Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 687: "No Man's Land" Tops the Spring Festival Box Office on Opening Day! Gong Li, the Conquered International Film Queen!
"Boss, do I look crazy?"

"of course not."

"So, do I have to explain again this time? At most, we're only comparing our box office with Avatar during this Spring Festival season."

"Why do you need to explain?"

"Huh? Wouldn't it be better to explain this?"

"Ning Hao, if you're a man, you don't need to explain, understand?"

"...Okay! Boss! I understand!"

Ning Hao was well aware that his words had been misinterpreted online, and that was not what he meant at all.

He's not that crazy, although he can be quite excessive at times when filming.

That's normal. Which director hasn't swore on set? Which director doesn't use foul language while filming?
People who have never been directors wouldn't know that when you're filming to a certain point, your adrenaline is pumping, and you're in that state of excitement—it's both tense and crazy.

If something goes wrong, it's really hard to control oneself, and one's whole personality will explode.

Therefore, many directors are tyrants on set.

Swearing is nothing compared to the current situation on film sets. Some laymen who come to the set are shocked just by looking at the ground.

Because they would think, "This isn't a film set, it looks like a murder scene!"

Why?

Unfortunately, the floors on many film sets are 'red'. This red color is not blood, but rather the spit-out residue from many staff members chewing betel nuts.

Anyone who has been to a film set and witnessed actual filming can understand how stressful this industry is.

Ning Hao felt he was pretty good. Although he swore, he didn't do it that often, and he rarely ate betel nuts. In short, he wasn't really a crazy guy.

The current wave of public opinion online has directly linked him with the word "crazy".

Oh dear! Why did I ever think of such a terrible name as 'Crazy'?

The third installment of the 'Crazy' trilogy is about to be released, and this film also bears the heavy responsibility of establishing the Crazy IP.

That's right, it has to be three parts, three is the only way!

It's not just us Chinese; foreigners do it too. There are many film series in international film history that are trilogies.

For example, with "The Mummy," the third installment was always a disappointment, but they still managed to create a trilogy.

"Crazy No Man's Land" is of great significance to Ning Hao; he is more nervous, values ​​it more, and feels more pressure.

Everything is perfectly normal.

And now... Ma Xun gave Ning Hao one last piece of advice.

"Haozi, you're not getting any younger. As the saying goes, 'Youth is wasted if you don't go crazy.' Why not take advantage of your youth and go all out this time!"

These words echoed in Ning Hao's mind; he was finally free of all worries!
Come on, let's go up on stage!

At this moment, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, a cinema in Beijing is holding a roadshow for the film "Crazy No Man's Land".

Ning Hao, along with Xu Guangtou, Huang Bo, Ya Ya, and others, interacted with fans.

And this opening...

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!

"happy New Year!"

"I'm just asking you guys, are you happy during the Lunar New Year?!"

"happy?!"

"Haha... Well then, let's go all out! This movie is crazy enough!"

What's going on?
Ning Hao's sudden outburst elicited cheers and laughter from the fans, but it startled Xu Guangtou and Huang Bo.

what happened?
Ning Hao isn't usually like this, or rather, even when he's in a good mood, he's never like this.

crazy?

Only Ya Ya knew what was going on, but she just smiled and remained silent.

Anyway, Ning Hao only has one thought this time: to get along with the fans and have some fun!
……

The Spring Festival film season has started again, although it's still a bit of a small-scale affair.

However, it is, after all, a film released during the Spring Festival.

With the solid foundation laid last year, this year has indeed been quite good.

Many media outlets also joined in, making great efforts to create the concept of the Spring Festival film season.

"Director Ning Hao's new film 'Crazy No Man's Land' will be released during the Spring Festival. With environmental protection as its theme and humanism as its thread, the film creates an excellent dark comedy..."

"The Spring Festival film season has officially begun, and all the new films have already been released to audiences. 'Crazy No Man's Land' is performing exceptionally well..."

"Avatar will continue its run during the Spring Festival holiday and will continue to lead the box office!"

"Among a diverse range of films released during the Spring Festival, 'Little Big Soldier' ​​performed exceptionally well..."

It's obvious that major media outlets are generating buzz; this Spring Festival film season is definitely going to be a hit.

Although this is certainly a preferential treatment for Hong Kong films, now that they have entered the mainland film market...

