Chapter 211: Release Plot and Reviews
Chapter 211
To be honest, after seeing Shen Yuan in the rain, Sang Zi already had a bad feeling about the ending of "Double Blade".
Her premonition came true.
The movie theater was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, perhaps because the actors portrayed their characters' emotions so profoundly, or perhaps... it was a story that could move people in itself. Others noticed Lin Yuan and He Mian's presence, but no longer cared much.
The story of "Double Edge" is worthy of immersion for the audience.
Shen Yuan's revenge came fiercely and violently.
Perhaps he was never meant to be a policeman.
Perhaps from the beginning, he was more suited to joining a gang; he adapted to this identity so quickly that it was almost unbelievable.
However, the sky was always overcast, making one aware of the endless sorrow within.
Shen Yuan became the leader of the gang.
On this path, he had to unite with some people, eliminate others, abandon his past self, and do many things against his conscience.
There was no other way but for him to become a completely evil person so that those who hurt him could be punished.
This is his way of seeking revenge.
Ye Li, however, chose a different path from him.
In reality, the choices left for the two of them were far too narrow. Even if they had choices, they could only move from bad to not so bad. The wonderful things they had hoped for did not happen.
Shen Yuan became a big shot, while Ye Li was a key member of another faction.
A conflict broke out between the two factions.
The cruelty of "Double Edge" is gradually revealed: During their time at military academy, Ye Li and Shen Yuan were best friends. They chatted, ate, trained, and talked about their dreams together. However, within the gang, their relationship was unknown to anyone, like strangers.
They were more like two mice that no one cared about, hiding in the shadows in a corner. Even though they gained status in the gang, their mentality was different from that of ordinary people.
Once you've seen the sun, who would want to live in darkness their whole life?
However... even though their relationship is unknown to others, they are able to survive because of each other's existence.
Even if they keep hiding and concealing their identities, they still have companions.
Then, a large patch of blood bloomed on Ye Li's chest; his heart had a hole in it, caused by Shen Yuan.
They had been secretly carrying the same secret, and no matter how many dangers they encountered, their minds held a clear understanding—that person was also there.
But now, the person who carried the secret of Shenyuan has left this world.
For a moment, he hesitated; he doubted Ye Li's trust in him.
But Ye Li did not.
"No!" On the screen, Shen Yuan's voice trembled, more desperate and colder than that rainy night.
His fingers trembled, barely able to support Ye Li's weight, but all he could get in response was his hands covered in warm, fresh blood.
Don't die.
Don't die.
Shen Yuan made a sound so faint that only he could hear it, but the dead would not heed his pleas.
He achieved his goal, but also lost his only friend.
Perhaps Ye Li had long since given up on living.
Ye Li died in the summer. In the winter of the same year, a heavy snow fell. Hexagonal snowflakes left their shapes on the window. Shen Yuan heard his subordinates cursing, saying that this was not a movie shoot.
But aren't his and Ye Li's lives also a movie? A ridiculous and laughable one at that.
Shen Yuan destroyed everything he could destroy, and since he took over the gang, it seemed as if he had led it down a path of destruction.
This is one of his methods of seeking revenge.
This absurd film also has its absurd ending—Shen Yuan wants to take revenge by destroying everything, but everything he destroys also comes looking for revenge.
In the final scene of "Double Edge," when everything is plunged into darkness, a very warm song plays.
"The little yellow flower you gave me."
"It is still in bloom."
A gentle breeze blew, and yellow flowers brushed against their cheeks. Unfortunately, neither Shen Yuan nor Ye Li ever experienced such a life again.
After the movie "Double Edge" ended, Sang Zi sat in the movie theater in a daze for a long time.
This is truly a story that evokes endless melancholy.
Even more bizarrely, after the story came to an end, she didn't pay attention to Lin Yuan and He Mian's movements and didn't even know when the two of them left.
Sangzi was alright; she just felt a little sad. But when she turned around, she saw her friend's face covered in tears, and her makeup, which she had specially put on for the movie, was ruined.
"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?"
"Shen Yuan is so pitiful! Ahhhhh!" My friend clutched his chest. "To be honest, my heart is broken."
"I understand."
"Wow, He Mian acted so well! My God, I really think his acting skills have improved dramatically in this movie. He's amazing."
Sangzi agrees.
However, as a fan of Lin Yuan, she felt that Lin Yuan was even stronger. It's just that Ye Li's role didn't have as much room for development as Shen Yuan's, but... just that one scene was enough.
The scene of Ye Li's death was imprinted in her mind, and it would probably never fade from her memory, no matter how much time passed.
This is the charm that Lin Yuan brings to the character.
Double Edge is also a movie worth watching.
...
While "Double Edge" doesn't technically fall into the category of fan-driven films, both Lin Yuan and He Mian have a large fan base, so from that perspective, "Double Edge" can be considered a fan-driven film.
The first wave of people to go to the movies were fans of both sides.
To be honest, "Double Blade" didn't shock Lin Yuan's fans too much. They were already used to Lin Yuan's outstanding performances in movies, especially since there was the even more amazing "Bloody Past".
But for He Mian's fans, each scene of He Mian in the movie was so shocking that it almost made their scalp tingle.
The character Shen Yuan seems to possess divine power.
In the movie "Double Edge", Shen Yuan has a clear growth line. Although it is not so sunny, the character's transformation is clearly presented to the audience.
If fans had to describe He Mian's performance in the film in one word, they would only say "precise".
This is textbook-perfect acting.
