China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 765: Troubled Times, the Honor of the Motherland Above All Else

Early July.

Zhou Yutang didn't wait for the genius director Xu Ke to join the crew, but Huo Wenxi took Fatty Wang to take a tour of the crew in the snow.

After the usual combo of milk tea and cold drinks, the entertainment reporter squatting outside the crew had new information, and the crew members also had an extra meal.

All are happy.

Fatty Wang was still as slick as ever, greeting everyone with a smile.

Then look east and west.

Zhou Yutang was too lazy to care about him.

It's been a long time since this guy wanted to make progress.

Fatty Wang went to the north to film in his early years. Dramas such as "The Little Fish and the Flowerless", "Eight Heroes", and "The World's Number One" were all produced by him, and he has seen the world.

It's okay if you don't look at it, but the more you look at it, the more frightened you become.

Fatty Wang keenly discovered that the operating mode of mainland film crews seemed to have quietly changed compared to that year.

In the past, the domestic entertainment industry was dominated by outsiders, and the country was particularly dependent on and favored the group of film and television professionals from Hong Kong.

But now, in the crew in the snow, eight out of ten are from the mainland, and they all speak Mandarin.

This is an elite team that has followed Zhou Yutang for several years. They work efficiently and have a good understanding of each other.

The costumes and props are so exquisite that they are outrageous.

What made him even more confused was that there were actually two special effects teams from Vision Media following the group's work.

Every day, we have to come up with specific special effects plans based on Zhou Yutang’s shooting requirements.

As for the actors, you can easily hit a veteran actor by picking up a brick and throwing it down.

The most popular young actors like Zhu Yilong and Chen Xiao all play supporting roles in the drama. Even the traffic queen Teacher Fan appeared in the drama for free and showed no temper at all.

“Even filming doesn’t have this luxury!”

After watching the scene for half a day and seeing the entire crew operating in the snow, Fatty Wang was a little shocked:
"It's worth the trip. It's worth the trip. Mr. Zhou's crew is really amazing."

He is truly convinced. There is a reason why Zhou Yutang is known as the Entertainment Emperor in the industry and has produced many hits.

The key to being able to mobilize such a huge amount of resources is his own huge popularity. In Wang Pangzi's opinion, this highly anticipated drama "Snow" has already become a drama king.

Compared to Fatty Wang's flattery, Huo Wenxi's is more down to earth.

She has an important mission for Yinghuang and is not here to visit the crew for fun.

After some pleasantries, when Zhou Yutang finished work, he briefly reported on the preparations for the two films, "Chasing the Dragon" and "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City".

"As for Shanghai Film Group, there are no requirements, but it would be best if the filming starts before the end of July to coordinate with their release plan..."

"Also, Director Chen has some health problems..."

“Nasopharyngeal cancer?”

"It's in the early stages. I just had surgery. I need to recuperate for a while. This time I invited Zheng Baorui."

"Ah."

Zhou Yutang nodded, feeling relieved when he heard that it was not serious.

He doesn't have many friends in Hong Kong, and Benny Chan happens to be one of them.

The two have been working together happily since "The Man from Lone Ranger", so I have to find an opportunity to express my condolences.

The director of "Chasing the Dragon" is the fat guy Wang Jing. As for the comic adaptation of "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City", it is not bad to use Cheang Pou-soi as a substitute.

Action films are the backbone of Hong Kong films, and Soi Cheang is certainly an expert at his craft.

Apart from the "Journey to the West" series he has been working on in the mainland in the past two years, Zhou Yutang was deeply impressed by the movie "Dog Bite Dog" shot by this person.

Well, it stars Mr. Chen, and was nominated for the Best Film Award in the main competition unit at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

"A Tang."

Huo Wenxi and Wang Jing looked at each other, and finally the beautiful lady spoke: "Are you interested in playing Lei Luo? I talked to Director Wang, and this role is really suitable for you..."

Zhou Yutang's cameo appearance in "Cold War 2" brought tremendous popularity to the movie.

