The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"What are you planning to do?" Liu Sanxi asked.

Gu Ning said, "My method will only be effective when his movie is released. You'll see then."

"You really have a way?" Liu Sanxi asked, somewhat suspiciously.

He couldn't think of any way Gu Ning could deal with Lu Chuan.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely let you get your revenge then," Gu Ning said with a smile.

The two chatted for a while before Director Chen's secretary came to inform them that they had gone to the conference room.

Because they were reporters affiliated with China Film Group, they were told that the initial interviews would focus on short films and feature films.

Gu Ning was well-prepared and handled the situation with ease.

Towards the end of the interview, a reporter suddenly stood up and asked, "Director Gu, what's your opinion on Director Lu Chuan's statement that short films aren't considered movies?"

"Hehe, I'm still a student, so I don't really have any opinion on these debates. But the fact that many film festivals have short film competition sections shows that most people still recognize short films as movies."

Director Lu Chuan's disapproval naturally has its reasons.

In my opinion, artistic disputes should always be about finding common ground while reserving differences. Personally, I admire Director Lu Chuan very much and will learn more from him in the future,” Gu Ning said with a smile.

The short film was the first to appear, but it wasn't well-received by the film industry.

However, over time, it has gained mainstream acceptance.

However, many people still do not agree.

Gu Ning directly defined Lu Chuan's words as an artistic dispute, rather than something directed at him.

At the same time, he also flattered Lu Chuan, adopting a very humble attitude.

The reporters were certainly not satisfied with this answer, but Gu Ning did not give them a chance.

"Thank you all for coming to the interview. I have to attend the premiere of 'Crazy Racer' tonight, so that's all for the interview."

After saying that, Gu Ning turned around and prepared to leave.

The reporters were naturally unwilling to let Gu Ning off the hook, so Director Chen had his secretary stop them.

"These reporters really seem to thrive on chaos." Director Chen was very dissatisfied with those reporters.

"Director Chen, I'll be going now. See you tonight."

Gu Ning greeted Director Chen and left China Film Group with Liu Sanxi.

…………

At 8 p.m., Gu Ning went to attend the premiere of "Crazy Racer".

The premiere began with a specially edited clip of "Crazy Stone" by the organizers, instantly bringing back memories of three years ago for everyone present.

More than an hour later, the film ended, and the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Although the film deliberately portrays almost all the characters as foolish and self-righteous "idiots" in order to create humor.

This deliberate denigration of the characters' intelligence pushes the absurdity of the plot to the extreme.

In terms of emotional depth and character development, it is a step backward compared to Stone.

But if you watch it as a pure comedy, it's still quite funny.

Next, the director and all the main actors were invited to the stage one by one.

Under the host's emotional influence, the lead actors shared behind-the-scenes stories from the filming, turning the premiere into a "complaint session."

At the end of the event, director Ning Hao and lead actor Huang Bo each rode a race car, sprinting towards the 100 million yuan box office target displayed on the simulated racetrack on the screen.

After the premiere, there was a dinner party for the invited guests, but Gu Ning did not attend.

On the 21st, media reported that "Crazy Racer" grossed 820 million yuan on its opening day.

Although the opening day box office was not high compared to the films released in December.

Films like "A Simple Noodle Story," "Bodyguards and Assassins," and "If You Are the One" all grossed over 20 million yuan on their opening day.

However, these three movies, whether in terms of director fame or cast, are incomparable to racing.

Moreover, this is Ning Hao's second film, and even if Stone is hyped up to the sky, it only costs 25 million.

The first-day box office of the racing film has already reached one-third of the total box office of the stone.

Based on the opening day box office estimates, it is quite possible that the total box office will exceed 100 million yuan.

This movie has a total investment of ten million. If the box office exceeds one hundred million, it will generate at least three times the profit.

Although the box office revenue dropped slightly the following day, it still reached over six million.

The box office reached nearly 15 million in two days, and the audience reviews were also very positive.

Although film critics have mixed opinions on the film, it has little impact on the film's box office performance.

Let alone Ning Hao, no domestic director's film has ever escaped criticism after its release.

