1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 483 Box Office Defying Trend
In September 1982, two theaters, Queen and Bili Palace, were established in Ximending, Taiwan. The first film to be shown was "Old Time Buddy" produced by New City. All members of New City flew to Ximending to attend the theater's opening ceremony.

Two years later, the two big brothers of the Seven Sages Gang, Chen Ruiyin, known as "New Gao Yin" and Cai Songxiong, known as "Ma Zhu Zai", established the Queen Cinema Circuit with the Queen Cinema as its flagship. However, a few months later, the Taiwan Youth Project arrived, and the two big brothers were imprisoned. The newly established Queen Cinema Circuit was then handed over to Wang Yingxiang of Longxiang Film Company and Chen Wensen, a director of the Film Dealers Association.

In 1985, due to the extremely strict censorship system in Taiwan, the number of imported films was very limited. At the end of that year, Zhaoshi Company terminated its contract with the China Film Group's Great World Cinema Circuit. Due to a severe shortage of films, the Great World Cinema Circuit was unable to make ends meet and had to split off a portion of its cinemas to merge with the Queen Cinema Circuit, thus forming the cinema circuit we know today.

In 1988, Taiwan lifted martial law and opened up to imported films. Zhai Yuan, along with several presidents of the Hong Kong Film Association, held cordial talks with film distributors on the island and reached a cooperation agreement.

In the same year, Zhai Yuan met Cai Songlin at the Zhishan Villa in Taiwan. Cai Songlin then spent a fortune to take over the Today Cinema Line from China Film Group and Longxiang, which included more than ten cinemas such as Today, Queen, Guoxing, Datong, Renren, Far East, King, Golden Horse Awards, Golden Horse Awards, and True Beauty.

Tsai Sung-lin's Today Cinema has quickly become the leading film cinema chain among the seven major film chains in Taipei.

at dusk,

As soon as the lightbox advertisements in Ximending lit up, crowds began to gather in the city.

As the first film invested in and produced by Cai Songlin after he established his own cinema chain, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" has put a lot of effort into its promotion.

A stage has been set up at the theater entrance for a week.

At this moment, Fei Yuqing and Zhang Fei, the two hosts of the variety show "Dragon Brothers and Tiger Brothers," stepped onto the stage, accompanied by several scantily clad Taiwanese girls, and were energetically carrying out promotional activities.

Zhang Fei: "The audience who came to see 'Swordsman' today are in for a treat."

Fei Yu-ching: "Oh? What do you mean?"

Zhang Fei began mysteriously, drawing out his words: "Because we want to do more than just put on a good show—"

Fei Yu-ching took the microphone and, in his signature soft and gentle tone, said, "We're going to give you a big gift too~"

Zhang Fei: "That's right. As long as you buy a ticket for 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' at any theater in Taiwan today, you'll have a chance to participate in our grand prize draw! Our boss, Mr. Cai, has created ten gold medals, each made of pure gold, so that everyone can have a chance to make a little money while watching the movie."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scantily clad Taiwanese girls around him, each holding a glass box, strolled to the front of the stage and showed the audience the glittering gold medals inside.

Fei Yu-ching raised his delicate pinky finger, pointed at the scantily clad Taiwanese girl, and asked, "Only a gold medal? I thought I could take it home... Mr. Tsai is stingy~"

Laughter erupted from the audience.

By this time, the previous group of audience members had already left the theater, and as soon as they stepped out, they rushed to the prize draw area on the side of the stage, eager to take out their ticket stubs.

As the atmosphere heated up,
More and more audience members lined up at the street corner to enter, forming a long queue that snaked its way from the ticket booth to the next alley.

The line was packed with students on summer vacation, office workers in suits, and even an elderly woman who, while holding her grandson's hand, whispered, "I heard Brigitte Lin is playing a man again this time? Grandma remembers she played Jia Baoyu in 'Dream of the Red Chamber'!"

On the exterior wall of the theater, posters with red backgrounds and black lettering are pasted behind transparent glass:
Lin Qingxia, a native actress from Taiwan, makes a stunning appearance in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," embodying the spirit of "The sun rises in the east, and I am invincible!"

In a building directly opposite the Today's Theater,

Cai Songlin stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the twelfth floor, looking down at the surging crowds below and taking in half of Ximending.

Under the neon lights, audiences were coming and going from every theater in the cinema chain's premises today.

The production director next to him flattered, "Chairman Tsai, only you could pull off such a spectacle for a domestic film. Today, many people from other provinces have come all the way to Ximending. I just passed by Emei Street, and the scalpers there were even using knives to grab tickets. The scene was even more exaggerated than when 'Seven Foxes' was released in 84."

In 1984, Chu Yen-ping directed "Seven Foxes" for Five Continents Century. The female lead, Sally Yeh, performed a erotic dance in the film, which caused a great sensation. Local scalpers fought each other to hoard tickets, and when the theater manager tried to mediate, he was beaten up by the scalpers.

