Chapter 690: Box Office Targets: 3, Aiming for 5, or Even 6 (10,000-word Update!)

Lu Yanhe returned to China with a Golden Globe Award trophy and the others.

Taking the Spring Festival as a turning point, this is the second international award for screenplay/writing he has received this year.

He was very satisfied and content.

His achievement also satisfied the people at the broadcasting company.

In terms of international awards, Lu Yanhe's team has consistently produced a steady output every year, and he also leads others to achieve similar results, giving them something to write on their work reports.

This is also why Lu Yanhe's works generally do not encounter obstacles in the country.

Because his works can benefit people from all walks of life, people from all walks of life will help him overcome obstacles.

The State Administration of Radio and Television is about to hold a symposium on "Friends".

Just as the second season was airing, Friends won an award at the Golden Globe Awards.

However, Lu Yanhe had no time at all; January was a "month of death" for him.

Filming the final episodes of Friends, rehearsals for the Spring Festival Gala, and the selection process for the Lingyun Awards for TV dramas.

And, this Friday, "The Telephone" will be released.

Originally scheduled for release on New Year's Day, it was postponed by a week due to unforeseen circumstances (actually, it was because I forgot to write it down).

So, after returning to China, Lu Yanhe and his team went back to the film crew immediately to rehearse and film an episode of "Friends." Then, he rushed to the premiere of "Telephone."

The premiere of "Telephone" was a grand affair, not the kind of private screening for friends at a movie theater. It featured a red carpet, celebrity friends in attendance, and over twenty media outlets taking photos and videos on site.

It's not for any other reason than that the market positioning of the movie "Telephone" is that of a commercial suspense thriller.

These types of films are destined not to have a large box office in the domestic market, but with proper publicity and marketing, they may be able to achieve a box office of 300 to 500 million yuan.

This requires some big exposure—

Especially considering that the film stars the popular actress Jiang Yuqian and has Lu Yanhe as the screenwriter.

What movies need most is to let the audience know that a movie has been released and that they should come and see it.

-

It must be said that at this time, the buzz he and Jiang Yuqian generated at the Golden Globe Awards had a significant positive impact on "Telephone".

Lu Yanhe specially invited the entire cast and crew of "Friends" to attend the premiere of "Telephone" in full regalia.

Besides them, Li Zhibai, Chen Siqi, Huang Kairen, and others who were available also came.

The stars are shining brightly.

To host a premiere like this, excluding the appearance fees of celebrities, a relatively luxurious event would require a budget of around 700,000 yuan, covering venue rental and setup, staff salaries, media travel expenses, and so on. Therefore, in the internet age, it's rare for film companies to hold such premieres anymore—the cost-effectiveness is not high.

The reason they could afford to promote "The Telephone" was that Jiang Yuqian and Lu Yanhe, being the producers and investors themselves, were essentially free to participate. Other celebrity friends also contributed largely free of charge; only the host was hired on the spot and required payment. Therefore, by hosting a premiere, they could save a significant amount on celebrity appearance fees.

Because the Golden Globe Awards and the premiere of "The Telephone" were basically seamlessly connected.

When Lu Yanhe appeared and arrived at the media interview area, almost everyone was asking him about the Golden Globe Awards.

Lu Yanhe said, "To be honest, for a foreign, non-English-language TV series like ours to receive so many nominations at the Golden Globes is a recognition in itself, at least that's how I feel. Of course, the other nominated series are also excellent, and the creators are all excellent, but I also believe that we are just as great. If we hadn't worked so hard and persevered for so long, we wouldn't have received these Golden Globes nominations."

The reporter said with a smile, "Everyone says that if you hadn't missed seasons two and three of Friends, the series might have already started winning international awards."

"How could that be? The achievements Friends has made to this day, I mean in terms of awards, are entirely due to the audience's love for it, which has led to its popularity and influence. I am very clear that the subject matter, the acting style, and even the characters of this show are not what mainstream awards tend to favor or prefer."

