Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 336 Investing in TVB, Entanglement with Young Models, and the Crazy Racer.

In January, Yan Li returned to his post in Hong Kong to oversee the final stages of the financial crisis.

Several months later, the outbreak of the financial crisis is about to end, and what remains are various chain reactions and subtle, insidious attacks.

This also means that, apart from a small amount of capital, Yan Li has begun to consider how to exit the market safely.

While making his fortune and leaving, Yan Li also consciously cultivated relationships with some Hong Kong celebrities.

If Yi'an goes public, it's unlikely to be on the US stock market; it's more likely to be listed on the A-share or Hong Kong stock markets. The same applies to Weibo.

The reason Sina Weibo chose to list on the US stock market in Future Intelligence is because Sina was already listed on the US stock market. As a subsidiary, it would be more troublesome for Sina Weibo to list domestically, and at that time, most internet companies chose to list on the US stock market.

As a completely new company, Weibo now has more options; at least Yan Li hasn't given up on the Hong Kong stock market.

In this situation, Yan Li cultivated good relationships with some Hong Kong capital and local tycoons, which would provide him with some convenience and advantages when listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Even if all else fails, having more friends means having more options.

Hong Kong's capital market may decline in the future, but it still has a deep foundation. It wouldn't hurt for Yan Li to make more connections.

Peninsula Hotel, a banquet
Yan Li unexpectedly ran into Boss Jiang from Anle, and they chatted for a while.

Among the giants of Hong Kong's entertainment industry, Edko Films is arguably the most low-key.

This is also related to the fact that Edko Films rarely signs artists. To Yan Li's recollection, Edko's only mainland artist at present is Tang Wei, who became famous for "Lust, Caution".

If you don't manage artists and are just a film and television company, your brand awareness will definitely be lower.

Not to mention that Edko Films' business is more focused on investment and distribution, with fewer films produced under its own leadership, resulting in a lower profile.

Low profile does not mean low ability.

To put it simply, Edko Films is Zhang Yimou's financial backer. For Zhang Yimou's films, New Pictures was the main producer, and Edko Films was responsible for funding them.

Zhang Yimou's financial capabilities are evident to all, and it's easy to imagine how much money Edko Films, as the financial backer and the overseas copyright operator, has made.

As for film collaborations, Yan Li and An Le didn't have much to talk about.

Yan Li has no shortage of money from Anle, and Yi An, who has cooperation with Dongfang and Yinghuang, also has no shortage of Anle's Hong Kong channels.

But Yan Li wanted to learn about Anle's overseas channels.

Although it's difficult for films to go global and make a profit now, every little bit counts, and the key is to have a gimmick and a story.

Sometimes, making money isn't important; venturing out is.

Another thing is that Edko Films is very familiar with many overseas film companies, and Yan Li wants to acquire the Chinese copyrights of some overseas films and television series to enrich his copyright film library.

With the financial crisis, his cash flow will soon be much more abundant. He can't keep all the money in his hands; he has to spend it when necessary.

Copyright acquisition is one direction. Leaving aside the issue of preserving and increasing value, the key is that it can make Yan Li's copyright library more complete and valuable, which would be a great help to his plan to control Tudou.com.

Yan Li is currently riding high, and Boss Jiang wants to build a good relationship with him, especially since he can also profit from this matter.

In just a few words, they reached a certain agreement and agreed to discuss it in detail later.

Mr. Jiang was quite considerate. Knowing that Yan Li had few acquaintances in Hong Kong, he took the initiative to act as a matchmaker. Thanks to him, Yan Li even met Shao Daheng, a media tycoon in Hong Kong.

Yan Li was quite lucky; Shao Daheng, who was over 100 years old, had been living a more and more secluded life in recent years.

Such banquets and gatherings are rare, perhaps only happening once a year. It's truly a rare treat that Yan Li gets to meet and chat for a while.

This was the first time Yan Li had met Shao Daheng, but not the Miss Fang standing next to him.

Now that Shao Daheng is getting old, he is semi-retired, and TVB is almost entirely controlled by Ms. Fang, while Yi An has had many collaborations with TVB.

For example, TV series produced or distributed by Yi An, such as "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng", "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang", "The Return of the Condor Heroes", "The Deer and the Cauldron" and "Rouge Snow", are sold to TVB for broadcast.

