Chapter 463: Can the Earth Still Wander?

September 9th, Teachers’ Day.

Wang Chengguang had just packed his luggage and walked out of the guest room when he saw Teacher Guo running towards him at high speed, almost sliding down to hug him. "Director Wang, it's broken. The total sales of South Korea's Infernal Affairs in the first weekend plus the following three weeks have exceeded 1.52 million Hong Kong dollars. 1.52 million!"

This is a height that the total of Hong Kong and the mainland has not reached. The final result is that Hong Kong barely reached 7100 million yuan, and the mainland reached 3900 million yuan.

The Greater China region has not even reached the box office volume of South Korea, so it’s no wonder that Mr. Guo is so excited!

Again, at the current box office in mainland China, a movie with 2000 million RMB is firmly in the top ten nationwide, and a movie with 4000 million RMB is firmly in the top three.

Overall, the top ten movies on the mainland box office list combined only earned 4 million RMB, and the biggest money-makers are often Hollywood blockbusters, which can take more than million RMB.

This is the reality of the market.

Infernal Affairs grossed nearly 3 million Hong Kong dollars in just China and South Korea. After all, it has only been released in South Korea for more than three weeks. Taking My Sassy Girl, which was released in 2001 as an example, the box office of that movie was more than 2 million Hong Kong dollars.

At this stage, as long as there are enough online promotional gimmicks, enough eye-catching power and excellent film quality, South Korea can become a huge hit.

Wang Chengguang laughed and said, "I see. Someone called me at 1:30 in the morning to congratulate me. Let's go back to Beijing."

He stayed in Hong Kong Island for about ten days, completing the post-production of Infernal Affairs 2, from editing to dubbing, music, etc. He then contacted the cinemas in Hong Kong Island and scheduled it to be released at midnight on the National Day.

Now that you've got this taken care of, it's time to go.

During this period, Nancy and Zhou Wenwen had already brought their team, which was the behind-the-scenes team of Infernal Affairs 1 and 2, together with Huang Jianzhi and Huang Yimei, to start filming the scenes in Hong Kong Island. The deputy director of location planning had already flown to Paris to select locations.

Teacher Guo was still very excited, nodding his head repeatedly and dancing a little, "Yes, it's time to go back. Director Wang, the last time we came out, we were low-key and unknown. No, countless old masters laughed at us behind our backs. We still want to see the fun."

"Going back now will mean the return of the king! Although it has not been officially announced yet, there is already news from the Golden Rooster Awards. We are nominated for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, etc."

"The Best Newcomer award was almost taken by our crew! We are the return of the kings!"

With the words "The King Returns", Wang Chengguang almost spit out his food. He inexplicably thought of "Sister Wang Returns" in Detective Chinatown .

When he walked towards the elevator and went downstairs, he was surrounded by a group of Hong Kong reporters and gossip paparazzi. Even though he had made two spirit puppet robots and arranged perfect identities to serve as his bodyguards, he was almost overwhelmed.

"Director Wang, may I ask if the rich woman who supports you is your classmate Nancy? Is your junior high school sister Zhou Wenwen willing to be your mistress because of your talent or your looks?"

"Your capital is more open than Hong Kong Island..."

"Director Wang, what brand of medicine do you use? Everyone is very concerned about this issue!!"

"Director Wang, your debut film, which was blocked by the censorship and was regarded as a waste of money by many seniors in the industry, is going to be re-released? When will it be released? Now that many movie fans know about the existence of that film, they are even more interested in it than Infernal Affairs 2, which is expected to be released on National Day."

"Director Wang, Infernal Affairs is a story about a policeman who arranges an undercover agent to capture Han Chen's group, while Han Chen arranges an undercover agent to go to the police force to develop his own group. It is so exciting and has exploded with a force that shocked Asia. How exciting is your debut work with more than a dozen story lines? When can I watch it?"

…………

All kinds of questions were flooded in by the crowd, and a large number of reporters were in interview mode with microphones and recorders in hand.

Wang Chengguang ignored them, wearing a hat and sunglasses, and asked the two spirit puppet robots to work hard to clear a path before getting in the car.

A few minutes later, Mr. Guo also got on the car. He wiped the sweat off his face and complained, "Director Wang, you are more popular than many celebrities now. The old-time movie kings and TV kings have all been left behind by our Infernal Affairs."

"It's incredible that a group of performers were promoted through just one movie."