"Is there any hope that 'The Telephone' will get the two leading actresses nominated for acting awards?" a reporter immediately asked.

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "I don't know. It depends on how the judges of those film awards view this movie. However, Sister Yuqian and Wang Jing's performances are absolutely brilliant. I've already seen some clips, and I'm very pleasantly surprised. Moreover, whether an actor can win an award for a movie is definitely not the primary consideration. So, before watching the movie, let's forget about this for now and just watch it with a normal mindset. We can discuss this matter afterward."

After accepting these interviews, Lu Yanhe nodded and indicated that he had to leave first.

-

"This is purely an experiment. This kind of subject matter includes elements of many genres, such as suspense, soft science fiction, and thriller."

After entering the backstage rest area, Lu Yanhe chatted with director Wang Zhong, who had come to support him, about "Telephone." When asked why he wrote such a film script, he explained it this way.

Wang Zhong said, "You really do have a wide variety of creative themes."

“Yes, because I really have a lot of stories in my head,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “Moreover, I dream a lot, and each dream is a complete story. After waking up, I just write the story down.”

He always had to find a reason for why he was able to come up with so many different stories.

dream.

That's the plausible reason he gave himself.

After all, anyone can accept that when a person dreams, the content of their dream can be a story completely unrelated to their own life, and that one night, one dream, can be a complete story.

Wang Zhong said to Lu Yanhe, "Raise the Red Lantern will most likely be selected for the main competition at this year's Xituer Film Festival. Would you be free to come with us to Xituer then?"

Lu Yanhe said, "It depends on the specific dates. If 'Raise the Red Lantern' can be shortlisted for the main competition this year, that would be great. Liu Bige is also one of the judges for the main competition this year."

"I heard you originally wanted to, but you declined?"

“Yes, being a judge would take about twenty days from start to finish, and I simply can’t spare that much time,” Lu Yanhe said.

Wang Zhong: "The Big Carlo Film Festival contacted me this year, wanting me to be the president of the jury."

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe looked at Wang Zhong in surprise. "Really? That's amazing!"

Wang Zhong: "I hope you can come and support us in BiCarlo this year."

"I'll try," Lu Yanhe said. "Shouldn't we send more Chinese-language films to BiCarlo this year?"

"I heard that the film selection process at Picardo wasn't going very smoothly this year, with many films being snatched up by Citrus," Wang Zhong said. "The slightly weaker ones were also snatched up by Venice. Now, Picardo's influence is slightly less than that of the Big Four international film festivals."

"Its commercialization level is not very high. Among the Big Four, it is the least niche."

"What about you? Do you have any films? If they're suitable, could you send them to Carlo?"

“Me? I really don’t have any films that are suitable to submit to international film festivals anymore. At most, I can submit ‘Dragon Inn’ to Jose, but Jose might not even like it. Apart from that, ‘Home Alone,’ which just started filming this month, or those Hollywood films, are all pure commercial films and have no chance of getting in,” Lu Yanhe said.

Wang Zhong: "That's a pity."

Lu Yanhe: "Yes, it's a pity. Other filmmakers have cultural barriers after all. Whether they can truly understand what we want to express really depends on luck. If you encounter a good and knowledgeable jury chairman, you can achieve good results like 'Three Mountains'. But if you don't encounter one, it's terrible."

"Actually, you've been quite lucky. Almost none of your films have gone unnoticed; you've received immediate positive feedback almost every time," Wang Zhong said.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"That's true, I was very lucky, I admit it."

Wang Zhong: "I've made two movies with Chen Bige, but I haven't properly worked with you as an actor yet. After we finish 'Raise the Red Lantern,' let's work on a script and make a movie together?"

"Do you want me to star in it?"

"right."

“Okay.” Lu Yanhe nodded.

Wang Zhong said, "Although I haven't figured out what kind of notebook I should make yet."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"Director, what kind of script do you want? Do you want to write it yourself, or should I write it?"

