Huayu, can you be called the best actor if you don’t indulge yourself?

Chapter 669 The White Knife Enters
The wind will blow slowly, and the rain will fall drop by drop.

Just started.

There's no clue to be found.

But suddenly.

It will then present an overwhelming presence.

Around four or five in the afternoon, film reviews that had been brewing for hours suddenly surged onto the internet, with various popular reviews about the newly released movie appearing before netizens.

The first to appear.

These are comments related to "Three Guns".

"A lone plume of smoke rises from the vast desert, the setting sun sinks over the long river, the Gobi Desert stretches endlessly."

This short comment.

This left netizens completely baffled.

Yet, one can also burst into laughter at the profound meaning contained within it.

"Welcome everyone, welcome to the annual gala of Liu Laogen Grand Stage, with Zhang Yimou making a cameo appearance as director!"

Another comment.

Summarize the content of the film.

Next.

And then all sorts of negative reviews came flooding in.

"This movie is terrible. I don't want to recommend it to anyone unless you are a die-hard fan of Xiao Shenyang and Zhang Yimou. Is this what the works of the greatest directors currently in China are like?"

"It's a farce filled with madness, chaos, no humor, and so abrupt it's maddening."

"The entire audience in the movie theater was so shocked that they didn't move until the end credits had finished playing, and then they started to criticize Zhang Yimou."

"Bold red, bright green, bright orange, bright purple, and large flowers—the story abruptly ends without any explanation, and then...the zombies come back to life!!! They come back to life literally!!! And they're even performing a two-person comedy routine!!!"

"I almost went numb!!!"

"This is an over-drafted skit. I'd dedicate all my swear words to it."

"This is not a movie at all."

"The whole movie is full of recycled jokes and is not worth going to the cinema to see. If you are curious, I suggest you fast-forward through it online."

Of course, there are also positive reviews and neutral reviews.

After all, everyone has different tastes, and even the most bizarre movies will have some people who find them interesting.

But those reviews...

They were completely powerless against the onslaught of negative reviews!

I'll say it again.

The higher the pitch, the better.

When the actual results fall far short of expectations, the more aggressive the hype, the greater the backlash will be. Now, "A Simple Noodle Story" is experiencing its own backlash.

Actually, if it were an ordinary director...

Perhaps the audience wouldn't have criticized it so harshly.

The essential.

You are Zhang Yimou.

He was even hailed as the top director in the country after the Olympics, but this is the kind of mess he's produced. Anyone who sees it will be furious, so it's no surprise that it has backfired in the public eye.

The barrage of abusive film reviews caught netizens, who were at work, completely off guard.

That's Zhang Yimou, after all.

They may argue, but...

Everyone is still full of expectations.

There's a high probability of a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps mediocre.

No one expected such a deluge of negative reviews. Is this year's Lunar New Year film season a joke? How come three movies with investments of over 100 million yuan are turning out to be so bad?

Is it really that bad?

Various film reviews made fans of "Three Guns" frown, while fans of "Lost in Thailand" grinned.

Next.

Everyone then turned their attention to the other side.

"What the domestic film market lacks is not big-budget films with flashy promotions, but truly sincere low-to-medium budget films. Thank you Li Luo for bringing us 'Crazy Stone' and 'Crazy Racer'."

"And then there's the movie 'Lost in Thailand' that I saw today!!!"

"The quality of the finished film of Lost on Journey exceeded my expectations. It made me feel warm and happy even while I was laughing out loud. For a comedy film, that is enough."

"Li Luo is right."

"Wang Baoqiang and Xu Zheng will become very outstanding comedians in the future."

"I will always remember the part where Wang Baoqiang drank milk when he boarded the plane. It reminds me never to bring liquids on a plane in the future, hahahahahahaha."

"Why is it different from American blockbusters?"

"Hahaha."

"Lost in Thailand is my favorite comedy film of 2009 so far. It's exaggerated but not over-the-top, and it makes you smile through your tears. Li Luo controlled the emotional parts very well."

"It was just a brief mention; there was no deliberate attempt to build up the tension."

"It came at just the right time."

"It ended just in time."

"Wang Baoqiang is simply a born comedian. Li Luo filmed the journey in a lighthearted and humorous way, yet it also captured the warmth of life. That kind of down-to-earth feeling is exactly what our domestic film market lacks."

"I saw myself in the movie."

"I see everyone."

"This is a movie for ordinary people like us. It doesn't have a lot of complicated plots or educational rhetoric. It shows the simplest joys we experience in our own lives."

"Finally, I hope I won't be so unlucky when I go home in a while."

