Chapter 377

Late November, the New Year film season officially kicked off, with Mulan leading the charge.

Xiao Yanzi is dubbed a box-office poison, yet studios keep hiring her because she genuinely has a fanbase, even if its strength is debatable, it's still formidable among female stars.

As always, female stars don't carry box office.

Even the current powerhouse duo, Shuang Bing, couldn't have back-to-back hits without marketing, production teams, and film quality—all working together; it's not just about them.

Now that Shuang Bing has split and each is carrying films solo, they might be slightly stronger than other female stars, but a massive breakout is still unlikely.

Take Zhang Ziyi's solo lead in Perfect Woman this summer—its final box office was barely near a hundred million.

Even that was boosted by the publicized feud between Zhang Ziyi and Li Xiaoran, which generated plenty of exposure.

As one of the Four Dan and Shuang Bing, Xiao Yanzi herself has extremely high popularity and national recognition.

Even if her fanbase capable of supporting box office is limited, it's still better than those with no fans at all, and she brings exposure and publicity to films, drawing in casual viewers.

As for the male lead Chen Kun, though his career has hit a bottleneck and he's been overshadowed by the Four Top Guys, he's still been steadily developing in the film industry these past two years.

He has the landmark film Clouds of My Love, and played a substantial role as Crown Prince Jiang in The Founding of a Republic.

In fact, regarding film alone, except for Liu Huohua, none of the Four Top Guys have truly crushed him—some are even inferior to Chen Kun.

Though not among the Four Top Guys and lacking many resources and backing, precisely because of this, Chen Kun is relatively flexible and can collaborate with anyone.

Like this time, with Starlight International's Mulan.

Deng and Huang had their own resources and no time; Liu Huohua was unsuitable; Tong Dawei was dismissed as lacking film appeal—finally, Chen Kun leveraged his classmate bond with Xiao Yanzi to defeat two Hong Kong-Taiwanese young stars and snag the role.

One of Mulan's key promotional angles was heavily emphasizing their classmate bond, even hinting they once dated and so on.

This marketing campaign proved quite effective; coupled with Mulan being a well-known IP and launching at the start of the New Year season, the film's opening box office was decent.

But soon, the box office began plummeting rapidly.

The most critical reason was quality: Mulan's director, Ma Chucheng, entered the industry early, known for Tokyo Raiders, Hong Kong Raiders, and Starry Starry Night—skilled in romance.

Yes, another Xiangjiang director.

Though somewhat absolute, after films like The Promise, Red Cliff, and Mo Gong, the industry has developed a consensus: most Xiangjiang directors can't handle historical epics.

A Xiangjiang director skilled in romance and urban stories tackling a historical epic? Expectations can already be lowered.

It's still the old Kung Fu Hustle formula—several nations acting like rival gangs fighting.

Mulan is a quiet version of Thirteen Sisters; in the end, Mulan assassinates the enemy leader, sacrifices her lover, and arranges a marriage alliance with the enemy princess, then peace reigns.

A film centered on a female hero spends most of its runtime on romance, with its highlights being tragic love and tear-jerking moments.

More radical audiences directly called it trash; even milder critics gave it the equally fatal verdict—mediocre.

If a film is labeled "mediocre," it's hardly different from trash, especially in a competitive season.

Even trash films can be remembered, generate buzz and discussion, and attract curious viewers wanting to see just how bad they are—but mediocrity is pure oblivion, a cannon fodder with only one outcome: flop.

Another deadly factor: this year's New Year season saw outstanding performances from Hollywood films.

In past New Year seasons, there'd be one or two Hollywood films, with mixed results—but this year, they clearly hit the jackpot.

Especially 2012, which premiered almost simultaneously with Mulan—broke 100 million in three days, 200 million in six, and surged rapidly toward 300 million.

Not only did Mulan panic, but every other New Year blockbuster queued behind it wanted to curse.

The pie is this small, already fiercely competitive, everyone barely has enough to eat, and now a powerful outsider has jumped in.

With 2012's momentum, it might even challenge The Founding of a Republic for this year's box office crown—who can take that?

Most upset of all was Boss Zhang of New Picture.

The reason is simple: Three Musketeers premiered in early December and had to directly compete with 2012.

October Siege, however, fared better—it premiered mid-December, with a two-week gap, leaving 2012 with virtually no box office threat.

This made Boss Zhang, who had previously clashed with Yi'an, extremely irate.

Especially when struggling to secure screenings, he couldn't hold back and exploded, accusing Seeing Yan Li and China Film Group of colluding to monopolize, launching scathing attacks on Seeing Yan Li and Han Sanye.

"Yi'an controls his own theater chain and Weibo—every film seeking screenings and promotion must pay Seeing Yan Li tribute and advertising fees—what's the difference between him and a local tyrant?"

"He publicly announced on Weibo he wanted to poach Yimou—is this how you do business? Oh, just because you're rich, you can do whatever you want."

"Many say I'm afraid of him—I'm not afraid of him; I just endured humiliation to avoid harming my film, but now I can't take it anymore."

