The battle for traffic in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 523 The Greatest Success and the Greatest Failure
【Jingjingjing Base】(formerly known as the "Black Hole Base", now it's called "Sunshine Base")

"How disgusting! With Xing Sheng's terrifying appeal, he actually made such a terrible movie. If it were 'Wolf Warrior 2,' it would definitely have grossed over 10 billion!"

"Beware of Jia Ling's fans posing as 'King Oyster Mushroom' to criticize Chen Gou's black film!"

"Your group can just say that Yukito's works are bad???"

"You fucking...you're the one who's a Jia Ling fan, your whole family are Jia Ling fans!"

"[screenshot].jpg"

"I'm referring to the comments made by this troll on Weibo. Jia Ling's fans, why are you taking this personally?"

"hahahahahahahaha!"

"I'm really fed up with those few idiots on the fan site. They love stirring up trouble. The day after the movie was released, they started attacking Chen Gou. They're the only ones who know that Chen Gou ostracized Xing Sheng in 'Detective Chinatown 3'! If they want to settle scores, can't they wait until the movie is out of theaters? Even after the Spring Festival holiday! A bunch of brain-dead mushrooms are still joining in the commotion! [vomiting]"

"@SunMan, Sun Bitch, stop lurking and playing dead! Investigate them now! They're definitely being paid to smear us!"

"Sun Biao is a dead person, tagging her won't help. Livehouses are closed for the New Year, so there's nowhere to go. [Sigh]"

"How pathetic, laughable, infuriating, and lamentable! The king oyster mushrooms are said to number fifty million, yet only 42 of us possess a clear mind, genuine concern, beautiful appearance, a clever head, and wise judgment! [crying]"

"Actually, Detective Chinatown 3 is already 10 billion ahead of Love and Happiness. No matter how bad the word-of-mouth is, it won't be overtaken. Besides, it hasn't even collapsed yet. The box office prediction for the third day of the Lunar New Year is 8 million. It will be close to 30 billion in three days. Breaking 60 billion is not certain, but it is definitely going to be the year's champion."

"If the opening of the God of Gods series doesn't even win the domestic championship, it would be truly hilarious!"

"What's most disgusting is that the pandemic management abroad is so poor. If 'Detective Chinatown 3' hadn't flopped, Xing Sheng would have had a very high chance of becoming the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide! The highest-grossing Chinese film of the year worldwide! Xing Sheng has never acted in Hollywood movies or helped Hollywood reap domestic box office profits; he definitely has this goal in mind! It's the most important goal for him! Otherwise, he wouldn't have been mocked by Western-worshipping dogs for years for not being able to get into Hollywood and being called an international superstar. [Hehe]"

"With Chen Gou's background, he still managed to get a 50 billion+ box office film under Xing Sheng's guidance, joining the 50 billion director club... I can't even imagine it. Just thinking about it makes my head spin with anger! [vomiting]"

"@Qin Feng, give Ah Xiang a good fucking!"

"@Qin Feng, give Ah Xiang a good fucking!"

"@Qin Feng, give Ah Xiang a good fucking!"

"Why are you hurting Bao Bao? Bao Bao even acted in Xing Sheng's 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 2'! Can't you just let Tang Ren have his way? [Pouting]"

"It's hard to imagine what kind of composition this group is."

"After hearing everyone's comments, I feel like we should start settling scores with Chen Gou right now! Xing Sheng said in his live stream that he was writing the script for the second season of the 'Detective Chinatown' web series, and people in the group kept saying that Xing Sheng is now a cunning, evil, and righteous villain. How could he just let Chen Gou trick him like that?"

"Actually, I've always suspected that Qin Feng and Ah Xiang were caught by Chen Gou, and Xing Sheng was forced... Anyway, Xing Sheng is definitely being threatened by Chen Gou now. The Xing Bo Gu really need to settle scores with Chen Gou and help him get away."

"Hey, why does Yukito like playing so much?"

"..."

"I'm speechless! Everyone's criticizing 'Detective Chinatown 3,' and its reputation will completely collapse in just two or three days. Do you guys want to make things worse???"

Tian Xiwei really couldn't stand it anymore.

Just throw a bunch of post links into the group and then set the notifications to "Do Not Disturb".

I went back to WeChat and continued chatting with Teacher Tong.

[Sister Ya Ya is so beautiful and gentle! She's practically a mom! [wink][wink][wink]]

You can gradually tell that Xu Xing prefers outfits that match different ages.

Putting aside her status as Director Chen's ex-wife, it can be seen that Sister Ya Ya rose to prominence among the post-85 actresses after meeting Xu Xing, and she also received the most resources from Xu Xing, even managing to make her best friend Dong Xuan a star.

During the previous group rehearsal, compared to Yang Mi, it seemed that Xu Xing also preferred her.

...think of more solutions.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

[Detective Chinatown 3 is a sure thing to reach 120 billion yuan at the box office!!!]

