Chinese entertainment starts with Hong Shixian

Chapter 146 China-US Film Talent Exchange Program
"Ok?"

Seeing Qi Hui's slight hesitation, Han Sanping and Guo Fan were both taken aback, feeling surprised and shocked.

There are actually people who aren't interested in going abroad?
There are still actors who don't aspire to Hollywood?

"You idiot, what are you hesitating for..." Guo Fan couldn't help but secretly kick Qi Hui twice under the table.

"Well..." Qi Hui thought for a moment, then asked, expressing his concern, "Approximately when? How long will it take?"

"It's not confirmed yet." Han Sanping glanced at Qi Hui and said slowly, "But it should be in the second half of next year, around September or October."

"Where are you going? Just to Hollywood?" Qi Hui continued to ask.

"No," Han Sanping said, "You are the first batch, so your mission is a bit more important. You may also have to go to the Busan International Film Festival or Tokyo."

"The specific schedule hasn't been finalized yet, but there are plans for Hollywood."

"Is this a government-sponsored program or a private exchange?" Qi Huiyou continued to ask.

"You sure have a lot of questions, kid." Han Sanping had a toothache. If it were anyone else, the other party would have readily agreed and nodded hastily if he had asked such a question.

"It's a government-sponsored program, no money required. China Film Group will have personnel accompanying you," Han Sanping said irritably.

So, are you going or not?

"Yes, of course I'll go," Qi Hui said with an awkward smile, nodding quickly.

"Alright, you can go now." Han Sanping waved his hand: "Just focus on your work and don't let the allure of the world blind you."

"Okay, goodbye Mr. Han."

"Goodbye, Chairman Han, we're off to continue our roadshow and promotional tour!"

Qi Hui and Guo Fan nodded repeatedly and left China Film Group.

Watching the two figures leave, Han Sanping lit a cigarette. These two had brought him quite a few surprises.

As Qi Hui said, he is trying to promote domestic science fiction films, but unfortunately, the sixth generation of directors are all useless.

They're either obsessed with actresses or lack ambition.

For example, there's that young Teng from the Teng family. China Film Group gave him two million yuan to make a movie before, but what happened?

Nothing I do will ever work!
Of course, you can't entirely blame him; like father, like son. Old Teng wasn't a good person either.

How can our great nation not even be able to produce science fiction movies? What kind of nonsense is this?

If Guo Fan is really capable, that would be for the best.

However, he still lacks the ability to stand on his own.

Strictly speaking, "Love is Not Blind" is a work by Qi Hui, and the scale of this urban romance film is too small.

He wanted to see if Guo Fan had the ability to stand on his own. If not, then there was still Qi Hui, wasn't there?

If the two of them work together, they should be able to make a fuss.

It's okay if we lose all our spots; it's just one or two.

Compared to the flops of films like "Red Cliff" and "The Promise," the cost of Qi Hui and Guo Fan's failures was incredibly low.

As long as the global landscape and bilateral relations do not undergo major changes in the coming years, the talent exchange program can continue.

In the Audi A6, Qi Hui drove Guo Fan back.

"Hey Lao Qi, what were you hesitating about just now?" Guo Fan leaned out of the back seat and asked suspiciously, "Aren't you happy about going to Hollywood?"

Qi Hui glanced at him: "Old Guo, don't have too high expectations for Hollywood."

"Hollywood is not a paradise on earth. On the contrary, it is a filthy place built by big capital and big tycoons, based on blood ties, funds and other relationships."

“Uh…” Guo Fan was stunned. He never expected Qi Hui to make such a comment about Hollywood.

In fact, in the hearts of most actors, Hollywood is truly a holy land, a temple.

Top stars like Chow Yun-fat and Fan Bingbing all aspire to Hollywood and even consider it an honor to act in Hollywood movies.

Chow Yun-fat even turned down an offer to star in "Red Cliff" in order to be able to play a role in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3".

He would rather play an insignificant supporting or comedic role in Hollywood than a leading role in mainland China.

