Chapter 130 I really dislike hiding behind the scenes and inducing things...
Chapter 130
Sang Zi had just watched "Killing" during the summer vacation, and she could only describe Lin Yuan's portrayal of Su Kai as shocking.
Su Kai is a more obsessive and purer form of evil, while Zhu Sheng on the screen at this moment appears weak, but in reality, there is also a devil within him.
For Sangzi, this Lin Yuan was unfamiliar.
Perhaps it's because... both Gu Yilou and Su Kai are figures too far removed from reality. Most people won't experience a murder in their lives, nor will they find pleasure in bloodshed.
Although Zhu Sheng is a character in a supernatural tale, his mentality easily evokes real-life experiences.
Many men want to change wives after they become successful.
Lin Yuan's acting was so realistic.
The only word to describe Lin Yuan's acting skills is "hometown".
On the screen, Zhu Sheng's plight garnered no sympathy; on the contrary, it only evoked a sense of satisfaction that he "deserved it."
In the end, Zhu Sheng didn't even show any remorse.
He didn't blame these misfortunes on his own evil thoughts; he only blamed the statue for not operating it properly, allowing the evil spirit to infiltrate and replace Mei Niang.
Sang Zi felt like she really wanted to pull Lin Yuan's face out of the screen and beat him up.
Regardless of Zhu Sheng's eventual fate, it was all deserved, it was retribution!
The evil spirit was eventually destroyed, of course. Zhu Sheng's clever mind was preserved, but as the saying goes, good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished. Mei Niang did not continue to live with him. He wanted to make a name for himself in the officialdom with his intelligence, but unfortunately he failed the imperial examinations every time. In his old age, he was poor and destitute, and his life was not even as good as when he was in his senile state.
This is the story that "Ghost Arts" wants to tell.
To be honest, if this movie hadn't starred Lin Yuan, Sang Zi wouldn't have gone to the cinema at all.
But as she watched, she became completely absorbed in it.
Whether it's the clashes between the characters or the cult atmosphere created, these are all aspects of the film that make it worth watching.
Besides that—Lin Yuan's understanding of the character Zhu Sheng is simply divine!
As a fan, she wanted to punch Lin Yuan a few times; other viewers probably felt even more...
In short, Zhu Sheng was really no good.
Lin Yuan's portrayal made him even more unlikeable.
As Sang Zi walked out of the movie theater, she still clearly remembered the scene between Lin Yuan and Yu Ying—even she, a viewer who didn't pay much attention to acting skills, could feel the sparks that flew between the two in that instant.
Sang Zi's requirement for acting is simply not to break down and not to make her want to laugh. But Lin Yuan and Yu Ying are able to make her truly experience the essence of acting.
Whether it was the innocent Zhu Sheng and the fierce Mei Niang at the beginning, the Zhu Sheng who changed his mind in the middle and the Mei Niang who hoped he would be better, or the two of them having their own ulterior motives at the end.
The eerie atmosphere of the film "Ghost Arts" is half created by the music and visuals, and the other half is entirely due to the acting skills of Lin Yuan and Yu Ying.
What is more terrifying than evil spirits is the human heart, a point that is vividly illustrated in "The Art of Ghosts".
When Mei Niang called out Zhu Sheng's name in a sinister tone, Sang Zi felt as if she could hardly breathe.
Sang Zi had known for a long time that Yu Ying was very capable. Her scenes with Lin Yuan in "Ghost Arts" even surpassed the scenes between Li Mobei and Lin Yuan in "Thousand Mountains".
At least "Thousands of Mountains" won't make her feel like she's having a sleep apnea.
That's incredible!!
Zhu Sheng, who is afraid but still tries his best to kill the evil spirit, and Mei Niang, who manipulates Zhu Sheng, are a perfect on-screen couple in Sang Zi's eyes, even though they don't have a romantic relationship.
The performance was incredibly powerful.
"The Ghost Art" has only a simple storyline and not much suspense or mind-bending elements. This story has been known for a long time, and this version is just old wine in new bottles.
But the actors still managed to carry the story with their performances.
Sangzi used to dislike remakes because the villains' stories were mostly inferior to the originals. Having seen the classics, who would want to watch a trashy remake?
However, the theme of "Ghost Arts" is different from the original, and the actors' performances... are too detailed.
It's so incredibly detailed.
While in the theater, Sangzi wanted to scream countless times.
Every scene between Lin Yuan and Yu Ying is worth capturing and analyzing.
...
On Weibo, discussions about "Ghost Arts" have gradually increased.
Sangzi glanced at the box office figures; the results seemed pretty good, at least it was ranked number one in real time.
