Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 502 Astute Calculation
But public opinion cannot be quelled by Dong Ping's single phone call.

The news had already spread, and it was becoming increasingly detailed, even including specific details of the transaction between the two parties—it was unclear who had leaked it.

"Xu Shanzheng is shrewd and calculating. After becoming successful, he wanted more, and Autumn Pictures could never satisfy him. Xu Shanzheng wanted the 'Lost in Hong Kong' series to be permanently tied to him, which was the root of the discord between Xu Shanzheng and Autumn Pictures. He fired Huang Bo and Bao Qiang for 'Lost in Hong Kong,' which Autumn Pictures strongly opposed and was the fuse that ignited the conflict between Autumn Pictures and Xu Shanzheng."

"Xu Shanzheng, together with entertainment capital player Dong Ping, attempted to acquire 'Lost in Hong Kong' and the 'Lost in' series. Xu Shanzheng visited them repeatedly, but Qiu Tian never agreed. In the end, he bought out the full copyright of the 'Lost in' series and the subsequent development rights from Qiu Tian Pictures for a sky-high price of 7.8 million yuan."

"That's roughly the situation. I can only say that Xu Shanzheng is too focused on short-term gains. It's not that he can't switch sides, but doing so has clearly left a very bad impression on Autumn Pictures. However, he doesn't care. As long as he has the copyright, he can still be a big director and keep things going as long as the Lost series is in his hands."

Such discussions will not cause any trouble for "Lost in Hong Kong" or Xu Shanzheng himself. "Lost in Hong Kong" is still one of the most anticipated films during the National Day holiday. As of now, the pre-sale box office of "Lost in Hong Kong" has exceeded 7000 million yuan, ranking first in the pre-sale of the National Day holiday.

Various platforms predict that "Lost in Hong Kong" will gross over 100 million yuan on its opening day—a figure that has been unanimously affirmed by both inside and outside the industry.

It's not impossible for "Lost in Hong Kong" to surpass "Monster Hunt's" record of 24 billion yuan. It seems that Autumn made a bad deal.

However, Autumn Pictures CEO Zhang Zhao and Vice President Chen Zhixi suddenly promoted a little-known comedy film called "Goodbye Mr. Loser".

Shen Teng and Ma Li gained fame through the Spring Festival Gala, and the Happy Twist team also became famous as a result. However, they have never proven themselves in film and television, so it is understandable that "Goodbye Mr. Loser" was not well received by the market.

This name is obviously piggybacking on Sherlock Holmes. What good movie can you make by piggybacking on someone else's name?

When promoting Mahua FunAge, Chen Zhixi discussed the film's creative process, stating that the company placed almost no restrictions on the creation of "Goodbye Mr. Loser": "We didn't follow industry practice by using 'veterans' from the film industry to handle the project. Instead, we entrusted the important tasks of directing and screenwriting to Mahua FunAge's stage play team. The reason for choosing our own team was largely to protect our own comedic style. Other directors have their own styles, and they might not be able to accurately grasp the comedic spirit of Mahua FunAge."

Chen Zhixi is very confident about the critical reception and box office performance of "Goodbye Mr. Loser": "I'm not worried about the critical reception at all, because this stage play has been polished to a high level. As for the box office, although this is Mahua's first time making a movie, we are not, and the company internally has a very high opinion of this film." She also said meaningfully, "It may very well create a box office miracle like 'Lost in Thailand'."

That's a very targeted statement.

But nobody believed it. What kind of film is *Goodbye Mr. Loser*? How can it compare to the *Lost in...* series?
Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant; as long as the slogan is out there and achieves its promotional effect, that's enough.

But why is there another film in the National Day holiday lineup that no one seems to be paying attention to?

Yang Mi's urban romance film "The Third Way of Love," co-starring with a Korean actor, will be released on the 25th!
However, the promotional campaign for this film was really small, which may be due to the production company's lack of experience or the company itself lacking confidence in the film.

However, Yang Mi is known for her hard work; she is very proactive in promoting herself.

They've used every trick in the book except for avoiding scandals.

However, the pre-sale results were very poor, even downright bad, resulting in very few pre-screenings for the film in theaters.

There's nothing hard to understand about this.

The problem isn't with the actors or the director; it's with the subject matter.

