mijobooks Chapter 501, "Lucy" Final Cut
Chapter 501, "Lucy" Final Cut
"The White Storm" and "The Flowers of War" clashed head-on during the Lunar New Year film season, one a dark horse in terms of critical acclaim and the other the center of attention.
The media, of course, couldn't miss such an opportunity for comparison.
On December 22, Sina Entertainment published a special report titled "Two Heroes Clash in the New Year's Film Season: 'The White Storm' Makes a Comeback in Reputation, 'The Flowers of War' Is Embroiled in Controversy".
The article provides a detailed comparison of the two films' box office performance, critical reception, and online popularity, concluding with a single sentence.
"The White Storm won over audiences with its quality, while The Flowers of War retained its popularity with its controversy."
This statement aptly summarizes the current situation.
The box office of "The Flowers of War" did not collapse due to the controversy.
Conversely, the discussion about the authenticity of the investment actually brought extra attention to the film.
Many viewers who originally did not plan to see this movie went to the theater out of curiosity about "where the 600 million was spent".
This created a strange phenomenon: the film's reputation continued to decline, but its box office revenue did not plummet. On its seventh day of release, the daily box office revenue was still around 30 million.
The cumulative box office has exceeded 200 million.
Zhang Weiping stated in a media interview: "Every penny of the money spent on 'The Flowers of War' was spent on things that the audience could see."
The questions raised about the cost are malicious attempts by people with ulterior motives to smear us.
However, he refused to provide any financial details to support his claim.
Zhang Yimou's side has remained completely silent.
A reporter attempted to ask questions about the authenticity of the investment at the promotional event for "The Flowers of War," but was stopped by staff on the spot.
December 25th, Christmas Day.
A light snow fell in Beijing, covering the bare branches of the ginkgo trees in the capital's villa district with a thin layer of white.
Fu Yibai sat on the sofa in the living room, and Fu Zhaoning was asleep, lying on his chest, clutching his index finger.
Fu Jingchen lay on the crib next to him, quietly chewing on his fist.
Yang Rong brought out two cups of hot chocolate from the kitchen, handed one to Liu Yan who was flipping through a magazine, and sat down next to Fu Yibai with the other cup in her hand.
"How's the box office for 'The White Storm'?" Yang Rong asked.
"The total has reached 150 million."
"They can still make a push during the Christmas season, and the final gross should be around 600 million."
Fu Yibai gently patted his daughter's back.
"What about 'The Flowers of War'?"
"Two hundred million two hundred million."
It's estimated that it won't ultimately reach 700 million.
Liu Yan put down the magazine, picked up the hot chocolate, and took a sip.
"Zhang Weiping has really gotten himself into trouble this time."
Offending the entire industry resulted in a film that wouldn't even reach 700 million.
"I knew Zhang Weiping was a greedy and treacherous person the moment I saw him, and he would never amount to anything."
Yang Rong leaned back on the sofa and looked at him sideways.
Do you think he can still work in this industry after this?
"Yes, but you can only stay on the fringes."
Huayi Brothers and Fiber Optics have made it clear that they will no longer cooperate. Although China Film Group has not made a public statement, it will certainly not give them a friendly look anymore.
"In the future, it will be ten times harder for New Pictures to find investment, hire actors, or secure screenings compared to now."
After saying this, Fu Yibai looked down at his daughter who was sleeping on his chest.
The little girl's hand, which had been gripping his index finger, had loosened, and a glistening drop of drool hung from the corner of her mouth.
On January 26th, Beijing experienced another snowfall.
Fu Yibai was looking through the storyboards for "The Wandering Earth" in his study at the capital villa when his phone vibrated on the table.
The caller ID on the screen reads "Old Zhou".
"Mr. Fu, the final cut of 'Lucy' is out."
When would you have time to come and take a look?
"Tomorrow morning, please."
"Okay, I'll get the screening room ready."
After hanging up the phone, Fu Yibai leaned back in his chair and rubbed his neck.
At 7:30 a.m. the next morning, Zhang Xinyu parked her car in front of the villa.
When Fu Yibai got into the car, she was checking her schedule for the day on her tablet.
"Mr. Fu, there are no other meetings scheduled this morning besides watching the film."
"At 2 PM, Mr. Zhao has a document that needs your signature. It concerns the content budget for Nebula Video in Q1 of next year."
"OK."
A dozen minutes later, the car stopped in front of the Chenxi Building.
The young woman at the front desk stood up and gave a slight bow when she saw Fu Yibai enter.
He nodded and headed straight for the elevator.
When we arrived at the screening room, Lao Zhou was already waiting there.
"Mr. Fu."
Old Zhou stood up.
"Please sit down."
Fu Yibai sat down in the middle of the first row and draped his coat over the chair next to him.
"Just put it down."
The lights in the screening room dimmed, the screen lit up, the Morning Light Media logo flashed by, followed by an aerial shot.
The streets of Hong Kong emerge from the dawn mist, and Lucy, played by Liu Yifei, walks alone on the empty sidewalk.
Throughout the 110-minute film, Fu Yibai did not utter a single word.
Old Zhou secretly observed his reaction from the side, but Fu Yibai's expression didn't change much from beginning to end.
After the end credits finished rolling, the lights came back on.
Fu Yibai leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a few seconds before nodding.
"That's fine."
This version is fine.