Chapter 488

Because the Spring Festival slot has become a reserved slot for Jiang Heng's big films, there aren't many films daring to be released in the same slot.

Either they are very brave, like the film "Journey to the West: Three Strikes Against the White Bone Spirit" produced by Xinghao Company and directed by Zheng Baoru, which also chooses to be released on the first day of the lunar new year.

Originally in history, the film scheduled for release on that day should have been the Xinghao version of "Havoc in Heaven", namely the version starring Zhou Runfa as the Jade Emperor, battling the Bull Demon King.

In this life, because Jiang Heng has already filmed "Havoc in Heaven" in advance, Xinghao Film Industry naturally won't film it again.

Moreover, because Jiang Heng's films are outstanding predecessors, Xinghao Company is preparing to shift toward the "Fengshen" theme.

But seeing that Jiang Heng's "Journey to the West–type" films earn so much, they still gave rise to the idea of following the trend.

Hong Kong films, an old tradition!

Because the high-profile calamities on the journey to obtain scriptures have already been mostly filmed by Jiang Heng, Xinghao Company, among "Three Strikes Against the White Bone Spirit", "Pansi Cave", and "True and False Monkey King", ultimately chose the former.

Compared to medium- and low-budget films, the cast is still quite strong, but compared to "Heroes Legion Series", it falls far short.

They are betting that the current Chinese-language film market is developing rapidly, and with two big films released simultaneously during the Spring Festival slot, everyone can also profit.

Furthermore, "Journey to the West–type" special-effects blockbusters are so hot that audiences still love to watch them.

The first day of the lunar new year, released on the same day.

Also there are children-oriented animated and variety-show films, such as the movie versions of "Smart One Rest" and "Where Are We Going, Dad?"; because the target audiences differ, they are also unafraid of the existence of special-effects blockbusters.

Therefore, during this period before the year, various premiere ceremonies, screenings, and press conferences emerged one after another.

But if we talk about the most anticipated and watched, it still has to be "Heroes Legion Series".

On Saturday, January 25th, the Jingcheng Olympic Sports Center venue saw a gathering of luxury cars, with numerous stars present.

Media reporters from all sides surrounded the red carpet, and moreover countless fans stood outside, just to catch a distant glimpse of their idols, indeed because the stars attending today were truly too many.

As for the film's main creators, there were Hu Ba playing Ge Xiaolun, Huang Xiaoming playing Zhao Xin, Ding Haifeng playing Liu Chuang, Zhou Dong playing Cheng Yaowen, and Wu Jing playing the Monkey King.

And Jing Tian playing the goofy goddess Leina, Liu Yifei playing the aloof goddess Rose; when the two stepped onto the red carpet one after another, the fans' cheers could be described as earth-shaking.

And when Yang Mi playing Rui Mengmeng, Ke La Ke playing the female police officer Qilin, and Zhang Yuxi playing Liang Bing walked over, they likewise elicited a wave of cheers.

Moreover, various bigwigs from the film and television circle, renowned directors, famous actors, famous crosstalk performers, and so on came to show support.

The sheer number of stars present and the lively atmosphere were comparable to a film festival! A reporter remarked, "No wonder Director Jiang doesn't like attending film festivals; his premiere is even livelier than a film festival!"

"At his level, if he went up to compete with others for Best Director or such, that would be bullying the small with the big!"

"This is too lively!"

And when Jiang Heng appeared as the finale and walked onto the red carpet, the atmosphere at the venue simply exploded.

"Director Jiang, this way please!"

The host of the red carpet was Wu Jing's girlfriend, Xie Nan.

She still cherished this opportunity to boost her fame, gazing at Jiang Heng with a smiling countenance, and asked according to the prepared lines.

"Today is the premiere ceremony of Heroes Legion Series, and I see many fans at the venue dressed as characters from the game League of Legends, showing that this game is relatively popular and recognized among users."

"So, my first question is, does Director Jiang usually play this game?"

Jiang Heng laughed, "Play!"

"Wow, I never expected someone as formidable as Director Jiang to also play games. May I ask which hero you prefer or excel at?"

"I play the Sword Saint more often!"

"Wow, doesn't that mean that when everyone plays the game and encounters a highly skilled Sword Saint, it could possibly be Director Jiang operating it?"

Jiang Heng chuckled, "Indeed there is that possibility!" As soon as he said that, the atmosphere became even livelier, because Jiang Heng was admitting he plays well!

Xie Nan immediately lamented, "It's a pity that the Sword Saint character does not appear in the story of Heroes Legion; will you consider adding this character in the future?"

Jiang Heng laughed and said, "That depends on the audience; if everyone supports it, letting this film achieve good results and continue production, then there will definitely be more characters (game roles) appearing in the later series films!"

Xie Nan laughed toward the reporters and audience, saying, "So, you guys, do you support it or not?"

"Support!"

"Director Jiang, I support you!"

"I love you, Director Jiang!"

"Husband……"

The crowd surged, shouts shook the sky, and even the guests who had already entered the inner venue were startled.

"These fans are just too fervent; if the box office isn't high, that would be strange!" Ge You said in his distinctive tone.

Beside him, Feng Xiaogang's eyes were weary as he slowly said, "The reputation built over more than a decade of painstaking effort—can't compare, can't compare!"

Director Feng's mood lately has been so-so; the box office of his New Year film "Personal Custom" was still okay, grossing over seven hundred million.

Making money is certain, it's just that it didn't meet expectations.

In his view, how could this not be stronger than "Lost in Thailand"? The result was that the box office fell far short, and the reputation wasn't good either.

A bunch of people online scolded him for rehashing old material, saying his talent was exhausted, making him so angry he wanted to argue back with them.

Today, upon arriving at the premiere of Heroes Legion Series and seeing Jiang Heng's fans, no one on site would dare say the film is bad! As for online, those fans are even more numerous, truly incomparable! Jiang Heng's side had already left the red carpet and entered the venue.

After greeting the guests who had come to show support, he took a seat in the front row.

Not long after, the host appeared.

It wasn't Xie Nan from the red carpet, but a beautiful woman from CCTV Channel 6.

The two parties have cooperated for many years, so it's not easy to replace her entirely.

The ceremony began with a main creators interview segment; Jiang Heng, Hu Ba, Huang Xiaoming, Jing Tian, Liu Yifei, and others appeared in turn, freely discussing their filming experiences.

Due to time constraints, they each chatted briefly, the whole segment lasting just over ten minutes.

Immediately afterward came the highly anticipated film-screening segment.

The venue lights dimmed, the big screen lit up, after the Longbiao and Ai Faction: Outstanding Rising Film Company logos appeared, the film officially began.

On the boundless, endless Gobi desert, corpses lay scattered across the battlefield, with several hundred wearing ancient Chinese armor, holding long spears and trembling, as if they had seen something extremely terrifying.

The camera then turned to reveal a burly figure, over three meters tall, an armored giant crocodile, currently carrying soldiers on its back while eating.

On the battlefield, what can it eat? Although it hasn't gotten any screen time, it has already made the audience feel chilled.

But there are also moviegoers familiar with the game, excitedly saying, "Isn't this the Desert Butcher Lei Ke Dun? I love using it the most!"

"Me too, it feels especially fierce!"

"His design is kinda goofy!"

"Holy crap, what's with your stare!"

"Hey, there's a beautiful woman! (End of chapter)"