Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 601 Jingwen's Ultimate Backer, The Mummy 3 vs. Painted Skin Officially Begins!
“My boss Ma, if you can increase the fee a bit more, I’m willing to help you film the next movie.”

"My dear director Martin, I always thought you were a world-renowned artist who should be indifferent to money, but now you're talking to me about money?"

"Boss Ma, you're right, art does have a price, but in today's society, we have to make compromises. There's no way around it, this world is just that messed up!"
Money is the most direct way to realize art; we must all bow to money!

“Okay, $5.”

"This is truly a cursed number."

"I remember the cursed number was 666, wasn't it?"

"If this number is linked to money, then the curse will naturally disappear."

"Is it that flexible?"

"Let's not beat around the bush, just add another $30."

"15, that's the most I can do."

"Boss Ma, this is outrageous!"

"Okay, I'll only offer another 20 at most."

Surprisingly, Martin Scorsese, this great director, got really into it as he was making the film.

Perhaps it was because of a good discussion with Satoshi Kon, or perhaps it was because I liked the many creative ideas and fantastic cinematography of the film.

He wanted to keep filming.

Ma Xun reluctantly agreed, after much internal struggle, before finally relinquishing the director's position.

Of course, the cast will remain the same: Martin Scorsese will still be the producer, and Ma Xun will still be the director and screenwriter.

Well, Ma Xun definitely made a fortune.

He managed to fool a top director with very little money.

However, this is actually not that surprising.

Don't forget the situation this year, or rather, the economic trends that have been emerging since 2007.

That's right, things have been going on in Hollywood and on Wall Street for a while now, and quite a few people are in trouble.

Take Nicolas Cage, for example, who was incredibly popular a couple of years ago.

Back then, news about this guy was always about his real estate investments and how rich he was, but now, news about that has basically disappeared.

Many people in Hollywood are now heavily in debt.

It's very cheap for many people.

Ma Xun even brought up a list, which included Robert Downey Jr.

In other words, if you, director Martin, can bring these people together and contribute to our film, that is, make the cast even more impressive.

Then, Ma Xun can add some more.

Martin was delighted at the sight of it. This wasn't difficult for him; the key was getting the cash.

Most people in the US don't save money. Many of them were very successful in the past, but when an economic fluctuation came, they were wiped out.

NBA stars are a prime example... Some might ask, what about NFL stars?

First, NFL stars earn less than NBA stars. Second, NFL stars generally have shorter lifespans, with an average lifespan that is more than 20 years shorter than the US average.

Yes, most NFL stars die before they go bankrupt.

Now you know why American women with large foreign females especially like to marry NFL stars—they're all aiming to become widows.

Putting aside the affairs of these football stars, it seems that the girl who could sing well later found true love with the rugby star.

Let's talk about the situation in the US where people don't save money. Although Martin is a great director and a smart person, he probably has some savings.

However, this financial crisis is unlike any before.

Martin might not go bankrupt like Nicolas Cage, but it'll definitely be enough to give him a run for his money.

In this way, it wasn't just Ma Xun who got a bargain.

We can also get a more direct sense of the extent of the financial crisis in the United States from Martin Scorsese's performance.

In particular, this guy brought over a lot more samples.

Yes, it's the list that Ma Xun gave to director Martin.

More Hollywood actors, including some celebrities.

Let's see how they are doing.

Ma Xun has essentially acquired a countdown timer for the 2008 global financial crisis!
You have to understand, even if he was a time traveler, he could only remember a general time.

Whether this spacetime has changed or not, who knows?

If things change and it remains the same as in the original timeline, wouldn't Ma Xun be extremely upset?

This method is definitely more accurate.

Hehe, it's really interesting that Inception can have such a function.

In that case, it's not a big deal if director Martin Scorsese takes a little longer to make this movie.

This would naturally give Ma Xun more time to focus on business matters.

The films scheduled for the National Day holiday have been finalized, and Ma Xun has once again made a name for himself.

Painted Skin goes head-to-head with The Mummy 3!
This has truly caused a sensation in our domestic entertainment industry.

Because almost everyone thinks that The Mummy 3 is a blockbuster.

The first two films were already very well-received and very profitable, and could even be considered works with a lot of sentimentality.

Because the first two parts are indeed quite a long time ago.

Generally, when producing a trilogy, they try to keep the release dates close together, such as one film per year.

Like X-Men, or a slightly longer Star Wars series.

Right.

The Mummy series has indeed gone on for quite a while.

Many movie fans, especially those in China, were eagerly anticipating it.

What's even more impressive this time is that Jet Li is also involved!
The details that have been released so far are that Jet Li is the second lead!

In this kind of film series, it's understandable that the male or female lead is listed as the first or second lead.

After all, Jet Li joined later.

Now it's clearly defined as the second-in-command.

This has a different meaning.

At least, many movie fans are already saying that now.

Global Times does respect us quite a bit.

That's right. Even movie fans in China who love Hollywood movies and take pride in watching them understand one thing deep down.

That means Hollywood doesn't show much respect to China.

It's already good enough if they don't criticize, but some people openly criticize, which is just awful.

Now, this blockbuster, "The Mummy 3," at least in terms of its cast, is...

It shows great sincerity.

Judging from the current online discussions among movie fans, domestic moviegoers are generally very satisfied.

Such a blockbuster...

What is "Painted Skin" anyway?!

Yes, many movie fans have said that it doesn't match up at all.

Therefore, Ma Xun's action was indeed commendable in its courage.

But now, it's being criticized by many people.

Is this guy crazy?
Maybe he's stupid!
Isn't this like an egg hitting a rock?
If netizens are commenting like this, what about others?

