During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 519: Zeng Li's Valentine's Day during the Spring Festival
The concept of the Spring Festival period was first mentioned by the media in 2006, but the total box office during the holiday was only more than 8000 million at that time and was not recognized by the industry.

It was not until 08, when "CJ1.5" earned over million yuan at the box office during the Spring Festival holiday, that the industry gradually began to accept this concept, but still few filmmakers chose it.

Last year, "Back to 5" and "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" raked in nearly 7 million yuan at the box office during the Spring Festival holiday, and the total box office exceeded million yuan, which truly made the Spring Festival period a popular period after the Lunar New Year period, the summer vacation period, and the National Day period.

Therefore, during this year's Spring Festival, nearly 10 movies were released, and everyone wanted to get a piece of the pie.

But among so many movies, none of them has attracted as much attention as "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons".

There is no way around it. The appeal of Chinese comedy legend Stephen Chow is really not to be underestimated, and the theme is "Journey to the West" which is familiar to Chinese people. Add in Huang Bo, the new protagonist of the 10 billion box office movie, and the buffs are simply stacked up.

Cinemas are also very optimistic about the film, with an average screening rate on the first day reaching 42%, which is unprecedented among Hong Kong films.

However, Stephen Chow did not disappoint, and the first-day performance of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was extremely good.

The score of 8068 million directly and strongly declares that "one best actor every year, one Stephen Chow in a century" is no joke.

This is not the end. On the second day of the Chinese New Year, the box office reached a new high, closing at 8842 million.

After two days of release, the box office of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" approached 1.7 million yuan, and its unrivaled momentum made the entire film industry once again realize the powerful appeal of Stephen Chow, which is simply unstoppable.

The film also has a very good reputation online, with an online rating of 7.5, which is really impressive for a Hong Kong comedy.

Based on this start and reputation, even if the Spring Festival period is not as good as the Lunar New Year period, it is highly likely that "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" will surpass "Lost in Thailand".

At this moment, the two Wangs of Huayi felt very regretful.

When negotiating with Zhou Xingxing, he was too stingy and let Shanhe Media take advantage of the situation. However, he did not make a prompt decision when transferring the subsequent shares.

Now I can only watch others eat and drink to their heart's content, which is really sad.

China Culture, which had just joined the company halfway, was very excited. This was the first time they had participated in such a successful movie after going public in Hong Kong, and the announcement they released to the public was quite high-profile.

“Surpass Lost in Thailand, catch up with Gravity, and strive to set a new record for Chinese-language film box office!”

At this moment, Teacher Liu, as the "spokesperson for famous works", once again stood up to defend the status of orthodoxy.

Behind him, there is a large number of loyal fans and supporters of the original work.

But no matter how he made a fuss, cursed, or felt heartbroken online and in front of the media, the major producers, Stephen Chow, and even the main creators all ignored him. Even netizens didn't want to pay attention.

However, this monkey show also added a lot of popularity to the movie.

The phenomenal performance of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" made Yang Mi, who was currently promoting "Seattle", feel a little regretful.

Although that character did not have too many scenes, but looking at the reviews online, it is indeed very memorable, perhaps more real than the "Hongmen Banquet" which did not make a splash.

If she had won it at the beginning, she, Yang Mi, could have shouted the slogan of dominating the world during this Spring Festival and become the biggest winner.

Unlike Yang Mi's regret, Huang Bai can be said to be in high spirits these two days.

"Lost in Thailand" has just ended its theatrical run, and "Journey to the West" is coming right after. For two consecutive months, there have been movies released that have the potential to dominate the top of the box office charts. He is simply God's chosen one.

The producers of "101 Marriage Proposals" were also very happy and decisively seized this opportunity, starting to take advantage of Huang Bo's popularity and hyping up all kinds of scandals between him and Lin Chi-lin.

Unexpectedly, the effect was very good. The movie’s box office on the first day was as high as over 2000 million, creating the best result for Taiwanese movies in the mainland.

For a time, Huang Bo, who had an ordinary appearance, became one of the most powerful and box office-appealing actors in the mainland.

In comparison, it is really hard to describe Zhen Zidan, who lost the "Ip Man" series, offended Ying Huang, and ruined his reputation because of "Special Identity".

