Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

boom!
The first shot of the trailer for "The Three-Body Problem 2" is a picture of a lunar rocket with the logo of China Aerospace launching into space.

The camera was extremely close, right next to the rocket's outer shell, and the blazing flames and billowing white smoke were almost palpable.

The Future of Humanity

Where exactly is it?

Two subtitles flashed by, followed by several rapidly switching shots, showing Huang Ji, Liu Peiqiang, Han Duoduo, and Zhao Xiumei, fully prepared and waiting in the space station at the top of the space elevator; Luo Ji, his ace agent and assassin mechanic, on the ground; the remnants of the ETO forces in hiding, upper-class politicians from Europe and America, and ordinary people from all over the world.

Is it submission?

At a secret cocktail party filled with clinking glasses, the remnants of the ETO organization were expanding their influence, while the wealthy were plotting private interstellar migrations.

To resist or not?

Inside the lunar base, Liu Peiqiang was engaged in battle with the enemy.

Danger is approaching.

The Trisolaran space fleet traverses the universe, its target Earth.

Can we win?

Super mechs are beating up monsters in the ocean, and super cannons powered by macro fusion generators are shooting dazzling blue light into the sky. In the shipyard in space, the framework of a spaceship is beginning to take shape.

The atmosphere gradually became tense as the scenes kept switching back and forth, with everyone staring intently at the big screen, afraid of missing a single detail in the trailer.

Finally, three lunar rovers carrying Huang Ji and the others crossed a huge crater, and amidst the gasps of countless spectators, an ancient lunar base that had been partially excavated appeared before everyone.

This summer, let's witness human wisdom and courage together!

The first trailer for "The Three-Body Problem 2" is short, less than fifty seconds, but it contains a wealth of information.

After the trailer was released, many film and television bloggers on Douyin began to analyze it frame by frame in order to guess the specific plot of "The Three-Body Problem 2".

Just as the first trailer for "The Three-Body Problem 2" was generating a buzz online, manufacturers who had signed co-branding contracts with Galaxy Pictures early on also began to ramp up their efforts, launching their own "The Three-Body Problem 2" merchandise.

Milk tea, fast food, clothing, jewelry... all sorts of products have been labeled with the "Three-Body Problem 2" tag, and characters such as Huang Ji, Liu Peiqiang, Han Duoduo, and Zhao Xiumei have all become spokespeople.

With the addition of promotional posters, it's safe to say that "The Three-Body Problem 2" could be seen everywhere, from the streets to the alleys.

Of course, compared to the employees of Galaxy Pictures, the people in China who are happiest about the confirmed release date of "The Three-Body Problem 2" are actually people from other film and television companies.

They knew Wang Hao's box office appeal, and they also knew just how enormous the audience that [Galaxy Cinematic Universe] had accumulated over the years truly was.

Therefore, the strength of "The Three-Body Problem 2" is beyond doubt. Whether domestically or internationally, almost no one dares to compete with it in the same release window. Only after "The Three-Body Problem 2" finally received its official release date did they announce their own summer movie release schedule.

Among the more famous ones are Hollywood's "Jurassic World 3" and Zhang Yimou's "Man Jiang Hong".

The former is a sequel to a well-known IP, with the reputation of its predecessor, but its reputation has been mediocre, with only the special effects still being somewhat watchable.

The latter was a scheme orchestrated by Zhang Yimou himself, mainly relying on his son-in-law's connections; Xinghe Pictures did not get involved.

After "The Three-Body Problem 2" was scheduled for release in July, it seemed as if they had planned it together. The former chose to be released in June during the summer season, while the latter chose to be released in September during the summer season, both aiming to avoid "The Three-Body Problem 2".

However, it was still a bit early for the summer movie season. In mid-March, "Kunlun," which was released during the Spring Festival season, finally finished its run and successfully grossed 58 billion RMB at the box office.

With this achievement, director Guo Fan has finally continued the success of his previous film, "Sky Ladder," and successfully secured his position as the top-grossing young director.

Because of this, Galaxy Pictures specially organized a celebration party for him.

After the celebration party, Wang Hao held a special meeting and invited Guo Fan to join him. In front of a group of senior executives from Galaxy Pictures, he stated that he would be reducing his workload and that the subsequent management of the Galaxy Cinematic Universe would likely be handed over to Guo Fan.

