Huayu: Everyone's been reborn, who's still going to be an actor?

"We'll talk about this later."

Cheng Yuan did not answer Wang Changtian's question.

Break even?

"The Promise" must have been a complete financial disaster.

In my past life, I heard that Harvey Wayans, the North American distributor, didn't even want the deposit and then ran away with the bucket.

Of course, Harvey Waynes's high asking price in Cannes was not without ulterior motives.

They offered 200 million right away, scaring away other film companies, and even publicly stated that they would do their best to push "The Promise" to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

The temptation is too great; it's no surprise that you fell for it.

The fact that "The Promise" was chosen as this year's Oscar submission may also be due to this reason.

Although Cheng Yuan was not optimistic, there were some things he couldn't say now that it was the premiere.

Even if you don't give Chen the poet face, you still have to give China Film Group face.

Upon hearing this, Wang Changtian laughed.

Cheng Yuan doesn't seem to have a high opinion of this movie.

Wang Changtian became even more curious about this.

However, after watching the movie, I was a little confused.

Not only Wang Changtian was bewildered, but many others were astonished.

Something feels off about this movie.

After the premiere ended, Cheng Yuan was about to leave, but was stopped by reporters.

"Director Cheng Yuan, after watching Director Chen's film 'The Promise,' what is your opinion of it?"

Cheng Yuan's lips twitched.

说实话？

Wouldn't that offend people?

Not only did they offend the poet Chen, but they also offended the investors and producers.

Not telling the truth?

Wouldn't that offend the fans?

If moviegoers go to the theater because of my "praise", wouldn't I be cursing myself to death?

What should I do?

Why praise the aesthetics of film shots?

But that's still a compliment.

The key point is that those reporters are clearly not easy to deal with either.

However, Cheng Yuan reacted quickly because a meme from the internet instantly popped into his mind.

"I didn't understand it, but I was deeply moved!"

Cheng Yuan left after saying that.

Once "The Promise" loses its reputation, surely no movie fans will criticize him?

I didn't say I was shocked because the movie was so shocking.

Even if it's shockingly bad, it's still shocking.

However, at this moment, it was clear to everyone that the film was not so bad as to be shockingly bad; rather, they were simply stunned by it.

Cheng Yuan's evaluation of "The Promise" has also been reported by many media outlets.

He is now a well-known director, and has been a constant source of buzz and enjoys high popularity since his debut.

"Tell me honestly, what's the movie like?"

Han Sanping even called Cheng Yuan about this.

He and Cheng Yuan had both seen the film before.

However, I didn't ask about the process beforehand.

If you ask, Cheng Yuan will probably just give you the nicest answer.

This time, it's in front of the media, so it's obviously not the same as in private.

He has to consider the reaction of his fans.

"As I said, I didn't understand it, but I was deeply moved."

Cheng Yuan replied with a smile.

"I'm not a member of the media," Han Sanping said. "Tell me the truth, what do you think of this movie?"

"Even I, as a director, can't understand it. How many moviegoers do you think will be able to understand it?" Cheng Yuan said. "Chairman Han, you should be prepared for the film's reception."

"What about the box office?"

Han Sanping then asked.

Critical reviews don't matter, but the box office has to go up.

His support for blockbusters isn't about making critically acclaimed films, but rather about stimulating the domestic film market.

"With such a high number of screenings and such a large-scale publicity campaign, breaking 100 million at the box office should be no problem," Cheng Yuan said. "However, with the domestic reviews already collapsing, it's hard to say how the overseas box office will fare."

It's not uncommon for movies to have low critical acclaim but high box office returns.

There are also movies that are unpopular in China but become hits abroad.

Han Sanping was in a state of confusion, but Cheng Yuan had no time to care.

International box office?

Overseas, they sell copyrights; what does the box office performance have to do with them?

I just didn't expect that the North American side would run away with the bucket without even asking for a deposit.

This departure completely ruined the film's reputation; who would dare to take on the role?

Even if someone were to buy it, the price would definitely be much lower.

Post-production on "The Distinguished Citizen" has been underway for over two months and is now nearly complete. It should be finished by the end of the month, and then submitted for review in Berlin.

Cheng Yuan was involved in the entire post-production process, from editing to music composition.

This is the same as the previous two movies.

His involvement naturally referenced the original cuts and soundtrack, but it wasn't entirely the same.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, one can never be shorter than a giant.

The film "The Promise" generated a lot of buzz, and its box office performance was naturally impressive, breaking many records.

Koubei ultimately collapsed.

If this were to happen in the later era of social media, it would collapse even faster.

Cheng Yuan's comments have resurfaced and are being reinterpreted, and the media wants to interview him again.

However, Cheng Yuan did not accept those interviews.

Whether it's the director or the investors and producers, they're all in a bad mood at this time.

"how?"

Ning Hao and Xing Aina looked at Cheng Yuan.

"good!"

Cheng Yuan put down the script and nodded.

"Lost in Thailand" is somewhat different from the original, but the general plot and character settings are not much different.

But there are a lot more jokes inside.

"I'm thinking of casting Xu Zheng for the role of Li Chenggong," Ning Hao asked. "What do you think?"

"no problem."

Cheng Yuan nodded.

Xu Zheng is indeed suitable for that role; he also played the role in the original version.

"What about the character Niu Geng?" Ning Hao asked. "That character is very important. If he plays it well, it will be incredibly funny. If he plays it poorly, he won't be likable."

"Wang Baoqiang".

Cheng Yuan directly stated a name.

"Who?"

Ning Hao was puzzled, as he seemed to have never heard of this actor's name.

"The simpleton in 'A World Without Thieves'."

Cheng Yuan then spoke.

"Him?" Ning Hao said with a sudden realization, then frowned and said, "He should be a contracted artist with Huayi Brothers, right? Are you planning to poach him?"

"Remote Films doesn't do artist management, so why would I poach anyone?" Cheng Yuan said. "Besides, we might not even be able to poach this person, but if Feng Xiaogang asks, it might be possible."

Feng Xiaogang was a mentor and benefactor to Wang Baoqiang.

After years of playing minor roles, Wang Baoqiang endured countless hardships and sufferings. His ability to finally gain recognition with "A World Without Thieves" made him incredibly grateful to Feng Xiaogang.

That's true, at least for now.

As for the film "Blind Shaft" that caught Feng Xiaogang's attention, it was never released in China, so who knew he was Wang Baoqiang?

"Are you already getting ready to start preparations?"

Cheng Yuan then looked at Ning Hao.

"We'll talk about it after the new year," Ning Hao said. "I'm going to polish the script a bit more, and besides, I still have to do the promotion for 'Crazy Stone'."

Cheng Yuan nodded, indicating that there was no need to rush the matter.

He provided the script, so if Ning Hao wants to bring in other investors, he needs to agree.

However, Ning Hao will decide after the new year, probably after seeing how "Crazy Stone" performs, before deciding whether to invest.

Cheng Yuan didn't have any objections to this.

If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

Moreover, Cheng Yuan had promised to give him a share of the investment in the films he directed.