“Anything is fine.” Wang Chong smiled. “It’s just that after making ‘Three Mountains,’ ‘Rouge’ and ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ in a row, I’d like to make a play that’s a little less heavy.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“Understood,” he said. “Then I’ll wait for your call. Let me know in advance when you plan to start filming, and I’ll reserve my schedule for you.”

"Mm." Wang nodded.

-

Fortunately, since "Telephone" is a film with two female leads, Lu Yanhe doesn't have to worry about overshadowing the male lead.

Lu Yanhe, as the main creator of "Telephone", has been busy making arrangements and welcoming everyone's arrival.

Lu Yanhe was busy until the movie was about to start showing before he could finally stop.

Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing sat next to him.

Hold your breath and concentrate.

From the very beginning, the film is set in a very dark tone, without any attempt to conceal it, and the background music carries a faint, cold feel.

In this movie, Jiang Yuqian uses a "fake no-makeup" look.

very beautiful.

She wasn't wearing heavy makeup, but she did put on some lipstick before driving back to her hometown.

This is very different from Jiang Yuqian's usual image in front of everyone. She deliberately made her makeup "natural" but not ugly. Instead, it was a different style. So, when she appeared, her image was refreshing.

Lu Yanhe approves of this change.

Because once an actor's face is recognized by the audience for a long time, it will inevitably lose its novelty due to familiarity. At this point, the actor must work hard on the character's appearance in the film, such as changing long hair to short hair, slightly altering the image and character feeling through changes in weight, or even adopting a completely different style.

It's not necessary to undergo complete plastic surgery to change preconceived notions.

In the films "Late Autumn" and "Finding Mr. Right," Tang Wei's face is essentially the same, but the feeling she evokes is quite different. In the former, she exudes a somewhat decadent, artistic quality, while in the latter, she portrays a more refined urban girl.

Zhang Ziyi's image in "The Grandmaster" is also—

She had already been famous for over a decade, and her face had been seen countless times, yet Wong Kar-wai still managed to capture a side of her that had never been shown before. In particular, the scene where she and Tony Leung walked down that quiet, deserted street, looking up at the sparse signs, and her quiet demeanor and the melancholy in her eyes at that moment almost created a scene that she could never relive again.

In the movie, Jiang Yuqian's character has almost a one-woman show during the first twenty minutes of the film.

Before watching the movie, Lu Yanhe's biggest worry was that Jiang Yuqian would overact in this film. It's not that Jiang Yuqian lacks acting skills, but she doesn't quite know how to subtly simplify her performance.

However, to his surprise, Jiang Yuqian finally changed her habitual performance style and chose a more restrained performance approach.

Lu Yanhe whispered in Jiang Yuqian's ear, "Sister Yuqian, you give me a completely different feeling than before."

Jiang Yuqian smiled and said to him, "Didn't you notice?"

"ah?"

“In this movie, I’m actually imitating another actor’s acting style,” Jiang Yuqian said. “It was the director’s suggestion. He said that the easiest way for me to change my acting habits is to imitate others. Guess who I’m imitating?”

Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Jiang Yuqian said, "Zhang Lan."

Lu Yanhe stared at her in disbelief, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Everyone knows that Jiang Yuqian's nemesis is Zhang Lan.

A significant part of the reason she's worked so hard in the entertainment industry is probably to avoid being outshone by Zhang Lan.

Zhang Lan was the same.

Lu Yanhe had known about their rivalry since the beginning of their acting career, and it had continued until now. Jiang Yuqian had clearly outmaneuvered Zhang Lan, and Lu Yanhe could also sense that Jiang Yuqian was still on guard, constantly watching Zhang Lan and worried that she might make a comeback.

After all, when Zhang Lan was at the height of her career, Jiang Yuqian also rose from the bottom and overtook Zhang Lan.

Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "Why did you have to imitate your nemesis of all people?"

Jiang Yuqian said, "In the entire entertainment industry, she is the actress I am most familiar with."

The person who understands you best is often your enemy.

Lu Yanhe suddenly understood the meaning of that sentence anew.

