Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 708 of "Robot Man" is a complete scam! "Bad Genius" only slightly reveals its brilliance!
"A scam! A completely fraudulent movie?"

"The key issue is that this movie is just awful. The jokes are so awkwardly funny, and the 3D effects are so fake. What was that budget of hundreds of millions? That's just bullshit!"

"That's right, it was awkward the whole time. It's like the audience doesn't want to laugh, but you can't help it, or they'll make you laugh!"

"I think it's alright, just watch it as a kung fu movie."

"But it's not a kung fu movie, at least not a pure one!"

"Then treat it as a comedy."

"But this movie isn't funny at all; it's even quite embarrassing."

"Wait a minute, wasn't it advertised as a sci-fi movie?"

"Give me a break!"

The movie "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" was released, but it would have been better if it hadn't been released at all. After watching it, moviegoers expressed that they had been cheated.

Although movie fans are usually quite critical, this time they really didn't find anything wrong with it.

Before the release of "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg," they hyped it up to the skies. The key point is that although they emphasized kung fu and science fiction, they actually emphasized science fiction more!

Of course! Kung Fu is an old concept, but adding science fiction makes it innovative. From a marketing perspective, we should definitely promote this science fiction element.

So, they begged and pleaded with Liu Cixin to endorse them.

Liu Zhenwei doesn't understand science fiction at all. That's not an exaggeration. He really doesn't understand it. Moreover, it seems that there has always been some misunderstanding about science fiction in Hong Kong.

Just like early sci-fi blockbusters, like "Robotics"... that movie was really awesome. But let's not talk about that movie, let's talk about some of the later films.

For example, zombie movies, which are also apocalyptic films with a sci-fi feel, are turned into something like "Bio-Zombie" when they're made in Hong Kong.

Right? They just had to come up with something different for you. And even with such a bizarre name, this movie is still the pinnacle of Hong Kong zombie films.

Chicken's performance in this movie was indeed quite good, and the film also had some imaginative ideas.

Also, there's that Tekken adaptation, which was filmed when Ekin Cheng was at the peak of his popularity, but...

One film after another, Hong Kong filmmakers always like to add other elements when making science fiction movies. Perhaps in their minds, adding these elements will make moviegoers willing to pay, especially Hong Kong moviegoers, who are their primary target audience.

This is really weird.

But actually, it's not that strange.

Simply put, there's a deeper reason why Hong Kong filmmakers insist on adding elements to science fiction films: the atmosphere and commercial demands of Hong Kong cinema make it impossible for them to make a film that uses science fiction as its sole selling point!
In other words, they don't have the capability to make pure science fiction films. Take "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" for example. The 3D effects for this movie were indeed done by XFX, but the result felt very cheap.

To put it bluntly, if you don't have enough money, are too timid, and afraid of losing money, then you have to start all over again. Because you're afraid of losing money, you don't invest enough; you're too timid…

If this cycle continues, it would be strange if any good science fiction movies were produced!

The movie "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" is a typical example.

Moviegoers aren't blind; how could they not see whether your work is sincere or not?
All they do is brag without spending money on special effects; who wouldn't call that a scam?
But even as everyone was criticizing him, Liu Zhenwei remained defiant.

"Oh dear! Moviegoers don't know how to appreciate this. This movie not only has science fiction and kung fu, but also comedy and romance. I personally think it's just as good as the original 'A Chinese Odyssey'!"

Goodness, he still said the same thing when interviewed by reporters.

Although it can't compare to the "Little Steel Cannon," it still served as a form of criticism of movie fans.

This is where things get interesting. Don't forget, Douban has quite a few professional film critics. They couldn't help but chime in after hearing the director's comments.

Among them, Lao Hu was the first to be affected.

"First of all, I want to remind everyone that 'A Chinese Odyssey' is a work from 15 years ago, and this director Liu has remade 'A Chinese Odyssey' many times over the years, and the results have all been disappointing. This can be considered a special ability."

