Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 526 Are you treating me like a double agent?

Since its release in multiple countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific region on August 25, the investors have used almost every available publicity resource and social connection to help the film become an instant hit upon release, to reap the benefits of the reopening of cinemas, and to become the box office champion of this year's summer season.

Taking mainland China as an example:
No. 25, 4.3 million.

No. 26, 2.5 million.

No. 27, 2.1 million.

No. 28, 1.9 million.

It grossed 10.8 billion yuan in its first four days of release.

Then, on the 29th, stimulated by both the League of Legends All-Star Invitational Tournament and the weekend, the daily box office rebounded to 2.5 million yuan; on the 30th, stimulated by both Happy Camp and the weekend, the daily box office also stabilized at 2.3 million yuan; on the 31st, returning to a weekday, the daily box office dropped to 1.4 million yuan.

The first week's box office figures are now available.

17 million.

Miaoyan predicts the box office will reach 38 billion.

Although it can't compare to "The Battle at Lake Changjin," which raked in 30 billion yuan in seven days and was the 21st year's box office champion, it's still a very good result!

It's much better than "Better Days," which relied on personal star power and social issues for marketing and grossed 30 billion yuan last year.

Such box office success not only made the investors a fortune, but also brought tangible benefits to the creative team.

In particular, the two female leads, Tian Xiwei and Zhou Ye, almost achieved a double leap in commercial value and popularity with this drama.

Previously, Tian Xiwei was somewhat famous online for her "sweet face but girlish heart" and a series of dramatic and foul-mouthed behaviors.

However, its influence is limited to the fan community.

Moreover, they have very few core fans.

Normally, the number of check-ins in the super topic is only around 10,000.

However, after the release of "The Matchmaker", her portrayal of Pinky Shen Nianwei gained countless fans with her lively and passionate acting skills. First, the number of check-ins on her Weibo super topic rose to 5, officially becoming a rising star. Her fans' spending power also increased significantly. They not only spontaneously organized movie theater bookings, but also helped her secure several fast-moving consumer goods endorsements.

She inexplicably embarked on the path of becoming a popular young actress.

Even Sister Tian herself didn't expect it.

Of course, she didn't actually want to become a celebrity.

Because of too many restrictions, she was unable to vent her frustrations on Weibo.

How much can you earn by spending all your money on data traffic in a year, even if you work yourself to death?
I'm afraid it's not even as much as the pocket money Juanjuan gives me!

And then there's Zhou Ye.
Although the character didn't attract as many fans as Sister Tian, ​​she still made it to the trending searches multiple times thanks to her delicate crying scenes and the many sweet moments in the drama.

Many casual fans who initially tuned in to watch "Produce 101" have now become dedicated fans who are focused on her personal development.

The number of check-ins in the Super Topic has increased to 3.

With the support of Starlink, business and fashion resources have also achieved a qualitative leap, officially embarking on the path of becoming a film and fashion icon.

In addition, Cheng Xiao of 951, whose popularity has declined recently, still maintains her popularity with her solo album and outstanding stage performances.

To some extent, the three members of the "BIG3" group have become rivals not only in their love lives but also in their personal development.

After all, the post-95 generation of actresses hasn't even stepped onto the stage yet, and with Shen Juan's resources, these three have already gotten a head start.

Of course, as the male lead in "The Matchmaker", Shen Juan not only made money, but also gained a lot in terms of his career development as an artist.

As one of the most popular pop singers in the world today, his foray into acting naturally brings the potential to break into new circles.

The box office performance of "The Matchmaker"—17 billion yuan in its opening week and a projected 38 billion yuan—has further enhanced his commercial value.

If the reason why films like "Cry Me a Sad River" (10 billion yuan) and "Better Days" (30 billion yuan) became hits was because of their effective marketing and promotion, and because they benefited from raising awareness of school bullying across the internet, then "The Matchmaker" is a true testament to both box office appeal and the value positioning of the actors' roles.

Not only did it achieve phenomenal commercial success, but it also gave the optoelectronics industry the green light, ignoring sensitive elements and forcibly passing the review.

This means that because of his unprecedented international fame and global influence, he has been valued by relevant departments beyond what an artist should be considered.

This is not only a commercial success, but also a success in terms of social value as an artist and a public figure!
It can only be said that he doesn't make a living from the Chinese entertainment industry.

The rules of the Chinese entertainment industry really can't restrict him.

In other words, compared to his peers, Shen Juan's achievements as an artist are the area where the gap between them is the smallest.

