Chapter 352: Moving That Great Mountain

With the National Day holiday approaching, the deadline for Oscar Best Foreign Language Film submissions is also about to pass.

The General Administration did indeed break precedent, granting this year's nomination slot to "The Flowers of War," which has yet to be released.

Once this decision was announced, Zhang Yimou and "The Flowers of War" became the targets of public criticism.

The first to voice opposition was "White Deer Plain," followed by a host of other unreleased realistic-themed films.

Originally, if everyone had just grumbled and voiced their opinions, and it had been handled low-key, it would have been over, but Zhang Dapao went straight to Weibo to respond head-on.

"Looking at this year's films, is there any one more suitable for the Oscars than 'The Flowers of War'? No!

In terms of subject matter, salvation is a topic common to the whole world; in terms of experience, Yimou has rich experience in Oscar campaigns and has won countless awards;

In terms of the possibility of success, 'The Flowers of War' has Bale, an Oscar Best Actor, as the male lead, so it must be a strong contender for the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film."

The long-winded essay was just short of pasting the four big characters "You guys aren't good enough" onto the faces of the other film producers who had objections.

This stirred up public anger, and there was all sorts of cursing within the industry, with Zhang Yimou even being labeled with the charge of "relying on foreigners to bolster his own position."

However, Wei Jin has to admit that Zhang Weiping's words have some truth to them; whether it is Zhang Yimou or Bale, they are more likely to be favored by foreign judges, and presumably, the General Administration had the same intention.

As for the intention behind Zhang Dapao posting the essay, it is also very obvious—hyping up "The Flowers of War" by any means necessary! With a production cost of 600 million, all of which was borrowed, the pressure to recoup the investment is truly too great.

Shaking his head, Wei Jin put down his phone and turned to look at Jing Tian, who had already finished her hair and makeup with the help of the team.

The young lady was wearing a black sleeveless long dress today, simply paired with a pair of petal-shaped stud earrings, her big wavy hair draped over her shoulders, and matched with a pair of white high heels; she was simple, elegant, and full of temperament, truly living up to the name "the human flower of wealth."

"Let's go, Tian Tian, it's time to set off."

"Mm."

Han Sanping attaches great importance to the premiere of "Thieves," and the location is the Great Hall of the CPPCC, which has almost become the designated venue for Wei Jin's film premieres.

The cast of this film is also very powerful.

Led by Li Tianwang, Liang Jiahui, and Zhang Hanyu, the full ten-person lead team made the media exceptionally excited.

At this moment, in the red carpet waiting area, all the main creators were already in place, including Clara from South Korea.

"Why hasn't Director Wei come over yet? He wouldn't have forgotten, would he?"

Zhang Yi joked with everyone; among those present, he was the only artist from Starry Sky Culture, so saying this did not seem overstepping.

"That's impossible, he's probably waiting for Miss Jing Tian," Hu Ge added.

Listening to everyone's chat, Li Tianwang showed a smile at the corner of his mouth; he was originally a gentle and jade-like modest gentleman.

However, looking at the somewhat restrained Korean friend beside him, Li Tianwang smiled and said something in Korean.

"Miss Clara, can you understand Chinese now?"

Listening to Li Tianwang's gentle voice, the smile on Clara's face deepened, and she replied in somewhat awkward and stumbling Chinese:

"Thank you, Mr. Li. After returning to my country last year, I signed up for a training class, so I can basically understand it."

Clara was truly grateful; the life of a Korean artist was too difficult, but ever since she had an in-depth exchange with Wei Jin last year, she found that her treatment at the company was completely different, which made her determined that this time coming to Huaxia, she must deepen her relationship with that man.

Liang Jiahui, who was on the side, also started chatting with Wu Jing.

"A-Jing, has 'SPL: Sha Po Lang 2' started filming?"

"Brother Jiahui, it has already started, but as you know, there's been promotion recently, and there will be roadshows later; currently, the director is shooting the scenes with Gu Zai and Zhang Jing."

Liang Jiahui nodded, feeling some emotion about Wu Jing's luck; one "The Raid" directly made him the most prominent actor in Hong Kong this year, and his current salary has already exceeded ten million, which can be called a meteoric rise.

Following that was "SPL: Sha Po Lang 2," which had a significant number of scenes; with the help of a noble person, things were truly smooth sailing.

Putting away his sighs, Liang Jiahui raised his wrist to check his watch and suggested to everyone: "It's about time, let's head to the red carpet first."

"Alright, let's go first, so we don't end up not having entered yet when the guests have almost all arrived; that wouldn't be good."

Li Tianwang nodded in agreement.

"Okay." The rest of the people also echoed.

Soon the ten actors began to assemble and walked onto the red carpet together; the scene was truly spectacular.

