Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 269 Time to Sleep

Speaking of achievements at the three major European film festivals, Zhang Yimou's record is truly impressive. Starting with "Red Sorghum," almost every film he's made has won major awards: the Berlin Golden Bear for "Red Sorghum," the Silver Lion for "Raise the Red Lantern," the Golden Lion and Best Actress for "The Story of Qiu Ju," the Cannes Best Actor and Jury Prize for "To Live," the Cannes Jury Prize for "Shanghai Triad," the Silver Lion for "Not One Less," and the Silver Bear for "The Road Home"...

This series of awards from the three major European awards surpasses even Wu Yuchen's achievements. Therefore, it's not surprising that some fans are speaking up for him.

"Zhang Yimou debuted so much earlier than Wu Yuchen, is it fair to simply compare the number of awards won by the three major European film awards? And even when comparing Chinese-language films, Wu Yuchen's box office performance far surpasses Zhang Yimou's!"

"How can the art of film be measured solely by box office revenue?"

"How can you only judge the top Chinese-language director by awards? You should compare their overall influence, including box office and awards. I love Wu Yuchen's movies, but I just don't like Zhang Yimou's always rural themes!"

"Even when it comes to awards and honors, Wu Yuchen's box office performance in Chinese-language films far surpasses Zhang Yimou's! Zhang Yimou, win an Oscar first before you start talking!"

"Wu Yuchen won an Oscar first, but the producers of 'Hero' have said they're aiming for an Oscar this year!"

"Heh, does he think he can just rush for an Oscar like that?"

"Director Zhang has been nominated for Oscars before. 'Ju Dou' and 'Raise the Red Lantern' have already received two Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film. He has a great chance of winning an Oscar this year!"

"What's the point of just talking about a nomination? Can a nomination be considered an award? Like I said, let's talk after we win it!"

Because of deliberate manipulation, the comparison between Zhang Yimou and Wu Yuchen has been stirred up, from "Hero" and "Brotherhood of Blades" to the comparison between the two directors.

Chen Kaizi's fans did try to speak out, but they were immediately attacked by supporters of both Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou. "What are you yelling about at Cannes? Go cool off somewhere else!"

Cai Yinong and Zhang Weiping would engage in a war of words every two days, which kept the film "Brotherhood of Blades" incredibly popular.

Even those who weren't interested in martial arts movies before were piqued by reading the newspapers and listening to the daily discussions around them, and bought tickets to go to the cinema to watch "Brotherhood of Blades." After all, if you don't watch it, you have no right to speak, and how can you participate in the discussions around you?

There was an overwhelming amount of praise for "Brotherhood of Blades" before. But even the best movies have their detractors, and "Brotherhood of Blades" isn't perfect either. Naturally, some felt it was overhyped, but they hesitated to voice their opinions due to the previous hype. Now, with Zhang Weiping leading the charge, they no longer need to hold back and have started debating with those around them who like "Brotherhood of Blades."

The more contentious the argument, the more attention it attracts. Even those who initially didn't want to go to the cinema and were waiting for a pirated copy couldn't sit still anymore. With the lowest ticket price dropping to 15 yuan, these people rushed to buy tickets and go to the cinema. Meanwhile, those arguing fiercely, in order to win the argument, started spending money to buy tickets to rewatch the film, all to dig out more details to support their points!

As a result, the daily drop in box office revenue for "Brotherhood of Blades" has become much smaller.

Within two weeks of its release, "Brotherhood of Blades" had grossed 220 million yuan at the box office. At this point, pirated copies began to appear on the market. The "Brotherhood of Blades" production team responded by reporting these piracy cases and, in cooperation with law enforcement, shut down three pirate operations. They also offered a 5 million yuan anti-piracy reward, with rewards for all reports and exposures.

As a result, these pirates didn't dare to be as arrogant as before. They knew that this time the authorities were serious, and if they were caught, they would be sentenced to prison, not just detained for a few days and then released. Therefore, they had to back down. At worst, they would cancel this operation and lay low for a while. Wu Yuchen is currently the top Chinese-language director and enjoys such strong anti-piracy efforts from the authorities, but they don't believe that every film he makes will receive the same treatment as "Brotherhood of Blades"!

Although piracy is as persistent as cockroaches, this measure can significantly curb their activities and slow down its spread. Even if pirated copies are available on the market, they are mostly low-quality pirated copies filmed in cinemas, with poor picture quality and lots of noise. Even if someone buys them to watch at home, they won't be satisfied, and in the end, they'll be hooked and go to the cinema to buy tickets to watch the movie.

After three weeks in theaters, "Brotherhood of Blades" had grossed 290 million yuan, with daily box office takings falling below 10 million yuan. However, it was getting closer and closer to "Titanic." The gap of less than 70 million yuan didn't seem so insurmountable.

