Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 430, Section 428: You guys don't understand Kung Fu Soccer at all

The turmoil within the family has temporarily subsided.

The cultural sector remains turbulent.

Faxes and emails from across the ocean indicate that Disney's screenwriting team is working diligently to refine the script for the Sino-US co-production of "The Pursuit of Happyness," based on the core framework provided by Wang Sheng.

Both sides are in frequent communication regarding cultural details and the localization of character backgrounds.

Wang Sheng kept an eye on the matter but did not interfere excessively, believing in Disney's expertise in heartwarming and inspirational themes.

At the post-production base of "Jackie Chan Happy Park" in Huairou, the post-production of "Night at the Museum" has entered its most intense sprint stage.

The sample footage sent by top visual effects companies such as Digital Domain is becoming increasingly refined. The resurrected terracotta warriors, the dancing Tang tri-colored maidens, and the whispering bronze artifacts are becoming more and more lifelike under the repeated polishing by Wang Sheng and the visual effects team. The interweaving of fantasy and comedic effects indicates that this will be another audiovisual feast that subverts market perceptions.

Meanwhile, "Brotherhood of Blades," directed by Tsui Hark, has officially started filming in Beijing's Huairou Film and Television Base and Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang Province.

Although Wang Sheng was not personally on set, through the reports, costume photos, and scene illustrations sent by the project manager, he could sense the realistic style and historical desolation that Tsui Hark was trying to inject into this martial arts film.

This martial arts film, with its precise positioning and tough style, is tentatively scheduled for the year-end holiday season, complementing "Night at the Museum" and jointly building Shengying Media's year-end offensive.

However, the immediate challenge is not the year-end, but the looming, brutal summer movie season of 2002.

From June to the end of August, the three-month-long prime-time period has become a carnival for Hollywood blockbusters.

A long list of films lay on Wang Sheng's desk: Spider-Man, Lilo & Stitch, Windtalkers, Shrek, Ice Age, Stuart Little 2, Antarctica, Minority Report, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones…

Nine blockbuster films with revenue sharing, like nine aircraft carriers, are about to enter the still immature Chinese film market.

They come in all shapes and sizes, from superhero movies to family-friendly animated films, from war epics to science fiction thrillers, covering almost all mainstream audiences. The Hollywood industrial halo and global marketing momentum behind them are enough to suffocate any local film company.

This was not Wang Sheng's doing.

Importing twenty blockbuster films a year is simply too much.

In contrast, Shengying Media appears particularly "weak" during this summer season.

Only two low-budget urban comedies were released.

These two films had limited budgets and relied on local humor and emotional resonance. Facing Hollywood's visual spectacles and global IPs, they had virtually no chance of winning in terms of hardware.

The only variable, or rather, Sheng Ying Media's real gamble for the summer season, is a "quota film" from Hong Kong's China Star – "My Left Eye Can See Ghosts".

In order to ensure that this film with supernatural elements could pass the mainland censorship and be released smoothly, Sheng Ying communicated with the film's producers and made significant revisions.

In order to bring its works to the mainland market, China Star specially invited Cecilia Cheung to play the female lead, and will definitely comply with the requests made by Sheng Ying.

They remade the ending, explaining all the supernatural phenomena as hallucinations caused by the female protagonist's trauma, ultimately focusing on positive healing and emotional redemption, perfectly complying with the mainland censorship red line of "no real ghosts." The film is scheduled for release on July 15th, simultaneously with its Hong Kong release.

Shengying Media acquired all the copyrights for it in mainland China and, thanks to its good relationship with cinemas, secured an initial screening rate of up to 30% for it.

"This is the only film we have this summer that can differentiate itself in terms of genre and is not currently affected by pirated resources."

At the meeting, the head of the publicity department reported to Wang Sheng, "No matter how powerful Hollywood is, they can't make urban fantasy comedies like this that involve local cultural context and emotional patterns in a short time. Even if they do, it will take time to import them. This is our only advantage."

Wang Sheng looked at the revised poster for "My Left Eye Can See Ghosts," which leaned towards a more heartwarming and fantastical style, and nodded.

……

Before the film's official release, public opinion remained firmly focused on the Korea-Japan World Cup.

However, for Chinese fans and ordinary people, this attention is increasingly tinged with bitterness and helplessness.

After three group stage matches, the Chinese team suffered three defeats, scoring 0 goals and conceding 9, a cold and cruel record.

The absurd question of "why didn't we use kung fu" after the first match against Costa Rica still rings in our ears, but the reality of the gap leaves us speechless.

Amidst the general disappointment, another wave of public opinion, subtly related to football but involving Wang Sheng and "Kung Fu Football," began to quietly circulate in some sports forums and newspaper columns.

Some media outlets have reported that South Korea, one of the host nations, has "learned the essence of 'Shaolin Soccer'" at this World Cup.

The report was not one of praise, but rather one of strong satire and accusation, pointing out that the South Korean team "used every means possible" in the game, with rough and frequent dirty tricks, and even questioning the fairness of some refereeing decisions, believing that they would do anything to win and misused the "skills" of competitive sports.

On several online forums and in the sports sections of some Southern Metropolis Daily, a line of reasoning began to emerge, pointing the finger at one of the host countries, South Korea, which had a “standout” and controversial performance in this World Cup.

These reports and posts describe the South Korean team's "tenacious fighting spirit," "never-give-up running," and "tough defense" that skirted the edge of fouls in the match as if they had grasped the true essence of some "mysterious Eastern power."

One article even joked: "It seems that the essence of 'Shaolin Soccer' has been learned by our neighbor, and they are using it in a more... pragmatic way."

Even more absurdly, a Hong Kong media outlet unearthed an "old news" story, quoting an unnamed South Korean team staff member's private remarks during the group stage (the authenticity of which is questionable). The "staff member" stated:
"Our whole team watched 'Kung Fu Soccer' and was deeply inspired. The principle of Kung Fu Soccer is not the superficial flying and kicking, but the integration of an indomitable spirit and the belief that one can give everything for victory into every tackle and run. Outsiders only see the comicality, but do not understand the philosophy behind it."

This report was widely reprinted, with an extremely eye-catching title: "The South Korean team says: You simply don't understand the principles of Kung Fu Soccer!"

For a time, "The South Korean team has learned kung fu football" became a minor social meme.

Some people were outraged by certain actions of the South Korean team, believing it to be a desecration of the spirit of sports; others were dumbfounded, feeling that the blame was being shifted outrageously; and still others began to dig out DVDs of "Shaolin Soccer" in an attempt to "discover" the "secret" to the South Korean team's strength.

"They're slandering us! Our 'Kung Fu Soccer' is about dreams, passion, and perseverance! Not these underhanded tactics!" a staff member from the 'Kung Fu Soccer' production team said in an interview.

(End of this chapter)