Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 376 Zuo Shandiao and Yan Batian, Bandits and Bullies in the Entertainment Industry
In late November, the Lunar New Year film season officially kicked off, with "Mulan" being the first film to be released.

Despite being dubbed box office poison, Xiao Yanzi continues to be used by film companies because she has a certain level of fan support. Although the strength of this support is debatable, she is still quite popular among actresses.

As I said before, female celebrities don't carry box office success.

Even the currently unparalleled success of the two films relies on the efforts of marketing and promotion, the production team, and the quality of the films. It's not something that can be achieved by the two of them alone.

Now that the two actresses are separated and each carries their own box office, they might be slightly better off than other actresses, but it's still difficult for them to have a huge breakthrough.

For example, Zhang Ziyi's solo film "Sophie's Revenge" during this summer's box office only grossed nearly 100 million yuan.

Even so, the news of the falling out between Zhang Ziyi and Li Xiaoran brought a lot of exposure to the box office.

As one of the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (a group of four popular actresses), Xiao Yanzi enjoys extremely high popularity and national recognition.

Even if she only has a limited number of fans who can support the box office, she's still better than those with no fans at all. Plus, she can bring exposure and publicity to the movie and attract casual viewers.

As for the male lead, Chen Kun, although his development has hit a bottleneck and he is being suppressed by the four top actors, he has continued to develop in the film industry in the past two years.

He has a representative work called "The Knot" and also played a significant role as Chiang Kai-shek's son in the tribute film "The Founding of a Republic".

Even in terms of film, none of the four top actors, except for Liu Huohua, have yet managed to overwhelm him; some are even inferior to Chen Kun.

Although he wasn't ranked among the top four and lacked many resources and support, this also made Chen Kun relatively more flexible, allowing him to cooperate with anyone.

For example, the "Mulan" released by Starlight International this time.

Deng and Huang had their own resources but no time, Liu Huohua was unsuitable, and Tong Dawei was considered to have low film popularity. In the end, Chen Kun used his friendship with Xiao Yanzi to defeat the two Hong Kong and Taiwan actors and snatched the opportunity.

One of the key promotional points for "Mulan" was to talk about their friendship as classmates, and even hinted that the two had dated back then, etc.

This marketing campaign was quite effective. In addition, Mulan is a well-known IP, and it coincided with the start of the Lunar New Year film season, so the film's initial box office was pretty good.

But soon, the box office began to drop rapidly.

The most important reason is quality. The director of the movie "Mulan" is Jingle Ma, who entered the industry quite early. His representative works include "Tokyo Raiders", "Seoul Raiders" and "Fly Me to Polaris". He is good at making romance movies.

Yes, he's a Hong Kong director.

While this may be somewhat absolute, after films like "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon," "Red Cliff," and "A Battle of Wits," the industry has come to realize that most Hong Kong directors are not capable of making historical films.

When a Hong Kong director, known for his romantic and urban films, makes a historical epic, one can let go of expectations.

It's still the same old gangster movie formula, with the different countries acting like different gangs fighting.

Mulan is a gentler version of the Thirteenth Sister. In the end, Mulan assassinates the enemy leader, offers her lover to marry the enemy princess, and then the world is at peace.

A film about heroines, with the majority of the film focusing on romance, and the highlights of the story being the heart-wrenching love story and tear-jerking moments.

Some more radical viewers directly called it a bad movie, while others used more subtle language but still gave it the same fatal critique—mediocre.

A movie labeled "mediocre" is not much different from a bad movie, especially during a highly competitive release period.

Even bad movies can be remembered, generate buzz and discussion, and attract curious people who want to see just how bad they are. But mediocre movies are just cannon fodder that nobody cares about, and their only fate is to flop.

Another significant factor is the outstanding performance of Hollywood films during this year's Lunar New Year film season.

In previous years, there would be one or two Hollywood movies during the Lunar New Year film season, with varying degrees of success, but this year it's clear that we've encountered some good ones.

Especially "2012", which was released almost around the same time as "Mulan", broke 100 million in three days, broke 200 million in six days, and is rushing toward 300 million at an extremely fast pace.

Not only was Mulan left bewildered, but the other blockbuster films scheduled for the Lunar New Year season are also eager to rant.

The plate is only so big, and there's already fierce competition among everyone; there might not be enough for everyone, and then this newcomer suddenly appears.

