The Best Director

The weather was sunny and breezy in the morning. A segment of the red carpet was laid out in front of Beijing’s New Century Cinema, where a large crowd of movie fans and enthusiasts had gathered. Most of them appeared to be young people around the age of 20, including some school students with youthful faces, all beaming with smiles. They held cameras, posters, and other items in their hands, occasionally glancing towards the cinema and chatting and laughing with each other.

“If my classmates knew I got Wang Yang’s autograph, haha!”, “Quit showing off, Wang Yang even waved at me! SAY-HI, you know!”, “Pfft, just be jealous, guys, I’m over the moon! Haha!”, “Natalie Portman is really beautiful!”, “She seems to get along really well with Wang Yang!”, “I didn’t expect Daniel Wu’s Mandarin to be worse than Wang Yang’s.”, “Magical Yang can even pull off our Beijing accent!”…

Nearly ten security guards at the entrance, half-listening to these conversations, were guarding the door absentmindedly, still vividly recalling the screams and the once out-of-control pandemonium that had erupted earlier on the red carpet. They were also discussing among themselves: “These students have gone mad, yelling ‘Wang Yang, Wang Yang’, my ears hurt.”, “Those tickets inside, costing hundreds to a thousand, were snatched up in no time, you can’t buy them even if you have the money, crazy, right?”, “And those good seats were scalped for thousands!”…

“Ding ding ding ding—” The premiere’s screening hall was filled to capacity, and the audience, still excited yet full of anticipation, watched the slot machine spinning on the big screen—could someone win with a 1/260,000+ chance?

“Las Vegas” had reached its final shot, and as the slot machine’s third reel slowly came to a stop, the singing began and the screen went black, and the credits started to roll: “Director: Wang Yang; Screenwriter: Wang Yang, Ben Mezrich…”

First, there were whispers of amazement, followed by thunderous applause. The entire screening hall seemed to be boiling over. The crowd, drawn by the film’s reputation, clapped and cheered non-stop. Although the movie didn’t feature grand spectacles, it stirred their emotions profoundly. Compared to European and American audiences, those meticulously portrayed scenes capturing delicate emotions and the extreme thrill of sweeping the casino floor resonated more deeply and were more engaging for them.

Witnessing the incredible card counting at the gambling table, the team’s silent yet unimpeded communication, the flurry of flying playing cards… many in the audience felt a sense of awe. It was just awesome!

Surrounded by the deafening applause and joyful faces, and having attended this much-anticipated premiere himself, Han Sanping couldn’t help but feel a bit reflective. He glanced over at Wang Yang and others who were smiling and standing up. That kid really knew how to make a commercial film! Although it was meaningless, weird in some ways, with loud and noisy music, frighteningly quick cuts, barely comprehensible before switching again, and a flood of dialogue that was hard to keep up with…

But the star power was undeniable, with a team of six members! And they just threw around money, which young people love!

Han Sanping suddenly felt that this year’s New Year’s film “Jade Guanyin,” featuring only Zhao Wei and Nicholas Tse, lacked big stars and grand scenes. But now he was already discussing with Feng Xiaogang the adaptation of Zhao Benfu’s novel “A World Without Thieves.” He planned to invite the biggest stars from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the mainland to play the lead roles, including Andy Lau, and to make Feng Xiaogang incorporate elements that young people enjoy, like action special effects and comedic lines… He was determined to produce a blockbuster commercial hit!

“Damn, that was so good!” Chen Lisen, who had come to watch with friends, clapped vigorously. Snagging a ticket was tough and cost him hundreds, but it was so worth it! What a blast… He turned to look at several classmates and friends, praising, “Really lives up to the name ‘Magical Yang’! We made the right choice coming here. I now think those Hong Kong gambling movies are far behind except for their humor. The realism of an adaptation is just different! So professional, no doubt about it!”

“Yeah, really professional. This isn’t actually a gambling movie, is it?!” A tall, thin male student with rimless glasses asked excitedly, nodding and questioning at the same time, while a stylishly dressed, long-haired beautiful girl next to him said softly with a fangirl sigh, “Oh my gosh, why is Daniel Wu so handsome!? Suddenly feeling a bit smitten… They’re going up on stage!” Unable to contain her excitement, she shouted, “Wang Yang—!”

