Chapter 494: with translation of chapter title

"Jiang, is your virtual number technology expensive?" Inside the CEO's office of Columbia Company, Sanford Panichi asked curiously.

At the recent Beimei premiere of Hero Battalion Continuation, he was captivated by the appearances of Queen Kaysha, Angel Yan, and others in the film.

Upon learning that these were not performed by real actors but created with virtual number technology, he was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth for a while.

We must definitely pull Jiang Heng aside and find a place to have a good chat.

Jiang Heng chuckled and said, "It's definitely not cheap—think about it, every frame, every second of their images is made with special effects; you know how costly that is!"

Sanford Panichi nodded slightly; he indeed knew how much money special-effects shots burn.

"So, is there a possibility that costs will come down in the future?"

"That's certain— as technology keeps advancing, price drops are an inevitable trend. I estimate it won't take ten or twenty years before this technology is adopted by more and more film companies!"

Sanford Panichi sighed, "That's really as good as it gets, Jiang— you have no idea how high the pay of A-list Hollywood stars is: over twenty million US dollars, which converts to over a hundred million of your money!"

"Indeed not cheap!"

"The problem is, some of them, despite receiving huge salaries, still stir up all sorts of trouble— it's truly awful! When you were making those angels, you didn't have those hassles, right?"

Jiang Heng shrugged and laughed, "Besides being more costly to produce, they have no flaws at all!"

"Good! I just love this kind— 'take' the money and get things done!"

"Haha, I feel the same way!"

Besides discussing the impact of the "new technology" on the film industry, the two also talked about cooperation between the two companies.

Nowadays, the annual agency fee for releasing Jiang Heng's effects-heavy blockbusters has become a fixed income for Columbia Film Company, and a substantial one at that.

Sanford Panichi certainly doesn't want, just after taking over as CEO, to cause the company to lose this income.

Although the two companies have cooperated for over a decade, one still fears someone might sabotage things.

To enhance mutual friendship, Sanford Panichi also invited Jiang Heng to his home as a guest, to fulfill the host's courtesy.

So, when Jiangcheng returned to the country and disembarked at the capital airport, it was already New Year's Eve.

Looking back at these days' hectic schedule, it was truly a frantic mess.

The rest of the entourage each went home, while Jiang Heng was driven by his chauffeur back to his mansion in Jingcheng.

This is a newly purchased mansion in Chaoyang District, very close to the capital airport, convenient for travel; no outsiders have been brought over yet, and only the cleaning auntie comes by occasionally to tidy up.

Not long after arriving home, a hotel sent over a full table of New Year's Eve dinner; Jiang Heng ate a little, then went back to his bedroom to rest, and didn't even watch the Spring Festival Gala.

The next day, it was the first day of the lunar new year.

Another spring festival season arrived, and it was the day when films like Hero Battalion Continuation and The Monkey King: Three Strikes Against the White Bone Demon were released.

In the morning, as domestic major cinemas opened, many fans of League of Legends and Hero Battalion streamed in to buy tickets for the first show, and most of them wanted the 3D version.

After all, fans are still willing to spend money.

Meanwhile, the audience that came to watch The Monkey King: Three Strikes Against the White Bone Demon was comparatively much smaller.

At this time, although many people are immersed in the New Year-visiting atmosphere, those who can rush to the cinema early in the morning are those who had already decided what to watch.

The Monkey King: Three Strikes Against the White Bone Demon also made many people want to see a film, but when faced with choosing between it and Hero Battalion Continuation, the audience still chose the latter.

After all, Director Jiang's character is guaranteed, year after year the same! As for Director Zheng Baorui, I've never heard of him! And by afternoon, cinemas in the popular commercial districts of major cities nationwide were basically packed to capacity, with long queues mostly consisting of people coming to see Hero Battalion Continuation.

"Hello, I'm a reporter from China Film Report. May I interview you with a few questions?"

"Sure, go ahead!"

"May I ask which film you're queuing up to see?"

"That's no nonsense— of course it's Director Jiang's film!"

"Why did you choose this film?"

"It's definitely because it's good— could it be because it's expensive and long? Only picking the pricey ones, not the right ones?"

This old man's mouth is like a rented one— when the reporter asks one question, he can reply with several.

The female reporter, upon being questioned, just pursed her lips; seeing this, the old man felt quite pleased and whispered, "Actually, there's another reason!"

"What reason!"

"I've heard that Director Jiang uses some kind of virtual technology, making the fake people look more real than real ones— in a word, gorgeous!"

"Okay, thanks for cooperating, I thank you!" the female reporter said helplessly.

Besides Jingcheng, many cinemas across the country also conducted similar interviews.

After all, for local TV stations, Jiang Heng's films going viral after release also counts as a decent news story; simply recording and broadcasting it still attracts many viewers.

By evening, the cinema became even livelier, with a steady stream of moviegoers; many popular cinemas' prime shows were sold out, and the attendance rate for Hero Battalion Continuation actually reached 100%.

The Monkey King: Three Strikes Against the White Bone Demon, Smart One Rest, Dad Where Are We Going? and others also had decent box office results.

However, in terms of reputation, there is a considerable gap.

Hero Battalion Continuation opened on Douban with a score of 8.9, but by evening, due to a large influx of users rating it, it dropped to 8.5, which is still within the normal range of rating fluctuations.

After all, those who think to go to Douban right after watching to give a score are not necessarily Jiang Heng's fans, but they are movie enthusiasts who have a certain fondness for this sequel that took six years to finally come out.

The later influx consisted of many casual viewers, whose reviews will be relatively more objective.

Overall, the praise outweighs the criticism, with compliments for the film's plot and effects, and when discussing the sacred Queen Kaysha and Angel Yan, they also gave positive feedback.

They expressed that they never imagined film technology could advance to this point— using digital technology to create a virtual person, yet seeing no flaws.

If in the future this technology were combined with instant communication, it would be somewhat frightening!

The audience's thoughts are somewhat scattered, chatting about everything under the sun, with whimsical ideas constantly popping up.

Compared to the tide of praise for Hero Battalion Continuation, the public opinion on The Monkey King: Three Strikes Against the White Bone Demon is not optimistic.

The film opened on Douban with a score of 6.1, but by evening it had fallen to 5.3, placing it below the passing line.

Looking around, almost all reviews are negative; many viewers wrote short comments feeling that this film is outright fraud.

Likewise, as a special-effects-heavy Journey to the West film, its production quality, compared to Jiang Heng's films, is lacking by a Hollywood level.

If it were only the special effects that were lacking, that would be forgivable— after all, even with poor picture quality in older films, people still enjoyed them just as much.

The problem with this movie's plot is that it's awkward, oppressive, preachy—full of cringe!