"The Galaxy Cinematic Universe project has two more phases. I will continue to oversee the fourth phase, but the fifth phase, the Wandering Earth phase, will be entirely in your hands."

During the meeting, Wang Hao patted Guo Fan on the shoulder with a smile and said this, which made him overjoyed, and his face beamed with a radiant smile.

"Of course, although it's called the fifth phase, you actually have to take on a large part of the responsibility in the fourth phase as well. The Wandering Earth project in the cinematic universe started in the fourth phase, and you need to participate in this part from the beginning."

Guo Fan nodded vigorously upon hearing this.

In response, senior executives of Galaxy Pictures and the group company did not have much to say.

On the one hand, Wang Hao has the greatest authority in the group company, and the company's booming development over the years has proven the correctness of his decisions.

On the other hand, Guo Fan's talent and hard work are also evident to everyone.

Perhaps when it comes to making movies, Guo Fan himself is somewhat lacking in both character portrayal and artistic control of the camera.

However, he has his own advantages in the management and scheduling of large-scale film crews, as well as in the coordination and communication between various departments of the crew.

This is precisely the core of the operation of some mega-scale science fiction film projects in the fourth and fifth phases of the [Galaxy Cinematic Universe].

Galaxy Pictures has no shortage of people who can make good movies, nor does it lack excellent cinematographers, art directors, and special effects directors. What it lacks is someone who can oversee the whole picture within the modern film industry system.

In the words of our ancestors, "It is easy to find a thousand soldiers, but difficult to find a general." Guo Fan is a "general" that is hard to find in the film industry.

After "Kunlun" finished its run, Galaxy Pictures will be releasing "A Sword Across the Vast Sky," the second phase of another cinematic universe series under the company, the "Shushan Cinematic Universe."

The film tells the story of Li Yingqiong finding the Purple Ying Sword of the Long-Browed Ancestor in the Cangmang Mountains after the first phase of the battle between good and evil at Ciyun Temple, and fighting the evil spirits alone. The story is well-made, and Jiang Yiyi, as the lead actress, also gave a very good performance, basically showcasing the resolute and courageous side of the character Li Yingqiong.

Especially with her appearance, and the addition of a fierce red mole between her eyebrows, she truly exudes a menacing aura.

Nowadays, many female fans online have become her staunch supporters.

At the same time that "A Sword Across the Vast Land" was a hit, Xinghe Entertainment's TV series "The World" was also a hit on the entire internet.

This period drama, starring Lei Jiayin, Yin Tao, Xin Baiqing, and Song Jia, is adapted from the novel of the same name by Liang Xiaosheng. It tells the story of the Zhou family living in the "Guangzi" district of a provincial capital city in northern China in the late 1970s, who support their neighbors and relatives in ordinary years and move forward together, writing an epic of the lives of ordinary people in contemporary China.

The TV series was very moving, and its ratings on CCTV-8 exceeded 2.05%, setting a new high in nearly eight years, and it was dubbed the "King of CCTV Dramas" this year.

That's not all. Following the success of "The World," the spin-off web series "The Beginning," part of the third phase of the Galaxy Cinematic Universe, also achieved impressive viewership ratings.

While Xinghe Group's works were enjoying great success in the market, Wang Hao, the company's chairman, took his wife and children to the south to enjoy a leisurely vacation under the guise of an inspection trip.

They first went to Shanghai, then went to the Southern Galaxy Cinema in Hangzhou Bay, then went to Hangzhou, visited West Lake, and flew to Guangdong. After enjoying authentic Cantonese cuisine, they strolled around Macau before returning to Beijing.

The family of three had a great time after their walk around, and Wang Hao's work-related stress and fatigue disappeared completely.

During this process, news of Wang Hao's family trip also became known to the public through Douyin (TikTok).

It was truly unexpected that Wang Hao, a bigwig in the film and entertainment industry and the youngest billionaire in China, would be so down-to-earth, with his family of three traveling and eating at roadside stalls just like ordinary people.

Even when he is recognized, he always smiles and readily agrees to take photos with fans.

This friendly and approachable attitude earned him even more fans online.

