Chapter 376: A Short Separation is Better Than a New Marriage; A Big Explosion on the First Day

The premiere ended, and media reports regarding the film had already been released.

"Mojin: The Lost Legend premiere, the Great Hall is packed!"

"Huaxia's first fantasy adventure blockbuster with special effects, directed by 300-million-budget director Wu Ershan, premiered in the capital today; the film tells the story of..."

"Adapted from a bestselling novel, the highly anticipated fantasy blockbuster Mojin: The Lost Legend descends upon the New Year Slot; the premiere scene response is explosive!"

"..."

One glowing report after another, without any guidance from Shanhe Media, directly pushed the premiere news onto the trending topics.

On Yinxiang Net, many fans who attended the premiere also began to give their own ratings and reviews.

Wen Yile: "Produced by Shanhe, it must be a boutique! The adaptation of Mojin: The Lost Legend is excellent, not at all inferior to the original work!"

Blue Original Intention: "I heard Tianxia Bachang joined Shanhe Media. Good heavens, Ghost Blows Out the Light has eight volumes in total; us book fans are in for a treat!"

Flying Cool: "The plot is silky smooth, the special effects are shocking, and the actors' performances are brilliant. Mojin: The Lost Legend is absolutely worth watching, highly recommended!"

Liang Ruixiao: "Liu Yifei playing Shirley Yang is truly both beautiful and dashing..."

One Side Two Countries: "I suggest everyone buy tickets for the IMAX theater directly; the visual effects are too shocking."

At the reception, Liu Yifei scrolled through the comments online, her moving, pretty face blooming with a smile.

After the banquet ended, Wei Jin and Liu Yifei returned to the villa.

Under Liu Xiaoli's helpless gaze, Liu Yifei pulled Wei Jin upstairs to the second floor.

As soon as they entered the room, the young girl couldn't wait to kiss him.

After all, she had been busy with the film's promotion for over half a month, and there would be roadshows to follow, so how could she not seize the time to be intimate with Wei Jin?

To this, Wei Jin naturally responded enthusiastically, his hands flying up and down, and soon he had stripped the girl bare.

"Brother, love me well tonight."

Liu Yifei, who had been empty for a long time, had a face full of spring, her charming eyes like silk.

"Don't worry, Yifei, Brother will cherish you right now."

Facing the moonlight, Wei Jin made a promise, instantly merging into one with Liu Yifei, inseparable.

That night, Liu Yifei felt a long-lost fulfillment and happiness; it was truly better than a newlywed couple's reunion after a short separation.

As expected by the industry, following the Golden Globe Awards nomination, the buzz for The Flowers of War was indeed very high; despite it being a workday, the film's box office rose against the trend, reporting 38.8 million for the single day.

As of the 14th, The Flowers of War had been released for 5 days, with a total box office of 210 million.

A result of breaking 200 million in five days could be called quite eye-catching, and the atmosphere of the New Year Slot had been completely heated up.

Many people in the circle were predicting how many billions in box office this year's New Year Slot would produce, and if it was possible to reach 3 billion?

Unlike the joy in the industry and the expectations of the media, Zhang Weiping was under great pressure now.

Although the performance of The Flowers of War was decent, Zhang Weiping knew very well that this was due to the monopoly advantage formed by dominating the schedule.

But even without considering the subsequent film releases, just based on the current data, it was impossible for The Flowers of War to reach a box office of 1 billion.

Not to mention, Mojin: The Lost Legend was about to be released, and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate was also ready to go in half a month.

Although Zhang Weiping did not look down on Wu Ershan and Xu Laoguai, in any case, two major productions with over 100 million in investment would inevitably affect the box office of The Flowers of War.

One must know that a large portion of the investment funds for The Flowers of War came from bank loans.

And one of the collateral items was the film copyright of The Flowers of War, and the lender was only New Picture; who told Zhang Weiping to be greedy for the whole pie in the first place?

Now he could only pin his hopes on the overseas box office, so Zhang Weiping summoned his Assistant.

"Is there any news from North America? How is the box office?"

Even Zhang Weiping himself did not notice that his tone carried a trace of trembling; perhaps it was also lingering fear and worry.

Looking at the anticipation revealed in Zhang Weiping's eyes, the Assistant opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Speak!"

"President Zhang, the data from the distributor in North America shows that the current box office for The Flowers of War is less than 100,000..."

As soon as the Assistant finished speaking, Zhang Weiping felt the world spinning, and he collapsed in his office.

"President Zhang, President Zhang, someone come quickly..."

Wei Jin did not know about Zhang Weiping's situation; he was currently watching the fun online.

Although this fun had something to do with him, it did not prevent Wei Jin from watching with a smile while smoking.

The status in the entertainment industry is clearly demarcated; without a doubt, directors are almost at the top of the food chain, so there has always been a saying in the circle that one acts well and then directs.

