Chapter 107 Arrogance

Chapter 107 Arrogance

"Is 'The Deception' really going to hit second place tomorrow..."

"Given the trend, it's highly possible. 'The Deception' currently has a rating of 9.4, while 'The Eternal Night' has dropped to 8.8. I even think 'The Deception' could top the daily chart in a few days."

"...It really could happen."

This Spring Festival lineup is packed, and the films that keep popping up on forums are the ones making waves. In the past two days, it was 'The Eternal Night' and 'Homebound Train,' but recently, 'The Deception' has been mentioned more and more frequently.

It's safe to say Lu Xu has already made his mark in the film industry.

While 'The Deception' matches 'Childhood' in box office, it falls short of 'The Eternal Night' and 'Homebound Train.' But 'The Deception' has a huge advantage—it's the only film in the Spring Festival season whose box office is still rising.

That alone is enough to keep the audience hooked.

Unlike other films that focus on warmth and perseverance to pull at heartstrings, 'The Deception' has given a lot of its limited promotion to solving puzzles. Fans are digging deep, and the official blog drops hints now and then.

As for the actors—during the roadshow, the crew also set up many interactive sessions for the actors and the audience.

Fans are getting a clearer picture—Lu Xu might play a sharp character, but he's actually a klutz.

Although fans had already realized this during the broadcast of 'Voices of the Dead.'

"Lu Xu always ends up getting punished—how clumsy can he be!"

"LOL, the director had him mimic Yan Huan, and everyone thought he’d pull off something epic, but he just ended up in the pit."

"Lu Xu was pretty upset, saying he always gets eliminated first in Werewolf, no matter his role."

"Lu Xu seems to be the crew’s favorite target in 'The Deception.'"

"What can you expect? Yan Huan made it to the end, so the others are naturally bitter."

On its fourth day, the critic 'Movie Diary' penned a lengthy review of 'The Deception.'

"...This is a suspense film akin to 'And Then There Were None,' blending locked-room mysteries, adventure, and game theory. The director and writer drop plenty of red herrings, thickening the plot, but the core of 'The Deception' is Shi Xinshan’s mission to punish the criminals."

"Shi Xinshan’s identity is up for debate. We might not know for sure until 'The Deception' gets a sequel."

"Following this thread, we uncover case after case involving Zou Yun, Zhao Ji, Xue Xiujun... These cases are the heart of 'The Deception,' each rich enough to stand alone, yet 'The Deception' keeps the pace brisk, weaving them into the narrative."

"The backbone of 'The Deception' is its game mechanics. The game’s creator and Shi Xinshan’s role remain mysteries, but as a viewer, the game is gripping—brutal and bloody, it’s a real adrenaline rush."

This critic released several promotional stills from 'The Deception,' showing Zou Yun and others on the brink of death.

Zou Yun represents greed, Xue Xiujun represents lust, Zhao Ji represents cruelty, Chang Qing represents malice...

They inflict violence on others and ultimately die by violence.

"'The Deception' may seem chaotic, but it’s not just smoke and mirrors. It leaves as much information as possible for the audience to actively explore. The deeper you delve, the more immersed you become in the world 'The Deception' has created."

"Movie Diary" suggests that 'The Deception' try to go overseas, where this type of film is more popular.

On Weibo, "Movie Diary" is one of the film critics with a considerable number of followers. Although he occasionally takes sponsorships, his reviews are relatively more objective, which is why he has always been trusted by his fans.

"Movie Diary" had watched 'The Deception' once before, but he didn't recommend it because he hadn't fully understood the plot at the time.

Previously, he had reviewed 'The Eternal Night,' and amidst a sea of praise, he subtly mentioned the shortcomings of 'The Eternal Night,' which led to some dissatisfaction.

The box office landscape during the Spring Festival season is becoming clearer, confirming that "Movie Diary's" review was spot on.

...

Zhang Che read through "Movie Diary's" long-winded article, his anger clearly visible on his face.

They wrote a thousand-word review for "Deception," but when "The Swordsman" came out, a fan requested a review from "Movie Diary." The response was not just a refusal but a dismissive retort: "Asking me to review this kind of movie—do you have it out for me? Give me a break!"

As a result, for a long time afterward, "If you hate someone, make them watch 'The Swordsman'" became a running gag in the film industry. In a way, "Movie Diary" made "The Swordsman's" flop even worse.

Zhang Che clenched his teeth every time he brought it up.

If it were just "The Swordsman" flopping, he might not have been so upset, but "Deception" unexpectedly succeeded when it shouldn't have.

