Chapter 0940: Fight to the Death

Screenplays are quite different from other literary forms. Turning a screenplay into a novel or a biography is a rather unprofessional act. Because screenplays have their own specific format, writing a screenplay is, in a sense, a technical skill.

But regardless, the most important thing for a screenplay is to consider the audience's understanding and acceptance, making the value of the screenplay creation more in line with people's needs, so as to achieve its commercial and artistic value.

From this perspective, it is actually similar to the purpose of creating novels and other literary works.

And in a broad sense, advertising planning is also the same.

The only difference is that screenplays sell plots, while advertising planning sells creativity.

Zhao Fusheng obviously understood the subtleties, so the screenplay "Cell Phone" was already very exciting, and under Zhao Fusheng's pen, it became even more tense and thrilling, dazzling and hilarious, yet also provoking deep thought.

In a word, it was refreshing.

This is no joke. Most movies today are still stuck in a didactic mode. Occasionally, there are a few commercial films with not very rich connotations, and rarely are there screenplays as brilliant as the one Zhao Fusheng wrote.

Even Jiang Wen had to admit this.

Although his films are rich in allegory and thought, even he himself admits that what he produces is not so easily accepted by the public.

It's not just that they are obscure and difficult to understand; more often, they reflect reality through dark things.

In short, their artistic value is high, but as for commercial value, well, unless investors are crazy, few people would like to invest in Jiang Wen's films.

And this time, their opponents were the combination of Ma Dajun and Yu Dong.

…

…

A week later, in the general manager's office of Poly Bona Film Distribution.

Yu Dong stubbed out his cigarette butt heavily in the crystal ashtray on the table, but the next second he lit another cigarette and continued to blow out a puff of smoke. The ashtray was already piled with seven or eight cigarette butts, each smoked only halfway. As for the tea in front of him, it seemed more like a decoration, because from start to finish, he hadn't taken a single sip.

And Ma Dajun, sitting across from Yu Dong, had stubble on his face indicating that he hadn't taken good care of himself for several days, looking quite haggard.

"Old Ma, we lost this time!"

Yu Dong spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, as if metal were scraping together.

Ma Dajun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't get the words out.

Although he was very reluctant to admit what Yu Dong said, the box office numbers were right there; he had nothing to say.

In the first week of release, "Cell Phone" accumulated a box office of 15 million, while "The Missing Gun" only had a fraction of that, 4.8 million.

Don't underestimate this number. It means that, barring accidents, the total box office of "Cell Phone" could at least reach 25 million. As for "The Missing Gun," it probably won't even reach 10 million.

In short, Future Film and Phoenix Film, as investors, could earn at least 10 million.

As for "The Missing Gun," losing money is certain; the only difference is how much they lose.

To be honest, Yu Dong had thought there might be a gap in box office between the two films, but he never imagined it would be this big.

After all, before this, Ma Dajun was known as the top commercial film director in the country, and Lu Chuan's script was also excellent. In Yu Dong's mind, although Jiang Wen was also a good director, in this confrontation, his side clearly had the advantage.

But unfortunately, ideals are plump, but reality is very skinny.

The box office was like a loud slap, making Yu Dong realize that some things are useless to take for granted.

And Ma Dajun, at that moment, thought of Zhao Fusheng's face.

He recalled a topic he had discussed at a dinner table with a group of fair-weather friends. Someone had said, "The most formidable killers in the world are not those who look fierce on the outside, nor those who carry knives and have flashy tattoos, nor those who constantly play with knives and guns showing off how arrogant and domineering they are. They are those who show no abnormality on the surface, but in the next moment can casually take someone's life without changing expression."

Well, that's a sad story.

Now, recalling his interactions with Zhao Fusheng, Ma Dajun realized for the first time that the young man with a faint smile on his face, who slowly said "Who do you think you are," was the truly terrifying presence.

From beginning to end, he had always focused on Jiang Wen, thinking he was his biggest opponent and enemy. Now he understood that the opponent he really needed to pay attention to was Zhao Fusheng.

