Huayu 97: The Beginning of a Marriage Fraudulently

Once you remove the fight between Jack and J, "The Forbidden Kingdom" is just a mess.

The foreigners, not understanding what was going on, were just watching the spectacle.

However, domestic audiences still have basic common sense.

You're trying to squeeze everything into our lives, have you ever considered our feelings?
As a result, "The Forbidden Kingdom" received a flood of negative reviews in the country, and its box office also plummeted.

The Wang brothers looked ashen-faced.

At this rate, "The Forbidden Kingdom" is going to lose money!

As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly.

To ensure that "The Forbidden Kingdom" wouldn't affect Huayi Brothers' IPO, Wang Zhongjun used his connections to get Huayi Brothers listed ahead of schedule.

The current box office slump of "The Forbidden Kingdom" seems to prove Wang Zhongjun's foresight.

If Huayi Brothers hadn't gone public ahead of schedule, its IPO would have been delayed.

However, the boomerang of Huayi Brothers' early listing still hit Huayi Brothers hard!
The box office performance of "The Forbidden Kingdom" plummeted, failing to meet expectations.

In the past, this movie would have only lost a small amount of money.

But now Huayi Brothers has gone public!

The poor performance of "The Forbidden Kingdom" directly impacted Huayi Brothers' stock price.

With box office numbers plummeting, Huayi Brothers' stock price also followed suit!

Looking at the green line on the computer screen, the Wang brothers' faces also turned green.

Several hundred million have evaporated in the blink of an eye.

"Brother, what should I do?"

Wang Zhonglei's heart was bleeding.

"We must boost the box office of 'The Forbidden Kingdom'!"

Wang Zhongjun gritted his teeth and said.

"What's wrong? Unlike before, when we could at least steal some box office revenue, now the box office figures are updated in real time, so we can't steal them even if we wanted to!"

Wang Zhonglei was filled with hatred!
It's all Enlight Media's fault! What was with Maoyan? It completely ruined half of their capabilities!

"Do you remember how they competed with Hollywood blockbusters when 'Dunhuang Code' was released in North America?"

Wang Zhongjun has gradually calmed down.

"I think it was those Chinatown bigwigs who booked out entire theaters in smaller cinemas... Dude, you mean we should book out entire theaters too?!"

Wang Zhonglei's eyes lit up.

"Those major vote-rich cities are difficult to operate in, but those third-tier cities are much easier."

Wang Zhongjun spoke slowly and deliberately.

Wang Zhonglei nodded. "The pressure on cinemas in third-tier cities is considerable. If we negotiate to book entire theaters, the cost will be lower! Brother, leave it to me. I'll definitely figure out how to use the 'rural-to-urban' strategy!"

Wang Zhonglei's fighting spirit was rekindled.

"Then remember to get Jackie Chan and Jet Li to participate in the movie promotion! Be a little assertive!"

Wang Zhonglei hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Compared to saving face, it's more important to reverse that green line.

Snakes have their ways, rats have their ways, and Wang Zhonglei also has his network of connections.

Thanks to the friendship forged in previous years when they stole box office tickets together, Wang Zhonglei was able to persuade many of his cronies to join him in this scheme of "encircling the cities from the countryside."

As for what unspeakable secrets were achieved behind the scenes, that's not something I can tell outsiders.

Anyway, thanks to Wang Zhonglei's actions, the box office of "The Forbidden Kingdom" actually stopped declining and started to rise!
Then a massive online army was mobilized to defend "The Forbidden Kingdom".

Even entertainment media outlets, having received bribes, started praising "The Forbidden Kingdom".

Regardless of the circumstances, it's a fact that "The Forbidden Kingdom" topped the Hollywood box office, and it's also a fact that "The Forbidden Kingdom" promoted Chinese Kung Fu!

After Huayi Brothers paid a heavy price, "The Forbidden Kingdom" has finally stabilized for the time being. Although viewers who have seen it still feel cheated.

However, they couldn't stop the online trolls and media from flooding the comments section with positive reviews.

Is it that my aesthetic sense and art appreciation skills are lacking?
The Wang brothers' efforts paid off. When the box office of "The Forbidden Kingdom" stopped falling and started to rise, Huayi Brothers' stock also stabilized!
A dead salted fish has turned over?

When Wang Changtian checked the box office figures, wow, "The Forbidden Kingdom" was far ahead in the box office in third-tier cities!

"Old Chen, are these Wang brothers doing the same things as those old men in Chinatown?"

Chen Siyuan understood as soon as he saw the data.

"This must have been Wang Zhongjun's idea. Although it involved a lot of investment, it stabilized the box office of 'The Forbidden Kingdom.' With the box office stabilized, Huayi Brothers' stock price also stabilized. So, all things considered, it was a very worthwhile deal!"

Chen Siyuan still had some respect for his opponent, Wang Zhongjun.

Unlike Wang Zhonglei, who is flamboyant, he is able to remain calm and make the most appropriate decisions.

"Is there anything we need to do?"

"Never mind them, just focus on doing our own thing!"

Although "Dunhuang Code" was a great success, Enlight Media did not immediately start its next big production.

Chen Siyuan is still hesitant about whether to invest in a 3D movie.

Cameron restarted the Avatar project in 2006, and if all goes well, it will be released next year and then sweep the globe!

The release of Avatar opened the door to 3D movies and raised the box office ceiling.

After all, the ticket price for a 3D movie is several times that of a 2D movie.

"Still thinking about 3D movies?"

Wang Changtian was also aware of Chen Siyuan's plans.

Chen Siyuan nodded, "3D movies will definitely be a future trend, but correspondingly, the costs are higher, the technical requirements are higher, and they also rely on IMAX giant screens..."

"Old Chen, my suggestion is to wait. As you said, Cameron still hasn't finished making Avatar since 06. You can imagine how difficult it is. Even if we have the ability to make a 3D movie now, I can't guarantee that we can finish making it before Avatar. If we can't be the first, it's better to let Avatar test the waters first. We can go for it when the 3D movie market is more mature!"

It was unusual for Wang Changtian to say so much.

In the past, Wang Changtian basically did whatever Chen Siyuan said.

Chen Siyuan smiled at Wang Changtian, "Old Wang, I'll leave the movie project to you for now. I'll go keep an eye on the [Phantom] phone with Li Xiaoping!"

Are smartphones really that amazing?

"It will far exceed your imagination; a revolution is on the horizon!"

"Really? I haven't seen Nokia, the mobile phone giant, making any moves!"

"So the era of Nokia is coming to an end!"

Chen Siyuan suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Nokia phones these days are so durable they can be used like bricks, even for cracking walnuts.

And future smartphones, even fully armed, can be easily destroyed...

Alas, in the end, there are gains and losses!
So, in the following period, Huayi Brothers tried their best to salvage the box office performance of "The Forbidden Kingdom".

Chen Siyuan moved into the Phantom factory, hoping to bring the Phantom to market as soon as possible.

After filming the music video for "Welcome to Beijing," Liu Yifei started shooting commercials to support her team.

The Beijing Olympics are getting closer and closer.

"Welcome to Beijing" has also started playing on the streets and alleys.

After her hit song "Little Dimples" swept the Chinese music scene, Liu Yifei gained some fame.

"Welcome to Beijing" propelled Liu Yifei to new heights in the Chinese music scene!

(End of this chapter)