"In fact, I really mastered the way she acted in this movie." Jiang Yuqian sighed. "Every time the director praised me for changing quickly and acting well, I was speechless. He still doesn't know who I was imitating."

Lu Yanhe: "If this gets out, I estimate the entire entertainment industry will explode."

Just kidding, even now, the fans of these two are still fiercely fighting, neither willing to let the other off the hook.

Jiang Yuqian shrugged.

-

If Jiang Yuqian's performance was refreshing for Lu Yanhe, then Wang Jing's performance shocked him.

He had long known that Wang Jing was a very good actress, especially in terms of explosive acting and her ability to portray dramatic emotional shifts.

However, when Wang Jingzhen became hysterical, Lu Yanhe was still controlled by her.

As a child abused by her mother, her madness was portrayed on screen by Wang Jing with a commanding hysteria, firmly drawing everyone's attention to herself.

A very successful performance.

Several gasps of surprise rang out from the audience.

When the movie ended, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

-

Lu Yanhe also breathed a sigh of relief.

Putting everything else aside, the overall pacing of this movie is excellent, with no dragging or dull moments.

Of course, there are shortcomings. The two storylines intertwine, and the transitions between them are not always well done. However, these flaws do not detract from the overall excellence, especially the acting between Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing, which is particularly brilliant in the later stages.

It's a bit of a pity. Although Jiang Yuqian's performance was very good, she was somewhat overshadowed by Wang Jing in the later parts due to the character's personality. Her best part was still the first half.

Lu Yanhe pulled everyone to stand up and bowed to them to express his gratitude.

The audience erupted in applause.

Especially the people in the media section, they seemed to really like the movie.

Post-screening interview session.

Many people have asked about that ending question.

Lu Yanhe said, "That's for the audience to interpret."

The host asked Lu Yanhe what he thought of the performances of actresses Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing.

Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "There's not much to say. Both of them are actresses I've worked with and know very well. Their performances in the film were breathtaking. I even feel guilty for writing the script too stereotypically. Otherwise, they would definitely be top contenders for various acting awards."

Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing both showed a pleasant surprise, feeling flattered.

Lu Yanhe turned to Jiang Yuqian and said, "Actually, I want to especially thank Sister Yuqian here, as well as Wang Jing."

Everyone was taken aback.

Lu Yanhe said, "When I was writing this script, because it was a dual female lead, I was really worried about whether I could find a suitable actress. After I talked to Sister Yuqian, I was also worried that Wang Jing had only been in the industry for a short time. I wondered if Sister Yuqian would be willing to bring Wang Jing to star in this movie. She didn't hesitate at all and immediately nodded in agreement."

Jiang Yuqian smiled knowingly, a hint of helplessness in her expression.

Why are you saying all this?

Wang Jing immediately continued Lu Yanhe's words: "Thank you, Sister Yuqian. In fact, Sister Yuqian has been helping me throughout the entire filming process. Including today, when we come to the premiere together, the dress I'm wearing was borrowed for me by Sister Yuqian."

Lu Yanhe: "I'm telling you this because I really enjoyed watching this movie. The two of them were really good at acting on screen, and the sparks flew. That sense of competition was the foundation of how good the movie was. If Yuqian had thought that Wang Jing was a newcomer and that her experience and status were far inferior to hers, and had refused to co-star with her, then the movie might have been very different."

Jiang Yuqian: "Don't give me that. You know perfectly well that as long as it's your show, I'm willing to act in it no matter who you cast."

Laughter erupted from the audience.

Lu Yanhe: "Really? What if I contact so-and-so?"

Jiang Yuqian glared at Lu Yanhe with lightning speed.

"Who are you trying to say?" Jiang Yuqian was visibly flustered.

Lu Yanhe waved his hand with a smile, "I mean, if I found a male actor who doesn't brush his teeth, doesn't wash his face, and hasn't showered for a month to act in a kissing scene with you, would you act in it?"

Jiang Yuqian: "..."

-

Following the premiere, more than twenty media outlets reported on and commented on the film "Telephone".

What was most unexpected was that seven or eight of the reviews mentioned the film's shortcomings.

