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

Chapter 329 Did you even watch the movie properly?

7 Month 24 Day!
morning.

Countless filmmakers in China were stunned by the skyrocketing pre-sale ticket numbers for "Kung Fu Basketball"!

This film, so abstract, should have flopped immediately, but the pre-sale tickets went completely crazy!

Countless movie fans who learned about the film online went to the cinema to buy tickets out of curiosity.

then……

The incredible offer of a super low ticket price of 10 yuan plus a free drink drove moviegoers into a frenzy, with long queues forming outside cinemas across the country. On the second day after the premiere, all pre-sale screenings nationwide were sold out instantly!
Even the tickets for the seven-day premiere were sold out!

On its opening day, the film grossed only 600 million RMB, but its pre-sale box office soared to over 900 million RMB in 24 hours on the second day. Theaters had to add midnight screenings, but demand still exceeded supply.

On July 25th, the viral spread of "Kung Fu Basketball" exploded!

[Kuaibo] officially launched a "Overalls Warrior" dance challenge to promote "Kung Fu Basketball".

At the promotional event, the main cast members were incredibly approachable, abandoning any pretense of being celebrities. They even donned overalls and imitated exaggerated basketball moves from the film, eliciting laughter from the entire audience. This viral challenge quickly swept the internet, with countless netizens creating videos imitating the film's iconic dance moves, causing related topics to garner over eight million views within 24 hours, and possibly even higher…

With the internet buzz surrounding this, and in an era where the average movie ticket costs 20 yuan, you're offering movie tickets for 10 yuan, plus free iced water and drinks...

Theater managers watched in disbelief as occupancy rates soared from 65% on the first day to 98% on the second, with some theaters even experiencing a ticket-buying frenzy...

On July 26th, as the popularity of the "Overalls Warrior" continued to soar, and as iconic scenes from the movie such as the "720-degree spin dunk" and the "steel backboard" gained further traction, the film's daily box office defied the trend, reaching 11 million yuan, and the actual number of viewers reached an incredible level...

On July 27, box office revenue hit a new record, exceeding 12 million yuan. Cinemas urgently increased the screening rate from 35% to 58%, ultimately stabilizing the box office figures...

On July 28th, the film's box office remained around 12 million RMB, indicating a continued hot market. However, the tide seemed to be turning online, with a series of positive reviews appearing. Some even hailed this "abstract" film culture as a new style of "nonsensical" cinema...

……

Early in the morning of June 7.

Liang Xiaogang stared intently at the box office data on the computer screen.

The Last Supper has finally finished its run in theaters.

The film, which he had high hopes for, ultimately flopped with a meager 1.7 million RMB gross, and the bright red 5.8 rating on the screen stung his eyes.

Meanwhile, the box office curve of "Kung Fu Basketball" next to it was like it had been injected with chicken blood, climbing steadily. It raked in 4800 million RMB in five days, with a peak daily box office of 1200 million RMB!

"What's wrong with this world? Damn it! From now on, everyone should just stop making movies and focus on marketing online buzz and drastically lowering prices! Let's just stop making movies altogether!" He was furious in his office.
The assistant nervously handed over the market research report, glanced at Liang Xiaogang, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "Director Liang, the data shows that 73% of the audience is between 18 and 25 years old, and they said they laughed so hard their cheeks hurt while watching this film."

"Bullshit!" Liang Xiaogang snatched the report, only to see a glaring 75% approval rating in the "Young Audience Satisfaction" section.

His hands suddenly trembled, and the dense stream of comments from viewers made his eyes red!

"Summer movie season should be all about having fun!" "Ten times more enjoyable than 'The Last Supper'!" "I love this kind of mindless fun!" "Director Liang's movies are like history lessons, this is real stress relief!" "I couldn't stand 'Moon Wars 2,' but I actually laughed like a pig while watching this movie..."

Looking at these comments, he closed his eyes!
After a moment of silence, the assistant lowered his head and finally placed a detailed investigation report on the table. His tone was complex yet professional: "Among the serious films released at the same time, this film's occupancy rate is 3.2 times that of 'The Last Supper.' Although the film has an exaggerated performance style, feedback from theaters shows that this 'bizarre humorous parody comedy' just fills the gap in the entertainment needs of teenagers during the summer season."

The assistant then presented third-party data: "It's worth noting that the second and third viewing rate reached an astonishing 27%, far exceeding the industry average of 8%. Social media monitoring shows that clips like the 'overalls dance' have become a phenomenon, attracting a large number of non-traditional moviegoers to the cinema for the first time. In fact, this can be considered a commercial phenomenon!"