[19年《流浪地球》4天票房21亿，现在《唐探3》2天21亿，票房翻倍！
That's incredible, Kousei!

I wish I could be a sky full of stars!

I really want to experience the joy of being the light of humanity!

I really want to kneel down and lick Yukihiro's feet!!!
"Despicable."

"Go to the back of the line."

"I'm speaking on behalf of King Oyster Mushroom: You're not worthy. Don't defile Xing Sheng's jade feet with your filth. [Hehe]"

"Although it's an acting show, the screen is full of people praising 'Detective Chinatown 3,' making this post seem like a breath of fresh air. [Thumbs up]"

"Who even watches this awful movie? And the ticket price is ridiculously high! [vomiting]"

How good is "Detective Chinatown 3"? It's the first time I've seen an entire theater with tickets costing over 100 yuan, and the lowest price being 90...

I checked it many times and even checked other ticketing platforms before I dared to believe it wasn't a system bug.

I remember when I was in college, a movie ticket only cost 9.9 yuan. In five years, the ticket price has increased tenfold.

There are too many rich people in China; a poor guy like me doesn't deserve to watch movies.
[Screenshot of "Our Times" order from September 15th, 9.9].jpg
"Shut up! Xing Sheng is saving Chinese-language cinema!"

"[Panic] Holy crap, it's so expensive? I just blurted out that I'd take all those kids from my relatives' house to the movies tomorrow..."

"I even managed to buy a movie ticket for 3.8 yuan back then. We poor old folks should have some self-awareness and let the movie theaters go to the rich young people. [laughing and crying emoji]"

"This is so cruel! King Oyster Mushroom won't even pay 100 yuan for a movie ticket! [crying]"

"The key issue is that 'Detective Chinatown 3' isn't good either. I'd even think twice about paying 100 yuan to see 'The Wandering Earth.' How can they have the nerve to set such a high ticket price for something as terrible as 'Detective Chinatown 3'?"

"So what if you're so lucky? Poor bastards should go do manual labor, why are you watching movies? [Hehe]"

[The smear campaign against a certain movie is going too far!!!]

[Using a picture, someone criticizes the high price of "Detective Chinatown 3," claiming the lowest ticket price is 90. In reality, the average ticket price for "Detective Chinatown 3" is 50.4, compared to 47.6 for a certain movie and 51.4 for "A Writer's Odyssey."]

Both "Detective Chinatown 3" and "A Writer's Odyssey" are high-budget commercial blockbusters, so this ticket price is normal. Some movies even set this price for a short film.
To reiterate, movie ticket prices are set by the cinemas, while the film distributors settle their accounts with fixed prices, which vary depending on the screening format and the city where the film is shown, with three tiers: 40, 35, and 30.

9.9 was the ticket price during the era of ticket subsidies; those subsidies ended in 18, okay?
[Digital Film Distribution Notice].jpg
"hahahahahahahaha!!!"

—"The king oyster mushroom is getting anxious. [laughing and crying emoji]"

"If you have a high budget, at least don't produce a piece of crap! How dare you criticize 'My Love from the Star'? 'My Love from the Star' is a hundred times better than 'Detective Chinatown 3'!"

"How dare they praise a plagiarized movie as good! [vomiting]"

"—You learned it from Xing Sheng! Xing Sheng even became a world-renowned superstar by copying others. Don't be so domineering, let others copy you too. [Cute]" [Mature, rational, and independent thinkers please!]

Do people think "Detective Chinatown 3" is bad because they think the movie is really bad?
Do you still feel unworthy of winning the box office record of over 10 billion yuan?

Or do you feel that the ticket price is simply not worth the high price?

Or is it a case of disappointment after two years of anticipation?
Or is it that everyone else is saying it's bad, so you just follow suit, but deep down you don't actually think it's bad?
Is this post of yours rational?

"To summarize: The movie is really bad. It was touted as the top-grossing film despite its box office performance, and the ticket price was ridiculously expensive. Does it live up to two years of expectations? Everyone is saying it's terrible."

—"The most rational! [Thumbs up]"

The funniest thing is that Yukito is cutting ties with justice again.

[Rumors started circulating even before filming began, about arguments over the script and conflicts on set.]

She even went so far as to fabricate rumors that she was having an affair with Tong and was being retaliated against by Chen Sicheng.

Xing Sheng has completely disregarded the life or death of the king oyster mushroom, only pursuing the miracle of never being blamed.
"You might not believe it, but Huang Yao was also the most active in spreading rumors, with both the person in question and her fans going to great lengths. Being associated with Chen Gou and Xing Chu, two people born with pure blood, Ya Ya is just too beautiful and powerful."

"If the 'Detective Chinatown' team really can't continue, they should just disband. They were already fighting when the second one was released, and they were still fighting when the third one was released. I've never seen any other movie with so much drama."

"Actually, only one person is causing trouble. The film is a collaborative effort, but someone insists on distancing themselves. [Heh]"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

His breathing finally calmed down.

