The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 558: New box office record in Hong Kong Island

On June 2012, 6, many new movies will be released in mainland China.

Hong Kong Island has relatively few movies, with only four new movies including "Parasite", "Better Days", "Jack the Giant Killer" and "I Hate You, Dad".

The last two films are external films, and you can tell by their titles that they are not interesting. None of the entertainment magazines in Hong Kong have introduced them. The only two media magazines here that are relatively optimistic about them are "Parasite" and "Better Days."

Needless to say, "Parasite", Director Li's film, Andy Lau, the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and the gap between rich and poor are all points that can be promoted.

"Happier" is a traditional Hong Kong-style family comedy, just like those messy comedies produced by Huang Baiming's group.

"Happiness upon Happiness" has invited a total of fifteen stars, including Zeng Zhiwei, Huang Zongze, Feng Suifan, Su Yongkang, Zhang Xiyu and so on.

Eric Tsang is the biggest investor in this movie and the main investor in this movie.

He saw that the mainland market was booming, with box office revenue reaching hundreds of millions. As a former Hong Kong boss, he was naturally tempted.

And investing in movies can not only make money, but also bring beautiful girls into your arms.

This movie was not originally called Happy After Happy. It was initially titled Double Happiness.

In the 2012 Spring Festival Gala, Jia Ling and several friends performed a skit called "Happiness upon Happiness", which received a lot of praise.

So Fatty Zeng had an idea and changed the double happiness into a double happiness.

He felt that this measure was quite innovative and kept up with the trend.

He is still very much looking forward to the movie's box office performance in the Mainland.

In addition, in order to make money and become a hit, he specially found some masters to help him calculate the premiere date. The masters pinched their fingers, or asked gods, or calculated horoscopes, and finally found a good day, which was April 26 of the lunar calendar. , the fifteenth day of June in the Gregorian calendar.

With the arrival of June, Zeng Zhiwei found that this day is indeed good. Although there are many new movies, they are all blockbusters. From the beginning of June to now, not a single new movie has been released.

He increasingly believes that these new films are hitting the market just so that his "Happiness Comes to Joy" can be promoted.

"Happiness upon Happiness" - There are not [-] million, but [-] million.

With this mentality, Zeng Zhiwei has been in a state of excitement these days.

On the night of the movie's release, after the publicity was over, Zeng Zhiwei invited all the stars of "Better Days" to have a late-night snack at a food stall on Hong Kong Island.

There are more celebrities here on Hong Kong Island, and their table is full of young people, but no ordinary people come to take photos and sign autographs.

At this time, Feng Suifan and Su Yongkang were sitting next to Zeng Zhiwei, while the other juniors were sitting further away.

Feng Suifan was once a famous comedian in Hong Kong. He won several annual awards in the Five Lucky Stars series.

He is 67 years old this year and has retired long ago.

But if a movie hires him, he will come out to make extra money.

He is the kind of cold-faced comedian who plays serious and serious characters, but often in absurd environments to create contrast and create laughter.

As I get older, I become more kind than when I was young.

Su Yongkang is not a professional actor, he is a singer, and some of his songs are pretty good.

Maybe because he likes acting, he often makes guest appearances in some Hong Kong movies.

But I can only play some unimportant roles.

To put it bluntly, he is too ugly and is not a professional actor, so it is impossible for him to take the leading role.

At this time, he was opening a bottle of wine, and he was a master at it. He opened the bottle very quickly, and even looked a little artistic.

Zeng Zhiwei looked older when he was young, but as he gets older, nothing seems to have changed.

He was in a good mood today, with a smile on his face, waiting for Su Yongkang to open the wine, and then poured the wine for everyone himself.

"Everyone, feel free to drink. I'm treating you today. If "Historical Joy" sells well, I will give you red envelopes."

Just like Brother Chen, Fatty Zeng looked quite heroic.

Upon hearing this, all the actors immediately raised their glasses and said good things. They all said that "Happiness After Happiness" can be a big hit and break box office records. Tsang Chi-wai's name will be included in the Academy Awards next year.

