1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 298
Ever since George Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic in 1975 and participated in the production of computer special effects for "Star Wars".

During the past decade, visual effects have emerged one after another on the screen, refreshing the audience's visual experience time and time again.

"Mr. Vampire" is the first attempt to add special effects to a fantasy kung fu film.

In the final decisive battle, Lin Zhengying kowtowed to the ancestor. The eyes of the ancestor statue of Maoshan Xuantan lit up, the Money Sword shone with golden light, and he put on a black tile-beamed scarf and a double-breasted Taoist robe. The complete form of Uncle Nine appeared in the audience's field of vision for the first time.

The first transformation was full of ritual.

The special effects used in the movie are also very restrained. There is no light pollution-like explosion like Xu Qi's "New Shushan Swordsman". The Money Sword automatically searches for enemies and tracks the Zombie King. When it hits the body, it cooperates with the reaction bombs prepared in advance by the props team. The combination of special effects and props looks more textured.

When the Zombie King sensed the danger and wanted to escape, Uncle Jiu made hand gestures and chanted a spell, and the money swords scattered and spread out. Copper coins made a humming sound and hovered in the air, blocking his way.

This effect can be achieved with a simple AE template in later generations.

In order to present this scene in the movie, the special effects artist not only had to build the model first, then hand-paint the layers on the film, connect the transitions, and finally use the green screen synthesis technology to remove the image bit by bit on the computer...

It took Jiuyi New Vision Company more than a month to produce this short thirty-second video.

His skills shocked everyone.

"Based on this shot alone, Mr. Zombie will definitely win the Best Visual Effects Award this year."

This thought arose in the minds of all film critics.

……

The movie ends with Liang Xiaolong saying "Oh no, my client!"

A line of traditional Chinese characters appeared on the screen:

We would like to thank the relevant units in mainland China for providing support for the filming of this film.

Just by reading this text, everyone knows that this is another movie that cannot be sold in Taiwan.

But does Jiuyi care now?
Never cared.

Amidst the chorus of boycotts, Zhai Yuan has become one of the top tycoons in the Hong Kong film industry, making the Freedom Club and its ilk a laughing stock.

The end credits rolled and a cheerful version of the music from "The Ghost Bride" sounded again.

The audience in the cinema was slow to leave.

A new audience member wanted to leave, but was stopped by his companions: "Don't go! There must be an Easter egg!"

The setting of the Easter eggs in "God of Gamblers 2" indirectly changed the audience's viewing habits, especially the movies produced after 1024. The audience must wait for the lights to come on and the cleaning staff to come in to clean before they are willing to leave.

"Mr. Zombie" did not disappoint everyone.

Halfway through the credits, the screen lit up again.

In the gloomy and dim Taoist temple, Maoshan's eldest senior brother Shi Jian sat cross-legged on the Xuantan. He suddenly opened his eyes and lightning flashed all over his body.

The scene stopped abruptly.

There was a sigh of regret from the audience.

There was a commotion and discussion of people standing up.

"It was quite scary at first, but once Uncle Jiu showed up, I didn't feel so scared anymore."

"It turns out that rubbing your eyes with grapefruit leaves can help you see ghosts. I'll bring some glutinous rice to the Jilongwan Cemetery to try it out tonight."

"You don't have Uncle Jiu's Golden Sword, be careful of being sucked dry of your Yang Qi by a female ghost!"

"I don't know what the man at the end is like, but he looks sharper than Uncle Nine."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the second part of the story."

The audience just left the theater.

A display case has been set up near the ticket counter outside.

Inside are displayed the same golden sword as Uncle Jiu and figures of movie characters.

……

The next day.

The box office data for the premiere day was compiled.

The single-day box office was only 40.

Compared with other movies, this box office data is pretty good.

However, if Mr. Vampire continues to be a lukewarm film in the later stages of its screening in 23 theaters, it will most likely not be able to recoup its costs.

The whole film is just over one minute long, with more than a dozen special effects shots. The money spent on this could have produced a separate movie.

"No rush, just wait."

Zhai Yuan once again comforted the distressed Liu Zhenwei and asked the publicity department to continue with the promotion in an orderly manner.

At the same time, he also called Carlos Chan and told him that if Mr. Vampire still didn't perform well at the box office in its first week, his piracy group could do something.

The second day of release.

The single-day box office was 42.

The third day was a weekend, and the situation was completely different.

As word of mouth spread among the audience and the media, the box office suddenly tripled that day, and the box office curve soared like a bull market.

The single-day box office was 127 million!
For the next whole week, Mr. Zombie remained at the top of the box office.

On Christmas Day, December 12, the single-day box office exceeded 25 million.

Regardless of whether the media and film critics received travel fees or not, they all wrote brilliantly.