Moreover, among the viewers who saw the movie, some liked "The Ghost" while others seemed to dislike it, but regardless of their tastes, none of them rated it as a bad movie.
Sangzi liked one of the comments.
"The Ghostly Arts reminded me of Hong Kong martial arts films from the turn of the century. It uses music and atmosphere to build a wonderful world. The wife painting in front of the mirror, the husband whose heart is elsewhere, every shot is full of profound meaning. The scene of Zhu Sheng returning home is amazing."
"Yu Ying is an excellent actress, and so is Lin Yuan. In the movie 'Ghost Magic,' the two collaborated and sparked a wonderful chemical reaction. In the movie, one is a human and the other is a ghost, but the boundary between ghost and human is frighteningly blurred."
Many viewers shared Sang Zi's sentiment—"The Ghost Art" is a very magical movie.
The movie "Ghost Arts" used the "beating up a scumbag" meme in its promotion, but after actually going to the theater, audiences found that while the meme was correct, "Ghost Arts" was not quite what they had imagined.
Of course, it doesn't quite qualify as fraud.
In summary, it's a movie that people either love or hate.
Therefore, on its opening day, although "The Ghost" grossed over 50 million yuan, some viewers still hesitated to watch it – currently, the reviews of "The Ghost" are somewhat polarized.
However, the audience's evaluation of Lin Yuan and Yu Ying's acting skills is quite consistent - if nothing unexpected happens, Lin Yuan and Yu Ying can compete for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards at next year's Golden Wing Awards and Film Awards.
During the roadshow, Lin Yuan and Yu Ying would stop to search for film reviews, and the results were usually as follows:
"Ahhh, so good!! An epic historical drama! Amazing!!!"
"The interactions between the characters are simply... divine! My God! All directors who adapt classic literature, please watch 'The Ghost'!"
"They're being mysterious and talking incoherently, deliberately creating an atmosphere of mystery. The story is clearly too simple to tell, so they're deliberately creating an atmosphere to deceive the audience."
"The director is clearly so immersed in his own art that he can't extricate himself."
Lin Yuan: "..."
On its second day of release, "Ghost Magic" still grossed over 50 million yuan, bringing its total box office to over 100 million yuan.
However, since it was a Saturday, the production team expected the box office to increase further.
The production cost of "Ghost Arts" was neither high nor low.
Although the film features special effects, the budget for those effects was limited. Lin Yuan and Yu Ying's contract salaries were not very high, and the film's expenses were mainly focused on the visuals. As one viewer commented, Liu Xiaoguang truly treated "Ghost Arts" as a work of art.
No one in the crew felt this way, mainly because Lin Yuan and Yu Ying's acting was so good that the director didn't have a chance to polish it repeatedly.
The estimated return on investment for "Ghost Arts" is around 300 million.
For the production team, breaking even is not difficult.
However, for Lin Yuan, if the total box office of this movie remains at 500 million, he may be ridiculed.
In recent years, popular actors have not appeared in movies very often. Various production teams tend to look for actors with real talent, and the film industry also has its own favorite actors.
In previous years, quite a few popular actors would participate in the films—these actors could usually generate box office figures of around 1 billion.
500 million is considered rather poor.
This doesn't quite match Lin Yuan's current status.
The word-of-mouth for "Ghost Arts" has not yet taken off. At the current rate, if it does not capitalize on the summer season, it will be difficult for "Ghost Arts" to reach a total box office of 1 billion.
If Lin Yuan had no ambition and was content to work in art films, that would be fine.
However, if Lin Yuan wants to become a superstar and achieve box office success, the box office performance of "Ghost Arts" is unlikely to support him in playing the lead role in a commercial film.
"Ghost Arts" hasn't faced negative reviews yet, after all, the movie has only just been released, and we'll have to wait and see how it fares.
Liu Xiaoguang's only hope is that, as a film with a relatively weak commercial atmosphere, "Ghost Arts" can have a long run.
...
Lin Yuan and Yu Ying have been diligently carrying out their promotional duties.
Lin Yuan had run countless roadshows in a week, and even slept on airplanes. According to their expectations, it would be quite good if "Ghost Arts" could maintain a daily box office of more than 30 million. As long as this figure is maintained, the total box office of "Ghost Arts" will not be too bad in the end.
Their efforts did pay off to some extent—the first thing that made them stand out was the interaction between Zhu Sheng and Mei Niang in the film.
The two actors performed with great care, and it is these kinds of details that are most likely to move the audience.
This clip first circulated among a small group of viewers.
The movie "Ghost Arts" is currently showing in theaters, and the uploader who posted this clip even used the hashtag #GhostArts, yet the comments under the clip are all—
When was the movie released?
