Huayu: I rely on hit-movie tactics to interweave...

After casting was completed, the crew went to a college for the deaf and mute to begin a month-long training and life experience.

"Speed ​​Scandal" is scheduled to be released on April 30.

At the same time, it was only competing with one Hong Kong film, "Police Cadet '84," and the Hollywood blockbuster "Van Helsing," which was released on May 3.

Liu Yu glanced at the schedule and saw that there weren't any particularly strong competitors.

Unlike the Lunar New Year film season, the May Day holiday film season is not as crowded. Famous directors' films are usually released in the second half of the year, so this is a window of opportunity, a perfect time to snag a good one.

China Film Group and Bona Film Group have great confidence in this film.

Han Sanping said at an internal meeting: "I've read Liu Yu's script. It has a good rhythm, lots of jokes, and the audience loves it."

Yu Dong was even more direct, slamming his hand on the table and saying, "If this film doesn't make 100 million, I'll treat the whole company to a seafood buffet, all-you-can-eat!"

The campaign has officially begun.

Liu Yu attended several of BJ's promotional events, while the rest were attended by the main actors.

News about "Speed ​​Scandal" dominated the domestic entertainment pages.

Everyone is still looking forward to Liu Yu's second film.

The first "A Moment to Remember" was a box office and critical success, and everyone is waiting to see if this sequel will be a successor.

The reviews from the preview screenings are in.

Film critics generally gave it positive reviews, calling it "a refreshing work that differs from traditional comedies," "full of jokes without being vulgar," and noting that "Liu Yu's control of the pacing is more mature than in the first film."

A film critic from the Beijing Evening News wrote a long article, ending with the sentence: "I laughed for a full 100 minutes in the movie theater, and my face was stiff when I came out."

......

On May Day, "Speed ​​Scandal" was released nationwide.

Liu Yu sat in his office with several newspapers spread out in front of him and a pen twirling in his hand.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Yu Dong called.

"Director Liu! Where are you?" Yu Dong's voice was so loud it sounded like he was shouting at a mountain, and in the background there was the clinking of glasses.

"office."

"Have you looked at the data? How much do you guess?"

"No. Just tell me. Don't make me guess, I can't be sure."

"Ten million on the first day! Ten million three hundred thousand!" Yu Dong's voice cracked. "This is only the first day! How much will it be over the whole week of May Day? You do the math!"

Liu Yu did not speak.

Ten million, which was a little higher than he had expected.

"Mr. Yu, don't get agitated. Let's wait until after May Day. What if it gets cut in half?"

"Cut in half?! The screenings have increased! Word-of-mouth is spreading! Just you wait and see!"

Liu Yu put his phone on the table, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

Ten million. He knew what that number meant; it was highly likely to exceed one hundred million.

He didn't laugh, because something else was already on his mind: public opinion.

He picked up the newspaper on the table and turned to the entertainment section.

The Southern Metropolis Daily's headline was short, but prominently placed: "Speed ​​Scandal: Premarital Pregnancy, Extramarital Affairs—What Values ​​Does This Film Want to Convey?"

The article was quite blunt, saying that the film "glorifies birth out of wedlock," "treats irresponsible relationships as a joke," and "lacks a sense of social responsibility."

Liu Yu read the newspaper twice, then put it down. He lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and stubbed it out. There were already several cigarette butts in the ashtray, all from this morning.

.....

Public opinion spread faster than he had anticipated.

The next day, even more critical articles appeared.

The New Express Daily described the film as "vulgar, tasteless, and morally distorted."

The Yangcheng Evening News reported, "This insult to intelligence has lowered the audience's standards of humor by twenty years."

The Youth Times specifically criticized the article, stating that it "has the wrong direction and lacks a sense of social responsibility, and suggested that relevant departments pay attention to it."

Good guy.

Liu Yu sat in his office, reading through the articles one by one.

He knew that some of these criticisms were true and some were false; some were serious discussions, some were just trying to ride the wave of popularity, and some were just criticisms for the sake of criticism.

In any case, the wind has turned against us. The headlines are all incredibly sensational, as if they've all conspired to strike together.

He picked up the phone and called Han Sanping.

"Mr. Han, have you read those comments?"

Han Sanping sighed on the other end of the phone, his voice a few decibels deeper than usual.

"I've seen it. Don't worry, I'll ask someone to find out which side of the water it is."

"I'm not in a hurry, the box office is still rising." Liu Yu's tone was calm, but his fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"Box office numbers are rising, but so are the criticisms. Be careful not to say anything inappropriate in interviews. The more you say now, the more mistakes you'll make. They can find ten faults in every single sentence you utter."

"I know. I haven't answered anyone's calls these past two days."

"That's good. There are indeed some scenes in your film that are easy for people to use to make a fuss. We know that ourselves, but we can't stop some people from deliberately interpreting it in a distorted way."

