Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 428 "Kung Fu" Champion! I insulted him, and he still had to thank me!

"I declare! Kung Fu Hustle is the best movie of this period!"

"This movie isn't just a summer blockbuster! It's absolutely fantastic!"

"I love the stir-fried sauce in it!"

"Landlords and landladies are the most interesting."

"Wait, is that villain Bruce Lee? Uncle Da doesn't seem to have many scenes."

"Isn't the female lead good? I think she's so innocent and pure!"

"That's right, I'm rooting for the female lead!"

It's already surpassed 100 million views, and in such a short time, that means "Kung Fu Hustle" is sure to be even more popular.

More importantly, as the movie's run continues, moviegoers will uncover many more details about the film.

Actually, it's like this: if you watch a good movie several times, you'll discover more and more. In other words, the more you watch, the clearer it becomes, and it might even change your initial thoughts.

True film buffs will watch a good movie more than once; they'll watch it multiple times.

The movie "Kung Fu Hustle" is definitely worth watching. Even without mentioning Stephen Chow's name, just talking about the content alone, this movie is absolutely a good one.

There's so much to say.

Of course, at the beginning, countless eyes were definitely on Stephen Chow.

And now, it has finally reached a point where all kinds of flowers bloom.

The other supporting characters have finally become the subject of heated discussion among netizens.

It's a real shame that Uncle Da's scenes were filmed. Although they were filmed, the situation at the time was quite special, due to the pandemic.

So when it came to the final cut, it had to be edited, and his scenes were reduced even further.

Netizens also felt somewhat disappointed.

There's nothing we can do about it, but we already mentioned it in previous announcements.

This is the last time Stephen Chow and Ng Man-tat will work together, as has been emphasized before.

So, if this final collaboration cannot be achieved, then the last "Shaolin Soccer" will be the last one.

And this successful collaboration was certainly not something Stephen Chow hid from anyone.

"We all rely on Mr. Ma."

Alright, Ma Xun's name has appeared once again.

The controversy it sparked has already been summarized by netizens.

Investors' fury!

But now that I see it... it turns out investors also have a compassionate side!
Yes, isn't it heartwarming to help Stephen Chow and Uncle Da collaborate like this?
The key point is that, although his role was small, fans were really happy to see him!
With Uncle Da, that's enough.

As a result, Ma Xun's reputation as a boss actually improved even more.

However, for now, the focus is naturally still on movies.

Many movie fans have finally started discussing the female lead!
"That tear felt absolutely amazing!"

"Your acting is amazing, even though you don't have many lines."

"At first I thought he was mute, but I never expected him to be able to speak!"

Well, everyone's focus is a bit odd.

Wan Qian's acting skills are indeed good, but the most crucial factor is her current age.

She was just over twenty, which made the scene of that single tear reach a perfect level.

As for the lack of lines...

Actually, the female lead didn't have many lines to begin with, after all, the female lead's role in this drama wasn't that big.

Of course, many people don't know that Stephen Chow originally planned to make the female lead mute, but Wan Qian's acting skills are really good.

Let's just change it then.

Another crucial factor is that Wan Qian studied at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, so she speaks Shanghainese.

Having her speak about it in the movie further highlights the location where the story of "Kung Fu Hustle" takes place.

However, the time and space background is still vague, after all, there is no place like Zhulong City Walled City in Shanghai.

As a result, netizens discovered a truly stunning "Star Girl"!
Look further ahead.

"This girl is famous!"

"I think you acted in 'Kill Bill' before."

"No, I acted in 'Warriors of Heaven and Earth'."

"Never mind, her acting has been really bad lately anyway."

"This actress named Wan Qian has a very promising future!"

Wan Qian must be thrilled to see these comments.

……

Some people are happy, while others are not.

After Kung Fu Hustle surpassed 100 million yuan, its box office performance continues to be unstoppable!

The weekly box office drop was only around 15%.

In the eyes of professionals, this drop is undoubtedly a major blockbuster!
In contrast, consider "House of Flying Daggers".

After breaking 100 million, its upward momentum weakened.

By now, the gap between the two films has been steadily narrowing.

Optimistically speaking, the box office of "House of Flying Daggers" will at most reach 150 million.

Being able to surpass this number is considered good luck.

How could Zhang Weiping not be anxious and upset in such a situation?
What should I do if I have a sore throat or fever?
Did he also criticize Zhang Yimou?
This movie cost 150 million, so it's hard to say anything negative about it.

However, someone came to mediate.

This guy has a lot of influence; he directly pulled Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou, the two Zhangs, over to drink together.

He is Jiang Zhiqiang.

"Oh dear, why do you two seem so troubled? Our movie was quite a success!"

Jiang Zhiqiang was indeed skilled; his opening remarks greatly improved the mood of the two Zhangs.

