Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 419 Release
[I blew my nose until my head exploded, so only one update.]

Half past three in the afternoon.

Finally, it was time for the 'ordinary audience' to enter. The long-waiting crowd surged into the ticket gate, squeezing the iron railings until they were somewhat deformed.

Actually, not many of these people came for the movie; most came to see the celebrities.

However, they were greatly disappointed when they entered the venue, because the celebrities were already seated in the front row, and those in the back row could only see the back of their heads.

Some who were unwilling to give up tried to sneak to the front while things were in chaos, but they were stopped by the security guards. The two sides pushed and shoved each other and argued loudly, causing a lot of commotion.

Even after the lights were dimmed, the screening room remained somewhat noisy, so much so that the hosts, Zhang Fang and Cao Ying, had to temporarily raise the volume.

If this happened 20 or 30 years from now, all kinds of media and self-media would have rushed to make news about it, but right now everyone is used to it.

Let alone arguing, these days it's common to see full-blown fights in movie theaters.

In short, this unprecedented premiere slowly unfolded amidst a somewhat chaotic scene.

According to the schedule, Tian Zhen first took the stage to sing the movie's theme song, and then Jiang Wen brought several lead actors on stage to talk about interesting things that happened on set.

Of course, Jiang Wen did quite a bit off-script, and even half-jokingly complained about Zhang Yan, blaming him for interfering with her creative process because of cost considerations, which drew good-natured laughter from the front row.

While clapping, Zhang Yimou said to Xian Qiran next to him, "It seems that the mainland is finally starting to learn from Hong Kong. In the future, our movies can also have premieres on the mainland."

Sin Ki-yin looked back at the separated ordinary audience seats and laughed, "It's still a bit different. Now, premieres in Hong Kong Island emphasize interaction the most. Last year, when 'Comrades: Almost a Love Story' premiered, the audience grabbed the microphone and started singing Tang Li-jun's songs."

Zhang Yimou shook his head slightly upon hearing this. Compared to the chaotic interactions in Hong Kong, he preferred the premiere of "Sunshine," which at least looked more formal and had fewer unexpected events.

After more than forty minutes of promotion and performance, the screen finally lit up.

However, to the audience's surprise, the first thing to appear on the screen was not the opening sequence, but three one-minute-long commercial breaks.

This made the once quiet screening room noisy again.

"Advertisements in movies? Isn't that just like watching TV?"

"That's different; you have to pay for a movie ticket!"

"What rubbish! Isn't this just making me pay to watch ads?"

"Isn't this just making things up? Movie tickets are already hard to sell, and if you add in the opening ads, the box office will be even worse!"

This time, it wasn't just those in the back rows who were discussing it; even colleagues and media in the front rows got involved, and like the audience, most of them held a critical attitude.

After all, these days even directors and producers are paid a fixed salary. A higher box office doesn't necessarily bring them any extra income, but a bad reputation can affect their livelihood.

This made Dong Ping and Jiang Wen very nervous, fearing it would affect the subsequent viewing experience and box office revenue.

Fortunately, the pre-roll ads had finished airing before the situation escalated further.

On the screen, Chen Hong's silhouette first appeared chasing the light, and then she and the light were encircled in an irregular square, forming the character 'circle'.

Then came Huayi's unremarkable logo.

As the opening symphony began, the clamor gradually subsided.

Jiang Wen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, unbuttoned her collar, and muttered, "I told you not to put on so many fancy things. Who will be responsible if this ruins our reputation?"

Zhang Yan glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Zhang Yan was well aware that running ad breaks would likely provoke criticism and dissatisfaction, but if they didn't use ad breaks to actively channel profits to theaters and gain the support of the negotiation team, the trouble he and Dong Ping would face would definitely be much greater.

To put it bluntly, it's all about who you are and who you think.

If Jiang Wen had been in charge of the publicity and release, he probably wouldn't have said that.

Aside from the side stories caused by the pre-roll ads, the film's performance was still quite commendable. At least Jiang Wen's jokes were able to amuse most viewers, and the scenes of peeping at her changing clothes and Milan emerging from the bath also elicited many exclamations and whistles.

However, the audience reacted most strongly to the scene where Zhang Yan made a cameo appearance as the little rascal.

