This director is so innocent.

Chapter 156 First Day Box Office

The moon is bright and the stars are few; a gentle breeze is blowing.

As April arrives, the weather is getting warmer.

As Su Jin ate her roasted chicken leg and drank her wine, she thought of Nicholas Zhao Si's famous quote.

"There's nothing a barbecue can't solve; if there is, then two barbecues will do."

After finishing his drink, Xu Zheng said, "Do you know about Wang Zhonglei's grand ambitions?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at everyone, hoping someone would flatter him, but everyone was busy eating barbecue and had no time to pay attention to him.

Even Xu Zheng's wife, Xiao Taohong, ate her lamb skewers politely, ignoring him.

Yang Qing took a sip of his drink, looked left and right, and seeing that no one was paying attention to Xu Zheng, reluctantly asked, "What grand ambitions?"

"Last week, Wang Zhonglei and Li Lianjie's One Foundation held a charity signing ceremony, right? It was the one where Huayi donated 1 cents for every movie ticket sold."

'

"When a reporter asked Wang Zhonglei about the box office target for 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' he said 300 million."

"Isn't 300 million normal? It's not bragging."

"Curse of the Golden Flower," directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, and Jay Chou, grossed 2.91 million yuan at the box office.

"With the collaboration of Jackie Chan and Jason Statham in 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' its prestige is even greater than 'Curse of the Golden Flower.' If it doesn't even reach 300 million at the box office, how terrible must the film be?"

Xu Zheng was stunned for a moment, then thought about it and realized that with the two Js joining forces and the whole country eagerly anticipating the result, 300 million was a piece of cake.

"So, do you think it's possible for it to break the box office record of 'Titanic'?"

"How much did Titanic gross?" Yang Qing asked.

"3.6 million? And you're a director? You have no ambition at all," Xu Zheng said disdainfully.

"What the hell does this have to do with ambition?" Yang Qing retorted, somewhat unconvinced.

"Of course it's related. If you don't know, it means you're not ambitious and don't want to break the box office record of 'Titanic'," Xu Zheng retorted mercilessly.

Su Jin ate her barbecue while watching them argue, without making any attempt to smooth things over.

Ning Hao couldn't stand it anymore and stopped them, saying, "What are you arguing about? If you ask me, if 'The Forbidden Kingdom' isn't good, there's definitely no hope of breaking the record."

Seeing Su Jin's nonchalant demeanor, Huang Bo smiled slightly and said, "Su Jin, stop eating all the vegetables! Do you think 'The Forbidden Kingdom' can break 'Titanic's' box office record?"

Su Jin didn't answer directly. Instead, she took out a tissue, wiped her mouth, and said, "There's no hope."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Su Jin with surprise on their faces.

Su Jin's tone was too certain, as if she knew that "The Forbidden Kingdom" was of poor quality.

Su Jin smiled slightly and glanced around: "Do you think North American directors and screenwriters can understand the meaning of kung fu films? At most, they can only show it symbolically."

"Symbolization?"

"Yes, you've read the synopsis of The Forbidden Kingdom, right? A cowardly white guy accidentally gets the Golden Cudgel from an antique shop in Chinatown."

Then, they travel back to ancient China, learn martial arts from a master, and finally defeat the villainous demon king, the God of War Jade Empire. This is how North Americans view Chinese kung fu movies.

Think about it again. If you removed the "Double J" pairing and replaced them with two ordinary actors, would this movie still have high box office returns?

Upon hearing this, some people fell into deep thought, while others drank.

High box office is definitely out of the question. Hong Kong films have already exhausted this kind of clichéd plot, it has no originality at all, it would be strange if it didn't flop.

However, even though the movie is terrible, I still have to go see it.

The Double J match was a childhood dream for people all over the country.

The next day, in the morning.

The news that Yang Qing shed tears at the premiere of "Nightclub" became a trending topic, as did the topic of Su Jin starring in her first comedy.

Actually, only Su Jin made it to the trending topics; Yang Qing didn't. It was Weibo staff who manipulated the process behind the scenes.

With only one day left until the release, Jianmu Media's publicity department is going all out, releasing various press releases.

"Director Su Jin, who has earned over 100 million yuan, is challenging her own weakness for the first time."

"The untold secrets of Su Jin and comedy."

"Su Jin's new movie 'Nightclub' is coming soon."

The promotion for "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" was equally impressive, with all sorts of praise for Andy Lau.

What do you mean by not sleeping for six days straight, personally filming action scenes, wearing only a thin coat in the dead of winter, and filming while sick?

As for Chow Yun-fat's "The Children of Huang Shi," it's a piece of trash, so let's not even talk about it.

On April 3, "Nightclub" was released.

Distributed by China Film Group, it has a good screening rate of 32%.

