0p0 Chapter 165 Starlight Entertainment Admits Defeat
Chapter 165 Starlight Entertainment Admits Defeat
Starlight Entertainment, Top Floor Conference Room.
The long conference table was filled with people on both sides, and the air was filled with the bitter aroma of coffee and a kind of suppressed anxiety.
Recently, Starlight Entertainment's various projects have been overshadowed by Starshine Entertainment, causing the entire department to become very depressed.
A trailer for a martial arts movie is playing on the projection screen.
Amidst the glint of swords and the fluttering of robes, slow-motion shots of raindrops and blood create a poignant and brutal aesthetic.
This short clip alone reveals that the film had a high production cost.
This is a key project that Starlight Entertainment has been preparing for nearly two years: "Sword Rain in Jiangnan".
The film ended, and the lights came on.
Executive Director Zhou Zhixiong placed his hands clasped on the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "Post-production for 'Reign of Assassins' is complete, and it was originally scheduled for release next Friday. But now..."
He paused, his voice low: "There's been no word from Xingyao yet, so we need to discuss the release date again."
A slight commotion arose in the conference room.
"Chen Ke?" Zhang Kai, the head of the film and television department, frowned. "Didn't he just finish filming a TV series? And I heard he's going to film a sequel. Although it has the same theme as our movie, it shouldn't conflict with it, right?"
"But Xingyao has more than just Chen Ke as a director. There are several famous ones, such as Dai Wangchen and Jian Zhihong, whose popularity is in no way inferior to Chen Ke's," Zhou Zhixiong explained.
Lately, he has indeed become somewhat afraid. He is not afraid of Xingyao, but rather of that young man named Lu Ran.
I don't know why it's so weird, but every time I'm in charge of a project, it always happens to coincide with Lu Ran's project, and I end up being the background character for him.
The question now is whether Lu Ran will give his work to other directors to film.
"Recently, Lu Ran and Shen Yuege have jointly established a studio, and Xingyao not only doesn't object, but seems to be quite supportive," Zhou Zhixiong reminded them.
"It's Lu Ran again!" Production director Wang Lei slammed his hand on the table. "Is this kid trying to mess with our Starlight Media? From short dramas to feature dramas, from songs to animations, he's everywhere! I wonder if he'll suddenly pop up in a movie too."
"Calm down." Zhou Zhixiong raised his hand to urge people to calm down. "The question now is—should 'Reign of Assassins' still be released as originally planned?"
The meeting room immediately split into two factions.
"Of course we have to go!" Wang Lei, the most radical of the group, shouted the loudest. "We've been preparing for two years, invested 150 million yuan, hired the best martial arts choreographer in China, and brought back a special effects team from Hollywood! Why should we back down just because Xingyao hasn't made a move? What will people in the industry think of us then!"
"But haven't we learned enough lessons from the past?" On the conservative side, Marketing Director Li Wen adjusted her glasses, her voice calm yet sharp. "Recently, whether it's short dramas, long dramas, or music animation, when have we ever won?"
She pulled up the data charts on her tablet and projected them onto the screen: "This is a record of Starlight and Starshine's head-to-head competition in similar projects over the past six months. In seven direct confrontations, we only won once, and that was because Starshine made a publicity blunder."
On the bar chart, the blue bars of the Starry Sky stand tall, while the red bars of the Starlight are shorter.
The only victory wasn't even on a project Lu Ran was in charge of.
It can be said that Lu Ran's record against Starlight is just like Dafei's record against LPL in the S-series, a 100% win rate.
"That's because Lu Ran is weird!" Wang Lei protested. "But he can't do everything, can he? He just finished a martial arts TV series, two teen idol dramas, an animation, and he's also in charge of the studio. Is he made of iron? So he definitely won't be involved in this movie."
"But Lu Ran's scripts have never failed," Li Wen calmly retorted. "If Lu Ran really gets involved in the film again, we may not be entirely confident. My suggestion is to wait and see what Xingyao has to say."
She looked at Zhou Zhixiong: "Mr. Zhao, I'm not trying to boost their morale. But releasing it rashly at this stage is too risky. 'Reign of Assassins' is our flagship project. If the word-of-mouth and box office performance don't meet our expectations after its release, we will lose not only money, but also Starlight's reputation in the film industry."
"So, according to you, we'll just keep hiding?" Wang Lei sneered, "and wait until Xingyao has finished filming all the other projects before we pick up the leftovers?"
"It's not about hiding, it's about strategic observation," Li Wen said. "We can postpone the release date of 'Reign of Assassins' by a month and refine it further. If Xingyao makes any moves in this area during that time, we'll move it to the Spring Festival season; if Xingyao doesn't have any works in this genre, we'll promote and release it together, not giving Xingyao any time to react."
"A month? Do you know how much the publicity and distribution costs will increase if we postpone it for a month? How will we coordinate the theatrical release schedule? How will we adjust the actors' schedules?" Wang Lei asked in rapid succession.
"It's better than losing all our money after the film's release."
The two men stuck to their own versions of events, and other executives joined the fray. The meeting room erupted into chaos.
Zhou Zhixiong remained silent.
He is 48 years old this year and has worked at Starlight for 20 years, rising from the bottom to the position of executive director.
Last year, the former chairman stepped down, and he was originally the most likely candidate to succeed him as president—provided the company performed well.
However, in the past six months, Starlight has been steadily losing ground to Starshine.
Some board members have already privately expressed their dissatisfaction.
If "Reign of Assassins" encounters problems again...
"That's enough," Zhou Zhixiong finally said.
The meeting room fell silent instantly.
He stood up, walked to the screen, and replayed the trailer for "Reign of Assassins".
The scene freezes on the female protagonist standing in the bamboo forest with a sword in hand, the raindrops like needles, her eyes like knives.
"This film embodies the hard work of so many people." Zhou Zhixiong's voice was not loud, but every word was heavy. "Director Wang spent three years polishing this film, the female lead Lin Weiwei turned down three films, and the action choreography team spent eight months on set... We cannot deny everyone's efforts just because we are afraid of our opponents."
Wang Lei's eyes lit up: "President Zhao is right!"
"However," Zhou Zhixiong changed the subject, "Director Li's concerns are also valid. Lu Ran is indeed a strange person."
He recalled the data curve on the day "Those Years, Those Rabbits, Those Things" was released—a red line that rose almost vertically upwards, like a resounding slap across the face of everyone at Starlight.
"Alright." Zhou Zhixiong made the decision. "The release date for 'Reign of Assassins' will be postponed for now; we won't announce a specific date. The publicity department will increase pre-release promotion, but don't mention the release date. Also..."
He looked at Li Wen: "Use all available resources to find out about Xingyao's new projects. I need to know their investment scale, cast, and filming schedule, the more details the better."
"Understood." Li Wen nodded.
Wang Lei wanted to say something, but Zhou Zhixiong stopped him with a look.
"This isn't backing down." Zhou Zhixiong surveyed the room, his voice weary. "This is strategy. Don't bet before you know your opponent's hand."