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

Chapter 138 Lü Rui – China's Top-Grossing Film Director! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Soon, Lü Rui led Jiang Wen and Liu Yifei into the main venue.

At the other entrance, audience members were still entering, most of them carrying small gifts.

On this side of the stage, the guests have taken their seats one after another, and the host arranged by Enlight Media is also in place.

"Let's give a warm round of applause to the entire cast and crew of 'Taken': Lü Rui, Jiang Wen, Liu Yifei, Zhou Yun..."

Before the host could finish speaking, people began to follow on both sides of Lü Rui.

Gu Changwei, who had arrived early, strode over as a photographer, and Jing Tian, ​​urged on by her pass, also came over.

A lot of people came from Hollywood as well, including several main supporting actors and villains, such as Andy Serkis, Amy Adams, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon... even Christian Bale came.

"Taken" is not being released simultaneously worldwide. Like "The Prestige" before it, it will be released in China first, so today can be considered the global premiere.

As everyone gathered, thunderous applause filled the hall, and countless eyes turned towards them.

Liu Yifei subconsciously took a step away from Lü Rui.

Jiang Wen silently stepped back half a step, shifting the focus to Lü Rui.

The spotlight tonight didn't belong to the actors, but to director Lü Rui.

Especially now, as he enters, he is none other than the general leading the soldiers in the charge, the backbone of everyone!

There will be a preparation time before going on stage for an interview.

During this break, a three-and-a-half-minute short film was played on the large screen in the center of the venue.

The first half of the film features highlights of the protagonist's rescue of his daughter, such as car chases, deciphering clues, and confronting the villains with ruthlessness.

The second half then connects to a montage of real user stories collected from the previous "My Rescue Moment" campaign, including stories of helping elderly people find their homes, friends rescuing each other from being trapped in a criminal den, and saving lives...

The ending freezes on the text "The heroes in the movie are just like you in real life," accompanied by the subtitle "Taken, see how the guardian breaks the deadlock."

Using real stories to support the film's theme is more touching than simply praising the plot.

"Director Lü, you successfully predicted that 'Crazy Stone' would gross over 5000 million yuan. Now, what are your expectations for the film you are directing?" The host asked the question that everyone was most interested in.

"3 million!"

Lu Rui held up the microphone, facing everyone in the room, and raised three fingers!

"Are you sure?" The female host was so surprised that she blurted out in English, and quickly added, "Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure."

Lü Rui's tone was very firm.

Regardless of the final results, let's just brag about it and generate buzz first.

Moreover, with so much preparation done beforehand, the four mainland distributors joined forces, launching a combined online and offline campaign that sparked widespread discussion across the country…

Based on this, breaking the previous box office record of "The Prestige" is absolutely no problem.

If we work harder after the film's release to secure more screenings and keep promoting it, we might actually have a chance to reach 3 million!

However, once he shouted out the number "3 million," the rest of the interview content seemed less important.

Jiang Wen discusses the plot, Liu Yifei talks about filming, Zhou Yun talks about family, and Hollywood actors greet each other...

None of these traditional interviews caused much of a stir.

However, the "surprise segment" that followed drew praise from the audience.

Lu Rui specially invited several "ordinary heroes" who were injured while saving lives to the scene. He not only presented them with specially customized "guardian medals" but also provided them with direct monetary compensation for their medical treatment and to improve their lives.

The entire process was broadcast on television, making the distributors of "Seven Swords" grin with disbelief.

It's just a premiere, is it really necessary to make it so fancy?

About half an hour later, the movie started.

The television broadcast was cut off, the lights in the venue went out, and all the noise disappeared instantly, leaving only Jiang Wen, who was desperate to save his daughter, on the screen!
When he learned that his daughter had been kidnapped in broad daylight by a criminal gang that made a living by drug trafficking and organizing prostitution, the father's terrified cries for help on the phone instantly ignited his anger!

A thrilling rescue operation was about to begin.

Jiang Wen, who plays the father, quickly launches an investigation, drawing on his extensive experience and keen insight accumulated over many years in the military and as a bodyguard.

In Los Angeles, he was like a brave and fearless cheetah, darting through the city's dark corners, leaving no clue unchecked.

He showed no mercy to the low-level members of the criminal gang, and every move he made was precise and ruthless, without the slightest hesitation, killing them with every shot!

During the film, when Lü Rui appeared on the big screen as a front desk waiter at the "Mainland Hotel," it elicited cheers from the audience.

It is still rare for a director to make a cameo appearance in the film he directed.

As Jiang Wen's investigation deepened, he discovered that the criminal group was backed by a powerful force, making the rescue operation extremely difficult.