If he starred in "Chasing the Dragon", a genuine Chinese entertainment tycoon in real life, and played the role of the 500 million dollar detective of the last century, wouldn't the audience be excited on the spot?
Fatty Wang was extremely greedy, so he instigated Huo Wenxi to act as a lobbyist.

"Atang, really, you might as well think about it."

Huo Wenxi was also straightforward, using both emotion and benefits to persuade him: "We have worked together for so many years, and Director Wang, you are also very familiar with him..."

"I agree unconditionally."

"If you have an idea for the script, you can decide on the actors, including the salary and share..."

"Sister Mani, my schedule is scheduled until the year after next."

Zhou Yutang glanced at Huo Wenxi with a half-smile and flipped through the project plan she brought.

Fatty Wang had discussed the script with him several times and had boldly proposed this idea, but he had been rejected. Unexpectedly, he was still determined to do it.

Do you still want Huo Wenxi to play the game of "Three Visits to Jiangdong to invite Zhou Lang"?

Zhou Yutang would definitely not take on a project that he was not interested in.

"Oh, that's such a pity."

Fatty Wang sighed. He had made a plan in advance, but he didn't think it would succeed. He just wanted to give it a try.

It is inevitable that I have complex emotions in my heart, similar to a dog being rejected by a goddess...

Zhou Yutang took the tablet and continued to browse the video materials of Kowloon Walled City compiled by Huo Wenxi.

Because a large part of the stories of "Chasing the Dragon" and "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City" take place in Kowloon Walled City.

So when the project was finalized last year, the entire art team spent a lot of time on the preliminary preparations.

After the first investment was in place, 6.5 million Hong Kong dollars was invested directly to build a -meter-high two-story old building of the walled city in real proportion.

The neon signs of Kowloon Walled City gleam on the roofs, including alleys full of electric wires, as well as grocery stores, ice houses, and electrical appliance repair shops...

The intricate buildings seem to constitute a chaotic and disorderly lower-class gathering place from the previous era.

It really does have that flavor.

After finishing filming "Chasing the Dragon", we started working on "Kowloon Walled City".

Hey, one fish, two meals a day, so delicious.

This event caused quite a stir and received strong support from several departments including the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong Airport Authority, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.

Even Brother Chao personally led a team to inspect the scene, which made the headlines in Hong Kong.

In short, the attitude is clear, and we should work together to vigorously develop the film tourism industry.

In fact, Zhou Yutang did not attach much importance to these two projects.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have not asked much and left the whole process to Huo Wenxi.

Instead, he said hello to Huo Wenxi and put Jiangdong's own signed action actor Xie Miao into the comic-adapted martial arts film "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City".

There are currently no suitable scripts in China. Hong Kong Kung Fu films are considered to be a niche genre, so let Xie Miao go in and gain some experience.

Fatty Wang's slight disappointment at not being able to talk to Zhou Yutang soon disappeared.

"Cold War 2" has already broken through million and is heading for million. He can't wait to get started.

Huo Wenxi was also full of expectations and said with a smile: "Ah Tang, these two movies are the most important inventory of Yinghuang in the next two years. You are the producer, and you should do more work if you are capable. Please give me more suggestions when the time comes."

Zhou Yutang muttered, "Isn't there another battle with the God of Cookery?"

This project managed by Ye Weiming and Wen Jun was supported by Yinghuang, Shanghai Film Group, Wanda and Star Media with a capital of 2.5 million yuan.

These old guys in Hong Kong talk very well, but Zhou Yutang cannot understand the concept of 3D food at all.

After reading the script published by Huo Wenxi, Zhou Yutang's evaluation was that it was far inferior to Xu Ke's "Manchu and Han Feast", which was simply awkward.

I don't know why Ge Da Ge took this role. Tang Yan even sent him a photo of himself with a weird sea urchin hair style, which was really disgusting.

