Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 339: The Comeback Story of "Ong-Bak"

The original author was very unhappy because his name was too small and hard to find on the promotional poster for "A World Without Thieves".

But apart from him, none of the audience members cared about this.

Some viewers who were unaware of the movie "A World Without Thieves" bought tickets for the film after seeing the words "Zhongyuan Yidian Hui" in the cinema.

Although the film has been promoted since the beginning of its production, there are always some people who don't usually pay attention to the news.

There are many people like this in this era.

Many people don't use the internet and don't watch TV or read newspapers. For such people, no matter how the media reports, they won't see it.

But such people will occasionally go to the cinema to watch one or two movies.

For example, when you're on a date with a girl.

In fact, this group contributes a large portion of the domestic film box office.

Before Cao Sheng's rebirth, with the domestic marriage rate plummeting and money becoming increasingly difficult to earn, many men lost interest in dating women, let alone getting married.

Then came a phenomenon that left the film industry speechless: the film market collapsed.

It wasn't until then that many people realized what group had been supporting the film market all along.

And it's pretty much the same now.

In China, very few young men and women go to the movies alone.

Even fewer women pay for their own movie tickets.

It's mainly men taking women to the movies.

These couples on dates don't necessarily go to the movies specifically for a particular film; many choose which movie to watch after entering the theater.

"A World Without Thieves" became the first choice for many viewers as soon as it was released.

The main reason is that the cast and crew of this movie are so attractive.

Feng Xiaogang + Zhongyuan Yidianhui + Andy Lau, Gong Li, Ge You...etc. Feng Xiaogang is a comedian, and this impression has begun to take root in people's minds. Most men and women on dates want to have a good mood, so comedies are their first choice.

Zhongyuan Yidianhui... In the last two or three years, there are very few people in China who haven't heard of this name.

Therefore, seeing this name can pique the interest of many viewers.

With the addition of big-name stars like Andy Lau, Gong Li, and Ge You, the appeal is practically maxed out.

So, a few days later, Feng Xiaogang started shaking.

When facing reporters, he was full of confidence. In the words of a certain Li, he was so ordinary-looking, yet so confident.

"Director Feng! 'A World Without Thieves' has grossed over ten million yuan in just three days. What are your thoughts on this?"

A reporter from a media outlet asked a question while holding a microphone.

Feng Xiaogang grinned, "Isn't this what we should do? I added a little bit of ash from Zhongyuan, plus big stars like Andy Lau, Gong Li, and Ge You, and the box office broke ten million in three days. Is that surprising? Is this your first day as a reporter? Next!"

The next reporter asked: "Director Feng! What do you think of Zhongyuan Yidianhui's other film, 'Ong-Bak'? As far as I know, its total box office in mainland China in its first week barely exceeded ten million, which is much worse than your film 'A World Without Thieves'. What is your opinion on that film?"

Feng Xiaogang scoffed, "A script from Central Plains with a touch of gray is definitely a good script, but not every actor is Andy Lau! Besides, my film also has Gong Li, Ge You, Bingbing, and others. What kind of star lineup does 'Ong-Bak' have? I admire director Tsui Hark's ability, but he doesn't understand how to make commercial films. He should learn from me in this regard."

The third reporter: "Director Feng! Are you saying that Zhao Wenzhuo's box office appeal is far inferior to Andy Lau's?"

Feng Xiaogang shrugged, "Is that even a question? Next!"

……

The news sparked heated discussions online.

Some people say Feng Xiaogang is too arrogant.

Some people say he's right; the cast of "Ong-Bak" is indeed much worse than that of "A World Without Thieves".

Some say that Feng Xiaogang's success is not due to his own talent, but rather to the popularity of comedy films.

and many more.

There are various versions of the story.

Zhao Wenzhuo, who was in Hong Kong promoting "Ong-Bak," returned to his residence that evening and saw Feng Xiaogang's review of "Ong-Bak" online, especially the sentence "Not every actor is named Andy Lau," which made him frown and remain silent for a long time.

He certainly knew that his box office appeal was far inferior to Andy Lau's.

However, Feng Xiaogang's attribution of the poor box office performance of "Ong-Bak" to him still left him feeling quite uneasy.

Am I not trying hard enough?
He stared at the computer screen, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He asked himself how hard he had worked, how much hardship he had endured and how much sweat he had shed over the years, only to be ridiculed like this.