"Hahaha."

"A very heartwarming comedy movie, but in the end it can't beat the line 'Just go home'."

"Li Luo, you owe me popcorn!"

"And that beautiful lady who was sitting in row five, seat six at the Dadi Cinema in Baiyun District, Guangzhou this afternoon, I only realized you sprayed Coke all over my clothes when I left the cinema."

"I don't want you to pay me back, how about I give you your contact information?"

Whether you're rich or poor, remember to go home for the Chinese New Year!

Completely opposite public opinion.

The netizens were utterly astonished.

so.
Zhang Yimou has messed up!

And Li Luo.

It maintains the same high standard as before!
Upon realizing this, netizens instantly erupted into chaos. Some angrily declared that this was definitely a deliberate attempt to leave a negative review, while others incredulously inquired about everything related to the "Lost in Thailand" incident.

"Oh!"

The coffee table shook violently.

The porcelain cup on it shook repeatedly, and the still-warm tea splashed onto the table.

"This is malicious!"

"This behavior is utterly shameless."

"check."

"Find out who's behind this, and what right they have to criticize 'Three Guns' like that. This is a deliberate attempt to smear 'Three Guns' and affect our movie's box office!"

Roars rang out one after another.

So much so that it took a long time to stop.

The publicity staff of Huaying Film Studio exchanged solemn glances; the accusations of smearing them were not entirely wrong.

But the problem is.

I'm afraid the competitors haven't even started splashing yet.

They will certainly not hesitate to use this momentum to smear others. The next few days will probably be the most challenging time for the Three Guns, and it is unknown whether they can successfully overcome the difficulties.

"Boom!"

Another fist slammed down.

Under the astonished gazes of Zhu Yanping, Jay Chou, Lin Zhiling, and others, Wu Dun excitedly grabbed his phone and strode into the adjacent lounge.

The production company behind "Storm Riders".

He jumped up excitedly from the sofa as well.

If you continue to be awesome, then no one can do anything about you.

But now a flaw has been revealed.

Then don't blame us for the white knife going in and the red knife coming out.

Putting aside the issue of saving the film's box office, the fact that Zhang Weiping mocked the film in front of the media yesterday when it received a large number of negative reviews has made them grit their teeth. Now they should take revenge and settle their scores.

"Amazing, amazing!"

"At the time, I was worried about why we didn't release the movie in January, since it would coincide with the Spring Festival travel rush. I also thought that Mr. Li was being too impulsive, insisting on competing with four blockbusters."

"Unexpectedly, all three are just empty shells!"

"Hahaha."

"Alright, alright."

The voice coming through the microphone made Li Luo chuckle, and then he slowly said to the person on the other end, "The film's reputation is only part of its box office performance. A lot of criticism doesn't mean the box office is bad."

"The work of the distribution staff must continue."

"In addition, we should closely monitor public opinion trends. If we find any desperate behavior, we must resolutely retaliate. Also, we expect that the producers of 'The Treasure Hunter' and 'Storm Riders 2' will take action soon."

"We must cooperate with them to take down Three Guns, and grab as much box office revenue as we can!"

"it is good!!!"

Wang Changtian abruptly hung up the phone.

Put the handset back on the landline.

Li Luo glanced at the Douban movie reviews on the webpage and couldn't help but grin.

Choose this time slot.

It was originally highly targeted.

First, he was absolutely certain that "The Treasure Hunter" was a terrible film, and second, he was certain that "A Simple Noodle Story" was a film that ruined Zhang Yimou's reputation.

Although I don't know much about "Storm Riders 2".

However, they were unable to break through despite facing two terrible movies.

Infer from this.

It's bound to be another terrible movie.

Therefore, the entire December film season looks quite alarming, with four domestic blockbusters claiming to have investments of over 100 million yuan hitting the New Year's film market, but in reality, three of them are just for show.

So he faced pressure and scheduled the "Lost in Thailand" trip for December.

They're just waiting to fish in troubled waters.

三枪
Looking at the various negative reviews on the webpage, Li Luo recalled another masterpiece produced by Zhang Yimou.

The same low budget is disguised as a big production.

It also has an extremely bad reputation.

However, the box office results were quite impressive.

While Zhang Yimou has certainly raised the curtain on domestic commercial blockbusters, he has also produced a string of terrible films like Three Guns, The Great Wall, and Half Lake Green, constantly shoving garbage into the audience's mouths with bizarre and supernatural slashes.

He curled his lips.

Li Luo switched to Xinlang Weibo's page.

Comparing and belittling.

There's no rush.

