Chapter 40

"Rest assured, Mr. Li, I will treat your words as an order and carry them out!"

Jin Chengguang patted his large belly and said with a smile, "Don't look at me now, I'm fat, but I used to be a soldier, so I will definitely execute the order without any hesitation!"

Li Zhengxi smiled and shook his head, "Mr. Jin, you're too polite. Seeing you, I know that TUBE Entertainment's future will definitely be bright!"

Flattery doesn't cost anything, at most it might make you feel a bit nauseous temporarily, but you can just bear with it.

They had just been discussing the upcoming publicity arrangements. Everyone knew that the feedback after the premiere would have a huge impact on the box office. Moreover, given their previous hype, some people might be disappointed when they see the real "Curse," and some competitors might take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Therefore, they had already planned their countermeasures for these anticipated possibilities. They would immediately post positive reviews on the internet and in various media as soon as the premiere began.

Acting first, and more positive reviews at the first moment, would subtly change more people's perceptions.

Of course, the most important point was that "Curse" had improved in quality thanks to Li Zhengxi's efforts. This wasn't just his own boast, but something even the Demon Entertainment System recognized.

Soon, it was nine o'clock. After the media interviews and audience interactions for the premiere, it was now time for the film to be officially screened.

Because there had been no media or audience previews arranged beforehand, and with the extensive hype from TUBE Entertainment, everyone was quite looking forward to it. They all took their seats, ready to watch the film.

Li Zhengxi sat in the front row with the other creators. However, when he saw that Hae Ji-won was sitting next to him, he felt a bit helpless. This was clearly a deliberate arrangement.

However, he couldn't say anything, as it would seem too deliberate and might cause misunderstandings. So, after he sat down, he spoke to Hae Ji-won in a relaxed manner, "You look quite tired!"

He pointed to his own eyes, indicating that her dark circles were quite noticeable.

Hae Ji-won originally found this arrangement boring, but when she heard his words, she reacted and subconsciously touched her eyes, "Ah, really!" Then she pouted at him, "It's all your fault. These days, I've been filming and rushing to various appointments, and on the worst days, I could only sleep for less than two hours..."

Li Zhengxi, with his years of experience in the industry, naturally understood and didn't joke about it. Instead, he said sincerely, "You've really worked hard!"

His gentle demeanor made Hae Ji-won lose her temper, and she pouted, "It's nothing, I've already resigned myself to it after entering this industry!"

At this moment, the cinema suddenly darkened, and the movie was about to start. Both of them tacitly stopped talking.

As the movie began, the simple TUBE investment and TUBE Entertainment credits slid across the screen. Suddenly, a loud thunderclap startled most of the audience, and then the camera panned to a dark and empty corridor.

Next, even more thunder, accompanied by the sound of rain, eerie radio music, and the static inside it, a faint and intermittent wind, and a piercing cat's cry... All of these elements effectively created a strange and terrifying atmosphere, making many of the audience members instantly tense up.

Then, a close-up of the old man, the thudding footsteps, the sudden loud bang, and the rustling sound of the body drawer opening. In the original film, this scene was handled quite crudely, but after Li Zhengxi's processing, the action of opening the drawer was slowed down, and the thunder and storm were intensified, along with the piercing cat's cry and the cat's fur standing on end.

When the old man opened the drawer and slowly lifted the white cloth, Li Zhengxi could hear the audience's tense gasps, and some people had already shrunk their necks, their skin's fine hairs standing up. They even felt a chill at the back of their necks, but they dared not look back...

Suddenly, all the sound effects disappeared, creating an extremely silent moment, which made the atmosphere even more oppressive. Then, a sudden sound effect, the white cloth was lifted, and even though Hae Ji-won's pale face was revealed, it still startled everyone, with some almost jumping up.

These effects were better than the original film, and by this point, it was definitely above 80 points. Then, a scene that made everyone's hair stand on end appeared: the sharp needle piercing the living eyelid. The cinema was filled with gasps of shock, "Ah, so disgusting, hey, is that eye real? Too cruel..."

Even Hae Ji-won couldn't help but grab Li Zhengxi's hand, like many others, turning her head away, feeling her scalp tingle, and even feeling as if her own eyes were affected.

Fortunately, holding his hand gave her a bit of security, but she couldn't resist lightly pinching him and whispering in his ear, "You're too disgusting, now I feel a bit uncomfortable..."

"This is movie art!" Li Zhengxi, who had seen it many times, no longer felt anything. He turned to look at her with a slightly disgusted expression and smiled, "You wouldn't want the hard work you put into creating something to end up looking fake and ugly, right? That's when you should be upset..."

As they talked, the screen didn't stop. One needle, two needles, three needles... After all the effort to create a good prop, this scene couldn't just end casually. It had to be done to the extreme. When the old man sewed the eye shut and pushed the person in, and the eye slowly opened, the black lines split, and blood droplets appeared, this scene was perfectly connected. Undoubtedly, this was an excellent opening, worth 90 points.

At this moment, the invited media personnel were all secretly praising it. As for the people brought into the cinema for publicity, they were all satisfied. Many were guessing whether the woman whose eye was sewn shut was the same Eun-ju who jumped from the building.

Then, they quickly understood, as the next scene showed the railway, where Kim Gwi-ri saw the black-clad woman many of them were familiar with, but her face was still blurry.

Until Jung Jun, Yoo Ji-tae, and others were killed one by one, and with Kim Gwi-ri's memories, the familiar phone booth, swimming pool, art studio, and the strange events in the village, they finally understood what happened to Eun-ju.

From the moment they entered the state of the film to the end, when Eun-ju's knife sliced across Sun-ae's neck, the cinema was filled with gasps of shock. When the entire film ended, the cinema erupted in applause, which grew louder and louder.

Gao Zuodong and An Byung-gi led the creators to stand up and thank the audience. Hae Ji-won realized she was still holding Li Zhengxi's hand and quickly let go, feeling a bit embarrassed. Li Zhengxi, however, wasn't too focused on this; he was more concerned with the applause and the reactions of the audience as he listened to them in the aisle.

"I feel like there are too few scenes with Eun-ju. I came to see Eun-ju," a boy passing by him said, and his companion sneered, "Do you feel a bit cheated?"

On the other side, a couple walked by, and the girl said, "It's not bad, especially the opening." The boy nodded and smiled, "Weren't you hugging me and covering your eyes? You actually watched it!"

After the girl playfully hit him, he chuckled, "Yeah, it's actually pretty good. This is a horror film, and Eun-ju, as the background and thread of the entire film, shouldn't have too many scenes, otherwise, it wouldn't be a horror film..."

These were two different perspectives, emotional and rational, both resulting from the publicity storm. However, upon careful analysis, it was clear that "Curse" was of good quality. First, the two who complained had finished watching the film, and second, they were disappointed only because they had high expectations for Eun-ju's appearance, but they didn't say the film was terrible.

This undoubtedly set the best tone for the film's evaluation—it was a pretty good film! This made Li Zhengxi feel more at ease.

Because, after the initial intense publicity, the film's reputation or quality would ultimately determine the box office! PS: Ah, recommendations, and favorites!

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends