Chapter 452

Since they had no plans for a sequel, they didn't leave a post-credits scene.

After thoroughly smashing the Lingxiao Treasure Hall that symbolizes the Heavenly Court, the film ends. After all, inserting a Jade Emperor vs. Sun Wukong showdown would feel out of place.

Moreover, the runtime doesn't allow it; it's already over two hours, and adding more plot would require splitting it into two parts.

Thus, as soon as the film ended, some viewers needing to use the restroom hurried out, while of course the vast majority remained in their seats, wanting to hear the live interview.

"Director Jiang, hello, I'm a reporter from China Film Report. Thank you very much for bringing audiences a brand-new, splendid Journey to the West story. We're curious: how did you come up with such a story, completely different from Lion Camel Ridge, Flat Top Mountain, Daughter Country, and other Journey to the West tales?"

Jiang Heng gripped the microphone and laughed: "Legends say that myths are about making humans divine, and making gods human. I originally wanted to interpret the characters in Journey to the West from a human perspective. In the original, Sun Wukong has always been bold and free-spirited. After becoming the Victorious Fighting Buddha, could he really endure those strict constraints? And could Spirit Mountain and the Heavenly Court truly feel at ease leaving Sun Wukong unchecked? A person who twice rebelled against the Heavenly Court—would Spirit Mountain and the Heavenly Court really have no guard? Then one day, I happened to see an episode of Water Margin on TV where Song Jiang and Lu Junyi were given poisoned wine, and a thought struck me: How could one possibly feel completely at ease? How could one place absolute trust? How could one not leave a backup plan?"

Since the Buddha can make the tight-fitting spell vanish without Sun Wukong even noticing, he certainly has the power to make this thing appear suddenly.

Then I thought, what if Wukong left Spirit Mountain and returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain—how would that turn out? And that's how the film you see now came to be.

After Jiang Heng finished speaking, the audience stared for about two or three seconds, then burst into enthusiastic applause.

First, they thought the film was genuinely good; second, they felt Jiang Heng's creative approach was truly novel.

Since the domestic film and television industry began, works based on Journey to the West have poured forth endlessly, but truly breakthrough ones like Black Myth: Wukong are exceedingly rare.

The sequel Journey to the West counts as one; the story is absolutely top-notch, but its action scenes are too weird.

Afterwards, another reporter asked Jiang Heng how he came up with the idea that Erlang Shen and Nezha also helped rebel against the Heavenly Court.

Jiang Heng then proposed the concept of the "Three Great Rebellious Bones of the Heavenly Court," saying Nezha weighs one hundred catties, with ninety-nine catties of rebellious bone and one catty of arrowroot flour, prompting the on‑stage guests and audience to burst into laughter.

In fact, stories of Erlang Shen and Nezha secretly rebelling against the Heavenly Court were already depicted in the earlier Lotus Lantern.

But back then, internet media wasn't well developed, so the concept of the "Three Great Rebellious Bones of the Heavenly Court" didn't spread widely.

But once Jiang Heng mentioned it now, it will surely spread throughout the Chinese‑language entertainment industry and then take root in people's hearts.

Afterwards, Jiang Heng answered another audience question, and the premiere ceremony then came to a complete end.

Reporters and audiences scattered, while the vast majority of guests were arranged by Broad Sodium Film Industry to go to a nearby five‑star hotel for the banquet.

At the banquet, all the guests congratulated each other, believing that Black Myth: Wukong will surely spark another wave of movie‑going frenzy, with box office receipts of twenty‑eight or twenty‑nine, or thirty‑plus billion yuan being inevitable!

Fortunately, Jiang Heng didn't film a movie in the first half of the year, so the New Year's slot at the end of 12 and the spring festival slot at the beginning of 13 were completely free.

Otherwise, who could compete with that!

Jiang Heng wore a warm smile and raised his glass with many guests to drink freely.

At the neighboring table, Tang Yan was also receiving congratulations from many actresses.

The Blazing Gold Dragon she portrays in Black Myth: Wukong, when in human form, has an alluring beauty; her makeup is very distinctive, unforgettable at a glance, and her popularity is sure to surge and blaze again.

Meanwhile, the actresses sharing her table, while some genuinely rejoiced for Tang Yan, also harbored secret jealousy.

"Sugar, your Blazing Gold Dragon performance is truly superb—you might even win Best Actress!"

Tang Yan gave a faint smile: "Not bad, actually I'm still a bit dazed; it's all thanks to Director Jiang's excellent direction!"

"Of course! If it weren't for Director Jiang, we wouldn't be here today—come on, let's go toast him!"

"Let's go together, let's go together!"

A group of actresses gathered around Tang Yan and approached Jiang Heng.

Tang Yan, without reservation, generously raised her glass and offered a string of thanks.

Some who liked to stir things up said the toast lacked sincerity—you really ought to kiss him!

Liu Yifei and Jing Tian heard it, both gave a hostile glare, and that person then realized they had misspoken.