"This world seems to be becoming more and more unfamiliar to me!"

After opening his eyes, Liang Xiaogang sighed softly.

Liang Xiaogang clenched his fists, staring at the box office figures for "Kung Fu Basketball," his eyes filled with a mixture of anger, confusion, and frustration.

His proudest film, "The Last Supper," ended in a dismal failure, while this movie, which he considered a "vulgar farce," raked in huge market success.

At this moment, he felt both unwilling and powerless, as if he had been slapped hard by the times, and even breathing felt strangely painful...

After a long pause, he looked down at another movie on the table, "Chrysanthemum Terrace"...

This movie is about to premiere!

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

As the viral sensation of "Kung Fu Basketball" continues to sweep the internet, fan-made videos about the "Overalls Warrior" continue to emerge, but the focus of the film industry has quietly shifted to another blockbuster that is about to be released—"Chrysanthemum Terrace".

On July 30, Tianyu Media suddenly launched an overwhelming publicity campaign.

Overnight, subway stations and shopping mall LED screens were covered with gilded posters of "Chrysanthemum Terrace," and scenes from the trailer showing thousands of troops breaking through the palace gates were played repeatedly, accompanied by the eye-catching slogan "The most expensive war epic in Chinese film history."

Li Zhengtao and his cast appeared on a popular variety show, where they showcased a handcrafted suit of armor worth millions of yuan. The hashtag #ChrysanthemumTaiOneCostumeOneHouse# instantly went viral.

The media tacitly portrayed "Chrysanthemum Terrace" and "Kung Fu Basketball" as opposing forces, calling the former "a battle for the dignity of the Chinese film industry."

Film critic Wang Lei wrote: "When the abstract carnival recedes, what will truly be recorded in film history will always be masterpieces like 'Chrysanthemum Terrace'!" Meanwhile, theaters urgently adjusted their screening schedules, setting the pre-sale screenings of "Chrysanthemum Terrace" at 68 yuan in "Premium IMAX Halls," attempting to differentiate itself from "Kung Fu Basketball," which had a ticket price of 10 yuan, by using a "high-end positioning."

however……

The media's deliberate creation of a contrasting narrative between "Chrysanthemum Terrace" and "Kung Fu Basketball" has, unusually, failed to provoke a counterattack from Zhou Yang.

On the contrary, [Xuan Shi Entertainment] surprisingly cooperated with the promotion, with Zhou Yang personally forwarding the trailer for "Chrysanthemum Terrace" and praising Li Zhengtao, saying, "This movie is incredibly dazzling!"
Not only did its affiliated cinemas retain 70% of the IMAX screenings for "Chrysanthemum Terrace," but they also displayed a co-branded pre-sale poster on the homepage of [XuanShi Mall].

On August 2nd, at the promotional event for "Chrysanthemum Terrace," he even brought the main creative team from "Kung Fu Basketball" to show his support. When questioned by the media, he smiled and said, "We should support the films of our seniors! There are also many things we can learn from them..." This unusual humility left the entire film industry puzzled...

This unusually humble attitude left the entire film industry baffled, and various conspiracy theories quickly spread.

Some speculate that Zhou Yang was paving the way for the filming of "The Devil Knight" by deliberately currying favor in exchange for the support of Li Zhengtao's technical team.
Some suspect this is a capital-level exchange of interests, with [Xuanshi Entertainment] possibly having secretly invested in the "Chrysanthemum Terrace" project to get a share of the profits.

An even more bizarre claim is that Zhou Yang deliberately hyped up "Chrysanthemum Terrace" to create a "praise-to-kill" effect, and then launched a backlash against the film when its reputation collapsed.

The media dug up old stories, pointing out that Zhou Yang's "humility" was always accompanied by a hidden agenda: from keeping a low profile before the release of "Moon Wars 2" to suddenly acquiring shares in four major film studios, and then to "Kung Fu Basketball" which appeared to offer concessions but actually blew up the market.
However, these speculations are all just baseless rumors, and there is no substantial evidence to prove them.

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

On the evening of August 5th, a hundred-meter-long red carpet stretched outside the Yenching Grand Theatre, and golden palace lanterns illuminated the night sky as if it were daytime.

