Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 426: We're going to tear off the mask! Confronting Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang face-to-face!
The movie "Kung Fu Hustle" immediately garnered excellent reviews upon its release.

Countless movie fans posted online.

"Does Stephen Chow know kung fu? I have a feeling he really does!"

"I could tell from 'Shaolin Soccer' that Stephen Chow's muscles were quite impressive."

"At least the fight scenes in this 'Kung Fu Hustle' movie are very exciting!"

"Kung Fu Hustle actually contains many classic scenes from previous martial arts films!"

"I remember someone saying that Stephen Chow likes to pay homage to other films. He even paid homage to Rocky in King of Comedy, and this film pays homage to many other films as well."

It's fair to say that it received rave reviews.

Moreover, this is only the beginning stage, and there is likely to be further upward potential in the future.

Currently, the positive reviews are mainly focused on Stephen Chow personally.

Even so, it immediately scored 8.6 on Douban!

This score is extremely high, and it should be able to rise further in the future.

Because there are still many aspects of this film that can be explored.

With such a good reputation, it's no surprise that its box office performance will be excellent.

In its first week after the premiere, "Kung Fu Hustle" got off to a flying start.

2000 million!
Including the premiere day, it only took three days, and in such a short time, it already grossed 2000 million.

Some movie fans are already shouting something.

Is there any chance to surpass the previous "Hero" game?

Yes, to date, "Hero" remains the highest-grossing film in China.

But in reality, many people in China have already realized this.

It's true that "Hero" ushered in the era of blockbusters, but surpassing that film is absolutely only a matter of time.

Our film market is visibly booming!

As the plate gets bigger, the individual items inside it will inevitably get bigger too.

Interestingly, there had actually been some opportunities before.

That is, "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" is a little regrettable.

The film almost broke the 2 million yuan box office mark, and ended its run with that result.

It should be said that the results are already outstanding.

It's a bit of a shame that it didn't surpass "Hero," but after all, this movie was a phenomenal blockbuster.

Now, does "Kung Fu Hustle" have that opportunity?

Optimists think it's possible, but many others think it's unlikely.

Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that "Kung Fu Hustle" has managed to evoke such thoughts is enough to prove its success!
And let's not forget, this is just the beginning.

……

"Surpassing Hero? Dream on!"

"Brother, there's no need for us to get angry about this."

"Hmph! I bet Ma Xun hired someone to write this kind of comment!"

"Probably!"

The summer movie season has officially begun, but the Wang brothers, who were the instigators, now feel a sense of desolation.

It was the two of them who spearheaded the current situation.

"House of Flying Daggers" versus "Kung Fu Hustle"!
Although there was a three-week gap between the two films.

But this is a major battle!

The key point is that this level of popularity is just too high!

The Wang brothers never expected that Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou would put on such a premiere.

Although there was a lot of criticism afterward, this topic was so explosive!

Now, Kung Fu Hustle is here, and it was already stealing the spotlight from its rival's premiere.

After the movie was released, it received rave reviews!

Regardless of who wins or loses, at least for now, the game is going back and forth and is very exciting!

The Wang brothers couldn't get involved, so they could only watch.

Who understands the loneliness in my heart?
Okay, we can't just watch; the creators of "A World Without Thieves" also have to help promote it.

Thinking about it this way, the Wang brothers felt even more frustrated.

Can they really tolerate this?
"Are we just going to watch and not do anything?"

The eldest son of the Wang family was clearly not content with being alone.

The second brother was at a loss. "It seems we can only watch. What else can we do?"

The boss knows that's indeed the case now.

However, these two brothers were destined to have bad luck. In other words, bad luck means that if they want to do something bad, then coincidences will happen.

What a coincidence!

"Bosses, Professor Feng has confirmed the latest project and it has been approved."

"Wow! The latest project? That's fantastic!"

"This film is adapted from Shakespeare's famous work."

"Really?"

"It is adapted from Hamlet, and Professor Feng plans to invite Ms. Zhang Ziyi to star in it."

"Good! Great!"

Feng Xiaogang's new play is absolutely a top secret of their Huayi Brothers Media Corporation.

