Many articles were criticizing the movie as trash, finding fault with every detail and complaining.
Next, the criticism shifted to Zhang Zhan.
"There are several major issues with Zhang Zhan's performance in 'Shanghai Fortress.' First, why is he wearing a hat and still sporting a Korean-style fringe tilted at a 60-degree angle? And doesn't Zhang Zhan's own demeanor clash too much with the image of a soldier?"
"Most importantly, this Korean-style fringe remained perfectly in place after half a day of fighting in the apocalypse battle, with not a single strand out of place, and not even a speck of dust on his face. I was stunned when I watched it. What kind of immaculate being is this? Is he playing a deity? He's simply a pretty face, what talk of acting? It has nothing to do with acting, not the slightest bit of realism!"
"Second, Zhang Zhan's acting is truly abysmal. Before the premiere of this film, I saw rumors every day on Weibo about Zhang Zhan's hard work filming. I thought to myself, I can look forward to this young man's progress, but who would have thought, I apologize, I was overthinking!"
"Third! I heard that the combined salaries for Zhang Zhan and Shu Qi were as high as 200 million. Zhang Zhan's salary alone was 120 million. Director Teng also mentioned that the total actor salaries accounted for only ten percent of the film's total cost. But your film, 'Shanghai Fortress,' had a total cost of only 360 million. Director Teng, your fib is too poorly constructed!"
"This film is absurd, both in terms of its director and its actors. Shu Qi was unfortunately dragged into this controversy, truly making the beautiful woman suffer."
Reading article after article of criticism, Zhang Zhan felt very displeased.
"Sister Zeng, have you dealt with this? There are so many, so many articles scolding me."
"It's alright, we're still handling it. Our people are already writing promotional articles, and we might be able to salvage the situation a bit before the release."
Zeng Jia had already instructed her subordinates to try their best to remove the trending topics that spoke ill of their film and Zhang Zhan.
At the same time, she commissioned new film reviews that began to lavish praise on 'Shanghai Fortress.'
After all, only a portion of people had attended the premiere, and there were still several days before the official release.
In these few days, netizens could only make their own judgments based on the information available online.
They hadn't watched it yet, so they had no way of knowing which film critic was telling the truth and which was lying.
Especially Zhang Zhan's fans, when they saw people criticizing Zhang Zhan's acting as trash and calling 'Shanghai Fortress' trash, they stepped forward to retort.
"This film critic must have been paid, definitely bought off by Su Han's side."
"Wow, I suddenly realized there are so many people slandering my idol. It's so scary. How much money did you haters receive from Su Han?"
"My idol worked so hard for this movie, so diligently, and it's about to be released. At this critical juncture, to come and smear my idol, it's truly unethical."
"Ahem, to be honest. I went to the premiere. What this film critic said is correct, Zhang Zhan's acting is truly terrible. You'll know when you watch it that they were right."
"Is that true? But I feel like Zhang Zhan has been really working hard lately. I think this hater is going too far, I don't believe it!"
"I don't believe it either! How could Zhang Zhan be so terrible when he works so hard? They're clearly haters, deliberately slandering my idol."
"Whether you believe it or not, it's being released in a few days. You'll know when you watch it then?"
While Zhang Zhan was being criticized for his terrible acting, Su Han was receiving continuous praise.
"The 'Infernal Affairs' film series is the most classic pinnacle of Hong Kong cinema, it can be called the Hong Kong version of 'The Godfather'!"
"'Infernal Affairs' is truly amazing, but 'Infernal Affairs 2' is even more classic. It's a gripping yet compassionate gangster film. The scale of the initial release was grand, and the characters were three-dimensional and well-rounded."
"Su Han, as the most crucial figure in this film, injected soul into it. His acting is exquisitely superb!"
"Yu Wenle's internal struggle, sacrificing his own kin for his beliefs; Zeng Zhiwei's loyalty and righteousness, transforming from a righteous person into a ruthless and merciless gangster boss, he portrays this transition perfectly."
"The most thought-provoking character among them is Ni Yongxiao, played by Su Han. This main antagonist is actually a truly good person!"
"As a triad member, he is refined and cultured, possessing a scholarly air. He's not the crude, uneducated boss typically portrayed. Yet, he is decisive, ruthless, and even kills without batting an eye."
"Everything he does is for his family. Sincere and friendly to his relatives, cold and unforgiving to his enemies, filial but not benevolent, this is Ni Yongxiao!"
"His tragedy truly embodies the saying: 'What goes around, comes around!'"
"Su Han brought this character to life!"
"Ni Yongxiao, he may have died, but he will forever live in my heart!"
"Su Han, you're awesome!"
"In Hong Kong cinema, there's a boss called 'Ni Yongxiao' played by Su Han!"
"'Infernal Affairs'' Ni Yongxiao is the ceiling that Han Chen can never reach!"
"Ni Yongxiao is not an ordinary gang leader, he is a gang leader with purpose. And his management style is very layered."
"And Su Han perfectly portrayed this intelligent boss. I am deeply impressed! This new actor Su Han has immense future potential."
"From Feng Yuxiu to Ni Yongxiao, Su Han has proven himself with his ability and skill. I can't imagine he started as a background actor, amazing, truly amazing, I really admire him."
Su Han's and Zhang Zhan's reputations were hotly debated online for several days, making these days very lively.
Netizens found it incredibly entertaining.
Although the reviews for 'Shanghai Fortress' were not very good after its premiere, the film received very high advance screening allocations from the production company!
The allocation of screenings for a film is generally determined by factors such as the film's promotional buzz, audience anticipation, pre-sale performance, actors' fan base, director's fame, film's investment scale, and the popularity of the source material if it's an adaptation of a novel.
Movie theaters decide the allocation volume based on a comprehensive assessment of these factors.
After the film's release, the subsequent screening allocations will be determined by actual box office performance and whether the word-of-mouth is positive.
This time, 'Shanghai Fortress' had a pre-sale box office of 35 million, with a screening ratio of 33%.
'Infernal Affairs 2' had a pre-sale box office of 12 million, with a screening ratio of 15%.
July 18th!
'Shanghai Fortress'
'Infernal Affairs 2'
'Ne Zha' premiered simultaneously!