Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 226 I don’t like the way she looks at you
On April 2004, 4, the 18th Cannes Film Festival officially announced the shortlist for each category.

A purely commercial film like "Alien Land" was screened as a non-competitive unit at this year's Cannes.

The jury headed by Quentin Tarantino unanimously decided to select the Sino-American co-production "Alien" by Chinese director Lu Kuan as the opening film of this film festival.

The most spectacular and eye-catching part of the opening ceremony is the dazzling red carpet, which will attract a large number of spectators and reporters.

It is just right to take advantage of this favorable situation to increase the media exposure of "Foreign Land".

A week ago, Zhang Yimou found Lu Xun and asked him to contact Quentin Tarantino to allow the release of "House of Flying Daggers" to be delayed.

Zhang Ziyi's surgery in Barcelona was very successful. She started to recover in October last year and in May this year, "House of Flying Daggers" was finally completed without any major problems.

In order to welcome this wave of hype and preheating, the official blog of Wenjie and the official website of "Yiyu" have started to interact:
In order to give back to domestic and foreign audiences for their support of the crew and the film, we invite everyone to leave messages and forward the promotional copy of "Alien Land".

The official will draw 20 lucky audiences from two channels to follow the crew to Cannes to participate in the screening, and provide full food, accommodation and transportation expenses.

Such lotteries are also held on official websites and publisher websites in different countries.

At the same time, 2000 lucky viewers will be randomly selected to receive free tickets and will be allowed to watch "Alien Land" for free after its domestic premiere.

A single stone caused a thousand ripples. Sci-fi enthusiasts, Lu Kuan movie fans, and Liu Yifei fans who were previously crazy about this blockbuster began to forward and leave messages, spontaneously recommending the film.

Being able to travel abroad for free is very attractive to the general public at this time.

At the same time, in order to cooperate with advertising and marketing in the Asian market, Lionsgate and Miramax began carpet bombing the screens under their official control in North America.

Electronic screens at the entrances of more than 700 cinemas across the United States began playing the trailer in a loop, posters were everywhere, and press releases about Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise appeared every three to five days.

The looping broadcast on this electronic screen was specifically requested by Lu Kuan. Drawing on the advertising communication experience of domestic Focus Media, it loops the exciting fighting scenes, science fiction plots, and ferocious monsters in "Alien Land" regardless of time period.

Even some of the patches controlled by the two companies made the audience full of expectations early on.

April 4th, the residence of Concubine Liu Yi in Changping.

"How about this one?"

"No."

"What about this one?"

Yang Siwei held his forehead with his hand: "Can you find something decent?"

Liu Yifei said helplessly: "No, I went to Venice with "The Drummer" two years ago, and it was Lu Kuan who helped me find the clothes for Mei Jie's official designer."

Yang Siwei frowned and said nothing. She had accumulated some connections in the past one or two years since entering the industry, but resources in the fashion circle were too scarce.

As mentioned before, there are very few people in the domestic entertainment industry who have the keen vision to seize and pay attention to fashion resources.

Maybe only the one who received the enema from Boss Lu... No, Bingbing, who had received the enlightenment, counts as number one.

The cover of "Harper's Bazaar" magazine, fashion blockbusters shot abroad, and occasional leaked photos of watching fashion shows.

Build your own personality step by step.

Concubine Liu Yi smiled and said, "Don't worry, if you are unsure about external affairs, you can find a wider path."

Her role in the first four episodes of "Zhu Xian" has been completed. Counting on my fingers, it has been almost a month since I last saw her!

Boss Lu received a call in his study. The script of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" had been completed, and he was perfecting the storyboard and storyboard.

"Ok?"

"When are we leaving for France?"

"Two days in advance, around May 5th."

Concubine Liu Yi uttered an "oh" and then playfully said, "I have no clothes to wear. Take me shopping for clothes!"

"What the hell?"

"Cannes red carpet? I don't have anything suitable!"

"Ask Yang Siwei to go to Rose House and find one for you. Guo Pei is the only decent guy in Peking right now."

Liu Yifei's status in the domestic entertainment industry is basically considered to be among the top-tier, but high-end brands such as Dior are definitely out of her reach.

"Take me there, please. Her taste isn't as good as yours. Don't you say directors always understand aesthetics?"

Yang Siwei looked at her indifferently.

Concubine Liu Yi, isn't it a bit presumptuous of you to say this?

