Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

On June 20, Fu Yibai had just finished a post-production meeting for "The Wandering Earth 2" and was leaving the editing room when his phone rang.

Tian Xiaopeng's voice came through the receiver, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Mr. Fu, the film is finished. When would you be free to come down and take a look?"

Fu Yibai glanced at the time; it was a little past three in the afternoon.

"Now is fine."

After hanging up the phone, he took Zhang Xinyu to the 27th floor in the elevator.

At the entrance of the theater, Tian Xiaopeng and several core members of the animation team were already waiting.

Seeing Fu Yibai approaching, Tian Xiaopeng went up to him and led him inside.

Fu Yibai sat down in the middle of the theater, Zhang Xinyu sat behind him, and Tian Xiaopeng and the technical director sat on either side of him.

The lights dimmed.

A city of Chang'an, rendered in the style of traditional Chinese ink painting, appeared on the big screen.

Distant mountains are like dark eyebrows, nearby waters are shrouded in mist, and mountain mists float in the air. The shadow of a mountain demon flashes through the mist, accompanied by the clear and melodious sound of a flute.

Fu Yibai remained silent, watching quietly.

Throughout the 95 minutes, he adjusted his posture several times, but his gaze never left the screen.

Compared to the previous version of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back", this version is indeed significantly better in terms of quality.

The Dawn visual effects team has done a more delicate job with the handling of hair, water flow, and lighting, making the visual impact of several key scenes much stronger.

Sun Wukong's cloak has a realistic weight to it every time it flips up, and Jiang Liuer's skin texture can withstand magnification in close-up shots.

In terms of the script, Tian Xiaopeng made minor adjustments to several emotional transitions, making the bond between Jiang Liuer and Sun Wukong more solid.

The music and visuals in the final scene where the Great Sage is unsealed were perfectly coordinated; Fu Yibai could feel the air in the entire screening room freeze.

The film ended, and the lights came back on.

Fu Yibai leaned back in his chair and spoke after a few seconds.

"very good."

Tian Xiaopeng visibly relaxed, his tense state dissipating. He turned to look at his team, his eyes shining brightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Fu."

"You're welcome."

The success of this film is due to your own abilities.

Fu Yibai stood up and extended his hand to Tian Xiaopeng. Tian Xiaopeng quickly grasped it, his palms sweaty.

"Leave the rest to the distribution department. I will have Wu Zhen submit it for review as soon as possible and finalize the release date."

That afternoon, Fu Yibai called Wu Zhen to his office and handed over the review and scheduling instructions for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back".

On June 25, "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" was officially scheduled for release on October 1.

The publicity department of Dawn reacted very quickly. Two hours after the release date was announced, the official Weibo account released the first official trailer.

The ink-wash painting style and top-notch special effects immediately sparked heated discussions online.

"This visual is absolutely stunning! When did Chinese animation reach this level?"

"Sun Wukong's design is so realistic, and his cape is so cool!"

"Anything produced by Chenxi is guaranteed to be of high quality. I'll bookmark this and take the whole family to see it during the National Day holiday."

The topic's popularity continued to rise over three days, and the official Weibo account's followers increased from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

Fu Yibai instructed Wu Zhen to control the pace of the publicity campaign, not to reveal all their cards at once, and to maintain a sense of urgency.

Meanwhile, the promotional campaign for "Monster Hunt" also spanned the entire summer.

Posters featuring Bai Baihe and Jing Boran together have been plastered on bus stops in major cities, and have appeared on television variety shows, online variety shows, and short video platforms in turn.

Huba dolls and emojis are everywhere; even before the movie was released, merchandise had already sold several times online.

Blue Starry Sky Pictures and Edko Films began promoting the project in late March by highlighting that Kai Ko's drug arrest nearly caused the project to fail, and that the production company spent 70 million to replace the actor and reshoot the film, with the budget soaring from just over 200 million to 350 million. This promotion lasted for more than three months.

The audience's curiosity was piqued to its peak.

On July 16, "Monster Hunt" was released nationwide.

On its opening day, the film grossed 1.72 million RMB.

After the first group of people who went to the cinema came out, word of mouth began to spread.

Huba's adorable antics, the chemistry between Jing Boran and Bai Baihe, and Raman Hui's perfectly timed comedic and emotional moments cater to almost all age groups.

In the following days, the box office of "Monster Hunt" climbed rapidly.

On July 23, "Monster Hunt" surpassed 1 billion yuan in cumulative box office revenue, becoming the second Chinese-language film in Chinese film history, after "The Wandering Earth," to break 1 billion yuan in box office revenue in just seven days.

Marketing accounts sprang into action upon hearing the news.

"Has Fu Yibai's era of dominating the Chinese film industry come to an end?"

"The Wandering Earth's box office record of 34.79 billion yuan is in jeopardy, while Monster Hunt is expected to challenge the box office record."

"Chinese-language films are flourishing, and Fu Yibai is no longer the only box office legend."

Similar headlines flooded Weibo, WeChat official accounts, and major news apps.

The accompanying images are all box office posters for "Monster Hunt" and comparison charts of box office data for Fu Yibai's previous films.

In the comments section, some people refuted the claims, some followed suit, and many more remained neutral.

When Fu Yibai saw these articles, he was in Yuanyang's study reviewing the publicity plan for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back".

Zhang Xinyu handed him her phone, he glanced at it a few times, and smiled.

"That's quite interesting."

Zhang Xinyu asked softly, "Should we respond?"

Fu Yibai returned the phone to her, thought for a moment, and then opened his Weibo account.

He rarely posts on Weibo; his last post was a set photo he shared two months ago when filming for "The Wandering Earth 2" wrapped up.

Fans were already used to this silence, but when they suddenly saw the update notification, tens of thousands of people flooded into the comment section.

"I just finished watching 'Monster Hunt,' and I was very moved."

"Some people in the industry are willing to spend 70 million to reshoot the film. This kind of dedication deserves everyone's respect."

Director Raman Hui and the entire cast and crew did a great job, and the performances of Jing Boran and Bai Baihe were also a pleasant surprise.

"Chinese-language films need more works like this."

I would be happy if my record were broken by a movie like this.

"Wishing 'Monster Hunt' great box office success."

After posting on Weibo, he put his phone on the table and continued looking at the plan in his hand.

This Weibo post quickly rose to the top of the trending topics list within half an hour.

"Fu Yibai has a truly broad perspective."

"This is the industry benchmark; they don't care about records at all."

"To be honest, any one of the things Fu Yibai has done in the past few years is more valuable than that record."

"Those marketing accounts really should learn what magnanimity is."

"Let's cheer on Director Fu and 'Monster Hunt' together! May Chinese films get better and better!"

The official Weibo accounts of Blue Starry Sky Pictures and Edko Films reposted the message, and Raman Hui also personally replied on Weibo with three words: "Thank you."

Bai Baihe and Jing Boran each reposted it.

This turmoil came quickly and went quickly.

On July 31, "Monster Hunt" surpassed 7 billion yuan at the box office, and its growth momentum continued to be strong.

Fu Yibai stopped paying attention to these numbers and focused his energy back on the post-production of "The Wandering Earth 2".