Huayu became famous overnight

Chapter 241 Seeking a Carry

2011 11 Month 11 Day.

The "three for eleven" promotion made Alibaba take this shopping festival extremely seriously.

After all, it's a once-in-a-century event, the 31st.

"How Long Will I Love U," which featured ads for Taobao's Double Eleven shopping festival, was also included in Alibaba's marketing scope due to its impressive opening weekend box office figures.

In addition, Alibaba has plans to enter the entertainment industry.

Qiming, with its rapidly growing momentum, naturally became a target for them to win over.

The promotional resources provided immediately increased several levels.

"Shop on Taobao, the Double Eleven shopping festival..." Xu Ming smiled at the camera.

Yang Mi leaned in and stuck her head into the camera lens, saying, "See you there!"

"Great! Excellent!"

The director clapped and cheered, his tone exaggerated.

"Thank you both for supporting our event." The Alibaba representative stepped forward and shook hands.

"Of course, we've been old buddies for a while now."

Xu Ming shook hands with him and smiled warmly.

His identity is no longer simply that of an actor; he now owns two rising stars in the industry: Qiming Entertainment and Qiming Network.

Not to mention the booming development of [Light and Shadow Ticketing Website].

Some predict that he will be on the rich list within two years.

Therefore, the Alibaba representative felt flattered by Xu Ming's friendly attitude.

Who would have thought that this rising star in the entertainment industry was a sissy wearing a kilt just three years ago?

Countless actors regard Xu Ming as their idol.

The era of Jackie Chan and Jet Li is too far removed from ours, but Xu Ming's era is closer, and many believe that his achievements may well rival those of these two Chinese superstars in the future.

"It's a pity that our Chairman Ma has been extremely busy lately, otherwise he would have liked to meet with you for a long chat, and he's also very interested in collaborating on martial arts films..." the Alibaba representative said regretfully.

"It's okay, there will be other opportunities in the future."

Xu Ming nodded. If he was a rising star in the entertainment industry, then Lao Ma was a rising star in the global business world.

The other party's momentum is even stronger than his own in the film industry.

If you hugged that thigh and plucked a single hair from it, it would be thicker than any of the uncles he had ever known.

However, he's more suited to be a father, and he doesn't quite have the same chemistry with him, who's always looking for uncles everywhere.

After filming the commercial, Xu Ming took Yang Mi to the next screening room for the roadshow.

Looking out the car window at the lush greenery, the latter sighed, "There's heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. It's not easy to come all this way, and I still have to rush through my schedule. Sigh, I wanted to visit West Lake."

They came to Alibaba's headquarters to film an advertisement and took the opportunity to launch a roadshow in Hangzhou.

"Go ahead, you have legs, no one's stopping you," Xu Ming said casually.

"Am I stupid? There will be plenty of opportunities to visit West Lake in the future. Today is the time when 'How Long Will I Love U' is most likely to be a box office hit. I must be crazy to leave."

Yang Mi rolled her eyes. Today is both Singles' Day and Friday.

At this crucial moment in the box office sprint, this film has already fulfilled its mission of dominating the charts for Xu Ming.

But for her, this is her first film as the leading actress, and she can never have too much box office revenue.

"It's good that you know, but don't say later that the company is exploiting you or restricting you."

Xu Ming's words left Yang Mi speechless, and she genuinely felt a bit resentful towards him.

I didn't expect that my expression would be shut down as soon as I tried to express it.

"By the way, once the promotional tour for this movie is over, you can start preparing for your personal studio."

Xu Ming paused for a moment, "In the early stages, I suggest focusing on TV series projects first. As for movies, with the foundation laid by 'How Long Will I Love U,' you can take your time choosing scripts and don't need to rush."

There was no other way; the company had so many artists that they couldn't fit them all into movies, so they had to turn their attention to television dramas.

The latter's leading roles in TV dramas guarantee high viewership ratings.

Furthermore, the mainland film market is still growing, and given the other party's leading advantage in the television drama industry, this is not the time to delve into the film industry.

Not to mention that next year he will gradually reduce his exposure in mainland China and observe the situation before making any plans.

"it is good."

Yang Mi readily agreed, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

She had always had unwavering faith in Xu Ming's judgment.

……

three days later.

Xu Ming walked out of a movie theater in Shanghai.

He and Yang Mi, Guo Fan, and others behind him breathed a sigh of relief.

This is already the fifth city they have moved to.

The high-density roadshow schedule alone exhausted their energy.

Fortunately, Monday arrived.

"Have the opening weekend box office figures been released yet?" Xu Ming asked.

"Let me check out the movie ticketing website. The information you created is much more up-to-date than the media," Guo Fan said.

Indeed, since the website was established, the pre-sale box office revenue it brings to movies has gradually increased.

The online ticketing platform for movies and TV shows became a hot commodity, receiving timely notifications from various official channels.

Nowadays, many media outlets and production companies simply stop asking about box office data and instead stay on websites, where the information is much more accurate than what they would find out themselves.

"Let me refresh this page. The network signal is terrible. I've heard that 3G networks will be upgraded to 4G in two years."

While waiting for the network to refresh, Guo Fan complained, "Upgrading from 2G to 3G, data plans are already so much more expensive, and they'll probably go up even more later. What's the point?"

"Hehe, with faster internet speeds, there are so many more things you can do. For example, your phone is so slow right now that it lags when you browse websites, but maybe you'll be able to stream TV series online."

Xu Ming smiled, a hint of nostalgia in his voice, and said, "If the network signal is good, you can just hold up your phone and do a live stream anytime, anywhere..."

His words sparked a wave of imagination among the people present.

Guo Fan was the first to shake his head: "If we follow your logic, then if we can watch TV and movies on our phones, who will still watch TV? The TV stations will be more anxious than we are."

“Yes, if anyone can do live streaming, the media will basically be replaced,” Yang Mi interjected.

Everyone thought it was too far-fetched.

"Before this, who would have thought that a mobile phone could be used to browse Weibo? Although we are not tech professionals, technological progress is closely related to us."

Xu Ming paused for a moment, then pointed out, "Take Yao Dazui for example. Her commercial value is much higher than that of ordinary female stars, including her popularity and the amount of buzz she generates."

“Besides her hugely popular works, the title of ‘Weibo Queen’ is also very important. I’m sure there’s marketing behind her.”

"Further afield, there's also blog queen Xu Jinglei, and closer to home, Da Mimi, Li Xin, Yang Yang, and others have also benefited greatly from Weibo."

Yang Mi nodded in deep agreement.

As the person directly involved, she is best able to understand the changes that Weibo has brought to her.

First, her Weibo followers skyrocketed, which in turn caused her advertising endorsement fees to surge.

It's very simple. In the past, it was difficult for advertising agencies to judge the commercial value of celebrities. Now, the number of Weibo followers, which still has value, is a direct and intuitive metric.

Secondly, there's the Weibo trending topics list; as long as a topic makes it onto the list, it generates a huge amount of exposure.

"How Long Will I Love U" capitalized on the Singles' Day shopping festival, dominating the charts for nearly a week and driving significant traffic to the film. "No wonder you partnered with Sohu on 'The Voice of China'; it seems there's great potential in the video website sector..." Guo Fan remarked thoughtfully.

Xu Ming raised an eyebrow; this young man's comprehension was quite high.

He asked, "What are your plans after this movie leaves theaters?"

"Not yet. If possible, I would like to study directing further."

Guo Fan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

The company has gone to great lengths to cultivate him, but he wants to continue his studies; it's probably difficult to agree to that.

"It's good to have this awareness. Drama films are an advantage for local films, but if they want to go overseas, they ultimately have to rely on the film industry to produce them."

Xu Ming looked at Guo Fan with admiration; his expectations for Guo Fan were not just about petty romance, but about the stars and the sea.

"The company will find a way to send you to Hollywood for further training. You don't need to learn all their skills; just having a basic foundation will be enough."

Everything is difficult at the beginning, and he doesn't expect to catch up with Hollywood in a short time.

Laying a foundation at least leaves a seed of hope for the future.

As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is not ten years ago, but now.

"Thank you, Mr. Xu," Guo Fan said gratefully.

It had to be Xu Ming; anyone else would have agreed so easily.

More importantly, he could feel that Xu Ming truly understood him.

"Alright, these two grown men are really showing their bromance."

Yang Mi interrupted the two of them. Since she hadn't spoken to Xu Ming for some time, she felt a sense of crisis whenever she saw anyone around him.

He then waved his phone: "The data from the movie ticketing website is out. 'How Long Will I Love U' grossed three times in its opening weekend..."

She paused halfway through her sentence, her eyes widening as she rechecked the numbers.

"Three hundred and fourteen million." Xu Ming's eyes narrowed with laughter. "Breaking five hundred million is a sure thing."

During this period, they devoted themselves to publicity.

Aside from paying special attention to the opening day's box office, I listened to the daily box office figures every day afterward.

A total figure suddenly appeared.

Even though everyone had expected it, they were still stunned by the achievements they had made.

"Wow, we've really broken 300 million? We're absolutely amazing!"

