The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 131 This year's employee benefits: movie tickets! Sending "Upgrade" to the top of the domestic box office history.
……

Avatar has finally been released in China!
Box office on the first day: 3300 million!
Compared to other movies, this is an extremely high number.

However, "Upgrade" was released just half a month ago, and it grossed 3000 million yuan on its opening day, with the highest grossing box office approaching 4000 million yuan.

These numbers have already raised people's threshold.

I thought that Avatar, as a Hollywood blockbuster, might be able to rake in 5000 million or 6000 million at the box office on its opening day!

This is a heavy blow to Chinese cinema.

Now it seems that it's not all that great?
This greatly boosted the confidence of many people.

"Avatar isn't as amazing as I imagined!"

"The box office on the first day of release was 3300 million, which is not much higher than the 3000 million of 'Upgrade'."

"Wasn't it supposed to be a Hollywood blockbuster, with some groundbreaking visual impact? And this is all?"

The data came out quickly, and industry insiders were all paying attention to Avatar's box office performance, almost like a pilgrimage.

But now, looking at this foreign super strongman, he is indeed very powerful, but he is not so invincible.

At least in the country, "Upgrade" can still hold its own.

wrong.

Even in Hollywood, Upgrade held up for a week.

This is James Cameron, who is respectfully called "God Cameron"!
There are very few people in the entire film and television industry who can fight him to a standstill for a week.

If we calculate it this way, wouldn't Lu Zhiyuan have already become a world-class director?
In the future, should we show him more respect, for example, by calling him "God of the Road" or something like that?

……

"Shishi, I heard that he used to like my type? Do you think I still have a chance? Since you've already lost out, why don't you let me give it a try?"

"Get lost! Don't even think about it."

Yang Mi and Liu Shishi went shopping together, and for some reason, they suddenly started talking about Lu Zhiyuan and the movie "The Coffin in the Mountain".

When the topic of the movie came up, Yang Mi naturally remembered that Kun Ge (Brother Kun) had approached her first.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 was popular, but not exceptionally so.

There are many great TV series in this era, but the audience of "Chinese Paladin 3" is relatively young, so its influence is not that great.

The reason why the term "Three Beauties of Chinese Paladin" came about later is because the audience of the TV series had grown up, and its popularity on the internet naturally increased.

Although she didn't become Lu Zhiyuan's leading lady, Lu Zhiyuan would invite her to every celebration banquet he held, which made Yang Mi feel that she might still have a chance.

But how did she get involved with Lu Zhiyuan?
After much thought, I realized I still had to rely on Liu Shishi.

Who knew that Liu Shishi would react like a bomb had been dropped, and immediately turned hostile upon hearing that she was also interested in Lu Zhiyuan.

The girl was clearly jealous, so Yang Mi went up to comfort her, saying, "Hey, Shishi, take it easy. There are plenty of fish in the sea! He's already taken. Why are you still thinking about him? Can't you even make a joke?"

Liu Shishi glared at Yang Mi and kicked a stone at her feet: "Take it easy? Not so easy! I just can't forget him."

"How wonderful it was to film 'The Coffin in the Mountain' in that rural area of ​​Ye County! The sunlight was so warm, the wind was so gentle, and everything was so slow."

“We sat together on the edge of the field in the sun. He drew a portrait of me and said that I had an oriental aesthetic. He was clearly interested in me.”

"But as soon as filming was finished, he stopped talking to me."

It's all Jing Tian's fault!
Why is she so rich? I wish I were that rich!
"You silly girl. If he's ignoring you, you can try to bump into him!"

After saying this, Yang Mi suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Right!

If he doesn't contact me, I can take the initiative to bump into him.

Opportunities are something you have to strive for; you never know when they might come.

I glanced at my chest; the results of the autologous fat transfer breast augmentation surgery are truly amazing.

Since having this surgery, her waist has shrunk and her breasts have grown bigger; she's become a heartthrob!
Indeed, it's good to be rich.

After adopting technology, her face became more beautiful, her figure improved... her image was completely transformed, from an innocent girl into a sexy goddess.