The extraterrestrial demons who have received the approval and blessing of the Heavenly Dao of this minor world are just that powerful! Their combat strength is just that formidable!
Therefore, without a doubt, the release date announcement and trailer for Shen Juan's concert movie have also become a hot topic in the entire industry.

Shen Juan's "Leviathan Era Tour" film is scheduled for release during the National Day holiday; cinemas worldwide will witness the continuation of this musical legend.

The globally sweeping "Leviathan era" is back with a bang! Shen Juan's concert movie hits theaters worldwide on October 1st.

[Shen Juan's "Leviathan Era Tour" movie officially announced its release date: October 1st, kicking off an unparalleled audio-visual feast]

[On October 1st, Shen Juan will take you back to the "Leviathan Era"—the concert movie will be released globally, igniting a passionate October.]

Seeing these news reports with explosive click rates, as well as the market data analysis presented by the staff, Guan Hu, the director of "The Sacrifice," who had just gained great fame with "The Eight Hundred," hesitated for a long time before deciding to launch an online meeting to discuss with the producer and investors whether they should withdraw the film from release and avoid the limelight.

"Because of the lockdown in the first half of the year, there are too many movies that were originally scheduled for release during the National Day holiday. Now even concert movies are getting involved. I think it would be better to postpone the release for ten days or half a month and enjoy the entire market share of the less popular period, rather than forcing the release of these movies and competing with them for the entire National Day holiday."

“I think Director Guan is absolutely right.” Wu Jing, as one of the investors, also expressed his opinion: “Let’s not talk about the situation of other movies for now, but Shen Juan is really terrifying. He’s criticized the blond guy on Twitter, have you ever criticized him? He’s been cyberbullied across the US, have you ever been cyberbullied? Everyone knows what American society is like. Singers don’t have rearview mirrors, weapons don’t have eyes, and there’s the language barrier with the black guys. The fact that he can survive in such a place and become a top singer in the entire music industry shows that his fate and ability are obviously beyond the reach of ordinary people.”

"So, Brother Jing, what you mean is..."

"I support withdrawing the film."

Wu Jing's attitude was very firm.

That means not confronting Shen Juan head-on.

Because Shen Juan is practically the person he dreamed of being.

Young and promising, spirited and ambitious, and world-renowned!
All the qualities or abilities he had fantasized about in his youth were best interpreted and embodied in Shen Juan.

That's clearly me!

I almost became Shen Juan back then!

So why bother competing with "yourself"?
He's just very chauvinistic.

They're not stupid.

Therefore, it's natural not to force things and cause the movie to flop.

Director Peter Chan of "Leap" probably shared the same idea.

So after communicating with Gong Li, they immediately called the distributor to say it was time to release the release date announcement.

However, the date needs to be changed to September 25th.

Our early release is also a way to temporarily avoid the limelight!

There hasn't been much of a reaction from "Jiang Ziya".

In any case, animated films always have a fixed audience.

No matter how powerful Shen Juan is, his influence on them is limited.

As for "My People, My Homeland," there's no need to even mention it.

As the most patriotic film in the current Chinese film market, it is naturally not intimidated by a concert movie.

And the other side.

Disney clearly did market research and knew that Shen Juan also had considerable box office appeal in the Chinese film industry.

Then, considering the film's limited quality, after much deliberation, it was decided to move up the release date of "Mulan".

And it's not a week in advance.

It was directly mentioned that it would be released in China in early September!

After all, "Mulan" was about to be released on streaming platforms overseas (because of the repeated postponements, the film ultimately became an online movie and was never released in North American theaters, which had a great impact on the lead actress Liu Yifei, even worse than a simple box office flop). If it wasn't released soon, pirated copies would start circulating.

As for "Vanguard", which was originally scheduled to be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year?
The eldest brother, Cheng, also readily acknowledged his age without any psychological burden.

However, this movie does feature two popular celebrities, Yang Yang and Zhu Zhengting, who already have a base of young fans.

So Jackie Chan figured the film had some competitive edge, and decided to release it a day earlier than the original release date.

It's all about getting a head start!

The goal is to first capitalize on the first-day box office gains brought by the large fan base, and then secure the ticket revenue from this core audience during the lull before the National Day holiday officially opens.

And
Cheng Long glanced at the news report on his phone.

[The East Asian fan war escalates again! BTS and Shen Juan fans clash over Billboard chart controversy, settling old scores and new grudges]

[Dynamite's missed crown triggers a chain reaction: BTS fans and Shen Juan's fans escalate their feud, old comments and chart manipulation controversies are exposed, and the East Asian fan war continues to intensify]

Now is the time to feel the real trouble.
It should be them.