Taking a deep breath, Ma Dajun calmed his emotions and looked at Yu Dong: "President Yu, my contract has expired. If you're willing, I plan to come over, and let's prepare for the next movie."

It is said that 'repeatedly fighting and losing' and 'repeatedly losing and fighting' have different meanings, and that's true.

Neither Yu Dong nor Ma Dajun were the type to give up easily. The failure of one film meant losing a sum of money to them; what came next was more important.

In business, losing money is normal. As long as you don't keep losing, there's still a chance to turn things around.

Movies are actually a business too.

This was not only Yu Dong and Ma Dajun's view, but also Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing's.

So, while Ma Dajun and Yu Dong were already planning their next film, Ye Jing and the others sat in the Phoenix Film office, also considering what to do next.

"Impressive! Very impressive!"

Ye Jing said triumphantly to Zhao Fusheng: "Kid, did you already foresee that this film's box office would explode?"

He was naturally happy. The box office during the Chinese New Year this year was sluggish. Apart from foreign blockbusters, among domestic films, at least six or seven out of ten lost money, and the remaining one or two just broke even.

Movies that could make money were almost as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

A film like "Cell Phone," with high topicality, even sparking public opinion trends and being discussed by people, had its box office rising steadily and even turning a profit. In this year's film market, it was definitely a standout.

Most importantly, through this film, Ye Jing's reputation in the industry had been further enhanced, and many people were contacting him.

No one dislikes being valued. Although he was from a大院 background and the initial purpose of founding Phoenix Film was just a game among a few friends, Ye Jing wasn't stupid. He was happy to have the opportunity to make money and become more successful.

So, Ye Jing now looked at Zhao Fusheng with great favor.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "Brother Ye, I was just acting on impulse at the time. Who knew this film would become so popular?"

"Cell Phone" was truly a hit now!

"On Christmas Eve, I watched the movie 'Cell Phone.' It's the best thriller of 2002, leaving one chilled to the bone after watching. Previously, Jiang Wen's works aimed to entertain the masses. Entertainment shouldn't go too deep, and even if it has to, it should show absurdity and black humor. Unexpectedly, this time Jiang Wen's latest offering is neither too deep nor too shallow, basically realism, making people's hair stand on end."

"The film 'Cell Phone' gives a rather exhausting feeling from beginning to end. The only storyline I can discern is how a middle-aged man is driven to collapse by life. This is scarier than a horror film and more real than a documentary. In real life, there are too many people living like Yan Shouyi, not too few. This makes the film no longer just comedy, but critical realism."

"I was scared by this film, not because of the outcome, but because every choice is a dilemma and cannot be changed. This film makes one feel that life can always get worse, never better. After watching, it can make the depressed more depressed and the desperate more desperate."

"Having seen many of Jiang Wen's films, my impression is generally of a dark style, but 'Cell Phone' is relatively pleasant, with a hint of criticism. The film profoundly reveals the theme it wants to express from beginning to end, provoking thought."

"Simply put, this film tells the story of how a man uses lies to navigate among three women and ultimately pays a huge price for his actions. The story seems unrelated to cell phones, but the details reflect the increasingly widespread use and constant changes of cell phones in people's lives."

"Yan Shouyi is not just a main character in the story; through him, we can discover many 'similar' people in society. As a host of the TV program 'Speak Honestly,' he talks about positive topics like integrity in front of the camera, but in life, he is full of lies deceiving the women around him. This completely contradicts his name and the name of his show, carrying a certain ironic flavor."

Such film reviews appeared in the press, making many people re-evaluate Jiang Wen and learn about this film.

And Zhao Fusheng, as the instigator, actually didn't expect that this film would become a social phenomenon.

But that's movies, that's life. Before many things happen, no one can predict what the outcome will be. Just like Ma Dajun couldn't figure out why Zhao Fusheng targeted him.

"Why?"

Zhao Fusheng blinked, looked at Fan Baobao who had asked him that question, and said calmly: "I don't like him. Is that okay?"

Fan Baobao thought for a moment, recalling the stories about Ma Dajun she had heard from Zhou Yun, and nodded vigorously. She felt that Zhao Fusheng was right.