That's some serious attack power!

There's a saying that you shouldn't hit someone in the face, but this is a direct slap in the face.

Liu Zhenwei was furious, but the netizens weren't done yet.

"This is clearly a hodgepodge!"

"Without Stephen Chow, you are nothing!"

"That's right! Without Stephen Chow, there's no one! Without them, you're nothing!"

Good heavens, really good heavens, that's a real slap in the face.

Our netizens are truly amazing.

As a result, Liu Zhenwei stopped responding. He knew very well that if he said anything more, things might get even worse.

Does not responding make a difference? The answer is definitely no!
The box office performance of "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" was only somewhat promising in its first week, but by the second week, the number of theaters showing the film was practically negligible.

Almost no one comes to watch anymore.

Given this situation, cinemas will try to make changes whenever possible, because they can't just watch themselves lose money.

Besides, the film's promotion and distribution were handled by Leshi, whose distribution capabilities are generally average. Although Jia Yueting has acquired Huayi Brothers, Huayi is now a shell company, with many of its veterans having already left. In addition, the Ice and Snow Sisters don't get along with him.

As a result, Le Shi's distribution capabilities did not increase much, and it still mainly relied on Zhang Zhao to keep things running.

Just like its box office performance, the screenings of "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" have plummeted!
But I have an ally!

"Mr. Jia! I'm risking my life to accompany you this time!"

"Brother Qin! I won't say anything more! From now on, we're brothers who would risk our lives for each other!"

Xingmei had already agreed beforehand that everyone should unite and form a sincere alliance, and that sincerity can move mountains... Anyway, we'll accept the loss!

Qin Hong really seemed to be going all out this time, and of course, he had another reason.

After all, Star Media's IPO was thanks to Gan Wei, and since Jia Yueting made "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" to please Gan Wei, this is a way of repaying that favor!

But it must have been really painful to put out a movie like "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" during the summer movie season!
There's no other way, so I'll just have to bear it for now.

Qin Hongxingmei's side made a simple estimate, and the book loss was at least six or seven million. If you factor in the loss if other blockbuster movies were released... it would be at least ten million!

But grit your teeth and just get through it!
While Stellar Cinemas can weather the storm, other cinemas won't, especially since they need new films.

And so, the movie "Bad Genius" came about.

Indeed, a release date had already been set, but this movie is truly a very new genre.

And looking at the lineup... it's been updated!

This Dilraba is definitely a newcomer... Will this movie be any good?

It's perfectly normal to have such questions.

Ma Xun's reply was very simple: "At least it's better than 'Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg'."

Is this a public declaration of hostility?

Not necessarily. Because "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" did so poorly at the box office, Ma Xun's point is more that our new film is better than those mediocre movies. In other words, it's a humble way of putting it.

Wow, he can interpret provocative words as humility... Ma Xun's current situation is that he has people in the industry defending him.

In any case, as soon as Ma Xun made this statement, some media outlets interpreted it in this way.

Can Jia Yueting interpret this as modesty?

"The movie 'Bad Genius' doesn't sound like a good film just from its title!"

Zhang Zhao is no good; Jia Yueting has to come out and publicly confront Ma Xun!
This is necessary because Jia Yueting made this movie for his wife, so his public statement is called "charging forward for love."

Jia Yueting is a real conman, especially good at conning women; he's been married quite a few times.

In that case... okay!
"This is so interesting! Two big bosses are going head-to-head!"

"This is going to be a show! It's been years since we've had something this exciting!"

"How about we start a betting pool? Who will win between Ma Xun and Jia Yueting?"

"It's not going to be easy. Although the movie 'Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg' is terrible, the pre-release scam was very successful. The movie has already made over 20 million, and it will at least break 30 million, and maybe even 40 million!"

To be fair, Jia Yueting isn't stupid. Despite the harsh criticism our "Metallic Attraction" received, our box office performance wasn't weak.