He's just not number one in the industry, does that mean he has to be ridiculed like this?

Among Chinese action actors... who are currently ahead of him? If he can't surpass him, can someone else?
Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

The existence of these two individuals perfectly illustrates what it means to have a winner-takes-all mentality.

The best resources in the industry are given to them first, and only what's left after they've chosen can be used by other action actors.

Given that you are inferior to these two in terms of qualifications, resources, and so on, how easy is it to surpass them?
But the audience only wants to see the best.

Thinking about how he had filmed so many training videos for Cao Sheng in order to get the opportunity to star in "Ong-Bak," but the box office still failed to pick up, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

……

Xu Ke was also in a bad mood.

This evening.

In a tea room, Xu Laoguai sat by the window, gazing silently at the grass, trees, and night outside. His wife, Shi Nansheng, sat opposite him, picked up the teapot, filled his teacup, and, as she put the teapot down, asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about?"

Xu Ke glanced at her and sighed softly, "I'm wondering if we should reschedule the release of 'The Legend of Zu Mountain'."

Shi Nansheng was a little surprised, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Huh? How could you have this idea? Wasn't it scheduled for release in October? This movie has such a large investment; haven't you been eager to release it as soon as possible to recoup the costs?"

Xu Ke chuckled self-deprecatingly, "The situation is unfavorable!"

Shi Nansheng asked, puzzled, "What do you mean it's not doing well? You mean 'Ong-Bak' didn't do well at the box office?"

Xu Ke nodded slightly and sighed, "Yes! I was originally thinking that if 'Ong-Bak' was released first and did well at the box office, my fame would rise further. Then, I would release 'The Legend of Zu' right afterward, which should boost its box office. After all, 'The Legend of Zu' has had several additional investments, and too much money has been poured in. If 'Ong-Bak' could boost the box office of 'The Legend of Zu' a little, our chances of breaking even would be greater. But now... hehe, I'm afraid the poor performance of 'Ong-Bak' will continue with 'The Legend of Zu'!"

Shi Nansheng's smile faded, and her heart grew heavy.

The couple did not invest in "Ong-Bak"; Tsui Hark only served as the director and earned a director's fee.

However, the couple invested heavily in "The Legend of Zu Mountain," although they had already recouped some of the funds through their special effects studio.

But... this movie has a huge budget, with an all-star cast and unprecedented special effects in the history of Chinese cinema. The cost of the special effects alone is enough to cover the production costs of many movies.

It's fair to say that this film gambled on Xu Ke's reputation and future.

If "The Legend of Zu" flops at the box office, and flops badly, it's unlikely that anyone will dare to invest in this type of film again for the foreseeable future.

Without investor support, the couple wouldn't be able to afford such a blockbuster on their own.

“Today, Feng Xiaogang said in the media that the failure of ‘Ong-Bak’ was mainly due to Zhao’s poor box office appeal and the weak cast. I think that makes a lot of sense. But ‘The Legend of Zu’ is different. ‘The Legend of Zu’ has a real all-star cast. If we could find Xiaotianquan, we would definitely have cast Xiaotianquan to play all the dogs in this movie. So I think you don’t need to worry so much.”

After a long silence, Shi Nansheng forced a smile and began to comfort her husband.

Xu Ke listened and nodded silently, a smile finally appearing on his face.

Because my wife is absolutely right.

The cast of "The Legend of Zu" is arguably the strongest in the history of Chinese-language films.

The male lead is Ekin Cheng, who is known as the Fifth Heavenly King of Hong Kong.

The female lead is Zhang Komae, the new generation's leading lady of pure and innocent beauty.

Even Zhang Ziyi could only play a minor role in this movie.

The sheer number of stars in this movie is astounding.

This is also an insurance policy he's putting in for the film, hoping that such an all-star cast can provide a safety net for its box office performance.

Xu Ke picked up the teacup in front of him, took two sips, and when he put the teacup down, he smiled wryly and said, "Do you remember what Cao Sheng said when we went to Huizhou to ask him to help revise the script?"

Shi Nansheng smiled and nodded. "I remember. What's wrong?"

Xu Ke looked out the window again and smiled, "I thought his script was a guarantee of box office success, but I didn't expect 'Ong-Bak' to be so disappointing. Now that I think about it, it might not be a bad thing that he didn't help us revise 'The Legend of Zu Mountain,' don't you think?"

