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

Chapter 274 He's Amazing
Inside the Debussy Cinema.

The dimly lit theater gradually brightened, and thunderous applause erupted and lasted for a long time.

The wealthy woman and her best friend stood up and applauded along with the many celebrities in the theater—in fact, the applause from the audience was the most enthusiastic and excited.

— "Flu" is good, it's fucking good.

The superb special effects, excellent soundtrack, filming techniques, acting skills, and even any of the extras make it hard to distinguish between real people and real "zombies"...

All of this signifies that Flu is a top-tier, industrially produced blockbuster film, with virtually impeccable commercial performance.

In terms of plot, beneath the exciting and thrilling scenes of "Flu" lies a constant exploration of cross-strait "relationships" and human nature.

Especially the final climax, Chi Ye went from being selfish and indifferent at the beginning to experiencing the journey and successfully surviving the self-redemption... Perhaps Zhang Lin was not redeeming himself, but he was already "dead" the moment he saw his daughter turn into a zombie.

Before he "died," he was willing to use his own flesh and blood to fight for a way out for Li Ya and Ma Qiang, the couple who had helped him all along.

But the final path to survival is also the path to death.

The rich woman still remembers the shock of that last shot. The moment she saw the sniper scope in the camera, the instant the scope was aimed at Li Ya's forehead.

Her whole body was trembling.

—The gunshot rang out, and all was silent. Nothing more needed to be said.

This ending is the most realistic, the most raw, and the most authentic ending.

none of them.

A famous film critic once commented on Train to Busan: "If that last shot had been fired, the movie would have been a masterpiece."

With Ikeno and Kenshin's substantial financial support, the quality, production, and brilliance of "Flu" far surpass the original "Train to Busan."

He filmed two versions of the ending: one for domestic release and approval, and the other for its international premiere.

Currently, there are problems with the film's release in mainland China, but the international film industry has taken this step as planned.

The scene exploded.

……

"call……"

Ling Bingbing tilted her head back, maintaining her viewing posture. She had just been clapping—a genuine clapping, because the quality and production level of "Flu" made it really hard not to applaud.

What's more... "Flu" is a domestically produced film!
Although Ikeno has always touted this as a "co-production," that was only to pass censorship and be released in mainland China. In fact, Ikeno was the one who spearheaded this film, and he is a "high-quality idol" in the Chinese entertainment industry, a top-tier celebrity with an unparalleled influence.

A year ago, he was a symbol representing the Chinese entertainment industry; now, a year later… he may become a symbol of the Chinese entertainment industry on the international stage.

"...Sis, is this the kind of movie we can actually make?!"

Ling Han, Chi Ye's brainless fangirl, was now a little at a loss and turned to look at her older sister.

Ling Bingbing's rise to fame almost coincided with the booming of the domestic film market. She put in a lot of effort for acting and later transitioned to behind-the-scenes work, participating in the production of various blockbusters.

Has she ever seen a domestically produced film of this caliber?

How does it compare to "749 Bureau," which is still full of confidence in the industry?
Ling Bingbing didn't answer her sister's question, but just shook her head: "He's so amazing."

He's amazing... Who's amazing?
Chi Ye.

Ikeno is amazing.

Previously, Ling Bingbing didn't know much about Chi Ye, only that he was a very shrewd and calculating artist. Well... perhaps his looks and talent were also plus points. But after watching "Flu," she actually felt that he was the one who had "devoted himself to the development of the Chinese film industry"...

What kind of idea is this?
How old is he?

So ridiculous.

……

"He's so amazing."

In the same theater, in the front row, Sister Shang stared wide-eyed at the chillingly realistic ending, unable to contain her shock for a long time.

Compared to Ling Bingbing, the "enemy," Shang Jie, an ally, naturally understands Chi Ye better, but...

But Ikeno, you're being biased!
Shang Jie was about to stand up aggressively and question Chi Ye: "Why do you make big-budget films like this with Sheng Ning, but only lovey-dovey films like 'Girl' with me?"

"Tell me! Do you really have feelings for me, Mr. Shang? Are you coveting my beauty and deliberately choosing this kind of film for me to do whatever you want?!"

