Chapter 557: Reverse Marketing: The Threat of Liu Yifei

Beijing, the set of *The Fault in Our Stars*.

After a scene ended, Wei Jin took advantage of the break to call Liu Yifei to his side and walk her through the plot, ensuring the young lady's acting remained on point for the subsequent scenes.

"Yifei, according to the upcoming plot, after you learn that your condition has spread, you intentionally distance yourself from the male lead because the female lead likes him."

"Mm, I understand. It is precisely because I like him that I must leave, because I know that I likely won't make it through this recurrence. Ending a relationship that has just begun in time is better than the finality of life and death."

It must be said that girls are just more emotional; as she spoke, Liu Yifei's mood became somber. Wei Jin couldn't help but squeeze her hand, as if to offer her strength.

However, the young lady's analysis was quite spot-on.

In the story, the female lead is exactly the type of person who does not want others to focus their attention on her, and has been trying her best to avoid causing harm to those around her.

Because she knows very clearly that death is not terrifying; it is those who are left behind who suffer the most.

Including her initial self-abandonment and her desire not to let her mother worry about her, most of it stems from this reason.

But at the end of the script, it is "All units pay attention, one minute until preparation."

As Lu Yang's instructions rang out, Wei Jin and Liu Yifei hurriedly composed themselves and began the next scene. Wei Jin and Liu Yifei were on set, earnestly filming *The Fault in Our Stars*.

Outside, in the film market, the Summer Slot officially kicked off, with *No Man's Land* being the first to be released.

With the bonus of the *Lost* series, Ning Hao, Huang Bai, and Xu Zheng could be called the strongest Triangle in the domestic entertainment industry, and their drawing power was definitely not weak.

The theater chains were also very optimistic about this film, which had been gathering dust for four years, with an average screen share as high as 28%.

The result was that the first-day box office for *No Man's Land* reached as high as 26.2 million! As a road crime film, this figure was definitely a very eye-catching achievement.

It can only be said that Ning Hao's persistence over these years was not in vain; if the film had been released in 2009, it definitely would not have achieved its current box office.

Crucially, the word-of-mouth online was also particularly good, with a rating as high as 8.2 on Yinxiang Net, which could be considered the best word-of-mouth for a Ning Hao film in recent years.

Furthermore, what was even more surprising was that such a commercial film actually had quite good word-of-mouth in the industry. In the words of many directors and Producers in the circle: "It was worth waiting four years for such a film, but obviously, if it had been the first version of *No Man's Land*, it would have been even more worth looking forward to. It's such a pity."

Under the blessing of this dual word-of-mouth, entering the weekend, the box office for *No Man's Land* saw a significant increase.

In the first three days of the weekend, the box office for *No Man's Land* approached the 100 million mark, closing at 94.6 million.

According to the current trend, the industry has already judged that the box office for this film is very likely to break the 300 million mark directly.

For a film with a production cost of no more than 20 million, this achievement is definitely considered very eye-catching.

In comparison, that film *Tianji: Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains* could be said to have dropped the jaws of everyone in the circle.

Relying on a luxurious cast and a production cost exceeding 200 million, the theater chains gave it great respect, with an average screen share as high as 30%.

Of course, the first-day result of 48.8 million was completely worthy of this screen share.

What astonished the industry was that they had never seen a film whose word-of-mouth collapsed directly on the very first day of its release.

To what extent did it collapse?

On the first day of the film's release, the rating on Yinxiang Net was already below 5 points, and the comment section was filled with a massive amount of abuse.

"F*ck, this dog-sh*t director isn't just inserting ads into the movie, he's f*cking inserting a movie into the ads!"

"If a friend asks you to go see this movie, you must cherish them well, because they definitely just wanted an excuse to be alone with you for two hours, and are absolutely not interested in this movie."

"The annual super mash-up blockbuster: it combines sci-fi, secret agents, action, treasure hunting, rural themes, domestic police dramas, period costumes, anti-Japanese war dramas, and even has some horror elements, plus SM and mother-complex elements, supplemented by magic, acrobatics, and rhythmic gymnastics."

"Occasionally there are a few bizarre jokes, the super funny kind. The narrative is a total mess, the character relationships are inexplicable, the transitions are chaotic, and the story is told in bits and pieces; it's confusing to watch."

"I feel like I've been splattered in the face with sh*t."

"Let me get straight to the point first, to stop as many people as I can: *Switch* is so rotten it's unbearable. I endured all sorts of 'F-words' and barely finished watching it. This film belongs to the 'three-waste' freak show—it wastes money to watch in the theater, wastes data to watch on a computer, and no matter how you watch it, it wastes time!!!"

