Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 655 Box Office, Shameless?

The release of "Ex Machina" garnered exceptionally high attention from the entire film industry.

Chen Kexin can be considered one of the most successful and representative Hong Kong directors who adapted to the mainland market at that time.

This time, however, his big-budget production is actually facing off against a low-budget film by a new mainland director, creating a two-way battle.

To be honest, we haven't seen scenes like this, full of dramatic conflict, in the domestic film market for a long time.

The last time a new director dared to challenge an established director so directly, and even seemed to have the upper hand, was many years ago when Wu Chen burst onto the scene.

Huayi Brothers, CEO's Office.

"Brother, do you think Guo Fan, whom Wu Chen signed, might actually have some great abilities?" Wang Zhonglei's face was serious.

He has always paid close attention to Starry Night Pictures.

In his view, the future leader of domestic private film companies can only emerge from between Huayi Brothers and Star Cinema.

"It's hard to say." Wang Zhongjun pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, and said slowly, "But Wu Chen is usually quite good at judging people."

After saying that, he changed the subject and asked, "By the way, how's it going with contacting the Hollywood actors for Xiao Gang's '1942'?"

“We’ve already started making contact. Their agent quoted a price, which is indeed a bit expensive.” Upon hearing this, Wang Zhonglei smiled slightly. “But I think it’s worth the price.”

In any case, this is a huge gimmick.

Following Wu Chen and Zhang Yimou, Huayi Brothers and Feng Xiaogang will also be collaborating with top Hollywood stars.

"We'll try our best to meet Xiaogang's requests if we can for now. As for directing, we're not as good as Xingchen." Wang Zhongjun nodded and added a word of advice.

Although he has been trying to "de-emphasize film" and expand into other industries, he is well aware that Huayi Brothers can only rely on Feng Xiaogang as a director in its film business.

Unlike Xingchen, which has a complete talent pool and an abundance of directors that makes others envious.

To be honest, he was genuinely envious of Starry Sky Pictures' current financial situation.

Meanwhile, in Wanda Pictures' office, Zhang Lin paced back and forth all afternoon, appearing somewhat restless.

He has already listened to reports from his subordinates several times.

"Mr. Zhang, since this afternoon, the occupancy rates reported by various cinemas have been quite good. Although it can't compare to the scenes when Director Wu's sci-fi blockbuster was released, it's the best among those in the same period."

Audiences generally agree that today's box office performance should be quite good.

"Okay, that's good." Hearing this, Zhang Lin felt a little relieved and finally smiled. "Okay, tonight you could do me a favor and collect the audience data for all Wanda Cinemas in Beijing during peak evening hours. Just some rough data will do!"

That evening, Wu Chen received a call from Zhang Lin with good news.

"Director Wu! Great news! The attendance is quite impressive." Zhang Lin's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with undisguised excitement.

"That's good."

Wu Chen's answer remained calm.

The following morning, Guo Fan was leading the creative team of "Ex Machina" on a promotional tour in Shenzhen. In the hotel's breakfast restaurant, the lead actors Huang Xuan, Du Juan, Wang Qianyuan, Tong Liya, and others frequently glanced at Guo Fan.

Guo Fan, meanwhile, was anxiously making a phone call, his expression revealing his deep unease.

"It's not out yet. Mr. Zhang hasn't given me any news. Although the statistics are being compiled earlier than before, it's still not that fast."

Inside the villa, Wu Chen was leisurely sitting at the dining table, munching on a meat bun.

He glanced at the wall clock and said to Guo Fan on the other end of the phone, "Don't rush, wait until around nine o'clock, it should be around that time."

"What, Director Guo is asking again?"

Liu Yifei was sipping a bowl of nourishing millet porridge when she saw Wu Chen hang up the phone and asked with a smile.

"Yes, we were in too much of a rush."

"It's your first film, that's normal. You went through the same thing back then, didn't you?" Liu Yifei looked up at him mischievously. "Weren't you anxious when you were waiting for the results of 'The Dark Side'?"