At the same time, some of TVB's high-quality Hong Kong dramas are distributed in mainland China through Yi An, and they fetch higher prices than if they were sold by TVB itself.

By the way, Yan Li also acquired the online streaming rights to many high-quality TVB and Shaw Brothers films, which allowed Ms. Fang to make a small profit.

The fact that Shao Daheng and Yan Li had a special chat this time was probably related to this matter.

Yan Li and Shao Daheng's conversation attracted a lot of attention.

One is a veteran media mogul from Hong Kong, and the other is a rising entertainment tycoon from mainland China. The old and the young—it's quite intriguing.

When Lianjiang Boss returned, he couldn't help but tease Yan Li, saying, "If there had been reporters here today, I'm afraid we would have heard the news of Yi An's investment in TVB by tomorrow."

Yan Li smiled and said, "Even without reporters, if the news leaks out, it will probably cause quite a stir."

Three events had a significant impact on the Hong Kong entertainment industry last year: the photo scandal, the financial crisis, and the change of ownership of Golden Harvest.

Although Golden Harvest is no longer as powerful as it once was, and its status has been replaced by Yinghuang and Media Asia, the reputation and prestige it has accumulated in Hong Kong over the decades are not to be underestimated. To a certain extent, it can be regarded as a calling card and totem of the golden age of Hong Kong films.

The acquisition of Golden Harvest by a mainland company, which became Orange Sky Golden Harvest, has dealt a significant blow to those working in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

It's understandable that if one day the Beijing Film Studio or the Shanghai Film Studio were to be restructured and acquired by Hong Kong or Taiwan companies, it would be a major event for the mainland film industry.

In addition, with the large-scale northward migration of Hong Kong and Taiwan capital and artists, and the current predicament of Hong Kong's film and television industry, Yan Li has seen many extremely pessimistic views published in print and television media in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's film and entertainment industry is finished!

It's a bit early to say this now, but all indications suggest that day isn't too far off.

In this situation, many media outlets in Hong Kong are quite sensitive.

TVB, another iconic brand representing the pinnacle of Hong Kong dramas, has long been the subject of speculation about whether it will be sold to someone else.

After all, like Golden Harvest, which is in a bad situation, TVB is now plagued with problems: its founder is old, its core executives are either gone or too old, its internal creative team and artists are lacking young talent, and its profits are declining.

Selling TVB like Mr. Zou and enjoying his retirement might not be a bad choice.

Even several buyer media outlets have been selected. Yan Li, who has been active in Hong Kong recently and is also a big shot in the mainland, is naturally a popular candidate.

Outsiders spread all sorts of rumors, but Yan Li had no interest in them.

Regardless of whether Shao Daheng is willing to sell or not, even if he were, Yan Li would have a hard time affording it. More importantly, there's not much that TVB has to offer him right now.

Instead of buying TVB, Yan Li should invest in building Tudou.com. Some of TVB's advantages can be compensated for by poaching talent or through strategic partnerships.

However, Yan Li did not clarify that he did not intend to buy TVB.

TVB took the opportunity to boost its stock price, and Yan Li also made his presence felt. In Hong Kong, people are superstitious about wealth and authority. With a big name and strong financial resources, Yan Li can achieve twice the result with half the effort in many things.

Therefore, on the third day of the banquet, Yan Li made a special trip to TVB to visit Miss Fang.

The two were talking about "Legend of Chu Liuxiang 2", a drama that was a hit in mainland China in December. TVB bought the Hong Kong rights and planned to broadcast it as the opening drama of the year.

Another drama confirmed as TVB's opening drama for the year is "The Deer and the Cauldron" starring Zhang Dahuzi, which is also distributed by Yi An.

Nowadays, Hong Kong mainly buys martial arts and period dramas from the mainland because fewer and fewer of these two genres are being produced in Hong Kong, and they are not as good as those produced in the mainland.

Therefore, TVB's locally produced dramas mainly consist of family dramas, urban dramas, and professional dramas, while it purchases or invests in mainland costume dramas and martial arts dramas.

As the largest TV drama distribution company in mainland China, Yi An sold more than eight period dramas to TVB last year alone, and helped TVB distribute four dramas to mainland China.

