This director is vindictive.

Chapter 259 Yang Mi: This Time It's Really Different

#Pre-sales for "The Phoenix's Auspiciousness" exceed 100 million yuan#
#ChenMo breaks the highest-grossing documentary record again#
#Genius Director Adds Another Achievement#
Several trending topics suddenly appeared on the list again.

The focus and direction of netizens' discussions have also changed.

"It has to be Chen Mo again! Congratulations to Chen Mo on setting a new record!"

"As a ten-year fan of Chen Mo, I was inexplicably reminded of the heartbreak story in the movie 'Love is Not Blind' from back then. That summer, heartbreak became a trendy culture, and this year's Valentine's Day has turned into a wedding!"

"Now we'll see how this film turns out. Hopefully, it won't disappoint!"

"The most brilliant marketing genius in the entertainment industry, bar none. I just want to ask, who else is there?"

"To be honest, I also had a feeling that Chen Mo was trying to fleece people, but strangely enough, I couldn't resist buying tickets!"

"Haha, all that talk about harvesting韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting people) is nonsense. Seriously, which documentary is this extravagant? The cost of the wedding attire alone was nearly ten million, not to mention the production cost. And it's a film that Chen Mo made for himself. How many people dare to say they can compare?"

"Thinking about it that way, it really is true! We can worry about whether Chen Mo will suddenly drop in quality for other films, but for this one, he probably values ​​it even more than we do, right?"

"No problem, he's probably even more afraid of crashing than we are! Hahaha!"

"Yes, after all, if things go wrong, it won't just damage his own reputation, it could really cause trouble in his own backyard!"

As the popularity of "The Phoenix Brings Auspiciousness" continues to rise, Chen Mo's marketing strategy has once again become the focus of the industry. Judging from pre-sale data, this documentary has not only broken box office records but has also sparked a new trend in "wedding culture"!
What leaves many people speechless is that Chen Mo himself is a typical "non-marriage advocate," but in the end, he has started a trend of "wedding culture," which is quite ridiculous.

Even more extreme, some people joked about Chen Mo: "Back then, heartbreak became a cultural trend, and now weddings have become a cultural trend. Goodness, heartbreak is you, and so is marriage!"

Film critics also rushed to join in the discussion, saying: "Chen Mo's success lies not only in his precise topic marketing, but also in his deep understanding of the audience's psychology - using high-cost production and unique perspectives to create a sense of 'scarcity' and make the audience willing to pay for it."

Some industry insiders even lamented: "Others make documentaries to 'tell stories,' but Chen Mo makes documentaries to 'create phenomena.'"

Faced with accusations of "harvesting韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting consumers)," fans joked, "If this is called harvesting韭菜, then Chen Mo is probably the only one who can make韭菜 actively seek to be harvested." After all, looking at the entire film and television industry, there is truly "no one else" who can make documentaries into a nationwide hot topic like him.

Honestly, Chen Mo himself never expected this outcome. It just goes to show that the market is becoming increasingly difficult to predict these days.

However, he was very confident in this film, after all, he had never put as much effort into making any other film as he had into this one!
Of course, even if the pre-sales of the documentary "Phoenix Blossoms" exceed 100 million yuan, and the subsequent screenings are increased, the box office is expected to increase further.

However, in reality, this box office performance is only relatively high compared to documentaries. Chen Mo is aware of his limitations; documentaries have their limitations, after all, unlike movies, they don't have a complete story or dramatic conflicts.

Therefore, the performance of "The Phoenix Brings Auspiciousness" has already surprised Chen Mo.

They also benefited from the Valentine's Day holiday, since Valentine's Day and weddings go well together! After Valentine's Day, they'll probably revert to their original state immediately.

Moreover, although the pre-sale box office figures seem quite high and exaggerated, in reality, almost all of them are pre-sale tickets for Valentine's Day. The pre-sale tickets for other dates are actually not sold very well!

Moreover, compared to the movies scheduled to be released during this year's Spring Festival, it's really nothing.

For example, "Detective Chinatown 3" became the highest-grossing pre-sale film in Chinese film history with a total pre-sale box office of 7.74 million yuan, and also broke records such as "fastest domestic film to break 100 million/500 million yuan" and "highest pre-sale on opening day".

