1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 161 Three Yuan Rent, All Day Free Viewing

The midnight preview officially begins at 11pm.

The main audience at this time is not white-collar workers who have to go to work the next day, but mostly lower-class citizens or gangsters.

Although these people have poor quality, they are all enthusiast-level moviegoers and their feedback is very direct.

If you think it's good, clap your hands; if you think it's bad, start cursing on the spot.

Throwing the sugarcane onto the stage is a small matter, but those with a worse temper will directly smash the chairs in the theater.

If there is a bad movie at the midnight show, the managers of various theaters get together the next day and the topic of conversation is: How many chairs were smashed in your theater last night?
1024 Cinema firmly opposes this practice.

According to Zhai Yuan's request, the theater put up a water sign at the entrance early in the morning:
Watch movies in a civilized manner. No "sugarcane biting gang" or any other immoral behavior. Violators will be fined one thousand dollars.

This behavior shocked many midnight showgoers and also angered them, who felt that it was ruining their viewing experience.

Qian Maosheng asked: "Boss, many viewers have complained that we broke the rules."

"The rules of the Legislative Council or the rules of the Film and Television Department?"

Zhai Yuan thought it was funny that people were so proud of their lack of quality as their true character. 1024 sells service and experience. Instead of making a little money from your midnight shows and making a mess of the theater, it is better to cut off ties with this group of audiences and further segment the movie-watching groups.

This approach has also won the support of many ordinary audiences. After all, no matter who is watching a movie, if there is a group of ferocious guys chewing sugarcane around them, spitting sugarcane residue everywhere, and chatting loudly with people around them, their mood will become bad.

What's more, there were many couples entering the midnight show, and sitting together with a bunch of chattering gangsters was definitely not a good experience.

"A Better Tomorrow" began its first round of previews in this peaceful atmosphere.

It also let Hong Kong theaters know that even if the Sugarcane Biters were not allowed to enter, the midnight shows could still sell out.

The occupancy rate of the four theaters reached an astonishing 97%.

The remaining difference is not because the tickets were not sold, but because some audience members bought tickets but had something urgent to do and did not enter the venue.

“Mini theaters are the future of theaters.”

Many theater owners have focused their attention on 1024 due to its recent performance, and they were all shocked when they received this news.

But whether it is necessary to spend a lot of effort on transformation and renovation is still a matter of waiting and watching. After all, this theater only has 800 seats now.

As they waited and watched, the market was gradually eroded by Zhai Yuan.

…………

"Although there is no sugar cane, you can try a whole bucket of popcorn each."

A group of main creators sat in the first row of Hall 1.

Wan Ziliang came over with a few buckets of popcorn, smiling widely, and distributed them to everyone.

The second row is headed by Huang Zhan, who are media and film critics with a good relationship with Zhai Yuan, including the editor of "Biweekly".

"Boss Zhai didn't come?"

While the audience was still coming in, these familiar faces in the film industry started chatting.

"He has other things to do."

When Wu Yusen heard this question, he smiled awkwardly. He couldn't tell the other party that the boss had gone to watch a show across the street, right?
"Are you afraid of being booed so you don't dare to come?"

Huang Zhan's hoarse voice rang out, causing a burst of laughter.

There are many creators who dare not attend midnight shows, such as Xu Kui and Yuan Heping, because they are afraid of being scolded by the audience. Xu Kui has been forcibly dragged into the theater by his colleagues more than once, and struggled to run away in the middle of the movie. He had to wait outside until the end of the movie before he dared to ask about the on-site effect.

"Why would Yuanzai be afraid of being booed? He is very thick-skinned."

Zhang Guorong said this quietly, and everyone thought of Zhai Yuan's carefree look, and they all nodded in agreement.

At half past eleven, the movie officially started.

As usual, a Hong Kong government public service announcement and two commercials will be broadcast.

Hong Kong is not just about the film business. There is no shortage of tycoons with sharp eyes in other industries. Among the two commercial advertisements, the sponsor of one is a jeweler and the other is a watchmaker.

Other products that were considered slightly lower-end by the public came to the door, but Qian Maosheng rejected them according to Zhai Yuan's request.

Accompanied by the background sound of "In accordance with the government's order, smoking is strictly prohibited in theaters."

The noisy sounds in the theater gradually died down, and the audience looked at the big screen in front of them with anticipation.

The unique black and yellow company logo of Jiuyi Entertainment appeared on the screen, and then it directly switched to the actors' picture.

Di Long was lying in bed having a nightmare. In the dream, Zhang Guorong was shot to death. He woke up suddenly, his shirt was soaked with sweat, revealing a large tattoo on his back.