Can you even tell me about your taste? You dress like a country girl every day and won't listen to any advice!

"No time!"

"No, if you don't have time, then make some time. Otherwise, I'll just walk the red carpet in a T-shirt. Anyway, the ones who got lost are the people from the 'Outlander' crew!"

"Also, when I'm unhappy I don't want to work, I..."

"Stop, stop. Take Yang Siwei with you and go straight to Rose Square. We'll meet there."

Concubine Liu Yi covered her mouth and chuckled: "Okay! I feel much better!"

Rose House is located in Sengen International in Chaoyang District. When Boss Lu came over leisurely smoking a cigarette, Liu Yifei had been waiting at the door for a while wearing sunglasses.

"Don't you have any gentlemanly spirit? And you're late!"

Boss Lu glanced at her speechlessly and became more and more presumptuous.

If he wasn't really afraid that she would be like Gao Yuanyuan in later generations and walk the red carpet with a backpack, causing the premiere of "Alien Land" to fail, he would not have bothered to make this trip.

Yang Siwei was the one who spoke up: "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Lu. Please give Xixi some advice. We know too little about international film festivals."

Concubine Liu Yi was surprised and said, "I just went in and took a look around, it seems to be custom-made."

"if not?"

"I only go to one film festival a year, so I can save money by borrowing more than one set."

Boss Lu thought to himself, you really are worthy of being a female mourner, you have a clear understanding of yourself.

However, this girl's aesthetic taste and fashion sense need to be cultivated, as she is too casual.

It is common for female celebrities in the entertainment industry to borrow clothes, because a high-end piece of clothing costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and can only be worn once, while fashion trends change every year.

Therefore, many female celebrities will borrow clothes for cost-effectiveness considerations, but this is not something that can be borrowed casually, you need someone to borrow it!
"Who are you going to borrow it from? Who do you know?"

Boss Lu gave her a lesson: "There are a few situations when celebrities borrow clothes. Either you have a designer you are familiar with."

For example, Liu Shishi and designer Lan Yu, Chun Ge and Wang Daren in later generations.

"Or you could just contact the PR department of a top brand, but you're not famous enough right now, so they won't bother with you."

"Or I can borrow it from the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine. If I can't find anything good today, I'll go find Su Mang."

When Liu Yifei heard him say that she was not famous enough, she was not unhappy, but she just felt it was very troublesome!
It’s still more comfortable to just put on anything and go out.

"It doesn't matter whether you paid attention to it before, but 'Foreign Land' will bring you into the international spotlight frequently, so you should pay more attention to it."

Lu Kuan led them inside and continued to give them scientific lectures.

"There are two big taboos for female celebrities when it comes to wearing dresses. First, it's better to wear something ordinary than a knockoff."

Liu Yifei and Yang Siwei asked in confusion, "What is a copycat?"

He's spitting again.

"It's just counterfeit and shoddy. They just find a random designer or studio to copy the top designs and styles."

"If you're caught cheating on this and a top brand gets caught, the entire fashion industry will distance themselves from you, and it'll be hard to get top-tier endorsements in the future."

"Secondly, don't wear the same clothes as someone who's less famous than you or has a better figure than you. It will either lower your status or make you look like you don't suit the clothes."

Liu Yifei nodded thoughtfully, then lowered her head to assess whether she had a good figure...

As they were talking, Guo Pei's assistant came out and said, "Director Lu, Teacher Guo is waiting for you in the design studio."

"OK, thanks."

Guo Pei was wearing glasses and discussing the plan with his second assistant. When he saw Lu Kuan and others walk in, he smiled and walked forward to shake hands with them.

"Director Lu, Princess Yi, welcome."

Boss Lu called her when he came, but she still had to be present in person to choose clothes and have her physical data measured in detail.

As the tallest among the short ones, Guo Pei was criticized for many points in the fashion industry in later generations, such as plagiarism and mindless piling of elements.

However, in today's fashion desert situation in China, it is difficult to find a designer more suitable than her in the short term.

Guo Pei is one of the earliest people in China to make a living from custom clothing. He designed formal wear for the hosts of the Spring Festival Gala for ten consecutive years, and it was used by CCTV and major song and dance troupes.

Her most popular work in later generations was the "Golden Omelette" at the Metball in 2015.

Metball, the full name of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Charity Ball, is known as the Oscars of the fashion world. The one wearing Guo Pei's fried egg dress at the time was Rihanna...