Ok…

She saw the dog bending over and waving furtively in her direction this summer... This summer hurried and finally "slipped" over here at the end of the video.

Without batting an eye, Sister Shang turned around smoothly, as if nothing had happened, and sat back down in her seat.

"Hmm... Weiwei, can you check if there's something under my butt? I feel like I need to poop..."

"...Sister, the person sitting next to you today is me. Sister Shi didn't come in."

"Oh, I'm using voice messaging."

A young woman from the same company glanced at Shang Jie's phone, which was off, and nodded: "...Then you can use voice messaging."

"You don't understand the latest AI voice technology."

Shang Jie muttered something without blushing at all, pretending to be serious.

……

"It's over? It's already finished airing?"

On the other side, the Empress Dowager walked over, her back bent, and looked at the gradually stopping applause, her face ashen: "How come it's so fast, just like you."

Chiye: "?"

He was already in a great mood thanks to the atmosphere and feedback, and casually replied, "I haven't tried it yet, so don't jump to conclusions. If I really do beat it instantly, would you be happy?"

This summer, her face turned fierce: "I'm not happy."

"...You certainly speak your mind."

"Cough cough."

Hearing the two's almost undisguised and lewd words, Sheng Ning's face turned two shades green. She coughed heavily, attracting Jin Xia's attention.

"Oh, my sister is here too. I'm sorry, sister, you really shouldn't say such things in front of your elders."

Sheng Ning twitched the corners of her mouth, glanced at her with her phoenix eyes, and then turned to Chi Ye and said, "Get ready, we have a lot of film companies to talk to."

Even without her saying it, Ikeno had already noticed that many film companies were heading his way.

Sitting on the other side, Ma Ge from Taiwan smacked his lips: "I wonder how many copyrights we can sell this time..."

The major film distributors and dealers at the Cannes Film Festival are not simply there to buy film rights.

To be precise, the reason Cannes is one of the biggest events in the international film industry, and why it's held so grandly each year with so many film companies participating, is largely because it directly affects their interests. These direct interests refer to investment, marketing and publicity, distribution networks and resource allocation, and lastly, copyright acquisition and packaging.

For example, NEON's TikTok panic reaction videos and AI trailers are examples of how an oligarch uses social media to quickly spread the hype of a movie, helping the film he favors to become a huge hit and rake in global box office revenue.

XYZ Films, through celebrity cameos, and Peccadillo, through "restricted content packages," increase viewers' desire to consume and promote a multi-dimensional and ecological chain of interests.

In short, these "oligopoly" companies are not just copyright buyers, but more like "all-around partners" in the film market.

They provide full-process support to film studios from production to release through capital investment, marketing innovation, distribution networks, technical support, and resource integration, ensuring the film's success in its niche market.

This is one of the reasons why they have been able to stand tall in Cannes and the international film scene.

Previously, "Flu" was clearly seen as a "wild child" by them—don't get me wrong, it still is.

Because they were hardly used at all during the production of "Flu," including in terms of investment, even though "Flu" was a huge hit, their profits were very limited.

This is why people weren't so concerned about the flu before.

Imagine this: I promoted so many top-tier films that I invested in and packaged at Cannes this time, and now you want me to show favoritism towards a "Chinese film" whose main characters were previously unknown in the European and American markets? Isn't that just crazy?
This is completely contrary to their own interests.

嗏

After watching "Flu", everyone quietly changed their minds - "Flu" is still a "wild child", but this "wild child" is excellent, so excellent that even if they did not participate in the investment, as long as they take over the post-production packaging and theatrical release of "Flu", they can still reap certain benefits.

And, most importantly, through this film, they noticed Ikeno and the unfamiliar creative team behind "Flu"...

And the changes in the Chinese mainland film industry.

……

China's mainland market has long been hailed as the world's second-largest, and in recent years it has even shown signs of surpassing the West. As a result, many overseas oligarchs are interested in the mainland market.

However, due to the mainland's censorship system and various international competitions, there are very few cases among them that have truly achieved results.

But the appearance of "Flu" gave them a glimmer of hope—that mainland China could also produce films like this… So, would they still have a chance to enter the mainland market?
Furthermore, even if they couldn't get in, they felt that the "potential stock" team behind "Flu" should still be given a certain degree of respect and "protection" as they were about to make their debut in the global market.

