Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 532 The Victor: Hao Lei? "Curse of the Golden Flower" Sets Box Office Records!
It is said that Luo Cheng was skilled with the Five Tiger Soul-Severing Spear. He encountered Li Yuanba and Pei Yuanqing while wielding the spear alone.

These two guys are known for their great strength and are both skilled with double hammers.

Moreover, these are not ordinary hammers; each one is bigger than the last!

What a brave man Luo Cheng! Fearless, he charged forward with his spear in hand!

How could Li Yuanba and Pei Yuanqing, two famous hammer generals, be easy to deal with?

The three clashed, and for a moment, the shadows of hammers blurred and the cold light of spears flashed...

What the hell!

Why did I have such a strange dream?
Ma Xun wasn't exactly startled awake, because when he opened his eyes, he found that it was already daylight outside.

Then, a feeling of suffocation came over me.

Ah... being sandwiched between Hao Lei and Gong Li is really suffocating.

There was no other way but to...

"Oh dear, what's wrong with you?"

"Awake? You're not behaving yourself now that you're awake!"

This... Ma Xun is innocent. He was just trying to survive.

So he spread his hands.

But this stall was really well set up.

It hit two big breasts directly.

"You!"

"Don't go too far!"

That's what they said, but both Hao Lei and Gong Li couldn't quite keep their composure.

"Oh, I didn't quite get the aim right," Ma Xun explained.

Is this explanation helpful?
Did you do this on purpose? Or on purpose? Or on purpose?

Hao Lei and Gong Li couldn't help but pinch him.

But... could this be another... cough cough, a story about the heroes of the Sui and Tang dynasties?

It had to be Gong Li; she picked a good topic first.

"Couldn't the movie 'Fearless' have been filmed like this?"

Actually, Gong Li also asked this question last night when her fighting strength was insufficient; this was clearly a delaying tactic on her part.

Ma Xun saw through his plan and broke through with a single shot.

And now...

"Others can do it, but this person is Huo Yuanjia."

Ma Xun's answer was both concise and insightful.

That's how it is. Jet Li's version of "Fearless" is actually a type of film.

Biographical film.

Biographical works are quite impressive in Hollywood.

Those in the know understand that making a biographical film in Hollywood is all about winning awards, and if the release date is scheduled for around November, then it's definitely aiming for the Oscars.

Leaving aside Hollywood, let's just talk about Jet Li's film, "Fearless".

If you're watching it as a biographical film, it's quite good, and the fight scenes are particularly outstanding.

There's also the male protagonist's growth and redemption.

but.

Huo Yuanjia was not just an ordinary martial arts master.

"If it were a film about Li Yuanjia, Sun Yuanjia, or Wang Yuanjia, then filming it as a biography would be fine. But Huo Yuanjia is different, because this name is imbued with too much patriotism and national sentiment."

To put it bluntly, when filming a character, you shouldn't even care what kind of person that person actually was.

Because this is no longer a simple person; his life is now directly linked to national integrity and the greater good of the country.

In other words, if a film focuses on the person themselves, then the film is bound to fail.

Ma Xun's words were not even his own opinion, but rather a statement from the perspective of the entire film market and moviegoers.

To put it bluntly, in everyone's mind, that's how he should be.

Now, Li Lianjie has created a different kind of Huo Yuanjia.

Although Ma Xun didn't particularly like this guy, he admitted it.

Among martial arts stars, Jet Li's acting skills are definitely outstanding. He can act, and he portrayed Huo Yuanjia quite well.

The arrogance of youth gave way to composure later on.

These are all good.

Unfortunately, this is not the Huo Yuanjia that fans and audiences wanted to see.

Hao Lei already understood this principle, and now Gong Li is asking the same question...

"I knew you were going to win, humph!"

Yes, that's right. As for comparing sizes, there's actually no winner.

After all, Hao Lei's advantage lies in her youth, and she knows that even if she wins, it won't mean much.

But actually, I didn't expect that the international film queen would be in such good shape.

Oh, right, this is about movies.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" has clearly won now.

Even if Hao Lei was unwilling, there was nothing he could do.

However, after she said that, Gong Li asked Ma Xun another question.

"Hao Meimei's acting is quite good, but it would be a bit inappropriate for her to be implicated this time."

It was obvious that she was helping Hao Lei with those words.

Ma Xun understood what was going on and glanced at Hao Lei.

She used to be a very strong woman, but now she's softened a bit.

His eyes darted away, indicating he wasn't planning on competing.

"It's very simple. As the saying goes, even if the play is bad, the actor is not. As long as the acting is passable, there's always a way."

First of all, the reputation of "Huo Yuanjia" is unlikely to be too bad. Not only Li Lianjie, but also Cui Baozhu and others will publish a lot of articles and use marketing methods to praise the show.

With such a good foundation, all that's needed is to implement some targeted marketing strategies.

That should be enough.

Ma Xun's explanation was very simple.

However, in actual operation, there are definitely many details involved.

Hao Lei was very pleased, because he had previously said that whoever won, Ma Xun would help them.

Isn't this helping her?
This is tantamount to admitting that Hao Lei won.

She won an international Best Actress award!

"Then that's settled." Hao Lei said this with a haughty air.

Is that acceptance? But it seems somewhat reluctant.

Even Gong Li couldn't stand it anymore, "Stop putting on airs!"

"Sister, I just..." Hao Lei blushed as she tried to win over Gong Li.

As expected, the international film queen is still more impressive.

Ma Xun watched the two of them interact and burst into laughter.

"Anyway, this year's Lunar New Year film season..."

Before he could finish speaking, the two of them got up and left.

Ah this...

Is Liu Ma looking for someone?
It seems they went towards the bathroom.