As the car started, Wang Chengguang also complained, "I feel a little annoyed. Fame does have a price. It's okay. I'll just let Nancy and the other two be my voices in the future."

"As for the various media invitations to interview me, program interviews, etc. in the mainland, I will not participate. The school can help me with some publicity and promotion. Lao Guo, you have to run."

This isn't the first time he's talked about this.

Lao Guo and the teachers and leaders of the Beijing Film Academy did indeed turn down or take on many interview assignments on his behalf. Since he did not own a film and television company or studio, many of the media who approached him did so through the school.

Teacher Guo nodded, "That's easy to say. By the way, what about the dinner that Mr. Han from China Film Group has arranged tonight? You don't need to invest in the first and second Infernal Affairs movies, including Taken."

"What about other new works? Nancy, the chaebol princess, doesn't lack for small amounts of money, but if you, Director Wang, want to get better and better in the industry, you should give up some of your investment shares, even if it's just 10% or 15% to China Film. We are still friends, so we can release the works together."

Wang Chengguang smiled and said, "That's easy. Today I will bring the scripts of Foolish Old Man Moving Mountains and The Wandering Earth. If you want to invest 20%, that's fine."

It doesn't matter if China Film Group participates in this. After all, Lao Wang has always been a character who wants to make money with everyone. How many ordinary employees has he benefited in the struggle plane? In order to make a series of movies develop smoothly.

Whether it is the censorship or the screening rate of mainland theaters, it doesn't matter if China Film gives some meat to it.

Is he short of money?

When Wang Chengguang's plane arrived in Beijing, he didn't have to worry about being surrounded by the media this time, because President Han had already picked him up inside the airport. He was also eager to see the final film of Infernal Affairs 2.

The Cantonese version was the first one sent and approved in Hong Kong Island, and the Mandarin version was brought in with Wang Chengguang's return.

In a screening room of China Film, a group of bigwigs applauded loudly after enjoying a wonderful audio-visual feast, and they couldn't stop for a long time. President Han applauded and sighed, "Director Wang, you are really amazing. I have read the script in advance and know that this second part is called the second part, but it is actually the prequel to the first part. It tells how the white-haired Han Chen changed from an honest gangster to a cunning one."

"In this play, Han Chen brought himself to life. He switched between two forms freely. Mr. Bai, who played Ni Yongxiao, and Mr. Jiang, who played Han Chen's girlfriend, also brought their characters to life."

"I can't believe this guy suddenly made the transition from an entrepreneur to the entertainment industry. It's amazing. I can only admire him!"

Mr. Han has a position and is basically a big shot in the film industry, but when he speaks polite words, he is also very refreshing.

Wang Chengguang laughed and said, "The most powerful actor is definitely not in the entertainment industry. In North America, there are actors who cross over to become official bosses, and the CEOs in the capital and business circles will not lack acting moments in their daily lives."

"Qingting's CEO Jiang is just a small-time executive, a professional general manager. But CEO Bai is not only worth hundreds of millions, his daughter is also a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Tsinghua University. Whether she is studying for a Ph.D. in Chemistry or Physics, which one can be easy."

Everyone carries the gorgeous sedan chair, and they praise each other for business.

Speaking of which, Huang Zhenhua also had a blind date with Bai Erru's daughter Bai Xiaohe. Even though the two did not end up together, after meeting her parents, Bai Erru was always very satisfied with Huang Zhenhua.

Otherwise, they would not support investment in the future to allow Huang Zhenhua to become a real estate boss.

Putting aside the complicated marriages in the original plot, in fact, on the set, Han Chen, played by Huang Zhenhua, went from being Bai Erru's loyal younger brother to rebelling against the Ni family and exposing the entire Ni family... He and Bai Erru had a lot of rival scenes.

After spending a long time together, Bai Erru and Huang Zhenhua developed a close friendship. When the filming was about to end, Bai Erru even thought about introducing Huang Zhenhua to his daughter.

Wang Chengguang didn't pay much attention to the subsequent developments.

At this time, an old man in his 50s came over and said with a smile, "Director Wang, you are really a hero who has traveled the world with a sword. Infernal Affairs made more than 1.5 million yuan in South Korea and had a good reputation. The sequel was completed so quickly and is comparable to the first one. When will the third part be released? Until the end of this episode, Chen Yongren was not given a decent funeral that he deserved." "I still feel very sad about this."

