The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 116 Gravity Premieres

On January 19, a message that "Avatar will be pulled from theaters" went viral online, with some netizens linking it to the upcoming release of the Chinese blockbuster "Confucius".

After verification by reporters from multiple sources, the news is basically true. According to reports, many cinemas across the country have received "internal notices" that starting from January 22, the release date of "Confucius," the 2D version of "Avatar" will be pulled from theaters, and only the regular 3D and IMAX 3D versions of the film will be retained.

"What do you think?" Shen Qing asked Chen Zhixi.

Chen Zhixi shook her head: "To support domestic films, reducing the number of screenings for the 2D version of Avatar is enough. Its 2D version has a mediocre attendance rate, so reducing the number of screenings is understandable. But pulling it out of theaters altogether would be a bad idea."

"Director Hu Wen has quite a bit of influence," Shen Qing remarked.

"No matter how much face we have, it can't be greater than yours. The Film Bureau and China Film Group were willing to release the 2D version of Avatar for Director Hu, so why can't they release the 3D version for you?"

"Its 3D version has extremely high attendance, and I wouldn't agree to it even if the Film Bureau agreed. If audiences can't see 'Avatar' because of me, and cinemas make less money because of me, wouldn't I be asking for trouble? But I think there's a chance to get more screenings."

"Our movie still has more than two weeks until its release. By then, Avatar probably won't be as popular, right?"

"We shouldn't be overly optimistic."

On January 22, the film "Confucius," directed by Hu Wen and starring Chow Yun-fat, officially hit theaters, while the 2D version of "Avatar" was pulled from theaters at midnight.

The controversy erupted online, with many netizens mocking and even abusing the film. The earlier rumors that *Avatar* would be taken off the screens fueled audience fears of missing out on future screenings, ironically leading to a surge in viewership.

Just over ten hours later, the cinemas received another notification from their superiors that the 2D version of "Avatar" could still be shown in China, and the withdrawn copies would be returned to the cinemas.

It's true that the 2D version of "Avatar" didn't have a high attendance rate, but "Confucius" had an attendance rate of less than 10% in many cinemas!

After the 2D version of Avatar was allowed to be screened again, cinemas quickly adjusted the number of screenings according to market demand, and many theaters were quickly occupied by Avatar again.

On February 8, as of the previous day, Avatar had grossed $630 million in North America and $22 billion worldwide, with its gross in China exceeding 1 billion yuan.

The first film in China to gross 10 billion yuan at the box office has been born!

自《阿凡达》2009年12月18日北美上映以来、自其1月4日华夏上映以来，其创造了一个又一个让人目眩神迷的奇蹟。

It topped the North American box office for seven consecutive weeks, grossed $22 billion worldwide, and 10 billion yuan in China! And its box office potential has not yet been fully exploited.

As the release date of "Gravity" draws ever closer, related discussions on the internet are increasing.

"Let me state this beforehand: I greatly admire Director Shen Qing, and under any circumstances, I am willing to unconditionally believe that Director Shen Qing can create miracles. But this time, he is facing the god of filmmaking! James Cameron, who made Titanic! He is facing the phenomenal film Avatar, which grossed $22 billion in eight weeks! Even if Director Shen Qing's film is far inferior to Avatar, it does not prevent him from being the best director in China."

"Before Avatar was released, I also fantasized that Shen Qing could win. After watching Avatar, I knew it was impossible. Avatar is not just Avatar; it's a tale of gods descending to earth!"

"Director Shen Qing understood the excellence of 'Avatar' earlier than anyone else, but he still risked all his previous honors and resolutely made 'Gravity.' When he bravely challenged 'Avatar,' winning or losing was no longer important. With Shen Qing, Chinese cinema had already won."

"I predicted that Gravity would be an excellent space movie, but unfortunately, Avatar was a masterpiece. 2009 and 2010 were destined to be the years of Avatar, and no other movie could take away its glory."

"The IMAX version of *Avatar* is so breathtaking it's indescribable! I was originally planning to watch it a second time, but now I've decided to watch *Gravity* instead. The experience definitely won't be as good as watching *Avatar* a second time. But domestic films dare to make..."

There are too few directors capable of making science fiction films. It's normal that we're not as good as Hollywood, and it's only natural that we're not as good as Avatar. If we don't buy tickets to support it, Chinese science fiction films will never take off.