'We still don't know why Western zombies turn into corpses. It seems that the director suddenly had an idea and they were about to crawl out of the cemetery. However, Mr. Zombie combines folklore and legends, giving Chinese zombies a mysterious color while making sense. This time, 91 Entertainment is full of sincerity...'

'Mr. Zombie combines comedy and horror, breaking the traditional pattern of horror films. It can be said to be the founder of a new genre of films...'

'With great accumulation of experience and late success, the zombie era belonging to Lin Zhengying is about to come...'

…………

In this year's Lunar New Year movie, in addition to "Mr. Vampire", another movie that must be mentioned is "Police Stories".

A signature masterpiece in Chen Shilong's film career.

The leap into the shopping mall left his name in film history.

The former pioneered the zombie film genre, while the latter is the ancestor of police and gangster kung fu films.

The domestic box office is also booming.

It was released simultaneously with "Mr. Vampire" on December 12 and was officially taken off the screen on January 14.

After 28 days of screening, the film grossed 2700 million yuan.

The celebration banquet of Jiahe Film Company was scheduled at the International Hotel on Nathan Road.

Senior executives led by Raymond Chow gathered together and opened champagne to celebrate the success of "Police Stories" during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The protagonist Chen Shilong usually appears at the scene, with the gauze on his hands just removed, revealing crisscross scars.

In the scene where he jumped from the mall in the movie, the glass fragments almost cut his tendons, and the electric current burned his palms black. However, in just one month, his injuries had almost healed.

He Guanchang came up and asked with concern: "Are you okay, A-Long?"

Chen Shilong smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm from Shuanggu!"

"Double bones" is a term used in the opera industry. People with this type of bones have thick bones that can hold more muscles, are resistant to blows and falls, and are born to be martial artists.

Dan Gu is like John Lone and Lam Ching-ying, with a slender figure, and is more suitable for playing female roles.

"I just got out of the hospital and I don't know the situation yet. How is the local box office of Police Story? Has it surpassed that zombie movie in 91?"

Chen Shilong and He Guanchang walked into the box and asked about the box office data for the Lunar New Year holiday.

He Guanchang smiled and said: "Police Story has earned 2700 million at the box office, which is a good enough result. You don't need to worry about the rest."

As soon as Chen Shilon heard it, he knew that Jiahe had lost to Jiuyi Entertainment in the domestic box office again.

"Strange! My movies have no rivals in the whole of Asia, but why do I lose to either New One City or 91 in my home country?" Chen Shilon muttered to himself, but he did not take it to heart, let alone envy or jealousy.

Hong Xinbao, who was standing by, was not so tolerant. He said with a dark face, "What about the founder of zombie movies? If I hadn't made that movie 'Ghost Fighting Ghost', would Zhai Yuan have thought of the zombie theme? He copied my plot and robbed my actors. If my master hadn't advised me, I would have brought the Hong Clan to Jiuyi to call him to account!"

"Wouldn't it be a tie if you copied him and made a movie called 'Mrs. Zombie'?"

Chen Shilong joked and sat down at the dining table with his arm around Hong Xinbao's shoulder.

Zou Wenhuai and several senior executives couldn't help but praise the cash cow when they saw him arrive.

While drinking and chatting, they also decided on the filming plan for next year.

After three rounds of drinking.

Zou Wenhuai looked at Chen Shilong and asked, "Ah Long, were you the one who sang the theme song for the 91st film "Once Upon a Time in China" for them?"

Chen Shilong smiled calmly and said, "Yes, I think that song is well written."

Zou Wenhuai hummed, "Not bad... I have an appointment with Mr. Li Jiacheng to play golf tomorrow morning, so I won't stay with you all too late, I'll leave first."

After saying that, he stood up and left.

As soon as the big boss left, the atmosphere at the table became more lively than before.

Chen Shilong went outside with a glass of wine and walked around with his martial arts brothers: "Tonight is a big rich man, each of you two women, I treat you!"

Amidst the cheers of "Great job, big brother!"

He Guanchang walked out of the box and came to Chen Shilong: "I have to go back and rest too."

Chen Shilon immediately asked someone to drive his godfather home.

He Guanchang pulled him aside and asked, "Along, tell me honestly, what is your relationship with Zhai Yuan?"

Chen Shilong was startled, scratched his head and said, "We have only met twice, and we are not very familiar with each other. What's wrong with that?"

"Do you know why Boss Zou asked you about Once Upon a Time in China just now?"

"I don't know."

He Guanchang sighed, "Once Upon a Time in China was released in Japan, and your photo was used on the poster. Do you think it's as simple as just singing a theme song? You've been fooled, you idiot!"

…………

Oriental.

Ginza.

It snowed in Tokyo in January and the temperature dropped sharply, but the little girls on the street were still wearing skirts, revealing their smooth thighs, as if they had no idea what cold was.

