China Entertainment's whatever you want

Chapter 743 Big Selling and Next Steps

"Brother Wei." Zhou Ye put down his phone with a touched look on his face.

She didn't expect that Gu Wei would post a Weibo specifically because she was scolded.

You have to know that with Gu Wei's fame and traffic, the influence of a Weibo post is very terrifying.

Especially this kind of Weibo post targeting a certain person can instantly turn an ordinary person into an Internet celebrity known by netizens.

"Okay, it's a piece of cake.

Besides, it’s not certain whether it will work or not. The most important thing in this kind of thing is that you have to have a big heart.” Gu Wei smiled and touched Zhou Ye’s head.

"Yes! I understand."

Zhou Ye nodded seriously, and the slight frustration he had just felt disappeared in an instant, and he couldn't help but feel secretly happy in his heart.

'Sure enough, Wei Ge is a very gentle person, handsome, good-natured, simply perfect, worthy of being my idol! '

The roadshow of "Better Days" lasted for 10 days, and the main creative team visited several major voting cities across the country.

The effect is also very obvious.

The movie was released for two weeks and the total box office was 16.89 billion yuan. The final box office forecast of "Better Days" by the Maoyan platform was 21 billion.

It’s a bit low considering the current box office results, but it’s normal.

The subject matter of "Better Days" is relatively niche, and after the first two weeks, it is obvious that most of the interested audiences have been attracted to the theaters. The drop in box office on weekdays in the third week was relatively large.

For the last stop, all the main creators returned to Beijing.

"Mr. Gu, thank you for your hard work these days!" As the box office of "Better Days" continued to rise, producer Xu Yuezhen became more and more flattering towards Gu Wei.

According to the investment share, if the final box office of "Better Days" can reach 20 billion, then the profit of her and director Zeng Guoxiang's company will be as high as 4 million yuan.

In her eyes, Gu Wei was no longer just a filming partner, but a god of wealth.

No matter how much you please, it's never too much.

“It’s not hard work, it’s what I should do, all for the good results of the movie.”

Zeng Guoxiang smiled and said, "It is thanks to Mr. Gu that our movie has such a high box office now.

I have talked to Producer Xu about holding a celebration party after the film is released early next month. Is Mr. Gu available?"

“At the beginning of next month.” Gu Wei thought about it and according to the plan, “Joy of Life” should have been wrapped up by then, so he nodded.

"No problem~"

"Okay, it's settled then!" Zeng Guoxiang smiled and clapped his hands.

The ten-day roadshow had a huge impact on him. It wasn’t because of the hard work of running around, but because he woke up every day to see the box office of "Better Days" the day before. The surprises again and again made him a little numb.

Zeng Guoxiang first entered the entertainment industry as an actor and only switched to become a director in 2010.

Before "Better Days", he had made three movies and a short film.

The most famous one is "Soulmate", which had a total box office of 1.7 million yuan and won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for its two leading actresses Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun.

The remaining two films, "Lovers' Whispers" had a box office of 410 million in mainland China; "One Night After Drunkenness" had a cumulative box office of 982 million.

It can also be seen from these data that Zeng Guoxiang's previous performance in directing movies was indeed mediocre, and he also knew his own strengths and weaknesses.

Now, the box office of "Better Days" has exploded to such an extent, which is really beyond his expectations. It is a complete surprise within surprises!

Of course, he also understands who is responsible for the film's strong money-making ability.

For a niche feature film like "Better Days", if it is well made and wins awards, it shows his high level of directorial ability. However, the fact that it has such a high box office, even far exceeding those purely commercial films, is a complete reflection of the appeal of Gu Wei, the "box office king".

This was also the opinion on the Internet in the 10 days after the movie was released.

The media and film critics praised the director's superb skills, saying that he had presented another excellent film to the audience after "Summer and Summer".

The audience and netizens' attention is focused on the male and female protagonists, especially Gu Wei.

Many media outlets have repeatedly marveled at Gu Wei's huge box office appeal in their reports.

Some even compared it with Wu Jing's "The Climbers" from last month. After Wu Jing and Gu Wei, who are recognized as the two male actors with the strongest box office appeal in the domestic entertainment industry, separated, the gap between the two was obvious when they were compared again.

Of course, this argument is suspected of being a slander and is not mainstream.

As the director of the film, although Zeng Guoxiang felt a little unwilling in his heart, this was the fact, and everyone, even himself, thought so.

He is not the first director brought up by Gu Wei. Tian Yusheng of "Ex-Files 3", Su Lun of "Time Raiders" and even Su Youpeng of the earliest "Left Ear" all had mediocre previous works, but their movies became big hits after they collaborated with Gu Wei.

If you want to talk about the director's ability, after "The Left Ear", the box office of Su Youpeng's new movie "Suspect X" was only half of that of "The Left Ear".

The box office of Tian Yusheng's new film "The Great Wish" is only one-tenth of that of "Ex-Files 3".

