Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

Chapter 99 Premiere (3K)

Upon hearing this, Shinichi Ogawa took a deep breath and extended his hand.

"We took the bet."

Zhang Ze grasped his hand with just the right amount of pressure.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

After seeing Ogawa Shinichi off, Chen Zhixi slumped into her chair.

"Three million US dollars — or at least the minimum —"

"This movie hasn't even been released yet, and we've already made a fortune?"

"This is just the beginning."

Zhang Ze wasn't after the three million US dollars; he was after the box office revenue.

This film once grossed tens of millions of US dollars at the Japanese box office. Compared to that, a guarantee of three million is really just a guarantee.

On May 15th, the premiere of "Like Father, Like Son" was held in the main competition section of the Cannes Film Festival.

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The backstage dressing room at the Lumière Theatre was so stuffy that it made you want to loosen your collar.

Chen Zhixi was wearing an iron-gray business suit, clutching the process sheet tightly in her hand. The thin sheets of paper were already slightly limp from being soaked in sweat.

She paced back and forth in the cramped space, the dull thud of her high heels on the carpet striking Li Xiaoran's heart.

Li Xiaoran sat in front of the makeup mirror, and the makeup artist was touching up her makeup.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes somewhat glazed over, her hands clasped together on her knees, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.

Liu Hua leaned against the wall by the door, a lit cigarette between his fingers. He sniffed it, then put it down in frustration.

He'd been acting his whole life, and this was the first time he'd ever been on such a stage.

Zhang Ze sat in the middle of the sofa, holding a bottle of mineral water. He slowly unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

"Sister Zhixi, stop spinning."

Zhang Ze put down the water bottle, leaned back, and settled into a comfortable position on the sofa.

"It's making me dizzy."

Chen Zhixi stopped and turned to look at Zhang Ze. Her chest heaved, and her breathing became rapid.

"Are you genuinely not in a hurry, or are you just pretending? If the film doesn't do well, not only will Shinichi Ogawa's side use that to lower the price, but the other two studios definitely won't buy the film at the original price!"

"No matter the outcome, we've done what we had to do, so there's no use in being anxious."

Zhang Ze raised his hand and looked at his watch.

"Moreover, I have confidence in the film."

The staff member pushed open the door, poked half his body in, and announced the entrance in English.

Zhang Ze stood up and straightened the hem of his suit jacket.

He walked behind Li Xiaoran, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gently pressed them.

"Let's go, it's time to go on stage."

Li Xiaoran took a deep breath and stood up with Zhang Ze's help.

The group left the lounge and stepped into the passageway leading to the screening room.

The enormous Lumière Hall was packed to capacity.

More than two thousand audience members, including jury members, film critics, film distributors, and media from all over the world, made up this sea of ​​people.

The lights went out.

The screen lights up.

The familiar piano accompaniment flowed out slowly, carrying a sense of everyday trivialities and a touch of melancholy.

Zhang Ze sat in the third row.

Instead of looking at the screen, he turned his head to the side and, using the faint light reflected back from the screen, observed the reactions of the surrounding audience.

Sitting to his left was a famous French film critic. The old man initially leaned back in his chair, appearing somewhat nonchalant.

But as the plot unfolds, when the male protagonist learns that the son he has raised for six years is not his biological child, the old man slowly sits up straight.

On the right, a female audience member in a formal dress had already taken out a tissue from her bag.

Midway through the movie, the entire theater became eerily quiet.

There was no whispering, no popcorn popping, only the image of a father facing a difficult choice, smoking alone late at night on the screen.

This silence is the greatest compliment to the creator.

For Chen Zhixi, the two-hour screening felt like two centuries.

The lights came back on when the last line of credits appeared on the screen.

At that moment, the screening room remained deathly silent.

Chen Zhixi's heart leaped into her throat. She instinctively grabbed Zhang Ze's arm, her nails digging almost into his flesh.

next second.

The first round of applause came from the back row.

Then came the second tone, and then the third tone.

Applause quickly spread from the back rows to the front, and from the corners to the center.

The rustling sound echoed beneath the enormous dome.

The audience in the front row stood up first and turned to face the area where the creative team was located.

Immediately afterwards, the audience in the middle and back rows also stood up.

The applause came like a tidal wave, showing no sign of stopping.

Zhang Ze stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, and bowed to those around him with a polite smile.

Beside him, Li Xiao's eyes were already red. She covered her mouth, watching the shocking scene before her, her body trembling slightly.

Liu Hua clapped his hands vigorously, his old face, full of stories, turned red, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were full of excited smiles.

The applause lasted for a full five minutes.

This is a Cannes tradition.

A great film, worthy of long-term respect.

The host walked onto the stage with a microphone and gestured for the main creators to come on stage.

Zhang Ze led his team to the center of the stage.

The spotlight shone on my face; it was a little dazzling and a little hot.

The flashbulbs from the audience went off like crazy, freezing this moment in time.

The Q&A session has begun.

