It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 101: The Premiere of "The Prestige," a Film Worthy of Being Recorded in Film History!

The Yanjing Workers' Stadium was built in 1959. It covers an area of ​​35 hectares, with a building area of ​​more than 8 square meters. It has 24 stands and can accommodate nearly 8 spectators.

The premiere of "The Prestige" did not require opening all the stands.

The plan only requires opening one of the stands that can accommodate 5000 people.

At this time, a magic show stage had been set up inside the stadium, and more than a dozen magicians had already conducted several rehearsals.

All of the above were handled by Enlight Media.

Wang Changtian has extensive experience in producing variety shows and large-scale events, so Lü Rui is very confident in entrusting the work to him.

In fact, this task should have been handled by China Film Group, but after Han Sanping contacted the CCTV team, the event planning budget they offered was shockingly high!

Later, Wang Changtian volunteered to take on the task of preparing for the event at a fee 40% lower than that of CCTV.

"Old Wang is a good person to get along with."

Lu Rui secretly thought that he could cooperate more with Guangxian in the future.

The latter has a rich distribution network and integrated marketing resources accumulated from producing television programs, coupled with a well-developed on-the-ground promotion strategy, which has greatly facilitated the promotion and distribution of many films produced by Ruishijie!

Mutually beneficial and win-win operations, like those of Guangdian, are the foundation of cooperation.

In contrast, the large-scale event preparation teams of CCTV start by ruthlessly exploiting the audience, engaging in one-off deals. Isn't that just a rip-off?
No wonder the Spring Festival Gala got worse and worse over time!

At 8 a.m. on the 13th, Lü Rui arrived at the Workers' Stadium early with the entire team of "The Prestige".

Besides the magicians they hired, the main cast and crew also had to cooperate.

After the premiere started at 8 p.m., everyone either acted as magic assistants or took turns making a dazzling appearance on stage as guests, which was also a form of promotion.

"Fan Bingbing, remember, tonight is your most important night. You absolutely cannot make any mistakes, understand?"

Backstage, Lü Rui gave Fan Bingbing a special reminder.

In the movie, she plays the role of a "female assistant," so she will also appear on stage in this role tonight to perform several magic tricks.

Fan Bingbing tightened his brow and earnestly assured, "Director Lü, don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

The movie "A World Without Thieves" is currently showing in theaters. In addition to Liu Naicha, Li Bingbing, who plays the glamorous thief "Xiao Ye", has become incredibly popular due to her charming and sexy image.

Seeing that her competitors were gaining more popularity than her, Fan Bingbing was unwilling to accept it.

She secretly vowed to use her role as the female assistant in "The Prestige" to surpass Li Bingbing in popularity!
"Alright, everyone get ready."

At Lü Rui's command, everyone dispersed to their respective magicians to continue rehearsing, ensuring everything went perfectly.

It's important to know that tonight they are facing not only their colleagues in the film and television industry and lucky viewers, but also the audience in front of their televisions.

Similar to the premiere of Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers", the premiere of "The Prestige" will also be broadcast on television.

In addition to CCTV-6, more than 200 city TV stations participated, covering the entire country!

...

Huayi.

The assistant handed an invitation to Feng Xiaogang and asked, "Director Feng? Are you going to the Workers' Stadium tonight?"

"I'm not going." Feng Xiaogang rejected the idea without even thinking.

Lu Rui didn't attend the premiere of "A World Without Thieves". If he were to attend the premiere of "The Prestige" now, wouldn't he be lowering his status?

While secretly grumbling to himself, he was also somewhat unwilling to give up.

If he had known that Lü Rui would make such a big fuss, he should have chosen the Workers' Stadium instead of the Exhibition Hall Theater.

Compared to other people's large-scale magic shows, his "Love Creates the Future Charity Premiere" always seemed a step below in terms of class.

Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers" went to the Workers' Stadium, Lü Rui's "The Prestige" went to the Workers' Stadium, and Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" is going to have its Asian premiere at Times Square in Hong Kong...

Compared to him, he seems to have lost again.

