Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years

The year 2009 ended, and 2010 arrived.

After returning from Jinmen, the time had already entered January.

This year's film market started with a bang, as James Cameron's new movie, Avatar, took the world by storm.

It premiered on January 4th in the mainland, and since its release, it's been like a "crazy money printing machine," breaking the first-week box office records of major theaters.

In its first week of release, the mainland box office reached 40.2 million US dollars, approximately 270 million RMB, making it the best first-week performance in all overseas markets for this film.

When everyone was thinking about reaching 500 million at the box office, the film was already headed towards a billion.

Industry insiders attribute its success to its revolutionary 3D technology.

Cameron's team independently developed a 3D photography system and motion capture technology, perfectly combining virtual and real, bringing an unprecedented immersive experience to the audience.

Every leaf and every glowing creature on Pandora Planet was brought to life, as if we were truly in that different world.

The breakthrough in technology not only changed the way films are presented but also altered audience aesthetic expectations.

With the popularity of Avatar's IMAX version, theaters saw the box office potential for this kind of special film and became more confident in investing in the construction of IMAX theaters.

Qi Hao repeatedly cheered everyone on in the "Rise of National Animation" group.

The market is there, and we must also aim for 1 billion.

With the example of Avatar, the Eight Great Kings in the Rise of National Animation group were also inspired and enthusiastic.

Even Zhang Chenyu from the special effects company was encouraged.

This is the true level of special effects, the direction Naughty Ghost Studio must strive towards.

Wang Chuan worked even harder on Kuiba.

However, he also knew that no matter how he simplified Kuiba, as an original animation, the barriers to viewing are still there.

Too many settings need to be explained, which inevitably dilutes the plot.

The plot is unlikely to be particularly striking.

Besides special effects, the plot of Avatar is considered okay.

But most Hollywood movies are more or less the same, outwardly waving the flag of anti-war films, while secretly justifying their wars of aggression.

The film upholds the cultural banner of beautifying Western colonialism, with a plot assuming itself to be carrying advanced systems and culture, then appearing as saviors.

Recall the old American colonizers appearing in the native kingdoms of the New World, euphemistically bringing advanced technology and human philanthropy, educating the "uncivilized" barbarians.

Outside the main plot, there's a "heavy-handed" romance line, where a young man from different races and even different planets defeats a group of local young men and wins the princess's love.

This kind of plot that glorifies the invaders had been shot by the Americans for decades before Avatar appeared, only the female lead changed from Native American to Namen People, with many new twists.

For example, the well-known Forrest Gump, where the black comrade was blown up by Vietnamese, and to fulfill his comrade's last wish, Forrest braved the storm to shrimp fishing. This plot touched countless young Chinese people, while the Vietnamese naturally became the movie's villains and were subjected to a great deal of fan hatred.

In the "Rise of National Animation" group, everyone discussed many issues about cultural output.

Although everyone expressed their opinions, no conclusion was reached.

Currently, Huaxia's films have no standing to export viewpoints.

People haven't even understood their own perspectives, and many are still playing the lackey for international awards or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' funds.

All that can be said is that there's still a long road ahead.

With the success of Avatar, its screenings are continuously rising, while domestic films released at the same time were in decline.

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Pressure creates motivation, and only good movies can encourage everyone to make better films.

If we were just confined to our own territory, these capitals would only fool the audience as idiots.

Qi Hao is very grateful for not scheduling the movie during the New Year's slot.

However, the few films released in December didn't fare well; under the impact of Avatar, they were completely outmatched.

Even the investment-heavy Tomb Raider had no hope of reaching a billion in box office, with or without Avatar's presence, even Jay Chou couldn't save this bad film.

Of course, bad films have their share of responsibility.

Wind and Cloud 2 also fared poorly, with mainland and Xiangjiang's combined earnings unlikely to break a billion.

However, the filmmakers pulled a sneaky trick.

Just one week after its premiere, they celebrated the film's box office exceeding one million.

The producers, Universe Film and Chengtian, threw a lavish dinner with 19 tables at the Sheraton Xiangjiang Hotel, hosting the filmmakers and various media.

The celebration banquet was painstakingly organized, with dish names incorporating lots of Wind and Cloud elements.

The ten dishes served included Rising Wind and Clouds Meeting (Milk) Pig King, Myriad Swords Return to the Sect (Chinese) Golden Sauce Phoenix Seeks Phoenix, Imperishable Golden Body (New) Fried Shrimp Ball, Wind and Clouds Visit (Stir-Fry) Evil King's Gift (Wings), Bu Jingyun's Steamed Sea Bass, Unparalleled Sword Dominator Fried Chicken, Nie Feng's Dry-Burned Yimin with Demon Fish Sauce, Nameless Fire Fried Vermicelli, Heart-striking Embroidery Pudding, and Two Dreams on the Same Stage.

Xiangjiang people are also very skilled in marketing.

