Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 152 Power Struggle! Premiere of "Split"! Urgent Need to Pee! (Please subscribe, just released!)
By the end of June, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Crusade's box office had settled at 94 million.

Cao Zhong knew very well that the domestic film box office market had indeed seen significant growth compared to his previous life.

Before its release, "Kung Fu Panda" sparked heated online debates between two opposing camps.

Some people have questioned whether Kung Fu Panda stole Chinese culture and then profited from it in China.

This forced Chengdu cinemas to release the film a day later than the rest of the country.

But it was no use. Kung Fu Panda was released and grossed 4000 million yuan in its opening weekend in mainland China, standing out from the crowd.

Wang Renjun and Qi Jiuzhou took Cao Zhong to see a movie together.

On the way back, Wang Renjun looked at Cao Zhong and asked, "Brother Zhong, what do you think about Zhao Bandi's resistance to this?"

"It's all about the money," Cao Zhong said. "It's all about competing for the Panda IP, nothing more."

"And what about you? What do you think?" Wang Renjun asked again, and Qi Jiuzhou also looked up at Cao Zhong at the same time.

Cao Zhong's initial arguments about the three major Western film festivals left the two men completely in awe.

But when they watched "Kung Fu Panda," their minds were completely blank. They thought the visuals were beautiful, but felt something was off, though they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Cao Zhong smiled and said, "Do you remember the three rights I mentioned before? The right to aesthetic appreciation, the right to moral judgment, and the right to interpret history."

"Kung Fu Panda uses countless Chinese elements—pandas, kung fu, landscape paintings, temple fairs, and paper-cutting—to create a 'beautiful Chinese cultural element.' However, while presenting these elements, it also creates a Western-style fairy tale based on 'individualism' and 'fate.'"

The panda in the story is stupid and lazy, yet he is chosen as the chosen one and unwittingly wins the final battle.

As for that 'Taro' snow leopard, he has worked hard for decades to become the Dragon Warrior, but because destiny does not approve of him, he is imprisoned and will eventually be defeated by the protagonist in one move with a confused epiphany...

According to others' definitions, if you take the wrong path, the more knowledge you have, the higher your martial arts skills, the more restless you become...

Then, naturally, the protagonist of destiny will slap you in the face.

After saying this, Wang Renjun and Qi Jiuzhou looked at each other, and Qi Jiuzhou asked curiously.
"Brother Zhong, it's just an animated film, it shouldn't be worth this much, right?"

Cao Zhongze said:
"This movie isn't without its good points."
But in essence, it simply borrows the historical backdrop of ancient China to create a fictional story of ancient China.

Thus, it tells a story of Western-style entertainment and fables, a kind of universal fable.

It is the democratization of 'destiny', where anyone, no matter how ordinary their background, can become the chosen one. It is a promotion of universal values ​​and a subtle influence.

In this respect, it is very similar to "The Cat and the Insect". This martial arts film is about the conflict between personal desires and social etiquette. The etiquette of the East needs to be broken through, and instead, the film promotes "individual liberation" and spreads American values.

In contrast, Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" portrays a small-time character who believes in "good deeds don't get rewarded" and longs to join the Axe Gang.

Being moved by the masters of Pig Cage Alley who were willing to die to protect their neighbors, and then fighting to protect their neighbors, is the fundamental moral core of Chinese martial arts culture.

The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people.

You both need to think carefully about the differences here. Has your moral right been diluted? Some things, once exposed, aren't so complicated.

Upon hearing this, the two were greatly shocked!
Their spiritual world was cleansed and purified!
Cao Zhong sighed inwardly.

Many people in China have been subtly influenced by this, and many have sensed something amiss in the animated film, which ultimately manifested in its box office performance.

Taking only a few well-known Chinese animated films as an example,

The moral logic of "Big Fish & Begonia" is that the entire clan is put in danger in order to save one person, so the box office did not meet expectations and the reviews were polarized.

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" tells the story of a hero's return, who "protects" and "takes responsibility" to protect Jiang Liuer's innocence and life. Although the storyline is weak, it has won both critical acclaim and box office success.