.........

"You're saying director Ning Hao won't release them?"

On the 24th, Gu Ning received a call from Xu Zheng.

"Director Ning Hao said that the box office is doing very well right now, and it's the perfect time for promotion, so he asked me to go with him for another week," Xu Zheng said.

Gu Ning frowned slightly; the first few days of the film's promotional tour were crucial.

The film "Lost in Thailand" only has two main actors. As the director and third male lead, he could only participate in the promotional activities for the first two days.

If Xu Zheng, the lead actor, doesn't come soon, Wang Baoqiang will be the only one left. How will he promote the show?

"I'll think of something else."

Gu Ning chatted with Xu Zheng for a few minutes before hanging up the phone.

"Didn't Ning Hao agree to that before?"

Seeing that Gu Ning had hung up the phone, Liu Sanxi asked anxiously, "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because of interests."

Gu Ning said, "Originally, he didn't take our movie seriously, and Xu Zheng wasn't even the lead actor, so naturally he was willing to do me a favor."

But things are different now. With the news of my short film being shortlisted spreading, and the railway department helping with the publicity, it has become a threat to him.

Although this is just his guess, it should be pretty close to the truth.

Ning Hao originally agreed to release the person not because Gu Ning had any special influence.

It's mostly out of respect for the Beijing Film Academy. After all, Xu Zheng doesn't have many scenes, and if he blocks Gu Ning, he'll inevitably be criticized.

But now that Gu Ning poses a threat to him, he naturally doesn't care about these things anymore.

What if the movie doesn't break 100 million at the box office because of this?

Box office revenue not only represents direct profits, but also provides a significant boost to a director's reputation.

A box office of 99 million is only 1 million less than 100 million, but the two are not the same thing at all.

If it were Gu Ning, she might have done the same.

"Then what should we do? Should we ask China Film Group to coordinate?" Liu Sanxi said.

"it's useless."

Gu Ning thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "They're both distributed by China Film Group, and China Film Group also invested in one of them. One has already demonstrated its value, while the other only seems valuable. If you were in their shoes, what would you choose?"

Liu Sanxi fell silent upon hearing this. He knew that Gu Ning was right, but what about their publicity?

"There's no other way now, so Baoqiang and I will have to start promoting it together."

Gu Ning comforted her, "Don't be discouraged. Roadshows only add the least to our publicity. If we can win the award at the film festival, the box office will explode again, so the impact won't be significant."

"This is the only way now."

Liu Sanxi gritted his teeth and said, "This revenge will come sooner or later."

Gu Ning smiled. Strictly speaking, this was just a normal competitive tactic, nothing to say about it.

Of course, from his perspective, it's impossible for him not to be angry at all.

He's not a saint; understanding is one thing, accepting is another. He'll naturally return the favor when the opportunity arises.

…………

January 26th, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Gu Ning received a phone call from her parents early in the morning.

He couldn't go home for the Chinese New Year because the movie was going to be released. His parents wanted to come to Beijing to spend the New Year with him, but he had to decline because he was going abroad.

After chatting with her parents for a while, Gu Ning promised to go back to China and stay for a few days before hanging up the phone amidst her mother's nagging.

Let's go!

After Gu Ning ended the call, he said to Liu Sanxi.

Today is the day the movie is released, but because it's not well-known, there was no premiere.

The movie officially premiered in cinemas across the country at 10:00 AM.

"Walk."

Liu Sanxi had a strange smile on his face, but Gu Ning didn't think much of it and assumed he was just excited.

It wasn't until the elevator stopped on the tenth floor and Gu Ning saw Jing Tian and Hao Hao enter the elevator that she suddenly realized what had happened.

"Happy New Year, Senior Brother Gu and Senior Brother Liu."

The two greeted each other with smiles.

"Thank you for your hard work during the Chinese New Year. I'll give you a big red envelope later," Gu Ning said with a smile.

Since everyone was already there, he didn't stand on ceremony.

Although the two characters don't even have names in the movie and only have a minute or two of screen time, they're enough to make up the number of characters.