Although everyone is after box office revenue and money, who wouldn't want to make a grand spectacle? After all, it's a symbol of prestige and status!

"No way, my next movie has to be a big deal too. It's just the Workers' Stadium, right? Just you wait and see. I'm going to make it a much bigger spectacle!"

He muttered to himself, not forgetting to ask his assistant, "How much did 'A World Without Thieves' gross yesterday?"

The assistant blurted out, "899 million."

What about the total box office?

"It has exceeded 3000 million, with a cumulative total of 3362 million."

"Good!" Feng Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction.

At this rate, breaking 100 million is definitely not a problem, almost exactly as the market analysis department predicted.

But simply breaking 100 million is not enough!

His goal is to surpass the box office of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "House of Flying Daggers", and even catch up with the 2.5 million yuan box office of "Hero"!
He's going to reign supreme again this Lunar New Year!

Profitability isn't important, since advertising revenue alone covered most of the costs when filming started. The key issue is saving face.

If you make so many boasts back then and then fail to deliver, won't you lose face again?

……

Before I knew it, it was six o'clock in the afternoon.

Many lucky audience members who received tickets to the premiere are already entering the venue.

Inside the meeting room, Hou Hongliang, who had rushed back from the set of "Crossing the Guandong," was reporting the situation to Lü Rui:

"Stephen Chow replied that he had to go to Hong Kong to prepare for the premiere of 'Kung Fu Hustle' and didn't have time to come over."

"Zhang Yimou's 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles' is currently in a critical stage of filming, and he also said he is unavailable."

"Chen Kaige's 'The Promise' is said to be filming a very important night scene..."

"Feng Xiaogang..."

Lü Rui was not surprised.

As top-tier directors in the Chinese entertainment industry, we each have our own sources of pride.

Unless they have an extremely good relationship or are simply at home, few people are willing to attend a premiere to witness their "rival's" moment of glory.

In the current domestic film market, the clear distinction between directors is still quite prominent.

Unlike later, when internet capital entered the market, everyone was intertwined, appearing as friends on the surface but secretly plotting against each other.

"What about the investors? Have they all been notified?"

"Yes, the invitations were sent out in advance, and I called each of them."

Just then, Lü Rui's phone rang.

After the call connected, Shen Ao's voice came through: "Brother Rui, the people from Hollywood have been picked up. I'll take them to dinner first, and then we'll go straight to the Workers' Stadium."

"Okay, stay safe."

Warner Bros. took "The Prestige" very seriously and even sent Lauren Megan to attend the premiere.

As soon as the phone call ended, Wang Changtian emerged from backstage, followed by a man and a woman.

"Director Lü." He called out from afar, and as he approached, he introduced them, "These are tonight's hosts, He Jiong and Liang Lu."

"Hello, Director Lü."

The two greeted each other in unison.

He Jiong is a host on Hunan TV and is currently working with Enlight Media on "Music Billboard". He is just making a temporary appearance.

Liang Lu is a contracted host with Enlight Media, with rich stage experience, and was temporarily transferred here.

"Hello, thank you for your hard work tonight."

Lu Rui shook hands with the two men, his gaze lingering on He Jiong for a few more seconds.

He had a deep impression of this "evil gardenia," but was not very familiar with Liang Lu.

After a brief chat, the two went backstage to familiarize themselves with the procedures.

Wang Changtian wiped the sweat from his forehead, his tone filled with anticipation: "I hope tonight's magic show goes smoothly and can dampen the arrogance of 'A World Without Thieves'."

Just as Lü Rui was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of Wang Zhonglei and Wang Jinghua leading a group of people into the venue.

It would be inappropriate to bring up the topic of suppressing the popularity of "A World Without Thieves" in front of them.

After exchanging a glance with Wang Changtian, the two of them took a few steps forward together.

Although Feng Xiaogang did not come, all the main creators of "A World Without Thieves" did.

The four main actors, Liu Dehua, Li Bingbing, Liu Naicha, and Ge You, were all present, along with Wang Baoqiang, who looked rather clueless.

"Director Lü, I wish you great box office success in advance."

