This director is vindictive.

Chapter 203: Receives the title of worst film of the year; invincible record broken.

"What's wrong?" Gao Yuanyuan saw Chen Mo frowning, walked over and sat down next to him, asking softly.

"It's okay. What do you think you should do if you know it's a bad movie but you have to help promote it?" Chen Mo asked.

Gao Yuanyuan looked bewildered, but then flashed a sweet smile and said, "It's very simple! Just say you haven't seen it yet, that's all."

"Huh?" Chen Mo looked at Gao Yuanyuan with some surprise.

"Haven't seen it yet? How can you promote it then?" Chen Mo asked with a suspicious look.

"Are you going to post this on Weibo? I'll help you. You'll see when you see it!" Gao Yuanyuan said confidently.

“Okay, you write it!” Chen Mo handed the phone to Gao Yuanyuan.

"The second film in the Ghost Blows Out the Light series, 'Yunnan Insect Valley,' is about to be released. Although I am not the director and I haven't had a chance to see the film yet, Fei Xin is a very capable director, and I believe he will not disappoint everyone!" Gao Yuanyuan typed on her phone.

Chen Mo was somewhat surprised when he saw it.

And you know what? This statement is absolutely correct.

Look, I'm not the director, and I haven't even seen it yet, but they pointed it out directly. Then they said that the non-new director is a very capable director, and all the elements are there.

Can you say this isn't advertising?
I haven't even seen it, so I certainly can't say how great this movie is, right?

But as I said, the non-new director is very capable and I believe he will not disappoint everyone. Isn't that enough?
Of course, if I disappoint you in the future, well, I'm not the director, I haven't seen it, so please don't blame me!
Chen Mo clicked "Publish" directly!

Chen Mo still has a lot of influence, especially since he doesn't post on Weibo often and doesn't accept advertisements, which makes it easy for him to attract attention every time he posts on Weibo.

This time is no exception.

Of course, netizens were divided into two groups.

"The Yunnan Insect Valley is finally going to be released, I'm looking forward to it! It's a pity that Chen Mo didn't direct it himself."

"The entire cast has been replaced, can this still be considered a sequel?"

"Not only has the main cast changed, but the director has also changed. Something just feels off. Wouldn't the original trio be more suitable?"

"No way, Chen Mo's promotion is so perfunctory! And how do you know what the movie is like if you haven't even seen it?"

There were still blind students who discovered Huadian.

"This Weibo post seems a bit like I'm being forced to do something? I'm not the director, I haven't seen it?"

"Yeah! You're not going to be skeptical, are you?"

"That shouldn't be the case, after all, Shengshi Pictures also invested, and Chen Mo has the reputation of being the god of film investment. He shouldn't break his invincibility here, right?"

In any case, people's expectations are certainly not as high as they were for "Mojin: The Lost Legend".

However, Chen Mo's single Weibo post has indeed surpassed the reach of countless propaganda efforts.

After all, whether it's anticipation or skepticism, at least the news has been leaked.

Black and red are also red.

However, this Weibo post also sparked some controversy.

For example, this Weibo post says: "The second film in the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' series."

Someone directly tagged Lu Chuan.

"This is completely ignoring 'Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe'! Director Lu, give him a piece of your mind!"

"Yes, Director Lu, confront him! Don't back down, just be tough!"

"Although 'Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe' is indeed terrible and the adaptation is a complete mess, we can't ignore it, right? No doubt about it, Director Lu, we can't let this go!"

"Don't make me look down on you! You can tolerate this? You have to talk back to him!"

"Chen Mo is so arrogant, he doesn't even take you seriously, we definitely can't tolerate this! We have to confront him!"

Of course, most netizens were just stirring things up.

Unfortunately, Lu Chuan didn't fall for it and didn't respond at all, which disappointed netizens, since they missed out on some gossip.

As April arrived, filming for "All In" was nearing its end.

Chen Mo had to leave the film crew behind and attend the premiere of "Yunnan Insect Valley" with Gao Yuanyuan.

To be honest, if Chen Mo had been willing to get involved, this movie wouldn't have been so bad; just look at the casting.

Chen Mo completely didn't understand why these actors had to be chosen.

