The struggles of a failed college entrance exam candidate in Hong Kong entertainment

Chapter 93 (The Outlaw City) The Ultimate Fighter Takes Flight

On the afternoon of the 27th, (the hacker) was about to finish his work.

Hong Bao brought Gao Lihong along to visit the set.

After finishing a production in southern Jiangsu, Lao Hong quickly walked over with a broad smile, "Brother Nan, a film copy of (The Outlaws) has been sent to Skyworth."

"Take a look when you have time? If there are any changes needed, it will be convenient to redo it before the release."

The final post-production work for (the crime) was completed a couple of days ago, and Hung Chen-po has already taken some people to see an internal screening.

He invited Brother Nan immediately, but declined because the hacking project was almost finished.

The midnight screenings of (The Outlaws) at Golden Harvest Cinemas are now almost finalized, and the release date is set for the 28th.

Then, the period from the 29th to May 2nd can be considered the first weekend.

Old Hong then came back to send another invitation, asking Brother Nan to review it again and make changes if necessary.

There's no need to be embarrassed, after all, Skyworth invested 80% of the money in this (crime) film.

And the copies sent to Skyworth's headquarters? Rosamund Kwan's villa in Shenzhen has a home theater that can accommodate a screen that is six or seven meters high and ten meters long.

Sanmao's family also had this; as long as the approval is obtained, there is a relatively high degree of freedom in building villas in mainland China.

Su Nan chuckled, "Okay, I'll take some time to go back to Pengcheng with Azhi and the others."

"If you keep using your hype tactics, you might break 3000 million in Hong Kong."

Regardless of how many underhanded tricks they used, once the hype starts, the hype starts.

Old Hong nodded, "Brother Nan, you're truly a genius. You can promote both movie stars and singers with ease."

"My ancestors' graves must be emitting smoke!"

After a brief chat, Su Nan filmed two more scenes and then wrapped up work.

After finishing work and thinking for a while, he decided to lead the team to Skyworth first, and take some movie copies to Shenzhen in the north.

Sister Guan's villa has been completed for quite some time now.

The villa has a maximum of 3 stories. The land was purchased in early May last year, and it has been 12 months since then.

It's a vertically integrated development model encompassing construction, decoration, and vacating.

I stayed in the villa for one night and felt it was pretty good. The living space was much more spacious and the environment felt safer than when I stayed in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Overall, it's excellent; watching movies in your own private screening room is truly a pleasure.

After finishing (the hacking) and wrapping up filming, he developed some working samples and sent them to Hollywood for CGI special effects.

The films and TV shows scheduled for release in late April and May will also be released steadily.

On the evening of the 28th, it was still the Golden Harvest Dragon Theatre.

Several figures wearing masks and sunglasses entered the theater through the back door, accompanied by assistants and bodyguards.

One of them took off his mask, and someone in the hallway ahead greeted him with a smile, "Stephen Chow?"

This is Stephen Chow, and the people next to him are Tony Leung, Carina Lau, and real estate tycoon Law Chiu-fai.

Andy Lau greeted Stephen Chow.

Stephen Chow quickly gave an awkward laugh and cupped his hands in greeting, "Brother Hua, please stop teasing me, just call me Ah Xing."

Andy Lau and Xu Yajun walked over together. Andy Lau laughed and said, "Wei is here too. Xing, is this a showdown between the imposters Wei Xiaobao?"

Normally, Ah-Hua would never say something like that.

However, Stephen Chow's two films (The Deer and the Cauldron) were still big hits last year, and Leung Chiu-wai was filming Entertainment Company's (The True Wei Xiaobao: Ordered to Pick Up Girls).

In the film industry, riding the coattails of trending topics and engaging in promotional activities are basic practices. Why is Tony Leung's version being touted as the authentic one?

That was the 1984 TV series starring Andy Lau as Emperor Kangxi.

Ah Hua found it amusing that these two came to watch a midnight show together.