"The interaction between these two, each with their own ulterior motives, is brilliant."
"It's somewhat like a film from the Golden Age, in terms of quality. What's the title, and which platform can it be streamed on?"
"Is this the movie that's currently showing? Wow, those two are really good actors."
Although audiences prefer blockbuster films, dramas like "Ghostcraft" still have their audience.
Moreover, "Ghostcraft" has a good pace; it's not the kind of movie that's so long that you'd want to doze off in the theater.
And so, "Ghost Arts" attracted another group of viewers.
In addition, Lin Yuan's fans are also working hard.
Regardless, even if "The Ghost" doesn't gross over 100 million yuan a day like those blockbuster movies, it's still a decent film that you can recommend to those around you.
Lin Yuan really acted very well.
When fans promote Lin Yuan, they always emphasize his acting skills as if showing off.
Lin Yuan has only acted in three movies in total, two supporting roles and one leading role. In each one, Lin Yuan has shown outstanding acting skills.
This is a place that makes fans proud.
They don't need to make excuses, they don't need to present various fashion data, and they don't need to cover up their idol's terrible acting skills. Lin Yuan is just excellent.
On its third day of release, despite a combination of factors, "Ghost Arts" still managed to gross 50 million yuan at the box office.
The data is very stable, which gives people a sense of reassurance.
The unique feature of films like "Ghostly Arts" is that viewers who particularly like it will go to the cinema to watch it repeatedly and analyze it repeatedly.
While the storyline of "Ghost Arts" is simple, the details are quite worth examining.
The first thing that sparked discussion among viewers was:
Does Mei Niang know that Zhu Sheng has been replaced?
The audience was divided equally between those who agreed and those who disagreed, and the argument was fierce.
The film contains foreshadowing, and even the director, Liu Xiaoguang, might not be able to provide the answers if asked.
But sometimes, that's the effect of making movies: the more unanswerable the question, the more the audience becomes hooked.
If the answer is revealed too early, the audience loses interest and their enthusiasm for the film is halved.
Then comes the question—at the end of the story, why didn't Zhu Sheng, who had his heart transplanted, get it back?
In typical scripts like this, there's always a plot where the protagonist repents and life returns to normal. Zhu Sheng's heart is already rotten, so why not let him continue to be an innocent fool?
In "The Art of Ghosts," the exchange didn't happen; instead, it led to an even more impoverished ending for Zhu Sheng.
The audience continued arguing.
There are also some topics worth discussing, such as the role of the idol in this film.
It appears to be a compassionate and merciful entity, but some viewers have suggested that it is a guide.
It was Zhu Sheng's subjective will to give Mei Niang a head transplant, but what about a heart transplant? Zhu Sheng was actually quite passive.
One speculation after another piled up, making "Ghost Arts" increasingly prominent.
Generally speaking, the period before the National Day holiday is usually quiet and there is little discussion, as audiences have already shifted their attention to the movies released during the holiday.
However, during this release period, "Ghost Arts" has attracted a lot of attention.
The production team isn't afraid of audience criticism or even boycotts; what they fear is that the audience won't care at all, and that the film's release will be as good as not being released at all.
The most direct result of these discussions was that on Monday, "Ghostcraft" grossed 45 million at the box office.
It was only slightly lower than over the weekend, with a near-zero drop.
In the quiet period of late September, the stock market is usually terribly sluggish on weekdays, but today, thanks to "Ghost Art," the daily trading volume still broke through 60 million.
While it can't compare to holidays, it's quite impressive compared to similar weekdays—the week before "Ghost Arts" was released, the box office on Mondays was over 30 million.
While it can't be said that "The Ghost Art" boosted the overall market, objectively speaking, considering the subject matter, actors, budget, and marketing, achieving this result is quite remarkable.
After all, the National Day holiday is just around the corner, and the industry's promotional focus will only be on the big-budget films released during that period.
In reality, the production team of "Ghost Arts" didn't have such a long-term vision. They just wanted to make a lot of money before the National Day holiday and take advantage of the holiday's popularity.
Lin Yuan and Yu Ying are under less pressure now. "Ghost Arts" has already grossed over 200 million yuan at the box office, so they won't lose money.
On Tuesday, the box office for "Ghost Arts" remained stable at over 40 million.
Given that there are no other strong contenders during this period, after the latest box office results for "The Magician" were released, movie bloggers couldn't help but speculate whether "The Magician" would maintain a daily box office of over 40 million until the National Day holiday.
The film industry has been quite sluggish in the past two years, and investments have become more cautious. Costs of 600,000, 700,000, or 800 million yuan are no longer common. Generally speaking, a film's total box office exceeding 1 billion yuan is considered quite good.