The two Wang brothers are now completely focused on Feng Xiaogang.

Now that there's a new project, we have to invest. As for inviting Zhang Ziyi, we've already been thinking about that before!

If it weren't for Wang Jinghua's incident, we would have already collaborated during the filming of "A World Without Thieves".

It would be great to collaborate on the latest project, "The Banquet"!

Most importantly, both brothers saw two big words in each other's eyes:

opportunity!

……

Enlight Media.

"Boss! That's fantastic! We've broken the 3000 million mark!"

"Good! Very good! Let's proceed steadily and surely."

"Yes!"

When Wang Changtian reported on his work, it was naturally another piece of good news.

The situation with "Kung Fu Hustle" is very good right now, and Ma Xun's move was extremely useful.

Appearing at the premiere of the rival film not only steals the spotlight but also ensures that the two films will inevitably be compared by netizens.

If you take the movie "House of Flying Daggers" out of context, some parts of the plot might be a bit confusing for viewers.

However, this movie does have its merits.

The visuals, the martial arts moves, and the flying sleeves and drumming... especially the final drumming dance, which CCTV-6 has been showing every now and then for many years.

To be fair, this dance is very famous internationally; otherwise, how could Zhang Ziyi be so well-regarded internationally?

However, Ma Xun had absolute confidence.

Kung Fu Hustle is a much better movie than House of Flying Daggers.

First, in terms of the original box office figures for the two films, "Kung Fu Hustle" won.

It won not only domestically, but also internationally. The total overseas box office for "Kung Fu Hustle" is about one hundred million US dollars.

The international budget for "House of Flying Daggers" is approximately 6 million.

They weren't afraid of comparisons to begin with; otherwise, Ma Xun wouldn't have so readily agreed to have these two films compete in the summer season.

At the time, everyone thought "House of Flying Daggers" was a blockbuster, and no one dared to touch it.

Only Ma Xun is certain that this film is actually quite fictitious.

The current situation... the plan is working!
After Wang Changtian finished his report, Ma Xun began to ponder the strategy for the next step.

The movie is all set, and next up is the broadcast of my own TV series.

The play "The Lotus Lantern" will be performed next year.

Therefore, this year's main projects are "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" and "Detective Dee", which he acquired at a low price.

He's not in a hurry for these two films; he needs to carefully schedule them for a good time.

Of course, the summer movie season is actually quite good.

There are a few other smaller projects under consideration, but Ma Xun feels it would be better to acquire a few more top-tier projects.

He needs to maintain his dominant position.

This project is even more amazing...

Just then, someone knocked on his office door again.

"Come in."

Secretary He Qing came in and presented an invitation.

"Boss, Huayi Brothers has extended an invitation."

"Huh? What kind of invitation?"

"When Feng Xiaogang's new film was approved, the Wang brothers planned to hold a party to make a splash in the industry, and they invited us because they said it was to fulfill a previous promise."

Ma Xun laughed after hearing this, "Isn't this just promoting Feng Xiaogang's new film? What kind of publicity could we possibly get by going there? Hehe..."

"Boss, are we not going?"

He Qing is growing to like her job as a secretary more and more.

Ben should be in hand.

Ma Xun smiled and shook his head, "Go! Of course we're going!"

"us?"

He Qing could tell that the word "we" was definitely implied.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Of course you'll come with me."

"This……"

"Are you going to refuse?"

Ma Xun's tone was quite sharp.

He Qing knew she had made a mistake, so she simply came to Ma Xun's side.

The two of them were previously separated by a desk, but now He Qing is leaning her upper body on the desk and lifting up her pencil skirt...

"That's pretty much it."

There was a crisp snap.

Ma Xun slapped her, giving his celebrity secretary a little punishment.

……

In fact, everyone could tell that it was a trap.

as predicted.

When Ma Xun arrived with He Qing, he immediately saw Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou.

In addition, there were Zhang Ziyi and others. However, they were quite surprised to see that Ma Xun had only brought He Qing with him.

Zhang Weiping spoke first, "Brother, why didn't Stephen Chow and the others come?"

