Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 650 Wu Dingliu

The day after "Wolf Warrior 2" was released, a Friday, the 74th Venice International Film Festival committee announced the shortlist for each section.

"Carnival" is the only Chinese-language film nominated for the main competition.

Then, "The Butterfly Lovers" was brought up again.

They say that "The Butterfly Lovers" is still in post-production and they are still trying to get it recorded in Venice.

The same old trick has been used again.

Even the company found it strange; when did a low-budget art film start to receive so much attention?
With "Wolf Warrior 2" currently enjoying great popularity during the summer season, why aren't you arresting Wu Jing, but instead targeting the long-absent couple Li Qiutang and Liu Yifei?

But the production team swore that this was not something they pushed, believing it was just some haters making sarcastic remarks.

However, Li Qiutang did receive a call from Elena, who said that her promise was still valid and that Li Qiutang had half a month to submit the film to the committee within the stipulated time. Venice would then add "The Butterfly Lovers" to the relevant section.

Such preferential treatment is certainly great, and if possible, Li Qiutang really wants to send the film to Venice.

However, he was simply too busy, and he had absolutely no room for sloppiness in the later stages of "The Butterfly Lovers".

Therefore, the post-production of the film is very slow. It has been four and a half months since filming wrapped up, and the rough cut is still not finished.

The editor was driven crazy by him; they had even argued and were on the verge of quitting.

Li Qiutang dared not agree to Elena's request, saying that she was still filming a new drama and could not guarantee that she would be able to make it to the reshoots.

Li Qiutang may not be able to go to Venice, but another film related to Li Qiutang did.

Peng Fei, "The Taste of Rice Flower".

Last year, Li Qiutang, as the chairman of the Changchun Film Festival's Golden Deer Venture Capital, awarded the Special Jury Recommendation Award.

The project was eventually signed by Mr. Lü from Spring and Autumn Period, and the film was finally completed. It is 95 minutes long and was shortlisted for the Venice Days section of this year's Venice Film Festival.

This section is similar to the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes, aiming to showcase innovative works and also to compete for awards.

This may be an inconspicuous section, and Peng Fei's nomination is rarely reported in domestic media, but for a new director, being nominated for Venice is already a great victory.

For Deer Jet Ventures, Peng Fei's inclusion in the Venice Film Festival is a living advertisement!

The inaugural venture capital conference got a feature film submitted to the Venice Film Festival—isn't that an achievement?!

Regardless of what role Jinlu Ventures played in the award process, just tell me, did this come from Jinlu Ventures?
That's fine!

With this achievement, it's likely that next year's venture capital season will attract even more companies and projects.

As the previous chairman, Li Qiutang personally selected "The Taste of Rice Flower," and he had fulfilled his duty. However, he still forwarded some small reports about "The Taste of Rice Flower" on Weibo, saying: "Being shortlisted is a victory. Enjoy your trip to Venice."

When Li Qiutang initially selected "The Taste of Rice Flower," he had no idea it would be shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival. He dared not claim credit for being a talent scout; it was definitely the work of the creative team and the production company.

However, seeing the films he selected shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival, Chairman Li was also very proud: "Look! These are the films I chose!"

Good news keeps coming.

"Okay, Director Ning Hao, that's a wrap!" They tricked him into doing a cameo for a day or two, but it turned into four days of filming. Every day, Ning Hao had to squeeze in time to come to the studio of "The Wandering Earth" after finishing filming on the set of "Crazy Alien".

His explanation was: "I worked two jobs every day just to borrow your two spacesuits and space capsule. Do you know how hard that was for me?"

The assistant director presented him with flowers to wrap up filming. Ning Hao laughed and said, "Even cameo appearances get flowers?"

"Remember to return the photos to us after you're done taking them."

"Goodness, I've seen stingy people, but I've never seen anyone as stingy as you." In the end, Ning Hao didn't return the flowers to the crew, saying he would take them to the "Alien" crew to give to his actors, so as to make two uses out of one flower and not waste them.

Ning Hao finished filming, and the "Wandering Earth" crew began filming Lei Jiayin's cameo role.

Lei Jiayin probably had the most screen time among all the guest actors, so much so that you could say he was a supporting character.

But Chen Zhixi still cleverly counted him as a guest star, because that way she wouldn't have to pay him.

Lei Jiayin didn't mind. He could distinguish between what was important and what was not, and knew when to be concerned and when to be carefree.

His only concern was that his character didn't have a protective suit. So, he spent the last two days pestering the props department to let him try on a protective suit. He even tried on Li Guangjie's heavy protective suit with weapons and equipment, and had a great time.

"Why didn't you cast me as the team leader?" Lei Jiayin complained to Li Qiutang. "I think I look pretty handsome in this outfit too."

“You’re not suited to play a soldier,” Li Qiutang said.

Lei Jiayin protested: "How can I not be suitable to play a soldier! My childhood dream has been to be a soldier."

"With that physique and looks, how come this young man can't play a soldier?"

Just keep saying it!
Lei Jiayin isn't strictly an actor from the Autumn Film Company, but he's very outgoing and gets along well with many directors in the company. His pay isn't high, so he's able to secure a lot of resources from the company.

He was cast in "Brotherhood of Blades 2" and his portrayal of Pei Lun received high praise. He was also cast in the upcoming film "How Long Will I Love U".

“You’re better suited to comedic roles. The role of Brother Yi is good,” Li Qiutang said. “Alright, get ready, we’re about to start filming.”

Li Qiutang left the dressing room and turned to the assistant director, saying, "I have a scene with Lei Jiayin that I can finish filming in three to five days. You should contact Li Guangjie and Wu Mengda to join the crew as soon as possible. They've had enough rest after so many days. We need to speed up the pace later on."

"Okay, I'll contact them right away."

When will Wu Jing be available? When will his promotional tour for "Wolf Warrior 2" end?

Li Qiutang was so busy in Qingdao that she lost track of time.

The assistant director said, "With the current success of 'Wolf Warrior 2,' the company will definitely give him more publicity, but he can't come anytime soon." But this answer certainly didn't satisfy Li Qiutang, so she added, "We'll discuss the schedule with him again."

During the ground phase, Wu Jing only has one scene, which can be filmed in two days if things go smoothly.

But Wu Jing can't spare two days for Li Qiutang right now, he's incredibly popular!
All the top stars in the film and television industry right now are no match for Wu Jing!

After grossing 9.96 million yuan in its opening weekend, Wolf Warrior 2's current performance has left everyone baffled.

On the last day of July, it grossed 270 million yuan, accounting for 56.3% of the total screenings that day.

In other words, if you went to any nearby movie theater that day, nearly 60% of the screenings would be dedicated to "Wolf Warrior 2".

On August 1st, it defied the downward trend and reached 290 million!
In just six days, it grossed over 15 billion yuan. Maoyan has adjusted its box office prediction for "Wolf Warrior 2" for the fourth time, with the latest prediction set at 40 billion yuan, surpassing "The Mermaid".

Who would have thought that Wu Jing would break Stephen Chow's record!

This isn't even halfway through the champagne-festival; it's practically the opening act. "Wolf Warrior 2" grossed 15 billion in six days and is projected to gross 40 billion. How much money did Autumn Pictures, the largest investor, make?
How the hell did autumn predict the outcome again?!
Why didn't I invest when Wu Jing was looking for investors?
(End of this chapter)