Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 436 Fei Yan Fei Yu: Gu from the Strategic Deception Bureau Goes Online
The Chinese media have gone a bit crazy.

They never imagined that gravity would be so popular overseas.

They hadn't even bothered to track overseas box office figures, which is so important.

It was only after The Hollywood Reporter compiled statistics that Gravity's global opening box office reached a staggering $1.5 million, nearly matching the total box office of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ten years prior in just three days.

Ten years later, films with Chinese themes have once again swept the globe, prompting everyone to recognize their immense news value.

but,

When they arrived at the gravity promotion site,
However, they discovered that only Liu Yifei was present at the promotional event, while Gu Bei was nowhere to be found.

"Liu Yifei, may I ask where Director Gu went?" a media outlet asked Liu Yifei.

"Gu Bei, he went to North America to participate in a few TV programs," Liu Yifei replied calmly, as there was nothing she couldn't say.

The media immediately became excited.
Gu Bei felt that Gravity's North American box office performance was mediocre, but that was relative to the film's production costs.
For a science fiction film with a Chinese theme to achieve such high box office numbers is itself something to talk about.

Another reporter eagerly asked, "Director Gu, is your trip back to North America to promote Gravity? Why didn't you, Liu Yifei, go with us?"

"If I go, who will you ask questions?"

Liu Yifei held up the microphone, looking at the reporter who asked the question with a puzzled expression.

The reporter, who was asked the question in return, was slightly taken aback, as if his mind was about to explode. It seemed... it seemed that was indeed the case, but something was not right.

The truth is, this is the principle.

After all, Gravity only had two actors, Liu Yifei and Cheng Long.

Jackie Chan doesn't have many acting roles, and he's very busy, so he only appears at important occasions like the Cannes premiere and opening ceremony.

As the absolute female lead, Liu Yifei is required to complete all the scheduled activities.

If even Liu Yifei went to North America with Gu Bei, then there would be no need for today's promotional event!

but,

Clearly, that's not the question the reporter wanted to ask.

"Okay, okay, thank you for your answer!"

The reporter who asked the question retreated somewhat embarrassedly.

The veteran reporters nearby watched him leave with slightly pitying eyes. Liu Yifei's inflammatory remarks were nothing new, and there were also former victims in the audience watching him repeat the same mistakes.

However, the interview still had to be conducted.

Another reporter came up and asked, "Liu Yifei, given the global box office success of Gravity, will you focus on Hollywood films or Chinese films in the future?"

Actually, there are some pitfalls in this question.
If Liu Yifei answers that she mainly works in Hollywood, then it would mean she doesn't value the Chinese market, which would greatly damage her huge popularity among the Chinese public.

If Liu Yifei answers that she will primarily focus on Chinese works, then her future project selections will be easily limited by this promise, and it will also seem somewhat insincere.

"Of course, the focus should be on the works themselves!"

Liu Yifei looked at the reporter with a puzzled expression once again.

"what?"

The reporter also looked at Liu Yifei with a puzzled expression.

YES or NO?

Liu Yifei's answer was as if she had chosen "or" in this multiple-choice question!
"I will definitely choose a script that moves me, whether it's a Hollywood production or a Chinese production."

Liu Yifei thought she had explained things clearly enough, but seeing the reporters' questioning looks, she had to explain again, "And during the filming of Gravity,"

Jackie Chan once shared with me the downsides of trying to make it in Hollywood. We need to make both Hollywood and Chinese films to satisfy fans who have different expectations of us.
I think I would do the same, but it has to be a script that truly moves me.

When the reporters heard Liu Yifei's answer,

Although there weren't any major surprises, at least they were relatively satisfied.

After all, Liu Yifei's answer included Cheng Long's revelations, giving them at least something to write about.

Liu Yifei cited the advice given to her by Jackie Chan. As one of the most successful Chinese people to break into Hollywood, following the same path as Jackie Chan naturally leaves no room for criticism.

