The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

The summer movie season lasts three months, which is more than enough to accommodate two blockbusters. However, this year is a special case. The Beijing Olympics will be held from August 8th to 24th, and the film market will definitely be severely impacted during the Olympics. Therefore, August is no longer a good time to release films.

"Mr. Han, how about we release 'Red Cliff' on July 15th? From July 15th to August 8th, the Olympics will open, a full 26 days, enough for 'Red Cliff' to capture the vast majority of the box office. 'Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle' will be released on July 1st, 15 days after 'Red Cliff'. By the time 'Red Cliff' is released, 'Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle' will be in its later stages of release, thus minimizing the mutual impact between the two films."

"I'll give you an answer after I discuss it with Director Yusen."

"Okay, that's what I should do."

July 1st is certainly not as good as the 15th, as many schools haven't even started their holidays yet. But there's no way around it; this time, "Red Cliff" is China Film Group's favorite.

However, even if Shen Qing had given up a certain share to China Film Group back then, it probably still wouldn't have worked. The entire mainland copyright of "Red Cliff" belongs to China Film Group, and Shen Qing could never give up to that extent.

A few days later, Shen Qing was summoned to China Film Group again. After this meeting, the release dates for the two films were officially set: "Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle" on July 1, "Red Cliff Part 1" on July 15, and "Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle" in North America on July 4.

In early April, Shen Qing was called to the studio to record "Beijing Welcomes You," where he sang the next line of Cheng Long's song: "The charm in motion is full of vitality."

Meanwhile, the TV series "My Love from the Star" has completed post-production and made significant progress in the sale of its copyrights.

The TV series begins with the arrival of aliens in China during the Ming Dynasty. It consists of 30 episodes and has a total production cost of 1800 million yuan.

The first round of sales was to 10 local TV stations, each paying 6 yuan per episode, totaling 1800 million yuan. With the revenue from product placement, the company was able to cover taxes and other expenses, and it was already profitable after the first round of sales.

The initial satellite broadcast was sold to two stations: Beijing TV and Anhui TV. After the local stations broadcast the episodes for one month, the two satellite stations were allowed to broadcast them, each paying 400,000 yuan per episode, for a total of 24 million yuan.

The reason why buying satellite TV channels is more expensive is because once the TV is broadcast on satellite, viewers across the country can watch it, making it harder to sell to other terrestrial TV channels. If you don't sell to satellite TV channels, you won't just sell to 10 terrestrial TV channels, but more likely to sell to 20, 30, or even 40 terrestrial TV channels.

In early November.

Zhao Liying took the initiative to contact Shen Qing. She had made up her mind to come to Magical Films, but she needed some reassurance before she came.

Shen Qing picked her up at the agreed-upon roadside and drove to a nearby coffee shop.

In the car, she looked at Shen Qing very seriously and asked, "Director, you said before that I have a face that's destined to become famous. Was that the truth?"

"Of course it's the truth," Shen Qing told her earnestly.

A brief silence fell over the car.

Actually, Zhao Liying believed Shen Qing's words that day, but after taking a nap, she became less convinced when she woke up.

Since she entered the industry, almost every director she has met has said that she has the face of a maid. Only Shen Qing said that she actually has the face of someone who can become famous. Is Director Shen Qing just teasing her?

He said that after she switched to Magical Films, he would even personally write scripts to promote her. Was he serious or just saying it casually?

She's currently at Huayi, and although she's not highly regarded, she can still get some resources. If she leaves Huayi rashly and Shen Qing says he's just teasing her, then she'll have nothing left.

She knew this might be her only chance to turn things around, so even knowing that there might be a precipice ahead, she went ahead without hesitation! But if Shen Qing could give her some reassurance, it would be even better.

"Director, do you genuinely think I can become famous? Is it because I have the face of a leading lady, or is it because you... like me and therefore say this?" Zhao Liying mustered all her courage and finally asked the question. It was abrupt, but it was her true feeling.