This grand stage is all about showcasing one's unique abilities, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea. Only those with exceptional skills can truly enjoy the good life!

Among these films, "Crazy No Man's Land" is definitely a standout.

What's even more interesting is that there's a particular hot topic online right now.

"Ning Hao is really crazy!"

"Did Ning Hao drink it?"

"No wonder this guy wanted to go head-to-head with Avatar!"

Indeed, Ning Hao's crazy energy also made it to the top of the trending searches!

Actually, he has quite a few fans online, which is very rare for a director these days.

However, Ning Hao, as a newcomer to the directing world, had already directed three films before this year, and all three films were of very high quality.

Incense, Crazy Stone, Crazy Racer.

So far, Ning Hao has even been called the hope of Chinese cinema by many netizens.

Indeed, given her young age and solid reputation for her work, it's perfectly normal for her to have fans.

It's worth noting that Zhang Yimou's films have documentaries made about them, and the person who made the documentaries is actually a fan, a female film enthusiast, and also highly educated.

Putting aside Zhang Yimou, what does Ning Hao lack?
With all three of his works being quite impressive, Ning Hao deserves to have fans!

The fact that he has fans not only indicates his popularity, but also has another rather special point.

Fans are tolerant.

Simply put, even if Ning Hao does something outrageous, his fans will forgive him!
Those who frequently travel through time will surely know about this inclusiveness. Later, some of the comments made by fans of those popular celebrities were simply outrageous, such as: "My brother broke the law, but it's not his fault!"

Right? I'm sure many time travelers have seen these.

Ning Hao's actions this time were simply a bit crazy, a slight difference from his usual behavior; after all, he hadn't broken any laws.

So, be tolerant of him!

In fact, this is also a key factor in trending on social media.

Ning Hao's actions will certainly be questioned by some, but there will also be fans who are tolerant. This is how controversy arises.

It's definitely going to be a trending topic!
So, what about Ma Xun, who orchestrated all of this behind the scenes?

He has a very troublesome person in front of him.

A distinguished guest visited the Guangxian Building today.

"Mr. Ma, I admit defeat."

This distinguished guest is none other than international film queen Gong Li!
What was unexpected was that after she arrived at Ma Xun's office, she made such an opening remark.

Giving up right at the start?

What kind of recognition is this... Oh, right, at the end of last year, the two of them made a bet.

But it seems they didn't mention any bets.

Ma Xun acted very magnanimously, saying nonchalantly, "If you admit it, then so be it. I've won too many times, so..." Hearing his words, the bet seemed to be over, but unexpectedly, Gong Li took it seriously.

"We can't just let this go."

It's really strange that the winners don't care, but the losers do.

Ma Xun smiled and asked, "So what are your plans?"

Gong Li then didn't mention the bet again, nor did she rush to answer Ma Xun's question.

After briefly touring Ma Xun's enormous office, he remarked, "Your office is truly impressive. I've never seen such a large office before."

That's right, Ma Xun's office is indeed remarkably large.

In fact, it was very spacious. One entire floor was his office, and even though there was Ma Xun's living room, bathroom, and large bed, which were all quite large, it still felt very empty.

Ma Xun laughed after hearing this, "Why are you so interested in my office? By the way, there's a big, very comfortable bed in the back."

There's something really interesting to say about that.

Gong Li rolled her eyes at Ma Xun, annoyed. "Fine, let's talk about the bet."

The international film queen was just trying to change the subject, but Ma Xun steered the conversation down a very low level.

It's true what they say: you play the highbrow, I play the lowbrow, hehe...

“Okay.” Ma Xun indicated that he was not afraid.

“I don’t think our bet is as simple as it seems on the surface.” Gong Li gave Ma Xun a meaningful look.

Ma Xun nodded. "Of course, I didn't talk to you about any bets because I believe you can figure it out too."

Although Inception was a Sino-US co-production, the fact that it beat 2012 is itself quite significant.

Gong Li then questioned, "Are you so sure?"

Ma Xun's answer was brilliant: "Because, in the end, you are still Chinese."

Does this mean that Chinese people necessarily understand the meaning behind this bet?
Gong Li couldn't help but nod. She had indeed lost, but there was nothing wrong with that.

The underlying meaning of their bet is a competition between Chinese and American films!
Ma Xun won, but does that mean that Chinese cinema has already won?

