"The Phantom Thieves 2" continues the style of "The Phantom Thieves 1", with the overall story leaning more towards comedy. Although there are intellectual battles and plot twists, it is fortunate that it is not too mindless and stupid. Even the ending is not a forced plot twist with an answer. Instead, foreshadowing is laid from the beginning, and even a second viewing can clearly discover the existence of those foreshadowings.
So, from the perspective of suspense and crime films alone, its existence is incongruous and rather childish. However, if it happens to be a family-friendly commercial comedy, and people go to the cinema just for fun, then naturally many people will still be willing to pay for it.
Such works are more than enough for those who enjoy them or simply want to find some joy and relaxation in them.
As for whether people will criticize it again, just like they did with the first film, calling "Strange 2" a mindless popcorn movie with no educational value, full of nonsensical jokes and inexplicable brawls, and attacking Zhuang Hongyi's directing skills... Zhuang Hongyi naturally doesn't care.
Because no matter how much others attack a film, the final box office results don't lie—
...
When Xiao He walked out of the movie theater, it was already getting dark.
Actually, the movie in the theater hadn't finished playing yet. As is the case with most movies these days, there are usually a few post-credits scenes after the finale. However, to avoid being recognized with the lights on, Xiao He left the theater first and waited for his parents outside.
Taking this opportunity, Xiao He stopped in the cinema corridor and quietly observed the poster for a while.
Even standing at the entrance to the lobby, he could still faintly hear sounds coming from inside the screening room—
After a long string of scrolling curtain calls, someone pushed open the shop door.
Mrs. Ma Qier, who had met Xiao He a few times and had a good relationship with Liu Rulan, raised her head.
"You're here?"
She turned around with a smile and took out a bottle of perfume from the display case filled with perfumes of various styles. The bottle had an ordinary appearance, but the liquid inside was filled with a beautiful gold color.
Behind her stood a young man wearing a hood, his face obscured.
A wisp of white hair flashed by beneath the hood.
Then came a familiar voice from a young person: "I can't take it with me right now, so please ask the boss to mail it for me."
Mrs. March looked surprised: "Are you sure there's no problem?"
This is the Black Mary that those people fought over! It is also a precious remnant of that era's history.
Is it too casual to just ship it by courier?
"snort."
Blank chuckled lightly, seemingly unconcerned. He adjusted the brim of his hat, revealing his cool eyes.
At this moment, he has returned to the mysterious big boss persona he had when he first appeared, no longer the pathetic figure being chased by gangsters at the end. It's as if everything that happened before was just a game he and the Phantom Thief duo played.
Now that the game is over, it's time to get down to business.
"I wasn't interested in this stuff to begin with, so let that guy have his own headache."
Blank tilted his head slightly and deliberately dragged out the last syllable.
"Please deliver this to—"
The camera focused on his mouth, but no sound was played. So everyone only saw his lip movements, but didn't know where he was going.
The screen suddenly went dark the next moment.
【Stay tuned for *Phantom Thieves 3*!】
"Ah! It's a trailer for the third movie!"
Some audience members were so upset that they beat their chests and stamped their feet in frustration.
"So the next story should take place in the place Blank mentioned, right?"
"Who is that guy? Is he also on the list of top thieves?"
"Ah, I'm still not satisfied! Where exactly are you lip-syncing to? The US? Cherry blossoms? It can't be happening directly in China, can it? Damn Blank, explain yourself!"
So where exactly is it?
"Speak up! Explain yourself clearly!"
Mr. and Mrs. Xiao stood up, exchanged a glance with smiles, and followed the crowd to the outside of the movie theater, where they found their parked car.
Xiao He had already started the car and was waiting. As soon as the two got in, he started the car and drove straight to the mall: "The restaurant reservation is ready. I'll treat you to a big meal tonight!"
"OK."
Xiao's mother readily agreed, while Xiao's father asked from the side, "So where is your director planning to film his next movie? Are you going abroad again?"
Before Xiao He could answer, his father explained with slight concern, "I'm mainly worried about your safety. After all, things haven't been very peaceful outside in recent years. If we can film in China, we should try to stay in China as much as possible."
Mr. Xiao usually enjoys following current affairs, and now that he has noticed his son's future work situation, he can't help but want to say a few words.
Moreover, although Xiao He's parents don't usually call him or pay attention to his work, his mother was so worried that she couldn't sleep when he first went abroad to film.
After all, this was Xiao He's first time going abroad.
Before that, Xiao He had never been to such a far place.
Therefore, it's inevitable that parents will worry.
Xiao He sensed his father's concern and chuckled softly, speaking in a reassuring tone: "It's alright. Our company is currently focusing on developing the domestic market."
The current situation makes it inconvenient to develop abroad, so even though Xiao He has already connected with a major foreign director through his role in "Ford v Ferrari 7", he is currently preparing to stay in China for the time being.
However, let's not talk about the overseas promotional trip that might take place in March for now.
While adjusting the gear, Xiao He answered his father's first question: "Actually, Director Zhuang didn't reveal the filming location for the third part."
"ah?"
This time it was Xiao's mother's turn to be surprised. "Haven't you made any decisions yet? Then why are you promoting the third installment ahead of time and deliberately releasing such a surprise?"
"Oh, that's just empty promises to attract investors for the third installment."
Xiao He shrugged: "Actually, I didn't know what I was saying when we were filming. Director Zhuang told me to just lip-sync randomly. Anyway, no netizens would find out that I was just talking nonsense. They would just rack their brains to analyze it and increase the movie's popularity."
Two "uninformed" elders: Ah... is it really possible to do that?
"After all, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) it's an Easter egg. It's perfectly normal for the final product to be different from the initial promotional advertisements, isn't it?"
Xiao He was already used to it.
"And even if there is talk of a third movie, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be one. It depends on the audience's feedback and the final box office performance. If the movie doesn't do well, then the so-called sequel will not exist at all."
Anyway, it's not a bad thing to make a grand promise and leave some room for future developments. What if you dream about the investors for the sequel?
However, Zhuang Hongyi's situation is different. He is an investor himself, and the quality of "Phantom Thief 2" is obviously very good so far. It will definitely make money, so the promises he makes will eventually come true.
Xiao's mother couldn't help but sigh, "That's certainly true."
Indeed, it's better to be realistic when making movies.
Xiao He then brought up another interesting story: "Speaking of which, Mrs. Ma Qier in the Easter egg is actually the owner of a perfume shop, and she also seems to be a fashion designer. She's a very impressive old lady. The perfume cabinets in the scene were taken from her shop."
Xiao He was quite surprised when Mrs. Ma Qier agreed to make a cameo appearance.
Xiao's mother also remembered: "Those bottles of perfume you gave me when you came back to China last time, were they bought from her?"
"right."
Xiao He paused for a moment, then continued, "The perfume she took out at that time was called 【Black Mary】."
At that moment, both on and off screen, a bond of fate seemed to have been formed.
