Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 706 Igniting Passion
11pm.

As the guests and cast members of the premiere gradually dispersed...

The entire world outside the venue was in an uproar because of this premiere.

Countless eager movie fans and netizens are glued to their computers and phones, frantically refreshing Weibo, Douban, and Tieba.

The hashtag #InterstellarPremiere# has already topped the trending searches, followed by a bright red "hot" sign.

They are waiting.

We await firsthand news from the scene.

The first to ignite public opinion were the lucky ones who had just attended the premiere.

Their brains are still in a state of shutdown after being overwhelmed by a huge amount of information and emotions, and most of their posts on social media are incoherent and primal cries.

"Holy crap! I don't know what to say! Anyway, go see it! You absolutely have to see it in IMAX! Otherwise you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

"A masterpiece! Don't ask me about the plot, just go see it and you'll see! But I can tell you, it's a masterpiece! I cried three times, each time more intensely than the last!"

"Don't believe any trailers, they're all lies! The actual movie is a million times better than the trailers! Wu Chen, my god!"

These fragmented, emotionally charged short reviews, like deep-sea bombs dropped into a calm lake, instantly ignited the curiosity of netizens who hadn't yet seen the movie.

"What exactly happened? Give me a straight answer! Tell me!"

"He cried three times? This is a sci-fi movie, dude! Are you sure it's not a romance?"

"Is IMAX really that bad? I bought a regular 3D ticket and I'm panicking. Should I cancel it and buy a new one?"

Just as netizens were intensely discussing and trying to piece together the movie from the clues, a series of explosions suddenly occurred on Weibo's trending topics list.

Just moments later, several brand-new terms suddenly appeared in the top ten trending searches in an illogical fashion.

#Nolan says great movies need no evaluation#
#Spielberg says Interstellar has a soul#
#Cameron praises the visual wonder of interstellar travel#
#Zhang Yimou says all that's left are his father's tears#
For a moment, all the netizens who were surfing the internet were stunned.

"Holy crap. Is it really that exaggerated? Putting these names together, I thought it was the Oscars!"

"Damn, if it were anyone else, I'd think they got paid, but these guys... who the hell could afford to buy all of them bragging together? Are they really that good-looking?"

"Are you kidding me? This review is way too high! I was planning to wait for the reviews before buying tickets, but now I feel like I can't wait any longer!"

If the previous reviews from moviegoers were just an appetizer...

These "personal endorsements" from world-class directors acted like a hammer blow, completely shattering everyone's doubts and pushing the anticipation for "Interstellar" to an unprecedented peak.

The industry's reaction was more direct and complex.

In the office of New Vision, Zhang Weiping stared intently at the glaring trending search terms on the computer screen.

His biggest concern right now is naturally "Interstellar," not because he hopes it will be great, but because it directly relates to how much market space "The Flowers of War," which will be released a month later, will still have.

Will he be able to make money?
He picked up his phone and dialed Zhang Yi's number.

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Yimou's tone was cold, carrying a deep sense of weariness.

He already had a plan in mind, but he still replied.

"The movie was very good."

"very good?"

As Zhang Weiping muttered those two words, a nameless anger suddenly surged within him.

In his view, Zhang Yimou was simply aiding the enemy!

"The Flowers of War" cost 600 million yuan! What will Zhang Weiping do if it loses money?
How can you praise your opponent in a situation like this?
Of course, at this moment, Lu Xun was even more unhappy than Zhang Weiping.

Seeing the overwhelming praise online, he was so angry that he threw his mouse on the ground.

"Damn it! Did they bribe me?! They definitely bribed me!"

"Wu Chen is such a black-hearted man! He's spent all his money on this!"

Public opinion on Weibo can ferment faster than any traditional media.

But when the entertainment headlines of major portal websites finally appeared on the homepage after a delay of more than ten minutes, the impact they brought was of a different dimension: a carpet bombing.