The two films, "Ne Zha 1" and "Ne Zha 2," respectively explore the themes of "resisting injustice and fatalism" and "human determination to overcome nature," as well as the shift from "protecting Chen Tang Pass" to "protecting all living beings"—a collective moral movement.

This reinterpretation of parental love not only breaks through the traditional understanding of Nezha's relationship with his parents.

Both films feature strong plot twists, with the second film surpassing the first in scale and depth.

This led to the highest-grossing animated film in the world, breaking countless records both domestically and globally!

The Kung Fu Panda series, a major IP, has gradually declined in China due to conflicting values.

This is a vivid microcosm of the struggle for narrative sovereignty between moral rights and aesthetic rights.
It is also a slow process of rebuilding self-confidence in one's mind.

From the perspective that "panda" is an object that is described and defined,

It wasn't until "The Longest Day in Chang'an" that the author confidently took control of historical interpretation and independently defined how cultural stories should be told.
Then, in "Ne Zha 2," the symbol "$" representing the right to interpret history, the "white palace," and the "Chan Sect" are cleverly combined systematically.
This could trigger a nationwide uproar over the issue of interpreting the law.
This has forced some people to resort to methods such as power outages, fire alarms, technical malfunctions, and denying access to theaters to prevent explosives...

Then came the reversal of public opinion, with widespread ridicule online.

Even phrases like "defying fate" and "breaking free from the rules" are criticized, which is truly laughable.

Who would believe you if you said you didn't receive any money?

It's normal for "Ne Zha 2" to receive negative reviews.
But the average viewer is concerned with whether the ticket price is worthwhile; if it's not worth seeing a second time, they won't go; if it is, they will.
Even if people think it wasn't worth the ticket price, who would specifically criticize the entire internet for the mythical box office success of "Ne Zha 2"? And why would they continue to smear "Ne Zha 2" for half a year after its theatrical run?

The film "Split" was Cao Zhong's first gift to the West.

The original film *Split* featured Kathy, a victim of sexual assault and abuse in her childhood.
This is meant to express that she is a traumatized but resilient woman, and to make her and the male protagonist James a mirror image, a kindred spirit who suffers injustice.

The character Kevin, played by James, develops 24 different personalities due to unfair treatment.
Casey, on the other hand, turned to inner resilience and tried to hide herself, forming two different survival strategies under trauma.

This structure is just part of the character design.

Cao Zhong, however, changed this narrative setting to include the surrounding QS and XYBL (both referring to different skin types for Yang Mi).

However, it is also a metaphor, hidden very deeply. The word never appears in the entire text, but everyone can understand it.

Faced with the kidnapping, Yang Mi's two friends would be so terrified of Kevin that they would wet their pants and cry uncontrollably.
In adversity, however, she observes, waits, cleverly utilizes the rules, and ultimately saves others with her strong heart.
What's this about skin color being paramount? People still wet their pants anyway.
This can subtly puncture the lungs.

In Hollywood movies, Asians are often portrayed in stereotypical ways, such as "yellow-skinned villains" or "yellow-skinned hard workers."

In this movie, Yang Mi happens to be the smartest victim!
And he's Chinese!
Cao Zhong also wants to subtly change the audience's stereotypes about Asians.

Chinese people, especially Chinese women, should not be simply objectified, becoming a "other" perspective for men to gaze upon and conquer, or a symbol to enrich the adventures and masculinity of white male protagonists!

Just like Shu Qi's performance in Hollywood and Jason Statham's performance in "The Transporter".

Or they could become simple action heroines or action stars like Michelle Yeoh and Lucy Liu, designed as functional characters in movies.

Both "The Split" and "Happy Death Day" subtly embody the intelligence and resistance of Chinese female protagonists, rather than merely serving as accessories and symbols.

This is the process by which Cao Zhong is trying to drive his way into Hollywood.

Jackie Chan's "The Equalizer" series further benefited from his Hollywood recognition.
It directly showcases the positive, brave, and capable fighting style of Chinese people to Hollywood.

