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

Chapter 157: Total Box Office of Films Produced in Mainland China Surpasses 10 Billion! A Leading Private Film Company! (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

"Hello, I am Fan Bingbing."

As soon as Lü Rui, Zhao Peng, and the others entered the audition room, Fan Bingbing took the initiative to greet Liu Yifei.

Having fought in the industry for many years, she has become incredibly adept at reading people. From Lü Rui's initiative to strike up a conversation with Liu Yifei just now, she was able to glean a lot of information.

The most crucial point is that this "Rui Girl" seems to be quite popular with Lü Rui?!

Thinking about it carefully, it's normal. After all, they are actors who have been trained by the author and have received a lot of hard work behind the scenes, so they are naturally valued.

Given that they will be working together on a film later, Fan Bingbing felt it was necessary to take the initiative to get closer to him.

After all, she is the "direct descendant," and no matter how hard she tries, she is still an outsider. It's no good for her to have conflicts with the female lead.

"Hello."

Liu Yifei, who had just been chatting enthusiastically with Jing Tian, ​​suddenly became reserved.

Lü Rui once advised her: "To be a celebrity, your public image is very important!"
Although she doesn't think she has any special persona, she is very obedient.

Lu Rui told her to be more reserved and a little more dignified in her daily life, and not to dress too flashy, which she did.

"Let's get to know each other. We'll be working together soon. I hope our work goes smoothly from here on out." Fan Bingbing extended her hand.

Liu Yifei did not refuse, and smiled as she shook hands with him. She also introduced her friend beside her: "Her name is Jing Tian. She plays Li Youran and has scenes with us."

"Jing Tian? Your name is quite nice!" Fan Bingbing quickly changed the subject.

"Thank you."

Facing the likes of the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses in China), ordinary actresses might feel a lot of pressure, but Jing Tian was not flustered at all.

Her privileged family background easily gave her an aura of confidence.

Fan Bingbing keenly noticed this, and the phrase "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" suddenly popped into her mind.

"This person seems to be quite extraordinary as well?" she thought to herself, planning to investigate Jing Tian's background after work that day.

In this industry, knowing yourself and your competitors, and understanding their backgrounds, can sometimes prevent a lot of trouble.

All three were eager to strike up a conversation, and soon they were chatting animatedly.

Huo Siyan, who was standing nearby, wanted to join in, but because she didn't get along with Fan Bingbing, she could only turn a blind eye and remain independent and beautiful.

Being groomed by Wang Zhonglei to be a "public relations manager," she naturally noticed the difference in Lü Rui's attitude towards Liu Yifei.

"It seems we absolutely cannot afford to offend this leading lady!"

While analyzing the situation, she made up her mind to find an opportunity to curry favor with Liu Yifei to ensure that she would not cause trouble during filming.

At the same time, Tang Yan, Yang Mi, Shu Chang, and others who were waiting for their auditions not far away were all listening intently.

They were really looking forward to Fan Bingbing and the others talking about the movie plot or the behind-the-scenes stories of casting, but unfortunately, they just talked about ordinary topics.

Meanwhile, Li Xiaolu, feeling "discriminated against," was secretly fuming.

She simply couldn't understand why she was criticized for her makeover, but others were.
Isn't this blatant discrimination?
Just then, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

Li Xiaolu subconsciously looked up and saw a group of middle-aged actresses walking towards her, obviously there to audition for the "middle-aged group" of the Seven Sisters.

Just then, her gaze suddenly met Chen Chong's in the middle of the crowd, and her expression changed drastically!

It’s this woman!

The director of "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" is Joan Chen!

Although she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for this film, she had a falling out with Joan Chen over the nude scenes, and they never spoke to each other again...

I never expected to run into him here today!

"Li Xiaolu, come in for your audition."

Shouts came from the entrance of the audition room.

Li Xiaolu didn't dare look at Chen Chong and hurried forward in a flustered manner.

Perhaps because of her intense emotional fluctuations, she performed terribly during the audition and was immediately rejected by Zhao Peng.

"Was that Golden Horse Best Actress award bought?" Zhao Peng muttered in bewilderment.

He didn't have a good impression of Li Xiaolu to begin with, and if it weren't for Wang Jinghua's repeated phone calls to recommend her, he wouldn't have even given her an audition opportunity.

Looking at their acting now, it's just a waste of time.

"Never mind her, let's try the next one," Lu Rui urged from the side.

"Okay." Zhao Peng picked up the next list: "Zhang Xiyu..."