Ma Xun laughed and said, "They're too busy; they have to travel all over the country."

I must say, that's quite a valid excuse.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the meeting at Huayi began.

The conference hall we rented was from the Overseas Chinese Hotel.

The Wang brothers were full of ambition and went straight to describing how wonderful "The Banquet" was.

If an ordinary time traveler heard this movie title, they would probably be surprised.

Hasn't "A World Without Thieves" been released yet?

How come there's a movie called "The Banquet" now?

Ma Xun thought it sounded perfectly normal.

The movie "A World Without Thieves" is now just waiting to be released. For Feng Xiaogang, as a director, this movie is already considered finished.

Feng Xiaogang should be preparing for his next film, and "The Banquet" is actually a film that Feng Xiaogang has high ambitions for.

simply put……

Zhang Yimou's "Hero" ushered in the era of blockbusters, Chen Kaige made the blockbuster "The Promise", and Chen Hong also had "Warriors of Heaven and Earth".

Even today, "House of Flying Daggers" is considered Zhang Yimou's second blockbuster, and "Kung Fu Hustle" is also a blockbuster by Stephen Chow.

What about Feng Xiaogang?

I definitely want to make a blockbuster movie!

Feng Xiaogang's previous comedies were actually all low-budget films.

Comedy films have always had this characteristic: low cost and high returns.

But ultimately, it's still a low-budget film, not a blockbuster!

Without blockbuster films to back him up, Feng Xiaogang's sophistication wouldn't be possible!

In fact, when it comes to the importance of Chinese films, Feng Xiaogang is no less important than Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige.

However, when film fans talk about China's great directors, Feng Xiaogang has always been considered inferior to these two.

Even now, the female director Chen Hong is more impressive than Feng Xiaogang.

Previously, it cleanly and decisively defeated Chen Kaige's "The Promise"!
Therefore, Feng Xiaogang absolutely had to make a blockbuster!
Given his character, he must have been prepared long ago.

The Banquet is adapted from Hamlet, and this adaptation has another advantage.

That's the academic school!

To put it bluntly, it's about further elevating Feng Xiaogang's image.

He's not a professionally trained director from Beijing Film Academy or the Central Academy of Drama, and he's always been... well, never mind!

Anyway, Feng Xiaogang is about to make a blockbuster to elevate his status and finally feel proud.

Ma Xun was naturally very clear about this, and what happened next...

After the Wang brothers finished speaking, Feng Xiaogang spoke, and after Feng Xiaogang finished speaking, the reception officially began.

That's right, this time it was held in the form of a cocktail party.

Feng Xiaogang naturally ended up with Zhang Weiping, Zhang Yimou, Ma Xun, and He Qing.

Absolutely, absolutely.

and!

Ma Xun was well aware of what Feng Xiaogang was planning to do next.

"I'm quite worried about Teacher Zhang right now, given the conflict between the two sides."

Here we go again, stirring things up once more!
Listen to what he has to say.

Does this mean that Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers" was a failure?

Of course, that's a euphemism, but it's clearly stirring up trouble.

Zhang Yimou had a big smile on his face; his face was so wrinkled it could trap a fly.

Clearly, great directors have their own style and depth.

Zhang Weiping got really excited.

"It's not over yet, the outcome is still unknown! Besides, when did we even start the competition?"

He said this while looking at Ma Xun.

Ma Xun nodded naturally, "Yes, we're just having a normal screening, and we haven't discussed anything about a winner or loser before."

Okay, I didn't fall for it!
Will Feng Xiaogang give up?

"That's right, of course that's right, but looking at the current box office trend, this..."

I don't need to say everything next; everyone understands what I mean!
Clearly, Kung Fu Hustle has a better box office prospect at present.

Zhang Weiping was furious, but he couldn't vent his anger because this was the Wang brothers' territory.

"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; we've already surpassed 100 million!"

Yes, "House of Flying Daggers" has indeed surpassed 100 million views.

Kung Fu Hustle hasn't been released yet.

Feng Xiaogang fell silent at this point, smiling as he looked at the Wang brothers.

Before I knew it, these two had arrived.