"Ugh. This is so annoying!!!" Jungkook grabbed his hair and his voice was full of barely suppressed frustration: "Why does the company have to make us crash into Shen Juan? There were data analyses online before that said his song 'STAY' wouldn't drop in streaming numbers too much in the near future. Isn't this just making us a target?"

"The crown that was within my grasp is gone just like that, and even the fans are arguing about it." Kim Taehyung leaned back on the sofa and sighed softly. "Now I really don't know how to face the fans. I was planning to do a live broadcast to meet the fans in the next couple of days, but it looks like I'll have to postpone it now."

“Yeah, why not postpone it for a month, wait until he breaks the record and the fans’ enthusiasm subsides before releasing it? Even if it sells less, at least it would secure the championship, right?” Park Jimin also didn’t understand the company’s decision and felt like he had encountered a terrible teammate.

Everyone knows how important a single championship win is for them to make a bigger impact on market share later. Admittedly, a championship win obtained by suppressing Shen Juan is more valuable, but for them who did not have a single championship single before, it is more reasonable to play it safe and get a championship single first before competing with Shen Juan.

"Maybe they're trying to grab attention by targeting Shen Juan? They think that being able to compete against him would be a hot topic?" Min Yoongi chuckled.

As one of the three dispensable members of the team, he is actually the one who needs the team's honor the most.

So he might be the one who has the most reason to be angry.

"But the problem is I feel like we're attracting even more criticism!" Jung Hoseok scrolled through the comments on his phone, his tone growing increasingly agitated. "Right now, Twitter is full of comments saying we're relying on fans to inflate our numbers, and then we play the victim when we can't win. Even videos of our concert in the US are being dug up and nitpicked."

"Our current target shouldn't be Shen Juan. Everyone should try to stay focused!" Jin Seokjin said in a deep voice.

“Yes, things have come to this, so let’s adjust our mindset and not let it affect our subsequent schedules and work.” Kim Namjoon nodded, then secretly decided that he had to communicate with the CEO today about this matter. Their future development plans should not be affected by Shen Juan, and BTS should forge their own path.

Like their fans, the BTS members privately expressed their frustration at missing out on the title, and their disappointment was palpable during their private conversations.

Interestingly, they never directed their anger at Shen Juan, who had suppressed them, nor did they harbor any resentment.

In their view, Shen Juan and they, who had just entered the second tier in North America, were not even on the same competitive level.

Shen Juan is now recognized as the world's number one in the music scene. Whether it is musical influence or market appeal, he has long transcended the scope of Asian artists and become a benchmark for pop singers worldwide. Being suppressed by such an opponent is more like an inevitable result of the gap in strength, rather than a grudge that needs to be taken seriously.

So what really bothers them is the major decision-making error the company made at this crucial juncture in its quest for the championship.

In their view, this should have been their best chance yet to make history by winning the title!

In the end, the company's overly ambitious judgment backfired, and who can accept that? Who can tolerate that? The fact that they didn't go live to complain to their fans is already a testament to their rationality and professionalism, okay?

If people aren't even allowed to privately criticize company executives who seem to have lost their minds, they'd probably explode with anger!

Sunac Riverside No. 1 Courtyard, a landmark luxury residential project in the Huangpu Riverside area of ​​Shanghai, was selected by the film crew as a filming location.

That is, the home of the female protagonist, Qiao Jingjing.

Thanks to Shen Juan, the Glory production team successfully borrowed many expensive home furnishings and well-known art designers for renovations.

After all, China's main external propaganda mission in Southeast Asia is to promote and spread the "Shanghai Dream" through Shen Juan!

So its main selling point is its wealth and power.

The main purpose is to convey the modern prosperity of the Huangpu Riverside and the high-end lifestyle of Shanghai through the lens, so that foreign audiences can not only see the beautiful TV drama scenes and be moved by the relationship between the male and female protagonists, but also be amazed by the confidence and charm of Shanghai as an international metropolis in the new era!

After filming the afternoon scenes, it was just time for lunch.

Because there were still night scenes to film, the crew delivered food directly to Qiao Jingjing's house, and the actors ate there.

"Come on, open your mouth~"

Today is her birthday, and Xiao Hu, who came all the way from Beijing to visit her boyfriend on set in Shanghai, is feeding him a bowl of washed cherries.

"I'm still eating. I'll eat fruit after I finish eating."

Even so, under Xiao Hu's expectant and eager gaze, Shen Juan obediently opened his mouth and swallowed it.

