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

Chapter 364 We are witnessing history!

As the sun sets, the sky is ablaze with evening glow.

On the stage, that figure was still standing.

A gust of wind blew by, ruffling his hair.

He adjusted his glasses and looked at everyone with a refined and polite demeanor.

The moment Zhou Yang announced that "tickets for the five special effects blockbusters will be 15 yuan," the entire press conference venue exploded like a powder keg.

"boom!"

Complete explosion!

The reporters in the VIP seats went wild, frantically pointing their cameras at Zhou Yang's face, and even knocking three cameras off their feet in the scuffle.

Everyone stared intently at the bespectacled figure on the stage!
From the movies to the online store, to the offline promotional offers, and finally the announcement of the release dates for the five movies, all coincided with the release of "Transformers".
At this moment, everyone realized that this was not only a turning point that changed the Chinese film industry, but also a crucial moment that could rewrite the entire history of the Chinese internet!

The scene instantly erupted, and the crowd in the back surged forward like a tidal wave, breaking through the cordon with sheer willpower.

The security guards tried desperately to stop them, but to no avail. In the end, a second batch of security personnel had to hold the edge of the stage, forming the last line of defense with their bodies to stop the almost frenzied reporters.
"Mr. Zhou!" A female reporter from "Film Vanguard" screamed at the top of her lungs, piercing the noise: "Is this a declaration of war against 'Transformers'?"

Her recorder was pushed to the ground and immediately crushed into pieces by the countless footsteps behind her. She shouted anxiously, but her voice was quickly drowned out by wave after wave of noise!

Behind her, in the non-VIP seats, an even more frenzied scene was unfolding off-camera: two entertainment reporters were wrestling over the best camera angle, one holding onto the other's tie tightly around the other's neck, while others were frantically rushing towards Zhou Yang...

"Declaration of war"

How exhilarating these words are!

Throughout the "Domestic Film Protection Month" in July and August, there were quite a few people who shouted "declaration of war".

but!
Looking back over the years, it seems that only this young man in front of me has truly achieved this!
Back in 2003, when the entire industry was avoiding the limelight of Hollywood,
He brought his work to the forefront of Hollywood blockbusters!
In the tide of retreat, he alone went against the tide, proceeding cautiously step by step.

Even so, almost every one of his works is accompanied by controversy and criticism, and even accusations of trying to ride the coattails of others' popularity...

but!
Every strike is a powerful blow!

Until March of this year, "Dark Knight" faced off against "Dragon Knight"!
This epic battle, which will be recorded in the history of Chinese cinema, ultimately crowned him a legend!
At this moment, after nearly half a year of silence, when domestic films were in complete disarray and had utterly fallen apart!

This young man stepped forward once again!

……

"President Zhou! We support you!"

"Mr. Zhou, let's go after Transformers! Mr. Zhou, let's go after them!"

"Kill them!"

"Dry!"

this moment!
The [Movie House] forum is absolutely buzzing!

Countless filmmakers, movie fans, and Zhou Yang's fans are closely watching this live broadcast.

When Zhou Yang announced that he would use five special effects movies, each costing 15 yuan, to counter "Transformers", the entire website was instantly flooded with comments!
When someone in the audience loudly asked Zhou Yang if he wanted to confront "Transformers" head-on, the fans on the forum went completely crazy!
The comment section was instantly flooded with excited messages, and everyone's attention was focused on the not-so-tall, bespectacled, and refined figure in the center of the stage.

Within minutes, the server began to lag due to a surge in traffic.

Everyone was glued to the screen!

Filmmakers watched with excitement!

Everyone was hoping that Zhou Yang could raise his hand and utter that passionate declaration of war against Hollywood, just like he did in 2003.

Perhaps, the same words would have sounded like a joke in 03, but today they are full of convincing confidence!
At this moment, everyone longed to be a witness to this epic showdown, and...

A witness to the rise of China's film industry!
however……

On stage, Zhou Yang didn't seem as crazy as before; instead, he pushed up his glasses.

……

"How I wish I could raise my fist and declare war on Hollywood, just like I used to, and shout that I would crush their myth!"

"Back then, I was fearless, forging ahead without fear of anything!"

"But, the reality is, this is more like a difficult resistance than a declaration of war!"

"Many years ago, I witnessed firsthand how the Hollywood film industry destroyed Hong Kong cinema and how it wreaked havoc around the world."

"I wish I could proudly say that we will definitely defeat Hollywood, but I have to admit that our domestic film industry still has a long way to go to catch up with Hollywood!"

"Compared to a top-tier global IP like Transformers, we are more like pursuers standing at the foot of a mountain. Although we poured our hearts and souls into these five films, we must admit that our special effects level still lags behind top teams like Industrial Light & Magic!"

"We may not be just learning to speak and take our first steps, but we are always looking up and climbing..."

"The victory of 'Dark Knight' over 'Dragon Knight' was a triumph, but after careful review, we realized that our victory was somewhat due to luck!"

"Such victories cannot be replicated every time, so we must always stay clear-headed."

"This time, I don't expect a miraculous victory; I just hope to become a formidable opponent that will leave a lasting impression on the Hollywood film industry."

"This time, I only want to protect the faint flame of China's film industry."

"Of course, this time, we will not use 'patriotism' or 'sentiments' to manipulate any movie fans... I also do not want anyone on the internet to use 'patriotism' or supporting domestic films to market anything. We will silence anyone who sees such things and tries to stir up trouble!"

