Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 436 Overseas, Shocking Remarks

Wu Chen returned to China and appeared at Beijing Capital International Airport yesterday.

"The Martian has surpassed 400 million yuan at the Chinese box office and is heading straight for 500 million yuan, making him the first director in mainland China to achieve a 400 million yuan box office!"

"A blurry pirated version of 'The Martian' has appeared online. Weng Li, a spokesperson for China Film Group, angrily denounced it, stating that they will join forces with major video platforms to crack down on piracy. Relevant clues have been handed over to the police!"

"."

The air inside the Star Media conference room was stifling.

"This is outrageous! They even give Wu Chen's return to China special coverage. The film and television industry is practically his alone!" Lu Xun slammed the newspaper on the table, gritting his teeth.

Qin Hong crossed his legs, his eyes filled with disdain.

Damn it, what are you trying to prove with him?

"Starlight Media has done its best in terms of promotion, but we didn't expect 'The Martian' to be so disappointing."

Qin Hong was also somewhat shocked by the fact that the movie was making a fortune every day.

If the box office were only 300 or 400 million, it would still be within his understanding of the current film industry, but this film is clearly aiming for 500 or even 600 million.

This encounter was not a fault of the commander, especially since Wu Chen was specifically targeting "Nanjing! Nanjing!"

"Mr. Qin, are there no other publicity resources available?"

Lu Xun grew anxious.

If there's no further exposure, then his film "Nanjing! Nanjing!" is truly finished. There's no hope of making 100 million, but it can't stay around 50 or 60 million either.

"Star Media has contacted a cultural interview program. You should prepare well and see if you can get some exposure for the film."

Qin Hong sighed. In his opinion, the movie was over. He thought it would have been better to change it to a less popular release date.

The box office revenue has been severely siphoned off.

When going to the cinema, audiences' first choice is definitely not "Nanjing! Nanjing!", especially since "The Martian" is a tribute film related to the space program.

Lu Xun's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped at some lifeline.

At this time, after Wu Chen returned, invitations, interviews and congratulations came flooding in.

Xiong Xiaoge also called, getting straight to the point: "Director Wu, good news, there's a chance regarding Shanda Literature."

"Oh?"

"Director Wu, this is all thanks to your 'The Martian,' the box office results really gave us a shock," Xiong Xiaoge said with a chuckle. "We had previously assessed that the film industry would have a chance to boom within three years, but we never expected it to happen this year."
"No, no, it was just a matter of timing. A few years ago, even if 'The Martian' had the potential, it wouldn't have achieved this box office success. It was all luck."

When Wu Chen attributed his success to luck, Xiong Xiaoge smiled.

He'd heard those words countless times.

These are all humble words used by the strong. Almost all the strong who have gained a foothold in the right place at the right time will say that they are just "lucky".

But everyone knows that while the wind blows through countless places, only a handful of people are lifted up by it.

"By the way, Director Wu, IDG plans to enter the film and television industry starting this year."

"Oh? Are you investing in the film or the film production company?"

"Yes, we'd like to invest in Director Wu's Starry Night Pictures, but I heard from people in the industry that Director Wu doesn't plan to open it up to foreign investment," Xiong Xiaoge replied.

Wu Chen understood Xiong Xiaoge's implication, and said without hesitation, "If there are any good opportunities or good directorial works, I will introduce them to you, Mr. Xiong."

"Then I'll leave it to Director Wu."

Xiong Xiaoge was very happy.

The film and television industry is relatively closed off compared to other circles, so having someone in the industry to help can save a lot of trouble.

Despite the slowdown in the box office growth of "The Martian," with daily box office revenue dropping to around 20 million, the industry is still paying close attention to the box office ceiling that this film has set.

It's a done deal, 500 million is a certainty, it's just a matter of time.

Now it all depends on whether they can break through the 600 million mark. Zhang Weiping was much more excited at this point.

Because Zhang Yimou's script was completely finished.

"Yi Mou, hurry up and film! This year's Lunar New Year film season is definitely ours! A small May Day holiday can bring in 500 million, maybe even 600 million in box office revenue. We're going to make a killing during the Lunar New Year season!"

Ignoring Zhang Yi's somewhat tired appearance, Zhang Weiping urged him on, his eyes shining with excitement.

Zhang Yi rubbed his temples, leaned back on the sofa, his face pale, clearly having been tormented by the script recently.

"The Three Guns can't have the same miracle as The Martian; they're different in meaning."

"How is it different? This is your first work after the Olympics, so it has the same hype value. Besides, one actor is Xiao Shenyang, who became a sensation after the Spring Festival Gala, and the other is Sun Honglei, who's been dominating the TV drama scene. Just look at my promotion plan; I'll guarantee at least 300 million."

Zhang Weiping patted his chest and assured him.

The next day, New Pictures released a statement: "Zhang Yimou's new film script has been finalized and filming will begin soon. 'A Simple Noodle Story' will meet movie fans again during the New Year's holiday season."

The industry was immediately in an uproar, with envy evident in their expressions.

Zhang Yimou's first work after the Olympics, just that title alone is worth a lot of money.

However, companies that had videos and planned to release them during the Lunar New Year were overjoyed.

With the market size now clear, a surge in the Lunar New Year film season this year is almost inevitable.

However, the production company that scheduled the film for June looked worried and sighed:
Will "The Martian" request a delay?

"Judging from this situation, it's very likely that it will be postponed. Let's see what China Film Group and Xingchen think."

"If you were in my shoes, what would you think? If this film isn't postponed, how much higher will the requirements be for films that want to be postponed in the future? Nine times out of ten, they might postpone 'Mars' in order to open up box office space."

"."

As expected by the industry, China Film's distribution department was not idle and submitted an application for an extension of the deadline for "The Martian" ahead of time.

Just then, the opening weekend box office figures for "The Martian" were released (excluding China and the US), showing a staggering $7300 million.

The box office figures, once released, instantly ignited a frenzy across major industry media and financial sectors:

[The Martian's overseas box office soars! $7300 million in its opening weekend, helping its global total surpass the $2 million mark!]

[Outperforming other major global releases of the same period, "The Martian" is rapidly catching up to its North American domestic performance in overseas box office earnings, securing a place in the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and has the potential to break into the top 30!]

According to the latest box office forecasts, "The Martian" is projected to gross between $7 million and $8 million worldwide.

【.】

Once overseas sales reports came back, the domestic box office also saw a rare slight rebound.

Domestic movie fans are very excited.

Just when everything was in full swing and the market was buoyed, a bombshell suddenly exploded in the public discourse.

The news of "Nanjing! Nanjing!" suddenly spread rapidly amidst the gaps in the reporting of "The Martian".

What was initially thought to be a routine interview unexpectedly sparked a frenzy online with Lu Xun's remarks on the program "I Am an Intellectual in Action."

"The direct cause of the incident was the fierce resistance from the domestic army at the time; the intense resistance made the Japanese feel a strong sense of insecurity."

This statement was like rubbing salt into a wound, instantly igniting public sentiment.

Social forums, portal websites, Douban, Tieba—the anger spread like wildfire across the forest.

"What is he saying? Does he even know what he's saying?"

"Lu Xun, you're a director, not a historian!"

"Wu Chen is absolutely right. It is people like this who ruin domestic historical films."

"I suggest that 'Nanjing! Nanjing!' should not be released."

Despite the shocking statements, "Nanjing! Nanjing!" did indeed carve out a path to success amidst the exposure and suppression of "The Martian".
(End of this chapter)