Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

Chapter 94 Liu Songren's Support (Please Subscribe)

Huang Wenbin provided two creative ideas, which was more than enough.

If Director Cao doesn't know how to turn ideas into a script, then he should step down as soon as possible and hand over the position to someone more talented and virtuous.

After the banquet, Director Cao asked Liu Xiaoli to escort Huang Wenbin back to the guesthouse.

In this era, things hadn't yet reached the point of moral decay, so it was really just a simple gift exchange.

The current atmosphere is good, but in a few years we will enter an era of unbridled growth.

In the pursuit of development, everyone displayed their unique talents, resulting in both the emergence of heroes and a chaotic free-for-all.

It wasn't until China joined the WTO that that barbaric force was gradually curbed, and then the era of anti-corruption and anti-bribery began.

"You are truly a child prodigy!"

Liu Xiaoli had indeed developed a strong liking for Huang Wenbin. "He's tall and handsome. I wonder what kind of woman is good enough for him."

"Who knows?" Huang Wenbin didn't respond to that question, but simply said casually, "If we're destined to be together, we'll naturally meet, get to know each other, and fall in love. Let's leave it to fate."

Liu Xiaoli chuckled softly twice and murmured, "By the will of Heaven?"

"What are you saying?" Huang Wenbin asked, not having heard clearly.

"It's nothing!" Liu Xiaoli smiled faintly and waved her hand. "Just talking to myself. We've arrived at the guesthouse."

Huang Wenbin asked, "So, where do you live?"

"I'm staying at a guesthouse too!" Liu Xiaoli found it somewhat amusing. "Where else could I stay this late?"

"Huh?" Huang Wenbin's thoughts were a little off.

Liu Xiaoli realized what was happening, her pretty face flushed red, and she retorted irritably, "I live upstairs from you, what are you thinking!"

Then, she jogged upstairs and went into her room.

Huang Wenbin awkwardly touched his mouth; the night was long, and he really couldn't sleep.

However, you can't be too reckless in this era, or you'll die.

The next morning, Huang Wenbin took the actors to the train station, all the way to Laoying Station.

As soon as Huang Wenbin and his group got off the train, they were stopped by people from Laoying Commune who insisted that they stay at Laoying Commune and said that rooms had already been arranged for them.

Only after asking did I learn that Cao Sihuo had called the Laoying Commune last night and asked them to make this arrangement.

Huang Wenbin didn't care much, since the main scene at Wudang Mountain was only one scene, and he estimated that it would only take three days to film.

In fact, the filming progressed faster than Huang Wenbin had imagined, and the scenes here were filmed in less than two days.

However, there was no rush to go to the Shandan Military Horse Farm, as the New Year had already begun.

Huang Wenbin, Wu Tianming, and Xu Xiaoming all asked the actors and staff for their opinions on whether they should take a holiday to go home for the Chinese New Year.

Both the actors and the film studio staff unanimously agreed not to take a break, but to finish filming the movie as soon as possible.

The Spring Festival holiday is only one day long, so there might not even be enough time to make a round trip.

If you continue filming, you'll receive a subsidy, earning an extra dollar or two each day.

While Huang Wenbin and his crew were heading to the Shandan Military Horse Farm to meet up with Xu Xiaoming and others, several noteworthy events were unfolding elsewhere.

These events are all inextricably linked to Huang Wenbin.

The first thing was that the release date for "Let the Bullets Fly" was set. The Film Bureau gave it a date of February 24, 1980, which was around the ninth day of the Lunar New Year.

These days, showing movies isn't really a commercial activity, so there's no such thing as a specific release schedule.

The film bureau decides what movies to show and when to show them.

Of course, provinces and cities that have purchased the film's prints are also entitled to schedule the film's release date.

Sometimes this can lead to inconsistent screening times in different regions.

In some places, depending on their own circumstances, it is not uncommon for a particular movie to be shown for an entire year.

Therefore, in those days, box office figures were impossible to calculate; the success of a film was estimated by the number of copies sold. For example, Shaolin Temple sold over four hundred copies, which was a record at the time.

However, this record has now been broken by "Let the Bullets Fly".

Furthermore, Li Hanxiang (Li Heizi) acquired the distribution rights for this film in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and all overseas regions, and he plans to release it in Hong Kong first.

Li Hanxiang is not a left-wing filmmaker, which is why he was able to get this film shown in more theaters.

However, he plans to test the waters with left-wing cinemas first, hoping to make as much money as possible.

Then, submit the film to the Cannes Film Festival. Regardless of whether it wins a prize or not, it will definitely generate a lot of buzz.

Once he gains popularity, other cinema chains will naturally come to him.

The Hong Kong film theater chains don't really care about any particular faction; they just want to make money, and they'll squeeze as much as they can out of any available market.

Those who are truly concerned about this so-called ban are actually actors who have little say in the matter.

For example, Leung Ka-fai went to the mainland to participate in the filming of "Reign Behind a Curtain".

However, this film was directed by Li Hanxiang, so Li Heizi was not subject to any so-called ban.

Later, Chow Yun-fat put in a few kind words and the ban was lifted. Why?

At that time, Chow Yun-fat was incredibly popular, and his films were frighteningly successful. No one would turn down money, so naturally, film companies would help them smooth things over.

Therefore, "Let the Bullets Fly" was actually released in Hong Kong a few days before the Lunar New Year.

