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

Chapter 303 National Day Battle, Marching into Hollywood?

October 1, 2011, National Day.

The crew of "The Grandmaster".

Wong Kar-wai has been making this film since 2001, and he just randomly comes up with ideas and invites the lead actors to film some parts.

This is also his consistent style in making films; he never considers film stock or investment, only the shots he imagines in his mind.

So three days ago, he came up with a scene and called over the main actors, including Leung Chiu-wai and Cheung Chun, as well as action choreographer Yuan Heping and martial arts director Wu Bing.

buzzing-

Yuan Heping's phone suddenly rang while he was drawing storyboards.

A rather unfamiliar phone call came from Beijing, the capital city in mainland China.

"Which one?"

Yuan Heping was speaking in somewhat broken Mandarin.

"Hello Coach Yuan, I am Zhang Yimou!"

When Zhang Yimou's familiar voice rang out, Yuan Heping, who was sitting, suddenly stood up.

The shadow of a famous tree.

The name Zhang Yimou carries considerable weight in the film industry.

"Hello, hello, Director Zhang!"

Yuan Heping spoke with utmost politeness, and walked to the side with a cheerful expression.

"It's like this, do you know Chen Jin?"

"That actor who just won the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival!"

"Chen Jin?"

I think I've heard of Yuan Heping, but I'm not very familiar with him.

"I vaguely remember..."

Yuan Heping thought Zhang Yimou had asked him to collaborate on a film.

He's currently on the set of "The Grandmaster," and he's really frustrated. He's determined never to work with Wong Kar-wai again. That guy is incredibly slow at making movies, and he's too selfish; he makes all the decisions.

"He wants to make an action movie, but he lacks a good action choreographer!"

"He asked me to inquire about someone from you, named Sun Nuo. You have a wide network of connections in the martial arts choreographing circle, so I thought of you, haha!"

If Chen Jin had called, Yuan Heping wouldn't have given him a second thought.

So what if he's a Venice Film Festival Best Actor winner?
However, Zhang Yimou and Yuan Heping still had to give them some face.

"Sun Nuo? How could he know him?"

Yuan Heping asked, somewhat puzzled.

This child shouldn't be very famous in the industry right now.

If Chen Jin wants to find an action choreographer, shouldn't she look for someone more famous?

However, he didn't think much of it. He glanced at Wu Bing, the martial arts director, who was lying on the side reading a newspaper, and smiled, saying, "What a coincidence, Sun Nuo's master is right here. You should know Master Wu Bing, right?"

"Haha, this Sun Nuo is Master Wu's apprentice?"

"No wonder this kid specifically asked for him!"

Zhang Yimou didn't really know this Sun Nuo, but as soon as Yuan Heping mentioned Wu Bing, almost everyone in the industry knew him.

This is the top instructor of Shichahai Martial Arts School, who trained Li Lianjie and Wu Jing, and has taught dozens of martial arts champions, including Sun Nuo.

"Director Zhang, how about this, I'll send Sun Nuo's contact information to your phone in a bit!"

"That's wonderful, Coach Yuan, thank you!"

"You're too kind..."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two hung up the phone.

Yuan Heping looked at his phone, shook his head, and walked up to Wu Bing, who was reading a newspaper: "Coach Wu, I need someone from you!"

The movie "The Grandmaster" is very realistic.

Starting in 2008, in order to obtain more historical data, Wang Jiawei spent three years visiting more than a hundred folk kung fu masters from various schools across the country. These included well-known styles such as Wing Chun, Xingyi, and Tai Chi, as well as lesser-known but formidable martial arts schools such as Bagua, Bajiquan, and Tongbei.

Some masters were moved by his sincerity and broke the restrictions of their sects, revealing their secret techniques that they had kept hidden from their own disciples.

During his visit, some stories from the martial arts world greatly inspired Wang Jiawei, and among these masters was Wu Bing, the man standing before him.

He is now the martial arts director and chief consultant for the film "The Grandmaster".

Unlike Yuan Heping, who designed the martial arts moves, Wu Bin was mainly responsible for some of the martial arts details during the filming process.

This allows the action texture of the movie to be reproduced as accurately as possible.

"Oh? Who is it!"

Wu Bing shook the newspaper in his hand, took off his reading glasses, and looked at Yuan Heping.

"Sun Nuo, someone wants him to be the action director!"

"Haha, they've come to you, so this person must be someone important..."

Wu Bing was actually quite surprised.