To some extent, TVB is also an important partner of Yi An in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, but it is more business-oriented.

Ms. Fang attached great importance to Yan Li's visit to TVB and personally accompanied him on a tour of the station, along with several other TVB executives.

Yan Li took a few extra glances, unsure whether it was a misunderstanding or simply an expression of importance, as all three major factions of TVB had arrived.

That's right, TVB is divided into factions, and the conflicts are almost always public.

Even Yan Li, who hadn't spent much time in Hong Kong, had heard a few words about Zeng Ledou; the fight between them was quite a spectacle.

Yan Li chatted with the three major factions for a while, among which the music faction was the most enthusiastic about him.

The leader of the Lok Pair is TVB's Artist Director, Virginia Lok, often referred to as Sister Lok. Her team includes a number of promising young artists, such as Bosco Wong, Raymond Lam, Ron Ng, Fala Chen, Linda Chung, and Kate Tsui.

Yan Li initially thought she had misjudged his investment in TVB, but later he realized what was going on.

As a core senior executive at TVB, Sister Lok must know the inside story. The reason she is so keen on Yan Li is that she wants to get in touch with Yan Li or Yi An so that some TVB artists can go north to make money.

The group of people under her command are young, commercially savvy, and idol-like; they are TVB's rising stars. If they successfully move to the mainland, it will be very beneficial for both TVB and herself.

After Yan Li understood the situation, his reaction to Yue was rather indifferent.

Just kidding, he can't even manage to promote all the artists like Yi An, why should he share with someone from TVB?

If these people were popular enough to bring some benefits to Yi An, that would be fine, but in reality, these TVB actors and actresses aren't that famous in mainland China.

Yan Li doesn't have much of a Hong Kong or Taiwan bias, so under the same conditions, he would naturally prefer to support people from the mainland.

After spending some time at TVB, building relationships, and fulfilling some hype and publicity needs, Yan Li left.

Miss Fang went back first, while Sister Zeng, the leader of the other faction who was at odds with Sister Le, sneered.

"I offered my warm face but got a cold shoulder."

Sister Tsang is the head of TVB's drama department, in charge of drama production. She has a group of people under her, who are mostly talented and obedient.

These artists face great difficulties moving north, and Sister Zeng is unwilling to go through the hassle; she just enjoys Sister Le's antics.

"Crazy thread."

Sister Le cursed and led her people back to the office. Still not giving up, she prepared to use a scheme.

Seduction!

It's common knowledge that Boss Yan has many hobbies. She may not have many other employees, but she has plenty of female celebrities. If you can get in touch with a couple of them, Yan Li will eventually give in.

"Disaster."

One of her deputies shook his head. Sister Le had wanted to get close to Yan Li for a long time, and had previously sent people to learn about Yan Li.

“There are many people who think like us, and there are all sorts of unorthodox ways to climb the social ladder, but Yan Sheng has ignored them all. Rumor has it that because of the yacht incident, Yan Sheng doesn’t trust us very much.”

As a mainland tycoon and a self-made young tycoon, he is definitely a top-tier sought-after figure in Hong Kong's capital-obsessed environment.

Countless entertainment companies, agents, celebrities, and models wanted to get on Yan Li's good side.

After the yacht incident, Yan Li, whether out of caution or because of rumors that mainland women had come to Hong Kong to take charge, almost ignored these women.

"A couple of days ago, paparazzi reported that Yinghuang's Xue Kaiqi almost chased him into the men's restroom, but we haven't heard anything about what happened next."

Sister Le asked in confusion, "Xue Kaiqi, isn't that Cheng Long's daughter-in-law?"

"It seems they broke up, and I heard that the Xue family has encountered some difficulties due to the financial crisis. This may be part of the reason why they sought out Yan Sheng."

Le Jie didn't pay much attention to Xue Kaiqi's matter; she was more concerned about how to get close to Yan Li.

"Whether it works or not, let's try first. Arrange for a few people to be on standby, and I'll see if I can get Yan Sheng to come out."

After thinking for a moment, Sister Le said, "We need to be prepared for both possibilities. I remember those two models from the yacht incident; they went to the mainland to attend Yan Sheng's Weibo Night, right? Let's find a way to contact them."