Lu Rui was also looking at the information. This was an actor recommended by Wanda. His appearance was very suitable for playing villainous roles, but unfortunately he was a complete newcomer with no experience.

The third round of auditions progressed quickly, mainly assessing acting skills and suitability for the role.

After several actors auditioned, Wang Ou was ultimately chosen to play the villain.

I chose her because she played the villain in "Sunny," a girl who secretly used illegal drugs.

Wang Ou just played a model who went astray and became addicted to drugs in the TV series "Crossroads," so it would be perfect to transfer the acting skills from there.

Subsequently, the roles that Tang Yan and Shu Chang auditioned for were confirmed one after another. Their competitors did not perform well, and the two successfully stood out.

Thus, the identities of six of the seven sisters (in their adolescence), plus the villain, were finalized.

Her only dream is to become a model. The role of "Bok Hee," which requires an outstanding appearance and classical beauty, is highly competitive.

Zhao Peng kept the information on Yang Mi, Dong Jie, and Jiang Xin, making it difficult for him to choose.

"Choose Jiang Xin." Lü Rui made the decision for him directly.

At 22, Jiang Xin was at the height of her popularity with her roles as Mu Wanqing in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and Lü'er in "Happy Seven Fairies".

In Lü Rui's view, Yang Mi and Dong Jie are completely incomparable to her.

Lu Rui didn't like the fact that Rong Xinda was his family background, and his face shape didn't fit the "classical" image.

While the latter's "national first love" label was quite catchy and her looks and temperament matched the classical image, it's hard to accept what she did.

Jiang Xin looks a bit muscular on TV, but she's actually just big-framed and quite thin. She just needs to lose a little weight.

"Okay, then it's her I'll choose."

Zhao Peng simply tossed Yang Mi and Dong Jie's files aside.

With that, the auditions for all seven Sunny sisters (in their adolescence) were completed.

Liu Yifei, Fan Bingbing, Jing Tian, ​​Shu Chang, Huo Siyan, Jiang Xin, Tang Yan, plus the villain Wang Ou.

Although the results were not announced on the spot, some people were kept behind while others were told to go back and wait for news, which was already a form of notification.

As Dong Jie walked out, although he felt regret, he wasn't too upset.

She also has a film called "Red Dress Shop" co-starring with Pan Yueming, so there's no need to worry about a lack of resources in the short term.

Although she can no longer work in the Hong Kong entertainment industry because of Carina Lau, she still has a lot of TV drama resources in mainland China, it's just a pity that she can't act in movies.

Yang Mi is the same.

After Zhou Xun left, she became Rong Xinda's key talent, and she had no shortage of TV drama resources.

However, the company couldn't offer much help in terms of film resources.

The thought of being eliminated made her feel terrible.

She had boasted a lot in front of her classmates back then, but now she hadn't been selected, which was really embarrassing.

"What makes Jiang Xin think she can beat me?"

Yang Mi was completely baffled, so she took out her phone and called her agent, Zeng Jia, to explain the situation.

"Not selected?"

Zeng Jia was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered a rumor that had been circulating widely within the company recently.

Zhou Xun had once asked Rong Xinda to deal with Liu Yifei, and they were about to succeed when the latter found Ruishijie as her backer, so the matter was dropped.

Could it be that this incident caused Ruishijie to harbor resentment towards Rongxinda?

She didn't hide anything and laid out her analysis in its entirety.

Yang Mi was stunned, and her heart sank to the bottom...

...

The auditions for "Sunny Sisters" continued without a break at noon.

The seven sisters (middle-aged group) entered the venue one after another.

"Let's have you two, mother and daughter," Lu Rui decided, pairing Liu Xiaoli and Liu Yifei together.

"Well... thank you, Director Lü and Director Zhao."

Although Liu Xiaoli was somewhat unsure of herself, she still agreed.

She had already read the complete script and felt somewhat confident about portraying the ordinary life of the daughter after she grew up in the movie.

The fact that the mother and daughter look alike is particularly helpful for plot transitions.

Subsequently, a group of middle-aged actresses, including Da Songjia, Ding Jiali, and Kara Hui, were confirmed.

Chen Chong lost to Wang Lin in the audition. Wang Lin became famous for playing "Aunt Xue" in "Romance in the Rain" and her temperament was closer to Fan Bingbing's. In fact, Lu Rui originally wanted to invite a group of Hong Kong actresses born in the 60s, including Cherie Chung, Rosamund Kwan, Lee Lai-chun, Wong Cho-yin, and Chow Wai-ming.

In terms of acting skills, image, temperament, and unique characteristics, they are absolutely suitable!
Unfortunately, all of these people either retired from the entertainment industry, stopped acting, or had other plans, and all of them declined the audition invitations.