The last time Bingbing wore a dress in Cannes, it was also designed by Guo Pei. This time, there was no time to find a foreign designer for Liu Yifei, so she could only make do with it for now.

Liu Yifei and others had just arrived, so Guo Pei and his assistant took them to visit the Rose House headquarters.

The first floor is a magnificent reception room, displaying exquisite haute couture clothing;
The second floor is filled with fitting rooms of various styles, providing a pleasant fitting place for guests of different nationalities and styles;

It was the third and fourth levels that really frightened the "village girl" Xiao Liu.

More than 20 senior designers, professional tailors, embroiderers and pattern makers are working closely together to make a rose-red floor-length dress.

"Grandma Liu" entered the Grand View Garden.

Several people sat down in Guo Pei's office, and the latter prepared to personally measure Liu Yifei's body data.

"Director, you..."

"Oh, you measure first, I'm going to smoke a cigarette."

We are so familiar with each other, but you are still so distant. What a shame.

The sizes of custom-made clothes are extremely accurate, so Guo Pei asked Liu Yifei to go to the fitting room and remove any excess clothing except underwear.

"Wow, Yifei, you have a great figure!"

Guo Pei was not flattering. What she said was beautiful was not the kind of beauty that women have, but the healthy beauty that she had due to long-term exercise.

Xiao Liu was a little embarrassed: "Sister Guo, my figure is... too flat, so it's hard to wear clothes?"

"Of course not! It's hard to wear clothes if you have big breasts. Look at those supermodels, which one of them doesn't have flat breasts?"

Xiao Liu pursed his lips and said nothing more.

You comforted me very well, don’t comfort me next time.

When Yang Siwei called Boss Lu in again, Guo Pei had already found seven or eight patterns for them to choose from.

But in the opinion of Mr. Lu, who has studied classic designs of later generations...

Really average.

"how about this?"

Concubine Liu Yi excitedly looked at this and touched that: "This one is not bad either. I have fair skin, so it should look good on me, right?"

"The road is wide? I'm asking you a question!"

"what?"

Boss Lu was stunned for a moment, then said to Guo Pei, "Teacher Guo, is there anything with a more Chinese style? After all, Xiao Liu will be walking the red carpet on behalf of the co-production crew."

"This is also a good opportunity for us to promote Chinese fashion to the international stage."

Guo Pei hesitated for a few seconds and said awkwardly, "Currently, there are only a few open-chested cheongsam designs that are relatively trendy, but they are not suitable for Concubine Yi's age and will make her look old."

Lu Kuan nodded and couldn't help sighing in his heart.

China is really a fashion desert right now.

It was not until 2015 that Wintour, editor-in-chief of VOGUE, visited China.

After visiting several top mainland designers such as Guo Pei and Ma Ke, she said frankly that she did not see China's fashion design in line with international standards, which made her feel very sorry.

This Wintour is the prototype of the sharp-tongued "devil girl" in "The Devil Wears Prada".

To be honest, due to the lack of fashion culture in China, there are indeed no outstanding designers or classic series.

The key point is that here lies our cultural treasures and aesthetic treasure trove of thousands of years, but no designer has been able to fully explore the Chinese elements, and they are simply piled up deliberately.

Boss Lu thought about it and decided to copy a design in advance for Xiao Liu to wear.

"Teacher Guo, if you don't mind, I have a design idea. I'd like to see if I can provide some reference."

Guo Pei was not very willing to do so. She recognized and admired Lu Kuan's directing talent, but she was hesitant to show off his knowledge of costume design in front of her.

Isn't this a contempt for yourself?

However, Boss Lu is now very famous in China and is considered a powerful figure in the entertainment industry. Guo Pei is unwilling to offend him.

Forget it, if you want to make a fool of yourself, go ahead.

"Mr. Lu, here you go."

Boss Lu noticed that she looked unnatural, so he said nothing and took the design board and started sketching.

Liu Yifei has seen Boss Lu fool people, seen him brag, and seen him film videos teaching people how to perform.

Does he have this talent?
The little girl couldn't help but be curious and leaned over to take a look.

As mentioned earlier, a considerable number of directors have a deep foundation in art, at least in hand-painting.

Because in the process of creating a movie, the director needs to have strong visual imagination and expressive ability.

How does Lu Kuan convey his lens design intentions to Cao Yu, or now Zhao Fei?
Through my own hand-drawn storyboard script.

Like the little cannon in China, he is an artist by profession. He looks a little ugly, but his work is really good.