If you can't build your own cable, find an existing one.

She easily seduce two young models with offers of TVB roles.

...

There are quite a few people who share similar thoughts with Sister Tong Le, which puts Kim under a lot of pressure, fearing that her two treasures will be poached.

What put even more pressure on her was that Yan Li, after returning to Hong Kong, had been ignoring Wen Yongshan and Baby.

If there's no follow-up, and it's just a yacht scandal involving a woman, then the benefits for Wen Yongshan and her partner would be very limited.

It's worth noting that the two previously worked as "young models," a term that hasn't been stigmatized yet. These models were essentially teenage models, emphasizing youthfulness, beauty, and energy.

After the yacht incident, the two gained much more fame, but their innocent image was also destroyed, making it difficult for them to continue down the young model route.

With Yan Li's help, the two might be able to enter the film and television industry and naturally become actors and stars.

If Yan Li leaves them alone, and they're unlucky enough to end up in the modeling world, the competition there is much fiercer than that for young models, and they might just fade into obscurity one day.

Kim was anxious, as were Baby and Wen Yongshan.

Especially Baby, having tasted the sweetness of taking shortcuts, she has no desire to endure the hardships of being a model anymore.

"Sis, can you think of a way to take us to the banquet where Yan Sheng hangs out? If Xue Kaiqi can block the toilet, so can I."

Kim rolled her eyes: "Who do you think I am? How would I know Yan Sheng's schedule? Even if I did know, there might be an invitation or some kind of entry requirement, and you might not be able to get in."

Yan Li socializes with a purpose, so the gatherings and social events he attends are all of a high standard, and ordinary people simply cannot participate.

Xue Kaiqi's case is special. In any case, she is a well-known actress and a fallen heiress with some connections.

Moreover, with this matter spreading so widely, it's hard to say whether it's true or false. It might just be a publicity stunt or something orchestrated by Xue's rivals.

"It's difficult to rely on this; you'll have to come up with more solutions yourselves."

Wen Yongshan sounded slightly deflated: "We asked twice, but Yan Sheng didn't respond. If we ask any more, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction and I'll be blocked."

Given Yan Li's status, they dared not harass him too much, and could only exchange a few words of greeting. If Yan Li responded, they would chat; if not, they could only wait.

Baby came up with another idea: "Why don't we ask Young Master Huang for help?"

"It's no use, I've already talked to them."

Kim shook his head: "The yacht incident last time didn't turn out well, so he's being more careful now. Also, Yan Sheng's girlfriend subtly warned him when she came last time. He won't dare to get involved unless Yan Sheng speaks up." Baby and Wen Yongshan sighed. If nothing works, what's the point of playing?

During the Weibo Night event, the two of them vaguely realized how popular Yan Li was. If they didn't seize the opportunity to make a breakthrough, Yan Li might forget their names when they met again.

Baby was silent for a moment, then suddenly gritted her teeth: "I can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, it will be the New Year. Even if Yan Sheng doesn't go back, someone else will come. Whether he lives or dies, it's all over."

She took out her phone to make a call, but was stopped by Wen Yongshan, who was more conservative.

"There's still time, let's wait a little longer."

The two argued back and forth, and in the end Kim made the decision, while the latter hesitated for a moment.

"Don't move, I'll fight. Even if it fails, there's still room for maneuver."

Taking a deep breath, Kim dialed Yan Li's number under the watchful eyes of Wen Yongshan and the other woman.

Even though it was through a phone, Kim still subconsciously flashed a fawning smile.

"Yan Sheng, this is Kim, good evening, good evening."

"Well, Baby and Yongshan have been wanting to thank you in person for inviting them to Weibo Night. They wanted to visit you when they were in Beijing, but they saw you were busy, so they didn't bother you. Now that you're in Hong Kong, they keep saying they want to thank you. I wanted to ask if you have time."

"No, no, no, this may be a small favor for you, but it is extremely important to us. We must thank you in person. Please give us a chance."

"..."

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll wait. You're too kind."

Kim hung up the phone, excitedly pumped his fist, and looked at the two of them: "Yan Sheng sent a car, let's change clothes."

About half an hour later, Kim personally escorted the two into a van and then drove them all the way to their residence.

