I'm not mentally ill, I'm a master of a thousand faces!

Chapter 391, Harvest, the 'Big Star' of Hong Kong Circle!

the other side.

Liu Dehua also returned to the team behind "The Warlords".

at this time.

The team behind "The Warlords" was very nervous.

The box office performance was indeed quite good.

However, compared to the box office share of "The Warlords," the box office growth rate of "Ip Man" has reached an extremely exaggerated level.

Five million on the first day, ten million on the second day, and twelve million on the third day.

At this time.

The box office performance of "The Warlords" began to decline on the second day, and it seems that it is about to catch up with "Ip Man".

Keep in mind that the total investment in "Ip Man" was only over 30 million, while "The Warlords" cost nearly 100 million just for Jet Li's salary.

With exorbitant actor salaries compared to other productions, if the box office results are the same, then "The Warlords" will be the one to lose face.

You should know that the crew of "The Warlords" didn't take "Ip Man" seriously at all back then!

"Why are you all in such a bad mood?" Liu Dehua looked at Jin Chengwu, who was playing Monster Hunter on the latest 3DS game console next to him.

This former number one handsome man in Asia is very simple-minded; he would rather play games than work.

At this moment, Jin Chengwu, who was concentrating intently, spoke.

"Well, to put it simply, our kung fu emperor who just returned from Hollywood is in a very bad mood."

I'm in a bad mood.

If I had to say something, it seems like I've broken down a bit.

His entire face turned a darker shade.

For Chen Kexin, the current results are actually quite good. Although he was somewhat surprised by the success of "Ip Man" next door, as long as it doesn't affect him, there's not much to say.

But it was different for Li Lianjie. He returned to the mainland with great ambitions, a true triumphant return.

But now, this triumphant return has been thwarted by the relatively unknown "Ip Man".

Was it because "The Warlords" didn't perform well enough?

wrong.

He didn't take that 1 million yuan salary for nothing.

Given his box office appeal, there is absolutely no possibility that his first film after his comeback in mainland China will be a loss.

It's just that compared to the explosive box office performance of "Ip Man" next door.

I'm still a bit vulnerable.

Especially since everyone here is from the action film industry.

He felt very uncomfortable that he had fallen behind in his most familiar field.

"Is he in a bad mood? It's not that I can't understand how he feels, but the box office is a real decision made with real money. The audience voted with their money."

At this moment, Liu Dehua stroked his chin and said.

"Since you've already gone to see this movie, do you think it deserves this success?" At this moment, Takeshi Kaneshiro, who was playing Monster Hunter's Palico cart, finally looked up at Liu Dehua.

"From my perspective, I even think it's not impossible for this movie to beat our 'The Warlords'."

Now Takeshi Kaneshiro couldn't sit still any longer and couldn't concentrate on playing the game.

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Is that an exaggeration?"

"This investment is not even in the same league."

"Who told you that the quality of a movie is entirely related to the amount of money invested in it?"

At this moment, Liu Dehua was recalling with his eyes closed.

"I haven't seen such a good movie in a long time. It gave me a very magical feeling."

At this moment, Liu Dehua used a very strange adjective.

That's amazing.

After watching this movie, Andy Lau felt a strange surge of excitement.

Very direct emotions.

"How should I put it? After watching this movie, if I had to find an adjective to describe it, it would be simple."

It is simple and pure, containing far less information than "The Warlords".

But movies are never about having as much information as possible.

Absolutely not.

It is precisely because of the purity of the information that it provides a viewing experience suitable for all ages.

The movie is indeed gaining traction.

The movie "Ip Man" has indeed taken off.

In the internet age, word-of-mouth spreads very quickly, and by the fifth day, its box office was on par with "The Warlords".

Suitable for all ages, with pure emotions, excellent acting, and great kung fu action.

This is the online public opinion surrounding the movie "Ip Man," without any further strange elaboration.

There are many reviews of "The Warlords", especially long reviews from bloggers, with analyses from various angles, integration of information, and so much information that it is difficult to understand on the first viewing and requires two or three viewings to fully comprehend.