That's really direct.

“Mr. Ma, I’m only now realizing what your previous request was.”

"Yes, that's amazing!"

Order two!

This means that Ma Xun's previous request to Han Sanping is now proving very useful.

Zhang Yimou spoke up at this point, "Everything was agreed upon beforehand, there were no problems."

Yes, that's good.

But suddenly!

Zhang Yimou looked at Ma Xun and said, "If you have any questions, Brother Ma, you can talk about them, because we all know that you have considerable insight into marketing."

Is this considered a challenge?
In fact, everyone could see that the Wang brothers and Feng Xiaogang were determined to stir up trouble today.

So Zhang Yimou thought it over and decided to do it himself.

Logically, Ma Xun could have ignored this.

but!

Ma Xun said with a smile, "I have indeed noticed something wrong, but I don't know if I should say it."

His words were actually focused on Zhang Weiping.

Zhang Weiping said directly, "Brother, of course you can tell us. Give us a few pointers and we'll learn from you."

That sounds very modest, but it's actually quite impressive.

The Wang brothers and Feng Xiaogang were happy.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "Actually, it's quite simple. When it comes to promoting the movie, it's best to focus on the movie itself."

That's all I have to say!
So, what does he mean by that?
In fact, anyone who is paying attention will understand it instantly.

What's the point of your "House of Flying Daggers" movie promoting the idea of ​​planting rapeseed flowers in Ukraine?

Besides telling a bunch of useless stories, what else is there?
How much did the box office increase because of this mess?

It can be said that Ma Xun's words were absolutely insightful and pointed out the problems with "House of Flying Daggers".

But what do the two Zhangs think?
What about the Wang brothers and Feng Xiaogang?
Ma Xun's firepower didn't stop!

He said to Feng Xiaogang, "Honestly, listening to your 'The Banquet' gives me a headache. You've turned the story of 'Hamlet' into a Chinese period drama..."

As Ma Xun spoke, he took out a glass of red wine and a glass of white wine.

Pour it into a large glass.

after that……

"Try it and see what it tastes like."

One glass of wine is enough!
Feng Xiaogang, if you want to blend Chinese and Western styles, then you should try this 'fine wine' first!

So... Feng Xiaogang can drink?

awkward!

Very embarrassing!

But to everyone else... wow!

Ma Xun, you're awesome!

After criticizing Zhang Yimou, they're now criticizing Feng Xiaogang?!
But the criticism was spot on!
Moreover, Ma Xun is a big boss, so he doesn't need to give Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang any face.

Even if it's Zhang Weiping or the Wang brothers, he doesn't need to give them any face!

Because you are too weak right now!
Feng Xiaogang couldn't drink the fine wine right away, and Ma Xun simply got up to say goodbye.

"The wine was good, and I look forward to the future."

What future?
Without saying a word, he took He Qing and left.

It left behind a bunch of stunned bigwigs and celebrities.

Ma Xun is... awesome!

……

The night is deep.

Enlight Media, Ma Xun's office.

He Qing frowned slightly and said, "Is this a good idea?"

"What's wrong with that? Why am I afraid of them?"

"But they are, after all, very influential figures in the industry."

"Have you ever thought that I won't be able to cooperate with them in the future, and that we will be enemies rather than friends?"

Especially Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Yimou.

"You mean, Zhang Yimou also... didn't he collaborate on 'Hero' before?"

"But there will be no more 'Hero' in the future."

That's really impressive.

This also made He Qing understand Ma Xun's meaning.

Of course, He Qing didn't know Ma Xun's full meaning.

In fact, Zhang Yimou can no longer make a film like "Hero".

As far as Ma Xun is concerned, he will naturally not work with this director again, nor will he invest in him. So, he might as well just publicly break off relations!
To avoid future trouble.

As for the rest...

He Qing was deeply moved at this moment, because she was convinced that Ma Xun was a real man.

He's so fierce, so awesome.

So, Ma Xun sat on the sofa, and He Qing sat on Ma Xun's lap.

She tore her own stockings open...

hmm~
With a soft hum, all the company employees went home.

(End of this chapter)