Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 528 Ma Xun, King of the Entertainment Industry! The Lunar New Year Film Battle Begins!

After the summer vacation, there will probably be a few more days of "autumn tiger" heat.

The weather in Northeast China is much cooler now.

In fact, it's much cooler even in summer; there are very few air-conditioned homes in this city.

I heard that this summer is exceptionally hot.

Feng Xiaogang was filming "Assembly" and surprisingly managed to avoid the situation.

They enjoyed a comfortable period of time.

He was originally the director of this film, but now he has been sidelined, and Kang Honglei and Lan Xiaolong have become the real core of this film.

This matter had initially made him very angry, but now, he wasn't so angry anymore.

Of course, this wasn't mainly because of the cool weather, but also because Kang Honglei wasn't such an excessive person, and Lan Xiaolong knew how to be polite.

It didn't embarrass Feng Xiaogang much.

During filming, Feng Xiaogang would occasionally offer some pointers.

To be fair, Feng Xiaogang has been a renowned director for many years, and he has expertise in filmmaking, including his use of camera angles and other details.

Kang Honglei is still far from good enough.

As a result, the production of "Assembly" has been quite harmonious so far.

This is quite interesting for Feng Xiaogang; he didn't expect that this approach would be somewhat interesting.

Maybe doing it this way in the future will work well.

Then he wouldn't even need to be called a director; he could simply be a producer.

In the future...

Oh dear, this movie isn't finished filming yet. When winter comes, we'll have to film the crucial war scenes.

Who knows, they might start arguing again when that time comes.

Well, Feng Xiaogang's temper hasn't changed much.

At least it hasn't exploded yet.

Of course, we don't need to keep an eye on our film "Assembly" every day, since the production process took a long time anyway.

The earliest it can be released is next summer, but judging from the progress of many other big productions, it may be scheduled for next year's Lunar New Year season.

So, if this movie is released during the Lunar New Year holiday season...

Isn't Feng Xiaogang making a comeback as the king of the Lunar New Year film season?

Thinking about it that way made him feel even better.

And just then, Chen Guofu arrived.

"Oh my, what brings you here?"

"Haha... Northeast China is really great! Not only is it cool, but the prices are also fantastic! Haha..."

Upon meeting, Chen Guofu did not directly answer Feng Xiaogang's question, but instead shared something that resembled 'travel experiences'.

That's strange.

However, for Chen Guofu, a Taiwanese, arriving in Northeast China truly felt like stepping into a new world.

But right now, Feng Xiaogang doesn't have time to waste on his nonsense.

"Something big must have happened. Tell me about it."

Chen Guofu was trying to whet Feng Xiaogang's appetite, because in the past, Feng Xiaogang would definitely have gotten angry.

But look at him now, his mindset has actually changed.

Since that's the case, let's just get straight to the point.

"That Ma Xun is back, and what I've heard is that many of the films in this year's Lunar New Year season seem to be related to him."

If that's the case, how should the film scheduling be arranged?

"Third Master Han must be having a headache."

These words mainly reveal some important information.

Lunar New Year films, Ma Xun, Relationships.

Feng Xiaogang understood what he was hearing, but he was also secretly surprised.

Ma Xun is indeed a formidable guy; he's ruthless and powerful enough to be considered one of the strongest in the entertainment industry right now.

Although figures like Mr. Jia have emerged, and Feng Xiaogang is certain that money is so easy to make in the entertainment industry, many wealthy individuals or capital forces will inevitably enter the market in the future.

But look at Mr. Jia now. He has a role in "Assembly", but the film is still being made.

In other words, logically speaking, even someone as powerful as Mr. Jia, with money and connections, still needs time to develop.

In fact, upon closer inspection, Mr. Jia's work is quite outstanding.

He really did a lot of the right things.

For example, they suddenly entered Huayi Brothers Media Group, snatched the rights to "Assembly," and even recruited industry veterans like Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao's former employer was Shanghai Film Group, and his former employer was CCTV. This shows that he is well-versed in both the Beijing and Shanghai film circles.

Therefore, Jia Yueting has already done a very good job.

But right now, there's still not enough time.

We can actually just say this directly:
Ma Xun is the king of the entertainment industry right now!
His kingly demeanor naturally manifested itself in his projects.

All of the films in this Lunar New Year season are related to him.

snort!
Although Feng Xiaogang's mindset is much better than before, he doesn't want to publicly say things like Ma Xun is the king of the entertainment industry right now.

but……

"Let's go back and take a look."

"Oh, haha..."

Chen Guofu laughed as soon as he heard that.

Feng Xiaogang asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing, I just knew from the start that you would..."

"Okay, fine then, you've bought the plane ticket, right?"

"I didn't buy that."

"How can you be so stingy!"

Goodness, these two are really joking around.

However, will Feng Xiaogang and Chen Guofu's return to Beijing be a boon or a bane for Ma Xun's Lunar New Year film campaign?

It is still unknown.

……

Beijing.

This year's Lunar New Year film season is clearly very special.

