Chapter 601 Clash of Titans (5700-word long chapter) [The second movie "Fighter's Land" is scheduled for release on July 19!]

[#Fighter's Land 2 Surpasses 100 Million Yuan in Box Office on a Single Day# The original cast of "Fighter's Land 2" makes a strong comeback, and the film's box office on a weekday has surpassed 100 million yuan!]

[#Film's Single-Day Box Office Surpasses 300 Million Yuan# It's a smash hit! "Film 2" leads the box office in all aspects, achieving multiple grand slam achievements!]

[#Fighter'sEarthReversesTrend# Can it rise from 300 million? Summer box office champion in the making! "Fighter's Earth 2" is expected to break the box office record of the first film. The creative team posted a message thanking the audience.]

[#MainlandChinaWeeklyBoxOffice# The film "Fighter of the Earth 2" strongly topped the box office, reversing a six-day losing streak; "Silent Counting Magic" and "Crazy Union" performed well at the box office; "Journey to the West" and "The Wind Under the Green Trees" underperformed expectations.]

The summer heat hasn't even reached its peak yet, but the fierce battle for the summer box office has already begun. Compared to the continuous flops of domestic TV dramas, summer movies are performing quite well at the box office. Both box office revenue and discussion have reached one peak after another.

Of course, no matter how popular the release date, it has nothing to do with Shang Yechu. "Anna Doriya" won't be released for a long time, and the broadcast of "The Heavenly Emperor" is even further in the future. The only upcoming project is "The Legend of Happiness Street," in which she makes a special appearance.

There's a little anecdote in "The Legend of Happiness Street." Ji Juntao had a mistress named Xiaotong, who was originally placed in the cast of "The Legend of Happiness Street" through Ji Juntao's connections. However, after Shang Yechu decided to reform the crew, she couldn't help but feel guilty for letting someone with connections into the crew because of Ji Juntao's personal relationship. Unfortunately, Xiaotong's scenes had already been filmed, and it was too late to get rid of her. Shang Yechu sulked for a long time and even deliberately got three servings of the worst-tasting dishes in the crew canteen and ate them all as punishment.

When Ji Juntao learned of this, she slapped the table and laughed for a full half minute. Her new boyfriend had long since changed, and she had even forgotten who Xiao Tong was. She never expected Shang Yechu to remember such a trivial matter.

Fortunately, according to people at the company, Xiao Tong was diligent and sweet-talking on set, putting in the same effort he used to serve Ji Juntao into serving everyone else on the crew. From the director to Jian Xiaojun, everyone had a good opinion of him. His acting was also passable, at least his crying scenes were exceptional.

The collaboration between Qingping Entertainment and Meta Pictures is already on the agenda. "The Legend of Happiness Street" is scheduled for exclusive online streaming on Meta Pictures, with simultaneous broadcast on Yunfeng Satellite TV. Shang Yechu wasn't clear on the specific terms of the negotiations, only hearing from her assistant that Meta's offer was quite favorable.

As a trial run for collaboration between the two companies, "The Legend of Happiness Street" was given a very high profile. Shang Yechu heard that Meta Pictures originally wanted to cause trouble again, such as changing the seven actors who shared the lead roles to "Zhuang Sheng and Wu Jianing in the leading roles, with award-winning actress Qi Ming making a special appearance," etc., to make full use of the popularity of Zhuang and Wu. Fortunately, the company blocked it.

Metafilm is not easy to deal with; for a long time, their rules were the ironclad law of cooperation. If it weren't for Metafilm's twelve consecutive box office flops (now thirteen, with another flop at the start of the summer season), they would never have been so easy to talk to.

However, on the other hand, perhaps it is precisely Metafilm's arrogant adherence to its own ironclad rules that has led to its current thirteen consecutive flops. It's simply a matter of cause and effect.

Regardless, the collaboration between Qingping Entertainment and Meta Pictures, though difficult, has at least begun the process of getting to know each other. As for the various games, disputes, and compromises involved, Shang Yechu, who was immersed in the film crew, had no idea.

Since Yang Huanyi left, everyone in the "Heavenly Emperor" crew felt that Ye Chu had changed.

She seemed even more silent, a silence almost incongruous with her youthful appearance. In contrast to her quietness, she began to move more. The reduction in her screen time during the later stages of filming didn't make Ye Chu any more idle. She started wandering around the set, listening, observing, learning, and reflecting. Since photography wasn't allowed in most areas of the set, she used her eyes and mind to record everything.

The group of directors and assistant directors, led by Shao Guangji, were also her role models. Previously, Shang Yechu, not wanting to make a fool of herself, only dared to learn by observation. Now, she boldly and openly observed and learned. Every day, she followed everyone like a cable camera, making Shao Guangji quite uncomfortable.

Soon, Nina and the others also left the film crew one after another. Shang Yechu watched them finish filming, hugged them, and said goodbye.

This was a lively yet regrettable summer.