However, this batch is not bad either.

Apart from Liu Xiaoli, who was chosen because she resembled Liu Yifei and fit the character's description, almost all the other actresses are recognized as top actresses among middle-aged actresses, and most of them have the titles of "TV Queen" or "Best Actress".

...

"Arrange for them to sign all the contracts and get me a budget as soon as possible."

As evening fell and the last role was finalized, a huge weight was finally lifted from Lü Rui's shoulders.

"Okay." Zhao Peng breathed a sigh of relief.

My eyes are getting tired from looking at so many actor resumes lately.

But the next second, he remembered something else: "By the way, Brother Rui, there's still a young male actor we haven't cast yet. Do you have anyone to recommend?"

Young male actor?
Lu Rui recalled the script and quickly realized: "You mean that character who only has a few scenes, is quite handsome, and is secretly loved by the seven sisters?"

"Correct."

"You can choose whoever you like. There aren't many shots of him anyway, just find someone handsome."

As Lü Rui spoke, images of the current crop of young male celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry unconsciously surfaced in his mind.

The first batch of artists, including Hu Bing, Ren Quan, and Huang Lei, have almost completely faded into obscurity, with no noteworthy works to their name.

Chen Kun followed suit and had a decent career, starring in the movie "Baby in Love", the TV series "Goodbye Vancouver", and releasing an album, making him a triple threat in film, television and music.

Li Guanpeng got married, and there are rumors that Lu Yi and Bao Lei will soon end their eight-year relationship.

Among the rising stars, Huang Xiaoming, Tong Dawei, and Deng Chao are considered to have a relatively large following.

But Lu Rui always felt that they weren't handsome enough and didn't quite fit the script's description of "pretty boys" and "handsome and roguish".

After thinking it over, he couldn't come up with a suitable candidate, so he simply put the matter out of his mind.

Let director Zhao Peng find someone himself; anything that's good enough will do, since he's not a key figure anyway.

Two more days passed, and it was the 29th.

The premiere of "Click" officially kicked off in the capital.

When Lü Rui walked the red carpet, she was once again besieged by the media.

A group of people kept asking him when the new project would be announced.
After all, people in the industry know that he is considered a "quick-draw director," making almost one film after another.

This means that a new script is definitely already in the works!

However, Lü Rui avoided discussing this matter.

"Dying to Survive" is currently in the review stage, and he doesn't know the outcome yet, so how could it be made public?

If I boast about it now and it gets rejected, wouldn't I be making a fool of myself?

However, judging from the current progress, things seem to be going relatively smoothly.

Han Sanping went to see Tong Gang, the head of the Film Bureau. Tong Gang took the script to the ministry and then received feedback that they would study it before making a decision.

Ren Zhonglun, on the other hand, has enlisted the support of the Shanghai Municipal Government, and is already exerting his influence as the producer.

Xi'an Film Studio wasn't idle either; Sun Yi'an invited several retired veterans who are currently "providing guidance" at the Film Bureau...

The Beijing Film Academy contributed the most!

Many veterans of the Beijing Film Studio were cheering, including some who worked in the censorship department themselves.

Jiang Wen also gave him a push, asking his old mentor Xie Jin to speak on his behalf.

With the help of several parties, Lü Rui had a feeling that the script had a pretty good chance of passing the censorship.

Of course, the news must not leak out before it is officially passed, lest it attract some unscrupulous people who might try to sabotage it.

After dealing with the reporters, Lü Rui entered the premiere venue and bumped into Zhao Peng, who had come to help greet the guests.

Upon seeing him, the latter excitedly approached and reported, "Brother Rui, I've found that actor."

"Who is it?" Lu Rui asked curiously as he walked inside.

“I found him in Taiwan, his name is Zhou Yuming.”

"Hua Ze Lei from 'Meteor Garden'?" Lu Rui knew this guy; his looks were definitely those of an idol drama heartthrob.

"Yes! It's him!" Zhao Peng nodded happily. He had looked at many documents before choosing this one.

"Okay, whatever you think is suitable is fine."

Lu Rui didn't care too much. Anyway, the role only had a few scenes and no romantic scenes with the female lead. As long as he wasn't criticized by the audience for being "ugly" after the film was released, it would be fine.

After concluding this brief discussion, Lü Rui walked towards the group of investors.

Although "Remote Control" is a sole production of Ruishijie, there are quite a few partners present today.

Everyone is eagerly awaiting to collaborate with him on new projects, so they're naturally very enthusiastic right now.