But he did not back down at all. With his strong mental fortitude and excellent skills, he fought his way to the criminal group's hideout!

There, he witnessed girls corrupted by drugs and forced into prostitution, which only strengthened his resolve to save his daughter.

Even when captured, he was able to calmly think things through, find a loophole, escape successfully, and kill the person in charge of organizing the women's auction.

Finally, after a fierce and desperate struggle on the yacht, he killed the buyer and successfully rescued his daughter!

The entire film is fast-paced and avoids the tedious plot twists common in domestic films.

To save his daughter, the father killed anyone he saw, regardless of their status or whether they were Buddhas. He was meticulous, ruthless, and decisive in eliminating every enemy.

Every shot fired, every kill, is an accumulation of small moments of satisfaction.

The small moments of excitement culminated in a major climax when the buyer was eliminated and the daughter was successfully rescued!

The hearts of everyone in the audience finally settled down, and thunderous applause resounded!
"This movie was really enjoyable to watch, it really hit the nail on the head for every father, it definitely has a chance of making 3 million!"

Han Sanping, who was sitting in the front row, was a "doting father" and therefore resonated deeply with the plot of "Taken".

Those around him smiled even more broadly upon hearing his words.

3 million is great!
These numbers sound so appealing.

The day after tomorrow! Just two more days! The answer will be officially revealed!

Nobody thinks this movie will fail; everyone is wondering how high it will go.
It's about time that the box office record set by "Hero" in 02 was broken, isn't it?
After the premiere, reporters gathered around and asked some questions they were curious about.

"Director Lü, did you design the publicity plan for 'Taken' all by yourself?"

"Yes." Lü Rui nodded; there was no point in denying it.

"I heard that Ruishijie is going to expand into film and television distribution?"

"I'm sorry, this is a company secret and I cannot disclose it."

Do you think Xu Ke's "Seven Swords" will affect the box office of "Taken"?

"Director Xu is a big name in the martial arts film genre. The two films have completely different themes and selling points, so there shouldn't be any competition between them..."

This is clearly a fallacy of misrepresentation.

Although the two films are different in subject matter, they are released at the same time and will definitely compete for theater screenings. Isn't that a kind of competition?
But this kind of competition is actually quite easy to determine the winner; whoever is more popular with the audience will get more screenings.

Winner takes all!

Seeing that Lü Rui was slipping through their fingers and there was no way to find fault with him, the reporters turned their attention to Jiang Wen and Liu Yifei, among others.

"Director Jiang, what are your thoughts on the plagiarism controversy surrounding Lu Chuan's new film 'Kekexili'?"

Rumors circulate that Jiang had three disciples: Lu Chuan, Lü Rui, and Zhao Peng.

What these three people have in common is that Jiang Wen provided help, support, and guidance when they were making their film debuts.

However, Lü Rui has now left this camp because he moved too fast and achieved too much!
Currently, when Jiang Wen is interviewed outside, he is too embarrassed to say that he discovered Lü Rui. Instead, he says that Lü Rui was originally very talented, but he just lacked an opportunity to be seen by others, and he just happened to give him a push.

That leaves Lu Chuan and Zhao Peng.

The latter filmed "Hitch" and has not released any new works since.

The former did make another film, "Kekexili," after "Looking for a Gun," but it is embroiled in plagiarism controversy and is currently the focus of heated discussion in major news media.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really close to him, we just have a normal working relationship. Whether he plagiarized or not, the court will make the decision, and I have no opinion."

Jiang Wen simply cut ties with Lu Chuan!

He now truly regrets it. If he had known this would happen, he would never have agreed to help Lu Tianming adapt "Looking for a Gun".

Now look what's happened; he's gotten himself into trouble for no reason.

Some unscrupulous tabloids even claimed that he instructed Lu Chuan to plagiarize!
Heaven and earth conscience!
The reporters suppressed their laughter, feeling he was wronged, but most of them still wore expressions that said, "Those who know, know."

The Jiang-style was so strong in "The Missing Gun" it was almost overflowing. Now you're saying it's just a normal working relationship? Are you kidding me?

You'll never be able to get away with this in your entire life!

If Lu Chuan gets into trouble again, we'll come back to ask you again!
Ginger, we've got our hands on you!

"Liu Yifei, there are widespread rumors that Ruishijie has reached a cooperation agreement with Hongxingwu, which is why you were able to become the female lead. Is this true?"

A reporter then posed a new question to Xiao Liu.

Seeing this, Lü Rui reached out and pulled the microphone in front of him: "Let me answer this question."

All eyes immediately turned to them.

"Besides film and television production, Ruishijie will also make some external investments, which is part of our development strategy plan..."