Cao Zhong believes that at this stage, casting Jackie Chan to occasionally direct one or two films in this series shouldn't be a major problem.

After all, the relationship between the two sides has been quite good in recent years, so this level of reverse output doesn't seem particularly abrupt.

If the box office is a huge success, it will benefit Cao Zhong's collaboration with Hollywood.

Capitalism educates people, but it also values ​​talent. In the West, if you can make money, Westerners will choose to cooperate if they find that they cannot devour you.

In short, Cao Zhong believes he needs to establish sufficient value in Hollywood before he can set foot on Hollywood soil.

After all, the unexpected deaths of Bruce Lee, Kirin, Brandon Lee, and others back then are simply inexplicable.

Simply put, it's about making money continuously.
At the same time, it can form established rules with the six levels, achieving a balance among them.

All of this is predicated on making money.

Otherwise, what cooperation, what company establishment, what performance-based agreements—in the eyes of the six major players, are meaningless.
It's nothing more than a piece of fat meat with no power, ready to be swallowed at any time.

Before the interests.

Do you really think Hollywood cares about your script being registered?
One hacker, and your entire script becomes mine.

This is also why Cao Zhong wanted Cheng Long to go to Hollywood; Jiang Zhiqiang alone couldn't handle it.

Rowling, a globally renowned author, was also devoured alive?
Moreover, Jiang Zhiqiang is a producer at Huaxia Film Distribution who promotes a person's image from the opposite perspective.

Once the other party discovers it, they'll frantically try to solve the problem, like taking classes for someone else or skipping classes...

Because it touched upon the bottom line of the right to interpretation and moral rights that some people had spent decades investing massive amounts of human, material, and financial resources to create, it was served on the dinner table.

Cao Zhong's current value is still far from being equivalent to someone who substitutes for others or skips classes.

But these three rights,

We still have to fight for it!
Cult films are fine, B-movies are fine too; we don't exclude films just because they're small-scale, and we need Hollywood directors to make those films.

Cao Zhong is essentially just a screenwriter and a producer who controls the editing.

Moreover, its isolated location overseas prevents the US from taking any action.

During this period, Cao Zhong's goal was to make money from the Americans, then turn around and develop a domestic blockbuster universe, contributing to the development of the domestic film market.

As for sharing the profits, Cao Zhong didn't care.

Sometimes the biggest protection is sharing profits; without those profits, he wouldn't have survived this long.

He wanted to build China's own commercial film narrative, and profit sharing was inevitable. Otherwise, not only would the West consider Cao Zhong a mortal enemy, but those Chinese capitalists who made money from bad films would also see him as a thorn in their side. His greatest contribution was raising the audience's standards!
……

July 3rd.

Chengdu, Wuhou Temple.

The world premiere of "Red Cliff Part I" was held!

Han Sanpin showed Wu Baige a lot of respect, as this was the first time in Chinese film history that a premiere had been held at a national-level protected museum.
After all, it's the most expensive film ever made in the history of Chinese-language cinema!
Although Han Sanpin had no praise for the quality of the movie, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and do it since things had come to this point!

Wu Baige also showed great respect to the main cast, kneeling down on one knee to present gifts to the actors. She led the main cast, including Liang Chaowei, Zhang Fengyi, Lin Zhiling, and Zhetian, to attend the event, creating a lively atmosphere!
The premiere also included a special toast to disaster relief efforts, and many disaster relief heroes were invited to attend.

Mourning the disaster victims, expressing gratitude, rebuilding homes, an epic tale of heroism.

The premiere of "Red Cliff" incorporated a narrative of great love, and Han Sanpin expressed his hope that "Red Cliff" could introduce the heroic epic of the Three Kingdoms period to the world.

Producer Zhang Jiazhen expressed his gratitude to Han Sanpin, claiming that Chairman Han said, "The number of copies of 'Red Cliff' will exceed the number of copies of all films this year!"

More than 300 Chinese and foreign journalists asked questions at the press conference, including one about Han Sanpin.

