Actor: Thank you.

The following day, at the China Film Stellar International Cinema in Beijing, in IMAX Theater 1.

IMAX theaters are usually large halls.

Because the screen width has to be at least 15 meters, it can't be small.

With the added cost of playback equipment, they naturally hope to sell more tickets.

Most IMAX theaters have a capacity of 150 or more people, or even 200 or more.

There were just under 200 people at the annual meeting yesterday, which filled the theater to capacity.

Zhang Yuan deliberately moved to the last row, giving the prime middle seats to the children and young people from the company.

At first, these people didn't dare to sit down.

The boss's cat is in the corner, and we're sitting casually in the middle—isn't that inappropriate...?

This generation, those born in the 80s and 90s, still consider these issues.

If it were someone born after 00... move aside, I'll sit here!
He persuaded them for a long time, saying that today was prepared for everyone, before his subordinates finally sat down peacefully.

This is called putting yourself in someone else's shoes. If you treat me like a national hero, I will repay you as a national hero.

Even after the theater went dark, there were still scattered whispers.

"Our boss is incredibly resourceful!"

"It was arranged as soon as it was said."

"Right? Tickets are hard to buy outside, and he even booked the whole place."

"It seems that big stars still have enough influence."

"It's just..."

They assumed that Zhang Yuan had successfully used facial recognition to receive this "benefit."

Their direction was correct, but their process was wrong.

He got the job by using his face, but not by relying on his celebrity status.

For big-name celebrities, booking out entire movie theaters and making arrangements with the theaters is no problem.

But this film is unusual.

And the theaters didn't charge him!

Completely freebie!
Firstly, Star Media is also a shareholder of film companies across the Taiwan Strait, so their relationship is already quite special.

Xingmei is quite powerful in Beijing, ranking third in annual revenue with around 5000 million yuan.

But giving up such a popular film would mean losing over 100,000 yuan in revenue, and we'd also have to adjust the schedule.

It's so troublesome, yet it's free. Ultimately, it all comes down to the decision Zhang Yuan made earlier.

That means not going against the cinema chains along with Zhang Weiping!

I will not engage in a direct confrontation or participate in his revenue-sharing battle with theater chains.

This not only turned him into a bystander, but also into an object that needed to be "united fronted".

After all, the cinemas didn't want him to suddenly go and support Zhang Weiping.

Moreover, Zhang Yuan has a group of Hong Kong bigwigs behind him.

Although the arrangement was loose, no one dared to gamble on the possibility of something going wrong.

I have a nuclear bomb in my hand. Even if I forget the password, you wouldn't dare gamble on whether I'll go crazy.

So recently, all the cinemas have gotten along very well with him.

We need to keep him calm; fewer enemies mean a greater chance of victory.

Furthermore, Zhang Yuan's reputation for causing trouble is so widespread that Zhang Weijian still doesn't dare to film in mainland China.

Everyone knows that this person is equally good at doing good and bad things.

The benefits weren't limited to the convenience of watching movies; the other party also promised a host of other advantages, such as future screenings, promotion, and revenue.

Zhang Yuan thought it was best to just listen and not believe it. "I'm not a three-year-old anymore. I won't believe whatever you say."

Whether what's said now can be fulfilled is a big question mark.

Rather than living up to these "promises," it's better to reap the immediate benefits.

His recently released film has an advantage in terms of screenings.

First is "Bodyguards and Assassins," which is still airing now.

We have secured a minimum of 15% of the screenings for four weeks, and we are required to maintain a certain amount of screenings during prime time.

It won't be given only garbage time because it's being squeezed out by "Avatar".

The upcoming films "Just Another Pandora's Box" and "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf: The Tiger's Roar" also benefited from this, securing a "guaranteed minimum" (a significant financial guarantee).

But for every extra screenings, there must be a shortage. Scheduling is a zero-sum game; it's impossible to exceed 100%.

Zhang Yuan benefited, but who suffered?
Hua Yi's "Hot Summer Days" and Donnie Yen's "14 Blades".

Isn't this just a coincidence? No, they're all on the same side...

I didn't do it on purpose, it was just a coincidence, hehe.

"It's not bad." Cheng Hao leaned closer and said while watching the movie.

The experience was especially breathtaking when soaring through the sky and seeing the floating island modeled after Zhangjiajie's "Qiankun Pillar".

Several scenic spots across China launched a "battle" after the movie's release, all centered around the "origin" of the floating islands.

