Chapter 207: 《The Martian》 Makes a Stunning Debut, Outrageous!

The 11th, the sky was clear and the air was crisp, the wind was gentle and the sun was bright.

Outside the solemn and respectful Great Hall of the People, nearly a hundred media outlets gathered, with countless reporters shouldering long lenses and short cannons, preparing to strike and capture first-hand material.

Starting from 2:00 PM, guests on the red carpet arrived in an endless stream; led by major film and television companies, first-tier and second-tier stars and big names gathered together.

"So many big names."

When Yang Mi, arm-in-arm with Liu Shishi, arrived with Miss Cai's group, she saw a crowd of Hong Kong stars.

The boss of Emperor Motion Pictures, Cheng Long, Li Lianjie, Liang Jiahui... "Wait, K Jie, who is that elderly person?"

"Wei Zong has such a grand gesture, even Boss Zou came?"

Miss Cai was somewhat shocked; this person was already over eighty, surely he came to show support of his own accord? Just as the group walked past the red carpet, they heard a burst of exclamations outside and hurriedly turned back to look.

"This person came too? Didn't she retire from acting?"

The person who arrived was none other than Ceng Li. As the first Mainland China Cannes Best Actress and the first Chinese Oscar Best Actress, her appearance caused a sensation among all the media present.

After all, she was famously laid-back; since becoming famous, she had devoted herself to teaching at the Central Academy of Drama and had almost never appeared in public.

"Who said she retired? She just rarely shows her face. For an occasion like today, it's very normal for her to come."

Yang Mi thought of the relationship between Ceng Li and Wei Jin and felt a sense of understanding; she wondered if her best friend Liu Shishi would ever have Ceng Li's luck.

Immediately, she felt a bit of pity for her best friend; both she and Hu Ge were only making guest appearances and couldn't walk the red carpet with the main cast, missing out on quite a bit of exposure.

Outside the red carpet, it was still People Mountain People Sea, with car after car pulling up and driving away.

The people from Huayi Brothers also arrived, and the group walked onto the red carpet one after another.

Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei, Feng Dapao, Li Bingbing, Zhou Xun, Deng Chao, Zhang Hanyu, Huang Xiaoming, and so on.

Many directors from within the circle also came; after all, this was the first domestic hard-core science fiction blockbuster, and there were no shortage of people interested.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, Jiang Wen, Jia Kezhang, Ning Hao, Gu Changwei, and others; even Xu Laoguai, who was currently filming *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame*, came—he truly has a deep love for special effects.

Subsequently, the stars and artists of Shanhe Media also began to appear: Fan Bingbing, Qiao Zhenyu, Jiang Shuying, Zhang Li, Yang Rong, Yang Xue, Chen Xiao, and so on. Surprisingly, a Xinjiang artist was mixed in among them, who was none other than Nazha.

After seeking her parents' advice, she had officially signed with Shanhe Media. At this moment, she was looking at the various stars with a look of wonder, letting out an exclamation from time to time, which drew teasing from her colleagues beside her.

People kept walking across the red carpet, and the media's cameras never stopped. It was a gathering of stars, comparable to a film festival. — Wei Jin led the main cast, left the variety show recording site at the Shanhe Building, and headed straight for the Great Hall of the People.

When they arrived at the scene, the waves of screams and shouts were deafening.

"Bi Yao, Bi Yao!"

"Wah Jai, I love you!"

"."

The cameras in the hands of the media began to flash wildly, and a large number of fans were gathered outside.

Jing Tian ultimately chose a pale pink floor-length gown; the high-waisted design perfectly showcased her waist-to-hip ratio. Without excessive decoration, she was still eye-catching, and the elegant hem of the dress fluttered in the wind, exuding a charming allure.

Zhang Ziyi was also dressed very exquisitely today in a gorgeous red dress, the hem swaying with grace, paired with a pair of black high heels, fully displaying her elegance.

The remaining men were much more casual; simple, well-fitting suits were perfectly adequate for any occasion.

Since it was a red carpet show, the main cast also cooperated with the media by striking a few poses, giving the reporters news material.

After simply accepting interviews from the media, the group entered the venue.

At this time, there were already a large number of industry peers and stars inside the venue, including big shots from the production companies like Han Sanping and Wang Changtian who had already arrived.

Seeing the main cast arrive, many people in the venue cast scrutinizing gazes, followed by waves of congratulations.

Wei Jin nodded and smiled in response to everyone. After some pleasantries, the premiere ceremony soon began. — Today's seating arrangement was also very rigorous; after all, there were many big shots from within the system present, and China Film Group had put a lot of effort into this.

