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

Chapter 394 Epilogue (Part 5)

After 2008, various industries in China experienced explosive growth, as if the accelerator had been pressed. The Internet sector, in particular, saw an unprecedented boom.

On March 1, [China Internet] released milestone data: the number of Chinese internet users exceeded 2.51 million, surpassing the United States to become the country with the largest number of internet users in the world.

Among them, broadband users reached 2.4 million (accounting for over 90%), and mobile internet users numbered 1.18 million (mainly using 2G networks).

The social networking landscape is now dominated by three major players: Qdog remains firmly in first place with 5 million registered users (including duplicates); [Kuaibo] forum is the largest community platform with 5200 million registered users; while [Movie Home], with 4000 million registered users, maintains its position as the largest film review forum, its growth rate is showing signs of fatigue; and [Weibo], with 2300 million registered users, seems to have lost its competitive edge and is currently seeking investors...

The e-commerce battlefield is fiercely competitive. BaoTao.com, which relies on QGou's traffic, has 3400 million registered users, while XuanShi Online Mall is temporarily in the lead with 4800 million registered users.

The battle between the two sides, both online and offline, remains fierce and shows no signs of ending in a fight to the death...

In this fierce competition, more and more young people, and even middle-aged people, have begun to try online shopping, get used to online shopping, and even become online shop owners...

……

but……

Compared to the fierce competition across various industries in the internet sector, the competition within the film industry is particularly intense.

In March 2008, a piece of news that shocked the global film industry suddenly emerged: [Karloff's "The Arda" is about to become "the world's first truly revolutionary 3D epic blockbuster that will revolutionize the viewing experience"]!
This explosive news instantly ignited the entire internet.

Astute filmmakers, combining the information from Zhou Yang's film project, instantly realized that this was no ordinary technological upgrade, but rather a devastating blow from the world's film industry giant to the Chinese market, and even the global market...

In fact, as industry insiders predicted, since the beginning of March, the six major Hollywood studios have joined forces to launch a global campaign for "The Alda".

This film, which claims to use "revolutionary 3D-IMAX technology," is officially defined as a groundbreaking work that "will completely rewrite the rules of the film industry."

Hollywood directors, actors, and film industry executives who attended advance screenings were visibly impressed in interviews, using terms like "crazy" and "a revolutionary experience comparable to the dawn of cinema" to describe the film...

This craze quickly swept across the Chinese internet, with the top six trending topics on platforms such as [Kuaibo] and [Movie Home] all dominated by entries related to "The Alda".

Data shows that the film, which has not yet been scheduled for release, has already garnered over 800 million views in pre-sales in China, far exceeding the record set by "Transformers" last year.

……

Just as the hype reached its peak and countless Chinese filmmakers and movie fans eagerly awaited its release, Tianyu Media held a press conference immediately.

Vice President Xu Haibo announced with great fanfare that China had acquired the exclusive distribution rights for the film, and solemnly promised on camera: "This is not only a technological revolution, but will also allow Chinese audiences to enjoy a top-notch audio-visual feast simultaneously with the rest of the world for the first time!"

Although the press conference did not announce a specific release date for the film, and only maintained audience anticipation by continuously releasing behind-the-scenes footage and production progress, this news already caused a crazy surge in the stock price of [Tianyu Media], which had been sluggish for a long time, in March. The investment community was in an uproar, with its stock price approaching an astonishing eight-day winning streak, and the company's market value more than doubling...

Just as the movie's promotion reached its peak, Zhou Yang's [Xuan Shi Entertainment] also rushed into the fray!
In mid-March 2008, [Xuan Shi Entertainment] suddenly launched an overwhelming publicity campaign. Overnight, the Yanjing subway station was covered with giant posters for "Adar: King Kong Shoots Down Planes," with 3D special effects creating a striking visual contrast between the image of a gorilla pounding its chest and the flames of a helicopter explosion!

[Fengqi Live] The homepage continuously featured special effects highlights from four new films for 72 hours. Among them, the underwater battle between the mechs and monsters in "Avatar: Pacific Rim" sparked heated discussions across the internet, with a single video exceeding 1000 million views...

The film is constantly being promoted on major film forums, with "The Arda" occupying six spots on the trending topics list, while the other four spots are all filled with news about four films under Zhou Yang's management...

Although no release date for these films has been announced either, but...

The ambition of "Bright Sword" is already obvious!
However, a sense of unease pervades the industry.

Renowned film critic Wang Kai made no secret of his concerns in his column for Film Weekly: "I don't know how to describe this era. I understand Zhou Yang's determination to lead Chinese cinema to rise and compete with Hollywood, but Karloff is no different from any Hollywood director Zhou Yang has encountered before. As far as I know, he has been diligently researching 3D technology for more than a decade and has achieved historic breakthroughs. This new work is the culmination of these groundbreaking technologies. As the comeback film of the global box office king, this is by no means an ordinary 3D movie."

In an interview, he further revealed: "I was fortunate enough to watch a 10-minute preview clip in Hollywood. Although I can't reveal specific details, I can say that they have created a truly new world, a fantastical realm that can immerse countless movie fans!"

His interview caused a huge uproar in the market.

Following this, more and more Chinese filmmakers stepped forward...

Even some veteran directors who have joined the "Xuan Shi" series showed some pessimism when interviewed.