As for Ah-Hua and Hsu Ya-Chun being together? The two first collaborated on (Super School Overlord), where Hsu played the villainous general.

Secondly, in "The Thirty-Six Strategies of the Supreme Court," Li Jiaxin plays the female lead, and Liang Jiahui and Ahua play the two male leads.

Xu Yajun once again plays the villain Liu Yaozu, who is Mona's boyfriend in the movie "The Supreme".

This project has just begun.

Having been with Skyworth for over two years and frequently living and working in Hong Kong, Xu Yajun still finds it difficult to speak Cantonese, but she can understand common vocabulary in daily life without any problems.

On the other hand, people like Andy Lau, unlike Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, didn't speak Mandarin when they were young in opera troupes.

But Ah-Hua can actually understand this aspect quite well. He has released many Mandarin albums, which have been very helpful for language training.

Ah Xing smiled and made a few more polite remarks, introducing Luo Zhaohui, Ah Hua, and Lao Xu to each other.

He remarked with emotion, "Brother Nan's screenwriting prowess has spread far and wide, and countless people have been discussing it for a long time."

2

"I'm really curious to see how good this (Outlaws) series he wrote will be."

"Brother Hua, didn't any of you see the internal screening?"

Stephen Chow's career was interrupted by Jackie Chan and others, and Jet Li's momentum was also fierce.

Ah Xing maintains relatively stable emotional intelligence and social interactions.

His starring role in (Kung Fu Hustle) is the only film that allowed him to break into the US box office, grossing $1600 million, which is equivalent to HK$1.24 million.

Despite producing a large number of films, Win's Entertainment could never catch up with (Kung Fu Hustle).

Stephen Chow's mindset is unusually complex.

He worked hard for many years and proved himself in Hong Kong and Macau, but now he is increasingly targeting South Korea, Europe and the United States.

Stephen Chow and his group came mainly to see Su Nan's new script, wondering if it would give Hung Po a chance to make a comeback.

They even entered the European and American markets.

Ah-Hua laughed, "Ah-Jun has seen it, but I've come straight to the midnight showing without ever being there."

Xu Yajun still spoke in Mandarin, "(The Outlaws) is quite exciting and thrilling, it seems to be mainly about being cool, just as cool as (Never Ending)."

"I came to the theater to rewatch the movie. It feels like there are enough police crime films to make two or three movies."

The group chatted in the corridor for a while until the midnight screening was about to begin, when they all rushed into the main theater to watch the movie.

(The Outlaws) has officially begun.

The opening scene shows Hung Po wearing fitted clothes, making his upper body look like a giant in a gym. It's a very normal everyday scene of life on the streets of Hong Kong Island.

Old Hong walked through the crowd, brandishing his mobile phone, acting as a police officer as he dealt with the fights among the thugs.

Then there's the handling of disputes and frictions between two different triads on Hong Kong Island, such as fighting for territory, stabbing, and shooting.

These plots are quite ordinary; their most distinctive feature is that as long as there's time to act, they'll fight anyone, whether it's an ordinary thug or a knife-wielding assailant.

Old Hong would knock the opponent down with a slap or a punch, knocking them unconscious.

With its fast-paced narrative, this incredibly strong and muscular man immediately comes to life on screen.

This is Hung Po, an action star who fought from the 70s to the 90s.

The audience already has a deep-rooted impression of him being a good fighter. This new appearance doesn't deliberately try to be funny or cheeky; instead, he seriously demonstrates the power of his punches and slaps while working.

The intense opening minutes of the film brought countless viewers in the large theater to their senses.

Many people were surprised, or whispered among themselves, as this seemed to be a new image of Sanmao that they hadn't seen much of before.

A few minutes later, the scene shifts to Zhou Jie, Richie Jen, and Jiang Wu, who drive to an abandoned factory area and pull someone out of the back of their car.

Jiang Wu and Richie Jen are outwardly vicious, while Zhou Jie plays characters who are somewhat neurotic villains.