"Could it be that……"

"This overseas market..."

Both Zhangs were clever; they both thought of this aspect.

"House of Flying Daggers" also has an overseas market!

Jiang Zhiqiang smiled and said, "Mr. Harvey told me that Miramax is still very confident about this film!"

This is truly a reassuring and effective treatment.

Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou are certainly not fools; they know that the domestic box office is roughly what it is now.

Therefore, they naturally need to pay more attention to overseas box office revenue.

Although, this overseas box office has nothing to do with them in reality.

It's still the same buy-to-play model as "Heroes".

The only difference is that the publisher has changed; previously it was Columbia Pictures, and now it's Miramax.

In this way, what Zhang and Zhang are most afraid of is that the poor box office performance of "House of Flying Daggers" in China will affect their confidence in overseas distribution.

We don't care about them, because the overseas distribution of a film has little to do with the film itself, but only with the strength of the company that distributes it.

Let me put it this way: if American companies don't promote your movie, no matter how great it is, it's useless.

Good news has arrived; we've finally overcome one hurdle.

But why?

Zhang Weiping couldn't hold back any longer and naturally had to ask for the reason.

"Harvey's side..."

He had barely begun when Jiang Zhiqiang understood, so he gave the answer before he even finished speaking.

"Heroes performed exceptionally well in the North American market!"

Good heavens! So that's the reason!
However, the two Zhangs were genuinely surprised.

They knew that "Hero" was performing well, even though it had only just been released. They didn't yet have a detailed understanding of just how good it was, since Zhang Yimou and Zhang Fei had probably been working on "House of Flying Daggers" recently.

The North American release of "Hero" has nothing to do with the two Zhangs.

Moreover, there's another detail here.

The North American box office for "Heroes"—wasn't that Columbia Pictures'?
Xavi's team is Miramax, who is inferior to Colombia in terms of size and strength.

They can succeed, but you might not!
Harvey remains optimistic and still plans to launch a major promotional campaign.

Both Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou breathed a long sigh of relief.

Anyway, it was quite a dangerous situation.

However, Jiang Zhiqiang then made a suggestion that surprised both of them.

"I've heard about what happened before, and now I have a suggestion for Mr. Zhang, which is... I hope Director Zhang won't mind, please don't."

My suggestion is that Mr. Zhang, you should take the initiative to contact Mr. Ma and try to resolve the conflict amicably.

Huh? What?!

Should Zhang Weiping take the initiative to negotiate with Ma Xun?
As soon as the suggestion was made, Zhang Weiping understood Jiang Zhiqiang's meaning.

Putting everything else aside, just in terms of strength, Ma Xun is indeed strong.

Although Zhang Weiping didn't want to admit it, he was indeed no match for Ma Xun. Moreover, Ma Xun had lost his temper during that particular opportunity.

That makes sense.

"House of Flying Daggers" did not meet box office expectations.

Zhang Weiping wasn't stupid; he knew that the other investors in this film were also full of resentment.

Therefore, Zhang Weiping didn't say much after Ma Xun lost his temper.

Regardless of Ma Xun's intentions, this move satisfied the other investors.

That's right, Ma Xun did the cursing on our behalf! And his cursing was quite reasonable.

Zhang Weiping's actions are beneficial for uniting other business owners, because these days, investors are definitely the first consideration when doing business.

However, there is a drawback to doing this: Zhang Yimou will not be happy!

Ma Xun is young, but he is still a boss. Zhang Yimou can hardly confront Ma Xun directly, but I, Zhang Yimou, am Zhang Weiping's man.

You, Zhang Weiping, should stand up for me!

Although Zhang Yimou didn't say it aloud, Zhang Weiping understood it perfectly.

But Zhang Weiping had already made his choice; for the sake of the other bosses, he chose to be a coward this time.

Jiang Zhiqiang's suggestion now...

You even asked me to make peace with Ma Xun? This... Zhang Yimou is a great director, how could he not have any complaints?

Jiang Zhiqiang had already considered these things, which is why he said before, "Director Zhang, please don't mind."

But not enough.

Jiang Zhiqiang then smiled and said to Zhang Yimou, "My dear Director Zhang, what happened before caused quite a stir, and the situation was not favorable for us."

If we can reconcile and go back to how we were before, then everything will definitely get better.

I won't say much else, but let's just talk about the success of "Hero" in North America. Who deserves the credit?

Right!

It's Ma Xun!

Moreover, Harvey still has high hopes for "House of Flying Daggers" and will continue to promote it heavily.

Ultimately, it all comes down to Ma Xun!
Zhang Yimou's expression changed several times before he finally smiled and said, "Alright then, I'll go with you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiqiang burst into laughter.

Zhang Weiping laughed along, but he had already noticed that Zhang Yimou's smile was not genuine at all.