Some even say that he is the true "people's artist," unpretentious and close to the masses, and that directors like him are extremely rare in China.

By the time the family returned to Beijing, it was already the end of May, and the summer movie season was about to begin. Xinghe Pictures had increased its promotional efforts for "The Three-Body Problem 2".

At Beijing Airport, Wang Hao saw a large poster of his movie.

After a month of relaxation, Wang Hao naturally threw himself back into his busy work, starting to worry about the promotion of "The Three-Body Problem 2".

Besides trailers and posters, the cast and crew also participate in various promotional activities, such as appearing on variety shows, being interviewed by the movie channel, conducting nationwide roadshows, and bringing the film to schools.

Fortunately, there are enough important characters in the movie "The Three-Body Problem 2". In response to these promotional activities, the entire creative team of the film crew was divided into several teams, with a mix of new and old members, to carry out various promotional activities.

Among them, director Wang Hao, due to his status, led his wife Jing Tian, ​​Shu Chang, and Johnny Depp to participate in this year's Beijing College Student Film Festival.

Together, they walked the red carpet on behalf of the "Three-Body Problem 2" crew and gave interviews to relevant media. Wang Hao also joined the film's selection and scoring as a judge.

This year's College Student Film Festival has selected 44 outstanding domestic films, many of which are works by newcomers, a number far exceeding previous years.

The main reason for this is that the film industrialization system of Xinghe Group, together with Haozhipian.com, has created a more convenient and affordable film and television production platform.

In addition, their company's collaborations with several universities, as well as the rise of online movies, web series, and short dramas, have given more and more young directors more opportunities to practice.

In other words, the domestic film and television industry is currently experiencing a downturn, and other film and television companies are performing poorly. Otherwise, the emergence of new directors should theoretically be happening much faster.

Among these 44 films, although some works have relatively immature shooting techniques, unoriginal camera compositions, and somewhat clichéd plots, there are still some high-quality works and innovative stories.

Wang Hao not only voted for those outstanding directors, but also considered recruiting them.

However, when Wang Hao looked at the names and inquired, he realized that these outstanding young new directors were basically talents cultivated by their Xinghe Group.

Wang Hao was very pleased with this, as it proved that his existence had played a positive role in China's film and television culture industry and brought about tremendous changes.

These emerging directors are the new hope for Chinese cinema, following closely behind Guo Fan.

This year's College Student Film Festival lasted for several days. Wang Hao attended both the opening and closing ceremonies, which helped raise the festival's profile.

Of course, he also benefited, as the promotion of "The Three-Body Problem 2" was facilitated by such platforms, which further increased its public awareness.

Similarly, other people such as Wu Jing, Wang Zhi, Huang Xuan, Wang Jingchun, Shu Chang, and Wang Zhiwen are also working hard to promote the release of this movie.

As the days go by and the summer vacation approaches, everyone's anticipation for the movie "The Three-Body Problem 2" is growing.

During this process, the Hollywood blockbuster "Jurassic World 3," which was specially prepared for this summer's movie season in China, was also officially released.

This third installment in the well-known IP reboot series, and the final chapter of its trilogy, retains the original cast from the previous films, with Chris Pratt, known as "Star-Lord," in the lead role.

The story takes place four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, when dinosaurs live and hunt alongside humans around the world.

This fragile balance will reshape the future and ultimately determine whether humanity can continue to stand at the top of the food chain on a planet shared with some of the most terrifying creatures in history.

The quality of this movie is only so-so; the dinosaur special effects are decent, but the story is still the same old formula and doesn't offer anything new.

Furthermore, given that it was released before "The Three-Body Problem 2," and with people currently short on cash and without substantial ticket subsidies, "Jurassic World 3" only grossed a paltry 90 million yuan on its opening day in mainland China, which is worse than many domestic films.

This further confirms that with the rise of Xinghe Group, represented by Wang Hao, and Chinese science fiction films, the influence of these Hollywood special effects blockbusters in China will only decrease.

However, the failure of "Jurassic World 3" set a bad precedent for this summer's box office.

Fortunately, there's still "The Three-Body Problem 2" as a ballast stone. Those cinema owners, also struggling due to the film industry downturn, are all hoping for this movie's release so they can make a fortune like with "Ne Zha 2." (End of Chapter)