Chapter 142: Taking on the Hollywood Blockbuster

Time has arrived at the end of April, and *New World* is about to be released. The promotional work has already been carried out in full swing, and Boss Yang of Emperor Group is even acting as if facing a formidable enemy; there is no other reason, the head-on battle with *Spider-Man 3* is coming.

Regarding this film, Wei Jin still does not dare to underestimate it. With a production cost of 250 million USD, it is a Hollywood blockbuster worthy of the name. Faced with such a deep-sea giant crocodile, anyone would have to temporarily avoid its sharp edge. However, Wei Jin does not believe in evil; there is no one who can make him flee without a fight. But he also knows that this will be a tough battle.

However, what is fortunate is that after China Film Group adjusted the schedule, they finally left a few days for *New World* to ferment word-of-mouth and gain a first-mover advantage. Otherwise, if the two films were released at the same time and fought hard for screen allocation, Wei Jin would really be afraid that domestic cinemas would drop the chain and hold him back.

But Wei Jin's mind is not on this at the moment. He has already rushed to the Aerospace Center's training base; he wants to inspect the actors' training results.

For this training, Wei Jin followed the official Astronaut Training Manual provided by the Aerospace Science and Industry team and reduced the training volume to one-tenth. Even so, the actors are still enduring high-intensity training.

Just as Wei Jin arrived at the location, Jing Tian, who had received the news in advance and had been waiting for a long time, saw him. She immediately threw herself into Wei Jin's arms like a swallow returning to its nest, greedily breathing in the scent on the man, unwilling to let go for a long time.

"Tian Tian, everyone is still watching. If you don't come down, they will make fun of you."

Looking down at the young girl hanging on him like a koala and smelling the girl's unique body fragrance, Wei Jin also felt a bit of longing, but right now, important matters come first.

"Just hug me a little longer, I missed you so much."

Hearing this, Jing Tian began to act coquettishly, her small face slightly flushed, but in the end, she still knew the importance of the situation.

The other lead actors also began to gather around Wei Jin. After looking Liu Tianwang up and down, Wei Jin nodded with great satisfaction.

"Not bad, Hua Ge. It seems this period of training was not in vain. This muscular definition, these lines, are simply perfect. By then, it will definitely fascinate many female fans."

Liu Tianwang has many scenes in the film where his upper body is bare, and he must be very strong. Therefore, before coming to training, Wei Jin had given him instructions to strengthen his physical training. Now it seems the effect is quite good.

The others have also undergone physical training during this period, mainly because the spacesuit is very heavy. Even though they are using props in the film, they are still one-third the weight of the real thing, nearly 20 jin. If one's physical fitness is not enough, it really won't work.

"Then Director Wei will have to take two sets of semi-nude promotional photos for me when the time comes. I'll send them to the fans as a benefit, haha."

Seeing Wei Jin, Liu Tianwang was very happy, which meant that filming was about to start, and he rarely cracked a joke.

"Hua Ge, aren't you afraid of being reported for doing this? Haha."

After spending time together during this period, everyone's relationship is very harmonious. Zhang Ziyi and Liu Tianwang are even old friends, so she spoke up to tease him, drawing a burst of laughter.

Watching the group of lead actors gradually form a team rapport, Wei Jin couldn't help but nod. "Hua Ge, after you participate in the film promotion, go directly to Hongya with me. That living module where you grow potatoes has been repaired. In order to make it look realistic, you really have to do some planting. When the time comes, we can shoot in advance, which can also save a lot of time."

For the promotion of *New World*, Liu Tianwang, as the male lead, naturally has to be present, but he only needs to run around for the first few days. Once the holiday really begins, there is no need for roadshows.

"No problem, everyone keep practicing. I'm going to Mars to grow crops, haha."

Liu Tianwang seemed very happy and specifically showed off his hard-practiced Mandarin to everyone. It must be said, it even had a bit of the flavor of an old Beijing local.

During this period, he not only had to undergo various training but also had to practice Mandarin. In addition, there were some cultural studies, which almost never stopped, but the effect was very good.

Wei Jin naturally also knew what Liu Tianwang was happy about. It must be said that Liu Tianwang is still very popular in Japan and South Korea.

*Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon* was invested in through a partnership between Hong Kong and Japanese/South Korean capital. Now, they are actually delaying the project's filming schedule for the sake of Liu Tianwang's availability, and will continue to film while waiting for him later on.

"Director Wei, how much longer do we have to practice? I've been eating the nutritional meals until I'm sick of them recently. I'm a girl, and my arms have even gotten thicker."

Zhang Ziyi has also changed her makeup according to Wei Jin's requirements during this period, looking about 30-something years old. She plays the captain of the Mars Squad in the film and needs to have the aura of a big sister. Wei Jin naturally could not let Zhang Ziyi play young; not only could he not, but he had to lean towards a mature style as much as possible.

"It is estimated to be after the May Day holiday. Although the infrastructure there is faster than planned, it still needs about ten days or so."

Upon hearing this, the momentum of the lead actors collapsed. It wasn't that they couldn't persist, but mainly that the nutritional meals were really too monotonous.

Regarding this, Wei Jin deeply agreed, but then he told everyone a piece of good news.

"However, on the day of the premiere, everyone can rest for a day to show your support for Hua Ge."