This time, the agent's advice was quite good.

After making this change, I received more business orders and earned more money. I then used the money to invest in technology and stay young forever.

A virtuous cycle has been fully established!
All that's missing is a great movie to establish his divine status!
Liu Shishi, you silly girl, are still being so stubborn. What does it have to do with you casting him in a movie if he has a girlfriend?
If you can't even swallow this little bit of pride, what are you doing in the entertainment industry?

"Brother Kun, yes, it's me, Mimi. Want to grab some tea sometime?"

Thinking of this, Yang Mi ran to a corner and secretly made a phone call to Xin Yukun.

"Sorry, the phone you dialed has been turned off."

Good grief, Xin Yukun hung up the phone right away, not giving her a chance to speak at all.

This made Yang Mi feel disheartened.

Yang Mi returned with a gloomy expression and saw Liu Shishi making a phone call there as well.

"Brother Kun, it's almost Chinese New Year, how about we have a meal together? Oh, you're not free tomorrow."

Hearing Liu Shishi's somber tone, Yang Mi breathed a sigh of relief and regained some balance.

Kun Ge is no longer a director; he's become a producer and has even made it into Hollywood. He's a true top-tier big shot.

It's quite normal to not bother with these minor celebrities.

It wasn't specifically targeting her.

To everyone's surprise, a moment later, Liu Shishi's face lit up with joy.

"Are you going to the screenwriter's studio to discuss business tomorrow? Are you treating me tonight? You even brought me some dried crabapples from your hometown?"

"No, I do like it, not that I don't like it. I quite like it."

"Okay, see you tonight."

"Oh, stop joking with me. I've already asked around, and your family doesn't raise sheep at all. They run a coal mine."

"Besides, you know what I'm thinking."

Xin Yukun was again trying to deceive Liu Shishi over the phone.

Ask Liu Shishi if she wants to visit his hometown during the Spring Festival. He has many sheep and wants her to try milking them.
Liu Shishi was speechless.

However, she also knew that Xin Yukun was joking and deliberately teasing her.

"I'm not talking to you anymore, you're always so irresponsible. By the way, try to avoid nightclubs lately, they're cracking down on them. Don't let Ah Yuan end up in the headlines with you."

Liu Shishi made a few complaints about Xin Yukun and subtly pointed out his shortcomings.

You're courting death yourself; don't ruin Lu Zhiyuan's life.

"Mimi, what's wrong? You look terrible."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Shishi turned around and saw Yang Mi with a gloomy face, biting her lip, and silent, just like she was on her period.

"Hmm, I feel a little uncomfortable."

Xin Yukun's differential treatment made Yang Mi want to cry.

When they used to fawn over me, they would call me "Sister Honey" so sweetly.

Now he won't even answer his own phone.

So what if I rejected you once? A grown man, still holding a grudge.

"Then I'll take you home first."

Yang Mi lives on Guangyi Street, and Liu Shishi lives on Qianmen Street. The two places are only three or four kilometers apart, very close.

So, whenever they have free time, they often get together to go shopping.

However, starting tomorrow, Yang Mi made a major decision: she would change her attitude towards Liu Shishi... and try to curry favor with her more.

Unable to get through to Xin Yukun by phone, he was too ashamed to go to Lu Zhiyuan.

However, Xin Yukun treated Liu Shishi very well, like a close friend, and even brought her local specialties from her hometown. He also invited her to his home for the New Year.

What kind of treatment is this?
Even Yang Mi's best friend wasn't this kind to her!
Xin Yukun didn't care at all. Liu Shishi was just a rising starlet, while he was already a big shot in Hollywood.

We met when we were both nobody, and this friendship is very precious.

It was only at this moment that Yang Mi realized what she had missed by not filming "The Coffin in the Mountain".

……

Starry Star Company.

After the release of Avatar, Upgrade's box office was indeed greatly affected, mainly due to the reduction in its screening rate.

Without screen time, even a god has to kneel.

This is no way.

Firstly, because Avatar is truly amazing.

In addition, as an imported film, Avatar's revenue share in theaters was higher than that of Upgrade, a Sino-US co-production.

