Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 282 A Scheme That Made Me Emo

In mainland China, the most exciting thing in the entertainment industry in December was undoubtedly the release of "Hero".

Ever since Zhang Weiping publicly engaged in a war of words with "Brotherhood of Blades" to attract attention, "Hero" has remained in the public eye. For the past few months, it has consistently released news to maintain exposure; for example, the South Korean distribution rights sold for $200 million one day, the Japanese for $500 million the next, and the European and American distribution rights sold for a staggering $4000 million a week later. This constant stream of news has certainly whetted the appetite of many.

Many people who have already seen "Brotherhood of Blades" are really curious to know if "Hero" is as good as "Brotherhood of Blades".

For investor Jiang Zhiqiang, it was a windfall. He invested $3000 million in "Hero," and even before the film's release, he had already recouped his investment. Due to the positive market response to the overseas release of "Brotherhood of Blades" a few months prior, the price of Chinese martial arts films had skyrocketed, consequently driving up the copyright price of "Hero."

However, unlike his previous investment of only $300 million in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", this time he invested $2000 million. Therefore, he did not dare to gamble on the box office and instead chose a safer approach: selling the distribution rights before the film's release.

Although it didn't have the same profit margin as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," it was still a huge success. If you include the DVD rights, he at least doubled his money this time, and he couldn't stop smiling. Therefore, he was willing to spend a lot on publicity in China to promote the film.

To be honest, the lineup of director Zhang Yimou, Jet Li, and big names like Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, and Chan Siu-ming is quite appealing. Coupled with the market already developed by "Brotherhood of Blades," "Hero" achieved even better results than its predecessor, grossing over 65 million yuan in the three-day weekend.

Although this is still less than the 80 million+ box office of "Brotherhood of Blades," it is more than 10 million higher than the 50 million box office of "Hero" in the same period of its previous life.

Logically, this result should have been quite good, and many members of the crew were overjoyed. However, director Zhang Yimou was far from happy. Because after the film's release, it was met with a deluge of criticism.
Look at these critical articles in the newspapers:

"A sword strike aimed at Heroes!"

"A detailed list of the five deadly sins of 'Hero'!"

"Hero is only one step away from being a coward!"

"My eyes are full, my ears are tired, but my soul is numb!"

Why didn't "Hero" move the audience?

A letter to director Zhang Yimou: You've underestimated us!

As for how people criticized him, the opinions were incredibly varied and came from all angles.

Some say he plagiarized the idea, borrowing the narrative structure of "Rashomon," as well as echoes of "Ran" and "Ashes of Time," deliberately imitating films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Some criticized him for being too servile, deliberately whitewashing tyrants, flattering the ruling class, and advocating that might makes right.

Some people were extremely disappointed in him, saying that "Hero" completely lost the humanistic ideas of his previous films, the characters in the film were completely stereotypical and symbolic, and the whole film was neither artistic nor commercial, and was completely pretentious.

Some people also angrily criticized the movie's script and story, saying that the plot was too thin to support a movie, so much so that it had to fill time by adding passionate scenes between Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi.

Some people also criticized the film for its weak story logic, saying it was just director Zhang Yimou's one-sided fantasy and that he treated the audience like fools...

Even Zhang Manyu's answer to a reporter's question at the premiere was interpreted by the reporter as dissatisfaction with the film's quality. A few days ago, at the premiere at the Great Hall of the People, a reporter asked Zhang Manyu:

"Everyone says that the movie 'Hero' is a visual feast. What's your opinion?"

Zhang Manyu exclaimed, "I'm here at the Great Hall of the People today, and it's so magnificent! I think the Great Hall of the People is a true visual feast!"

Nowadays, some media outlets are directly using Zhang Manyu's answer to make a point, saying that she would rather watch 90 minutes of the decoration and layout of the Great Hall of the People than watch the movie "Hero" that she directed.

In conclusion, this wave of reviews ultimately led to the conclusion that "Hero" is a star-studded but terrible movie!

Such a barrage of criticism left Zhang Yimou speechless. He's not exactly a smooth talker, and besides, some of the criticisms were so harsh that he couldn't even refute them.

This put Yi Mou in a state of complete emo!

At this moment, Zhang Weiping walked over with a broad smile, clearly very satisfied with the success of "Hero." Why had Zhang Weiping gone to such lengths over the years to forge a close relationship with his "good brother" Zhang Yimou? Wasn't it all for making money?

