I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 299 "Major Events in Life" Box Office!
"The script currently has three male leads. If there are female leads later, we will definitely give priority to those of you here!"

Chen Jin smiled at Yang Mi and the others.

"..."

Liu Yifei raised an eyebrow, picked up the straw, and took a sip of the drink in front of her.

Yang Mi seemed very enthusiastic: "Okay, thank you, Brother Jin!"

Only Yangzi, upon hearing about the three male leads, immediately pretended to be very familiar and came over, pointing to himself and saying with a smile, "Brother Jin, do you think I can be the last male lead?"

Whether this guy was playing with abstract concepts or was serious, Chen Jin couldn't help but laugh: "I almost forgot that President Yang is also an actor!"

"Hahaha, right?"

"I've acted in quite a few TV series, and a few movies too!"

Yang Zi is indeed serious about acting.

Bringing his own money to join a production to fulfill his acting dreams has always been his hobby, but he also mainly wants to make more friends.

"Sorry, I almost forgot about that. I'll ask Third Master about it later!"

"The selection of the director and lead actors ultimately has to be approved by him!"

"Huh? This..."

Forget it.

Han Sanpin and Yang Zi were just making jokes; he was actually just mentioning it casually.

Chen Jin, of course, also used Han Sanpin as an excuse, mainly because Yang Zi was indeed unsuitable; his acting was too awkward and exaggerated.

At least Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming have decent acting skills, and Tong Dawei is also acceptable.

As for the choice of the female lead, Chen Jin really hadn't decided who to choose, because he didn't know the specific character of the female lead.

It seems she was originally a model.

Yang Mi and Liu Yifei, or even Huang Shengyi, could all be considered, strictly speaking.

However, Chen Jin doesn't engage in unspoken rules; he always chooses actors based on the actual role and whoever is suitable. This has always been his principle.

The celebration banquet lasted until the early hours of the morning before everyone dispersed.

Deng Chao really knows how to liven up the atmosphere. He even organized a second round, and the group went to karaoke. Chen Jin suddenly had the idea of ​​making a variety show. Should she bring back that Running Man thing?

He certainly doesn't participate, but that doesn't mean he can't make it.

He hadn't seen this variety show, of course, but it was supposedly a copy of a Korean program called "Running Man," a complete copy.

South Korea already had this last year.

"Let's secure the domestic adaptation rights first!"

"Running Man" won't be available in China until 14, and it's only just become a hit in South Korea, so buying the rights is a good time.

"Damn, does that mean I can buy the rights to adapt some of the most popular shows overseas into domestic productions in advance?"

Chen Jin felt that this was indeed a business opportunity.

The main goal is to make money.

Since his company has just started a variety show segment, it's bound to have potential. Plus, variety shows can indirectly promote their own artists.

It generates a lot of traffic.

Currently, many TV stations are actually looking to collaborate with China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) on cultural programs.

The immense popularity of CCTV's "Chinese Poetry" program has certainly made many local TV stations envious, especially several major satellite TV stations in China, such as Hunan TV and CCTV-6.

Therefore, if CETC (China Electronics Technology Group Corporation) were to produce a variety show, there would definitely be people willing to collaborate with them.

"Do it!"

After sending a message to legal counsel Yan Lukuan, Chen Jin looked at the box office figures displayed in the system.

2 days, 5280 million!
Today, Friday, "Life's Big Events" garnered 3088 million in a single day.

With the weekend approaching, the company is expected to reach 1.5 million.

The box office performance was unexpected, not only by outsiders but even by Chen Jin herself, as pre-sales on Saturday had already exceeded 2000 million yuan, and Sunday's sales were over 1000 million yuan.

He initially felt that breaking 1 million+ in the first weekend, reaching around 1.2 million, would be quite good.

Unexpectedly, this still surprised Chen Jin.

Of course, these are all results from Douban ratings and word-of-mouth marketing on Weibo.

A film that won an award at Venice, with Chen Jin winning Best Actor, and has a rating close to 9 points, still attracts many people to go to the cinema to see it.

Moreover, if this positive word-of-mouth spreads and the box office picks up this week, it could be even stronger next week.

Because many domestically successful films have started with this kind of momentum.

It will only begin to sink gradually in the third week.

The only exception was "Ne Zha 2," which saw a decline in its fourth week, yet still managed to gross over 150 billion yuan.

However, starting tomorrow, Chen Jin will also be going on a week-long roadshow across the country, mainly to compete with the impact of Jackie Chan's blockbuster "1911 Revolution". She has to take the main cast on a tour of the country.

