HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 180 [180] Box office of ten million, riding high on success
On May 24, "The Mission" grossed 222 million yuan, bringing its total box office to approximately 7 million yuan, getting closer and closer to the 10 million yuan mark.

It did well at the box office and received excellent reviews. Many Hong Kong newspapers commented that "The Mission" was Johnnie To's masterpiece and the best film produced by Milkyway Image.

Some wealthy female fans commented after watching the movie that the "Sister-in-law" was quite savvy, first seducing Qi Yuan, then Lu Songxian, and both of them were handsome men.

In their opinion, the eldest sister-in-law has a good eye for men, but she's still a bit naive when it comes to doing things.

Qi Yuan and Lu Songxian were both seduced, but what about Brother Crow? He's the real Iori Yagami, with an amazing physique, why don't you seduce him?
"The White Dragon King is right, he really brings me good fortune."

Du Qifeng was beaming with joy.

Some people who had served as judges at the Hong Kong Film Awards also watched the film.

They told Du Qifeng that, based on the quality of this film, he has a very high chance of winning Best Director next year, and Best Film is not out of the question.

Du Qifeng was thrilled to receive such recognition from professionals!

He picked up a slice of beef and put it in the pot to cook, saying with a hint of regret, "Alas, what a pity. It would have been great if Yuan Zai had acted in 'Running Out of Time' as well."

"Seriously, Inspector To? How could you treat me like this?" Lau Tak-wah across from him was both amused and exasperated.

Du Qifeng waved his hands repeatedly: "Just kidding, just kidding."

"Director Du, Brother Hua."

Qi Yuan has arrived.

Du Qifeng stood up, put his arm around Qi Yuan's shoulder, and asked Qi Yuan to sit down.

The three of them are all acquaintances, so there's no need to be so polite.

Du Qifeng's eyes lit up, and he asked Qi Yuan, "Yuanzi, what did you call me about?"

"The release of 'The Mission' in mainland China is settled. This is a special case. You need to go to China Film Group to discuss the film's release in mainland China and also prepare for the Mandarin dubbing."

Qi Yuan took a bite of the handmade beef ball. He didn't know if it was handmade or not, but it tasted pretty good.

"I lost it!"

Du Qifeng slammed his hand on the table in excitement, his face flushing slightly.

I was just trying it out, but it actually worked.

The fact that "The Mission" has secured a theatrical release in mainland China is incredibly impressive.

The movie "The Mission" is going to make a lot of money.

Andy Lau stared wide-eyed at Qi Yuan. Was Qi Yuan really that capable? He actually managed to get "The Mission" released in mainland China. Casting Qi Yuan as Ah Lai was truly the best decision Du Qifeng had made in recent years.

Liu Dehua held Qi Yuan in even higher regard.

"I didn't do much; it was mainly Director Chen's credit."

Qi Yuan was very modest. He couldn't say that he had good luck, but it was true that Chen Kaige had put in a lot of effort. He could only give all the credit to Chen Kaige.

From Du Qifeng and Liu Dehua's perspective, Qi Yuan's ability to ask Chen Kaige for this favor shows he has a lot of face and power.

They went to try and find Chen Kaige, but Old Chen didn't even glance at them.

……

The news spread very quickly in the small town of Hong Kong.

Within a few days, most of the Hong Kong film industry knew that Du Qifeng's "The Mission" had a great chance of being released in mainland China, and everyone also heard that Qi Yuan played a crucial role.

Immediately, all sorts of speculations about Qi Yuan emerged in Hong Kong.

Rumors abound that Qi Yuan is related to the head of China Film Group, that there are influential figures in Qi Yuan's family, and that his background is even more powerful than Li Lianjie's.

Qi Yuan thought it was outrageous.

He glanced at the panel; it seemed to be related to 'good luck' again?
He discovered that this wasn't a bad thing for him; few people in the Hong Kong entertainment industry who didn't know his background dared to underestimate or bully him. He also heard from Li Xue that the Xiang family's Huaguoxing wanted to invite him to star in a movie, proactively extending an invitation. He politely declined, citing a full schedule—not as a perfunctory excuse, but because he was genuinely busy, with his schedule booked until next year.

On May 28, "The Mission" surpassed the 10 million mark at the Hong Kong box office, becoming the fifth film this year to break the 10 million mark.

The top five are Stephen Chow's "King of Comedy", Jackie Chan's "Gorgeous", Wang Jing's "The Tricky Master 2000" and "Prince Charming".

After the box office surpassed 10 million, the growth slowed down, and the publicity campaign was almost over.

Qi Yuan plans to go back to the capital with Du Qifeng.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jing said that the script for "The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws" was almost finished and that they could go to the mainland to find investors to raise money.

Qi Yuan was stunned!

Wang Jing saw through Qi Yuan's thoughts and calmly said, "You didn't live in Hong Kong ten or twenty years ago, so you don't understand how the Hong Kong speed was forced out."

The boss's henchman brought him a box of money and a bag of peanuts, asking him to help make a movie. He already had a movie in production. The boss didn't care about that; he only asked him if he was going or not.

He dared not refuse, and over time, he developed the skill of a quick shooter.

"Damn, Director Wang, I feel like your drama will be finished filming even earlier than 'Swordsman'."

Qi Yuan was genuinely surprised. He knew Wang Jing was fast, but Wang Jing was even faster than he had expected.

"That's not the case. I still need to make some preparations. Filming will probably start about two months after you join the 'Swordsman' crew."

"You're leaving the 'Swordsman' set. Give me two months... no, a month and a half should be enough. I'll film your scenes all at once, and we can definitely finish in a month and a half."

Wang Jing spread his hands, that's the confidence of a Hong Kong Super Boy.

He didn't tell Qi Yuan that a month and a half was a conservative estimate, as this wasn't his limit.

In his previous life, Xie Tingfeng only stayed on set for 31 days before Wang Jing finished filming Hua Wuque's scenes. In the meantime, there was also the incident of him using the role to beat up Xiao Bailong.

In this life, Wang Jing doesn't need to worry about these things anymore. Qi Yuan has snatched the role in "The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws." He is the one playing the Flower Without Flaws, and it's impossible for Zhang Weijian to play the Little Fish.

This solved the problem of assault at its root.

There's no need to worry about investments.

Directors who weren't doing well in Hong Kong were able to secure funding when they went north to Hong Kong.

Wang Jingke was one of the famous directors of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. Who hasn't seen his films like "Hail the Judge," "God of Gamblers," and "Royal Tramp"?

With Qi Yuan's popularity, attracting investment is a piece of cake.

Before Qi Yuan and Wang Jing returned to the mainland, several investors had already contacted Xingyuan, including two coal mine owners.

In 93, the coal bosses began to emerge on the historical stage. That year, the coal industry was opened up to the public, and small coal mines sprang up all over the country.

Since 93, the annual investment growth rate of the coal industry has been increasing at a rate of over ten percent.

In six years, many coal mine owners completed their initial capital accumulation.

Of course, the real golden age for coal bosses didn't arrive until 02.

After joining the WTO, the demand for coal increased rapidly, and in less than ten years, the price of coal rose by 585%.

Coal mine owners are investing their cash in television and film, and directors and screenwriters in the industry are ecstatic, spending their days in karaoke bars chatting with them about positive energy.

There are essentially two reasons why coal mine owners invest in the cultural and entertainment industry.

First, once you have money, you can invest in movies and TV series to show that you are cultured and have good taste.

Second, it gives you more bragging rights within your circle.

Promoting one's lover or mistress is just a side effect.

(End of this chapter)