Huayu: King of Kung Fu

Chapter 84 New York Premiere

The excellent box office performance of "Ong-Bak" gave Universal great confidence, and they immediately increased promotional materials and expanded publicity.

They quickly bought the North American rights to Ong-Bak 2 for eight million dollars and prepared a grand premiere ceremony.

At the New York Film Festival, Lin Hu, Gao Yuanyuan, John Lone, and Ye Fanghua appeared together on the red carpet at the premiere of "Ong-Bak 2".

Lin Hu and Zun Long were both dressed in well-tailored black suits and bow ties, looking handsome and dashing.

Gao Yuanyuan wore a white lace dress, looking pure and lovely.

Ye Fanghua wore a red dress, with big wavy hair and bright red lips, going for a sexy and glamorous style.

As the stars of "Ong-Bak 2", the four were the main characters today. As soon as they stepped onto the red carpet, they were immediately bombarded with all kinds of cameras and microphones.

This situation reminded John Lone of the glorious days he enjoyed more than a decade ago when he starred in "The Last Emperor," and he said with a touch of nostalgia, "It's been so long since I've experienced an occasion like this!"

Eleven years ago, "The Last Emperor" swept the Oscars. If a white actor had done that, his career would have been on a smooth path ever since.

However, Chinese people don't have many opportunities in North America, and John Lone only enjoyed his moment of glory once in his life.

John Lone looked a little dejected, while Ye Fanghua was in high spirits, saying with a smile, "I've worked with three of the biggest kung fu stars, how lucky I am!"

She has only been in the industry for four years, but she has already filmed "Rumble in the Bronx" with Chen Long, "Black Mask" and "Romeo Must Die" with Jet Li, and "Ong-Bak 2" with Lin Hu. Her career can be considered to be very successful.

Lin Hu wasn't particularly concerned about the two of them; they were just colleagues. He noticed Gao Yuanyuan's palms were sweaty and said softly, "Don't be nervous, keep smiling!"

Gao Yuanyuan nodded, maintaining a stiff smile, and was led by Lin Hu to finally walk the red carpet.

"Phew!" Gao Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped off the red carpet, her tense nerves relaxing.

"You weren't this nervous last year in Busan?"

"That's different. There are so many celebrities here today, including Julia Roberts!"

"So you like Julia Roberts?"

"Yes, I think she's incredibly beautiful!"

Lin Hu glanced at the big-mouthed beauty not far away and commented, "Just so-so!"

"She's just average?" Gao Yuanyuan found it unbelievable. Julia Roberts is a recognized Hollywood beauty!

"Hmm, not as pretty as my Yuanyuan!"

"Uh—I wouldn't dare compare myself to her!"

That's what she said, but her lover's praise made her overjoyed, and her heart felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.

Stacy approached Lin Hu with a fake smile and greeted him, "Hi, Brother Tai, let me introduce you to some friends!"

Stacy led Lin Hu and the other three to meet today's guests, and Lin Hu recognized Quentin at a glance.

This guy is a kung fu movie fan and has a working relationship with Universal, so it's not surprising that he's here.

Before Quentin Tarantino became famous, he was a video store clerk, and it is said that he watched all the movies in that store.

The shop had a lot of Hong Kong films, from martial arts films of the 1970s to gangster films of the 1980s and 90s, which he knew by heart.

As soon as this guy saw Lin Hu, he said, "Hey bro, your movie 'Jungle Tiger' was really cool! You were just like a tiger in the movie!"

Lin Hu quite enjoyed watching Kun Jiang's movies, and laughed, "Your movies are really cool, I especially love 'Natural Born Killers'!"

Quentin was very surprised because "Natural Born Killers" was the first feature film script he wrote, but he was not qualified to direct at the time and sold the script for $50,000.

Although the movie was later made, not many people knew that it was his work.

When Lin Hu found out, Quentin immediately felt a sense of kinship and put his arm around Lin Hu's shoulder, calling him brother and even making plans to have a drink that evening.

Aside from Quentin Tarantino, Lin Hu doesn't have much of an impression of other directors and producers.