Although the autobiography suggests that this movie flopped, it's still Jackie Chan, so we have to give him some face.

"1911 Revolution" achieved a 35.1% share of screenings on its opening day, which is higher than "Life's Big Events". Pre-sales have already started, but the results are not ideal.

The premiere was also held today, and Jackie Chan personally attended the centennial celebration of the Xinhai Revolution with his son.

"Brother Jin, that movie you mentioned today, when was it filmed? I've never heard you mention it before."

Guo Fan, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly turned his head and asked.

"That's exactly what I was going to tell you!"

Do you remember that phone call before dinner?

"Just from that phone call, you're already confirmed as the lead actor?"

Holy crap, this guy doesn't need an audition or anything?
Are you really that generous with giving away characters?
I didn't see how close Chen Jin was to these guys.

Sometimes Guo Fan really couldn't understand Chen Jin's actions.

It's confusing.

Take Honghu and the others, for example. They just invest whenever they want, like they're throwing money away!

They just got the project and immediately cast the actors. Shouldn't the normal procedure be to confirm with the other party's agency?

"Negotiation of fees is a legal matter, and it's cheaper to proactively contact the actor than to use a talent agency!"

Moreover, this approach will make it easier to cast Deng Chao on variety shows in the future.

Sometimes, being direct is the easiest way and also gives people a good impression. The main reason is that Chen Jin is indeed different from other companies; he knows some things about the future.

Maximizing this benefit is definitely the most direct solution.

It's perfectly normal that Guo Fan couldn't understand it.

"However, Huang Xiaoming and Deng Chao are still doing quite well!"

Who is the director?

Guo Fan couldn't help but ask.

"It's not decided yet. China Film Group has given me full authority over this project, and I'll be choosing the director as well. But I need to let Third Master know first!"

"To talk about domestic internet entrepreneurship, we need to find a commercial film director!"

"It can't be too expensive, and it can't be too famous..."

Not only is it notorious for burning through money, but more importantly, it refuses to listen to Chen Jin's advice.

But if someone is young, earns money, and isn't very famous, the options become very limited.

"I do have someone in mind!"

Guo Fan suddenly spoke up.

"Who?"

"Do you remember that symposium this afternoon? You had a great chat with Director Zhang, but a few of us young directors from the Beijing Film Academy also chatted for a while. Do you remember that female director who took my Huabiao Award?"

"Xue Xiaolu?" Chen Jin certainly remembered the director who had high box office numbers.

The main point is not now; Xue Xiaolu's films are all likely to be box office hits in the future.

Movies like "Finding Mr. Right" and "My People, My Country".

"Yes, she's actually a literature professor, and she has such good resources for her first film!"

"They're someone important!"

Guo Fan has an impression of this female director today, firstly because she took his award, and secondly because she is indeed quite capable.

She had previously collaborated with Chen Kaige; she wrote the script for "Together with You" and the domestic violence drama "Don't Talk to Strangers."

The Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy has indeed produced quite a few directors.

"She...is indeed quite suitable!"

"American Dreams in China" is about entrepreneurship, but it also includes love, campus life, and some American stories.

The Seattle movie also involves a commercial aspect, and the reunification segment in "The Motherland" was also quite well done.

After thinking about it, Chen Jin actually felt that it was indeed suitable.

The realm of modern commercial romance films is indeed her comfort zone.

"But we might not be able to get them to come, right?"

Although last year's "Ocean Heaven" was only her first work, the fact that she was able to collaborate with Jet Li and receive investment from Jiang Zhiqiang is enough to show that she still has certain connections in this industry.

Unlike Guo Fan, who was a complete novice when she met Chen Jin.

Of course, the super-strong production team of "Ocean Heaven" was actually brought in by Jiang Zhiqiang, the financial backer.

This shows that Xue Xiaolu actually has no shortage of investment.

But actually, this show lost money.

She truly became a sensation in the industry with "Finding Mr. Right," a chick flick similar to "Love is Not Blind," which had a budget of 30 million and grossed 500 million at the box office, making it an absolute juicy success.

The sequel grossed nearly 8 million.

The two dramas cemented her position as the highest-grossing female director in China, a title she was later surpassed by Jia Ling.

Putting aside Jia Ling's marketing efforts, Xue Xiaolu is definitely much stronger than her in terms of directing skills, expertise, and screenwriting ability.

After all, he is a professionally trained director.

"Why not give it a try? They're not signed with a company!"

"Moreover, the first film only had a big reputation, and the box office was only over 1000 million, which is a huge loss compared to Jet Li's film!"