As for the Little Chef of Hong Kong, selling twelve kinds of Fengwei grilled sausages is fine, but if you want to prove your cooking skills, you have to ask Tang Niu if he agrees...

……

night.

He Yanni is packing luggage for her husband.

Tomorrow, Xie Miao will join the crew of "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City".

Before filming starts, we have to undergo a period of training with Hong Kong's martial arts team.

That's how the entertainment industry is, with people rarely seeing each other or seeing each other.

Now that separation is imminent, He Yanni always feels a little reluctant.

She folded her husband's clothes neatly and put them into the suitcase.

Even the commonly used medicines were prepared, and he was mumbling about trivial matters.
"By the way, when traveling to Hong Kong, let Xiao Wang apply for an Octopus card..."

"And don't work too hard, your body is your own..."

Turning around and seeing Xie Miao's happy and honest smile, He Yanni couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Did you remember what I told you?"

"Remember, Octopus, don't try too hard..."

Xie Miao smiled and said, "Wife, don't worry. This time, it's Mr. Zhou who has made the arrangements. There won't be any trouble."

Before he signed with Jiang Dong, his wife was his agent.

In fact, there was no agency business at that time, and I could just play minor roles in various crews, which was enough to keep me from starving.

But after signing with Jiangdong Entertainment, the situation has changed a lot. After reaping the benefits of "Nirvana in Fire" last year, Xie Miao is no longer an unknown figure.

Business, endorsements, and announcements came one after another, and the company also provided him with a dedicated assistant.

Looking at the luggage his wife had packed for him, Xie Miao felt an inexplicable feeling of happiness and couldn't help but hug He Yanni from behind.

"Oh, what are you doing?"

"Wife, I will definitely do my best in filming."

"Of course. Mr. Zhou thinks so highly of you. You must seize the opportunity."

"Don't worry, my skills haven't fallen behind."

Xie Miao's heart suddenly filled with pride, and he said in a loud voice, "I will definitely not fight worse than others!"

In this year's "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City", as soon as Zhou Yutang opened his mouth, he was the protagonist Chen Luojun who came from nowhere.

The setting is that the characters sneaked into Hong Kong, which is also appropriate.

Even Hong Kong stars Louis Koo, Fatty Hung, Richie Jen and others played supporting roles for him.

It can be said that it is a step to heaven. …

While Zhou Yutang is on the crew, he also keeps an eye on film and television information in the circle.

Just today, AMC Cinemas, a subsidiary of Wanda Group, announced that it would acquire Europe's largest cinema chain, Odeon & UCI Cinemas, for 9.21 million pounds.

At this point, China's richest man already owns AMC Cinemas, Australia's Hoyts Cinemas and Europe's largest Odeon & UCI Cinemas.

Wanda Film and Television’s global strategic layout has taken a further step forward.

There was an uproar in the country, and even foreign countries were shocked.

Old Bob even called Chigua and said, "Zhou, I received news that Wanda is still negotiating with Viacom."

"For Paramount?"

"Yeah, they want to take over 49% of Paramount Pictures, which is owned by Viacom!"

"Tsk, that's really Lao Wang's style of doing things."

“This is too rich.”

Even Lao Deng couldn't help but sigh.

Wanda is waving its checkbook, first swallowing up AMC and then acquiring the old Hollywood giants, with the intention of buying the whole world.

Founded in 1912, Paramount is one of the eight old Hollywood giants.

It is even the oldest among the eight major companies, with blockbuster films such as the "Transformers" series, "Star Trek", and "Mission Impossible".

Wanda Lao Wang has his own plans, and Zhou Yutang also has his own way of playing. He said calmly: "Just do a good job on the projects at hand."

Among the eight major Hollywood giants, Paramount Pictures’ financial report last year clearly stated this.

The company's revenue was US$10.25 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 24%, and its operating profit was US$1.22 million, which is not as good as Jiangdong International Pictures.

Over there it is like the setting sun, while east of the Yangtze River it is like the rising sun in the east.