The first row was for people from the General Administration, the Film Bureau, the China National Space Administration, and several major state-owned film groups.

The second row was for big shots from industry companies and major directors; people like those from Huayi Brothers and Feng Dapao were all seated in this area.

It was only from the third row that the seats for stars and artists began, and there was a significant distinction: the higher the status, the further forward the seat.

For example, Cheng Long, Li Lianjie, and others were in the third row; Ceng Li and a group of major actresses were also in this row.

The seats for the group from Tangren were quite far back; after all, since they were issued separate private invitations, their status was inevitably insufficient.

The area behind where they were seated was basically the audience section, which showed how far back their seats were.

Yang Mi felt very uncomfortable; she was a year older than Jing Tian, yet Jing Tian was already standing on stage sharing, while she was still racking her brains for an invitation with a seat further back.

Yang Mi didn't feel she was any worse than Jing Tian. Looking at Liu Shishi beside her, even she had latched onto Wei Jin's thigh; why didn't she have the opportunity? Was she not proactive enough?

For such a large-scale occasion today, the host was naturally Shanhe Media's leading lady, Liu Yan. At this moment, she was holding a microphone and interviewing the main cast, and everyone was very cooperative, sharing quite a few interesting stories from the film's creation process.

On the side, there was also a film crew from the Movie Channel, which would be broadcast on television in a couple of days.

The first to be interviewed was Liu Tianwang; he held the microphone and shared things that left a deep impression on him.

"You don't know, at that time, Director Wei had that look of disdain, as if what was in my hand..."

Recalling that shot, Liu Tianwang couldn't help but laugh himself.

"The potatoes were also real; I planted them myself, and later they were even packed up and brought back for everyone..."

As he spoke, Liu Tianwang actually took a small potato out of his pocket:

"This is a descendant of that original batch of potatoes; I don't know what generation it is exactly, haha."

This move by Liu Tianwang directly made the entire premiere scene burst into laughter; even Liu Yan, who had received professional training and was used to big scenes, couldn't hold back her laughter.

When it was Zhang Ziyi's turn to speak, she focused on the hardships of filming.

"The training was truly bitter; Jing Tian and I, two girls, carried over ten pounds of weight every day, and our arms even got thicker..."

"The base was also desolate and uninhabited, with big sandstorms every day, and our skin even became rough..."

Several main cast members spoke one after another, and Liu Yan soon handed the microphone to Wei Jin.

"When we were filming this movie, many people were not optimistic, but I want to say that just over two months ago, Shenzhou 7 had already successfully launched, and our countrymen completed their first spacewalk. This means there is nothing we cannot do."

"Even if we can't do it now, as long as we keep moving in this direction, there will eventually be a day when we can." Many in the audience were also shocked by Wei Jin's speech, followed by overwhelming applause. Yes, more than a year ago, who could have imagined the launch of Shenzhou 7? — As the lights gradually dimmed, the movie began to play, and fans sitting in the back rows began to discuss in low voices.

"Finally waited for it; I heard Liu Tianwang has the majority of the screen time in this movie."

"With this global release, I wonder how much the box office will be. If it's unsatisfactory, I guess no one will film science fiction movies in the future, right?"

"It shouldn't be bad; the novel's physical copies have already sold nearly four million in the country, and it's said to have exceeded ten million globally."

"I'm just afraid that if it's filmed differently from the novel, people won't like watching it."

"Shh, keep it down, it's starting."

The familiar Dragon Mark flashed by, and everyone at the scene watched the big screen without blinking.

As the plot unfolded, the members of the Mars Squad encountered a Storm, and the botanist played by Liu Tianwang was left stranded in Space.

A self-rescue mission taking place on Mars began.

"The visual effects are so stunning; it's worthy of being a blockbuster with a 400 million budget."

"It feels like every frame is burning through the budget."

"Director Wei is truly amazing; so many incredible scenes from the original work were filmed so well."

Many audience members at the scene began to discuss, and people from the China National Space Administration and the General Administration also began to whisper, discussing whether the operations in the movie had any basis in reality.

"Xiaogang, can we make this kind of film?"

Wang Zhonglei was also quite shocked; he had originally thought it would just be on the level of Painted Skin, but he hadn't expected it to be so effective when paired with the vast, boundless Space.

"Zhonglei, don't even think about it; the cycle is too long, and the gains won't make up for the losses."

Before Feng Dapao could speak, Wang Zhongjun spoke up instead; he still had a very clear understanding. What is the point of making movies? To make money. Taking on this kind of film carries too much risk.

"I'm telling you, this kid Wei Jin is really something; he actually managed to pull it off. I'm impressed by this level."

