Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 334 Awakening the Chinese People's Confidence! There is Only One China in the World! Wan Qian's "Kung Fu"?
"Hero" surpasses 100 million views, its momentum is unstoppable!

In fact, this was even faster than Ma Xun's original plan.

This is entirely because the Hollywood blockbuster "Star Wars: Episode II" is so bad.

Actually, the Star Wars series is quite popular worldwide, but it has always been rather average in China.

The reason is also very simple.

Despite being touted as a science fiction film and featuring various high-tech elements, what we actually saw was close-quarters melee combat.

Fighting with lightsabers... It's like "The Sword of the Third Young Master"!

The martial arts choreography designed by Hollywood doesn't really appeal to Chinese audiences.

If it were like The Matrix, that would be fine, but the action sequences in the Star Wars series are just so-so.

Interspersed throughout are some kind of Force competitions.

If the Force can be used for ranged attacks, then why bother with a lightsaber battle?
It's just weird.

Of course, this is a blockbuster after all, so it still has box office success.

Unfortunately, it was born at the wrong time. Faced with the overwhelming success of "Hero," this Hollywood blockbuster lost its ability to resist early on.

While "Heroes" has now surpassed 100 million, "Star Wars: Episode II" has only just broken 20 million.

The gap is really quite large.

This result further boosted the popularity of "Heroes"!
"Looks like 'Hero' is a real blockbuster!"

"Even such an awesome Hollywood blockbuster like Star Wars got taken down? Heroes is incredible!"

"China finally has its own blockbuster films!"

"It's really strong, no doubt about it! I'm totally supporting 'Hero'!"

There are more and more positive reviews online, but of course, there are also quite a few negative comments.

This is all normal.

At least for now, a film can be considered a success if it receives more positive reviews.

But what should we do next?

In fact, Ma Xun's second wave of marketing was the real essence.

Unfortunately, at the New Vision meeting, not many bosses cared.

They felt that being able to reach 100 million was already incredibly impressive, and that they had already won.

But there's something even more important to do next.

The key is to use the opportunity presented by Stephen Chow's film "Kung Fu Hustle" to promote your own people.

So, is it really true that nobody cares?
Yes, that is Jiang Wen.

The sweltering summer heat is truly unbearable.

It seems that only at night can one find some peace and tranquility.

Tonight, an interesting guest came to Ma Xun's courtyard.

"Brother! Congratulations!" Jiang Wen greeted him with a fist and palm salute as soon as he entered.

Ma Xun greeted the guest with a smile, but before the tea was even poured, he asked about something important.

"Is the script finished yet?"

They were really blunt and didn't hold back, directly asking for the results of other people's work.

Jiang Wen feigned ignorance, asking, "What script?"

"Heroes of Heaven and Earth."

Ma Xun has this smug, self-righteous attitude.

Jiang Wen was exasperated. "You really are a capitalist. You won't even give me a cup of tea, all you want is the script."

Ma Xun laughed and simply took a bottle of ice wine from the refrigerator. "Have this."

Jiang Wen, being quite knowledgeable, asked, "Ice wine?"

"Ah."

Drinking this on a hot summer day would definitely be refreshing.

And so... Ha!

It's crisp yet sweet!

Comfortable!

"From overseas? Where is it made?"

"Northeast China."

Ma Xun's words made Jiang Wen feel somewhat embarrassed.

Actually, the best ice wine we make in China is the ice wine produced domestically.

And this... Ma Xun did it on purpose, of course.

"Here's the script." Jiang Wen handed over the script first, then said, "But what exactly do you mean by this film, 'Hero'?"

That's a really strange statement.

After taking a sip of the iced wine, Ma Xun asked in return, "What do you mean by 'what ...'?"

"With such high box office numbers now, what will happen to our films in the future?"

Jiang Wen's question is quite simple.

Ma Xun understood what he meant, but still retorted, "Could it be that Teacher Jiang Wen is afraid?"

Jiang Wen said she wouldn't fall for it, "A reverse psychology tactic?"

Ma Xun burst out laughing, "Is that not allowed?"

Jiang Wen laughed along, "Why would I be afraid? It's just a little over 100 million in box office revenue. I'm sure our 'Warriors of Heaven and Earth' will surpass this 'Hero'!"

Ma Xun said something that almost made Jiang Wen's jaw drop.

"Who said it was one hundred million? Who said it was over one hundred million?"

Jiang Wen was genuinely taken aback, and after a moment, she said, "Could it be two hundred million?"

Ma Xun laughed loudly, "Three hundred million? Does Teacher Jiang not dare to even think about it?"

