Chapter 397

During the May Day slot, Zhang Yimou's new film Love of the Hawthorn Tree was released; thanks to proper promotion, the total box office reached 2.37 hundred million yuan.

Not only did it refresh the box office record for Neidi art films, but compared to the results in another timeline, it also gained nearly one hundred million.

Not counting the copyright and box office income from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas, the share of box office receipts from Neidi alone amounted to eighty million, definitely a big profit.

Upon hearing the related report, Zhang Weiping was so angry he wanted to smash his office.

He loudly cursed 'Lao Mouzi' for lacking righteousness, Jiang Heng for not following the rules, but aside from ranting in the office to vent, he had no effective countermeasures and could only watch helplessly as Zhang Yimou prospered.

At the China Film Digital Base, Zhang Yimou came to visit the set, but mainly he said that The Flowers of War would start shooting; it wasn't really to seek Jiang Heng's opinion, just a notice.

After all, when they first joined the Love Faction: Outstanding Rising Film Company, both sides had agreed that Jiang Heng would not interfere with his creation.

Faction: Outstanding Rising Film Company - Love Excellent Rise Film Industry (glossary)

Battle Through the Heavens - Battle Through the Heavens (glossary)

Actually, that previous life version of The Flowers of War was indeed a good movie. But because of Zhang Weiping's vulgarity and his pursuit of box office, it lowered the film's taste.

In fact, the two of them in their previous lives actually broke up over this film; one could say they fought from start to finish.

Zhao Yumo - Zhao Yumo

Zhang Weiping disagreed; he wanted Han Xiting to act, but Zhang Yimou disagreed.

In the end, Ni Ni played Zhao Yumo, but on the promotional poster she was overshadowed.

Zhou Xingxing - Zhou Xingxing

During the promotion stage, they again wanted to use Ni Ni's intimate scenes as a gimmick, but Zhang Yimou naturally disagreed.

Director Jiang Heng - Director Jiang Heng

China Film Digital Base - China Film Digital Base

The Love of the Hawthorn Tree - The Love of the Hawthorn Tree

It's just a pity that Ni Ni, who debuted during the stage when their conflict erupted, quickly faded after a high-profile debut, and could only maintain a lukewarm topic relying on her romance and gossip.

The Golden Years - The Golden Years

The New King of Comedy - The New King of Comedy

The Two Zhangs' Split - The Two Zhangs' Split

What surprised and delighted her even more was that, at the new film launch event of 《The Flowers of War》, she actually saw Jiang Heng, whom she had long admired.

Hello!

You, hello, Director Jiang!

Ni Ni wore an expression of utter disbelief, unable to believe that Jiang Heng was speaking to her, and even after he left, she remained in a dazed feeling.

Meanwhile, the fellow actress from the same group, looking at the direction where Jiang Heng disappeared with eyes full of envy, said, 'Ni Ni, did you know Director Jiang before?'

You don't know him?

Then why was he looking at you so warmly, as if he knew you well?

Perhaps it's just out of respect for Director Zhang.

The fellow actress snorted at the remark, but thinking that Ni Ni was already the female lead of 《The Flowers of War》 and with Jiang Heng's backing, she would soon become a top star, she dared not offend her.

She immediately spoke many words of 'sisterly affection', hoping that once Ni Ni became famous, she could look after her a bit. Ni Ni was still young and couldn't bring herself to refuse, so she naturally agreed.

Deep down she wondered, 'Will Director Jiang really promote me? And what would it feel like to become famous?'

After the new film launch interview, Jiang Heng left directly, and his companion Jing Tian wondered aloud, 'Do you think highly of this Ni Ni?'

Jiang Heng drove himself and casually said, 'Not bad!'

'Mm, she has good foundations, is tall and slender with great presence; relying on this film to debut, if you give her a little more promotion, she should become popular soon!'

Da Tian Tian, speaking as the company's vice president, analyzed, but finally she said doubtfully, 'But why do I always feel that your gaze toward her is so affectionate?'

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng felt somewhat defensive, thinking to himself, 'Can I say it's because I really like her portrayal of Zhu Suosuo in 《The Glory of the Dynasty》?'

Of course, Jiang Heng's liking is limited to the character Zhu Suosuo; he has no particular feeling for the TV drama itself.

After returning to the China Film Digital Base, they continued shooting the special-effects shots for Battle Through the Heavens.

When it comes to the special-effects shots of domestic film and TV dramas, some are truly so weak they're not even as good as later Shake short videos.

Sometimes when promoting film and TV dramas, they claim the special-effects budget ran into hundreds of millions, yet the actual effect is horrendous, and it's truly unclear where the money went.

Moreover, many Shake short videos, without spending much money, manage to produce special-effects fight scenes brimming with the atmosphere of the martial world and wuxia.

Even though they are played only on small mobile phone screens, viewers still feel their blood boil.

This shows that often it's not a matter of money, but whether it's done with care.

By 2024, summer box office films suffered successive failures, largely due to audiences losing confidence in domestic films.

Of course, it's not only domestic films; Haolaiwu films also failed.

All that can be said is that after years of shoddy production, the global film market finally faced a backlash of reputation.

Having been deceived too many times, audiences naturally don't want to be fooled again.

Furthermore, under the impact of short videos, watching movies has become a 'high-risk' form of entertainment.

Imagine two people going out to the cinema; they always have to spend some time, then watch a film lasting one and a half to two hours.

If the film is exciting, that's fine, but more often than not you end up seeing a mediocre film.

After leaving the cinema, they still regret why they bothered to watch it. Recalling the time and money spent, the viewing experience falls short of expectations.

Thus, more and more young people would rather stay home scrolling short videos than go to the cinema to watch a film.

Of course, if a star or director has extremely high reputation, audiences are still willing to pay.

Like Zhou Xingxing before 《New King of Comedy》, in the Neidi market he was the best box-office guarantee.

But after 《New King of Comedy》, his reputation also plummeted significantly.

And in this timeline, the words 'Director Jiang Heng' are the strongest guarantee of quality.

Audiences entering the cinema can say that Director Jiang's films lack artistic substance, and they can also complain that the story isn't fresh or is convoluted, but even the harshest critics have never questioned the visual effects of Jiang Heng's films.

Jiang Heng's every film will bring some visual surprise.

The sequel of One Person Under is likewise; if the film were to tell the story of the Celestial Master Assembly at Longhu Shan, with various extraordinary persons competing in their arts, and Quanxing causing havoc at Longhu Shan, it could be described as non-stop action from start to finish.

Moreover, each participant's cultivation method differs greatly, with high recognizability, paired with ultimate special effects, it can be called a visual feast.

(End of chapter)