He Mian's transformation as an actor is vividly demonstrated through this role.
Fans naturally know that the actor who plays this role is He Mian.
However, while watching the movie, they repeatedly asked themselves the same question—
Is this He Mian?
Is this He Mian, whom they know?
It was as if... through this role, He Mian became a stranger to them, yet also a familiar presence.
The character's tragedy, his growth and suffering, and his entanglement with Ye Li... are all presented so directly.
"Double Blade" is the story of two people, Ye Li and Shen Yuan, who form two sharp blades.
It is obvious that after Ye Li left this world, Shen Yuan, although still a blade, was no longer as sharp.
"The performance of these two players... Good heavens."
"I saw a completely different He Mian. Before this, I never knew that He Mian could be so amazing."
"+1+1, no wonder these two automatically turned into each other's praise machines at the roadshow. My partner is so great, of course I have to praise him too."
"Now I really understand why He Mian insisted on finding Lin Yuan for 'Double Blade', which is a project he started."
In He Mian's fan group, the movie "Double Edge" caused a sensation.
Although He Mian has never had such a bad acting experience that he needed fans to save face, the phrase "outstanding acting skills" is not his label either.
After the first wave of fans watched it, the word spread like wildfire, and now all the fans know that He Mian's performance in "Double Blade" was phenomenal.
Most importantly, everyone could clearly see the sparks that Lin Yuan and He Mian created in the movie.
The scene of Ye Li's murder triggered Shen Yuan's breakdown—it didn't seem like an act at all, but rather a natural result of emotions building up to their peak.
If He Mian were working with other actors, his emotions certainly wouldn't have erupted like that.
He was drawn in.
He was struggling with his instincts and embodying the character.
"That's awesome! Go see 'Double Edge' right now!!!"
"He Mian's strongest performance in his acting career, and his acting skills alongside Lin Yuan are not to be missed. Everyone, go see 'Double Edge'!!!"
Fans appealed frantically, while passersby remained skeptical.
On its opening day, the majority of those willing to support "Double Blade" were fans of Lin Yuan and He Mian, while most casual viewers were observing from the sidelines.
There's no way around it; when a movie stars with a large fan base star in it, the fans always hype it up to the skies, and by the time casual viewers realize they've been fooled, it's already too late.
However, thanks to the support of its fans, "Double Edge" still managed to gross 213 million yuan, ranking second on the day's box office chart.
Lin Yuan and He Mian were quite satisfied with this result.
Initially, "Double Edge" was made with the intention of winning awards, and even if the box office performance was poor, it would still be within He Mian's acceptable range.
There's nothing he can't accept.
Unsurprisingly, "The Battle of Tianya" topped the box office charts. In addition to the superstar Liu Yande as the lead actor, the film also invited a group of popular young actors, making it a movie version of "Shang Qingyun".
Lin Yuan is quite famous, but compared to Liu Yande's status in the entertainment industry, he is still far behind.
Therefore, Lin Yuan can get popular young actors into TV dramas, but he can't get them into movies; his public recognition is still far from sufficient.
The other films performed significantly worse at the box office than "The End of the World" and "Double Edge".
The media described the first day's box office figures during the summer movie season as "a victory for the fans."
On this day, industry insiders showed a more optimistic attitude towards "Tianya Haizhan".
While Lin Yuan and He Mian are certainly very popular, the appeal of the new generation of celebrities is equally strong. Apart from Liu Yande, the other actors in "The Battle of Tianya" are all the type who can stir up a storm online.
Most importantly, "The Battle of the Ends of the Earth" grossed over 400 million yuan on its opening day.
This is a very good start for the summer movie season.
The box office market has not been as booming as it was a few years ago. A film that can gross more than 2 billion yuan is already quite remarkable.
After deducting pre-sale box office revenue, "The Battle of Tianya" still has more than 300 million yuan, while "Double Blade" only has more than 100 million yuan left.
Even if "Double Edge" can maintain this box office performance every day, it will take about three weeks to break 2 billion. However, there are new movies released every week during the summer season. Can "Double Edge" withstand the impact of other movies?
Theaters won't keep showing "Double Edge" indefinitely.
"Liu Yande's appeal is still unmatched by Lin Yuan, after all, he is a veteran actor."
"The Storm benefited from its special effects, while Double Edge has a dark style, so it's normal that it's not popular."
"The Battle of Tianya is a combination of special effects, superstars, and popular actors, and it also has a good number of screenings. I'm rooting for The Battle of Tianya this time."
There is a lot of anticipation for "The Battle of the Ends of the Earth".
Clearly, only movies like "The Battle of the Ends of the Earth" can drive a summer movie-going boom.
Even in Hollywood, where box office revenue often reaches billions of dollars, only big-scale films rank in the top ten of the all-time box office charts.
To be honest, Lin Yuan and He Mian thought so too.
Both of them are in the industry, and even though they had high expectations for the box office of "Double Edge," they understood that a pure plot film like "Double Edge" could never beat a special effects blockbuster.
Both of them are even the type who love watching special effects blockbusters in the cinema.
He Mian is the type who even falls asleep while watching slow-paced movies, falling asleep with every single one he watches. He can only console himself that at least he's contributing to the box office.
In short, he can't force fans to do things he himself can't do.
However, neither of them expected that "Tianya Haizhan" would collapse first.
Before the highly anticipated second day even arrived, "Tianya Haizhan" suffered a reputational collapse.
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Author's Note: It's here!!! [doge emoji]
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