Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 155 The Mountain Eagle's reputation is well-deserved!

After ten days of release, "Red Cliff" was stuck at the 200 million mark at the box office, making John Woo anxious.

It grossed over 100 million yuan in four days, but after eleven days, it was still some distance from 200 million yuan.

John Woo was given a cold shower.

All the boasts he made before have now been slapped in the face.

This left John Woo feeling utterly cold inside, and his face turned ashen.

Forget about Cao Zhong's achievements, he's practically invisible. Three hundred million is already a record high.

Despite dominating the July and August release window, "Red Cliff Part I" failed to replicate the box office success of "Nanjing Photo Studio" and "My Disqualified Daughter."

While a single dominant player generated maximum buzz for the film among netizens, it ultimately backfired.

The sudden media storm dealt a blow and even escalated into a broader cultural and entertainment issue.

Despite its high popularity, it has received mixed reviews and opinions.

It completely fails to attract people to the cinema.
This even sparked ridicule, with attacks on the dialogue quickly escalating into attacks on the actors themselves.
Lines like "I need to stay calm," "Mengmeng, stand up," "Desire makes you young," "Eat one more bowl, the road to Dongwu is long," and "Study hard now, so you can have food to eat in the future!" have swept the entire internet.

Fan Bingbing couldn't stop laughing as she watched Zhao Zhetian get criticized because of this drama, and as Lin Zhiling's story of "One Horse Trampling the World Wave" was brought up again because of this drama.

He wrote poems about the Three Kingdoms to Cao Zhong several times and sent him text messages.
"Thinking back to Gongjin in his prime..."
Bingbing is out the door.
"Cross the river to find Cao Cao."

His behavior was so outrageous that Cao Zhong had to solemnly declare that his name was Cao Zhong, not Cao Cao.

He didn't want to listen to the appraisal of the treasures.

After rejecting Fan Bingbing's offer of 456, Cao Zhong oversaw the special effects work for "We Live in Nanjing" closely, communicating with the production team for more than five hours every day, emphasizing the importance of special effects.

Cao Zhong has already begun editing the footage set in a modern context.

Meanwhile, Cao Zhong also put a lot of effort into the soundtrack for "We Live in Nanjing". He not only invited Shu Nan and Tan Dun, the composer of "Hero", but also arranged for Hollywood soundtrack master Hans Zimmer to come to China two months later.

By then, the special effects will be finished, and the rough cut will be almost done, making it easier for Hans Zimmer to work on the music arrangement.

Cao Zhong knew this person; his musical style was characterized by grand narratives and drama, and his skill level was very high. He composed the scores for films such as The Lion King, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk.

In its second week of release, "Red Cliff Part I" had clearly exhausted its box office potential.

The plot and dialogue had too many flaws. China Film Group intervened to try and salvage the situation, but even a miracle couldn't save it.

Han Sanpin tried several times to call Cao Zhong and ask him to say some good words for him.

Because of Lu Chuan's situation, the call never came through.

Han Sanpin also had his pride.

He also had a vague feeling that all the effort put into "Red Cliff Part I" was in vain.

When he initially hoped Cao Zhong would direct a historical epic, he already foresaw the possible outcome of "Red Cliff".

Unfortunately, his attempt to evoke national confidence before the Olympics through grand historical narratives ultimately failed.
This year's "Three Kingdoms craze" ideal has also collapsed.

Han Sanpin merely urged Cao Zhong to expedite the script approval process for "The Last Transfer in the Northern Desert of the Tang Dynasty."

So that he could come and build a city for Cao Zhong.

Han Sanpin couldn't wait any longer.

He finally realized over the past two years that if there was only one director in China who could bring him into a project, it would be Cao Zhong!

In Cao Zhong's sincere shadow,

He not only brought Liu Yiwei and Yang Qing, the authors of "Lost in Thailand," into the screenwriting team,

They also recruited some screenwriting students and hired some screenwriters from the industry.

For example, Shu Huan, the screenwriter of "Crazy Stone," and Pan Yiran, the screenwriter of the upcoming "The Long Season."

When Cai Ming learned that Cao Zhong was recruiting screenwriters, she asked Cao Zhong to contact her son Ding Ding, who was studying in the UK, to support the design of comedic scenes and dialogue for the film. Cao Zhong knew that he had written the screenplay for "Lost in Thailand" in his previous life, so he agreed.

On Sunday, July 21, the script for "Running a Truck with My Daughter" was finally completed.

At the request of the entire screenwriting team, the film was renamed "Raging Father and Daughter," and the script was submitted for approval.

Cao Zhong was completely absorbed in many of the lines.

For example, the daughter said impatiently, "I read in Yilin magazine that, in the end, people are just a random combination of carbon-based organisms, so where does all this heavy responsibility come from?"

The father didn't even look up, continuing to tighten the wrench. "If the wheel believed you, it would break down immediately."

When they encountered danger on the road and feared someone might steal their fuel, the father protected his still-shaken daughter, saying, "Don't be afraid. I know this car and this road well. As long as you're in the right direction and can distinguish between the accelerator and the brake, there's no road we can't get through."

There was also a funny incident involving a large truck refueling and two women from different parking lots arguing about the distance between their vehicles.

And the humor lies in the scene where, during a police stop, the father instructs his daughter to tell the traffic police that her mother has passed away—a story told through a sob story.

Although she used a clever trick to gain the traffic police's sympathy, she also taught her daughter how to be kind to others, how to respect the traffic police, and how to support their work.

"Shen Ao, this is all up to you." Cao Zhong looked at Shen Ao and smiled, "I just realized that this is also part of the father series, and it's like creating a series for you."