People are vying for even Pan Jinlian's hometown, so it's not surprising that they're vying for Avatar.

I just don't know whether this trend of "everything for money" from individuals to the collective is good or bad.

Zhang Yuan couldn't really criticize him, because he was also a beneficiary.

It's shameless to bang on the table and curse while eating.

“That’s good,” he replied.

"When will our country be able to make films like this?" Cheng Hao muttered.

“We can’t rely on this generation; we have to look to the next generation of practitioners.” Zhang Yuan reached out and put his hand on the back of the chair, while casually hooking his arm around Cheng Hao’s shoulder.

Without cultural confidence, there's no point in talking about leading the world.

After watching it, most people who are seeing this film for the first time will find it beyond words: breathtaking.

This is what they mean by "it's a sin to disobey a master." At present, there is indeed a generational gap between domestic and foreign technologies.

"That horse, I feel like it's about to crash into my face!"

"I'm scared just looking at those big birds."

"It's so beautiful, I don't even want to blink."

Is this film about environmental protection?

As Zhang Yuan walked towards the passage, he heard his men talking and shook his head.

Demolishing trees doesn't equate to environmental protection.

Ultimately, this film is still a "space Vietnam War movie".

The Na'vi on Pandora represent various indigenous peoples, including Native Americans.

It is obvious that white colonists were invading other countries.

Judging from the film's content, it's about technologically advanced dwarves hunting a beast king...

"Hmm, I think the female lead in Avatar is kind of sexy," a young man from the company said, stroking his chin.

"Hey, are you making a statement?" a female employee next to her said disdainfully.

Zhang Yuan said that women really have no sense of romance.

That's exactly what I wanted – Avatar!
I wouldn't want anything other than Avatar.

What's so despicable about this kind of XP? It's much better than the BL novels that you women like.

Furthermore, the Na'vi could communicate by connecting with each other through braids.

That way, men won't have to guess what women are thinking anymore, wouldn't that be great?

"I still think that female fighter pilot is sexier, she has a kind of wild beauty."

"No way, you like dark-skinned, muscular women."

“Michelle isn’t that dark-skinned.” Zhang Yuan interjected at this point: “She just appears darker on camera compared to white people.”

"She is South American, not Black."

"Moreover, when she's not filming, she doesn't have that much muscle; she has a typical Western physique."

This person's ancestral home is in the Dominican Republic.

In the Fast and Furious franchise, the bald guy is portrayed as having connections with Dominican warlords.

The movie is fake, but the "sister-in-law" is real.

"Oh..." The people nodded after listening. After a while, they realized what was going on after Zhang Yuan left.

The celebrities you only see on the big screen are just business partners in your boss's life.

People have seen the real thing...

Take the hidden fire elevator from the back door downstairs and go directly to the underground parking lot to catch your car.

In the basement, I saw lightbox advertisements on the walls.

It's a movie theater advertisement.

"Hehehe..."

"Something fun?" The older sister asked, turning her head when she saw him suddenly smile.

"Look," Zhang Yuan said, pointing to the advertisement.

"What are you looking at?"

"The ads for Avatar are so big, but the ads for A Simple Noodle Story are so small."

Among the films released at the same time, a domestic film was squeezed into a tiny square by imported films.

Logically speaking, given Zhang Yuan's personality, he should have sided with domestic films.

When doing things, one must have a stance and stand united against external forces.

But at that moment, he had only one thought.

"Should!"

……

Meanwhile, in an office building in the capital city.

Although the end of the year is approaching, there is no festive atmosphere in this office.

On the contrary, it was very bleak.

"That's too much!" Zhang Weiping slammed his hand on the coffee table, making a loud bang.

If anyone in the world feels heartbroken by the immense popularity of Avatar...

So the first one to be affected is Fox.

Because they didn't have a high opinion of Cameron and the film, they handed over the rights to "Avatar" to him on the condition that he reduce his salary by $500 million.

I reckon the company's board of directors wants to get rid of the CEO right now.

And Cameron therefore thought the people at Fox were idiots and stopped playing with them.

The second person should be Zhang Weiping.

After all, everyone is making money, even scalpers can have a prosperous year.

Zhang Weiping was the only one who ran headfirst into this project.

"A Simple Noodle Story" is not the worst of Zhang Yimou's works, but it is still considered one of the worse ones.

Avatar is the highest-grossing film in global film history, a record that has remained unbroken for over a decade.

Of the top five highest-grossing films worldwide, two Avatar films occupy the top three spots.

