Chapter 77: Stinging the Lungs

For some reason, this time when Little Cannon came, he came with the two brothers from Huayi and didn't bring Xu Fan.

Furthermore, Cao Yang also noticed that when Little Cannon entered, he cast an unnatural glance at Old Tian, looking very displeased.

Doubts arose in Cao Yang's mind: Old Tian, I know you want to remake "Spring in a Small Town," but you wouldn't have invited Xu Fan as your first choice for the lead actress, would you?

I know Xu Fan's acting is good and she's easy to direct, but you can't...

"Congratulations, young Director Cao. To have brought back a Golden Lion at such a young age is remarkable, truly remarkable."

Damn it, Old Tian offended you, so why are you baring your teeth at me? Trying to crash the party, are you?

Then, a thought crossed his mind, recalling the recent repeated debates and reports in the media; that was likely one of the main reasons.

Actually, come to think of it, Xu Fan is quite suitable for the lead in "Spring in a Small Town." As long as Old Tian also thinks it's appropriate, as his junior brother, I will always support you.

"Gangzi is here, welcome. Didn't Xu Fan come along?"

Before Cao Yang could display his linguistic artistry, Old Tian spoke up from the side.

Old Tian, you're really something. After winning a Golden Lion, have you become inflated lately? Trying to get under people's skin, are you? How could you do that?

"Heh, she probably saw something unclean recently and was disgusted, so she's feeling a bit unwell."

Little Cannon said with a forced smile.

"Director Feng, don't joke. Could she really be disgusted?"

Cao Yang smiled and shook Little Cannon's hand, saying somewhat apologetically: "Director Feng, I have to clarify something. Don't listen to the media's nonsense about there being three and a half big directors in the mainland now; that's all talk. In my heart, you will always be a senior worthy of respect."

Little Cannon gave two dry laughs and, without waiting for the two Huayi brothers who were preparing to greet Cao Yang, walked straight toward his seat without looking back.

The two Huayi brothers didn't chat much either; they stepped aside and introduced the Twin Ices who had come with them to Cao Yang.

Fatty Ice grabbed Cao Yang's hand first and introduced herself with a smile: "Hello, Director Cao. I've long admired your name and have wanted to meet our country's youngest big director for a long time, but never had the chance. Finally, my wish has come true. If you have any instructions, Director Cao, just give me a call, and I'll be there at your beck and call."

Thin Ice, having been beaten to the punch, kept a smile on her face while shaking hands and greeting Cao Yang, regardless of how unhappy she felt inside. In truth, the meaning was the same: she wanted to be in Cao Yang's film and hoped for a chance to collaborate.

After everyone had left, Cao Yang gently nudged Old Tian with his elbow. "What's going on with you? Little Cannon seems very displeased with you, acting all snide and weird."

"Bah, that guy is just shallow. They don't know how to seize opportunities when given them."

Old Tian curled his lip. "I'm preparing 'Spring in a Small Town,' right? Xu Fan is quite suitable for the lead actress in terms of both age and acting ability. We're all acquaintances, so I thought I'd see if I could help boost her career. Who knows what Gangzi is thinking? He seems a bit unappreciative."

"Senior brother, you wouldn't be thinking of..."

"Thinking of what? Don't talk nonsense. I'm a teacher at the school now, so I must set an example for the students in the directing department. How could I still act on impulse? Sigh, you all misunderstand me."

Cao Yang was deeply skeptical; it would have been easier to believe if you hadn't mentioned the directing department.

The directing department?

Pfft, what kind of lousy feng shui!

When the time came, Cao Yang led the main cast onto the stage for the fixed routine, fixed script, fixed questions, and fixed answers.

After everyone finished watching the film, Cao Yang could clearly feel the change in the fourth and fifth-generation directors. Each of them had a complex and inexplicable expression, praising the film's depth, the excellent use of lens language, and the great progress...

After watching, Little Cannon only had one thought in his heart: "Damn it..."

Little Wang nudged Little Cannon and asked in a low voice: "A suspense film?"

"Suspense your ass!"