Just like Wu Jing, Xu Guangtou, and Zhao Yanzi, after all, their main job is acting, so there is a very good foundation if they transition to directing.

But for Guo Xiaosi, as a bestselling novelist and a pure outsider, to start entering the film circle seemed a bit funny.

"I will spend a year adapting my novel into a film script, and I will devote myself to learning directing skills, striving to start filming at this time next year..."

Once the news came out, his fans were all cheering and helping him stand his ground, but most people in the circle held a mocking attitude, and some even directly ridiculed him on Guo Xiaosi's Weibo.

Wu Ye: "Being short is not your fault, but at least have some self-awareness."

South Has North Wind: "There are so many professional directors, how many can actually produce results? Do you really think any Tom, Dick, or Harry can do it?"

Facing the questioning, Guo Xiaosi stood up and made a high-profile statement on Weibo.

"Director Wei Jin is also a bestselling author. He can become a top director; I believe that through learning, I can too. I hope everyone will be kind with their words. You must know, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the young for being poor..."

This statement attracted likes from many fans, but it also drew dissatisfaction from Wei Jin's fans.

Yudi Sansan: "Wei Jin is an outstanding graduate of Beijing Film Academy, a Palme d'Or winner, a Golden Bear Director, and an Oscar Director. What are you? A middle school dropout? You got famous by plagiarizing, and you really think you're something? Refuse to cling to his fame."

Long? Lou: "Is your brain full of crap? You truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

Fish Not Decided Come Bowl Wonton: "An idiot, no doubt, identification complete!"

"..."

Looking through his fans' comments, Wei Jin was in a great mood.

It was fine for Guo Xiaosi to want to be a director, since it wasn't his own money being spent, but if he wanted to cling to his fame, Wei Jin firmly disagreed, so he backhanded and liked a few of the sharp comments below.

Just as he was planning to continue looking for some other entertainment, Jiang Xuerou walked in with a smile on her face.

"President Wei, the follow-up broadcast rights for *Zhen Huan Zhuan* have been settled."

Listening to Jiang Xuerou's report, Wei Jin held a cigarette between his fingers, nodding from time to time. Since *Zhen Huan Zhuan* began airing, its viewership ratings had finally broken 5, undoubtedly locking in this year's viewership championship.

Thanks to this, the second and third-round broadcast rights were being scrambled for by multiple television stations.

Four second-tier television stations led by Chongqing Satellite TV, Beijing Satellite TV, Hui Province Satellite TV, and Jiangzhe Satellite TV, along with over a dozen local television stations across the country, and even CTS from Taiwan and HD Entertainment TV from Hong Kong, all participated.

A total price of 2.8 million per episode was offered, which was even higher than the price for the first-round broadcast rights.

Regarding internet copyright, Tudou directly offered a price of 1 million per episode.

Calculated this way, the price per episode for this TV series reached as high as 6.4 million, achieving a total revenue of 486 million. After deducting production and promotional costs, the profit exceeded 350 million, truly a sky-high price for a drama king.

Even though Wei Jin was already mentally prepared, he was still shocked by this news.

One must know that for the previously nationwide hit *Snow Sword Stride*, the first, second, and third rounds plus internet broadcast rights, when converted, only amounted to 4.8 million per episode, with a total revenue of 192 million. After deducting production and marketing costs, the profit barely broke 100 million.

It must be said that compared to martial arts and xianxia dramas filled with fighting and killing, palace intrigue dramas are not only loved by audiences, but television stations are also quite fond of them.

No wonder in his past life, even after Boss Jia ran away, LeTV could still rely on the internet copyright of *Zhen Huan Zhuan* to bring in over ten million every year to support its employees; one can only say the long-tail effect was truly very long.

After finishing the discussion about the achievements of *Zhen Huan Zhuan*, Jiang Xuerou reported on work for a while longer.

Just as she was about to leave, Wei Jin remembered something and called her back.

"By the way, handle the communication for the cooperation with Tangren yourself. Their efficiency is low, so keep an eye on them."

Although the project *Qian Shan Mu Xue* was handed over to Tangren to be in charge of, the company definitely had to send a team over to ensure quality.

Jiang Xuerou also understood Wei Jin's meaning; this was a good opportunity to see what Tangren, which was as famous as Zhouyi, was capable of.

"Very well, President Wei."

The Film Bureau was truly under constant surveillance; as soon as the script for *Beijing Meets Seattle* was submitted, companies in the industry already knew the news.

However, most did not know the specific situation and were still waiting for the news to be announced. Only Han Sanping, relying on his status as the head of China Film Group, directly arranged for his secretary to go to the General Administration to inquire about the news.

"How is it? Whose script is it?"

Watching his secretary return, Han Sanping asked impatiently.