Moreover, Liu Yifei's revelations about Cheng Long were enough to attract a lot of attention, making it difficult for people to carefully consider her answers.

The last sentence gave Liu Yifei greater freedom of choice for the future.

This answer is a perfect response.

The program at 8 PM showed a calculation of gravity.

News Broadcast: [The space-themed film "Gravity," directed by Gu Bei, was released globally on October 1st, and its opening weekend grossed a record-breaking $150 million, setting a new record for Chinese-themed films.]

The movie Gravity showcased to the world China's ancient pursuit of the sky.

Liu Yifei's portrayal of the female protagonist's arduous struggle for survival showcases the true spirit of the Chinese people, their indomitable will in the face of adversity.

When Gu Bei learned of this news, he was slightly surprised.

This show won't feature Gravity just because of its box office success; every word spoken conveys an attitude.

It is undeniable that Gu Bei and Liu Yifei have made significant contributions to promoting Chinese culture abroad. In the future, Rose Pictures and Linlang Entertainment will have unimpeded access to co-productions, even if they can't make whatever they want.

Just like the National Director's movies, it was thanks to the Olympics that the movie "A Simple Noodle Story" made it onto this program. Although "A Simple Noodle Story" was a terrible movie, the program solidified the National Director's reputation.

Why aren't you saying anything?

Liu Yifei's voice came through the phone, still a little proud, "My grandma praised me, saying that being able to appear on this show is a unique honor for the Liu family."

"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"

A smile appeared on Gu Bei's face as he praised her.

"You're not being sincere!"

Although Liu Yifei said that, she squinted her eyes slightly like a cat that had just been stroked, and said, "I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to sleep!"

It was already late at night in China.

But it was still afternoon in Hollywood.
Gu Bei is preparing for the show he will be performing tonight.
It was Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show, owned by Disney, which is one of the most popular late-night talk shows, with higher ratings than the Conan Show that Gu Bei used to frequently appear on.

After all, Gravity is currently the hottest movie in North America.
After taking the top spot at the box office with $4300 million in its opening weekend,

Gravity saw a minimal drop of only 23% in its second weekend in North America, once again taking the top spot at the box office with $3300 million, further fueling the film's popularity.

In addition to the box office revenue from the first week's weekdays,
Gravity's North American box office has officially reached $9300 million.
It's almost certain that Gravity will break the $100 million box office mark this week. Its second weekend performance was a major slap in the face to box office predictions.
Their initial prediction of gravity was only one hundred million dollars.
After its opening weekend box office results were released, the estimate was immediately revised upwards to $1.5 million.
Now, after the extremely low drop at the end of the second weekend, the estimate has been directly raised to $2 million.

The popularity of gravity has also brought considerable controversy!

Spaceflight was one of the most important propaganda tools during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and it could be described as a contest for national destiny.

After all, according to the saying at the time, whoever controlled space exploration controlled the ability to drop nuclear bombs from the sky onto enemy territory.

Moreover, the Soviet Union was ahead of North America all the way, which meant that a nuclear warhead was always hanging over the heads of North Americans until the Apollo moon landing program finally succeeded in defused the bomb over their heads.

This memory is deeply ingrained in North American society.
Therefore, the controversy surrounding gravity

It was far more numerous and more intense than Gu Bei had anticipated.

It was precisely because of these controversies that Gu Bei did not allow Liu Yifei to return with him, but instead let Liu Yifei promote herself in China.

The topic of gravity is indeed a bit sensitive.

Fortunately, the technology involved is something that China hasn't actually implemented yet; it's still just a concept in PowerPoint presentations.
Gu Bei was clear about the future trajectory of China's aerospace technology, and even under conditions of complete embargo from North America.
However, he certainly wouldn't show that kind of confidence.
On the contrary,

Tonight, Gu Bei is a member of the Strategic Deception Bureau.
He's completely fooled the North American audience.

After all, he's just a film director, what does he know about aerospace technology?

After a while,
Gu Bei arrived at the studio of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show.