"Mr. Wang, I also wish Huayi great success in the Lunar New Year film season this year."

Lü Rui and Wang Zhonglei shook hands.

Huayi is indeed enjoying great success right now.

They were the main investors in "A World Without Thieves" and "Kung Fu Hustle," and also co-produced "The Prestige."

This also means that they will make money either way this year during the Lunar New Year film season; it's just a matter of how much.

"Where's Jiang Wen?" Ge You looked around, searching for his old friend.

Lü Rui pointed towards the backstage area.

"You guys chat, I'll go find him." Ge You cheerfully turned and walked backstage.

As time went on, more and more people arrived.

Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, Dong Ping, Yu Dong... and many people from Hong Kong and Taiwan also came.

It's worth mentioning that Ye Ning brought two people with her when she arrived.

"This is Lu Zheng, who also works for Wanda; the woman next to him is his niece, Jing Tian."

A flower symbolizing wealth and honor in the human world?
Lu Rui raised an eyebrow slightly and reached out to shake hands with Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng's forehead gleamed under the stage lights as he revealed a bright smile: "Director Lü, you're truly a young hero! To have achieved so much at such a young age, I admire you! I admire you!"

"Mr. Lu, you flatter me."

Lu Rui smiled modestly, but in his heart he was reminiscing.

This person seems to be one of Wanda's top shareholders? He later founded Starlight Pictures...

Just then, Lu Zheng introduced the shy, round-faced girl beside him: "Director Lü, I'm also planning to open a film and television company to promote my little niece. If there are any suitable roles for her in the future, please take care of her. The terms are negotiable."

The moment he opened his mouth, his "splurging money like water" attitude, typical of a coal mine owner, was on full display!

Jing Tian, ​​who was standing next to her, quickly bowed and greeted him, "Hello, Director Lü."

"Ah hello."

Lu Rui responded with a sound, but did not respond to Lu Zheng's words.

While film and television investment requires money, it's not simply a matter of having money.

High-quality projects and resources all involve personal connections and the exchange of benefits. Rushing into this circle like a naive newcomer is bound to result in setbacks.

Lu Zheng wanted to say something more, but Lü Rui apologized to him and quickly walked towards the entrance.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone around him, he gave a tight hug to a foreigner.

Many people looked curious, wondering who this person was.

At this moment, Han Sanping also greeted him with a smile.

The group began asking around and soon learned that this person was a producer representative sent by Warner Bros.!
In no time, even more people gathered around, their words filled with eager anticipation...

I wasn't very familiar with the people around me, but once I showed my identity, getting their contact information wasn't a problem.

After exchanging greetings with everyone and taking his seat, he looked at Jing Tian and said, "Tian Tian, ​​I'll give you all these contact details later. Remember to add them when you get back and send my regards during holidays."

"Okay, I understand, Uncle Lu."

"Be confident and don't be shy. Celebrities are people too. Remember, to get into this industry, you first need to be able to handle stage fright and have thick skin."

"Uh-huh!"

In terms of family background and social standing, Jing Tian was no less capable than anyone else present; she was just a little reserved since she was new to the place.

In no time, she adjusted her mood and started chatting with the celebrities next to her who looked to be the same age.

"You're the actress who played 'Wang Yuyan' in 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,' right?"

Hearing someone speak to her, Liu Yifei turned her head and politely replied, "Yes, hello."

"Are you formally trained in acting? Your acting is really good. I've watched 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' several times!" "Huh?"

It was rare for someone to praise her acting skills, especially since it was from a pretty girl who looked quite pleasing to the eye. Liu Yifei's eyes lit up, and her smile brightened: "Yes, I'm from the 02 class of the Performance Department at Beijing Film Academy..."

The two restless girls started chatting.

Liu Xiaoli, standing next to her, glanced at Jing Tian curiously, finding her face unfamiliar. She gently touched her daughter's arm, signaling her to keep an eye on her, before turning her gaze to the stage.

It was now exactly 8 o'clock!

After He Jiong and Liang Lu finished their opening remarks, the magic show officially began!