This is something that Chen Mo can't figure out. He doesn't expect the original cast to return, but at least the casting should be more reliable.

Choosing a bunch of actors with no distinguishing features to play the famous trio of tomb raiders is very confusing.

To be honest, we're not short of money!
Chen Mo really couldn't understand Fei Xin, this director. At least his previous work, "Silent Witness," was actually quite good.

But why did I suddenly have diarrhea?
What Chen Mo didn't know was that this really had something to do with him, mainly because "Mojin: The Lost Legend" was too successful, while the other Ghost Blows Out the Light series film "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" was much less successful.

As a director, he was certainly ambitious and naturally did not want to encounter situations like those involving Jiang Wen and Lu Chuan.

After all, he didn't want the movie to be a success, only to have it attributed to Chen Mo.

Is casting important? The answer is yes.

While the plot of a movie is equally important, the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" series already has a large fan base, and with the success of "Mojin: The Lost Legend," it can be said that if the actors are well-chosen, even if the plot is a bit weak, it's not unacceptable.

But if even the actors aren't to the liking of moviegoers, then you've already lost from the start.

On stage, Fei Xin explained that the reason for choosing new actors was to create characters that best reflected the original work. The new actors not only spent a lot of time undergoing rigorous pre-filming training, but the numerous action scenes also resulted in repeated injuries during filming.

As a sequel, it's impossible not to mention the original film, "Mojin: The Lost Legend"!
The other party confidently stated that they spent over nine months writing the script, striving to create a completely new Ghost Blows Out the Light world. In terms of production, the film also employed an international special effects team.

Premieres are basically just a bunch of bragging.

That's correct.

As for the claim that it took more than nine months to write the script, that's all nonsense. The film was successfully negotiated, and it hasn't even been nine months yet.

But the publicity itself is fine.

Actually, Chen Mo was quite curious about this movie. After all, although he had seen a bit of it in his previous life, he really didn't remember much about it.

He was quickly bewildered.

The main point is, this movie cost at least 100 million yuan to make, right?

How were these actors chosen? No, the actors themselves are fine; the problem is, who designed the characters' appearances and styling for this movie?
Is he the hairdresser Tony from the shampoo shop?
Chen Mo couldn't help but want to complain.

Are Hu Bayi, Fatty Wang, and Shirley Yang really not people they found at the hair salon next to Panjiayuan Market?

It's just one word: rotten, yet you've shown it countless times!
The beginning was actually quite good, but only the beginning was surprising. The Yunnan Worm Valley is closely related to the previous work; the Queen of Jingjue and the Red Spot Curse reveal the reason for the necessity of visiting the Xianwang Tomb. For those unfamiliar with the original work, it prevents them from being completely confused from the start. However, the plot starts to go wrong after five minutes. The tomb-raiding trio becomes a six-person team: Hu the vagrant and slovenly Bayi, Shirley the Tomb Raider archer Yang, Wang the fat man who's still 60 pounds short of gaining weight, Linglong (who could be omitted), Sun the professor who's actually a commentator, and Da the gold tooth (who could also be removed).

Not only has Blind Chen gone mad, but he's also transformed into Chen the Rogue Eunuch. The character settings are off-topic enough; Shirley Yang becomes an archer, Linglong wields a slingshot, and the rest are basically running. Are they even using this equipment for the Xianwang Tomb dungeon? How can they be so capable? Even more unbearable are the irrelevant characters and the irrelevant romantic subplots—dragging on and awkward.

The audience came to watch you tomb raiding and adventure, or to watch you fall in love? The movie's progress relies entirely on Professor Sun's narration. You casually grab fish from the water after entering the mountains, and jump into the water to swim and play. And you have the nerve to say you've already entered several tombs? Every character lacks distinct personality traits; all they know is to run, run! The monster-fighting scenes are filled with pointless chatter and pretentious acting, so awkward it's unbearable. Are the monsters just waiting for you there? I don't mind the newcomers, but this acting?!

Chen Mo didn't even know how to complain.

No wonder this movie, which is supposed to be a sequel to a big IP, has become a strong contender for the worst movie of the year. It's unbelievable!
In fact, the audience at the premiere were all bewildered.

Film critics and media professionals, in particular, watched the entire movie with their mouths agape.