Wu Chen thought for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "I forgot!"

"Tch, so what if you got hit? Still being stubborn. You're so concerned about saving face." Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

The entire industry is now eagerly awaiting the release of the final data.

Although some theater managers privately revealed last night that "Ex Machina" had a decent attendance rate, no one dared to make a definitive statement until the specific figures were released. Chen Sicheng was already at the post-production studio for "Beijing Love Story" early this morning.

As soon as he walked in, he heard several young staff members whispering about the box office performance of "Ex Machina".

A strange feeling welled up inside him.

He thought that although he had gained a lot of fame and praise for making this TV series, it always seemed to lack the feeling of being in the spotlight of a movie.

"I also want to make movies," Chen Sicheng muttered to himself.

He also wants to enjoy a life like Guo Fan's, where a single work can stir up the entire industry.

Instead of just being a TV drama director, as I am now.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Finally, at around 9:40, the data that Zhang Lin had been waiting for was finally brought in by his secretary, who hurriedly brought in a document.

"How much?" Zhang Lin quickly stood up from his seat and asked eagerly.

"Mr. Zhang, preliminary statistics indicate that the opening day box office will not be less than 23 million! The exact figure will depend on the specific figures compiled by each cinema chain."

This news quickly reached Wu Chen and Guo Fan through Zhang Lin.

"Twenty or thirty million?"

When Guo Fan heard the number Wu Chen reported on the other end of the phone, he couldn't help but repeat it, his voice filled with a hint of unbelievable surprise.

Congratulations, Director Guo!

"congratulate!"

Before Guo Fan could speak, Huang Xuan, Tong Liya, and others beside him burst into enthusiastic cheers, celebrating with laughter.

2300 million on the opening day! In today's market environment, this box office performance is definitely not bad!

In previous years, this would have been considered a remarkable achievement.

After all, in the past, if a movie's total box office exceeded 100 million, it was worth the production company making a big fuss about it.

Soon, the media, like sharks smelling blood, began reporting frantically.

[2300 million on opening day! Ex Machina lives up to expectations, leading the summer box office! Guo Fan's bold prediction may come true!]

[Ex Machina's opening day box office rivals Wu Xia's, but Chen Kexin suffers a major setback!]

[2300 million! New director Guo Fan achieves a resounding victory in his debut, decisively defeating a renowned Hong Kong director!]

Netizens also expressed their opinions on various forums and Weibo.

"It's actually pretty good, better than I expected. For a low-budget sci-fi film like this, the story is quite good!"

"Great! It's so much better than the other movies in the same time slot, it's not even in the same league. After watching it, I feel like my IQ has increased."

"Hey upstairs, I just came out of Far Cry, and I feel like my IQ was rubbed into the ground... It's really strange, why does that thing's box office keep rising?"

"The ending of Ex Machina is chilling upon closer inspection! Highly recommended! It's definitely the biggest surprise among domestic films this summer!"

At this moment, those in the industry have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, most people are happy to see mainland directors win this round of direct competition between mainland and Hong Kong directors.

Given this momentum and reputation, it's unlikely that "Wuxia" will have any chance of a miraculous comeback.

On the other hand, they felt a deep envy and jealousy towards Starry Night Pictures' incredible pool of directors.
"No way? They've trained another one?"

"How can we compete like this? Ning Hao, Lu Yang, and now Guo Fan. Xingchen has almost enough box office draws to fill a mahjong table! Oh, and I forgot Xue Xiaolu, we seem to be continuing our collaboration."

"I just can't understand it! How come all the people I've trained are a bunch of idiots?"

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong media, which had been sharp-tongued just a few days ago, have now fallen silent.

To be honest, if it's just that the profits are better than "Wuxia", they can accept that, since the costs are different anyway.

But now, even the opening day box office figures have been caught up by the other side.
There's really nowhere to put this face.

At that moment, Chen Kexin, who was in another city continuing to promote "Wu Xia" with Donnie Yen and others, received a phone call and learned about the box office figures. Her expression darkened even more.
(End of this chapter)