Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 237 The Happy Merchant Sister Likes "Sunny Day"

Director Lu's newly scheduled film can indeed be called a "blockbuster".

In fact, since his debut, he seems to have never filmed a project with a poor cast. Before filming begins, he has always been a focus of attention both inside and outside the industry.

This time, the film he collaborated on with Zhang Guowen is the special effects action blockbuster that caused a huge stir before filming even began. It is "Kunlun Mountain," adapted from a classic IP.

This film boasts an exceptionally strong cast, including award-winning actors, actresses, top celebrities, and renowned directors, and is touted as a rare example of industrialized production in China.

Therefore, it's perfectly normal for them to schedule the film for the National Day holiday, and it's even more normal for them to take away screenings from "Girl" after the schedule was set.

Furthermore, the reason why "Kunlun Mountain" was scheduled for the National Day holiday has little to do with Ikeno.

As I said before, the National Day holiday is one of the hottest periods of the year. Since last year, the market has recovered to its peak before the film and television industry downturn.

What does such a hot market represent?
Money, countless banknotes—Shen Bin and Ma Li's casual comedy film last year grossed over 40 billion yuan, which speaks volumes.

So even if it's just for making money, movies of their caliber have to be released during the National Day or Spring Festival holidays.

As for whether there was any deliberate targeting of Ikeno and "Girl," to say there was none would be a joke, but it certainly wasn't specifically targeted—Ikeno and "Girl," with its pitifully small investment, weren't worth such a move.

"To be honest, last time it was really because Old Yang was no good. You flopped, and you made 'The Boss' look like a god of war. Look, what was originally an ordinary crime film turned into a box office miracle and even made that bastard Chi Ye win an award... It's so embarrassing."

Backstage at the "Kunlun Mountain" event.

Director Lu crossed his legs and complained to his friends, "When there are no heroes, even a nobody can become famous. Just wait and see how he tries to cause trouble this time."

Everyone around burst out laughing. Zhang Guowen looked down at his phone and said, "That's right. Last time on a variety show, he dared to talk back to me and Lao Wu. You tell me, how little self-awareness does this guy have?"

"Speaking of Lao Wu, does he have a movie coming out during the National Day holiday? There's also the National Director and Han Han, so the competition during this year's National Day holiday is going to be fierce."

Teacher Bao, the second male lead in "Kunlun Mountain," said.

"Yes, but he's not the lead actor. It's a youth film starring Du Ou. Wasn't that Hong Kong film quite profitable last year? He followed suit and made one too."

Zhang Guowen casually said, "My company also invested a little in the film starring Du Ou and Ling Han."

"That's similar to the theme of that movie 'You Are the Apple of My Eye'."

Director Lu was surprised: "You guys are on the same track this time, you're at a bit of a disadvantage."

Although they look down on Ikeno, they have to admit that Ikeno's current popularity and influence, as well as the support of "Big Boss" and the Golden Rooster Award, have indeed added a layer of halo to Ikeno.

Even if "Girl" can't compare to the other big productions in the National Day holiday, if it's a film of the same genre... how can Du Ou, who's just trying to ride on the coattails of others, compete with Chi Ye and Shang Youshu?

Is it up to Ling Han alone?
"It's a youth film, with an investment of only tens of millions. With Lao Wu making a cameo appearance and Du Ou and Ling Han starring, it'll break even in no time."

Zhang Guowen grinned, revealing a realistic attitude: "What do you mean by 'in the same track'? Our track is about making money. As long as we can make money, it's fine if we can't compete."

Everyone: "..."

Director Lu gave a thumbs up: "You've got it, Lao Zhang. You've really got it."

Zhang Guowen smiled and said nothing more.

But Director Lu and Xu Yingying, the female lead of "Kunlun Mountain," shook their heads, looking down on Zhang Guowen's behavior of making bad movies to make quick money... As for them making them too... they didn't make bad movies!

At least in their minds, they were making an epic masterpiece, a work meant to save Chinese industrial cinema.

"Alright, get ready, the event is about to start... Oh right, how many screenings has Ikeno's youth film lost?"

"Initially, they gave us 20%, but after the national director and we set the release date, they took 10%, so we still have about 10% left."

"No, that won't do. There are still too many screenings. We need to talk to the cinemas again. With our production investment, we're only getting this many screenings. Do we even want to make money? Lao Xu, you have connections, you go and talk to them."

"it is good."

Xu Yingying nodded with a smile.

……

The film industry is not a general term, but a real and existing industry.

It has its own members, which are divided into many small circles. These small circles usually fight among themselves and compete for resources, but to the outside world, they are undoubtedly "one".

This kind of unity is not the kind of relationship that children play, where "I'm nice to you, and you're nice to me." If you understand it that way, you're being too childish.

The chain that connects them is very real and very practical: it's all about interests and money.

The current Chinese entertainment film industry is mainly composed of behind-the-scenes capital from three major platforms: Huayi Brothers, the drama industry, and others, supplemented by cooperation capital from top-tier and super-top-tier celebrities, directors, and screenwriters in the film industry.

