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

Chapter 320 When the Alliance Collapses

"Moon Wars 2" is an adaptation of the original 2009 science fiction thriller "Moon," directed by Duncan Jones and starring Sam Rockwell, with Kevin Spacey providing the voice of the robot.

As an independent science fiction film, it had a production cost of only $5 million. Due to its art-house film nature, its premiere was relatively small, mainly in art-house theaters in North America and Europe. However, thanks to its solid script and Sam Rockwell's performance, it received widespread acclaim. The film ultimately grossed more than double its budget. As word-of-mouth spread, it subsequently earned over $10 million through home entertainment, streaming, and various broadcasting rights.

As one of the solo films, it garnered extremely high praise despite its low-budget production, and was hailed by film fans and critics as the best science fiction film of the 21st century. For Zhou Yang, this film is also one of the few movies that he can remember the entire plot of...

It is also the first film that is nearly 90% inspired by other films.

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

【Tianyu】

In the office, Deng Baichuan sat silently in his chair...

Xu Haibo sat opposite him, his face pale and flustered, and opened his laptop with trembling hands.

About three hours after the premiere of "Moon Wars 2" ended, movie websites such as MovieHome gave the film a score of nearly as high as 9.2.

While the ratings from websites not affiliated with Zhou Yang, such as [Wandou Movie Network], [Movie Fans' Home], and [Movie Forum], were slightly lower, they still managed to reach scores close to 9.0.

The most eye-catching headline was a comment written by user "Interstellar Wanderer": "This is not science fiction but philosophy! Chen Jianfeng's performance is enough to be recorded in the history of Chinese films - when he discovers that he is a clone, the scene where he cries in front of the bulkhead reminds me of the shocking moment in 'God's World' when Carrie finds himself trapped in God's utopia and tries to rush forward, crashing into the blue sky curtain world!"

Similar comments dominated the homepage, with many movie fans even excitedly declaring they wanted to watch the film two or three times, just to see it...

Xu Haibo stared at the comments section of "Moon Wars 2" on the screen, where there were a large number of almost perfect reviews, and his fingers trembled involuntarily.

At that moment, he recalled the Saw movie that swept across Europe and America, the "monster" that Zhou Yang used $120,000 to generate over $100 million in global box office revenue. Now, the cost of Lunar Wars 2 is, in some ways, even lower, but the critical acclaim is even higher...

He couldn't imagine how high the final box office of this movie would go!

At this moment, Deng Baichuan was also silently watching these chilling comments, and seeing that Star Wars had a rating of nearly 6.9, he happened to see a barrage of criticism.

At this moment, his defenses gradually crumbled, and he lowered his head and silently closed his eyes!
Are they really going to have their $40 million Hollywood blockbuster crushed by this $1 million domestic film?

In the deathly silence of the conference room, Deng Baichuan vaguely heard the footsteps of capital fleeing in a frenzy.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, his gaze slightly bloodshot: "Keep an eye on this movie for me..."

"Okay!" Xu Haibo nodded.

Then, Deng Baichuan silently stood up and said, "Please contact the five major film companies in China again. I want to talk to them..."

"Um……"

……

6 o'clock in the afternoon.

On the internet, when the premiere reviews of "War for the Moon II" swept across the entire network like a tsunami, the entire Chinese entertainment industry was in shock.

The conference room at Tianyu Entertainment was filled with smoke, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

The chairmen of the five major film companies stared at the 9.2 opening score, their fingers unconsciously tapping on the data reports, and constantly monitoring the box office performance of "Moon Wars 2".

Despite Star Wars still being the most popular movie on the internet!

While *Lunar Wars: Episode II* enjoyed phenomenal popularity and followed closely behind, as an art-house film shot in just 15 days, it's theoretically likely to be a box office hit, but it's unlikely to actually surpass *Star Wars*' opening weekend box office record.

Putting aside how amazing the Star Wars franchise is as a global IP and how wide its global audience is, even just considering the ticket prices, the two movies are quite different...

Moreover, various market data and screening schedules all suggest that this movie doesn't seem to have any real chance of crushing Star Wars!
Just kidding!
Damn, it's a Hollywood blockbuster movie!
You spend a million and you can boost someone's box office...

how can that be!

But at this moment, the data analysis teams of the five major film studios looked at the data in their hands and were somewhat unconfident in their reports!

"While 'Moon Wars II' has received rave reviews, data models show that its box office performance is unlikely to surpass 'Star Wars.' After all, it's a top-tier global IP, with pre-sales already exceeding 30 million yuan. Moreover, as a low-budget art film, 'Moon Wars II's' 12-yuan ticket price and limited screenings mean its revenue ceiling is destined to be relatively low... Theoretically speaking, this movie is unlikely to win... Unless, unless a miracle like 'Saw' occurs..."

After saying this, the voice stopped abruptly.

Starting with "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2", they have been thoroughly defeated by a series of movies produced by [Xuan Shi Entertainment].

They used to think that Zhou Yang's films would flop at the box office, but then "Calabash Brothers" made tens of millions of yuan at the box office, and now another high-rated movie is coming out...

