This director only directs blockbusters.

The next morning, on the plane.

Yang Ning pulled his blindfold down further, blocking the light streaming in through the porthole. Xu Qin beside him was flipping through a newspaper, the pages rustling softly.

"The Hong Kong newspapers are out." Xu Qin pulled out a copy and handed it over.

The entertainment section of the Oriental Daily News featured a large photograph on its front page showing the audience giving a standing ovation after last night's premiere. The headline was in bold.

[The Legend of Purple Clouds has blown Hong Kong away! Hong Kongers exclaimed: This is a true blockbuster! Everything else is just something else!]

Ming Pao: ["The Purple Cloud Era," a groundbreaking film, an incredible film, originates from mainland China.]

Yang Ning glanced at it a few times and threw the newspaper back onto the small table.

"It's not bad."

"Not bad?" Xu Qin laughed. "You haven't read the contents. 'Epoch-making' and 'milestone'—those words are almost overused."

The flight attendant pushed the food cart over. Yang Ning ordered a coffee, and Xu Qin ordered orange juice.

"After the party last night, Boss Jiang chatted with me for a while," Xu Qin said in a low voice. "Publishers from several Southeast Asian countries have called to inquire."

Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore are all expected to allocate over 30% of the screenings.

"What about South Korea?"

"South Korea..." Xu Qin paused, "Boss Jiang said it's a bit complicated."

They've done pretty well with their own special effects films before, so they seem to look down on us.

But several South Korean distributors were present last night, and their attitude changed noticeably after watching the film; they are currently in talks.

Yang Ning took a sip of coffee, and the bitterness made him frown.

The plane encountered turbulence and lurched.

BJ landed at 2 PM.

As we exited the gate, Old Xu was waiting there holding a sign with only two words on it: Yang Ning.

"Your airport sign is so shabby," Yang Ning said as she walked over.

"It'll save you money," Old Xu grinned. "Anyway, I'm only picking you up."

In the car, Lao Xu said while turning the steering wheel, "The studio's phone is ringing off the hook."

Media outlets, cinema chains, and even investors who appeared out of nowhere all wanted to discuss cooperation.

"Write it all down, I'll deal with it later," Yang Ning said.

"There's one more thing." Old Xu glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "Third Master Han's secretary called this morning and said that Third Master Han wants to see you. Tomorrow afternoon, China Film Group."

Yang Ning nodded: "Understood."

The car drove onto the airport expressway. The sky over Beijing was overcast and gray.

"There's been quite a stir online too," Lao Xu continued. "As soon as the Hong Kong event ended last night, several film forums in China exploded with activity."

Someone posted a video of the audience's reaction, and it was shared over 10,000 times in just a few hours.

"Are there more criticisms or praises?"

"Half and half," Old Xu scratched his head. "Some people praise it, saying it's a great thing for domestic films, while others criticize it, saying you're just hyping it up and that Hong Kong audiences are all accomplices."

Yang Ning laughed: "Tuo'er? Three hundred Tuo'er? That's too expensive."

The car turned into the alley. The studio was located in an old residential area, renting two rooms on the ground floor with a small courtyard. From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary residence.

Pushing open the door, I saw Han Duoduo sitting on the sofa, typing away on her laptop.

"Director Yang!" She looked up. "I've compiled the data from Hong Kong."

"Just say it."

"The audience survey at the premiere showed a satisfaction rate of 92.7%. Media reviews were 85% positive." Han Duoduo turned the screen around, "As for the theater representatives, Chairman Chen confirmed that the theaters will guarantee more than 35% of the screenings during the Spring Festival."

Liu Yong came out from the inner room, holding a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) in his hand, and took a big bite.

"Director Yang is back? How's Hong Kong?"

"It's alright," Yang Ning said. "Are you eating at the studio?"

"To save time," Liu Yong said vaguely. "The mainland premiere promotion starts the day after tomorrow, and we need to go through the materials one last time."

Xu Qin put down her bag: "By the way, Yang Ning, Fan Binbin's agent contacted me and said that several high-end endorsements have come to us, specifically requesting the look from 'Purple Cloud Era'."

"Okay, she can decide for herself."

the phone is ringing.

Han Duoduo answered the phone: "Feed? Oh, Boss Jiang. Director Yang is here, please wait a moment."

Yang Ning answered the phone.

"Arrived in Beijing?" Jiang Zhiqiang had a tip-off.

"Just landed."

"You saw the news, right?" Jiang Zhiqiang's voice was laced with laughter. "It's causing quite a stir in Hong Kong. This morning, radio and television were all talking about your film."

"Let them talk; the more they talk, the more viewers will watch," Yang Ning said.

"What are your plans for things on the mainland?"

"Starting the day after tomorrow, BJ will premiere in Shanghai and Guangzhou. We'll screen for the media first, then the cast and crew will go to theaters," Yang Ning said. "The promotional campaign will be in full swing a week before the Spring Festival."

"Do you have enough money?"

"It's enough for now," Yang Ning said. "It's enough to last until the Spring Festival, and then we'll see how the market reacts."

"Okay." Jiang Zhiqiang paused for a moment, "Yang Ning, there's something I need to say."

This film is doing very well right now, but it's crucial to remain cautious at this stage.

The mainland market is different from Hong Kong; there are more people and more opinions, and all sorts of strange things can happen.

"I know."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Ning sat down on the sofa.

The studio wasn't very big, and it was simple, but it had everything you needed. The clock on the wall pointed to five o'clock. It was getting dark outside the window.

"What are we having for dinner?" Liu Yong threw the wrapper of a jianbing (Chinese crepe) into the trash can. "It's on me, to celebrate the successful Hong Kong premiere."

"This is nothing," Yang Ning stood up. "We'll celebrate when the box office figures for mainland China come out."

"But we still need to eat."

"Let's order takeout," Yang Ning said. "I'll work overtime tonight to go over the promotional plan one last time. I need to get a clear answer from Master Han tomorrow."

I ordered dumplings for delivery. They were pork and cabbage filled, served with minced garlic and vinegar.

Several people sat around the old desk, eating and going over the procedures.

Han Duoduo placed her laptop on the table, with the screen facing everyone.

"The premiere will be held in Beijing on January 15th. We'll be inviting major media outlets, film critics, and industry representatives from across the country, with an estimated 1 attendees."

"From January 16th to 18th, the main cast will be performing in venues in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Five performances per day."

Yang Ning listened while eating dumplings, occasionally interjecting a word.

"For the media premiere, the guest list will be reviewed again. Those who are nitpicky or speak harshly will not be invited."

"When performing in theaters, remind the actors to answer the audience's questions directly and avoid giving official, bureaucratic answers."

After going through them one by one, it was already 9 p.m.

Liu Yong yawned: "Is that enough?"

"Wait a little longer," Yang Ning said.

He glanced at the system interface.

[Public Opinion Monitoring: Domestic online popularity index reaches 73, up 400% from yesterday]

Positive reviews accounted for 58%, negative reviews 22%, and neutral reviews 20%.

[Main negative points: Questions about the realism of the special effects, criticisms of the director's style]

"What's going on online right now?" he asked Han Duoduo.

"Several film forums are discussing it," Han Duoduo said. "Some are praising it, saying it's a credit to domestic films, while others are criticizing it, saying the trailer is deceptive and the actual movie will definitely be a flop."

"What exactly were they saying?"