The screen went black, and then the words "A Better Tomorrow" popped up.

In the audience, the tension on Di Long’s face was no less than in the play.

Especially when he heard the quiet conversations in the back row, he unconsciously clenched his trouser legs.

"Who is this actor from?"

"Pick! You don't even know Di Long? He was very famous back then!"

"Oh, that Chu Liuxiang from the Zhao family. I remember he was very handsome. How did he become like this?"

Wan Ziliang was also nervous.

This is the third film in his career. Originally, he had an erotic film "Man and Woman" at Zhaoshi this year. The leading actress was Zhong Chuhong, who was more famous than him. However, with his joining 91, the project was temporarily suspended.

The next shot shows him wearing a black windbreaker and sunglasses buying rice rolls on the street.

When a rice noodle roll vendor was chased by the police and Wan Ziliang went up to help him push his cart to avoid the police, this everyday scene on the streets of Hong Kong made the audience hum knowingly, and it was also the first time that a small-scale feedback was generated in the theater.

As Wan Ziliang got into Di Long's car, Liang Xiaolong, the driver, officially appeared.

A low voice of "Chen Zhen" was heard in the audience.

At this time, the film also entered its first big production scene.

With the background music of Marks Theme, the movie uses an entire scene to show the process of printing counterfeit money.

From inserting computer tapes, modifying counterfeit banknote numbers, to copying and printing out US dollars that are indistinguishable from the real thing.

Compared to the previous "The Lucky Stars", picking up a counterfeit money circuit board was considered to be involved in a major counterfeit money case. The opening scene of "A Better Tomorrow" took as long as two minutes to fully capture the details of the counterfeit money production process. The entire counterfeit money group set was filled with security doors, printing machines, computers, circuit boards and other equipment that seemed high-tech at the time, which aroused the audience's curiosity to a great extent.

The novel concept of counterfeit money is undoubtedly fresher than the societies and drug fans that flood the screen.

When Wan Ziliang, wearing sunglasses, lit a cigarette with burning fake US dollars, there was an uproar in the cinema.

"I'm losing, so cool!"

"Sharp!"

"Shut up!"

"Congratulations, Director Wu."

Shi Qiuyi of the Biweekly couldn't help but lean forward and pat Wu Yusen in the front row, saying, "This shot will definitely be one of the top ten classics this year."

Hearing the calls, Wu Yusen and the creative team slowly felt relieved.

At this point, there were only four minutes left before the movie started.

…………

at the same time.

Carlos Chan and his fellow residents in the housing estate bought more than 30 tickets at the Lisheng Cinema and queued up to enter.

The Red Carpet Theatre is the leading theatre in the Silver Princess Cinema Chain. After the Chiu Cinemas gradually ceased production, the Red Carpet Theatre was second only to the Golden Harvest Cinema in Jordan in the box office records of Hong Kong cinemas.

The theater had about 1,500 seats. After Carlos Chan and his group entered, they quickly disappeared in the crowd of audience.

"Shengzi, take this recorder and sit down at the speaker. It will be useful when switching tracks."

After giving instructions to one of them, Chen Jiale nodded to the others, "Everyone else, follow me upstairs. As usual, assemble the camera parts first."

More than thirty people surrounded Chen Jiale and sat in the middle of the second floor, making sure there were no outsiders in front, behind, or around him.

Then a specially modified camera, minus the tripod and other unnecessary configurations, was quickly assembled, covered with a coat, leaving only the lens exposed, and placed steadily on the shoulder of one of their own in the front row.

"As expected of Brother Yuan, the name is so appropriate."

Chen Jiale looked at the half-shadow tube exposed outside and thought: "Gun version, it really looks like a gun is sticking out from the crowd."

The film officially begins.

It is still an ambitious production of the "Best Partner" series. The first scene was shot on location at the Eiffel Tower in Paris by Xin Yicheng.

Big investment, big cast, big scene.

In addition to these popular stars from Hong Kong, New One City has also invited Richard Gillotte, the "steel tooth" in 007, and Neil Connery, the younger brother of the real 007 Sean Connery, in an effort to enter the international market.

Just a few minutes into the show, Black Cat Xu Guanjie's performance caused laughter in the theater.

"Calm down, don't shake your hands."

Chen Jiale glanced at the smiling cameraman sitting next to him and frowned to remind him, "This is a comedy, but no matter how funny it is, you are not allowed to laugh. If the picture is not good enough, you will have to pay for your mother's medical expenses next month."

"I know, Brother Jiale."

