396: Just Like the Blockbusters
"It's so stressful to film Director Jiang's scenes." Hu Jingtian couldn't help but become nervous when he saw the serious Jiang Ge.
"It's normal to have pressure. Director Jiang has very high requirements for details, even a line, a look, or an action. When Pei Jie was acting in "The Swordsman: The Undefeated," one scene had more than a dozen NG lines. "The life assistant wanted him to relax, but when he said this, it added a lot of pressure to him.
"Huh..." Hu Jingtian kept taking deep breaths to relieve his nervousness.
"Don't be nervous. You performed very well just now. Teacher Tiegang and the others praised you." the life assistant continued.
"Really or not?" Hu Jingtian subconsciously looked at Zhang Tiegang, who was touching up his makeup not far away.
"Of course it's true. How dare I make up such a lie." The life assistant replied.
Getting recognition from others can help Hu Jingtian regain his confidence faster.
Over there, Zhang Tiegang and others were still talking about him.
"Dr. Jiang, these 65 million dollars are worth it."
"Xiao Hu has solid basic skills. Even if he hasn't acted for two years, his acting skills have not been neglected."
"I don't know what his former company's mentality was like that such a promising actor would choose to give up."
"Who knows."
"I'm looking forward to playing opposite him."
"Me too."
…
There are indeed many actors among the new generation of stars whose acting skills are not up to par, and therefore they have been attacked a lot. It is reasonable for them to be criticized for poor acting.
In fact, "little fresh meat" originally refers to a young, handsome, and strong man. However, in the entertainment industry, the meaning of this word has gradually been distorted, and the positive meaning has become derogatory. The actor himself must learn to endure hardships. This is an actor. Self-cultivation, the reason why young actors are becoming less and less popular is mainly caused by those young actors who are not dedicated to their work, play big names, have sky-high salaries, act as stuntmen, cut out pictures, etc. and do not take their acting career seriously.
Several veteran drama stars spoke highly of Hu Jingtian, obviously having a good impression of this young junior.
——————
Every summer is a period of concentrated explosion of Hollywood movies. Among them, there are both sequels of well-known movie series and brand-new Hollywood movies released. There are both shocking science fiction blockbusters and thought-provoking realism themes.
Yesterday, each theater chain received a screening notice from China Film Group Corporation, stating that three Hollywood blockbusters will be released during the National Day.
The previous "Star Wars 7" has already earned 3.5 billion yuan at the box office, and it also won the May Day box office championship. At the same time, it once again proved that special effects blockbusters are still one of the magic weapons to attract audiences. No, "Superhuman Organization 3" 》has been sharpening its skills and plans to take over the National Day schedule.
Faced with these "big names" who easily dominate the box office for a month, it seems that the previous method of avoiding domestic films and choosing another schedule is no longer effective. It seems that no matter how long they hide, they can't avoid being crushed by Hollywood blockbusters.
However, since 2021, Django has emerged and made record-breaking movies one after another, giving domestic films the ability to compete with Hollywood blockbusters.
Coincidentally, "A Chinese Ghost Story" with an investment of over 500 million will be released on National Day this year.
"It was a tough fight."
"A fierce battle? Don't think that if you win a "War Machine: Deep Space Marine", you will be able to compete with Hollywood blockbusters."
"Indeed, the "Superhuman Organization" series is not comparable to the "War Machine" series. The first part ranked eighth at the global box office with US$5 billion, and the second part ranked sixth at the global box office with US$6 billion."
"This series has a large number of fans in China, and 3D movie tickets are expensive, so it has an advantage when the number of moviegoers is about the same."
"Yes, the first two parts scored a 2 and a 3, both of which are not low. Furthermore, the third part is the final chapter of this series, and there will be a lot of popular superhuman heroes appearing."
"Django's movies may not be good overseas, but they are still very good in China. The 300 million of "The Swordsman: The East" has surpassed "Superhuman 1", only 300 million is behind "Superhuman 2" ”
…
Although there are not that many MWDC comics fans in China, their individual superhero movie series over the years has started with "Superhuman Bug" and then to "Superhuman Giant", "Superhuman Sheriff", "Superhuman" Agents", "Blue Star Guardians", "The Fantastic Professor", etc., each one has gained a lot of fans, and the reputation has slowly accumulated in this way, and then these superhuman heroes were put together to create "Superheroes" "Human Organization" series allows many fans to see their favorite characters, which has increased the box office exponentially.
