Chapter 129: Screening of "The Ghostly Arts"
Chapter 129
On the day the filming of "Just Right" wrapped up, a photo of Lin Yuan and Qi Lian holding flowers went viral.
It was just an ordinary, unremarkable photo, but in Sangzi's eyes, Lin Yuan looked much gentler in the photo.
This makes her really look forward to "Just the Right You".
After all, this is Lin Yuan's first idol drama. Lin Yuan has played so many profound roles, and Sang Zi really wants to witness a more youthful side of him.
...
After "Just the Right You", Lin Yuan's main task became losing weight.
The studio hired a professional to strictly supervise Lin Yuan's meals. Lin Yuan suddenly realized that during this period, his diet was probably worse than that of a kangaroo.
The news that he will star in "Bloody Past" has not been made public yet. It's being kept very secret outside the industry, and not a word has leaked out. But those in the industry who need to know already know, and probably also know that Xu Lijia had his eye on this script before.
The role of Wei Liang would be more suitable for Xu Lijia in terms of age, as Lin Yuan is considered too young. Ren Maoxing had also had this concern before, but Lin Yuan has already proven himself with "The Powerful Minister"—he has absolutely no problem playing roles with a wide age range.
As for offending Xu Lijia, Lin Yuan felt that if he counted carefully, he had offended too many people, so one more wouldn't make a difference.
That's always been the case in the entertainment industry; the chances of rivals becoming friends are very low.
Lin Yuan had no idea that his contact with Xu Lijia would come so early.
After August, the release date for "Ghost Arts" was confirmed. The film abandoned the summer season and finally settled on a late September release date.
Although the competition among new films in October is fierce, the production team wants to leverage the advantage of its early release in September to build positive word-of-mouth and capitalize on the holiday buzz.
Of course, the likely outcome is that it will lose the box office battle in October—those who dare to release their films during the National Day holiday are all big players with ulterior motives.
It can be said that the true intentions of "Ghostly Arts" are known to everyone.
The only card that "Ghost Arts" can play right now is the collaboration between Lin Yuan and Yu Ying. However, as a remake, "Ghost Arts" is not a genre that can achieve commercial success. Yu Ying's ability to carry the box office is not strong. As for Lin Yuan, "Ghost Arts" is Lin Yuan's first film as the lead actor, and it is still unknown whether he has the ability to carry the box office.
To some extent, "Ghost" seems to have many advantages, but a closer analysis reveals that the film is full of disadvantages.
As the lead actor, Lin Yuan naturally had to take on the task of promoting the show.
Actually, after the promotional period started, the public's opinion of "Ghost Arts" was better than when the release date was first announced, mainly because the trailer was released.
Even if the essence of the entire movie is in the trailer, it must be said that the trailer edited by the "Ghost Arts" crew is exceptionally attractive.
A scholar who gets a heart transplant, a wife who gets a head transplant—human desires are magnified infinitely and greedily on screen. One second they are pouring out their hearts to each other, and the next they are ruthlessly cruel.
Lin Yuan is once again dressed in ancient costume, still a scholar, but the character of Zhu Sheng is completely different from Shao Jing.
Zhu Sheng gives people a feeling of utter darkness, and the overall tone of the film "Ghost Arts" is also dark.
"Objectively speaking, judging from the trailer, Lin Yuan and Yu Ying definitely acted well, but that's not enough to entice me to go to the cinema."
+1.
...
One advantage of "The Art of Ghost" is that the late September period is usually quiet, and "The Art of Ghost" is considered a blockbuster in this time, achieving an astonishing 27.8% of screenings on its opening day.
Director Liu Xiaoguang admitted that if the film were released during the National Day holiday, given his influence, he might not even be able to secure 5% of the screenings.
Lin Yuan & Yu Ying: "...Don't give up on saving us, have more confidence in yourselves."
"Confidence is something that has never existed." The director said with a tragic expression, "It's all up to you guys."
"I can't do it," Lin Yuan surrendered first.
Yu Ying: "...If you can't do it anymore, are you going to rely on me? I've wanted to cling to you from the very beginning."