Yang Mi screamed and excitedly jumped onto Xu Ming, hugging him like a koala.

This intimate scene was seen by others as something they were used to.

They're all on the same side; the details of their private interactions can't be hidden from them.

I had already guessed what was going on.

"Thank you all for your hard work. You can relax a little now," Xu Ming said, patting Yang Mi on the back. He then addressed Guo Fan and the others.

It has to be said that the box office performance this opening weekend exceeded his expectations.

This is the benefit of being 'deified'.

During this period, each of his films will attract public attention. As long as the film quality is good, it can attract many movie fans who are not originally within the target audience.

Furthermore, Taobao's Singles' Day shopping festival marketing and Yang Mi's popularity both contributed to the increase in the film's box office.

At this point, he clearly recognized his invincible momentum and lost his previous caution.

"Let's hold a celebration banquet when the box office officially breaks 500 million, which will give the next two films a boost."

Six of the top ten films are in theaters, and the two films yet to be released will undoubtedly become the focus of attention both inside and outside the industry.

They even saved on advertising.

……

As the group discussed the matter...

The box office figures for "How Long Will I Love U" during its opening weekend have already spread.

The industry is completely silent.

The performance of films released during the National Day holiday has led many producers to comfort themselves by saying that it was just a bad economic climate.

But the box office performance of "How Long Will I Love U" shattered their illusions.

The overall economic climate is bad, but Xu Ming's movies are good, which means that the latter's personal box office appeal is too strong.

If not, then it proves that their movie quality is poor.

This made them look bad from both sides.

[Qiming: Congratulations to "How Long Will I Love U" for surpassing 3 million yuan in its opening weekend! Congratulations to our boss for his sixth film entering the top ten domestic films of the year, achieving a remarkable six-in-ten achievement! Keep up the good work!]

[Wanda: To celebrate "How Long Will I Love U" surpassing 300 million yuan in box office revenue, all fans of the two lead actors, @XuDaDaMing and @YangMi, can purchase tickets at a 15% discount.]

[Jing Tian: I'm so envious! I miss the days when I acted with Teacher Xu. Please take me with you!]

She used to think Xu Ming was good, but she didn't have a clear understanding of just how good he was.

Now, after more than a year away and having experienced dramas like "The Warring States," I've finally realized that spending money doesn't guarantee success.

Other companies and artists who had worked with Qiming also began to share their congratulations on Weibo.

For a moment, it truly felt like all nations were paying tribute.

Even some of his peers who hadn't collaborated with him joined in the fun, pretending to be very familiar with Xu Ming and trying to ride his coattails.

After all, as long as they include the topic of "How Long Will I Love U" in their posts, their Weibo posts will get significantly more views.

Companies that have conflicts with Qiming simply pretend to be dead.

Even when tagged in the face by netizens, Huayi has shown no intention of responding.

Previously, they could use Feng Xiaogang's "Tangshan," which ranked second in domestic box office, and the company's glorious history to look down on Xu Ming, who was still relatively inexperienced.

But when "The Unknown" broke 1 billion yuan, and Xu Ming's film was reduced from 10 to 6, he completely lost that sense of superiority.

Even when facing the latter, there is a deep-seated sense of panic.

Although they have only been in the industry for a short time, the more so, the more dazzling their achievements become.

Only Zhu Yanping, who is from Taiwan, posted a sarcastic and pointed Weibo post: "Many people become famous for a short time, but it's not too late to be proud when you can be famous for a lifetime."

He has the right to say this; every era of the Chinese film industry has produced many famous figures.

But only a handful of people can remain active on stage and continue to be in the spotlight.

These individuals were all hailed as 'superstars'.

Xu Ming can be called a top star, but he is clearly still some distance away from becoming a superstar who marks the era.

In other words, there were fewer years when they dominated the charts.

Only those who consistently rank high on the box office charts year after year can be considered top-tier, and only those who dominate for over a decade can be considered superstars.

While everyone may agree with this statement, it doesn't stop Xu Ming from shining brightly over everyone else in the industry at this moment.

[Xu DaDaMing: @Zhu Yanping, Director Zhu, I also think what you said makes a lot of sense. Being famous for a lifetime is a real skill. From what you're saying, you think I don't have that skill.]

[Let's make a bet. A bet for lifelong fame is too long; I'm afraid you won't last. So, I'll bet I'll top the charts again. If I do, I won't make things difficult for you; you can just get out of the mainland film market.]

Hiding in the shadows is for the purpose of becoming king; since one can no longer remain hidden, one should resort to the methods of a king.

Xu Ming would naturally not tolerate such despicable people.

(End of this chapter)