Previously, Zhang Yimou only made art films, and his only path was to win international awards and sell film rights. But now, with the release of "Hero," it has already grossed 65 million yuan in just three days. At this rate, even if it doesn't surpass "Brotherhood of Blades," its final box office should still be over 300 million yuan, right?

Moreover, he saw how much money was made from the regional copyrights of "Hero" this time, and he was very envious of the tens of millions of US dollars that investor Jiang Zhiqiang earned!

Although his new film won't make too much money this time, with his good brother Zhang Yimou as the golden goose, and knowing how to make money, why worry about not making money in the future? This strengthened Zhang Weiping's resolve: he must get Zhang Yimou to make martial arts commercial films in the future!

Seeing that Zhang Yimou was looking at a pile of newspapers, Zhang Weiping guessed what he was thinking and came over to comfort him, saying, "Yimou, don't take these comments to heart. What's the use of them criticizing us so fiercely? Our box office is still soaring."

However, Zhang Yimou doesn't think that way. He is the director of "Hero," and the film is like his child. Now that a group of people outside are criticizing his child, how can he feel good about it?

Seeing this, Zhang Weiping's eyes lit up, and he said, "Mou Zi, how about this, tomorrow I'll take you to a press conference, and we'll go back and smear them one by one!"

Hearing Zhang Weiping say that, Zhang Yimou felt a little better, thinking that his good brother still cared about him. However, he said, "Weiping, forget it, let them scold me. I don't want to argue with them."

Zhang Weiping quickly said, "No, Mouzi, how can we let them just keep cursing? You have to fight back! Only when you curse back can we attract more attention, and then the popularity of our 'Hero' will definitely skyrocket, and maybe the box office will even surpass 'Brotherhood of Blades'!" Zhang Yimou was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. It turned out that his good brother wasn't trying to stand up for him, but rather for the box office!

In an instant, a sense of disappointment welled up in Zhang Yimou's heart. Then, he showed a tired expression and waved his hand at Zhang Weiping: "I'm tired and want to rest for a while."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Weiping was also furious at his son's lack of ambition, thinking to himself, "I gave you a chance, but you're useless! Fine, I'll have to step in myself. If you won't criticize, I, Zhang Weiping, will!"

Zhang Weiping went back to find people to prepare a counterattack and insults, leaving Zhang Yimou alone in the room, feeling dejected. Was his film "Hero" really that bad?
Just then, Zhang Yimou's phone rang. He picked it up, glanced at the caller ID, and pressed the answer button. A warm and hearty laugh came from the other end.

"Brother Zhang, I went to see the preview screening of 'Hero' in North America, and it was excellent! The composition and colors were absolutely stunning. You truly are worthy of being called Brother Zhang; I still have much to learn from you!"

This time, "Hero" was not sold to Miramax, but to Sony Classics. Therefore, Sony Classics adopted the same strategy as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"—simultaneously pushing for Oscars and expanding its publicity—and "Hero" has already had preview screenings in North America.

Zhang Yimou waved his hand and sighed, "Don't say that. I'm being cursed like a rat in the street right now, everyone's shouting to kill me!"

Wu Yuchen immediately understood what was going on. It seemed that Zhang Yimou hadn't escaped the same fate as in his previous life. However, he still pretended not to know and asked, "What happened?"

Zhang Yimou then began to confide in Wu Yuchen, since both of them are directors, and sometimes only directors can understand other directors.

After listening, Wu Yuchen didn't immediately comfort Zhang Yimou, but instead asked, "Senior Brother Zhang, do you know why everyone reacted so strongly this time?"

"Why?" Zhang Yimou was also a little confused. Actually, it wasn't that no one had criticized him before, but the intensity of the criticism for "Hero" this time was beyond his expectations.

"Because of expectations!"

"Expectations? You mean... my transformation this time, directing 'Hero,' is different from my previous style?" Zhang Yimou asked.

"That's one point. But more importantly, your film didn't meet the expectations of these literary figures who wield their pens!"

Wu Yuchen continued with a smile, "Senior Brother Zhang, a few months ago someone said that my 'Brotherhood of Blades' was an anti-genre martial arts film, but actually your 'Hero' is more anti-martial arts in its core!"

This is the current period when Western universal values ​​are spreading most vigorously in China, such as democracy, freedom, and resistance. Media professionals of this era are the most supportive of these values. And coincidentally, these values ​​can be perfectly embodied in the heroes of martial arts films.

