June.
Apart from the competition song "The Seventh Chapter of the Night," Ting Yu only had the theme song of "A Chinese Odyssey," "A Love for Life."
Mid-June arrived.
"Demigod Chronicles" saw some improvement in its box office performance due to online marketing.
The film was actually shot very well, with a significant portion of the budget allocated to special effects, costumes, and makeup. The original author, Bai Ye, personally oversaw the production, ensuring the plot was faithfully adapted. This was, after all, the comeback production prepared by two top entertainment companies.
"In another five days, we'll break even. If the box office doesn't drop too much from then on, our movie should turn a profit," said Li Hongyi of Guangnian Entertainment and Qi Shenghua of Dingsheng Entertainment, sipping tea at a club.
The two had been on edge during this period, fearing any moves from Jiangnan.
However, for days, neither Jiangnan nor Ting Yu had made any statement, allowing public opinion to fester online.
"A Chinese Odyssey" had its rating increase by 0.1 during this time, a very small rise.
While its box office still led "Demigod Chronicles," this was attributed entirely to Jiangnan and Ting Yu's fame, and more importantly, they hadn't completely captured the market share. Thus, "Demigod Chronicles" had not suffered significant pressure on its box office.
"Fortunately, the situation is quite optimistic," Qi Shenghua rubbed his temples, exhaling a slow breath of relief.
He had been constantly monitoring the situation, which had led to excessive exertion and a poor mental state.
"Now, we just need to wait for the second part of 'A Chinese Odyssey' to be released. If it's still at this level, we might even be able to use this opportunity to further elevate the film's reputation," Li Hongyi said after taking a sip of tea.
Qi Shenghua nodded. "If it really turns out as you say, I'm confident we can make 'Demigod Chronicles' a classic film. This way, our reputation will recover, we'll cooperate more in the future, and investors will have confidence."
The most crucial factor was confidence. Investors were currently observing, and some were even deliberately avoiding release dates for Jiangnan's films.
This was because they knew that as long as Jiangnan's films were present, it would be impossible for other movies to achieve blockbuster box office success, leading to potential losses on their investments.
However, they wanted to invest in Jiangnan's films, but he wasn't giving them the opportunity, so they were waiting.
If "Demigod Chronicles" won this time, investors in the market would surely turn their attention to Guangnian and Dingsheng Entertainment. This would allow the two companies to continue cooperating on film productions, and with investment, everything would be manageable.
"Haha, cheers to our bright future," Li Hongyi poured another cup of tea.
Qi Shenghua also raised his teacup, smiling. "Now, we just await the news of the premiere of the second part of 'A Chinese Odyssey'."
With that, the two clinked their cups.
The release time was approaching.
All they could do now was wait for the premiere news. However, based on past experience, it was likely to be good news, especially since Jiangnan hadn't made any statement for so long, suggesting he lacked confidence.
...
The premiere of the second part of "A Chinese Odyssey."
As the two films were released relatively close to each other, there was no premiere ceremony.
If audiences wanted to watch, they could simply buy tickets.
After such a long wait, although the reputation of the first part of "A Chinese Odyssey" wasn't exceptional, it had built considerable suspense.
The film ended with Zixia stamping the mark on Zhi Zun Bao, leaving many viewers who had seen the first part eager to watch the second.
As a result, the queues at every ticket counter were massive.
Tickets for the first day's showings sold out in no time.
"Xiao Yan, don't rush. The movie starts in a few minutes..."
It was drizzling in Kyoto that day. Mo Yan got out of the car and opened his umbrella, while Zhao Yan eagerly exited the car and walked towards the cinema.
"Hurry up! I've been waiting for this release. Jiangnan is so annoying, making them two parts instead of releasing them together!"
Zhao Yan's sentiment was shared by the vast majority of the audience.
Although many online commenters claimed "A Chinese Odyssey" lacked depth and was nothing but jokes, it was undeniable that the anticipation built towards the end was immense.
Viewers who had seen the first part were eagerly awaiting the release of the second.
Otherwise, tickets wouldn't have sold out so quickly!
"You've been mentioning it countless times these past few days..." Mo Yan said with a wry smile.
"Didn't they say Ting Yu and Jiangnan are good friends? Ask him to reveal Jiangnan's address. I want to send him some sharp feedback!" Zhao Yan said irritably.
Mo Yan was slightly taken aback, unsure how to respond.
"The movie is about to start," he changed the subject.
Zhao Yan came to her senses and quickly pulled him towards the cinema.
Regardless, watching the movie was the most important thing right now!
...
"I finally managed to snag a ticket. This first review will definitely be mine!"
Liu Hao was a very famous film critic. In this fast-paced era, many professional short video bloggers specialized in reviewing films and TV shows. Generally, when people wanted to watch a movie or TV series, they would first check out these bloggers' reviews. If recommended, they would then buy tickets. Liu Hao was one of these bloggers.
He was beloved by his fans for his fair evaluations. Even when faced with a screenwriter of Jiangnan's stature, he maintained his objective approach, giving "A Chinese Odyssey" a positive review as an enjoyable comedy film, despite the significant public backlash.
However, in his videos, he also acknowledged the controversies, citing a lack of depth and a loosely constructed plot.
"As a comedy film, 'A Chinese Odyssey' deserves high marks. Other issues arise simply because everyone has set the bar too high for Ting Yu."
This was Liu Hao's final assessment.
Indeed, netizens had impossibly high expectations for Jiangnan. Looking for a tightly structured plot in a comedy film was akin to searching for jokes in a rigorous documentary; they were fundamentally different.
Everyone was waiting for the second part of "A Chinese Odyssey," and Liu Hao was no exception.
As a professional film critic blogger, he had to stay ahead of the curve. Attending the premiere was a must. With such massive traffic, whoever published first would gain popularity, and the competition among film review bloggers was quite fierce.
Upon entering the cinema hall, Liu Hao scanned the room. It was surprisingly almost full.
Some audience members were still trickling in.
He found his seat, took out his notebook and pen from his bag. As a film critic blogger, taking notes while watching a movie was essential, as he would later create review videos.
Not long after, the cinema lights dimmed.
The chatter gradually quieted down.
The first part of the film began to play on the big screen.
A few scattered scenes were shown, primarily to refresh the audience's memory.
Then, the title "A Chinese Odyssey: Cinderella" appeared on the screen.
The audience all sat up straighter.
Because the second part they had been anticipating for so long had finally begun!
However, the movie did not pick up from the ending of the previous installment. Instead, it entered the plot from Zixia's perspective.
Two demons came to propose to Zixia, after which they encountered Erlang Shen from the Heavenly Court. This segment clarified Zixia's identity.
Crucially, it also conveyed a very important piece of information: whoever could draw the Ziqing Sword would be Zixia's destined husband!
...