The most eye-catching one was Clara in a tight-fitting dress; her figure was simply too explosive, firmly overshadowing Wang Ou, who also had a great figure.

"Click"

"Click"

The media's camera flashes never stopped. Inside the hall, there were too many guests present; well-known large companies in the industry and first-tier artists had almost all arrived.

Wei Jin had not yet arrived, and as one of the producers, Han Sanping, the head of China Film Group, was the absolute core; almost all the big names were revolving around him.

After Li Tianwang and the others entered, they quickly blended in.

Zhu Wei drove the Mercedes-Benz S600 and parked it steadily outside the hall; Wei Jin was the first to get out of the car.

Then he held Jing Tian's little hand and stepped out of the car door.

The reporters who had been waiting for a long time were instantly excited; they had finally arrived.

"Director Wei, congratulations on the box office success."

"Director Wei, you and Miss Jing Tian are truly a perfect match; come, let's take a photo together."

Some media also started to stir up trouble.

"Director Wei, what is your take on the accusations from Juli Yang Zi?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin froze; you're asking me this at the premiere of "Thieves"? Since yesterday, the matter of "Tian Shang Ren Jian" had been intensifying, and Yang Zi had urgently called a press conference.

Unfortunately, at the meeting, apart from a few Mainland China actors, none of the people from Hong Kong appeared.

Huang Shengyi didn't say anything in front of the media; she just cried.

The scene was exactly the same as when she had tearfully complained about Zhou Xingxing's "crimes" back then.

Yang Zi, on the other hand, was at the press conference site, complaining while cursing: "Juli is stepping into the film industry for the first time, and we are also holding great enthusiasm and expectations, but the filth inside really opened my eyes. Certain seniors and large companies are truly bullying people too much.

Just because of commercial competition, they used such despicable, shameless, and dirty means to smear an innocent and dedicated female artist; it's simply disgusting! I'll put it this way: for those who maliciously slandered 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake,' Juli will not yield, and I, Yang Zi, will not yield. The Dao of Heaven has its cycles; let's wait and see."

Although Yang Zi's words did not name Fiber and Wang Changtian, and the old Wang did it very covertly, the industry basically knew what was going on.

Although the old Wang's methods were somewhat dishonorable, they were his allies after all, so how could Wei Jin possibly express an opinion on this matter? He simply pulled Jing Tian along and walked across the red carpet without looking back, leaving the questioning reporter in a state of disarray in the wind.

Wei Jin did not worry at all about this premiere; Han Sanping handled things with absolute reliability and thoroughness, and the scale and caliber of the guests were beyond reproach.

The moment Wei Jin and Jing Tian entered the venue, the focus of the entire occasion began to shift.

Leading Jing Tian toward the crowd, there were greetings everywhere, including many industry bigwigs; Wang Changtian, the big and small bosses of Huayi, Boss Yang of Emperor Group, and Ren Zhonglun of Shanghai Film Group—perhaps because *Xinhai Revolution* had flopped so miserably, Ren Zhonglun pulled Wei Jin aside to chat directly.

"President Wei, for future projects, you can still consider Shanghai Film Group more often. The strength of Shanghai New Film Association is not bad either; what China Film Group has, Shanghai Film Group basically has as well."

Ren Zhonglun's blunt words left Wei Jin not knowing how to respond, so he could only laugh it off.

"Don't worry, Chairman Ren, we certainly will if there's an opportunity." Just as Ren Zhonglun was about to continue speaking, Han Sanping walked over with a smile.

"Wei Jin, I think it's about time; it's time to start. Let's save the socializing for the reception."

Wei Jin followed his lead and nodded busily.

"Chairman Han is right, business comes first."

"Alright, Old Ren, hurry back to your seat."

Watching the smiling Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun looked as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly; as Liu Yan took the stage, the premiere of *Thieves* officially began.

After an opening statement, Liu Yan invited the cast and crew onto the stage.

Wei Jin, Li Tianwang, and eight others stood in a row on the stage, with a giant movie poster behind them, making for a quite spectacular scene.

"May I ask Director Wei, why did you choose Li Tianwang?"

"Everyone should still remember the premiere of *Lucy*, right?"

The memories of everyone at the scene were instantly pulled back to two years ago, the day the Four Heavenly Kings reunited.

"At that time, I already had the intention to collaborate with Li Tianwang once, and because this *Thieves* will be released in South Korea simultaneously, given Li Tianwang's popularity in South Korea, he was naturally the most suitable candidate."

Li Tianwang might not seem to have as much influence in Mainland China as the other three, but when it comes down to it, his popularity in South Korea and Japan is quite high.

In '98, Li Tianwang relied on the Korean version of the song "I Love You Like This" to reach 4th place on the SBS music chart, becoming the first overseas Singer to enter the top ten of the South Korean music charts.

