Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 425 Wan Qian is delicate, but is the female lead the villain? "Kung Fu" is coming!
"International female singer suddenly raises her price?"

"Zhang Ziyi outshone everyone present!"

"The Kung Fu team is here to lend their support!"

Zhang Yimou stated that this film will definitely surpass "Hero"!

Following its high-profile premiere, "House of Flying Daggers" was released with even greater fanfare.

However, this release was accompanied by a massive media trial.

Calling it a trial is no exaggeration, because this premiere was truly unprecedented in human history!

No one had ever done this before.

It's no exaggeration to say that Zhang Yimou, speaking at the Workers' Stadium, declared himself the number one director on Earth.

That's all fine!

Because at that moment, he was truly the only director who could have such a premiere.

Never before has any great director in human history staged such a grand premiere.

At the Workers' Stadium, at least 4 people gathered to witness the upcoming release of a film.

This is incredibly awesome no matter how you look at it.

But that's just how things are. You've already made it this amazing, and besides, you, Zhang Yimou, are someone the media is always watching.

Then they will naturally have to accept the judgment of the media.

At least 4 ordinary viewers attended the premiere, and countless media personnel were also present.

Although many people received red envelopes, they will definitely praise this movie.

However, many people will curse even if they receive a red envelope, not to mention those who don't receive a red envelope at all.

They have to be scolded! They deserve a good scolding!

That's normal; with so many media people present, it's impossible for every single one of them to receive a red envelope.

Thus, "House of Flying Daggers" became the blockbuster with the most high-profile premiere in human history.

It was officially released amidst a massive wave of public opinion, both praising and judging it.

If the movie is really good, then such a huge buzz will definitely be a powerful boost.

But is House of Flying Daggers really that great?
Soon, the first wave of positive reviews showed a huge divide!

"House of Flying Daggers is truly fantastic!"

"That's right, just look at the costumes and styling in this movie, and most importantly, Zhang Ziyi's dance, wow! It's really amazing!"

"The dance scene was absolutely amazing!"

There were quite a few netizens who praised it, especially highlighting the film's earlier highlights.

To be fair, Zhang Ziyi's performance of drumming with water sleeves in the film was indeed very beautiful.

But this dance wasn't performed by her.

Well, people talked about it quickly, but it didn't have much of an impact.

But this is only a positive review of the beginning of the movie.

What about behind?
"There are some parts I don't understand at the end?"

"I never expected Andy Lau to be the villain?"

"What happened? What's wrong with Sister Dandan?"

"I couldn't help myself when I saw Sister Dandan appear."

"That's right, seeing Sister Dandan, especially her bright red lips, was so distracting! It felt like I was back on the Spring Festival Gala stage!"

"No, the role of Sister Dandan was originally intended for Sister Mei, but unfortunately... sigh~"

"So that's how it is, but the rest of the movie is a complete mess."

"Actually, the fight choreography is still very good, it's just that the second half of the plot goes crazy."

There are quite a few negative reviews!

Especially regarding Sister Dandan, her character in the movie was actually quite interesting, but her appearance when she appeared was indeed somewhat laughable.

There's nothing we can do about it. Over the years, everyone has probably forgotten that Sister Dandan was originally an outstanding film and television actress. Everyone has already decided that she is Baiyun.

It definitely felt out of place.

Furthermore, the subsequent plot of this movie is really quite baffling.

Actually, it's hard to say that Andy Lau is a villain in this movie.

But he really does give off a villainous vibe.

In fact, many movie fans have overlooked a detail.

Many people still hold onto the old bias, believing that Andy Lau should only play a righteous male lead.

But recently, the roles Andy Lau has played are no longer those of upright male protagonists.

"Running Out of Time," "Infernal Affairs," "Running on Karma"...

These films are his works from recent years, and the roles he plays are basically both righteous and evil, especially in "Infernal Affairs" where he is the villain.

Therefore, Zhang Yimou invited him to star in "House of Flying Daggers" precisely because of this.

When Andy Lau's face appears, many people will think he should be a decent person because of his many years of film experience.

But the movie portrays it quite the opposite!

That's how the story comes about.

The idea is good, but let's see how the fans are reacting.

They're not buying it!
Many people don't even quite understand the plot.

