Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 394 Dilemma, Sense of Ritual
Suburbs of Beijing.

Lu Tianming sat in the armchair in his study, the phone pressed to his ear, listening to the barrage of complaints on the other end, and said leisurely:

"Are you done?"

"Dad, Wu Chen definitely did that on purpose."

Lu Xun's tone was still somewhat roaring, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

"Then let's change the release date for 'Nanjing! Nanjing!'"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Xun exploded on the other end of the phone.

"How can I change this? The movie just officially announced its release date, and the national media is reporting on it extensively. If I change the release date now, how can I, as a director, live my life?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianming's lips twitched violently, and he almost rolled his eyes.

What the hell is this overwhelming media coverage? Do you have as much coverage as Wu Chen?
Besides, even with widespread media coverage, it still needs to be replaced.

"Dad, I've done the calculations, it really won't work. I've thought about several release dates for a long time. How about we switch to the summer release? Hollywood's big movies are all crammed into the summer release this year, and my genre isn't suitable for that."

Let's put it in the National Day holiday slot. It wouldn't be appropriate to put this movie in the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China next year.

The Lunar New Year films are generally meant to be more festive. My film is too heavy. Let's not even talk about putting it on next year's Lunar New Year film season. The theme is not appealing. Who would watch it during the Lunar New Year?

Only on April 22nd, when Nanjing typically holds several days of Liberation Day commemoration activities, will the atmosphere in Nanjing be very high, which can easily help the film boost its box office in a short period of time. Plus, there's the three-day May Day holiday following that.

Lu Tianming was also seriously considering Lu Xun's words.

It must be said that Lu Xun's considerations were indeed reasonable and meticulously planned, provided that there was no "The Martian".

"In that case, you only have two choices left: either stick to the release date, or you can release it half a day or a day earlier, and no one will find fault with you."
Secondly, choose the summer holiday season.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Now it's Lu Xun's turn to struggle with this. Next year is quite special, and there are very few good available dates.

Setting the date on April 22nd is beneficial for the film. Not only is the 24th a Friday, but it's also followed by May Day and the three-day liberation anniversary celebration in Nanjing, which elevates the film's theme.

"Wu Chen."

Lu Xun gritted his teeth at this moment.

Meanwhile, in early winter, a chilly wind picked up in the courtyard, and the wooden doors creaked.

Jiang Wen, wearing an old military green coat, sat on a deck chair in the corner of the yard and couldn't help but burst into laughter, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Is it really necessary to laugh so exaggeratedly? The release date for 'The Martian' was probably not intentionally set for the end of April." Seeing this, Zhou Yun patted her son's head and couldn't help but complain.

"You don't understand Wu Chen."

Jiang Wen shook his head. "From what I understand, this is most likely aimed at Lu Xun."

"For a film with such a large investment, even if Universal Pictures sets a release date, it's not something that can be done in just two days. Didn't Lu Xun just announce the release date for 'Nanjing! Nanjing!' a couple of days ago?"

Zhou Yun still had reservations, but then suddenly remembered something and reminded him, "By the way, didn't you say you had a problem with the script? Why don't you ask Director Wu about it?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about it if you hadn't mentioned it." Jiang Wen remembered this and hurriedly called Wu Chen, but unfortunately the line was busy.

Not only Jiang Wen, but Ning Hao also felt this way.

"Your schedule is probably set up specifically to target Lu Xun, right?"

Wu Chen smiled and said, "I had this plan, it just so happened to come at the right time."

Ning Hao immediately understood and then stopped dwelling on the matter:
"By the way, the industry and the media are all watching us now. I don't know what's wrong with us, but before the movie premiere even starts, everyone's already shouting about box office numbers. They're making quite a splash." "Haha, so what are you planning? Two hundred million, or three hundred million?"

Wu Chen laughed upon hearing this.

That's not the case now.

They didn't even hold a premiere for any of their movies, but they were already shouting about 100 million or 300 million.

"I'm asking you this, you know. I'm definitely confident I can get 100 million. I've seen the movie; the plot is very tight, and it's quite exciting. But whether it can reach 200 million or even higher depends on the audience. What's the point of me shouting about it?"

Ning Hao wasn't quite sure, so he conservatively asked for 100 million, which wasn't a big problem, but he felt he would be laughed at.

His movie doesn't just feature him; Wu Chen and Liu Yifei are also in it.

Wu Chen thought about it carefully for a moment, then slowly said, "If you want to be more modest, then aim for second or third place."

"You're already aiming for 20 or 30, so what's with the modesty? Shouldn't you compare yourself to 'If You Are the One'? They can easily make 200 million."

"Then think it over. I'll support you if you want to ask for 300 million. If you fail, at worst you'll just be ridiculed for a few days." Wu Chen chuckled.

09 was a year in which box office revenue gradually began to surge, and it was also a year in which it was relatively easy to achieve explosive growth, so we could indeed expect high returns.

"Row."

Ning Hao nodded; he had high expectations for the film.

Moreover, with the success of this film, another plan in his mind can also take shape.

Jiang Wen called less than two minutes after Ning Hao hung up the phone.

"You kept getting a busy signal, which prevented me from getting through," Jiang Wen said casually. "There's been a problem with the script, wanted to come and take a look?"

"Okay, where is it?"

"They rented a small house in a hutong (alleyway) not far from my home and treated me to good food and drinks."

"See you later!"

Wu Chen hung up the phone with a smile. Just as he was about to get up to grab his coat, Liu Yifei looked up from the other end of the line.

The girl was leaning on the armrest of the sofa, wearing a thin green and white sweater with slightly long sleeves that almost covered her fingertips.
"It's cold with this scarf I bought on!"

Liu Yifei quickly called out to Wu Chen, stood up, and took a beige plaid scarf from the coat rack with a smile.

"It can't be that bad, it's not even December yet."

"What if it gets windy?" Liu Yifei stood in front of Wu Chen, her slender fingers skillfully wrapping the scarf around his neck a few times. The scarf was just the right tightness, warm enough to feel but not too tight.

"Alright!" She patted his chest gently, then took a half-step back in satisfaction. "No problem, you can go now."

Looking at the smile on her lips, Wu Chen suddenly said, "There's still a problem."

"What's the problem?" Liu Yifei tilted her head, her beautiful eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

"It lacks a sense of ritual."

The next second, Wu Chen chuckled, stretched out his right hand, and Liu Yifei gently bumped into his arms. It was a habitual, comforting position, and she unconsciously looked up.
A moment later, the blush on Liu Yifei's cheeks spread out little by little, as if dyed by the sunset.

"They're about to go out, and they're still not settling down."

Liu Yifei, a little shy, bit her lip and whispered...
(End of this chapter)