Wang Jingdu from Hong Kong Island angrily criticized him for being disappointing, calling his decision a mistake, and even bluntly saying, "Don't forget that it was us (Hong Kong filmmakers) who made you who you are!"

But as for the result... those who know, know.

……

The next day, Qi Hui and Guo Fan gathered the main creators of "Love is Not Blind" and started traveling all over the country again to continue the promotional tour.

The release of a movie doesn't mean it doesn't need promotion; even the best wine needs advertising. Take "Our Shining Days" for example; it was a good film, but its marketing failed, resulting in disappointing box office performance.

Da Peng's "Sewing Machine Band" also had problems with its promotion... Of course, Da Peng's own reputation also played a role.

……

A few days have passed in the blink of an eye, and "Love is Not Blind" has been in theaters for a week, with its opening week box office reaching 1.33 million yuan.

Box office figures fluctuate, with the highest being the two days over the weekend and the lowest being a reversal on Monday.

The box office surpassed 100 million yuan on the fifth day of its release.

When the news first came out, Guo Fan, Yang Mi, and others kept asking to hold a celebration banquet to celebrate properly.

But Qi Hui rejected it, rejecting it without any mercy.

Opening champagne halfway through the movie, are you guys complaining that the box office is too high?

Chaoyang, a villa

Teng Huatao held the newspaper, looking at the box office figures for "Love is Not Blind," his thick, wide face turning pale and then red.

His fingers gripped the newspaper tightly, until they turned slightly white.

"Damn it!" Teng Huatao slammed the newspaper to the ground and cursed angrily, his hands on his hips panting heavily, his fat jiggling wildly.

Seeing the success of this movie made him feel uncomfortable.

With such a strong opening week box office performance, the film's total box office will not be less than 3 million yuan, and may even be more.

In other words, if he had actually bought the script for 100 million back then, he might have made a profit...

Teng Huatao's forehead veins throbbed, a heavy feeling of oppression rising in his heart as he recalled the scene of his meeting with Qi Hui at the coffee shop...

It's impossible not to regret it.

Guo Fan, a graduate student at the Beijing Film Academy who hasn't even graduated yet, and a novice director, has managed to rake in at least 3 million yuan at the box office for this film.

If it were him, wouldn't the box office reach 700 or 800 million?
He was tired of being a TV drama director and wanted to make a movie to prove himself.

But the movie "The Ghost Inside" almost crushed his spirits.

"Sigh..." Teng Huatao sighed. Why couldn't that pretty boy have been a little softer back then?

If only they had said something nice...

……

Huayi, President's Office.

The Wang brothers, Zongjun and Zonglei, were setting up the tea set and preparing the tea.

There was no one else in the office besides the two of them.

Although both of them are men, their hobbies are slightly different, so it would be strange to have a partner by their side.

“The deal has been finalized with Jackie Chan,” said his younger brother, Wang Zonglei. “Jackie Chan Films is working on the script, and filming for ‘Chinese Zodiac’ is expected to begin in June or July.”

“Not bad…” Wang Zongjun nodded. This was a major project they were preparing for.

"Feng Xiaogang's new film is out," Wang Zongjun said. "It tells a story about the War of Resistance against Japan."

"Zhang Guoli agreed to play the male lead, and his salary could be reduced or even waived."

"Hmm? What are the requirements?" Wang Zonglei asked, looking up.

“He wants his son to act in it too,” Wang Zongjun said, pursing his lips.

Old Zhang had been extremely worried about Zhang Mo, and despite several attempts to help him, he couldn't get him to make a name for himself.

In the 07 TV series "The New Legend of Ji Gong," Zhang himself directed the series and even played the villainous Qin Hui, a supporting role for his son.

Unfortunately, it was still no use; I still couldn't get up.

"That low-budget film has been doing quite well these past few days," Wang Zongjun said, taking a sip of tea.

What's the situation with that movie?

As the chairman of Huayi Brothers, he may not care about other things, but he cannot ignore things that can make money.

Especially for those who get high returns with low investment.

“That’s Wang Jinghua’s side.” Wang Zonglei frowned slightly, looking somewhat annoyed.

(End of this chapter)