Judging from the momentum of "2012", it may very well compete with "The Founding of a Republic" for this year's box office champion. Who can stand that?

Among them, the most unhappy one was Mr. Zhang, the owner of New Picture.

The reason is simple: "A Simple Noodle Story" will be released in early December, and to some extent, it will compete with "2012".

"Bodyguards and Assassins" fared better, as it was released in mid-December, two weeks later, meaning "2012" posed little threat to the box office.

This made Boss Zhang very unhappy because of his previous unpleasantness with Yi An.

Especially when things weren't going well for screen time, he couldn't hold back and exploded, directly accusing Yan Li and China Film Group of colluding to monopolize the film, and making outrageous remarks about Yan Li and Han Sanye.

“Yi An owns her own cinema chain and Weibo account. All movies that want screenings and promotions have to pay Yan Libai Wharf and promotion fees. How is that any different from being a bully?”

“He previously publicly stated on Weibo that he wanted to poach Zhang Yimou. Is this how business is conducted? Oh, does having money mean you can do whatever you want?”

“Many people say I’m afraid of him. I’m not afraid of him. I just don’t want to affect the movie, so I’ve been enduring this humiliation. But now I can’t take it anymore.”

"I would also like to ask China Film Group. Since China Film Group was involved in 'Bodyguards and Assassins,' they took care of the screening schedule. We cooperated with Huaxia Film Distribution, and not only did we not get the screening schedule, but we also had to put two imported films on the screen to compete with each other."

"At the Huabiao Awards, everyone called him Third Master when they met him. What Third Master? I thought the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao had arrived."

"One is the Mountain Eagle, the other is the Southern Overlord. They are in cahoots. Anyone who doesn't align with them is suppressed. The current chaotic state of the film industry is inseparable from them."

"This is a festering sore in the film industry. Everyone is angry but dare not speak out. I'm willing to squeeze it out."

"..."

This news article was originally a print media interview, then it went viral on the three major portal websites, and finally it spread on Weibo, a platform known for its rapid dissemination of information.

In Los Angeles, Zhang Yimou, who was leading a promotional tour, angrily knocked on Mr. Zhang's hotel room door.

"Are you fucking crazy?!"

The feud between He Yanli and Zhang was already a headache enough, but now Boss Zhang is also attacking China Film Group.

He offended both of the two biggest factions in the mainland film industry, one government and one private.

"What's there to be afraid of? They can't eat me."

Boss Zhang was somewhat dismissive. Yan Li's tricks were nothing special. If things got out of hand, no matter how powerful his Weibo was, it wouldn't be a one-man show.

As for Master Han, he wasn't really afraid. The system was powerful, but it also had its constraints. If Han dared to retaliate, he would confirm his identity as the bandit leader and see what Han would do.

Zhang Yimou stared at Boss Zhang in shock, unsure whether he had gone mad or lost his mind.

Yes, even if things have blown up now, Han Yan is worried about the impact and won't retaliate fiercely. But once the storm passes, they won't look for an opportunity to get back at you.

One is a leading private company that controls the hottest online public opinion platform; the other is an official bigwig in the film industry with countless resources. It would be too easy for them to trip you up, leaving you speechless with bitterness.

Moreover, now that Zhang has publicly criticized Han Yan, who would dare to easily cooperate with him in the future? He has cut off his own escape route.

More importantly, it's completely unnecessary!

Zhang Yimou really couldn't understand why they had to escalate the conflict over a mere scheduling conflict.

Yan Li is one thing, it's understandable that he was angry because of past conflicts, but Master Han didn't provoke him.

The old strategist didn't understand, and neither did Han Sanye and Yan Li.

No, what gives him the right to be so arrogant?!

Seriously, Yan Li is now worth billions, and his businesses aren't limited to the entertainment industry, yet he wouldn't dare to criticize Han Sanye like that.

Similarly, Master Han is very powerful in the circle, and his every move is a threat. Even if he is dissatisfied with Yan Li, he will not publicly criticize him.

Is he trying to create hype? For example, Mr. Zhang has made various statements to create hype before.

But is it really necessary to be so brave?
Yanli is alright; after all, it's a private company. It might have some negative impact, but it won't damage its fundamentals.

The two had even exchanged insults before, with Yan Li mocking him for being stingy, a fake friend, and bullying Zhang Yimou, which could all be interpreted as colleagues exchanging barbs.