They belong to different companies, yet they have countless connections behind the scenes. They control more than 80 percent of the resources in the film industry, including the most important terminal, cinemas.

Examples include China Film Stellar Media, China Film Digital, and Bohai Cinema Line. Meanwhile, in recent years, Yue Na and Taiyang have also been developing cinema chains, either through investment or joint ventures, and have already achieved a considerable scale.

Why is the film industry so closed off and difficult to enter?
It is because a few small circles, such as the Beijing circle, control the content (front-end production, casting, shooting, post-production), and the capital they cooperate with controls the terminal cinemas. In recent years, they have also cooperated with Yue Na and Tai Yang to gradually get involved in streaming media, platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou, which fills the gaps in the marketing and promotion links between the front-end, back-end and middle.

Therefore, this circle has formed a perfect internal ecosystem, and outsiders who want to get involved have no choice but to integrate and join them.

Xu Yingying has a wide network of connections and is known as the "Magneto of the Chinese Entertainment Industry." She is responsible for handling most of the cinema relationships in the Beijing entertainment circle. Therefore, most of the screenings of "Girl" were taken by cinemas that are close to the Beijing entertainment circle.

When "The Boss" was released, Ikeno had the backing of the Hong Kong film circle, and it was a huge flop when it was released, as well as the "Fortress Incident". In order to make money, even the cinemas close to the Beijing circle were frantically giving it screenings.

However, this time, "Girl" is a project that was completely completed independently by Ikeno Studio. In other words, it has nothing to do with the Hong Kong film industry. At the same time, Ikeno's various performances after "Big Boss" have been met with dissatisfaction from the "big shots" in the film industry.

Therefore, it goes without saying that a low-budget youth film with a limited potential will find it far more difficult to make waves during the National Day holiday than imagined.

……

mid-September.

The promotional tour and publicity for "Girl" are proceeding smoothly.

With the annual National Day holiday approaching, the blockbusters scheduled for release this year have already generated considerable buzz.

Major media platforms, self-media accounts, and film critics have already listed the main contenders for this year's box office champion.

Among them, three blockbuster films are the most anticipated.

They are: *Rock Solid*, *Kunlun Mountain*, and *Climbing One*.

Of these three films, "Rock Solid" is a crime film about cracking down on organized crime, directed by a national treasure and starring top-tier actors, with two award-winning actors and supporting roles from various top stars and veteran actors.

It has a similar style to "The Boss" from earlier this year, with even the promotional materials constantly aiming to "match and surpass" it.

Judging from the various "explicit" clips circulating on Douyin, this film has clearly become a hit even before its release. Many viewers who were still craving more after watching "The Boss" earlier this year are eagerly anticipating the film's release.

Two Best Actor winners! "The Boss" only had one Best Actor winner. Moreover, "The Rock" is the director's first film on the theme of cracking down on organized crime, which is indeed something to look forward to.

Professional software platforms such as Maoyan and Taopiaopiao predict the final box office to be in the range of 35 billion to 40 billion yuan (based on the precedent of "The Big Boss").

The second film, "Kunlun Mountain," needs no introduction. It boasts a top-tier cast, including Zhang Guowen, a leading actor in the film industry, and Xu Yingying, one of the four leading actresses. It is touted as a Chinese industrialized special effects blockbuster, with a predicted box office of 38 billion to 45 billion yuan.

Finally, there's "Climbing One".

This film, *Climbing One*, is equally terrifying. It stars Wu Jing, currently the highest-grossing and most reliable actor in Chinese cinema, and the top of the six leading middle-aged actors. Zhang Ziyi plays the second lead, and the film boasts a star-studded cast of top actors from both the film and television industries. Due to Wu Jing's past terrifying performances, the film is predicted to have the highest box office, exceeding 45 billion yuan.

After that came Ikeno and Shang Youshu's "Girl", and "So Young" starring Du Ou, Ling Han, and Wu Yibo... and two animated films.

Due to the strong competition, the extraordinary cast and the subject matter, the box office predictions for "Girl" and "So Young" are not high. "Girl", with the addition of Ikeno, is predicted to be worth 8-9 million, which exceeds the total box office of "Fleet of Time" last year.

However, due to the successive release of major blockbusters, the screenings of "Girl" have been severely reduced, and the current box office forecast has also dropped to around 6 million.

"So Young" has been hovering around 4-5 million in box office revenue.

With all the distinguished guests gathered, the curtain rises.

9 month 20 number.

Scene from the "Girl" Douyin event.

After their interaction, Ikeno and Shang Youshu took a break.

Sister Shang shook her head dejectedly, her long legs lifting and lowering listlessly—she was hungry, she was tired, and she was bored.

Chi Ye answered a phone call nearby, and after hanging up, he saw Shang Jie's shrewish appearance.

"Want me to order some takeout?"

Sister Shang's eyes lit up: "No Wallace!"

"...You are truly the most respectful celebrity to Wallace on the entire internet."

Sister Shang smiled and said, "Oh dear, Xiao Chi, I've learned my lesson the hard way."

