Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 55 Exceptional Box Office
There are far too many people criticizing Chen Shouzhe because of the fact that he, as a well-known director, did not become an outstanding graduate.

Many association members stepped forward and retaliated in the same way Chen Shouzhe had insulted them.

Unlike the director who never made a single film before, many of the directors who criticize him now have won awards and are the kind who rely on one award to get by.

In response, the Beijing Film Academy had to issue a statement saying that Chen Shouzhe's films were excellent, but he placed too much emphasis on film technology and neglected the artistic elements of the films themselves, which is why he did not receive the Outstanding Graduate award.

However, his thesis and works met the graduation requirements, so he was allowed to graduate.

The Beijing Film Academy's response, seemingly addressing external doubts about Chen Shouzhe's abilities, actually added fuel to the fire.

To put it bluntly, Chen Shouzhe is not a good director, but a director who is very good at using technology.

Countless self-proclaimed art directors have seized the opportunity to point the finger at commercial films and special effects films.

I believe that movies shouldn't rely on special effects as a selling point, but rather on promoting their artistic merit, etc.

Two waves of online arguments erupted in an instant.

Some people think the artistic elements in a film should be discussed, while others say that watching a movie is just for fun, and no matter how artistic it is, if I don't understand it, it's just a piece of crap.

I have to be lectured by you just to watch a movie. I'd rather just watch the Spring Festival Gala.

The two voices were locked in a fierce debate, which dragged on and on. Many prominent directors were forced to intervene, as reporters were constantly looking for them.

"Director Zhang, what are your thoughts on special effects films? Should special effects be considered films?" A reporter approached Zhang Guoshi, the nationally recognized top director. Whether in terms of awards or at the national level, Guoshi is indeed the top director.

"Special effects serve the purpose of the film. I don't think we should reject special effects, since some movie scenes require special effects support."

Soon, the fate of the "National Master" served as a slap in the face to those self-proclaimed artists and directors, though some directors did refute him.

For example, the section chief felt that movies should focus more on the story, rather than being made for special effects.

Of course, his statement was quickly met with fierce criticism because his film had difficulty being shown in domestic cinemas and its box office revenue was very low.

"It seems we have to give up blockbusters like Taiwan, right? We'll just focus on art, stop making blockbusters, and then send all the box office revenue abroad. I think these people aren't stupid, they're malicious. They want to destroy the Chinese film market and turn our film market into a granary for foreign countries."

Many commercial directors have gotten involved; they have no choice but to. If special effects are defined, how will they make movies in the future? Will adding a little special effects mean it's no longer a movie?
As the controversy escalated, the higher-ups eventually intervened and silenced everyone.

Currently, there's only one voice in China: develop commercial films. Is the market so big that all the money is going to be made by foreign companies?
Will the Chinese market become a vote bank for other countries?

Just a few days after they had made a big fuss, a message came back from across the ocean, surprising countless people in the film and television industry.

[Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter: The film "The Man from Earth," released in multiple countries, grossed $368 million on its opening day.]

"$368 million in box office on the opening day, that's a lot?"

"Didn't they say the movie only cost tens of thousands of dollars? It made several times that amount in one go!!"

"Wow, movies like this can make money? We can make all of them!"

"More than three million US dollars on the first day, and a hundred million US dollars in a month?"

"really."

Countless people have turned their attention to the other side of the ocean, all focused on Chen Shouzhe's film.

Soon more news broke, and this time many people were not calm.

[Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter: Renowned sci-fi director Steven Spielberg praised "The Man from Earth," saying it changed the current trend of sci-fi films requiring special effects, forging a different path for sci-fi and enriching the genre. He expressed a desire to collaborate with director Chen Shouzhe.]

[Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter: The sci-fi film "The Man from Earth," directed, written, and produced by Chen Shouzhe, grossed $710 million on its second day.]

$1078 in box office revenue in two days! A movie that cost tens of thousands of dollars to make earned more than ten million dollars in two days.

All the professionals in the domestic film and television industry thought it was crazy and unbelievable, and everyone was doubting that the news was fake.

However, as time went by, the box office settled at $5373 million in a week. Due to a lot of publicity and Columbia Pictures' marketing issues, many people went to the cinema out of curiosity, and once they started watching, they couldn't stop and began recommending it to the people around them.

More and more people are going to the cinema to see this movie that has been praised by a famous director. Many people say that they can't understand the dialogue the first time, so they go to see it a second time.

With a weekly box office of over 300 million yuan (converted to domestic equivalents), the domestic film industry has become numb. Such a film only received a passing grade at the Beijing Film Academy.

Suddenly, there was a surge in people mocking the Beijing Film Academy on Weibo.

"It turns out the problem isn't with the movies themselves, but with some people who simply don't understand science fiction films."

"I was fortunate enough to travel there a few days ago and catch a movie. I realized I was fooled. The movie had no special effects at all, but it was definitely an excellent science fiction film. Its storytelling and professionalism far surpass some so-called art directors."

"Sometimes I don't know how they won the awards. When you ask them, they're very knowledgeable, but when you ask them to explain what's good about it, they can't."

"As expected, there is no science fiction market in China at all. When will Director Chen's movie be released in China? I can't wait."

"I have a feeling that the movie's box office will be even higher, and that it will even leave some people speechless."

"That feels good. You all look down on me. You're embarrassed now. Your professionalism is not as good as the audience's. Only the audience knows whether a movie is good or not."

"I love watching science fiction movies, I love special effects. Who wants to watch your rural movies? You think making a rural movie is art? All you do is make widows and young girls. Do you have to do something like this to die?"

With the film's release, the box office continued to rise in its second week, taking in $7556 million and surpassing $100 million in two weeks.

Some film companies are green with envy. A few tens of thousands of dollars in investment can yield returns of several thousand times. They want to invest too.

Despite the continued surge in box office revenue, the final box office gross for European and American films reached $3.5 million.

Filmmakers worldwide were numb. Chen Shou became famous overnight, grossing $3.5 million with a film that cost only tens of thousands of dollars.

This data was a slap in the face to all filmmakers in China. Those directors who had been jumping around online before suddenly fell silent. Some even deleted their Weibo posts and disabled comments, pretending to be dead.

"As it turns out, even if he leaves the mainland, he can still live a very comfortable life abroad."

Some companies in the film and television industry have given up on the idea of ​​suppressing Chen Shouzhe, and some have even begun to regret not standing on Chen Shouzhe's side from the beginning. Now, the few companies that have stood on Chen Shouzhe's side are probably overjoyed.

"Speak up, Beijing Film Academy. 3.5 million US dollars, how much is that? Let me tell you, it's 24 billion. Your graduates' graduation project grossed 24 billion, and it wasn't even released in China. And what about the movies made by your outstanding graduates? What kind of garbage are those?"

"That's hilarious! Are you blind?"

"They say Chen Shou values ​​science and technology, but other people's movies only cost tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to make, and they don't have a single special effects shot. They say they value technology? That's hilarious."

"It's because they can't understand the movie. I think those teachers should read more books; they probably can't understand English."

"It's also Chen Shouzhe's fault. He should have filmed the Mandarin version, since not every teacher speaks English."

"Hehe, is speaking English a noble thing? Chen Shou is a foreigner, otherwise why would he make foreign language films?"

"Because our filmmakers don't value science fiction."

The turmoil surrounding Chen Shouzhe subsided completely with the release of the box office results.

Chen Shouzhe also ended his time abroad. During this time, he was not idle. In addition to promoting the movie, he also assisted Law Lan in filming "The Day After Tomorrow". He also secretly did something big.

　As explained before, this movie may not have high box office returns; it's based on the novel.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)