"Oh yeah!" On April 27, *New World* held a grand premiere in Beijing. This was strongly requested by Emperor Group. Wei Jin, as the screenwriter, accepted interviews from reporters together with the lead actors.

"May I ask Director Wei, *New World* and *Infernal Affairs* are both stories about undercover agents. What are the differences between the two? Do you think the former can reach the heights of the latter?"

This reporter clearly did their homework, and the question was very tricky. "If Chen Yongren in *Infernal Affairs*, who yearned for the light, was in an infernal hell and finally sacrificed his life for righteousness to find liberation, then Li Zicheng in *New World* is trapped deep in darkness, sinking for a lifetime. How is this not another kind of infernal hell? As for whether it can reach the heights of *Infernal Affairs*, everyone will have their own evaluation after watching it."

"Director Wei, *Spider-Man 3* is also going to be released during the May Day period. Aren't you worried?"

A reporter mentioned the issue of competitors.

"Hollywood blockbusters are running rampant, and many peers feel that it will be a winner-takes-all situation, with domestic films having almost no fighting spirit."

Looking at the whispering audience off-stage, Wei Jin knew in his heart that he had to boost morale: "But I don't believe it. Domestic films shouldn't just be defeated before the battle starts. If no one dares to step up, then I, *New World*, am willing to be this vanguard!"

"Good, Director Wei said it well. That's the kind of momentum we need. *New World* will never give in, and Emperor Group will never admit defeat."

Boss Yang is a shrewd person and naturally knows what to say on this occasion.

Sure enough, whether it was the lead actors on stage or the reporters off-stage, a fighting spirit was ignited. I believe tomorrow's entertainment headlines will attract many viewers for the film.

Subsequently, several lead actors also answered some reporters' questions, among whom Liu Tianwang received particular attention.

"Liu Tianwang, may I ask if you have confidence in the box office?"

This reporter is truly a dog. They say don't hit a person in the face; this is a direct, face-to-face mockery in public.

"This time I really do. Director Wei's script will absolutely not let everyone down."

Liu Tianwang was also holding his breath, wanting to prove himself. He truly felt that the script for *New World* was good. Having been in the industry for decades, how could he not tell the quality of a script? There are many films where he knew the script was trash, but due to personal favors, he couldn't refuse. This is also a common problem faced by "nice guys" in the entertainment industry. Isn't Huang Xiaoming's later development just like Liu Tianwang's?

However, the final result of this is ruining one's own reputation, and more extremely, it will form a "repelling the audience" effect.

Soon, with the familiar music, the Dragon Mark flashed, and the film began to screen. As the plot unfolded, the big boss in the film passed away, and a funeral was held. The scale was huge, and it was also one of the few big-budget scenes in the film. Even some real big bosses came. Ordinary fans might not recognize them, but there were quite a few industry insiders present, and one after another, they all exclaimed:

"That's the eldest grandson of the Huo family, right? People from the He family also came?"

"Boss Yang also went to make a cameo?"

"Good heavens, Sixth Uncle is also here? This is too prestigious. I even thought a real big boss had passed away."

Listening to the discussion in the back rows, a smile appeared on Boss Yang's face. This time, he personally stepped forward and invited many friends to have such a cameo easter egg.

You must know that many people have a curiosity-seeking mentality. With so many big bosses appearing in the film, just to see this scene, there will also be many viewers walking into the cinema.

As the plot continued to advance, Li Zicheng was forced to turn dark, counter-killed, and sat firmly in the position of a gang boss. Afterwards, with the 1997 handover, Li Zicheng hid his achievements and fame, leading the organization to successfully transform, wash his hands of the past, and head towards a new world.

The audience found this part of the plot very satisfying. While Chen Yongren's dutiful and noble behavior is certainly worthy of respect, the audience just couldn't empathize and always felt stifled. On the contrary, Li Zicheng's turning dark was more in line with the audience's expectations, relieving the pent-up frustration in their hearts. To put it bluntly, it was more satisfying! Everyone finally understood Wei Jin's previous statement: Chen Yongren was in an infernal hell, and so was Li Zicheng. This time, the release of *New World* followed the path of simultaneous distribution in Asia. Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Japan were all handed over to Emperor Group to handle.

In Taiwan, Wu Dun also cleared the obstacles this time and managed to secure a release quota for a simultaneous release, as a gesture of sincerity for his next cooperation with Wei Jin.

As for South Korea, CJ Entertainment approached them on their own. They were very optimistic about this script and were willing to distribute it at a low price as a gesture of sincerity in exchange for subsequent remake and adaptation rights.

Regarding this, Wei Jin naturally agreed wholeheartedly. In professional terms, this operation is called NTR, and he felt he had won big.

The words Wei Jin said at the premiere were indeed quoted by the media.

"A shocking battle, Oscar-winning director takes on Hollywood's Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man is coming on aggressively, and New World is rising to the challenge."

"Wei Jin, the last hope of Huaxia filmmakers."

It caused a huge uproar online; single-handedly taking on a Hollywood blockbuster requires great courage and determination. For this point alone, many netizens expressed that they would definitely go to support it, not to mention that Wei Jin's own appeal is also extremely powerful.

Regarding theater screenings, this time all theater chains were very supportive; at least before the release of Spider-Man 3, they all gave a screening rate of about 70%.

For a moment, Wei Jin was actually looking forward to this great battle. The third update today, I earnestly request all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, and collections. You must flip to the last page for the follow-up reading, thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)