That's true. Although it can't compare to some blockbuster movies that gross tens of millions on their opening day.

But after all, the quality had been heavily promoted, which really fooled a lot of movie fans into buying tickets.

Otherwise, why would so many people say they were deceived?

Therefore, based on the most conservative box office estimate, "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg" could earn at least 3000 million yuan at the box office.

So, "Bad Genius," a genre film that has never been made before, might not necessarily be able to beat it!

Your movie features a newcomer in the lead role. These days, a movie that grosses over 30 million yuan, while not a huge success, is not something every movie can achieve.

Ma Xun might be in for a disaster this time!

Just when everyone was wondering, "Bad Genius" was finally released!

For the premiere, let's have a small premiere, with Dilraba, Xiao Mi, and... um? Masami Nagasawa can't get away?

Okay then, let's have other teachers come, like Li Xiaoran, Xu Qing, Jia Jingwen, and so on...

Putting everything else aside, Xiaoran was actually in charge of this movie, and look at the three of them...

Good heavens! A six-person gang!

Xiao Ran naturally won.

However, these three teachers are so good that everyone would want to be their student.

Let's not even talk about how fierce it is.

Let's stick to the normal publicity strategy. Dilraba and Xiao Mi are doing well, and with the Six Fierce Group... cough cough, Xiao Mi is not losing either!
Yang Mi has grown up; she's not just a name without substance.
Dilraba actually has a lot of potential. She's still in her growth and development stage, so don't underestimate a young person's potential.

This is truly a beautiful sight.

At the premiere, many moviegoers didn't care about the male classmates or the male actors in the film at all.

Of course, many people have no idea that the Dragon Prince almost starred in this show.

Regardless, the movie has finally been released to moviegoers.

The future evaluation... Dilraba was really uneasy, but she was thinking about other things.

"Sister Honey, did you go to see Brother Ma on your own?"

"Why do you care so much about me?"

"He really did go!"

"Hehe...so what?"

Xiao Mi's "what can you do about it?" attitude really left Dilraba feeling helpless.

There was nothing Reba could do, so she could only say, "I also want to go find him."

"You absolutely must not go. You don't know, he never talks about anything with the actresses in the movies or TV series when they are being released."

"why?"

"Don't you understand? It's because the risk is too great. At this time, female celebrities are the center of attention."

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll be the center of attention too?"

"You wish!"

Xiao Mi originally wanted to give Dilraba a little warning, but after the movie "Bad Genius" started, and Dilraba's image appeared...

Wow!!!

The reactions of the fans at the scene were so genuine!

This made Xiaomi unable to resist taking a look, and she saw that Dilraba was wearing a pleated school uniform and glasses.

Although she wore no makeup, she possessed a pure and exotic beauty.

Xiao Mi's feelings were very complicated... Anyway, this little sister is definitely mine!

Yes, with Dilraba's looks and my figure, my sister and I will definitely be able to carve out a niche for ourselves among all the beauties around Ma Xun!

Xiao Mi is truly ambitious.

So, how will "Bad Genius" perform after its release?

Soon, the first wave of positive reviews arrived!

"The rhythm is excellent!"

"This movie is very creative! It turns out the gunman wasn't a murderer, but someone who took the exam for others!"

"It seems to have exposed some problems with studying abroad..."

"I saw a lot of things, but I couldn't quite figure them out for the time being."

"What's there to be confused about? It's all about the exam."

"But this isn't just about exams; it seems... there's also class involved."

These comments seem pretty good overall, and indeed, many of our netizens have sharp eyes and can understand them at a glance!
On the surface, "Bad Genius" is a movie about cheating on an exam, but in reality, it contains the huge gap between social classes!
Don't say that moviegoers don't understand; they actually know it very well.

Despite not being well-received and having limited screenings, "Bad Genius" still managed to gross over 1000 million yuan in its opening week!

(End of this chapter)