It was like being stabbed repeatedly, leaving him deeply unsettled.

"Movie Diary" indeed has the power to boost box office numbers. Not to mention his massive fan base, even a search for "Deception" showed his review trending.

Zhang Che even thought "Deception's" box office spiked right after "Movie Diary" posted the review.

"It couldn't have happened that quickly. Don't put too much stock in these critics," the agent murmured, trying to soothe Zhang Che.

Zhang Che had been hitting a rough patch lately, and the agent thought he was getting a bit paranoid.

If Lu Xu's hot, let him be. Zhang Che should just focus on his own work.

But Zhang Che wouldn't listen, and with all his free time lately, the agent hadn't seen him upbeat in ages.

Before, Zhang Che's gloom might have been partly an act, but now it was all too real.

Even if he stayed up late tweeting or popped into group chats, fewer than a third of his fans still bothered.

For a star, fans matter, but real accomplishments are key—if you deliver, the fans will follow.

When Lu Xu first landed "The Noble Son," things were far worse than Zhang Che's current predicament. He didn’t just lack fans—the whole industry was against him. Yet, he fought his way out.

Lu Xu’s looks are top-tier among male stars, and many credit his face for turning things around. But beyond his looks, Lu Xu earned the audience’s trust with one hit drama after another.

Everyone knows "Deception" would’ve turned out very differently with a different cast.

The agent glanced at the screen Zhang Che was fixated on—the daily box office rankings showed a 960,000 gap between "The Eternal Night" and "Deception."

It was 11 a.m.

The outcome was practically set in stone.

The key point was that on the fifth day of the Spring Festival season, "The Eternal Night" still had a 20.7% screening rate, while "Deception" only had 14%. Maybe because of its genre, theaters were playing it safe with "Deception's" showings.

But in reality, "Deception" had already won.

With just a slight refresh, the real-time box office would fluctuate, and soon, "Deception" surpassed "The Eternal Night." In this fiercely competitive Spring Festival season, this movie, which only earned over 70 million on its opening day, defeated a competitor with six times its box office.

This was something nobody saw coming.

"A double Best Actor lineup, yet the final trend couldn't match 'Deception.' It's unimaginable."

"Deception isn't that bad, okay? Yue Hui is also a Best Actor, and Lu Xu just won the Best Actor in a Television Series at the Star Awards."

"...Will 'Deception's' box office surpass yesterday's again today? It's too amazing. If it does, all the competitors in this season will be devastated."

"I have a break-even analysis chart in my hand. Guess how many movies from this year's Lunar New Year season have broken even so far? You would never guess."

"Currently, only two—Homebound Train is almost there, and The Eternal Night hasn't yet, the initial investment was too high."

On the daily box office ranking, The Deception trails just behind Homebound Train.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, The Deception's total box office is 621 million yuan, and the production costs have already been recouped. Given that the movie's reputation has spread, the production team saved significantly on marketing costs.

The theater's share of the box office hasn't been received yet, but Lu Xu knows very well that if he were to receive a standard salary, his income would definitely not be higher than it is now.

The Deception still has a long way to go before it leaves theaters, but its daily box office exceeding 100 million yuan has made the movie impossible to ignore in this season.

If The Deception were a normal movie, its trajectory might still be predictable, but The Deception just doesn't follow the usual path.

Honestly, even though Lu Xu is one of the main actors in The Deception, he can't predict the movie's future box office. After all, from the director to the actors, everyone in the crew sees The Deception as just an ordinary low-budget suspense film.

After a week in theaters, The Deception has grossed over 800 million yuan. A marketer titled an article "Lu Xu Officially Joins the Ranks," listing several young male actors who have solidified their positions in the film industry.

Lu Xu is prominently included in this list, becoming one of the few young male actors who made the leap from the TV world to the film industry and achieved considerable success—apart from him, the current top male actors in the film industry were all cultivated by the film industry itself and had never acted in TV dramas from the start.

It's hard to say they are top-tier, because although their box office performance is good, their commercial appeal is just average, far from comparable to Lu Xu, who has a solid fan base.

But—compared to Lu Xu, who jumped from idol dramas to TV dramas and then to films, they are clearly held in higher regard.

"One movie like The Deception doesn't prove anything. Has Lu Xu starred in a movie with a box office of over 5 billion yuan?"

"Although Qi Di was only third-billed in How Much Do You Know, third billing still contributes to box office performance. Isn't Lu Xu only second-billed in The Deception? What's there to be arrogant about?"