The young man in charge of the camera immediately tightened his lips, and in an instant he thought about all the sad experiences in the past, and his hands finally stabilized.

The film in the camera hummed in the dim environment, capturing all the images on the big screen.

An hour and a half passed quickly.

The film culminates in a family-friendly finale with a massive car chase and explosion.

"nailed it?"

By the time Chen Jiale and his group had deftly disassembled the film and camera and were preparing to mix with the audience out of the theater.

The man sitting on their left, wearing a fisherman's hat, suddenly spoke. Chen Jiale was instantly startled and tightened the film wrapped in his coat.

Soon the man took off his hat, revealing a familiar face.

The boss of Jiuyi Entertainment, Zhai Yuan.

"Oh my god! Brother Yuan, when did you come in? You scared me to death!"

"The situation tonight is special. I came here to supervise the work in case something unexpected happened, and I also brought a few old friends with me."

As Zhai Yuan took off his hat, four more spectators stood up in front, behind, and around him. They were four of the Five Patriarchs of Shaolin.

In this situation, even if the gangsters watching the theater rush over, it can be easily dealt with.

"So let's go to the next one now?"

"Well, Jiahe's "Project A", you guys go first, I'll be there soon."

Walking out of the theater with Satellite and the other three, Zhai Yuan looked at the audience around him who were enthusiastically discussing the plot and felt out of place.

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is indeed a mature commercial film, but the plot is a bit old-fashioned and has not yet broken away from the constraints of its predecessor.

At the beginning, the protagonist shows off and makes fun of several Western celebrities overseas. He then receives a main mission and returns to Hong Kong. Several important characters pick up girls or act weird in their local area.

King Kong Xu Guanjie, Bald Detective Mecca, Policewoman Zhang Aijia, Chicken Girl Xu Guanying... a group of protagonists appeared in a cursory manner, and as the movie was about to end, a large-scale car chase and explosion scene was quickly arranged, allowing the protagonists to work together to defeat the big boss.

Although the director's name is Xu Qi, the entire narrative style is definitely a collective creation of Xin Yicheng.

The only thing that interested Zhai Yuan was that the movie used the most advanced cutouts and cartoon special effects. This was the scene most likely to have been created by Xu Qi.

Compared with the special effects technology of the previous two years, this year's picture quality has obviously reached a higher level, which gives Zhai Yuan more choices in future film themes.

"Next up, Plan A."

…………

Zhai Yuan is observing the market reactions of friendly competitors.

Competitors are also secretly observing "A Better Tomorrow".

Zou Wenhuai and Lei Juekun are old and proud of their status, so they would not come out late at night.

But two old friends, Hong Xinbao and Mecca, bumped into each other at the entrance of 1024 Theater.

"Wow, Baldy, I almost didn't recognize you with that wig on."

"Shh~ Why don't you put on a hat and act like a fool?"

Mecca stroked the wig that was stuck to his scalp uncomfortably and said, "Boss Lei sent me to observe the situation here, what about you?"

Hong Xinbao smiled and said, "Mr. Zou is not that boring. I came here by myself."

Mecca asked, "Alone? Dabi didn't come with you?"

Hong Xinbao said: "The audience in Japan organized a fan party for him, but he was not in Hong Kong."

The two men talked in low voices and walked into Hall 3 of the theater like thieves.

The gunfight at Fenglin Pavilion was being shown on the screen.

Amid Zhou Huimin's extremely sweet singing, Xiao Ma Ge, played by Wan Ziliang, hugged the dancer, looking murderous in his romantic manner, and hid guns and ammunition in a flowerpot.

"Look at you, you look like you're drunk

The vast eyes are slightly excited
I am your confidant
Try to open the soju dry
Drink and fall Drink and fall
I'm not drunk.

......"

The soft singing came to an abrupt halt. Xiao Ma Ge suddenly opened the box door with two guns in hand. Xiao Wang and his group, who were drinking and having fun just a second ago, were immediately bombarded by bullets.

The camera position, camera movement, editing, sound and picture processing, every frame accurately hits the audience's emotional point.

In the audience, there were low cheers as adrenaline and hormones were stimulated.

"Was this taken by Wu Yusen?"

Hong Xinbao and Mecca stared at each other, and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

The next second, the unrestrained Xiao Ma Ge was shot twice in the leg by Xiao Wang because he did not make a finishing move, and the audience burst into exclamations.

“It’s very emotional.”

Mecca observed the reactions around him and said with a frown.

In order to create a comedic atmosphere, "Best Partner" sometimes has to mix in local slang and dialects, which gives the audience a feeling of tickling the soles of their feet.