Jiang Wen felt quite ashamed after hearing what Teacher Jiang said, but then he exclaimed, "Three hundred million? Are you kidding? Wouldn't that be like the Titanic movie?"

"That's a good analogy."

Ma Xun didn't seem to be joking at all, which made Jiang Wen even more unable to hold back.

"No, are you serious? You really plan to make this movie gross 3 million?"

Jiang Wen still couldn't believe it. After all, it's huge news when a movie in China grosses over 100 million yuan.

Three hundred million—that's truly a blockbuster for China!

It's truly comparable to Titanic.

Moreover, and more importantly, Titanic had an extremely long run; its $360 million box office was achieved over 18 months of release.

Is this new movie, "Hero," really good?
Ma Xun casually remarked to Jiang Wen, "Times are changing..."

Unfortunately, Jiang Wen didn't believe her. "What exactly are your tricks?"

Once he asked that question, he didn't mince words.

"Actually, I was planning to ask you for some advice. Under your guidance, the film 'Hero' has performed exceptionally well!"

Jiang Wen's humility startled Ma Xun.

Because this guy rarely acts like that; he always has a very peculiar kind of 'madness'.

Ma Xun said seriously, "This is easy to talk about. There's no need to go into the previous methods. But I can tell Brother Jiang about the methods I'm going to use next."

Indeed, Ma Xun's words brought the two of them even closer.

And so, the two of them went outside to the persimmon tree, where they drank and talked.

"Since its release, 'Hero' has already surpassed 'Star Wars: Episode II – Attack on Titan' and its box office has exceeded 2 million."

This can be considered as completing the first phase of the task.

The next phase will be the second phase, and in my opinion, we must make every effort to maintain the momentum from before.

Clearly, maintaining the momentum is the key.

The principle is actually very easy to understand.

In our current environment, the period of popularity of a movie is very short.

Many films experience a precipitous drop in box office revenue after three weekends.

The subsequent box office performance was negligible.

There's nothing we can do about it; this is the current situation. We've already implemented reforms to the cinema chain system; without these reforms, things would be even worse.

Furthermore, piracy and other such issues are even more fatal.

So, what should we do?
Just like in "Hero"!

Before and during the initial release period, we will do our best to generate the most buzz!
The highest meaning here is that it can be as high as possible.

To put it simply, the process of a surge in popularity followed by a decline is more sustainable.

Almost all movies tend to decline in popularity. Therefore, the higher the initial price, the slower the subsequent decline. This principle is not difficult to understand.

Right now, the popularity of "Heroes" is absolutely explosive!
So, are we just going to let this movie continue to decline?

We can't let this go on!

We must intervene!

Ma Xun then showed Jiang Wen a script, which was somewhat like a voiceover.

Why has there been no invasion in China's history?
Why does China have such a large territory? Because our ancestors never invaded other countries!

China is the center of the world, and this earth is our world!
How can we call that an expansion of territory?
We call it "punishing the guilty and rescuing the people" to punish the disobedient!
......"

This, this... Jiang Wen hadn't even finished reading it yet, and her feelings were already very complicated.

Is it well said?
Okay!

That's just how China is. We are a land of etiquette, and we have never invaded anyone.

It's simply that the people there went too far!
Just like the envoys who killed us during the Han Dynasty!
How can we keep this?

Yellow sand wears golden armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be repaid if it is not broken!
Loulan... what a pity!
But how much of an impact can such verbal delivery have on the movie "Hero"?
Before Jiang Wen could even ask, Ma Xun already knew what he was thinking.

"Brother Jiang, what are the prerequisites for punishing the wicked and punishing the disloyal?"

These words dealt Jiang Wen a direct and devastating blow!
Right!

All of this was predicated on the fact that the First Emperor unified the world!
Ma Xun continued, "Actually, from the perspective of emperors, there has only been one emperor in the history of the world, and that is the emperor of China. The emperors in Europe were all kings, which is a huge difference in rank."

so……"

Jiang Wen quickly interrupted him, "Don't say anymore, don't continue. Now that you've explained it, I understand, but... will it really work?"

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Whether it's useful or not, isn't this a new hot topic? In fact, it happens to continue the theme of the movie 'Hero'."

Jiang Wen finally understood!
"Awesome! Absolutely awesome!"

Whether it will succeed... Although these things haven't been officially promoted online yet, Jiang Wen is almost certain that they will succeed!

Most importantly, such 'methods' can also serve other purposes.

That is……

Can the self-confidence of our people truly be awakened?

As expected of Jiang Wen, he had already figured out what Ma Xun was trying to express in his copywriting.