A reporter from Variety magazine was the first to raise his hand and take the microphone.

"Director Zhang, the emotions conveyed in this film are extremely delicate; it's hard to imagine it came from a young director. You raised a question in the film: which is more important, blood ties or companionship? If you were in that situation, what would you choose?"

This is a sharp question that gets right to the heart of the film.

The entire room fell silent, awaiting Zhang Ze's answer.

Zhang Ze held the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the pairs of probing eyes below the stage.

First of all, thank you for your compliment.

His voice, steady and clear, resonated throughout the venue through the speakers.

"As for the choice between blood ties and companionship, that is indeed a cruel question."

"In Eastern culture, blood ties are the foundation of a family. But in this film, I want to explore the meaning of fatherhood. Fatherhood is not an innate identity; it is accumulated from countless moments of companionship. Every time that child, who has no blood relation to the father, called him 'Dad' during those six years, it was genuine."

Zhang Ze paused for a moment, then continued.

"If it were me, I might hesitate. But if it were Ryota in the movie, he finally understood one thing: it wasn't him who became a father, but his child who made him a father."

An even more enthusiastic round of applause erupted from the audience.

Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are considered the two major industry publications in the American entertainment industry, and are among the most professional entertainment magazines globally.

Most of those who grace the cover of Variety are figures who were once extremely popular, such as James Cameron and his Avatar, as well as Ne Zha 2 and Zootopia 2, and so on.

Zhang Ze estimated that even if he were to appear in Variety magazine, it would only be in a small section, but it would undoubtedly be a form of recognition within the industry.

The next few questions mainly revolve around the actors' performances.

Liu Hua took the microphone and recounted how he came to understand the character of that poor but warm-hearted father from the streets.

Li Xiaozai also shared her heart-wrenching experience during filming.

At the reception following the premiere, Zhang Ze became the absolute center of attention.

"Zhang, your film is fantastic! I'd like to discuss the UK distribution rights."

"Is the German copyright still valid? I think we can talk about it."

The European and American film distributors who had previously ignored them are now swarming around them.

Unfortunately, they were too late.

Chen Zhixi stood on the outside, watching Zhang Ze surrounded by the crowd, and let out a long sigh of relief.

She felt her back was completely soaked; it was cold sweat, and also sweat of excitement.

In the following days, Cannes transformed into a true arena of fame and fortune.

Chen Zhixi was like she was on steroids, leading Zhang Ze between various hotels and conference rooms.

Besides the North American, European, Japanese, and Southeast Asian rights that have already been sold, the remaining regions have also become popular.

South Korea, South America, Africa, Australia—contracts were finalized one after another.

Although the prices of these contracts are not very high, they add up to a considerable sum.

Zhang Ze did not say again that he would consider these things after winning the award.

The film distributors in these areas are inherently weak, and even if they win awards, they can't afford to spend more money. This is especially true in some less developed areas, where if the price is too high, they have no choice but to resort to piracy.

Therefore, Zhang Ze sold off the copyrights of these places one by one, with the intention of making as much money as possible.

Throughout the entire process, Chen Zhixi was basically the one handling everything, while Zhang Ze was like a mascot, responsible for showing up, smiling, shaking hands, and signing autographs.

This kind of intense social interaction is even more tiring than filming.

But he had to go.

In Cannes, these are all things that must be experienced. These people are frequenters of major film festivals and have connections in the film and television industry. Once they become well-known in this circle, it will be much easier for them to compete for awards in the future.

Before you know it, the Cannes Film Festival has already been running for a week.

May 20th.

This was the day before the film festival closed.

With most of the transactions completed and most of the people I needed to meet already seen, I can finally relax a little after a week of tension.

evening.

Zhang Ze, along with Chen Zhixi, Liu Hua, Li Xiaoran, and Hao Lei, arrived at a seafood restaurant in the old town of Cannes.

This restaurant is located in a remote area and has a small storefront, but it is said to make very authentic bouillabaisse.

Everyone sat around an outdoor table, the sea breeze carrying the salty, humid air characteristic of the Mediterranean.

The table was covered with oysters, lobsters, and various other shellfish that I couldn't name.

Liu Hua, holding an oyster cleaver, clumsily pried open an oyster, muttering to himself, "These foreign things are just good for their freshness. If you really want something truly satisfying, you have to go for our grilled oysters, especially from Northeast China, with lots of garlic and chili. Eating them one after another is so much more enjoyable!"

Hao Lei, holding a glass of white wine, joked with a smile, "Brother Hua, you're like a wild boar that can't eat fine bran. This is a Gillardeau, it's expensive."

Liu Hua finally pried open the shell, slurped it into his mouth, smacked his lips, and said, "The taste is not bad. This foreign stuff is pretty good."

Everyone laughed.

Li Xiaoran peeled a shrimp and put it on Zhang Ze's plate.

Zhang Ze picked up a piece of shrimp and put it in his mouth, his gaze fixed on the distant coastline.

The setting sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, turning the sky a purplish-red hue.