Huayu Entertainment: You have been directing for three generations, are you comparing your qualifica

Chapter 101 Box Office
The banquet for the premiere of "Stone" hadn't even ended when media reports were already flooding major portal websites.

The lineup of celebrities attending today is also a major highlight, as is all the interview content from the event.

"A dark humor style never before seen in mainland Chinese directors, 'Crazy Stone' is different from traditional comedies and is a film that will absolutely make you laugh out loud."

"The film centers around a priceless piece of jade, using coincidences such as 'switching the beams and pillars' and 'real and fake jade' to create a domino effect of interconnected events."

"【Crazy Stone】continues the low-budget production trend, directed, written and invested by Tian Xiaole."

"The premiere of 'Crazy Stone' was attended by as many as 560 people, including actors, celebrities, and well-known figures."

···
Before the party was over, Fan Binbin extended an invitation to Tian Xiaole, saying that a new batch of wine had arrived.

As soon as she entered, Tian Xiaole began to taste the food.

Grab it with one hand and pinch it with the other.

Wine doesn't necessarily get better with age.

Although Fan Binbin is only 24 years old, he is already a veteran when it comes to wine tasting.

From initially playing a passive defensive role, he has now transformed into a knight in shining armor.

"I've called you so many times and you haven't answered, nor have you replied to my texts. You're not planning to just take advantage of me and then ignore me completely, are you?"

"I wouldn't say that, you're the female lead in 'The Thief'." Tian Xiaole straightened up.

Fan Binbin hummed twice, adjusted her posture, and said coquettishly:
"Didn't you think of leaving a role for me in your new Hollywood movie?"

"There's only one female lead in the whole film. What do you want to play? A passerby?" Tian Xiaole found it somewhat amusing.

The battlefield can change in an instant.

Binbin was passive, while Tian Xiaole was proactive.

The cork of the wine bottle was pried open with a "pop," and the contents gushed out.

Tian Xiaole quickly got up.

Fan Binbin stammered, almost out of breath.

"Remember to take your medicine," Tian Xiaole earnestly instructed.

Fan Binbin lay on the bed, her voice weak: "It's a safe period right now."

Seeing Tian Xiaole putting on her pants and getting ready to leave, she didn't forget to remind her:
"Director Tian, ​​remember to think of me when you have a new film."

"Yes, I will."

Tian Xiaole closed the door, straightened his collar, patted Fan Binbin's butt, and left.

···
Tian Xiaole only realized after leaving the residential area that he had arrived in Fan Binbin's car, and now he could only take a taxi back.
I hailed a taxi.

As soon as Tian Xiaole got into the car, the driver recognized her through the rearview mirror.

"Are you director Tian Xiaole?"

"No, do you think a big director like him would take a taxi late at night?"

Tian Xiaole shook his head in denial, it seems he'll have to come to Chaoyang District less often in the future.

"Haha...that seems to be true, but you look quite alike."

Taxi drivers in the capital are known for being talkative, but Tian Xiaole ignored them and scrolled through online comments about the premiere of "Stone".

The reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with only a few negative ones.

However, reports from several small newspapers caught Tian Xiaole's attention.

"Is the three-line narrative style of 'Stone' similar to that of the famous foreign director Guy Ritchie, a case of borrowing or plagiarism?"

"The Hong Kong assassin character in the film is portrayed as 'stupid' from his first appearance to his final act. Does this imply a derogatory connotation?"

The massive publicity campaign for "Stone" naturally clashed with other films released at the same time, raising concerns about one film dominating the market.

Even a fool could figure out who did it.

The film "Divergence," which will be released on the 28th, stars Aaron Kwok, Wu Yanzu, and Zheng Yijian.

The film "Early Maturation," which will be released on the 29th, stars Dragon Prince and Xue Kaiqi.

Both of these Hong Kong films were aiming for the May Day holiday release, and seeing the momentum of "Crazy Stone," they naturally didn't want the film to do well.

They will not let any opportunity to smear or belittle someone pass them by.

If the movie doesn't do well at the box office after its release, it won't just be reported in tabloids; some mainstream media outlets, having been paid, will also jump out to criticize it.

This process is already very familiar to the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

Despite their commercial success, Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang still cannot escape criticism and judgment.
While they appear to be experts and scholars from the mainland, Hong Kong media also played a significant role in fueling the movement.

Only when the film achieves outstanding success will these discordant voices disappear automatically.

Tian Xiaole glanced at the talent show results on Leyu.com. Zhao Liying, a popular actress, had received one million votes and firmly held first place.

Yao Di came in second place with 700,000 votes.

The model group had lower popularity, with the first place winner, Chen Lixue, only receiving 500,000 votes.

The popularity it brought to Leyu.com is evident, with daily active users exceeding 500 million.

···
On May Day, "Crazy Stone" was released nationwide.

At Tian Xiaole's suggestion, the number of film copies reached 600.

Because many people are paying attention to this film, not just mainland film companies, but also Hong Kong companies are more concerned about its box office performance.

They tasted the sweetness of market dominance and didn't want mainland China to produce any more commercial film directors.

The two Hong Kong films currently showing are performing poorly at the box office and are not capable of posing a threat to "Stone".

Filmmakers and critics who attended the premiere also believed that "Crazy Stone" would do well at the box office.

How far it can go depends on whether the audience can accept this type of comedy film.

Ning Hao couldn't stay still either, so he went to all the major cinemas in the capital to find out the movie's attendance rate as soon as possible.

Thanks to the seven-day holiday, watching movies is currently the most popular form of entertainment, and many viewers are willing to go to the cinema.

