It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 36 The Father of Lunar New Year Films VS Rising Star Director!

In front of the media, Feng Xiaogang spoke passionately and eloquently to the camera:

"Big Shot's Funeral is a 01 film. Comparing it to Mystic River now is like comparing a mobile phone to a Nokia 7650. Times have changed, and audiences' tastes have changed too."

It tells absurdist comedies and plays with dark humor; its popularity back then was due to its unexpected twists.

What about *Mystic River*? Suspense plus humanity resonates more with today's audiences. It's like comparing noodles with soybean paste and steak—each has its own appeal. Simply comparing box office numbers is meaningless!

As soon as he finished speaking, he straightened his back and said with strong confidence, "Besides, the box office performance of a movie doesn't mean anything at all."

Next month, my film "Cellphone" will start filming. Director Lü is known for his dramatic films, right? Then let's have a real showdown! Let's see whose film will be more commercially successful in the same era!

Also at the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony, Feng Xiaogang's words quickly reached Lü Rui's ears.

A reporter asked, "Director Lü, Director Feng Xiaogang said that comparing the box office of 'Mystic River' with 'Big Shot' is simply unfair. What do you think?"

Is it unfair to win by comparing box office revenue?
Lu Rui smirked: "I took the Silver Lion."

The reporters swarmed around Feng Xiaogang again.

Upon hearing the words "Silver Lion," his face immediately darkened, turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

Isn't this deliberately poking at his sore spot?

"What can awards prove? The standard for judging a good director is how much real substance he leaves for the market and the audience."

Lu Rui said calmly, "I took the Silver Lion."

Feng Xiaogang immediately lost his temper: "Starting with 'The Dream Factory,' I successively directed 'Be There or Be Square,' 'Endless Love,' and 'Big Shot's Funeral,' single-handedly creating the era of 'Feng-style New Year's comedies'!"

Lu Rui remained calm: "Besides the Silver Lion, I also brought back the Silver Bear."

Feng Xiaogang's neck veins bulged: "My total box office revenue has reached 1.85 million yuan, expanding the territory of the Chinese film market!"

Lu Rui remained calm: "Silver Lion, Silver Bear, and I also won the Venice Film Festival Best Actor award."

Feng Xiaogang was furious: "Box office is the only thing that matters! Movies should compete on the market!"

Lu Rui said calmly: "Silver Lion, Silver Bear, Best Actor, the combined box office of 'Gone Girl' and 'Mystic River' is 9796 million, and the copyright fee is 1.07 million RMB."

Feng Xiaogang yelled until his voice cracked, veins bulging in his neck: "As a director, your own influence..."

Lu Rui remained calm and composed: "I've only been in the industry for a year, and I've not only won both the Silver Bear and Silver Lion, but I've also helped a Venice Film Festival Best Actor win, and my works are bestsellers overseas."

Feng Xiaogang: "(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴!"

Wang Zhonglei quickly grabbed the emotionally distraught Feng Xiaogang and forcefully pulled him outside.

Chen Kaige happened to be passing by and saw the commotion. He quietly hid the Golden Rooster Best Director trophy behind his back and quickened his pace to leave.

A large group of reporters chased after him, asking for his opinion, but he remained silent, keeping a straight face and pretending to be profound.

Actually, he was quite intimidated at that moment and didn't dare to speak.

Feng Xiaogang was so badly criticized that he almost had an epileptic seizure, and he didn't want to go looking for trouble.

Although he has won the Palme d'Or, those in the industry know the ins and outs behind that award.

Moreover, Lu Ruigang has worked with Leslie Cheung and Zhang Fengyi before. Who knows what they might have talked about in private? It would be troublesome if their shortcomings were exposed.

Behind him, the Golden Rooster Awards organizing committee members quickly followed.

None of the group dared to look in Lü Rui's direction.

His scathing attack just now practically bombarded two-thirds of the people present.

Even Chen Kaige has to avoid them, let alone these old guys who hold positions without doing anything. Who can withstand it?
At this moment, seeing a group of people circling around Lü Rui, Jiang Wen, who was standing next to him, burst into laughter, yelling at the top of his lungs:

"The wind rises, the clouds fly high, where can we find brave warriors to guard the four directions! You're simply a brave warrior! Oh! No! A fierce general, hahahahaha!"

He didn't care at all about Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige, or the Golden Rooster Committee, and seized the opportunity to make fun of them.

If Han Sanping hadn't been quick-witted and pulled him back, he would have burst out laughing.

"Director Jiang, let's go."

Lu Rui raised an eyebrow and strode out.

He didn't take Feng Xiaogang's aggressive challenge to compete at the box office the slightest.

As far as I remember, "Cell Phone" only grossed a little over 50 million yuan at the box office. What's there to brag about?
As for whether his veiled remarks might offend the Golden Rooster Committee, he didn't care at all.

Before being reborn, I had to work like a slave to others just to make a living. Now that I've been reborn, if I'm still timid and hesitant... then what was the point of being reborn?

With the conclusion of the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony, November has officially begun.

Although Chen Kaige won the award, he did almost no promotion. After all, "Together" only grossed 1200 million yuan at the box office, so there was really no hype.

On the contrary, the media seized on Feng Xiaogang's challenge to Lü Rui and made a big deal out of it.

