novelnext Chapter 10 Double Happiness, the Crazy Series Continues
Chapter 10 Double Happiness, the Crazy Series Continues
"President Ling! President Ling! 220 million! 220 million on the first day!!!"
Ning Hao was so excited that he was incoherent, and his spittle almost sprayed onto Ling Yuan's face.
"Hero had a $3000 million budget, such a huge production, and it only cost 1100 million RMB on its opening day! Our Stone... can break even in two or three days!! Hahaha!"
Ling Yuan took the simple report, and was taken aback by the numbers at the bottom. Then a wide smile spread across his face: "How about it? Director Ning, do you believe me now? I told you you need to broaden your horizons!"
"Yes, Mr. Ling, you have such great vision!"
……
It could be because the film is of high quality, or it could be because cinemas are "empty" this year with few competitive new releases, or it could be because the promotion was far more effective than in the previous life...
A combination of factors led to the success of "Crazy Stone," which took off like a rocket in the days that followed.
Swoosh~, swoosh~, swoosh~
The next day, 280 million!
On the third day, it reached 350 million! Probably because it was Saturday.
Day 4, Sunday, 3.2 million.
……
Meanwhile, negative posts on the internet were flooded by online trolls—no, by fans—and the negative reputation spiraled out of control.
"I was dying of laughter. The part where Huang Bo crawls out of the sewer almost made me spray popcorn on the head of the person in front of me."
"Dao Ge's line, 'You insulted my character, and you insulted my intelligence!' provided me with laughs for a whole year."
"Guo Tao's acting is so down-to-earth. Hei Pi's silly look is amazing. I can laugh at the 'Don't touch me' joke for ten years."
"The multi-narrative structure is brilliant, the pacing is incredibly fast, and there's not a single dull moment."
"This is real domestic comedy, a million times better than those that just act crazy and silly."
"Highly recommended! A dark horse of the year, you'll regret it if you don't watch it!"
"Xinghan Pictures is awesome, Ling Yuan is awesome, Ning Hao is awesome, Huang Bo... is awesomely ugly!"
The word-of-mouth was absolutely phenomenal, and the box office continued its meteoric rise.
In the office, Ning Hao's gloomy face had long since vanished, replaced by a radiant glow and a confident stride.
Ling Yuan laughed: "Now you can go to Tokyo for that film festival with peace of mind."
"Alright, let's go right away!"
Ning Hao then went off in high spirits.
He brought "Incense," produced by Xinghan Pictures and directed by Ning Hao, to the 4th Tokyo Ginza Film Festival.
"We'll be waiting for you to come back for the celebration!" Ling Yuan patted him on the shoulder before leaving.
……
The final wave of madness in "Crazy Stone" was brought by Liu Yifei.
Ling Yuan plays the international thief Mike in this film, bringing him to life. Liu Yifei kept her promise and personally wrote a film review for Ling Yuan, which she posted on Tianya Forum.
Then, with the broadcast of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" imminent, the production team began promoting the series. Liu Yifei followed the team around to promote the show and record programs, and naturally, she also had to accept interviews from reporters who asked about the progress of the preparation for the "Zhu Xian" movie.
Liu Yifei then took the opportunity to give "Crazy Stone" a thumbs-up, praising her classmates Ling Yuan and Liu Jing for their outstanding performances. She also mentioned that she had written a film review with a title that was something like that.
This naturally boosted its popularity even more!
Many people went to look up that movie review.
This is a movie review written by the fairy goddess herself. Replying below will allow you to absorb some of her divine aura.
One netizen's witty comment further boosted the film's popularity: "This movie is a pleasant surprise. It's like being set up on a blind date by your parents, only to find Liu Yifei sitting inside."
Of course, this netizen is Ling Yuan's alternate account.
When Liu Yifei found out, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She called Ling Yuan, feigning anger: "How old are you? How come you've already resorted to blind dates?"
Ling Yuan: "Haha, just kidding, I'm just borrowing your popularity!"
……
When Ning Hao returned, it was a double celebration.
"Incense" lived up to expectations and won the Best Film Award at this film festival.
This is also the first time that Xinghan Pictures and Ning Hao have ventured abroad.
Next year, this film will receive many more awards. For example, it won the Gold Award in the Asian Digital Film category at the 28th Hong Kong International Film Festival and was awarded the "Best Film of 2004" by the Hong Kong Arts Centre. In the same year, it was also selected for the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain, the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Munich International Film Festival in Germany, the 4th Southern Taiwan Film Festival, and the Vienna International Film Festival in Austria.
As Ling Yuan had hoped, "Crazy Stone" grossed over 3000 million yuan at the box office, eventually reaching over 3600 million yuan.
To be honest, Ling Yuan himself was quite satisfied with this number.
In the annual box office rankings, it tied with "Infernal Affairs 3" for sixth place.
The gap between them and the first place is actually not that big.
Most importantly, it's low-cost!
Ling Yuan held a celebration banquet, inviting Xu Zheng, Huang Bo, and the other lead actors to a grand event.
This is double happiness.
One award-winning film won, and another commercial film became a huge hit! Good days for Xinghan Pictures.
Xinghan Pictures will receive over 13 million yuan, making a huge profit!
Ling Yuan also kept his promise to give Ning Hao 8% of the net profit as a bonus, having the finance department transfer it directly to Ning Hao's bank account along with his salary.
Holding his payslip, Ning Hao was filled with emotion. His previous film remuneration, copyright buyout, and box office revenue combined totaled over 110 million yuan.
"As expected, following Young Master Ling means there's plenty to be had!"
Huang Bo watched with envy.
"Come in here for a moment, I have a great idea." Ling Yuan beckoned Ning Hao and Huang Bo in.
Ning Hao: "What kind of idea is it? Is it for your next film?"
Huang Bo: "..." His spirits lifted, and he thought to himself, "Sure enough, I won't have to worry about not having any roles to play here."
The two came in and sat down, and Ling Yuan said, "Crazy racing."
Upon hearing the name, the two became excited.
Are they going to create a "crazy series"?
Ling Yuan nodded and said, "I plan to turn this into a crazy IP. At least five movies. Hmm, for this one, Huang Bo will be the male lead. And I'll bring Xu Zheng in too."
Upon hearing the words "male lead," Huang Bo sprang up from his chair with a "whoosh"—his movements were as fast as if he had springs under his buttocks.
The male lead? It's actually the male lead's turn?
Sure enough, the long-term contract we signed wasn't a waste of time! And the mud we applied wasn't for nothing!
"Young Master Ling! You're like my own brother! My second parents!" Huang Bo's face flushed red with excitement, his dark skin gleaming. He rubbed his hands together nervously, unsure what to do. Finally, he slapped his chest hard, making a loud thud. "Don't worry! My life... no, my heart! I'm sold to Xinghan! I'll do whatever you ask, no questions asked! If I don't perform well, you can throw me back into that stinking ditch!"
His small eyes were wide open, sparkling with anticipation and unbelievable elation. His mouth stretched to his ears, revealing a set of bright white teeth that gleamed under the light.
His mind was racing with calculations: the male lead! The pay... hehehe, it'll be several times higher, right? Last time it was only two thousand, this time... fifty thousand? Eighty thousand? I'm rich!
Ling Yuan leaned back in the large boss's chair, a knowing smile playing on his lips, as if he could see through Huang Bo's little scheme.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the smooth mahogany table and slowly said, "As for the payment, you'll definitely get your share."