Chapter 956: Whale-Swallowing; 'Cell Phone 2' Speeds Up!

"Jointly produced by Happy Twist and Red Star Dock, and starring Ma Li, Allen, Shen Teng, Tian Yu, and others, the comedy film 'Never Say Die' swallowed the daily box office market on its opening day, powerfully raking in 230 million!"

"Due to the impact of the opening day of 'Never Say Die': Huayi Brothers' film 'Ex-Files 3' saw its daily revenue plummet by over 13 million, bringing in 4.25 million yesterday;"

"Jackie Chan's film 'Bleeding Steel' saw its box office cut in half by 30 million yesterday, closing at 28.68 million; 'The Thousand Faces of Dunjia' brought in 20.62 million yesterday, a sharp drop of 17 million, its daily box office momentum violently suppressed;"

"On the second day of its release, the historical war drama blockbuster 'Youth', directed by Feng Xiaogang, saw its box office cut in half, harvesting only 38.01 million..."

"According to the screening summary data from China Film Distribution, major cinema chains increased the overall screening rate for 'Never Say Die' by another two percentage points early this morning, reaching 48.8%!"

"The Broadway Circuit has issued a statement for the Nth time boycotting bullying behavior in the film market, as well as retaliatory isolation tactics. As of now, this circuit's screenings are led by 'Youth', followed by 'Bleeding Steel'..."

Waking up, the film market was indeed filled with wailing and exasperation, and the sound of sarcastic, biting criticism was endless.

After all, 'Never Say Die' was like a wolf entering a sheepfold, tearing away more than half the flesh—or even more—from every other film in the same release window.

And at this moment, in the eyes of the entire production industry, if one were to discuss who was the most miserable and stifled, it would be none other than Feng Xiaogang and his 'Youth'.

It had clearly shown decent critical acclaim and the momentum to sweep the New Year season on its first day of release, but it just happened to run into Happy Twist's comedy on the second day...

So much so that the second-day box office, which should have easily surpassed 100 million, was violently stomped down by 40 million... In this situation, wouldn't one be angry enough to have a stroke?

"Which unscrupulous media outlet started the rumor this morning that he was sent for an IV drip? Isn't he posting on Weibo just fine? Listen, every word is a 'heartfelt sentiment':"

"'...In all fairness, in my opinion, the most meaningful film in this year's New Year season is 'Youth'; its historical significance, literary value, narrative, authenticity, realism, artistry... no matter which aspect you discuss, I am confident it is the best film of this New Year season, a film that audiences absolutely cannot miss. It is far superior to those films with clichéd plots that are all flash and no substance... especially superior to those low-end films that you can't remember anything about after a laugh!'"

Listen to that, isn't he sarcastically pointing at all of you? And it's an indiscriminate attack at that! Hahaha..."

"It is indeed a bit sarcastic, but why does his tone in this post sound significantly less 'irritable' than before? Could it be that he really is on an IV drip? Typing while hanging a drip bag, with one hand?"

The more Lin Nan thought about it, the more he felt that must be the case, and he was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

However, he could also understand Feng Xiaogang's current state of mind; after all, Zhang Guoli's failed gambling agreement was a foregone conclusion, and there was almost no possibility of a comeback;

With the settlement only waiting until the second half of next year, old Zhang would have to start cutting his losses and paying up, and his retirement would likely be delayed by another 5–10 years, right?

With such an eyesore of an example right in front of him, it would be strange if Feng Xiaogang weren't anxious.

After all, who is willing to spit out money once it's in their stomach? It's even hard to say if he can even come up with that much cash.

One must know that in the past two years of investment fever, plenty of filmmakers and celebrity actors have been throwing money around, and Feng Xiaogang is clearly among them.

Fund managers and financial brokers love rich people in the film and entertainment industry the most; because most of the latter are "clients" who don't understand anything, they are almost all long-term investors who listen to whatever they are told, and they trust projects introduced by acquaintances the most...

"Hmm? Listening to your analysis, I have to say, I think there really is a possibility of that? Hahaha."

After laughing, Wang Changtian then brought up another serious matter on the phone:

At around six o'clock this morning, which was more than two hours ago, Wu Jing returned from Hollywood; ten minutes ago, when he dropped Xie Nan off at Enlight Media for work, he happened to see Wang Changtian, looking radiant and full of the posture of someone just waiting for an Oscar nomination in a month!

"Sister Chen Hong, don't worry, Lin Nan and I have never had the habit of not keeping our word; we will definitely arrive on time tomorrow afternoon."

At the dining table, a faint smile hung on Liu Yifei's face as she continued her call with Chen Hong. That's right, tomorrow is the premiere of 'Legend of the Demon Cat'.

Most directors like to hold film premieres during the day, especially in the morning. Because this is not only simple and convenient, but also easier to coordinate.

However, Director Chen is different; he is particularly fond of the evening, starting the red carpet walk at four o'clock, screening the main feature after six o'clock, and adding a short dinner, making the schedule just right.

