Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 419 Li Hong Gets on the Bus! Ma Xun is the Supreme Director!

June is indeed the start of the summer movie season for us.

But it's important to understand that the summer movie season originated in the United States.

We've become aligned with international standards here. This concept is quite prominent these days; everyone's talking about aligning with international standards.

Therefore, the summer movie season will naturally depend on the performance of Hollywood blockbusters.

In the US, summer vacation starts in May, and their summer movie season naturally begins in May as well.

Therefore, at the beginning of the summer movie season, the offensive of Hollywood blockbusters is absolutely fierce.

Our domestic filmmakers are certainly well aware of this, so many films simply choose to take a detour.

Even if it's for the summer season, try not to release it in the early part of the season.

Conversely, most of the films released in the early part of the summer season were also cannon fodder.

Perhaps they weren't favored to begin with, or perhaps they're just taking a gamble and might just turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.

But this year is different.

"2046" was released early in the summer season, and although the film did not win any awards at the Cannes Film Festival.

However, this movie looks like a blockbuster.

A renowned director, top actors, Tony Leung, Gong Li…

The key point is that the first part of "In the Mood for Love" was a great success.

Wong Kar-wai has made so many films over the years, but this one, "In the Mood for Love," is truly amazing.

It did very well at the box office and won major awards, especially the Best Actor award for Tony Leung at Cannes.

This is really not easy, after all, Cannes still holds the title of the world's premier film festival.

Moreover, those old Frenchmen who belong to the Plain White Banner always viewed Chinese films with prejudice.

Returning to the present film, "2046," it is a sequel, even though it didn't win an award at Cannes.

But it's definitely a work that will generate a lot of buzz.

Even better news is that Hollywood has a super blockbuster this year.

Troy.

This film is highly anticipated, and given the current state of Hollywood, making such a historical war epic would be extremely costly!
The cost was already high before, but now it's ridiculously high.

War movies, especially those set in ancient times, definitely require a lot of manpower, and once manpower is needed, things get complicated.

It's fair to say that they were burning through bundles of US dollars.

Therefore, "Troy" is definitely a major Hollywood blockbuster this year, and its advertisements have already been launched all over the world.

However, if you really understand the situation in the United States, you will find some rather strange things.

For example, the United States had the Civil War, and every year they hold commemorative events where people reenact the war and recreate the battlefield.

They were wearing military uniforms from the north and south, carrying rifled guns of the time, and some were even operating cannons.

Some clever people simply use this kind of activity as a basis and then make it into a movie.

This is also a historical war epic, and it has a large cast, but... the budget wasn't that high!

Of course, it's impossible to say that the film is extremely well-made, but it's definitely not bad either.

It has visuals, a story, and grand scenes.

But why is there such a big difference in costs?
Hollywood studios make hundreds of millions of dollars producing this type of film.

Those items sold by private individuals are mostly unusable.

These things cannot be discussed in detail.

Returning to the film "Troy," it was released on the first day.

Good heavens! It's ruined!

The world is filled with condemnation!
Some criticized the female lead for being lacking, some criticized Brad Pitt for not having abs, and others criticized something else...

In short, when this movie is released in China...

Extremely poor reputation!

In this way, "2046" is highlighted even more.

Taking advantage of the Cannes Film Festival... oh, I didn't win any awards, but that's okay.

The promotion is in full swing!

Moreover, since "Troy" is not good, wouldn't it be better for us Chinese to watch our own art-house films?

It can be said that the opening of "2046" is the strongest among Chinese films in recent years!
While it can't be said to have a huge advantage, for the time being, no other film could compare to this one.

but!
Sometimes that's how it is; movies are afraid of being released.

Once it's released, all those filters will be shattered!
2046 had such a strong start, and it also had many cheerleaders helping to push it forward.

However, after the first week, the word-of-mouth took a strange turn.

"This film boldly breaks down both time and space..."

"An incredibly trendy movie!"

"Science fiction is just its outer garment!"

Many film critics have given it high praise.

but!

"I don't understand?"

What is this movie about?

"Didn't you say Zhang Zhen was also there? Where is he?"

"I heard Zhang Zhenren filmed a very explicit scene, and what happened? Where did he go?"

"I just want to know, what kind of movie is this? Is it a sci-fi movie or a romance? I'm totally confused."

"If this were a sci-fi film, it would be a complete piece of crap! If this were an art film, it would still be a piece of crap! But it's an art-sci-fi film! Well..."

"I don't understand it at all!"

Terrible! Absolutely must give a terrible review!
Ordinary moviegoers simply couldn't help but wonder, what's going on with this movie?

It's neither science fiction nor art.

The key issue is that the story of this movie... it's beyond what the word "chaotic" can describe.
Some movies may seem chaotic, but if we think about them carefully...

I can probably come up with one, two, or three ideas.

But this one...

No matter how much I think about it, it seems to be of no use.

What exactly is the movie "2046" about?

Of course, he's Wong Kar-wai, and his movies have always had a reputation for being incomprehensible to many.

However, it must be emphasized that...

I couldn't understand it before, but actually I can understand it now.