Well, the advantage is mine!

……

In early July, the South China Sea shook.

Public opinion on the Internet was in an uproar, and Zhou Yutang was the first to voice his support.

Celebrities in the entertainment industry responded and expressed their attitudes one after another.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, who had just arrived at the crew of the filming in the snow, couldn't help but sigh after learning what happened, "It's really a troubled time."

Recently, the atmosphere on the crew has been discussing this matter, and the emotions are unprecedentedly high.

"Fei Monkey, you are just a clown... that's all, don't talk about state affairs."

Zhou Yutang, who knew more shocking inside stories, remained calm and changed the subject calmly: "Teacher Tian, ​​when you come to Ningbo, you must try the seafood here..."

After eating and drinking, I took Lao Tian to experience the local characteristics.

"Clear the area, all departments get ready."

"Power on!"

Tian Zhuangzhuang played the role of Xu Yongguan, an old soldier in the Yugu Camp.

Lao Xu didn't have much ability. He followed Xu Xiao from Liaodong to Beiliang, fought on the battlefield, and was shot blind.

He's just an ordinary veteran.

After retiring from the army, he became penniless after paying for the coffin of his deceased old brother.

Because he was blind, he was walking on the street and was trampled on the leg by the son of a powerful and wealthy man on horseback. He was rescued by Xu Fengnian, and they became friends from then on.

The character setting is relatively simple and he doesn't have many scenes, but those few scenes are able to outline the image of such a loyal old soldier.

He then indirectly shapes the characters of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and King Xu Xiao of Beiliang, and can be considered a key supporting role.

We originally invited another veteran actor with both good moral character and artistic talent, but that teacher broke a bone and it would take three to five months to recover.

Zhou Yutang called Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Tian Zhuangzhuang was originally going to act out a sunset romance with Sylvia Chang, but when he heard that the crew of "The Disciple" was short of people and Sylvia Chang happened to have some other things to do so the start of filming was postponed, he rushed in to help.

His acting skills were really good. He put on the coarse linen shirt and looked really realistic.

Especially his scenes with his cousin Li Xuejian were very exciting.

Li Xuejian sighed: "Xu Xiao is nothing more than a hunchbacked old soldier, what's so good about him?"

"I am a cavalryman from Yugu Battalion, one of the Eighteen Old Battalions in Jinzhou. I am from Xu Yongguan and would like to pay my respects to General Xu!"

Realizing that it was really the King of Beiliang in person, Tian Zhuangzhuang pushed the golden mountain and overturned the jade pillar, then knelt on the ground crying.

He was shocked but also moved, and the emotion was expressed very smoothly, especially the tears that came so easily that Tianbao felt ashamed.

"Okay, thank you Teacher Tian for the wonderful performance!"

Until the last shot was completed, Zhou Yutang took the lead and everyone in the crew followed suit and applauded.

After receiving the red envelope from his beloved disciple, Tian Zhuangzhuang was somewhat amused and asked casually, "When will the filming of this drama be completed?"

"Next month or so."

"Well, do a good job on the next foreign language film."

Tian Zhuangzhuang patted his beloved disciple on the shoulder and encouraged him.

Compared to the commercial "In the Snow", Lao Tian is actually more looking forward to Zhou Yutang's art film "The Joker".

Over the past few years, Zhou Yutang has discussed this issue with him privately many times.

This made Tian Zhuangzhuang do some research to find out about the superman who wears his underwear outside...

He was originally the leader of the fifth generation of directors. Although he was banned from directing, he brought up an apprentice who was very capable.

Having broken into Hollywood and planted a Jiangdong flag, and having prepared for this project for several years, how can we not be looking forward to it?
Lao Tian came quietly to put out the fire, stayed in the crew for only two days, and then left quietly.

……

After fifteen days of release, the box office of "Knife Identity 2" has reached 8.49 million yuan.

It still leads the pack of domestic summer films.