Therefore, there are so many people who are not optimistic that "Ghost Story" can win "Superhuman Organization 3".
"The opponent is very strong." Chen Qian said after seeing the list of movies scheduled for National Day.
"He is strong enough to be strong, and the breeze blows on the hills..." Jiang Ge was extremely calm and said: "Our goal is to recover the cost and make a little money."
"To repay 500 million, we need 500 million at the box office. If we make a little money, 1 billion at the box office will be enough. It's not a big problem, but..." Chen Qian analyzed it and said: "With the quality of "A Chinese Ghost Story," the box office is 3 billion. If I am starting out and suffer losses due to being squeezed out of filming by "Transhuman Organization 3", I feel it is not worthwhile."
This is not unreasonable. Jiang Ge smiled lightly and said: "You can change the schedule."
Chen Qian said: "If the Internet doesn't cause a stir, they will say that we are cowardly."
Jiang Ge shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly: "Let's just make trouble."
Chen Gan frowned and said, "What on earth are you thinking?"
Jiang Ge smiled and said, "What else can I think? Since we are not bad, what's there to be afraid of? Winning or not is one thing, fighting or not is another."
When Chen Gan heard this, he glared and said, "Then do it, fuck him!"
Jiang Ge has learned about this series of movies. It is similar to "Avengers" and "Justice League" on Earth. It is willing to spend money. The cost of one movie is more than 300 million US dollars. While the special effects are full, powerful actors are used.
But he also watched the sample of "A Chinese Ghost Story". Zhou Mulong and Cheng Xiaodong's directing have their own merits. Zhang Fucheng and Qin Shiyue are comparable to Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian played by Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong, and the special effects are greatly improved. It is definitely a first-class movie.
It will be a head-on confrontation with "Transhuman Organization 3". Whether it is a mantis trying to stop a chariot, or a tie, or even better, we will know after the release.
——————
In a blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.
On September 30, the preview of "A Chinese Ghost Story" was in full swing in 30 cities across the country.
To explain the preview in popular terms, it is to select a local theater to preview the movie that has not yet been officially released.
Although ordinary audiences can also buy tickets, it is relatively difficult to buy them because most of them have been given away, so that professional film critics and media can give their evaluations of the film in advance.
Two hours later, the evaluation of the preview of "A Chinese Ghost Story" was freshly released.
[Wei Chuan Talks about Drama]: 1 hour and 55 minutes, giving an unforgettable face, red rouge, white gouache, long hair draped over the shoulders, swaying earrings, star-like eyes, in the moment you are not sure of your mind, it has already taken away your soul.
[A Word of Advice]: The encounter between humans and ghosts is not romantic, but there are more crying and tears, more regrets and sighs, more heartbreak and pain.
[Ximeng Film and Television]: No spoilers? Then I'll do it. There's no boring moment in the whole process. The surprise starts from the opening song and continues until the end song. It's really wonderful. The picture, makeup, acting, special effects, and music are all top-notch. To be honest, the ticket price of 9 is cheap.
…
[Sina News]: Reviving old traditions does not mean indulging in nostalgia, but connecting one's life with important traditions. Looking at Django's movies, it almost ignores history and presents a traditional combination that stops at the end. This "A Chinese Ghost Story" is also the case.
[Penguin News]: The prototype of the story is derived from the famous "Nie Xiaoqian" in Pu Songling's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio". Many people have also filmed it, but just like Django's previous "Painted Skin", it has more of his own style and thinking, and has completely surpassed his predecessors to create a new classic.
[Today's Headlines]: At first glance at the name of the movie, it seems to be a horror movie, but in fact the plot is more like a romance movie. There are many stories of human-ghost love, but this "A Chinese Ghost Story" is very classic.
…
Goodness, there are at least 80 reviews from professional film critics and media, but there is not a single spoiler, almost all of them are talking about the depth.
“I am so anxious!”
“Did you watch it for nothing?”
“They said a lot of useless things.”
“Give me some solid stuff!”
“Is it too bad? They are paid to say good things?”
“It is very annoying.”
…
The audience who didn’t get to watch the preview were very angry. These people are all doing this for a living. I don’t know if they colluded or for some other reason. They didn’t mention a word about the plot.
In fact, I really blamed them. It’s not that they didn’t say anything, but that they couldn’t say anything. They signed a preview confidentiality agreement before watching the movie, and the reviews involving the plot can only be released after the official release.