Andy Lau's "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" topped the list with 38% of screenings, followed by Chow Yun-fat's "The Children of Huang Shi" in third place.

The screening rate is 27%.

The box office was quite good on the first day, reaching 1023 million.

When Su Jin mentioned the box office figures, Yang Qing and Xu Zheng became extremely excited, waving their arms vigorously.

It broke 10 million on the first day, and 50 million is a sure thing. Maybe it can even taste the feeling of breaking 100 million.

After the initial excitement subsided, Xu Zheng looked at Su Jin expectantly and asked, "Su Jin, with the opening day box office exceeding ten million, is it possible for it to break one hundred million?"

Su Jin couldn't bear to dampen their enthusiasm for the roadshow, so she could only nod.

Breaking 100 million is definitely out of the question, because "Nightclub" didn't even break 10 million on its opening day; it only grossed 923 million.

The same goes for "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon." Claiming it broke 900 million is just bragging.

According to analysis by netizens on the movie box office forum, the highest box office for "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" on its opening day was over 800 million yuan.

"The Children of Huang Shi" was a disastrous flop, failing to even reach 200 million yuan in box office revenue on its opening day. Netizens are now saying that Chow Yun-fat is too old to carry the box office.

It's normal that this movie didn't do well at the box office.

First, the subject matter is flawed; it's too realistic.

Secondly, none of the three main actors, Chow Yun-fat, Jonathan Rhys, and Meyers, attended the premiere.

If the lead actors don't promote the film, it's no wonder the box office is bad.

The film is filled with foreign directors' preconceived notions about China, much like eating modified Chinese food in Chinatown—it just doesn't quite feel right.

Overall, it was a failure in both box office and critical reception.

"Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" received even worse reviews, with overwhelming criticism and a Douban rating of 5.7.

The fictionalized account is not fabricated. Li Rengang simply put on the skin of Zhao Yun, and the adaptation is quite serious, which is difficult for mainland audiences who have studied history since childhood to accept.

Zhao Yun went from being a hero who died of old age to a tragic hero.

A fictional character named Cao Ying was added.

Needless to say, the character designs, with their Japanese-style armor and flying saucer hats, are the most criticized aspects.

The Prime Minister Zhuge, who devoted himself to the cause until his death, was portrayed as a villain who appeared to be a great traitor.

Especially the expression on his face when reciting "Memorial to the Throne on the Eve of the Northern Expedition"—he looked just like an old rogue.

The comments from netizens are also quite interesting.

"I want to ask Sammo Hung, have you never seen 'Infernal Affairs'? His undercover work is so evasive and his movements are so sly that he's miles behind Chen Yongren."

"Andy Lau, is your UFO hat some kind of alien spaceship? Can you take me back to another planet?"

"Ronin Warriors: Three Kingdoms, Three Kingdoms Rally".

"The martyrs Chen Shou and Luo Guanzhong, who followed one after another, can rest assured. We, the younger generation, will definitely consider this play to be based on Qiong Yao's novel and treat it as a great comedic war film."

The dialogue also has many problematic moments.

For example, the prophetic Hong Jinbao said: "Go out and take a walk, and pick up this useless Adou."

"I am Zhang Fei from Yan." In ancient times, people would introduce themselves by including their surname and given name.

On the command platform, Zhuge Liang said to Zhao Yun in a vulgar tone, "We're both getting on in years, living on beautiful memories. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

This line almost made the audience laugh to death. Upon hearing it, the image of Aunt Qiong Yao's voice and smile vaguely appeared in their minds.

"Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" received poor reviews, and "Nightclub" wasn't much better, with mixed reviews and a Douban rating of 7.2.

I really like what I like, and I consider what I don't like to be trash.

Many people say that "Nightclub" is a hodgepodge, imitating many similar formulaic films such as "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," "Snatch," "Layer Cake," and "11:14."

Many people went to Su Jin's Weibo to leave comments.

"Su Jin, you must be really hungry, accepting any trashy movie."

"Big brother, if you get kidnapped, just send a winking emoji."

"Su Jin, where is your prestige? Where is the prestige of a director with hundreds of millions of yuan? You're accepting this kind of trashy movie. I'm turning from a fan to a hater."

"Su Jin, tell me honestly, are you short of money?"

These are netizens who are disappointed in Su Jin, while her fans mainly offer encouragement and support.

"Go, brother! We'll always support you!"

"My idol, promise me you won't take on these simp roles anymore, they don't suit your face."

Famous film critic "I am Big Head You are Small Head" defended the film "Nightclub" and posted a long article on Weibo, angrily confronting the critics.

He came up with a very interesting title: "Eating braised pork is such a big deal."

"Comrades' tastes are becoming increasingly unpredictable."

"Watching my comrades indignantly accuse me of garbage and plagiarism, I laughed even harder than when I was watching a movie. It was so much fun."