Lin Yuan: "...Could you please not say things like that?"
What kind of people are in their film crew?
In any case, after the publicity campaign began, the production team of "Ghost Arts" changed its approach.
There's no need to elaborate on the specific story of this movie; viewers familiar with supernatural tales and legends will know that this isn't a selling point.
Therefore, the selling points must be changed.
As the release date draws ever closer, the production team of "Ghost Arts" has changed their promotional slogan—
[Yu Ying brutally beats up scumbag Lin Yuan. See you on September 21st for "Ghost Arts"!]
The promotional slogan was accompanied by particularly cheerful emojis, and even included a GIF showing a kangaroo being brutally beaten by another kangaroo on a vast plain.
Lin Yuan: "..."
Can you please not be so happy?
Although Zhu Sheng deserved to be beaten, Lin Yuan also agreed that he was a super scumbag.
Although he only wanted to give his wife a head transplant, the essence of this act was that he wanted to get a new wife.
The new trailer is also starting to adopt a short drama style—
It started with Zhu Sheng kowtowing before the statue of the deity, begging for a head replacement for his wife, Mei Niang.
The statue asked him several times, but Zhu Sheng always gave only one answer.
He won't regret it; he insists on changing.
Zhu Sheng could almost picture himself becoming a winner in life once Mei Niang successfully underwent the head transplant.
The four characters "Life Winner" seemed to be nailed to the screen, shimmering with golden light.
The next second, the camera cuts to Zhu Sheng's reluctance to go home, preferring to wander the streets rather than face Mei Niang.
"She...she is not my wife!"
"How can she not be your wife? You, Zhu Sheng, are you blinded by joy?"
As soon as the laughter subsided, Mei Niang gracefully approached and led Zhu Sheng home.
Zhu Sheng saw her as if he were seeing a demon. In his eyes, Mei Niang was even more terrifying than a demon. Every step he took felt like walking in hell.
Zhu Sheng's scream soon rang out.
"This Zhu Sheng is really having a good time."
Amid the murmurs of the crowd, Zhu Sheng's shouts gradually faded, but the words "life winner" still shone brightly on the screen, diluting the film's gloomy atmosphere.
"Ghost Arts" also seems to be a movie worth seeing in theaters.
For the film's first promotional event, Lin Yuan and Yu Ying even performed a short skit on the spot.
Regarding the film's promotional style, Lin Yuan couldn't help but ask the director, "Isn't this really a form of fraud?"
The director remained calm: "Who cares? Let's get people in first."
It exudes an aura of wanting to rip off the audience.
Lin Yuan thought about it carefully and felt that although the movie's promotional direction was a little deceptive, it wasn't too deceptive.
At least the movie itself was good.
Lin Yuan and Yu Ying had both seen the finished film in advance and had also interacted with the audience on set regarding details of the filming process.
The two were very confident in the quality of the film. Although "Ghost Magic" might not earn high box office returns, at least it wasn't a bad movie.
...
To some extent, Lin Yuan underestimated his own appeal.
Although he has never starred in a movie, his performances in the films "Thousand Mountains" and "Killing" left a deep impression on the audience.
Moreover, the dramas "The Powerful Minister" and "Major Cases" have earned him a lot of popularity.
Lin Yuan himself was an idol, and although many of his fans left, some still stayed.
Compared to other actors of the same age, Lin Yuan is not considered a top star, but in terms of popularity alone, he is the closest to being a top star.
Some fans were already going to see the movie because of Lin Yuan's name.
Lin Yuan felt that his lack of box office appeal was simply because he had never starred in a movie.
The problem is that "Ghostcraft" was actually his first starring film.
Lack of experience does not equate to lack of ability.
On its opening day, "Ghost Magic" grossed over 50 million yuan at the box office.
Such results are particularly noteworthy in the late September period.
As a die-hard fan of Lin Yuan, Sang Zi was naturally among the first viewers to support "Ghost Arts".
This time, she invited a new companion—Mama Sang.
"Are you interested in this movie?" Sangzi's eyes widened the moment she heard her mother say she wanted to see it.