Zhang Yimou's storyboard script is also very beautiful.

The most popular one is Tsui Hark. Whether he was in the Hong Kong film era or in the later period when he went to the north to make films, his casual drawings were often at the level of sketches in comic books.

This is a quick sketch of a storyboard scene he created for Detective Dee: The Mystery of the Phantom Flame.

The worse ones are those who changed career paths halfway, such as Jiang Wen's "Stickman" from Chaozhimen.

Liu Yifei leaned over and looked carefully. A strand of her hair made Boss Dilu feel a little distracted, and the faint fragrance of a young girl came to his nose.

He worked tirelessly and soon sketched a work that would survive in his memory.

This is Armani's 2015 spring and summer haute couture, with an oriental bamboo style.

It's been a long time since the time, and the road width is not professionally drawn, it's just a rough estimate.

Seeing Guo Pei's face suddenly change as he concentrated on thinking, Concubine Liu Yi also glanced at Lu Kuan curiously. She didn't realize how amazing it was.

"Director Lu, can you tell me about your philosophy?"

"An open-collared satin top paired with loose, flowing high-waisted wide-leg pants and tassel earrings allude to the ever-growing nature of bamboo..."

After listening to him speak so eloquently, Guo Pei became even more confused!
Because the superiority and novelty of his ideas formed a sharp contrast with the amateurish and crudeness of his drawings.

Generally speaking, clothing design is divided into renderings and planar structure drawings.

The rendering is what the model will look like when wearing the clothes. The designers put renderings in magazines and promotional posters.

However, the structural drawings are used internally for making clothes.

The structural diagram includes the cutting of decorative lines and the structural lines of each key part, so that tailors and people in different processes can know how to make the clothes at a glance.

This great director spoke very professionally, and the design concept of this bamboo rhyme was also very imaginative and surprising, but...

But the work is too rough, it doesn't look like that of a professional designer at all.

Guo Pei was a little hesitant. She could indeed design clothes according to Lu Kuan's requirements, but what if he had plagiarized?

My reputation in the fashion industry is ruined!
Guo Pei continued to probe, "Director Lu, where do your ideas and inspirations come from?"

She actually wants to ask you if you copied it.

Boss Lu has always been very good at fooling people: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

"The image of bamboo in this film has a strong visual and cultural impact on North American audiences."

"To design in a Chinese style, one must understand Chinese culture, philosophy, and aesthetics. The rhythm of bamboo expresses the unity of man and nature in traditional culture."

Recalling Guo Pei's "spread egg" dragon robe, Boss Lu pointed out maliciously: "I don't like the vulgarization of putting dragons, phoenixes, and peonies on clothes. These are just superficial, and cannot reflect the beauty and grandeur of our traditional culture!"

Guo Pei was about to speak out to explain something, but he and his assistant fell into deep thought.

What a wake-up call!
Only the clever Xiao Liu was secretly rolling his eyes.

She doesn't understand design or fashion, but she knows how broad the road is!
This is obviously another scam.

After a long time, Guo Pei was seen smoothing out a wrinkle on the manuscript paper as if it were a treasure.

"Director Lu, you could actually pursue a career in the fashion industry. As a director, you certainly have a very high level of aesthetic attainments, and this design fully demonstrates your deep understanding of traditional culture..."

Boss Lu thought to himself that I remember there were many scripts I could copy, but there were very few costume designs.

He said calmly, "In this era, the right to speak in the film industry is controlled by Hollywood and Europe, but the right to speak in the fashion industry is also controlled by the United States and France. The difficulty is the same."

"Teacher Guo, can we get the clothes before May 5th?"

"No problem, we will give you the finished clothes by the end of April. Then please ask Miss Yifei to try them on and make some modifications."

"Okay, goodbye for today."

Concubine Liu Yi happily followed Lu Kuan out of the gate of Rose House.

"Xiaolu, you're so good. How come you know everything?"

Boss Lu looked her up and down at what she was wearing today.

Since I'm here, I might as well give her a few more words of advice, including Yang Siwei.

Concubine Liu Yi was frightened by his gaze and crossed her arms over her chest: "What are you looking at?"

"You should be careful about how you dress next time. Paparazzi are everywhere these days."

Yang Siwei's eyes lit up. Today, there was finally someone powerful enough to deal with this guy.

"Mr. Lu, please give me some pointers."

"Xiao Liu's physique is not good, but his height is an advantage, but his body proportions are average. He should try to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses."