Sun Nuo is one of the more talented students among his many students, but he is almost unknown; this is obviously the first time someone has come to him by name.

"It was a call from director Zhang Yimou, but it wasn't him; he was just relaying a message!"

"I understand. I'll talk to him about it!"

Wu Bing took out his phone and scrolled through his student's number in his contacts.

Sun Nuo was the most unique student among all his students. Back then, a foreign TV station came to the martial arts team to film the children practicing martial arts. When the reporter asked why they practiced martial arts, no one spoke, except for Sun Nuo, who said that he wanted to master martial arts so that he could go abroad to make movies when he grew up.

These words, spoken offhand, somehow foreshadowed Sun Nuo's future path.

Of the entire martial arts team, only Sun Nuo went abroad, and his goal was clear: to make a movie.

After graduating from the Beijing Wushu Team in 08, Wu Bing introduced him to work as an assistant instructor at the Shaolin Temple in Houston, USA. At 18, he didn't speak English or drive, but he made a name for himself in Hollywood with his real kung fu skills.

Yuan Heping learned about Sun Nuo from Wu Bing, who had helped him with some action design when he went to Hollywood to make movies.

The Hollywood action blockbuster "The Last Airbender," which was released globally last year, was Sun Nuo's first time serving as action choreographer.

Then came The Expendables!
He is only 20 years old, which is the perfect age for him to fight and compete.

Actually, Sun Nuo didn't initially intend to become a martial arts choreographer when he went to Hollywood. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his senior brothers, Li Lianjie and Wu Jing, and become the third generation.

Wu Jing's trip to Hong Kong was a miscalculation, so he was more resourceful and decided to make a direct landing in Hollywood.

He just didn't expect that Hollywood would be much harder to navigate than he had imagined.

He had no other choice but to meet Yuan Heping, which led him to consider stepping back from the spotlight and transitioning from action choreographer to actor.

Wu Bing was actually aware of this as well.

So this phone call might not be enough to convince Sun Nuo to return to China!

Because this child is very ambitious.

***
On the other side, Chen Jin had just woken up from her sleep.

Looking at Sun Nuo's phone number left by Zhang Yimou on her phone, Chen Jin couldn't help but grin.

All is ready except for the opportunity!
With the action choreographer and executive director finalized, all that's left is the script.

After the National Day holiday, Chen Jin would gather her screenwriters for a brainstorming session to produce several scripts.

"Sun Nuo doesn't really want to go back to China!"

"Try calling him. His master is Wu Bing, who is from the same school as Li Lianjie!"

"His master has already told him about it!"

Zhang Yimou's efficiency is indeed reliable. After washing up, Chen Jin prepared to call Sun Nuo.

But glancing at the time, it should be late at night in the US.

After thinking about it, Chen Jin decided to make the call again that evening.

He opened Dida's ticketing website.

At Chen Jin's suggestion, Dida's app partnered with Douban and Mtime for ratings and box office predictions.

This can increase user stickiness to the app.

Before the Film Bureau developed dedicated box office software, all ticketing websites on the market could only provide rough statistics on movie box office revenue.

The specific box office figures will certainly vary, but the differences will not be significant.

For example, on a single day, Dida compiles data based on feedback from various cinema chains.

The actual daily box office of "Life's Big Events" was 7012 million yuan, and Dida's estimate is roughly in this range, though not that precise.

Therefore, it still has some reference value.

Chen Jin opened the webpage and saw a template he had suggested pop up.

It's similar to how you check box office figures on Maoyan Professional Edition in later generations.

The above lists detailed information including overall box office revenue, box office share, and screening schedule.

"How could a movie that's only been showing for half a month still manage to top the charts?"

Looking at the box office data ticking on the webpage in front of her, Chen Jin was indeed quite surprised.

Although "White Snake" and "Painted Skin" are bad movies, they are still newly released films and commercial movies. In addition, the cast of the main actors is good. They still failed to beat "Life's Big Events"!
"Life's Big Events" is currently ranked third with 20.4% of screenings, but its daily box office has already reached more than 300 million yuan; "Painted Skin" has 22.7% of screenings and its daily box office is currently around 221 million yuan.

The worst performer was "White Snake," which had the most screenings of all films today, with 25.1% of the screenings, ranking first, but its box office revenue was only 134 million yuan in just one morning.

Oh, and there's another overlooked corner: "1911 Revolution" had a 9.12% screen share and a box office of 210,000.

The National Day holiday box office season kicked off with a result that no one expected.

This box office performance is definitely much better than last year.

