Chapter 165: The Review
"The Chase" was released, with box office earnings breaking 300 million on the first day. In the following days, however, the numbers began to decline. As reviews from major film critics emerged, many people gained a rough understanding of the movie's content and the actors' performances.
Many were dissuaded by the images and videos circulating online.
Of course, some still went to watch for the plot. As long as they tried hard to ignore the two lead actors striking cool poses at every turn and focused mainly on the story, it was barely acceptable.
A few more days passed, and a real-person CP super-topic for the villain and the male lead suddenly appeared, accompanied by a large number of pictures. The images showed the two being chummy on set, with relatively ambiguous actions, along with some videos and GIFs that made them look like a great CP pair. This quickly attracted a batch of fans who adored their looks.
The power of CP fans was formidable. It caused their box office, which had started high then dropped, to climb up again. So, one week after "The Chase" was released, its box office finally recovered from a steep plunge to an average level.
After one week on release, with ticket counts tallied until midnight, "The Chase" reached 500 million at the box office, with a final rating of 7.2 stars.
Looking at this wave of data for "The Chase," Sally stated with certainty: "I bet this CP pairing was deliberately orchestrated by The Chase's team. The solo fans of these two artists both hate it when their idols get paired with others. So, from the start, the solo fans from both sides strictly guarded against this, suppressing any sign of it. That's why when The Chase first started airing, there were absolutely no CP pairing images. You can see how much effort their solo fans put into this."
Sally spread her hands: "Now, well, all that effort is down the drain. Their solo fans are probably furious."
Yin Chengjue casually browsed through online reviews, saying calmly: "More than that. Do you think all these reviews were actively posted by the viewers themselves? If it weren't for having support strong enough to withstand fan pressure, would they dare to post like this?"
Sally understood upon hearing this: "You mean, The Chase's PR team did it on purpose?"
Yin Chengjue: "That guy surnamed Wei isn't stupid at all. He grabs both capital and traffic because these are his trump cards. Once the box office shows instability, he shifts all the blame onto the actors' acting skills. Then he seizes the opportunity to promote that their plot is actually excellent, smoothly distancing The Chase's story itself from the criticism."
Yin Chengjue took a sip of coffee: "After some more time, the actors will bear the reputation of 'poor acting skills,' leaving a bad impression on others. People will naturally think The Chase has a good plot, it's just that it was ruined by two pretty faces."
"The fans on both sides will definitely feel upset seeing such comments. Some fans who can't think it through will fiercely defend their idols and then indiscriminately verbally attack the drama itself. But this will only have the opposite effect."
"So, from beginning to end, The Chase won't be tainted by any bad reputation."
"The ones who got the funding are them, the ones who made money are them, the ones who received good reviews are them. But those two actors? They paid to act in the drama, used their fans' ticket money to prop up the box office, then got their acting skills slandered by various paid reviews, were personally attacked, and ended up with the reputation of being just pretty faces. They paid the money, put in the effort, brought in the fans, got no credit, and now they're being forced into a CP pairing. The ending will probably be quite miserable." Yin Chengjue rested his chin on his hand, secretly glad that Rong Yu didn't act in "The Chase."
"Movies are different from TV dramas. A movie ends quickly. Once CP fans form, they need 'sugar' to enjoy. If they can't find any new interactions, they'll dig for or create their own. The solo fans and anti-fans will definitely make a fuss, start conflicts. And CP fans can't just rewatch that one movie forever. So, in the end, the CP fanbase will inevitably split, leading to another wave of turmoil."
"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems we should be grateful he replaced Xiao Yu, otherwise all this would have fallen on Xiao Yu. I really didn't see that guy surnamed Wei was this kind of person," Sally sighed.
"For the sake of box office, nothing is impossible."
While "The Chase" was going to great lengths for its box office, the post-production team for "Ghost Traces" had been working hard during this period and finally finished editing "Ghost Traces."
Movies need to pass review by the National Radio and Television Administration before they can be released, especially supernatural horror films, where the review is stricter. This is because there have been past incidents where people watching horror films in theaters were scared to the point of fainting or even cardiac arrest due to excessively unbearable scenes.
To avoid such situations, every time a supernatural horror film is released, the review process is quite stringent.
On the day of the review, everyone was very anxious, afraid that the officials sent by the Administration might feel uncomfortable during the screening and demand revisions.
It wasn't that they couldn't make changes, but they were pressed for time. Any delay would postpone the release date.
Yin Chengjue also invited several famous film critics to watch along. As long as the Administration approved, the critics could publicly release their reviews.
"How did it go? Did it pass?" Sally asked for the Nth time.
