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

Chapter 61 The Demise of Humanity: Cruelty, Ugliness, Alienation, and Sacrifice!
The cast of the drama/action film "A World Without Thieves," co-produced by Huayi Brothers and Media Asia Films and directed by Feng Xiaogang, was officially announced yesterday.

Liu Dehua, Liu Yanying, Wang Baoqiang, Li Bingbing, Ge You, Lin Jiadong, Xu Fan, and others all appeared at the press conference, sharing their insights into the characters they portrayed.

At the press conference, Feng Xiaogang talked about "Cell Phone," saying that the investment was only 1500 million yuan and he was very satisfied with the current box office performance.

"It is reported that the investment cost of 'A World Without Thieves' is as high as 50 million yuan, and Feng Xiaogang said that he will launch an attack on the box office of 100 million yuan!"

Feng Xiaogang implied that the box office victory of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" was "unfair," as the two sides started from different points...

……

At that time, the smoke of the Lunar New Year film season had not yet cleared up. "Infernal Affairs 3" was the first to leave the theater with a box office of 3600 million, leaving only "Cell Phone" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" still showing.

The media seized on Feng Xiaogang's "old grudge" of issuing a challenge, making this box office battle even more intense.

"Brother Rui, is Feng Xiaogang trying to renege on his debt?" Zhao Peng, who rushed to the editing room after seeing the news, was filled with righteous indignation. "He was the one who started the trouble, and now that he's lost, he's not admitting it. Isn't that shameless?"

Lu Rui stared at the editing screen without looking up and replied, "That's how people born in the Year of the Dog are; turning their backs on you is their norm."

He had anticipated that Feng Xiaogang would not easily admit defeat.

Sure enough, they started arguing about different investment costs, different starting points, and excessive marketing tactics...

The excuses they gave were so convincing that they completely humiliated themselves.

"What do we do now? This is infuriating! We can't just let it go like this, can we?" Zhao Peng was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

"Let it go? How could I possibly let it go?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Lü Rui's lips.

He had already made up his mind.

The priority now is to finish the post-production of "The Pursuit of Happyness" and submit it for review as soon as possible.

And then next is... to make another commercial film!

If you want to make an arrogant person bow down, the best way is to use their most proficient "weapon" to challenge their values ​​and pierce their weak points!
How about a deep integration of business and humanity?

A battle between good and evil and the redemption of humanity?
Your "A World Without Thieves" is nothing special.

Lu Rui's Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "I'm going to show you what it means to be devoid of humanity, cruel, ugly, alienated, and sacrificial!"

~

On January 18, the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, "Cellphone" officially ended its run, with its box office revenue settling at 4566 million yuan.

Lu Rui clearly remembered that in his previous life, this movie had a box office of 5450 million, ranking first in the mainland Chinese box office in 03.

The loss of over 800 million is clearly influenced by "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".

And the matter involving Old Zhang's son also had a significant impact.

Although the news didn't spread outside, it was widely known at the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy that the kid had been expelled and even his student ID had been taken back.

At the same time, that evening, a grand celebration banquet was held for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"!

Logically, a movie celebration party should be held after the film has officially finished its run, but with the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone wanted to have some fun, so they decided to hold it earlier.

After all, everyone is quite busy after the start of the new year, and it's uncertain whether we'll be able to get together.

"Wow? Why all the fuss?"

When Lü Rui arrived at the banquet hall booked by China Film Group, he was surprised to find that a red carpet had been laid out outside the door.

Moreover, there were reporters and fans from both sides.

"Welcome director Lü Rui, whose films gross over 100 million yuan!"

No one knows who shouted it, but applause instantly erupted like a tidal wave.
Lu Rui waved to both sides, then led Zhao Peng and Shen Ao onto the red carpet and walked into the venue.

"Director Lü, would you like to give an interview?"

"Director Lü! What's your opinion on Feng Xiaogang's refusal to admit defeat?"

"The film 'A World Without Thieves' has an investment of 5000 million yuan and is suspected of being aimed at competing with 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.' Feng Xiaogang has declared that he will break your box office record. What are your thoughts on this?"

Reporters swarmed around him, blocking him at the entrance of the venue.

Just as Zhao Peng and Shen Ao were about to step forward, Lü Rui raised his hand to stop them.

He smiled slightly at the camera, his tone calm yet sharp: "Director Feng is almost fifty years old and wants to maintain his dignity, so as a junior, I should naturally grant his request."

However, box office records can't be broken with just words. Since Director Feng is interested, why not bring it on? I'll play along.

boom!
The scene instantly erupted in chaos.

Amidst the constant clicking of camera shutters, Lü Rui walked through the crowd and into the banquet hall, leaving behind a chorus of excited chatter.

As soon as Dong Ping, who was standing at the door, saw him enter, he immediately shouted, "Friends, let's welcome Director Lü with a warm round of applause!"

In an instant, applause surged like waves once again.

"Thank you, thank you everyone."

Lü Rui smiled and nodded to the crowd, his eyes inadvertently glancing at the stage.
Three eye-catching signs are standing there:

The film grossed 1.3 million yuan at the Chinese box office!
The film grossed HK$3600 million at the Hong Kong box office!
Taiwan's box office reached NT$1.09 million!
Except for Taiwan, which failed to surpass "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", both mainland China and Hong Kong topped the box office charts in 2003!
This year, Lü Rui still reaped a great harvest.

Without competing for the three major European awards, he won a Golden Horse Award for Best Director and a Huabiao Award for Best Director.

As for the total revenue from hidden assets and explicit box office and copyright revenue, it adds up to tens of millions!
Meanwhile, he also planted two hidden cards in Hollywood, one overt and one covert, waiting for the right moment to activate them...