Theaters are even more motivated to allocate more screen time!

Starting from January 4th, "Upgrade" has been hampered by various factors and is no longer able to achieve the same record-breaking and exciting success as before.

It seems that "Upgrade" is getting further and further away from becoming the highest-grossing film in Chinese film history.

Zhao Shanshan came up with a plan: she called many relatives and friends back home, preparing for a final push!
"Mr. Li, it's almost the end of the year, have you still paid out all the employee benefits?"

"Mr. Wang, is your company planning to organize a trip for your employees?"

"No way. It's so cold, where would you go for a trip? What's fun in Sanya? Didn't your company just go there last year?"

"Mr. Zhang, you asked me what my opinion is? My opinion is that this year there was a document calling on all major enterprises to respond to the call and increase cultural consumption, right?"

"Don't waste your money on other cultural consumption... Our company recently made a movie called 'Upgrade,' which is really good. And how cheap are the tickets? One for each employee, and there are discounts for bulk purchases."

"I'll give you the contact information of the person in charge at Wanda Cinemas. Just mention my name, and I'll give you a discount for bulk purchases."

"Yes, it was produced by our company. It's listed as one of the producers, isn't it? I'm one of the producers. You can search it online if you don't believe me. The movie is great. If you don't like it, come find me."

"Who's the director? Lu Zhiyuan, the Palme d'Or winner, is my cousin's husband!"

"Yes, we're all on the same side. His house is right next to the art museum, right next to yours. It's not a good look. I'll take you to his house to smash the windows during the New Year!"

"Order 5000 tickets? Let me calculate how much that is. 15! Okay, that's great! Introduce me to a few more companies."

If one unit earns 1500, and you have 100 units, wouldn't that be 15 million?

Of course, these are all just a drop in the ocean, and under normal circumstances, Zhao Shanshan wouldn't bother with such a thing.

But "Upgrade" has already grossed 3 million yuan, and it looks like it's about to break the 4 million yuan box office record of "The Founding of a Republic".

She needs to step up her efforts.

……

After Avatar was released, its daily box office was 3000 million, occasionally reaching 4000 million, but once it went up, it couldn't come down, and it didn't have the fluctuations that a normal movie would have.

It grossed 2.89 million yuan in its first seven days!
too exaggerated!

That's 40 million every day, seven days a week, without fail.

A box office of 4000 million is almost the current daily ceiling for domestic box office.

After a hard-fought day in "Upgrade," I quickly fell back down.

Avatar, on the other hand, didn't move an inch.

……

This week's box office revenue largely went to "Avatar".

In fact, driven by Avatar, January's box office surged by more than 250% compared to the same period last year!
That's really outrageous.

Avatar boosted the overall box office. Although Upgrade's screening rate was squeezed, its occupancy rate increased, with daily box office takings of about five to six million, and occasionally reaching seven to eight million on weekends.

A week later, "Upgrade" slowly reached 3.5 million yuan at the box office.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will definitely break the 4.19 million yuan record of "The Founding of a Republic" before the Chinese New Year, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film in Chinese film history.

But this record will only last for two or three days at most before it is surpassed by Avatar.

Regardless, two or three days is still the first!

……

"It would have been better if it had been released a week earlier."

"If it had been released a week earlier, it would definitely have broken all sorts of records."

"Forget it, what's the point of talking about this now? Who would have thought that Avatar would be so powerful? It wasn't this exaggerated when it was in North America."

A group of people in a starlit office watched as Avatar's box office climbed higher and higher, crushing all its competitors.

With a box office of five or six million, "Upgrade" can secure second place.

"Avatar was not good at all. The story was very awkward. The protagonist was a traitor. He was clearly an undercover agent, but he betrayed humanity and became an Avatar?"

"It's just baffling!"

"But the visual effects are really something. Especially the immersive experience, I forgot about the story and was completely immersed in the dreamlike scenery of Pandora."

Xin Yukun took the opportunity to watch "Avatar" these past few days.

It truly left him speechless.

Outside the IMAX theater, there were people who had driven from other cities, speaking in dialects he couldn't understand, haggling with scalpers.

