I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 287 I Was Born Arrogant!

November was a major earthquake for the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

[Huashang Brothers] stock price plummeted, market value evaporated by billions, executives left en masse, and artists under its management terminated their contracts one after another. It is no exaggeration to describe it as "severely damaged".

The four major film companies, including Tianyu Media, watched helplessly as the market landscape underwent a dramatic change!

Zhou Yang's [Xuan Shi Entertainment] not only rose to prominence by taking advantage of the situation, but also joined forces with Liu Jinghua's [Century Entertainment] to drain about half of the resources of [Huasheng Brothers]!
The five major film studios, once arrogant and dominating, now have complex expressions: some are angry, some are regretful, and some are secretly adjusting their strategies.

December has quietly arrived, and despite the biting cold wind, the smoke of battle in the entertainment industry has not yet dissipated.

However, the aftershocks of this earthquake have only just begun.

It even involved two Hollywood movies...

The global box office performance of "Hulk" was a disaster. This "Oscar-worthy superhero film," which Washington Brothers had high hopes for, managed to maintain a respectable performance in China thanks to botched screenings. However, the "ghost screenings" surveillance footage exposed by [a certain company] caused a huge uproar. After investigations by the three major cinema chains, the film was re-released, but its daily box office appeal was abysmal. Ultimately, its global box office grossed only $3.2 million, far below the expected $6 million, barely breaking even…

To make matters worse, Tianyu Media's "Vampire Hunter," which followed in December, also performed poorly. This fantasy blockbuster, which cost 250 million yuan, failed to become the savior of the three major cinema chains. Instead, it was ridiculed for its outdated plot and "last-century aesthetics," and its opening week box office was only 80 million yuan. The consecutive failures of these two projects have plunged the five major film studios into a vicious cycle of "high investment and low returns"...

On December 15th, the tokusatsu film "Wuhun 3," written by Zhou Yang and directed by Che Xiao, officially ended its theatrical run, ultimately grossing 330 million RMB, becoming the highest-grossing domestic tokusatsu film in China.

Despite initially facing strong competition from "Ultraman," the film gained momentum as word-of-mouth spread and screenings increased through the [theatrical alliance]. Its daily box office repeatedly reversed course, ultimately achieving a spectacular comeback.

Even more remarkable is that the sales of merchandise related to "Wuhun 3" exceeded 1 million yuan, setting a new record for the commercialization of Chinese domestic film IP.

However, in stark contrast to the box office success, Zhou Yang remained unusually silent.

Since exposing the box office scandal in November, [Xuan Shi Entertainment] has not announced any new projects, nor has it released any movie release dates or launched any counterattacks in the media. Even Zhou Yang, who is usually very active, has rarely made public appearances.

The five major film studios released domestic films such as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," "Extreme Pursuit," and "The Swordsman" in December, but the box office performance was mediocre, and the market fell into an eerie calm.

In January 2005, the winter was still cold, but the film industry was eerily quiet.

The five major film studios are cautiously observing the situation, while the silence of [Xuan Shi Entertainment] and Zhou Yang's calm are increasingly unsettling...

No one knew what big thing this troublemaker was brewing in the calm after the storm.

..............................

January 2005, the winter was still cold.

A biting wind swept through the entire city of Yanjing, and pedestrians on the street couldn't help but wrap their clothes tighter.

[Xuan Shi Entertainment] In the rooftop lounge.

Zhou Yang stretched lazily, yawned, and went to the French windows. He made himself a cup of tea and sipped it while basking in the sun.

The past month has been the most relaxed month Zhou Yang has had since he came into this world...

Zhou Yang completely let go of his inhibitions.

He wakes up naturally every day, brews a pot of tea by the sunniest window, reads some leisurely books, and occasionally plays with the green plants in his office.

In the afternoon, I often go to the old teahouse deep in the hutongs to listen to Pingtan (a type of storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect), and in the evening I jog along the moat, sometimes gazing at the distant sunset in a daze.

