Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 632 National Day, Two Fronts Bloom

On October 1st, giant posters outside major cinemas across the country were replaced with those for "Aftershock." Today is the release date of "Aftershock," but the film's promotion has been unusually quiet from the very beginning.

For a blockbuster film with an investment of over 100 million yuan, the publicity for "The Great Earthquake" seems a bit too quiet.

In the past, films of this type would definitely start various promotions a month before their release, bombarding the media with information from online media, print media, and television.

Several trailers whetted the audience's appetite, followed by a grand premiere to attract even more attention, and finally, amidst great anticipation, the film was released.

The same goes for "Aftershock," with all the usual publicity, except for the lack of a premiere.

Zhong Lifang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, while behind her, behind the transparent glass curtain wall, the staff of Xingchen Entertainment's publicity department were bustling about like worker bees.

She didn't agree with the decision to cancel the premiere, but it was Zhang Chen who made the decision.

The sounds of debate in the meeting room could still be heard three days ago when the company finally decided to cancel the premiere:

Some felt that "it's a pity that a big production doesn't deserve a red carpet," while others worried that "not having a premiere would make the media feel that it's not taken seriously." But Zhang Chen's last sentence set the tone: "This film tells the story of a generation's wounds. The flashing lights on the red carpet will make people unable to see the tears in the story."

This led to the strange phenomenon that "Aftershock," which had an investment of over 100 million yuan, did not hold a premiere.

The media was puzzled, leading to various speculations, including a lack of confidence in the film's quality and disagreements with director Yi Mou.

But in fact, apart from not having a premiere, the scale of other promotions was quite large, and the level of interest was not low.

On Weibo, a behind-the-scenes video of Zhang Yimou wearing a hard hat and squatting next to a ruined set was shared millions of times. In the video, he was holding a small model and telling the props team, "The broken beam here needs to be tilted two degrees more. That's how the wooden beams of the old houses in Tangshan collapsed back then."
Under the Weibo hashtag #MyMemoriesOfTangshan#, nearly a thousand stories of ordinary people were pushed to the top. One aunt posted old items from 1976, saying, "My enamel basin is just like that, and I also have an electric fan exactly like the one in the movie."
Zhong Lifang browsed the webpage, looking at the millions of reposts, and was very satisfied with the work of her subordinates.

Nowadays, Weibo marketing has become an important means of movie promotion. Whenever a new movie is released, related topics are bound to be created.

Zhong Lifang continued scrolling the mouse, when a pop-up window suddenly appeared on the computer screen—the headline of the entertainment section of the Beijing News was so eye-catching it hurt: "Zhang Weiping: Without me, you, Amou, couldn't have made a 'shocking' film. 'Aftershock' would have been a cheap joke."

Clicking on it reveals a photo of Zhang Weiping during an interview yesterday.

He sat on a luxurious leather sofa, still sporting a gleaming gold chain around his neck, his tone sharper than the lights in the camera lens: "Back then, which of 'Hero,' 'House of Flying Daggers,' and 'Curse of the Golden Flower' didn't I travel all over half of China with the investment?"

Zhang Yimou understands art, but does he understand the market?

He thought the movie could succeed without me, but look at our current collaboration with Star Entertainment—"Aftershock" didn't even have a premiere. How pathetic is that? Without me controlling the publicity and distribution, do you really think you can succeed just by releasing a few behind-the-scenes clips online?"

In the interview, Zhang Weiping spoke with an air of superiority: "Starry Entertainment is smearing me, saying I'm a leech clinging to Zhang Yimou. Fine, I'll see if this film, 'detached from me,' can even gross over 3000 million on its opening day—I bet it's unlikely!"

Seeing Zhang Weiping shouting in front of the media, Zhong Lifang immediately pressed the call button on the table: "Release the materials we've prepared and hype it up!"

Soon, a "rebuttal list" appeared online, listing everything Zhang Weiping had done in the past: interfering with the filming of "Hero", arguing with Zhang Yimou over the casting of "House of Flying Daggers", sowing discord between Zhang Yimou and Gong Li, and refusing to pay Zhang Yimou despite receiving payment from the theaters...

Then at 10 a.m., Star Entertainment's official Weibo account promptly posted a long article with a title that directly hit the nail on the head: "Zhang Weiping's so-called 'achievement theory': Is he a talent scout or a 'blood-sucking worm' clinging to creators?"

The article didn't mince words, listing the evidence of deleted scenes and high percentages of revenue sharing one by one, and finally added a firm statement: "Zhang Yimou's talent, from 'Red Sorghum' to 'Aftershock,' has always relied on his reverence for the story, not on anyone's 'charity.'"

Weibo exploded instantly.

