[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment":3,"chapter-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-381":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Intelligence King of Chinese Entertainment",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260684,4411,"Chapter 381","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-381",381,"\u003Cp>In early 2010, the film market was overwhelmingly dominated by Avatar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even October Siege, which had once held hope of earning some profit, now seemed unlikely to reach 350 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three Musketeers was even worse off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was crushed head-on by October Siege, undermined behind the scenes by Han Sanye’s various maneuvers, and surrounded by new releases like Avatar and Confucius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the film’s box office was around 150 million, at most fluctuating by a few million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this data, the performance wasn’t bad—it even secured a top-ten spot on this year’s domestic chart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But don’t forget, this film was directed by Lao Mouzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Hero, you could say Lao Mouzi’s films had controversial reception, but you couldn’t say his box office numbers were poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hero shattered records dramatically; Ten Blades Ambush ranked among the top three domestically that year; House of Flying Daggers broke the domestic box office record again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the art film A Single Journey Covered a Thousand Li earned 30 million, placing it in the top ten of that year’s box office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Three Musketeers, Lao Mouzi arrived with the prestige of having directed the Olympic Opening Ceremony, firmly established as China’s top director, and brought in last year’s hottest stars Xiao Shen Yang and Sun Honglei, along with Zhao Ben Shan as support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This lineup was originally aimed squarely at the annual box office champion—and even at breaking records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the film’s release, New Picture’s target was a guaranteed 400 million, with a goal of 500 million; the industry widely believed 300 million was no problem, showing how strong the momentum was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, with these results, Han Yan’s suppression was only one reason; the biggest problem was the film itself was simply terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Lao Mouzi’s name and influence were undeniable; with China’s huge population, there was no shortage of stubborn fools who wouldn’t listen to advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when Part One of Red Cliff was trashed, Part Two nearly hit 300 million at the box office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Yan Li and Han Sanye felt some disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was nothing to be done—peak Lao Mouzi was just that powerful; if his box office didn’t exceed 100 million, the two of them wouldn’t be Mountain Demon and Yan Batian, but Eastern Heretic and Yang Dingtian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three Musketeers publicly claimed a budget over 100 million—that was pure nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Shen Yang and Sun Honglei were popular, but they weren’t film actors; their film salaries were low, let alone for a Lao Mouzi film.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For many artists, working under such a renowned director was a career stepping stone; their pay could be discounted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film’s biggest expense was likely the rights to Blood Simple, rumored to have cost several million dollars—but that’s questionable, since it wasn’t a major IP and was an old work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to industry estimates, production costs were around 30 to 50 million; promotional spending was harder to gauge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This film never followed normal promotional tactics; the controversy and denials mattered more than the movie itself, making it hard to calculate actual spending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But overall, total costs probably didn’t exceed a few hundred million, and with other rights income, it should at least break even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, though the books didn’t show a loss, New Picture had waited years for Lao Mouzi—this project came once every few years, and in the end, it was all for nothing; the company’s reputation was ruined, and their cash cow Lao Mouzi had walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Zhang Boss’s temper, high blood pressure was the least of it—he might even suffer a heart attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Boss wasn’t the only one at risk for high blood pressure; Wu Boss in Taiwan was in trouble too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film Crimson Tomb, touted as a 100-million investment, earned less than 60 million and became cannon fodder amid the battle between October Siege and Three Musketeers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This film was also terrible, on par with Three Musketeers, but the latter had greater fame, so it stole the spotlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Tianwang was persuaded to return to singing; Zhi Ling Sister was mocked endlessly; the most affected, however, was Chen Daoming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, Chen Daoming’s image was stellar: excellent acting, good looks, refined demeanor, articulate speech, strong principles—he was seen as a dignified, elegant, and profound artist, immensely popular among middle-aged male actors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a high image usually worked to his advantage, but when he stumbled, the higher he’d been lifted, the harder he’d be crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If another big star had made Crimson Tomb, they might have been dragged down by the bad film, but not attacked so fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Zeng Zhiwei—nobody cared; everyone knew he made tons of bad films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Daoming had a high image and few scandals; when an opportunity arose to condemn him, people naturally raged at his fall from grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only because Zhou Lin was already in front, and Lao Mouzi had fallen even harder from his pedestal, was Chen Daoming spared from being nailed to the wall of shame by Crimson Tomb—even so, it remained an indelible black mark on his record.