After all, we have come.

We can't let their good intentions go to waste, can we?

"Is it tasty?"

Do you think I would say it doesn't taste good?

"No, but I just wanted to ask."

Shen Juan knew Xiao Hu too well. She smiled and knew what she was going to say next, so she answered quickly: "Because you want to talk to me more?"

"Correct!"

Xiao Hu put down her bowl, rested her chin on her hand, and quietly watched Shen Juan eat, her eyes brimming with affection.

Wang Churan had just returned from the restroom when she saw a sly cat eyeing her boyfriend. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickened her pace instinctively. Before the two of them could react, she naturally walked over and sat down between Shen Juan and Hu Lianxin, deliberately leaning closer to Shen Juan and giving him a gentle smile.

Shen Juan turned to look at her. "Want some cherries?"

Hu Lianxin's gaze towards Shen Juan still held a hint of lingering infatuation. It wasn't until she heard Shen Juan's voice that she snapped back to reality and followed up, "Cherries are delicious! Sister Chu Ran, you should try some too!" As she spoke, she winked, displaying an innocent and harmless demeanor.

Wang Churan pursed her lips, then smiled and shook her head: "No need, no need, let me finish my dinner first."

Actually, she didn't go to the bathroom to use the toilet, but to make a phone call to her temporary master, Zhou Ye.

During the phone call, Xiao also told her to keep a close eye on Hu Lianxin, saying that this person was not simple. She seemed gentle and cute, but in reality, she had ulterior motives and lofty ambitions. Most importantly, she had a great addiction to that kind of thing. So if she didn't keep an eye on her or Shen Juan's Dior, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to drink thick tea for several nights in a row.

Although she did not offer loyalty to Zhou Ye, nor did she regard her as a worthy master to be served for life like Bao Bao did.

But we should still listen to her advice.

After all, he was one of the three kings of the fishpond.

The intelligence she possesses far surpasses that of this lone wolf who has been holding down the fort in Shanghai since Sister Tian left!

So Hu Lianxin played the role of a wife who was caught in the act?

This is absolutely unacceptable to Wang Churan!

For a while, she spent every day at home flipping through the calendar, just so she could be with Juanjuan 24/7 and do naughty things!

I didn't drink any thick tea before turning on the machine.

Even after turning it on, I still couldn't make thick, creamy tea.

Are you kidding me?
Then wouldn't I have wasted my time turning on the computer and joining the group?

If you really want to take away my right to sell Coca-Cola, then I will definitely list you as someone I hate on the same level as Tian Xiwei!
After all,
Today is her birthday, after all. It's not easy for her to come all the way from Beijing to Shanghai, so even if I disagree or am not satisfied, Juanjuan will most likely abandon me tonight to feed her.
Since that's the case, I might as well show my tolerant and generous side and let Juanjuan see my progress and growth as her little wife.

I'm so understanding, so gentle and considerate!

As Wang Churan thought this, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.

(Little Tiger is reading to enrich himself)

"By the way, is the second season of 'Female Push' about to start?" Shen Juan quickly finished his meal, put down his chopsticks, tidied the table, and then casually started a new topic. His gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, clearly trying to find an opportunity to ease the subtle tension and awkwardness in the air.

"Yes, recording is tentatively scheduled to begin in late September."

Seeing this, Xiao Hu quickly picked up the bowl of cherries and carefully fed Shen Juan while smiling gently in response.

Have there been any changes in the membership?

"Sister Qian said she was a little reluctant to come, but we managed to persuade her to come back in the end."

"What's going on?" Shen Juan hadn't really paid attention to this.

As Starlink's development and operations have become more established, he no longer needs to be involved in collaborative projects with other platforms.

"What else could it be? Tired, of course!" Xiao Hu chuckled mischievously. "But it's probably not physical fatigue, it's mental fatigue."

"You guys are forming cliques, and she's caught in the middle, so of course she's feeling exhausted." Not to mention Victoria Song, even he sometimes feels exhausted.

"I don't want to either! I also want to live peacefully with everyone!" Xiao Hu said with a playful smile, implying something.

"So who doesn't want to live in peace with everyone?"

Who else do you think could it be?

Hearing this, Wang Churan coughed twice and seized the opportunity to interject, adding insult to injury, "It's definitely not Tian Xiwei."

Shen Juan couldn't help but laugh.

Ship Treasure still hates me too much!

But it's normal.

After all, being blocked at the door and being so frightened that she secretly locked herself in and dared not make a sound is too humiliating for a 20-year-old girl.