When the first-day box office of "Together" came out, even the media was too embarrassed to give specific figures, and only made general reports:

"The romantic movie "Together" starring Zhen Zidan, Yang Ying, Chen Yanxi and others took in less than 50 yuan on its first day of release."

When the report came out, colleagues in the industry were shocked. What the hell is this result?
You know, the total investment in this movie is more than 50 million, but the box office on the first day was less than . Not to mention making a profit, maybe by the time the movie is off the screen, the money won't be enough to pay for Zhen Zidan's salary, right?

This movie has just been released and it has already been sentenced to death.

The most ridiculous thing is that there is no rating for this movie on Impression.com because the number of viewers is too small and the rating system is not open.

But even so, the addicted audiences could not resist the urge to complain, and the movie review section was filled with condemnation:
"God knows how I spent the past hour. To describe this movie as a melodramatic film is an insult to melodrama. There is no plot at all."

"The old cucumber is painted green, and Zhen Zidan's love movie is simply disgusting."

"As an action star, you should just act in action movies. Why do you have to show off your acting skills in a romance movie? Don't you feel embarrassed? To be honest, Yang Ying is a better actor than you."

The Spring Festival movie season in China is in full swing, and Wei Jin is also not idle in North America.

While accompanying my wife and children, I also found time to wish New Year's greetings to my familiar friends, girlfriends, elders and some leaders in China through phone calls or WeChat.

Jing Tian finished her work on the announcements before the New Year. She has been staying in her hometown with her parents these past two days. She also took some time to visit her father and uncle. She can be said to be a good daughter-in-law in China.

Liu Yifei's itinerary was similar. She accompanied Liu Xiaoli to her grandmother's house during the Spring Festival. It was said that the old lady was not in good health and needed a wheelchair.

Wei Jin was very relieved on the phone, because he remembered that until his death, Liu Yifei's grandmother seemed to have no problems and lived a long life.

Liu Shishi returned to the capital and lived in her parents' home. She would occasionally go to the Xishan Villa to reminisce the happy times they spent together.

Others such as Naza, Liu Yan, Zi Xuan, Xiao Bai and others also expressed their longing for Wei and Jin to varying degrees.

Especially a few assistants, who sent all kinds of seductive photos and voice messages, which made Wei Jin say he couldn't handle it. It was a pity to ruin this year's annual meeting program.

In addition to the gentle countryside, Wei Jin did not forget his business and took time out to attend two public relations receptions for "Gravity".

After all, the final list will be released on the 19th, and as a director, he still has to show up a few times.

It is worth mentioning that at the cocktail party, Wei Jin met Bob, the senior executive of Disney again, and the two sides reached a certain degree of cooperation.

On the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Wei Jin took Zeng Li and Dudu to a new location for filming - Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

South Dakota is more than 2,000 kilometers away from Los Angeles. When Wei Jin and his family arrived at Rapid City Airport, it was already evening, and Chen Xi came to pick them up. After meeting, Wei Jin looked them up and down and couldn't help laughing.

"Chen Xi, your family has a great family. I haven't seen you for a few days, but you've gained weight."

"Boss, I only gained two kilograms. How can you tell that?" Chen Xi looked incredulous.

"It's impossible to be two pounds. You have a double chin."

"Ah? Could it be that the fat has grown on your face?"

Seeing Chen Xi touching his cheek with a look of annoyance, Zeng Li rolled her eyes at Wei Jin, then consoled him:
"Chen Xi, don't listen to his nonsense. You can't tell at all. Besides, you're not on stage, so you should not be too thin. You're good like this now."

Chen Xi realized that he was being teased by Wei Jin, and gritted his teeth in hatred: "Boss, you are so mean."

"Hahaha"

After some banter, Wei Jin asked about the crew's arrangements, and Chen Xi answered them one by one.

"Thank you for your hard work, Chen Xi. After the filming of this drama is finished, I will give you a good vacation."

Wei Jin's tone was very sincere. As a producer, Chen Xi was very busy during this holiday. He rushed back to China on New Year's Eve, flew over directly on the second night of the New Year, and started arranging work on the third day of the New Year. He arranged everything in perfect order. He was really a very worry-free housekeeper.

"Boss, isn't this the case in our line of work? You haven't rested for long, have you?"

Chen Xi said nonchalantly that she was already very satisfied with the treatment given by Wei Jin.

In fact, in the entertainment industry, actors above the third line do not have the concept of vacation, and this is even more true for those working behind the scenes.