For movie lovers, or even those with plenty of money, watching a movie two or three times is nothing special.

This is a bit of a disappointment for the average viewer.

Many people are unable to appreciate the entire film.

All I can say is that Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau are so handsome, and the Kung Fu Emperor's fighting was really good.

On the other hand, "Ip Man" is like a wild horse that has been broken free of its reins.

Li Yun's name became a trending topic on Weibo.

He is Ip Man.

He was also the director of "Ip Man".

Meanwhile, on the other side of the martial arts association, the traditional martial arts masters were frantically complaining to their superiors.

"Ban it! This kind of movie must be banned! It absolutely cannot be allowed to continue!" Ma Guohu shouted there.

The leaders of the martial arts association could only greet them with smiles.

"We cannot decide to ban a public figure or a public work, especially when he has not violated any laws or regulations."

"How can he say he didn't violate any regulations or standards? He's smearing our traditional Chinese martial arts! His methods are dishonest! And he's not using the real stuff!"

Milan Fang was the most excited at this moment.

She panicked a little.

Her panic stemmed from this.

The online opinion is now saying that her Wing Chun is not as good as Li Yun's.

"That's easy. Why don't you guys go and put on an exhibition match? Aren't you practicing some kind of internal energy cultivation? Taking him down should be a piece of cake, right? Then you can prove to the whole country that you are the true Wing Chun master, and that you are the representatives of traditional martial arts. It's that simple."

Tian Wei said calmly.

The chairman of the martial arts association immediately rendered these masters speechless.

Then Ma Guohu said viciously.

"Don't talk to us like that. The Martial Arts Association is only a Martial Arts Association because of us. Without us, you're just a makeshift operation! If our reputation is ruined, you won't benefit either!"

"Alright, alright, I'll handle it."

After dealing with these masters for a while, Tian Wei saw them out of the office.

Then the professional smile on his face disappeared.

"What kind of orthodox master is this? He talks about internal strength. What else can he do besides appearing on TV to deceive people? He's utterly absurd."

"Dealing with these people must be exhausting."

At this moment, Wu Jinquan walked in from outside, looking at Tian Wei with a helpless expression.

"Indeed, it's very tiring. By the way, you went to see the movie 'Ip Man,' what did you think of it?"

"It's great, absolutely great. It's the best film I've seen in the last 10 years that interprets traditional Chinese martial arts."

Tian Wei didn't expect him to give such a high evaluation.

"Because you're good at martial arts?"

"In a sense, he denied martial arts, yet he also acknowledged it. I can even understand why those traditional masters were furious, because 'Ip Man' was destroying their livelihood, but it was indeed promoting Chinese martial arts."

"The actor in 'Ip Man' possesses authentic and refined Wing Chun skills, which cannot be achieved in less than ten or eight years of training."

Hearing Wu Jinquan's evaluation like this.

After thinking for a moment, Tian Wei said.

"So, how does this Master Ye compare to our authentic successor, Mi Lanfang?"

"One cent."

"A dime?"

"This Milanfang is only worth a dime."

Upon hearing this, Tian Wei seemed to have made a decision.

The reason why the martial arts association keeps those masters is because it needs the orthodox tradition of intangible cultural heritage to preserve the legitimacy of the association.

But if there are people who are even more orthodox than them.

"You've really struck it rich this time!"

Jiang Chenggang looked at the box office chart.

He couldn't help but gasp for breath. Li Yun, as the lead actor, and the director also participated in the box office revenue sharing.

Box office revenue sharing!

Based on the profit sharing, Li Yun should be able to earn at least ten million from this deal.

Li Yun at this moment.

But he was resting with his eyes closed.

For Li Yun, who doesn't currently have such strong material desires, having a house and a car is a blessing.

That seems to be enough.

Of course, more money would be better, since investing in movies also requires money.

This money only replenished the company's cash flow.

This will make the company's cash flow more abundant, allowing it to do more things.

