Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 491 10 billion!
Ahri really wants Liu Yifei to play Bai Qian.

Liu Yifei's sincerity in visiting Zhuge Liang three times and her asking price for the role were undeniably generous, but she still refused to agree.

Liu Yifei returned to Beijing yesterday, and Ali arranged a time to visit her today.

However, Liu Yifei repeatedly said that she didn't have time. Last week, she received confirmation from director Guillermo del Toro that "Pacific Rim 2" would start filming in Toronto at the end of this year, either as early as November or as late as December.

Not to mention that the wedding is also in the second half of the year, she really doesn't have time to take on other roles—the movie version of "Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" will start filming this December.

But Ahri didn't believe it!
They believed this was Liu Yifei's excuse to ask for more money, so Ali offered what was probably the highest salary in the entertainment industry this time, 8000 million.

As long as Liu Yifei has 100 days available.

This salary is really high; there are very few actresses in the film industry who earn more than 2000 million yuan per film.

Liu Yifei was amazed by Ali's generosity, but she never considers money when accepting roles. She reiterated that she really doesn't have time in the second half of the year, not because she's deliberately refusing roles, but because she genuinely can't take them.

Whether Pacific Rim 2 starts filming in November or December, it will definitely clash with Eternal Love. Any actor who isn't stupid would choose Pacific Rim 2; it's not a matter of money.

"I'm sorry, it's just not the best time of year, I've been too busy. Let's work together again in the future," Liu Yifei could only say.

Ali was actually prepared for Liu Yifei's second rejection.

They have no reason to ask Liu Yifei to put aside "Pacific Rim 2" to film "Eternal Love".

Everyone would have to make that choice.

After breaking up with the staff member of Ali, Liu Yifei went to the company to find her husband.

Li Qiutang was on the phone in his office when his wife came in. He gestured for her to sit down while he continued talking on the phone.

"Go and talk to her yourself. She's really not hard to hire. If you can't get her, I'll talk to her for you. I have no objection. If you think she's suitable, then hire her."

Just as Li Qiutang was about to speak after hanging up the phone, it rang again.

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "Go ahead and answer it, you busy man."

Li Qiutang answered the phone and talked for a long time before he could finally speak to his wife.

Who were you talking to just now?

“Lu Yang, they’re making a sequel to 'Brotherhood of Blades,’ and she wants Yang Mi to play the female lead. I told her to go and talk to her herself.”

The first "Brotherhood of Blades" made a small profit. In fact, the company did not blame him at all. Martial arts films are difficult to make. The company could accept a small loss for "Brotherhood of Blades", let alone the fact that it had already broken even and made a profit. However, Lu Yang was not satisfied with the performance of the first film. He felt that the first film did not perform well because it did not have a popular star to carry the publicity, commonly known as a "traffic star".

So during the preparation of the second film, Lu Yang wanted to find a popular actress to play the female lead and boost the box office, and he set his sights on Yang Mi.

"That's great." At least Yang Mi can get a leading role in a movie, right?

Li Qiutang generally doesn't interfere with the director's creative process, let alone the fact that Lu Yang had already decided to cast a popular actor to play Beizhai when he was writing the script, so Li Qiutang just let him be.

"It's good for him to experience the pain of low internet traffic," Li Qiutang suddenly laughed.

"What do you mean?" Liu Yifei sat down in Li Qiutang's boss chair. "This chair of yours is not comfortable to sit in at all."

How much time does Yang Mi dedicate to Lu Yang and the "Brotherhood of Blades 2" crew?

Li Qiutang's question stumped Liu Yifei.

Let alone established actresses like Yang Mi, even rising stars like Shu Chang have almost no personal time.

Shu Chang only had time to say a few words to Liu Yifei in the car, telling her that she had been too tired lately, only sleeping four or five hours a day. But she had no choice; she had to attend the events and meetings she had promised.

Liu Yifei recounted the story of Ah Li's three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage. Li Qiutang didn't say it was a bad movie, but rather that the timing was unfortunate.

But then he said, "Ali is really willing to pay a high price, 8000 million. That's about the total cost of 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back.' Are you worth that much?"

Liu Yifei also said, "When I first heard this number, I found it unbelievable. I didn't even think I was worth that much money. There's really a lot of money in the industry now."

Having more money is a good thing; it allows for more projects, provides job opportunities for everyone, and enables the industry to develop rapidly. However, having more money can also be a bad thing; as quantity increases, quality becomes harder to guarantee. In the past, working 100 days a year was enough to do a good job, but now working 300 days a year is sufficient.

The couple talked for a while, and Li Qiutang answered a phone call in the middle of it, then quickly hung up.

"10 billion!" Li Qiutang immediately shared the good news with Liu Yifei.

Just 14 minutes ago, "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" surpassed 10 billion yuan in total domestic box office revenue after 17 days of release!
Liu Yifei laughed and said, "You need to think carefully about what to give as a reward to Director Tian Xiaopeng."

"Definitely. Whether it's a house, a car, or a cash reward, as long as he can offer it, the company certainly won't be stingy." Despite the current booming industry, 10 billion is still a mountain that 90% of companies and directors find difficult to overcome.

Liu Yifei suddenly stabbed Li Qiutang in the back: "You don't even have 10 billion, do you?"

"Tsk, why bring this up?" Li Qiutang glared at her and said, "Won't it be available in December?"

"Jianbing Man" received the worst reviews among the three blockbuster films of the summer.

Being called a bad movie was the least of his worries; the sarcastic remarks really angered Da Peng.

But he couldn't lash out and yell at the audience.

But it's real money they make.

When "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" broke 10 billion yuan, "Jian Bing Man" had already grossed 8 million yuan.

The total cost of producing and distributing this film was only 5000 million, and the production companies made a fortune.

In the last week of July, "Lady of the Dynasty: Yang Guifei" and "The Crossing Part 7" were released on the same day.

Both films are truly pitiful; they boasted incredibly large casts, yet they flopped without a trace.

The horse riding scene in "Yang Guifei" is a classic and timeless moment, while in "The Crossing Part 2," the characters die without even knowing where they died.

More than 600 million on the first day.

This number doesn't do justice to this roster.

This figure has sparked discontent within the industry, with criticisms directed at LeEco, the film's distributor, for inaction, accusing LeEco of "abandoning the project with a bare release" and "letting down this hard-earned work."

Zhang Ziyi, who is pregnant, did not respond to any comments about the film, but director Wu Yusen had a lot of complaints: "The rapidly changing society has made more people more eager for quick success and instant benefits. Society is not as tolerant as it used to be. ... Why do I like to be nostalgic? Although Hong Kong in the 1950s and 60s was very tough, there was trust and care between people. ... I am not disappointed, I will not retire, and I will not change my film style."

I wonder who will still invest money in scheduling his films.

On the last day of July, Autumn Pictures held a celebration banquet for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" to celebrate its 1 billion yuan box office success. On the same night, at another hotel, Fox Pictures also held a thank-you dinner for "Jianbing Man".

Chen Zhixi went to the Fox Factory, while Li Qiutang remained at the "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" banquet.

"Director, hello." Zeng Jia came up to greet him warmly with a girl.

(End of this chapter)