It's fair to say that the pre-sale box office of "The Phoenix's Auspiciousness" is really incomparable to others!

Of course, Chen Mo himself never thought that this film could be compared with the major Spring Festival blockbusters.

Speaking of this year's Spring Festival film season, "Detective Chinatown 3" is basically considered the pre-release champion.

After all, their pre-sale box office was far ahead. However, Chen Mo knew that the box office champion for this year's Spring Festival season had really slipped away.

Sometimes, the market is just that unpredictable.

It's hard to believe that the dark horse of this year's Spring Festival film season would be "Hi, Mom," a "sketching film" that was not favored from the start.

This year's Spring Festival film lineup only includes one movie related to Shengshi Pictures, aside from the promotional video for "Feng Yi Cheng Xiang" which Chen Mo temporarily added, "Hi, Mom"!
Investing in this movie was naturally at Chen Mo's request, but the investment share was not high, only 25%!

There are too many investors in this movie, many of whom are celebrities.

Of course, at present, no one believes that this movie has the potential to gross billions at the box office.

No one would have thought that this movie would become the biggest dark horse of this year's Spring Festival film season, or even surpass "Detective Chinatown 3".

Sometimes, luck really plays a big role in how much a movie can sell at the box office.

The reason why "Hi, Mom" ​​became the dark horse of this year's Spring Festival film season is, well, it's quite mysterious. Although it was very lucky and had the right timing, location, and people, plus the contrast with the less-than-expected reputation of "Detective Chinatown 3", it is still a bit hard to understand. This is probably why its reputation plummeted later.

It's not bad, but it's definitely not that good, and it's hard to say it deserves to be a box office champion. This is why, despite its high box office, the impact of this movie is nowhere near that of "Wolf Warrior 2".

Therefore, his main approach was to let things take their natural course, and he didn't intend to promote the film in a high-profile manner.

Because who knows if his butterfly effect might backfire?

With the Spring Festival film season approaching, Chen Mo, the "prophet," has naturally been invited to attend the premieres of many films.

This time, Chen Mo really couldn't refuse again, since "Detective Chinatown 3" was produced by Wanda Pictures.

"Hi, Mom" ​​needs no introduction, since Shengshi Pictures was an investor and one of the production companies, and Chen Mo, as the boss, naturally couldn't be absent.

Although Shengshi Pictures did not invest in "A Writer's Odyssey," Ning Hao served as the producer, and Yang Mi even played the main villain role in it.

Unfortunately, Yang Mi really couldn't come. We couldn't very well have Yang Mi, who was heavily pregnant, attend the premiere, could we?
However, since she was one of the lead actors, she had an obligation to cooperate with the promotion. Since she couldn't attend, Chen Mo had no choice but to support her!

Yang Mi was originally the lead actress and one of the main promoters of this movie. In her previous life, she had been very active in promoting the film, showing how much importance she attached to it.

However, because she was pregnant, she was unable to cooperate with the publicity at all.

Regarding Yang Mi's absence from promotional activities, netizens had already made some guesses. After all, when "Fame and Fortune" was released, four members of Chen Mo's harem disappeared, and news broke that Gao Yuanyuan and several other women were pregnant.

So, it's obvious to anyone why Yang Mi would be absent at this time. However, netizens, upon seeing this news, jokingly remarked that "A Writer's Odyssey" didn't lose out.

"You guys aren't losing out either! Yang Mi can't attend, and those who know, know why. But since she can't come, Chen Mo is filling in. I feel like 'A Writer's Odyssey' is making an even bigger profit!"

"No problem, but I wonder if Chen Mo will pull another 'sacrifice family for the greater good' move this time?"

"This isn't the first time he's betrayed his own family for the greater good, is it?"

"Have you heard of 'L.O.R.D.: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties'? Have you heard of 'Legend of the Demon Cat'? Chen Mo's endorsement is a double-edged sword! The fact that they dared to invite him already proves that the film's creators have courage!"

"Is it possible that this time is an exception? After all, it's about the desire for compensation!"

However, despite what netizens say, the fact that Chen Mo was invited to attend already garnered a lot of attention.

That's why those movies like to invite him to their premieres.

These days, Chen Mo, to put it bluntly, never lacks topics of conversation whenever he attends a premiere.