"Also, you have a bit of sloping shoulders. Do more dumbbell lateral raises during your workouts to work on your deltoids."

"People with sloping shoulders are best suited to oversized, traditional-style clothing, while modern styles can opt for shoulder-length clothing."

Boss Lu lowered his gaze and pointed at her legs again.

"After exercising, remember to stretch to make your calves slimmer." "For example, if you're wearing these jeans today, it's best to wear straight-leg, high-waisted ones, which will highlight the proportions of your long legs."

Concubine Liu Yi looked at him unkindly, and she would give him a hard time if he dared to say that his legs were thick.

People say I'm a fairy sister, why do you find fault with me every day!

On May 2004, 5, local time in France, the crew of "Alien Land" arrived in Cannes.

Chinese cast and crew rushed in from Peking, and Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and others will arrive on the opening day to support "Alien Land", which is the premiere film.

Due to the worsening situation between the US and Iran, the star-studded Cannes Film Festival once again faced the same terrorist threat as last year.

Of course, there is also the ever-present general strike.

For example, Lu Kuan, Liu Yifei and others who had just walked out of the airport and were stuck on the way to the hotel.

Ten Thousand Whys began to wonder again: "Why are they on strike?"

"These are French entertainment industry workers who are dissatisfied with the authorities' unemployment assistance policy."

The strike in 2004 was particularly large-scale, stretching from the Cinema Palace to the airport.

The biggest impact was that the film copies that the crews had airlifted to Paris could no longer be transported to Cannes.

The late arrival of Wang Jiawei's "2046", which later became very famous, was also affected to a certain extent by the general strike.

Concubine Liu Yi stretched her neck to look into the distance: "Fortunately, the evacuation has begun in the front."

But when the crew's convoy really slowed down to the intersection, they found that it was even more chaotic here.

Liu Xiaoli suddenly exclaimed: "Xixi, be careful!"

There was a loud bang from the side of the car. It turned out that a riot police officer pushed a protester and hit the left rear door.

Concubine Liu Yi was shocked: "It's still better in China, it's too free!"

Liang Jiahui consoled her, "You'll get used to it. There are parades in Hong Kong all the time. It's okay."

"But it seems to be particularly serious this year, Director Lu?"

Boss Lu smiled and said, "The situation between the US and Iran is tense, so the police force has been increased this year. Look at those bomb-proof vehicles over there; they're even equipped with high-powered binoculars."

I am used to the orderly life in my country, so I am still quite uneasy and insecure about this kind of disorder.

During this year's Cannes Film Festival, there were 5000 media outlets, 8000 film companies, and 1400 screenings.

Add to that the bustling tourists and France's unique military force: pickpockets, and the city is bustling from Paris to Cannes.

However, Boss Lu, who values ​​his life, brought Ah Fei with him, and their security was ensured after they checked into a high-end hotel.

After a difficult journey, they finally arrived at their residence. Liu Xiaoli was a little dizzy due to jet lag, so she asked Liu Yifei to go downstairs and have dinner with the crew.

"The road is wide, shall we go for a walk?"

Boss Lu was feasting in the restaurant: "Aren't you going to eat?"

Concubine Liu Yi stuck out her tongue awkwardly: "The dress designed by Guo Pei is a bit tight... I've gained a little weight in the past two weeks."

"I have to be careful these two days, otherwise wearing that bamboo style...it will look ugly."

Boss Lu mentally reviewed the 3X version of Liu Yifei wearing the Bamboo Rhythm dress.

"Well, it was originally a bamboo, but when you put it in, it turned into a zongzi, hahahaha!"

The little girl was so angry that she pretended to throw the fork. Boss Lu was very tactful and apologized for his mistake.

"Let's go, we'll be back in a couple of rounds. I have to write a script."

From the main entrance of the Film Palace to the north, there is a wide avenue, which is the most famous Croisette in Cannes.

The setting sun was low, and the sunset glowed beautifully. Palm trees of varying heights lined the sides of the road.

On the left side of the Cross Avenue is the high-end hotel where Lu Kuan and others are staying, and on the right side is the famous Palm Beach.

Concubine Liu Yi sighed: "It's so good here. No one recognizes me. I can do whatever I want freely."

Lu Kuan wondered if she was thinking about the Great Escape on Valentine’s Day movie night.

As the sky gradually darkened, the two men walked to the door of the Matinez Hotel. Suddenly, a few smokers in the dark alley next to it waved at him.