The large silver screen behind the stage had finished scrolling through the credits and switched to the promotional poster imagery. Wang Yang, dressed in a black long thin trench coat and jeans, exhibited a casual and youthful look; Daniel Wu, wearing a suit jacket and jeans, was equally dashing; joining them on stage were Natalie and Rachel, both dressed in casual chic with light makeup and ponytails.

“Hello everyone!” As the group arrived at the center of the stage and took the microphones handed over by the staff, Wang Yang looked out at the audience—comprised of media reporters and ordinary movie fans—and happily greeted them. The film was still irresistibly engaging, and the applause and cheer were equally thrilling, especially from the Chinese in the audience who made him feel the warmth of Chinatown.

The movie fans immediately responded loudly, with some spectators in one area of the auditorium standing up and even shouting uncontrollably, “YOUNG——”

“Thank you, thank you,” Wang Yang said with a smile, raising his hand. Daniel Wu and Natalie holding microphones also smiled. As the noisy sound subsided, Wang Yang looked at the audience and said with a laugh, “Thank you all for coming to this premiere! I am very happy to receive your applause, very happy to see that you like ‘Las Vegas,’ and very happy to come to China, to be here.”

This appearance on stage was just for greetings and thanks, so he didn’t make any extended remarks, only saying with a smile, “This movie contains many Chinese elements; the male lead is a Chinese element, then the director is also a Chinese element. Maybe because of this, even I, the translator, feel very at home and enthusiastic here—thank you, everyone!”

“Hehe!” Many in the audience chuckled. In fact, Wang Yang’s Chinese was indeed very fluent with no grammatical errors, although sometimes his accent could be a bit strange. But for translation purposes, it was sufficient.

Among the other three on stage, Daniel Wu could basically understand Mandarin, though speaking it proved challenging; Natalie could understand and speak simple, everyday phrases, much of her proficiency in Chinese had come from chatting and bickering with Wang Yang, and of course, many times she couldn’t express herself clearly; as for Rachel, she was limited to “hello,” “goodbye,” and the like, specifically learned for this trip, and now also couldn’t understand what he was saying, just smiling with a puzzled look on her face.

“Hello, everyone,” Wang Yang said, followed by a thunderous applause and then it was Daniel Wu’s turn. The audience and movie fans were naturally more familiar with him, and last year’s “New Police Story” had introduced this gentlemanly handsome fellow to even more people. Holding the microphone, he said in his awkward Mandarin with a smile, “I am also very happy you like it. This movie was a big challenge for me, and luckily the director said I did not too bad… so please show your support!”

The cinema erupted in fervent applause again—the true highlight of the ticket’s value! As Natalie Portman lifted the microphone, the cheering fans quieted down, having heard she could speak Chinese. Was it true?

“Hello, my friends!” Natalie didn’t disappoint the audience, greeting them with a smile in her non-standard Mandarin. Instantly, a wave of applause and cheers rose from the audience. Whenever a foreigner visits China, there’s a fixed segment where they learn to speak a few phrases in Mandarin, and seeing her do so well, fans naturally felt pleased. And Natalie once again experienced the enthusiasm of the fans from when she walked the red carpet, equally delighted.

“This premiere is a different, special experience, and I sincerely thank everyone for your constant support and well-wishes,” Natalie said, pausing for a moment as if organizing her thoughts. Ignoring Wang Yang’s teasing glance filled with the suggestion “Need a translator?” she kept her focus on the audience below and added with a smile, “‘Las Vegas’ is one of the most… vigorous movies I have acted in, very COOL, and your applause is also very COOL, thank you!”

“Great!!” The applause in the auditorium exploded instantly, and since she mentioned applause, all the attendees clapped especially hard this time, the decibels even louder than during Wang Yang’s turn, causing many fans to laugh and chat amusingly. Natalie Portman could say vigorous—that’s so cool! Next up was Rachel McAdams—what Chinese would she speak?