"To give an analogy, 'Night Shop' is like a bowl of braised soup—cheap but filling."

"Director and screenwriter Yang Qing produced a story that was passable and had decent jokes with a budget that was almost embarrassingly low."

"Strictly adhering to a joke every three to five minutes, a small climax every seven or eight minutes, and then a touch of sentimentality at the very end, leaving a small cliffhanger: Did Steel Teeth die or not?"

"Tell me, how many top chefs in China could produce a script with this level of skill? Is it the one surnamed Zhang, or the one surnamed Chen? Don't bring up 'Stone,' you all say it's plagiarized too—"

During the roadshow in Shanghai, a reporter asked about the plagiarism issue.

Yang Qing was very unhappy about this: "I want to ask those who say I plagiarized, do you really understand movies? As movies have developed to this point, the main story structure is still similar. If this is considered plagiarism, then 99% of the movies in the world are suspected of plagiarism."

Yang Qing felt great about her rebuttal, and the media reporters felt great too; they had already come up with their headlines for tomorrow.

"Yang Qing, director of 'Nightclub,' angrily denounces audiences for not understanding film."

Hey—it's all about using euphemisms and subtle language.

They wanted to ask Su Jin, but Su Jin didn't respond at all.

He knows better than anyone whether "Nightclub" plagiarized or not.

Whether Yang Qing plagiarized or not, it just shows that in the world of writers, there is no such thing as plagiarism, only learning from others.

"Director Su, don't you think the plot is a bit far-fetched, with many parts that don't make sense?"

"Yes, there is a bit of that, but this is a movie, not a documentary, and 'Nightclub' is a comedy film. The most important thing about a comedy film is to make the audience laugh. If the audience laughs, it proves that the film is a success. Everything else is just a minor detail."

"Besides, the effect of us spending 300 million to make the audience laugh is the same as that of 'Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon' spending 2500 million US dollars to make the audience laugh."

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience burst into laughter.

The media reporters were slightly taken aback, then became excited at a visible speed.

It was almost over when you suddenly threw out such a sensational topic. Typical Su Jin.

"Director Su, do you think 'Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon' is a comedy film?"

"Don't slander me. I didn't think so. You're the one who thinks so. Don't write nonsense or take things out of context. I'll sue you for defamation."

Regardless of whether Su Jincheng admits it or not, media reporters unanimously believe that Su Jincheng is saying that "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" is a comedy film.

They'll write the same thing in tomorrow's news.

As for Su Jin's suggestion to sue them?

Please, have some emotional intelligence! Su Jin herself brought up this topic, clearly intending for them to promote it this way.

His denial is nothing more than him being a hypocrite.

The following day, "Nightclub" broke its own box office record again, grossing 1103 million.

This isn't false advertising; it's the real deal.

With the critical reception of "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" failing, the box office naturally shifted to "Nightclub".

But it did well at the box office; many people were still determined to see it succeed, and it grossed 860 million yuan.

"The Children of Huang Shi" is still barely surviving, with a box office of just over one million.

Su Jin's remarks quickly became a trending topic.

"Su Jin, since you said 'The UFO Hat' is a comedy movie, I'll definitely support you by buying you a movie ticket."

"I strongly agree. 'Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon' is a comedy. I almost died laughing while watching the movie."

"Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon is terrible. Hong Kong people really don't know how to make epic blockbusters. It's too petty. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was some kind of movie about two red-robed heroes conquering the world."

"I strongly despise this adaptation of the Three Kingdoms, which actually puts Zhao Zilong of Changshan in a fight against a woman who is like a six-fingered demon of the zither."

When a reporter asked Li Rengang about Su Jin's remarks, he was not angry, but just smiled faintly.

"I don't really care whether a movie is a comedy or not. Ultimately, movies serve the audience. If they can bring joy to the audience, then they are a qualified movie."

Backstage, Li Rengang was no longer as calm as before; his face was full of anger, and he started cursing.

He summoned his assistant: "Go check if Su Jin has any dirt on her, and expose it."

"Boss, we checked before, there's nothing there, he's very clean."

"He's a popular celebrity with absolutely no scandals? Like throwing parties, hooking up with young models, or having romantic relationships—"

"no."

"Isn't 'Nightclub' suspected of plagiarism? Give me money and make this accusation a reality."

"Boss, won't this offend Su Jin to death? I heard he has a very good relationship with Boss Yang."

"I don't care if he's good or bad. He's practically shitting on my head. Am I supposed to cater to him?"

The assistant was just trying to offer some kind advice, but seeing that his boss was adamant, he slowly withdrew.

He walked very slowly, turning back every few steps, hoping his boss would retract the order; offending Su Jin was not a good idea.

Anyway, he's just a director. He'll take the money and leave after filming. Why bother with all that!

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