"Mr. Han, who do you think is behind this?"

Han Sanping paused for a moment, then said, "Don't you know what's going on?"

Liu Yu didn't respond. He knew what was going on, but without evidence, speaking out would offend people.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on things for you. Just stay calm."

"Thank you, Mr. Han."

......

The box office soared to 13.16 million on the second day.

It's even higher than the first day.

The louder the criticism, the higher the box office.

This is a strange phenomenon, but it's not surprising at all in this circle.

Liu Yu looked at the number, smiled slightly, and quickly looked away.

Liu Yu's phone was ringing off the hook, and he didn't want to get into a war of words with the media at this time.

Winning the verbal battle but losing at the box office is meaningless. Winning at the box office but losing the verbal battle is also meaningless. What he wants is to win both, but now it seems unlikely.

He sent Yan Danchen a text message: "Don't go on forums lately, and don't look at those people who are swearing."

Yan Danchen replied with a single word: "Okay."

A little while later, he replied again: "Are you okay?"

"fine."

.....

On May 4th, Liu Yu was summoned to the Film Bureau.

The news was personally delivered to him by Han Sanping via phone call.

On the other end of the phone, Han Sanping's voice was deep: "Director Liu, tomorrow morning at 9:30, Film Bureau. Director Zhang and Director Li will both be there. Please get ready."

"What are you preparing?"

"Preparedness"

Liu Yu didn't ask any more questions. He hung up the phone, sat in his office, and stared blankly for a long time.

The next morning, Han Sanping and Yu Dong waited for him at the entrance of the Film Bureau.

Yu Dong's face was grim, ashen, as if he were owed five million. Han Sanping's expression was serious, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

The three people stood in the corridor, none of them speaking first. The corridor was long, paved with gray marble floors, and every footstep echoed.

"Director Liu, don't talk back when you go in. Just listen to what they say. Be sincere and say as little as possible. Don't explain." Han Sanping patted his shoulder, his hand pausing briefly before applying a little pressure. "The more you explain, the more they'll think you're defiant. And if they're defiant, it'll be troublesome."

"I know." Liu Yu straightened his collar. He was wearing a dark blue shirt today, without a tie, which looked formal but not overly so.

"Also," Yu Dong leaned closer and lowered his voice, "if they ask you, 'Do you think you were wrong?', just say, 'I accept the criticism and will reflect on it seriously.' Don't say 'I was right,' and don't explain why you weren't wrong."

"Mr. Yu, are you teaching me to admit my mistake?"

"This isn't about admitting fault, it's about attitude." Yu Dong's voice lowered. "Whether you admit fault or not isn't important; what's important is making them feel that you have. If you adopt a humble attitude, the matter will be smaller. If you adopt a haughty attitude, the matter will be bigger."

Liu Yu glanced at him and said, "President Yu, you're talking like a politician."

"Who in this circle isn't a politician?" Yu Dong gave a wry smile.

......

On May 10th, the box office of "Speed ​​Scandal" exceeded 90 million.

On the same day, cinemas across the country received a notice that the film would be pulled from theaters.

The notification came quickly, was worded very formally, and its meaning was very clear.

Cinema managers were discussing it in the group chat. Some said, "What a pity, this film is still being sold." Others said, "There's nothing we can do, there are requirements from above." Still others said, "It's not bad that it made 90 million."

News media extensively reported on the news of "Speed ​​Scandal" being pulled from theaters.

The titles were increasingly sensational and ingeniously crafted.

"Liu Yu's new film was urgently pulled from theaters, and its box office revenue stopped at 90 million."

"The controversy surrounding 'Speed ​​Scandal' has caused the dark horse of the May Day holiday box office to falter."

"Under pressure from public opinion, Liu Yu's second film was withdrawn from theaters early."

"What happened to 'Speed ​​Scandal' from being a critical acclaimed hit to being pulled from shelves?"

Many companies in the industry are gloating over the situation.

Some people said privately, "Liu Yu has finally failed," with a smug tone that seemed to say, "I knew it all along."

Some people said, "He deserves it, let him be arrogant," but the person who said that called Liu Yu last month asking for investment.

The lead actors have been bombarded with questions from the media lately.

Zhang Guoli was cornered at the entrance of his residential compound. A reporter, carrying a camera, chased after him for half a block, asking, "What do you think about the movie being taken down?"

As he walked, he said, "I only read the script, I don't care about distribution." Turning back, he added, "If the script is good, I'll act in it. I don't know anything else."

Yan Danchen was stopped at the airport, and a reporter almost poked her in the face with a recording pen, asking, "Do you think the movie has distorted values?"

She pushed her sunglasses down, glanced at the reporter, and said, "Whether your values ​​are warped or not, did you even watch it?"

The reporter paused for a moment, then said, "I saw it."

"Then tell me where it's crooked?"

The reporter opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word. She put on her sunglasses, pulled her suitcase, and left.