Chapter 00155: Breaking Records
# Breaking Records
Chapter 155
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 155: Breaking Records
Li Lianjie stood on the stage, his fists moving like lightning, swift and dense as a torrential rain.
He performed his most skilled set of Fanzi Quan, a style of martial arts he was renowned for.
After finishing, he stood firmly, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the audience below.
"Oh oh!"
"Clap clap clap!"
Chen Qi's roadshow process was quite similar to what would be seen in later years: the main creators make an appearance, flowers are presented, and a few questions are casually exchanged.
The biggest difference was that he had Li Lianjie perform a martial arts routine live on stage.
The effect was remarkable, especially since the audience had just watched the movie and were still emotionally immersed in it.
Seeing the star in person only heightened their excitement, with some in the front rows even eager to rush up on stage.
The host quickly intervened, "Due to time constraints, our team needs to hurry to the next theater. We must regrettably say goodbye for now. But we will meet again, and there will be more exciting works to come. We hope for your continued support!"
With that, the team lined up and exited the stage.
They had to leave through the aisle in the middle of the audience seats.
Chen Qi, who was among them, kept a close watch and suddenly nudged Li Lianjie, whispering, "Go shake hands with that little girl!"
"Huh?"
"The one to your right front, teach her a pose!"
Li Lianjie, quick on the uptake, stepped over and shook hands with a short-haired little girl, even teaching her a basic martial arts stance.
The girl's face turned red with excitement.
Chen Qi then turned to ask a staff member, "Did you get that shot?"
"It was too rushed, not a good shot. Can we do it again?" the staff member panicked.
"Can we redo it? Forget it, forget it!"
After they left, the audience slowly began to disperse, each person filled with joy.
Watching a good movie was like enjoying a good meal—it brought a certain kind of happiness.
Chen Songling was particularly excited, exclaiming, "That was so cool! He even shook my hand! Mom, Dad, can we come watch it again tomorrow?"
"Sure, sure, if we have time!"
Meanwhile, the team quickly got into their car outside the theater and headed to the next venue.
This was a spontaneous idea from Chen Qi.
Seeing that the movie was showing in 16 theaters across Hong Kong, a place not too large, he thought it was the perfect opportunity for a roadshow to promote the film.
But once in the car, Chen Qi started to berate everyone, "Where are your brains? I've told you countless times, wave and smile when entering and exiting. Who wasn't smiling just now? Ji Chunhua! Were you not smiling?"
"Brother Qi, it's not that I didn't want to smile, I was afraid I'd scare them," Ji Chunhua defended himself.
"Scare them? That's even better, it creates a contrast... And you, I told you to always be ready for photos, why were you distracted?"
"I... I will definitely get the shot next time!"
"Li Lianjie! You haven't even memorized your lines yet, hurry up and learn them!"
"Gong Xue! Are you hungry?"
The team rolled their eyes at him.
Hong Kong is only 50 kilometers from north to south, so you can imagine how small it is.
The movie "Young and Dangerous" is always about fighting and claiming territory, but in reality, it's just about neighborhood bullies.
They soon arrived at the next theater, Pearl River Theater.
"The Tai Chi" was shown in the evenings, three times a day, meaning they would visit three theaters each day.
The roadshow was quite manageable, to be completed in 5-6 days.
Similarly, after the movie ended, the team made their appearance again, greeted by thunderous cheers from the audience.
Chen Qi, from behind, nudged Li Lianjie, reminding him, "Say your lines! Don't forget them!"
"Got it!"
Li Lianjie, now instinctively following Chen Qi's instructions, was the first to speak, "Wow, I feel like I'm dreaming..."
This time, he performed well, not forgetting his lines.
Following that, there was more interaction, and he performed Fanzi Quan again.
He would perform this routine 16 times over these few days.
After completing the routine, they hurriedly got back into the car and headed to the third theater.
Though everyone was overwhelmed by Chen Qi's demands, no one complained.
Instead, they were all very enthusiastic and full of energy.
Busy without achievement is called labor; busy with achievement is called a career!