But now, they generally perceive mainland people as foolish and wealthy, particularly enjoying raking in money with bad films, with few people focusing on making films seriously anymore.

Only October Fortress's box office was fairly decent.

It has currently exceeded 250 million at the box office, and reaching 300 million is entirely possible.

If it weren't for Avatar's overwhelming success, October Fortress could have possibly challenged 350 million.

This film's total investment was 120 million, and if it can achieve a 300 million box office in the mainland, the movie technically wouldn't be a loss.

After all, it will also screen in Xiangjiang, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, etc.

There's also value from audio and video products and other additional revenues.

It's remarkable luck, as Feiyang Media's invested films have all been released already.

Wait and See, featuring Qi Hao as the top idol at a low salary, unexpectedly didn't lose money at the box office.

Steel Piano, due to Lu Yu taking a swipe at Qi Hao, earned enough sympathy points, not only not losing money but actually making a profit.

Now even "October Fortress" didn't lose money.

It makes people feel incredibly lucky.

Some even credited Daoist Suiyun's ritual at the opening ceremony.

There were actually film crews inviting him to perform rituals at their opening ceremonies.

The Fake Daoist was dumbfounded but amused.

He's a real Daoist, how could he casually bother the ancestors to manifest, especially for something trivial like box office success.

However, in the end, he still went with his junior brother.

No choice, they offered quite a sum.

The road down from their temple really needed fixing, and without it, they might miss out on incense money even more.

On January 10th, Qi Hao officially joined the crew of "Hello! Mr. Tree."

The opening ceremony was quite simple; it was a low-budget film, and the only big star was Qi Hao.

An Feng made a cameo, playing a small nurse in the film.

However, at Qi Hao's insistence, the Fake Daoist was invited to perform a sword dance.

The previous three films made money.

How exactly they did, Qi Hao could analyze methodically, but when it comes to metaphysics, it's better to believe than not, in case there really is the protection of Daoist ancestors.

After all, he's already familiar with the Fake Daoist.

At worst, just treat him to a relaxing foot spa locally.

Qi Hao was getting makeup and styling done, while An Feng watched from the side.

Even though she was just in a cameo, she could justifiably join the crew to check out the scene.

She was very curious about what Qi Hao was playing this time.

Not only did he lose thirty pounds, but Qi Hao also often basked in the sun.

These days, he didn't even shave.

"Mr. Qi Hao, although you've tanned a bit, you're still far from the requirement, so we have to paint all the exposed areas black, and there's the texture of the skin... Compared to these, the hairstyle and whatnot are the simplest,"

said the makeup artist while working.

Qi Hao helplessly let the two makeup artists apply stuff on him.

What to do when your real self and the character look very different?

Qi Hao asked the master actor, Liang Jiahui, who casually said—makeup!

He strongly supported Qi Hao playing Mr. Tree.

If you only play roles that align with yourself, you might never glimpse the highest peak of acting in your life.

Only by portraying roles different from yourself can you truly hone your acting skills.

Others, like Ge You, Li Xuejian, and so on, all agreed with his viewpoint. They unanimously believed that for Qi Hao, who had already won the Golden Rooster Best Actor, it was very necessary to challenge roles that could overturn the audience's perception.

Ugly man, old man, brute, disabled person, eunuch, sissy, even woman.

Any role different from your personal image, you should try to challenge.

Don't be afraid of criticism.

Everyone has roles they don't portray well; just learn from it and do better next time.

Of course, if possible, it's best to have more NG on set, but try to present a good performance to the audience.

Qi Hao playing Mr. Tree now is indeed a challenge.

It's just that the first step of makeup is already overwhelming, and it's not just the skin color.

The makeup artist even designed many spots and lines on Qi Hao's face...

An Feng watched Qi Hao visibly transform into another person, reminding her of beggars or old farmers she had seen in daily life.

Is this acting ugly?

This is not just acting ugly; it's like nightmare-level plastic surgery.

If Qi Hao looked like this, would she still like him?

An Feng shamefully realized that she is indeed a looks person; if Qi Hao looked like this, no matter how talented or how much they resonated spiritually, she probably wouldn't be with him.

"It's just makeup, why are you acting like I'm about to die,"

Qi Hao laughed and asked An Feng while the makeup artist went out to prepare more materials.

An Feng's expression was just too conflicted for Qi Hao to ignore, making him very curious about what she was thinking.

"I just realized..."

An Feng admitted her thoughts frankly and was quite depressed to realize she was shallow and indeed a straightforward looks-person.

"Haha, that means I'm quite handsome, right."

Qi Hao didn't see anything wrong.

If An Feng looked like—Li Yuchun, Qi Hao probably wouldn't like her either, no matter how beautiful her soul is.

Qi Hao was very curious about when Li Yuchun's fans went blind.

Some say it was foreign forces trying to twist Huaxia people's aesthetic, buying lots of water army to lead the narrative.

Come to think of it, it's possible.

Making your men unlike men and your women unlike women.

Conflict is bound to escalate.