This was Tianjin, after all, and there were quite a few people with connections in the audience, so many recognized Zhang Yan's identity, and the news quickly spread throughout the audience. Shouts of "President Zhang!" and "Hey, it's President Zhang!" rose and fell, and even though the little rascal quickly disappeared from the stage, the aftershocks lingered for a while.

So much so that after the movie ended, when Jiang Wen and the main cast returned to the stage for an interview, the first question asked by the local media was about Zhang Yan.

"Director Jiang, Mr. Zhang dies in your movie after appearing for less than three minutes. Is there any special meaning behind this?"

Hearing this question, Jiang Wen held up the microphone and laughed, "He chose the role himself, and it's not a fictional character—but I did want to add a scene where he gets stabbed to death, even if it was cut in the end, at least it would be satisfying."

Good-natured laughter erupted from the audience once again.

However, the questions that followed were more pointed. Reporters kept asking about the ad placements, and even though Jiang Wen had prepared her answers, she still seemed a little flustered.

Unsurprisingly, the issue of the pre-roll ads quickly sparked heated discussions in the media after the premiere of "Sunshine".

It even overshadowed discussions about the film itself at one point.

Thanks to the widespread news of "Sunshine" winning an award, coupled with the tireless promotion by Yuanmeng, the box office did not decline in the past few days, and was even higher than expected.

This made Jiang Wen both happy and unhappy, and she called every day to complain that if it weren't for the 'pre-roll' ads, the movie's box office would definitely have increased even more.

If it weren't for the fact that the mobile phone didn't have a blocking function, Zhang Yan would have blocked his number long ago.

"You're almost there."

In the end, even Dong Ping, who was also on the roadshow, couldn't stand it anymore and said a few fair words: "If it weren't for Zhang Yan running around pulling strings, our movie probably wouldn't be released until next year. By then, the hype would have long passed, and the box office would definitely not be as high as it is now."

Besides, without the pre-roll ads, do you think the cinemas would have been so cooperative with our roadshow tour these past few days?

[PS: The original time-travel movie was released on September 1, 1995.]

Jiang Wen spread her hands: "I didn't say anything—we've been doing roadshows all over the country, and in the end, isn't he the one who earns the most? Can't we even complain a little?"

As he spoke, he put his arm around Dong Ping's shoulder and winked, saying, "Old Dong, about our collaboration..."

Dong Ping hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, but finally shook his head and said, "Let's talk about it later. I can't take any more of your antics."

"No, I have experience now, I definitely won't do anything reckless like before."

"Haha~"

…………

9 month 1 day.

The box office figures for "In the Heat of the Sun" for its first week, after a three-day delay, have finally been released. In the first four days, the film grossed a total of over 2300 million yuan.

The box office trend in the mid-1990s was quite different from that twenty years later. The opening weekend box office usually only accounted for 20% to 35%. If we estimate it at the lowest 20%, then the box office of this movie would likely have exceeded 100 million.

Of course, this is basically impossible, because the promotion of "Dream Come True" was quite effective and attracted a large audience from the beginning, so the box office share in the first week will definitely not be too low.

Even so, the news still ignited the media, and previous discussions surrounding banner ads were quickly relegated to the sidelines.

More articles focusing on the film's content, behind-the-scenes stories, and its current popularity have emerged in droves.

The power struggle between Zhang Yan, Dong Ping, and Jiang Wen over capital and art; the love-hate relationship between Liu Xiaoqing, Ning Jing, and Jiang Wen; and even the fact that Zhang Yan replaced Wang Shuo in the role of the little rascal were all reported with exaggerated details.

As the 'recasting' incident drew attention, news that Dingli Pictures had been wholly acquired by Yuanmeng was quickly revealed.

Soon after, a special report titled "The Old King Takes His Curtain, the New Zhang Ascends the Throne" appeared out of nowhere, portraying Zhang Yan as a vengeful figure who had endured hardship and bided his time.

From initially sitting at the bottom of Wang Shuo's drinking parties, to later launching "Tianjin Wei" to compete with "Stories from the Editorial Department", and then being selected as a pilot private company with Wang Shuo, completely defeating Wang Shuo in the competition, taking advantage of the situation to steal Wang Shuo's script and role, and ultimately taking everything from Wang Shuo.

Although much of the content is fabricated, the story of a grassroots rise up and trample on powerful figures is a favorite trope for most people.

Therefore, once this article was published, it was reprinted by countless media outlets, and even spawned more absurd and bizarre versions...

(End of this chapter)