Chapter 158: Immortal Battle (Part 1)
Whenever Li Chen appeared, the media was always present.
Anyone who missed it was a fool.
They might miss a hot news topic.
Some people had already slipped away from the scene, not even watching the preview screening.
They weren't rushing to be reborn, but rather rushing to meet their deadlines.
After the preview screening, Andy Lau couldn't help but give Li Chen a thumbs up.
He exclaimed, "Li Chen, you really dare to speak your mind!"
Li Chen laughed, "Am I wrong, Hua Ge?"
Before Andy Lau could speak, Chen Baoguo chuckled and picked up on Li Chen's words.
"Nothing wrong at all. It hits the nail on the head! It's a wake-up call, thought-provoking."
Li Chen was never one to be shy: "I just hope some people can be as clear-headed as Teacher Baoguo."
Chen Shu and Fan Bingbing exchanged glances.
Fan Bingbing's heart stirred again, and her gaze towards Li Chen was incredibly complex.
There was the frustration of something desirable yet unattainable, a demonic infatuation, and even a hint of excitement from being a third party!
Today's Shanghai preview screening made her realize a harsh truth.
Wherever Chen Ge was, even the biggest stars became his supporting cast.
Andy Lau was no exception.
He was like a dazzling Polaris; whenever he shone, the other stars receded.
He was the undisputed eternal protagonist.
This wasn't the first time.
She wondered if Young Master Wang would be furious after seeing today's situation.
The nationwide release of the banquet was overshadowed by Chen Ge's scene-stealing.
The media's efficiency was quick, and Yang Siwei's efficiency was not slow either.
Li Chen's assistant had already reported the situation at the scene to Yang Siwei immediately.
Yang Siwei no longer had time to hold her forehead and sigh about life.
She felt that serving her boss alone was more tiring than managing four artists!
The three major portal websites almost simultaneously published the explosive news of the father's love is like a mountain 2 crew's Shanghai preview screening.
Sina Entertainment News
"father's love is like a mountain Shanghai Preview: Li Chen Declares curse of the golden flower and the banquet's Oscar Bid Futile!"
Sohu Entertainment News
"Li Chen Points Out Mainland Oscar Contenders Have Fallen into a Big Production Misconception, Pessimistic About curse of the golden flower and the banquet's Oscar Prospects."
NetEase Entertainment News
"Li Chen's Sharp Remarks Indirectly Criticize Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang for Losing Their Original Intentions! States Big-Budget Films like curse of the golden flower and the banquet Are on the Wrong Path."
The first to explode were the netizens.
"As expected of the Ion Cannon! Silent when not in action, but astonishing when it speaks!"
"Why do I feel like I've had an epiphany? On second thought, Li Chen is right!"
"Everyone else is drunk, but my Chen Ge is the only one sober! Just don't talk the talk without walking the walk. Next year, it's on you, Chen Ge!"
"I'm really curious now whether Xiao Gang Pao and Zhang Dapao will remain silent or open fire on Xiao Li Zi!"
It was already past nine in the morning in Los Angeles.
Chen Kaige and his wife both saw Li Chen's bold remarks.
Chen Kaige was in a good mood, holding the phone and giving advice to his darling on the other side of the ocean.
"Hong, I'm starting to admire him. He's a bit like me, at least straightforward."
Chen Hong really didn't know how to educate this old baby.
"Ge, he's only in his early twenties, a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, and with great wealth and power, it doesn't matter if he offends people."
"How old are you, still living in confusion all day!"
Chen Kaige's wide grin immediately closed.
His wife's constant warnings, treating him like a son, were truly disheartening.
Chen Hong didn't care what the old baby was thinking, she just dropped a line: "Focus on refining forever enthralled, don't worry about anything else."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Kaige, having been lectured by his wife, indeed became a good boy and diligently polished forever enthralled.
New Media Chairman's Office
"Bang!"
Zhang Weiping slammed the table: "Who does he think he is? China's Spielberg? Or Yi Mou?"
"What right does he have to comment on curse of the golden flower! Ignorant youth!"
The assistant stood by, subserviently, holding his breath: "Chairman, then how do you think we should respond to the media?"
Zhang Weiping was furious: "Connect the call, he's been spoiled too much!"
"Yes, got it." The assistant tiptoed out of Zhang Weiping's office.
Huayi Brothers General Manager's Office.
Wang Zhonglei sat gloomily in the black leather swivel chair.
Feng Xiaogang sat on the guest sofa, legs crossed, cursing: "Who the hell does he think he is?! There's no one in Chinese cinema he's afraid to criticize!"
"He's made a few movies, won a few lousy awards, and now he looks down on everyone!"
"He really thinks everyone in the world is his father, and they all have to indulge him..."
Feng Xiaogang cursed without restraint, yet his chest showed no rise or fall.
the banquet was his first time competing for an Oscar, and Li Chen had poured a bucket of cold water on him.
Of course he was angry, but he hadn't lost his mind.