"This time, I just want to say this very seriously: our movie tickets are only 15 yuan. If you can watch the movie, then go see it. If you can't watch it, then don't go see it!"

"We let our films speak for themselves!"

On the horizon, the sunset glow gradually faded.

In the distance, the earth began to slowly darken.

Under the lights, Zhou Yang shone brightly. After he said those words, he looked around at everyone and then bowed silently.
Then, under countless lights, amidst the most dazzling brilliance, he silently turned around and walked into the [Xuan Shi Mall]!

...Huaxia Film Department.

In fact, this live broadcast not only attracted countless netizens to watch, but Zhang Changlong and other leaders of the State Administration of Radio and Television also watched the whole thing from their offices.

When Zhou Yang's departing figure disappeared from the camera's view, the entire conference room fell into a long silence.

On the screen, only the flashing lights and the boisterous crowd of reporters remained on the empty stage, while the leaders' gazes remained fixed on the departing figure.

After a long while, the leader slowly withdrew his gaze, his eyes filled with a complex mix of melancholy and reminiscence.

"Young Zhou is a very good man!" the leader finally spoke, his voice tinged with emotion. "He hasn't had an easy time these past few years, and I think we should give him more support..."

"We have already coordinated with CCTV and other official media to conduct special reports. Many of the reporters on site are official reporters!" Zhang Changlong immediately reported.

“Let’s give him some more policy support.” The leader pondered for a moment: “Although his movies do well at the box office, the profit margin is much smaller than those commercial blockbusters. We can give him appropriate tax reductions.”

“This is already underway,” Zhang Changlong nodded in response.

"Very good. Well done." The leader nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, our official [Kuaibo] account should also be launched. The first post should be a repost of Zhou Yang's words from today, titled—'The Climbers'."

"Understood!" Zhang Changlong solemnly wrote down the decision.

After a long while, the leaders slowly got up and silently walked out of the office.

Zhang Changlong watched his leader's departing figure, his gaze unconsciously falling on the book "China's Film Industry" on the desk.

As dusk settled outside the window, his thoughts grew ever clearer!
perhaps!

At this moment!

Are they all witnessing history?

He remained silent for a long time, then finally looked at his phone and made a call.

"Please help me contact the relevant authorities!"

"We're here to support Zhou Yang!"

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

August 10th, 8:9 p.m.

[Weibo] On the projection screen in the headquarters conference room, the real-time data curves were like a sharp knife, piercing the hearts of everyone present.

"It's gone up again! [Kuaibo] has surpassed 2000 million registered users!" The operations director's voice trembled: "This growth rate is simply insane!"

CEO Xu Xiaoming stared intently at the wildly rising red curve.

Since he founded Weibo, he has been frantically trying to catch up with Kuaibo!

In fact, over the past year, they have watched helplessly as their opponents' statistics soared countless times, just like today!
Over the past year, despite Weibo's backing by capital, its massive investment in inviting celebrities to join, and even its willingness to poach influential figures from Kuaishou, it has consistently been overshadowed.

They tracked down 1000 million registered users!
The other party's value surged to 1200 million!
They caught up with 1200 million users!
They rushed towards 1500 million!
They spent an unknown amount of money, even hundreds of millions, but the first-mover advantage of the internet was simply too profound!

With the rise of Zhou Yang and the rise of the capital behind him, however much you invest, the coal bosses behind him invest just as much!
The millions of data points are like an insurmountable chasm!

And at this moment...

The secretary rushed in, her face pale!

"Mr. Xu, we've received news that the China Film Bureau has opened a Kuaibo account!"

Xu Xiaoming suddenly stood up, his expression changing drastically: "When did this happen?"

"Just half an hour ago, the first post was a repost of Zhou Yang's speech at today's press conference, titled 'The Climbers'."

"boom!"

Right now!
The CTO immediately brought up the QuickBet page!

The gold badge of the China Film Administration is incredibly eye-catching!
Each one was adorned with a dazzling gold badge.

The pinned content is Zhou Yang's speech video titled "Protecting the Spark of China's Film Industry".

"It's over!"

After confirming all of this!
Xu Xiaoming plopped down in a chair, his expression complicated.

this moment!
I suddenly remembered the meaningful smile that leader gave me when I visited the General Administration last week and invited the leaders to join Weibo.

"So they had been doing this all along."

this moment!
A series of images flashed through his mind—three months ago, Zhang Ming had personally visited the State Administration of Film and Television with generous gifts, hoping to secure official approval for the station.

At the time, the leader just smiled and said, "Let's study it some more." Now it seems that the other party was obviously waiting for a key opportunity.

The competition between [Kuaipiao] and [Weibo] appears to be a battle for the fan resources of celebrities and directors, but what truly determines the outcome is the final statement from official institutions.

The presence of official accounts, in a sense, provides authoritative data endorsement for internet entertainment platforms.

At this moment, his thoughts were in turmoil.

Perhaps from the very beginning, Zhou Yang's [Kuaibo] and [Movie Home] were the new media platforms most favored by the authorities.

Today's press conference merely provided the authorities with an opportunity to make a public statement.

"Can we still win?"

Just then, Xu Xiaoming saw his secretary receive another phone call!
then……

The secretary can barely hold her phone!

"what happened?"

"Something terrible has happened..."

(End of this chapter)