HUSBAND ON TRIAL - Season 5 Episode 8

Probably because they wanted to compete with ‘Stupid’, ‘Devil Shooter’ decided to use the same marketing tactic as Hai Rui and host pre-screenings on the same day but at a different theatre chain. They tried to latch onto Hai Rui so they could use them as a stepping stone to improve their own reputation and status in the domestic market.

After all, it wasn’t everyday that Hai Rui would release a rubbish film!

“Which agency produced ‘Devil Shooter’? How could they be so shameless?” Long Jie phoned Tangning on the eve of ‘Stupid’s’ first pre-screening. Of course, she had always been a straightforward person, so under these circumstances, she would not be satisfied until she completely spoke her mind.

“I heard it was produced by a real estate tycoon,” Tangning laughed.

“Although I’m not familiar with how the film industry works, Lu Che told me ‘Stupid’ is in a worrying situation. The attendance numbers may be used by others to humiliate Hai Rui. Is it really that bad?”

“I can only say that this will be a tough battle,” Tangning replied in seriousness.

If it was an issue concerning the fashion industry, she would be able to explain the situation in detail. But when it came to the film industry, she was practically an outsider who didn’t understand how it worked.

“I don’t care. I’m going to take all my friends and family to go watch it,” Long Jie exclaimed.

“Aren’t we already all your family and friends?” Tangning pointed out without holding back.

Long Jie did not say another word regarding the matter. She simply told Tangning not to worry or feel anxious, otherwise, she would fall into her enemy’s trap.

“You’re the one that’s being anxious,” Tangning replied helplessly.

…

Meanwhile, in the office of Hai Rui’s CEO.

Fang Yu was sitting opposite Mo Ting. His expression was casual and relaxed with a hint of amusement. Especially when he thought of ‘Devil Shooter’s’ disgusting marketing tactics, he couldn’t control his lips from curving upwards.

“I’m moved by the way they’ve helped us promote our film…”

“What are the shareholders’ thoughts?” Mo Ting asked without lifting his head.

“The shareholders aren’t worried. They’ve figured the other party are pretty much digging their own graves,” Fang Yu replied leisurely.

The longer he stayed in Hai Rui, the more he appreciated a challenge. And the more he enjoyed working with projects like ‘Stupid’ that required them to put up a fight; not projects that were full of glitz and glamour with no drama.

Projects like that were too easy for him. Of course, if even he felt they were too easy, then to Mo Ting, they were nothing.

This was why, even though the public had already given ‘Stupid’ a death sentence, the two men in the office were still as calm as ever.

If someone insisted on comparing themselves with ‘Stupid’, they could compare all they wanted…

In the end, the last one left laughing was still to be determined.

“After tomorrow’s pre-screening, organize another two pre-screening events of the same scale. Let’s see the attendance numbers then,” Mo Ting instructed calmly.

“Should we notify ‘Devil Shooter’ of the other two times?”

“No need… I’m sure they will only be brave enough to do one pre-screening,” Mo Ting replied confidently. “Their storyline is a mess.”

Their rival was indeed good at real estate…

But, they knew nothing about the film market.

Films that were brave enough to hold pre-screenings were films that were confident about word of mouth. But, their rival obviously had no self-awareness of the quality of their film. Or perhaps, they were overly confident in their fans.

“OK, I will contact some of the top theatre chains.”

The reason Mo Ting managed to rule over the entertainment industry for so many years was never dependent on luck. It was instead based on a strategy to appear like everything was luck.

The more tricky his enemies tried to be, the more excited he felt. After all, men often enjoyed displaying their power and making their enemies feel helpless.

The next day…

The pre-screening for the two films commenced at the same time at different theatres. Because of the hype around ‘Devil Shooter’, their tickets were in high demand and rare to get one’s hands on. As a result, their attendance numbers were very high.

The industry had high hopes for the film because of the hype around it. Even if the storyline wasn’t great, it didn’t matter as long as fans were willing to pay…

On the other hand, the attendance numbers for ‘Stupid’ were quite average. But, no one knew, amongst the attendees, Mo Ting had invited some top class critics, film experts as well as representatives from film fan groups. These people’s opinions were well-trusted.

So, after their first pre-screening, ‘Devil Shooter’ walked away with $10 million in ticket sales; almost double of what ‘Stupid’ received. But, the reviews slowly highlighted the difference in quality of the two films.

Some reviews wildly praised that the actors were extremely good looking and the storyline was exciting. These reviewers were obviously fans.

Meanwhile, film fans complained about the film to the point where they had nothing positive to say about it.

“A real estate tycoon’s investment indeed can not be trusted. Even though he spent hundreds of millions, it could not save the movie from a lousy storyline.”

“Wow! Xiangxiang was so hot in the film! Those that say the film wasn’t good, must be blind.”

“This film was so painful to watch. Even if I like a particular actor, I will never expose my eyes to such torture again.”

On the contrary, ‘Stupid’ started off not attracting much attention since everyone was focused on the reviews for ‘Devil Shooter’. But, quickly, the reviews of trusted sources began to stand out.

The first thing one of the famous verified personalities on social media did after watching ‘Stupid’, was vouch for Tangning.

He wrote an entire post titled, ‘Tangning alone is enough to beat down next door!’ As soon as the post went up, it triggered a wave of responses.

Since their rivals knew how to utilize Hai Rui’s influence, Hai Rui also knew how to turn things around and utilize the popularity of their actors.

This verified personality had a lot of influence in the film industry.

This was the reason why Mo Ting insisted on inviting him to the pre-screening even though he had low expectations for ‘Stupid’ and Tangning…

However, after sitting in the theatre for 2 hours, he found himself walking out completely speechless.

He was so pleasantly surprised that he had an immediate urge to write down his opinion. Of course, he resisted until he finished watching the other films he had been invited to for the day. But, even as the day ended, the only thoughts he had in his mind, revolved around ‘Stupid’…

“5 reasons to vouch for Tangning.”

After reading the post a so-called ‘insider’ had previously posted to criticize ‘Stupid’, the verified personality wrote a completely opposing post.

His 5 reasons all boiled down to one.

It was simple. Tangning went from being a model to an actress, but her acting was miles better than the ‘professionals’ in the other film!

Attached to the post were a few pictures of scenes from the movie that included Tangning.

A post from an unknown source VS a post from a trusted film critic. The latter was definitely more influential…

With the public’s curiosity towards Tangning piqued, the hype around ‘Stupid’ also increased quite dramatically. Hai Rui’s first step was steady. It was so steady that ‘Devil Shooter’ started to worry.

But, they told themselves not to worry. The true results would be revealed after their official release.

No matter what the results were for the pre-screening, ‘Devil Shooter’ would definitely be screened much more often than ‘Stupid’. This was something predetermined by the market.

But, when President Mo was involved – nothing was definite…