The Japanese yen has appreciated significantly this year, and citizens' income has seen a series of increases, especially in Ginza, where the streets and alleys are more prosperous than in previous years.

The entrance of a cinema under Pioneer Pictures is filled with luxury cars and supercars.

Young Japanese people stood in the cold wind and lined up to enter the venue, the crowd was like a long dragon.

A young couple stood arm in arm in front of the theater.

The girl pointed at Chen Shilong's photo on the poster and shouted excitedly, "Jackie! Jackie!"

The boy was a little jealous: "You should watch more Bruce Lee movies, that's real kung fu."

The girl shook her head and said, "Bruce Lee is too skinny and looks like a monkey."

A group of Xiaolong's fans around immediately became unhappy and cast unhappy looks at the girl.

The boy quickly protected his girlfriend behind him.

The girl stood up fearlessly and challenged a group of Bruce Lee's fans: "Are Bruce Lee's fans going to bully Jackie's fans?"

The sound is crisp and loud.

The next second, a group of girls spontaneously stood up and confronted Brother Xiaolong’s fans, each with a murderous look on their face.

"Who dares to bully the girls from our 'Jackie Don't Marry Group'?"

…………

The box office revenue contributed by 'Jackie Don't Marry Group' to "Once Upon a Time in China" exceeded the original box office data of "A Better Tomorrow" in just half a month.

"Hanging a poster can have such power. Chen Shilong is really popular in Japan."

Inside Jiuyi Entertainment, the main creators couldn't help but sigh in admiration when they saw the data charts sent back from the front line.

"No wonder Jiahe never competes for the domestic box office champion. Its box office revenue from overseas is more than that of a small film company in a year."

"500 million yuan for a film. Chen Shilong's box office appeal is worth this price. I can't even afford it if I want to work with him."

"If Mr. Zhai hadn't produced the CD, it would have been impossible to win against Jiahe."

In the past, everyone only knew that Chen Shilon was very strong in overseas markets, but no one knew how strong he was because Jiahe did not announce its box office revenue.

But this time, we finally got a glimpse of it from the actual box office data of "Once Upon a Time in China".

Shi Nansheng walked into the tea room with a mobile phone.

She covered the receiver with one hand and whispered to Zhai Yuan, "Mr. Zhai, Chen Shilong called you again to question you."

Zhai Yuan quickly waved his hand and said, "Tell him I'm not here!"

After saying that, he added, "Tell the security guards to keep a close eye on the downstairs. Don't let any of the Chen family members in!"

The creators chuckled softly.

There is always a price to pay for borrowing someone else's reputation. When Chen Shilong learned that his headshot appeared on the poster of "Once Upon a Time in China", he was hanging around the city to ask for an explanation from Zhai Yuan.

“They should let Carlos Chan’s pirate group make a remake of Police Story!”

Zhai Yuan thought with some regret that if Jiahe Films did not perform well at the box office, it would be very troublesome to track down the source of piracy, and he would not have time to care about such a small matter as the poster.

I am still too soft-hearted.

Shi Nansheng took the phone and went out, and said sternly into the receiver: "Mr. Chen, the contract we signed stipulates that singers have the obligation to cooperate with the film promotion. Please don't make trouble unreasonably..."

……

"Mr. Vampire" once again broke the single-day box office record of one million on Valentine's Day, but finally began to lose momentum.

1 month 20 day.

"Mr. Zombie" has been cancelled across the board.

It was released for 38 days and grossed 3300 million.

Thanks to the super-strong schedule and the support of theaters, the box office of this movie was 1200 million more than the original timeline.

It won this year's box office championship without any suspense.

Shi Qiuyi from Film Biweekly called and said, "Mr. Zhai, the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards will be held in April next year. I hope that 4 Entertainment's films can be registered for the selection."

Zhai Yuan asked on the phone: "I will sponsor the venue fee, will I get any prize?"

Shi Qiuyi smiled and said, "The ICAC has just issued new rules that movie awards cannot be manipulated at will, but don't worry, Mr. Vampire will definitely win the Best Visual and Best Newcomer awards this time."

"What about God of Gamblers 2?"

"... Let's discuss this further on the jury."

hang up the phone.

Zhai Yuan curled his lips and said, "The ICAC is meddling in too many matters. I will buy the Academy Awards and start operating them again, giving out the Best Film Award to our own films every year."

When Jiuyi focused all his energy on cinema movies before the New Year.

Zhai Yuan's other industry, CDs, also began to gain word of mouth.

Chiu Yi-fu agreed to sell the copyright of Chiu's films over the years, with the films limited to disc screening, for HK$1 million.

The CD factory in Yuen Long has officially entered the state of full production line operation.

(End of this chapter)