Chapter 299

Guo Fan heard this and was quite moved.

Jiang Heng's appearance and acting are fine, his fame is top-tier.

With him, box office pressure is lower, no risk of losing money.

Having thought this through, he went again to the Olympic venue to tell Jiang Heng about this.

"I play Ning Caichen; is there enough time?"

It's only April now, but he has more to busy with than just the August 8 opening ceremony; there is also the August 24 closing ceremony and the opening and closing ceremonies of the September Paralympics.

It can be said that before November this year, he won't have much energy to spare for film shooting.

Guo Fan said carefully: "Well, that's what I think; the crew will be formed in July-August, first shoot all scenes except yours. After you finish your business here, you can directly join the shoot and definitely wrap by November."

"Also, for the special-effects shots, we can prepare some confirmation material in advance; we should be able to release it by next summer."

Jiang Heng heard this and thought it was feasible.

After all, given his acting, as long as his opposite actors don't mess up, he can usually nail it in one take; time is not a big issue.

He couldn't think of a reason to refuse, so he agreed.

Guo Fan, hearing this, was extremely excited: "Teacher, if you agree to act, this film is a sure thing!"

Jiang Heng said: "That can't be said so simply; the script comes first—let's get the script written before we talk."

Guo Fan naturally agreed, then went back to lead the screenwriting team in polishing the script (no need to mention).

However, regarding Zhou Xingxing's side, they have already started the promotion work for "The Monkey King: Demon Chapter."

This film is jointly produced by Outstanding Rising Film Company and Xinghui Company, with Broad Sodium Film Industry handling promotion.

Because Jiang Heng's interference in the film is minimal, the main creative team remains largely unchanged.

The lead actor, surprisingly, is still Wen Zhang.

At this moment, he had just become popular for his outstanding role in "Days Related to Youth" and the role of Xiangnan in "Struggle," and had not yet shown his later rebelliousness.

Before filming began, Zhou Xingxing had once brought Wen Zhang to Outstanding Rising Film Company.

After all, he is the film's investor and producer; coming to pay a visit is only proper.

Jiang Heng did not object; he merely asked Zhou Xingxing why he chose him.

The answer given was that he thinks this is a very talented actor, especially spirited, exactly the pure-to-a-point-of-being-simple Xuanzang he has in mind.

Jiang Heng thought to himself, "You judge people quite well; you just didn't anticipate his later affairs!"

Of course, Jiang Heng didn't say much more; objectively, Wen Zhang's performance in "The Monkey King: Demon Chapter" is still quite good.

This time, Wen Zhang's demeanor remains humble, especially well-behaved and polite, making it hard not to take a liking to him.

No wonder Li Lianjie would take him as a "godson," willingly playing a supporting role to boost him.

"Well, the new film's premiere is set for the 24th; if you're free that day, you must come!" Zhou Xingxing said.

Jiang Heng nodded slightly: "All right, as long as I'm not too busy that day, I'll definitely be there!"

The premiere of "The Monkey King: Demon Chapter" is not just one place; there are events arranged in Jingcheng, Shanghai, and Xianggang.

Some are more elaborate, with preview screenings arranged that day; others are just media meet-and-greets, accepting interviews only.

The Jingcheng event naturally should be more grand, with the venue chosen as the Workers' Stadium.

After 2008 passes, we can hold the premiere at the Olympic venue.

On the afternoon of the 24th, Jiang Heng, dressed in a suit, drove to the event site.

Just as he stepped out of the car, reporters came forward to take photos.

Jiang Heng merely waved, smiling as he walked onto the red carpet.

Under the film's huge poster, he signed his name, then turned to take a photo.

The beautiful host Shen Xing smiled sweetly and said in a soft voice: "Director Jiang, hello, it's an honor to interview you amidst the envious gazes of your peers. So I'd like to ask on their behalf: what do you think of this film 'The Monkey King: Demon Chapter'?"

Jiang Heng said: "I'm very optimistic about the film's box office performance; you know, Director Zhou Xingxing is extremely talented and also one of my favorite actors; he made this film very creative and very funny, the visual effects are also excellent, and I really like it."

Actually, the visual effects of this film cannot compare at all with those of Jiang Heng's *Lion Camel Ridge*, *Flat Top Mountain*, *Daughter Country*, and other Journey to the West series films.

The reason is simple: the budget is what it is.

"The Monkey King: Demon Chapter" cost only 150 million RMB to produce, whereas the films Jiang Heng shot basically start at 50 million USD; in terms of film investment, they are not even in the same league.

Nevertheless, since this film is our own production and we put up most of the investment, of course we have to praise it in every way.

Shen Xing also went along, exchanging pleasantries with Jiang Heng about the film's merits for several minutes before Jiang Heng entered the venue.

Zhou Xingxing had already arrived early, stepped forward, shook hands, and said: "Thanks, you came to show your support!"

Jiang Heng laughed: "After all, I am also a producer and supervisor; I definitely had to come!"

Zhou Xingxing laughed heartily and said nothing else.

After all, he is the director; in his subconscious, this is his work.

Zhou Xingxing doesn't have many friends in the industry, so the Jingcheng premiere of "The Monkey King: Demon Chapter" basically had no heavyweight guests.

On the other hand, a few friends of Wen Zhang—Ma Yili, Tong Dawei, and Bai Baihe—came over.

"Director Jiang, hello, I'm Tong Dawei; I've always admired you!"

"Director Jiang, hello, I'm Bai Baihe (Ma Yili)!"

"Hello, I know you; you played Lu Tao in 'Struggle' very well!"

"Oh, thanks for the praise, Director Jiang!" Tong Dawei looked flattered and surprised.

Regarding Bai Baihe and Ma Yili, Jiang Heng also gave a couple of casual comments, and the group then politely took their leave.

Not long after, the premiere event began; Zhou Xingxing's side first conducted media interviews, and after the interviews ended, they switched to another screening hall to watch the film.

Entry had very strict security measures, rigorously checking photographic equipment to prevent covert recording.

During the preview, the overall atmosphere was still good, with the audience laughing multiple times.

But some reporters shook their heads secretly, feeling that the film's special-effects scenes, compared to Jiang Heng's several "Journey to the West" works, seemed rather petty.

Xingye's scale is still a bit small; with Director Jiang's support, why not make the scene even more grandiose?

What he really wants to express is probably regret in love! But to be honest, it's still quite moving!

The scene of Miss Duan's tragic death indeed moved many viewers to tears.

After all, although Jiang Heng's big-budget special-effects scenes are outstanding, the love element is sadly lacking!

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed, and soon it was May Day, the day the film premiered.

Thanks to Zhou Xingxing's tremendous popularity in Neidi and the film's subject matter, the opening-day box office of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons reached an astonishing 73.85 million, surpassing Three Body to become Neidi's opening-day and single-day box office champion.

Upon being reported, public opinion erupted in an uproar.

After so many years, someone has finally been able to surpass Jiang Heng at the box office.

Although this film is still produced by Faction: Outstanding Rising Film Company, it still greatly inspires many filmmakers.

(End of chapter)