But the words of Zuo Shandiao and the bandits had a huge impact on Master Han. They were words that could be considered to strike at his heart and might affect his future. This was a real mortal enemy.

But as I said before, the system also has its own drawbacks. Now that things have gotten so heated and there is a lot of outside attention, even Han Sanye doesn't dare to respond easily, let alone retaliate, lest he get caught up in it.

Even Han Sanye not only refrained from retaliating himself, but also tried to persuade Yan Li to keep a low profile.

"Yan'er, for my sake, let's bear with it for now. I'll definitely give you an explanation later."

Although Mr. Zhang's words were excessive, they weren't entirely without merit.

Master Han didn't get to where he is today by being made of clay. He's just lying low now, but we'll show him what the real Zuo Shandiao is all about when he gets back.

"Third Master, you are very magnanimous. I am not the type to swallow my anger. I will not offend others unless they offend me. Everyone outside is watching. If I back down, how will I get along in the future?"

"Don't worry, I'll try to keep the conversation on my side. You can use this opportunity to slip away. He's just a lowly old man selling boxed lunches. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll really not know his place."

Yan Li's previous boast about poaching talent from Xinxiang was just a passing fancy, purely meant to annoy people, and he didn't intend to do anything serious.

This time, with Boss Zhang attacking head-on, Yan Li realized he had been too good-natured.

Han Sanye tried to persuade him a few times, but to no avail. In addition, he was also holding back his anger, so he finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Alright, you're not the only one getting scolded. You can't be the only one taking the blame."

"It's inconvenient for me to come out in person. You can do it openly. If you need anything from me, I'll cooperate. Consider it a favor I owe you."

This is equivalent to letting Yan Li take the lead while he stays behind the scenes. Yan Li will be the one who brings the glory, and he will bear all the risks and negative consequences in the future.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

After discussing it with Master Han, the first thing Yan Li did was to officially announce that "Bodyguards and Assassins" would be released earlier, directly competing with "A Simple Noodle Story".

The most direct way for Yan Li to get rid of Boss Zhang is to dig up dirt on him, but this method is rather underhanded, and its effectiveness is questionable, given that Boss Zhang is notorious. Therefore, Yan Li plans to use his power to intimidate him this time, with dirt on him as a secondary tactic.

First, confront him head-on and give him a good beating, then spread dirt on him, both overt and covert, so he'll understand what a real tyrant in the entertainment industry is like.

Yan Li wanted to see if this was Zhang Mazi!
...

The announcement that "Bodyguards and Assassins" would be moved up in its release date caused a sensation in the media.

Everyone had considered that Yan Li would come out and talk back, or that he would use other means to suppress "A Simple Noodle Story," but no one expected Yan Li's reaction to be so resolute.

Yan Li also responded to this decision on Weibo.

In 2002, when I first entered the industry, "Hero" was a huge hit, ushering in the era of Chinese commercial blockbusters. At that time, I had great respect for Director Zhang and the production company, New Pictures.

Later, when I started my own business, New Pictures was already a well-known company in the industry, and Mr. Zhang was a renowned industry leader. I looked up to him with admiration and hoped that one day I would be qualified to learn from such an outstanding senior.

In 2006, Yi An ventured into the film business. "Curse of the Golden Flower" broke the box office record of "Hero" and was at its peak. I also communicated with Mr. Zhang, a senior whom I had admired, but was greatly disappointed.

My initial impressions of him were threefold: arrogant, lacking in substance, and poor at business management.

[I encountered him several times afterward, and my impression of him became deeper and worse. He was a brutal manager, cold-hearted, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, and self-righteous.]

From 2002 to 2009, Yi'an rose from nothing to become an industry leader with a valuation of over 10 billion yuan. New Pictures, apart from its box office revenue increasing with the market, has not seen any other growth and remains just a large version of Director Zhang's studio.

The media calls Mr. Zhang a big shot in the film industry, but in my opinion, he's just a good-for-nothing who lives off the benefits of the times and Director Zhang's influence. Without Director Zhang, he's nothing.

Not only are they incompetent, but they also complain and blame others for their own inadequacy.

Your peers bully you, the authorities crack down on you, the media are all unscrupulous reporters, and the audience who criticize bad movies are haters. You've encountered more demons and monsters than Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West.