For example, the portrayal and distortion of the darker side of human nature; for example, Wang Jing's explosive acting style remains unchanged, with the transition from "victim" to "serial killer" being too abrupt, causing aesthetic fatigue; for example, Lu Yanhe's script overemphasizes drama and plot twists, lacking literary quality...

Subsequently, another media outlet commented on the matter: "I don't know if Lu Yanhe is exceptionally skilled and daring, or what, but for this premiere, despite inviting so many media outlets, he didn't request a delay in releasing negative reviews. Generally, when media outlets get to see a film in advance, the production company usually asks them not to leave negative reviews. Even slightly more lenient companies require a confidentiality period for any negative reviews, meaning they can't be released until a certain number of days after the film's release. 'Telephone' truly lets the media comment freely; even with so many negative reviews now, they haven't said a word. For that, they deserve a thumbs up."

Not long after, Jiang Yuqian said in an interview: "Now, the quality of a movie can't be hidden at all. The box office results will directly reflect it. It's not like the old days when information wasn't readily available. Moreover, Yan He is right. Negative reviews of a movie are not necessarily a bad thing. Because viewers who care a lot about these things will not go to the cinema after seeing them. Simply put, it filters the audience in advance. Those who do go to the cinema will actually give the movie much higher ratings than usual. For the overall reputation of the movie, it's not a bad thing."

Another day later, while promoting the film, Wang Jing added: "Of course we have great confidence in the movie 'Telephone'. No movie is perfect, but whether a movie does its core selling point well, whether it does solid work in all aspects, whether it is sincere to the audience, and whether the audience finds it enjoyable, I believe most viewers can tell. So, we are not afraid of people saying bad things, as long as no one stirs up trouble and says things that don't exist in the movie."

“My acting style is indeed somewhat rigid. In this respect, Sister Yuqian does a much better job than me. Brother Lu also said that I need to learn from Sister Yuqian in this aspect. She gave a kind of acting temperament that I had never seen before in this movie.” Wang Jing said sincerely, “I will try my best to adjust. However, it is actually friends who really like me and have watched many of my works who have given such kind advice. They do not think that I acted badly, but that I need to expand the content of my performance. I like such meaningful criticism. It is also a kind of encouragement.”

-

The day before the release of "Telephone", Lu Yanhe went live.

He said, "Sorry for being so late tonight to go live, because a scene from 'Friends' was only just finished filming."

He invited Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing to his live broadcast room to promote the film "Telephone" before its release.

“Telephone” is a very typical genre film. In fact, I would call it a creative film, which is a film that expands on a rather imaginative and uncommon idea,” Lu Yanhe said. “I wanted to write this script because it is different from the stories I have written in the past. It is special enough and does not have the problem of homogenization. Also, it is a challenge.”

Jiang Yuqian asked, "So, is our performance the same as what you imagined when you wrote the script? Did it meet your expectations? Tell me the truth."

“Wang Jing is about what I expected, but her explosive power is even stronger than I imagined. Even if I had anticipated it, I would still be captivated by her performance. This is one of her killer moves in acting.” Lu Yanhe spoke about Wang Jing first.

Wang Jing immediately covered her face shyly.

“Sister Yuqian, you are completely different from what I imagined. The way I imagined you would act is completely different from what you are doing now,” Lu Yanhe said. “I will learn your method next time.”

"What method?" Wang Jing asked immediately, "Please give me some pointers."

Lu Yanhe asked, "Sister Yuqian, can you tell me?"

“Of course you can talk about it, what’s wrong with talking about it?” Jiang Yuqian smiled. “Just find a performance style that is different from yours but very familiar to you, and imitate it. Of course, you can’t just imitate it purely. This imitation is the process of breaking your own established performance style.”

Wang Jing looked surprised.

"It can still be like this?"

"When you act, you're basically driven by your own reasons and emotions, right?" Lu Yanhe laughed. "Basically, you're still based on genuine listening, genuine seeing, and genuine feeling."

"right."