Yin Chengjue was somewhat helpless: "The movie is two hours long. They've only been in there for an hour."
Sally: "But I feel like so much time has already passed..."
Yin Chengjue: "You're not new to managing artists, are you?"
"But no previous project has had timing as tight as this one! If it doesn't pass this time, making revisions and going through another review would take at least a week!" Sally fretted. "The Chase is still showing now. If we can release immediately, we can still catch the tail end of its run!"
Just as Yin Chengjue was about to tell her to relax, Assistant Guan's call came in.
"President Yin, there's a bit of a problem with the review here. Revisions might be needed."
Sally asked from the side: "How did it go? Did it pass?"
Yin Chengjue frowned deeply: "What's the matter?"
Assistant Guan: "They said Xiao Yu's character is too frightening. They're worried about potential issues after release, especially since scrutiny in this area is strict now, and the allowable limits have been repeatedly narrowed to prevent incidents."
Yin Chengjue: "Has the film finished screening yet?"
Assistant Guan: "No, they stopped it halfway. They saw the part where Xiao Yu, dressed in red, climbs out of the mirror and told us to revise and delete that part. Also the part where he climbs out of the water, the part where he climbs out of the television, the part where he..."
Yin Chengjue said speechlessly: "Do they have a problem with the action of 'climbing'?"
Assistant Guan: "Maybe. Right now, they're not approving it, and there's nothing we can do."
Yin Chengjue rubbed his temples: "Don't tell the crew about this for now. I'll handle it."
"Alright, President Yin."
However, when Yin Chengjue called over and just mentioned the matter, the person on the other end laughed and said: "A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. The horror level of 'Ghost Traces' isn't excessive. It's just that the official who watched it earlier had poor personal tolerance."
"Then, may I ask, what parts do we still need to revise?" Yin Chengjue probed.
The other end: "No need. The plot structure is quite good. It's rare to see such thoughtful supernatural films nowadays. Many we've seen before were just scary for the sake of being scary, without much substance."
Yin Chengjue moved the phone away, confirmed again that he hadn't dialed the wrong number, and continued: "So, if we submit the relevant documents now, we can get approval for release, correct?"
The other end: "Yes, yes, hahaha."
Yin Chengjue: "May I ask one more thing? Earlier my assistant said the review screening was stopped halfway. May I know why?"
The other end: "...Ah haha, that. Well, Young Master Yin, regarding this matter, you just need to know that your casting choice this time was good. Yes, that male lead is quite promising!"
Male lead? Is he talking about Rong Yu?
Yin Chengjue frowned even more: "Could you explain in more detail?"
The other end: "Oh, Young Master Yin, you're a smart person too. No need for more details. You'll understand very soon."
I don't understand, thank you!
Looking at the hung-up phone, Yin Chengjue was completely baffled.
In his past life, he wasn't unfamiliar with handling similar issues, so he had an idea of how to resolve them properly. When Assistant Guan reported the situation, Yin Chengjue had already thought of several approaches.
But he didn't expect that before he could even start implementing them, the other side proactively said it was a misunderstanding.
Recalling what that person said, Yin Chengjue couldn't help but open his computer and pull up Rong Yu's file.
It was the file Rong Yu submitted when he signed the contract, a very simple one.
Yin Chengjue had never delved deeply into Rong Yu's past. Firstly, he felt it was Rong Yu's privacy; he would listen seriously only if Rong Yu was willing to share. Secondly... because the things he saw in Rong Yu's room that day were still fresh in his memory. He was worried that if he investigated further, he might uncover more of Rong Yu's secrets.
His intuition told him these were secrets Rong Yu didn't want him to see.
In Yin Chengjue's opinion: even the closest individuals should respect each other's privacy. Intimacy does not imply the absence of boundaries; it is an essential form of mutual respect.
"Forget it, I'll wait for you to tell me yourself." Yin Chengjue sighed softly and closed the page. After a moment's thought, he sent Rong Yu a WeChat message.
Digging Three Feet Deep: The review passed. Once the materials are submitted and the official seal is obtained, it can be officially released. Get ready. The official Weibo will release a trailer tonight. Write a short reflection and repost it. Sally will contact your fan groups.
Big Fish Spreads Wings: That's great! Since the review passed, does that mean the movie will be released soon?
Digging Three Feet Deep: Yes, this is your first starring role in a movie. Let me be the first to wish my Xiao Yu's first starring film a box office hit!
Big Fish Spreads Wings: Then let me also be the first to wish brother's first movie script a box office hit!
Digging Three Feet Deep: [Cheers]
Big Fish Spreads Wings: [Cheers]
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