Li Hanxiang didn't do much promotion for the film's premiere; he just wanted to test the waters and see if Hong Kong audiences would accept it.

The real big hit will come after the international film festival, when it will be released in other theaters.

As for whether a movie can be shown twice, that's not a big deal to Li Heizi at all.

As long as there's money to be made, there's no problem with keeping the films running.

When King Hu's "A Touch of Zen" was first released, it did not perform well at the box office.

Hu Jinquan bought back some of the copyrights, re-edited them, submitted them to the Cannes Film Festival, and won an award.

After it returned, several cinema chains were eager to acquire it, and it ultimately became a box office hit.

That midnight, at the Southern Theater.

Liu Songren and a few friends secretly bought tickets and slipped into the theater, sitting in the last row.

He has a pretty good relationship with these friends.

Among them is actress Zhao Yazhi, who had previously worked with TVB. The two had filmed several TV series together, with their closest collaboration being in "The Blade Master," where Liu Songren played the male lead Ding Peng and she played the female lead Qingqing.

And there's also Michelle Yim, the future best couple from ATV, who are currently filming "The Land of Love".

The other two are Cherie Chung and Leung Siu-lung, who recently rose to fame for his role as Chen Zhen in "The Legendary Fok".

"Brother Ren, is it really necessary to be so sneaky?" Chung Chu-hung looked at Lau Chung-yan with some curiosity.

Liang Xiaolong was also somewhat puzzled: "It's just coming to see a movie, why does it seem like it's something shady?"

"You don't understand, Brother Ren is actually doing this for your own good."

Zhao Yazhi understood the reason: "We are still young, and we will definitely become famous in the future. At that time, we will need the market in Taiwan. It is best not to let people know that we are here to watch movies."

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Michelle said softly, "Let the Bullets Fly, that's a strange title. Is it a war movie?"

"Probably not." Liu Songren shook his head. He had spent almost half a month communicating with the "Let the Bullets Fly" crew. "It's a thrilling film about bandits fighting tyrants. My younger brother, Huang Wenbin, wrote the screenplay. It's absolutely amazing!"

Zhao Yazhi looked at Liu Songren with her beautiful eyes and said, "Oh, it's that movie you always say saved you, 'The Deadly Gold in the Cold Mountains'."

A genius screenwriter?

"Yes, that's him."

Liu Songren nodded, his tone very certain: "This movie is absolutely amazing, trust me! He's my younger brother, and he even helped me make a fortune with 'The Deadly Sword'. How could I not support his movie when it's released?"

He glanced at the occupancy rate, which was only a little over 30%, and couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.

Liu Songren thought that if the box office was not good, he would pour all the money he had earned from "The Deadly Gold" into it to make a name for his younger brother.

"Yes, Mr. Huang's talent is first-rate, so his scripts can't possibly be bad."

Chung Chu-hung also had great confidence in Wong Man-bin. During this period, they corresponded frequently, and their understanding of each other gradually deepened.

"Are you in heat?" Michelle turned to look at Cherie Chung. "Your eyes are practically sparkling."

Chung Chor-hung categorically denied it: "No way!"

Liu Songren reminded him, "Alright, stop arguing, the movie is starting."

A movie that lasts nearly two hours is quite rare in Hong Kong.

However, the movie was fast-paced, rich in content, exhilarating, and incredibly satisfying, leaving the people in the audience completely stunned.

The ordinary audience members in the cinema were equally astonished; they had never seen a movie like this before.

"Was this movie really made in mainland China?" Liang Xiaolong was also shocked. "Are movies from there really this terrifying?"

Liu Songren couldn't help but swallow hard; he hadn't expected the movie to be so good.

"Fair, fair, damn fair! This movie is awesome, I have to show it to my friends."

"What is a surprise? This is a surprise! How can a movie be this exciting?"

"I absolutely have to make sure all my friends see this movie!"

"This was awesome! I want to see it again! I'm going to buy tickets now."

"Is that woman's breasts real?"

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"The unscrupulous and lewd Li Heizi, after taking back 'Let the Bullets Fly,' put his true colors as a director of erotic films to use. He found a busty actress, filmed several nude scenes, and edited them in."

"It's safe!"

Upon seeing this scene, Liu Songren couldn't help but clap his hands: "This movie is definitely going to be a hit."

2

The others exchanged glances and agreed with Liu Songren's assessment.

They never imagined the movie would become such a hit.

In just three days, the Southern Theater was packed with audiences, tickets were extremely hard to come by, and many people were demanding additional screenings.

Some people even lashed out at other theater chains, asking them why they weren't showing the film.

Even Li Heizi himself did not expect this situation.

He just wanted to earn more money before going to the Cannes Film Festival; he was quite short of cash.

Even left-wing filmmakers didn't expect this movie to become such a phenomenal hit.

One night, three men quietly entered the Southern Theater.

Of the three, one had a big nose, one was very fat, and the other was lean but muscular.

They came because of its reputation, wanting to see just how brilliant the film was, and in what ways it was brilliant, hoping to find some inspiration to incorporate into their own movies.

Unexpectedly, they ran into colleagues in the cinema, many of whom were old acquaintances.

It seems everyone is here to spy on the situation. They exchanged awkward smiles, understood each other, and decided to pretend they hadn't met today.