Feng Suifan sat next to him and watched with a smile.

As he got older, doctors and children all told him to drink less, so he drank as little as possible.

When Zeng Zhiwei saw him, he didn't say much and continued drinking with other people.

Everyone then drank, ate, and drank water, and the atmosphere was good.

At this moment, Zeng Zhiwei's cell phone rang, and he picked up the phone.

But it was the assistant who was looking at data in the mainland who called me.

The assistant told Zeng Zhiwei that the mainland box office of "Better Days" has almost come out, with a total of 200 million.

"Parasite" received nearly half of the film slates, while other new films received much less.

With so many stars in "Better Days", they only got [-]% of the film schedule.

Zeng Zhiwei had fantasies before, hoping that "Better Days" would achieve higher attendance, gain box office, complete a word-of-mouth counterattack, and then increase the number of films with fewer film schedules.

It seems impossible now.

Mainland audiences really don’t like family-style comedies.

Wong Pak Ming is no longer good, and so is Eric Tsang.

He put down his phone in frustration.

The others were still eating and drinking, and did not notice the situation on Zeng Zhiwei's side.

The sound of clinking wine glasses was like the sound of temple wind chimes.

Zeng Zhiwei thought that he had visited many places recently and felt more at ease.

Not only the mainland, but also Hong Kong Island, Wanwan, and Xinmatai. So many masters are optimistic about this movie, and it will definitely make money.

Feng Suifan noticed the change in Zeng Zhiwei's expression and smiled: "What's wrong? My wife called me to remind me?"

"No, the mainland box office is out, damn, it's only 200 million."

"Hey, are the box office statistics in the Mainland so fast?"

Feng Suifan quickly followed, "I've heard that the mainland is developing rapidly and the network there is better than that of Hong Kong Island."

In terms of network information applications, the mainland is indeed at the forefront of the world. It is estimated that only the peninsula can compete in the world.

Online ticket sales have long been available in the mainland, but not here on Hong Kong Island.

Moreover, all major theater chains in the Mainland will update their box office data in real time. There are fewer theaters on Hong Kong Island, but there is no shared box office statistics website.

Just like in the last century, I need to call each theater the next day, adding up one by one.

"What's the use? People don't like our movies."

Zeng Zhiwei rolled his eyes, and then poured himself a glass of wine, "But it doesn't matter, the mainland box office is not good, we still have Hong Kong Island, Wanwan, and New Matai, our results will not be bad."

Feng Suifan did not answer.

Zeng Zhiwei continued: "In mainland theaters, the good film schedule was completely taken away by "Parasite", "Parasite" has more than 40.00% of the film schedule, and "Better Days" only has [-]%.

If "Better Days" had the same schedule as "Parasite", our box office wouldn't be so bad.

After all, it’s other people’s court, and it’s hard for a dragon crossing the river to get ahead. "

Zeng Zhiwei comforted himself and made excuses for himself.

Feng Suifan is older, so he doesn't flatter him mindlessly, and he has a good relationship with Zeng Zhiwei, and they often quarrel with each other when they are together.

"'Parasite' and 'Better Days' are almost ready for the first day of filming on Hong Kong Island. You will know how good or bad they are just by looking at the results of these two films."

"There's Andy Lau in "Parasite", and those losers at TVB are praising it all day long. This promotion is much better, and we can't compare."

Feng Suifan smiled when he heard this, "Fat man, how about we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"I bet that the box office of "Parasite" in Hong Kong Island is much higher than that of "Better Days". If I lose, I will treat you to morning tea for a month. If you lose, you treat me."

Zeng Zhiwei is short in stature, but he is very heroic. "How much taller is it? Let me make it clear first."

"Double it."

"Okay, if the box office of "Parasite" in Hong Kong Island is twice that of "Better Days", then I'll treat you to morning tea for a month. If not, you treat me.

The morning tea I had was not cheap, costing 2000 yuan per meal. "

Feng Suifan nodded and smiled, "Fat man, you will definitely lose."

The movie has been released, and Feng Suifan's son went to see "Parasite" and sent a message to Feng Suifan, saying that the movie was very good and that many young people were touched by it.