Sang's mother doesn't really like watching movies; she prefers watching dramas. Sang Zi called her several times without success, so Sang Zi stopped calling her. Unexpectedly, this time her mother actually took the initiative to ask to watch one.
“I saw this when I was a kid.” Mrs. Sang glanced at her. “Don’t think of me as a country bumpkin.”
Once inside the movie theater, Sangzi discovered that there were actually several couples in her family with the same type of audience.
Sangzi wasn't worried about the box office performance of "Ghost Arts". Although there were many negative comments from the outside world, Sangzi believed that box office performance was linked to quality. If "Ghost Arts" was good, the box office wouldn't be too bad.
If "The Ghost Art" is a terrible movie, even if she is a fan of Lin Yuan, it will be difficult for her to speak well of Lin Yuan.
She paid real money for the movie ticket, which already shows her support for Lin Yuan.
And so, Sangzi and her mother went into the movie theater together.
She hadn't had time to watch the second trailer for "Ghostcraft" yet, only the first one, which gave her a strong sense of melancholy.
The overall style of "Ghost Arts" is also somewhat depressing.
The clumsy and simple-minded Zhu Sheng was given the opportunity to have his heart transplanted, and became a truly intelligent person, which led to his boundless expansion of ambition.
Although he knew that Mei Niang cared about him and enjoyed it, he wished that Mei Niang had a beautiful face that would make him feel more proud.
The idea of replacing Mei Niang's head grew infinitely in his mind.
In the movie theater, Sang Zi looked shocked.
Zhu Sheng was like a completely different person before and after his heart transplant. Although he still had the same face, his temperament was completely different. The later Zhu Sheng was no longer simple and honest.
Next was Mei Niang's head transplant.
The scene before the head transplant is a key scene filmed by Lin Yuan and Yu Ying, in which the details of the interaction between the two characters are magnified.
Mei Niang felt only joy and dependence. At this moment, she trusted Zhu Sheng completely, but Zhu Sheng's heart was drifting further and further away from her. He was avoiding her gaze and dared not meet her eyes, but Mei Niang did not notice at all.
Sang Zi silently cursed him as a scumbag.
Facing Lin Yuan's face, she didn't feel like she couldn't bring herself to curse him. Lin Yuan had played too many villains, and Sang Zi had long been used to separating the characters from the real person.
She was somewhat hoping that Zhu Sheng would get his comeuppance.
In the movie, Zhu Sheng's retribution did indeed begin.
Zhu Sheng's transformation has already proven that he is not the same person after the heart transplant. Who can guarantee that Mei Niang after the head transplant will be the same person as before?
Zhu Sheng's beautiful dream lasted only a short time, followed by a series of nightmares.
Zhu Sheng's later experiences in the movie made Sang Zi, who was furiously cursing the scumbag, feel a little sorry for him.
But he had no chance to regret it.
Because from the beginning, the statue had already given him a choice, asking him countless times and reminding him not to regret it, Zhu Sheng firmly chose to have his head replaced.
The scene was getting increasingly eerie.
Mei Niang also revealed a terrifying side.
Sang Zi initially thought this kind of period film would be boring, but as Mei Niang became more and more bizarre, she only felt tense and wanted to see how the story would develop next.
The pace of "Ghost Arts" was faster than she had imagined.
Mei Niang's destruction grew larger and larger, and more and more strange things happened in the house. Zhu Sheng vaguely sensed it, but he pretended not to know.
He feared that if he revealed it himself, he would be the one to die.
But no normal person could endure such a life. Even though Zhu Sheng was very tolerant, he lived in terror every day. Mei Niang could appear in any corner, and he had no way to hide.
Zhu Sheng was like a wild beast facing its end, with a rope tightly gripping his throat, his eyes bloodshot and his heart filled with fear, having long lost his initial composure.
Sang Zi's heart also rose and fell, as if floating in mid-air.
It won't land on the ground.
She could even hear Zhu Sheng's breathing, a breathing that carried a deep fear.
Before buying the ticket, her expectations for "Ghost Arts" were only 60 points, the passing grade. After seeing this, her score has risen to 80.
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Author's Note: Update! [doge][doge][doge]
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