CCTV-6 and 200 city television stations across the country also launched the broadcast at the same time.

Those audience members, fans, and moviegoers who didn't get tickets turned on their TVs and watched the show on their screens.

The magic show has a simple format: more than ten magicians take turns on stage to perform their signature tricks.

The main cast and crew members either acted as assistants or simply transformed into "props" to assist in the magic performance.

Of course, each magic act will be closely related to the theme of "The Prestige," since the core of this premiere is to promote the movie.

Lü Rui didn't plan to release the full movie; instead, he intended to use clips from the film's plot, combined with magic performances, to further amplify the "magic suspense" gimmick!

The show opened with a performance by Li Ning, the world magic champion of the Monte Carlo Magic Championship, who was joined on stage by Fan Bingbing.

The latter wore a tight-fitting bodysuit with a large expanse of white skin exposed on her chest, aiming to be sexy and eye-catching!

Offstage, Liu Yifei and Jing Tian silently lowered their heads, then looked up at each other in tacit understanding, before awkwardly looking away.

Fan Bingbing is a naturally gifted athlete, far superior to the two of them with their small physiques.

"boom!"

Suddenly, gasps of surprise erupted from the audience! A giant glass cocoon slowly descended from the sky in the center of the stage.

"Please welcome Mr. Hu!"

As Fan Bingbing's voice rang out, Hu Jun walked out from backstage, entered the glass cocoon with the help of the magician, and waved to the audience.

Immediately afterwards, the glass cocoon was suspended in mid-air by wires.

The next second, the lights suddenly dimmed, and the large screen behind them began playing a clip from the movie of Hu Jun watching the "disappearing bird" magic trick for the first time.

"When the bird disappears, the audience applauds, but they don't actually know that the bird is dead..."

At the end of the scene, the camera zooms in on Hu Jun's shocked expression!
Suddenly, against the dark background, crack-like light and shadow shone through the cocoon, accompanied by cracking sounds.

"boom!"

After a loud explosion, the cocoon burst open, but there was no one inside!
died?

what's the situation?
Just as everyone was surprised, a beam of light fell on the back of the audience.

Everyone instinctively turned their heads to look, and saw that Hu Jun, who had been in the glass cocoon, had appeared in the back row, with a small bird perched on his shoulder!
The background screen simultaneously played a movie clip of Hu Jun's first "teleportation magic" performance.

He vanished from the stage and reappeared in the distance! This scene created a wonderful cross-temporal echo with the "instant teleportation" on site!

At the end of the clip, a line resonated throughout the audience: "Every magic trick is a sacrifice!"

"Clap clap-"

Thunderous applause instantly resounded throughout the entire venue!

Everyone was cheering for this wonderful and mysterious magic trick!
There was a lot of discussion at the scene, with everyone speculating about how it was done.
At that moment, Feng Xiaogang was watching the broadcast at home, his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief.

A person was suspended in mid-air when the glass cocoon exploded, and the person disappeared into thin air, only to reappear in the back row of the audience? What is the principle behind this?
Before his surprise had even subsided, the thought of going to the cinema to see "The Prestige" when it was released popped into his head.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, his expression changed instantly.

"No wonder they put on such a magic show! It was all to lure the audience into the theater! That's a brilliant scheme!"

Feng Xiaogang gritted his teeth, his hands trembling, and a strong sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in his heart.

Just then, the second magic show began.

Fu Yandong, the fourth-generation successor of the Fu family's illusion magic, walked onto the stage. With the assistance of Fan Bingbing, three huge mirrors were erected on the stage.

"Please welcome Jiang Wen!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Wen walked out from backstage, waved to the audience, and went straight into the camera array.

The next second, several "clones" suddenly appeared in the mirror.

Everyone understands this principle: mirrors refract light, which is why they create a reflection that looks like a copy.

At the same time, corresponding movie clips were simultaneously inserted on the large screen behind.

Two Jiang Wens are adjusting their red scarves in front of the mirror. Their movements are synchronized, but their eyes are different. A voice-over adds suspense: "We share life, and we share pain!"