The trio was collecting debts, and when the debtor couldn't pay, Richie Jen smashed his hand with a sledgehammer.

The stark visuals shocked many in the theater, who gasped in shock. Loan sharks collecting debts were a common sight in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories.

However, the Zhou Jie trio, who would dismember people without warning and whose brutality was revealed through their smiles, shocked many moviegoers.

Within the first ten minutes, the story presented had already astonished countless people in the large screening room.

I've basically figured out the story's formula: a battle between a super-capable super cop and a group of super villains.

That's how the story unfolded from there.

The story unfolds along two parallel narratives, with Hung Po playing a tough police officer who constantly solves cases, searches for clues, and works to resolve the feud between two local triads.

The goal is for both sides to calm down and negotiate, so that no one loses their life.

He had just finished his role as the mediator in the negotiations when a leader from one of the two gangs stepped in to help because his underling's hand had been crippled by Zhou Jie's trio of debt collectors.

This also vividly demonstrates the difference between local community groups and Jay Chou's trio.

The gang leader was a shrimp-like tyrant, and he talked about collecting debts in a threatening manner.

Zhou Jie and his two companions, seemingly provoked by something, began frantically stabbing the local gang leader with knives, leaving a trail of bloody holes and killing him instantly.

Many movie fans were completely stunned.

The conversation between a triad boss and Zhou Jie was just like the negotiations between triad bosses in other Hong Kong films, with a harsh tone that carried a sense of intimidation and humiliation.

But it's just negotiations, it's only just begun.

Both groups have their underlings. Why did you start by stabbing people indiscriminately and killing them right from the beginning?

The evil and madness of Zhou Jie's trio are chilling.

On the other hand, the policeman played by Hong Bao goes to a nightclub to investigate something and is immediately invited to drink and have fun by the boss played by Wan Ziliang.

Old Hong complained that it was during working hours, and that he was disgusted by the girls' presence. He said, "Don't corrupt me, you piece of trash. I'll be overwhelmed when the girls arrive."

In the end, he reluctantly took the pretty girls out for drinks and entertainment.

Zhou Jie and his two companions, who had just finished collecting debts, also came to this nightclub for drinks and entertainment.

The showdown between police and criminals, good and evil, has officially begun.

As the plot unfolded to this point, Liu Jialing, sitting near Stephen Chow, whispered curiously, "Brother Chow, this movie?"

Ah Xing asked suspiciously, "It's not as amazing as (Kung Fu) (Peerless), nor does it have the terrifying investment of (Hacker)."

"The plot development feels a bit ordinary, but it has already piqued my curiosity."

"Even though I know that Sanmao will be the one to beat up the skewers later, I still really want to see how Sanmao will deal with this group of crazy and neurotic people."

That's how the script is—uncomplicated and neither amazing nor shocking.

But if you keep watching, you'll want to see how the crazy, eccentric trio of Zhou Jie and his friends will be defeated and tortured after they meet Lao Hong.

The hook has been completely pulled out!

What follows is a perfect hook created by Stephen Chow's character, providing a thrilling and enjoyable viewing experience.

The dual narrative has always shown Zhou Jie's crazy and mad gang on one side.

When faced with various situations, these three guys displayed increasingly brutality and lethality, demonstrating formidable fighting and combat skills.

On the other hand, Lao Hong is getting increasingly aggressive in his investigations and catching thieves.

The thrill of One-Punch Man throughout the film frequently elicited gasps and screams from the audience.

The punches and slaps Hong Bao delivers in the first ten minutes are merely character development.

Once the curtain rises, his super-powerful, mechanical-god-like domination of extras truly shines.

Departing from the deliberately silly and cheeky comedic style, Hong Bao here displays a more rational and firm refusal when someone invites him to drink and carouse.

He presents himself as a paragon of virtue and righteousness, yet when a beautiful girl appears, he cannot resist the temptation within and chooses to indulge in dry humor.

This kind of dry humor is much more effective at making people laugh.

