Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 658 The Confused Industry Insiders
"A box office of 100 million yuan doesn't seem to be worth much anymore."

"What if it manages to reach 200 million in the end?"

"Wouldn't that be much higher than 'Wuxia'? I estimate 'Wuxia' won't even reach 200 million in the end."

"That's obvious! Didn't you see how black-faced Peter Chan was when he came out to promote his work recently? He was as black as charcoal!"

"."

The news that "Ex Machina" had officially surpassed 100 million yuan at the box office quickly became the most discussed topic both inside and outside the industry, thanks to extensive media coverage.

If it were any other company, and one of its directors' films grossed over 100 million yuan, it would definitely be a cause for celebration, worthy of drums and gongs and a grand banquet.

Even if the film itself is losing money, many companies will still hold a grand celebration banquet to save face.

But at Starry Night Pictures, this level of box office performance seems to have become somewhat commonplace.

"Congratulations, keep up the good work." Wu Chen made a phone call to Guo Fan, who was still on a promotional tour in another city, on the day the box office broke 100 million.

"Thank you, senior brother!" Guo Fan's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with barely suppressed excitement and joy.

“You’ll probably get a lot of calls during this time. Be mindful of the number of dinners and drinking parties you attend.” Wu Chen’s tone remained calm. “If you don’t have anything else to do, go back to the school more often and take some time to reflect.”

He guessed that Guo Fan's phone had probably been ringing off the hook these past few days.

This society is inherently realistic.

Moreover, he was facing a promising new director who had just achieved fame and success.

"clear."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Beijing, Xu Zheng, who had just returned from Thailand, looked at the heated discussions about Guo Fan and "Ex Machina" online, his eyes filled with deep envy.

Beside him, several screenwriters, including Liu Guangwei, were also having a lively discussion.

"Brother Zheng, let's work hard too! If our script can pass Director Wu's approval, we'll have this day too!"

"Let's get to work! Hurry up! Try to fill in all these details before National Day!"

Xu Zheng took a deep breath, transforming his envy into a burning drive.

Ex Machina has far surpassed Wuxia in terms of performance.

However, what surprised the industry even more was that "Wu Xia" did not perform as well at the box office as "Mysterious Island" starring Yang Mi.

If it weren't for the fact that "Wu Xia" had a large investment and a famous director, attracting a lot of viewers in the early stages of its release, it might not have been able to surpass "Mysterious Island," which many people considered "unknown."

This made Yang Mi extremely happy.

Her fan club, the "Bees," is even more supportive.

After discovering the film's strong box office performance, they immediately and spontaneously organized a ticket-grabbing campaign called "Bees Assaulting the City."
In major cities across the country, people are frantically organizing private screenings, seemingly determined to push the film's box office to over 100 million yuan.

This left the entire industry completely bewildered.

"No way. How can such a terrible movie actually have a chance of breaking 100 million?"

"Are all the viewers insane?! Damn it!"

"I can't understand it, but I'm deeply shocked!"

Many industry insiders were speechless and began to rant privately or online using alternate accounts.

"Fan economy?"

Liu Yifei leaned against Wu Chen, looking at the box office data for "Ex Machina" displayed on his computer, and also glanced at the strange curve of "Far Cry" next to it, and asked with some surprise.

“The power of fans is immense,” Wu Chen smiled and explained. “For fans, what they are consuming is no longer the movie itself.”

They are making an 'emotional investment' in their idols. This is a completely new business logic; the quality of the content is no longer important. Indeed, it was from this point that the domestic fan economy began to slowly reveal its ferocious yet powerful force.

Far Cry is the best proof of that.

Meanwhile, as the box office really started to stride toward the "hundred million" mark, the "bees" (fans) also began a frenzy online, with all sorts of praising posts popping up one after another.

"Yang Mi is poised to become another leading actress capable of carrying a film's box office success, following in the footsteps of Liu Yifei and Shu Chang."

"Chen Xiaochun did not participate in the promotion of 'Far Cry,' Yang Mi deserves the credit."

"Yang Mi's strong box office appeal is due to her increasingly mature and superb acting skills, as well as her decades of hard work!"

"."

It has to be said that the power of fans is immense. Regardless of their opinions, the industry has certainly recognized this.
Yang Mi looked at the comments with delight, but she felt a little uncomfortable when she saw that even her own fans put Liu Yifei before her.

Zeng Jia was very excited after receiving the call.

"Mimi! It's a success! Director Chen Kai has confirmed you for the second female lead!"

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi's face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy.

Although "Far Cry" looks like it's really going to break 100 million, she knows very well that what she wants is not this kind of movie that relies on "selling sex" to grab attention.

What she wanted was a film like "Ex Machina," one that would generate buzz throughout the industry and truly showcase the value of the actors.

Of course, it would be best if a famous director could helm it.

Now, that opportunity has arrived.

In the computer lab of StarChan Visual Effects, post-production work on "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life" is proceeding smoothly.

Because there were no complex special effects shots, the production efficiency was very high.

Wu Chen would go over to check on the progress from time to time.

"Mr. Wu, don't worry, at the current pace, it will definitely be completed by early August," Ding Yanlai assured Wu Chen.

"That's good."

Wu Chen nodded. He thought it was time to contact Venice first.

Wang Changtian called first.

"Director Wu, you absolutely must come to the Enlight Media party next week!"

"A cocktail party?" Wu Chen heard the undisguised joy on Wang Changtian's voice on the phone and suddenly realized something. "The offering price for Enlight Media has been set?"

"Hahaha! It's settled! It's settled! Each share will be priced at 52.5 yuan!" Wang Changtian couldn't hide his joy, and his voice rose several notches.

"Haha, congratulations, Mr. Wang! Your net worth has increased dramatically! You'll be a tycoon in the future!" Wu Chen joked with a smile.

"Hey, Director Wu, you're just teasing me." Wang Changtian immediately realized what he meant and shook his head with a smile.

"What are we compared to them? Starry Sky Pictures just didn't plan to go public. Otherwise, with Starry Sky's strength, all of us companies would be left far behind."

The capital market has priced Huayi and Enlight Media so high.

With its strong content moat and a talented team of directors, no one can predict what kind of astronomical price Starry Pictures will command once it goes public.

"Okay, I'll definitely be at the party that day."

"Then we eagerly await Director Wu's arrival!"

(End of this chapter)