The next morning, Tian Xiaole was woken up by a phone call from Ning Hao. "Director Tian, ​​have the box office results come out yet?"

"I haven't received any news from China Film Group yet. Call back later."

Disturbed by Ning Hao, Tian Xiaole lost her sleepiness and simply got up.

I had just finished washing up when I received a call from Han Sanping. I could tell from her voice that she was very happy.

"Xiao Le, you fully funded the movie, and you made a profit. The national box office reached 782 million on the first day, which is a very good result."

"Haha... I didn't expect the box office to be so good."

Tian Xiaole didn't want to admit that she was eating alone.

In this world of fame and fortune, no matter your status, it's easy to have no friends and to be envied if you try to do things all by yourself.

Before hanging up the phone, Han Sanping looked regretful, muttering that no matter what kind of film it was in the future, China Film Group would follow it.

Immediately afterward, Tian Xiaole called Ning Hao to share the good news. Just as he finished telling him about the first day's box office performance, a series of wailing and howling sounds came from the other end of the line.

Tian Xiaole had anticipated this situation and had moved the phone away from her ear beforehand.

Ning Hao calmed down and asked again, "Director Tian, ​​are you sure you're not joking?"

"I'm absolutely certain that it didn't happen; the 782 million yuan box office on the first day is real," Tian Xiaole repeated.

"Director Tian, ​​thank you. If it weren't for you, I might still be filming commercials to pay off my debts..."

Ning Hao suddenly became emotional and spoke very sincerely.

He knew that no matter how the first day went, he wouldn't need to shoot commercials anymore.

There's no problem in saying that Tian Xiaole was his benefactor.

"With your abilities, it's only a matter of time before you make it big. Don't be so sentimental. I'll give you a big red envelope after the movie leaves theaters."

Judging from the opening day results of "Crazy Stone", the box office will definitely not be low. Although Ning Hao was given a director fee of 10 yuan, it seems a bit unfair to this result.

"Then I'll be waiting."

···
The portal website has already reported on [Stone].

"Crazy Stone" grossed 782 million yuan on its opening day. Following Crazy Supermarket, it is another low-budget dark horse.

"【Crazy Stone】Using an all-mainland cast and crew, it still carried the box office."

The media coverage was very positive, all of it was praise.

Meanwhile, the first wave of film reviews also came out, mostly praising the movie, with the few nitpicking comments quickly disappearing.

"I never thought even thieves could be civilized, haha, I can't laugh anymore."

"The movie lines are hilarious, especially: 'I'll fuck you!'"

"These thieves are going to be killed by their stupidity, especially this one from Hong Kong Island, who even killed his own boss."

Ning Hao's name appeared on major news pages and portal websites along with the film's box office, word-of-mouth, and media reports.

The addition of another commercial film director is something that actors and stars in the mainland entertainment industry are all happy to see.

Maybe I'll get another chance in my next film.

···
Han Sanping called and asked Tian Xiaole to go to China Film Group, as someone was coming to discuss the distribution of "Stone" in Hong Kong.

Tian Xiaole was quite curious. Although the Hong Kong media didn't criticize him every day, they still wrote short articles about him every now and then.

Who's so bold as to risk everything to release a film they've invested in on Hong Kong Island?

In Han Sanping's office, he met the audacious Yang Shoucheng from Yinghuang, who was sitting next to a woman who looked very capable.

Upon seeing Tian Xiaole enter, Yang Shoucheng stood up to greet her.

"Director Tian, ​​hello, it's nice to see you again."

"Hello, Chairman Yang." Tian Xiaole smiled and shook hands.

Huo Wenxi, standing beside him, subtly observed Tian Xiaole.
This director, whom Hong Kong media outlets say dislikes Hong Kong actors, doesn't seem to be anything special; he's just average-looking.

She extended her hand and introduced herself:
"Hello Director Tian, ​​I am Huo Wenxi, and I am in charge of Yinghuang's external artist management."

"Hello, Manager Huo."

Tian Xiaole nodded and shook hands.

At this moment, Han Sanping, seeing that the others had finished exchanging pleasantries, spoke up:
"Xiao Le, Yinghuang wants the Hong Kong distribution rights for 'Stone,' what do you think?"

"This is a good thing."

Tian Xiaole certainly agreed to release it on Hong Kong Island; even a small fly is still meat, right? The only question is how to do it, which we'll have to discuss properly.

He looked at Yang Shoucheng and asked, "Mr. Yang, what method do you want to use for the release?"

"I heard that Director Tian likes to share the profits from film releases, how about we do it this way?"

"Profit sharing is too troublesome, let's just sell it off outright. Whether we make a profit or a loss depends on luck."

Hearing Tian Xiaole's words, Han Sanping was quite surprised. [Bouquet] had strongly insisted on splitting the profits, so why did things change here?

That means there's only one possibility: the box office for "Crazy Stone" in Hong Kong won't be very high.

He was right; those intellectual elites wouldn't be interested in this kind of mainland comedy film.

The highest-grossing film in mainland China is still Zhang Yimou's "Hero".

Just because it does well at the box office in the United States, it has to keep up with current events.

"If Chairman Yang wants it, it can be bought out for HK$200 million."

Tian Xiaole offered a rather high price, but to his surprise, Yang Shoucheng agreed without hesitation.

"Then Yinghuang will take this movie, just to make friends with Director Tian."

Although Albert Yeung is getting old, he is not one of those old fogies. With the development of the mainland, taking the initiative to embrace it is the best choice.

Those who are arrogant and treat the mainland market as their own private territory for Hong Kong films will be taught a lesson sooner or later.

(End of this chapter)