It just felt as disgusting as having swallowed a fly.
Wang Zhonglei waited for Feng Xiaogang to finish cursing before saying, "Alright, you'll have to bear with this for now. Let's see what Zhang Weiping says."
"Why should I tolerate him?" Feng Xiaogang retorted, unconvinced.
Wang Zhonglei also got angry: "Then you go and argue with him, alright! I'm not getting involved!"
Feng Xiaogang looked at Wang Zhonglei as if he were a stranger: "Zhonglei, why don't I recognize you anymore?"
"You, the dignified general manager of Huayi Brothers, are you afraid of that hothead?"
Wang Zhonglei was agitated: "I'm too lazy to explain to you, do whatever you want!"
With that, he ignored Feng Xiaogang.
Feng Xiaogang was rebuffed.
Of course, Wang Zhonglei wasn't afraid of Li Chen, but if you wanted to refute Li Chen's words, you had to have a strong basis.
the banquet's preview screenings had received polarized reviews, but the Premiere reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
What was going on? Ordinary people didn't know, but how could you, Feng Xiaogang, not understand!
If the banquet's box office could soar and it could be nominated for an Oscar,
Then even if you said nothing, Li Chen would have to hide his face in his pants.
Conversely, no matter how much you said, in the end, you would only be slapping your own face.
As the producer of curse of the golden flower, Zhang Weiping was the first to step forward and respond.
Sina Entertainment News
"Zhang Weiping Blasts Li Chen as Arrogant and Conceited. States Li Chen is Nothing Compared to Zhang Yimou!"
"Reporters Contact Huayi Brothers General Manager Wang Zhonglei, Call Redirected to Voicemail."
"Feng Xiaogang Responds to Media: As Li Chen Himself Said, He Hasn't Even Seen It, What Right Does He Have to Comment? Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously!"
"Reporters Contacted Several Other Directors, All Phones Went to Voicemail. Only Jiang Wen Joked: I thought the same thing. If you had asked me this question earlier, my answer would have been the same."
"Reporters Contacted Wu Yusen, Wu Yusen Stated It Was Inconvenient to Comment, Lest He Be Accused of Kicking Someone When They're Down. He Said It's Better to Wait and See, and Let Facts Speak for Themselves."
Netizens, not minding the commotion, watched the show.
"Wu Yusen, isn't this already kicking someone when they're down? And 'wait and see,' he says it like it's true!"
"I knew Zhang Dapao and Xiao Gang Pao couldn't stay silent! Exciting!"
"Among these big directors, only Li Chen and Jiang Wen have character and dare to speak the truth."
"Chen Ge, don't be a coward, open fire on me!"
"I suspect this is a joint hype effort by Ion Cannon, Xiao Gang Pao, and Zhang Dapao!"
Han Sanping was also on the phone with his superior at this moment.
"Old Han, give Li Chen a heads-up, tell him not to respond anymore. This kid is too much of a troublemaker!"
Han Sanping chuckled: "Alright, I'll call him right away."
After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping remained unmoved. Yang Dong's words just now were ambiguous.
There weren't many choices to begin with, either the banquet or curse of the golden flower. With Li Chen causing such a stir,
Next year, it might not be a choice between two, or it might become a single choice.
But since the banquet and curse of the golden flower weren't produced by China Film Group Corporation, he couldn't be bothered to care.
Let Li Chen, this sharp knife, give Zhang and Feng a good scraping!
Besides, Li Chen's words had indeed enlightened him.
Perhaps using this incident could create a crack in the Chinese film market, allowing some fresh air to come in.
It might not be a bad thing; perhaps there would be more choices next year.
The next day, the father's love is like a mountain 2 crew rushed to Guangzhou without stopping.
The incident continued to ferment, and Hong Kong was not to be outdone.
"Wang Jing stated: Although Li Chen's words were a bit aggressive, they cannot be said to be wrong."
"Chen Kexin: Films should indeed focus more on the script."
Netizens all laughed, calling Chen Kexin a wise man who knew the times.
Hong Kong
Chen Kexin and Wu Junru's love nest.
Wu Junru questioned Chen Kexin: "Are you still speaking up for that brat? Have you forgotten how he disparaged us?"
Chen Kexin was quite helpless, seriously suspecting his wife had postpartum syndrome, her temper becoming increasingly unbearable for him.
"As the old saying goes, it's better to resolve grudges than to create them. Our goal is to make money, right? The mainland market is our focus. What good would offending him do us?"
"There was never an unresolvable feud to begin with, and besides, what I said was not wrong."
"Are you a man or not!"
Chen Kexin was too lazy to bother with his wife's antics anymore and carried his daughter into the bedroom.
Guangzhou Mayflower Cinema City.
Today, there were more media present than at the Shanghai event, if not more.
It was unknown how many came for the preview screening and how many came for Li Chen, the controversial figure.
The preview screening in Shanghai generally received over 80 points in terms of public reception.