The box office figures for "Saw" speak for themselves!

The conference room was filled with smoke, and the heavy curtains kept out the setting sun, leaving only the light illuminating the ashen faces.

The chairmen of the five major film studios sat around a long table, looking at the financial statements...

"The most urgent task is to stabilize the stock price." Zhang Zhonglei of [Huashang Brothers] stubbed out his third cigarette. The pile of cigarette butts in the ashtray resembled their crumbling defenses. "We must release positive news before the market opens tomorrow, even if... even if we have to fabricate some overseas copyright transaction data."

"But what good news could there be now?" The meeting room was filled with smoke, and the chairmen of the five major film companies stared at the constantly updated data reports, their faces growing increasingly gloomy.

Some suggested investing 50 million in marketing to offset negative public opinion and generate positive reviews for Star Wars, but this plan did not receive unanimous approval—in the current tight budget, no one was willing to take on the risk of unknown losses.

Some advocated gritting their teeth and persevering, but when Deng Baichuan asked them for help and borrowing money on the grounds of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," implying that they would be next after he fell, these once shrewd businessmen fell into an eerie silence. Their attempts to persuade them with emotion and reason only resulted in an awkward silence at the conference table.

Amidst a series of thwarted proposals, Deng Baichuan's face grew increasingly grim, and he finally closed his eyes in exhaustion.

The agonizing meeting lasted until 9:15 p.m., when the heads of the five major film studios got up and left one after another, their backs revealing undisguised disagreements and frustration!
"Damn it, they call each other brothers all the time, but when it comes to money, they all pretend to be mute!"

"We spent $4000 million on Star Wars, gave them the title of co-producer for nothing, and now these bastards are trying to protect themselves."

Xu Haibo's face was so gloomy it could drip water, and he clenched his fists!
Deng Baichuan rubbed his eyes wearily.

Seeing Deng Baichuan's appearance, Xu Haibo sat down beside him, feeling a mix of emotions...

"Mr. Deng, what's the next step?"

"The cinema system is now under Zhou Yang's control?"

"Apart from the three major cinema chains, most of the rest have been taken over. [Huaying International] is now completely disoriented by Zhou Yang's punch. Although they are trying their best to make amends, they have no other choice... Zhou Yang has dragged them into the abyss. Even if Zhou Yang lets them go, the capital behind him and those ambitious cinema chain capital will never let them go..."

"I heard Li Minghao begged for mercy, right?"

"Yes, but Zhou Yang is determined to take over the three major cinema chains. He will not accept begging for mercy!"

"He's the kind of person who won't act until he sees a tangible benefit; he only cares about substantial gains!" Deng Baichuan nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and his tone no longer betrayed the sharp edge of a listed company chairman.

Xu Haibo's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this: "President Deng, what should we do next... I think we should contact [Huashang Brothers] again... We can't let our guard down at this critical juncture!"

Deng Baichuan did not answer, but closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time before suddenly opening all the information about [Xuanshi Entertainment].

From the toy market to cinema chain development, from film production to Hollywood collaborations, and then to IP development.
He read it page by page, his gaze more focused than ever before…

Just then, Xu Haibo's phone rang. He rushed out to answer it, and returned half an hour later looking ashen-faced, as if he had lost his soul.

Deng Baichuan frowned: "What happened now?"

"I just received news that, just after our meeting ended, people from the four major film and television companies, including [Huashang Brothers], seem to have secretly sent people towards [Xuanshi Entertainment]."

"What are they going to do?"

"I'm not sure of the specifics, but..."

"But what?"

"It's highly likely they're seeking cooperation or joining Zhou Yang's camp..."

"..."

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

Ten o'clock in the evening.

Zhang Zhonglei, chairman of Huasheng Brothers, stood in front of the headquarters building of Xuanshi Entertainment, looking into the distance.

He tightened his suit and tie. In the thirty seconds it took for the elevator to ascend, he briefly reviewed his experiences since starting his business. Ultimately, with Liu Jinghua's departure, Huasheng Brothers was thrown into chaos. It was barely stabilized, but the stock price had plummeted to an alarming low...

He glanced down at Zhou Yang's file again, the news his secretary had just told him echoing in his ears: [Huaying International] was currently being poached by numerous talent hunters...

As a shrewd businessman, he knew very well that there was no point in continuing to fight Zhou Yang.

In the past, even the five major film studios, the three Hollywood companies, and the three major Chinese cinema chains couldn't suppress Zhou Yang, let alone now that Zhou Yang controls the cinema industry...

The lawyer standing next to him had a complicated look in his eyes.

The elevator stopped.

Led by Zhang Jingya, he silently walked into the conference room.

"boss Zhang……"

"Mr. Zhou!"

His voice was hoarse and complex. As he shook hands with Zhou Yang, he sighed deeply: "Mr. Zhou, we're not fighting anymore."

"Oh?"

"This is 10% of the shares! Mr. Zhou, if you're willing, you can take it. We're willing to transfer it to you at the lowest market price..."

(End of this chapter)