More importantly, Tian Xiwei is very carefree and doesn't treat herself as a public figure at all. Even after debuting, she still can't keep her composure and doesn't care about the opinions of those around her. As a result, this incident has even become known to many netizens, leaving a black mark on both of them.

If we look at this matter from Wang Churan's perspective
That must be quite speechless.
Then we chatted for a while about the start of university.

Wang Churan said she is a senior this year and will graduate next year. Even if she is not currently filming a group, she no longer needs to go to school.

Xiao Hu is a junior in college this year, and he's having a tough time.

Of course, if you really don't want to go to school, you can ask your company to issue a certificate for working outside the school and tell the school.

Starlink is, after all, Shen Juan's company.

You can still have some influence at the Beijing Film Academy.

As for Xiao Shen and Bao Bao...
Xiao Hu said that she had originally planned for the five lucky fans to get together in Beijing this month, since their schools are all in Beijing. However, the freshman military training at Beijing Film Academy was postponed this year due to a sense of camaraderie. So, Bao Bao took a day off to register for the new school and then went back to the film crew to continue filming.

Unfortunately, the matter had to be dropped.

But it doesn’t matter.

After all, we're all from the Beijing Film Academy.

There will always be a chance to meet again on the Beijing Film Academy campus in the future.

So, who among you in this fishpond isn't a student at Beijing Film Academy?

And who are the students from schools that are rivals to Beijing Film Academy?

That's really hard to guess!
They ate and chatted for a while when the production assistant suddenly came over and said that the director had something to discuss with Shen Juan.

After Shen Juan got up and left, the living room, which had been relaxed and lively with laughter just moments before, instantly fell silent.

After a moment of silence, Hu Lianxin broke the silence first. She turned to look at Wang Churan beside her, her tone much gentler than before: "When we were talking about Tian Xiwei's things just now, I also felt that she was sometimes really out of line, a bit too arrogant and domineering. I can completely understand you."

Wang Churan raised an eyebrow and asked, "You were also cornered at the door by her before?"

"No, but when I was recording the show, I could feel her disgust, which she made no attempt to hide."

Wang Churan deliberately let out a long sigh, appearing speechless and helpless: "Looks like we're both disliked."

Seeing her expression of deep sympathy, Hu Lianxin was secretly delighted, thinking that it seemed there was a real chance of recruiting her as a double agent!

So she immediately smiled sweetly and said, "Sister Chu Ran, let me be frank with you. I don't think we need to be so distant. We're both newcomers, and we're at a disadvantage compared to Tian Xiwei and Zhou Ye. So I think we should become closer. We don't have to be like best friends who can talk about anything, but at least when Tian Xiwei causes trouble again, it's better for us to stick together than to deal with each other individually and get picked off one by one. What do you think?"

Wang Churan chuckled inwardly, but showed an expression of agreement on his face, and even moved his buttocks closer to Hu Lianxin.

"That's so true! I also think that instead of being tormented and disgusted by her one by one, we should stick together and fight back. If she does anything like that bullying behavior again, we'll face it together!"

Hu Lianxin smiled and nodded.

He felt that he had once again successfully split the enemy's alliance.

Although she did not believe that Wang Churan was genuinely forming an alliance.

The chances of encountering a naive and innocent girl in real life are extremely low.

She didn't dare gamble with her true feelings, nor was there any need to gamble!

But according to the theory of relativity, if the opponent's strength is weakened, wouldn't that be equivalent to one's own strength increasing?

If I reduce Zhou Ye's friends and increase Tian Xiwei's enemies, I can be considered to have made progress as long as I maintain the status quo!
The future is getting more and more promising!
Wang Churan smiled slightly as well.

It's said that all three of the BIG3 kings, except for the absolutely neutral Cheng Xiao, have formed their own forces. For example, Tian Xiwei and Li Yitong have a very good relationship. Zhou Ye, who usually presents a "gentle older sister" image, seems to be trying to win over Zhang Tian'ai in the "Snow Sword" drama crew, attempting to make Zhang Tian'ai and Nazha reconcile.

Hu Lianxin, who has amassed a large number of draft picks and assembled a young team, has become the third team to emerge as a contender for the championship.

For now, the situation is relatively clear.

The rest of the cats and dogs are all just trolls!
Nothing to fear!

Therefore, she only needs to move between the two alliances and pass on some information that is beneficial to herself to keep a low profile.

Anyone who has played the card game "Three Kingdoms Kill" knows this.

Being an inside agent is a very difficult path.

But Wang Churan was very confident in herself!
I felt like I had everything under control!
(End of this chapter)