However, it was completely overshadowed by Li Chen's shocking remarks.
Today, he did not plan to open fire again, otherwise, it would deviate from the theme.
No matter how the media questioned him, he always said: "Let the facts answer. Wu Yusen's 'wait and see' approach, I believe, is very objective!"
Six preview screenings were held in total across Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
To prevent unauthorized recording, audience members invited to watch the film were required to exchange their tickets with a photocopy of their ID card.
They also had to deposit cameras, video equipment, mobile phones, etc., for safekeeping before entering, and undergo a full body security check at the cinema entrance.
The time came to the Premiere of father's love is like a mountain 2 at the Beijing Wangfu Hotel on the 25th.
In recent days, painted skin 2 and china partner have successively wrapped up filming.
parents love and the age of steel have also been submitted for review and scheduled for release.
Especially parents love, which will be broadcast as CCTV's comprehensive channel's New Year's blockbuster, occupying the prime 8 PM slot.
This news made the television industry take notice, greatly envying Bearded Zhang, the king of hype.
As of yesterday, the banquet's box office had exceeded 90 million yuan, and it was a foregone conclusion that it would surpass 100 million before the "October 1st" holiday.
The first week's 55 million yuan and the second week's 35 million yuan.
Both surpassed Xiao Gang Pao's a world without thieves, which was released during the 2004 New Year Film Season. Today's father's love is like a mountain 2 Premiere.
Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang made a high-profile appearance on the red carpet, seemingly intending to spite Li Chen.
Zhang Dapao didn't come, but Zhang Yimou surprisingly did.
The red carpet was star-studded, with Orange Sky Entertainment's stars gathered.
Hairun Media's Sun Li openly appeared with her boyfriend Deng Chao.
The two let loose before filming china partner.
They were caught red-handed by the media at the beach and openly admitted their relationship.
In addition, Big Brother Long, Maggie Cheung, Sammi Cheng, Wang Jing, Huo Wenxi, and other Hong Kong big names also appeared on the red carpet.
This made the industry sigh at Li Chen's connections, thinking that even Zhang Yimou might not have such great appeal.
When Jackie Chan's rob-b-hood held its Premiere on the 20th, Li Chen was not in Beijing.
But Yang Siwei brought her artists to support Big Brother Long.
Li Chen and Han Sanping, as producers, arrived early.
On the red carpet, Wang Zhonglei smiled radiantly, and he and Feng Xiaogang were being interviewed by media reporters.
"Mr. Wang, Director Feng, everyone thought you two wouldn't come to support Director Li today, but you still came?"
Wang Zhonglei smiled: "Why wouldn't I come? Xiao Fan is still the lead actress. As Huayi Brothers' artist, how could I, the general manager, not come to support Director Li?"
Actually, Wang Zhonglei's subtext was: Why wouldn't I come? the banquet's box office is soaring. I'd like to see where Li Chen puts his face.
Feng Xiaogang, looking nonchalant, said, "I also want to see what father's love is like a mountain 2 is really like? I heard the preview screenings received rave reviews."
Inside, Han Sanping, Li Chen, and Wang Changtian stood together.
Han Sanping gestured towards the door: "Li Chen, how did these two show up?"
Li Chen's narrowed eyes sparkled with light.
He truly hadn't expected these two, especially Feng Xiaogang, to come.
It truly was a case of not taking the straightforward path, but choosing an unusual one.
"It's good they came. It's always better to talk face-to-face than to talk across the air."
Wang Changtian smiled mischievously: "My younger brother, you can't avoid the questions Liu Yan asks later. He's the host you personally selected."
Li Chen shot Old Wang an annoyed glance.
As expected, none of the 'Old Wangs' next door were any good.
Since Liu Yan asked Li Chen some tricky questions at the those years Premiere, she had gained a bit of fame.
Old Wang even vigorously cultivated Liu Yan and Xie Nan, with the intention of making them Enlight Media's resident hosts.
When Li Chen saw Maggie Cheung arrive, he proactively went to greet her.
The two hadn't seen each other in a long time.
Maggie Cheung came today at Li Chen's invitation.
Dressed in a black fitted suit, Maggie Cheung appeared even more slender.
Li Chen proactively shook her hand: "Welcome, Sister Manyu."
Andy Lau, standing nearby, teased: "Maggie, you still have a place in Li Chen's heart. I came and he didn't even come to greet me."
Maggie Cheung laughed: "You and Li Chen see each other every day. If you're not tired of it, Li Chen probably is."
Li Chen and Andy Lau both burst into laughter.
"You invited me today, it shouldn't just be to attend your Premiere, right?"
Li Chen laughed: "We'll talk about other things after the Premiere."
Maggie Cheung leaned in, tilting her head and smiling: "I'll say this first—"
Li Chen interrupted her, laughing: "I know, I know. For acting roles, you need to see the script first. Don't worry, it will definitely be different from any role you've played before."
Maggie Cheung's eyes lit up: "Alright, then I'll wait to see your script."