Is it really worth it just to watch a movie?

However, considering that there are only 30 IMAX screens nationwide, it's hard to say for true movie lovers.

"Brother, our new project absolutely has to be an IMAX 3D blockbuster!"

"With your mastery of visual details, only top-tier visual blockbusters can bring out your greatest strengths!"

"By this time next year, audiences will be lining up at the door to buy our movie tickets!"

Xin Yukun imagined that Lu Zhiyuan's photography skills and artistic aesthetics, combined with the robot special effects battle scenes, would definitely be more interesting than this catfish-looking "Avatar".

"Brother Kun, before we talk about this, did you get the script sorted out for me?"

Without a script, what are we supposed to film?
Are you suggesting we show everyone landscape paintings?
Although Lu Zhiyuan's films are great in terms of visual detail, he doesn't have many requirements for the dialogue of the characters, but he's not completely without requirements either.

"Well, I've already found more than a dozen screenwriters to write for you, but I don't like what they've written."

Speaking of this, Xin Yukun was also in a difficult position.

The script he found at the scriptwriting studio last time was acceptable to Lu Zhiyuan after reading it, but during the filming process, it had already been completely changed beyond recognition.

Lu Zhiyuan deleted many of the lines written by the other screenwriter.

Lu Zhiyuan’s original words were, “Movies are not TV series, why do they need so many lines?”
Audiences go to the cinema not to listen to your nonsense, but for the ultimate audio-visual experience.

The dialogue only needs to be a few lines to have a finishing touch effect.

The biggest difference between movies and TV series lies in the former's pursuit of perfection. Whether it's special effects, art direction, color, or sound effects, everything must be meticulously crafted.

Dialogue is not a necessity in this context.

Moreover, as a newcomer, Dilraba's acting skills are not bad, but it's fair to say that she's a novice as soon as she opens her mouth.

Making Dilraba speak so many lines without conveying the right emotions exposes her biggest flaw and fatally damages the film.

Do screenwriters even understand screenwriting?
If the film were made according to the script the screenwriter gave him, it might not necessarily flop, but it would definitely not become a classic.

This is a science fiction film, not a drama!
Even without a single line of dialogue, the content must still be understandable to the audience.

"This screenwriting studio is no good."

“I had a problem with it last time. It’s highly likely that they hired one of those ghostwriters who charge 10 yuan per thousand words. Some of the articles were even poorly written.”

"Find another scriptwriting studio and increase your budget. Tell them to be serious and stop hiring cheap ghostwriters."

"You think I'm easy to fool? It's something so obvious."

If the script isn't finalized, the project will have to keep dragging on.

Lu Zhiyuan already had some relevant images in his mind, but he needed the screenwriter's help to string these images together.

But he was also aware of the unspoken rules surrounding scripts.

A famous screenwriter takes on a job, and a group of ghostwriters with no credit are hired to do the actual work.

What classics can be written using this model?
So this is infuriating!

"Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a satisfactory script before the New Year. If that doesn't work, I'll write one for you myself, and then you can revise it yourself."

Xin Yukun's screenwriting skills are absolutely top-notch in China!
In fact, Xin Yukun understood that Lu Zhiyuan must have a script in mind as a backup plan, and the scripts he had others write were not as good as his backup plan.

Of course I'm not satisfied.

However, Lu Zhiyuan was definitely not satisfied with that backup plan scenario.

……

After the conference concluded under the starlight, the group dispersed.

"Brother, which way are you going?"

Seeing Lu Zhiyuan about to drive away, Xin Yukun quickly went up and grabbed him.

"I'm going home, where else can I go?"

As a renowned director, Lu Zhiyuan naturally has his own car.

It was a very understated black Land Rover.

Unlike Xin Yukun's car, which he decorated in a flashy and gaudy way.

Anyone who looks at the car's decorations can tell that the owner is not a respectable person.

"Go home? There's a dinner party tonight, didn't I text you?"

Liu Shishi invited Xin Yukun to dinner.

