novellhall Chapter 56: Premiere Reviews Explode
Chapter 56: Premiere Reviews Explode
Episodes 13 and 14 of "The Beginning" will be released on July 25th at 7 PM.
Li Yitong nestled on the sofa in her new home, her nervous face reflected on her phone screen.
When Xiao Heyun collapsed on the bus, clutching his bleeding abdomen, the screen was filled with comments like "Ahhh, don't die!" When Wang Mengmeng's surveillance footage appeared, she heard her own breathing and the sound of brakes in the drama overlap.
"The darkest hour..." she murmured to herself, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the cushion. This plot point was something Raymond Lam had repeatedly polished.
When the notification that the episode had ended popped up, she took a deep breath and opened the post she had already edited.
In the penguin dance video, she wears a pink hoodie and makes wavy motions with her hands on either side of her body, swaying from side to side like a clumsy penguin. The caption reads: "Beyond the loop, you can also sway~ #PenguinDanceChallenge #WhoWantsToBattleWithMe?"
Within ten minutes of being posted, the video topped the trending searches. At the same time, Tian Xiwei also uploaded her dance video, wearing an oversized T-shirt, dancing haphazardly, and finally making a face at the camera, captioning it: "Brother Feng said I dance like a penguin doing drunken boxing."
Liu Haochun's version, on the other hand, has a certain flair, with every movement exuding grace. Some commenters remarked that it "looks like a swan that has wandered into a flock of penguins."
At Fengrui Films, the lights in the publicity department were on until the wee hours of the morning. Li Yi, staring at the backend data, slammed his fist on the table and laughed, "The penguin dance imitation video has surpassed 10,000 views! So many people are asking 'Who are these two girls?' Our movie's hashtag has taken off!"
A colleague handed me a cup of coffee: "Director Lin's move is brilliant! He used the contrasting charm of dance to connect the drama and the movie. Now, when you mention 'The Beginning,' you can't avoid mentioning 'Take My Brother Away.'"
Li Yi looked at Li Yitong's dance video on the screen and suddenly laughed. Who would have thought that Li Shiqing, who was calm and decisive in "The Beginning", could be so funny when she dances?
At the premiere on July 26th, Jiang Wei told a group of reporters, "Lin Feng is the most talented director from the Beijing Film Academy in the last decade!"
Wang Man from Tencent, dressed in a red dress, walked over with a smile: "Director Lin, if the box office breaks 500 million this time, I'll give you a celebration!"
She glanced at Li Yitong with admiration in her eyes, "This little girl, Yitong, is good at acting and dancing. My daughter is even learning the penguin dance."
Tian Xi skipped over, holding a long box in her hands: "Brother Feng, look what I brought you!"
The box opened, revealing a gleaming golden toy sword, its hilt engraved with "For Shi Fen's Use Only." "This was custom-made," the little girl said proudly, "to fulfill your childhood dream of being a knight-errant!"
Lin Feng picked up the sword, weighed it in his hand, and deliberately put on a stern face: "With this sword, all the rapeseed flowers within a ten-mile radius back then would have to bow their heads to me!"
The entire audience burst into laughter, and Tian Xi smiled so broadly she could barely stand up straight: "Brother Feng, you're such a braggart!"
During the interactive segment, Jiang Wei, holding the microphone, pointed at Tian Xiwei and said, "This girl's acting skills are truly remarkable! She brought the younger sister's naivety and stubbornness to life. I dare say, she'll definitely be an award-winning actress in the future!"
Tian Xiwei's face flushed instantly, and she tugged at Liu Haochun's hand, whispering, "The teacher's praise was too exaggerated..."
Liu Haochun patted her hand with a smile. Looking at the flashing lights below the stage, she suddenly felt a little envious.
After the premiere, word-of-mouth spread like wildfire across the internet.
The film received a 9.6 rating on Maoyan and a 9.3 rating on Taopiaopiao, with 100% recommendation from Weibo influencers. One film critic wrote: "Take My Brother Away uses humor to wrap up warmth. The bickering between the siblings is like an ice-cold soda on a summer day—refreshing and invigorating. Tian Xiwei's performance is captivating, and Li Yitong's cameo is a pleasant surprise. Raymond Lam truly understands young people as a director."
As they walked out of the theater, Wang Man patted Raymond Lam on the shoulder: "I knew I hadn't misjudged you! This movie is absolutely going to be a hit!"
Jiang Wei looked at his student with satisfaction in his eyes: "Work hard, and you will have a page in the history of Beijing Film Academy."
The first stop of the national roadshow was Shanghai. On the plane, Tian Xiwei was sleeping soundly with her pillow in her arms, Liu Haochun was leaning against the window reading the script, and Li Yitong was writing down the upcoming itinerary in her notebook.
At a meet-and-greet event at a Shanghai cinema, an audience member held up a sign that read "Xiao Heyun, marry me!" but upon seeing Tian Xiwei, shouted, "Shi Miao! Did your brother steal your snacks again?"
Tian Xiwei picked up the microphone and said in a serious tone, "He doesn't dare to do it now, because I have a sword!" As she spoke, she even made a sword-wielding gesture, which made the whole audience burst into laughter.
When asked about funny moments during filming, Liu Haochun blushed slightly: "There was a scene where I burst out laughing, but Brother Feng didn't scold me. He even said, 'It's okay, let's do it again. I was thinking of changing my lines anyway.'"
After the roadshow in Hangzhou, Tian Xiwei pulled Liu Haochun aside and said, "Haochun, how much box office do you think our movie will break?" She rested her chin on her hand, her eyes full of anticipation.
"It'll definitely break 300 million!" Liu Haochun put a piece of fish on her plate. "What Brother Feng said, it'll definitely work."
On the second day, in the car during the roadshow, Tian Xiwei was reading the comments under the videos.
She found a popular comment and read it aloud vividly: "Little Tian jumps up like she's carrying a little rabbit; after watching, I want to steal her home and raise her!"
Li Yitong, who was sitting in the front row, heard her words and turned around to hand her two bottles of water: "Take a break, you have to jump again at the next stop."
Lin Feng sat next to the driver, flipping through the box office prediction report. Li Yi had just sent a message: "Pre-sales have already exceeded 10 million, and Maoyan predicts it will reach 50 million on the first day."
"The 'Gulu Gulu Dance' became popular thanks to Xiaotian's memes," Raymond Lam said with a laugh. "The PR department made a compilation of clips of you making mistakes while dancing, and now the whole internet is imitating it."
"I did that on purpose!" Tian Xi retorted, her neck slightly stiff. "I call it a cute contrast!"
Everyone in the car burst into laughter, and the fatigue from the roadshow seemed to be washed away by the laughter.
On the evening of July 31st, the lights in cinemas across the country gradually came on. The poster for "Take My Brother Away" was displayed in the most prominent position, and the lingering popularity of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" and "Monster Hunt" did not deter audiences from entering the theaters.
At the ticket gate of a movie theater, a couple was discussing while holding up their tickets: "I heard this is the new film from the director of 'The Beginning,' it should be good." "I saw that 'Gulu Gulu Dance' online, the female lead is so cute!"
In the BJ movie theater, several students held up support signs that read, "May we always be together, every minute and every second." They were fans of the comic book "Take My Brother Away" and had been looking forward to the movie for a month.
Meanwhile, in the hotel room, Tian Xiwei was pacing back and forth, clutching a pillow. "Brother Feng, do you think the box office can surpass 50 million?" Her voice was tense, and her palms were sweating.
"You definitely can." Lin Feng handed her a cup of milk tea. "Trust me, and trust yourself."