"Han Dong, it is a new script by Director Xue Xiaolu, an urban romance film."

Hearing this, Han Sanping felt somewhat disappointed. It wasn't Wei Jin's script, so the profit could not be guaranteed.

Although Xue Xiaolu had already become a 500-million-yuan director, no director dared to guarantee that their film would absolutely be profitable.

In his decades in the industry, Han Sanping had only seen one ever-victorious general: Wei Jin.

However, thinking of the profits created by *Love is Not Blind*, Han Sanping felt it was still worth a gamble, and he immediately picked up the phone and dialed.

"Wei Jin, I've seen Xue Xiaolu's script. Is the investment scale large?"

The meaning behind Han's call was very direct, and Wei Jin did not hide anything either.

"Han Dong, the cost this time will not exceed 30 million."

Hearing this, Han Sanping frowned; he understood Wei Jin's meaning.

"You kid, of the few times you've gone solo, only *Ocean Heaven* was a loss, right? You are very optimistic about this script of Xue Xiaolu's?"

Wei Jin fell into silence. Han Sanping cursed inwardly that he was a crafty one; this kid was becoming harder and harder to fool.

"Alright, alright, with just this little cost, I'm embarrassed to even bring it up. I just called to say, the script review should be very fast..."

After forcibly saving face, Han Sanping hung up the phone. He knew very well that whenever Wei Jin chose to eat alone, it was a classic case of using a small investment to gain a large return.

However, with a cost of 30 million, as the head of China Film Group, Han Sanping really couldn't bring himself to ask for a piece of it.

On the other side, just as Wei Jin hung up the phone, a call from Wang Changtian came in.

As expected, upon learning it was Xue Xiaolu's script, Old Wang's attitude was very firm. He wasn't like Han Sanping, who cared about face; Old Wang valued practical things more. And what could be more practical than box office and profit? However, Old Wang was also very sensible; after all, Xue Xiaolu was not a newcomer like Guo Fan, so he was prepared for a premium.

After some back-and-forth, Enlighten Media secured a 20% investment share in *Beijing Meets Seattle* with an investment of 10 million. Old Wang hung up the phone, overjoyed.

On the 15th, *Mojin: The Lost Legend* officially premiered.

For this film adapted from a bestseller, both movie fans and book fans held great expectations.

After the premiere, the reviews circulating online were also very good, which further deepened these expectations, so the pre-sale situation on Yinxiang Net over these two days was quite explosive.

Regarding this situation, the cinema lines already had experience and provided very good screening schedules.

Shanhe Cinema Line goes without saying, with a screening rate reaching almost over 60%.

As the best ally, Wanda also provided a screening rate of over 50%, and the other cinema lines were almost all above 40%.

According to the information fed back from the cinema lines, the audience's enthusiasm for watching the film was quite high. Even though it was a workday, many cinemas were already packed with People Mountain People Sea, which could only be described as overflowing.

And *Mojin: The Lost Legend* did not disappoint the cinema lines; the first-day box office of 48.8 million directly announced the arrival of the king of the New Year Slot.

"It almost broke 50 million in first-day box office."

"Facing *The Flowers of War*, to still have these numbers, the director is awesome!"

"Director Wu Ershan, congratulations."

On the road for the roadshow promotion, the accompanying staff members all had joyful faces, offering their congratulations to Wu Ershan.

Liu Yifei's pretty face revealed an even more brilliant smile. With the reminder from her Assistant, she managed not to show her gums, but the young girl's tone was also very excited.

"Director Wu Ershan, I see on the Yinxiang Net app that the box office for *The Flowers of War* has been suppressed. Does our film have a chance to break 1 billion?"

"Hmm, today is only Thursday. It should surge in the following days, so there is indeed that hope..."

The tall and sturdy Wu Ershan was as happy as a two-hundred-pound fat man at this moment, his mouth unable to close from smiling. If the box office could really exceed 1 billion, he would be a commercial blockbuster director second only to Wei Jin. Then let's see who would dare to look down on him.

Immediately, Wu Ershan began to cheer everyone on and paint a big picture for them.

"Yifei, Old Pan, Dazui, with the box office momentum so good, our promotional roadshow cannot fall behind. President Wei said before that after the ten-day roadshow ends, he will give everyone red envelopes. For the coming days, I'll have to trouble you all."

After speaking, Wu Ershan even bowed to everyone.

"Director, you are too polite; this is all what we should do."

As the cast member with the highest status in the crew, Liu Yifei directly stated her position. She was the lead actress of this film, and she cared most about the box office results.

"Yes, yes, Director, you can rest assured, we all understand."

The rest of the crowd also chimed in, each and every one of them incredibly spirited; with the first day's results being so eye-catching, they felt full of drive even for the upcoming promotional roadshows.

(End of this chapter)