Ms. Tong, her hair disheveled, regained consciousness. She loosened the chain to relax her breathing, then sat up, quickly tidied her hair and messy face, and was about to get up to go to the washroom to clean herself.

Xu Xing, who was chatting on her phone next to her, didn't even look at her. He just picked her up with one hand and carried her directly to the bathroom.

Cleaning complete.

Xu Xing lay in the spacious bathtub, still chatting on WeChat.

Teacher Tong lay on Xu Xing, hugging Xu Xing's firm chest, feeling lazy and comfortable. The jealousy she had felt recently because Xu Xing was being dominated by Jia Xing and the other two had also disappeared without a trace.

Xu Xing always understood her very well. From the moment he entered the room, he held nothing back, displaying all his resistance in silence. In silence, he crushed everything, humiliated her to the extreme, released her completely, and brought her to a state of calm.

The two were finally about to begin their first conversation.

"They left?"

"Yang Mi left; she still has to promote her movie. Dilraba wanted to rest for a few more days, but suddenly she became very clingy. She also wanted to come to Dandong with me again, and I didn't refuse. Let her have a good vacation. But when we go back to Dandong, she won't be the only one there."

"I know you perfectly well. You're even going to explain this to me. Actually, I'm really curious whether there's anyone who can make you settle down."

"Impossible, don't even think about it. You've talked so much with Xiaotian since that time."

"Yeah, she's pretty cheerful. She wants to chat with me every day. I think it's good to talk to young people more often. She probably never imagined that you'd be the one chatting with her right now."

Teacher Tong chuckled.

I glanced at it and saw that he was talking to Tian Xiwei.

She originally thought Xu Xing was having a really bad time chatting with Chen Sicheng.

Hmm… Teacher Tong had forgotten when it started, but she allowed Xu Xing to freely look through her phone. Actually, Xu Xing was very respectful of other people's privacy and would often deliberately avoid it, but she was forced to… achieve complete control over her. She also felt that she was a little psychologically unhealthy, but it really made her feel more relaxed, and it was quite interesting.

Besides adding to the fun, Teacher Tong also likes to try to interact with the other person according to the chat pattern left by Xu Xing. Every time she sees the other person's unexpected reaction because of Xu Xing's different way of thinking, she can't stop laughing.

"Xiaotian is quite nice. She's not particularly outgoing, actually. I initially thought she was a bit carefree, but she's actually quite thoughtful."

"Women are rarely rough around the edges."

"Ah."

Xu Xing smiled, put her phone aside, and prepared to get out of the bathtub.

"It's almost time to go."

"Tell him to wait a little longer, or I'll talk to him."

Teacher Tong hugged Xu Xing tightly and wouldn't let go.

“It’s not just Director Chen who’s here,” Xu Xing patted the door. “Why don’t you come to my villa tonight and chat with Dilraba?”

After taking a "lunch break" at Teacher Tong's house, Xu Xing rushed to the company at four o'clock in the afternoon.

I wasn't late.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the negative word-of-mouth surrounding "Detective Chinatown 3" had already become quite serious. Before Xu Xing returned to the set to film, everyone needed to discuss how to promote and manage the film.

"Let me apologize first. Actually, Xiaoxing has been emphasizing to me that the cases shouldn't be too simple, and that the core of 'Detective Chinatown' is still deduction. But I haven't been able to listen to her. My understanding of 'Detective Chinatown' is not as profound as Xiaoxing's, and I am really ashamed. I bear the primary responsibility for the current reputation of 'Detective Chinatown'."

Director Chen apologized with utmost sincerity, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he looked at Xu Xing.

Last night, he wondered if it was because his ex-wife was having an affair with Xu Xing that he developed a prejudice against Xu Xing, resisted all of Xu Xing's suggestions, and stubbornly decided that the tone of "Detective Chinatown 3" should be a simple, joyful family film.

But in the end, I realized that wasn't the case.

Even without Xu Xing, he would still make "Detective Chinatown 3" in the same way. He understands that the market needs films like "Detective Chinatown 3" now.

Now it has been proven that his understanding was not as good as Xu Xing's.

It's not about songwriting, scriptwriting, looks, physique, height, etc.—his most confident understanding of the market is still inferior to Xu Xing's.

This has actually been evident for a long time. Despite facing controversies such as plagiarism, lack of depth, and overpraise, Xu Xing has accurately grasped the pulse of the market and has achieved success that surpasses the "Detective Chinatown" series.

But it wasn't until the release of "Detective Chinatown 3" that Director Chen finally admitted this.

He admitted that he was completely defeated by Xu Xing.

On his way there in the afternoon, he sent his ex-wife a WeChat message: "Maybe your choice was right. But I still feel it's all a regret."

"Detective Chinatown 3" is achieving the highest box office in the Detective Chinatown series, realizing its greatest commercial success.

But he knew he was experiencing the biggest failure of his life.

Fortunately, his ex-wife's reply brought him some comfort.

My earlier choices weren't wrong either.

(End of this chapter)