Fan Bingbing handed over a red cloak, which Jiang Wen took from the mirror.

The moment the cloak covered the mirror array, the clone in the mirror suddenly vanished into thin air!

When the audience realized what was happening, two identical Jiang Wens suddenly appeared off-screen and said at the same time, "Guess which one of us is the real one?"
Everyone looked at the two Jiang Wens on the stage, and then at the suddenly disappeared shadow in the mirror, and exclaimed in surprise!

"how did you do that?"

"Wow! Two directors Jiang?"

"Where's the shadow? Where did the shadow in the mirror go? Has the shadow turned into a real person?"

Before anyone could react, Fu Yandong waved his hand, and one of them vanished into the mirror as a shadow, leaving only his cloak slowly drifting down...

The words "Secrets are the soul of magic" from the movie poster lit up on the large screen behind them, adding another layer of suspense to this "identity puzzle"!
In the crew of "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles".

Zhang Yimou rubbed his eyes, staring intently at the television screen, but he couldn't figure out what was going on with the two Jiang Wens on stage, nor could he understand the mystery of the shadows disappearing and reappearing.

"What amazing magic..."

At that moment, the thought of solving the mystery after the movie was released even popped into his mind.

Zhang Weiping, standing beside him, reluctantly withdrew his gaze from Fan Bingbing's chest and murmured, "This premiere was brilliantly organized, with all the suspense building up. The opening day box office for 'The Prestige' will definitely be high."

Zhang Yimou nodded slowly in agreement: "If the film's quality is excellent, surpassing 'House of Flying Daggers' will be a piece of cake..."

Thinking of this, his admiration and respect for Lü Rui grew even stronger!
"This kid is interesting."

The magic show continued.

Zhang Jingchu walked onto the stage, her hands and feet were chained, and she was submerged in a water tank filled with water.

The large screen simultaneously played a clip of her character struggling in a water tank, with the camera focusing on her painful expression and the constantly rising bubbles, making viewers' hearts clench!
Many people at the scene covered their eyes in fright.

In the front row, Jiang Wenli caught a glimpse of Gu Changwei's distressed look and reached out to pinch his waist hard.

Gu Changwei gasped, "Hiss! What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"What? Feeling sorry for her? Why don't you go up and take her place?" Jiang Wenli glared at him.

Gu Changwei: "..."

The clip played for a full 60 seconds.

When the countdown ended, the water tank suddenly exploded!
Amidst the steam, Zhang Jingchu appeared unharmed, holding a broken chain in her hand.

On the big screen, a line of blood-red text appeared menacingly:

"Great magic requires great sacrifice!"

One show, two shows, three shows... magic performances were staged one after another.

Zhou Yun, Li Xuejian, Fan Bingbing and other main cast members took turns acting as "props" to cooperate with the magician in completing a series of wonderful performances.

Each magic show is accompanied by movie clips and a line of dialogue designed to create suspense.

The mystery-solving aspect is entirely left to the film, guiding the audience to watch and find the answers to these magic tricks...

More than an hour passed in a flash, and many people at the scene were scratching their heads, unable to hide their surprise!

The spectacular magic shows captivated everyone, who were eager to find the full footage and uncover the secrets.

As the curtain fell, Qin Mingxiao and Yao Jinfen, a couple who had made a stunning appearance on the Spring Festival Gala, took to the stage.

Qin Mingxiao displayed two old notebooks, and then the notebooks in which the two male protagonists recorded magic secrets appeared on the screen.

As Yao Jinfen took it, amidst gasps from the crowd, the notebook suddenly burst into flames, and two playing cards floated up from the ashes.

"Red Ghost" and "Black Ghost"!
This is commonly known as the "Big King" and "Little King".

Jiang Wen and Hu Jun, who were in the audience, stood up and went on stage at the same time.

A sharp-eyed person immediately noticed that the word "sacrifice" appeared behind Hu Jun, while the word "obsession" appeared behind Jiang Wen.

The two approached Yao Jinfen, took the playing cards,
Hu Jun held up the "Red Ghost," and behind him, on the big screen, clips of him performing as a clone in the film appeared.