"Source Code is soft science fiction, while Gravity is hard science fiction. The two are not comparable in difficulty. We shouldn't have too high expectations for Gravity. We shouldn't be disappointed or deliberately give it a bad review just because it's not as good as Avatar. We should manage our expectations and focus on encouragement."

"Everyone understands, no one expects China to be able to rival Hollywood in the field of science fiction right away."

"+1 to the comment above. Besides, this isn't about comparing it to Hollywood. Cameron is a true god even in Hollywood! It would be a miracle if *Gravity* were to compare to *Avatar*!"

"You've hit the nail on the head! I understand the logic; it's impossible for Shen Qing to reach Hollywood's top level with his second sci-fi film. Dramas and kung fu films are possible, but sci-fi—that's a completely unfamiliar territory for us."

"I wonder when China will be able to make a movie comparable to Avatar."

"Shen Qing is definitely the most promising. He's too talented, but unfortunately his style is too eclectic. He films all kinds of subjects. If he only focuses on science fiction, and gives him five or six years, he might really succeed."

"Speaking of which, it's been several years since 'Ip Man' was released. It was a huge box office and critical success, yet he still hasn't had time to make a sequel!"

"Taken 3 has also been shelved for quite a long time."

2 month 13 day.

Avatar's box office in China has exceeded 11 billion yuan.

On the same day, the premiere of "Gravity" was held at the Huaxing UME Cinema in Beijing.

Film Bureau Director Tong Gang, Deputy Director Zhang Hongsen, China Film Group Chairman Han Sanping, Enlight Media Wang Changtian, and Bernard Yu Dong were among those present.

In addition, all of Shen Qing's women came to the scene to cheer him on.

Fan Bingbing is one of the producers of "Gravity". Fan Bingbing Studio holds 5% of the copyright of "Gravity" in Greater China, so she naturally had to be present.

In addition, Liu Yifei, Yang Mi, Zhao Liying, Li Yitong, Wan Qian and others also volunteered to attend on the spot.

Everyone knows that the film "Gravity" is of great significance to Shen Qing.

Yan Danchen also came.

She's the female lead in "Ip Man." The two almost had a falling out before; she demanded that Shen Qing only have her as his woman, forcing him to break up with his other women, which stopped him from going too far. This time, she took the initiative to call Shen Qing and say she wanted to come and support him, and Shen Qing didn't refuse.

What surprised Shen Qing the most was Liu Shishi; she hadn't expected Liu Shishi to also take the initiative to attend the premiere.

After all, she had been avoiding Shen Qing.

On the one hand, she knew that Shen Qing liked her, but on the other hand, she also knew that Shen Qing was too much of a womanizer, so she kept her distance from him.

Then Shen Qing said he wanted to invite her to play the female lead in his next movie. That's Shen Qing! Neither she nor Tangren could refuse this invitation! How many actresses in China could refuse the lead role in a movie directed and starring Shen Qing?

Cai Yinong advised her, "You must accept Shen Qing's invitation. This is the bottom line. It can really change your fate!"

Just don't get carried away. If he likes you and throws sweet nothings at you, you'll fall for it, dodge the bait, and avoid being taken advantage of.

Shen Qing is too much of a womanizer; Liu Shishi would never accept his advances. But he specifically asked her to star in "Scarlet Heart."

He later invited her to be the female lead in a movie. She refused his advances, yet she still received so many benefits from him. While enjoying the sweet talk, she also planned to maneuver around to avoid being taken advantage of by him. She always felt a little guilty, which is why she took the initiative to attend the premiere to support him.

Aside from being a womanizer and unsuitable as a boyfriend, Shen Qing is pretty good in every other way. Liu Shishi is willing to spend more time with him, but she's a little uneasy about whether he'll get angry if she doesn't let him take advantage of her after filming starts. She thinks that since she came specifically to support him, even if she doesn't accept his advances after filming begins, he can't turn against her because of her support, right?

The premiere scene.

Shen Qing shook hands and exchanged greetings with the leaders, producers, and friends from the industry who came to the event. She then went on stage to interact with the audience, finally looking at the sea of ​​faces below, her gaze lingering on Fan Bingbing, Liu Yifei, and Zhao Liying.

Li Yitong, Wan Qian, Liu Shishi, Yan Danchen, and others paused briefly before addressing the audience: "Gravity is the film I've poured my heart and soul into, spent the most money on, and am most satisfied with in terms of results over the years. If you think it's good, please recommend it to others. Thank you!"

Then he bowed and stepped down from the stage.

The lights in the screening room were dimmed; the movie screening was about to begin.

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