"Sir, do you have a lighter?"

Lu Kuan touched his pocket and remembered that he had emptied it before boarding the plane, so he said sorry from a distance.

It was only when the lights flickered that I recognized who it was.

"Do you recognize her?"

Liu Yifei looked at Lu Kuan strangely as he stared at the foreign woman with a cigarette in her hand.

"Truffaut's mistress, Fanny Arden."

"That famous director?"

"Well, he's one of the top five directors in the world, and even in film history."

Truffaut was a leading figure of the French New Wave. He was the first to challenge the traditional narrative model and had a great influence on domestic directors.

Regardless of whether the film movement he initiated was right or wrong, the fifth and sixth generations in China have actually embarked on the path of abandoning storytelling and turning to specializing in art films.

But in fact, Truffaut's storytelling ability is very strong, maybe domestic directors learned it wrongly.

Liu Yifei curled her lips and said, "She's a mistress? Are all directors like you?"

Boss Lu looked at her speechlessly: "If you can talk, just say more!"

"Director, Yi Fei, is that you?"

Boss Lu turned his head and saw Zhang Ziyi walking towards them with a smile on her face.

"Ziyi, I haven't had time to visit you. Are you feeling better now?"

"It's basically fine now. Just pay more attention to rest."

Zhang Ziyi didn't seem to be affected at all by the minor disagreements on the set of "Foreign Land", and greeted the two of them with a sweet smile.

Boss Lu looked around, trying to look for Lao Mouzi with a sense of mischief.

Maybe he is also a role model for our generation?
Zhang Ziyi came to Cannes last year for "Purple Butterfly", and was nominated again this year for "House of Flying Daggers" and Wang Jiawei's "2046".

If it weren't for the mistake with "Alien Land", she would have become an international star.

One person represents three films.

"I watched the trailer, Yifei, and it was really good."

Zhang Ziyi was thankful: "Fortunately, I have you, otherwise my sin would be great."

Zhang Ziyi, who aspires to enter Hollywood and repeat and surpass her predecessor Gong Li, tries every means to show her goodwill in front of Boss Lu.

Maybe this could make up for the mess he had made and restore his image in front of this promising young director?

Liu Yifei waved her hand: "Sister Ziyi, the director said that there is still a big gap between you and me, and asked me to learn from you."

"Where, where."

Zhang Ziyi chatted with Liu Yifei and then turned to Lu Kuan.

"Director, will you go to the Hong Kong Night tomorrow night?"

Zhang Ziyi's delicate makeup was dimly lit under the dim street lights, and she looked up at him expectantly.

Hong Kong Night is a promotional event held in Cannes by the Hong Kong government in collaboration with several film companies, well-known directors and actors.

Officials from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council introduced Hong Kong films to the attending international film celebrities and investors in an effort to save the declining Hong Kong film industry.

"Well, the crew has received an invitation. We are all compatriots, so we must show our support when we are away from home."

In fact, he had another important purpose, which was to contact an ideal female lead for his new film.

Zhang Ziyi's expression was full of joy, which she didn't need to be so exaggerated with her acting skills. I think it was intentional.

Men generally have a spiritual need to be admired, and she thinks she understands this very well.

"Okay, Director, Yi Fei, see you tomorrow."

The three of them said goodbye. Zhang Ziyi took a few steps and looked back at the two people's elongated figures under the street lights, her heart filled with the desire of female competition.

If only this little girl wasn't here, maybe tonight...

Zhang Ziyi is 25 years old this year, which is the prime age for a female star. Whether in career or love, her ambition and vision have already surpassed several actresses of the same level.

Being a Mou Girl is great, of course, but she also wants to be a Lu Girl, or even...

Why can’t we learn from our predecessor Gong Li and turn the director into our boyfriend?

Or learn from Zhang Manyu, the most popular candidate for Best Actress at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and find a partner who can bring you to the pinnacle of honor?

The two continued to stroll aimlessly, but Zhang Ziyi's intentional or unintentional "encounter" slightly dampened her joy.

"How much is Zhang Ziyi's actual pay?"

Lu Kuan glanced at him sideways, feeling a little surprised.

Liu Yifei grew up in a wealthy family and has never cared about money. Why did she suddenly ask about other people's pay?

"It's about $300 million in the country. If you want to make a Hollywood movie, it will be lower."