When they got out of the car and went upstairs, the two tried to conceal themselves. The place wasn't particularly secluded, and it was hard to say whether paparazzi were watching them.

The two of them might not actually be afraid of being photographed; they could even use the opportunity to create some buzz. However, they were worried that Yan Li might have some ulterior motives, so they had to be careful.

Upon arriving at the destination, they knocked on the door, and the assistant welcomed them inside before leaving.

Baby and her companion dropped their pretenses and approached Yan Li, who was watching TV, speaking sweetly to him.

"Yan Sheng~"

Yan Li looked up at the two of them, his eyes brightening slightly.

The two wore identical white printed cropped tops, revealing their flat stomachs, and red and blue denim shorts, showing off their slender and fair legs. They looked youthful and stylish.

More importantly, the two are dressed the same, have similar makeup and makeup, and their eyebrows and eyes are also similar. At first glance, they look a bit like twins.

Last time on the yacht, perhaps worried about competition, the two emphasized their individuality. This time, worried about not being attractive enough, they focused on a twin bond.

"sit."

Yan Li gave a signal, and two people stood on either side of him, one on his left and one on his right.

Baby was more proactive, and as soon as she sat down, she snuggled up to Yan Li, holding onto her arm and rubbing against her. Wen Yongshan, who had been somewhat reserved, also moved closer to Yan Li when she saw this.

Yan Li didn't pretend to be a gentleman; he put his arm around the two of them and enjoyed the perk.

Seeing that Yan Li seemed to be in a good mood, Baby complained in a coquettish tone, "Yan Sheng, you haven't contacted us for so long, I thought you had forgotten about us."

"Too busy."

Yan Li gave a perfunctory reply, glanced at the coffee table, and Wen Yongshan brought over a wine glass and fed it to Yan Li.

"It's a bit bland, add some more wine."

After giving the order, Yan Li looked at Baby and asked, "How did you feel about going to the Weibo Night event that day?"

"It was so much fun and amazing. The whole place was full of celebrities. It was so amazing. We even trended on social media and gained tens of thousands of followers."

Baby talked endlessly about Weibo. She had indeed experienced Boss Yan's power that day and benefited from it, which is why she was so eager to please Yan Li.

"What about you?"

Yan Li asked Wen Yongshan, who handed him a wine glass, blushed slightly, and said shyly.

"I'm not good with words and don't know how to express it, but I just think that Yan Sheng is particularly charming and attractive when he gives a speech on stage."

"You still say you're bad with words? I think your words are sweeter than Baby's."

Yan Li refuted, but Wen Yongshan shook her head and looked at Yan Li with a hint of admiration.

"Really, I'm not flattering you, but on that day, Yan Sheng was the center of attention. Every move you made was incredibly domineering and majestic. I... I even dreamed about you that night."

"Haha."

No one dislikes flattery, whether it's sincere or not. The pretty young girl expressed her admiration for him with a face full of adoration, and Yan Li was in a very good mood.

Seeing that Yan Li clearly favored Wen Yongshan more, Baby next to him was dumbfounded.

What happened to the bond we were promised?!

What happened to our promise of cooperation and sisterly unity? You actually pulled this stunt?!

Wen Yongshan ignored her, took out her phone, and focused on asking Yan Li how to use Weibo on his phone.

The newly launched mobile Weibo app is available in Hong Kong, but there are some limitations; it's not as convenient as on the mainland.

Wen Yongshan didn't just download a random mobile Weibo app to fool people; she actually used it and did some research, and the questions she asked were all targeted.

This made Yan Li more serious when teaching her, which can also be considered a kind of user survey.

Seeing how close the two were, Baby wanted to join the conversation, but she was unprepared and couldn't say a word. Wen Yongshan also seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally excluding her.

Bitch!

Bitch!

Bitch!

Baby is already mentally cursing Wen Yongshan.

When Kim and the two of them usually talk about Yan Li, Wen Yongshan doesn't say much and seems a bit reluctant, which means Kim and the others have to give her some psychological support.

Who would have thought that while the other person appeared hesitant on the surface, they secretly worked hard and seized the opportunity to catch her off guard.

She's such a baby, opening the door is utterly despicable.

Seeing Wen Yongshan acting like a little fangirl, constantly getting close to Yan Li, Baby gritted her teeth for a moment, then suddenly knelt down and got down to business.