However, to be honest, Chen Mo is in a difficult position this time.

The main issue is that Yang Mi actually has incredibly high expectations for "A Writer's Odyssey." I don't know where she gets her confidence from, well, she's always been pretty confident, even if every film she makes is a flop.

This time, she plays "Tu Ling," a cold and ruthless villain, completely different from the sweet and saccharine "leading ladies" of the past. She herself feels that this is an opportunity for her to break through in acting.

So, when Chen Mo was preparing to attend the movie premiere, she specifically stopped him and repeatedly reminded him:

"You'd better put in a good word for me this time!"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow at her: "How can you speak properly? If the movie is good, I'll definitely praise it, but you can't expect me to lie and praise it against my conscience, can you?"

Yang Mi glared at her: "No, you haven't even seen it, how do you know the movie is bad?"

Chen Mo didn't say anything, but simply took out his phone, scrolled to the comments section, and showed it to her.

"The lead actor is a big secret? That means it's already a guaranteed flop!"

"You can't say that, can you? Yang Mi also acted in 'Making a Name for Yourself'!" "Heh, what does that have to do with Yang Mi? Chen Mo was the one who pushed her into it, okay?"

"Look at Yang Mi's work over the past few years, aside from Chen Mo's 'Fame and Fortune,' look at 'Novoland: Pearl Eclipse' (4.9 points) and 'The Great Craftsman' (4.6 points). As for 'L.O.R.D.: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties' and 'Tiny Times,' need I say more?"

"So, let me teach you a lesson: movies that heavily promote Yang Mi are probably terrible. You should trust Yang Mi's judgment in this regard!"

Yang Mi was completely devastated after watching it.

"What?! Do you think my taste is that bad?"

Chen Mo chuckled and mercilessly added insult to injury:

"What do you think?"

Yang Mi: "."

"This time it's really different! Can you please not condemn me so harshly?" She tried to salvage the situation one more time.

"Okay, if the movie isn't good, I won't say anything this time, okay?" Chen Mo compromised.

"Can't you help me out?" Yang Mi said coquettishly.

"No, if the movie is bad, there's no point in me praising it," Chen Mo said, speechless.

That being said, to be honest, if it weren't for Yang Mi, he really wouldn't have wanted to attend the movie premiere.

The main reason is that he had read "A Writer's Odyssey" in his previous life, and to be fair, Yang Mi's performance in it is quite different from her past roles.

However, the movie adaptation was so bad it was unbearable! Of course, the viewing experience is always a very personal thing. This movie isn't exactly a terrible film, but it's certainly not an excellent one.

All I can say is, as expected of you, Yang Mi!
The eyes of the masses are truly discerning!

Back to the premiere.

Chen Mo came alone this time, and Lu Yang and Ning Hao greeted him immediately.

However, the two of them were alright; unlike Yang Mi, they didn't ask Chen Mo to put in a good word for them.

For them, it was already a great thing that Chen Mo came.

Hoping for Chen Mo's help is out of the question unless the movie can win him over. Otherwise, forget it, because if Chen Mo tries to promote the movie just for Yang Mi's sake, the audience will probably just interpret it as sarcastic remarks!

That would have the opposite effect.

"I apologize on Yang Mi's behalf! It's really unfortunate!" Chen Mo still had to maintain proper etiquette.

After all, this incident was indeed Yang Mi's fault, and to some extent, it could also be said to be Chen Mo's fault, so he acknowledged it.

If you make a mistake, you should admit it; if you're going to get punished, you should stand up straight!

Chen Mo has already spoken, so what can Ning Hao and Lu Yang say? Although they are also helpless, they can't exactly curse Yang Mi, can they?
They wouldn't dare!

It's already a big favor that Chen Mo came in Yang Mi's place.

The premiere venue was brightly lit, and media and film critics had already set up their equipment, waiting for Chen Mo to enter. As soon as he appeared, a barrage of flashes came from the cameras, and reporters rushed to ask questions.

"Director Chen, does your support for 'A Writer's Odyssey' this time mean you have confidence in the quality of this film?"

Will Yang Mi's absence from promotional activities affect the film's box office performance?

"You've given many insightful reviews of films before. What criteria will you use to evaluate 'A Writer's Odyssey' this time?"