Moreover, is Andy Lau really a villain?
It's really hard to say. There are even two groups of people on the internet: one side thinks Andy Lau is a villain, while the other side thinks he isn't a villain.

In short, the film "House of Flying Daggers" received polarized reviews upon its release.

Fortunately, judging from the box office, this movie is actually doing quite well.

After all, such a high-profile premiere was held, and Zhang Yimou had the blockbuster "Hero" as a foundation.

In terms of box office, "House of Flying Daggers" even surpassed "Hero" when it was first released.

Given this situation, can this movie be considered a success?
……

"I don't understand this 'House of Flying Daggers' at all."

"What? Still thinking about this movie?"

The sun rises in the east, heralding the arrival of a new day.

But Wan Qian, who was in Ma Xun's arms, was still agonizing over the movie she had watched three days ago.

three days?

That's right, three days have indeed passed, and during these three days, Ma Xun has basically been with Wan Qian.

Okay, during the day they also have to do some promotional work for "Kung Fu Hustle".

But ever since the premiere of "House of Flying Daggers", Wan Qian has been clinging to Ma Xun.

When asked why, her answer was very simple.

"Once 'Kung Fu Hustle' is officially released, you'll definitely stay away from me."

Wow, she's quite observant.

They even noticed Ma Xun's habit.

But this isn't Ma Xun's problem. It's just that the pace of development is too fast now. Once a celebrity has a hit work, the celebrity's popularity will explode exponentially!
Even if it's not just a celebrity, but an ordinary person, if they are involved in a social hot topic, countless eyes will be on that person.

It was better in the past, for example, in the last century, due to technological limitations and the fact that the internet didn't develop as rapidly as it does now.

ADSL is almost universal now, and the internet in our country has really improved a lot.

Therefore, Ma Xun's choice is not problematic.

In other words, there's nothing wrong with the reason Wan Qian gave.

However, Ma Xun still exposed her.

"You saw me with Zhang Ziyi?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Qian did not refute it, and instead posed a question to Ma Xun.

"Could she be your next trophy?"

When Ma Xun heard this question, he actually laughed.

Unexpectedly, Wan Qian really knows a lot about this...

So, Ma Xun simply pressed Wan Qian down onto the sofa.

Although Wan Qian's figure isn't top-tier, she still stands out as petite and delicate.

In addition, she is still a young woman in her early twenties, with an extremely strong waist.

What's most striking is her face.

Even with sweat and a flush covering her tiny face, she still showed an unyielding stubbornness.

Ma Xun really liked her enthusiasm.

Of course, the response was even greater.

Even though she couldn't take it anymore, she still insisted on pushing herself. Since that's the case...

Let's satisfy her.

Right now, however, Wan Qian is still struggling with that movie.

Ma Xun knew that this was probably due to her competitive nature.

"What exactly didn't you understand?"

"Yeah, it's so strange. Who is the villain in this movie? At first, I thought Wah Gor was pretty bad, but then I realized he wasn't that bad."

"Oh, you really want the answer?"

"Can you even understand it?"

Wan Qian was extremely surprised. It wasn't that she didn't know Ma Xun understood movies, but she really couldn't figure out this question even after thinking about it for a long time.

"What's so hard to understand?"

"Then tell me, who exactly is the villain?"

Ma Xun did not rush to give an answer, saying, "Many people will probably disagree with my statement, and even the screenwriter and director of this movie will definitely criticize me."

"Huh? Why?" Wan Qian was extremely curious.

Ma Xun gave the answer directly this time.

"The villain in this movie is actually the female lead."

Ah this...

If it were any other movie, Ma Xun's comment would be just average, but this "House of Flying Daggers" is different.

Because Zhang Ziyi is the female lead!

She had more screen time than the two male leads, and the entire movie revolved around her as the female lead.

How can an absolutely central character be a villain?
But Ma Xun's words stunned Wan Qian completely!

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense!

Actually, the plot of the movie "House of Flying Daggers" was designed to be a bit too complicated.

Simply put, there were too many reversals.

Every now and then there's a reversal.

The character played by Sister Dandan was initially introduced as a madam, but it was later revealed that she had another identity.

And the same is true for everyone else.

All the characters have two or three layers of identity.

