Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 536, "Encounter," surpasses 100 million views! "Curse of the Golden Flower" reaches 300 million views! Ma Xun achieves his small goal!
"Sister, I think this 'Sophie's Diary' is pretty good."

"Sophie's Diary? You want me to act in a TV series?"

"Oh dear, how could it be a TV series? It's definitely a movie!"

"Bingbing, what exactly do you mean?"

“My dear sister, it’s that simple. We’ll just follow the plot of this TV series and find a great person to modify it.”

"Ah? You mean..."

"Change it to a short story that is more suitable for our domestic situation. The female lead is very cute, so of course the older sister will play her. And then, there's a guy who's going against the female lead, so I'll play that."

"A vicious female supporting character?"

"That's okay if you say so."

"Bingbing, this is too unfair to you."

"How about we have a happy ending where we both get along perfectly?"

"That's great! Why not?"

"Haha...then..."

"But can a movie like this really work?"

Bingbing is now here on a mission to deceive Zhang Ziyi, but her persuasive skills are still far inferior to Ma Xun's.

Fortunately, Bingbing is quite clever. Although she lacks the ability to deceive, she has role models.

“My dear sister, think about it carefully. With your huge fame, Zhang Ziyi, if you were to make a heartwarming and funny short film now, wouldn’t that immediately generate news stories?”

"This……"

"Sister, are you still too ashamed to do it? I'm even planning to play the villainous supporting character."

"Bingbing, I believe in your sincerity, but if this movie doesn't work out, then we..."

"How can you think like that? The movie hasn't even been filmed yet, and you're already saying it won't work? What's wrong with you!"

Wow, Bingbing's performance seems to have put Zhang Ziyi in a difficult position, but it's actually for Zhang Ziyi's own good. So, it serves as a provocation.

Zhang Ziyi thought to herself, if Bingbing is so daring, then if she backs down, she will really lose face.

Despite Bingbing's current high status in China, Zhang Ziyi is still very confident when it comes to the international stage.

Of course, this confidence isn't much, because Bingbing's performance in "Cloverfield" last year really boosted her status considerably.

Indeed, Bingbing is not as good as Zhang Ziyi, especially internationally. However, Bingbing is not unknown now, and she can act in movies.

That means she's competing with Zhang Ziyi for the same role.

Hollywood film producers might not necessarily choose Zhang Ziyi; Bingbing has at least a 40% chance of winning.

There's no way around it, it's mainly because the show "Cloverfield" gave her so many advantages.

Now that Bingbing has gone all out, she might as well act in a low-budget movie, so...

“Great! Let’s sisters star in a low-budget movie together, and get down to earth for once!”

I must say, Zhang Ziyi was indeed very decisive.

But in Bingbing's eyes... you still took the bait!
Brother Ma is incredibly insightful!

However, on the other hand, Zhang Ziyi is probably not doing very well in the United States right now.

That's perfect, let's use even stronger medicine!
"Sister, what movie do you want to watch now?"

"What... what else is there to see? The production is still..."

"No, I'm talking about the evaluation criteria."

"So, what about the awards...?"

"What?! It's about the box office!"

"Oh, this..."

Faced with Bingbing's relentless pressure, Zhang Ziyi seemed somewhat at a loss.

Zhang Ziyi actually understood what Bingbing meant, but she still insisted that a film's reputation should be the deciding factor.

Just like the movie "Curse of the Golden Flower" now.

Zhang Yimou is definitely Zhang Ziyi's mentor, and she did indeed make this great director very angry back then.

However, their relationship was primarily based on mutual benefit.

Just like with the movie "My Father and My Mother," Zhang Ziyi didn't actually earn much money from it.

She was a newcomer at that time. Although she had acted in movies before, most people had never heard of those movies.

While the box office performance of the film "My Father and Mother" wasn't particularly impressive, its critical reception was quite positive.

Yes, in Zhang Ziyi's mind, it's still about the reviews and word-of-mouth.

But now...

The film "Curse of the Golden Flower" has already grossed 200 million yuan, and breaking the 300 million yuan mark seems to be not a big problem.

As for what will happen after 300 million, we don't know.

The votes were really high, but!

There's a huge outcry now!
Oh no, this needs to be discussed separately.

The outcry is mainly directed at the "big-breasted woman" in this movie.

In other words, the criticism was directed at Zhang Yimou!
It wasn't all criticism; there were also positive comments. For example, some people online have started to analyze the character of Lu Dahai again.

The analysis reveals that the original "Thunderstorm" can be reinterpreted in detail.

They all received positive feedback.

Everyone is just liking, sharing, or commenting.

So that means...

Everyone praises Ma Xun, but criticizes Zhang Yimou!
The funniest thing about this is that Zhang Yimou himself explained the changes he made!

Looking back now, it seems Zhang Yimou was the one who took the blame!
It was his own fault.

Okay, I'd better not laugh at him.

That said, when it comes to judging a movie, "Curse of the Golden Flower" is a perfect example.

Judging from the box office, this movie was absolutely a huge success!
3 million! Even if it only stops there, it's still a film that ranks among the top in the history of Chinese cinema.

But the reviews... after all, Lu Dahai is just a character in this movie, and his screen time isn't that much.

It's true that the whole city is full of busty girls.

So overall, the movie didn't receive good reviews.

Alright, so is "Curse of the Golden Flower" a good movie or a bad one?

Now Bingbing is just saying, judging by box office numbers, this...

As Zhang Ziyi thought about these things, she couldn't help but drift off into a daze.