Society isn't your mother; you can't just cry and get treats. I thought adults understood this, but Mr. Zhang seems to have such a childlike heart.

[If Yi'an is doing well, then Yi'an is a monopoly; if I have money, then I'm a bully. Then I'd like to ask Mr. Zhang, what kind of person were you when you bullied fellow film crews, mocked new directors, assaulted reporters, insulted colleagues, and leeched off collaborators? Were you a Japanese devil?]

[Mr. Zhang questioned the screening schedule, so let me tell you why there are so few screenings. It's not because I, Yan Li, am retaliating, nor is it because China Film Group is targeting you. It's simply because the movie "A Simple Noodle Story" is terrible, utterly terrible.]

When this movie was being filmed, I went to visit the set for some reason and saw some of the filming process. Based on my experience at the time, I knew that this movie was definitely going to fail.

[After inquiring, I found out that, sure enough, it was General Manager Zhang again who wielded his power, offering many "insightful" suggestions, forcing Director Zhang to compromise, which is why the film was so appallingly bad.]

I'm announcing the earlier release date for "Bodyguards and Assassins." I don't mean anything by it; I'm just certain that "A Simple Noodle Story" will be terrible. I'm turning in my grave to avoid Mr. Zhang accusing me of using underhanded tactics and being stubborn even after losing.

Let's have a real showdown, and I'll show you that a good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing. No matter how loudly you shout, you're still just boiled water, pure waste.

【…】

Since his debut, Yan Li has been quite active in verbal battles with others, especially in the early stages of his business.

He has kept a low profile in the past two years. One reason is that he has gained more status and is more concerned about his image. Another reason is that not many people dare to mess with him.

Boss Yan has a well-known reputation for being petty.

Now, some people are fearless and actively provoke others, so Yan Li's counterattacks and attacks are even more ferocious than before.

In the past, Yan Li was still inexperienced, and his so-called arrogance was just a facade; he wasn't really that arrogant. But now it's different; Yan Li is truly powerful and truly arrogant.

Before the age of 30, he had a net worth of billions, an outstanding status in the industry, countless fans, and numerous honors.

Anyone else would have been arrogant long ago, but Yan Li is not haughty and is usually quite humble. Apart from occasionally showing off, he never mentions anything trivial. When there is a conflict, he usually retaliates after the fact. He can definitely be described as having a remarkable temperament.

But because of this, the more trouble he encounters, the less he wants to endure it, otherwise he always feels that his struggles are meaningless.

If he encounters a tough opponent, Yan Li might be a little more cautious, but if he encounters a pushover, he'll squeeze hard.

Yan Li's Weibo post, which he unusually used a backdoor to quickly climb to the top of the trending topics list, and unsurprisingly attracted all sorts of onlookers.

Many netizens analyzed this, and some influential figures praised Yan Li's response as a textbook example.

Boss Zhang's attack was quite effective. The label of "bully" made people feel disgusted with Yi An and Yan Li, and he also dragged China Film Group into it, making it seem like they were colluding.

People sympathize with the weak, and Zhang's challenge to injustice, which resembled a tragic statement, still garnered a lot of support.

However, Yan Li's retort did not attempt to prove that he was not a bully; instead, it was unconventionally aggressive.

However, Yan Li's assertiveness was skillful. When he started talking about the past, he not only used the technique of praising before criticizing, but also subtly gave both parties a new understanding of their identities.

Boss Zhang is not a weakling; on the contrary, he was a big shot in the past, someone that Yan Li could only look up to but never reach.

This greatly weakens the so-called bully narrative, turning the conflict between the two sides into a feud between old and new bigwigs, while also creating an inspirational underdog story and a contrasting image of them belittling each other.

Then Yan Li also labeled Boss Zhang, and labeled him with a lot of labels, making him seem like an incompetent and resentful good-for-nothing.

Based on this tag, Yan Li posted various comments, and even a few witty remarks emerged.

In the process, he subtly whitewashed the situation, suggesting that it wasn't Yan Li who was so capable, but rather that Boss Zhang was incompetent and made too many excuses.

Then Yan Li dug up old dirt, exposing Zhang's facade of justice.

When arguing, never follow the other person's lead. If someone criticizes you, don't explain yourself; instead, criticize them. Yan Li was a master of this.

You said I was bad? You're even more stupid and bad. You have no right to make moral judgments about me.