Zhang Ziyi's status and pay will be greatly improved after "Memoirs of a Geisha", but she only received 50 US dollars for the film.

"Why are you suddenly concerned about this issue?"

Concubine Liu Yi pursed her lips and said nothing.

Because I don’t like the way she looked at you just now, as if she didn’t exist.

I will surpass her one day!
Boss Lu's cell phone suddenly rang. It was Harvey calling.

"Hey?"

"Lu, where are you? Do you want to come for a drink? Quentin and I are here."

Boss Lu glanced at the curious Liu Yifei calmly and said, "No, I need to draw the storyboard."

"Lu! Come here quickly, I have good news to tell you."

The cocky laughter of his wolf friend Quentin came from the microphone, as if it was a secret code, and Boss Lu felt a little eager to make a move.

After hanging up the phone, Lu Kuan said to Liu Yifei, "Let's go back. Is this amount of exercise enough for you to lose weight?"

Liu Yifei looked doubtful: "Are you going to find Harvey?"

"Why would I look for him? Neither he nor Quentin is a good person. Our relationship is just a work one!"

Xiao Liu was skeptical, but he didn't want to question his position any further, so he reluctantly followed him back to the Carlton Hotel.

Boss Lu stayed in the room for two minutes before quietly getting off the elevator like a cicada escaping from its shell.

Damn, an unmarried man went out to have a few drinks with his wolf friends and acted like a thief!

There is no way. I can no longer treat Concubine Liu Yi as recklessly as before.

Seeing how stubborn she is now, what if she is really too prejudiced against my own promiscuity and I really can't deceive her in the future?

If I can't trick her, I can't really use my power to force her to ban it, right?

Seeing how this lady often disappears from the domestic entertainment industry in her later life, she doesn't seem like someone who would surrender.

It also delayed my early investment in her and delayed my making money!

Boss Lu followed the map and came to the bar's private room, where only Quentin, Harvey and Jason from Lionsgate were.

Harvey smiled and said, "I knew you would come!"

"What about people?"

Harvey was stunned when he heard it and asked, "Who?"

"grass!"

Boss Lu cursed speechlessly, "What the hell is this Arhat Bureau?"
"Lu, we need to talk about the North American promotion of 'Exotic'."

Boss Lu looked impatient: "What do we have to talk about tonight?"

Harvey excitedly said: "Schedule! We have 3500 screens! Isn't this worth celebrating?"

"Worth it, huh?"

Quentin laughed and said, "I'm the chairman of the judging panel this time. A lot of eyes are on me, so I have to behave myself."

"Lu, I'm sorry for giving you the wrong hint, haha!"

Jason and Harvey both laughed, and the private room was filled with a happy atmosphere.

But this happiness did not last long. Harvey went out to answer a phone call, and when he came back his face changed drastically.

"Lu, something happened!"

"My people at Disney have received a tip that they want to adjust the release dates of several films to snipe 'Outlander'."

Boss Lu was stunned when he heard this, and Harvey continued to explain with a serious expression.

“我们原本定档在6月16号，但是迪士尼突然把《公主日记2》提档到6月12号，《环游地球八十天》提档到6月20号！”

The Jewish businessman didn't say anything more. Boss Lu's frown said it all.

The North American film market generally has five seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn and Christmas.

Among them, the summer season is the top priority.

Similar to the situation in China, when schools are on vacation, the number of young people watching movies increases sharply.

With North America's developed film culture, this group of people is a must-attempt for all kinds of commercial blockbusters of the right age.

Of course, because of the large number of blockbusters, the competition in the summer season is the most fierce, just like the Lunar New Year season in China.

Starting from June.

On June 6th, the blockbuster "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" will be released. Its super popularity will siphon off other competing works within a week of its release.

Next up are blockbusters like "Pitch Black 6" and "Garfield" starting after June 10th, and "The Stepford Wives" around the end of the month.

"Lu, Disney put Anne Hathaway's 'The Princess Diaries' series and your Chinese Jackie Chan's 'Around the World' around our release dates, trying to snipe us!"

Lu Kuan pondered, "'The Princess Diaries 2' is a sequel to a film series with a fixed audience. 'Pitch Black 2' shares the same theme as ours, so neither of them is suitable."

Harvey was incredulous: "Are you trying to put it behind? Jackie's 'Circumnavigation' is also a formidable rival, and there's also Nicole Kidman's 'The Stepford Wives', which is also a science fiction film."