When Li Zhengtao stepped onto the red carpet in a black Zhongshan suit, dozens of media outlets' flashbulbs instantly swarmed around him like crazy!
Behind him was the lead actress, Zhang Li, who wore a "phoenix robe" that the crew had spent three months hand-embroidering. The gold thread on the hem of the robe flowed with a breathtakingly luxurious radiance under the camera lens, and the priceless pearl necklace around her neck caused the shutter to click rapidly!
Everyone stared at the fund's luxurious makeup and styling, unable to contain their excitement!

"Director Li! Will 'Chrysanthemum Terrace,' with an investment of 3 million yuan, break the domestic box office record?"

"Miss Zhang! I heard you studied the guqin for three years specifically for this role?"

The reporters' desperate questions were drowned out by the fans' frenzied screams, and the security lines on both sides of the red carpet were breached several times.

Inside the theater, the whispers of the invited guests created an eerie sonic effect under the deliberately constructed dome.

The entire screening room was resplendent in gold. Liang Xiaogang, seated in the front row, stared intently at the dazzling array of ancient bronze artifacts on the stage, unable to hide his excitement—this was precisely the style of his favorite blockbusters, and his film "The Last Supper" was intended to capture this feeling...

As Zhou Yang entered discreetly, he made a point of nodding in homage to Li Zhengtao. Media cameras remained focused on Zhou Yang, excitedly awaiting his usual media frenzy. However, as the lights dimmed and the giant screen displayed the "Tianyu Pictures" logo, the entire venue fell silent.

Zhou Yang remained silent throughout, making no unexpected moves.

only……

Silently watching the premiere of this film, which is rumored to have cost 3 million RMB...

……

"Chrysanthemum Terrace" is set against the backdrop of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and tells the story of the power struggles between the king and queen.

[The Queen conspired with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince to launch a coup, but ultimately fell into tragedy due to the secret betrayal and conspiracy within her family.]

Surprisingly, the script of this film is almost identical to that of "The Last Supper".

However, its set design and costumes are even more dazzling and luxurious than those of "The Last Supper," creating a stunning visual impact.

After the film screening, Liang Xiaogang was so excited that he even shed tears as he praised "Chrysanthemum Terrace" in front of the media, unable to contain his emotions.

When facing the media, Zhou Yang unusually praised "Chrysanthemum Terrace," exaggerating his admiration: "Director Li's work is simply a milestone in the Chinese film industry! Every frame burns with the craftsmanship of a 3 million yuan investment. The reflection of this gilded armor is too bright and dazzling, and too dim and it is too bright!"

As he spoke, he gestured to close-up shots of armor from the movie, and even imitated Zhang Li's sleeve-flicking motion on the spot, resulting in him stumbling and almost knocking over the interview table.

When the reporter pressed him for specific highlights, he paused for two seconds, then slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "The drumbeats in that coup scene were absolutely amazing! Every drumbeat hit my aesthetic G-spot, and I felt like I learned a lot!"

This overly enthusiastic praise left the reporters at the scene looking at each other in bewilderment, since there wasn't a single drumming scene in the entire film.

Finally, he even took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away tears: "I have benefited a lot from watching this! Such a masterpiece makes me feel ashamed of my own abilities... I should learn more from Director Li!"

Before he finished speaking, everyone noticed that Li Zhengtao's smile had become somewhat stiff...

Special!

Did this guy even watch the movie properly?

Don't fall asleep the whole time!
At that moment, he regretted inviting Zhou Yang to speak on stage!
Seeing Zhou Yang's still-enthusiastic attitude and his desire to continue his awkward boasting, Li Zhengtao quickly stepped forward, thanking him while leading Zhou Yang off the stage, afraid that this "troublemaker" would say a few more words.

If he keeps praising it like this, the movie's box office might just crash because of his hype...

…………

Under the spotlight, Zhou Yang walked off the stage with a smile on his face!
Just then, the phone rang.

He answered the phone.

The call was from Zhang Jingya.

"President Zhou, Mr. Deng Xingzu is here to visit..."

"Which Mr. Deng Xingzu?"

"Hong Kong comedian Deng Xingzu made many comedy films in the 1990s. After the flop of the movie 'Monkey King' in 2000, he went into seclusion for nearly five years. He said that he was deeply inspired after watching our 'Kung Fu Basketball' and wrote a script called 'Shaolin Kung Fu Soccer.' He hopes to talk to you about it..."

"..."

"He said he could sign with our company for five or ten years, but he wanted to be a director..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)