At this point, Jiang Zhiqiang, an investor in "Hero," stepped forward and stated that Zhang Weiping's views only represented his personal opinion and could not represent the "Hero" production team. Both he and director Zhang Yimou praised "Brotherhood of Blades" highly!
When asked which film, "Hero" or "Brotherhood of Blades," was better, Jiang Zhiqiang laughed and said that the two films have different styles and are not easy to compare. He said it's like gold and jewelry are both good, and everyone has their own preferences.

However, he praised "Brotherhood of Blades" for setting a good precedent and setting a good example for "Hero," saying that its box office success represented everyone's recognition of martial arts films and boosted the popularity of martial arts films. He claimed that "Hero," which was released a few months later, benefited from the success of "Brotherhood of Blades."

Sure enough, Zhang Weiping fell silent after that, perhaps after being warned by Jiang Zhiqiang. This was interpreted by the media as him giving in to the pressure regarding "Brotherhood of Blades."

When interviewed again by reporters and the media, Cai Yinong also said with great enthusiasm:

"We have never taken Zhang Weiping and his ilk seriously. 'Brotherhood of Blades' has already surpassed 3 million yuan at the box office, and our goal is to break the 3.6 ​​million yuan box office record of 'Titanic,' reclaim the title of the highest-grossing Chinese film, and defend the dignity of Chinese-language films!"

Previously, although Han Sanping, Wu Yuchen, and members of Miracle Films had exchanged and discussed this matter, it had not been publicly announced. However, with "Brotherhood of Blades" surpassing 3 million yuan at the box office, this goal has now been officially stated.

Subsequently, a number of media outlets began to publicize this extensively.

"Reclaim the title of China's highest-grossing film and defend the dignity of Chinese-language cinema!"

Listen to this slogan! How patriotic and full of national spirit it is!

For this reason alone, anyone who hasn't seen "Brotherhood of Blades" should go to the cinema and buy a movie ticket to support it!

These days, people's patriotism is much stronger than in later generations. Patriotic movies in later generations made a fortune at the box office, and now "Brotherhood of Blades" is also playing the nostalgia card.

Some newspapers even started daily columns reporting on the box office of "Brotherhood of Blades." Although it was just a rough figure, you know what? Many people just liked to stare at that number and see how far "Brotherhood of Blades" was from that record.

Equating the box office success of "Brotherhood of Blades" surpassing that of "Titanic" with patriotism has proven effective. As a result, many patriotic film fans not only watched it again themselves but also actively recommended it to their friends and family.
"Hey Lao Liu, haven't you seen 'Brotherhood of Blades' yet? It's such a great movie, I suggest you take your whole family to see it!"

"Hey, Lao Li, didn't you always say you were the most patriotic person? You won't even support a movie ticket that costs 15 yuan? You've contributed all your patriotism to piracy? Stop waiting, hurry up and go to the cinema to buy a ticket!"

800, 700, 600 million...

The daily box office of "Brotherhood of Blades" is gradually decreasing, but its total box office is getting closer and closer to that of "Titanic". However, it is indeed difficult to reach the tens of millions after the box office has exceeded 3 million, and it can only be achieved slowly over time.

With *Titanic*'s 360 million yuan box office record fast approaching, Han Sanping secretly resolved that even if *Brotherhood of Blades* stayed in theaters for a year, he would break that record!

"Brother-in-law, am I moist?"

Wu Yuchen looked at Fan Bingbing nestled in his arms, her eyes filled with seductive allure, and slapped her round buttocks, calling her a slut.

Fan Bingbing, who played the second female lead, a doctor, in "Brotherhood of Blades," was nicknamed "Sister Run" by netizens because of Ding Xiu's line "very smooth."

In the end, Ding Xiu sends Zhou Miaotong (played by Jiang Qinqin) and "Run Jie" (played by Fan Bingbing) to Suzhou for resettlement, where Shen Lian will take over their care. Wu Yuchen doesn't know how Shen Lian will treat the two women, but he has already taken good care of them.

However, her act of kindness came at just the right time, allowing Wu Yuchen to vent his pent-up frustration. He had only paid slight attention to the box office performance of "Brotherhood of Blades" recently, focusing primarily on preparing for his new film.

To film a new movie set during the War of Resistance against Japan, he visited several concentration camps across the country. After seeing these places, he was naturally in a bad mood. Fan Bingbing's arrival warmed his heart and soul.

Besides secretly exchanging pleasantries with Wu Yuchen, Fan Bingbing's trip was also clearly motivated by his new movie. She proactively asked:

"Brother-in-law, is there a role suitable for me in your new movie?"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and kneaded Fan Bingbing's soft body: "What, want more?"