The film's structure has been slightly adjusted, and the emotional intensity of the female con artist's scenes has been reduced. The current effect is quite good, but we need to stabilize the momentum of "Lost in Thailand" first.

Maintain interaction with fans.

It is also a very effective way of advertising.

"Having just finished my work during the day, I'm looking forward to dinner, just like everyone else. I'm not really picky about food; when I'm busy, I can make do with steamed buns and plain water."

No, no.

"I haven't experienced as many unfortunate things as depicted in the film, but I have tried squatting next to the toilet on a train for more than ten hours during the Spring Festival travel rush. Just thinking about it now makes me cringe."

"Something suddenly came to mind."

"I now announce the inaugural Xinlang Weibo Funny Stories Contest."

"Everyone is welcome to share any funny or embarrassing stories they encounter on their journey. Top-rated answers will have a chance to win an autographed T-shirt from the creators of the 'Lost in Thailand' series. We'll start with ten winners."

As the keyboard continued to be typed.

Li Luo once again single-handedly propelled the film's popularity to new heights.

Fans left comments sharing their embarrassing stories.

Netizens were amused by what they saw.

As the time goes.

Countless people stretched comfortably, ending their busy day at work, and then went home to watch TV with their wives and children or have a few drinks with friends.

Among the various choices.

Of course, a trip to the cinema is a must to relax and see how the two comedy films that have been heavily promoted recently are actually made.

With the peak movie-going season approaching.

Countless passersby and movie fans flooded into cinemas of all sizes like a tidal wave.

Most casual viewers don't pay attention to online disputes. Their criteria for choosing a movie are actually very simple: who is the director and what the cast is like.

Unless it sparks a massive movie-going frenzy or the film's reputation completely penetrates the first-tier market.

Only then will the situation be completely reversed.

Look at the poster.

On the left is director Zhang Yimou, with Zhao Benshan making a special appearance, and a host of veteran actors and comedy stars including Xiao Shenyang, Sun Honglei, Yan Ni, and Ni Dahong.

On the poster on the other side of the cinema.

Director Li Luo.

actor
Xu Sanduo is indeed a good actor, but I don't recall him acting in any comedy films.

Why is Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) on the poster?

Other actors.

I have absolutely no recollection of it.

Passersby quickly made their decision and headed to the ticket hall to queue up, ready to enjoy Zhang Yimou's first comedy film, wondering what kind of sparks he would create with Zhao Benshan and Xiao Shenyang.

The ticket windows were extremely busy.

Staff members kept handing out change or tickets for the movie "Three Guns".

Of course.

There were quite a few films that went wrong on the road. However, due to its brand, cast, and screening schedule, it was still clearly overshadowed in terms of audience buzz.

The projector hummed.

Audiences arrived amidst bursts of laughter and curses.

A premiere day that was head-on collision.

It also came to an end amidst the flickering light and shadow.

Friday.

The north wind howled like a knife, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

The four films, whose war of words had been raging for a long time, officially began their fierce battle in theaters yesterday, with various reports appearing in print and online media.

[Dazhong.com: "A Simple Noodle Story" has been criticized as Zhang Yimou's worst film, disappointing many.]

[China News Network: Analyzing the shortcomings of "A Simple Noodle Story": Beneath the film's lively and bustling surface lies a pervasive sense of boredom and emptiness.]

[News Network: Li Luo's new film receives rave reviews; viewers who finished watching claimed it was incredibly enjoyable.]

[Tencent Entertainment: Movie fans harshly criticize "A Simple Noodle Story," saying it's a huge disappointment.]

[Xinlang Entertainment: Low budget, high impact; "Lost in..." is a comedic masterpiece full of everyday life.]

[Phoenix News: Zhang Yimou's new film has been met with strong criticism from audiences, who claim that "A Simple Noodle Story" is worse than "Three No's" (meaning it's poorly made and lacks substance), filled with appalling and vulgar scenes, and is simply a money-grabbing scheme to fool the audience.]

[Culture & Reading Website: There are different standards for judging what constitutes a true comedy film, but I think the audience's laughter has already proven everything.]

Although I was mentally prepared for it.

However, the overwhelming negative news reports still made the publicity staff of the Three Gun distributor break out in a cold sweat.

To do bad things.

nonexistent.

They've already started using knives right now!
If it weren't for the powerful forces behind the scenes pushing the film, they believe that even if the film "A Simple Noodle Story" had quality issues, it wouldn't have triggered such a massive wave of criticism.

While secretly groaning.

They looked helplessly at the production company owner.

If it weren't for this guy who's notorious in the industry for his outspokenness and constant rants, Three Guns wouldn't have faced this situation of being attacked by everyone.

