. As leading state-owned enterprises, China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group can't always be marginalized. Their market share can't be lower than that of Rong Chen, a private enterprise."

Zhou Xingchi finally understood. No wonder those private production companies weren't at tonight's event.

Even if Li Chen wasn't there, Yang Siwei was in Beijing, and these three people in front of him weren't invited. It was Director Han who was hosting, so it was obvious that he wasn't going to give him a chance to refuse.

Zhou Xingchi was in a difficult position, but since Director Han had spoken, he couldn't refuse.

But Li Chen was really good to him.

Both of them had gone to great lengths to help that family when they were being targeted.

Especially the former.

"Director Han, Chairman La, Chairman Ren, and me..." Zhou Xingchi wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

Han Sanping patted Zhou Xingchi on the shoulder and laughed, "You're worried about Li Chen, right? Don't worry, I'll put in a good word for him and won't make things difficult for you."

Ren Zhonglun watched coldly from the sidelines, secretly admiring Li Chen.

He has gathered box office hits such as Zhou Xingchi, Zhang Yimou, Chen Sicheng, Chen Kexin, and Lu Yang under his wing.

This has relegated China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group to supporting roles.

The combined profitability of the two state-owned enterprises cannot compare with that of Rongchen.

After the New Year, the General Administration held a meeting. Although the leaders had no complaints, both he and La Peikang looked somewhat embarrassed.

His relationship with Li Chen is now distant, and Han Sanping won't go too far, so he can only take the initiative himself.

All Zhou Xingchi could do all night was nod and force a smile.

After the long dinner ended, Zhou Xingchi immediately called Li Chen as soon as he got into his car.

"Is that all, Director Zhou?" Li Chen laughed as soon as he heard that.

It's highly likely that these three people took the chance of "The Mermaid" as the norm.

So they staged a battle between three heroes against Lü Bu.

"Director Li, what should I do?"

"Then let's do as Director Han says. It's your movie, you call the shots." Li Chen doesn't care about the box office of a movie at all right now.

Even if Stephen Chow were to make another "Mermaid," could it possibly compete with "Wolf Warrior 2" and the science fiction novels by Liu Cixin that he has?

Moreover, The Mermaid is Zhou Xingchi's peak work.

Zhou Xingchi was taken aback when he heard Li Chen speak so casually, and suddenly felt as if he was meeting Li Chen for the first time.

He thought Li Chen would be furious, after all, these guys were trying to steal him away while he was away from the country.

To everyone's surprise, their attitude was one of complete freedom to come and go, with no intention of expecting anything in return.

"Director Zhou, I won't go back on my word. You can also sell your share of 'The Demons Strike Back' to Huayi Brothers at a high premium. It's time to pay back the 8000 million."

At this point, Zhou Xingchi was completely speechless.

He thought Li Chen had long forgotten the preface, but it turned out that Li Chen hadn't forgotten at all.

"Director Li, I, Zhou Xingchi, rarely admire anyone in my life, but I am truly impressed by you today."

This was the first time Zhou Xingchi used the formal "you" to address Li Chen.

Li Chen smiled and said, "Director Zhou, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

"Director Li, you've been working hard lately." Zhou Xingchi has also been paying close attention to the Oscars lately.

Almost every day there are reports online about Li Chen in Hollywood, either frequently attending events or appearing on talk shows for interviews.

American media outlets highly praised Li Chen's dedication to his work.

Zhou Xingchi even suspected that Fox and Warner were owned by Li Chen.

Li Chen laughed heartily: "What can I do? I'm just serving my wife!"

-

On February 28, local time in Los Angeles, the eyes of movie fans around the world were on the Dolby Theatre.

"Boss, you look so handsome today!" Dilraba exclaimed, holding her chest with one hand and her mouth with the other while wearing a see-through starry dress by Elie Saab.

Li Chen laughed and said, "It's just that he's wearing a tuxedo, the 'shuai' in 'cricket'."

"I'm going to take a picture and send it to Sister Fei. Boss, how many people will be so envious of me walking next to you today?"

As the two were talking, Chen Kexin and Wu Junru also appeared at the villa entrance.

Following closely behind were Kara Hui, dressed in a cheongsam, and Wong Kar-wai, who is always seen wearing sunglasses.

"Baba is absolutely right, Director Li is indeed ridiculously handsome today," Kara Hui added with a laugh.

“He’s way more handsome than my husband!” Sandra Ng said with a laugh.

Li Chen shrugged: "I hope this tuxedo will bring good luck to the crew. I'm ready to accept the award on behalf of someone else today."

Wong Kar-wai chuckled coolly, "Director Lee, didn't you ever consider that you might not be accepting the award on behalf of someone else?"

(End of this chapter)