“Over time, people will feel that you play the same role no matter what role you play,” Lu Yanhe said. “Of course, there are also actors who become very powerful in the end, but that requires a very deep level of inner strength.”

The three then talked a lot about behind-the-scenes stories.

Towards the end, Lu Yanhe brought up the topic of "competition among the actresses".

"There are fierce competitors, but there are also those who truly appreciate and support each other. Just like any workplace, you have colleagues you like and colleagues you don't like. There's nothing strange about that. It's just that everything about us is under the spotlight, so it gets magnified."

Jiang Yuqian said, "I had a very pleasant time working with Xiaojing because we both tried to compromise when possible, communicated more, and didn't keep things bottled up inside. Most of the time, that was enough."

Wang Jing nodded as well.

"I was quite nervous at first when I was filming with Sister Yuqian, but I breathed a sigh of relief after we got to know each other," Wang Jing said with a smile. "Only those who have worked with Sister Yuqian know how good she is to us small actors."

Jiang Yuqian: "Come on, you're not a nobody. Your first role was in 'Late Spring' with Yan He. If my first role had been this high, I wouldn't have had to work so hard for so many years to achieve what I have today. You should seize your opportunity. I'm rooting for you!"

Lu Yanhe asked Wang Jing, "Wang Jing, do you have any plans for your next film?"

Wang Jing said, "Not yet, I'm still looking at the script."

Lu Yanhe said, "Why don't you come and play a role in my next movie?"

Wang Jing nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay."

After nodding, he asked, "What kind of play is it?"

"Home Alone has already started filming. It's a comedy film starring Liu Teli," said Lu Yanhe. "It only has two scenes."

Wang Jing: "That's great! We can work with Professor Liu Teli!"

“Uh, your character might not have any scenes with Teacher Liu,” Lu Yanhe said.

Lu Yanhe wanted Wang Jing to make a cameo appearance as an airport ticketing staff member, the girl who was a bit arrogant at first but was later frightened by the sudden outburst of the mother character.

Very stereotypical, but very dramatic.

Of course, Lu Yanhe extended this invitation in the live broadcast room for two reasons: first, to promote "Home Alone," and second, to generate buzz for the release of "Telephone."

Suddenly, Jiang Yuqian asked, "Why did you ask Wang Jing but not me to help you with the cameo role?"

Lu Yanhe: "...Wang Jing has no plans to film anything later, and you're so busy, how am I supposed to find you?"

"You asked me to do a cameo role, just two scenes, which will be filmed in one day. I can always find the time," Jiang Yuqian said angrily.

Lu Yanhe paused for a moment, then immediately accused, "This actress just said that actresses can appreciate each other and are not just competitors, but now she's even trying to steal a cameo role. Wang Jing, if I were you, I would immediately take back all the praise you just gave her."

Wang Jing laughed so hard she didn't know what to say.

Jiang Yuqian rolled her eyes.

Lu Yanhe: "That's all for today's broadcast. Remember to watch 'Telephone' tomorrow. That's all, bye-bye."

Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing said goodbye together.

In one night, approximately eight million people watched his live stream simultaneously, with over ten million watching for more than five minutes. This was a very rare number of viewers for Lu Yanhe's live stream, considering that when he usually streams himself reading or writing, the viewership is at most thirty to fifty thousand, and never more.

After the live stream ended, Lu Yanhe checked the pre-sale box office figures for tomorrow's film "The Telephone".

Very good pre-sale results, exceeding 25 million.

As a film that premieres on Friday, it is generally true that the pre-sale box office on the day before the release usually accounts for half of the opening day's box office. Based on this calculation, the opening day box office may exceed 50 million. If it really reaches this number, the opening weekend box office will definitely exceed 100 million.

That would be a very impressive box office result for a film like "The Telephone".

The next day happened to be a day off.

Today, Lu Yanhe will begin preliminary discussions with the judges of the Lingyun Award regarding the allocation of each award.

Upon meeting, there was another round of congratulations.

