Chapter 46: Tangshan Big Brother's Midnight Screening!

  Wang Wei did not expect that after waking up from a dream, he would become one of the most talked-about people in the Hong Kong film industry, and his popularity would even surpass that of media mogul Shao Liu Shu.

  This made Wang Wei sigh at Zou Wenhuai's propaganda ability, but in his heart, it was more a sense of helplessness. Indeed, the big shots in the film industry were not easy to get along with, and as a newly emerged director, he was actually being manipulated by Zou Wenhuai into a stormy situation.

  A week later, Wong Jing finally welcomed the midnight preview of his directorial debut "The Big Brother from Tangshan". In the Hong Kong film circle at that time, there was an unwritten rule that before a movie was released, some people in the industry, well-known filmmakers, critics, media reporters and some audiences would be invited to watch the midnight preview.

  However, unlike regular screenings, the number of industry insiders at midnight preview screenings is several times that of amateur audiences. As a result, this group of midnight screening audiences has a much higher level of scrutiny for film taste than some ordinary audiences.

  Especially film critics sitting in the audience, these people are all sharp-tongued and have extremely strict requirements for films. Often, a small problem that appears in a movie will be magnified by them infinitely. However, their influence on the film industry is also significant. Because their comments to a large extent affect the audience's intention to watch movies.

  On April 3, 1971, in a luxurious cinema under the banner of Shaw Brothers, "The Big Boss" had its midnight preview, which was also Wang Wei's first midnight preview.

  It was already past 11 o'clock at night, and the entrance of this luxurious cinema, which can accommodate more than 1,200 movie fans, was crowded with people. The vendors in front of the cinema were shouting and selling various snacks such as hot sugar cane, wonton noodles, roasted corn, and popcorn.

  "Boss, bring me a bowl of wonton noodles."

  "Hey handsome, want some popcorn? It's great for a movie night, eating it while watching the film, so fragrant and crispy!"

  A fashionably dressed girl was apparently moved by the boss of a secretive stall, and pulled the arm of her rough-looking boyfriend, saying in a soft voice: "Ah Qiang, I want to eat popcorn, buy a bucket."

  This boy named A Qiang not only looks rough, but his actions are also very "rough". With a big wave of his hand, he pulled out a 100-yuan bill and said to the boss, "Give us two buckets." The girl saw that her boyfriend was being generous and quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek: "A Qiang, you're so great!" After being kissed by the girl, the boy looked around with great satisfaction. This made some of the men nearby feel unhappy. They also came to the popcorn stand and rushed to buy popcorn for their girlfriends, hoping to get a kiss from them like A Qiang did.

  A large proportion of young people in the audience, men and women gathered together, calling out to each other, amidst the surrounding vendors' cries, making the cinema entrance exceptionally lively. These young people were the main consumers of movies. In this Hong Kong that had not yet entered the internet age, going to the movies was a very popular form of entertainment among ordinary people.

  People at the cinema entrance are waiting for the midnight show while loudly discussing the movie to be previewed tonight.

  "I heard that tonight's preview is another kung fu movie, and the director is quite mysterious!" said a boy with slightly refined eyes.

  "I don't care if it's mysterious or not, as long as it looks good. You damn donkey face, you dragged me here to see this, and if it doesn't look good, I'll deal with you." A rough-looking boy shouted.

  "Don't want to watch, get out of here now. You think this ticket is easy to get? If the movie isn't good, you go yell at the director, what are you yelling at me for?" Didn't expect that this seemingly refined boy would have such a fierce mouth.

  "Alright... if it's not good, I'll drag out that mysterious director and give him a good beating. But..." The rough man had just said this when someone in the crowd suddenly shouted "It's starting!" The waiting crowd erupted into a commotion before pushing and shoving their way into the theater.

  At the invitation of Zou Wenhuai, He Guanchang, Liang Feng and others, many filmmakers, film critics and journalists came to support him. After all, Zou Wenhuai had accumulated a lot of popularity when he was working at Shaw Brothers, and after founding Jiahe, although no big hits were produced, each one was still good.

  Looking at the throngs of moviegoers and those who came to support the film, critics, and journalists standing there, Wang Wei's heart suddenly became tense. Although Wang Wei knew that "The Big Brother of Tangshan" would definitely be a success, he still felt inexplicably nervous.

  "Boss Zou, your kung fu film has caused quite a stir in the city, I'm really looking forward to it." Zhang Che said with a smile to Zou Wenhuai.

  "Haha, thank you Director Zhang for coming to support us. We'll know if the movie is good or not in a while." Zou Wenhuai said with a handshake.

  "That's good, if it doesn't look good later I'll scold you." Zhang Che laughed and made a joke.

  "Boss Zou, I've come to bring you money." Zhang Che had just finished greeting him when he saw a stout man in his forties with a smiling face say.

  Zou Wenhuai smiled as soon as he saw the middle-aged man and said, "We have to rely on you a lot, Lido." The fat boss was none other than Zhang Yu, the boss of Lido Theatre.

  Because Wang Wei was wearing a hat and always stood behind Chow Yun-fat and Bruce Lee, and during the promotion of "The Big Boss", Wang Wei never appeared in the media's field of vision, so at this time, everyone greeted Chow Yun-fat and ignored Wang Wei, the mysterious director who was popular in Hong Kong.

  It wasn't until everyone had taken their seats that Zhang Che, sitting next to Zou Wenhuai, noticed Wang Wei's presence. Zhang Che leaned in close to Zou Wenhuai's ear and asked softly, "Who is this young man?"

  "Director of 'The Big Brother of Tangshan'!" Zou Wenhuai glanced at Zhang Che and whispered to him. Upon hearing that the person standing behind Zou Wenhuai, who had been neglected by him, was actually the director of "The Big Brother of Tangshan", Zhang Che felt his heart skip a beat. He's so young! This was Zhang Che's first thought when he saw Wang Wei, and then he associated it with Zou Wenhuai's enthusiastic promotion of "The Big Brother of Tangshan" these days.

  Zhang Che only felt that Zou Wenhuai sitting next to him was too crazy. He had brushed the entire Hong Kong media into a frenzy. Everyone guessed that the director of "Tangshan Big Brother" would be a very box-office-appealing martial arts film director. Some even speculated that the director was himself. Unexpectedly, everyone in the Hong Kong film industry had guessed wrong. The director of "Tangshan Big Brother" turned out to be a new director, and he looked so young. Moreover, he looked unfamiliar. Zhang Che could confirm that this young man in front of him must not have been in the Hong Kong film industry before, at least not with any notable films.

  Just as Zhang Che was thinking about this, Wang Wei smiled at him and then turned his head to the big screen in the projection hall. At this moment, Bruce Lee's unique voice sounded in the hall "Ah da......" Tangshan Big Brother started broadcasting.