“Mr. Jiang, the questionnaire for the preview in 30 cities across the country has been sorted out. I have sent it to your WeChat.”
Jiang Ge hung up the phone of his secretary Hu Xiao and then opened WeChat to check.
[12-22 years old:
Plot: 4 points, actors: 0 points, special effects: 8 points...
23-33 years old:
Plot: 0 points, actors: 5 points, special effects: 0 points...
34-44 years old:
Plot: 4 points, actors: 1 point, special effects: 0 points...
45-55 years old:
Plot: 9 points, actors: 0 points, special effects: 0 points...]
Just watching, a head poked over, accompanied by a crisp voice: "What are you watching?"
Jiang Ge handed over the phone and said: "A questionnaire for the preview of "A Chinese Ghost Story"."
Zhou Lingwei took a look and said: "Wow, it's good, the ratings of all age groups are very high."
Jiang Ge said: "There are too few viewers, it can only be used as a reference."
Zhou Lingwei smiled lightly and said: "Just rest assured, there will be no problem."
Jiang Ge looked at the time, put his arm around her waist and said: "Let's go."
Evening, Dongyang.
The streets are bustling. As the Mid-Autumn Festival passes, the temperature difference between morning and evening begins to increase. People have already put on autumn clothes.
The glass of the largest cinema in the city center, "Starry Sky Cinema", is covered with posters of movies that are about to be released or are currently showing. The two that occupy the largest and most space are "A Chinese Ghost Story" and "Transhuman Organization 3", both of which will be released tonight.
Their pre-sale box office has exceeded the single-film pre-sale box office record in Chinese film history. The former ranks first with 8.5 billion, and the latter ranks second with 7.6 billion. Together, they have divided up 70% of the screenings during this year's National Day.
Not only because one is Django's movie and the other is a Hollywood blockbuster, in addition to their own popularity, the publicity of both movies is also not small, and the publicity and distribution costs are more than 100 million.
"See, I said don't worry, we are ahead in pre-sale box office." Zhou Lingwei said while pulling the mask.
"It depends on the reputation from the official release tonight to tomorrow. Once the screening is reduced, the victory or defeat is basically determined." Jiang Ge stood in front of the ticket machine and took out the four movie tickets he had reserved by scanning the code.
He actually booked two shows for the entire crew of "Nirvana in Fire", but in order to see the audience's reaction, he chose to watch it with ordinary audiences as before.
At this time, Chen Gan and Chu Pianpian, who were queuing to buy drinks and popcorn, came over and said, "You bought so much, can you finish it?"
Chen Gan was a little hungry. If it wasn't for the time being, he would have wanted to go eat a bowl of noodles before coming back, and said, "It's nothing."
Jiang Ge took half of the drink and popcorn, looked up at the ticket check direction, and said, "You can go in."
He bought a ticket for the Imax2d theater, which has top-notch screens and speakers. The viewing experience is very good and is the first choice for many movie lovers.
Check the ticket and go in to find a seat.
After sitting down, Chen Gan looked around and saw that people were coming in one after another. Soon, hundreds of seats seemed to be full of people, and the attendance rate was quite good. He said, "The attendance rate of your movie is really unmatched."
Jiang Ge "coughed" twice and said, "Keep your voice down."
He was worried that if he was recognized, it would attract onlookers, but this feeling was quite exciting.
After a while, the lights in the theater dimmed.
Jiang Ge and Zhou Lingwei took off their masks, and then the screen turned green, a golden rubber ring flashed, and the familiar golden dragon logo lit up.
"It's about to start!"
The theater was quiet in an instant, and everyone looked at the screen, and everyone was alert.
The music sounded, and the picture was dim.
The camera gave a close-up of a plaque with three big characters written on it - Lanruo Temple.
Everything.
In the mist, the stone statues of the Four Heavenly Kings were located in the dark corner of the forest. Only the sound of the wind was heard, and the fallen leaves were flying. The camera slowly lifted up, and the steps and buildings appeared one by one.
In the room, the candlelight was swaying, and a handsome scholar was reading at night.
Suddenly the window was blown open by the wind, and he looked up, but saw a graceful woman in white dancing. When he was confused, the light gauze floated over, and he suddenly felt the fragrance, and his heart was moved.
The scholar stood up and walked towards the woman.
The book fell to the ground, the lantern fell into the basin, and only the faint moonlight was left in the room.
Wait for the camera to turn again.
There were two bodies on the bed...
[If you like this novel, I hope you can share it on Facebook. The author will be grateful. ]