He rambled on for a while, and although he didn't directly admit it, his words implied tacit agreement. The reporters immediately realized what he meant.

So this "celestial beauty" is actually under the protection of Ruishijie!

"I will work hard and never let Director Lü down."

Liu Yifei looked rather cute at this moment, her hands clenched into small fists, her eyes wide open, and after speaking, she pursed her lips into a thin line.

If other actresses said this, it would likely be just polite talk.

But she is different. She has always been straightforward and outspoken in front of the media, and she has been fulfilling most of the promises she makes step by step.

Therefore, her words became her goal.

All she wanted to do was not to disappoint Lü Rui!
As soon as the premiere ended, everyone moved to the banquet hall.

As for the lucky audience members and reporters, they received another small gift, so they left with a full load.

The sad thing is that while the cast and crew were toasting and celebrating the successful premiere, the reporters had to rush to write their stories and get headlines.

And there's no overtime pay!
This kind of life is even more miserable than that of cattle and horses.

At least cattle and horses have food and water provided by the farmer when they are hungry, but when people are tired and sleepy, they have to buy coffee to keep themselves going and urge themselves on.

Where the hell can we go to seek justice?

More importantly, many people don't even have social security.

And even if you have them, you might not be able to use them.

Journalism is a profession with a high rate of sudden death and a short lifespan due to long hours of overtime. Whether a journalist will live to receive their pension is another matter entirely.

……

On July 29th, "Seven Swords" was the first film to hit theaters.

However, today, all the headlines in major entertainment newspapers and media outlets are dedicated to "Taken".

Last night, Lü Rui led the entire cast and crew of "Taken" to the film's premiere, announcing a box office target of 3 million yuan!

"Ruishijie is suspected of entering the film and television distribution business."

The box office battle between "Seven Swords" and "Taken" is about to begin! Stay tuned!

Jiang Wen claimed that her relationship with Lu Chuan was merely a normal working relationship.

"Smart Vision and Red Starwood Reach Strategic Cooperation... 'Smart Girl' Liu Yifei Officially Steps into the Film Industry"

The topic of "Seven Swords" was suppressed, which made Xu Ke extremely anxious.

On the other side, Lu Chuan watched the news and was overcome with grief, sobbing uncontrollably under the covers.

He really didn't expect that Jiang Wen would unilaterally "expel him from the sect"!

Doesn't this mean that he will no longer have the chance to use Jiang Wen's name to show off?

Although he was initially very averse to people saying that "The Missing Gun" was directed by Jiang Wen, he even intentionally distanced himself from it.

But now that he has truly lost her, he realizes that deep down he still "loves Jiang Wen deeply"!
This is definitely not Stockholm syndrome left over from filming "The Missing Gun," it's just pure love, just like when he confessed his feelings to Jiang Wen at the awards ceremony back then.

It wasn't until the afternoon that the popularity of "Seven Swords" gradually caught up.

Tsui Hark is a highly experienced director who has focused on martial arts films for many years, and many viewers have very high expectations for him.

Lü Rui took Zhao Peng, Shen Ao, and Lu Yang, who had come over, to see this martial arts film together.

It's worth mentioning that, according to publicly available information, the investment in "Seven Swords" reached as high as HK$1.4 million!
In other words, the investment in this film was actually higher than that of Taken.

Moreover, in order to match the large-scale action and martial arts scenes in the film, the entire film used more than 500 extras, 300 horses, and created more than a thousand weapons, which really took a lot of effort.

"I still prefer 'The Legend of Shushan'," Zhao Peng muttered to himself as he sat down.

Shen Ao chimed in, "But I heard that this 'Seven Swords' is even better than 'Zu Mountain,' a masterpiece born from painstaking effort, and can be considered the pinnacle of martial arts films..."

"It's all just hype."

As we were talking, the movie started.

Perhaps because it was the opening day, the occupancy rate was quite high, at least 95%.

Putting the plot aside for now, Lü Rui only glanced at the costumes and props and already had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

A 1.4 million investment?
Ah!
It would be good if we could spend half of it.

After watching for two hours, he still couldn't figure out the plot.

The most memorable scene was Sun Honglei wriggling on top of Lü Zhu, while she ate something while lying on the table...

The Dragon Sword is also quite cool.

As for the rest, there's not much to say. The screen is dark and full of dark tones, which is not very comfortable for the eyes.

"I don't think I... understood?" Lu Yang muttered to himself as he walked out.

Shen Ao shrugged: "I didn't understand it either."

"Kim So-yeon is very pretty, her skin is so fair." Zhao Peng's focus has always been different from others.

Lü Rui, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief.