The hashtag #Who made whom successful, Zhang Yimou or Zhang Weiping?# rose to third place on the trending topics list within half an hour.

Someone posted a behind-the-scenes interview from the 2002 film "Hero". In the video, Zhang Yimou is squatting in the desert revising the script, while Zhang Weiping is chatting and laughing with the investors.
Some people countered, "Without Zhang Weiping's resources, who would build a team for Zhang Yimou?"
Someone immediately retorted, "The investment in 'The Great Earthquake' was a joint venture between Star Entertainment and Tangshan Cultural Tourism. It didn't rely on Zhang Weiping for a single penny, and it was still made, wasn't it?"

Zhong Lifang scrolled through the comments; the direction of public opinion seemed to be within a controllable range.

Bringing up old grievances about the "two Zhangs" is a double-edged sword. While promoting them, it will inevitably hurt Zhang Yimou. However, Star Entertainment dared to do this only after obtaining Zhang Yimou's permission in advance.

Zhang Chen valued Zhang Yimou highly. Zhong Lifang thought about it and decided to make a phone call to comfort him. After the call connected, Zhang Yimou said, "Don't tell me about what's happening online. I'm looking at the audience feedback from the cinema. An old man from Tangshan said that the old alley in the film looks exactly like the place where he lived when he was a child. That's more important than anything else."

"Okay, I'll handle the media situation."

Zhang Yimou must have been holding his breath. For so many years, Zhang Weiping had been telling him that while Zhang Yimou was important in the success of New Pictures, Zhang Weiping also deserved great credit.

After hearing this so many times, even Zhang Yimou himself started to believe it.

Now, he also wants to see if he can succeed without Zhang Weiping.

At 3 p.m., Zhang Weiping added fuel to the fire on Weibo.

He posted a photo from 2005: himself and Zhang Yimou standing side by side on the set of "Curse of the Golden Flower," with the caption: "The hardships we endured together back then have now become 'bloodsucking'? Some people forget their roots so quickly."

The comments section immediately split into two camps: some expressed sympathy, saying, "How did this golden duo end up like this?" while others mocked, "Are they posting old photos now because they're afraid the box office results will slap them in the face?"

Every move Zhang Weiping makes is met with curious netizens tagging Star Entertainment's official Weibo account. Star Entertainment's response is simple: "We trust the audience's eyes, and the box office will give the best answer."

This means they're going to use box office numbers to prove Zhang Weiping wrong.

Around 11 p.m., the first day's box office results were released.

When the young woman from the data team rushed into the office, her voice trembling with excitement, she exclaimed, "President Zhong, the opening day box office figures are in! 4620 million! That breaks Director Yimou's opening day box office record!"

Upon hearing this number, Zhong Lifang finally smiled.

She ignored Zhang Weiping and called Zhang Yimou first: "Director Yimou, 'Aftershock' grossed 4620 million on its opening day, breaking your own record."

Zhang Yimou was silent for a few seconds, his tone showing no surprise, only a hint of relief, "Thank you~"

"Director Yimou, it's getting late, you should get some rest too."

"I can't sleep. I just read a viewer comment that said, 'This film is genuine and not padded out.' You see, the audience doesn't care who makes whom successful; they only care about the story."

Zhang Yimou seemed to have a sudden realization, and continued, "I used to think that making a movie relied on 'partners,' but now I understand that what truly sustains it is the reverence for creation, not anyone's name."

After hanging up the phone, Zhong Lifang refreshed Weibo and saw that the trending topics list had changed dramatically—#4620 million yuan box office shattered Zhang Weiping's doubts# and #Zhang Yimou's talent does not need to rely on others# firmly occupied the top two spots.

One media outlet published a commentary overnight: "This debate over 'achievement' has finally ended with box office results: it's not capital that made the director successful, but the director's talent that gave capital meaning." Zhang Weiping's Weibo post—updating it now, the "posting old photos" was gone, leaving only a hollow message posted two hours earlier: "Wishing everyone a happy National Day."

The comments section was full of jokes:
"Why aren't we talking about 'The Great Earthquake' anymore?"

"Does your face hurt, Mr. Zhang?"

"You used to be so arrogant, why are you so quiet now?"

"The box office figures speak for themselves; who are the swindlers, and who has real talent?"

……

On October 1st, the controversy surrounding the "two Zhangs" was only one aspect; on the same day, another event occurred—the premiere of "Far Cry" was held.

Just hours before the first day's box office figures were released, the banquet hall of Wanda Cinema in Dongcheng District was ablaze with lights for the premiere of Enlight Media's "Mysterious Island."

The red carpet stretched from the parking lot to the entrance of the lobby, with reporters holding cameras crowding both sides.