Ma Xun smiled happily, "All Chinese people... I don't know. But, with our population of over a billion, there will always be many Chinese people whose confidence as descendants of Yan and Huang, as members of a great nation, and as the true inheritors of Chinese tradition will be awakened!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen slapped his thigh.

"Haha! Good! Great!"

Then he added, "What's this called in classical Chinese again?"

Ma Xun continued, "Let's drink a big cup of wine."

"Yes! Haha..."

So what are we waiting for?
Drink up!

……

Ma Xun's second wave of tactics focused on 'continuation'.

This continues the theme of "the world belongs to everyone" from "Hero".

It continues the spirit of Qin Shi Huang's unification of the world and the great unification.

This naturally extended the film's popularity!
In this environment, Ma Xun not only planned to produce the film "Hero".

He wanted to take this opportunity to convey something more.

We Chinese people should never forget our original identity!

Perhaps we cannot yet help others when we have achieved our goals.

However, we must be clear about our goals!
There is only one China in the world!
Why do we need so many countries? It's too much trouble.

Of course, this goal is still a long way off.

Moreover, we still need to be patient and continue to work hard.

In twenty years, and another twenty years, we will surely usher in a great rejuvenation!
For now, we should take it slow.

Ma Xun's second wave of tactics has already subtly pushed it onto the internet.

The specific details were all handled by Wang Changtian.

He then found someone else to do it.

Jiang Wen came to see Ma Xun mainly to discuss the upcoming big-budget production, "Warriors of Heaven and Earth".

The script was finished, and Ma Xun read it and expressed great satisfaction.

Jiang Wen's scripts have a distinctive feature: they contain many four-character phrases.

It's not an idiom; he just likes to write four-character phrases.

It feels like reading classical Chinese text.

Ma Xun also likes it quite a bit, so what's next?
Don't forget the key points we discussed earlier.

Submit the Tao!
Ma Xun actually recommended someone, but it would be better for Jiang Wen to find that person.

He is Zhang Chao.

He is a talented student at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and he really loves playing with ancient armor.

After all, ancient armor was indeed time-consuming and labor-intensive... and most importantly, expensive.

Zhang Chao will be very famous in the future, having organized many ancient armor 'shows'.

Not only in the Hanfu community, but also in the fashion world, she is quite remarkable.

Jiang Wen's visit to the family went relatively smoothly.

The price they offered was indeed astonishing.

Ma Xun simply smiled and nodded.

Money is meant to be spent!
Spending money on our movies is a worthwhile investment!

Of course, the most important thing is that this money doesn't belong to Ma Xun.

Ge Luming had already mentioned this to Ma Xun before.

The Columbia Corporation board of directors has approved a $3000 million investment!

We're using US dollars to make a big-budget film about China!
Great kindness!

Ma Xun is really on a roll right now. His movie "Hero" is currently showing in theaters and is about to reach 200 million yuan in box office revenue.

But he was already preparing for his next blockbuster, "Warriors of Heaven and Earth".

There's probably no one else like it in the domestic entertainment industry.

However, right at this critical juncture...

Jiang Wen also brought up something.

"You must know about Stephen Chow's new movie, right?"

"What exactly are you trying to say, my Brother Jiang?"

"That's right. I was casting actors before, and then I found out that they seemed to be auditioning for Stephen Chow's new film."

"Oh? It's them?"

Ma Xun's words revealed some differences between "he" and "she" that we often fail to discern in everyday speech.

Jiang Wen was slightly embarrassed, but he said frankly, "I saw an actress who I think is quite suitable for our film."

Ma Xun knew who he was talking about.

Zhou Yunbei.

However, many people may not know that Zhou Yun's real name is Zhou Sila.

It was probably a nickname given to her by her family, which was later changed to Zhou Yun.

Just what comes next...

"No, you should understand, right?"

"My dear Brother Jiang, what do you think I should know?"

"Just don't let them get selected!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun couldn't help but laugh and said, "That's a question, but... who are they?"

Believe it or not, Jiang Wen had a photo with him.

Zhou Yun was one of them, but there was another person... Tang Wei.

Yes, the two of them are classmates.

Ma Xun didn't say anything.

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Making trouble? That's easy.

The two agreed on this, and Jiang Wen then went to prepare for "Warriors of Heaven and Earth".

As for Ma Xun's sabotage... unexpectedly, another accident occurred.

Is Mr. Ma home?

"I'm here, you..."

"Oh, hello Mr. Ma."

Ma Xun never expected that an unexpected guest would appear in his small courtyard.

Wan Qian...

"No, what are you doing here?"

"Didn't Teacher Yu tell you? I'm here to audition for 'Kung Fu Hustle'."

This……

(End of this chapter)