Chen Mo was already used to the "enthusiasm" of the media reporters.

He raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down, a calm smile on his lips as usual: "First of all, I am here today to fulfill my promotional obligations on behalf of Yang Mi. She does have special circumstances that prevent her from being here, but a film is the result of collective creation, and it will not be diminished or enhanced by the absence of one person."

He paused, then added subtly, "As for the evaluation criteria, I've always been honest: good is good, and bad is bad. I'm sure everyone is familiar with that, right?"

"Hahaha!" Everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Ning Hao, listening from the side, broke out in a sweat, while Lu Yang shook his head with a wry smile!

Chen Mo's "telling the truth" style is known in the industry for its devastating impact.

The reporters were clearly not going to let this opportunity slip by, and one of them immediately followed up with: "Director Chen, you just mentioned 'telling the truth,' so have you already seen the finished film of 'A Writer's Odyssey'? Can you share some initial impressions?"

Chen Mo smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the expectant eyes of the audience below, his tone relaxed yet carrying a hint of deeper meaning: "As for the movie, I definitely haven't seen it. However—"

He deliberately dragged out his words, causing everyone to hold their breath: "Yang Mi's role this time is indeed very different from her previous ones; at least she didn't play a 'leading lady' role."

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, and even Ning Hao couldn't help but facepalm, wondering if it was a compliment or an insult. Lu Yang silently wiped his sweat, afraid that Chen Mo would throw in a "but" next.

The reporters clearly caught the subtle implication in her words, and one of them immediately joked, "Director Chen, are you implying that Yang Mi has finally broken free from the curse of being the 'Queen of Bad Movies'?"

Chen Mo shrugged, looking completely innocent: "I didn't say that, don't try to trap me. Besides, you're the ones who called her the 'Queen of Bad Movies,' I didn't! And she's the female lead in 'Fame and Fortune' too!"

Finally, I was freed from that group of enthusiastic media reporters.

The premiere officially began.

The absence of Yang Mi actually has a significant impact on the promotion of the entire production team.

After all, Yang Mi herself is the "queen of controversy" for this movie.

However, Yang Mi still recorded a video and played it at the scene. Of course, she only said some polite words.

Finally, the movie started playing.

Although Chen Mo had seen it in his previous life, he didn't remember the specific details very clearly. After all, human memory is always selective.

I tend to remember some great movies more vividly.

However, for some rougher works, the memorable aspects are obviously not as profound.

Chen Mo actually wanted to help Yang Mi make amends, but from the director's perspective, or from the audience's perspective, he hesitated.

To be honest, he found it hard to say anything about this movie.

Well, to be honest, Chen Mo couldn't understand why they chose to adapt one of so many novels, one that wasn't particularly famous to begin with.
Because of Yang Mi, Chen Mo made a special trip to read the original novel.

It's fair to say that this film went astray from the start. The original novel is a strangely logical and absurd story, filled with awkward and bizarre sentences, reminiscent of translated novels from many years ago. Viewers who dislike the film will likely find it difficult to even finish a thousand words of the original novel.

Even compared to the novel, Chen Mo believes that the director and screenwriter have done their best to make the story easy to understand.

Chen Mo also tried his best to understand the movie in a positive light.

But he found that he had overestimated himself, and when he looked at it, he was full of questions.

The motivations of the movie characters are quite perplexing.

Li Mu killed Kong Wen. Initially, it was said that the events that happened to Kong Wen's character would have an impact on reality. Moreover, the red-haired ghost that Kong Wen publicly said he wanted to kill corresponded to Li Mu. It was also emphasized that he had negotiated with Kong Wen to not write it that way, but to no avail.

Very well, although it's quite fantastical up to this point, the motive for murder is still quite compelling.

But then it says that novels can't change reality, and Li Mu killed Kong Wen to eliminate him completely.

Ok?
Chen Mo was completely dumbfounded.

Why? Because they've been grown up for over a decade, and now you're thinking of eliminating them completely? Where were you all this time? Besides, Kong Wen is just a lousy writer now, thinking about writing novels all day long. He has no time for revenge. As an internet giant, can't big data tell you that Kong Wen has no intention of seeking revenge at all?
(End of this chapter)