"The competition in the next three months is really fierce!" Wang Changtian exclaimed as soon as they met.

Despite rampant piracy, Mythology remains the dominant game.

Faced with such a blockbuster, many people are not optimistic about "Click," a low-budget comedy.

More importantly, another Hollywood import, "Fantastic Four," has just entered the fray and has already been released.

This has led more and more people to believe that Shen Ao, a new director, is unlikely to achieve great success with his work.

The kind of high-stakes, high-return scenario seen in "Crazy Stone" is exaggerated enough if it happens once; how could it happen a second time?

"As long as we can break even, that's fine."

Lu Rui wore a faint smile, and he used the same explanation when speaking to partners and the media.

With an investment of 800 million, he is not worried at all about the box office revenue of 2400 million.

"The Myth has grossed over 3800 million yuan in 6 days and will break 4000 million yuan tomorrow. I estimate that The Myth will also gross around 3000 to 4000 million yuan."

Yu Dong looked like he had everything under control, as if he had already seen through the trends of the next month.

Lu Rui glanced at him and muttered to himself, "Short-sighted!"
As a distributor, if you don't even have a clear understanding of the films you're distributing, what kind of business are you in?
If it weren't for his father-in-law's connections, this guy would probably still be working as a low-level distributor at the Beijing Film Studio.

The premiere went smoothly without any major incidents. With Lü Rui in charge, Shen Ao, despite being a newcomer, was not treated with disrespect.

The media are all paid; they know exactly what questions to ask and what questions they shouldn't ask.

At 11 a.m., the interviews concluded and the main feature began.

As a comedy film with "fantasy" elements, the plot of "Click" is undoubtedly very interesting.

Ge You has a natural talent for comedy. After getting a universal remote control that can control one's life, she completely lets loose!
Fu Biao, who plays the boss, is constantly teased by him, and his originally tedious work suddenly becomes smooth sailing.

Even her married life with Liu Tao became "interesting" under the control of the remote control, and even had a "delayed ejaculation" effect.

The first half of the film is packed with laughs. Jiang Wen's cameo appearance, his scenes with Fu Biao, and the funny things that happen in the family all bring a sense of humor that is relatable to real life, all thanks to the remote control.

In the latter half, the plot gradually begins to elevate.

The remote control is self-programmed and automatically fast-forwards according to its own habits, causing Ge You to miss many important moments such as her child's growth and her father's death.

Later, when he discovered that he had cancer and that his wife had remarried, he felt deep remorse.

When his son wanted to postpone his honeymoon because of work and was about to repeat his father's mistake, he tried his best to warn his son to "prioritize family"!
Finally, he suddenly woke up in the store and realized that everything that had happened before seemed like a dream.

When he saw the remote control again, he promptly threw it into the trash can, determined to cherish the present moment!

The plot is very satisfying; the first half is fun and interesting, while the second half is tear-jerking and realistic.

The ending conveyed the core theme of "cherishing the people in front of you," earning applause and cheers from the premiere audience...

The premiere concluded successfully.

On the 30th, the film once again launched a full-day, relentless promotional campaign.

On October 1st, the National Day holiday officially began, and "Click" was released as scheduled.

Meanwhile, on that very day, several news items related to Ruishijie dominated the front pages of major online forums, blogs, portal websites, and print media!

"Warmest congratulations! The action/suspense film 'Taken,' written and directed by Lü Rui and starring Jiang Wen, Liu Yifei, and Zhou Yun, has officially concluded its run!"

"After 60 days in theaters, Taken has grossed a total of 3.72 million RMB."

"The latest youth-themed film project produced by Ruishijie, 'Sunny Sisters,' has officially announced its cast: Liu Yifei, Fan Bingbing, Jing Tian, ​​Shu Chang, Huo Siyan, Jiang Xin, Tang Yan, Wang Ou, Zhou Yuming..."

"Many well-known film critics have praised 'Click' as the most worthwhile comedy-family film in the history of Chinese-language cinema."

"Since its establishment, Ruishijie has produced many successful films, with a cumulative box office of 10.16 billion yuan in mainland China to date! It is undoubtedly a leading private film company!"

As we all know, actors need to constantly promote themselves to gain status and fame.

Sometimes, by constantly shouting and brainwashing netizens, fans, and casual observers, they naturally become superstars.

For example, the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses) are the best example

Now, Ruishijie has also embarked on this path.

However, the title of "leader" was not arranged by Lü Rui for marketing purposes, but rather promoted by the media on his own initiative, making it quite prestigious!
(End of this chapter)