After getting drunk, Liang Xiaogang sighed to the media cameras: "He is a warrior, but... at this moment, I can only say that this is an extremely tragic battle. Even I, at my peak, didn't have the courage to confront this king of global cinema... This is not a movie that can be won by simply lowering prices or doing some promotional activities..."

A wave of pessimism swept through public opinion, with major media outlets describing the upcoming showdown as a futile attempt to stop a chariot.

Rumor has it that someone visited Zhou Yang's office late at night, earnestly advising him: "Mr. Zhou, this time it's really different! Karlov has been preparing for this for ten years, investing $2 million in 3D technology research and development alone. Let's avoid direct confrontation now and wait until we understand the technology before..."

Rumors circulated that Zhou Yang seemed to have ignored all advice and was determined to go down this path...

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

Time gradually passed, and it was now the height of summer in 2008. The Olympic flame in Beijing ignited the boiling passion of the entire Chinese nation.

When the promotional battle between "The Arda" and Zhou Yang's four films fell into a brief lull, the world's attention was focused on the slowly unfolding Chinese landscape at the Bird's Nest Stadium.

Standing in the director's seat, Li Zhengtao watched as the three thousand actors, forming a movable type printing formation, rose and fell with the sound of drums, his fingertips trembling slightly...

The unfulfilled dream of ten thousand people reciting the poem together in "Qin" seven years ago is now being recreated with even greater grandeur...

Although his films took a long and winding road, in terms of true stage control and personnel management, he remains the undisputed king of Chinese cinema…

……

On the opening night, countless spectators were thrilled when the Chinese delegation entered the stadium in the Qinzhou G2 car…

This marks the first time a Chinese domestic automobile brand has appeared at the Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, as one of the first online media outlets to obtain live streaming rights, [Fengxing Live], along with emerging platforms such as [Qdog Sports] and [YU Platform], provided full coverage of the event, with its live streaming seats occupying the best viewing angles.

Countless people silently watched this global event, primarily hosted by China, feeling both excited and thrilled. The competition at the Olympic Games was far more intense than they had imagined, making it a true feast for the eyes!
While American athletes swept eight gold medals, the Chinese gymnastics team delivered a textbook-perfect performance, winning all nine titles.

In track and field events, good news kept pouring in, with the Chinese race walking team unexpectedly breaking the monopoly of European and American athletes.

The tug-of-war between China and the United States on the medal table caused the [Kuaibo] server to crash three times due to a surge in traffic.

The entire arena seemed to have transformed into a battlefield where China and the Americans were competing...

On August 24th, when China topped the Olympic medal table for the first time with 51 gold medals, a deafening roar of cheers erupted in front of the live broadcast screen at the [Xuan Shi Shopping Mall] plaza, the jubilant sound even causing the glass curtain wall to tremble...

Countless people witnessed this historic moment through live streaming, and the deafening shouts turned the night into a sleepless celebration.

everyone...

They all clearly realized...

A new era belonging to China is unfolding with unstoppable momentum!

……

During this period, Karlov's team witnessed the ever-growing Olympic fever.
Upon witnessing the jubilant scene of Chinese spectators at the Olympic closing ceremony, they immediately convened an emergency meeting.

Karlov keenly realized that this was no longer just a contest of technology, but that at this moment, a storm of national sentiment had been unleashed in China.

The team realized more clearly that releasing "The Alda" at this time would be tantamount to sending Hollywood's flagship film into the eye of a hurricane of Chinese national self-confidence!
Zhou Yang's "knock-off" films, which capitalize on the patriotic wave, may be elevated to legendary status and could even impact the box office performance of "The Arda" in China.
Although he remains confident in the global box office, the Chinese market has always been a strategic priority for them.

In fact, this was not only Karloff's personal idea, but also the idea of ​​almost all Hollywood film companies!
They want to destroy the [Xuan Shi Series] films represented by Zhou Yang...

So they quietly removed the countdown module from the official website of The Alda.

On the very night of the Olympic closing ceremony, Xu Haibo received an urgent notification from Hollywood: the world premiere, originally scheduled for September, was postponed to the Christmas season due to "technical reasons"...

At the "Olympic live broadcast celebration banquet," Zhou Yang, who was quite drunk during his first live broadcast, still smiled and said, "Our 'Avatar'... hiccup... 'Akada'...we have to wait for Director Kaka to reveal his hand first! We'll set our release date whenever they do..."

………………

Time passed little by little, and before we knew it, it was December 2008...

The Olympic fervor has not yet subsided, and an unprecedented surge of national self-confidence is surging across the Chinese internet.

Netizens flooded the "Rise of China" hashtag on [Kuaibo], while movie fans on [Movie House] were even more excited: "If we can win the Olympic gold medal, why can't movies win?" This confidence spread like wildfire, even overshadowing their awe of Hollywood's technology.

However, in early December, Karlov suddenly announced that "The Arda" would be released at Christmas, simultaneously worldwide, claiming that he would "redefine the future of cinema".

At almost the same time, Zhou Yang's "Adada: God of Monsters" also announced its release date!

On the same day, at the same time, they clashed head-on!
The internet exploded instantly, with some exclaiming "This is insane!" and others excitedly shouting, "Just do it! Let Hollywood see what the Chinese film industry is all about!"

This showdown has long transcended the film itself...

It became...

A symbol of an era!
(End of this chapter)