“How are you, everyone good!” Rachel lifted the microphone, smiling as she uttered the greeting she had practiced many times. A round of applause followed from the audience, and although no one found it amiss, Wang Yang felt a bit like laughing, having corrected her many times without success. She was still puzzled, “What’s the difference between ‘how’ and ‘good’?”

What disappointed the movie fans a bit was that after Rachel finished her opening remarks, she started laughing and said something in English. After a few sentences, Rachel switched to mechanical-sounding Chinese and laughed, “Bei jin is a very no-power spring style, I lean bei jin AND-CHINA!” She had forgotten her lines and was not speaking clearly, so she had to laugh and switch back to English to finish, “I’m very happy to see you all here! Thank you! Thank you!”

The audience burst into loud applause again. Wang Yang held back his laughter and clapped, Natalie murmured without sound as if muttering, “Bei north bay…” Rachel, however, felt that she had done very well; she had just been a little too hurried at the end, looking at the interpreter with a smile.

“Hello, everyone!” Wang Yang swallowed the laughter that had not come out and translated seriously into the microphone, “Seeing all of you, living on the other side of the Earth, enjoying and supporting ‘Las Vegas’ and my performance is indeed a very pleasant surprise and an honor. In this movie, I play a smart female detective, but as you’ve seen, in the end, she couldn’t outsmart the genius from MIT, which is regrettable.”

He smiled, and Daniel Wu and Natalie both smiled back. He continued, “The first time I saw traditional Chinese garments, I was captivated by their charm. This time I will buy a lot of things and take a look at the Great Wall.” He paused, then laughed, “Beijing is a beautiful city, I love Beijing and China! Finally, I’m very happy to meet all of you here, thank you!”

The cinema immediately erupted with deafening applause that lasted until the four main creators stepped down from the stage. Only then did the fans cease their clapping, and the Beijing premiere curtain was drawn.

In China, “MIT-21-TEAM” won’t be released until August 16th; but in North America, the box office rankings for the new weekend of August 8th to 10th have been released. In the second weekend of August, “21” continued the media and industry’s “expected surprise” for Flame Movies, delighting them further. After raking in a whopping $75.26 million in its first week, the movie saw only a 31.5% drop in its weekend performance, earning $34.02 million!

That allowed it to defend its championship on the weekend box office rankings, and the North American total box office crossed the $100 million mark, reaching $109 million in just 10 days!

The 31.5% drop was also the smallest among the top 12 this week, with the acclaimed drama “The Era of Galloping” dropping by 32.2% and “Pirates of the Caribbean” dropping by 33.9%.

Flame Movies really felt like finding a treasure within a treasure with this result. Was it the strong attraction of this true story that appealed to all ages? Were the movie reviews and public opinion both giving two thumbs up, leading to many waiting viewers making their decision in the first week? Or was it that the new films in the same period didn’t have enough competitive edge? Perhaps all these reasons applied, and the result was a box office of $100 million in just 10 days, with a miraculous rise.

With a North American box office total of $1.552 billion, Wang Yang’s ranking officially surpassed Chris Columbus and Robert Zemeckis, rising to the second-highest in history, continuing to chase 57-year-old Steven Spielberg’s $3.0884 billion at the age of 23. “MIT-21-TEAM”‘s $109 million is also chasing the $164 million of “Catch Me If You Can,” and it seems that a time when it dominates the “gambling and con artist” movie genres is not far off.

The second place for the weekend went to the newly released action movie “Anti-Terrorism Special Forces,” starring Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, and others, with explosive scenes. It earned $30.06 million in its opening weekend, but with a Rotten Tomatoes freshness of just 48% and an audience approval of 63%, it was tagged as “clichéd,” “thrill-less action,” and “boring.”

Also new, “Freaky Friday” ranked third with $20.2 million. The film is a remake of the 1976 version and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. With a freshness of 88% and audience approval of 60%, it seems to be a commercially acceptable film with no surprises. However, Lindsay Lohan, who made her mark as a child actress and astonished everyone with her performance in “Perfect Match,” truly shines with a bright future ahead of her.

