Global Film Emperor

Chapter 126 Heading to the Premiere

"Okay, I understand. I'll go downstairs now."

With his phone sandwiched between his head and shoulder, Lu Ze tilted his head to the side, making a call while tying his tie and putting on his size 45 leather shoes, the soles of which made a clattering sound on the marble floor.

He looked very handsome today, wearing a light gray striped suit, a white shirt, and a navy blue plaid tie. His hair was too long and became uncomfortable sticking to his face and neck when it got wet during training, so he shaved it into a buzz cut.

Lu Ze has a well-proportioned head, and his shaved head makes him look very energetic. He puts his hand into his pants pocket, stomps his foot, and in the mirror, he looks like a mature, handsome young man.

In fact, there are quite a few people in their thirties who are still called "young heartthrobs," but Lu Ze could only be called a "young uncle" at the age of twenty-six. After he turned thirty, he couldn't escape the title of "middle-aged uncle."

Today he was going to attend the press conference for "Hello, Mr. Tree". Liu Bin was already waiting at the entrance of the boxing gym. After looking around to see if he had forgotten anything, he put on his dark sunglasses, a large-faced watch, and the ring with the same tone, and snapped his fingers.

"Set off."

"Brother Lu looks so handsome today, his suit and tie are just too good-looking."

"Wow, that's really cool! Did Brother Lu get a red envelope for reposting on Weibo? Or maybe you could share some inside information or something! I want to be the lucky one!"

The boxers were sweating profusely in the ring, and when Lu Ze walked by, their eyes widened. Indeed, for these testosterone-fueled boxers, a man in a suit like this was the real heartthrob.

"I don't have any money. When I get back tonight, I'll treat you to something nice. Of course, it has to be something the coach allows, because I don't want to get beaten up."

Spending all his time with these guileless young men, Lu Ze never played any tricks on them. Instead, seeing them drooling over his diverse food all day, he would often change things up for them to satisfy their appetites.

Pushing open the door of the boxing gym, it was already the middle of summer. The heat hit my face, with a strong sense of humidity, like being in a sauna. After taking a few steps, my forehead was covered in sweat.

When Wang Zixuan saw Lu Ze come out, she opened the car door from inside the car and let Lu Ze sit in, while she slurped down her carton of Want Want milk.

"Any more? Give me a box, Brother Liu, no rush, open it slowly."

The milk had been frozen in the refrigerator and was ice-cold when it was taken out. With a straw inserted, the two people in the back seat didn't look like colleagues or siblings; judging from their height, they looked more like a father and daughter.

Lu Ze picked up his phone and checked Weibo. The trailer for "Mr. Tree" had been forwarded more than 40,000 times, but because it was an art film, many fans did not have a good impression of Lu Ze, who looked dirty in the trailer.

This was predictable, because Lu Ze doesn't actually have many loyal fans. Firstly, Lu Ze isn't very active on Weibo and doesn't have much stickiness with his fans.

In addition, Lu Ze is so engrossed in filming that Shen Jinghan tries to avoid all sorts of activities and schedules, and he has hardly ever participated in any of them. For fans, such an artist is not a qualified idol.

But Lu Ze has never regretted it. Although he has more activities and his income is much higher than he does now when he only takes a paycheck, traveling during filming not only wastes time, but also affects the actor's state of mind. Especially for an experiential actor like Lu Ze, when he is immersed in the emotion and suddenly interrupted, it is not easy to get back into the emotion.

He doesn't demand of himself the standards of an idol, but rather the standards of an actor. He doesn't want to be like many new-generation artists who seem to have huge popularity but have few, or even no, notable works.

Such artists have not built a solid foundation. The company only promotes them to make quick money. Whether to let the artists transform their careers or abandon them and put them on the sidelines after two years is up to the company. They are essentially disposable products.

Qian Shijia's promotion plan for Lu Ze is long-term and sustainable, not the kind of fast-food idol, so he tacitly approves of Lu Ze's postponements.

Speaking of this, we should mention the release plan for "Mr. Tree." The original film was 107 minutes long, but after approval, it was reduced to 81 minutes, with 26 minutes of footage cut. This infuriated Zhuang Yu, who frequently called Lu Ze to complain. However, there was nothing he could do; they were the subordinates, and Lu Ze was the boss. They had to listen to them, edit the film, submit it for review, and then, after obtaining the release number, begin negotiating the distribution with theaters.

Because Lu Ze is an artist under Qian Shijia, Rongchuang Cinema, a domestic cinema chain, as one of their own, will definitely support Lu Ze. However, the level of support is not very large. After all, although they and Qian Shijia are sister companies, even close brothers have to keep clear accounts, right?
This is the debut art film by a new director, and this one factor alone has led to a severe drop in screenings. It premiered at noon today, and its screening rate only accounts for 0.37% of the more than 55,000 screens in China, which is 591 screenings and 66,600 seats.

If he were a well-known art-house film director, he could probably secure a 70-80% opening day screening rate. But Zhuang Yu is clearly not one of them. As a producer, screenwriter, and producer, he had to take matters into his own hands and negotiate with the bigwigs in the theaters.

Unfortunately, as an artsy middle-aged man, he was too embarrassed to beg and plead with theaters to increase the number of screenings. Of course, the market was what it was, and even if he kowtowed to the bigwigs of the theaters, he wouldn't get more screenings.

So, accept reality.

"Daze, we've arrived."

Lu Ze turned his gaze to the window. This venue often hosts car shows, and today, when it was free, Zhuang Yu rented it for half a day. His follow-up funds were also running low, and the publicity was only done by the lead actors. He was poorer than ever before.

A red carpet was laid out outside the door, but there were only a few reporters. When Lu Ze got out of the car, he heard a few shouts. Lu Ze was stunned and turned his head to see a few children who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, both boys and girls.

"Go Lu Ze!"

A girl called out politely, and was then laughed at by the others. It seemed that not all of them were Lu Ze's fans; she was probably accompanied by her friends.

"Thank you. Would you like to come in and watch my movie?"

Lu Ze felt a little embarrassed seeing them standing outside in the sweltering heat. Since there were only a few of them, he figured it wouldn't hurt to let them come in and take a look.

Shen Jinghan originally wanted to find some extras to fill the venue, but Zhuang Yu and Lu Ze were not very willing, especially Zhuang Yu, who showed great disgust. Helpless, Shen Jinghan had to give up, resulting in only a few extras in the venue.

"Can you sign your name for me?"

Lu Ze glanced at his watch and smiled at the girl, whose face was flushed, whether from nervousness or heat. "There's still plenty of time. We can even just film a short video. It's too hot. Let's go inside first."

As he approached the reporters, they professionally took a few photos. After thanking them, Lu Ze asked if anyone else was missing. Upon learning that he was the last to arrive, he ushered them into the venue.

"You all come with me."

She seemed very happy to have her autograph and photo taken with the girl. Despite not being particularly pretty and sweating from the heat, she put on a smile and was quite bold. She followed Lu Ze inside and even forcibly dragged two embarrassed men and women into the venue with him.

"Could you please arrange a seat for them? Please go and sit for a while. Goodbye for now."

Lu Ze waved to them and was about to leave when he heard her say behind him, "Thank you! Lu Ze, I've always thought you were handsome! Always!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ze couldn't help but smile and turned to reply, "Thank you too. I hope the movie won't disappoint you."

Just got home. I'm working on the second chapter. It's a bit high, but it's okay!

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(End of this chapter)