As usual, Han Sanping would gather the main investors of several big productions, or the people who had the final say, to have a talk with everyone.

Ma Xun will definitely come.

And the second place goes to Jiang Zhiqiang.

Both "Fearless" and "Curse of the Golden Flower" are closely related to him.

Especially with "Fearless," he was the main facilitator of the project. Of course, the real big shot in this film was actually Jet Li.

However, Jet Li didn't actually appear in person; his spokesperson was Sister Baozhu.

So, the third one is Sister Baozhu.

Of course, this ranking is mainly based on seniority, since Zhang Weiping is fourth.

Of course, it wasn't just these few people; Feng Xiaogang and Chen Guofu also came to participate.

Other examples include Zhang Zhao and Qin Hong from Xingmei, among others.

Well, there isn't actually a strict ranking; it's just that everyone pretty much understands each other when they meet.

This Lunar New Year film season mainly features four blockbuster movies.

Hmm, that sounds like a lot.

Han Sanping began his presentation by introducing the people around him.

"Mr. Ren Zhonglun, I believe you all know him."

Everyone nodded, and then exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Ren Zhonglun is currently the head of Shanghai Film Group, which can be understood as the Shanghai film circle. What makes this circle so powerful is its strong integration capabilities.

Shanghai Film Studio, Shanghai Oriental TV, and Shanghai Art Museum, among others.

Since they've all come together, it's perfectly fine to call it the Shanghai circle.

The reason why Shanghai can do things this way is, of course, because Shanghai has a strong economy, but the area is relatively small.

Right? Although Shanghai is a megacity, it's still just a city.

Cultural integration would be even easier.

However, in reality, the Shanghai Film Association is the largest cinema chain in Shanghai, which is quite powerful. After all, a strong economy means money, and many cinemas are willing to join.

In Northeast China, most cinemas are members of the Shanghai Film Association.

As a result, the Shanghai Film Union is now even more powerful than the China Film Group's New Film Union.

Of course, there are other cinema chains such as Stellar Cinemas.

It's just that the scale isn't big enough yet.

Ma Xun certainly understood these things, but he was also certain that none of the current top leaders could have imagined that a behemoth would suddenly emerge in just a few years.

It's Wanda, this cinema chain really came out of nowhere.

It fully leverages the sheer number of Wanda Plazas.

To put it bluntly, they're just rich. They used their money to surpass the accumulated resources of previous film associations like Shanghai Film Association and New Film Association.

Well... never mind, I'd better not think about it anymore.

Soon, Han Sanping explained the theme of the meeting.

"Let's talk about the issues with this year's Lunar New Year film season right here, the key being the blockbusters."

It should be said that in recent years, our film industry has developed very well, with blockbusters being released one after another, box office records being broken repeatedly, and the market becoming increasingly prosperous. And this Lunar New Year film season is originally the strongest period..."

Leaders, they all have a set pattern for how they speak.

But what he said is indeed correct.

Many people are criticizing Chinese films, and there are quite a few trolls online.

However, the industry's prosperity index, as well as various other factors, need to be considered.

China's film industry and film market are making significant progress.

It really has been consistently moving upwards.

That's great.

However, today's situation is a bit special.

"Currently, there are a total of four blockbuster films..."

Han Sanping is about to get to the heart of the matter, but some people disagree.

When Qin Hong from Xingmei was about to raise his hand to speak, Han Sanping nodded and let him speak.

"That movie, 'Me Before You,' can't really be considered a blockbuster, right?"

This question... some of the business owners present immediately nodded in agreement.

Yes, it's a romance film, and romance films don't usually do very well at the box office these days.

Can it break 100 million?
It's very difficult, it's probably something like "Titanic".

Oh, this is mainly a disaster movie. When this movie came out, the most important label was 'disaster'.

They barely mentioned love.

It was later discovered by many young people themselves, and then they took action by going to see the movie, going on dates, confessing their feelings, and so on, and it is said that the success rate is quite high.

However, there doesn't seem to be any particularly successful domestic romance films so far, even though Ma Xun previously made a successful film like "My Sassy Girl".

But now the benchmark for success has been raised to the 'hundred million' level.

What should we do in this situation?
Feng Xiaogang and Chen Guofu exchanged a glance; they both wanted to know how Ma Xun would handle the situation.

Unexpectedly, Ma Xun said this.

"Of the four blockbusters so far, I personally prefer 'Curse of the Golden Flower'!"

what? !

Why didn't you mention your movie?

Oh wait, this film, "Curse of the Golden Flower," is also closely related to Ma Xun.

His pushing is normal.

However, it still puzzled everyone.

However, Zhang Weiping was pleased with Ma Xun's performance.

Although we had our disagreements before, now... we're best buddies! You're a true friend!
Zhang Weiping saw the potential profit and immediately spoke up.

"I'm confident that our film will be the champion of the Lunar New Year film season!"

Good guy!
Zhang Weiping is way too daring.