[“A great film needs no evaluation,” Nolan’s quote goes viral online; Wu Chen’s new film receives rave reviews!] [A cinematic masterpiece! The premiere of *Interstellar* brought tears to the audience; IMAX tickets are currently extremely difficult to obtain!]

[Redefining Sci-Fi! Interstellar: A Cosmic Epic About Love and Time!]

[Interstellar Premiere Review Released: We are Witnessing History! A Masterpiece Needs No Further Acknowledgment]

【.】

With the official release of these highly inflammatory reports, the Chinese internet was completely ignited late at night on November 15, 2011.

Following closely behind were the film critics who had signed confidentiality agreements and couldn't give away spoilers, but were already going crazy with anticipation.

"Don't ask me if it's good or not. I'll just tell you that the first thing I did after watching this movie was call my dad. If you love your family, take them to see it in IMAX. Also, I think this film will get a score of at least 9.0 on Douban!"

"A hard science fiction shell encases a most tender heart. Wu Chen uses a film to answer an ultimate question: What is at the end of the universe? Friendly reminder: Bring some tissues."

These sensational and emotionally charged film reviews became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Netizens have completely gone crazy.

"Holy crap, a 9.0 rating?! Seriously?! I'm buying! I'm willing to pay a high price for an IMAX movie ticket for the midnight showing on the 18th! Any city is fine!"

"Damn it, there aren't any advance tickets left! They're all sold out!"

"Guevara! Brothers, check out Guevara Life Network! I heard they have an exclusive partnership there, so they might be able to release some reserved seats!"

In no time, "Gewara Life Network" reappeared in the comments of countless netizens.

The next day, early morning.

On a private plane flying from Beijing to Los Angeles.

Liu Yifei appeared alongside Wu Chen, sporting prominent dark circles under her eyes.
Everyone was very curious because Liu Yifei's panda eyes were so obvious.

Matthew McConaughey couldn't help but ask, "Crystal, did you go save the world last night?"

Liu Yifei rubbed her eyes a little shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"She was reading fans' comments until after 3 a.m. last night," Wu Chen explained with a smile.

"Hahaha, I can understand, I can totally understand!" Matthew and the others burst into laughter.

"I checked social media this morning, and movie fans in North America have gone crazy too. North American media outlets are frantically reposting content from the Chinese internet."

"Oh?" Wu Chen became interested.

Since the plane hadn't taken off yet, Matthew handed over his phone.

On the homepages of top North American industry media outlets such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline, several large headlines were prominently displayed.

[A shockwave from Beijing! Spielberg, Cameron, and Nolan praise Wu Chen's *Interstellar* as a "masterpiece"!]

"A great film needs no evaluation"—Nolan's astonishing praise ignites a frenzy for *Interstellar* even before its North American premiere!

Will Wu Chen's sci-fi epic be this year's box office king? The unprecedented buzz from its Chinese premiere.

North American film fans were already eagerly anticipating the new film from Wu Chen, a two-time Oscar-winning director.

Now, when they see that Cameron, Spielberg, Nolan and others have given such high praise to Interstellar, this expectation has instantly turned into a frenzy!
"My God! What kind of movie is this?!"

"Wu's fans are here! I knew he would never let us down."

"Has it already secured its place among the top films in IMDb's history?"

"I can't wait! Why do we still have to wait a few more days? Damn it, I was already planning to take my family to see it before Thanksgiving."

"."

Amidst this unprecedented buzz, many North American media outlets have already begun predicting the opening weekend box office for "Interstellar".

A Forbes columnist even published an article predicting:
"Given the huge capacity of the Thanksgiving season and the significant boost from 3D Max, Interstellar's opening weekend box office is very likely to break the $1.25 million Thanksgiving opening weekend record set last year by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1."

We can even be more audacious in predicting that its North American opening weekend box office might reach $1.5 million to $1.6 million.
It may even challenge the $1.68 million box office record held by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" this year.

(End of this chapter)