The concept of "knight-errant" implies that one can break the law through martial arts, fulfilling many things that ordinary people wouldn't dare to do through the fantasy of "knight-errant." Therefore, "knight-errant" has always been associated with a spirit of rebellion and resistance. Even Wu Yuchen's "Brotherhood of Blades" embodies this.

And what about *Hero*? The most representative story in history, the "Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin," evokes a profound and moving sense of tragedy that resonates throughout the ages, precisely because of the spirit of "knowing it's impossible yet still doing it." In the ending of *Hero*, however, the hero sacrifices himself, willingly abandoning this spirit of resistance and rebellion. Therefore, many see this as a betrayal of the "knight-errant," a loss of the core spirit of chivalry.

After listening, Zhang Yimou understood Wu Yuchen's meaning and gave a wry smile: "Actually, I have considered this point, but isn't it said that the greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people? In my heart, a true hero should possess this kind of broad vision that encompasses the world. I just didn't expect that even Jin Yong would stand up and criticize me after reading it, sigh..."

When "Hero" premiered in Hong Kong, martial arts master Jin Yong was invited to speak. He recently shared his thoughts in an interview:
"Hero portrays the infamous tyrant Qin Shi Huang in such a way, completely opposite to his historical image. It deceives the audience and seems to be trying to whitewash him, categorizing people into different classes and showing no respect for life. It's a ridiculous movie, so I don't like it."

Wu Yuchen said directly on the phone, "Senior Brother Zhang, don't take Jin Yong's opinion to heart. He has his own stance."

The saying "where you sit determines where you look" applies to many creators. For example, Zhang Yimou is from Shaanxi province, so he naturally has a stronger preference for Qin Shi Huang. Jin Yong, whose ancestors were Manchus, subtly criticized Zhu Yuanzhang at the end of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" and whitewashed Emperor Kangxi in "The Deer and the Cauldron." It's not surprising that he dislikes the glorification of Qin Shi Huang in "Hero."

Then Wu Yuchen said, "Senior Brother Zhang, you don't need to be sad. I believe many people still like your movie, it's just that many people don't have a way to voice their opinions. I see that the response to 'Hero' overseas is quite good."

Furthermore, no one stipulates that a chivalrous hero must oppose the imperial court; a chivalrous hero with the world in their heart is also a type of chivalrous hero. Those who are willing to die for the common people are heroes!

Brother Zhang, your film is a bit ahead of its time. Right now, everyone admires Western universal values. But when our country becomes strong, people will be more confident in their own Eastern collectivism and patriotism. Ten years from now, I guarantee the reception of *Hero* will be completely different!

Hearing Wu Yuchen say that, Zhang Yimou felt much more at ease. Then he added, "Hey, when I was filming 'Hero,' I actually designed another ending."

"Oh? What?" Wu Yuchen asked curiously.

"After the ministers shouted 'Your Majesty, kill! Your Majesty, kill!' they all burst into laughter, adding 'Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have escaped a calamity!' Then Chen Daoming, who played Qin Shi Huang, gave a meaningful smile."

After hearing this, Wu Yuchen immediately understood that the meaning of this sentence was to turn the entire assassination attempt into a satirical mystery, meaning that the King of Qin was also deceiving, and that his statement, "I never expected that the one who understands me best is the assassin I have wanted," was a lie. He used his acting skills to gain the trust of the assassins who were willing to risk their lives.

Zhang Yimou chuckled and said, "If I had come up with this ending, the whole thing would have been reversed again, and I guess I wouldn't have been accused of glorifying a tyrant by these people."

Wu Yuchen said directly, "Senior Brother Zhang, it's a good thing you didn't film it that way! If you had, the movie would probably have been criticized even more harshly. Not only would the nameless's death have lost all its tragic grandeur, turning him into a clown, but Qin Shi Huang would have become a treacherous villain. The movie would have completely lost its hero, becoming nothing more than a coward! At that point, not only would these intellectuals dislike you, but many viewers would also join in criticizing you!"

Zhang Yimou also laughed and said, "Hahaha, so I thought about it for a long time and didn't use this ending."

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Yeah, don't take these criticisms to heart. Just film what you think is right."

Afterwards, Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou talked for a long time about the filming techniques and other aspects of "Hero" before ending the transoceanic phone call.

Zhang Yimou immediately felt much better, and could only sigh that Wu Yuchen, who is also a director, understands him!

(End of this chapter)