I'm truly astonished that this movie could be this bad!
Of course, many media professionals suddenly realized something and became incredibly enthusiastic.

Chen Mo, however, was still somewhat shaken. "Damn it," he thought, "thank goodness I have my capable wife, Yuan Yuan, who came up with the idea and came up with that promotional slogan, completely distancing herself from it. Otherwise, if this kind of movie were to be heavily promoted to moviegoers, Chen Mo felt he'd be so embarrassed he'd dig out a three-bedroom apartment."

Honestly, you think "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" is that bad, right?
But at least the special effects in "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" were passable! But Chen Mo was genuinely puzzled by this movie.

Not only are the actors and the plot bad, but the special effects are terrible too!

First of all, why is a lobster that looks 99% like a lobster the boss? When Chen Mo came out of the water, he even heard people next door shouting for minced garlic!
That's just outrageous, okay?
The movie finally ended after a long wait, and only a few polite, perfunctory applause broke out in the audience.

Sorry, Chen Mo didn't applaud.

It's not that I'm being disrespectful, it's just that my mind is filled with spicy crayfish!

After the premiere, I'll definitely have to go and order a plate of it!
However, he was destined to be trapped! He regretted it somewhat; even if he had to break his golden body, he shouldn't have chosen such a film!

"Director Chen, say a few words. What do you think of this movie?" The media reporters were quite excited. After all, if Chen Mo dared to lie through his teeth about this movie, he would make headlines in no time.

"There's nothing to say! I want to apologize to the fans; I should have watched it first before speaking to everyone!"

After finishing his statement, Chen Mo refused interviews from other media outlets, completely disregarding the unpleasant expressions on Wang Jun's and the new director's faces, and left with Sister Gao!

But for the media, that's enough.

Chen Mo isn't even giving us face anymore! He's not even bothering with the pretense.

You can imagine how bad this movie is!

After the premiere, online reviews and reports about the film were already everywhere.

"Damn it, I thought 'Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe' was already terrible, but I didn't expect that compared to this movie, 'Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe' can be considered a good movie!"

"This is the worst movie I've ever seen! I emphasize! The worst!"
Maybe I have a short temper, but right now I just want to punch the screenwriter and director!
Even though a whole night has passed, I still want to hit him! Like, beat him up badly!
Why is the lowest rating one star? I don't even want to give it one star!

"Chen Mo, you are truly sinful! Why didn't you direct this movie? Why did you hand it over to someone else? What kind of garbage is this?! As a fan, I don't blame this so-called director, but I'm saying Chen Mo, you really watched this IP get ruined! How could you bear it?"

"Why did you go swimming in the lake? I bought a ticket! You swam for ten minutes, and I paid 4.9 yuan for a ticket priced at 50 yuan. Do you think this is the World Championships? I was timing you with a stopwatch!"

"It's terrible, terrible, terrible. I even went to watch 'Mojin: The Lost Legend' to cleanse my eyes!"

"The only thing I gained after watching the movie was that I suddenly have a craving for spicy crayfish!"

"Honestly, I find it hard to believe that the worst movie of the year would be a sequel to a hugely popular franchise, especially one that was actually quite good! All I can say is that this director is talented; heaven knows how he did it!"
Making this kind of movie, I once thought, is harder than making a good one—it's so much harder to make one this bad!

"This trio of tomb raiders, are they just sloppy old-fashioned? And yet they call it a big investment, a big production, and nine months to write the script? At least they have an international special effects team."

"Mojin: The Lost Legend is 10 times better than Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe!"

“I used to dislike Lu Chuan because of ‘Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe’, but after watching ‘Yunnan Insect Valley’, I realized I was wrong and I apologize to Lu Chuan.”

"Yunnan Insect Valley" has received a score of 3.2! This score has already proven everything.

However, it's undeniable that this is a terrible movie.

However, the focus of the media and movie fans is completely different.

Moviegoers are calling the film a terrible mess and criticizing Chen Mo for letting others ruin the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" franchise.

However, the media reports were completely different.

"Chen Mo's undefeated streak has been broken! The god of investment in the film and television industry suffers his first defeat!"

"Yunnan Insect Valley" wins the title of worst film of the year; Chen Mo's investment in the film did not guarantee success!

