Hong Kong Entertainment 1979: A Beating Up the Manager at the Start

When the film's end credits song, "Happy Ghost," began to play, the entire audience in the theater burst into applause, followed by whistles and shouts.

They seem to be very satisfied with the movie, otherwise this situation wouldn't have occurred.

Chen Bosen remained seated, silently closing the notebook in his hand.

The young people around them were all excited, discussing their favorite characters.

A small group of middle-aged viewers were lost in reminiscence and contemplation.

Those who were biting the sugarcane stalks clapped until their hands were red.

Chen Bosen and Ma Haoyu followed the crowd out of the theater, where a long queue had already formed outside to buy tickets for the next movie.

Every now and then, someone would pull up someone who had just left the theater and ask how the movie was.

Above the ticket window, the poster for "Happy Ghost" is particularly eye-catching, with the four main actors all beaming with youthful smiles. The poster is also accompanied by the catchy phrase: "The most mischievous youth, the happiest campus memories."

Ma Haoyu hurriedly said goodbye to Chen Bosen, as he would be busy when he got back today.

Chen Bosen couldn't sit idle either. His magazine had only been running for six months and desperately needed substantial film reviews to boost its influence. Clearly, he had decided to use "Happy Ghost" as a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Li Jiangbo was still fast asleep, completely unaware of what was happening outside.

Li Jiangbo was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door at 3 p.m.

When he opened the door, he discovered it was Johnnie To, that scoundrel.

This made him very angry!

However, he could understand Johnnie To's feelings. If it were him, without any special advantages, he would also feel anxious and uncertain about his first time directing a serious film.

Ming Pao: Shaw Brothers' first attempt at open collaboration ends in defeat; Li Jiangbo's "Happy Ghost" may become a laughing stock.

Sing Tao Daily: "Shaw Brothers' New Director Suffers a Setback; Midnight Screenings at Jade Cinema Less Than 40% Full"

Oriental Daily News: "The Fierce Swordsman" had a 30% attendance rate, "Happy Ghost" had a 40% attendance rate, and Shaw Brothers had a slightly higher attendance rate of 10%.

......

Hearing the various sarcastic remarks in the newspapers, Li Jiangbo frowned. "It's alright. I think today's box office results will prove all those newspapers wrong."

Johnnie To sat down seriously. "I think so too. The tone regarding 'Happy Ghost' will change tomorrow."

Li Jiangbo looked at Johnnie To with a puzzled expression and asked, "Huh! How come you're so confident too?"

Johnnie To, who had been pretending to be serious, could no longer hold back his laughter and burst into laughter, "Because I went to check out all the Shaw Brothers cinemas."

"How's it going? Is the attendance high?"

"The four leading cinemas have an average occupancy rate of around 90%, while other remote cinemas are estimated to have an occupancy rate of around 60%."

Li Jiangbo was overjoyed upon hearing this, as the attendance rate was clearly a sign that it was about to explode!

He immediately sat up straight and asked for confirmation, "The four leading theaters have an average occupancy rate of 90%? Even the more remote theaters have 60%? Ah Feng, are you sure you didn't misread it?"

Johnnie To, his face flushed, said, "I only visited four top-tier cinemas; the other cinemas were identified based on the analysis of those top-tier cinemas."

Li Jiangbo scratched his head, pointed at Johnnie To, and said, "You really dare to analyze things!"

After chatting and laughing excitedly for a while, Johnnie To handed Li Jiangbo a cigarette and asked, "Director Li, do you think I can make movies?"

Li Jiangbo looked Johnnie To up and down and realized that the current Johnnie To was completely different from the domineering figure he had been years ago. He was just an assistant director and would not be able to direct his first film, "The Deadly Gold in the Cold Mountain," until next year.

As far as I can remember, this film was a disastrous flop, to the point that Johnnie To lost the courage to continue working in the film industry.

He then directed the famous TVB productions that would be remembered for generations: the 83 version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes and the Deer and the Cauldron version starring Tony Leung and Andy Lau.