Many actors also attended, the most famous of whom was of course the big-mouthed beauty Julia Roberts.

Lin Hu shook hands with them and greeted them. They were very enthusiastic and immediately said, "Your movie was very well made!"

""

I don't even know if I've actually seen it!

Gao Yuanyuan was delighted and said, "Even Julia Roberts said she enjoys watching our movies!"

Lin Hu curled his lip: "These people all have collaborations with Universal, and they're here because of Universal's reputation. For example, Julia Roberts recently directed Universal's 'Notting Hill.' She probably doesn't know who we are; she's just being polite. Don't take it seriously!"

"Oh!" Lin Hu's words made Gao Yuanyuan feel a little discouraged.

However, she immediately added energetically, "They'll see how amazing you are after they see the movie!"

Lin Hu said smugly, "That's right!"

The screening room was packed with guests, media, film distributors, and ticket-buying audience members.

On the big screen, Ah Hu, a Chinese village boy, arrives in New York and fights his way through the city.

When Lin Hu kicked the lamppost to pieces, the iconic scene unfolded, Quentin Tarantino screamed, "Oh my god, Bruce Lee!"

When Lin Hu heard Quentin's scream, he suddenly remembered that Quentin had later made a film that made fun of Bruce Lee, which felt strange.

Then, a five-minute long take appears, showing Lin Hu charging from the first floor to the fourth floor in one go.

Lin Hu's scene is a minute longer than Tony Jaa's; he fights his way up, his movements fluid and powerful.

Many filmmakers and media professionals at the scene were knowledgeable and knew how difficult this was; they were all stunned and speechless.

When Lin Hu fought his way up to the fourth floor and knocked Brother Crow to the ground with a single kick, the entire screening room erupted in thunderous cheers!

But Lin Hu didn't stop; he kept fighting and overcoming challenges.

Brazilian cappella, sword duels, elephant bones transformed into hammers and daggers—every action scene is innovative and keeps the audience entertained.

John Lone transforms into a Peking Opera female role, using dazzling moves to clash with Lin Hu's fierce boxing style, making for a truly captivating performance.

Besides the intense fight scenes, Ye Fanghua's sexy dance, which was used to lighten the mood, also garnered a lot of whistles.

Americans are even noisier than Hong Kongers when watching movies. Every time Lin Hu acts cool, they give him a big thumbs up and exclaim loudly, "Oh oh oh oh!" They even stand up and clap loudly and whistle.

Despite the arguments, the atmosphere during the movie was very lively, and the emotional value was substantial!

Lin Hu was alright; he lived in a time and space where information was readily available, and he knew a little about the habits of Americans.

When Americans watched Semyon's "Fire Covers the Eyes," the whole audience screamed and yelled.

Gao Yuanyuan was so excited that her face turned red. Seeing how much the American audience liked Lin Hu's movie and cheered for her man, she felt her heart pounding with pride and joy!

When Lin Hu leaped over the rooftop and kicked John Lone off the helicopter, the atmosphere in the theater reached its peak!

Whistles, shouts, cheers, and various profanities blended together.

Amidst this clamor, Lin Hu, Gao Yuanyuan, Zunlong, and Ye Fanghua took to the stage to bid farewell.

The entire audience spontaneously applauded and gave them thumbs up; the applause lasted for a long time.

Then Quentin Tarantino was the first to stand up and speak, praising it: "I think this is the coolest action movie of the year!"

"Thanks!"

Quentin added, "This is a Chinese film. If I wanted to say in Chinese that this movie is cool, how would I say it?"

Lin Hu was taken aback, then said, "Awesome!"

"Newbee?"

"That's right. In China, if you think something is amazing, you can say, 'Awesome!'"

"OK, your movie is very Newbee!" Quentin gave a thumbs up!

"Thanks, you're awesome too! The entire audience today was awesome!"

Quentin found the word interesting and suggested that everyone praise Ong-Bak 2 in Chinese.

The entire audience then gave Lin Hu a thumbs-up and shouted, "Newbee!"