Rebirth: I Became Mr.President’s Beloved
Chapter 215: Bringing Mother’s Ashes Back to Diannan

Chapter 215: Chapter 215: Bringing Mother’s Ashes Back to Diannan

"The maturing taste of audiences has significantly amplified the word-of-mouth effect for films," Feng Qi analyzed. "Many movies that investors were initially optimistic about ended up not even recouping their costs when released, despite featuring seventy or eighty top-tier celebrities."

Tang Li felt deeply about this phenomenon.

In the last few years of her past life, many film celebrities gradually shifted to television, accepting high-paying roles in TV series, partly because they no longer had the box-office appeal that could "call to the masses."

Compared to just chasing viewer numbers, the audience started paying more attention to the quality of the films themselves.

Mihesha River Action’s box office of 3.2 billion was a huge dark horse in that year’s Spring Festival, delivering a strong blow to those industry insiders who had written it off.

Lai Yuanyuan breached her contract initially because she believed this film would flop.

It was Le Wen who helped Lai Yuanyuan negotiate for Mihesha River Action at the end of last year when Lai Yuanyuan was still a newcomer in the film industry, hoping to use this movie as a stepping stone. Little did she know that Ningmang would start the Original Sin project and strongly invite Lai Yuanyuan to join.

Although Mihesha River Action had the support of Zhang Qifeng, an accomplished actor whose acting skills were undeniable, his box-office drawing power was not high, and his previous films were also primarily known for their good reputations.

Compared to Mihesha River Action, which was a mainstream film with "sparse drama", Original Sin was undoubtedly a better choice. Later on, Fenghua Media also let Lai Yuanyuan star in the major annual IP, Martial God. Even Lai Shengxia, after reading the script, had Sister Wen help Lai Yuanyuan turn down Mihesha River Action.

Feng Qi continued: "In this market of capital play, such movies lack confidence among people. Funding for production hasn’t been secured yet, and some have already begun withdrawing their investments. The director is currently mortgaging his house in the Capital to the bank for a loan."

Speaking, Feng Qi sat back down on the sofa: "So, it’s normal for actors to breach contracts at the last minute. Qi Liang is not considered a top-tier director domestically, and the cast is just mediocre. Once Mihesha River Action is released in theaters, it’s highly likely to be overshadowed by other films released at the same time."

No matter how good a film’s reputation is, if the audience doesn’t buy into it, theaters will not hesitate to reduce the number of showings.

Tang Li remembered that at the beginning of its release, Mihesha River Action only had 6% of the screenings. It was the online word of mouth that kept promoting the film, greatly increasing its exposure. Coupled with a high rating of 8.6 on Douban during the Spring Festival peak viewing period, Mihesha River Action broke the domestic record for first-week box office.

"Do you want me to act in this movie?" Tang Li asked Feng Qi.

"Even though it’s a mainstream movie, if it’s well made, its patriotic energy could rival American blockbusters. Besides, the patriotic sentiment among the youth today is quite high."

By now, Tang Li had placed the script on the coffee table: "If you think I’m suitable and the production team agrees, I personally have no objections."

"Are you not afraid that this film won’t make a big splash?"

"I am somewhat afraid," Tang Li looked up, giving Feng Qi a grin: "But some things inevitably need to be done. I like this story a lot, and the most important point—"

She paused momentarily, then continued: "I lived near the Mihesha River for a few years before moving away with my mother. After her death, I’ve been in the Capital for seven to eight years, and I really want to go back and see it again."

If she could take on Mihesha River Action—

This time, she would bring Tang Yin’s ashes back to Diannan for burial.