In addition to his son, many people sent him messages recommending "Parasite" to him.

As an actor in "Better Days", not many people talked to him about "Better Days".

It can be seen that, at present, "Parasite" is far more popular than "Parasite".

Wait until you win this fat man.

Bringing the whole family for morning tea is a must-do.

……

The next night, the crew of "Additional Joy" returned to the food stall last night after finishing their promotions.

It’s still Zeng Zhiwei’s treat, the same people as yesterday, and the seats have not changed.

Zeng Zhiwei is much tired today.

The box office results for yesterday's premiere day have been released.

"Parasite" actually received 420 million, while "Better Days" only had 120 million.

The data of "Happiness upon Happiness" is relatively normal, and it is expected to exceed [-] million.

The data for "Parasite" is obviously abnormal and too high.

Neither "Shaolin Soccer" nor "Kung Fu" had 400 million on their first day.

Some media said that "Parasite" has set a record as the Chinese film with the highest opening day in Hong Kong, second only to "Avatar".

Zeng Zhiwei noticed Feng Suifan's thoughtful eyes and explained: "Parasite was promoted by TVB and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, as well as Andy Lau. The box office was high on the opening day, but that may not be the case later."

Many Hong Kong media have analyzed the reasons for the high box office on the opening day of "Parasite". In addition to the ones mentioned by Zeng Zhiwei, there is another reason.

It is about the gap between the rich and the poor in Hong Kong Island, the contradiction between the poor and the rich, and the housing prices in Hong Kong Island.

Zeng Zhiwei did not say it because he felt that this would offend the big families in Hong Kong Island.

This is not necessarily a good thing. Maybe tomorrow "Poisonous Fruit", "Ming Pao", and "Weekly" will criticize "Parasite" and Lee Sheng Yew.

"When those big families react, 'Parasite' will be finished."

As a Hong Kong Islander, he knows very well how terrifying black people are in "Poisonous Fruit News" and "Weekly". …

Another day later, the box office of "Parasite" on Hong Kong Island for the second day was released. It turned out to be 500 million on the second day, which means "Parasite" had a box office of 920 million in two days.

This is another new record. No Chinese-language film in Hong Kong has ever exceeded 900 million in two days.

Wait until it’s time to have late night snack at the food stall.

Not only the other actors, but also Eric Tsang was disappointed a lot.

Today, "Poisonous Fruit News" and "Weekly" have published articles criticizing "Parasite", but it seems to have no effect.

"Parasite" has become the hottest topic in Hong Kong Island. People are talking about the story in the movie. They understand it deeply. Many people say that this movie is a perfect fit for Hong Kong Island.

There are still many viewers who go to the cinema for two or three viewings.

Zeng Zhiwei poured a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp.

I still hope something will happen to stop "Parasite".

"When the freshness of the audience wears off, the movie will no longer be good."

……

Another day passed, and we were still in that familiar food stall, with the same actors and actresses from "Happiness upon Happiness".

It rained today and the night breeze was cool.

The food stall closed its doors, but it still felt chilly.

At this time, there was only one table of them in the food stall, which was quite empty.

In order to make the restaurant more lively, the boss of the food stall owner turned on the stereo and played Cantonese songs.

Zeng Zhiwei felt even more miserable.

His face was still chubby, and there were still many wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He looked almost the same as a few days ago, but there was no light in his eyes.

The box office of "Parasite" on the third day has been released, 450 million, which means that "Parasite" received a total of 370 million in the first three days on Hong Kong Island.

This movie was a complete hit on Hong Kong Island, and even "Poisonous Fruit News" and "Weekly Weekly" couldn't help it.

370 million is definitely an explosive figure.

Last year, the No. 880 Chinese-language film in Hong Kong was "The Amazing Heroes" with only [-] million.

Last year, the No. 230 Chinese-language film in Hong Kong was "Singles" with only [-] million.

In other words, "Parasite"'s three-day box office would have ranked seventh among Chinese films last year.

This data is absolutely awesome and may break the record of "Shaolin Football".