Shen Qing drove the car into the parking space in front of the coffee shop, then turned to look at her and asked, "I didn't expect you to think this way. So, what answer would you rather hear?"

"If you really just think I have the face of a leading lady, that I can become famous, and that I didn't, you might change your mind after one or two more opportunities."

Shen Qing smiled upon hearing this and said, "So, if I said those things because I like you, you'd actually feel more at ease? Because if it's because I like you, then even if I don't make you famous once or twice, I'll be more patient?"

Zhao Liying remained silent upon hearing this.

Shen Qing laughed again and said, "So you asked me out today just to reassure me?"

Zhao Liying remained silent.

Shen Qing unbuckled her seatbelt, kissed her on the cheek, and asked, "If I said I genuinely think you have the face of a leading lady, and also really like you as a person, and think you're very cute, would that reassure you?"

Seeing that she blushed but remained silent, Shen Qing said again, "If that's not enough, you'll have to come home with me."

"Okay," she said in a barely audible voice.

Shen Qing simply drove the car out again, made a U-turn at the intersection, and headed straight for his home.

Zhao Liying sat in the car, her heart pounding.

She's really not a casual person. Even she herself was surprised that she could do this when facing Shen Qing.

The car drove into the residential area, and then Shen Qing led her upstairs.

Nothing happened that night, and the next morning, Zhao Liying said she felt a sudden sense of clarity.

……

The Forbidden Kingdom was officially released on April 24. Its box office performance was actually quite good. During the May Day holiday, it earned 60 million yuan in three days, averaging 20 million yuan per day. It only took 11 days from its release on April 24 to break the 150 million yuan mark.

The film grossed $2087 million in its opening weekend in North America, taking the top spot at the box office. It then raked in $1123 million over its second weekend, ranking third. In its third weekend, it earned $420 million, ranking sixth. At this point, *The Forbidden Kingdom* had accumulated a total of $4512 million at the North American box office.

The grades were actually not bad.

However, the film received truly terrible reviews, with widespread criticism from both traditional media and the internet.

[A prime example of a terrible movie, a money-wasting waste, the worst of the worst.]

[The worst movie ever!]

[A completely unreliable martial arts film!]

Why disappoint the Chinese people when we can just release it overseas?

[The King of Kung Fu? The King of Bad Movies!]

[Terrible, that's the only way to describe it!]

[A hodgepodge of Eastern and Western cultures, what a pity about the collaboration of two kung fu superstars!]

[Worst movie of the year? Worst movie of the century?!]

Is "The Forbidden Kingdom" a terrible movie? "Comparable" to "The Promise"!

[Fans are going crazy for "The Forbidden Kingdom," and the box office is getting stronger despite the criticism.]

Even Feng Xiaogang publicly criticized it: "I attended its domestic premiere. The story of this film is fundamentally flawed, a complete mess. I couldn't even watch it. I don't understand why it did so well at the US box office. I would never 'lower my IQ' to please American audiences."

Some netizens pointed out that "The Forbidden Kingdom" is a project that is dancing in shackles. Both JJ must be good guys, their screen time must be about the same, they cannot be determined to be winners or losers in the movie, they cannot even be enemies, and foreigners must have more screen time. With these restrictions, even a god couldn't do anything about it!

When interviewed by reporters, even Jackie Chan himself said, "The Forbidden Kingdom was made for Americans, so don't have too high expectations."

The reporter pressed further, asking, "Would the outcome have been better if 'The Forbidden Kingdom' had been directed by a Chinese director?"

Cheng Long: "It would be better if Shen Qing were to direct it. If it were someone else, the result might be something that Chinese audiences would like, and North American audiences would also like. I think Shen Qing would be able to do it. Moreover, 'Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle' is such a movie. Everyone can definitely look forward to this movie."

My brother is really something, he never forgets to promote his new movie!