Lian Bei laughed and said, "You've already won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, but Friends didn't even get a nomination at our Lingyun Awards. That's really unacceptable."

Lu Yanhe smiled, waved his hand, and said, "To avoid suspicion, I won't apply for an award for myself, so I'll simply not participate."

Lian Bei said, "As the old saying goes, one should not avoid recommending relatives for the best."

Lu Yanhe: "But the old saying doesn't say to recommend someone as a worthy person, that's ridiculous."

Everyone laughed.

This year, Lu Yanhe served as the chairman of the jury for the Lingyun Awards' drama category, and he did make a sacrifice: the acting awards, screenwriting awards, and dramas produced by Linghe were all excluded from the competition.

Therefore, while Friends received a nomination for Best Drama Series, Lu Yanhe did not receive a nomination for Best Screenplay. Similarly, My Own Swordsman received nominations for Best Actress and Best Director, but Lu Yanhe still did not receive a nomination for Best Screenplay.

There was no other way; even though Lu Yanhe felt that the scripts of the two dramas deserved awards, he had to withdraw from the selection process to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

But it was precisely this attitude of Lu Yanhe that made him highly respected during this review process.

By the end of the day, everyone had basically discussed each award, and the scope of award recipients had generally been narrowed down to two choices, or a certain result had been directly locked in.

The next thing to do is go back and review it carefully, so that we can vote next time we meet and the number of votes will determine the award results.

Liu Te-li, who had taken a special leave of absence from filming "Home Alone," said, "Actually, why don't we just cast our votes today?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "Teacher Liu, I still hope everyone has some time to calm down and think things through. Because many things we say or hear right now, if we calm down a bit, we can return to a more rational track. Discussion is to help us see things beyond the limitations of our own perspective, but ultimately, this choice is based on our aesthetic sense."

Although he was the chairman of the jury, he didn't claim that he had more votes than others. He simply stated that in the event of a tie, his vote would go to whoever had it. He didn't believe that his vote necessarily carried more weight than others'.

He also knew why he was invited to be the chairman of the judging panel: because of his industry influence, and because this was the first edition, and they wanted to set a good example.

Therefore, putting everything else aside, Lu Yanhe is determined to uphold the most basic principles of fairness and justice.

Liu Teli nodded, "Alright, this is the right thing to do. We may work a little harder, but at least this year's awards were selected cleanly, and we can now proudly announce them."

Everyone nodded in agreement, packed their things, and prepared to leave.

Lu Yanhe asked Liu Teli.

"Teacher Liu, is the filming of 'Home Alone' going smoothly?"

"Sigh, I'm so worried I'm losing hair every day," Liu Teli said, shaking his head with a pained expression. "It's so hard to act."

Lu Yanhe said in surprise, "Really?"

Liu Teli: "I really doubt if I made the wrong promise, or if I should have come to act."

“No, you’ve already signed the contract,” Lu Yanhe said. “You can’t run away.”

Liu Teli: "...I've been acting for so many years, and I've never played such a stupid character before. I really don't know how to act it. I'm worried."

This made Lu Yanhe feel inexplicably guilty.

To force a veteran actor and award-winning performer to say something like this...

However, this role is difficult to play; you can't add or subtract even a fraction of the effort.

Lu Yanhe said, "If you think it's so difficult to act, then you must think it's difficult for others. It's fortunate that we invited you."

Liu Teli: "..."

Lu Yanhe said, "I can only feel at ease with someone like you as a pillar of strength."

Liu Teli: "No matter how sweet your words are, it's useless."

Lu Yanhe immediately laughed.

"What will be useful? Tell me, and I'll do it right away."

Liu Teli: "I'm too lazy to talk to you now. I'll settle the score with you after filming is over."

Lu Yanhe: "After you finish filming, I will go and apologize with a bundle of thorns on my back."

Liu Teli was helpless in the face of Lu Yanhe's shameless persistence, so he shook his head and left.

On the way back to the hotel, Lu Yanhe finally had time to check his phone.

