Chapter 79: Premiere Ceremony Arrangements

The mess in America eventually spread to the whole world.

The funniest thing in the industry is that Liu Tao, who had just married into a "wealthy family" and was preparing to be a housewife, has come out looking for roles again.

Only eight months after making the bold declaration to retire from the industry, she has slapped her own face.

I heard Liu Tao complained in front of many people, saying that Wang Ke is already bankrupt, heavily in debt, and plagued by serious illness...

There are indeed many in the industry watching the show, and they also think her words are too fake and too exaggerated.

However, Qin Qin Hailu is indeed loyal and truly helped Liu Tao introduce her to a film crew.

Lin Nan's refusal to attend the Hundred Flowers Awards has been brought up from time to time these past two months.

On the day of the closing ceremony and awards presentation, many actors and stars at the venue were asked about this topic by reporters and all stammered.

Feng Feng Xiaogang, acting against his usual form, said, "Lin Dao Nan is still too young; perhaps he suffered some grievances, but this is also a form of tempering, isn't it?"

Good heavens, that very night, "Assembly" almost monopolized the Hundred Flowers Awards.

Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actor...

The Best Actress award was won by Li Li Bingbing for "The Song of Clouds and Water."

"No wonder Director Feng's tone has changed; has he been co-opted?"

"Director Feng is just being temporary; wait until next time, he will definitely fire another shot..."

"This year's Hundred Flowers Awards was held for Huayi, wasn't it?"

Online comments were one-sidedly teasing, but indeed very apt.

Lin Nan received the quote for the final round of in-film advertising, which was also the highest quote ever; these rich dogs truly have money.

Many stars are hastily holding press conferences because they all endorsed a certain brand of milk powder; it is truly a man-made disaster...

The several producers of "The Martian" met at China Film Group.

"The premiere ceremony can be prepared," Han Han Sanping said, as this matter concerned him most.

Everyone shared a consensus: the scale of "The Martian's" premiere ceremony could not be small, after all, it took a full two years to make.

"How about holding it at the Great Hall?"

A representative from the Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation suggested.

"The Great Hall?"

Everyone's eyes lit up; this location was indeed the most suitable.

"What do you think, Lin Nan?"

"Let's choose the Great Hall; this is also the best venue I can think of, and it carries extraordinary significance."

Zhang Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and Jackie Chan's "Myth" were both held there.

Lin Nan felt that "The Martian" of today could also be held there.

"Should we invite leaders from the Space Administration?"

"Hmm, of course we should invite them; when the project was initially approved for filming, the Space Administration also provided support."

After a morning of discussion, the matter of "The Martian's" premiere ceremony was completely settled.

In the afternoon, China Film Group announced this matter to the media.

After two years and an investment of 300 million yuan, the sci-fi blockbuster was finally about to meet the industry.

Regarding the invitation of guests this time, the various parties at China Film Group would still refer to the "Painted Skin" event; companies and artists in the circle who were not qualified would not be invited.

This news instantly occupied the headlines of major portal websites.

The news that "Nanjing!" had just won the Golden Shell Award at San Sebastian was ruthlessly suppressed.

Liu Liu Yifei was already picking out clothes, planning what to wear that day to support Lin Nan.

Although she is very casual at home, she is absolutely not perfunctory on formal occasions; it's just that sometimes her taste in choosing clothes might not be good.

"No need to make it so complicated; no matter what you wear, it won't affect your beauty."

"Hehe, you are getting better and better at talking now."

"Can we go to Lin Dao's 'The Martian' premiere?"

In the cast of "Chinese Paladin 3," several lead actors were chatting, and they were all talking about Lin Nan's movie.

"If you want to go, you need an invitation," Tang Yan answered Yang Mi's question.

During the previous "Painted Skin" event, Orange Sky did attend, but Tang Yan was tied up with the film crew and couldn't leave.

This time, if nothing unexpected happens, she can still go with the company.

"What about Hu Ge?"

"He definitely has no problem; his relationship with Lin Dao is quite good."

Talking back and forth, Yang Mi realized that only she and Liu Liu Shishi had no chance, let alone those from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Such a grand occasion is too tempting for actors; connections, resources...

The more Yang Mi thought about it, the more unwilling she felt; during her break, she went to find Hu Ge.

"What do you want my phone for?"

"Nothing, just borrowing it to use; my phone is out of battery."

After tricking Hu Ge into giving her his phone, Yang Mi started flipping through the contacts; she remembered that Hu Ge had called Lin Nan.

"Found it!"

Yang Mi's eyes sparkled as she quickly wrote down the phone number marked "Lin Nan."

"So fast?" Hu Ge asked with a puzzled expression.

"Hmm, I'll go rest first," Yang Mi said and then ran away.

Lin Nan was helping Liu Liu Yifei feed the cat, while the latter was taking a nap.

These little guys know Lin Nan almost as well as they know Liu Liu Yifei.

The vibration of the phone startled the cats; each one's tail shot up, then instantly settled back.

"Still a stranger number? Hello, who's this?"

"Lin Dao, it's Yang Mi."

Lin Nan was confused. "How did you get my number?"