Although Enlight Media has no connection with this movie, they must know about these things on the internet.

"Boss, we're under a lot of pressure from public opinion right now."

Wang Changtian was deeply worried after seeing the recent changes on the internet.

Seeing this, Ma Xun patted him on the shoulder, "Do you think I wouldn't consider this?"

Ah, this… Wang Changtian’s eyes lit up.

"Boss, you had a plan all along!"

I'm happy, very happy.

But then...

Ma Xun laughed heartily, "Countermeasures? Did I mention any countermeasures in my previous statement?"

"Huh?" Wang Changtian's face fell. Yes, it hadn't been mentioned. He had tried to flatter her too early, but he still had many questions. He said, "Boss, what should we do?"

Ma Xun was serious this time. "What do you mean, 'what to do'? Didn't I already say? We at Enlight Media have nothing to do with this movie. We won't release anything about it. Don't you understand?" "That's right, that's right, we won't do anything?"

"Yes."

Wang Changtian never expected his boss to act this way. He had initially thought that although his boss had said those things, but...

We can criticize this movie!

Right? That's just how it is in this industry.

So now... are we really not even remotely related?

Suddenly, Wang Changtian seemed to have a flash of inspiration; he thought of something.

"I understand, boss! Our company, Enlight Media, already has a significant presence in online traffic and various promotional channels! If we don't promote this movie, then its promotion will naturally be affected!"

Boss! That's brilliant!
This is what we call taking down our opponent without doing anything!
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

Good guy, really good guy.

Ma Xun was so taken aback by Wang Changdian's flattery that he began to doubt whether he had actually thought that way in the first place.

"Well, that's it."

There was nothing more to say but nod. Wang Changtian saw this and left happily.

Ma Xun's face... really couldn't hold back his laughter.

But at that moment, someone came in.

His office is on the entire floor, and anyone who can get in, especially someone who gets in on their own, is no ordinary person.

And this...

"Brother Ma, there's a big news!"

They were very enthusiastic from the moment they arrived, and when they spoke, they even jumped around.

Alyssa Chia!

Ma Xun looked at her petite and exquisite body, and actually... cough cough.

"What... big thing is it?"

This is big...

"Brother Ma, you really are..." Jingwen has quite the charm.

"Ahem, let's get down to business."

Ma Xun should be more serious.

"Let's just call it the torch relay."

Oh, I got it.

The decision to be a torchbearer was made beforehand; Ma Xun remembered that Jia Jingwen didn't seem to exist in the original timeline.

But this time, we'll report it to higher authorities if we can, as for whether it gets selected or not...

"You were selected?"

"But I'm under a lot of pressure."

indeed.

Ma Xun smiled. "So what do you think?"

"Of course I do!"

Jingwen's statement is not simply a matter of willingness.

Ma Xun was very straightforward: "You have me, what are you afraid of?"

That's right. Even if you completely cut ties with them, don't be afraid. You are my woman, Ma Xun's woman.

Jingwen was overjoyed to hear this.

Then she started getting all lovey-dovey with Ma Xun.

……

When you're happy.

"We must seize this opportunity to teach those guys a lesson!"

Jia Yueting did indeed team up with General Manager Li and Qin Hong, among others, to secure the marketing and distribution project for "The Mummy 3".

The amount is approximately close to 300 million US dollars.

That's not low at all.

Therefore, the profit could be around $100 million.

This is not a small amount, and the actual cost of this kind of publicity work is actually lower.

I won't go into the details, but in short, this is a good opportunity.

Jia Yueting plans to teach Ma Xun a lesson this time!

Must win!
Moreover, it doesn't feel familiar at all right now.

"That will all have to wait until after the Olympics."

"of course."

"However, without the lighting, this, this..."

"What's wrong, Lao Zhang?"

Zhang Zhao remains Jia Yueting's most trusted figure in the film and television industry.

Now that he has a furrowed brow, Jia Yueting is naturally a little worried.

But Zhang Zhao said, "In terms of current network traffic, without light, it's like losing a huge chunk of it."

After hearing this, Jia Yueting finally understood.

"Yeah! Oh dear! ...So that's the method Ma Xun used."

Oh, it seems these two are convinced of Wang Changtian's version of events.

This is really... that's all they've got.

That makes sense.

What should I do?
"How about we film some posters and have them post on Douban or other websites related to lighting?"

"That's a good idea!"

But, is it useful?
Not long after, Zhang Zhao sent word back.

"That Ma Xun went too far! Delete them all!"

Good guy!
This can be considered a confirmation of Ma Xun's methods.

"Hmph! We can still get this movie going without him!"

Jia Yueting had high ambitions, but the Olympics were just around the corner.

Almost the entire entertainment industry is shifting in this direction.

Until the Olympics are over...

The 2008 Olympics was undoubtedly the most successful Olympic Games ever.

Director Zhang Yimou's opening and closing ceremonies are absolutely classics.

But during this Olympics...

The international economic situation, especially the financial markets, is not good news!

It seems to be getting more and more frightening.

But let's talk about our domestic film market.

The movie "The Mummy 3" has begun its limited screenings.

This highly anticipated blockbuster is about to be released, so what are the initial reviews like?

Jia Yueting, General Manager Li, Qin Hong, and Zhang Zhao were all very much looking forward to it.

I might as well go to a preview screening of this movie.

As a result, this was just a limited screening...

"Huh? Is this Qin Shi Huang?"

"Holy crap, something's not right."

"No, Jet Li is playing Qin Shi Huang?"

"Didn't he try to assassinate Qin Shi Huang before?"

"That's not the point. The point is, why would Qin Shi Huang do this?"

That's right, movie fans have already started discussing it...

(End of this chapter)