But the words were already spoken; Tang Yan couldn't pretend not to hear, so she lightly kissed Jiang Heng's cheek, eliciting a chorus of shrieks and uproar from the crowd.

Seeing this, Jing Tian followed suit, raising a glass of wine and also wanting to imitate the gesture.

Jiang Heng hurriedly stopped her, laughing: "A toast is just a toast—don't try to take advantage of me!" This made Da Tian Tian roll her eyes in annoyance.

However, because of Jiang Heng's remark, the several actresses behind also felt relieved.

After all, if Jing Tian really did that, the psychological pressure on those behind would be too great.

If you don't follow suit, what are you thinking?

If you offend Director Jiang and still try to leave? You'll hardly make a name for yourself! Wang Zhonglei, sitting nearby, gazed enviously at the several golden flowers of Outstanding Rising Film Company and muttered sotto voce, "You can really put on an act—can you even tolerate this good fortune?"

Feng Xiaogang whispered, "How could you do something like this in public? Of course you have to do it behind people's backs!"

"Exactly!"

That said, the banquet's atmosphere was quite lively; everyone ate and drank until past ten p. m., after which those on good terms went to bars and KTV for a second round.

Meanwhile, the reporters who attended the Black Myth: Wukong premiere had mostly finished their drafts and were urgently revising and proofreading in preparation for publication.

As for the film critics, they were relatively free, each selecting a point they felt insightful about to write their articles; overall, the tone remained chiefly praising.

As for netizens on Douban and Tieba, their focus remained on the film's special‑effects scenes.

Especially the action sequence where Sun Wukong defends against Erlang Shen with his back turned, which is bound to be hyped to the skies.

Calling Black Myth: Wukong the most beautifully filmed fight piece among Jiang Heng's Journey‑to‑the‑West‑type films only heightens the audience's anticipation, making them eager for its release.

The next day, Jiang Heng went to Outstanding Rising Film Company, where his assistant Cui Zhenzhen delivered a stack of newspapers.

Jiang Heng flipped through them casually and saw they were all praising the film; he then went online and found the same—mainly positive commentary.

Not long after, Du Huan came over and said that later they would take a team by plane to Shanghai to launch a preview event for the new film there.

Jiang Heng had no objection, since it had been arranged earlier. Later that day he would fly to Japan to attend the new film's premiere hosted by partner Toho Co., Ltd.

In the following days he still had to fly to South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and other hot film markets to attend local premiere events for the new film.

Accompanying him were his driver, bodyguard, assistant, and also Tang Yan's team.

The reason is simple: she had starred in Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother a few years earlier and still had some reputation in the international market.

Mainly, European and American audiences retain a slightly deeper impression of Jiang Heng's self‑directed, self‑starred films, and because Tang Yan can play his sister in the movie, a considerable portion of the audience remembers her.

Speaking of this arrangement, the other two beauties found it hard to sit still.

No one knows how the two consulted each other, but in the end Liu Yifei ended up joining the trip.

The problem is she didn't actually play a role in Black Myth: Wukong, yet she went along anyway.

Liu Yifei's reason was that it was convenient to travel around the world with Jiang Heng, then go straight to the Maldives, saving him a detour. Jiang Heng, helpless, let Liu Yifei hold a senior executive title at Broad Sodium Film Industry, also counting her as part of the publicity team.

The group first went to Tokyo, then Seoul, Luoshanji. Wherever they went, they received a warm welcome.

Because in recent years, it has been the era when special-effects blockbusters and 3D films were wildly popular; whether it was Jiang Heng's special-effects blockbusters or Marvel's superheroes, they were all very popular with audiences worldwide.

Especially the former, it is practically a must-watch film for many viewers every summer and winter.

Because Jiang Heng's films have consistently high special-effects standards and exciting action scenes, audiences who have suffered from years of 'fake 3D blockbusters' find some solace in them.

Jiang Heng's films may have cultural differences that are hard to understand, but in terms of visual effects they have never fallen short.

Furthermore, as Jiang Heng's films have been hot worldwide for over ten years, some related Chinese culture has been transmitted abroad, so foreign audiences are not completely clueless.

As for this adaptation of Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong, they are also highly anticipating it.

However, after Jiang Heng led the team to attend overseas premieres and publicity in several countries, he then let Tang Yan and the others return to China first.

He then took Liu Yifei and a group of bodyguards to the Maldives for a vacation.

Domestically, July 13th arrived quickly.

Long-awaited moviegoers flocked to the cinemas early in the morning to snatch IMAX 3D tickets.

"Hello, two IMAX 3D movie tickets!"

"Uh, only the front two rows still have seats; is that okay?"

"What? The front two rows sold out that fast; what about the second showing?"

"The second showing has seats in the back, but they're rather far to the side!"

"Alright, give us two then!"

"One hundred sixty!"