In his words: that time slot is when a normal person's brain is physiologically the most alert, thoughts are the most active, and emotions are more susceptible, so the viewing effect is undoubtedly the best!

Regarding this point, Liu Yifei had once discussed it with her own great director; Lin Nan first gave an affirmative answer, but then decisively "roasted" Chen Kaige, saying that only Director Chen loves to be so particular, and he would be better off using that energy to polish the script and plot, and it would be best to listen to the audience's opinions!

"It's good to have your word. There was really no fate for 'Legend of the Demon Cat' back then, and we didn't know Director Lin had arranged two films for you; but fortunately you refused, otherwise you might not have been able to fully immerse yourself in the filming of 'Marriage Story'. I almost missed out on a Venice Best Actress here, haha."

Chen Hong responded with a chuckle and teased, showing her high emotional intelligence to the fullest.

Upon hearing this, while Liu Yifei smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Chen Hong, she couldn't help but recall Lin Nan's joke from a long time ago: only the smooth and sophisticated Chen Hong could keep the always aloof and pretentious Director Chen firmly under her thumb.

"Why do I feel like Producer Chen is being a bit too solemn? A film premiere doesn't warrant two invitations, right?" After hanging up the phone, Liu Yifei left the dining room and walked toward Lin Nan, who was in the living room.

"Hmm, I suspect she has some other intention?" Lin Nan looked back and smiled meaningfully at Liu Qianqian.

In an instant, Miss Liu guessed something, her expression skeptical as she frowned: "No way, right?"

"That's hard to say for sure. But, we'll know tomorrow."

To be honest, Lin Nan couldn't be certain either. But he was very clear about one fact, and that is that the current Director Chen is carrying a cub!

In the film market, 'Never Say Die' continued its destructive, high-spirited advance; and the siphon effect had already visibly maxed out, its momentum of swallowing the market unstoppable.

In the afternoon, the entire film circle could even clearly perceive that the focus of discussion among countless movie fans and audiences online had completely tilted toward 'Never Say Die'; in other words, the entire online New Year season public opinion also had a trend of being monopolized by a single entity.

In this situation, Huayi and Feng Xiaogang naturally chose to fight back, never admitting defeat! And so, the industry and the internet witnessed a very lively drama:

Huayi and Feng Xiaogang mobilized all their personal connections and resources, inviting most of the film and entertainment industry's actors and stars, including the Huayi-affiliated ones, to advertise for 'Youth':

"'A good film is like fine wine; after drinking it yesterday, there is still an aftertaste today. 'Youth' is just such a glass of fine wine. It is sorrowful but not wounding, hiding its edge.'" — Han Han

"'Youth', one of the best Chinese films of the year!" — Fan Bingbing

"'Youth' is Director Feng's tribute to youth, and his concern for the fate of every individual under the changes of the era." — Huang Xuan

"'Fragrant and overflowing, refreshing to the heart. 'Youth' makes one linger and forget to return; I love it to the extreme.'" — Huang Haibo

...... Chen Daoming, Ge You, Zhang Ziyi ...... Shu Qi, Li Bingbing ...... Wu Yifan, Xu Jinglei ......

It must be admitted that in one afternoon, Huayi really did use this method to leverage the movie fans and followers of a large number of actors and stars, and the online public opinion topics also surged accordingly.

"Can the progress be any faster?" Feng Xiaogang's tone was a bit weak, lacking spirit. But his gaze was still sharp, carrying an edge.

"Let's talk about your mental state first; how did you end up like this? It feels like..." Liu Zhenyun didn't have the heart to say it, it felt like he had dysentery.

"It's just that the pressure is a bit high, there's no big problem. Let's talk about the script." Feng Xiaogang forced himself to perk up and waved his hand.

"'Youth' has only been released for two days, and you're already urging for 'Cell Phone 2', is it necessary to be this anxious?" Liu Zhenyun couldn't help but complain.

"You should have heard how 'Youth' is being targeted. Of course, I and the group will not give up, but at the same time, I need to take precautions.

I was originally prepared to have a good New Year after 'Youth' finished its run, and then focus on 'Cell Phone 2'. But the current situation is clearly not optimistic, and I cannot have even the slightest bit of slack.

Guoli's gambling agreement has already failed, and he is counting the days. Look, he's taken on another variety show, 'The Birth of an Actor', because the money comes fast..." Feng Xiaogang murmured weakly, without hiding a thing.

"I really can't understand you people; you're all so rich, why can't you just stop and not engage in performance gambling?" Liu Zhenyun shook his head, speechless.

"That's why you can only be a screenwriter. But this is also quite good; you are a university professor within the system, don't get too involved in this line of work.

Zhenyun, for the sake of how many years we've known each other, just work some overtime this time?" After a joke, Feng Xiaogang suddenly became serious again.

Liu Zhenyun glanced at the pale Feng Xiaogang, and after a long while, he nodded helplessly: "After the Spring Festival ends, no, after the Lantern Festival. I'll give you the script for 'Cell Phone 2'."

"Good."

…………