"Popularity doesn't equal box office success, as everyone knows. Lu Xu should still hone his skills. Not to mention anything else, he needs to be offered roles in big-budget movies first, right? The Deception's total box office definitely won't reach 2 billion yuan, and it ranks outside the top 50 on the domestic box office rankings. There's really nothing to be proud of."

At this moment, Lu Xu is reading reports while reviewing the movie scripts handed to him.

The success of The Deception has brought a chain reaction: both he and Yue Hui have received a hefty stack of movie scripts.

As fellow award-winning actors, Yue Hui's presence isn't as prominent as the two from The Eternal Night because his box office draw isn't as strong.

He has a greater advantage in awards, with a solid track record, but his box office performance can't be called strong.

Although The Deception isn't enough to fill Yue Hui's commercial shortcomings, insiders know that The Deception was initiated by Yue Hui. Without Yue Hui, this movie probably wouldn't exist.

Naturally, many low-budget films have targeted Yue Hui.

Those inviting Lu Xu include both low-budget and big-budget films. Unfortunately, the roles offered to Lu Xu in low-budget films are quite good, but in big productions—they only plan to cast him as a mere pretty face.

The roles' potential is really limited, probably only slightly better than The Swordsman, but...

Can that even be called a movie?

Lu Xu has come into contact with several so-called big director big productions, and he has to say, as these directors age, their self-destructive tendencies are becoming more and more severe.

Can't they leave a good impression in the audience's hearts?

Isn't it enough to be a father to their own children, do they have to be a father to the audience too?

Even—if they could be as driven as they were in their youth, willing to go overseas to be a father to the whole world, Lu Xu would still look up to them.

Fathers together, world harmony.

Lu Xu feels that these people still have the skills, but their thinking has aged severely, applying outdated ideas to stories with modern settings. The plot may sound smooth, but the audience finds it awkward no matter how they look at it.

He slumped down: "Isn't there even a decent script?"

"The film industry is different," Xu Wen looked at Lu Xu. "The good ones are kept under wraps. They’d rather push newcomers than give you a shot."

Unless Lu Xu actively aligns himself, even with the achievements of *The Deception* in hand, Lu Xu still needs to show respect and stay humble.

Like *The Eternal Night* and *Homebound Train*, although the box office of *The Eternal Night* was far below expectations, whether it bombed or soared, it was all internal competition within the film industry.

*The Deception* being a hit is different.

It’s an outsider’s work, snatching over 800 million from this year's Spring Festival box office, and it could still rake in over a billion more.

If *The Deception* hadn’t taken this portion of the box office, it might have belonged to *The Eternal Night* and *Homebound Train*.

This is why the film industry has been struggling in recent years—it allows outsiders to invest but not to make money.

Thus, whoever jumps into the film industry on a whim usually ends up losing big.

Yet the industry’s big-name directors still think the audience isn’t supportive enough or believe that the local film industry has entered a low period.

The problem is, there was a golden era.

But during this time, the audience got almost nothing out of it, and although a few quality films emerged, more issues cropped up.

Lu Xu could only sigh silently: "No wonder they’re so full of themselves."

However, contrary to what many in the industry think, Lu Xu is not solely focused on breaking into the film industry.

If there is a suitable movie script, he’s open to doing it, that’s it. He won’t stop acting in TV dramas entirely or be content just because he bagged the Star Award.

If there's a script that interests him, he will take it.

The film industry may be lofty, but he is an actor, and he only needs to be responsible to the audience.

Lu Xu even feels annoyed.

He doesn’t understand, with all these messy scripts, what exactly are these so-called film industry people being arrogant about?

They should all be fired.

Lu Xu searched for a long time, even after *The Deception* broke the 1 billion mark at the box office, he still hadn’t found a suitable script he wanted to act in.

Several production teams were stringing him along in the media, one moment it was Director A inviting him to collaborate, the next it was Director B inviting him to collaborate, but the key was that Xu Wen specifically went to ask, and the other side was vague, only saying they hadn’t received any news yet.

"They’re just messing with you," Xu Wen said. "Rather than collaborating with these people, it’s better to look at more works from new directors."

The agent rushed in with a stack of scripts: "There are also TV scripts, take your time to look and choose, no rush."

In just over a month, Lu Xu had already won the Star Award for Best Actor in a Television Series, and his movie box office had surpassed 1 billion. He couldn’t wrap his head around the arrogance of the film industry folks.

In the agent's eyes, Lu Xu definitely has the qualification to choose.