As the movie drew to a close, shouts of cursing occasionally broke out in the theater, mainly from people who were terrified by the brutality and lack of scruples of the riot gang.

As Lao Hong led his team to defeat one villain after another, the applause and cheers they received grew ever louder.

This time, Hung Po doesn't need to fight the villains dozens or hundreds of times with his traditional action star image; he can shine with his beautiful and sharp martial arts routines.

The powerful punches and heavy blows, the sheer force of which overpowered all other techniques, provided a thrilling and exciting experience that left countless viewers shouting with satisfaction.

The finale, where the villainous team is defeated, unfolds with Lao Hong leading several team members through the streets, featuring Stephen Chow and his entourage, along with other celebrities and actors from various industries.

They all started leaving early.

Reunited in the corridor outside the screening room, Xu Yajun clapped her hands excitedly, "Watching it again still feels exhilarating and satisfying."

"The story is not complicated, but the sense of exhilaration is exceptionally strong."

Andy Lau nodded, "The overall style is realistic and aloof. I feel that even without the mystery surrounding Brother Nan as a gimmick, it wouldn't be difficult for this film to gross 2000 million."

"Zhou Jie's acting is quite good. He was so funny in (Kung Fu Hustle), but this version of Chuanbao is just insane."

This character is incredibly fierce, far more so than Killer Xiong and Da Tun from Prison Break.

He is also more ruthless than Brother Yong, played by Wan Ziliang in the two-part series (Jianghu Qing).

Yong Ge is all about dramatic scenes and crazy gunfights, while Zhou Jie and the others mainly engage in hand-to-hand combat and knife killings, making them both wicked and memorable.

The original (The Outlaws) attracted 680 million viewers in South Korea.

At the current price of HK$30 per ticket, that would be equivalent to over HK$2 million in box office revenue.

Andy Lau is speechless. Since the establishment of his company, Teamwork Entertainment, he has occasionally made a profit, but then suffered consecutive failures and losses.

Sanmao, who originally owned three companies, was a guiding light on his path to losing money.

Although I've been losing money, didn't the older generation lose money in the same way? There's even someone like Brother Sanmao who lost more than me, but I can still tolerate it.

In the blink of an eye, they've made a fortune and are practically becoming self-made millionaires.

Time flies, and May 2nd arrives. (The Outlaws 1) raked in HK$7.7 million at the box office in Hong Kong over its opening weekend.

Reputation? Many moviegoers who were drawn in by the hype and mystery surrounding the multi-million Hong Kong dollar screenwriter from southern Jiangsu felt that the film was somewhat overrated.

After watching it, most people thought the movie was quite good and enjoyable.

But to be compared to a screenwriter with tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars? Is that all? This is no better than the (Once Upon a Time in China) series or (Fong Sai-yuk).

It's far inferior to (Dynasty Warriors) and (Speed ​​of Life).

Even so, most people still don't feel that spending 30 or 35 yuan to watch such an action movie is a waste.

The quality of this movie is definitely worth the ticket price.

Numerous media outlets and film review magazines have given (The Outlaws) positive reviews, so no one has questioned whether Su Nan's screenwriting ability is truly worth tens of millions.

The main point is to praise Hung Po-ming for finding a good new path after years of continuous success in front of the camera.

More? Old Hong is already celebrating with champagne at Baoxiang.

770 million in the first four days? Without all the brainwashing marketing gimmicks, everyone expected the first film to gross over 2000 million.

Even if it's a success, it's still considered a success.

Achieving 2500 million in box office revenue would be a huge success!

What's the current trend? Maybe we can reach 1000 million in the second week.

If it can gross over 1700 or 1800 million HKD in eleven days, it will already be among the top fifteen in Hong Kong's annual box office rankings!

Even if the box office drops by half starting in the third week, it's a sure thing that Hong Kong Island will surpass HK$2500 million.

This signifies that Sanmao, after years of setbacks, has truly made a comeback as an action star.