……

Huayi Company.

"Haha! They really are fighting!"

"Big brother, that was a brilliant move!"

"It's certain that the two Zhangs will not be cooperating with Ma Xun in the future."

"This is a huge boon for us!"

The Wang brothers have been in a very good mood lately.

Although the box office of "Kung Fu Hustle" is soaring and its popularity is increasing.

However, they orchestrated a trap, dismantling the alliance between the two strongest rivals in the industry.

What a wonderful thing this is!

The Wang brothers were already very wary of Ma Xun and Zhang Weiping; these two forces alone would be difficult for the Wang brothers to deal with.

Well, they knew in their hearts that they were already at a disadvantage against Ma Xun.

It's alright for New Pictures, after all, New Pictures is a company that only produces Zhang Yimou's films.

But if they join forces, wouldn't we be absolutely outmatched?

It's great that Ma Xun and Zhang Weiping have fallen out!
The Wang brothers were overjoyed, feeling that their careers were about to enter a period of great success.

Just then, the assistant came to report.

"Teacher Feng and Miss Zhang Ziyi have arrived."

"Alright! Please come in quickly."

Soon after, Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Ziyi appeared in the office of the eldest son of the Wang family.

They were, of course, talking about the film "The Banquet".

Since it's adapted from Hamlet, there are some details that need to be examined.

"If I play the queen, who will play Olivia?"

Zhang Ziyi deliberately used the name Olivia, which clearly highlights the importance of the character.

In Hamlet, Olivia is not a simple person, but a character with many symbolic meanings, including purity.

So, if Olivia is pure, then isn't the Queen impure?

Zhang Ziyi is eligible to play the Empress, and Feng Xiaogang has agreed. The role of the Empress is complex, but she is definitely the leading lady.

But what about the opposite of oneself?

The Wang brothers were prepared, and the eldest immediately said, "Zhou Xun, we've been talking about this for a while."

This talk... is basically poaching!

Zhou Gongzi is still the top female star at Rongxingda.

This year, a film called "Baby in Love" was released, which can be said to be a great honor for Dada, who has provided a lot of resources.

But it failed miserably!

This movie... sounds like a romance film, and Zhou Xun even has some rather explicit scenes in it.

That shot was enough to show her breasts.

But I don't know what the two Lis were thinking, the movie ended up feeling like a horror film.

That's scary.

But no matter what, Zhou Xun is still the top female star that the government is fully promoting.

Zhang Ziyi certainly understood, but she said, "Since the two bosses are so confident, then I'm relieved."

Upon hearing this, the second son of the Wang family laughed and said, "Actually, this is also our way of showing our sincerity!"

That's right, in order to support you, Zhang Ziyi, we poached Rongxingda, the current queen of TV drama ratings in China.

Is this enough sincerity?

Zhang Ziyi laughed, of course, but then she kept emphasizing that filming "The Banquet" was fine, but it couldn't affect her Hollywood filming.

The Wang brothers, of course, patted their chests and guaranteed it.

At this moment, Feng Xiaogang was already showing signs of displeasure.

But there's not much to say right now.

But at this critical juncture, an assistant called on the internal line.

The second brother answered, and the expression inside changed drastically!
"What happened?" the leader asked, somewhat angrily.

After all, it was somewhat embarrassing, especially in front of Teacher Feng and Zhang Ziyi.

We brothers can't lose face!

The second son's expression remained complicated, but he still spoke.

"Well, it's like... Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou went to find Ma Xun."

"Huh?" The eldest brother was taken aback, but then laughed and said, "Are they going to argue again? Or fight?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Ziyi also laughed.

Zhang Ziyi, in particular, smiled very comfortably.

But the second son of the Wang family looked very strange. He continued, "Yes, it's to express my gratitude."

"gratitude?!"

In an instant, not only the Wang brothers, but also the smiles on Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Ziyi's faces froze!
……

At the same time, outside a private room in a large hotel.

Not only the two Zhangs came, but also Jiang Zhiqiang and several media friends.

The most crucial person is definitely Ma Xun.

Ma Xun was enjoying himself at that moment.

"Brother Ma, thank you for what happened before! Haha..."

"You're too kind, brother."

"Mr. Ma, let me toast you!"

"Teacher Zhang, I did go a bit too far before."

"You can't say that; it's an encouragement."

"Teacher Zhang, I've always been a fan of yours."

"Oh! Thank you, Mr. Ma, haha..."

Good heavens! How could I not enjoy this!

You insulted someone, and they ended up saying thank you.

After this battle, Ma Xun's fame soared!

Meanwhile, significant changes have also occurred in the box office!

Kung Fu Hustle's box office has officially surpassed House of Flying Daggers today!
It has already become the summer box office champion!
(End of this chapter)