Because of ticket subsidies from the producer and group-purchase websites, the 2D version had low-priced tickets at 9.9 yuan and 19.9 yuan, though quantities were limited, requiring viewers to snatch them at specific times.

As for the 3D version, it starts at 39.9 yuan, with an average price around fifty-odd yuan.

Meanwhile, the IMAX 3D version, which is more favored by young audiences, though its price has dipped slightly compared to a few years ago, still maintains a high level of 80 yuan per ticket.

The two of them together cost one hundred sixty yuan, which still poses a certain financial burden for many young couples.

Nevertheless, the auditorium with the highest occupancy rate remains the IMAX 3D theater.

After all, Jiang Heng's films mainly sell on visual effects.

Consequently, those who watched the regular 3D or 2D versions feel embarrassed to post their ticket stubs on social media; only the IMAX version gives them face.

That day, in major hot cities nationwide, the cinemas in popular commercial districts were almost sold out, and almost every auditorium was filled with "Destiny's Ones" clearing the stages.

The next day, the film's box office figures were released; the opening day box office was 3.01 billion, which did not break the previous single-day record, but it was still quite an impressive result.

After all, on July 13th, some students had not yet started their vacation.

Moreover, as schools gradually went on break, the box office of Black Myth: Wukong was bound to keep surging.

Indeed, on that Saturday, the second day of release, the single-day box office surged to 3.75 billion.

And on Sunday, it dropped back to 3.29 billion.

Jiang Heng's films once again broke the ten-billion mark in three days, and since Black Myth: Wukong is adapted from Journey to the West, its original novel is more well-known than Battle Through the Heavens.

It can be said that Black Myth: Wukong surpassing Battle Through the Heavens to refresh the mainland box office record is highly probable.

After extensive coverage by major media, the bosses and directors of countless film and TV companies were filled with envy, truly unable to bear it.

Inside a soundstage at the China Film Digital Base, the shooting of Detective Dee: The Dragon King of the Divine Capital is nearing completion.

Even some of the special-effects shots in the film had already been sent early to the special-effects company for production, so as to be ready for the 2013 Spring Festival slot and reap a big profit.

The Wang brothers attach great importance to this film, and Wang Zhonglei often comes to visit the set.

This time, little Wang Zong inevitably let out a long sigh.

"When can we produce a film like this, which breaks 300 million in a single day and exceeds ten billion in three days?"

Xu Ke laughed, "Increase the investment, then; his films' total investment starts at two to three hundred million US dollars, so the results naturally stand out."

"How much have we invested? Only two hundred million yuan, and we definitely can't match him in special effects!"

Actually, in history, the production cost of Detective Dee: The Dragon King of the Divine Capital was 1.3 billion yuan, and with promotion costs it totaled only 1.7 billion.

Being able to have a production budget of 200 million yuan in this lifetime is still due to the influence of Jiang Heng's blockbusters, as Huayi seeks to seize market share.

Being able to put up two hundred million yuan for Xu Lao Guai is already a great trust.

Talking about coming up with two to three hundred million US dollars, let alone whether Huayi's accounts have that much money; even if they did, it would be impossible to entrust it to Xu Lao Guai.

Just as the plot of Black Myth: Wukong describes, Sun Wukong has already rebelled against Heaven twice; a third rebellion would not be surprising.

Xu Ke had previously failed on such a big production as Shu Shan Chuan; therefore, any investor facing him cannot help but wonder whether this film will follow in Shu Shan Chuan's footsteps, the reasoning being the same.

So Wang Zhonglei, after hearing Xu Ke's words, merely gave a hehe laugh, said a few polite remarks, and moved on.

He secretly sighed, regretting that Feng Xiaogang does not direct mythological or xianxia blockbusters; otherwise, they could really make one.

Shanghai, on the set of The Crossing, in the director's lounge, Wu Yuen-sen was looking at the newspaper in his hand.

Compared to more convenient and swift electronic media, he still prefers paper. Thus, after the premiere of Black Myth: Wukong, he instructed his assistant to bring those few newspapers carrying entertainment news every day, just to see the coverage of Black Myth: Wukong.

But the more he read the news, the more annoyed he became, as it praised Jiang Heng to the point of being almost flowery.

Such titles as "China's top director," "international director," "renowned at home and abroad," and various other flattering words were piled onto him.

However, these are empty; what really annoyed Wu Yuen-sen was the report that the daily box office exceeded 300 million and that the three-day total broke ten billion.

Haven't these viewers seen the Monkey King? Adapting it into a dark style, they actually managed to swindle so much box office.

In his view, the plot of Black Myth: Wukong is not particularly clever, especially the later rebellion against Heaven scene, which is hopelessly cliché.

Clearly, it is the tight-fillet spell that harms you; even suicide and rebirth are merely to completely break free from the tight-fillet spell's bondage.

Given that, one should go to Ling Mountain to seek the Buddha; what's the point of causing havoc in Heaven to challenge the Jade Emperor? (End of chapter)