Jiang Wen raised the "Black Ghost," and behind him appeared a clip of him performing as a clone on stage.

The crowd could hardly hide their doubts.

Why are they both performing "copying"?
When the two cards overlapped, the lines from the final confrontation between the two characters in the movie resounded throughout the theater!

You'll never understand what I've sacrificed!

"You'll never know my secret!"

At this moment, the lights slowly focused on the "The Prestige" logo in the center of the stage.

The logo started flashing, and a faint human figure began to take shape...

A voice-over suddenly rang out: "The truth of magic is always hidden where you can't see it!"

In an instant, the suspense, which had already been stretched to its limit, was pushed to an even higher level!
In the crew of "The Promise".

Upon seeing this, Chen Kaige couldn't help but applaud: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! This premiere will definitely go down in film history!"

Chen Hong, standing nearby, asked curiously, "When our film 'The Promise' has its premiere, could we hold an even bigger premiere than this one?"

"Of course!" Chen Kai nodded without hesitation.

Who is he?
The only Palme d'Or winner in China, the lofty and unapproachable Director Chen!
In the realm of art films, he has already surpassed everyone else.

Next, he aims to become number one in the domestic commercial film industry as well, becoming a director who excels in both commercial and art films!
However, just as he was envisioning the future, the host's voice suddenly echoed in his ears on television:

"Let's welcome to the stage: Lü Rui, the youngest director of a film with a box office of over 100 million yuan in China, a grand slam winner of Best Director awards at the three major European film festivals, and winner of the Best Director awards at the Golden Horse, Hong Kong Film Awards, and Huabiao Awards!"

At the center of the stage, the movie logo of "The Prestige" transformed into the figure of Lü Rui!
The other main cast members took turns going on stage, standing on either side of him, and together bowed to the audience to express their gratitude...

Seeing this, Chen Kai frowned slightly, a strange sense of urgency rising in his heart, and he subconsciously spoke up:

"The world is full of talented people, like stars shining brightly across the land. Do not lament the absence of heroes, for the long winds will carry your sails home..."

Chen Hong was puzzled, but still subconsciously praised, "What a beautiful poem!"

She was already used to Chen Kai's habit of reciting poetry from time to time; regardless of whether it was good or bad, she would praise him first.

Her husband, Old Chen, is a sucker for this.

Meanwhile, at the premiere of the magic show, tonight's program officially came to an end.

Lü Rui did not arrange an interview segment.

That's enough suspense. Now all we need to do is wait for the hype to build and online discussions to heat up, and then convert all of that into box office revenue!

However, although there were no interviews, media reports continued.

The event had just ended and the guests were heading towards the banquet hall when online reports began to flood the internet!

Tonight! At the Workers' Stadium! The premiere of "The Prestige" kicks off in grand style!

"Premiere premiere features 'cloning' and 'instant teleportation' magic showdown between Jiang Wen and Hu Jun, igniting the audience and pushing the suspense to the heart of the film."

"Simultaneously broadcast by 200 TV stations! Fan Bingbing's sexy appearance, Zhang Jingchu's water escape... This magic premiere deserves to be recorded in film history!"

From disappearing into a glass cocoon to a mirror image, *The Prestige* uses magic to master the art of suspense; the truth lies where you can't see it!

The movie premiere didn't show the actual film; instead, it used magic to pique the audience's curiosity!

Premiere Turns into Magic Show! Li Ning, Fu Yandong, and a host of stars showcase their skills; "The Prestige" turns its "promotion" into a breathtaking magic show!

As the report spread, social media platforms such as Baidu Tieba, Tianya Forum, and blogs erupted in discussion:

"A magic trick that doesn't solve the mystery? A curse that prevents Lü Rui from standing up!"

"It seems like the answer to magic can be found in movies? Really?"

"It was amazing! This is the best premiere I've ever seen!"

"It was much more interesting than the premiere of 'House of Flying Daggers' where all the singing was, and it also revealed the content of the movie."

"Everyone! See you on December 16th, let's see who can find the answer first..."

(End of this chapter)