Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

Chapter 63 Premiere, Zhao Yanxi, the Comedian

The necessary emotional appeals have already been made up for in various interviews.

Upon entering the screening room and after the guests were seated, the lights were turned off and the screen lit up.

There were no lengthy speeches from leaders or remarks from the main creators; the movie started right away.

Huang Bo, Guo Tao, Xu Zheng — the images of the main actors appeared one after another on the screen.

The film opens with a climax—when Xie Xiaomeng, on the cable car, says to a beautiful woman with feigned profundity, "Whenever I look at this city from this angle, I strongly feel that the city is the mother, and we live inside her womb—"

As soon as he finished speaking, the theater erupted in the first burst of knowing laughter. This kind of serious nonsense instantly grabbed everyone's attention.

Subsequently, a series of stories unfolded around the priceless jade.

"Stealing the beams and replacing the pillars," "Obtaining something effortlessly," "Exchanging the fake for the real," and "Returning the jade intact to Zhao."

"You insulted my character and my intelligence!"

"We've never been on this before. Does this place even have rules about manners?"

"I'll fucking swear!"

"BWM, don't! Touch! Me!"

"Haha, these lines are hilarious!"

"This screenwriter is a real talent! It seems Director Zhao isn't just lending his name to the script."

"This movie is hilarious!"

The unprecedented comedic style made the atmosphere in the screening room feel less like a serious premiere and more like a large-scale comedy show.

The laughter was almost constant, and it wasn't polite chuckles, but rather an uncontrollable, explosive uproar.

Sitting in the darkness, Ning Hao's tense back finally relaxed, and he leaned back in his chair. The continuous, sincere laughter and exclamations around him were the best answer.

He secretly glanced at Zhao Yanxi beside him and saw that the other was also watching with great interest, a smile on her lips. Ning Hao felt a weight lifted from his heart.

He knew that the film he had poured his heart and soul into, the film he had painstakingly crafted, was a success!

"I misjudged it!"

Han Sanping also regretted it a bit. You could tell from the reactions of the guests how bad the quality of this "Stone" was.

Whether it can break 100 million is still unclear, but tens of millions in box office revenue is definitely not a problem.

The production cost is not high, it is definitely a highly profitable project. I wish I had known that China Film Group would have invested some money as well!

Han Sanping wasn't the only one with this idea; Yu Dong of Bona Film Group and Wang Zhonglei of Huayi Brothers were also film companies Ning Hao had approached, and now they were filled with regret.

The premiere is a public appearance before a film's release, and also a press conference.

After the movie ended, the interview session began.

When reporters tried to interview Zhao Yanxi, he deferred to Ning Hao, saying, "I'm just the one who provided the funding; the other screenwriters..."

Directing and all that is their business.

"When I first saw this script, I thought it was very interesting, plus 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' had made some money..."

"Hehehe..."

'

When the topic turned to the small amount of money earned from "You Are the Apple of My Eye," everyone chuckled, and Zhao Yanxi laughed along as she spoke.

"Now that I have money in my pocket, I'm thinking about making money from money. I think 'Stone' will definitely be profitable!"

"Director Zhao believes 'Crazy Stone' will definitely be profitable. Director Ning, what are your expectations for the box office?"

"Of course, the more the better," Ning Hao replied to the reporter's question with a smile. "But Director Zhao promised that if it's less than 4000 million, he'll make up the difference for me."

"Director Zhao has already invested in the project, so let's not have him make any additional payments. Hopefully, the box office will be at least 4000 million!"

"I think it's definitely not necessary," Zhao Yanxi added.

Everyone burst into laughter, and the next reporter pressed on, "So how were the actors decided during the casting process?"

"We select actors based on actual needs. For example, Guo Tao, Liu Ye, and Xu Zheng are all from drama academies. Xu Zheng has even won the Best Actor award."

Wang Xun is a comedic actor, and Huang Bo is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy. Huang Bo was even handpicked by Director Zhao!

"Um?"

Seemingly not expecting this turn of events, they all turned to look at Huang Bo and Zhao Yanxi.

The former grinned, and Zhao Yanxi took the microphone and said with a smile, "After all, Huang Bo sacrificed a lot in 'You Are the Apple of My Eye.' Although I sacrificed a lot, I was still a main character, so I thought I'd make up for it for Huang Bo."

"And let's get revenge too. He stole my goddess in 'You Are the Apple of My Eye,' so in 'Stone,' I'll make him crawl into a sewer!"

Zhao Yanxi's initial mention of compensation was followed by a major twist that immediately amused everyone, including the main creative team members on stage.

Ning Hao said with a smile, "I think Director Zhao also has a lot of talent for comedy. I should have invited Director Zhao over as well."

"No~"

Zhao Yanxi waved her hand and said, "I'm no match for them."

"Is Director Zhao saying that your acting skills still need improvement compared to these 'senior' actors?"

"Oh, that's not it."

Zhao Yanxi shook her head and said, "Although their acting skills are a bit better than mine, the more important thing is that they are cheaper. Using them allows us to invest more money in film production."

"I'm different. I'm a leading man in a blockbuster film with a box office of over 100 million yuan. The total investment of 'Stone' isn't even enough to cover my appearance fee!"

"Hahaha...hahaha!!"

None of the guests expected that Zhao Yanxi would have such a talent for crosstalk.

After the reporter finally managed to stop laughing, he interviewed several of the main creators in turn, and everyone was optimistic about the box office performance of "Stone".

The interview concluded in a pleasant atmosphere, and the guests then moved on to the adjacent hotel for their evening banquet.

Han Sanping didn't have time to attend the banquet, but he called Zhao Yanxi aside.

"I've submitted the information for 'Buried Alive,' and there shouldn't be any major problems. When should I come to China Film Group to finalize the price?"

"Let's do it in the next couple of days, that's a good time to finalize the investment for 'Painted Skin'."

"Okay," Han Sanping thought for a moment and said, "Are you free the day after tomorrow evening? Come with me to meet someone about 'Painted Skin'."

Filming should be helpful.

"Okay, I have time!"

Zhao Yanxi was somewhat surprised. Was Old Han going to introduce him to some kind of assistant director?

Banquets in the entertainment industry are important venues; many movie premiere banquets are places where various parties negotiate cooperation.

It's also a great opportunity to expand your network and exchange resources within the industry.

After toasting Zhao Yanxi with their wine glasses, Huang Bo and Xu Zheng began to visit various film companies.

The fact that the two were able to build such a large and successful business suggests that, in addition to their excellent professional skills, their interpersonal skills were also top-notch.

Several bigwigs chatted and laughed with Ning Hao, their words clearly indicating their approval; it seemed that as long as "Stone" was published...

If the box office isn't too bad, Ning Hao won't lack investment in the future.

Fortunately, I took the initiative and secured the priority investment rights, which led to other films such as "Crazy Racer" and "The Golden Era".

Zhao Yanxi was surrounded by people from the cinema industry, who all expressed that they would give "Stone" more preferential treatment in the screening schedule tomorrow, and at the same time they were inquiring about the investment of "Painted Skin".

Some people are quite decisive, as if they would invest as long as Zhao Yanxi gives them the opportunity, regardless of the total investment amount.

Considering the other party's identity, Zhao Yanxi was somewhat tempted.

With a budget of $2000 million, "Painted Skin" will likely be released in some Southeast Asian regions, even if there are fox spirit legends there, and it may rake in some box office revenue. However, making a large profit will not be easy.

Bringing more people on board means more resource support, which might actually lead to higher box office returns!

"Shall we discuss this further at the company tomorrow?"

"OK!"