While a popular film season can generate high box office revenue, the production costs are also prohibitive for ordinary film crews.
"I'm waiting..."
That day, Lin Yuan and Yu Ying flew to Z City for promotional activities. Yu Ying overheard Lin Yuan muttering to himself, so she leaned closer and asked, "What are you saying?"
Lin Yuan scrolled through the screen: "There haven't been any voices predicting its failure yet, which is illogical."
Yu Ying: "?"
She couldn't understand what kind of environment Lin Yuan had grown up in.
"Our movie did quite well."
Few of the movies starring Yu Ying in the past have grossed over 100 million yuan.
She returned home with a prestigious overseas award, brimming with confidence, attempting to showcase her status as an international film queen. However, the result was... the film grossed only a few million at the box office.
That's right, only a few million.
It really is several million.
Yu Ying's initial enthusiasm instantly froze, and afterwards, she would get extremely excited whenever her box office reached eight figures.
"The Ghost" at least grossed nine figures, making it the first film in her career to break the nine-figure mark at the box office.
Yu Ying wanted to celebrate: "Don't feel pressured, you carried me to new heights."
She patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder: "You're still being mocked even if you break even, which means that in your opponents' eyes you're a very remarkable person."
With box office earnings already exceeding 100 million, and subsequent distribution on streaming platforms and overseas, they should be able to make a living.
Yu Ying's films, which grossed millions at the box office, followed this route: screening them overseas, selling them again, winning awards, and eventually breaking even.
She couldn't help but analyze for Lin Yuan: "It's probably because compared to other films released in the same period, such as last year, or at the beginning of this month, our film did quite well."
"Those who want to mock you are waiting for the National Day holiday. By then, people will be making hundreds of millions, and 'Ghost Arts' won't be enough to keep up."
Lin Yuan thought that made sense.
But in fact, Lin Yuan's prediction was wrong.
The mocking voices arrived late, but this time they didn't come from fans of Geng Yue, Ye Liuchuan, Xie Yu, and others.
It came from Xu Lijia.
The story begins with the submission of "Killing" to the Golden Wing Awards.
The film "Killing" was released during the summer vacation, which coincided with the deadline for the Golden Wing Awards. Lin Yuan was nominated for Best Supporting Actor again.
Although his screen time was short, the entire crew agreed that his performance fully deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Not long ago, the Golden Wing Awards committee announced this year's nomination list, and "Killing" was among them. Lin Yuan was once again nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the character Su Kai.
At the same time, the Golden Wing Awards also announced this year's jury list.
Xu Lijia is the chairman of this year's judging panel.
Even before the selection process began, the judges had already attracted attention, with media reporters flocking to them to try and get their opinions.
The preferences of the jury members largely determine the final winners of the awards.
Reporters wouldn't directly ask the jury members which work they liked. When it came to the Golden Wing Award, the judges would usually remain silent, leaving the suspense until the awards were announced.
But reporters will ask the judges about their tastes, what movies they like, what their vision is for the development of the film industry, and what they will do with their position, etc.
Xu Lijia was naturally one of those interviewed, and the reporters paid special attention to his views.
After all, Xu Lijia has always been known for his bold statements.
In an interview, Xu Lijia spoke frankly, saying that domestic films often face unfair treatment when receiving awards overseas, and that he would judge each film with a fair and impartial attitude.
Reporters: "…………"
Actually, everyone remembers that he didn't tear up the award for his competitor.
However, since Xu Lijia said so, everyone just assumed that he could guarantee fairness and impartiality.
Xu Lijia then talked about the movies released this year, asking him which one he liked.
Xu Lijia, who likes it, mentioned one that he really dislikes—
“I really dislike it. I think its aesthetics are outdated and don’t suit the tastes of modern audiences.”
"It has a kind of whining without reason, and I don't know what the director is trying to express."
"I can only describe the actor's performance with one word—showy technique."
"I really, really dislike it."
Xu Lijia spoke fluently, and the reporters looked excited, as if they were about to witness a good show.
They knew that interviewing Xu Lijia would definitely yield valuable information and wouldn't leave them disappointed, as Xu Lijia was very outspoken and not afraid of offending anyone.
The lucky one personally named by Xu Lijia is—"Ghost Arts".
[...The reporter noted that Xu Lijia used a total of nine "dislikes" throughout the entire article, which is sufficient to prove his disgust for "The Art of Ghosts".]
It's worth mentioning that Lin Yuan was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at this year's Golden Wing Awards. It remains to be seen whether Xu Lijia's remarks will hinder his chances of winning.