But actually, having immense wealth is something that is secondary to pursuing.

What I pursue more is to become famous worldwide, reach the pinnacle, and make the whole world tremble for my work.

This is what Li Yun is pursuing.

"Great, great! You make more money, then I can live a carefree and comfortable life too, hahaha!"

In fact, the director's personality was whispering in Li Yun's ear again.

It's a lingering ghost.

"Want me to be your wedding dress? We'll see if you have the ability."

"It's okay. The more personalities you expel, the stronger I and the superstar will become. Then we'll see who gets to enjoy everything you've worked so hard for."

At this moment, the director's personality is sitting on Li Yun's shoulders.

"Haven't you noticed? After you sent Ip Man away, the two of us became more like independent individuals, rather than appendages."

"So what do you mean?"

Li Yun smiled faintly.

"So why don't you hurry up and teach me all your knowledge about directing? That way, my films will be better, and you'll enjoy more of the fame and fortune I've worked so hard for, right?"

"You little rascal, you're always thinking about how to exploit us."

At this point, the director's personality is truly admirable.

"Directing is actually an experiential discipline. No matter how much I teach you, it's just theoretical. You have to immerse yourself in real-world practice, you have to be fed with your work to truly understand and feel it. Add to that your unique sense of immersion, and I believe we can create earth-shattering works!"

This is true.

The directing profession is an experience-based discipline.

Even the most extraordinary talent needs to be nurtured by directorial works.

My next work.

It's probably about the new Three Kingdoms. As for film projects, I tend to have both the director and the lead actor working together, but so far I haven't found any good directorial works.

There seems to be a period of silence regarding patriotic films. There seems to be no news about "The Founding of a Republic" and "The Founding of the Party." It can only be said that the official pace of project implementation is indeed incredibly slow. This can be considered a downside of CCTV's planning.

From project approval to the start of filming, there is a lengthy review process.

Unlike other circles, where a project might be approved and then just have its signature signed during filming, this is a different story.

However, precisely because of this, works produced by CCTV staff are generally kept under wraps, remaining silent until they are released to great acclaim.

The key point is to concentrate resources on major tasks.

It can only be said that each circle has its own characteristics, so there is no way to say which is better or worse, or which is superior.

Especially for someone like Li Yun who mingles in certain circles.

I've benefited from every circle I've been in.

now.

The advantage of being able to mingle in various circles became apparent. There was no gap in the CCTV circle, but he still enjoyed many of the advantages, and benefited greatly from the resources within the industry.

As things stand at the moment.

This path is still the right one.

The movie "Ip Man" is still generating buzz.

And the next movie I'll be releasing is probably "Let the Bullets Fly".

Let the bullet fly for a while.

The most significant impact of this "Ip Man" film.

The main focus is still on the Hong Kong circle, and the most significant gains are also made there.

It remains to be seen what kind of impact this "Ip Man" film will have on the entertainment industry.

Now, more than half a month has passed, and the box office results have been definitively determined.

A big success.

This is the commercial success that "Ip Man" achieved at this time.

It is quite eye-catching.

Despite having an investment several times smaller than that of "The Warlords," it achieved comparable results.

That's enough to be proud of, enough to throw a big celebration banquet.

This result made Ye Weixin quite pleased.

Ye Weixin, who was chatting and drinking at the table, then laughed.

"Our chief hero has arrived too."

Only then did these people from all walks of life in Hong Kong realize that the person who had arrived was Li Yun, Ye Weixin's handpicked chief contributor.

Or rather, he doesn't need to make the decision.

That's the result.

Whether directing or starring, Li Yun has done an outstanding job in both action-packed scenes and dramatic scenes.

They achieved a remarkably high level of excellence.

It can be said that Li Yun was the main contributor to the success of "Ip Man" in overtaking "The Warlords".

"Let me introduce you. These are all from Emperor Entertainment and Da Cheng Entertainment. They're all old acquaintances in our Hong Kong circle." Yuan Jinbao, who was standing next to him, also introduced them.