Tarantino also advised: "Lu, Jackie's 'Circumnavigation' is an adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, and with his martial arts, he is not a weak opponent."

Lu Kuan sneered in his heart, wondering how come he always ended up in movies where he and Lao Long were opposite each other...

In order to hype up the film, "The Drummer" was betting against his "Back to the Future", but the latter flopped.

However, later on, the relationship between Boss Lu and Eagle King improved, and they never mentioned this matter again.

Now the two of them happen to be working together in Hollywood again!
only. . .

Jackie Chan's "Around the World in 80 Days" was a huge loss.

With a total investment of 1.1 million US dollars, the box office in North America in the first week was only 680 million US dollars, and the final North American market data closed at 2400 million.

Jackie Chan's career in Hollywood was completely ruined because of this movie, and he moved north to develop his career.

Thinking of this, Boss Lu gave Quentin and Harvey a strange smile, which made Jason of Lionsgate feel a chill on the back of his neck.

"Harvey, Jason, just postpone it to June 6th to avoid the strongest Harry Potter at the beginning of the month. I don't think any other movie can compete with us."

Seeing that he was determined, Harvey and Jason didn't try to persuade him anymore.

Harvey wondered darkly in his heart, was this the answer given by his religious beliefs?

The next day, Disney took the lead in announcing the advancement of the release dates of two films. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was a lesson for its disobedient younger brother Harvey.

Miramax is a subsidiary of Disney, and the relationship between the two is delicate, but Harvey is already planning a complete separation.

Immediately afterwards, Lionsgate released a release date change announcement on its official website, and the film will be officially released on June 6.

We hope to present a wonderful summer blockbuster to the audience together with Disney's "Around the World in 80 Days".

This was a bundling hype instigated by Boss Lu, who also arranged for the media to start publishing gimmicky soft articles such as "'Alien Land' vs. 'Around the World', Chinese New Director VS Chinese Kung Fu Superstar".

All in all, Jackie Chan is definitely much more famous than Boss Lu in Hollywood right now.

Lu Kuan could only say sorry to Lao Long in his heart. This battle was a battle for his foothold in Hollywood, and he could only climb up by stepping on Lao Long's corpse!
But he was the only one sober while everyone else was drunk, and even his ally Harvey couldn't understand his decision.

Not to mention Disney's direct spokespersons in Hollywood, who have been pessimistic about the prospects of "Alien Land".

After the two companies announced the change of schedule, the authoritative North American film forecasting agency BOX announced its box office expectations for "Alien Land".

2200 million in the first week and 5500 million in the second week.

According to its prediction, Boss Lu will suffer a huge loss of 2000 million US dollars at the box office alone.

Disney's mouthpiece used the millions of box office revenue of Lu Kuan's previous film "The Drummer" in North America as an excuse to criticize and pessimize the film, claiming that it was a bad movie that even Leonardo DiCaprio could not save.

Lionsgate and Harvey's allies also targeted Jackie Chan, saying that his previous films were flops and that the Asian Jackie had become box office poison.

Some of the arguments were transmitted back to China, naturally attracting the attention and reprinting of interested people.

In 2004, all domestic film producers were keeping their eyes on this co-production with a total investment of more than 6 million yuan, fearing that it would clash with their own.

Now that foreign media have expressed pessimistic views, all competitors have spoken out and amplified their opinions.

Nowadays, quite a number of netizens like to follow trends, especially those from abroad.

The black fans that Boss Lu had accumulated since his breakup with the Little King of Hong Kong were extremely frantic, attacking each other on Wenjie and Lu Kuan's blog homepage.

They have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and no matter whether it is true or false, they will just criticize it first.

A lie repeated a thousand times becomes true. The public opinion in the mainland suddenly changed and developed in a direction that was unfavorable to "Foreign Land".

It's really because this movie is too big and attracts too much attention, which has attracted unanimous criticism from the industry.

However, the partners of "Alien Land" in China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, China Film Group and Eagle King, are also dominant players. With the powerful online and offline resources of Wenjie, they have gradually increased their marketing efforts since May.

Regardless of whether the public opinion is positive or negative, whether it is on the main battlefield blog network or other popular Internet forums;

Whether it is the nearly 90% of elevator advertising resources controlled by Focus Media, or the pre-roll ads in cinema chains controlled by China Film Group;

All target demographics will be bombarded with relentless trailers until the film's national premiere in China, which is delayed a month compared to North America.

(End of this chapter)