Chinese filmmaker Han Yan recently revealed that he felt sorry to the cast and crew of his new movie, “Per Aspera Ad Astra,” after the movie failed to make a dent at the box office in China.

The filmmaker, who appeared at the promotional event for the movie alongside lead actors Dylan Wang and Victoria Song, stated that he was surprised by the low number of screenings and random screening hours, which he believed have affected the film’s box office takings.

“I feel a little sorry for the team who have fought alongside me for more than two years, and I also feel sorry for the audience who really like this movie, want to see it but can’t find it,” he said.

Han Yan emphasised that he wasn’t trying to be sentimental or elicit sympathy, stating that he had done his best and simply hoped the film could be shown for a few more days.

Dylan, who was standing nearby, was also moved to tears, sensing the immense market pressure the new film was facing.

It is noted that the movie isn’t the only film that suffered at the box office in China, with films like Jackie Chan’s “Panda Project 2” and Wu Jing’s “Blades of the Guardians” also facing similar situation.

However, not all netizens are sympathising with Han Yan. One social media user posted, “When will directors realise that crying won’t get them screen time of box office success?”

Another posted, “The first time you use [emotional pressure], the audience will sympathise with you, because kind-hearted viewers naturally sympathise with the weak. The second time it’s used, audiences will wonder why there is so much chaos in movie scheduling. The third time it is used, the audience will understand, it’s all a routine.”

(Photo Source: IMDb, SINA)

Surprised by rumours that the two of them have secretly tied the knot, Victoria Song and Oho Ou took to social media to deny it.

On 26 November, the former f(x) member’s agency posted screenshots of articles claiming that they have married in a hush-hush, with the word “fake” affixed across the articles.

“The relevant contents are all malicious rumours!” the company posted. “Relevant users are requested to stop infringement immediately or we will pursue their legal liability according to law!”

Several hours later, Oho’s agency also did the same and wrote, “This is false! Stop spreading rumours and pay attention instead to the actor’s work!”

Some articles also claimed that it was paparazzo Liu Dachui who broke the news of the refuted secret marriage, to which Liu responded later saying that it did not come from him.

“During the live broadcast on 22 November, some interactive netizens did raise relevant topics, but they made it clear that day I am not aware of this. The relevant live broadcast clips are now released in full. Please do not believe or spread rumours,” he said.

It is noted that Victoria and Oho first collaborated in the 2019 drama, “Love Under the Moon”. They later reunited in the 2021 series, “Lover or Stranger”.

(Photo Source: Victoria Song Weibo, Oho Ou Fanpage IG)

Victoria Song’s camp has recently slammed rumourmongers over fake news regarding the singer and actor Wang Kai.

As reported on Sohu, earlier this week, sources claimed that Wang is set to tie the knot with a female star after keeping their relationship a secret for a long time.

It added that to avoid attention from the public, the two parties maintain little interaction on social media.

Though the rumour made no mention as to the identity of the female star, many speculated it to be the former K-pop star, since Wang Kai had released a Valentine’s Day video which has the date of Victoria’s birthday at the bottom.

In response to the rumour, on 14 February, Victoria’s studio released a statement that read, “The related content appearing on the Internet is all rumour, which has seriously violated the legal rights of Ms. Song Qian. Our studio strongly condemns the malicious slanderers who spread these rumours!”

“Those who fabricate and spread rumours will be held accountable according to the law!” it added.

Soon after, Wang Kai’s studio also released its own statement, saying, “Don’t spread rumours, don’t believe in rumours.”

(Photo Source: Wang Kai Weibo, Victoria Song Weibo, SINA)

First, its promotional poster was accused of plagiarism.

Now, the Zanilia Zhao-starrer “Who is the Murderer” is getting a lot of flak again for illegally using Victoria Song’s photo in a scene on episode 6 of the said series.

Eagle-eyed netizens recently took to social media to blast the said drama, after they discovered that an old photo of the said idol was being used as a prop photo on the evidence board in one of the scenes, in which the detective characters were discussing about a serial murder case.

Following the backlash, the production team of the said drama issued an apology to the f(x) member, saying that the staff used online photos without authorisation and that due to their failure to inspect the work, had “adversely affected the image and reputation of Ms. Victoria Song.”

“The relevant images have been processed and the modification and replacement will be completed within today. We hereby apologise to Ms. Victoria Song and everybody who cares about her, and will make sure that there will be no related problems in the future,” it added.

Earlier this week, the team apologised after netizens pointed out that their promotional poster had plagiarised the poster for Japanese drama, “Legal High”.

(Photo Source: Victoria Song Instagram, NetEase)