Chapter 225: A Hit Film
This was the first time Yun Xiangxiang forgot she played the female protagonist when she watched her own film. She only remembered to look for weakness that she could improve on after she finished the film.
She did have a few things she needed to improve on. But with the film being too immersive, nobody would see the flaw if it wasn’t too obvious.
Lu Jin was on a whole other level by himself. Hou Cang, He Xingzhou, and Sun Qiluo were all great actors. Them being on the silver screen would immerse the audience in the scene as if they were there themselves.
“As expected of Director Wu’s film.” Du Changrong had some experience with ancient era dramas. He started out filming those after all. He finished the film with admiration, “This is a greatly shot film!”
“”Jiu Se” will be outstanding too,” Yun Xiangxiang recognized both films’ merits.
Du Changrong shook his head, “”Jiu Se” might have the sentimental element of patriotism, but compared to “The King’s Plan,” it’s nothing to write home about.”
To Du Changrong, “The King’s Plan” was a prominent work that succeeded in meshing the unbending will and gentleness of humans together.
Every frame in the film was memorable, worthy of being turned into drawings of ancient scrolls.
“It’s late. Let’s go back to the hotel and get some rest,” Yun Xiangxiang diverted the topic.
Everyone was “Jiu Se”‘s crew here. Du Changrong was a straightforward man who said what he had in mind. But if anyone heard it, their morale might take a hit. They had not finished filming after all.
If even the top dog didn’t think they were good enough, how could they be confident?
Losing their confidence would greatly affect their teamwork, causing the filming quality to take a hit.
As Song Meng slept, Yun Xiangxiang was unaware that a celebration was going on in her Weibo page right now.
Some of her student fans went to watch the midnight session of “The King’s Plan” on the first day of the national holidays. The result? They screamed on her Weibo page.
[Ah…! Clouds! If any of you are still awake, run to your nearest cinema on the double and see if you can get the tickets for “The King’s Plan.” Our Sister Xiang is the main protagonist!]
She not only posted two pictures of her in the cinema. She also tagged Yun Xiangxiang, the fan club, and the Clouds whom she was friends with.
Students had an amazing ability to stay up the whole night. Many people were already planning to watch the film to find out the answer to their burning question during “The King’s Plan”‘s promotion – Who played Madam Xi? There was also the reputation of Wu Zhao and Lu Jin backing the film up.
Now that they knew that their goddess played the female protagonist whom they were dreamed of, their excitement was bubbled visibly.
[Oh my God. I bought the tickets for tomorrow. Now I cannot sleep. No. I have to see if I can get my hands on the midnight session’s ticket for my first watchthrough.]
[Ah… I want to go so much, but I am taking care of my brother right now]
[Just finished a barbecue session with the boys. Now going to the movies.]
[My brother sleeps like a log. No matter how I try to wake him up, he never would. But once I told him the goddess’ film is screening, he leapt out of bed, ran out the house and left me alone. Words fail me.]
[…]
Yun Xiangxiang didn’t scroll through Weibo when she returned to the hotel. She went straight to bed after washing up. When she woke up the next day, “The King’s Plan” became the talk of the town.
There were mixed reviews on the internet. Most loved it and gave it a high rating. “The King’s Plan” was the hottest and highest grossing film at the moment.
Some said, “Oh my God. You can’t find a man like King Wen of Chu anywhere. He’s handsome, manly, and loyal!”
Some scoffed, “This is promoting extortion. Does having power mean you can do everything?”
Some commented, “This is just a flick selling itself as a historical film.”
Some wrote, “This is the most skilful combination of historical epics and commercial films I have ever seen.
Some history buffs were extremely picky and wrote text walls after text walls pointing out the illogical parts in “The King’s Plan.”
Most said, “It’s an adaptation. If it follows history like a textbook, nobody would watch it.”
Some rebutted the history buffs, “Can you guarantee that your historical records are a hundred percent correct?”
No matter what, “The King’s Plan” stirred up various hot topics. Thanks to the discussions it brought forth, its box office numbers kept on rising.
They grossed two hundred million in three days. Yun Xiangxiang was shocked. Tens of millions rolled in with just a bit of time between sales.
One thing was worth mentioning. No matter how heated the online debates were, most were just about the character and the plot’s deviation from history. No one questioned the actors.
As for the film’s visuals and texture, it received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Some lovers of historical culture commented that “The King’s Plan” had succeeded in promoting the culture, touting it as the best and most successful historical film since the last few decades.
The debate on its historical accuracy, or if the character was too perfect, slowly died down.
Maybe they didn’t want to keep on arguing with those who chose not to see their truth. Maybe they lost out to the sheer number of fans defending it. Or maybe they thought they would indirectly promote the inaccurate film if they kept on arguing. But no matter what, they quit arguing.
And then the discussion about “The King’s Plan”‘s actors started.
Lu Jin was already a superstar who enjoyed fame both in China and worldwide. Everyone praised him as delivering an act worthy of being recorded in textbooks.
Thanks to playing as King Wen of Chu, a man who was admired by men and desired by women, he gained countless fans.
He Xingzhou played as a character whose personality differed from him a lot. The character was indecisive, weak, and mediocre. And he managed to play him perfectly.
The character might not be a favorite, but it was one that managed to gain the audience’s sympathy. Adding that to the drug incident before this, the crowd also praised him.
Hou Cang was the biggest shock here. After all, the characters he played were usually manly men. The audience felt incredulous when they saw him act as a perverted, devious character for the first time.
Sun Qiluo also managed to play an evil woman whom everyone loved to hate.
The biggest surprise, of course, was Yun Xiangxiang. Madam Xi was no easy character to play as. She was a polite and elegant stunner. As the character didn’t show how she felt on her face, if she failed in playing her, she would look perpetually stuck with one expression.
She worked with many seniors in this film. To the public, she was the new girl on the block. All her previous films involved her acting as a student.
But now she changed into a gorgeous princess with a golden soul within her. It was a dramatic change.
Yun Xiangxiang used to be a little girl who needed to be protected. Thanks to Madam Xi, now everyone no longer thought Yun Xiangxiang was just a girl next door. She could also be a noble, elegant lady.
It was a good film that deserved a rewatch. The first watchthrough was to immerse themselves in the overall smoothness of the film. The rewatch was to appreciate the details.
“The King’s Plan” grossed a billion yuan in its first week of screening. Its daily earnings were starting to decline, but many still hoped it would create a box office miracle.
Domestically, the highest grossing film recorded 2.5 billion yuan in box office. Yun Xiangxiang’s “University Dream” ranked third. Second place grossed 2.2 billion yuan.