Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 546 For the Good of Iron Man 2, Let's Set Off

Market data was released on the first Monday after the holiday.

"1939" made a solid run toward the 400 million mark, and although the daily close fell back later, it remained steady.

Although "Ip Man 2" did not reach the box office heights of "Back to 1939", its box office momentum is still heading towards 200 million.
The industry now admires the decisive action taken by "Ip Man 2". Although it may not look good on the surface, it has brought real benefits to the box office.

However, at this point, Paramount's distribution department and Marvel's top management were somewhat caught off guard.

Logically speaking, with a $100 million budget already paid out in Europe before even being released in North America, it should immediately launch in the Chinese market and strike while the iron is hot.

But the problem lies in the approval of China Film Group's release schedule.

"Wasn't it supposed to be after May Day? Why is there still no news?"

"Yes, they meant after May Day."

"."

Paramount and Marvel were both furious about Han Sanping's actions.

The next day, in Han Sanping's office, sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a thick stack of documents on the desk.

The secretary rushed in with documents in her arms and whispered a few words in his ear.

Han Sanping then flipped through the calendar: "Is it really necessary? It's not like we're not going to give them a chance."

Then he pointed to the calendar and casually added, "How about next week, the 14th? There's also Mother's Day this week. Do you think it's appropriate to take my mother to see this? No, it's not appropriate."

The secretary paused for a moment, almost bursting into laughter: "Chairman Han, will this reason work?"

"As long as it gets released, the release date doesn't matter. What matters most is that I sign it!"

The secretary could only leave with a wry smile.

Back in his office, he stared blankly at the approval document for a long time before finally managing to utter a long string of platitudes:
"In line with the overall pace of the Chinese mainland market, and to ensure a reasonable distribution and orderly presentation of various global films during their release periods in my country, so that 'Iron Man 2' can fully realize its entertainment value and viewing potential in the Chinese market."
After careful consideration, it has been determined that rescheduling would be more conducive to the healthy development of the market and the audience's viewing choices, and the film is tentatively scheduled for release on the 14th of next week.

When Paramount's publishing staff received the reply, the entire office scratched their heads.

"What does it mean?"

"Let me see," a colleague leaned over, staring at the Chinese translations of "market health" and "audience choice," and was momentarily bewildered.

"Why does it feel like this was all for the sake of making Iron Man 2 perform better?"

"Alright, let's report it. At least we have a clear answer now. We've already been doing publicity in China for a long time, so it won't affect anything!"

"."

They were too lazy to make a fuss; they were just employees anyway, so they figured enough was fine.

However, at this time, the Film Association's regular meeting was still being held as usual in the old building outside Xuanwu Gate.

The heavy curtains were half-drawn, and the room was stuffy and hot, with steam rising from the tea on the table.

"Have you seen '1939'? Please give your opinions."

"Wu Chen's filming of this movie is actually not bad."

As soon as the words were spoken, someone replied, and then the entire conference room fell into an eerie silence.

No one answered; only the scratching sound of a pen moving across the paper could be heard.

Several glances met in the air, subtly revealing an awkward silence.

Some people were drinking tea with their heads down, the tea bitter; others were slowly flipping through official documents, seemingly focused only on the lines on the paper.

Back then, "Black Peony" swept all the major awards. It's not like they haven't tried before. Now that they're doing it again, who will bow down? That's the question.
If we don't invite them, there seems to be an awkward situation now, quite different from the situation with "Black Peony" back then.

"How about we check out their plans for next year's Huabiao Awards?"

Finally, someone spoke up, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Let's stall for now; we'll deal with it when it really has to be addressed.
Wu Chen hasn't even been to Hollywood yet, but "1939" has already broken 400 million yuan, and media reports are everywhere.

Logically, a figure of 400 million should be enough to celebrate with fanfare, but since Wu Chen is leaving for Hollywood tomorrow, the celebration will definitely be canceled.
The May wind outside the China Film Group building already carried a hint of heat.

Ming Zhenjiang and Wu Chen were both there.

"Chairman Han, there's no need to hold a celebration. Let's do it the same way as with 'The Founding of a Republic'—no victory celebration. Use the money to donate some supplies."

Ming Zhenjiang chuckled lightly, with a touch of old-fashioned straightforwardness: "I support it. Eating and drinking is meaningless; it's better to get down to practical matters."

"Just donate money, it's not that complicated, a simple bank transfer will do."

As soon as Han Sanping finished speaking, Wu Chen added quietly, "But the donated money might not actually arrive in the account."

As soon as they finished speaking, both of them started coughing incessantly.

"It's fine to just say this here, but the supplies are indeed better," Han Sanping quickly poured the two of them a cup of tea, thus letting the matter drop.

On the morning of the 13th, Wu Chen and Liu Yifei set off.

At Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport, the hall was bustling with people, and the queues at the ticket gates stretched out in a winding line.

Liu Yifei seemed exceptionally happy, holding Wu Chen's hand the whole time and chattering incessantly. Although she was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, her charm still attracted a lot of attention.

The media who were lying in wait were a little late in noticing; by the time they realized what was happening and raised their cameras, the two were already almost past the security checkpoint.

Before leaving, Liu Yifei raised her hand and waved gently in the air, like a child saying, "Bye-bye."

"Being with my boyfriend is so different, I'm so happy."

"Unfortunately, I sensed something was off about those two earlier, but I didn't realize it was them at first!"

"There seems to be a flight to Los Angeles about an hour away. I guess Interstellar is about to start filming!"

"."

The group could only helplessly watch as Wu Chen and his companion leisurely disappeared from sight. Not long after, the news spread.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei were spotted together at Beijing Capital International Airport, possibly to begin filming for "Interstellar".

"Liu Yifei was all smiles the whole time, and her waving at the airport was incredibly cute!"

"."

Just as Wu Chen and Liu Yifei were flying to Los Angeles, news of the Cannes Film Festival opening red carpet had already reached China.

Fan Binbin made a surprise appearance in a dragon robe, stealing all the headlines.

The entertainment section almost unanimously featured headlines like: "[Fan Binbin appears in a dragon robe at Cannes, outshining everyone else]".

The actresses were stunned when they saw the report, and secretly cursed in their hearts.

Why was she able to go? Was it an invitation from a brand?

"A dragon robe? That's some serious advertising!"

"."

Although netizens are divided into two camps: one side praises the "beauty of traditional Chinese style" while the other side mocks it as "showboating";
However, the coverage was completely dominated by Fan Binbin, even overshadowing "Chongqing Blues," the only domestic film shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival.

This traffic secret has completely unlocked the minds of many people.

Meanwhile, the plane crossed the Pacific Ocean, and not long after the two landed in Los Angeles, a phone call from Li An caught Wu Chen off guard.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li An got straight to the point.

"Director Wu, I heard that filming for 'Interstellar' starts on the 15th, and that day is a media open day?"

(End of this chapter)