It was this incident that made the Seven Sages Gang realize that the film business had great potential, thus starting the battle for the Ximending cinema chain.

Nowadays, Taiwan can even import Category III films, and audiences are well-informed, making it increasingly difficult for scalpers to do business.

No one expected that the sudden emergence of the novel "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" would once again ignite the scalping industry.

Cai Songlin instructed, "This fire isn't burning bright enough yet. Go contact Yang Dengkui and the others, film the audience entering cinemas in various places, edit it into a short film, and broadcast it on the news channel tomorrow, making 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' a social phenomenon."

The production director quickly nodded in agreement.

"In addition, 91 Entertainment will send five copies tomorrow to increase the number of screenings." Cai Songlin paused and then said, "Along with the copies, there will also be some snacks and drinks to be used as prizes for the raffle. We'll have the two hosts on stage help promote it."

The director asked in surprise, "Chairman Zhai from Hong Kong even brought a gift over?"

Cai Songlin gave a noncommittal chuckle.

Riding the wave of popularity generated by the TV series "Swordsman," Mr. Zhai introduced the brands Tuantuan and Yuanyuan to Taiwan, making the most of their resources. He truly is a natural businessman, never missing an opportunity for marketing and promotion.

Three days later,
Today, on the stage outside the theater, Fei Yuqing and Zhang Fei changed their script again.

Fei Yu-ching: "...To express their gratitude to our beautiful island for nurturing a superstar like Brigitte Lin, Hong Kong filmmakers have sent two truckloads of things that are more precious than gold from afar."

Zhang Fei: "Even more precious? It wouldn't be a Hong Kong female celebrity, would it?"

Fei Yu-ching: "Get out of here~ Do you know that sending female celebrities gifts is illegal? This time, I'm bringing the most popular snacks in Hong Kong right now, Tuan Tuan brand snacks and Yuan Yuan brand soda. The snacks are crispy and fragrant, sweet but not greasy. You can bite into them, then lick them, and they'll melt softly... The soda has bubbles in it, so you have to be extra careful when you open it, otherwise you might accidentally spray it and make the girl across from you all wet. Everyone knows this soda tastes really good, so in order not to waste it, I had to go up and ask, 'Excuse me, miss, would it be convenient for me to lick it clean for you...'"

…………

"Mr. Zhai, 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' is enjoying high attendance rates in Taiwan. Today is a great opening for the first film in theaters!"

Hong Kong, New Vision Special Effects Studio.

After finishing filming "Swordsman" and returning to Hong Kong, Xu Ke immediately began working on the post-production special effects for "Jurassic Park." To date, the special effects for this film have been polished for nearly two years.

Shi Nansheng approached Zhai Yuan, who was visiting the studio, and asked with a smile, "Cai Songlin called again to ask when we'll start filming the second episode?"

The studio was well-cooled, but even so, the fans inside the computer cases were still humming at a high frequency and radiating heat.

Zhai Yuan stroked the dinosaur movement diagrams pasted on the wall and said casually, "Second episode? Where would I find the time to help him cross the bridge? This show ends here."

Shi Nansheng's expression froze for a moment, and he asked, "But this movie has already become a phenomenon in Taiwan. It would be a waste to only make one." "Art always needs to leave blank spaces~" Zhai Yuan looked at the dinosaur head on the wall, nodded in satisfaction, turned his face to Shi Nansheng and smiled, and said in a serious tone, "Back then, 'A Better Tomorrow' was more popular than 'Invincible East,' but I still only made one. This is an artistic concept."

Strictly speaking, "Project Gutenberg" only borrowed the gimmick of "A Better Tomorrow" and actually had nothing to do with the previous work.

Mr. Zhai spoke righteously and sternly, but in the end, it was because only the second part of the original Smiling Proud Wanderer trilogy was successful.

This version of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" incorporates all the elements that could be combined from the first two installments. It cuts out the scenes of Yue Buqun and Gu Jinfu in the first episode, and reduces the lengthy political intrigue scenes of Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian in the second episode. It also shortens the long fight scene of the battle against the henchmen at Black Cliff, trying to put together as many exciting scenes as possible from the first two episodes, resulting in a total runtime of 127 minutes.

In the third episode, the only memorable scene was the lesbian scene between Dongfang Bubai and Xue Qianxun. Although it was exciting, there was simply no room to fit it in, and making a separate episode for it would be redundant.

“So there will definitely be no second installment of ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ in my possession.” Zhai Yuan continued, “If Cai Songlin is interested, let him find someone to film it himself, but in addition to giving the copyright to Jin Liangyong, he will also have to pay an extra sum of money to the company.”

Shi Nansheng had never seen business done this way before, so he could only turn his gaze to Xu Ke standing to the side.

Xu Laoguai, dressed in overalls, was squatting in front of the electronic control console, adjusting the hydraulic motor of the Tyrannosaurus Rex model with two young engineers.