Fan Bingbing, her face radiant, said with a hint of flirtatiousness, "Learning from my brother-in-law is never enough!"

Looking at her, Wu Yuchen thought about a recent event and the girl's future fate in his past life, and couldn't help but sigh, "From now on, you must pay your taxes, and don't fail to pay the taxes you're entitled to!"

Fan Bingbing snuggled into Wu Yuchen's arms and said, "Brother-in-law, what are you saying? I only sleep with you!"

Wu Yuchen pinched her slender waist: "What are you talking about? I told you about Liu Xiaoqing!"

"Huh?" Fan Bingbing exclaimed, only then realizing what was happening.

Fan Bingbing had naturally heard about Liu Xiaoqing's recent affairs, and couldn't help but ask, "Brother-in-law, are you talking about Liu Xiaoqing stealing water and leaking it? Wasn't she supposed to cooperate with the investigation?"

"An investigation? This time it's not just an investigation, it's going to be jail time!" Wu Yuchen emphasized.

"Ah? How could this happen?"

Fan Bingbing exclaimed in surprise and immediately pressed for an answer:
"I've seen people in the industry do this kind of thing before, and they just make up for it afterwards, right? Are they really going to put Liu Xiaoqing in jail this time?"

In the past, when celebrities broke the law, it was often more a big fuss than a real crime. Even if big names in the arts and entertainment industry repeatedly committed illegal acts, they would not face serious punishment. For example, Mao Amin, the former queen of the mainland music scene, had done it more than once. She had done it once in the early 90s, and when she was caught a second time in 98, she was not only approached by relevant departments but also reported in the newspapers. In the end, she was fined but was not pursued further.

There are many people like Mao Amin, which gives some people in the arts and culture circle the impression that they won't be severely punished for such things, at most they'll be fined.

Wu Yuchen shook his head and said, "This phenomenon is not good. The higher-ups have already wanted to rectify it. Liu Xiaoqing has run into trouble this time, and she will definitely be made an example of someone to warn others."

Liu Xiaoqing once said in an interview, "It's hard to be a person, it's hard to be a woman, and it's even harder to be a famous woman." This incident is a perfect illustration of her statement that "it's hard to be a person."

Then Wu Yuchen looked at Fan Bingbing and said, "You must remember Liu Xiaoqing's example! Everyone loves money, and I love it too, but the way you get it must be legitimate. Don't ruin your reputation for a little money! Don't take any chances. Anyway, I'm telling you right now: making money is fine, but don't do anything illegal, or don't blame me for not protecting you!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing shrank back, then pulled Wu Yuchen's hand to her chest: "Brother-in-law, I always listen to you, I promise you I would never do such a thing!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen's brows relaxed. Fan Bingbing's current situation is very different from her previous life. With him as her backer, she has a powerful background and can obtain many resources. She no longer needs to take risks like she did in her previous life, so the probability of her doing such things is naturally greatly reduced.

Looking back on Bingbing's past life, I don't know whether to call her unfortunate or lucky.

Unfortunately, this kind of behavior exists in over 80% of the industry, but she was the only one made an example of. Those who say she got caught up in it because she supported "Cell Phone 2" haven't seen the real situation. This kind of thing is 100% a pre-selected target. Otherwise, why wouldn't Cui Yongyuan target Feng Xiaogang and the Wang brothers, the main actors in "Cell Phone 2"?

To put it bluntly, someone in higher-ups wanted to crack down on her. She was too popular at the time, lacked a strong background, and had indeed done these shady things, so she naturally became a target. After she was taken down, a group of celebrities went to the relevant departments to pay back the money, thus saving their reputations. It was as if Little Fatty took the blame for everyone else's crimes, while he himself became a blacklisted artist.

She was lucky because her 8 million was much larger than Liu Xiaoqing's. If it weren't for the changes to water-related regulations in 09 that gave first-time water evaders a chance to pay back the fines, she would have had to serve a much longer time in prison than Liu Xiaoqing.

Fan Bingbing is truly dedicated. Anyone else would have given up after such an ordeal, but she persisted. When hope waned in China, she turned to Japan and South Korea, even learning Korean to seek opportunities there, taking on roles in lesbian films. But no matter how hard she struggled, it was likely to fail. Fate had other plans; what could she do?

Liu Xiaoqing's 422-day imprisonment will have some deterrent effect in the short term, but after three years, the old ways will resurface in the entertainment industry. Moreover, with the rapid development of the entertainment industry and the influx of large amounts of capital, various chaotic phenomena will become more numerous and excessive.

Wu Yuchen definitely needs to give her a heads-up, so she won't say she wasn't warned!

He thought about it and realized that verbal persuasion alone was not enough. He needed to turn things around and make a deep impression on Fan Bingbing with concrete actions!

……

(End of this chapter)