The term "Japanese devils" is incredibly damaging and further whitewashes himself and Han Sanye, since the bandits and bullies described by the Japanese devils are actually heroes who fought against the Japanese.

Afterwards, Yan Li reinforced Zhang's image while simultaneously promoting "A Simple Noodle Story," first labeling it a bad film and then challenging Zhang to a duel, putting Zhang in a difficult position.

If the movie is bad and Zhang loses, it will confirm that Zhang is petty, incompetent, and a complete idiot.

Netizens commented that it's hard to say whether Zhang is a good-for-nothing, but he is definitely no match for Yan Li and has suffered losses more than once or twice, yet he just doesn't learn his lesson.

There are also netizens who dislike Zhang, who have given him nicknames such as "Zhang the Fool," "Zhang the Childlike," and "Zhang the Devil," but the most popular one is "Brother Boiling Water."

"Boiling water is food that boils" has now become somewhat of an internet slang term.

Of course, Yan Li also has a nickname. "Bully" doesn't sound very nice, so some people mixed up Yan and Nan and gave him the nickname "Yan Batian" (Yan the Tyrant).

However, compared to Boss Zhang's nicknames, Yan Batian, although also derogatory, sounds quite fitting.

Boiling Water Bro VS Yan Batian

This year's Lunar New Year film season was truly lively, with many media outlets spontaneously heading to the premieres for interviews.

Yan Li was busy with the second Weibo Night and didn't attend. However, Boss Zhang was there and once again berated Yan Li in front of the media, his anger overflowing.

This time, Yan Li didn't launch a lengthy rebuttal; he simply replied to a netizen on Weibo.

Lies don't hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife. If I'm wrong, why is he so anxious?

Yan Li felt that the golden quote he saw in the future intelligence was really useful.

If you don't rush, you'll get scolded; if you do rush, it means I'm right!

When Boss Zhang called him a bully, Yan Li wasn't particularly angry. He had always wanted to be a tyrant in the entertainment industry, but he was just annoyed by this guy's provocation.

But Yan Li's comments about Boss Zhang were quite damaging, especially since they were indeed reasonable. It would be strange if Boss Zhang didn't break down.

However, what really broke Mr. Zhang's nerves was that "A Simple Noodle Story" was surpassed by "Bodyguards and Assassins" at the box office on its opening day.

The latter won the first day's box office with a lead of 360 million.

This is not surprising. The cast of "Bodyguards and Assassins" is actually much stronger than that of "A Simple Noodle Story," but it lacks Zhang Yimou, Shen Yang, and other key figures.

But this time, Yan Li personally stepped in, raising the release date to compete head-on, instantly generating buzz for both films.

The weakness of "Bodyguards and Assassins" is gone, and with "A Simple Noodle Story" being criticized as a bad movie by Yan Li, some viewers have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

With one film rising and the other falling, "Bodyguards and Assassins" takes the lead.

However, after this surge, it became difficult to catch up with "A Simple Noodle Story" again, as viewers who saw the film on its opening day began sharing their reviews.

To be honest, Yan Li's Weibo post brought some popularity to "A Simple Noodle Story".

Many viewers went to the cinema specifically to see if it was as bad as he said, and then they all said that Yan Li was being too polite.

The Weibo ratings have generated many insightful comments.

Sun Honglei is a good person, Xiao Shenyang is a bad person, Zhao Ben is a counterfeit, Zhang Yi is greedy, and Boss Zhang is a complete idiot.

[A lone plume of smoke rises from the desert, the setting sun sinks over the long river, the vast Gobi Desert...]

[Thank you Director Zhang for bringing us the Liu Laogen Grand Stage Annual Gala.]

[Old Zhang was executed in three minutes, Boss Zhang in an hour, Yan Li carried it out.]

[I previously thought Yan Li's approach was too aggressive, with two blockbusters clashing head-to-head, which could easily divert box office revenue. But now I understand his brilliance: using "A Simple Noodle Story" to highlight "Bodyguards and Assassins" elevates a 7.5 rating to a 9.5.]

[Haha, Boss Zhang proved Yan Li right with his actions. He got slapped in the face and then offered the other half of his face.]

The 50 yuan ticket makes the movie itself worthless, but the fun you get outside of the movie is well worth it.

【…】

　(2000/243000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)