It wasn't until 1986 that he showcased his talent in "Happy Ghost 2".

When people talk about Johnnie To, their first impression is gangster films and triad films. It's hard to imagine that an expert who specializes in making police and gangster stories could be successful in making campus comedies.

Li Jiangbo chuckled and said, "Of course! What? You want to make a movie?"

Johnnie To rubbed his hands together, then asked somewhat sheepishly, "Does Director Li have any good projects in mind?"

"There are no projects! Go find one yourself! Let me make this clear: if the script isn't up to par, I won't invest!"

Johnnie To was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening, and an excited look appeared on his face.

He nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Director Li, for giving me this opportunity."

Li Jiangbo laughed heartily, "What opportunity? You've been an assistant director for so long, it's only natural to have ideas."

The two chatted and laughed for a while before Li Jiangbo saw Johnnie To off.

After everyone left, Li Jiangbo immediately went to bed and fell into a deep sleep. This was the only day in the past few months that he could sleep peacefully.

It wasn't until 5 p.m. that Zhao Yazhi finally unlocked her door.

The room was pitch black, but Zhao Yazhi didn't care. She turned on the living room light and began to remove her makeup.

Li Jiangbo, still asleep, was awakened by the blinding light. He muttered, "Damn it! Why did you turn on the light?!"

Zhao Yazhi then realized that Li Jiangbo had been sleeping at home all day. She quickly turned off the main light and turned on the small light on the dressing table to remove her makeup.

She didn't come to the bedside until she had removed her makeup, and shook Li Jiangbo.

"Bo-zai, are you hungry?"

Li Jiangbo said impatiently, "I'm not hungry!"

Zhao Yazhi, oblivious to Li Jiangbo's impatience, whispered in his ear, "Bo-zai, I heard that all four of Shaw Brothers' top cinema chains are packed today. Looks like you're going to succeed..."

Li Jiangbo suddenly sat up, looking at Zhao Yazhi with red eyes.

Zhao Yazhi was startled and quickly turned away, not daring to meet Li Jiangbo's gaze.

Li Jiangbo suddenly stood up, picked up Zhao Yazhi, and threw her onto the bed.

He just woke up and is very irritable; he needs to calm down.

At midnight, Shao Yifu was still in his office, quietly waiting for Ji Tongguang's call.

Fang Yihua, who was next to her, couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep on the sofa.

A sudden, urgent phone call rang in the quiet office, startling Fang Yihua from her light sleep.

Shao Yifu quickly answered the phone, "Hello!"

"Uncle Six, the box office results for the first day are in. It's a total of 503,200 yuan."

Shao Yifu picked at his ear. "Say it again."

"That's a total of 503,200 yuan!"

Shao Yifu fell silent. He never imagined that a director of erotic films could go to such lengths.

Keep in mind that movie ticket prices haven't gone up yet; they're still five yuan each. With over 50 yuan in box office revenue on its opening day and positive feedback going forward, it's definitely headed for the year's box office champion!

On the other end of the phone, Ji Tongguang kept saying, "The audience's reaction was very strong. If it hadn't only been shown in 10 theaters this morning, I estimate the box office could have reached 60."

After a long pause, Shao Yifu finally asked, "How's the box office performance at Golden Harvest?"

Ji Tongguang replied, "Based on the occupancy rate, the box office is estimated to be around 30."

Shao Yifu hummed in agreement, then asked, "How was the audience's reaction over there?"

Ji Tongguang shook his head. "The effect wasn't very good. Many viewers bought tickets here after watching Golden Harvest movies."

The two chatted for a while longer before Shao Yifu hung up the phone.

Fang Yihua, who was standing to the side, finally spoke up and asked, "Sixth Brother! Did we win this time?"

Shao Yifu nodded, glanced out the window, and said in an incredulous tone, "I never imagined that we could defeat Jiahe so decisively with just a young upstart!"

Fang Yihua looked at Shaw Yifu with excitement, "Is there a chance they can challenge for the annual box office champion?"

Shao Yifu calmly replied, "Judging from the current situation, it should be possible."