Aren't you good at playing innocent?
I may not be as obedient as you, but I'm definitely not as slutty as you!

Wen Yongshan was startled by Baby's sudden behavior, and seeing that Yan Li didn't react and was enjoying himself, she also started to show her skills.

Seemingly feeling somewhat outmatched by Baby, who had the upper hand, he steeled himself and buried his head in his work as well.

Yan Li leaned back on the sofa, squinting at the television screen, which was showing an old comedy movie. A title was displayed in the corner: "The Heroic Double Cannon"...

...

While Mr. Yan was making his fortune in Hong Kong, a new round of film and television competition also began in mainland China in January.

Yi An, in collaboration with CCTV, launched the New Year's tribute drama "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes".

This serious drama, starring Deng Chao, Sun Honglei, and Yang Xue, achieved phenomenal ratings, surpassing other dramas airing at the same time and securing the top spot.

Deng Chao himself has also sparked a lot of discussion. Although there is a lot of controversy, the overall evaluation is mostly positive.

As mentioned earlier, a successful serious drama can have a significant impact on a popular actor.

With "The Road to Awakening", Yi An began to promote Deng Chao from a popular young actor to an all-around actor with both popularity and strength.

This gives Deng Chao another advantage in his competition with Huang Xiaoming.

Among the four most renowned leading men in mainland China, Liu Huohua is a true powerhouse, having won both the Golden Horse and Golden Rooster Awards, making him a standout among popular young actors.

Tong Dawei debuted with "Jade Goddess of Mercy" and has starred in many realistic and period dramas in recent years. He is not known for his looks and can be considered a half-talented young actor.

Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming were both previously considered idol actors.

Deng Chaowei is slightly better because he mostly acts in period dramas, and last year he also starred in movies such as "Assembly", "Painted Skin" and "The Equation of Love and Death", which proves his acting skills to some extent.

The current popularity of the serious drama "The Road to Awakening" may not guarantee Deng Chao a smooth career transition, but it can certainly reduce a lot of his burdens.

Huang Xiaoming is different. Since his debut, he has always been known as an idol/handsome young man. After joining Huayi Brothers, he further reinforced this concept in order to increase his popularity.

The benefits were numerous, allowing Huang Xiaoming to break the monopoly of Hong Kong and Taiwan idols, and his popularity and fame rose rapidly, making him the most popular young actor in mainland China to this day, without exception.

The downside is that her works have become increasingly controversial, and she herself has been caught up in the "pretty face" controversy, being accused of relying solely on her looks.

Once this label is attached, it has a significant impact on the artist.

Deng Chao, who is competing with him, will certainly not let this plan go, and will use "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes" to launch a new round of attacks.

Huang Xiaoming is actively working to resolve this issue, pinning his hopes on Huayi Brothers' tribute film, "Dawn 1949".

2009 was a special year. Yi An took the lead in preparing to film "The Message". Huayi Brothers could not give up, so they started a new project.

"The Message" is about espionage, while "Dawn 1949" is about defense and counter-espionage.

It tells the story of the liberation of Beiping in 1949, when remnants of the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau wanted to assassinate the leaders and disrupt Beiping. The high-level leadership established a special protection group to fight against these remnants with wit and courage.

The director is Chen Guofu, a senior executive at Huayi Brothers. The cast is mainly composed of Huayi Brothers employees, including Zhang Hanyu, Huang Xiaoming, Zhou Xun, Chen Daoming, Fan Wenfang, Wang Baoqiang, and Li Chen.

Zhang, Zhou, and Wang are all positive characters, while Chen and Huang are villains.

Chen is the mastermind and hidden big boss behind the scenes. He is high-class, deeply hidden, and has few scenes. Huang, although his deputy, is the executor in the open and is the main antagonist.

It is said that the role originally intended for Zhang Hanyu was played by Huang Xiaoming, but he declined, insisting on playing a villain to challenge himself, just to get rid of the idol actor image.

With Yi An's "The Message," Huayi Brothers' "Dawn 1949," and China Film Group's "The Founding of a Republic," there's a high probability that they'll engage in a fierce battle during this year's National Day holiday.