When the movie just started, Mr. Guo introduced that this person is Director Liu, the chairman of this year's Golden Rooster Awards... Various major awards are selected by Director Liu and a dozen committee members.

Speaking of experience in the film and television industry, he is more experienced than President Han of China Film Group!

Wang Chengguang laughed, "Thank you Director Liu for the compliment, but we'll see how the third part goes. I'm currently focusing my energy on a new work, not Rescue, which is a practice for Nancy and Zhou Wenwen."

"My new work is The Wandering Earth, a science fiction work. I need to start planning to build some top-notch studios in various places for a lot of special effects shooting, motion capture, etc. I also need to build some landmark buildings as filming locations."

While joking, he had already taken out the script from his briefcase and distributed several copies to Director Liu, President Han and others to look over. He had already created a planet-level landscape for The Wandering Earth, which was used for the actual shooting of various special effects.

But of course he had to do the whole thing, so he asked Nancy to build a large-scale film and television special effects production base in Seoul, South Korea, to serve as a cover. The real landscapes, airports, mountains, rivers, and seas used for filming in the movie also had to have corresponding points.

A special effects studio naturally needs to be built. Part of the filming can be done in some special effects studios in Hong Kong Island, but building our own studio while filming can also be used to promote more science fiction masterpieces in the future.

Those who were well-informed couldn't wait to read the script when Wang Chengguang handed it out, while those who were not so well-informed were surprised when they saw the name of the script, "The Wandering Earth? Can the Earth still wander?"

Many people were gradually stunned and shocked by this new script!

Wang Chengguang drew a lot of comic-level storyboards, such as space elevators, drone swarms and super-pilot fighter jets fighting each other, and the moon base...

Until ten thousand planetary engines drive the earth to swing, the earth's rotation stops, the ocean stops flowing, the moon explodes, and so on.

Until finally the Earth began to run away, leaving the solar system and escaping in the starry universe.

This colorful comic-level storyboard script is like a comic strip that countless people can't stop reading. What are the various realistic mathematical, physical and chemical theoretical foundations that support the entire film story structure? It also stunned many people. Anyway, they were easily fooled.

This script completely shocked and numbed many directors and China Film Group leaders who had watched Infernal Affairs 2 in advance.

More than an hour later, President Han stamped his feet to recover a little from his stiff body before speaking with a messy face, "Director Wang, this... can we shoot this in the mainland? We don't have the special effects industry."

"If we want to really shoot all the sci-fi scenes in the storyboards well and make them stand the test of the big screen, it won't be easy to shoot in Hollywood, let alone the strength of our national film industry, right?"

The Hollywood film industry did not reach its peak all of a sudden and then stop developing for 10 or 20 years; instead, it has continued to update and evolve year after year. For example, today's Hollywood cannot really produce the super special effects such as the space elevator and moon explosion in the original second film.

What's more, Wang Chengguang reversed the order of the first and second parts. The first part was the attempt to ignite the fire, the crazy construction, and the disappearance of the moon.

Wang Chengguang smiled and nodded. "No matter how close we can get to the standard in the script, we'll just have to do our best. My classmate Nancy, with her connections and resources as a descendant of a South Korean chaebol, has also acquired a lot of top-notch machines for special effects production, including supercomputers."

"As long as we build up the team, we can try to catch up. We are very strong in martial arts, fairy tales and mythology, but we also need to do science fiction and catch up."

"The money I made from the first and second Infernal Affairs is enough for me to live on for many years. I shouldn't lose money from Hurricane Action either. Just consider it as a technical investment."

A group of people gasped again, and there was no need to say much else. President Han, on behalf of China Film, wanted to invest and give money to build various special effects studios and assemble various machines and work teams. They definitely had no shortage of money.

As for the preparations of the other behind-the-scenes teams, the selection of actors, etc.? Ever since the explosion of Infernal Affairs, which was so exaggerated and outrageous... the original trajectory was that it was not until 2002 that a single film in mainland China had a box office of over million yuan, and the mainland's million yuan director club appeared.

You said that there were also blockbusters with a box office of over 80 million yuan in the s? That’s mainly because the statistics are too scattered, not detailed, and there are many omissions, so they are not officially counted.

Although Wang Chengguang's Infernal Affairs 3900 only grossed over million in mainland China, far from million yuan, the fact that it grossed over million yuan in Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea is too outrageous.