In fourth place was “American Pie 3” with $10.46 million, fifth was “Pirates of the Caribbean” with $10.12 million, followed by “The Era of Galloping” with $9.95 million…

After the morning premiere ended, following lunch and a break, the afternoon press conference began on schedule in the press room. In attendance, besides the four individuals Wang Yang, were nearly four hundred media reporters from newspapers, magazines, television, and the internet… After the photo session concluded, came the Q&A segment. A row of cameras was set up behind the crowded press seats, capturing Wang Yang and the four sitting at a long table where each position had a microphone, mineral water, and other items.

“Director Wang, can you predict the box office in China for ‘Las Vegas’? What are your expectations?”

The concentrated Q&A session had been going on for quite a while, with reporters eagerly raising their hands, one after another questioning the four individuals, among whom Wang Yang was indeed the center of attention. At that moment, a male reporter from asked another question, which was also the focus of the moment. Would the amazing Wang Yang perform miraculously in China? For the sake of everyone understanding, the official female translator arranged by China Film Group Corporation immediately translated it clearly into English.

“Of course, I hope as high as possible; no one complains about a high box office,” Wang Yang replied with a sly answer, eliciting laughter from the reporters below. The square-faced male reporter, not willing to give up, smiled and asked, “Can you set a target?” Wang Yang thought for a moment, realizing there was no need to say those things right now and replied with a smile, “I hope to surpass myself! I would be very happy to break a hundred million.”

This was obviously not the answer the reporters wanted to hear. Something like “surpassing the current historical high of ‘Titanic'” would be more like it. However, the amazing Wang Yang was a hot topic in itself, and the presence or absence of such eye-catching content made little difference. Another opportunity to ask a question was given to a female reporter from a daily newspaper. Holding the microphone and standing up, she asked, “Mr. Wang, you just said ‘no one complains about a high box office’. Is that what you most want to achieve with your visit to China?”

Looking at her serious large face, Wang Yang was slightly taken aback. Her question implied “Did you come to China only for the box office and making money?” He couldn’t help but laugh, not at all angry, which was probably an attempt at stirring up trouble to create news, as some reporters in Los Angeles had asked about “challenging Spielberg.” In any case, these were all very impolite ways of questioning, and he could choose not to answer; but he didn’t want to appear as if he were tacitly agreeing to this question.

“Did I say anything wrong? Just the sentence itself, ‘no one complains about a high box office’, did I say something wrong?” Wang Yang asked the long-haired female reporter with a smile, causing her to fall silent while his fellow reporters couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Wang Yang had no intention of attacking anyone and said seriously, “The box office represents a lot, including one facet, which is the audience’s love for the movie…”

Natalie and Rachel both felt displeased on his behalf. The atmosphere at the press conference had been very pleasant, but this question was too much. Daniel Wu, who was still smiling, sighed inwardly. Even as an actor, he knew that if it was purely for the sake of the box office, it would be better, from a business standpoint, to promote in Europe, Australia, and other countries, because even if the mainland China box office could achieve 300 million, in the end, it might just earn a few million US dollars?

Daniel Wu wasn’t clear on the profit-sharing percentage of the mainland cinemas or the agreement signed between ‘Las Vegas’ and China Film Group Corporation. Based on some situations in Hong Kong he was aware of and the fact that cinemas took half, if China Film Group took another 50%, a rough estimate of 300 million box office would leave the production company with less than ten million US dollars after taxes. But that’s 300 million at the box office! Now he understood that in mainland China, even 100 million at the box office was considered very high.

The reason why so few Hollywood filmmakers go to Hong Kong or mainland China for promotion is because there’s little money to be made; that’s why the company doesn’t arrange it, and schedules are used for other countries instead. Now, this question was really a misunderstanding for Wang Yang. Daniel Wu was very clear; on the set, the director would excitedly talk about the promotion plans to visit China every day, which came purely from a genuine desire to visit, just like when he was a teenager and came to Beijing to learn martial arts.

“My visit to China this time is for the promotion, and also to meet my fans and everyone. It’s that simple!”

The movie premiere had ended, and the promotional activities of the crew were also coming to a close soon, but his personal schedule had just begun! Having finished answering, Wang Yang no longer paid attention to the female reporter and, looking at the journalists busy taking notes, smiled and said, “Next question.” (.)