"Escorting"... costs money, you know.

"Hello, I'm Jenny Pete, the marketing manager for NEON."

The rooftop terrace of the cinema, at the post-Cannes screening reception.

After bombarding distributors with pitches, the creators of "Flu" finally landed a "big fish".

The head of NEON, one of the three major international genre film studios, walked over with a glass of red wine and immediately handed over his business card.

Ikeno noticed that this representative was not one of the people who had previously watched "Flu". It was clear that those who came to watch the movie earlier were just there to make up the numbers, but after they were done, they called the company.

"Hello."

Ikeno is not only an actor, but also the producer and investor of "Flu", so he stepped forward without hesitation.

The main cast members behind them carefully controlled their expressions and observed the conversation between the two.

Ok…

Many people don't quite understand... It's true that those who go to school haven't learned foreign languages ​​well.

The two didn't talk for long. Ten minutes later, Pete clinked glasses with Ikeno again and left with great poise.

"…What did you say?"

Sheng Ning is the most incompetent member of the "Flu" creative team. Her academic performance is indeed not good... and she dropped out of school. She has only a superficial understanding of foreign languages. In fact... when she saw Chi Ye, who was able to have a normal conversation with Pete just now, she was completely dumbfounded.

Dude, when the hell did you learn a foreign language?
If I remember correctly, you started out as an idol.

Chi Ye was even more surprised because... Sheng Ning was in such a "hurry" to ask the question.

Yes…shouldn’t my great Shi Jinwei be a little reserved? Even if it weren’t for Shi Jinwei, given Sheng Ning’s personality, shouldn’t she have curled her lip and given a mocking smile: “That’s all?”

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

Sheng Ning was a little embarrassed and angry by his gaze, her face darkening: "I care a lot about this movie... both in terms of quality and its success."

Ikeno was silent for two seconds before nodding: "I believe that."

"What did you say?"

"They didn't say anything specific, just that they were interested in helping us market 'Flu.' NEON is best at marketing and packaging; many of their films have been box office hits worldwide and Oscar contenders."

"You agreed?"

Sheng Ning paused, her eyes looking lost.

NEON is indeed good at packaging, especially not long ago, there was a wave of TikTok panic reaction videos... The group's favorite genre is thriller and horror blockbusters.

But... to be able to take a liking to "Flu" and become the first group to officially contact "Flu"...

If NEON were to package "Flu"... wouldn't that mean "Flu" is destined to be a global phenomenon?

That's right, not just the Chinese entertainment industry... it's the global industry...

Oh my god.

How could I, Sheng Ning, have reached this level one day?

The usually strong-willed Sister Ning felt this scene was dreamlike... The success of "Flu" gave her an extremely unreal and complicated feeling.

She had thought that "Flu" would be a hit, that "Flu" would be popular, but she never imagined it would reach this point.

In the history of the Chinese entertainment industry, it seems there's never been a film that has received NEON's "favor"...

Hmm... it's not that it seems like it, it's that it doesn't exist at all.

Because NEON, XYZ Films High, and Octane each have different focuses, NEON is a "professional team" specializing in Oscars and has long been known in the West as a hunter of "Oscar-related art films".

XYZ Films High is a pioneer in genre films. To date, it has only collaborated with the Chinese entertainment industry on two films, but the collaborations were not high-profile. The preferred method of collaboration was to sign distribution rights (mainly targeting the North American market).

High Octane is the most "grand" of all, claiming to be a wholesaler of genre films, focusing on the martial arts/action genre, and has collaborated with the Chinese entertainment industry on three or four films.

Their preferred collaboration method is to directly purchase exclusive copyrights.

Note that the term "domestic entertainment" as used above refers to Hong Kong and Taiwan... If it doesn't include them, then... there are very few.

Of these three companies, the first to approach them was NEON, which had the highest "prestige"... As for why it had such high prestige... it's because it had never been "breached" by the Chinese entertainment industry before.

Sheng Ning turned to look at Chi Ye, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

This time, I might really get carried away.

He was carried away by Ikeno.

(End of this chapter)