Xin Yukun also knew that Liu Shishi's real intention was not what it seemed, and that she definitely wanted to bring Lu Zhiyuan along.

Otherwise, Miss Liu will be sad.

When did you text me?

Lu Zhiyuan took out his phone and checked; it really was there.

There's only one line of text above.

— [Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 6 PM.]

"Why didn't you say so sooner? I would have called Tian Tian to let her know."

Lu Zhiyuan thought it was a company dinner, and that he had invited a few acquaintances such as Dilraba and Zhang Tianai, so he didn't take it seriously.

After all, it's almost the end of the year, and the company's performance this year has been outstanding, so we should have a get-together to celebrate.

As for the previous celebration banquet, it was just for outsiders to see. It was meaningless, nothing but boasting and bragging, with no real substance.

"Dude, staying home every day must be tough, right?"

Although Lu Zhiyuan didn't say it, Xin Yukun could tell that the other person probably didn't want to go home so early and wanted to linger outside for a while.

He couldn't help laughing.

Now you understand, right?
Do you know why I don't have a girlfriend? I just like to hang out with other people.

Nobody bothers you, it's so carefree.

Look at you, the Palme d'Or-winning director, the top commercial filmmaker in China, you live like a henpecked husband, having to report to your wife every time you eat out.
Rich women aren't so easy to find.

You've found a powerful, wealthy woman.

You must have experienced how miserable those days were, right?

……

20 minutes later.

Lu Zhiyuan arrived at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Xin Yukun's car.

But he had already sensed something was wrong on the way here.

This Mandarin Oriental Hotel is located in a hutong on Qianmen Street. Isn't this right in front of Liu Shishi's house?
really!

As soon as the door to the private room opened, Liu Shishi's eyes lit up, and she smiled radiantly, waving to the two of them from afar.

"Shishi, I'm here."

Xin Yukun laughed and wanted to sit next to Liu Shishi.

"go away."

Liu Shishi pushed Xin Yukun away.

She stood up and pulled out a chair for Lu Zhiyuan, saying shyly, "Yuan, you sit here. Brother Kun can sit by the door so he can lend a hand when serving the food."

The chairs were all pulled out; it would be impolite not to sit down.

Lu Zhiyuan nodded and sat down next to Liu Shishi.

Liu Shishi was behind him, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, she gently touched his shoulder with both hands.

Then, Liu Shishi frowned slightly, "How come you've lost so much weight? You must be having a lot of trouble lately?"

Haha!

Xin Yukun, who was on the other side, almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

Of course it's hard work!
Drinking sea cucumber and mutton soup at home every day to boost one's fighting power, how could it not be tiring?

However, the same would happen to you.

Maybe even more will be needed.

"It wasn't very hard. It's just our family's genes; we're naturally not fat, and we don't gain weight no matter what we eat."

Faced with this question, what else could Lu Zhiyuan say?
It can only be attributed to the uniqueness of my family's genes.

Liu Shishi smiled and nodded: "Then your family has excellent genes."

Xin Yukun almost burst out laughing.

Your conversation is so interesting! It would be even more interesting if we could record it and show it to Miss Jing Tian.

"I'm going out for a smoke..."

Xin Yukun made an excuse and prepared to retreat.

Shishi, this is all I can do to help you.

Xin Yukun had just stepped out the door when he suddenly saw three stunningly beautiful women arrive, each one more amazing than the last.

He couldn't help but take another look, and suddenly realized that the three people looked very familiar.

The next moment, as the three approached, Xin Yukun was dumbfounded: "Dilraba, Xiao Ai, Gulnazar, what are you all doing here?"

Who betrayed me?
Liu Shishi's 10,000 yuan red envelope is too hot to handle!

"Brother Kun, how dare you ask? At the company dinner, you didn't call Sister Xiao Ai, the artist director, or me, the company's top female artist, but instead called Liu Shishi, an outsider?"

Reba snorted a few times, pushed Xin Yukun aside, and walked in nonchalantly.

You betrayed me again!
Again and again.

If I hold back any longer today, I'll be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!
We must report this to Sister-in-law Tian Tian!
(End of this chapter)