Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 24 The 'Famous Director' Who Has Never Directed a Movie

6012 million!
It doubled on the third day.

Not to mention those film and television companies were caught off guard, even Chen Shou himself was dumbfounded.

"Was the box office rigged?" Chen Shou's first thought was that the box office was rigged.

To avoid being targeted, Chen Shou immediately contacted several production companies and asked them to inquire with the theater chains.

Soon, Wanda Cinemas and other theater chains investigated and found that there were more couples going to the movies. This was because it was the first day of the National Day holiday, and everyone had been given a day off the night before. As a result, there was a sudden increase in the number of people going to the movies, especially couples.

As a result, there was a peak period in the evening, with almost every venue being fully booked.

The box office more than doubled, exceeding everyone's expectations.

With the phenomenal success of "Painted Skin," which grossed over 100 million yuan in just three days—a feat initially thought to be achieved during the National Day holiday—many film companies are lamenting their disappointment.

Seeing the box office success, theaters allocated more screenings, effectively reducing the space available for other films that were originally scheduled to be shown.

Especially for a director who makes realistic films, he only got 4% of the screenings. He is also an award-winning director. The theaters didn't give him any face at all. On National Day, they cut his screenings to 1%, leaving him heartbroken.

However, Painted Skin is not without its rivals; they are released at the same time, so the competition comes down to the quality of the films.

The popularity of "Painted Skin," coupled with its marketing of a horror atmosphere, certainly made it a hit. But then something else happened.

Some parents took their children to see a movie, but the scary scenes still frightened the children, so the parents came out to complain after the movie.

There's no need for Chen Shouzhe to respond; some viewers have already started criticizing him.

Box office revenue on the first day of the National Day holiday remained at over 60 million yuan. In addition, some people jumped out because their children were frightened when they went to the movies.

"I heard many people mention the movie 'Painted Skin' online, so I went to see it as an industry professional. After watching it, all I can say is that there are no limits to capitalism. How could such a movie be released? What is the point of this kind of movie with its gods, demons, and monsters?"

It was labeled as a romance film, but I didn't see any romance at all. All I saw was horror. The romance in it consisted of a couple rolling around in bed and taking off their clothes.

What kind of movies can students still in school make? Today's audiences have no appreciation level whatsoever; they only watch online marketing and have never seen real art films. They're completely swayed by marketing hype. I just want to say that directors like 'Chen Shouzhe' should be banned.

A person claiming to be an industry insider jumped out, saying he was also a director of an association.

Chen Shouzhe is not a source of money, and not everyone likes him. Once someone starts criticizing him, countless others will follow suit.

"That's right, I watched the movie too. It's really impressive that it passed censorship; it must have some powerful connections."

"Horror movies that use romance as a selling point, but I didn't see any romance elements in them."

"There are too many scenes that are not suitable for children, so they should be banned."

"His master and godfather relied on scatological humor, while he relied on pornography and horror scenes."

"Anyway, I didn't see what was so good about it. All I remember from the whole thing is that Zhou Xun took her clothes off."

Despite a barrage of criticism, the film's popularity remained high, but its box office revenue declined.

The box office on the second day of the National Day holiday was only 4792 million yuan. Chen Shouzhe had no choice but to step in, and several production companies couldn't stand by and watch either.

This is their money; cutting off someone's money is like killing their parents.

Chen Shouzhe had just finished running around when a reporter stood up to ask a question.

"I'd like to ask Director Chen, what's your opinion on Director Wang's post?" the reporter asked.

“I have great respect for the seniors in the industry, but I took a look at this Director Wang and he seems to be a ‘director’ who has never made any films. I don’t know where he came from. If all he has to offer is that he is older than me, and he is commenting on me from this perspective, I can respond with one sentence.”

"To be old and not die is to be a thief."

I haven't seen any of his works or any of his movies. I'd like to ask him what right he has to slander my film. If he was paid to go to the cinema, then I'll thank him for his support, since I can't speak ill of a blind person.

As for his status as an association deacon, all I can say is that the association really dares to accept anyone. These days, any scoundrel can call himself a director. When did the threshold for becoming a director become so low? No one present expected Chen Shouzhe's response to be so fierce. He was practically pointing his finger at Chen Shouzhe and calling him trash, while also dragging the association into the conversation.

After all, quite a few so-called association members have stepped forward this time. I haven't seen them make any movies, but they're always talking nonsense.

None of the actors present expected Chen Shouzhe to be so irritable, showing no mercy and offending many people.

As expected, Chen Shou's words were reported verbatim without needing any editing, and immediately those people started to jump up and down.

Those who actually watched the movie joined Chen Shouzhe in his charge, asking them what movies they had made.

If they could actually produce results, that would be great. The problem is that, as Chen Shouzhe said, apart from being old, they haven't done anything worthwhile.

They all claim to be directors, but I've never seen them direct any movies. The most they've ever done is direct a music video, and I don't even know where that singer came from.

Chen Shouzhe received a call from his teacher, Wang Hongwei.

"Did those teachers go looking for you?" Chen Shou asked with a laugh when he received the phone call.

“I’ve already told them to shut up. Hmph, even if you know they’re doing this for money, you still need to see them clearly. Don’t get involved in this matter.” Wang Hongwei naturally sided with his student.

"If you say that, then there's no problem. I've been scolded by them countless times," Chen Shou said with a sneer.

He's been targeted ever since he filmed his first movie last year. They used to call him a comedian, now they're criticizing his movies and trying to blacklist him.

It's good enough that they weren't killed; the box office could have continued to rise, but now it's been abruptly interrupted.

However, there is some good news: it's not being shown domestically, but rather overseas.

"The film 'Painted Skin,' directed by Chen Shouzhe and starring Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, Zeng Li, Wu Yue, and others, is very popular abroad and has set a box office record in South Korea."

As Chen Shouzhe began to rant, many people supported him, but others criticized him for not respecting his elders.

Chen Shouzhe retorted again, asking them if they loved children.

Does being old mean you can't speak out, while being young means you deserve to die?
Why bother with young people? Why not just send these old people to the battlefield? Every bus doorway is full of heroes, but once you get on the bus you become like Lin Daiyu.
Chen Shouzhe wasn't going to tolerate them. He had invested 30% of the money, which would have a significant impact on his future. He couldn't back down, or these people would take advantage of him.

Not giving an inch.

The seven-day National Day holiday has ended. The box office figures for the seven days were 6364 million, 4792 million, 5535 million, 4431 million, 4185 million, 3512 million, and 4379 million, for a total of 33198 million.

Including the previous three days, the total is 44821 million.

The total box office for the ten days is 448.21 million. There are still twenty days left. 500 million is no problem, and we'll try to reach 600 million.

Although it's profitable, it's not as profitable as Charlotte's Trouble.

The interruption caused a public relations crisis, which Chen Shou and several other production companies were furious with.

"We still don't know which company did it," Wang Changtian said, sitting in front of Chen Shouzhe.

"People who do this kind of thing are very secretive; they even dare to target films controlled by China Film Group." This was the second time Chen Shou had witnessed what a media attack was like.

The first time was during the Deyun Society event, which almost led to the Deyun Society's demise. This time, his movie was supposed to have a chance to be released, but it was abruptly interrupted as well.

However, compared to the box office results I remember, I am already very satisfied with the current results, which are at least double the previous figures.

With the overseas copyrights as well, Chen Shouzhe can earn quite a bit; he can probably earn around 100 million.

It takes time and patience. Besides, the first part was already a success, so the second part will be even better.

The key is to guard against being sabotaged, and it's best to maintain control of the narrative.

"Making one film a year is too difficult to start."

(End of this chapter)