Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 440: A Knife-Fighting Game with a Helping Hand? "The Shadow Room" is a Huge Hit! Annie is Jealous!
To say that "Hero" is the most successful Chinese film in North America is indeed a bit of an exaggeration.

It should be "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

It must be acknowledged that, in terms of box office and awards, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is indeed the most successful Chinese film overseas.

However, this boast was made by Columbia Pictures.

Ma Xun had just swindled a lot of money from someone, so he couldn't bring up that Hidden Dragon thing.

In fact, this kind of boasting is very common in the film and television industry.

Hero was indeed a success, but that's not all.

They will also enter the DVD market, where there are actually more profits to be made.

Columbia, of course, wouldn't give up, and naturally, they had to give it a good talking-to.

These are all standard operating procedures.

Ma Xun only needs to be a spectator for now; as for the rest...

"Mr. Ma, we meet again."

"Oh, Miss Zhang, what a coincidence."

"Yes, what a coincidence."

"So……"

"Can we find a place to talk?"

Ma Xun really didn't expect to run into Zhang Ziyi here.

However, this is not entirely unexpected, after all, Zhang Ziyi has officially broken into Hollywood.

However, she was actually quite smart and didn't say anything like she wouldn't make domestic films in the future.

Some people are really stupid. After going abroad, they start criticizing their own country and rush to offer their allegiance to it.

There are too many idiots like this, and most of them don't end up well.

Ma Xun never thought Zhang Ziyi was that bad, much less that she was stupid.

So, we can talk.

So the two of them took a glass of wine from the waiter's plate one after the other.

Seemingly aimless, they actually moved to a secluded corner of the party.

What are you planning to talk about?

"I still maintain that we should cooperate."

"You want to film a movie that I invested in?"

"You know what I mean."

"If you just want to act in a movie that I invest in, then you should take the initiative to find audition opportunities."

"Ma Xun, you understand what I mean!"

Clearly, Zhang Ziyi is still in the same situation.

Ma Xun naturally understood what she meant, but his answer was even more interesting.

"You must have heard the rumors about me, that is, I only support my own people."

These words could have been a death blow to the game, but Zhang Ziyi's expression didn't change much.

"Have you forgotten what I said before, that if we were to get together..."

"Stop," Ma Xun interrupted her directly. "My person is not my wife."

That was a real blow.

Zhang Ziyi couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Ma Xun, I've already given you several chances."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun couldn't help but laugh. "Is it possible that the fact that you're still able to chat with me is already a way of giving me a chance?"

"you……"

Zhang Ziyi was furious, but there was nothing she could do about the man in front of her.

Ma Xun wasn't lying; he had been quite lenient with Zhang Ziyi. If it were anyone else, they would have ignored this woman long ago.

It must also be acknowledged that Zhang Ziyi is currently the fastest rising young Chinese actress. She is indeed famous and talented, especially internationally.

However, Ma Xun wouldn't take much care of her, but he wouldn't reject her either.

Ultimately, there's no deep-seated hatred between us.

If there's an opportunity to collaborate, as long as it's good for the film, we can just handle it professionally.

but……

"If I were to say, I mean, I..."

Zhang Ziyi was a little awkward, and Ma Xun understood why she was acting this way.

He leaned closer and whispered, "You want me to fuck you?"

too direct!

Although Zhang Ziyi's expression changed, she did not deny or refuse.

You guessed right? ...This surprised Ma Xun a bit.

If she really goes along with it, should I do it or not?

Actually, Ma Xun wasn't sexually interested in her. They could work together on a movie, but when it came to figure or face... Zhang Ziyi wasn't Ma Xun's type.

So, it became a bit awkward.

Fortunately, someone came to the rescue.

"Hey Mr. Ma, oh, Ms. Zhang, what are you talking about?"

Anne Hathaway's appearance was just in time.

Best of all, she was also holding a glass of wine.

Ma Xun casually clinked glasses with her, and the two drank naturally.

The movements were fluid and natural, clearly demonstrating a high level of familiarity with the movements.