"cheers!"

The champagne on the tower was handed out glass after glass, and everyone raised their glasses in celebration.

"Senior, let me toast you."

Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli walked in gracefully, each holding a glass of champagne.

"How come you..." Lu Rui was about to ask her why she was drinking tonight, but when he caught a glimpse of Liu Xiaoli's gentle smile, he swallowed his words and lightly clinked glasses with her.

Clearly, this was done with Liu Xiaoli's consent.

"cheers."

Liu Yifei added, "We're going back to Wuhan tomorrow, not Harbin. Remember to say hello to my uncle and aunt for me."

“Okay, I guarantee the message will be delivered.” Lü Rui nodded in agreement.

Liu Xiaoli then raised her glass and thanked him, saying, "Director Lü, I'd also like to toast you. Thank you so much for taking care of Qianqian."

"Little things..."

As night deepened, the banquet hall became increasingly noisy.

Ren Zhonglun, Han Sanping, Jiang Wen, Dong Ping, Yu Dong, Wang Changtian and others took turns raising their glasses.

By the end of the drinking session, Lü Rui was completely tipsy.

Fortunately, he had specifically instructed Shen Ao before leaving home to make sure he was brought back safely tonight, so it didn't matter if he got drunk.

However, those vixens who took the opportunity to approach were still quite troublesome.

"Director Lü, we meet again."

Two different perfume scents wafted over, and by the time Lü Rui realized what was happening, he was already sandwiched between Fan Bingbing and Li Bingbing.

One is soft and warm, the other has exquisite curves.

Two different styles of beauty, no wonder they can captivate so many fans.

However, these two vixens are not the main focus; the main focus is on the two old foxes, Wang Zhonglei and Wang Jinghua, who are walking towards us.

"Director Lü, I'd like to propose a toast to you. This film has stirred up the market and successfully surpassed 100 million yuan at the box office. Congratulations!"

"Same to you, 'Cellphone' is also quite excellent."

Lu Rui took a small sip and casually changed the subject.

He knew what this guy was up to, but without sufficient incentive, he wouldn't let those who had already "disembarked" get back on board.

After all, having too many people from the Beijing elite on board isn't good, as it somewhat contradicts his idea of ​​expanding his network.

Huayi is now dispensable to him.

But Wang Zhonglei wasn't willing to give up. After downing a glass of wine, he suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "I wonder what Director Lü's next plan is? Huayi is ready at any time..."

“No plans yet.”

Lu Rui decisively cut him off, and taking advantage of the other party's slight hesitation, he slipped out from between the two ice blocks and chatted with Ren Zhonglun, who was 'inadvertently' passing by.

Wang Zhonglei's face instantly darkened.

Seeing Lü Rui's unstoppable advance while Hua Yi could no longer get a share of the spoils, he was extremely upset.

Especially the decision to withdraw from investing in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" – I regret it so much now!

It's one thing to make good art films, but to make such amazing commercial films...

He had to admit that he had indeed misjudged the situation back then.

"Mr. Wang, what should we do now?" Wang Jinghua asked, frowning.

"Don't worry, there's still a chance." Wang Zhonglei withdrew his gaze and instead looked at Jiang Wen, who was not far away.

Jiang Wen was the matchmaker who introduced the two sides in the first place, and now that they want to find a breakthrough, he is undoubtedly the best one.

The celebration banquet came to a successful conclusion at 11 p.m.

As expected, Lü Rui's speech on the red carpet the following morning dominated the headlines of major entertainment sections.

"Lü Rui's 'dignity theory' is subtly sarcastic, mocking Feng Xiaogang's inability to accept defeat..."

"A director with a box office of over 100 million yuan has accepted another challenge; the box office showdown is about to begin!"

"The smoke of the Lunar New Year film season has barely cleared, and the second round of box office battles is about to begin."

Lu Rui completely ignored these entertainment news reports.

On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, he returned to Harbin.

To his amusement and exasperation, after watching the movie he made, his father also became a "Nikon enthusiast," buying the latest Nikon D2H, saying he wanted to travel and take pictures of scenery after the New Year.

If Reader's Digest was the biggest beneficiary of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, then Nikon would definitely be second.

In particular, the line spoken by the photographer played by Jiang Wen, "Leave this moment," has been hailed as a golden quote for the brand!
According to Jiang Wen, Nikon has already contacted him and is preparing to make him their brand ambassador.

After a week's rest, on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Lü Rui returned to the capital and plunged back into the editing work of "The Pursuit of Happyness".

Meanwhile, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty officially came to an end.

Riding the wave of moviegoing during the Spring Festival, the box office in mainland China ultimately reached 1.5 million yuan, with a return on investment of up to three times!
On the other hand, the box office in Hong Kong reached HK$4000 million, while the box office in Taiwan garnered NT$1.65 million.

The harvest season has arrived!
After deducting taxes, nearly 7000 million yuan in revenue was credited to the account in February!
This doesn't even include subsequent copyright revenue from Southeast Asia.

Just as Lü Rui was basking in the joy of a bountiful harvest, the nomination list for the Hong Kong Film Awards was solemnly announced on February 12.

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" has been nominated for 10 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Cinematography, showing strong momentum!

To his even greater surprise, the 76th Academy Awards sent him an invitation!

"The Academy Awards?"

Looking at the letter with his name on it, Lü Rui was filled with confusion.

He clearly didn't apply for the Oscars, so why did he receive an invitation to the Oscars ceremony?
However, before he could even sort things out, the major media outlets outside the country were already in an uproar!

(End of this chapter)