Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 331 The Strongest Spring Festival Film Season: Feng Xiaogang's Banquet
February 2th, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The Spring Festival is the beginning of the year and a time for family reunions.

Film enthusiasts, often in family units, began heading to cinemas to choose their favorite movies and spend two exciting hours with their loved ones.

As a sequel film combining comedy and mystery, "Detective Chinatown 2" had the largest audience during the Spring Festival season, and thanks to its various pre-release promotional campaigns, it also received the most screenings from theaters.

On its opening day, "Detective Chinatown 2" achieved a box office of 4.5 million yuan with 30% of the screenings, leading the Spring Festival film season.

The second place went to "Monster Hunt 2".

Despite issues with the lead actor and the backlash from pre-release promotions, "Monster Hunt 2" still managed to gross 4.4 million yuan thanks to the existing fanbase of its predecessor, almost matching the box office performance of "Detective Chinatown 2".

Aside from the top two, "The Monkey King 3" ranked third with 180 million yuan, and "Operation Red Sea" ranked fourth with 160 million yuan.

Ultimately, the box office on the 16th reached 13.5 billion, successfully breaking the record for the highest single-day box office in a single market worldwide, previously held by the United States.

This achievement successfully topped the entertainment charts on major social media apps and gave the film market a much-needed boost.

The Spring Festival holiday will last until the 21st.

The so-called Spring Festival film season is the six-day period starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, excluding Lunar New Year's Eve.

By the 22nd, office workers began returning to work, the film market returned to its original level of activity, and the box office results of various blockbusters during the Spring Festival were also released on this day.

"Detective Chinatown 2" has been a runaway success, raking in 20 billion yuan in box office revenue in just six days, and has topped the list. Taopiaopiao and Maoyan Movies predict that the box office will reach 40 billion yuan!
Thanks to its IP advantage, "Monster Hunt 2" had a strong start and maintained its momentum, grossing 16 billion yuan and remaining the runner-up.

The film ranked third was not "The Monkey King 3" which had led the box office in the early stages, but "Operation Red Sea", a military-themed film that made a comeback with 12 billion yuan.

The combined revenue of the top three companies was 48 billion, accounting for 8% of the entire market.

The total box office revenue for the entire Spring Festival film season exceeded 60 billion yuan, a 75.43% increase compared to last year, with a total of approximately 1.54 million moviegoers, a 63.2% increase year-on-year.
These figures all prove that the 18 Spring Festival film season saw a significant increase compared to 17, and people in the film and television industry have begun to realize how important Douyin (TikTok) promotion is.

Entertainment media outlets have even dubbed this year's film market performance the strongest Spring Festival season in history!
……

"The box office performance is good!"

Staring at the submitted report, Chen Xiu's slightly narrowed eyes revealed a hint of appreciation. She said to Zhang Zi, who was standing in front of her, "All the publicity strategies you formulated in the early stages are working."

"Boss, the idea of ​​promoting the short drama was yours..."

"How could I possibly take credit from you?"

Chen Xiu laughed and scolded as she put down the report, then nodded to Zhang Zili.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, you can go now! President Wei is discussing the box office celebration banquet for 'Detective Chinatown 2' at the end of the month. Go and find him."

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit. Director Feng asked me to pass on a message to you."

"That sounds a bit strange... What's wrong?"

"Hehe, it's nothing much. Director Feng is hosting a private dinner party at home and hopes you can do him the honor of attending."

Chen Xiu frowned slightly, her eyes revealing her reluctance to go.

However, considering that Feng Xiaogang personally stepped in before the Spring Festival to speak out on Weibo to support "Detective Chinatown 2", he felt that it was worthwhile to repay a favor through social interaction.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Xiu pouted and said, "His dinner party must have some excuse, right?"

"He said it was called the 'Youth Banquet,' apparently to celebrate the film 'Youth' surpassing 10 billion yuan at the box office."

"Wait, didn't it already surpass 10 billion last month? Why are we only celebrating now?"

"It seems that last month, Wang Zhonglei was focused on the release of 'The Ex-File 3' and didn't have time to prepare for the box office celebration banquet for 'Youth'."

Zhang Zili had already completed his resignation procedures at Huayi last month, so he was unaware of the specific details.

Chen Xiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay! Give him a call and tell him I'll definitely be there."

"Okay, I'll be out first then."

"Ah."

Chen Xiu nodded silently, thinking: Tonight is probably not going to be pleasant... As it turns out, he was absolutely right!
……

That night, in Feng Kuzi's house, in the living room.

Chen Xiu wore a formulaic, polite smile as she listened to the almost identical compliments, which rolled by like wheels, and then nodded in response.

Looking around, the people attending the banquet were all middle-aged, greasy men, and most of them couldn't even see their toes when they stood up and looked down.

The only two middle-aged men who weren't so greasy were the host of the banquet, Feng Kuzi, and Chen Daoming, who had a full head of white hair.

Looking at Feng Kuzi, who was wearing a red sweater and beaming with joy, Chen Xiu felt like she had become a symbol of the other person's vanity in their social media posts...

That's good, at least when I leave later I won't have to worry too much.

Just as Chen Xiu was figuring out how she could avoid looking too bad after drinking her second glass of wine, Feng Kuzi, whose face was already flushed with drunkenness, suddenly stood up and tapped her wine glass twice with a spoon.