There was an undeniable ambiguity in their eyes.

This is how Zhang Ziyi saw it.

"I... I have something to do."

He left after saying that, but in reality, he fled in a sorry state.

Of course, Zhang Ziyi had a very strange feeling inside.

Ma Xun! You actually rode a foreign horse!

But then I thought of Anne Hathaway's looks and figure... This foreign woman is quite beautiful, tall and well-endowed... Oh dear! What am I thinking!

Zhang Ziyi made the right decision to run away this time.

As for Ma Xun and Annie...

"You mean to tell her...?"

"We're just acquaintances, and besides, we don't have a very good relationship."

"But I heard she's very famous."

"That's true."

"You……"

"what happened?"

Annie's reaction was a bit strange, which piqued Ma Xun's curiosity.

"Is it possible that she actually likes you?" Anne Hathaway's statement is truly unusual.

Ma Xun immediately laughed, "You're good at thinking, but don't think about it anymore."

Anne smiled, and then the two of them simply shared a kiss.

This intimate gesture... is actually nothing unusual in the United States.

However, Annie didn't come here just for fun.

"The film 'The Infirmary' is about to be released."

He only said that one sentence, but there was actually another sentence after it.

'Aren't you going to do anything?'

Ma Xun understood what this meant, and his response to Annie was quite simple.

"I'm not one to spend money recklessly."

Yes, he has already paid for the distribution rights to this movie, so naturally he wouldn't do a business that would lose money.

But that's exactly what Anne Hathaway was curious about: what method did Ma Xun have?

Actually, Annie is becoming increasingly curious about Ma Xun. The fact that she exposed his relationship with Cherie Chung before certainly didn't satisfy Annie's curiosity.

She looked up even more information.

It turned out that Ma Xun was no ordinary person.

He is very successful in China, and he always manages to make film and television productions a success.

However, Anne was an American and didn't know much about this man.

Now that she knows more about it, Annie has a strange idea: sleeping with this man is not a bad thing at all!
Furthermore, if they have a child, that child should be a highly intelligent little genius.

Oh, why did you suddenly think of children? Annie blushed slightly for no apparent reason.

Ma Xun didn't notice these changes and simply said, "Don't worry, the real show is about to begin."

These words made Annie even more excited.

"Could you tell me first?"

"That won't do, I have to keep it a secret."

"Can't I even refuse to tell you?"

"Anyway, my method will definitely succeed."

"I do not believe."

……

Insidious is a typical horror film, and in the United States, horror films have their own dedicated release window.

It's the Halloween season.

Halloween is on November 1st, but the holiday period is much broader.

This period can be considered from mid-September to the end of November.

Although September can be considered the tail end of the summer movie season, many horror films will be released starting from this time.

Traditional American horror films primarily rely on visual impact, using countless amounts of blood and strangely colored vomit to evoke both disgust and fear in the audience.

However, ever since the movie "The Ring" achieved great success in the United States.

American horror films have experienced a complete collapse.

It's quite obvious that "The Ring" is a film that explores psychological themes.

For example, the expression on the character's face before he died.

First, scare them, then slowly bring them to the point of death, then *snap*, a huge close-up.

This style is completely different from traditional American horror films.

There aren't many gory scenes; it doesn't rely on blood splatter to grab attention.

Then came the film "Ju-on," which was a huge success in the United States.

When it comes to psychological manipulation, Chinese horror films are definitely not inferior!

That's the unique feature of "The Yin'er Room".

However, on the surface, this film is still an American film.

We have indeed incorporated our Chinese culture of ghosts and gods.

But now comes the problem.

How can we help American moviegoers understand our Chinese culture of ghosts and gods?
Don't underestimate this point!
Although what we in China are the authentic ones, the Japanese ones are all copied from us.

But this doujinshi is really damn mean!

Ma Xun, who came from a later era, certainly knew about South Korea, this cultural thief.

Many Chinese people on the internet later criticized the Koreans, knowing how shameless they were.