Compared to the National Day holiday season, which is still relatively far away, the second half of the Lunar New Year film season in January has already begun its fierce competition.

In early January, "Red Cliff II" was released, clashing with "If You Are the One," which still had momentum.

"Red Cliff II" was a great success, but it was immediately overwhelmed by a barrage of negative reviews.

The first one was bad enough, but I didn't expect the second one to be even worse.

Well, while the first movie was full of flaws, it was relatively normal because it focused more on setting up the plot. But in the second movie, the storyline went completely off the rails, leaving viewers speechless.

Sun Shangxiang and Xiao Qiao were vying to run to Cao Cao's camp, resulting in countless ridiculous lines and scenes.

What's most baffling is that Huarong Road was gone, so Cao Cao was released by Zhou Yu?!

Seriously, you had Cao Cao feign death and act like a clown to escape. While that's slanderous, at least it makes sense.

Zhou Yu went through so much trouble, almost losing his wife, to defeat Cao Cao, and then said, "We all lost," and let Cao Cao go. It's an insult to the audience's intelligence.

You let Cao Cao go, and Cao Cao suddenly realized his mistake, went back and stopped fighting, and the world was at peace, right?
This isn't how you oppose war; it's practically a comedy!
Netizens have expressed that Feng Xiaogang's comedies are outdated, while Wu's comedies are the true comedies.

Despite its huge reputation, its prime location during the Lunar New Year holiday, and its impressive screening rate, "Red Cliff II" still showed signs of decline despite such poor word-of-mouth.

Many people originally thought that "Red Cliff II" was about the final battle and that the box office should be better than the first film.

The undeniable facts tell everyone that, let alone surpassing the first film, even breaking 3 million views will be difficult, and breaking 2.5 million views will depend on fate.

After all, Crazy Racer was released in mid-January.

When the film was initially scheduled for mid-January, there were many internal opponents at Yi An, because it was too close to the release of "Red Cliff II" and they were likely to suffer losses.

However, Yan Li insisted that "Red Cliff II" was not a threat and that "Crazy Racer" could even step on it to rise to the top.

Is "Red Cliff Part II" bad, an eyesore?
Then watch "Crazy Racer" to cleanse your eyes!
Seeing the disgrace of domestic films, do you think Chinese cinema has no future?
Then let's watch the shining example of Chinese cinema and regain our confidence!
Is Wu Baige unworthy of her reputation, or has she run out of talent?

Then come and witness the talent of the mainland director, the standard-bearer of the sixth generation of directors!

Don't be afraid to criticize "Red Cliff". With this trend, "Red Cliff" is already doomed. It's better to let "Crazy Racer" benefit from it.

While China Film Group was the main producer of "Red Cliff," it also had a share and distribution rights in "Crazy Racer."

Having gained experience from films such as "Painted Skin," "Ip Man," and "The Peach Blossom Luck," all parties have accumulated more expertise in how to coordinate with Weibo for comprehensive promotion.

Yan Li personally issued an instruction that even if the movie "Crazy Racer" lost money, the box office should be boosted.

As a result, Yi An kept increasing the publicity and distribution costs, and promoted the film frantically through various channels, so that "Crazy Racer" soared all the way to success as soon as it was released, just like its name.

On its opening day, Wednesday, it grossed over 1800 million.
Thursday and Friday, 1600 million+, 1900 million+
Weekend box office exploded, exceeding 3300 million and 2700 million.
Breaking 100 million in five days!

It broke the record for the fastest film produced by Yi An to reach 100 million yuan in box office revenue, which was previously held by "Painted Skin".

Not only did it perform exceptionally well at the box office, but on Weibo's newly launched movie rating system, "Crazy Racer" scored a high 8.7, surpassing "If You Are the One" and "Ip Man" to become the highest-rated film in this Lunar New Year season.

Such a performance even alarmed Yan Li in Hong Kong.

Originally, his target for "Crazy Racer" was 2 million+ RMB. Combining this with "Painted Skin" and the subsequent "The Message", three consecutive films with 2 million+ RMB box office revenue would greatly improve Yi An's film performance.

But judging from the current momentum, with its focus on word-of-mouth and Yi An's aggressive marketing campaign, "Crazy Racer" might actually have a chance to break the 3 million mark...

(End of this chapter)