The experiences of Shi Ji and Lu Xiaokong in the film are hilarious, and there are also plenty of laughs off-screen. Although "The Phantom Thieves" is doing very well at the box office, there are still a number of viewers who give it negative reviews.
[It was pretty boring. It's just a story about two thieves stealing things. It didn't feel original or valuable. Director Zhuang truly lives up to his reputation as a man who makes bad movies.]
I have no idea what everyone is laughing at. It's boring, rubbish, and has absolutely no educational value.
[Don't even look at the Barrier! It's full of stale and vulgar jokes, not sophisticated at all, it's absolutely awful. I wasted two of the most precious hours of my life going in there.]
...
Of course, these comments have little effect on Zhuang Hongyi. After all, he's been making commercial films for many years, and these same people often criticize him for his lack of substance, his vulgarity, and his terrible movies...
But the film market is inherently geared towards lower-income groups. Many people simply don't have the patience to watch movies that are full of educational messages. They go to the cinema to relax and have fun, not to listen to lectures.
Looking for an educational movie? Then go watch the comedy next door.
The comedy film released in the same period started off quite funny, but then the style suddenly changed, and the film's level of sophistication and value increased throughout. It even ended with a scene of "making dumplings".
Those viewers who were tricked into going in were all choked by the high-minded values forced upon them. Even Tiger, a film critic on Bilibili known for his sharp tongue, jokingly said that it was the first time he had seen a Spring Festival Gala skit in a movie theater, and he was forced to eat a big dumpling. This is simply "progress" in the film industry! It has successfully solved the problem of not being able to watch skits in movie theaters.
This incident has become a bit of a joke, and almost everyone who has been quietly following the Spring Festival film season knows about the "dumpling-making movie" meme.
As a result, in the following days, the comedy failed to make the box office charts and missed out on the top three.
However, "The Phantom Thieves" remains firmly in first place, unshakeable.
During the leisurely holiday that followed, Xiao He counted the box office earnings of "The Phantom Thieves" while strolling around Beijing with his parents.
The family spent more than a week in Beijing and had a very pleasant Spring Festival holiday.
However, pleasant times are always short-lived.
After the Spring Festival, Xiao's parents went back to Shanghai, and Xiao He also returned to Shanghai to finish up some of the work that had been left behind before officially joining the production team of "No Bait".
Meanwhile, the box office of "The Phantom Thieves" has officially surpassed 3.5 billion yuan, and the final box office is expected to stay at more than 4 billion yuan.
Compared to previous years, this box office figure is already quite good. After all, the competition during this year's Spring Festival film season was not particularly fierce. There were no dark horses that took off, nor were there any big-name celebrities. The overall quality of the films during the Spring Festival season was relatively average—of course, this is in comparison to films from previous years.
Overall, "The Phantom Thieves" has received quite good reviews. As a commercial film, it has fully proven its value and future potential.
Upon seeing this data, Xiao He knew that "The Phantom Thieves 2" was basically a sure thing.
Although the criminal impact of "The Phantom Thieves Alliance" on him is negligible based on the current fluctuations in points, Xiao He is already quite satisfied. After all, through "The Phantom Thieves Alliance," he has already obtained two "potential stocks," "Yuya" and "No Bait." Xiao He is not too greedy.
However, we can still look forward to seeing how much screen time he gets in "The Phantom Thieves 2"...
Given his current relationship with Director Zhuang, Director Zhuang shouldn't treat him unfairly... right?
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A few days later, Liu Rulan received the cast list from Fan Congwen in advance.
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