"I sincerely apologize to Chen Shiren; thinking about it carefully, *The Promise* isn't actually unacceptable."

"Terrified, left early. As a girl, I actually felt testicular pain within ten minutes of watching; it's too bizarre."

"."

Such overwhelming abuse could be called a spectacle rarely seen in the film industry in ten years.

Even the staff of *The Fault in Our Stars* crew were scrolling through all kinds of divine comments and complaining.

"Hua Ge was actually forced to this point..."

Finishing a scene, Wei Jin heard Luo Jin and Zhang Songwen sighing over there from afar, and couldn't help but feel a bit curious.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Wei Jin, Luo Jin was quick-mouthed and immediately replied: "Liu Tianwang is being besieged by a large number of netizens, fans, and moviegoers, questioning him why he would act in such a trashy movie."

"Hua Ge just apologized in front of the media, accepting all the abuse and criticism."

Just as Zhang Songwen finished speaking, Chen Xi added from the side:

"Boss, there are a large number of press releases being pushed, saying this is the worst blockbuster in history, which has even aroused the curiosity of netizens, who say they want to go see just how bad it is."

"???"

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin was shocked; the producers are playing reverse marketing? That's truly impressive.

However, while the box office might hold up for a few days, the film is likely to be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Shaking his head, Wei Jin looked at the situation on set and coughed lightly.

"Alright, stop gossiping, let's prepare for the next scene."

"Okay."

It is very popular in the entertainment industry to have couples work together; for example, Guan Hu basically brings his wife Liang Jing along for his films, and Feng Dapao also brings Xu Fan along for many of his films.

Nowadays, that film *A Story of Wind, Flower, Snow and Moon*, directed by Gao Shu Qun and starring Huang Xiaoming and Yang Ying, held a press conference in Shanghai and was officially scheduled for August 8th.

Not only is it aiming for the Summer Slot, but it is also targeting the Qi Xi Festival.

When it comes to promoting one's girlfriend, Huang Xiaoming is second to none in the circle.

It is said that for this film, he not only appeared for a low salary, but in the film, he also had to engage in a plot where two men fight over one woman with a South Korean guy.

Regardless of the quality of the film, the topic of Huang Xiaoming and Yang Ying personally playing a couple was enough for the media to report on for a while, and the online buzz was quite high.

This film is less than a week apart from *About Time*, and since both are romance films, they are destined to be competitors.

Wei Jin was not worried at all, but Guo Fan felt a bit uneasy in his heart; when he came to visit the set, he didn't have much confidence when chatting about this matter.

Wei Jin also knew that Guo Fan had yet to build up his confidence, so he spoke to comfort him. "Don't worry, the female lead of this film is Yang Ying; she cannot carry the box office."

"President Wei, of course I know she can't carry it, but Huang Xiaoming's drawing power is actually quite good; *American Dreams in China* is already nearing 500 million."

It was no wonder Guo Fan was worried; back when Gao Yuanyuan did not star in it, *About Time* was indeed lacking quite a bit in terms of its cast.

However, these words of his actually made Wei Jin laugh; he still didn't understand the gold content of Huang Xiaoming's "fifty-fifty" reputation, so he reached out and patted Guo Fan on the shoulder.

"Trust me, this film is not in our consideration at all; you just follow the company's plan and do a good job with the promotion."

Before Guo Fan could speak, Lu Yang walked over and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"I'm telling you, kid, what are you worrying about? If Senior Brother says there's no problem, then there's definitely no problem. As a director for Shanhe Media, you don't even have this much confidence? How are you going to be my little brother?"

After speaking, Lu Yang's expression turned stern. "Alright, go play over there; we are about to start filming, and this scene is very important."

"."

Guo Fan clenched his fists, but Lu Yang's words weren't just teasing; the film crew was truly ready.

"Action."

As Lu Yang returned behind the monitor, he gave the order, and the new scene began filming.

Just as Lu Yang said, this scene was truly important; it was the female lead, under her mother's guidance, having an honest and open heart-to-heart with the male lead.

In the lens, one could see Wei Jin and Yifei sitting side-by-side on a swing, their eyes meeting.

After a long while, Yifei's voice was hoarse, carrying a thick nasal tone.

"Do you know? Actually, I really like you, I like the feeling of being with you, but I can't..."

Watching the girl's tears slowly fall, Wei Jin seemed to have entered the emotion as well; he reached out to stroke her pretty face, wiping away the tear stains for her.