"Ding Ding!"

"Alright, everyone, may I ask what our banquet tonight is called?"

"Youthful Bloom Feast!" *N
Several responses followed, their voices seemingly containing anticipation.

When someone chimed in on his own words, Feng Kuzi became especially excited: "That's right! Since we've called it the 'Youth Banquet,' how can we not have 'Youth'? Let me introduce you to the female lead of the movie 'Youth,' Miao Miao!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a figure walked gracefully over. Miao Miao, wearing a sweater, a short skirt, and high heels, with long hair flowing down her shoulders and light makeup, appeared before everyone's eyes.

Her appearance was like the trigger for some kind of omen, and the noisy discussions in the living room took on a sinister tone.

After hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Feng Kuzi, emboldened by the alcohol, also became a little tipsy.

"How about we have the female lead from our film 'Youth' perform a dance?"

"Okay!"
The cheerful laughter and applause made Chen Xiu frown and purse her lips.

He felt genuinely uncomfortable with this scene of debauchery, and his gaze unconsciously drifted to the spoon that Feng Kuzi had just used to tap his wine glass…

As the person involved, Miao Miao also seemed at a loss after hearing these sinister and flattering voices.

She thought tonight was just a simple box office celebration party, but when she arrived, she found that none of the other actresses from the movie were there, not even the male lead, Huang Xuan.

As soon as he entered the room, before the chill had even dissipated, Feng Kuzi was brought out.

Looking at the predatory gazes surrounding her, Miao Miao wanted to refuse, but she was worried that it would anger Feng Kuzi and affect her future development...

Just as Miao Miao was at a loss, Chen Daoming, who was sitting behind the grand piano, was about to speak up to help her out when he first heard a series of crisp, clear sounds.

"Ding ding ding ding!"

This string of voices drowned out the jeering crowd and also attracted the attention of the jeering crowd.

At the source of the sound, Chen Xiu was sitting in his seat, tapping his wine glass with a spoon with a helpless expression.

Seeing that everyone's attention had been drawn to her, Chen Xiu put down her spoon and said, "Excuse me, I just saw Director Feng tapping his wine glass with this spoon, and I thought it sounded quite nice, so I wanted to try it myself. I hope I didn't disturb anyone?"

"No no!"

"Mr. Chen's tapping really sounds good."

"It's better than those piano pieces!"

The few words of agreement sounded both perfunctory and obsequious.

After interrupting Miao Miao's dance performance, Chen Xiu stood up and said to Feng Kuzi, "Director Feng, you've really gone to great lengths to help your carefully selected leading lady expand her network!"

"Hehe, not at all..."

"However, I noticed that Miao Miao seemed to be shivering when she came in. It's so cold outside, and dancing can easily cause cramps. Her outfit today isn't very suitable either. If everyone really wants to see the dance, why don't you just search for the dance clips of 'Youth' on Douyin? You can watch them together or separately. Wouldn't that be better?"

Chen Xiu's words were relatively polite, and they saved face for Feng Kuzi, allowing both of them to maintain their dignity.

Miao Miao glanced at Chen Xiu gratefully, and her trembling stopped.

However, the others, who were intoxicated, clearly didn't want this good show to end there.

"You can take off your high heels and jump!"

"Just a simple demonstration."

"Haven't you guys ever seen dancing before?"

Chen Xiu's witty rebuke silenced the other voices in the room; this was his last act of self-restraint.

The group looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed, and finally turned their attention to Feng Kuzi.

Feng Kuzi, whose face was flushed, had initially had reservations about Chen Xiu's words, but seeing so many friends express their support, his drunkenness immediately overwhelmed his reason.

"Miao Miao, you can take off your shoes and perform barefoot!"

"Forehead……"

Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Miao Miao couldn't help but glance at Chen Xiu, hoping that he could say a few more words on her behalf.

However, Chen Xiu and she were not related. Chen Xiu's words of help just now were only because he disliked this matter.

He said it twice to express his attitude. Whether Feng Kuzi listens or not is his business. Chen Xiu couldn't forcefully interfere with him or try to dissuade him again and again, as that would only cause misunderstandings.

Chen Xiu felt that if she spoke up to stop them again, these people would start gossiping behind her back about her having taken a liking to Miao Miao.

It's disgusting to be falsely accused after trying to help someone.

Moreover, Miao Miao's agency is Huayi... You can't hide from something like this forever. If Feng Kuzi really wants her to dance, he can do it anytime.

Thinking of this, Chen Xiu's face showed an unusually bored expression, and then she slowly stood up.

As he walked through the crowd toward the door, Feng Kuzi's voice finally came.

"Mr. Chen, are you leaving?"

"Yes! After I finish eating, I prefer to take a walk to aid digestion, rather than watching dancing. So I won't stay and disturb your enjoyment."

Without waiting for her to stay, Chen Xiu walked straight towards the door.

The commotion and chatter behind him meant nothing to him.

Seeing Chen Xiu's lack of respect, Feng Kuzi's face turned extremely ugly, but he knew he had no right to express his dissatisfaction with Chen Xiu...

"Miao Miao, hurry up and warm up! Don't waste time, everyone's waiting to see!"

(End of this chapter)