Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 700: Guest Tickets Hard to Come By, On the Eve of the Premiere

November 2011, Beijing.

The chill of late autumn did not dampen the film market's enthusiasm in the slightest.

Or rather, it's the popularity of "Interstellar".

On social media platforms such as Weibo, Baidu Tieba, and Douban, discussions about "how to snag a midnight IMAX ticket for 'Interstellar'" have become a kind of mystery.

In this nationwide frenzy of ticket grabbing, one name was mentioned most frequently—Gewara Life Network.

"Brothers! Stop wasting your time on those crappy websites! Guevara is the real deal! They just released a bunch of Wanda CBD tickets, and I got them!"

"I testify! Guevara is the most stable! And it locks the seat the fastest!"

"Of course! Didn't you see the news? Guevara is the exclusive online platform for this 'Interstellar' movie, so their ticket selection is definitely the best!"

At this moment, in the office of the film division of Meituan.com.

Wang Xing frowned as he looked at the "Sold Out" sign flashing red on the Gewara website next door.

"Xingchen."

He knew that there was only one reason why Guevara was able to secure the exclusive collaboration for "Interstellar"—Wu Chen.

Wu Chen voted for Wagura.

But what's tough is that they're competing with online ticketing platforms, because while the previous films were doing well, now they're riding the wave of "Interstellar."
Guevara is rapidly eroding the market share of the nascent online ticketing market in an almost unreasonable manner.

At the same time, Liu Yong, the founder of Gewara, was standing at the window of his office, looking at the endless stream of cars below, his heart filled with unease.

Back-end data shows that in just one day, the frequency with which Che Guevara was mentioned and the number of Interstellar movie tickets sold were already astronomical.

This not only brought huge cash flow to the website, but more importantly, it brought millions of highly engaged new users.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness."

Liu Yong felt somewhat fortunate that he had chosen to cooperate with Xingchen; otherwise, he would be the one suffering now.

But he couldn't help but think about the future of online ticketing that Wu Chen had mentioned.
"Will that day really come?"

He can't imagine it now.

But since Wu Chen was able to enable Wagra to take off so quickly, he still remained cautious, which made him feel a little worried.
Meanwhile, at the center of public attention is Seoul, South Korea.

COEX Aquarium, Gangnam District.

In the enormous aquarium, tens of thousands of sardines formed a silver storm as they swam slowly.

The press conference for the final stop of the Interstellar promotional tour in Asia was ingeniously set here, with the deep "artificial ocean" as the backdrop.

Wu Chen, Liu Yifei, and Matthew McConaughey sat on the stage, facing South Korean reporters who were even more enthusiastic than the European media.

The questions here, however, are filled with a strong kimchi flavor.

"Director Wu, we know that the science in 'Interstellar' is very cautious, but we also know that our South Korean KASI is at the forefront of the world in the research of gravitational lensing effect."

Did you reference the research findings of South Korean scientists in the visual presentation of the film?

"Is there a chance to collaborate with our idol group in the future?"

"."

Wu Chen handled the situation flawlessly.

There was even a hint of a "whatever makes you happy" smile on his face.

The promotional tour is coming to an end, and the anticipation of movie fans around the world has reached its peak.

With the global premiere of "Interstellar" about to begin, this original 3D blockbuster will soon be presented to the world in its entirety.

At this very moment, Zhang Weiping in China finally unleashed the big move he had been holding back for a long time.

A blog post written by him and signed "New Pictures Publicity Department" was quietly published online late at night.

The title is: "Me and Bale had a sex scene."

The article, written in a very elementary school-like and self-satisfied style, in the first person, details the "passionate scenes" between Yu Mo and John Miller, played by Bale, in "The Flowers of War".

When this article was published, the entire internet was silent for three seconds;
The promotional materials for "Interstellar" pale in comparison to this lengthy article.

Immediately, a massive wave of ridicule erupted from both inside and outside the industry.

"Holy crap! What the hell is this? Are you crazy?"

"No, I read it. My second-grade nephew writes better than this! And 'powerful arms'? I laughed so hard I peed myself!"

"So low! They've lost all sense of shame for the sake of publicity?"

"I declare this to be the dumbest movie promotion of 2011, bar none!"

Compared to the clueless comments from netizens, those in the industry are mostly just watching the spectacle with amusement.

Even if Zhang Yimou is incompetent, she wouldn't resort to such methods for publicity; she could have simply stepped in herself. Although the actress Ni Ni is currently being ridiculed the most by netizens, it's actually Zhang Yimou who has lost face the most.