The Chinese market is different from the Japanese and Korean markets; the Chinese market doesn't accept romance films!
It's that simple.

It could be a romantic comedy like "Beijing Love Story," but not a pure love film!
Despite online praise for pure romance films like "A Moment to Remember" and "The Classic," the majority of ordinary viewers in mainland China would not be willing to pay for such films.

"Comrades: Almost a Love Story" is a classic romance film in film history. It starred Li Ming and Manyu at the peak of their careers. It was restored and re-released on Valentine's Day earlier this year, grossing 1200 million yuan.

The situation faced by "The Third Way of Love" was so awkward, not to mention that "Lost in Hong Kong" was released on the same day.

Perhaps influenced by "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe," Li Qiutang has been spending a lot of time in the post-production of "Mojin: The Lost Legend," frequently visiting the special effects team to review footage.

Visual effects supervisor Douglas is very dedicated and responsible. He has been working on set since the pre-production stage, overseeing the entire visual effects production for Li Qiutang.

Ye Ning was also frequently working on post-production, and "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" had also spurred him on. That day, Li Qiutang and Douglas were sitting together reviewing footage when they heard hurried footsteps behind them.

Turning my head, I saw Ye Ning had arrived, as had President Wang, with Xiao Wang by his side.

This should be Wang Jianlin's first time visiting the "Mojin: The Lost Legend" crew. He didn't come during the preparation, start of filming, shooting, and wrap-up stages.

Li Qiutang jokingly remarked that Mr. Wang was a rare guest: "I thought to myself, Mr. Wang is really rich and powerful. He has invested two or three hundred million, and you, the big boss, don't even bother to come and take a look."

Old Wang is so arrogant now, showing off everywhere. An investment of two or three hundred million is nothing to him, but he said, "Even if I don't come to see the movie, I still have to come see you."

Wang Jianlin loves to show off in public, but he's the richest man in China, so it's okay for him to do so. However, he's actually quite interesting in private.

Xiao Wang followed behind, his expression unreadable, as if he had something on his mind.

Old Wang first modestly claimed that he didn't have much education, but then said that he did have some cultural talent and that he liked to read books and watch movies in his spare time.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone entered the screening room, where President Wang was going to inspect the goods.

Li Qiutang didn't show the whole film to Lao Wang, but instead showed some key clips that showcased the production quality.

For example, there are zombie soldiers, the giant underground python, and some thrilling scenes—Li Qiutang used some horror movie shooting techniques, such as voyeuristic shots and subjective shots from behind, making the sensory experience more immersive.

The giant subterranean python never showed its entire body; viewers could only see its head and tail, whetting their appetites—both to save money and to pass censorship.

The final dubbing, background music, and sound effects haven't been added yet, but these few clips are enough.

Old Wang said, "This 3 million was well spent; it was spent in the right place. It seems that entrusting this project to you was the right decision."

Old Wang himself also predicted the box office: "I think you guys can totally do the 20 billion you're talking about. How much did 'Monster Hunt' get? 24 billion. So we'll do 25 billion. If we're going to do it, we'll do the best."

Ye Ning reminded Lao Wang from the side: "Their 24 billion is inflated."

Old Wang didn't care at all: "We'll make it to 25 billion with real money, who cares if it's inflated or not."

The wealth of the richest man is terrifying.

Old Wang values ​​the entertainment sector highly. Although he doesn't know much about movies, he's very interested in them and talked a lot with Li Qiutang.

In the small conference room, Lao Wang even revealed Wan Da's plan to him in advance: "In order to enhance our production capabilities, Wan Da will have a big move that will shock the world." He even kept him in suspense.

Li Qiutang laughed and said, "Which company in the US are you going to acquire this time? A film production company, perhaps? Lionsgate, Legendary, or Weinstein?"

Old Wang was a little disappointed that Li Qiutang had guessed his mistake after he failed to impress her, but he still asked, "I only said one sentence, and you were able to guess it?"

Li Qiutang laughed and said, "It's easy to guess. You bought AMC Theatres 12 years ago, and now you say you want to enhance your production capabilities. The only option is to buy a film company. There are only a few independent studios in Hollywood."

Li Qiutang continued his analysis: "Lionsgate won't sell, so that leaves Weinstein and Legends."

Old Wang suddenly asked, "You don't sell your lantern entertainment either?"

(End of this chapter)