"Mr. Han, will 'Red Cliff' really have the highest number of copies of any film this year? If Lu Chuan's 'City of Life and Death', Cao Zhong's 'We Live in Nanjing', and 'Red Cliff Part II' are all released during this year's Lunar New Year season, which one do you think will have the highest number of copies?"

Han Sanpin was stunned.

After a moment, Han Sanpin did not answer the question directly, but instead claimed that if there were many blockbuster films released during the Lunar New Year season, it would be a blessing for the audience.

The number of copies is naturally related to the quality of the film.

But enough is enough.

At the premiere of "Red Cliff", Han Sanpin hesitated and did not directly side with John Woo.

This shows the current ranking of Cao Zhong and John Woo within China Film Group!
John Woo was surprised that the media would come looking for trouble. His smile froze, and he took a closer look at the media's name: "China Times".

Then, he turned to look at Han Sanpin. Ever since his film was submitted to China Film Group for review, he had sensed Han Sanpin's dissatisfaction with the film.

The two sides are already outwardly united but inwardly estranged.

Although his expression remained relatively calm, John Woo's heart was already clenched and incredibly heavy, as if a huge stone had been hung on it.

John Woo knows that his era of making a fortune at China Film Group seems to be coming to an end!
……

Upon learning that Jackie Chan could attend to support "Split," 20th Century Fox was overjoyed and specially contacted Bill Kong to decide on a premiere.

20th Century Fox decided to release the film "Split" out of consideration for Shyamalan's collaboration.

At the same time, they also hope to connect with the Chinese market through Jiang Zhiqiang.

The distribution terms they offered were the most suitable, and they also provided Jiang Zhiqiang with top-tier publicity and distribution resources.

Cao Zhong had already confirmed this.

They demanded 25% of gross revenue from North America and 30% from the rest of the world, which is a reasonable price in Hollywood.

However, Jiang Zhiqiang was not without experience. He insisted on his demands regarding marketing advances and emphasized his control and approval rights over the marketing budget, which were written into the contract. He also secured a relatively high marketing guarantee.

Because the film's budget was so low, Jiang Zhiqiang also emphasized the box office revenue sharing clause as an additional incentive when signing the contract.

If the $9 million film grosses over $60 million in North America and over $180 million worldwide, the distributor will need to reduce its share of the box office revenue to 22% in North America and 27% worldwide.

Conversely, if the film's global box office fails to surpass 60 million US dollars.

Edko Films is even losing money.

The people at 20th Century Fox were extremely excited, and they even had a feeling that Jiang Zhiqiang was a scapegoat who had come to deliver money!

Shyamalan hasn't produced a film that grossed over $1.5 million in several years, let alone $1.8 million.
With several films dominating the June and July slots in North America's summer movie season, 20th Century Fox's only major release is "The X-Files 2," scheduled for release on July 25.
Therefore, supporting "Split" and disgusting other competitors would be entirely beneficial to 20th Century Fox.

If you run into a simpleton like Jiang Zhiqiang, you're bound to take advantage of this opportunity!

The news that Jackie Chan will be making an appearance is a huge surprise for Fox! It will naturally generate buzz for the movie!
7 month 7 day,
Hollywood, Jiang Zhiqiang, Shyamalan, James McAvoy, Yang Mi, and other main cast and crew held the premiere at a 20th Century Fox theater.

Yang Mi, Chen Zhixi, Cheng Long, Yuen Woo-ping and others have all gone to Hollywood.

Chen Zhixi kept in constant communication with Cao Zhong.

Jackie Chan's trip there was not only to attend the premiere of "Split" and boost the reputation of Bill Kong and Yang Mi, but also to discuss the selection of a director with Bill Kong, Yuen Woo-ping, and others.

Cao Zhong was only responsible for the final approval.

At the premiere, Jackie Chan seemed a little nervous and whispered to Bill Kong.

When did you kneel down?

Cheng Long found it strange. He and Jiang Zhiqiang had a decent relationship; they could joke around with each other.

If Cao Zhong hadn't approached him, who would have thought that Jiang Zhiqiang had already joined Cao Zhong's gang?