Therefore, even though Zeng Guoxiang felt a little unhappy in his heart, he was still able to recognize the facts rationally and actively try to build a good relationship with Gu Wei.

"Xiaoye, go back and concentrate on preparing for [Zhou Chu]. I have already told Zhang Songwen everything. If you have any questions, just go and ask him."

"Don't worry, I will try my best to do my best!"

After the roadshow, Gu Wei also had to return to the crew to continue filming. He said hello to Zhou Ye and Zhang Zifeng before leaving.

"Where's Zifeng? After work here, you have to go back to school, right?
I remember that you are in your third year of high school this year, and you will take the college entrance examination next year, which is the most important time."

Zhang Zifeng nodded and smiled widely.

“My academic performance is OK, and I am more than qualified for the arts exam.

I have to go back to school, but I can only attend classes for about a month. I have two movies coming out at the end of next month, and I have to come out to promote them then."

"Two movies? Zifeng, you are amazing!

You are so strong even before you enter the film academy. I, your senior, am so far behind you!" Zhou Ye said enviously while hugging Zhang Zifeng's arm.

It's no secret that Zhang Zifeng is going to apply for the Beijing Film Academy. She has already told Gu Wei and the others that she will take the art exam and be admitted as a freshman next year, and Zhou Ye will just graduate.

"Why are you envious of me? I envy you for working with Brother Wei on a new movie."

"What movies are they?" Zhou Ye asked curiously.

"One is a drama film called [Happy New Year, My Love], which I co-produced with Bai Baihe and Wei Daxun, and the other is a romantic comedy called [Love]."

"Zi Feng, remember to tell me when your new movie is released, and I will help promote it for you online." Gu Wei said with a smile.

"Well, okay, thank you brother!" Zhang Zifeng said happily.

"And I'll help you too. My followers on Weibo have increased a lot recently!" Zhou Ye reminded him not to forget himself.

It takes two and a half hours to fly directly from Beijing to Ningbo.

The remaining scenes of [Joy of Life] are all taken place at Xiangshan Film and Television City. Xiangshan does not have an airport, so the private plane can only land in Ningbo and then transfer to Xiangshan.

"Boss, these are the plays that have been approaching you recently. One of them is directed by Zhang Yimou. You need to consider it carefully."

On the private plane, Gu Wei was reading the script of "Joy of Life" carefully, and Yang Dan came over with a stack of other scripts.

Gu Wei was not surprised. He took it and prepared to look through it slowly.

The one at the top is the play by Zhang Yimou mentioned by Yang Dan.

"[On the cliff]?"

Gu Wei looked at the name on the cover and read it out.

He had some impression of this movie, which was a spy movie with good box office and reputation.

However, he remembered that the male and female protagonists in the original time and space were Zhang Yi and Qin Hailu. If he replaced Zhang Yi, it would not be realistic for him to play a couple with Qin Hailu.

"In this movie, Director Zhang invited you to play the role of "Wang Chuliang", one of the four members of the special agent team. If you look closely, you should be considered the second male lead."

Gu Wei suddenly realized that it was the character played by Zhu Yawen in the original version, the one who was a couple with Liu Haocun.

He flipped through the script and his brows slowly furrowed.

The role of "Wang Chuliang" doesn't seem to be very good. It's very conventional and there isn't much room for the actor to perform.

It's not worth it to downgrade to play the second male lead for such a role, even though the director is Zhang Yimou.

Not long after, Gu Wei closed the script and put it aside. "When will [On the Cliff] start filming?"

“Probably early next year.”

"I replied to Director Zhang and told him that my schedule couldn't accommodate me. I regret this and hope we can work together again next time."

After hearing what Gu Wei said, Yang Dan opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but seeing the boss's indifferent expression, he didn't say it.

"clear."

Gu Wei continued to look at other scripts. Although there were a lot of them, only a few of them were worth his second glance.

"Haha, I have a special connection with Liu Haocun. The only book I picked out is also related to her."

After reading all the scripts, Gu Wei only had one left in his hand, "Send You a Little Red Flower" written and directed by Han Yan.

After reading it, he handed the script to Yang Dan.

"Let's communicate with Han Yan's team. Let's follow the old rules. If they can accept it, we can cooperate."

Under the current salary cap order issued by the radio, television and radio stations, the old rule for Gu Wei to accept a film is to have a minimum investment share of 30%.

His previous film "Time Raiders" was 30%, and "Ex-Files 3" and the currently popular "Better Days" are both 40%.

"Understood. I'll communicate with them once the plane lands."

Gu Wei tapped his fingers lightly on the table in front of him, thinking about something.

[Joy of Life] is expected to be wrapped up at the end of November. From the start of filming in August to now, it has taken more than three months and more than 11 days to shoot.

After that, we should shoot "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils". This has been decided long ago. The personnel and venue are ready, and it is planned to start shooting in mid-December.

During this time, Gu Wei still had some other work to deal with.