Although everyone knows in their hearts, based on some information leaked about this movie before, it's supposed to be Zhang Yimou paired with a busty woman!

How could the box office be bad?
But you're being way too arrogant!
Jiang Zhiqiang didn't say anything, but Baozhu couldn't remain silent.

"That's not necessarily true. The fight scenes in our 'Huo Yuanjia' are absolutely top-notch. I guarantee they'll feel real, every punch will hit you hard, and the audience will definitely love them!"

Here it is! This is the scene everyone has been waiting for!
Zhang Weiping and Sister Baozhu were both quite sharp-tongued, immediately launching into a heated exchange.

Neither of them would give in to the other.

A man from Northeast China and a man from Hong Kong, bickering... wow, it's really quite amusing.

Actually, everyone can understand it, because in this circle, there are many accents from both sides.

But this is a very serious meeting, we can't let them keep fighting like this.

"Alright, alright, as for who the champion is, we still need to see how the market performs. Now that things have come to this point, I'd like to hear Mr. Ma Xun's advice."

It was Ren Zhonglun who spoke, and the room fell silent as soon as he began to speak.

Zhang Weiping and Baozhu are not stupid, and the others are more interested in hearing what Ma Xun has to say.

Especially Feng Xiaogang and Chen Guofu.

Ma Xun didn't stand on ceremony and started speaking in a very formal and methodical manner.

"Actually, we had already made some preparations before we came. The most important thing for our romance film is a romantic release date. As long as it can be released at Christmas or Valentine's Day next year, that's fine."

As for Cloverfield 2, it's on its last day, giving it a kind of apocalyptic feel.

Hey! By saying that, he managed to absolve himself of responsibility.

No wonder he responded to Qin Hong the way he did before.

At this moment, Qin Hong felt like a clown.

But he didn't have much time.

Ma Xun then gave a good suggestion: "Actually, I also attended a film screening when I went to the United States this time, and I think we can refer to it."

Even a great director like Martin Scorsese values ​​the opinions of film critics.

Besides, didn't we already do that last year?

That's right, it's about having screenings of "Fearless" and "Curse of the Golden Flower" on the same day, or you can call it a movie screening.

We can invite more professionals to take a look and see which film deserves more screenings and a better release date.

I must say, this suggestion is really good.

Ren Zhonglun couldn't help but nod slightly, after all, they had done it last year.

And as a result... everyone's eyes turned to Feng Xiaogang.

In an instant, the little cannon was under considerable pressure.

Because this matter suddenly became related to him.

He said to himself, "I wish I hadn't come."

Feng Xiaogang could clearly see that many bosses hoped he would take the opportunity to sabotage Ma Xun!
Yeah, don't you two have a grudge?

The most obvious example here is Qin Hong, who is practically gritting his teeth.

After some thought, Feng Xiaogang said this.

"I think Mr. Ma's suggestion is very good."

what? !

Many business owners were stunned.

Feng Xiaogang, you shifty-eyed bastard, how could you betray us?
You went to seek refuge over there?
Actually, given the current situation... both Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun are watching him.

What can Feng Xiaogang possibly say?

Besides, Feng Xiaogang had actually wanted to join us for a long time.

But this guy is very stubborn.

And now...

"Okay! Let's do it this way. This time, let's invite more film critics, especially online ones, so we can see what kind of feedback these two films will get."

That's settled.

And this film screening...online?

Ma Xun's Douban website is back in business!

In short, this marks the beginning of this year's Lunar New Year film battle.

But that wasn't all; someone suddenly asked Ma Xun a question.

"Mr. Ma, aren't four blockbusters a bit too many this time?"

This person is Chen Guofu, and his question is rather strange.

In reality, everyone can understand it.

This is because of Ma Xun, as all four of these films are directly related to him.

Ma Xun smiled and replied, "The more blockbusters there are, the more popular the film season is. There are only four now, but I believe that in a few years, there may be more than a dozen blockbusters crowding into the Lunar New Year film season."

That's well said! It's powerful!

However, the bosses felt a pang of jealousy, because they could easily tell that their leader definitely wanted to hear those words.

You bastard Ma Xun, so this is what you're like!
But there's nothing we can do now; the matter is already settled.

This year's Lunar New Year film season... might actually be even more successful thanks to Ma Xun's efforts.

Look, Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun are both smiling.

……

The meeting at China Film Group has just ended.

Ma Xun got into the car, and naturally remembered that he was standing on the side.

But these are not a big deal.

But, unexpectedly, something went wrong.

Not long after he started driving, he saw someone waving at him.

This person...

"Stop it."

The car stopped, and the man got in.

"What are you going to do?"

Ma Xun's question was a bit strange, but not strange, because this person was Hao Lei.

Under these circumstances, Hao Lei waved to stop Ma Xun's car and got on.

Aren't you afraid of gossip making tomorrow's headlines?
Hao Lei looked at him and laughed, "What? You're so awesome now, are you afraid of gossip?"

It has to be said, this woman really enjoys provoking men...

(End of this chapter)