They soon arrived at the third theater, New Light Theater, where they were again met with cheers from the audience.
By now, the team had become somewhat accustomed to the enthusiastic reception, and everyone was immersed in this atmosphere, a feeling of being a star that was hard to experience on the mainland.
Even Gong Xue was full of enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, on Hong Kong's Bank Street.
Central is the lifeline of Hong Kong, and Bank Street is the lifeline of Central.
The HSBC Building, the Legislative Council Building, and the Statue Square are all located here, as is the branch of the Bank of China.
Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Every year during the Spring Festival, the Bank of China Building would be decorated with lanterns and festoons, and portraits of leaders would be hung, celebrating in a style completely different from the local customs.
At this moment, on the ninth floor of the building, the leftist cinema company had set up its office here, renting an entire floor.
Fu Qi, Xu Dunle, and the heads of Phoenix and New Union were all present, each looking serious but unable to hide their anticipation.
"Old Xu, has the result not come out yet?"
"I'm spending the first day of the New Year waiting here with you for the results, can you hurry up?"
"Almost there, almost there, they're still tallying! You old guys have seen all kinds of storms, why are you so anxious now?" Xu Dunle scoffed.
"Nonsense! After more than a decade, we finally have signs of revival, how can we not be anxious?!"
Suddenly, the phone rang, and everyone perked up.
Xu Dunle grabbed the phone, "Hello? Has the data come out... What? Oh, Old Fu, your wife is looking for you!"
"Hey!"
Everyone rolled their eyes.
Fu Qi, unperturbed, went to answer the phone, speaking softly, "Still waiting, I'll let you know later. Has Zhizhi gone to sleep? Good, wait for me to come home for dinner."
"What are you looking at? If you're envious, just say it!"
In terms of seniority and ability, everyone was about the same, but when it came to family, Fu Qi's wife was none other than Shi Hui, the second princess of the Great Wall, whom Hong Kongers called a fairy couple.
"The Tai Chi" was released on the 3rd, and today was the 6th.
In those days, conditions were poor, and box office statistics were slow.
"The Miracle Fighters" gave way to "Security Unlimited," ultimately not breaking 9 million, with a final score of over 8.6 million.
"Security Unlimited," after 8 days of release, had a preliminary box office of over 7 million, earning about 900,000 per day, a terrifying achievement that showed the strong appeal of Michael Hui.
Lau Kar-leung's "My Young Auntie" had been released for 14 days, with a box office of 3,346,256 Hong Kong dollars, and its potential was already exhausted.
Cinema City's "The Funniest Movie" had just been released yesterday, so its performance was not yet estimable.
After what seemed like an eternity, the phone rang again.
Xu Dunle picked it up, "Has it come out? How much... Are you sure? Good, thank you everyone!"
Putting down the phone, facing the extremely expectant gazes, Xu Dunle also seemed to have put down a heavy stone, exhaling a breath as he said, "The Tai Chi" has been released for 4 days, today's data is not yet available, but the box office for the first three days has broken 3 million!""How much???""Is it over 3 million, or not yet?""Are the statistics correct?""Over 3 million with some change, definitely broken, earning about 1 million per day!"Xu Dunle said. The room fell silent for a few seconds, then these old guards of Hong Kong cinema burst into laughter together. Fu Qi, usually elegant and handsome, had the wrinkles on his face all squeezed out, laughing until his eyes felt sore. It had been too hard! The year before last, the leftist cinema had released 8 movies, with a total box office of just over 5 million, averaging about 600,000 per movie. Last year was slightly better, thanks to"Deadly Curve."But now,"The Tai Chi"had earned 3 million in three days, breaking decades-old records, a feat that could be proud of even in the entire Hong Kong film industry! Suddenly, they all looked at each other, a bold idea popping into their minds simultaneously."The opening momentum has surpassed "Security Unlimited," if we maintain this, we have a good chance of defeating Michael Hui.
Jackie Chan has been sent to Hollywood by Golden Harvest, he might not have a release this year, so we..."
Fu Qi's words sent a shiver through everyone.
Then, we might just be able to clinch the annual championship!
(End of Chapter)