Ikeno: "Could you please add 'teacher' after that? How come you've taken away my 'honorific' title as we've been getting to know each other?"

"do not mind the details."

Sister Shang shook her finger: "It makes us feel closer. I like to call you Xiao Chi because I'm older than you."

"...Is being old something to be proud of?"

Sister Shang was taken aback, then thought about it carefully: "Hmm... I won't be arrogant, but I will make you happy, because then you will be my younger brother, and you will be able to control yourself."

Chiye: "?"

What kind of "Sister Shang's logic" is this?
Don't you know there's a group of people who just like older women?
He shook his head, deciding not to argue with Sister Shang about intelligence, because she was clearly a bit simple-minded, and he didn't want to waste his breath arguing with her.

"Um... I have some bad news to tell you."

Shang Jie paused, her long legs swaying, and glanced sideways at Chi Ye: "Don't talk about my embarrassing secrets!"

Chi Ye: "...It's not that I'm criticizing you, but people online are already saying your acting is terrible, you're living off your past achievements, and you're overweight but you know it... Oh, and there are also those 'ugly photos' of you being used to put you down..."

Sister Shang opened her mouth, then suddenly became slightly angry: "Who! How dare you slander me out of thin air!"

Chi Ye didn't speak, but Sister Shang understood: "It's those people from the film industry again? They not only 'softly blacklist' me, but they're also trying to smear me?!"

Chi Ye felt a little guilty: "Yes, it's them. Several marketing companies are fighting..."

"and many more."

When Sister Shang saw his expression and heard his words, she immediately sensed something was wrong: "Did you do something?"

Chino paused before saying, "I didn't do anything, I just badmouthed them first."

Sister Shang: “…”

"Then there's some truth to their criticism of me."

She actually understood the other person and sincerely said, "Then I won't be angry anymore, since we were the ones who attacked first anyway!"

Ikeno: "...I envy your mental state."

"What else can I do? Do you want me to go? I won't. I'm so beautiful... I can't let anything happen to me. I want to keep having fun. I still have decades of good life ahead of me."

Ikeno: "Sister is indeed sister, I admire her."

He really admired Shang Jie's mindset. Sometimes he would think that if he threw Shang Jie onto a deserted island, gave her a cell phone and regularly delivered snacks, and locked her up for a year or two, she wouldn't be bored... because she could entertain herself. That might be the life she "dreamed of".

Well... he didn't have that mindset, because he discovered that more than one company was "fighting back" against him. He was trying to take advantage of his friend Lao Lu, but the ones attacking him were all the film industry investors, including those behind "Rock" and "Climbing No. 1".

Taiyang Entertainment didn't criticize him because of Shi Jinwei.

But Yue Na did it anyway.

At this moment, things seem calm both inside and outside the industry, and Douyin and Weibo seem to be discussing the plot normally. However, related hot topics such as #YouthFilmsFleecingTheLeeks#, #ShangYoushuBoxOfficePoison#, and #DetailedAnalysisOfChiYeStudio# are on the rise.

Among them, the claim that #youthfilms are exploiting leeks# is truly undeniable... because in their attempt to smear their rivals, they even "collaterally attacked" their ally, "So Young".

And it's true, youth films are indeed blatantly exploitative, and this has been the case since last year without interruption. It even resulted in two "strange things" sneaking into the most popular National Day film season of the year, and there are examples of this.

But #ShangYoushuBoxOfficePoison# and #DetailedExplanationOfChiYeStudio# are a bit inhuman.

These two topics are about how Sister Shang was relentlessly attacked by jealous actresses, and how Chi Ye's ambitions were directly exposed.

On the surface, it seems like nothing, but as the online trolls spread the word, the topic inevitably turned to Chi Ye's decision not to act in good works after "Big Boss," but instead to make money for his own studio by independently funding youth films, clearly showing his desire to make money off fans.

No… that’s true, but… how can you break through that barrier?
Besides, poor quality films are just for exploiting consumers, while high quality films are milestones in Chinese youth cinema and classics!

It's really unreasonable.

The more Ikeno thought about it, the more she felt she couldn't just let the film industry continue to exploit her...

He called Coco again and discussed it for ten minutes before saying, "Let's do it today. Let's release the song first and show them how marketing for youth films works."

"it is good."

Coco hung up the phone.

The shopkeeper next to her, who had just secretly tasted some of the fruit provided by the event organizers, smacked her lips and noticed Chi Ye's expression, asking curiously, "A song? What song?"

"What songs do you think could be related to movies?"

"...'Sunny Day'?"

Sister Shang opened her mouth wide, her eyes darted around, and she whispered, "Then...you don't just have this one song, do you? I remember you wrote a lot of songs for this movie, and they were all used in the plot...but my favorite is 'Sunny Day'!"

"I like it too... um... there are quite a lot of songs, we have to take it one step at a time."

Ikeno nodded. The movie "Girl" should be the most "luxurious" OST of all his works to date, with every song being a hit.

Yes, Ikeno said long ago that I am not only an actor, but also a singer and a marketing master.

Why doesn't anyone care?

(End of this chapter)