Bingbing probably figured it out, so she simply laughed and said, "Sister, if our movie can do as well at the box office as 'Curse of the Golden Flower,' then if anyone criticizes our movie... I'll take the blame!"

Good! That's loyal!
Zhang Ziyi finally let go of all her concerns.

"If that's how it is for my sister, then I have nothing to say. As long as the script is ready, we'll start filming right away. As for the investment..."

"Don't worry, sister. I've saved up some money over the years. I can't let you take the blame." "That's not a good idea. How about I contribute some money too?"

"That's fine then, we'll be 28..."

"37."

"What if the investment in this film is much larger?"

"Then I won't take any payment!"

When Zhang Ziyi said this, she was truly grinding her teeth.

Bingbing wanted to laugh inwardly, after all, investing in movies is very risky, especially the rather unusual movie the two of them were discussing.

Who knows if this movie will even be made?

However, the truth is... all the money invested was of course Ma Xun's.

Zhang Ziyi exchanging her salary for 30% of the box office revenue is not actually that excessive.

In fact, this is an internationally accepted practice: when a celebrity's salary is relatively high, they often choose to receive a share of the profits.

These are all things discussed.

Zhang Ziyi didn't suffer a loss, and neither did Ma Xun... Oh, right, Ma Xun can't show his face yet.

As for the script... Ma Xun just changed it on a whim.

Actually, even Bingbing herself didn't know.

This chick flick is not to be underestimated!
In the original timeline, this was even from 2010 to around 2018, when Chinese domestic films were the main genre competing against Hollywood blockbusters during the summer season!
This is true, especially for Bai Baihe at her peak; she practically monopolized the entire summer movie season.

Therefore, this is a gold mine with a small investment and a high output!
Most people simply don't know this.

Ma Xun was making arrangements in advance.

However, he is about to set a new record.

……

The last day of 2006 has arrived.

On this day, our "Cloverfield 2" will be released!
Needless to say, with the first film from last year as a foundation, this movie is highly anticipated.

Of course!
Most importantly, the actress who plays the lead role in this film has now been revealed to the world.

Scarlett Johansson is coming to Beijing soon for promotional activities!

"Wow! Her, I'm really lusting after her body."

"No, I thought she'd been filming for years, but she's only in her early twenties?"

"They debuted very early, and Europeans mature earlier."

"Holy crap! This is way too early!"

To be fair, there's nothing wrong with the comments online.

Since "Curse of the Golden Flower" was able to rely on the abundance of large women in the city to reap phenomenal box office success.

Now, here comes Scarlett Johansson, with such an amazing figure.

A blonde, sexy actress who is currently quite famous worldwide.

It's perfectly understandable that domestic moviegoers have extremely high expectations for this film.

Well, we must admit it.

Scarlett Johansson is really something; she's only in her early twenties.

But those breasts on her chest are something to be proud of.

Since "Lost in Translation", she has had many works in recent years.

Although she can't be called a top-tier actress yet, she has a very strong momentum.

For example, the movie "The Black Dahlia" which was released this year.

Okay, this movie isn't allowed to be shown in China, but quite a few people have already seen it.

Scarlett is really sexy.

Another example is "Escape from the Island".

Keep in mind, this movie was a huge gamble for DreamWorks!
It was a real gamble, no doubt about it.

See, DreamWorks has been sold off now, cough cough... This shows we must stay away from gambling and drugs!
Basically, these kinds of high-stakes gambles always end in losses.

Regardless, it's remarkable that Scarlett Johansson was chosen by DreamWorks for such a high-stakes film project.

This shows that her potential is recognized by Hollywood.

And so, the actress arrived.

Ma Xun's card face!

Yes, our netizens aren't stupid; how could they not see it?
"Ma Xun is awesome! He's already capable of producing Hollywood blockbuster-level movies."

"They didn't call this movie a blockbuster, but he really can get Scarlett Johansson to do it now."

"No, she was just rumored to be dating Hao Lei, what's going on now?"

"Breaking news! There are reports from the US that Scarlett Johansson has revealed on certain occasions that she already has a boyfriend, and he is Asian."

"Ma Xun? That must be him!"

Good guy, really good guy!

Did Scarlett Johansson really hint that Ma Xun is her boyfriend?
Anyway, I didn't discuss this with Ma Xun, but as soon as the news came out in the United States...

The impact on the movie "Cloverfield 2" is positive!

That's right, there are paparazzi everywhere in Hollywood too, and they're really ruthless when it comes to gossip.

However, this premiere also included Scarlett Johansson's promotional trip to Beijing.

They were all overshadowed by one message!

"Me Before You" officially surpasses 100 million views today!
That's right, on the last day of 2006!
This romance film broke box office records for domestic romance films!

As soon as the news broke, countless people congratulated Gao Yuanyuan and Jia Jingwen.

However, the two of them quickly released the pictures.

what?

He's in the same frame as Scarlett Johansson!
It's obvious that Yuanyuan and Jingwen are going to attend the premiere of "Cloverfield 2" today!
This is truly a spectacular show!

However... many people don't actually know the significance of this day for Ma Xun.

What is the significance of this?

Simply put, Ma Xun has achieved the first phase of his goal for this year's Lunar New Year film season.

Make the plate bigger!
Look at the box office performance of today's Lunar New Year films.
The movie "Curse of the Golden Flower" is going to make 3 million.

It seems that "Fearless" is about to break 100 million yuan.

"Me Before You" has surpassed 100 million views!
Actually, there are other movies too, including some Hollywood films that were released earlier.

This performance far surpasses that of previous Lunar New Year films!

The plan goes through!
(End of this chapter)