"Haha, I got it from Hu Ge. Lin Dao, could you give me an invitation to your movie's premiere? I'd really like to see your film…"

Lin Nan really wanted to refuse, but that would hurt the other person's face too much.

"Fine, just one. Come pick it up at school later."

"Thank you, senior. I won't bother you anymore, then—"

Before Yang Mi could finish, Lin Nan hung up.

On the other end, Yang Mi looked at the disconnected phone, not the slightest bit annoyed—she saved the number.

"The crew will have a break those two days at the end of the month."

When Yang Mi returned, she heard this news.

"Are you going to the capital?"

"Right. Lao Hu and I are going to the premiere of The Martian, so the crew will shut down for two days," Tang Yan explained.

Only Liu Liu Shishi looked confused—Tang Ren Company hadn't received an invitation from China Film Group; only Cai Cai Yinong and Hu Ge had personal invitations, so they couldn't bring her.

"Then let's go together—I'll go too," Yang Mi smiled.

"Did Rong Xinda get invited?" Tang Yan asked tentatively.

"No, I asked Lin Dao for it."

Yang Mi said this with a smile; what others thought was their own business.

…………

All actors of The Martian had received notice to hold their schedules for the premiere.

Only Ceng Li, Liu Ye, and Chen Chen Minghao would be pressed for time.

Because the day before the premiere, they had to attend Hu Jing's wedding—they'd been in Malaysia these past few days.

Jackie Chan's New Shanghai Incident was confirmed not to be released.

Previously, rumors spread that this film would premiere at the end of September, targeting the National Day slot.

But the latest news was that the film had never been submitted for review to the General Administration. So, a ban in mainland China was inevitable.

In Er Er Dongsheng's words, since it was clear from the start that it couldn't pass review, there was no point submitting it.

Lin Nan thought Er Er Dongsheng was right—the film portrayed overseas Chinese in Japan as triads, coolies, or hotel madams.

Even if you claimed it was based on truth, submitting it to the General Administration would almost certainly get a reply: "Damages the image of overseas Chinese."

Lin Nan had originally planned to take the lead actors on a promotional tour, but China Film Group gave him some advice.

Don't promote it like you did before.

The Martian already has extremely high popularity—why not maintain its mystery until the premiere?

Lin Nan thought this idea was also quite good.

Since filming began, this movie has always drawn attention—might as well let the audience go to theaters with anticipation.

Many media outlets and TV stations had waited in vain, expecting an interview on The Martian.

Chen Chen Kaige's Mei Mei Lanfang didn't make it onto the Oscar race, but the master director's influence remained solid.

"Masterpiece by a Master."

This was the Mei family's evaluation of Chen Chen Kaige's film.

They even promised not to authorize anyone else to film Mei Mei Lanfang's story for at least fifty years.

This reminded the film industry of that earlier film—was this another Farewell My Concubine?

Wen Zairen called.

"James, you rarely call me across borders, haha."

"Lin, I'm on vacation lately—I heard your movie's about to premiere?"

"Yes. Are you coming over?" Lin Nan smiled.

"I'd be delighted—perfect chance for a trip."

Lin Nan felt Wen Zairen had something to say.

Sure enough, after a short chat, Wen Zairen spoke up.

"The Conjuring 2 didn't meet its revenue target, but the company hasn't abandoned the idea of big-budget horror films.

I want to make Happy Death Day 2 during this time—what do you think?"

Happy Death Day 1 was over two years ago—it's time to move it up; a series shouldn't be spaced too far apart.

"Fine. Let's discuss the investment split when you get here."

"Alright, see you at your premiere."

Wen Zairen was straightforward—he hung up right after finishing business, no subtlety at all.

On the Beijing Film Academy's publicity board hung a poster for The Martian.

Jing Tian, a second-year student, appearing in it was very conspicuous.

Students from all grades of the Chen Yanxi were envious.

Looking back over the past few years of the Chen Yanxi, only Jing Tian, besides the 2002 cohort's student, stood out.

Other students rarely had even a single notable TV drama to their name—the resources were too scarce.

"We can't envy big-budget films like this."

In the eyes of many students, Miss Jing Tian was also the type who rarely came to class, yet her screen resources never seemed to run short.

This made everyone think, inexplicably, of Liu Liu Yifei.

"Li Mi's Conjecture," stumbling and bumbling, finished its theatrical run and came down from screens as scheduled, with a final box office of 14 million.

The media had already published the latest film reviews.

"'Li Mi's Conjecture' is steeped in an artistic atmosphere, but it cannot stand up to commercial blockbusters."

"After 'Blind Mountain,' Lin Dao Nan is once again losing money while just making noise…"

……

On the 25th, Shenzhou 7 launched smoothly into space.

For the first time, our nation's astronauts successfully performed a spacewalk.

The boost this gave to "The Martian Rescue" was nothing short of extraordinary.

The statement made when the film was first greenlit for production was dug up again by the media.

"…Right now we can't go to Mars, but that doesn't mean we won't be able to in five, ten, or twenty years. We will land on the moon, we will have our own space station, spacecraft, and Mars probes…"

The internet was abuzz with discussion.

"Is this film a prophecy or what?"

"I have to go to the cinema and see it…"

……