"Forget it, I'll just have Third Master find her!"

Han Sanpin is more useful than anyone else.

Chen Jin was too lazy to go to their door herself. It would be stupid not to use someone else's help. Chen Jin now preferred to be a hands-off manager.

Wang Fei should also contact Alibaba.

Chen Jin is currently very adept at leveraging external forces.

"Damn, I actually believed your nonsense and was trying to think of a solution for you..."

Guo Fan was just about to have a proper talk with Xue Xiaolu himself when this guy suddenly showed up with Han Sanpin.

Why did I actually believe that?
"Haha, you could talk to her!"

"You're in the same industry and attend the same school, you should definitely get to know each other!"

Guo Fan: "..."

Are you making it sound like you're the same?
"By the way, have you found a director for your own film yet?"

"guide!"

Chen Jin felt it necessary to remind Guo Fan: "I'm the director, this is your directorial debut, show me some respect!"

"Okay, okay, I'll guide you!"

Guo Fan chuckled, and the two ladies in the car also burst out laughing.

These two are a perfect match; their conversations are like a stand-up comedy routine.

"I've made up my mind, it's Lao Diao!"

"I don't think I can get those old guys from Beijing Film Academy to listen to me!"

"Is he... up to it?"

Guo Fan expressed some doubt: "Isn't what you're making an action movie? He's an art film director!"

"There's no conflict. I just need him to guide me on how to film. I can find a senior action choreographer to handle the choreography. That's the plan Zhang Yimou came up with for me!"

Guo Fan was taken aback by the word "Old Zhang Zi," and only after he came to his senses did he realize who the guy was talking about.

Sun Ran and Zhu Yanmanz were laughing so hard they couldn't stop.

"Everything you do is quite risky!"

Chen Jin did something similar with "Love is Not Blind" back then, and luckily succeeded in the end; now it feels like Guo Fan is starting again.

He was unaware that Chen Jin possessed a system that allowed him to compare and edit footage, which is why he was worried.

"A youth who isn't reckless isn't a true youth!"

"I still have the cost of trial and error..."

Chen Jin was just joking when he said that. Anyone who wants to try and make mistakes can try. He's already broken even by doing this.

The so-called conservatives are even more radical than the radicals.

"Suit yourself, after all, you're the boss!"

Although Guo Fan highly recognized Chen Jin's abilities, it was Chen Jin's first time working as a director, so he was still a little worried.

All he could do was offer a reminder as a brother; whether he listened or not was up to him.

***
The next day, Saturday, September 17th.

Chen Jin, along with Zhao Jinmai, Gong Geer, and a few others, embarked on a week-long roadshow.

These days, roadshows are obviously not as outrageous as they are in later years. Some roadshows take a month to complete, while a week is considered a very good plan.

Because in many cities, the cost-effectiveness is not high at present, and the box office revenue is not proportional to the cost.

In later times, it was because every city had the potential to reach tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, so none of them could be overlooked; but now, apart from a few places like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, namely the Yangtze River Delta and Guangdong regions, there are a few other central cities worth visiting.

Shanghai was definitely the first stop, followed by Chen Jin's hometown, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou.

The economy in southern Jiangsu has great potential, and people's consumption desire is also very high. Chen Jin is quite well-known in East China.

On the first day of the opening weekend, the box office reached 5681 million!
This surprised many people once again.

Even on Sunday the 18th, box office revenue is generally lower than on Saturday. This is because many people have to go to work the next day on Sunday night, unlike Saturday night, which is the peak time for box office revenue.

The box office for "Life's Big Events" was stronger on Sunday than on Saturday.

6011 million!
With a single-day sales exceeding 6000 million, its rapid growth makes it seem more like a commercial film than an art film.

What's even more bizarre is that after the box office and positive word-of-mouth spread over the past few days, the rating actually went up as well.

Generally speaking, the opening rating of a movie usually continues to decline.

The ratings will gradually rise after the film leaves theaters.

But now, "The Big Events of Life" has a Douban rating of 8.9.

It improved by 0.1 points.

It almost reached 1.7 million in the first weekend.

This result has broken the opening weekend box office record for art films set by "Under the Hawthorn Tree".

Moreover, judging from the pre-sales, next week may be the peak of "Life's Big Events".

The entire internet is discussing Chen Jin's acting skills and the significance of this film, with the topic of life and death trending on Weibo; and just over the weekend, the film's Weibo account uploaded a documentary about the filming of "Life's Big Events"—"Nothing in Life Matters Except Death"!
(End of this chapter)