Chinese entertainment starts with Hong Shixian

Chapter 320 Old Ling has improved!
Time flies, and the summer movie season is in full swing.

The film market, which had been impacted by bad movies, has become hot again.

Pacific Rim has begun a high-intensity promotional campaign. The setting of mechs fighting monsters, coupled with that highly recognizable background music, has stirred up a lot of excitement.

The film did not perform well in the North American market, grossing just over ten million US dollars on its opening day, which was less than a comedy film released at the same time.

The North American box office was just over $100 million, barely exceeding $100 million.

However, the film's overseas box office performance far exceeded the expectations of the creators and producer Warner Bros., and it is expected to gross a whopping 6.94 million RMB after its release in China.

No other movie in the summer season can compete with it.

Besides Pacific Rim, Hollywood also has other films such as Fast & Furious 6, White House Down, and After Earth that are about to enter the mainland market.

Viewers who were disgusted by bad movies and didn't want to watch any movies suddenly became interested; these movies looked really good!
Teng Huatao, Guo Jingming, Wen Zhang, and the others were frustrated and furious.

First came Qi Hui's "The Beginning," and now comes a Hollywood blockbuster.

These people are like rats in a bellows, suffering from both sides. It's simply outrageous!
……

Xiao Zhang's detached house in Haidian District.

Qi Hui and Lao Ling, along with their female relatives, were invited to drink.

The main reason is that Zhang Ruoyun will be joining the cast of "My Old Classmate" for filming, first in Beijing, and then in Xiamen.

After filming the scenes in China, they still had to go to New York to film.

There was nothing Guo Fan could do; Gao Xiaosong was just too devout to America, and he couldn't refute him.

For the next few months, Xiao Zhang had no time at all.

At the dinner table, the group clinked glasses and drank, chatting about their work. Everyone seemed cheerful and optimistic, and even the spicy liquor tasted sweet.

"Ruoyun is making movies too..." Old Ling took a swig of wine, a smile on his face, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Not at all, it was mainly my senior's recommendation," Xiao Zhang said modestly, waving his hands repeatedly.

Qi Hui first recommended Xiao Zhang, then invested another ten million, and with Guo Fan's connection, he finally gained some influence.

Otherwise, who knows how many people would be eyeing the lead role?

In today's film market, the most popular genre is youth romance films; nothing makes as much money as them.

As he spoke, Xiao Zhang raised his glass and toasted Qi Hui.

Qi Hui gladly drank it, and then they started talking about some things abroad. Compared to Los Angeles, the City of Angels, New York was probably just as dirty and chaotic.

When you're out and about, you can't be carefree. If you get sick or infected with a virus, you'll be ruined.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhang's expression turned serious, and he quickly made a mental note of it.

He might not care much about what others said, but Qi Hui was different. He showed many people the dirtiest and most disgusting side of America.

That video almost severely damaged public intellectuals, and they still hold a grudge against him to this day.

"Keep it up, work hard, and try to win a big prize," Old Ling laughed and encouraged.

"I don't want to think about it for now." Xiao Zhang waved his hands repeatedly: "Senior brother, you haven't taken it yet. Let's talk about it after you take it first."

The movie "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon," starring Lao Ling, has not yet been released, and he will soon join the cast to film the TV series version of "Red Sorghum."

Hmm... Zhou Xun's version.

Upon hearing this news for the first time, Qi Hui was somewhat surprised: "You're going to film Red Sorghum?"

"Yes." Old Ling took a sip of wine, his lips twitching slightly.

"What role?" Qi Hui asked curiously.

Old Ling grinned, his smile widening. "The male lead, Yu Zhan'ao," he said.

Upon hearing this, Qi Hui couldn't hold back his emotions. If he remembered correctly, this role belonged to Zhu Yawen.

This is interesting.

Zhu Yawen initially wanted the role of Zhu Chuanwu in Lao Ling's "Crossing the Guandong".

Now Lao Ling wants Zhu Yawen's "Red Sorghum".

That's quite interesting.

"Impressive, no wonder you're my senior brother." Qi Hui gave a thumbs up and praised.

