Chapter 306

Don't talk nonsense, but I fear you'll meet a violent end, your life ending in an instant—what a pity for your true appearance!

The Buddha, played by Zhu Longguang, arrived and spoke in a loud voice.

Sun Wukong felt his ears ringing, and the words "Don't talk nonsense" echoed repeatedly.

He laughed: "Don't talk nonsense? How come some things, once done, can't be spoken of?"

The Buddha said: "Heaven's way is constant; it does not exist for Yao's sake, nor perish for Jie's. Many things cannot be changed by a mere monkey uttering a few words."

Sun Wukong laughed loudly: "Indeed it cannot be changed; I say I didn't do those things, who would believe me? Since the proclamation says my sins are unforgivable, I might as well truly be unforgivable!"

He then glanced around and saw that beside the Buddha stood the two venerables, A-na and Kasyapa.

All the heavenly gods also rushed over, including Erlang Shen, Nezha, the Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Nine Luminaries Officials, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Five Direction Jiedie, the Four Officers of Auspiciousness, the Thunder Department gods, the Fire Virtue Star Lord, the Water Virtue Star Lord, the Wood Virtue Star Lord, the Civil and Military Wealth Gods, the Upper Cave Eight Immortals, and the Seven Fairies!

Hahaha, hahaha!

Sun Wukong laughed wildly: "I, a fatherless, motherless wild demon monkey, to have such a scene today is worth it! I, Old Sun, take responsibility for my own actions and implicate no one!"

Having said that, he flourished his golden hooped staff, the originally dim and worn armor on his body instantly renewed, a long red cape mysteriously appearing on his shoulders. On his head also appeared a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown.

The Great Sage's body slowly rose into the air, the red cape fluttering and making a rustling sound.

The stirring, solemn music suddenly swelled, interspersed with drumbeats.

One saw the Great Sage walking slowly in the void, then gradually accelerating, afterwards raising his golden hooped staff and charging toward the tall figure in the void.

Switching to a wide shot, it showed a lone figure charging toward tens of thousands.

The drumbeats grew louder and louder, as if striking the audience's hearts; each wore a sorrowful expression, some even with moist eyes.

On the screen, the expressions of the heavenly gods also changed.

Their gaze upon Sun Wukong was no longer mocking, sneering, or contemptuous.

Especially the Seven Fairies, their looks at Sun Wukong were somewhat unusual.

At that moment, the Great Sage leapt up, raising his golden hooped staff.

The Buddha sighed slightly, pushing out his right palm, which grew larger and larger until it filled the entire screen, and the light went completely dark.

Light appeared again, but it was the six characters "Jiang Heng Director's Work".

"Alas!"

The audience in the theater all sighed; although they knew the ending ahead, the story cutting off here still made them feel uneasy.

When the lights came up, everyone hurriedly took off their 3D glasses, rose and applauded; the applause lasted three to five minutes, thundering like a tsunami and mountain collapse.

Host Liu Yan walked onto the platform before the big screen and asked, "How was the movie just now?"

"It was great, really great!"

"The 3D effects were simply amazing, incredibly shocking!"

"Many scenes seemed as if they were truly appearing before our eyes!"

"Amazing!"

The audience's answers were all over the place, and Liu Yan then invited Jiang Heng up, saying, "Director Jiang, honestly, this is the best film I've seen in my life. Truly, I never imagined a movie could give me such a shock; I believe many in the audience feel the same. Could you say a few words for everyone?"

Liu Yan looked utterly shocked, not knowing how to conduct the interview.

Jiang Heng took the microphone and, smiling, said: "Here, I first want to thank the main creative team of this film. As you saw, there are many characters in the film, many of whom are friends who came for cameos, appearing only for a few minutes. But when I invited them, they agreed without hesitation, many coming from far away to help me shoot this film."

"For this, I want to thank them once again!"

Afterwards, as usual, he thanked the attending guests and audience, added a few words about the bright future of 3D films, and this time the reporters were not confused.

Before the film played, Jiang Heng had given a lengthy talk about how shocking 3D films would be, leaving them bewildered and clueless.

At this moment, they finally understood what "damn surprise" and "damn shock" meant!

After a brief exchange, the event officially ended.

Jiang Heng then led the main crew and the attending guests to the banquet hall of the pre-arranged five-star hotel to entertain them.

After being seated, the directors successively asked for advice on how to shoot 3D films and what the technical difficulties were.

People like Han Sanping, the head of a film company, as well as wealthy individuals with investment intentions, also perked up their ears to listen, occasionally asking a couple of questions.

After all, judging from the film's effect, the 3D version of *The Monkey King's Havoc in Heaven* is bound to be a hit.

The box office results will absolutely surpass all of Jiang Heng's previous works; globally they could set a new high, the only question being whether they can exceed *Titanic*.

Nevertheless, the hope is still great.

Indeed, the viewing effect is exceptionally outstanding; it's like someone accustomed to black-and-white films suddenly seeing a color movie—such visual impact is truly unforgettable in a lifetime.

The next day, domestic media outlets all reported the news of the premiere of the 3D *The Monkey King's Havoc in Heaven* in the capital.

Almost every media outlet lavished praise, saying how good the film was, how good.

CCTV News Channel also rarely aired this news in its program, and elaborated on the film's great significance.

They said that although it is not the first 3D film, it will certainly be the most splendid and important chapter in the history of 3D film development.

In such a publicity atmosphere, the audience that had already been looking forward to this film became even more eager.

Moreover, moviegoers who attended the premiere shared their impressions on Douban, causing the tickets for the Shanghai premiere to sell out instantly upon release.

On the black market, they were even hyped to astronomical prices.

In Xianggang, the premiere event also attracted a large number of moviegoers.

As media coverage continued and fans gave positive feedback, the film's popularity kept rising.

Because there was no midnight showing, on the morning of July 11, moviegoers across the country rose early and queued at theater entrances.

Especially in front of theaters with IMAX halls, some people wished they could come at midnight; seeing this, ticket sellers instantly felt enormous pressure.

Some theater managers, meanwhile, wore looks of delight.

The film's ticket price is naturally high; the IMAX 3D version basically ranges from 100 to 200 yuan.

The high ticket price did not provoke audience boycotts; instead, it sparked a buying frenzy.

Some ticket scalpers could even hike a ticket worth over a hundred yuan to fifteen hundred yuan, increasing it by more than tenfold.

Even so, tickets for the IMAX 3D version remain hard to come by.

The reason is simple: there are too many wealthy people domestically, but the number of IMAX screens is limited.

Those who can get tickets at this time gain great face.

After these people entered the theater to watch the film, they were all conquered by the film's super shocking visual effects; whether it's the meticulously crafted scenery or the immersive feeling as if a golden cudgel were swinging toward them, the audience exclaimed in delight.

Some even watched it two or three times, enthusiastically recommending it to friends and family.

(End of chapter)