Time flies, and August has arrived.

A news story has caused a sensation across the entire internet!

One day in mid-August, near an industrial area in London, England, a truck driver was driving at night. For some reason, he got out of his truck and opened the back door of a shipping container. Once he opened the door, he was terrified.

The container, which was more than ten meters deep, was filled with corpses!

After the police were alerted, London police quickly investigated and found more than forty people inside the container, all of whom had perished. Tragically, they all died from lack of oxygen, meaning they suffocated inside the container.

The case shocked the world overnight after it was reported. Public opinion was in an uproar, and countless eyes were focused on this shocking tragedy, eager to find out the truth.

What started as a news story with a slightly terrifying and suspenseful element took an unexpected turn.

British police have informed the world that all of the more than forty dead were Chinese citizens, and that they were all illegal immigrants who had entered the country illegally!

The world was in an uproar.

Logically speaking, the accidental deaths of over forty people, regardless of time, place, year, or month, would be considered a tragedy. However, it seems that as long as it's associated with China, concepts like humanitarianism, compassion for the vulnerable, and the preciousness of life temporarily lose their meaning in the eyes of many media outlets. Foreign media immediately stepped forward to condemn and ridicule the Chinese government, posting large posters and articles worldwide, and discussing it repeatedly in various news interviews and forums. Instead of showing any compassion or pity for the deceased, there was a rather eagerness to claim credit.

Foreign media, needless to say, have long been at the forefront of this battle. If they didn't charge in every day, one would wonder if they were all dead. Interestingly, many domestic media outlets and spokespeople have also rushed out to offer their opinions, like dogs scrambling for scraps.

@CrayonClown: [They scream like crazy in the movies, but in reality, boxes of corpses are dying. Fantasy is just fantasy...]

@DreamTalker: [A bunch of people asking why these people are illegally crossing the border, hilarious! Go back to your fantasy movies, anything is possible in dreams [laughing and crying emoji]]

@IamLawyerYuan: [Just thinking about how "Fighter" and "Fighter 2" combined grossed seven or eight billion yuan, even the human smothered to death in the train carriage with his eyes rolled back in his head would proudly stand up. [Smirk]]

@Jiao Changjing: [People strive for higher positions, water flows downhill. A magnificent act of voting with one's feet, what a pity! [Hands clasped in prayer]]

The first installment of "Heroes" followed a formula almost identical to American blockbusters of individual heroism. Despite this, it still garnered widespread criticism online. The second installment sparked even more heated debate online, with the criticism continuing from the day it was officially announced until now. Numerous film bloggers, public intellectuals, and influential figures have joined the fray, launching a massive attack on "Heroes 2," creating a devastating and powerful uproar.

The most exciting event of the entire summer was the epic battle between "Fighter Alive 2" and its opponents. The conflict was comparable to the American Civil War.

Although the "Fighter" film series has been heavily criticized online, a film ultimately depends on its box office performance. No director would openly say they don't need audience revenue, just as no restaurant owner would say they don't need customers to pay. The critics of "Fighter 2," while thriving in other arenas, inevitably fall silent when faced with soaring box office numbers.

This news finally replenished the ammunition for these soldiers. Platforms led by Weibo and Zhihu immediately became lively, with people spreading the news by word of mouth, eager to participate and jostling for attention; the atmosphere was less like the discovery of more than forty deaths in Britain and more like the box office of "Fighter's Footsteps 2" dropping by four billion.

Qingping Entertainment and Meta Pictures are among the few entities that have remained silent in this battle. Qingping Entertainment has always been extremely strict in managing its artists' accounts and fans, determined to nip any problems in the bud; Meta Pictures' silence is quite intriguing and puzzling.

The turning point came in late August.

After some investigation, the British government was shocked to discover that the more than forty dead were not Chinese, but Vietnamese!

The label hastily slapped on them back then has now changed hands. They are indeed a group of illegal immigrants, just not Chinese citizens.

The internet sentiment shifted instantly, and art bloggers, film bloggers, and intellectuals all fell silent in mourning. They also deleted all the mocking remarks from a few days prior, as if they had never been posted.

Up to this point, this is just one of the most common internet incidents. There have been many similar incidents before, and there will be many more in the future.

Objectively speaking, the essence of internet trends before 2019 can be summarized in just eight words:

"Patriotism is a crime, but hating the country is justified."

If these eight characters were made into a flag, the arts and entertainment circles would be the two most steadfast standard-bearers. They not only want to hold the flag high, but they'd almost want to tattoo these eight characters on their foreheads. This tragedy, first involving China and then Vietnam, this wave of public opinion mocking the country, seems unbelievable to outsiders—it's as if these people are punching each other in the left and right hemispheres; but within the entertainment and arts circles, it's just commonplace.

As usual, artists tried to cover up their previous remarks, waiting for the next opportunity to strike. But times have changed, and the internet can't be controlled by a single group of people forever.