After all, the drama is more important than anything else. Many people want to start work but don’t have the chance to do so. Moreover, after filming, they can take a break whenever they want.

Chen Xi even feels disgusted with those celebrities who often complain about being tired, hard-working, pitiful, and how difficult it is to be in the film and television industry on Weibo in order to gain media attention and sympathy from fans.

Why are you pretending? If you really hate the hard work and tiredness, why not just change your career?
Why not change? Why do you stick to the entertainment industry? Do you think others don't know?
This kind of behavior is really shameless.

After a night's rest, Wei Jin started filming "Nomadland" the next day, while Zeng Li and her bodyguard took Dudu for a stroll.

South Dakota is a large agricultural state in the Midwest of North America with a very beautiful environment. However, the Badlands National Park where the filming took place is almost entirely made up of bad landforms.

This geological formation is usually formed in a semi-arid climate and is characterized by numerous canyons, ridges, and sparse vegetation.

Although the scenery is not pleasant, it is very unique and Zeng Li and Dudu don't find it boring.

After a day of filming, Wei Jin took Zeng Li and her daughter to taste the local specialties - Chislik and Nofla.

I have to say that North America is really a place with a poor history and has absolutely no food culture of its own.

Chislik, which originated in Russia, is deep-fried cured meat, including lamb, pork and beef.

The taste is acceptable, but it is far inferior to the authentic domestic bacon.

As for Nofla, it is a soup with chicken broth, dumplings, potatoes, celery and carrots mixed together. Not to mention the taste, it is really filling.

After sighing that North Americans are not picky eaters, Wei Jin took Zeng Li and Dudu and walked slowly back to the hotel, just to digest the food.

Back at the hotel, Zeng Li was busy giving Dudu a bath. After all, the air in South Dakota is dry and the dust outdoors is still quite strong.

Wei Jin took the opportunity to pay attention to two movies produced by the company.

Stephen Chow is really awesome. The daily box office of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" is around 8000 million, accounting for nearly 7% of the market share.

After 4 days, the box office has reached 3.36 million, which is a bomb.

However, Wei Jin predicts that there will be some impact today because the last two movies of the Spring Festival, "Seattle" and "Perfect Match 2", have been officially released.

With Xue Xiaolu's reputation as a 5 million yuan director and the participation of Yang Mi, who just won one of the four young actresses, theaters are generally optimistic about "Seattle" and have given it a good screening schedule, averaging 28%.

“Now it depends on the attendance.”

After mumbling to himself for a while, Wei Jin posted a message on Weibo to help promote "Seattle".

Afterwards, Wei Jin called Jing Tian and Liu Yifei respectively. After all, it was Valentine's Day in China, so the sense of ceremony was still necessary.

Of course, the Wei and Jin dynasties did not forget Liu Shishi.

By the time he finished the task, more than an hour had passed. Wei Jin noticed that many celebrities had reposted the Weibo post he had just sent.

When he returned to the house, he saw the beautiful woman who had already bathed and changed her clothes. She was emitting an alluring fragrance and was looking at him with a half-smile.

"Did you handle those girls?"

Wei Jin walked over and embraced the beauty's slender waist. He gently applied force with his hands, and the fragrance came to his face. He lowered his head and took a deep sniff at the fullness, then raised his head and smiled: "Sister Li, they can only listen to the sound, but I am yours tonight"

Zeng Li rolled her eyes at Wei Jin and said, "I told you you're fat and you're out of breath. Yuanyuan and I won't care about you, so don't push your luck."

It was rare to see Zeng Li acting like a little girl, and Wei Jin thought it was quite interesting. He said nothing, but his hands wandered restlessly on her silky pajamas.

"Hmm~Xiao Jin~~~"

Before the Spring Festival, Zeng Li had relatives coming over. She hadn't eaten meat for almost a week and was itching to eat some. She soon became immersed in Wei Jin's gentle and seductive skills and couldn't help sending out signals.

"Don't worry, Sister Li, let's have a good Valentine's Day tonight."

After saying this, Wei Jin's hands flew up and down, freeing himself while stripping the beauty naked.

Wei Jin couldn't help swallowing his saliva when his delicate skin, which was brighter than snow, was exposed to the air.

As he grows older, he seems to be increasingly unable to resist the charm of this mature woman.

(End of this chapter)