LV invited him to the Paris Fall/Winter Fashion Week, and as the global spokesperson, he couldn't miss it.

Wen Muye’s film “The Accidental Murderer” will be released in early December.

At the end of the year, the company still has a lot of things that need him to deal with.

[Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils] is scheduled to shoot for two months and will normally be completed around February next year.

However, Gu Wei is well aware of what will happen at the beginning of next year. When that time comes, work and production will be suspended and filming will certainly not be able to continue. It is normal to be delayed for one or two months.

After [Zhou Chu], Gu Wei originally planned to shoot [The Wind Chasers].

This TV series has already started preparations due to the investment from Wei Ming Tian Xia. Last time, Gu Wei asked, director Yao Xiaofeng was considering the issue of actors.

If I take on [Send You a Little Red Flower] now, the filming of [Storm Chasers] will have to be postponed.

There is nothing wrong with our own films.

"Communicate with Han Yan and try to arrange the filming time around April next year."

Thinking of this, Gu Wei explained to Yang Dan again.

"clear."

Han Yan is not an unknown person.

He graduated from the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama and is a professional actor. He shot his first movie in 2002 and then directed the romance film "The Eternal Wave", which gradually made him famous.

In 2015, he directed the romantic comedy "Go Away Tumor" starring Bai Baihe and Wu Yan, which was a huge success.

That year, the film represented mainland China in the competition for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.

In 2017, he wrote and directed the film "Animal World". Although the box office was not very high, the word of mouth was quite good.

Han Yan is a very famous commercial director of the middle generation in the domestic entertainment industry. His fame and status far exceed those of Zeng Guoxiang.

"Old Han, I have good news for you.

Gu Wei's team sent a message saying that he is very interested in "Send You a Little Red Flower" and plans to take over the film.

Xi Jialin pushed open the door with some excitement. He was Han Yan's assistant director and had followed him for many years.

Han Yan, who was originally writing something with his head down, raised his head and took off his glasses.

"Really? That's good news indeed.

I heard that Gu Wei rarely takes on other plays. There are so many crews looking for him every year. It is really rare that he is interested in our play!"

"Haha, when we first discussed sending him the script, I didn't have much hope. You know what our play is about.

Gu Wei had previously shot commercial films, so it was hard to imagine that he would take on a subject like ours."

Xi Jialin had a smile on his face, obviously still excited.

“I don’t think so. I think it’s probably because of this subject matter that Gu Wei became interested in it.

He has been making commercial films for so many years, and has reached the pinnacle of domestic entertainment in terms of box office, which is unmatched. Perhaps in the next two years he wants to make a breakthrough in his acting skills, so he will consider taking on some literary and artistic feature films.

Isn’t the movie “Better Days” that is currently airing the best example?”

Xi Jialin nodded in agreement.

"Maybe you're right. No matter what the reason is, it's great news for us that he considers accepting [Send You a Little Red Flower]!"

The two chatted for a few sentences, and Xi Jialin told Han Yan about Gu Wei's conditions.

“Isn’t the 30% investment share a bit high?

There are many investors in this film, including China Film Group, Tencent, Hengdian Film Group, Ruyi Film Group, etc. If they take out 30% of the share, the proportion of other investors will be greatly reduced."

Han Yan is a relatively pure director.

[Send You a Little Red Flower] Although he is in charge, there are many investors behind him.

"Do you know what the real-time box office of [You Without You] is now?"

"How many?
I haven’t watched it today.”

“It’s already 18 billion, and it should break 20 billion by the end of this week.

Movies of this genre can bring in more than 20 billion yuan at the box office. Which investor would not want Gu Wei to join and take a 30% investment share? "

Han Yan nodded slightly and said with a smile: "You are right.

No matter how the investors distribute it, this 30% will definitely be left to Gu Wei.

Any other requests over there?"

"There is another shooting time, but it's not too different from what we originally thought. We'll have to discuss the rest in detail later."

"Gu Wei!

To be honest, I am looking forward to working with him, but I still have some concerns."

Han Yan's expression was slightly complicated.

"worry about what?"

"I was worried that he was too big a star. I heard that when he was filming Better Days, he was not satisfied with the actress and directly changed the female lead. Even Tsang Kwok-cheung couldn't persuade him.

He was also very strong at one point during the filming.

Working with such a big-name actor, if it goes well, it’s fine, but if it goes badly, it’s difficult for everyone.”

"There are gains and losses in this. We are jealous of Gu Wei's strong box office appeal, so we naturally have to endure some things that may happen.

Gu Wei is also a director. Even as an actor, he has his own unique views on movies, and it is inevitable that there will be some conflicts with the director.

This requires us to communicate and resolve the conflict."

Han Yan sighed and laughed again.

"You're right. If I hadn't coveted the 10 billion or 20 billion box office, I wouldn't have invited him. I'll pay attention to it when the time comes. There shouldn't be any problem if we communicate well.

I heard that Gu Wei has a very gentle personality, but his ideas are more correct."

(End of this chapter)