The entertainment empire began with Liu Yifei's premarital pregnancy.

These days, a box office exceeding 100 million is considered quite impressive, so how could Lin Bufan's words not surprise everyone?

2 million is acceptable, considering the production cost of "Painted Skin" was 8000 million.

However, no one can be sure that the box office will definitely reach 200 million.

The production cost of "The Promise" was over 2 million, but the final box office was only 1.8 million. Moreover, Chen Kaige far surpasses Xu Ke in terms of both production cost and director's fame.

If it were Lin Bufan, saying the box office would be fine if he only said it would be 2 million, but to say it could reach 3 million, or even break 4 million, is just too outrageous.

Currently in China, only two films have broken the 3 million yuan box office mark: Titanic with over 3 million yuan and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate with over 4 million yuan.

Only one film, "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," has grossed over 4 million yuan.

……

With the interview concluded, we moved on to the final segment: the screening of the full film.

As the lights dimmed, the celebrities and reporters present all turned their attention to the big screen, eager to see how the film, on which Lin Bufan had placed such high hopes, would turn out.

Hall 1 has hundreds of seats, and apart from celebrities, reporters, and film critics, more than half of the audience members are those who arrived later.

"Director Lin, your box office expectations are too high..."

Xu Ke sat down next to Lin Bufan and gave a soft, bitter laugh.

He was absolutely confident that the movie would gross over 100 million, but he had no idea whether it would gross over 200 million, 300 million, or even 400 million.

The movie "Painted Skin" is also a special effects movie. After the experience of the previous movie "The Legend of Zu", he really lacked confidence in special effects movies.

Even if you don't believe in yourself, don't you believe in me?

Lin Bufan glanced at Xu Ke and said calmly, "Moreover, I have never thought that 'The Legend of Zu' is a failed film."

These were Lin Bufan's true feelings.

In his mind, "The Legend of Zu" is a classic movie. Everyone says that although the special effects of "The Legend of Zu" are good, the plot is not good.

However, anyone who has actually watched "The Legend of Zu" knows that while the plot of this movie isn't exceptional, it's certainly passable.

Moreover, the film's plot and world-building are grand enough to be developed into a series of films, or even spawn films in the same universe.

As for the box office failure, it can only be said that the audience at the time was not used to such special effects. If it were released in later years, the special effects of the movie "The Legend of Zu" would have been enough to make it a billion-dollar box office hit.

"Does Director Lin really think so?"

Xu Ke felt a tremor in his heart. The movie "The Legend of Zu" had always been a sore spot for him, so he became somewhat agitated when Lin Bufan brought it up.

"certainly!"

Lin Bufan nodded slightly, a thought suddenly popping into his mind. He turned to Xu Ke and asked, "Who holds the copyright to the film 'The Legend of Zu'?"

He had just thought about the plot of "The Legend of Shushan" and how he could acquire the copyright.

It's entirely possible to release a second, third, or even fourth installment of the "Legend of Shushan" series when special effects blockbusters become prevalent in the future, and even extend it into a film universe.

Just like the Marvel series.

Expand the "Shushan" universe, arrange some other mythological films, and also create a fantasy film series suitable for mainland China.

"The mainland China rights to this film belong to Qingdao Film Studio, while the remaining rights are held by the Xiang brothers."

"Director Lin, what do you want to do?"

Xu Ke was somewhat excited. If Lin Bufan decided to start "The Legend of Shushan", he really wanted to film it.

"Let's talk about it after we get the copyright."

Lin Bufan neither gave a definite answer nor rejected Xu Ke's idea.

He will decide whether to develop the "Shushan" film series after he obtains the copyright.

Sometimes, Lin Bufan thought that he couldn't just be reborn and only make movies that would have been successful in the first place; that would be too boring.

A life where you know the answer before it's even over lacks passion.

If he could develop the "Shushan" series, or even other film series, then his rebirth would not have been in vain.

"Honey, do you really think this movie can break 2 million?"

Liu Yifei sat to Lin Bufan's right and watched him finish talking with Xu Ke before quietly asking a question.

"Don't worry, it'll be at least 2 million."

Lin Bufan squeezed Liu Yifei's small hand, then turned to her with a confident smile.

"Yes, I believe you!"

Even the original version of this movie grossed over 2 million yuan at the box office, let alone the one directed by Tsui Hark.

Xu Ke was looking for someone who was best suited to make special effects movies, and entrusting "Painted Skin" to him was an excellent choice.

In addition, Lin Bufan spared no expense, even going so far as to directly hire a Hollywood special effects company, although the special effects company was also his own.

With so many factors in mind, Lin Bufan believed that the film's box office would definitely surpass the original box office.

As the movie began, even Lin Bufan, who was familiar with the plot, became engrossed in it.

The male lead, Deng Chao, was very well-acted. Deng Chao, who gained muscle at Xu Ke's request, had a very general-like aura. Zhou Xun's portrayal of Xiao Wei goes without saying.

In terms of beauty, she is definitely not the most beautiful fox spirit, but in this movie, she is just right.

She portrayed the Nine-Tailed Fox perfectly; one could even say she was the embodiment of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Especially during the transformation of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the special effects are on a completely different level compared to the original. The horror of the skin change is matched with the beauty of the transformation into human form.

Every director has different characteristics. Besides being good at special effects, Tsui Hark's greatest strength is that he is the best at filming women.

Later generations, like Yang Ying, could create an absolutely stunning scene even from a cameo appearance.

Although Zhou Xun's looks are only above average, under Xu Ke's lens, her portrayal of the Nine-Tailed Fox is truly breathtaking.

Even with Lin Bufan's discerning eye, he couldn't help but be slightly moved when he saw Zhou Xun's portrayal of the Nine-Tailed Fox in the movie.

On the contrary, it was Liu Yifei who...

At this moment, it is no exaggeration to say that Liu Yifei is at the peak of her beauty, as can be seen from her role as Xiaolongnu in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

But Liu Yifei, who is so beautiful, made the audience forget her looks in this movie and completely immerse themselves in the character she played.

She is still beautiful, but people are more focused on the character she plays. Her gentle and graceful demeanor, as well as her elegant temperament, are in no way inferior to Zhou Xun's Nine-Tailed Fox.

Compared to the original version by Lao Zhao, it surpasses it by far.