In the office of New Picture, Zhang Yi looked at the article that netizens had photoshopped into various memes, and couldn't say a word.

For a moment, he didn't even feel angry, only a deep weariness and despair.

He felt that all the things he had upheld about the art of film over the years had been completely ruined in that instant by this article.

"Zhang Weiping is really ruthless. Even if he wants to make money, he doesn't need to be in such a hurry!"

Ning Hao was stunned after reading it, and he was still full of confusion when he talked to Wu Chen on the phone.

This move is going to be remembered in film history.

"I've taken out a lot of loans, and I guess I feel like I'm going to mess things up. I'm losing confidence."

"Director Zhang is really going to be screwed over this time. Who in the industry would do something like this? Don't they have any shame?" Ning Hao sighed. "If I were Director Zhang, I would have parted ways with Zhang Weiping after this."

Wu Chen was stunned for a moment when he heard this.

"What's wrong?" Ning Hao asked.

"Haha, it's nothing." Wu Chen smiled.

It has to be said that Ning Hao's jinx was quite accurate.

Many people in the industry were waiting to see him make a fool of himself, and Feng Xiaogang even crossed his legs and started humming a tune.

In stark contrast to Zhang Weiping's "suicidal publicity," the "Lost in Thailand" project team was quietly established.

In a private room of a hot pot restaurant in Beijing.

Xu Zheng, Huang Bo, and Wang Baoqiang sat around a steaming copper pot, drinking until their faces were flushed.

"Baoqiang, have you finished reading the script? How did you feel about it?" Xu Zheng picked up a piece of mutton from Wang Baoqiang's plate and asked nervously.

"I've read it! I've read it!" Wang Baoqiang slapped his thigh, his face flushed with excitement. "This script is amazing!"
That character named Wang Bao was practically a carbon copy of me! 'Are you going to give me a transvestite operation?' Hahahaha! I can't help but laugh just thinking about it!

Huang Bo, standing to the side, joked with a laugh, "You're kidding me. With a brain like yours, do you really need surgery?"

He then turned to look at Xu Zheng.

“Great job, Xu Zheng. You’ve managed to get under Director Wu’s wing. Putting everything else aside, I’d do it just for your sake and Xingchen’s reputation.”

"Me too!" Wang Baoqiang raised his hand as well. "By the way, have you guys gotten any guest tickets for the premiere of 'Interstellar' yet? I heard they're super hard to get."

"Hehe, they're all my classmates. They want to ask me for help. I'll ask around for you." Huang Bo was shameless.

"Director Wu and the others recognize you."

"Why are you denying it?"

"."

Because of the upcoming premiere, Wu Chen and Liu Yifei have kept in touch with each other in China.

It's all because of the guest tickets.

Despite the abundance of seats prepared for guests, it couldn't keep up with the demand.

Universal Pictures prepared a batch of invitations for Hollywood A-listers, China Film Group sent out invitations to relevant industry professionals, and Star Cinema naturally sent out invitations to its acquaintances as well.
However, there are some people who are naturally impossible to take care of.

"Brother Xiaoming, I can only give you two," Liu Yifei replied apologetically over the phone. "It really isn't enough."

"Thank you, Effie. Two is enough, I took too many."

Huang Xiaoming hung up the phone with a smug grin, then smiled triumphantly at Yang Ying beside him, exuding an aura of domineering CEO.

Although he didn't get an extra one for Li Binbin, he still had to save face in front of his girlfriend.

Immediately after Yang Ying left, he called Li Binbin.

"I'm sorry, Sister Binbin, guest tickets are really hard to get. I only managed to get two. Could you ask Director Feng or President Wang if they have any extras?"

"Okay, thanks, Xiaoming!"

After thanking him, Li Binbin hung up the phone, frowning as he wondered who he should contact next.

She had already learned from Wendi Deng that quite a few Hollywood directors, big names, and producers had been invited by Universal to the Beijing premiere.

This was especially important for her, as she was eager to make a name for herself in Hollywood.

After all, once you miss this opportunity, it's gone forever.

She was even less able to attend the North American premiere on the 17th.

Li Binbin is not alone in seeking ways to gain public exposure.

Finally, the news that Wu Chen, Liu Yifei, Matthew, and others had returned to Beijing from South Korea spread far and wide.

Because a reporter captured the scene of Wu Chen leading the entire crew to Quanjude to eat Peking duck.
(End of this chapter)