And "Happiness upon Joy" invested by Zeng Zhiwei, the first day was 120 million, the second day was 100 million, the third day was only 85, and the first three days was only [-] million.

Not even a quarter of others.

The bet with Feng Suifan must have been lost.

What's more important is that he was so ambitious that his legs were broken as soon as he took the first step.

Zeng Zhiwei poured wine for everyone, and then said: "There is no need to promote tomorrow, everyone is busy with their own affairs."

The actors were embarrassed.

Feng Quefan clapped his hands and said with a happy smile: "I can finally rest."

Zeng Zhiwei rolled his eyes, "I made money, wouldn't it be more fun to give you a red envelope?"

Feng Quefan curled his lips and said, "They don't know your details. Do you think I don't know? You can give me two or three thousand at most. How can I get a big red envelope?"

Zeng Zhiwei sighed, "Isn't two or three thousand not much? You think my money is blown by the wind."

The two people continued to bicker, which somewhat relieved Zeng Zhiwei's depressed mood.

Feng Suifan also specially drank a glass of wine with Zeng Zhiwei, and then advised: "The world has changed. You have to recognize the reality. The comedy movies in the past are no longer popular, and even Huang Baiming is no longer good. How can you make money?"

You'd better make movies honestly and don't invest casually.

When you meet Lee Sheng-yew, be respectful. He is not only a superstar in the mainland but also in Hong Kong. You can make a living by following him. "

It is indeed rare for Lee Sung-yao, a mainlander, to direct a Hong Kong Story movie that is so popular.

I have to say, it can’t be compared, it can’t be compared.

Zeng Zhiwei smiled bitterly and raised his glass, "I know, I'm convinced, I will definitely treat him respectfully."

……

Eric Tsang is not the first person to be convinced. Many filmmakers in Hong Kong were impressed when they saw the data of "Parasite".

Since the mid-90s, Hong Kong movies have been in decline, and there are often only one or two Hong Kong movies in the top ten of the year.

In previous years, if a Hong Kong movie could get 1000 million at the box office, it was already very good.

"Parasite" was completed in three days, not to mention that the movie's reputation is now completely spread, and it may really break the box office record of "Shaolin Football" in the future.

There was no hostility among the people. After all, Lee Sung-yao only made one movie a year, so he just had to pay a little attention.

But for Li Zekai, everything was not so wonderful.

He almost smashed his computer when he learned that "Parasite" had lines about hacking the Li family.

Li Zekai's new little girl, Guo Jiawen, who is only 20 years old, advised: "Brother, don't be anxious. We girls don't like to watch a heavy movie like "Parasite", and the box office will not be high."

After Li Zekai heard this, he calmed down a little. He thought about the box office of Hong Kong China Entertainment's movies in recent years.

"For street movies, the maximum is 1000 million."

However, "Parasite" directly broke the Chinese film box office record, with 420 million on the first day.

"Xiao Wen, call "Poisonous Fruit Daily", "One Weekly", "Ming Pao", I want to blackmail "Parasite", I want all Hong Kong Island people to think that "Parasite" is slandering\Hong Kong Island Movie."

However, it didn't work.

"Parasite" sold 500 million the next day.

"Parasite" sold 470 million on the third day.

Li Zekai was worried, "Oh no, this bad movie is really going to explode. If the old man knows about it, he will definitely scold me."

He then cursed, "You bastard, you took my money and you still want to blackmail me. You are such a dishonest person.

And those poor people, there are so many movies, why do they have to watch "Parasite"? Is there something wrong with their brains?Why not watch Hollywood blockbusters? "

He picked up the phone and was about to call to question Li Shengyao, but he quickly put the phone down.

At first, he did give money to Li Shengyao to stop him from slandering the Li family, but later he tricked Li Shengyao.

It was entirely him who made the first mistake, so Director Li changed the lines, which is understandable.

Guo Jiawen is a student of City University of Hong Kong. She is a sophomore this year. She is very beautiful and looks very innocent. She did not know about the relationship between Li Shengyao and Li Zekai. She then said: "TVB, "Da Kung Pao", "Wen Hui Bao" , "Oriental Newspaper" all said good things, and "Parasite" spread the word of mouth so quickly."