In the production team of "The Telephone," the producer has reported the latest box office news: the opening day box office has exceeded 53 million yuan, and it is expected to exceed 56 million yuan by midnight. At the same time, the box office prediction agency has also given the film's total box office prediction: 360 million yuan.

Everyone in the group chat sent confetti emojis.

Lu Yanhe quickly added: Awesome! Thanks to the publicity team for their hard work.

He sent ten red envelopes in the work group chat.

Immediately, a group of people posted messages saying "Thank you, boss".

"The Telephone" really came at a good time.

During the January release period, before the Spring Festival, there were basically no strong competitors, which allowed "The Telephone" to secure 47% of the daily screenings. Furthermore, thanks to the Golden Globe Awards, "The Telephone" gained a lot of exposure, along with Lu Yanhe and Jiang Yuqian.

The initial reviews were positive, with overall audience feedback being quite favorable. No one thought the film was exceptionally well-made, but everyone agreed it was interesting and worth watching.

This "allowing negative reviews" atmosphere has sparked curiosity among many casual viewers about the film.

The topic has generated an explosive amount of buzz.

Spurred by the box office success on the first day, Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing went all out to promote the product.

On Saturday, the box office rose slightly by 20 million, but on Sunday it fell by 30 million. In the end, the opening weekend box office reached 170 million. The total box office performance will depend on the decline on weekdays, whether it can maintain 3 and strive for 5, or maintain 4 and strive for 6.

In any case, it's a movie that's guaranteed to make a profit.

Such box office results don't really boost Lu Yanhe's reputation.

For those in the industry, this was just another normal performance by Lu Yanhe.

However, for Jiang Yuqian and Wang Jing, it meant that they had taken a big step forward in their careers.

Jiang Yuqian finally had a leading role in a movie that did well at the box office, and she has one foot in the movie industry.

After "Late Spring," Wang Jing once again starred in a film that achieved good box office results. For someone her age, she has acting skills, a good reputation, and a successful representative work, successfully entering the first tier of young film actresses.

What surprised the industry the most was the marketing model of "The Telephone".

It completely disregarded the negative reviews from the audience—

However, under these circumstances, the box office performance of "The Telephone" was not affected.

Many people criticized the poorly made parts of "The Telephone," but very few called it a bad movie.

Most importantly, despite the fact that the script has logical flaws and loopholes, the audience was not disappointed and still found it enjoyable, feeling that Lu Yanhe had written a movie story they liked.

Why?

Do they treat people differently based on their status?

Is this discrimination?

Just because he is Lu Yanhe?

There's been a lot of discussion within the industry.

However, Mr. Huang from Longyan mentioned in an internal meeting: "Lu Yanhe is really a smart man. He knows very well that the script for 'The Telephone' is not perfect, and the movie is just a commercial subject with a gimmick. Therefore, he had long anticipated that there would be negative opinions about the movie. But he turned the audience's dislike into a marketing strategy. It's not that they don't control negative reviews, but they use a softer approach to market the film company's open attitude towards negative reviews, thereby achieving the public's impression that these negative reviews do not affect the overall popularity of the movie. As a result, even if people see some bad reviews, they will feel that this is normal and worth watching."

Huang Tai took a deep breath.

“In the past, Chen Siqi’s Jump Team did the film promotion for Lu Yanhe’s films. This time, the Jump Team did not participate. “Telephone” used the most traditional promotion method, but it achieved the best results. The box office far exceeded the pre-release estimate.” Huang Tai said, “We are now far behind in terms of market sensitivity. While we are still relying on good reviews and word-of-mouth, others have already reached another level.”

"Only he would dare to do that. Who among us would dare to do that?"

"They dare to do this because they dare to fail. They control their costs very well, and they can still make a fortune even with a box office of 300 million." Mr. Huang suddenly raised his voice and said angrily, "They can make the most of a single star, while you use an all-star lineup, investing tens of millions in salaries and still not making a decent splash. Have you even seriously studied how to use movie stars? You think you can just use any star?"

The conference room fell silent instantly.

(End of this chapter)