Compared to the hype and popularity generated.

They already felt that the losses outweighed the gains.

And everyone is certain of that.

This film was definitely a bit of a flop!

If I hadn't exposed my weaknesses, they wouldn't have stabbed me so decisively.

Fortunately
Yesterday's data was good.

Faced with an extremely negative public opinion environment.

Zhang Weiping was furious and quickly took strong countermeasures.

"Again!"

When faced with reporters' questions, producer Zhang slammed his fist on the table: "If all three shots are a hit, our goal is 100 million RMB per shot, and even surpassing 400 million RMB in box office revenue is not impossible!!!"

"I also noticed..."

"Some clowns are stirring up trouble."

"Even Three Guns received a large number of malicious reviews on a certain so-called professional film review website, and some even deliberately asked people to give our film low scores. Such behavior is shameless."

"But the word-of-mouth reputation cast by the audience through their votes is the real word-of-mouth reputation."

Do you know how much Three Guns grossed on its opening day?

"Twelve million!"

"Keep in mind that yesterday was Thursday. This achievement is already beyond the reach of those clowns. Today and throughout the weekend, three shots will shut them up completely!"

These words.

This caused an uproar among the reporters.

Although it couldn't match the opening day box office figures of 29 million for "Painted Skin", 15 million for "Assembly", 14.28 million for "Forever Enthralled", and 16 million for "If You Are the One" last year.

However, it has already taken the lead in this year's Lunar New Year film season.

Especially considering that yesterday was Thursday, this result is obviously extremely impressive.

When asked about the rave reviews of Li Luo's "Lost in Thailand," Zhang Weiping smiled dismissively and immediately put down the microphone.

as always.

Zhang Yimou, sitting next to him, remained silent.

He made no response to this, in order to maintain a detached position.

This press conference has concluded.

Over there.

The press conferences for "Storm Riders" and "The Lost Tomb" were held one after the other.

"I don't know how to say it!"

Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, Wu Dun looked at the camera with utter helplessness: "The 'Tomb Raider' received negative reviews online, and some people couldn't wait to jump out and ridicule it. 'Three Guns' has also received negative feedback."

“Our boss Zhang said it was malicious, intentional, and shameless.”

"What's the situation now?"

"Do we deserve to be scolded? Does our boss Zhang deserve to be scolded because he is being persecuted? Do we have to have such double standards in our conduct and actions? Besides, I really feel sorry for the movie fans who watched 'A Simple Noodle Story'."

"I'll spend money to buy tickets to show my support."

"Just because I was dissatisfied with what I watched and said a few truths, I was scolded by the production company boss as shameless."

"In my opinion, this kind of behavior of cursing one's own benefactors is..."

That's truly shameless!

"I don't curse. I humbly accept the opinions of my fans. I also urge moviegoers to come and see our Treasure Hunter movie and see the effort we put into it. It's not as bad as people say online."

He truly deserves to be called a scholar.

Wu Dun has stabilized the chaotic situation and is trying to break through the encirclement by pleasing his fans.

the other side.

The creative team behind Fengyun also took advantage of the situation.

He stomped on the three guns.

It wasn't that they didn't want to take action against Li Luo, but the main problem was that being branded as bullying the weak would be too unpleasant. Besides, the movie "Lost in Thailand" hadn't revealed any flaws, and its reputation was currently the best among the four films.

Moreover, if you take down the biggest guy inside, you'll naturally get to eat more meat.

It was a two-against-one situation.

Industry insiders thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

However, when attention shifted to the equally troublesome guy, it was unexpected to find that he didn't say anything, but quietly updated a blog post on Xinlang's Weibo.

"The box office reached eight million on the opening day. Thank you for the support of the movie fans!"

surprise.

Then I felt lost.

The results were met with astonishment; no one expected that the box office difference between Lost in Journey and Three Guns would be only four million.

At the same time, they were extremely bewildered by the other party's response. They had thought that Li Luo would take advantage of the difference in reputation between the two sides to kick them while they were down, but they did not expect such a low-key response.

Amidst the commotion.

Friday ends.

The real box office harvest season officially arrived this weekend amidst much anticipation.

The three-way war of words was in full swing.

Actor Li Luo updated his Weibo again.

"The box office reached 17 million the following day. Thank you for the support of our fans!"

As soon as this news came out.

Industry insiders are green with envy.

Looking at the incredibly high attendance rate, and listening to the moviegoers excitedly discussing the various plot points of the "Lost in Thailand" movie.

Then I thought of the three-point box office revenue share reward that Li Luo had promised.

