HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 266 [266] "The Flawless Flower" Sells for a Sky-High Price, Coal Boss Continues to Talk About Positive Energy

The box office in mainland China exploded on its opening day.

Liu Weiqiang immediately called Qi Yuan to request an additional publicity budget.

Qi Yuan will contribute one million, and China Film Group will also contribute a corresponding share.

With the additional marketing budget, the promotional efforts for "Infernal Affairs" in mainland China have been strengthened.

[A showdown of acting prowess between the new Best Actor and the veteran Best Actor!]

The accompanying image is a famous scene from the rooftop, with Qi Yuan's hands handcuffed and Liang Jiahui pointing a pistol at Qi Yuan's head.

[Raking in 519 million yuan at the box office in a single day, what is the allure of "Infernal Affairs"? This article provides a detailed analysis.]

[The gangsters and police infiltrated each other's ranks, the ending was a stroke of genius, and he was the one who had the last laugh!]

[Shocking! Two senior students from Beijing Film Academy brutally beat up a Hong Kong film star in broad daylight in an elevator]

……

Huang Xiaoming and Qi Yuan were both taken aback when they saw such a headline.

On forums such as Mop and Tianya, "Infernal Affairs" has once again sparked heated discussions.

Li Xue's previous advertisements only aroused people's curiosity.

At the time, "Infernal Affairs" was not released in mainland China, and very few netizens had seen the movie.

Now that the film has been released, many netizens have seen it, and the discussions are even more active.

[Linghu Chong, the chivalrous hero, has actually become a villain! The scene where he steps out of the elevator and turns back to look at us was so cool, both handsome and tragic!]

[A milestone in crime films, the moment Chen Yongren fell, his helpless and bewildered eyes were truly heartbreaking. Does good people never have a good ending?]

This movie is amazing; it blurs the lines between good and bad, creating a sense of江湖 (jianghu, a world of martial arts and chivalry) and destiny.

I'm sorry! I'm a police officer. That scene on the rooftop deeply affected my young heart; I'll never forget it.

[The best Hong Kong film of the new century, bar none. Let's see if any can surpass it later.]

Besides those who seriously discuss the plot and write film reviews, there are also some who use lines from the dialogue as memes.

The term "meme" may not have existed in 2000, but netizens with their rich imaginations were already using it.

Three years later, then another three years, and then yet another three years... Qi Yuan, where's your new album? Where are your updates?

[Qi Yuan: Give me a chance. Fan: How can I give you a chance? You didn't release an EP in the first half of the year, does that mean you don't plan to release an album in the second half either!]

……

Qi Yuan admires the talent of these silly netizens.

Online discussions and memes can generate buzz for a movie.

"Infernal Affairs" has become a hot topic on the forum, with a large number of related discussion posts appearing every day.

Most of the posts were positive, but a small number of people said that after watching the film, they found it wasn't as exciting as everyone else was saying.

These are all normal phenomena; even the best films cannot satisfy everyone.

Some people like historical epics, some like sci-fi epics, some like romance movies, and some like crime thrillers...

It's perfectly normal for people who aren't into crime films to not get the appeal.

……

The film grossed 601 million on its second day of release.

On the third day, 611 million.

Then the film's box office began to decline, dropping to just over five million, and then remained on a stable straight line.

It took about a week for the numbers to drop again.

When the box office figures for the film were released after a week in theaters, the industry was once again stunned.

In just one week, "Infernal Affairs" grossed 38 million yuan at the box office in mainland China. It is no surprise that it will surpass last year's box office champion, "Be There or Be Square," which grossed 43 million yuan, and it will exceed it by a large margin.

……

Huayi. Feng Xiaogang was incredibly sour, not because he was sour about the box office of "Infernal Affairs," but because he was sour about how "Infernal Affairs" maintained a very high reputation while achieving good box office results.

This is something his Feng-style comedies couldn't achieve.