Not to mention Zhang Yimou, Spielberg, George Lucas, and Cameron would all be intimidated in a head-to-head matchup.

The key is that "A Simple Noodle Story" generated a huge buzz!
Zhang Yimou's first major work after the Olympics. A powerful collaboration with Zhao Benshan's stunt team.

Remakes of foreign classics.

The fact that the press conference alone was a major event is incredible; Zhang Weiping went all out with the publicity.

Teacher Zhao, who had just recovered from her illness, also attended.

After being hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage last time, he was in poor health and it took him a long time to recover.

His thinking changed, and he quickly donated money to a brain disease hospital.

Teacher Zhao comes from a humble background and is very pragmatic.

Next time there's a problem, at least there'll be someone to help.

However, when he attended the press conference, the questions he was asked most were not about his health, but about his recent purchase of a plane.

Teacher Zhao was vague in his answer, but those who know him well know that an order has already been placed.

Including costs and taxes, it will cost close to 200 million.

That's how the media is; they don't care about an artist's health at all, unless you die, then they'll swarm you.

However, they are very concerned about your private life.

Both lead actors, Yan Ni and Sun Honglei, expressed their deep commitment to the film.

After all, it's a film by Zhang Yimou, and both of them were counting on this film to become A-list movie stars.

He even boasted that the film was of very high quality and that he had already seen it.

Films shot by oneself will definitely have a "familiarity filter," and besides, it's impossible to say something is bad at a press conference.

In the beginning, there was a great commotion with gongs and drums, firecrackers, and red flags...

However, after the film was released, it received only two words of comment.

"cheap film".

They didn't say it was a comedy, but rather that the actors in it were all acting like scoundrels.

Viewers found it unappealing, not only because the plot was uninteresting, but also because the visuals, which Zhang Yimou excelled at, became somewhat disjointed due to the excessive incorporation of Errenzhuan (a type of folk opera) style.

Film critics were even more disappointed.

Some even went so far as to say that as the chief director of the Olympic opening ceremony, Zhang Yimou was a figure representing the face of the country, so how could he produce such a "vulgar" work?

Xiao Shenyang was already embroiled in controversy, which also caused Yan Ni and Sun Honglei's reputations to suffer.

Of course, it was Zhang Yimou who was criticized by the public.

Zhang Yimou has great artistic ambitions; he wants to try all kinds of works.

This inevitably leads to failure.

The public had very high expectations of him, which was a huge disappointment.

Fortunately, thanks to the contrast with its peers, it still has a minimum standard.

Jay Chou's "The Treasure Hunter" was released recently, and compared to that, Zhang Yimou's film is alright...

This is just public opinion.

When industry insiders and theater chains saw the quality, performance, and audience response of "A Simple Noodle Story," they all looked on with disdain.

"That's it?"

You, Zhang Weiping, are using this film to justify your frantic demands for a higher share of our profits?
I bother!

With box office earnings of just over 100 million, less than 200 million, you still have the nerve to challenge us?

Meanwhile, Avatar, released around the same time, has already grossed nearly 10 billion!

Although anyone who runs into Avatar will die.

But the fact that China's top director died so tragically and so easily is still quite astonishing.

Therefore, the cinemas felt confident and stopped negotiating with Zhang Weiping altogether!
Just three words, on what basis?

You have to rely on your abilities to get things done, and you don't have any abilities, do you?
So Zhang Weiping lost his temper and stomped his feet repeatedly in anger.

Not only because the film's box office performance was poor, but also because they suffered a complete defeat in their battle with the theaters.

This defeat was so crushing that it will be much more difficult for them to make a comeback in the future.

But given Zhang Weiping's personality, would he blame himself for being greedy?
No, of course not.

"Zhang Yimou, how could this have happened this time?"

"Didn't you say the movie was pretty good?"

Zhang Yimou kept blinking.

Many of the audience's outbursts were caused by your interference. Why are you coming to me for help?
His already dark and thin face looked even darker.

"And that kid too!"

"That Zhang Yuan!"

"If he hadn't gone back on his word, this might have been a win."

"it's him."

She blamed him again.

Zhang Yimou looked helpless.

It should be said that among the three great directors in China, compared with Chen Yimou and Feng Xiaogang, Zhang Yimou is a more down-to-earth person.

First of all, he started out carrying equipment and working as a photographer.

Therefore, after watching Avatar, he felt no dissatisfaction whatsoever, only admiration for the technology and his foreign counterparts.