The box office is soaring, and he has received many nominations for awards. He has suddenly become the No. 1 director in the world. Except for the big black spot of a certain Virgo, he is invincible. Is he now gathering a team for a new movie? Whether it is a brand new behind-the-scenes or the lineup of male and female protagonists and supporting roles, once the news is released, a large number of star actors will apply.

A few hours later, the dinner was over, and Wang Chengguang got in the car driven by the spirit puppet bodyguard and rushed back to the hotel. He still had to select a group of talents as soon as possible to produce the special effects of the short myth of Yugong moving the mountains.

…………

October arrived as expected.

With the opening of the National Day holiday, Infernal Affairs 2 has become a raging fire in East Asia. This National Day is also the Mid-Autumn Festival, with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and Friday as holidays. Although many people are on duty during the holiday, it still can't stop the passion of moviegoers.

In just one week, not only countless moviegoers from the mainland went to the cinema to watch the movie, contributing 1800 million to the box office of Infernal Affairs 2400, but Hong Kong Island also made 900 million. Only Taiwan’s box office was relatively poor at only 4100 million Hong Kong dollars, and South Korea’s box office was million.

After all, the highest ticket price in South Korea is about six or seven US dollars per ticket, and there are many moviegoers.

The data for the first week was close to 9000 million. There were also a large number of netizens gathering on Xinghuo Movies. Whether it was non-spoiler reviews or those involving spoilers, tens of thousands of posts and replies were posted in a short period of time. Not only did Infernal Affairs 8.3 score 8.8, the first part even reached .

Now, Xinghuo Movies is also the largest website for movie fans to rate and read word-of-mouth on the domestic Internet.

In many forums, there are more and more discussions about Wang Chengguang himself. The two Infernal Affairs films have conquered a large number of netizens, who praised him as the best-selling, most popular and most famous director in China since the new century.

Lao Wang has become a business card for Chinese directors!

He suddenly showed up and brought several generations of directors back to the old days. Rumors about whether he was a gigolo and whether he had hidden rules with Huang Yimei were still flying around.

It was under such circumstances that Wang Chengguang announced the completion of the short film Yugong Moves Mountains after shooting the last few motion capture shots in a special effects studio in Hong Kong Island.

After making an appointment with a group of actors for a wrap party in the evening, he packed up his final equipment and in a few flashes he arrived at the "Counter-Earth" thousands of light years away. This Counter-Earth was not created by the Marvel villain Supreme Evolution.

It is the largest film and television base transformed by him, the double Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Standing in front of the Taihang and Wangwu Mountains, which are more than 20,000 meters high in the counter-earth, he looked at Jizhou in the north of the mountains and the Yellow River in the south of the mountains, and then pulled out a group of ghost soldiers. The ghost soldiers all materialized and simulated the appearance of the previous batch of actors.

Whether it's facial features, height, clothing, etc., it's all the same.

High-level Yin soldiers are transformed from souls into entities. If they are strong enough, it will be a piece of cake for them. The eighty or ninety-year-old Yugong, as well as his young and strong children and grandchildren are all included.

He waved his hand and revealed the magnificent appearance of the Heavenly Palace in the sky, and also conjured up the appearance of the Jade Emperor. These were not entities, but illusions. However, the Taiyi Golden Immortal-level illusions were easily indistinguishable from the real thing.

There are also mountain gods, Hercules, etc.

The big special effect is the high-definition filming of the two sons of Hercules who can control the sky and the earth. The long lens directly captures the more than two-meter-tall sons climbing up step by step, higher than the houses, higher than the trees, higher than the clouds, until they reach a height of 20,000 to 30,000 meters, and run away with a mountain more than 20,000 meters high on their back.

Relocated to the east of Shuofang and south of Yongzhou.

Xiaohuo 7.0 controls various communication satellites and takes high-definition continuous shots around the Earth. Whether it is documentary-style shooting or various camera techniques, He has been transforming and building the Earth these days. The robot army has already launched dozens of black-tech satellites belonging to the Marvel world.

On October 10, Wang Chengguang returned to Earth. The ten-minute "Yugong Moves the Mountains" had been completely produced, but there was no rush to put it on TV and the Internet.

This short film with amazing special effects is to build momentum for China's science fiction blockbuster!
The best time to release the film is during the promotion period before the release of The Wandering Earth! This is a real-life myth and legend, a story that is familiar to countless Chinese people. It is actually a bit unsatisfying to watch it on a small screen.

(End of this chapter)