"So do you think we've won now?"

Gong Li is actually retaliating.

Ma Xun listened with ease, "I understand what you mean. I can also say clearly that we have not won yet. In fact, this time can not be considered an 'easy win'."

This "easy to win" is practically a term he invented.

Ma Xun then explained, "Because this film, Inception, still needs to be disguised as a Hollywood movie. Otherwise, given the current global situation, it would be almost impossible for Chinese films to break into the international market."

They control the discourse, they control the market, and they have capital strength that we can't even begin to match.

Therefore, this cannot be considered a 'good win'.

However, this can be seen as a 'beginning'.

It's another interesting usage, but Gong Li understands it. She replied with a smile, "It's like 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'."

This was actually a question, but she didn't use an interrogative tone.

Ma Xun naturally did not refute her, but simply smiled and said, "After 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' Director Li became a Hollywood director, but I can guarantee that I, Ma Xun, will only make money from Americans. It's true that I am a capitalist, but I will not become an American capitalist."

That's a very meaningful statement.

Gong Li understood because she had experienced it herself.

She tried her luck in Hollywood, and actually failed; she also tried her luck in European film circles, and actually failed there as well.

Having experienced these failures, others might not understand Ma Xun's words, but Gong Li definitely does.

She could clearly feel the difference in treatment she received from those guys in Western movies, or to put it bluntly, it was discrimination.

But she can't say it out loud normally.

In Gong Li's view, Ma Xun's actions were actually a way to vent her anger, and she certainly hoped that Ma Xun would win.

Gong Li certainly knew how difficult it was for Chinese films to surpass Western films and gain a voice in the world of culture.

Moreover, Gong Li and her generation...

"Do you really hate that Zhang Yimou guy?"

This question came as a surprise, but Ma Xun had been prepared for it long ago.

"To be precise, I don't dislike him as a person. I can even understand the era he lived in and what he felt."

That's why he behaves the way he does, and why he's obsessed with European and American awards, believing that those awards are recognition of his art.

However, times have changed, and our generation is different. So, whenever I have the opportunity, I will naturally do some 'corrective' things.

Let me put it this way: if I, Ma Xun, were just a small-time director in the entertainment industry today, would I dare to say a word about how a great director like Zhang Yimou would make a film?

The interesting thing is, I'm the boss of the entertainment industry today, while Zhang Yimou is at most a big director. What can't I say?

This last sentence wasn't a question, but rather a provocation.

If it were anyone else, Gong Li might have been unable to resist cursing or at least refuting, but this guy Ma Xun... Gong Li felt a sense of being conquered.

There's no way around it; after all, physically, Gong Li has already been conquered, and psychologically... she's probably conquered now as well.

Gong Li, who always acts like a queen in public, is now feeling quite a bit about being conquered.

"What about this time?"

"This time is the same."

Ma Xun's answer was ambiguous, but in fact, their conversation from the beginning to the present has perfectly analyzed the logic behind Ma Xun's recent behavior.

We're going to launch a fierce attack on American blockbusters!

Of course, this war has only just begun, and Ma Xun is not looking to win right now.

Just like "Crazy No Man's Land," we're only comparing it to "Avatar," which is running out of steam.

Gong Li suddenly made a request at that moment, "I want to see that movie."

Are we going to the movie theater?
Ma Xun walked up to Gong Li without hesitation.

"You, what do you want to do?"

Gong Li had just stopped beside Ma Xun's desk, and now that Ma Xun had come over, it seemed as if he had cornered Gong Li.

The pressure made her gasp for breath; was it fear or excitement?
"I have it here."

Of course, he could get his hands on the demo of "Crazy No Man's Land".

But his actions...

"You...ah!"

"Let's enjoy it together." The computer screen was rotated, and the latest blockbuster for the Spring Festival quickly appeared on it.

"I want to come back."

"You should have told me earlier."

"You...ah~"

It's really not easy; even this international film queen had to plead softly.

but!

"Is this how you beg people?"

"You...please..."

"What do you want from me?"

"Don't go too far..."

Ma Xun really knows how to play the game.

It was already the second day of the Lunar New Year, and the box office results for the first day of the Lunar New Year had been released.

"Crazy No Man's Land" topped the charts with 5700 million in sales on its opening day!
It's currently ranked number one in the 2010 Spring Festival film season!

(End of this chapter)