This kind of admiration is almost like kneeling, after all, the gap is too big.

But his attitude is sincere and he is willing to learn.

Furthermore, Zhang Yuan had called him before, saying that he would not participate in this attempt to pressure the cinemas.

He had already greeted them, and they were very polite and respectful. Even when Zhang Weiping started cursing, he didn't join in; he couldn't bring himself to speak.

He didn't think Zhang Yuan had done anything wrong.

He could empathize with Zhang Yuan because neither of them could gain any real benefit from the matter.

You, Zhang Weiping, make money off me, but you don't give me any dividends.

You should give me my salary for the previous few movies first!

Zhang Yimou has a kind of thin skin, similar to that of an engineering or science student.

"Wei Ping, whether a movie does well at the box office depends on many factors."

"We can analyze this later."

“There’s something I need now. I have the remaining 500 million yuan in salary from ‘Curse of the Golden Flower’ that I’ve been owed.”

"The New Year is coming soon, and the children need to buy new clothes."

"I still have to pay my mortgage, so I'm short on cash."

The creditor, Zhang Yimou, is as humble as a beggar.

"Ah... this matter." Upon hearing this, Zhang Weiping immediately snapped out of his previous cynical state.

After rolling his eyes twice, he made a helpless expression.

"Tsk, oh dear."

"You know perfectly well that the company's money is all outside, waiting for the theaters to settle accounts."

"This time we had a falling out with the cinemas, and we don't know when we'll get our money back."

"I'm worried about it myself."

They were just criticizing the cinemas, but now they're using them as an excuse.

“But…” Zhang Yimou frowned, and Zhang Weiping immediately stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

"But I understand your situation; you do need money."

“I still have 100 million yuan in my personal account, which I originally planned to use to settle accounts with my partners.”

"You'll have to take care of things first."

"But this is my personal money, not the company's, so the accounts need to be kept separate."

"Well then, we've been friends for years, so just give me an IOU."

Zhang Yimou: ...

Zhang Weiping not only refused to pay the bill, but also wanted Zhang Yimou to write an IOU.

Even that old Jewish guy from Wall Street would have to call him an expert.

Then Zhang Weiping changed the subject again, continuing to berate Zhang Yuan and other colleagues.

Words like disloyal, unrighteous, unkind, and unfilial have come out.

In short, the world is at fault.

While we're at it, let's also put down Zhang Yimou so we can easily renege on our debts...

Director Zhang was also a bit fed up with the PUA tactics, and eventually slammed the door and left, ending the meeting on bad terms.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan said goodbye to Qian Ge and the others in the underground parking garage.

"Little Yu Siyang, isn't it pretty?"

"Great!" Guo Xiaobao replied instantly.

Children are the most innocent; they analyze good and bad entirely based on their feelings.

"Is it the movie that's better, or the pretty lady?" Zhang Yuan asked the probing question.

"Don't make things difficult for him," Teacher Guo said with a smile, seeing her apprentice's conflicted expression.

"How about this, next time I'll find a pretty lady to go to the movies with you, okay?" Zhang Yuan changed his mind.

"Lion and Tiger are the best!" Guo Xiaobao's gloomy mood vanished, and he hugged his leg with a big smile.

Okay, kids are innocent and simply like beautiful things like pretty women, which is understandable.

Heroes think alike!
"Alright, stop bullying the child."

"You've corrupted him." Cheng Hao patted the child's head.

At this moment, Brother Qian pulled Zhang Yuan aside.

"Thank you so much today."

"The movie is not bad."

"Of course, as long as everyone is happy." Zhang Yuan did indeed have the feeling of being the head of a family.

"It could be even better," Brother Qian murmured after lighting a cigarette.

"What's a good idea?"

"There's another movie coming out soon, it's also a 3D film."

"Unfortunately, it seems that it's not allowed to be released in China. I wonder if you can handle it."

"Wow, there's a really high difficulty level here." Zhang Yuan thought to himself that there weren't many movies that Brother Qian would be interested in.

We have to get this done!

"You tell me, I'll find a way. Whether it's booking a whole theater or finding a source of the film, there's always a way."

"what movie?"

After exhaling a puff of smoke, Brother Qian said in a low voice.

"It seems to be called something like '3D Sex and Zen'..."

Zhang Yuan: …

It's not easy to handle.

He glanced back at Cheng Hao, who was bending down to talk to little Yu Siyang.

With this child's family's bad habits, do you think I'd be the one to corrupt him? (End of Chapter)