But this time, "2046" is really hard to understand.

Some people even joked about it.

"Is it possible that Wong Kar-wai himself didn't understand the film?"

This online comment immediately became a hot topic online.

Clearly, a new internet meme is about to be born!

With so many negative reviews, and netizens showing absolutely no mercy.

The box office performance of "2046" was naturally not very good.

After the first week, there was no news of breaking ten million.

So, should it break through in the second week?

But an interesting piece of news came in the second week.

An art film with a small budget, yet it received excellent reviews!

Incense!
"No, this movie was released so quietly?"

"The film 'Incense' is quite good. The story and many other aspects are excellent. Why is there so little buzz about it?" "'Incense' is definitely an excellent film!"

"This movie won a major award at the Tokyo International Film Festival!"

"Isn't that how it is in China? Have you heard of the director of 'Incense' before?"

"They should screen more films! How can such a good movie be let go unnoticed?"

Although there aren't many online reviews, the overall impression from netizens is quite positive.

Moreover, many netizens have compared this movie to "2046".

This comparison is really interesting.

Some netizens simply said one sentence.

"At least we can understand this movie!"

Of course, some netizens would add a comment.

"And we can even laugh!"

Yes, Incense is actually quite funny.

This movie is dark comedy by nature.

So, such an excellent film, its box office performance...

"Incense" will enter its second week after its first week.

The result is that it has just broken 200 million!
200?
Isn't this too little?

Could I have seen it wrong?

In fact, as far as Chinese films are concerned, an art film, especially one released during the summer season, is a prime example.

That's really not a small amount.

But two million is definitely not the level that "Incense" should have.

At least, that's evident from the many positive reviews from netizens.

Moreover, even netizens themselves think this won't work!
"We must increase the number of screenings!"

"Chinese cinema needs 'Incense'!"

"How can we manage without increasing the number of screenings!"

"It must be added! It must be added!"

"Anyway, hardly anyone watches '2046' and 'Troy'!"

Good heavens, this is completely upside down, yet it makes perfect sense.

So, will films like "Incense" get more screenings in the future?

Or perhaps, in the future, it could simply soar to great heights?

In reality, many people still don't understand that this was all pre-arranged.

However, good news has finally arrived!

Dong Qing, the host of the popular TV show "Tell It Like It Is," suddenly posted some comments on her social media account.

"I went to see a movie a couple of days ago, and it inexplicably resonated with me. It's called 'Incense'."

What does it mean?
Many people are paying attention to her.

As a result, many people left comments under Dong Qing's account.

"This movie is really good!"

"The book 'Incense' is highly recommended!"

"Hey sis, could you help out with this movie? Like, get them on TV shows?"

"Yes, this video will definitely be on the show!"

"No one will think this is an advertisement! Anyone who has seen it will definitely say it's great!"

What does all this mean?
Regardless of what it means, since that's what most netizens have said.

Let's arrange for "Incense" to be featured on our show, "Tell It Like It Is".

This should be fine, right?
Even from the perspective of a grand narrative, this can be called meeting the needs of the vast majority of the people.

Tell me if it's right or not.

And sure enough!
The show "Tell It Like It Is" actually invited the creators of "Incense"!

Ning Hao was talking upstairs, and in the audience were Ya Ya, Xiao Ran, Deng Zhuo, Huang Bo...

During the show, the host asked some rather tricky questions, but Ning Hao's answers were quite honest, and more importantly, quite funny.

Laughter kept coming!
Very good, great.

But isn't all of this a bit too perfect?
On the day of the recording, Ma Xun was not in the audience, but he was listening outside.

This is fine.

Interestingly, Ma Xun also encountered a special person.

"Boss Ma."

“Oh, Miss Li Hong…”

Why do you call me that?

"Shouldn't it be?"

That's right, Li Hong has arrived.

Today's Li Hong is almost completely different from the Li Hong of the past!
Previously, she was worried that she would be looked down upon by her colleagues who were setting up the stage, and that she would care about the opinions of many colleagues.

They are even more worried that their programs will be returned to Jilin TV due to poor ratings.

The current Li Hong is dignified, beautiful, and intellectual... most importantly, her big eyes now radiate a confidence she never had before.

She clearly succeeded!

In just over two months, the show that had the lowest ratings became a huge hit after she joined!
Ma Xun naturally knew this outcome, and naturally knew why she was so confident.

All of this was actually within Ma Xun's expectations.

But what can they say now?

Li Hong didn't mention her own affairs, but she did mention the book "Incense".

"After appearing on this show, this movie should be a long-term success."

Li Hong's eyes were large enough, and at this moment, her gaze towards Ma Xun was sincere enough.

But Ma Xun smiled. He walked up to Li Hong and whispered something in the beautiful host's ear.

"What if I told you that all of this was part of my plan?"

Li Hong was stunned for a moment.

Her slightly open mouth was a sign that she was hiding her surprise; otherwise, it should have been open even wider.

But Ma Xun left quite decisively.

"Your career will also continue to flourish."

Is that all there is to it?
Li Hong watched Ma Xun's retreating figure with a complex expression in her eyes.