Director Lu Yang became famous again, Huang Xiaoming was successful in both TV and movies, and Liu Shishi's popularity also reached an unprecedented peak.

After all, celebrities have to speak with their achievements.

The "Sword Rain" and "Embroidered Spring Blade" series alone are enough to make Liu Shishi sit on the throne of the number one female action star in mainland China.

However, after the first week of the roadshow, Liu Shishi left the publicity team.

Fly directly to Hong Kong and rejoin the crew of "Bad Genius" to continue filming.

Lu Yang took Huang Xiaoming and other main creators on roadshows, but they were unable to prevent the decline in single-day box office.

Affected by the successive impact of summer blockbusters, the single-day box office of "Knife of the Assassin 2" inevitably dropped to around million.

There is no way, another Hollywood imported blockbuster "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" is coming.

Paramount, which had just been rumored to be acquired by Wanda, performed very well, earning 9090 million yuan in China on the first day, knocking "Cold War 2" off the box office champion throne of the day.

The pattern of this year's summer season has been determined.

Guangguang's "Big Fish and Begonia" is suppressing Huayi's "Rock Mastiff". The former has a total box office of over 3 million, while the latter has only earned over million.

Zhao Yanzi's "So Young: Fresh Meat Version" also failed to create a miracle. It started to stagnate after reaching 200 million yuan.

Huayi openly complained about its injustice, and Wanda launched a ruthless attack.

The film market is in turmoil, with many competitors vying for supremacy.

However, when "Cold War 2" steadily followed "Knife Identity 2", it crossed the million threshold.

People in the industry and outside the industry were surprised to find that these two movies in which Zhou Yutang made a cameo appearance firmly occupied the top two spots on the summer box office charts...

……

"The Meg was successfully completed, and Naza shared a photo with Jason Statham!"

"The film was shot at the End of the Earth, and local leaders attended in person!"

"Hollywood's top producer Zou Zhongyan revealed that The Meg will cooperate with top special effects teams such as Vision Media and Scanline to enter the post-production stage."

Nazha didn’t have many scenes in the snow, she was just hugged by Zhou on both sides. The day after watching the movie, she flew directly to Hainan to reshoot the last shot.

The completion of "The Meg" has attracted great attention from the local government.

Such a Sino-US co-production of a blockbuster will undoubtedly play a powerful promotional role for the local cultural and tourism industry, and it is a huge fortune.

Zou Zhongyan followed the crew of "The Meg" to China for filming. During the period, he went to Hong Kong to visit his father, and then experienced the scenery of Guangdong Province firsthand, and was deeply touched.

She received elite education since childhood and was sent to study abroad by Zou Wenhuai at an early age.

This was also the standard configuration of wealthy people in Hong Kong at that time. They always had some inexplicable fear of the mainland.

Zou Zhongyan had rarely been to the mainland before this, but this time he got a real taste of life in the mainland and was inspired to write:

"Boss, the mainland is developing too fast now. It's not at all what the foreign media reports..."

"Foreign media reports cannot be trusted."

Zhou Yutang just smiled and said: "In the future, watch more TikTok."

In the shadows that ordinary people cannot see, there has always been an invisible hand manipulating public opinion.

Let ordinary people be placed in the carefully woven information cocoon.

The information people are exposed to is the information that people want them to be exposed to.

As a result, most Westerners still have the impression that China is feudal, poor and backward.

In this invisible war, the right to speak has always been in the hands of others.

But now China's national strength is growing stronger and stronger, and the world pattern is undergoing unprecedented changes!
For Zhou Yutang, as a Chinese.

The honor of the motherland is above all else.

Since he has become the number one figure in the domestic entertainment industry, he enjoys resources and benefits that others cannot imagine.

He is also happy to do what he can for the country.

Therefore, he put all his efforts and spared no effort to develop TikTok short videos globally in order to create a gap in the Western media's public opinion front.

It is time for the whole world to open its eyes and look at China.

When the time comes, there will be great scholars who will debate for me.

(End of this chapter)