They are all veterans in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

They are all representatives of investors from various sectors.

Li Yun naturally became a hot commodity.

This is also the biggest benefit that the successful release of the film brought to Li Yun.

This benefit likely comes from various resources.

The money used to make a movie can be invested in a new movie, and if the movie is made to a higher level, it will attract more industry resources.

Climbing step by step towards a higher position.

As an actor, I had opportunities to work with big companies like Emperor Entertainment.

But it won't be like it is now.

As a director and actor.

They were contacted together.

The director's status is much higher than the actor's—not just much higher, but significantly higher.

The director's table is always half a level or even a level higher than the actors' tables.

Of course, this is only under normal circumstances.

If it reaches the level of Jackie Chan or Stephen Chow, then the situation becomes quite different.

In fact, Stephen Chow and Jacky Heung were, to some extent, also part-time directors, pursuing both directing and acting careers.

After all, most of their movies are made at their own pace, so they can be considered self-directed and self-acted.

At this time.

There was someone who surprised Li Yundu.

He is Chen Kexin, the director of "The Warlords".

That is, the nominal opponent in this "Ip Man" movie.

Of course, for Li Yun, there is no such thing as an opponent or not. The only opponent in the box office is himself, who can make the audience genuinely spend money to watch the movie.

The real skill is being able to get money out of their pockets.

Winning an award is a true skill.

For "The Warlords," this is a very shameful thing.

1.5 million to 3000 million.

Even if you win, it won't make you look good.

If we lose, it will be a huge embarrassment.

At this moment, Chen Kexin felt a little regretful. Looking at the chief contributor to the business, she wondered if she had listened to Liu Dehua more back then, and if she had offered more incentives to keep Li Yun, would her "The Warlords" have been able to reach a higher level?

At least.

There won't be an opponent who would embarrass me even slightly.

However, in the commercial film market, there are no true friends or enemies. If we have to name an enemy, it would probably be Hollywood.

Civil wars are all benign.

After considering this, Chen Kexin also extended her olive branch.

"Mr. Li, I won't waste any more time. I have a movie that has been in the works for 10 years. I made 'The Warlords' to gather his resources. As it stands, I think I've barely met my expectations."

"Please speak."

"You're probably somewhat familiar with this kind of subject matter, but this is probably the first time it's been commercialized."

What Chen Kexin wants to talk about is patriotic films.

This patriotic film is called "Bodyguards and Assassins".

It's a rare mainstream theme in Hong Kong, and it's positioned as the mainstream theme among businesses.

Currently, this film is only missing a director.

As for the actors' roles, they are not important. There are no supporting actors in this movie; they are all main characters, or they are all supporting characters.

The protagonist of "Bodyguards and Assassins" is that magnificent period of history, that era of heroes' blood, tears, and battle songs.

With a lament.

"Bodyguards and Assassins..."

"Chen Kexin has spent ten years honing her skills, but she is missing a director. It's incredible that she is the director herself, yet she has placed the responsibility of the general director on me."

Chen Kexin is the screenwriter, the technical director, and works behind the scenes.

The problems he faced were exactly the same as those faced by those who were undercover agents back then.

He didn't want his hard work to be handed over casually, so he wanted to do everything himself.

However, this hands-on approach left him with no time to spare, so he had no choice but to relinquish the director's position.

Li Yun proved his ability as a commercial film director.

Chen Kexin's expectations for Bodyguards and Assassins are also quite simple.

It sold very well.

The more tickets sold, the better.

"With your ability to evoke emotions, combined with my framework, we can make this film effective and let the whole world know that it's not just the mainstream themes of America across the ocean that can resonate with audiences."

"We can too."

Chen Kexin extended her hand and smiled slightly.

"It's quite tempting."

Li Yun thought for a moment.

He also shook hands with Chen Kexin.

At this moment, Chen Kexin also sighed.

"You're completely famous in our Hong Kong circle now; you're a 'big star' now."

"Take one more step and you'll be a superstar."

"Superstars, and then, kings of superstars."

(End of this chapter)