He relinquished all his work, even silencing his phone. He handed over most of the company's affairs to Zhang Jingya. Liu Jinghua's arrival, in a sense, relieved Zhou Yang of nearly half of his workload. Apart from briefly glancing at the company's daily report, he did nothing else. The only work-related activity he did was watch various old movies from this world late at night. He didn't analyze the cinematography or judge the quality of the stories; he simply enjoyed the stories themselves and, more importantly, the spiritual gifts that this world offered, so different from his original one…

This almost luxurious leisure made him feel like a sponge soaked with water, even his breathing felt relaxed and carefree.

1 month 5 day.

Just as Zhou Yang got up, went downstairs, and stretched, he realized what was happening.

Just as he was about to leave, his phone vibrated and then he received a call.

He looked down at the number, which surprised him somewhat; it was a call from Chen Li from the relevant department.

Zhou Yang answered the phone.

"Mr. Zhou, do you have a moment?"

"You're free, Director Chen..."

"Chat?"

"it is good……"

Chen Li's voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone gentle but with a hint of probing: "President Zhou, have you been resting well lately?"

Zhou Yang smiled and leaned against the window, sunlight shining on him: "Not bad, a rare moment of leisure."

Chen Li paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully: "Actually, the reason I'm talking to you this time is to discuss... the Directors Guild." He spoke sincerely, "You're aware of the current situation in the industry. Although there have been some frictions among the fifth-generation directors, everyone is working for the development of Chinese cinema. The guild hopes you'll consider joining and working together to promote the industry's progress."

Zhou Yang did not answer immediately, but gently touched the teacup.

Chen Li continued, "Director Zhang means that past conflicts can be discussed and resolved. If you're willing, the association can organize a dialogue where everyone can find common ground while respecting differences. After all, your abilities and influence are very important to the industry."

Zhou Yang finally spoke, his voice calm yet meaningful: "Director Chen, reconciliation is not a problem. But the prerequisite is that they must first learn to respect the market and the audience—instead of treating movies as their own privileged game."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Chen Li sighed: "I understand what you mean... but at least, would you be willing to meet?"

Zhou Yang looked out the window. The cold wind was still biting, but the sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on every corner of Yanjing City.

After a long silence, he finally smiled and said, "Okay..."

....................................

Inside the Yanjing Film Bureau's meeting room, the heating couldn't dispel the heavy atmosphere.

Directors Liang Xiaogang and Chen Kesen sat silently on either side of the long table, looking at the data on it.

Zhou Yang's "Wu Hun 3" topped the box office charts for tokusatsu films with 330 million yuan, and sales of related merchandise exceeded 100 million yuan. Meanwhile, films released at the same time by the five major film studios, such as "Jianghu Luren" and "Jianxia", suffered consecutive setbacks.

The box office figures for the past twelve months felt like a slap in the face to everyone… At this moment, their emotions were a complex mix…

They had to admit that the young man they had denounced as an "industry cancer" had now carved out a place for himself in the Chinese film industry with [Xuan Shi Entertainment] and [Cinema Alliance].

but……

"Director Chen, data is data, but movies aren't arithmetic problems! Zhou Yang's films are at best mass-produced industrial products; what artistic value do they have besides making money?"

Liang Xiaogang's voice broke the silence in the conference room, and his gaze turned to Chen Li.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Kesen nodded, flipping through the sales report for "Wuhun 3" merchandise. His pen paused for a moment on "1 million in derivative product revenue," then he frowned: "He's just a businessman. If the association accepts this kind of businessman, shouldn't the award criteria be changed to which company sells the most toys?" He deliberately emphasized the word "businessman"...

“Yes! Even if ‘Hulk’ fails, it’s still an Oscar-caliber film that’s been polished by an Oscar-winning team for three years…” Li Mingrui looked at everyone: “And Zhou Yang? All he does is copy and market! When did the association’s standards drop so low that they can let in someone like this…”

"Enough!" Chen Li frowned.