"Red Sorghum" is a work by Mo Yan, and Zhang Yimou made a film about it a long time ago.

The TV adaptation of "Red Sorghum" is now being produced by Zheng Xiaolong, who directed "Empresses in the Palace" a few years ago, with Zhou Xun as the female lead. Furthermore, Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in Literature last year and is incredibly popular.

Old Ling has made progress!
"Not at all, I can't compare to you." Old Ling waved his hands repeatedly: "Your 'Battle of Changsha' is a great show."

It wasn't praise, but he had read the script for Battle of Changsha, and it was indeed good.

Moreover, after filming "Battle of Changsha", Qi Hui also has Lu Yang's "Brotherhood of Blades" to film.

After filming "Brotherhood of Blades", there should be more movies that Wu Jingxin will be making.

It's unclear whether Qi Hui acted in the movie, but he definitely invested in it.

The only downside is that Wu Jinggang created a new folder, which means that we still don't know the name of his movie.

……

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Noon Sunshine sent a message informing Qi Hui and Jing Tian to join the crew.

The location... is not Changsha, Hunan Province, but Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

Kong Sheng required that at least 70% of the filming be on location, so every scene had to be as realistic as possible.

The war ruins were filmed partly in Hengdian, but mainly in Nanjing... Yes, the same ruins scenes that Zhang Yimou used in filming "The Flowers of War".

Unlike most directors, Kong Sheng, Zhang Kaizhou, and Sun Molong all came from within the system.

They weren't interested in the opening ceremony, the red cloth pig's head worshipping Guan Gong, or anything like that.

What they're really interested in is going on stage and saying a few words.

So the three of them said a few words as if they were talking to the school leaders, and then... and then they said a lot more.

Qi Hui was somewhat melancholy. As expected of someone from Shandong Province, he was very capable.

Soon, the opening ceremony ended, and filming officially began the next day. Qi Hui and Jing Tian entered a busy and intense filming period.

Kong Sheng did not hide Qi Hui's identity and addressed him as "Chairman" in front of everyone on the set.

Qi Hui was very satisfied, and then... then he realized something was wrong.

Kong Sheng would often come to him to discuss issues related to the market-oriented operation of TV dramas.

In short, it's about how to make money by making movies.

Qi Hui's lips twitched. He finally understood why Kong Sheng had praised him so highly in the first place.

Qi Hui's position as chairman is nominal; he doesn't participate in company operations or filming... Of course, he still has the right to offer suggestions.

But the others don't know!

Therefore, in the eyes of others, Kong Sheng's actions did not damage the director's authority; on the contrary, they made him appear more open to opinions and more authoritative.

Now, we have both face and substance.

Not only that, he also wanted to learn something from Qi Hui.

Qi Hui, his face dark, chased him away without hesitation.

That's wishful thinking; you'll have to pay a different price for that!
Kong Sheng was a little frustrated, but although the unplanned goal was not achieved, the filming was progressing very smoothly.

Qi Hui and Jing Tian worked together so well; the story of Gu Qingming and Hu Xiangxiang's acquaintance, meeting, and falling in love flowed incredibly smoothly between them.

Almost all of them were completed in one take.

Towards the end of filming, Kong Sheng even wanted them to get married on the spot.

However, the filming process wasn't always so smooth.

War scenes inevitably involve explosions, and unfortunately, Qi Hui was injured in one of them.

A rock the size of a thumb, propelled by the explosion, hurtled towards Jing Tian.

Fortunately, Qi Hui reacted quickly, pulling Jing Tian into his arms and blocking the stone.

However, Qi Hui also took a hit, and a bruise appeared on his back.

What's even more frustrating is that the next few days' scenes are all action scenes.

Qi Hui suffered a back injury and was in excruciating pain, making it impossible for him to make any large movements.

It's similar to a stiff neck, so there's nothing I can do but rest for a few days.

That day, Qi Hui was applying medicine when a stagehand suddenly ran over to tell him that his classmate Yang Mi had come to visit the set.

(End of this chapter)