"I know, I know it all, but I want to say, I like you too. Those little tricks of yours to keep me away won't succeed."

"But, I might very well die; I don't want to hurt the people around me and break their hearts..."

"But I am willing to have my heart broken for you."

At this moment in the lens, both Wei Jin and Yifei were already streaming with tears.

Off to the side, Guo Fan gave a thumbs up; he hadn't expected that both of them would have such good crying scenes.

"Cut."

After Lu Yang shouted cut, he repeatedly reviewed the footage, then looked up.

"This take passes."

Just as Wei Jin had expected, this wave of reverse marketing for *Switch* had indeed achieved some results.

Over the course of three days, the film's box office actually broke the 100 million mark, closing at 118 million.

However, what followed was the rating on Yinxiang Net being refreshed repeatedly, and it had currently dropped to 3.8 points.

How to evaluate this score? Yinxiang Net had collected a total of several thousand films, and there were fewer than 10 in total that were below 4 points.

In other words, the reputation of *Switch* could be said to have rotted to an extreme degree.

It was foreseeable that as time went on, the rating would continue to drop, and it might even eventually fall below the ultra-low rating of 3 points on Douban from his past life.

In contrast, *No Man's Land* relied on its reputation advantage, moving steadily, and after 5 days of release, the box office had already reached 136 million.

Even entering the work week, the daily box office was maintained at over 20 million, which could be described as quite robust.

However, no one expected that under such a great situation, the three main creators would actually stir up another wave of trouble.

Wei Jin had just coaxed his son to sleep and returned to the room when he saw Da Meiyuan handing him a tablet with a playful look on her face.

"Here, take a look."

The confused Wei Jin took it and looked, immediately exclaiming "good heavens" on the spot; he saw a bold and enlarged news headline:

"The *Triangle* of *No Man's Land* gets drunk at a nightclub, accompanied by several young women with graceful figures and beautiful faces."

"Sigh, the social climate is simply declining, and people's hearts are not what they used to be. How could they do such a thing? It's too outrageous."

Looking at the murderous aura revealed in Da Meiyuan's eyes, Wei Jin decisively criticized Ning Hao and the others, though in his heart, he despised them fiercely.

What kind of status do they have? If they wanted to eat meat, didn't they know to find a more discreet club?

"Oh, I just wanted to show you some gossip; why are you so nervous?"

Da Meiyuan smoothed her hair, looking calm and composed, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her; she was clearly very satisfied with the man's answer.

"Little Jin, I know you have to socialize sometimes, but you must never go to such places. You must take it as a warning, otherwise, if your uncles find out, they will definitely break your legs."

Speaking of this, Da Meiyuan, wearing light pajamas, slowly pressed against Wei Jin's chest, her delicate fingers tracing circles on his chest. "You wouldn't want Xu Er to grow up and be mocked for his father being a cripple, right?"

Although the meaning in these words was full of "threats," how could Wei Jin be easily manipulated by a beauty? He exerted a little force with his hands and pulled the beauty tightly into his arms.

The distance between the two was not even a fist's width, and even the hot breath they exhaled could be clearly felt.

"Yuan Yuanjie, you know my aesthetic; I can't look at these mediocre beauties."

"Hmm? Does that mean if they were good-looking, you wouldn't be able to resist the temptation?"

Gao Yuanyuan's beautiful eyes widened, but Wei Jin didn't flinch at all, his hands supporting the beauty's shapely buttocks.

"How could that be? Having been with Yuan Yuanjie for so long, my resistance is very strong. After all, when it comes to beauty, who can be more beautiful than you? 'North of the equator, Yuanyuan is the most beautiful' isn't just something said casually."

"Look at this little face, it's so tender it could drip water; a little makeup makes it stunningly beautiful. And this figure, heavens, Yuan Yuanjie, how long has it been, and you're so slim again..."

Following Wei Jin's basketful of flowery compliments thrown out for free, the corners of Da Meiyuan's mouth hooked into a beautiful arc; after all, what woman doesn't like to hear praise from the man she loves? However, being coy was Da Meiyuan's true nature; she lightly tapped Wei Jin's forehead with her delicate finger, her tone charming.

"Hmph, glib-tongued, you only know how to say nice things to coax me."

Wei Jin forcefully pulled the beauty into his arms, their bodies pressed tightly together, and his hands began to grow restless.

"Yuan Yuanjie, the ancients said: 'actions speak louder than words'; do you still think I'm coaxing you now?"

Da Meiyuan's beautiful body trembled, and she lightly bit her red lips.

"Little Jin, love me~~"

(End of chapter)