Of course, Little Cannon only dared to curse in his heart. Although he was a big mouth, he knew who to pick on. Little Wang was someone he could only curse behind his back, not to his face; he wasn't stupid.

"No, art films just have this damn shitty attitude. They just make you guess, make you struggle to interpret them, and don't care about the audience's life or death... The only merit of this film is that the lens language is still passable, damn it."

Little Cannon suppressed his inner displeasure and explained slightly. "Yu Feihong... when did she get this kind of acting skill?" Little Wang muttered again.

Little Cannon was just as puzzled; if you don't know, how the hell would I know!

This shitty film, that dog-day Old Tian, he really got lucky, and he even gets to hang his name as a producer, damn it!

To hell with the Golden Lion, what a piece of crap, as if it's something so rare.

"Director Feng..."

Fatty Ice habitually reached out to take Little Cannon's arm. She found this trick worked exceptionally well on men. As long as she held his arm, said a few flattering words, acted a little spoiled, and ideally brushed against him inadvertently, men would be muddled most of the time.

Little Cannon glared, glaring hard. You piece of... don't bother me, damn it, I'm annoyed.

The words Fatty Ice wanted to ask next were stifled.

What's wrong with Director Feng? He must be jealous.

Fatty Ice concluded in her heart.

With the Golden Lion bonus and Yu Feihong's Venice Best Actress bonus, "Empty Room" had very high heat, and its box office trend was much better than "Night by the Seaside."

Cao Yang had originally planned to only take Yu Feihong and Liu Ye to Shanghai and Jinling, but unexpectedly, Wu Qihua and Liao Qizhi from Xiangjiang took the initiative to find Cao Yang, hoping to join the tour and contribute to the film.

!

Even Chen Kun and Fu Dalong, who had small roles, expressed their desire to contribute to the film.

Yang Zhigang and Zhou Yiwei also wanted to join the premiere tour; a Golden Lion film had absolute exposure, and it was a chance to curry favor with a Golden Lion big director.

Helplessly, their roles were too small, and they didn't dare go directly to Cao Yang. After all, their status was different now, so they set their sights on Wang Jinsong.

Wang Jinsong was a teacher in the acting department and had a role in the film, so letting him tell Cao Yang to let the students come along to gain experience was a good excuse.

Dong Xuan, Che Xiao, and Wen Zhengrong didn't have so many concerns. Relying on being women, they called Cao Yang directly, taking the opportunity to get closer.

So, these natural advantages of women are something men cannot compare to.

Thus, the group set off in a grand manner.

This time, the box office was somewhat unexpected. In Jingcheng alone, the opening day box office was over 500,000, the three-day holiday reached 1.8 million, the five-day box office was 2.9 million, and the first week was 4.2 million.

Due to the packed audiences and too many screenings, the original first-run theaters like Capital, Dahu, and Youth Palace all applied to extend their runs.

But since second-run theaters were waiting to screen it, they had to urgently transfer copies from elsewhere, which caused complaints from brother theater chains in other provinces.

Originally, China Film's expectation for Jingcheng was around 7 million in box office, but now it was directly raised to around 9 million.

Although the film's popularity in Shanghai and Nanyue was not as high as in Jingcheng, it still met expectations.

For this reason, Han Zong specifically called Cao Yang, firstly to report the good news and secondly to show goodwill and win him over.

Such a young Golden Lion big director, whose box office didn't flop, no amount of praise would be too much.

Finally, Han Zong told Cao Yang that the mainland box office was expected to be between 32 million and 34 million, which was definitely worth looking forward to.

Sister Feihong's competitive nature was such that upon learning the box office would exceed Li Xiaoran's "Night by the Seaside," she was incredibly excited.

You are a Berlin Best Actress, and I am a Venice Best Actress; it counts as a draw. At the very least, my acting is no worse than yours.

But now my box office is going to exceed yours, so I am still a cut above.

The female knight galloped majestically... only to fall off her horse in the end, unwilling.

Thanks to "A Busy Day" for the tip, and thanks to all the brothers for the monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you! Only two updates today; I need to save some drafts for emergencies. Brothers, please understand. Thanks again to everyone!

(End of chapter)