There are many viewers who like Feng Xiaogang's comedies, but there are also many viewers and media outlets that criticize them.

Critics argue that Feng Xiaogang's comedies have distorted values, lack depth, and are likely to mislead young people's values.

Feng Xiaogang felt very frustrated. He also wanted to make films that were both commercially successful and critically acclaimed.

Spurred by the film "Infernal Affairs," Feng Xiaogang stormed into Boss Wang's office, slammed his fist on the table, and demanded Boss Wang's support in making a film with depth and meaning. He, Feng Xiaogang, wanted to prove himself.

It took a lot of persuasion from the boss to temporarily appease Feng Xiaogang.

After leaving Boss Wang's office, Feng Xiaogang went to Boss Xiao Wang's office and slammed his fist on the table.

After finally getting Feng Xiaogang off, Boss Wang angrily threw his teacup against the opposite wall.

Hey!
Qi Yuan is such a scourge, he has done so much harm!

If you're going to make a movie, just focus on making a movie. Why are you investing? If you hadn't invested, "Infernal Affairs" wouldn't have been made, and Feng Xiaogang wouldn't have been motivated to make a film that would be both critically and commercially successful.

Are movies that receive both critical acclaim and box office success so easy to make?
The Wang brothers have been calling Qi Yuan a troublemaker these past few days.

……

Qi Yuan and the crew traveled tirelessly to cities across the country for promotional tours, working non-stop to achieve higher box office returns.

Besides the box office success, the film's success has greatly benefited the lead actors, including Qi Yuan.

Liang Jiahui's salary has increased, and Li Bingbing and Huang Xiaoming have gained considerable exposure, so their salaries for future film roles may rise.

The biggest beneficiary was Qi Yuan, who single-handedly carried the box office, and his salary ballooned from five million Hong Kong dollars to ten million Hong Kong dollars.

Lin, the boss of Media Asia, said that if Qi Yuan is willing to film the sequel to "Infernal Affairs", he will pay him ten million.

Mr. Lin's words caused an uproar in the Hong Kong film industry.

A ten million yuan salary surpasses that of Li Ming and Guo Fucheng, and is only slightly lower than that of Andy Lau.

In Hong Kong's film industry, Qi Yuan's salary has risen to the top tier.

Apart from a few people like Jackie Chan, Li Lianjie, Chow Shui-fat, Stephen Chow, and Andy Lau who are taller than him, he has already achieved a commanding view of all the mountains.

Qi Yuan's battleground is not limited to the film industry; he is also making efforts in the television industry.

Wang Jing contacted several provincial satellite TV stations in mainland China and successfully sold the first broadcast rights.

"Brother, do you know how much our 'Hua Wuque' sold for? 125 million per episode. It was broadcast simultaneously on three satellite TV channels: Shandong, Jiangsu, and Beijing/Taiwan."

Even over the phone, Qi Yuan could feel how excited Wang Jing was.

Qi Yuan was shocked.

Holy crap! 125 million per episode, that's breaking even! The second and third rounds... the Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia regions are all net profits.

In fact, Wang Jing and Qi Yuan had already made money.

They claimed to have spent 50 million, but in reality, they only spent 30 million.

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

Qi Yuan was dumbfounded.

"Ha! You have no idea how popular you are now. 'Swordsman' is the ratings champion, and 'Infernal Affairs' is a box office hit in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. They were asking for 800,000 or 900,000 before, so it's normal for it to rise to 125 million now."

Wang Jing said in a very serious tone.

After talking with Wang Jing, Qi Yuan noticed several missed calls from the two coal mine owners who had called while he was talking to Wang Jing.

Qi Yuan called back: "Hello, Mr. Guo."

“I’m already in Beijing. Director Wang said we’ll break even after the first round of sales. I don’t understand these things. All I know is that we should celebrate. I’ve already booked a karaoke room. Tonight we’ll continue singing karaoke and talking about positive energy.”

Qi Yuan: "..."

(End of this chapter)