As a button was pressed, the clicking sound of gears rang out, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex's neck slowly twisted.

"Perfect!" Old Xu clapped his hands excitedly, only then noticing Sister Nan's mournful look. He wiped the sweat from his cheeks with the back of his hand, which was covered in engine oil, and asked curiously, "Ah Nan, when did you get here? What happened?"

Shi Nansheng rolled his eyes helplessly, grabbed a towel, and stepped forward to gently wipe the oil off Xu Ke's face: "The Taiwanese film company wants to make a sequel to 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' but Mr. Zhai isn't interested. You can do it then~"

Xu Ke frowned and tried to scratch the back of his head with his dirty hands, but Shi Nansheng, who was quick-witted and agile, grabbed his wrist.

"Please pay attention to hygiene, sir."

"It doesn't matter, I'll just take a shower tonight~ Actually, Mr. Zhai has already written a very complete story of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' and I have basically filmed everything I wanted to express, so it would be difficult to make a breakthrough if I made a sequel."

"But this play has a high commercial value now. Even if it's just a passable film, audiences will still be willing to buy tickets to see it."

"I'm also busy with the post-production of 'Jurassic Park,' so I'm a bit tired lately."

As soon as Xu Laoguai uttered those words, Shi Nansheng, who was always love-struck, immediately fell silent.

"Okay, then we won't film it." Shi Nansheng straightened Lao Xu's collar and said, as if coaxing a child.

Zhai Yuan watched the couple's interaction from the side, shaking his head with a helpless smile.

Zhang Aijia spoke: Xu Ke is Shi Nansheng's calamity. Her happiest moment is when Xu Ke is happy. No matter how wise and powerful she is on ordinary days, she becomes a submissive little woman by his side as soon as Xu Ke appears...

"What is it about Lao Xu that's so special that makes you so fascinated, Sister Nan?"

After visiting the special effects studio, Zhai Yuan walked out side by side with Shi Nansheng and couldn't help but gossip.

Shi Nanli replied matter-of-factly, "He's handsome and talented. Look how dashing he is when he's working seriously."

"..." Zhai Yuan stared into Shi Nansheng's eyes and asked, "I can reluctantly admit that you have talent, but handsome, where did you see that from?"

“It’s not just about looking like you that makes someone handsome. There are many different kinds of handsomeness.” Shi Nansheng said with a smile, and then asked, “And what about you, Mr. Zhai? With so many girls around you, have you ever thought about why they would be interested in you?”

Zhai Yuan straightened his back and chuckled, "I'm Rich!"

…………

Nearly two weeks after the release of "Swordsman," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has lost momentum, and Jiahe has gradually reduced its screenings.

The box office for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" continues to climb.

On July 12, several television stations, led by TVB and ATV, suddenly began broadcasting the grand opening of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" in Taiwan, resulting in a large crowd gathering outside the theaters.

"This station has received the latest film news from Taiwan: the new film 'Swordsman,' starring Brigitte Lin, has recently been released, causing an unprecedented sensation and creating a whirlwind of 'Invincible East' fever."

"Tickets for the film were sold out at many theaters in Ximending, and theaters even had to deploy additional police to maintain order. In less than ten days of release in Taiwan, 'Swordsman' grossed over NT$20 million, topping the summer box office."

Lin Qingxia's portrayal of Dongfang Bubai, in a cross-dressing role, was praised by Taiwanese film critics as "a one-woman show, with unparalleled elegance." Her memorable lines from the film became popular phrases on campuses. It is said that the two poems Dongfang Bubai composes in the film were both personally written by Hong Kong tycoon Zhai Yuan.

Viewers in Hong Kong were stunned, even through their screens.

Didn't people say before that this show had a strange style, an odd pace, and that the female lead was neither male nor female?

Why is it the Taiwanese who are speaking so passionately?

We've made so many martial arts films already. Have the people of Taiwan never tasted anything delicious before?

On the second day,
In front of the 1024 Theater, the originally scattered ticket queues quietly grew longer.

On the third day,
At the entrance of the 1024 Cinema in the bustling Prince Edward Road area, a handwritten notice was temporarily posted that read, "The afternoon showing of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' is sold out today. Please try the evening showing instead."

On the fourth day,
Even the usually quiet Tai Po 1024 Cinema has added midnight screenings...

……

The enthusiastic response from Taiwanese audiences to "Swordsman" spread its word-of-mouth in Hong Kong, prompting filmmakers to follow suit and audiences to follow suit, quickly escalating into a surge in theater attendance.

Once the herd mentality takes hold, it has a greater advantage than any form of publicity.

The box office performance of "Swordsman" suddenly surged after its second week of release.

The attendance rate soared, and by the third week, 1024's theaters were completely sold out.

It directly overshadowed "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".

In 1989, Brigitte Lin rose to fame in Hong Kong and Taiwan with her role as Invincible East!
(End of this chapter)