Jiang Wen had a straightforward personality and started chatting with Ning Hao; he admitted he couldn't have pulled this off himself.

"Hey, only he can pull this off. When I saw those hundreds of pages of storyboards back then, I was numb."

The cast and crew were also seeing the complete finished film for the first time; although they knew the story outline, they still felt very shocked.

"Tian Tian, I really didn't expect the effect we filmed to be this good; the training back then was truly worth it."

Zhang Ziyi whispered to Jing Tian; she had a premonition that as the film was released globally, she would definitely be able to open up the situation in Hollywood.

"Yeah, Brother is too amazing."

At this moment, light was already flickering in Jing Tian's eyes, and her face was full of admiration.

"Old Wei's movie is truly amazing. Sigh, my movie is going to be miserable."

Women Don't Bad had already been released today, and Zhou Xun was already beyond complaining about the distributor, Bona; choosing a date like this, they were truly stubborn.

"By the way, Xiaoming, why didn't you go ask for a role back then?"

"Forget it. We all know President Wei's personality; if he thinks you're suitable, he'll naturally come to you."

Although Huang Xiaoming felt some regret, he was relatively open-minded; at least he had already collaborated on Brotherhood of Blades.

Not far away, Ceng Li listened to the discussions around her, and a faint pride rose in her heart; this is my man.

Soon, the two-hour screening ended, and huge applause erupted at the scene. The leaders of the General Administration had already stood up to prepare to speak, but the applause still did not cease.

"The development of the industry cannot be separated from everyone here, and I also hope that everyone can launch more commercial blockbusters to contribute to the prosperity of the film market."

"Science fiction films like The Martian are of great help to the industry's foundation. I hope that more colleagues will invest in this field in the future. In this regard, the General Administration promises that it will definitely provide strong support." — The cast and crew accepted interviews once again, and this time the topic was given more to the director, Wei Jin.

"Director Wei, may I ask, the film cost 400 million; do you think it can break even?"

This question also made many people at the scene prick up their ears. Was Wei Jin really that confident?

"First of all, the film's product placement and trailer advertisements have already sold for 120 million."

Many industry companies present were already starting to get jealous; these wealthy advertisers were too optimistic about Wei Jin, really not treating money as money.

"Secondly, science fiction films do not have cultural barriers. With this global release, I am very confident that the box office will definitely not be bad."

Pausing, Wei Jin looked around and continued:

"Finally, I believe in the potential of the domestic film market. Relying solely on the domestic market, I believe it is basically possible to break even."

Once these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar. With a production cost of 400 million, subtracting the 120 million already recovered, the remaining 280 million had to be recovered from the domestic box office. Was this predicting a box office of 700 million? Before the reporters could continue asking, Wei Jin gave his own explanation: "Last year's total domestic box office was 4.6 billion, and this year it is expected to be no less than 5.5 billion. I believe we have entered the era of 500 million-plus films, and a little more is not a difficult thing."

These words made many industry insiders nod frequently; development had been too fast these past two years, and many people's minds hadn't caught up yet.

"Director Wei, you previously said that special effects blockbusters can promote industry development, but the special effects for this film were produced in Hollywood, and the money was all earned by foreign companies. So, where does this so-called promotion of industry development come from?"

This reporter's question was a bit sharp, and many leaders, including Han Sanping, were looking at Wei Jin.

"Only 60% of this film's special effects were produced in Hollywood; the rest were completed independently by our domestic Shanhe Ink. Although our special effects technology started late, we are already striving to catch up."

Wei Jin stared at the reporter in front of him with eyes like torches; Southern Metropolis Daily, then it was no surprise.

"In addition, I want to tell you that it is precisely because of our continuous participation in special effects production over the past few years that Shanhe Ink's special effects technology has made significant progress. To put it bluntly, we can already complete the special effects for The Martian independently!"

Many industry insiders were somewhat incredulous; had the special effects company Wei Jin tinkered with really reached this level?

Many directors with aspirations for special effects blockbusters began to ponder when to go to Shanhe Ink for a visit.

The reporter who had been rebuffed had a red face, but he still stubbornly said: "President Wei, what is the basis for your words?"

His words also resonated with many people; these people all felt that Wei Jin was just paying lip service. How could domestic special effects reach this level? It must be said that in this era, there really are many people who worship foreign things.

Seeing the questioning gazes cast by many people in the audience, Wei Jin intended to speak directly with facts.

"Of course, next year I will start another science fiction blockbuster, and the special effects part will be completed entirely and independently in the country. You might as well wait and see."

For a moment, the whole hall was shocked! The second update today, I earnestly request all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. Thank you all! (End of chapter)