Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 544 Peaceful Times, Box Office Soars

While the outside world was still buzzing about the opening day box office of "1939," the villa on the outskirts of Beijing was much quieter.

The afternoon sun slanted into the courtyard of a villa on the outskirts of Beijing.

Just then, a familiar car drove in, its tires crunching over the gravel.

A moment later, the car lights flashed twice and went out, the car door clicked open, and Liu Yifei's footsteps approached from afar, landing lightly and rhythmically on the stone pavement.

Inside the room, Wu Chen was leaning back on the sofa, the roaring engine sounds of "Fast & Furious" playing on the large TV screen, the popcorn-style car chase scenes casting flickering light and shadows throughout the room.

The two cats, "Dongdong" and "Xixi," standing next to the sofa, also opened their eyes wide with curiosity.

"How come you're so relaxed?"

Liu Yifei pushed open the door and entered, only to see Wu Chen holding a cup of milk tea, slurping it down with a straw, and letting out a leisurely sigh.

Wu Chen leaned lazily on the sofa, not even bothering to get up: "With nothing to do, shouldn't I enjoy this peaceful time?"
Once the machine is back online, this opportunity will be gone.

Liu Yifei glanced at the milk tea in his hand, blinked, and asked in a soft voice with a hint of coquetry, "What about mine?"

"I'm afraid you'll get fat."

"Oh, I'm not afraid," Liu Yifei said, feigning grievance, her eyes bright as she shook Wu Chen's arm. "Besides, we're both going to get fat together, aren't we?"

"It's in the refrigerator," Wu Chen pointed.

Before she could finish speaking, she had already turned around and run to the kitchen with a cheerful smile, deftly opening the refrigerator door and taking out her own cup.

Then, carrying the milk tea, she happily walked back and moved "Dongdong" and "Xixi" away from Wu Chenhuai.

The two cats struggled for a while, but in the end they had no choice but to curl up to one side, their tails wagging reluctantly.

"Lie down comfortably, I want to lean on you."

Liu Yifei let out a soft sound and lazily leaned into Wu Chen's arms, still clutching the cup of milk tea she had just taken out. She imitated Wu Chen and took a big gulp.
She turned her head to look at the bright sunlight outside the window, her eyes filled with an undisguised satisfaction and longing, as if she desperately wished time could stand still.
Just as the opening day box office figures for "1939" were being released, the premiere of another film during the May Day holiday, "Ip Man 2," was held at the Kerry Centre in Beijing.

With the first "Ip Man" film as a foundation, the premiere of the second film was undoubtedly exceptionally grand, attracting a star-studded cast.
The main cast, including Yip Wai-shun, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Wong Siu-ming, and Lynn Hung, made an appearance.

Amidst the flashing lights, the media's questions were unavoidable.

"Director Ye, '1939' has just been released and has been a box office and critical success. As two of the most anticipated films during this year's May Day holiday, what are your thoughts on the competition during the May Day holiday?"

"Director Ip, there are rumors that Ip Man 2 was originally planned for release in late April, but was later changed to the end of April, in order to avoid a direct conflict with director Wu Chen's work?"

"Mr. Donnie Yen, in the first Ip Man movie you said you would fight ten people at once. Are you confident that this time you will compete with 'Back to 1939'?"

"."

The atmosphere in the room became tense, and the main creators froze for a moment. Huang Xiaoming couldn't help but blink.

Fortunately, he wasn't the male lead, so he didn't have to answer such pointed questions.

The media's penchant for stirring up trouble is nothing new, and today happens to be the opening day of "1939," so there's no way to avoid it.

Ye Weixin laughed heartily, raised his hand in a gesture of apology, as if to smooth things over:

"Director Wu Chen winning the Golden Bear is a glory for Chinese cinema. We are of course happy that the audience likes '1939'."

The May Day holiday is always bustling. Everyone has their own audience, so there's no real competition.

Zhen Zidan took the microphone and followed suit.

"Domestic films should respect and support each other. The May Day holiday film season isn't just about 'Back to 1939' and 'Ip Man 2,' there are other films as well. It's good that audiences have more choices."
There's no question of who can beat whom!

"."

The media were somewhat disappointed at not getting any juicy scoops, but this could also be interpreted as "Ip Man 2" deliberately avoiding conflict.
These remarks were quickly featured in tonight's entertainment section.

"Grand premiere of 'Ip Man 2', star-studded cast" "Ip Man 2 premiere: Creators say there's no competition with '1939,' call for mutual respect among domestic films!"

"."

However, the comments section was filled with heated discussions among netizens.

"What can it compete with? It's uncertain whether 'Ip Man 2' can even surpass 200 million, while 'Back to 1939' is aiming to break 400 million based on its opening day box office."

"The competition for the May Day holiday slots was already over before it even began."

"Actually, this kind of talk is quite tactful, but it also shows who the real boss is."

"."

The audience's eyes are discerning, and "1939" continues its box office surge.

The next day, 4100 million;
On the third day, 3900 million!
In just three days, "1939" has grossed over 1.1 million yuan, and that's before the May Day holiday.

Once the long holiday truly arrives, the film's box office still has room for a second surge.

The industry was immediately filled with envy.

"Starry Night Pictures is really good. One of their movies is worth a year's worth of other companies' films."

"Don't even mention it. This year seems to be a breakout year for Starry Night Pictures. They've already released two films, albeit low-budget ones, but who knows how well they'll do at the box office."

"I've heard rumors are circulating that 'Painted Skin 2' is coming out."

"."

At Wanda Film Media, Zhang Lin returned on Monday and felt quite emotional as he looked at the news reported by various media outlets that "1939" had grossed over 100 million yuan in its first three days.

Compared to Starry Night Pictures, Wanda Media's film business is still far behind, and the pressure from Wang Jianlin is immense.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The secretary peeked in and whispered, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Chen Sicheng has arrived."

"Alright, please let him in."

Zhang Lin stood up. He valued the new director recommended by Wu Chen quite a bit, after all, it was already difficult to get Wu Chen's attention.

Chen Sicheng is much calmer now. He has already learned from Wu Chen that Xingchen and Wanda will invest, and he has come here to see for official confirmation.

"Love Story in Beijing"

Zhang Lin flipped through the script in his hand, glancing at it casually, but his tone carried a hint of interest, "Interesting."

After flipping through the pages a few times, she looked up at Chen Sicheng.

"Director Wu already told you, right? We've invested in this TV series, and New Classics Media will be producing it. You should talk to them as soon as possible and start the casting process. I won't interfere with your casting decisions, just don't cause any trouble."

Chen Sicheng was stunned for a moment, not expecting things to progress so smoothly.

The other party seemed to only glance at it briefly.

Seemingly seeing through Chen Sicheng's thoughts, Zhang Lin smiled:
"We still trust Director Wu's judgment, and we hope you won't let that trust down."

"Understood, thank you, Mr. Zhang!"

Zhang Lin then made many more promises.

Having served in a high-level position for many years, he possesses considerable linguistic skills and the ability to paint a rosy picture; a bright future and blueprint seem to appear right before Chen Sicheng's eyes.

Chen Sicheng took a deep breath, a surge of hot blood welling up in his heart.
(End of this chapter)