Shen Ao looked delighted and deeply moved: "Director Cao, are you really going to make this film for me? I feel that this script is better than the last one, more down-to-earth. I even think it is the best road movie, educational film, art film, and family film all at once. Compared to 'My Disqualified Daughter,' it has a wider scope."

“Since you know this script is good, don’t let me down.” Cao Zhong patted Shen Ao on the shoulder. “You are luckier than Xu Zheng. ‘Crazy Racer’ hasn’t finished filming yet, and his ‘Lost in Thailand’ will have to wait at least another twenty days before it can be filmed. But yours, once it passes the review, can start filming with the cast at any time.”

Shen Ao's eyes welled with tears, a flicker of emotion crossing his face as if he were ready to die for a friend. "Coach Cao, thank you, thank you so much."

"This script, which is a complete, heartwarming, and artistic script, is woven together from your core outline and many small stories. I have lost count of how many times I have been moved by it. I think this is the most vivid gift you have given to Chinese audiences, Chinese father-son relationships, and Chinese education."

Cao Zhong smiled and said, "Don't flatter me. If the film doesn't turn out well, I won't give you a friendly welcome. By the way, regarding the investment share, I'll still say it again: I can give you a share. As for the director's fee, I don't mind."

Shen Ao's gaze sharpened, overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

He even wanted to refuse Director Cao, because he hadn't done anything for Director Cao yet, so how could he have the nerve to take a share of Director Cao's money?
Shen Ao believes that this script will be a good story and a good movie, no matter who directs it!

But Cao Zhong took the initiative to make the decision.

Shen Ao did not respond, but his eyes showed a solemn determination to make a good film.

With Director Cao by his side, he doesn't have to worry about anything. How could anyone not follow him and charge forward with such a boss?
……

In its third week, Split grossed $4051 million in its second week, creating a hurricane in Hollywood.

This achievement was made on Friday, over a three-day weekend, despite the significant impact of "The Dark Knight Rises" and a noticeable drop in box office revenue.

In just ten days, the film grossed $6621 million in North America!
It completely stunned the entire Hollywood industry.

"Yi Mei is so beautiful, even more beautiful than Leonardo DiCaprio, and her acting skills have surpassed Leonardo DiCaprio's!"

"This movie ticket is such a great deal! For less than twenty dollars, we get to see one person deliver twenty-three different acting performances."

Isn't this better than *Hancock* and *Hell Jazz*? You can see the special effects in those movies on DVD.

The chilling and tense atmosphere created by these close-up expressions is something that a DVD at home could never deliver as powerfully as one in a movie theater!

"I've watched this movie several times. I wasn't watching for the plot, but purely to see the tense situation of the male lead's twisted personality and split personality. I put myself in the shoes of that Asian girl, Yang, right? I really think she's so brave. I was so scared during the movie that I almost peed my pants. She's so brave and so smart!"

"I'm only going to see two movies this summer, Split and The Dark Knight Rises. I'll wait and see the others later."

Hollywood gasped in surprise.

Headlines such as "James McAvoy's Miracle," "Chinese Actress Yang Creates the Highest-Grossing Chinese-Starring Film," and "Shyamalan Returns to the Scene" swept across major Hollywood media outlets.

The six were stunned, their eyes filled with money, and they didn't even realize that there was a yellow-skinned person among them!

20th Century Fox was completely dumbfounded.

They've signed far too many performance-based agreements, but this is the first time they've seen one so decisive and efficient.

In just ten days, they have already won their bet!
The entire distribution team was experiencing immense elation, feeling they had used an independent film to dampen the schadenfreude of their competitors.

On one hand, they were stunned by the movie's rocket-like speed, and fell into an unbelievable dizziness.

For a low-budget film to achieve such phenomenal success, Jiang Zhiqiang's name is now incredibly sought after!

Some people are already thinking of contacting Jiang Zhiqiang and borrowing his Midas touch!

Cheng Long, who hadn't smoked for many years, has already smoked four packs of cigarettes in the past ten days.

He didn't contact Cao Zhong, but only he knew how turbulent his heart was.

……

China Film.

Han Zheng and Han Sanpin were looking at the box office data for "Split," their fingers, which were holding cigarettes, paused in mid-air.

For the past few days, he's been worried about the box office performance of "Red Cliff." The online criticism of "Red Cliff" is too intense, and he doesn't want to read the news online.

Furthermore, China Film Group is moving to a new address, so they've been packing up their belongings. Although Han Sanpin doesn't need to lift a finger to do this, he has a lot on his mind.
During the first week, I didn't take it seriously and forgot about it.

When he learned about the first week's box office results the following week, he was even somewhat terrified.

When the results came out in the second week, Han Sanpin was speechless.

There was only a long silence in the huge office.

Very few people in China know who directed this movie; they all believe it's a Hollywood film directed by Jiang Zhiqiang, and that, apart from Yang Mi, the film has absolutely nothing to do with the Chinese people.

And he knew that, exactly.

"Mr. Han, why are you paying attention to this foreign film? Are you planning to bring it to mainland China?"

Han Zheng said, "Judging from this genre, I wonder if there will be any bloody or violent scenes."

Han Sanpin said, "We need to talk to the distributors as soon as possible. We want to release this movie in China."

Han Zheng was taken aback: "Should we interrogate them first?"

"Don't you understand?" Han Sanpin's short voice startled Han Zheng. "I said, I want this movie to be shown in mainland China and Hong Kong."

"Yes, sir." This was the first time Han Zheng had ever seen Han Sanpin act this way.

Han Sanpin thought for a moment and then made a phone call to Cao Zhong.

"I will bring in 'Split' regardless of its success," Han Sanpin said. "I've said I'll stand by you. If your first Hollywood film can't get in, then what have I accomplished?!"

Cao Zhong was taken aback.

(End of this chapter)