This is also one of the reasons why we cannot enter the international market, as everyone has different cultures.

However, "A Better Tomorrow" easily mobilizes the audience's emotions with its rich character settings and solemn scenes, from joy to sadness, with ups and downs, the audience has become a puppet in the hands of the director.

When the film played the part where Di Long returned to Hong Kong and Wan Ziliang limped while washing the car, there were constant sounds of regret in the audience.

Immediately afterwards, the villain Tan Cheng, played by Liang Xiaolong, appeared on the stage. He was in high spirits and escorted by several bodyguards. With a height of 1.6 meters, he exuded the aura of 1.8 meters.

Liang Xiaolong threw a few Hong Kong dollars on the ground and severely humiliated his former big brother Wan Ziliang.

There was a lot of cursing in the audience.

"Chen Zhenzhen is defeated! Without Brother Mark's protection, would you be in this situation today?"

"You're eating a bowl of noodles and turning it over, and you're throwing your mother's adopted brother away!"

"Could it be that Song Zihao, whom he betrayed in Taiwan, took this opportunity to rise to power?"

The reaction on the scene made Hong Xinbao and Mecca's faces gradually become serious.

Kind of outrageous.

Whether it is a kung fu movie or a comedy, everyone either applauds or laughs.

There are very few cases where the audience starts discussing the plot and becomes involved in the film.

Is this still the Wu Yusen we know? Who would dare to give you a bench seat after you show such ability in Jiahe?

And just when Di Long and Xiao Ma Ge met in the garage.

Something strange happened in the theater.

The picture on the big screen suddenly shook and became intermittent as if it was torn apart.

The dialogue in the play continued, but the screen was dark.

"What happened? The projectionist was shot dead by Tan Cheng?"

Amid the crowd's excitement, two veteran filmmakers, Hong Xinbao and Mecca, understood what was happening.

This is because there was a problem with the film during the screening process, most likely because Jiuyi Entertainment did not handle the post-production problem properly.

"After all, it's a new company, so it's easy for this kind of technical problems to occur."

Mecca seemed to have scored a goal and a smile appeared on his face.

Once this news gets out, there will definitely be a lot of pessimistic headlines on the front page of tomorrow's newspapers.

"It's not a big problem and it's easy to solve."

Hong Xinbao is more open-minded. After all, there are no movies released in the same period, so he is happy to sit back and watch the fight.

And amid the audience's dissatisfaction.

In the last row of the theater, a camera was also running, recording all the movie images and the black screen accidentally caused by the film.

…………

"The Queen's Secret Order" has no new ideas. From Hong Kong to Paris, it still can't hide its old-fashioned structure. ——"Overseas Chinese Evening News"

The midnight preview of "A Better Tomorrow" caused public outrage, and the audience shouted for a refund. —— Ming Pao

This is the stage where they throw dirty water on each other.

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" received a warm response in the preview screening, and Hollywood superstars joined the performance. It was imaginative and hilarious, and it was indeed a masterpiece that was lively and outstanding in this year's Lunar New Year period. —— "Sing Pao"

"A Better Tomorrow" is a story of good and evil, touching on the love between father and son, brother, friend, man and woman, the feelings of being wronged and the desire for revenge. It is a sentimental and emotional work. - Ta Kung Pao

This is the stage where each party hires internet trolls to create momentum.

During the midnight preview, these two films almost dominated the front pages of newspapers across Hong Kong.

The other protagonist of "Project A" is like an unknown person, only occasionally mentioned in newspapers, but has a lot of loyal fans.

This is the confidence that Jiahe has gained through its reputation.

The three-party movie screening soon reached its last day.

12 month 21 day.

The day before the movie is officially released.

A large number of local pirated videotapes quietly flowed into the urban area from the countryside of Yuen Long. They were first circulated in a small area, then quickly swept into major rental stores, and finally began to be played openly in more than a dozen video halls in the Sau Mau Ping housing estate.

"Boss, are there any new movies recently?"

Groups of students walked into the cassette rental store, randomly searching for the movies they liked.

"This one, A Better Tomorrow, which just came out today, is very popular in the movie market recently."

"Boss, stop kidding. This movie is still in the preview stage. How can it be released on cassette so soon?"

"You'll know after you take it home and watch it. Are you not interested in action movies? Well, we also have Jiahe's "Project A" and New One City's "The Queen's Secret Service" here."

The owner of the cassette store held up a stack of videotapes and showed them to customers: "Three yuan for rent, all you can watch all day long."

(End of this chapter)