However, many people have overlooked the shamelessness of the Japanese and their cultural theft.

Besides, the notebook was from a long time ago.

They simply take our things and turn them into their own, then make money internationally, and tell others that this is part of their culture.

The key point is that many foreigners' views are already deeply ingrained.

They felt that those cultural elements originally belonged to Japan.

The same applies to ghosts and monsters!

Therefore, this is the problem that Ma Xun is facing now.

We need to let these Americans at least understand our Chinese culture of ghosts and gods.

This... is really difficult.

Moreover, in terms of time, it was indeed late.

How to do?
Is there no other way?
No, there are still ways!
Mid-September has arrived as scheduled, and the first batch of Halloween horror films have already been released.

At this time, quite a few of the films released were actually considered cannon fodder.

It means that it is not well-regarded.

Thus, "The Yin Room" was also included.

But just then, a small game that could make money appeared on the American internet!
The game's content is as follows.

A cute, chibi-style Chinese girl who is an exorcist skilled at catching ghosts.

Legend has it that he is a Taoist priest from Maoshan, and in the game he will deal with some ghosts and monsters from the American side.

And the most special thing is... it has a connection with the movie "Insidious"!

That's right, it's actually a publicity stunt.

As for the game download and link ads, they are also displayed on Rotten Tomatoes.

These kinds of ads are very cheap to put up now.

The problem is, how can it be said to be profitable?

It's very simple. There's a prize wheel in this game, and you can withdraw your winnings after winning $100!

There is also an explanation:

"It's $99 now, just one dollar short! If you can get your friends to play this game too, you'll get more chances to win..."

That's right... a knife fight!

As for making this little game, that's even simpler.

The special effects company that Cherie Chung started.

Our little game is very simple.

If the graphic design is good, that's about it. The most important thing is to promote Chinese culture!
There are some talismans and intermediate states (bardos) in this.

The most crucial factor, of course, is the effect.

This little game became incredibly popular incredibly quickly after it was released!

As for whether anyone actually withdrew that $100, did they?
Anyway, there were notifications saying that someone had successfully withdrawn their money.

So, on the night "Insidious Room" was released... for horror films, we chose to release it at midnight.

The box office for midnight screenings is highly competitive and is an important indicator in the US film market.

You can tell whether a movie will be successful by watching its midnight screenings.

If the midnight screenings do well, then this movie is definitely going to be a success.

And this midnight screening of "Insidious Chamber"...

It exploded!

Actually, Columbia Pictures didn't have high hopes for this movie, and their promotional efforts were just the usual routine.

But after the movie premiered, many movie fans were very enthusiastic!

The cinema chains, of course, sensed the opportunity and allocated approximately 600 midnight screenings.

As a result, this midnight screening immediately grossed over $800 million!
A single room exceeding $1 is an absolutely staggering figure.

It would be considered a blockbuster in the United States.

Of course, the total box office for that night wasn't very high, but the data was still quite impressive.

Therefore, it was already completely certain that "The Insidious Room" would be released that evening.

This movie is going to be a huge hit!
So, what about Ma Xun?

Americans really do have a nightlife; it's perfectly normal for them to be up at two or three in the morning.

Ma Xun was in that situation now, in a quiet hotel room late at night, he was...

The phone rang.

"Hey?"

"Brother Ma~"

"Jingwen, what's wrong? Why are you calling so late?"

"It seems like we succeeded this time, but... but they..."

"Oh, it's nothing. It will probably take another two or three months for this movie to reach Asia."

"Oh, in that case, I'll have to work hard to lose weight."

Don't think about it too much.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

She's absolutely adorable!
Alyssa Chia's sweet and coquettish tone on the phone fully showcased the advantages of being a Taiwanese girl.

However, she was actually preparing to have a baby.

That's right, she didn't participate in the promotional activities for "The Infant Chamber" this time. There was no other way, as her due date happened to fall within this timeframe.

But with the movie being such a huge success, Jingwen obviously couldn't let Ma Xun ignore her.

But this phone call...

(End of this chapter)