"Xu Lijia spoke my mind!"
"Finally, someone thinks 'Ghostcraft' is no good? This movie really doesn't excite me at all. What kind of taste do people who like it have?"
"Hahaha, so outspoken! Seriously, the film industry really needs Xu Lijia's fearless remarks. Hahaha, that's right, I just think Lin Yuan is showing off his skills!!!"
Xu Lijia's speech propelled "Ghost Arts" to the top of the trending search list.
Xu Lijia was, after all, a fellow actor and one of the most prestigious actors in the industry. So when he made that criticism, the entire crew of "Ghost Arts" didn't say much.
Countless experiences have shown that choosing to refute at this point will only bring more humiliation to the "Ghost Arts".
The creators were indeed very unhappy.
Now is a crucial time for "The Ghostly Arts" to win box office success. Xu Lijia's criticism will undoubtedly lower the audience's perception of "The Ghostly Arts".
Many viewers are still observing and hesitating about whether to watch "The Ghost Art". Xu Lijia's remarks could easily make them back down.
"Don't respond," the director specifically reminded Lin Yuan and Yu Ying.
The entire crew naturally knew why Xu Lijia was criticizing him. Ren Maoxing's "Bloody Past" was essentially snatched from Xu Lijia by Lin Yuan, and Xu Lijia was known for being petty, so he was making things difficult for Lin Yuan here.
However, amplifying this conflict now would make things too ugly and would only make the audience feel that the "Ghost Arts" production team cannot withstand criticism.
Lin Yuan has a bad temper, and Yu Ying also has a bad temper. The director was worried that the two of them would get into a fight with Xu Lijia.
"I have a bad temper?" Yu Ying looked at her incredulously. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Isn't this guy annoying? He acts like some kind of opinion leader." Yu Ying rolled her eyes. "When did it become his place to talk?"
Considering the overall box office performance, Yu Ying decided to tolerate it.
She pinned her hopes on Lin Yuan: "I didn't ask you to go and start a fight."
Lin Yuan: "...You seem to want me to make a scene."
"Civilized people, how can you always be arguing?" Yu Ying said with a look of disgust. "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"What I mean is, next time you should try to steal his scripts more often. Take whatever scripts he's filming and make him furious."
Lin Yuan: "..."
He deeply suspected that Yu Ying might have some misunderstanding about his fighting ability.
The production team of "Ghost Arts" originally thought that they could just bear it and let it pass. There were criticisms, but they also wanted to hear praise. Although the box office was affected to some extent, it was only to a limited extent.
But Xu Lijia wouldn't let it go.
He criticized "The Art of Ghost" in public for the second time, saying that this remake was a complete desecration of the art of film.
Yu Ying was extremely angry.
Lin Yuan's mood was naturally not very good either. Li Mobei from the "Killing" team also contacted him, saying that given Xu Lijia's attitude, the chances of Lin Yuan winning the Golden Wing Award this year were very low.
Liu Xiaoguang was still trying to persuade Lin Yuan and Yu Ying to be patient, but Lin Yuan felt that the director himself might not be able to bear it any longer.
Xu Lijia's casual remark was nothing, but for the production team, the loss was all in the box office. Who would turn down money?
If "The Ghost Art" does poorly at the box office, it will also affect Liu Xiaoguang's directing career. Who would hire a director who has flopped to make a movie?
As a result, Xu Lijia also posted his own thoughts on Weibo.
Yu Ying's anger quickly spiraled out of control.
"I also don't like 'Sunset,' 'Dog,' 'Who's Right and Who's Wrong,' 'Today,' 'The Vanishing Shadow,' and 'Love and Sincerity'..."
She reviewed all the films Xu Lijia has starred in since his debut.
“But I won’t say it, especially not during the release of these movies.”
"Because I'm not a large item."
His words immediately caused a stir in the entire entertainment industry.
Oh no, Yu Ying and Xu Lijia are fighting!
This is a well-known clash between two bad tempers.
Weibo is never short of netizens who want to watch the drama unfold. In recent years, celebrities' homepages have been filled with either beautiful photos or business deals, and there's hardly any real user activity.
Finally, some living people have arrived.
Both of them have a proven track record in the film industry and are widely recognized for their outstanding acting skills.
After being harshly criticized by Yu Ying, Xu Lijia naturally refused to back down. However, he did not respond to Yu Ying immediately, but instead tagged Lin Yuan.
"I don't have much of a problem with Ying's performance."
"Don't hide behind actresses and seduce them."
The dagger was pointed at Lin Yuan.
The discussion grew even more heated.
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Author's note: [Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds] Here it comes!
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