Chapter 129 Box Office Threat

Chen Kaiqiao, who was standing by, felt a pang of annoyance when he saw this scene.

Although he was very confident in "The Promise" and felt that it could achieve good box office results, the figure of 700 million was something he could never imagine.

But he felt that Jiang Heng's movie was not that good, and it was only supported by the special effects and the star cast.

The special effects of his film "The Promise" also cost a lot of money, and the cast includes stars from China, Japan and South Korea. It is expected that the box office performance will not be much worse than "Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother".

Even if 700 million is not possible, 500 million should be enough!

Of course there will be, Lao Chen firmly believes.

Looking at Jiang Heng, who was surrounded like the moon surrounded by stars, he felt like Guan Yu standing in front of the White Horse Formation, gazing at Yan Liang from afar. He always felt that this was a "selling head" kind of guy.

It’s a pity that the movie “The Promise” is not good enough and cannot defeat Jiang Heng.

How about I also make a traditional myth?
As soon as this thought came into my mind, it grew like weeds and could not be suppressed.

There is also a mentality of "Jiang Heng took the photo, so why can't I take it?"

Be it "Investiture of the Gods", "Journey to the West", or other traditional mythological stories, none of them have copyright.

Like the well-known "Journey to the West", he believes that the box office will definitely not be bad.

It's just that his dignity as a "film master" makes him feel embarrassed to make a film that obviously has no artistic value.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but frown.

A senior executive of China Film Group was puzzled, "Director Chen, what are you thinking about? You smile one moment and frown the next!"

Chen Kaige is a person who cares about face. He said frankly, "The mainland film market is really revived. The unranked 'Yang Jian Saves His Mother' can make so much at the box office. If we were to make 'Havoc in Heaven', it would have to be over 1 billion, right?"

The top executives of China Film Group laughed, "How is that possible? The total box office for this year is only this much? But Director Jiang should be able to make over 1 billion if he waits a few years to shoot!"

Chen Kai snorted, "Then he won't be able to wait, because I plan to shoot it!"

The people around were all stunned when they heard this. It was obvious that what Lao Chen said was a sign of something else!

But then again, there is a natural gap between Chen Kaige and Jiang Heng, one is the one with the highest achievements in Chinese-language art films, and the other is the one with the highest achievements in commercial films.

If not for his close relationship with China Film Group, Chen Kaige would not be here at all.

After thinking this through, most people around me chose to remain silent.

However, there were also some wealthy people who came to join in the fun because of their connections. They said with surprise, "Director Chen is going to shoot 'Havoc in Heaven', it will definitely be a big hit at the box office! Are you short of investment? I have it, I have it!"

Chen Kaige saw that the atmosphere was weird and felt that he had spoken out of turn, but he did not think that everyone was afraid that his words just now indicated that he would not get along with Jiang Heng.

But I thought, how could I say I wanted to shoot something like "Havoc in Heaven" which obviously has no artistic value?

If we want to film something, it has to be a resistance type of story like "Houyi Shooting the Sun" or "Nuwa Repairing the Sky", or a despair and accusation type of story like "Gonggong Angrily Hitting Mount Buzhou".

Yes, it is an accusation! An accusation against the whole world.

Someone oppressed him, so he wanted to accuse and destroy...

Director Chen was so immersed in his ideas that he paid no attention to that.

Upon seeing this, the local tyrant came forward and said it again.

Chen Kaige originally wanted to say, what's the point of making a film like this that has no artistic value at all.

But thinking that Jiang Heng might make a film in the future, he suppressed his disdain and said, "Well, that's enough, come find me later and we'll discuss it!" The rich man was delighted when he heard that, "Okay, okay, let's study it carefully later and strive for a box office of over 800 million. 888, make a fortune, hahaha!"

There were many guests in the banquet hall and the noise was loud, so his words wouldn't have spread far.

It just so happened that this man had a hoarse voice and a very distinctive laugh, which reached the ears of Han Sanping, Jiang Heng and a group of leaders.

"It seems that someone wants to replicate your box office success. You need to keep up the good work!" a leader said with a smile.

For leaders, a monopoly in the film market is not a good thing.

Especially in the past two years, cinemas across the country have been experiencing a mixture of heaven and hell.

When Jiang Heng's new film was released, the audience flocked to it, and the theaters were sold out for several days after the release.

Other films were relatively quiet when they were released, and sometimes even had no audience.

This situation is definitely not conducive to the development of the film market. Leaders have conducted many investigations and discussed ways to revitalize it.

One of the most widely recognized ones is to encourage capable directors and production companies to make blockbusters, creating a situation of healthy competition and contention in the market.

The leaders are very satisfied with the situation this year. "Splitting the Mountain" was a big hit in the summer, "Kung Fu" directed by Stephen Chow was released during the National Day holiday, "The Matrix 2" was released during the Lunar New Year holiday, and "Hero" directed by Zhang Yimou was released during the Spring Festival next year.

In just half a year, four blockbuster films were released, which is the best result ever.

However, as a leader, you definitely hope that the results will get better and better and that there will be progress every year.

Han Sanping said, "We at the China Film Association will continue to support Director Jiang Heng and other directors who are interested in making commercial blockbusters. Let's work together to achieve a new revival of Chinese-language films as soon as possible!"

Jiang Heng also said: "Don't worry, leaders. I will continue to make good commercial blockbusters and contribute to the vigorous development of the motherland's film industry. I will also do my best to provide help to colleagues in need and achieve common progress...!"

The leader was very satisfied when he heard this.

Go up to Chen Kaige and ask him what specific ideas he has.

Chen Kaige first glanced at Jiang Heng, and hesitated for a moment between "Gong Gong angrily hit the Buzhou Mountain" and "Havoc in Heaven", and finally said: "I want to shoot the Havoc in Heaven and film a different Monkey King."

The leader didn't hear anything wrong with this, but Jiang Heng was quick to notice and said, "This guy is going to make some magic changes. Who knows what he'll come up with! But, after The Promise flopped at the box office, can it really attract investment?"

As the saying goes, appearance reflects the heart. Jiang Heng did not say anything, but Chen Kaige felt that Jiang Heng's expression was full of disdain.

"Director Xiao Jiang, you don't think I stole your film, do you?"

"No, Journey to the West, Investiture of the Gods, and other traditional mythological stories are cultural treasures of the Chinese nation. Every Chinese person is qualified to film them. Is Director Zhang interested in filming one?"

Zhang Yi was stunned and thought to himself, how could this have anything to do with me?
He waved his hands and said, "No, no, I'm too rigid and have a poor imagination. I can't film a mythological story."

This was originally a humble remark, but Chen Kaige actually nodded, "Old Zhang is indeed not suitable for filming the myth, otherwise there will be one more person to compete with Director Jiang!"

Jiang Heng said: "How could that be? I actually hope that more and more people will make blockbuster and good films. After all, the audience needs to be cultivated. The more good films are released at the same time, the more willing the audience will be to consume. It's like restaurants like to gather together, so that the audience will have more choices when they arrive.

I am really looking forward to next summer, because not only will my blockbuster movie be released, but also Director Chen’s The Promise! ”

Chen Kaige said solemnly, "That's true, but if you say we stole Director Xiao Jiang's box office, please don't mind!"

Jiang Heng laughed out loud when he heard this.

In fact, he has trained himself in dealing with people.

People generally don't laugh randomly in formal occasions unless they can't help it.

(End of this chapter)