He swallowed his saliva with a gulp.

The managers of major cinema chains jumped for joy.

He frantically dialed the phone, ordering his cinema managers to immediately increase screenings of "Lost in Thailand" during prime time.

And this.

The reward belongs to the victor.

When a low-budget film with a production budget of five million yuan rakes in twenty-five million yuan at the box office in just two days, it doesn't need to consider its competitors at all; it is already a winner.

It has become a phenomenal film.

Without a doubt.

Unexpectedly, after "Crazy Stone", Li Luo has once again ridden out an incredibly powerful dark horse.

The film market is being reined in and is now neighing.

Leaping iron hooves.

It's absolutely breathtaking.

Only a fool wouldn't hurry up and follow.

When Zhang Weiping, who was entangled with The Treasure Hunter and Storm Riders, suddenly turned around, the sweat on his forehead was clearly visible. The box office of Three Guns also rose rapidly on Friday, but it only reached 19 million.

The difference between the two sides is only two million.

Looking back, one could already see Li Luo's bloodshot eyes.

It drove him to the brink of madness.

While the four film companies were fiercely competing, a massive army of moviegoers flooded into cinemas on Saturday.

Fans, moviegoers, and casual viewers alike made their choices based on the film's reputation and personal preferences, with countless ordinary people proudly walking into cinemas of all sizes on their days off.

at this moment.

Whether a movie is good or not is not important.

They only want to pay for their own emotions; they only want to prove that ants can also make their own voices, that ants should not be underestimated, and that ants can also devour elephants.

It billowed with smoke and dust.

Four films collided and crashed into Sunday.

Rapid footsteps sounded.

Seeing Lin Yue rushing towards her, Zhao Xuejing quickly stood up.

"Luo Ge."

He ignored her.

Manager Lin pushed open the office door forcefully.

"Ok?"

Li Luo put down his pen.

"The data from Xingna Cinemas is out!"

Lin Yue strode to her desk and excitedly put down the report: "The screening rooms of our cinemas showing 'Lost in Thailand' had an average occupancy rate of over 90% during prime time yesterday."

“Huai’an, Wuxi, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and other places.”

"Daily box office revenue exceeded 100,000."

“Key cities like Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Chongqing generated even more box office revenue. Xingna Cinemas alone contributed a whopping 2.75 million RMB in box office revenue yesterday, Saturday.”

The words fell.

Lin Yue excitedly rushed into her boss's arms, letting the amused Li Luo squeeze and deform her curves.

Get a glimpse of the whole leopard.

These data demonstrate the phenomenal market performance of Jiongtu on Saturday.

StarNaga Cinemas' strong box office performance.

Equally delightful.

Just as Lin Yue was trying to give Li Luo a good beating, the red landline on the table started vibrating wildly, and Wang Changtian rushed in with good news.

"Third day box office: 35.23 million."

"Thank you for your support, fans!"

As soon as actress Li Luo updated her Weibo, she attracted countless eyes. Immediately afterwards, countless cups full of tea were overturned from her desk and spilled everywhere.

Everyone knows this now.

Making an interview with Li Luo by phone is incredibly difficult.

However, one can often obtain first-hand information about the other party through Sina Weibo, so countless media outlets have paid attention to Li Luo's Sina Weibo account.

I know it will be updated.

But I never expected the updated numbers to be so terrifying, they just kept going up like a somersault.

Before the reporters could even process this information...

Li Luo acted out of character.

The blog post kept refreshing on the page.

"Three days."

"The movie 'Lost on Journey' grossed 60.23 million yuan, which amazed me. I also want to thank all the movie fans who supported 'Lost on Journey'. Without you, none of this would have happened."

"I am very pleased to have created this box office miracle with you. Let's continue our triumphant march."

"Thank you to everyone."

"wrong."

"Actually, it's not everyone."

"You know my personality. I've never liked causing trouble, but I've never been afraid of it. I'm fearless in the face of death; if you disagree, I'll fight you!!!"

"I've drawn all the lines now, from word-of-mouth to box office."

"If you're not satisfied, then let's practice some more?"

"Hahaha."

"Hahaha."

"Hahaha."

"Why laugh three times? If you ask me, who should I ask? If we want to laugh, we should laugh happily. Besides, we should be more low-key in our actions."

Love you all~

"To all the fans who support Lost in Journey!"

The continuous updates to Weibo left everyone sitting in front of their computers dumbfounded.

This guy.

It's not about being low-key at all!

He was clearly holding back, waiting to slap me!
"Hahaha."

Looking at actor Li Luo's updated Weibo post, countless people burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)