This song even entered the textbooks of South Korean music academies, and many South Korean stars and artists are fans of Li Tianwang, including Clara, IU, and Zheng Xiuyan of Girls' Generation.

Regarding Wei Jin's words, no media at the scene questioned them, and they immediately began interviewing the cast and crew.

"I've collaborated with Director Wei several times, so everyone is very familiar with each other; I really enjoyed filming this movie."

Liang Jiahui smiled and spoke eloquently.

Li Tianwang was even more composed, with a gentle, jade-like smile on his face: "I've been in the industry for many years, and I'm very happy to have this opportunity to work with Director Wei. This experience was very novel, and I hope everyone likes this movie."

Since shifting his focus to behind the scenes, Li Tianwang has rarely had the chance to participate in big productions; the last one was *Forever Enthralled*.

Unfortunately, even a Palme d'Or-winning director failed that time, with both the box office and word-of-mouth collapsing, which once made Li Tianwang somewhat resistant to stepping back into the spotlight.

This time, it remains to be seen whether Wei Jin, also a Palme d'Or-winning director, can help him take off.

The rest of the cast and crew were also given the opportunity to speak.

Wu Jing sincerely thanked Wei Jin for giving him the opportunity; Clara boldly stated that Wei Jin was her ideal type;

Wang Ou said that communicating with Wei Jin was very pleasant and that she had learned a lot under his guidance.

After the cast and crew interviews concluded, the movie began to screen.

Everyone at the scene was quickly drawn into the movie.

The opening scene was Clara and Kara Hui pretending to be mother and daughter, with a seduction sequence.

Clara's explosive figure combined with a tight-fitting suit made the male guests at the scene exclaim that they couldn't handle it, and even many women began to look down at their own chests, then felt overshadowed and lost their composure.

"Wow! This Clara's figure is really amazing, and her looks are also top-notch."

A viewer in the back row exclaimed directly.

"Director Wei's movie this time is a bit different from before."

When the plot reached the point where Hu Ge kissed a man, laughter erupted at the scene.

"A popular young actor in Mainland China, actually being pranked like this..."

"It has a bit of the feel of *Now You See Me*."

The two-hour movie ended quickly; guests sitting in the front row began to applaud, the audience followed, and the applause at the scene was like thunder.

"Comedy, action, special effects, battle of wits—all these elements are fused together; Brother Wei's standard is as consistent as ever. It's just a pity it benefits the Koreans..."

Wang Changtian was somewhat emotional; the box office for this movie wouldn't be low, and this National Day Slot would once again be dominated by a single film; *Mural* would likely have a hard time.

"Next time, no matter what, I have to get on board."

After the screening ended, it was time for the popular media interviews.

As soon as it started, the media raised the question the industry was most concerned about:

"Director Wei, your judgment has always been accurate. How much do you expect the box office of *Thieves* to be?"

Looking at the expectant eyes at the scene, Wei Jin gave his own assessment.

"Hmm, a floor of 1 billion, and I'll strive to take back the box office record!"

Once these words were spoken, the media became excited.

It had been almost two years; finally, a big director was launching a challenge to *Avatar*.

Last year, *Passengers* dominated the National Day Slot alone and broke the 10-billion barrier; this year, *Thieves* is also dominating the National Day Slot alone, perhaps... During the banquet, Han Sanping looked excited.

"Wei Jin, are you really confident?"

It was clear that Han Sanping was truly disgusted by *Avatar*, the mountain that had been pressing down on everyone for nearly two years.

"Chairman Han, that's hard to say..."

Wei Jin shrugged, expressing his helplessness; although the movie market had expanded significantly, the purchasing power of the audience was limited.

Relying on his own appeal, Wei Jin was confident in 1 billion, but to say another 200 or 300 million more, that really wouldn't be easy.

Han Sanping was also a veteran filmmaker and instantly grasped the key information.

"Wei Jin, I'll handle the piracy issue. Once the box office breaks 1 billion, I'll handle the issue of the extension."

Han Sanping patted his chest in assurance; he believed that the General Administration would certainly not refuse a record-breaking achievement.

"Very well, Han Dong. With your word, we might truly be able to move that mountain."

"Good!"

At the same time the banquet was being held, a large number of reports about The Thieves quickly appeared on the front-page headlines of several major portal websites.

"The Thieves will be released simultaneously in Huaxia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia!"

"The premiere of The Thieves is star-studded, with constant applause from the audience!"

"Great director Wei Jin boldly claims that The Thieves is expected to reclaim the film box office record!"

"Five years ago, director Wei Jin snatched the box office championship from the hands of the Titanic; can he replicate this miracle today?"

(End of this chapter)