Shi Nansheng frowned slightly. "You can't say that. His novel, 'A World Without Thieves,' has been doing quite well at the box office recently."

Xu Ke chuckled, “A World Without Thieves has a source book, but he’s not the original author, didn’t you know that?”

Shi Nansheng: "..."

After a moment of silence, Shi Nansheng asked, "So when do you plan to reschedule the release of 'The Legend of Zu'?"

Xu Ke: "Let's move it to the Spring Festival release! With a fantasy epic like ours, such a star-studded cast, and such a huge total investment, we don't need to be afraid of any other movie in the Spring Festival release window. We should be afraid of everyone else. This time, we're going to be unstoppable!"

Shi Nansheng was very surprised.

She hadn't seen that kind of confidence in her husband for a long time since the movie "The Blade" flopped.

The box office performance of "The Blade" was a complete flop.

The key point is that "The Blade" was filmed by Tsui Hark with great dedication, working tirelessly day and night.

Xu Ke presented what he considered to be high-quality works, but they were not recognized by the market, which was a huge blow to him.

"Okay! I'll discuss this with the distribution company and try to get it released during the Spring Festival."

She nodded in agreement.

She felt her husband was right; with such a star-studded cast and such a large investment, there was no reason for "The Legend of Zu" to shy away from other films.

Moreover, she also wanted to see her husband regain his virility and his former confidence.

She is very capable at her job.

Not long after, they negotiated with distribution companies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, Japan and South Korea to reschedule the release of "The Legend of Zu" to the Spring Festival.

But just two days after she finished this matter, news came from the United States that the release of "Ong-Bak" had been expanded to 520 screens.

At the same time, news also came that "Ong-Bak" had grossed $1300 million in the US after 14 days of release.

Converted to RMB, it's close to 100 million.

When the news came, both Xu Ke and Shi Nansheng were surprised.

I doubted I had misheard, and after confirming several times, I finally believed the news was true.

Zhao Wenzhuo, who had recently become withdrawn and locked himself in his residence for several days without leaving the house, received a call from his agent and was stunned by the news. He was speechless for a long time.

Agent: "Ong-Bak has grossed over $1300 million in the United States, and the distribution company has decided to expand the release to 520 screens."

Zhao Wenzhuo, who answered the phone, slumped on the sofa expressionlessly, his body weak. Upon hearing the call, his expression was blank, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. After a long while, he slowly came to his senses, his eyes suddenly focusing, his expression changing. "What? 520 screens? 1300 million US dollars at the box office? Really? I... I didn't hear that right, did I?"

The agent chuckled, "You heard right. When I first heard this news, I also doubted that I had heard correctly. However, we both heard correctly. In the United States, the movie has indeed received very good reviews recently, and the attendance rate in individual theaters is also quite good."

Zhao Wenzhuo slowly sat up, his eyes shining brightly, his smile widening rapidly, his lips trembling as he repeatedly said, "Good! Good! Good! That's wonderful!"

Before he could finish speaking, tears welled up in his eyes.

The feeling of overcoming hardship and achieving happiness quickly filled his heart.

how many years?

He finally saw hope of reaching the pinnacle of his life.

What excited him most was that this time the box office was booming in the United States.

This is a goal that even Jet Li did not achieve.

Currently, among Chinese-language films, only action movies starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have achieved decent box office success in the United States.

Zhao Wenzhuo's "Ong-Bak" has already grossed $1300 million in the United States, and that's only after 14 days of release.

In this era of worshipping foreign things, the fact that his movies can sell well in the US is a huge advantage!

At the very least, Zhao Wenzhuo can now claim to be an international superstar.

This is a great honor.

Look at those big directors in mainland China. Many of them don't do very well at the box office in China. But just because they won an award at a film festival abroad, the domestic media raves about them as soon as they return to China.

……

The news that Ong-Bak has grossed over $1300 million at the US box office is spreading rapidly.

In Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and other countries, the distribution company and production company are actively promoting this news.

Some media outlets are also spontaneously reporting this news.

When the Chinese public learned of this news, many people's curiosity about Ong-Bak was instantly aroused.

Many people who were not initially interested in this movie suddenly wanted to watch it.

(End of this chapter)