Jiang Zhiqiang's face turned green, and he was too embarrassed to answer.

Seeing this, Cheng Long was delighted, his face beaming with joy.

A moment later, the lights in the screening room dimmed, and the last trace of noise was swallowed up by the opening credits that suddenly appeared on the screen.

Movie playing.

By the time the video was halfway through, Cheng Long had already sat up straight, his body involuntarily leaning forward. He turned to look at Jiang Zhiqiang, and suddenly became extremely solemn.

Although James McAvoy is nowhere near as tall as Jackie Chan, this movie really gave Jackie Chan a real boost in his spirits.

In the film, he played a patient with multiple personality disorder, possessing 23 distinct personalities, including a psychopathic killer, a transvestite, and a child. His acting was phenomenal, showcasing his incredible ability to switch seamlessly between these various personalities.

Moreover, the film breaks away from the conventional formula of horror and thriller, so Jackie Chan has no idea what the movie will be about next.

But Jackie Chan felt extreme fear and oppression in it, as well as the sharp editing style that even I was afraid of when I went crazy.

Even within a minute, without special effects or any external makeup, several different personalities were portrayed directly.

One second he's a gentleman, the next he's suddenly being aggressive!
Moreover, they are all close-ups of faces, which is terrifying!
Cheng Long held his breath, goosebumps rising all over his body.

He couldn't help but sigh softly to Jiang Zhiqiang beside him in Chinese.

"Wow, this actor is amazing. He doesn't even need action scenes; his acting alone is enough to take your breath away."

As an action star, he knows that this kind of pure, internal burst of energy is another powerful dimension of acting.

Inside the theater, bursts of terrified sobs could often be heard.

After the movie ended, Jackie Chan turned to look at Bill Kong and remarked with emotion:

"Boss Jiang, you knelt down well, you knelt down correctly."

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded upon hearing this, without refuting it.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, the slight flicker in his eyes and the way his right hand gently stroked his chin betrayed the turmoil within him.

He saw not only the artistic impact, but also the commercial potential.

“Shamaran is back,” Jiang Zhiqiang thought to himself.

"To be able to portray this psychological thriller genre so directly in terms of physiological reactions on a global scale..."
It requires precise control over the genre and highly topical performances.

Shyamalan will be the bottom line for box office revenue.
Moreover, Director Cao, it seems a bit too impressive that a Chinese person could write such a script and edit the footage to a level suitable for North America.

The suspense and horror atmosphere created in the film made Jiang Zhiqiang feel an overwhelming urge to urinate several times during the viewing.

The film ends with the statement, "This film is an artistic creation based on the experiences of real people."

This plunged the entire audience into silence.

In an instant, memories of the banned North American book "The Minds of Billy Milligan" flooded the minds of countless American viewers!
Americans are the same; they're overjoyed when something is banned.

This film's narrative isn't particularly logically sound, and the plot is unclear, making it inferior to "Identity."
However, the atmosphere, suspense, thrills and tension are rendered to the fullest extent!
It sent chills down my spine and made me break out in a cold sweat!

When the lights suddenly came on, the entire screening room seemed to be freed from its spell.

The American audience was stunned into silence for a second before erupting into applause mixed with a sigh of relief.

Many people looked at each other in disbelief, their faces showing disbelief. They discussed the plot and the male protagonist who was "one man against all odds" with their companions. The entire hall was enveloped in a wave of excitement and shock.

"In 'Becoming Jane' and 'Atonement,' I only noticed James McAvoy's handsome looks, but I never realized he had such explosive acting skills! I have a feeling that James will finally establish himself in Hollywood because of this movie!"

"His previous film, 'Atonement,' an art film, grossed $1.3 million worldwide. I feel that James's film can achieve even greater success. He is a one-man army."

"Didn't you see that Asian girl? She acted very well too. When she faced James with fear and changed her expression, I could feel her breathing trembling."

"I was really impressed with her. She was very smart, just like the other international students from China around me, and she was also quite brave!"

(End of this chapter)