On the surface, this story was triggered by Officer Jin and Officer Liu's investigation of a case.

But then a series of plot developments, a series of changes in the characters' identities, all of this...

It seems like it's all because of the female lead!
But, after all these twists and turns, upon closer reflection...

That's because the female lead is the villain!

Wan Qian's expression at this moment was extremely strange.

"Is that what Teacher Zhang thinks?"

Ma Xun shook his head and laughed, "I'm sure he himself probably didn't realize that as the movie was being filmed, the female lead turned into the villain."

Yes, that's the most reasonable explanation!
Ma Xun continued, "It's probably because people always say his stories are empty, so this time he made a movie with a story full of twists and turns that looks very complicated, but in the end... I dare say, neither the screenwriter nor the director expected this result."

However, if we truly understand this movie, we'll most likely end up hating the female lead the most.

Wan Qian couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.

"How could this be? But... what you said seems to make a lot of sense."

"What else would you like to hear?"

Ma Xun's question actually had a hidden meaning, and Wan Qian, being a smart person, immediately understood.

"You mean, our 'Kung Fu' movie can win?"

Correct!
If Ma Xun's statement is true, then even the director of the film "House of Flying Daggers" didn't realize that he had portrayed the female lead as a villain.

So, is the outcome of this summer box office battle even necessary?

Wan Qian was a little excited at this moment; she hadn't actually dared to think about this question.

So, she wanted to ask that question even more, which was about Ma Xun and Zhang Ziyi...

Unfortunately, Ma Xun had already gone inside.

Wan Qian's small hands gripped the bed sheet tightly...

……

The premiere of "House of Flying Daggers" was so high-profile.

So the initial box office will naturally be good.

However, as time went by, the film began to decline.

This change has become apparent to many people.

"This is wrong!"

"what happened?"

"The initial sales figures were better than those of 'Hero,' but now they have dropped significantly."

"impossible?"

Harvey, that old liar, had previously made a big show of securing this film.

Now that someone has come to report on the changes in the data, he's getting a little nervous.

He took the report and looked at it...

really!

"House of Flying Daggers" is currently in a state of starting strong but ending weakly.

It started off strong, but the drop in the second week was significant.

Harvey is a veteran of Hollywood; what box office charts hasn't he seen?
It's obvious at a glance that this is a typical example of a disappointing blockbuster that lacks staying power!

Simply put, if a Hollywood blockbuster's box office revenue drops by more than 50% in its second week compared to its first week, the film is doomed.

If the drop exceeds 40%, it's considered a break-even point.

A film that drops by more than 30% is considered a good film.

Now...it's down more than 50%!

Of course, the trend in the US only looks at the weekend, which is different here.

But the underlying principles are actually quite similar.

Harvey felt a chill run down his spine.

But he knew exactly what he should do.

"No problem! It's alright! I trust Director Zhang's abilities!"

That's right, stay calm, you must stay calm.

Even if there's a problem, you should say there's no problem!
But Harvey knew perfectly well that another blockbuster was coming out soon!

The movie "Kung Fu Hustle"...

Harvey can only pray now that the film is a failure.

But will the God he prays to look after a fraud like him?

Three weeks after the release of "House of Flying Daggers".

Kung Fu Hustle will be released in late July!
The film also held its premiere on the 23rd.

This time is different; we're not as high-profile as "House of Flying Daggers."

However, there is something special about this one.

That means we'll hold the premiere together in mainland China and Hong Kong!

Moreover, the mainland is not just one place.

Directly in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Guangzhou,

Premieres were held in four cities.

Although the payout per game isn't high, we have a lot of games.

Moreover, each of these four cities has a symbolic meaning.

Beijing goes without saying, Shanghai is the filming location, and Shenyang is the city where Stephen Chow's movies first officially entered the mainland. As for Guangzhou, of course, it's the Cantonese version, since they're from the same hometown.

Therefore, although it is not as grand as "House of Flying Daggers", it is still impressive in terms of both scale and actual effect.

Kung Fu Hustle is just as good!
And after the premiere, this first wave of positive reviews...

"My God! This movie is amazing!"

"Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Hustle' is the best!"

"It's really good! Come see 'Kung Fu Hustle'!"

(End of this chapter)