Ma Xun went through a mental struggle.

I mainly discussed it with my brother, who has kidney disease.

Actually, Kidney Bro disagreed. But he still got up and followed him inside...

……

December marked the official start of the 2006 Lunar New Year film season.

The blockbuster film "Curse of the Golden Flower" is the first to meet movie fans.

This is Zhang Yimou's latest masterpiece, and with the Olympics just around the corner, Zhang Yimou's reputation as the director of the Olympics is growing ever stronger.

In addition, this time, New Pictures has learned its lesson and dared not hold premieres in places like the Workers' Stadium.

Why not just team up with CCTV-6 and put on a premiere like a gala?

However, the stage was decorated in a palace style.

Well, then a whole bunch of eunuchs came out.

Among them was a eunuch who read the imperial edict. He was handsome and his name was Shen Teng.

Now I'm just a nobody, I can't even get a lead role in a play.

However, this performance still left a deep impression on some people.

And it's rumored that Jay Chou will be attending the premiere.

Sure enough, it really happened.

result……

Wow, he sang "Listen to Mom".

This? ? ?
Anyone who's seen the movie knows this is just a reference to a scene from the film!

But you know what, this premiere, though small in scale, was actually quite well done.

Many people simply don't know that Jay Chou didn't sing this song in the original timeline.

It was sung by another eunuch.

However, these are just details, so there's no need to worry about them too much.

The key to our film "Curse of the Golden Flower" is... oh no, I mean palace intrigue and conspiracies.

Regardless, let everyone take a good look.

On the day of its release... it broke box office records!
After the first week of "Curse of the Golden Flower" was released, a number was posted on Douban.com.

8000 million!
It surpassed 8000 million in its first week?!

This box office performance far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Even Zhang Yimou's own expectations.

This box office performance is absolutely incredible!

The start was absolutely perfect!

Zhang Yimou never expected this, including Jiang Zhiqiang and Zhang Weiping.

And this box office... hey! There's still a lot to be found!

The thought of this inexplicably caused them a pang of heartache.

But regardless, this was agreed upon beforehand, and if you dare not split it, hehe...

Putting that aside, the key question is, after this movie became so popular, what is its reputation like?
Zhang Yimou is very concerned about this now, so he actually went to Douban to check it out.

result……

"As expected, the whole city is full of big-breasted girls!"

"I'm sure this busty girl is definitely Zhang Yimou's type!"

"That's right, Gong Li's dress even has gold powder sprinkled on it."

"I want to lick it!"

"Vulgar! How could a great director like Zhang Yimou make such a vulgar film!"

Is this...is this right?

Zhang Yimou himself has some things to offer.

Why is everyone criticizing him? And why is he being called vulgar?
In fact, Zhang Yimou himself knows that he used to be criticized a lot.

However, this is usually not the type of criticism used to be directed at.

But this time... big-breasted girl... this movie is set after the Tang Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty aesthetics are exactly like this!
Zhang Yimou believes that his filming style is not about pornography, but about restoring the historical context of the time!

Okay, very good, he doesn't think he's wrong.

Zhang Yimou is quite something; he certainly has a strong inner strength.

But is it just insults?

No, someone is praising it!

"Although it was quite abrupt, I was completely jolted when the Second Prince shouted those words!"

"I think there's something wrong with this! The Second Prince is also a prince. Isn't it awkward for him to address him like that?"

"This is not an embarrassing issue; the essence of 'Thunderstorm' lies here."

“That’s right, Lu Dahai is Zhou Puyuan’s son, but he is also a workers’ leader.”

"In that era, that was the only saying. The Second Prince was actually limited by the times."

"I think the Second Prince has captured the essence of the character Lu Dahai very well!"

"I heard that this was modified by Ma Xun."

This...this sounds like a compliment?

Zhang Yimou was not sure, because there was indeed a lot of controversy surrounding the prince's remark.

Some people don't like it, but others can see that this is "Thunderstorm".

Otherwise, "Thunderstorm" would just be a domestic drama.

That wouldn't be a classic.

But some people say this is anti-feudalism...

Zhang Yimou was stunned.

The key point is, 'This was modified by Ma Xun'.

Do the audiences like it? Do netizens like it?
For some reason, Zhang Yimou felt that he had lost to Ma Xun!

……

There was indeed a lot of controversy after the release of "Curse of the Golden Flower".

However, there was absolutely no controversy regarding its box office performance.

When "Fearless" was about to be released, "Curse of the Golden Flower" had already grossed over 100 million yuan.

And when this biography about Mr. Huo Yuanjia was released...

As expected, it did not achieve the box office performance anticipated.

It's not that it's terrible, but moviegoers still used their money to make their choice.

This directly confirms Ma Xun's judgment on these two films.

The key point is that this whole scheme was orchestrated by Ma Xun.

Ma Xun already knew about this outcome long before.

Then he... isn't he the current king of the entertainment industry?

And the most crucial thing is... box office revenue!
Look at the box office performance of this year's Lunar New Year film season; it's just the beginning.

It has already surpassed last year's!

The performance of "The Banquet" was not ideal.

Such results clearly achieved Ma Xun's goal.

Make the plate bigger!
Chinese films are getting better again!
However, amidst this situation, some small news items quietly began to circulate.

"Hao Lei VS Gong Li? A battle of acting skills between the two!"

"Hao Lei is still a bit lacking, but after all, she is a supporting actress."

"Li Lianjie seems to be quite good at acting, but Hao Lei is also very outstanding."

Ok?
The box office performance of "Fearless" was not very good, but Hao Lei's acting skills were praised.
It seems Ma Xun really likes her couple...

(End of this chapter)