"I'd like to ask China Film Group: October Siege involved China Film Group, so you give it preferential screenings; we partnered with Huaxia, and you refuse screenings—then you even let two imported films fight it out."

"At the Golden Rooster Awards, everyone greeted him as 'Third Elder'—what third elder? I thought Shan Zhuangdiao had arrived."

"One Shan Zhuangdiao, one Nan Batian, in cahoots—anyone not on their side gets crushed; the film industry's current stench can't be separated from them."

"They're the film industry's abscess—everyone is angry but daresn't speak up; I'm willing to burst it."

"…"

This news article, originally from print media, went viral on the three major portals, then spread to Weibo, known for its rapid information flow.

In Luosha, Old Yimou, leading a roadshow tour, angrily knocked on Boss Zhang's hotel room door.

"Are you f***ing insane?!"

The feud with Seeing Yan Li was already headache enough—now Boss Zhang has turned his fire on China Film Group.

He's offended both major power blocs in mainland cinema—one official, one private.

"So what? Can they eat me?"

Boss Zhang was dismissive—Seeing Yan Li's tactics are always the same; once things blow up, even his Weibo isn't a dictatorship.

As for Third Elder Han, he truly wasn't afraid—he knew the system was powerful but constrained; if Han dared retaliate, he'd confirm himself as Shan Zhuangdiao—let's see how he'd handle it.

Old Yimou stared at Boss Zhang in shock, unable to understand whether he'd lost his mind or become delusional.

Yes, even if things blew up now and Han and Seeing Yan Li, wary of backlash, couldn't retaliate violently, once the storm passed, they'd find opportunities to destroy him.

One is the leader of a private company, controlling the hottest online platform; the other is the official heavyweight of cinema, with endless resources—making trouble for you is effortless, leaving you with no voice to complain.

And now that Boss Zhang has publicly attacked Han and Seeing Yan Li, who will dare to collaborate with him? He's cutting off his own escape routes.

More crucially—it's completely unnecessary.

Lao Mouzi truly couldn't understand—just a scheduling conflict, why so viciously tear each other apart?

Seeing Yan Li was one thing—he'd had past grievances, so his anger was understandable—but Han Sanye had done nothing to provoke him.

Lao Mouzi didn't understand, and neither did Han Sanye nor Seeing Yan Li.

No, what gives him the right to be so arrogant!?

Honestly, Seeing Yan Li's net worth is now tens of billions, his industries extend far beyond entertainment, yet he still wouldn't dare lash out at Han Sanye like this.

Likewise, Han Sanye wielded immense power in the circle—step on someone and the whole ground shakes; even if he disliked Seeing Yan Li, he'd never publicly launch a direct attack.

Could this be a publicity stunt? After all, Boss Zhang has pulled this kind of stunt more than once.

But does he really need to be this bold?

Seeing Yan Li is fine—he's from a private company; some negative fallout won't hurt his core.

Even before, the two had traded insults—Seeing Yan Li mocked him for being stingy, fake in loyalty, and bullying Lao Mouzi, and all that could be dismissed as industry banter.

But "Mountain Tyrant" and "Bandit" targeting Han Sanye? That's a whole different matter—these are heart-destroying words, possibly ruining his future; this is real, tangible enmity.

But as always, the system has its flaws—now the uproar is fierce, public attention is high, and Han Sanye, even if he wanted revenge, dared not reply lightly, lest he sink deeper.

In fact, Han Sanye not only refrained from retaliating himself—he even urged Seeing Yan Li to keep a low profile.

"Yan'er, for my sake, let's hold back for now—I'll give you a proper explanation later."

Boss Zhang's words were excessive, but not entirely without reason.

Han Sanye didn't reach his position by being made of clay—he's just lying low now; once the storm passes, he'll show him what a real "Mountain Tyrant" is.

"Third Master, you're magnanimous, but I'm not the type to swallow humiliation. If no one provokes me, I won't provoke anyone—everyone's watching. If I back down now, how will I ever survive in this world?"

"Don't worry—I'll keep the spotlight on myself. You slip away quietly. A nobody selling bento boxes—unless we teach him a lesson, he won't know his place."

Earlier, Seeing Yan Li had threatened to poach talent from the new screen wall—just a light jab, meant purely to irritate, nothing serious.

This time, Boss Zhang came at him face-to-face, and Seeing Yan Li realized he'd been too soft.

Han Sanye tried to persuade him a few times, but couldn't sway him; besides, he himself was simmering with anger, so finally he gritted his teeth.

"Fine, you're not the only one getting roasted—this isn't your burden alone."

"I can't show my face publicly—you take the front. Whatever you need from me, I'll back you. I owe you one."

This meant Seeing Yan Li would be the public face, while Han Sanye hid behind the scenes—the glory went to Seeing Yan Li, but all future risks and backlash fell solely on him.

"Alright, then I won't be polite."

After consulting with Han Sanye, Seeing Yan Li's first move was to officially advance the release date of "October Siege," directly clashing with "Three Musketeers."

To strike back at Boss Zhang, Seeing Yan Li's most direct method would be digging up dirt—but that tactic was crude, and its effectiveness uncertain, given that the man already had a reputation as a complete pariah.