"The father of Lunar New Year films vs. a rising star director: who will win and who will lose? Let's wait and see."

"The comedy film 'Cellphone,' directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Ge You, Xu Fan, Fan Bingbing, and Zhang Guoli, has officially started filming in Beijing." "As of now, director Lü Rui has not revealed any information regarding his next project..."

This commotion caused quite a stir in the city, directly attracting the attention of Zhang the Bearded.

The casting for "Wang Yuyan" in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" has been finalized!

The announcement was impactful and carried a heavy weight.

—Newcomer actress Liu Yifei makes a stunning appearance!

As soon as the announcement was released, Liu Yifei's official costume photos as Wang Yuyan were also revealed.

In the photos, her face is as beautiful as peach blossoms in March, her eyes seem to hold spring water, and her dimples appear when she smiles. She truly lives up to the saying "a smile that can launch a thousand ships," as if she were a peerless beauty who stepped out of Jin Yong's novel!

As soon as the photos were released, many people couldn't hide their curiosity.

Has Murong Fu ever kicked his drug habit? He doesn't even want such a beautiful cousin?

Interestingly, because Jiang Wen played Liu Yifei's father in "Mystic River," many people gave him a new nickname:

—The Nation's Father-in-Law!
This made him so happy he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear, his face beaming with pride as he boasted excitedly:

"Look at her, this girl's features are just like mine when I was young! Back then, when I stood at the village entrance, which girl wouldn't blush and secretly look at me?"

Lu Rui completely ignored his self-praise and was carefully calculating the accounts.

The overseas copyright revenue share I just received is now firmly in my pocket, and with the copyright fees from the bundled sale in Southeast Asia, the total comes to over 2500 million.

However, this huge sum of money will not be received all at once, because the tax refund and subsidy processes are very complicated and the money will be received in installments.

Then, regarding box office revenue sharing, Ruishijie has a 30% share, which amounts to approximately 700 million yuan.

All things considered, the film "Mysterious River" alone brought Lü Rui an income of over 3000 million yuan!
"Mr. Lü! The profits from 'Mysterious River' are more than three times that of 'Gone Girl'!"

The accountant's hand, clutching the report, trembled uncontrollably, and his pupils behind his glasses dilated with shock.

When "Gone Girl" earned more than 1000 million yuan at the beginning of the year, she already felt it was a miracle!

Who could have predicted that it would triple by the end of the year!
Upon closer examination, this newly established company is about to break the 5000 million mark in total annual revenue!

This was in 02!

What was the concept of 02 million in 5000?
The average price of a regular family car is currently around 10 yuan, so 5000 million yuan could buy 500 cars!
According to statistics, the current per capita consumption expenditure in China is about 6030 yuan. 5000 million yuan is enough for one person to consume for about 8292 years!
The average wage earner earns only one or two thousand yuan a month, but this amount of money is enough for a person to earn from the beginning of time until retirement!
This isn't running a company; it's robbing a bank!
Lu Rui took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress the surging excitement in his chest.

He then turned to Jiang Wen, who was equally dumbfounded, and asked, "Director Jiang, are you short of funds?"

Jiang Wen was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand: "That's enough, Liu Xiaoqing's fine has been settled."

"That's good. I'll make preparations and start the new project."

"What?" Jiang Wen stood up abruptly. "You have a new script again?"

"Not yet." Lü Rui shook his head, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously. "I'm thinking, should I continue to aim for awards for my next film, or should I make a commercial film?"

"I suggest you try commercial films."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because Berlin and Venice won't award the same director for two consecutive years, and the deadline for Cannes to submit entries is early March next year, will you have enough time?"

Lu Rui shook his head: "It's definitely too late."

The script translation alone takes a month, not to mention the time required for casting, assembling the crew, filming, and post-production, all of which are taken into account during the Spring Festival holiday.

If the production is rushed, the quality of the film will inevitably suffer.

And most importantly, he still doesn't know what to film, and the system isn't assigning any new tasks, which is very strange.

"Does trigger a new mission? But if it's a commercial film, what kind should we make?"

Lu Rui fell into a period of reflection.

Meanwhile, he also continued to follow up on directing courses and studied screenwriting techniques for comedy, romance, and youth themes every day.

The system rewards seem tempting, but fully understanding them is a huge undertaking!
Meanwhile, a major event occurred in Hong Kong!
A newspaper called Eastweek actually published a semi-nude photo of Liu Jialing being abused on its cover.

Immediately afterwards, veteran Hong Kong artists such as Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui organized a march of more than 500 people from the Hong Kong entertainment industry to publicly condemn the unethical behavior of Eastweek magazine!
Liu Jialing herself also came forward to condemn the incident and demand an apology.

Ultimately, Eastweek was forced to cease publication and completely disappeared from public view.

Before we knew it, it was December.

Just as Lü Rui finally finished digesting the system rewards, the movie "Hero," with an investment of up to 3000 million US dollars, equivalent to about 2.48 million RMB, was officially released!
For a time, news about this movie dominated the headlines.

Lu Rui took Zhao Peng and Shen Ao to the movie theater.

He wanted to find inspiration from this blockbuster and see if he could use this opportunity to figure out the direction for the localization of his next project.

(End of this chapter)