After watching "Seven Swords," his initial tension vanished instantly, leaving only anticipation for "Taken."

"Let's go get some barbecue."

Lu Rui waved his hand and said, "It just so happens that we're free today and everyone's here, so we can go out for a meal."

On the 30th, the box office figures for the first day of "Seven Swords" were released.

The total box office nationwide was 1106 million, which looks decent, but audience reviews were overwhelmingly negative.

"The action scenes were okay, but the dialogue scenes were boring, the visuals were dark, and the script was terrible."

"This is Xu Ke's consistent standard: dazzling designs and weapons, but the plot development is abrupt, rushed, and completely illogical."

"The action scenes, costumes, sets, action design, including the design of the seven swords, are full of creativity. It can be seen that Xu Ke still has the imagination of 90s martial arts. It's a pity that the dramatic scenes are too weak. It seems that he wanted to pursue depth, but the script has degenerated into a mediocre story of love and hatred in the martial arts world."

There is no harm without comparison.

When Seven Swords was embroiled in plot controversies, Taken came along like a savior!
However, it saved viewers who were turned off by the former, not the former's plot controversy.

"Action movies should be this exciting! A non-stop fight to the very end! So thrilling!"

"The plot is so exciting! This is what a top-notch commercial film should be! If future commercial films are all this type, I'd definitely be willing to pay to see them!"

"This movie fulfilled all my fantasies as a father."

"If you let my daughter go, then this matter is over. I won't look for you or investigate you. But if you don't let it go, I will find you and kill you!" That line was so explosive! So satisfying!

"I feel that every character is very intelligent and strong. Jiang Wen is calm and wise, Zhou Yun is gentle and supportive, and although the daughter was playful in the early stages, she became clever and resourceful after being trapped in the den of evil, and tried her best to protect herself. This family is amazing!"

"Holy crap! Everyone, remember this! Don't touch Jiang Wen's daughter! This guy is ruthless! He's gone berserk!"

Compared to "Seven Swords," "Taken," a purely commercial film, effortlessly established its reputation.

Kill! Intense! Save! Awesome!

Thanks to word-of-mouth and the help of online and offline promotion, it easily surpassed "The Prestige" in box office revenue on its opening day, grossing 2463 million!
A new record for the highest-grossing opening day for a domestic film has been set!
The media immediately followed up with reports:
Warmest congratulations! "Taken" grossed 2463 million yuan nationwide on its opening day! Breaking the record for the highest-grossing opening day for a domestic film!

Xu Ke's new film "Seven Swords" grossed 1969 million yuan in its first two days of release, far lower than "Taken" which was released during the same period.

A critically acclaimed, critically praised film with outstanding acting, a top-tier commercial blockbuster has arrived!

Amidst widespread praise online, Lü Rui didn't rest, and led the creative team to launch a new round of promotion.

Seven Swords is clearly no match for him anymore.

So now it's time to climb the rankings!
The box office reached 2236 million on the second day, bringing the cumulative total to 4699 million!
Time has flown smoothly into August.

On the third day, the cumulative box office reached 6699 million, breaking the box office record of "Initial D".

On the fourth day, it reached 8568 million, surpassing "Crazy Stone"!
On the fifth day, it reached 1.06 million yuan! Breaking the record for the fastest domestic film to reach 100 million yuan at the box office!
Previously, "Kung Fu Hustle" grossed 6400 million yuan in its opening week, "Hero" grossed 5300 million yuan, "House of Flying Daggers" grossed 5500 million yuan, and "A World Without Thieves" grossed 3000 million yuan.

Even the heavily promoted "The Prestige" only grossed over 8000 million in its opening week.

And now, "Taken" has actually set a box office record of breaking 100 million in just 5 days!

This momentum is so strong that it has caused a stir in the entire film and television industry!

Countless people stared wide-eyed! Their eyes were filled with disbelief!
"Could it really break 3 million?"

"Holy crap! They've gone mad! Utterly mad!"

"They rushed in too fast!"

"A World Without Thieves" became the first defeated opponent.

Then came "House of Flying Daggers," "Kung Fu Hustle," and so on...

Time flies, and as early August passed, "Taken" successfully surpassed 200 million at the box office!
Then came The Prestige, and even Heroes!
As the middle of the month passed and the first day of the second half arrived, "Taken" broke the domestic film box office record of 2.5 million yuan set by "Hero" in 2002 with a box office of 2.62 million yuan!
With this, Lü Rui has successfully secured the title of No. 1 box office champion among domestic film directors!

As a result, the film's box office bucked the trend and grew, returning to the tens of millions mark!

The 3 million target is within reach!

(End of this chapter)