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Daoming’s misfortune wasn’t isolated; Zhou Run Fa and Cheng Long were also having a rough time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film Big Soldier Little General wasn’t poorly made, but its quality wasn’t exceptional either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Lihong simply wasn’t suited for acting; he didn’t drag the film down, but he offered no help or surprise—everything rested on Cheng Long alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone mocked Xie Ting Feng’s role in New Police Story as a prop; compared to Wang Lihong, Xie the Chef still had some skill—he was at least a useful prop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a dual-lead film, if one doesn’t shine, it’s like walking on a limp leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, this film wasn’t even Cheng Long’s signature martial arts comedy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Long desperately wanted to transform; in both New Shanghai Incident and Big Soldier Little General, his characters were pathetic, powerless, and met tragic ends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But while he wanted to change, the market and audience still wanted to see him laughingly stumble his way to victory in martial arts comedies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with Avatar’s dominance, Cheng Long’s name plus Wang Lihong as a singing king still projected an estimated 100 to 150 million box office—clearly showing the market’s and audience’s attitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Zhou Run Fa’s Confucius, it was even worse than Big Soldier Little General.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire film could be summed up in two words: boring and mediocre. Calling it a bad film might be harsh, but it was truly unwatchable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on current box office trends, Confucius might struggle to even reach 100 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, Zhou Run Fa was among the highest-paid actors in the industry; Cheng Long took a share, so his income depended on box office; Zhou Run Fa took a fixed salary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Zhou Run Fa, the female lead Princess Zhou’s salary was also among the highest for actresses; combined with large-scale sets, even if the crew’s claimed 150 million budget was inflated, it still came to nearly 100 million or more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this investment and this box office, Confucius could easily compete for the title of the year’s most money-losing New Year film.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The producer of Confucius was Dadi Times; the company wasn’t well-known, but its Dadi Cinema chain was quite famous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It currently fluctuated around the top ten in China’s theater market, primarily expanding in Guangdong and Guangxi, making it a dominant force in South China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Notably, Dadi Cinema had only been established for three years; in terms of growth speed, it was among the most prominent new chains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dadi still had big ambitions and wanted to follow Yi An’s model: film investment and cinema chains walking side by side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But cinema chains could expand as long as they had money and power; film investment, however, depended entirely on ability and luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Dadi—even Wanda, the current cinema leader, had hit several roadblocks and now dared not invest lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they couldn’t make both legs run, Yi An, whose two legs ran fast and steady, became even more valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against the backdrop of so many big-budget flops, October Siege, already all but guaranteed as the New Year film box office champion, shone brilliantly with the glory of Yi An behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Southern Metropolis Daily’s sharp commentary: Yan Li, this “Yan Batian,” was made a dominant figure not by Yi An’s strength, but by his incompetent peers’ failures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But many argued this view was unfair: why were others all bad, yet Yi An wasn’t?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This likely stemmed from Yi An’s superior corporate culture, operational mechanisms, and Yan Li’s exceptional management and judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t attribute Yan Li’s success to his peers’ failures; instead, ask why only Yi An never made mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li didn’t respond to either voice—he still liked how the outside world now defined Yi An.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But don’t overpraise; too much praise would burden Yi An with unnecessary pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in film and television, quality varies, and evaluation standards are relatively subjective; if you insist on branding Yi An as “always producing masterpieces” or “the only ethical company in Huayu,” you’ll only invite mockery and find yourself trapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way isn’t perfect, but it’s better than everyone else’s; appearing as an industry leader is enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li didn’t like competing for excellence—it was too stressful; competing for the worst was his comfort zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did Yan Li enjoy competing for the worst; women also loved to compete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late January, Hua Yi actress Luo Haiqiong married her long-term boyfriend, Vice President Fei Qi, at the Baiyue Hotel in Beijing, with many Hua Yi artists and celebrities in attendance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Huo Siyan couldn’t miss such a lively occasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She got along decently with Luo Haiqiong, mainly because her close friend Liu Yun was also close to her; invited, she came along with Liu Yun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yun brought her boyfriend Zheng Jun; they’d publicly dated and were now inseparable, making Huo Siyan furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s so impressive about a forty-something man?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The relationship between Liu Yun and Huo Siyan was complicated: they weren’t bad, often hanging out and thinking of each other; but they weren’t good either, constantly competing, whispering behind each other’s backs, even fighting over Qin Lan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Huo Siyan was in a bad mood, Liu Yun deliberately dragged Zheng Jun right in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when Huo finally told her to leave did she let Zheng Jun go chat with friends, then turned to comfort Huo Siyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve been single for a while now—you should find someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, Huo Siyan had pretended to have a boyfriend, but after constant breakups and reunions, she finally dumped him completely by the end of last year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that she was single again, her friends kept pushing her to date and marry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Huo was born in 1980, turning thirty soon; her older sisters in the Teddy Sisterhood were already mothers; she was already an old maid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you care? What about Xiao Si (Li Xiao)? She’s single too.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1824,"2026-06-19T16:16:54.562Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","acc1d18771dd8ae9fc742d295649cf9fe6c3edb6c7edcd0565b235ac0ef36c7c","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-382","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-380",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]