He scanned everyone and pointed to the chart on the wall of the "China Film Annual Report": "The audience satisfaction rate for 'Wu Hun 3' is 91%. Who here has achieved that?"

After a brief silence...

Liang Xiaogang sneered: "The audience? Those kids holding plastic knives and guns are considered the audience?"

Then, he stared at Chen Li and said, "If the association bows to commerce, I'll be the first to object!"

Chen Li tapped on the conference table, his brows furrowed deeply. He then swept his gaze across everyone again, his voice gradually turning cold.

"Everyone should ask yourselves honestly, how many of the top ten highest-grossing domestic films last year were works by directors from the fifth generation of Chinese filmmakers?"

After listening, Liang Xiaogang stood up.

"Film is an art. If you insist on talking about box office, then everyone here should shut up. When it comes to marketing, none of the directors here can compare to Zhou Yang... But I still have to say, none of his films, from his first movie to 'Wu Hun 3,' have any artistic value..."

"What about 'The Mine'? Were the judges in Berlin blind?"

"..."

Chen Li's sudden question caused a brief silence in the conference room.

Chen Kesen frowned and said, "Didn't 'The Mine' not win any awards? Of all the directors present, how many were nominated for the Berlin Film Festival?"

Just as Chen Kesen finished speaking...

There was a knock on the conference room door.

Immediately afterwards...

All the directors fell silent instantly.

All eyes were fixed on that door.

All the mockery came to an abrupt halt.

Then, the door opened, and Zhou Yang led directors Che Xiao and Shen Long in step by step.

Unlike the tense scene just now, although all the directors still had somewhat unpleasant expressions on their faces, they did not mock Zhou Yang as they had the first time they came.

Li Zhengtao, one of them, even stood up with a smile, greeted Zhou Yang, and invited him to sit down.

"Mr. Zhou, please have a seat here..."

"it is good."

Everyone saw Zhou Yang nod and smile, then sit in the most prominent position with the two directors behind him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are two main reasons for inviting Mr. Zhou to this meeting today. First, on behalf of the Film Bureau, I would like to congratulate Mr. Zhou on his dual success in the Chinese and European and American markets. 'Wu Hun 3' not only broke box office records for domestic tokusatsu films, but its innovative business model has also opened up new paths for the industry. Second, as the competent authority, we hope to build a platform for equal dialogue—Chinese films need to be inclusive, both inheriting artistic essence and embracing market changes. Everyone present is a pillar of the industry, and we hope that you can put aside your prejudices and jointly discuss how to make Chinese films go further."

Chen Li's calm and steady voice rang out.

After he finished speaking...

The directors remained silent.

Zhou Yang spoke first.

"Everyone!"

Zhou Yang glanced around the conference table, a smile on his face, and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"As you may not know, just yesterday, [Star Shine Cinemas] officially joined our [Cinema Alliance]."

He paused slightly, looking at the sudden change in everyone's expressions: "Now, the alliance's cinema chains account for 34% of the national market share."

After a brief pause, his smile deepened: "I'm a man of principle, and since Director Chen is hosting today, I'll make a statement—"

"For the future development of Chinese films and to maintain fairness and impartiality, I will not use the cinema chains as an excuse. From now on, everything will be decided by the market. I will absolutely not interfere with any film scheduling, and the same applies to films under my personal company... If they flop, we'll release them; if they're popular, we'll release them..."

"I came here with sincerity this time, and at the same time, I also want to gain a voice..."

"Today, let's not hold back. Say everything you have to say in this meeting!"

"I'll just laugh off anything that happened before today's meeting; let bygones be bygones..."

But after today...

"Anyone who still thinks I'm not qualified to speak, or who wants to challenge me to a duel..."

Zhou Yang's sharp gaze swept over everyone present.

"My sword has never been ineffective!"

(End of this chapter)