Wang Changtian walked in the middle of the red carpet, his dark blue suit making him look even more dashing.

He had just stopped to wave to his fans when he was surrounded by reporters.

"Mr. Wang, isn't Enlight Media worried about its first film being released today, clashing with Zhang Yimou's 'Aftershock'?"

When the first question was posed, the sound of camera shutters suddenly increased.

Wang Changtian smiled, his smile full of confidence and his tone full of composure: "What's there to be afraid of? 'The Great Earthquake' is a disaster drama film that tells the story of national sentiment and the weight of humanity."
Our film, *Far Cry*, is a thriller, targeting a young audience with suspense and excitement. It's like a main meal versus a snack—the audiences are completely different, so where's the competition?

As he spoke, he stepped aside, and the lead actors behind him walked over. As soon as the actresses in their sequined gowns appeared, the reporters' cameras immediately turned in their direction. No matter the circumstances, the allure of pure white is always incredibly strong.

But isn't this snow-white color a bit too...?

Moreover, all of the actresses are this big?

Is this movie about selling sex appeal?
The reporters were puzzled.

Wang Changtian just said that "The Great Earthquake" and "Lost in Thailand" are not in the same genre at all, and there is no competition between them.

They are definitely not the same type.

So to speak,

The poster for Far Cry features a ship with several women on board in a state of panic. Anyone who has seen the poster and asks, "How many people are on the ship? How many men and how many women?" will have no recollection. All they remember is a sea of ​​white.

After the red carpet event, the screening began quickly.

Enlight Media is also following Star Entertainment's example, skipping the pretense and going straight to the main feature.

Zhou Liming sat in his seat, quietly waiting for the movie to begin.

He is a professional film critic, specially invited by Enlight Media, and he himself is full of expectations for this movie, which sounds like a thriller judging from the title.

"Mysterious Island" is not Enlight Media's first film in the strict sense. Enlight Media invested in "Confession of Pain" in 06. However, it is the first film that Enlight Media has taken the lead in investing in.

This film marks Enlight Media's official entry into the production field, and Zhou Liming also wants to see what Enlight Media's vision is like.

His expectations weren't high; he just wanted something on par with "The Descent."

As a film critic, before the movie started, he kept silently reminding himself of the points he needed to pay attention to:
What is the core of the story?
How are the characters portrayed?

Did the actor's performance impress him?
What kind of expression does the director intend to convey? Are there any metaphors?
Does the film reflect a certain social problem?
These are all issues that film critics need to pay attention to. One of the most common things film critics do is watch movies with questions in mind.

But after watching the whole movie, Zhou Liming was a little dumbfounded.

He didn't know about others, but he watched the whole movie and didn't write anything down in his notebook until the very end.

It wasn't that he didn't want to record, but that he didn't know what to record, because he didn't see the points a film critic should make—none of them.
The movie wasn't particularly profound, but it wasn't a bad movie either, because he enjoyed it from beginning to end, and when he looked back at the plot and details, he couldn't find any major flaws.

This……

What exactly is going on?

Zhou Liming felt a little embarrassed. "I'm a professional film critic, how could I lose my ability to think while watching a movie?"

But upon closer inspection, that snow-white color is truly beautiful.
……

In the evening, short reviews from film critics began to appear online.

The account "Film Observer" posted a status update: "Mysterious Island: Director Wang Jing's attempt at 'visual priority'. The poster is full of gimmicks and should be renamed 'Snow White Horror'. However, the plot is as floating as an isolated island, the horror scenes rely on sound effects to carry it, and the characters are as thin as paper. If it weren't for the lively premiere, it would be hard to remember anything other than 'snow white'."

The account "Film Vanguard" also posted an update: "I've seen the movie. To sum it up in one sentence, the first half is pure white, and the second half is thriller + pure white."

In the comments below, some people echoed, "All I remember after watching it is the bikini," while others joked, "It's a good thing it's not the same genre as 'Aftershock,' otherwise the contrast would be too obvious."

As Zhong Lifang put her phone back in her pocket, the data team just sent her the real-time screening schedule for "Aftershock"—cinemas nationwide gave it a 35% screening share, significantly higher than "Mysterious Island's" 22%.

As she gazed at the darkening sky outside the window, she suddenly realized that Wang Changtian's argument about "no competition" was not wrong:

While "Aftershock" recreated the lively atmosphere of Tangshan's old alleyways on the big screen, "Mysterious Island" was attracting young audiences with screams and snow-white scenes.

While Zhang Yimou was reviewing audience feedback, Wang Changtian received applause at the premiere.

Two parallel lines, each with its own direction, together formed two sides of the film market on October 1st: one side is the weight of creation, and the other is the bustling commercial scene.

(End of this chapter)