"Shengshi Pictures' stock price plummets; Chen Mo's magic is over!"

"His golden body has been broken; Chen Mo isn't as invincible as he seems!"

The media's first report wasn't about how bad "Yunnan Insect Valley" was, but rather that Chen Mo, the man known as the god of investment in the film and television industry, had finally, finally failed.

Shengshi Pictures also suffered its first defeat.

The investment in "Yunnan Insect Valley" needs to be at least 500 million yuan to break even, but given the current situation, 500 million? It's hard to say if it will even break 100 million!
It's safe to say that this was an absolute huge loss.

It may take you several years and dozens or even hundreds of projects to build an invincible record, but it only takes one project, one movie, to break that record!
Moreover, the higher they were hyped up before, the harder they fell this time!
Although this was exactly what Chen Mo wanted, it could be considered that he got what he asked for.

But other people don't see it that way!
For a time, even "Yunnan Insect Valley" had to take a backseat; the biggest news was that Chen Mo's invincible status had been broken.

The haters finally found their chance.

"I knew it. Chen Mo was indeed lucky in the past, but this time he's shown his true colors. How could he recommend such a terrible movie to everyone?"

"What investment guru? Do you think he's Warren Buffett? People are actually starting to believe it after all this hype!"

"It's just hype, and you actually believed it?"

Of course, there are still more rational fans.

"If you look closely at Chen Mo's Weibo promotion back then, you'll know that he was forced to do it. Look at what he said: 'I haven't seen it, I'm not the director!'"

"One failed investment doesn't warrant such a belittling, does it? It's not like he directed the movie himself!"

"I feel like Chen Mo is more real now. I always thought he was a bit exaggerated before!"

"At the premiere, he stormed off during an interview, clearly indicating that he had no idea how good the movie was!"

"It's just a failure. Movies are all about ups and downs, there's no need to exaggerate it like that!"

To Chen Mo's amusement and exasperation, all his female confidantes called to comfort him, as if he had really suffered a great injustice. In fact, while Chen Mo wasn't exactly in a great mood, he wasn't in a really bad mood either!

To be fair, "Yunnan Insect Valley" did have some effect. At least during this period, he found the spicy crayfish to be quite delicious!
This loss of their undefeated streak is actually not a bad thing for Shengshi Pictures.

As for stock price fluctuations, those are perfectly normal, going up and down.

And this is just the beginning.

Meanwhile, the media has set its sights on Chen Mo, or rather, the businesses under Chen Mo's control.

Chen Mo owns quite a few businesses, such as Huayun Guofeng brand clothing, which is now the number one Guofeng brand in China.

Secondly, Shengshi Pictures' game company, movie merchandise industry chain, and so on, can all be said to be operating very well.

The annual profits are quite substantial. Of course, since Shengshi Pictures is already a listed company, these are all public information and not news.

However, there is one exception.

Originally, not many people paid attention to this matter, and no one would delve into Chen Mo's business.

However, after the release of such a terrible film as "Yunnan Insect Valley," Chen Mo's reputation was exposed, and the media, with their keen sense of smell, began to conduct an in-depth investigation.

This investigation actually led them to a major news story!
Starry Sky Medical Equipment Factory! This company is actually nothing special in Chen Mo's personal business.

After all, Shengshi Pictures' highest market value was as high as hundreds of billions.

In contrast, there's really nothing to say about Fanxing Medical Equipment Factory other than the mask craze they created back then.

However, this very company made the media reporters feel as if they had discovered a new continent.

In the past, Chen Mo's investments in film and television were not only consistently successful, but his businesses outside the film and television industry were also thriving.

Now that the god of investment in film and television has been exposed, what about the others?
Because Fanxing Medical Equipment Factory is not a listed company, it is not required to publish financial reports, but some clues can still be found if you want to investigate.

This company mainly produces masks, thermometers, ventilators, oxygen concentrators, etc., and it can be said that these are products without any technological advantages.

Although Chen Mo made a great show of turning a small face mask into a big business, in reality, since face masks are not a necessity, it was just a flash in the pan.

The market quickly returned to rationality!
They were shocked when they investigated. This company had serious problems!

(End of this chapter)