Amidst upbeat music, host Jimmy Kimmel enthusiastically introduced, "Our next guest is the youngest Oscar-winning director in history, who has also recently been accused of being a propaganda spy sent by China."

Let's welcome... Bruce Gou!

Gu Bei walked out of the curtain with a smile. When the audience saw Gu Bei, they immediately cheered loudly, and the scene was like a fan meeting of Gu Bei.

"Bruce, welcome, welcome."

Jimmy greeted Gu Bei with a smile and led him to his seat. His face was full of smiles, but his first question was quite tricky: "I really want to know what you think about the recent controversy surrounding you?"

What can I say?

Gu Bei smiled faintly and spread his hands. "There are still people in this world who believe the earth is flat, and I have no way to convince them."

In North America, due to the government's dark history, there are many people who believe in conspiracy theories, which has become a unique cultural phenomenon.

"Huh? If the Earth isn't flat, then how can it be round?"

Jimmy deliberately wore a puzzled expression, as if he genuinely believed the Earth was flat.

After a burst of laughter from the audience, Jimmy brought the topic back: "Just kidding, of course I know the earth is round."

However, many people may wonder why you chose to cooperate with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation instead of NASA, especially since China provided you with so much classified data.

"We approached the collaboration with a try-it-out mentality. We weren't sure if we had obtained any secret data; we only had some visual data to help build the special effects model."

Gu Bei replied evasively, then put on a wronged expression, "There's nothing I can do. NASA rejected me, even though I was the first one to approach NASA for cooperation."

After speaking, Gu Bei looked down at the audience.

The audience burst into laughter upon seeing Gu Bei's slightly helpless and frustrated expression.

"So you guys once collaborated with NASA!"

Jimmy sounded somewhat surprised, as he hadn't expected there to be such a story behind it.

After a pause, he continued, "After reading about gravity, I consulted some people at NASA. They commented that China's aerospace industry has a lot of military motives involved. Did you have this feeling when you were cooperating with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation?"

I've been waiting for you to ask this question!
Gu Bei immediately channeled his strategic deception skills.

He immediately began to complain: "There are indeed many restrictions. We only used some data on appearance, but the special effects that involved had to be rendered in China. It was controlled like a military operation."

After a pause,

Gu Bei suddenly changed the subject: "But I think this is also reasonable. After all, there can only be one successful aerospace technology development, and China's aerospace industry also learned from it."

"Who is it?"

Jimmy asked instinctively.

"NASA!"

Gu Bei gave him an answer that surprised him. He had thought Gu Bei would say it was Lao Su, but it turned out to be his own NASA.

Before Jimmy could take control of the situation...

Gu Bei then began to improvise.

He looked at the audience and said with a smile, "After all, NASA is more wary, and they rejected my cooperation request!"

"Hahaha!"

The audience below the stage burst into laughter.

The label of being rejected by NASA has been added to Gu Bei's image once again.

Jimmy felt that the show was getting out of his control. After all, he was just a talk show host, not an interview program host. He was good at telling jokes, but he wasn't so good at controlling the show.

"Haha, it seems NASA's rejection is a very big deal to you!"

Jimmy joined in the mockery of Gu Bei, taking a jab at him.

Gu Bei simply shrugged helplessly, which once again amused the audience.

Subsequently,

Jimmy continued, "We all know that gravity is a story for the next few years or even a decade or more. Tiangong-1, the space station where the female protagonist escaped, hasn't even been launched yet."

If you were to evaluate the future development of China's aerospace industry, how would you rate it? Will it develop as rapidly as depicted in your movies?

Isn't this a coincidence?

This is the perfect question for our comrades from the Strategic Deception Bureau to demonstrate their abilities!

"If I were to evaluate China's aerospace industry, I would say it's large but not strong!"

Gu Bei, with his legs crossed, gave a slightly derogatory answer with a seemingly content expression.

In fact, this assessment of being "large but not strong" comes from the future China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's self-summary, and it's not something Gu Bei just casually said.

(End of this chapter)