Li Zekai nodded, "These guys are all sick. Without a little bit of Hong Kong media's stance, they will flatter them. I will fight them to the end."

After the words fell, Li Zekai lit the table and suddenly asked, "Xiao Wen, do you think my father will know about this?"

"I will definitely know, brother, you might as well tell Uncle Li earlier."

"Tell him...he will definitely scold me, just wait."

The reputation of "Parasite" has exploded in Hong Kong Island. Not only the bustling Kowloon, the remote Yuen Long, but also the Eastern District know that this movie tells the story of Hong Kong Island, and it is very well done.

The box office of "Parasite" in its second week on Hong Kong Island reached 100 million.

The total box office of the movie reached 470 million, which was also the highest box office for a Chinese-language film in two weeks.

According to this data trend, even if the subsequent Hollywood blockbusters "Vampire Hunter", "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation", and "The Amazing Spider-Man" are released, "Parasite" can earn nearly 2000 million more at the box office, and it will definitely surpass "Parasite" in the future. "Shaolin Football" set a box office record for Chinese films in Hong Kong.

Li Zekai looked at the newspaper and was shocked.

He didn't expect that "Parasite" could break the record of "Shaolin Soccer". If...if he hadn't yandered against Lee Sheng-yew, then this record-breaking movie would not have mentioned the housing prices in Hong Kong Island, nor would it have yanged against the Li family.

Nowadays, many young people have watched the movie and said that housing prices on Hong Kong Island have delayed their development.

Lao Li knows, why don't you scold him to death?

"Xiao Wen, what should I do? My dad will definitely scold me."

Guo Jiawen wore a navel-baring outfit today, paired with a pair of trousers similar to yoga pants. He was planning to learn from Liang Luoshi and see if he could conceive one or two.

But he didn't expect that Li Zekai looked as depressed as a child at this time, without any trace of manliness.

In such an environment, even if she had all the means, Li Zekai probably wouldn't be able to raise a gun.

This boy was afraid of Lao Li's punishment and no longer had the calmness he used to have.

She thought of Lao Li and Li Zeju, both of whom were indifferent to emotion and anger. She probably understood why Lao Li handed over most of his property to Li Zeju, while Li Zekai only received a few hundred million dollars.

This person is almost at the age of five. He looks smart on weekdays, but is actually useless.

It's a pity that Li Zeju doesn't like women, otherwise, she really wouldn't want to serve Li Zekai.

But already on Li Zekai's ship, there was no way to get off.

She thought for a while, "Would you like to contact Lee Sheng-Yao and ask him to make a statement saying that the lines in the movie are not about the Li family."

Li Zekai paused slightly, "That guy is a thief, he may not listen to me."

"Then give him some benefits."

Li Zekai thought about it and felt it made sense.

He then dialed Li Shengyao's number, and within a minute, he put down the phone.

"This guy made a mistake when he said the lines. I will come to Hong Kong Island to explain clearly when I have the opportunity in the future."

When will this happen next?

When Guo Jiawen heard this, he also found it difficult.

Time flies, "Parasite" is still playing, and several Hollywood blockbusters have been released in Hong Kong, squeezing the schedule of "Parasite", but it is just as many entertainment media predicted.

"Parasite" has already formed a reputation, and many people went to watch it. Even if a Hollywood blockbuster came in the third week, many viewers chose outside movies.

"Parasite" still received 100 million box office in its third week, and the total box office of the movie reached 570 million, breaking the 100 million box office record of "Shaolin Football".

"Parasite" can still be screened for more than ten days. If we wait and see, it may be able to earn 500 million, and the total box office in Hong Kong Island will reach 7000 million by then.

This data can be regarded as raising the box office of Hong Kong Chinese-language films to a higher level.

Li Zekai got the news and became particularly irritable in recent days, breaking several vases in the office.

"Son of a bitch, this matter is not over yet."

(End of this chapter)