But compared to the special occasion of National Day, the box office figures still seem quite dismal.

It's worth noting that "Life's Big Events" has already grossed 6.14 million yuan at the box office, breaking various records for art films; but even so, it still manages to dominate the overall market.

This is a slap in the face for several newly released films.

Moreover, some of these films star such big names. Strictly speaking, "Life's Big Events" is weaker than these other films in terms of box office recognition, appeal, and genre.

"All I can say is, a good film can overcome everything!"

"The Chinese people still have a strong desire to watch high-quality movies!"

Not only is 2011 a peak year for moviegoing, but this trend will continue even in 2025.

It's not that people don't like watching movies, but rather that the quality of movies makes audiences unwilling to spend their money at the cinema.

If there were a movie like "Ne Zha 2", everyone would support it.

That's pretty much what "Major Life Events" are all about right now.

"I just don't know if we can take the top spot for the seven-day National Day holiday!"

These seven days also marked the final highlight of "Major Events in Life".

If they can live a second life, the box office performance might fluctuate.

"Let's see if we can hold on for the next couple of days!"

According to the market patterns of major movie seasons, once the box office and daily champion are secured in the first two days, the following days will naturally follow suit.

Unlike other films released during the Spring Festival which didn't generate much buzz, "Life's Big Events" has already become a hot topic online.

What remains is a long-tail effect.

……

Martial Arts Academy, Los Angeles, USA.

Although it was already past 10 p.m., the practice rooms in the academy were still brightly lit.

Crackling.

The sounds of fists and feet striking wooden stakes could be heard from afar inside the training room.

"Arno, stop fighting, stop fighting, let's go home!"

A guy with a buzz cut was frantically waving his hands at the young man in front of him whose foot was bandaged.

Both of them were covered in sweat.

The young man named Arno was quite handsome and very young, looking to be in his early twenties. However, his muscles were very well-proportioned, indicating that he was a trained martial artist who had practiced martial arts since childhood.

"Alright, then tomorrow..."

The young man wiped the sweat from his body with a towel and let out a soft breath.

The man with the buzz cut was wiping his sweat: "A Filipino guy is coming tomorrow. Let's see his short knife skills and short stick techniques!"

"Short sword technique?"

The young man grinned: "This is going to be fun again!"

"Are you really not planning to join any film crews during this period?"

The man with the buzz cut and the young man walked towards the locker room one after the other.

"No, I'll wait until 'The Avengers' and 'The Expendables 2' are released before I think about it. But my mentor called me today and said that a celebrity in China wants to make a movie with me..."

The young man, Sun Nuo, was speaking.

"Who is it? Is it Donnie Yen?"

Cun Tou is Luo Junchang, Sun Nuo's childhood friend, who currently helps him manage this martial arts school.

Sun Nuo invested all the money he earned in the United States into this school, which has enrolled nearly 30 students.

Hollywood is eager for and highly values ​​martial arts experts. Martial arts choreography instructors who work 40 hours a week can earn a minimum of $3000 per week, with overtime pay, benefits, and bonuses on top of that. So, Sun Nuo's income over the past two years has actually been quite substantial.

"No, his surname is Chen. I don't know him either. My master said he just won the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival!"

"About the same age as me!"

"Aha?"

"The Venice Film Festival Best Actor award? Another Chinese actor has won it. Didn't Xia Yu win it before?"

"Yes, so I'll check it when I get back!"

Sun Nuo took a towel and went into the bathroom, followed by Luo Junchang.

"An Oscar-winning actor making an action movie?"

Luo Junchang found it hard to imagine.

After showering and changing their clothes, the two took a taxi to their residence in Santa Mo.

Once at the rented home, Sun Nuo turned on his computer and began searching for information about Chen Jin.

He rested his chin on his hand, looking at the introduction and the news that popped up, his eyes widening involuntarily.

"Have you found it?"

Luo Junchang gulped down his drink and walked over to Sun Nuo's side.

Sun Nuo pointed to the computer screen: "When did such a person emerge in China?"

"What's wrong?"

"His solo starring role has grossed nearly 30 billion RMB!"

Gum!

Luo Junchang downed his drink in one gulp, let out a long burp, and then asked in shock, "30 billion?"

"We've only been abroad for two years, and the domestic film market is growing so fast?"

"No, it's because the movie this guy stars in is perverted!"

Sun Nuo was increasingly shocked as he read on, and in the end, he was dumbfounded: "Just two years, he starred in four movies in two years, and he's made almost 3 billion!"

Luo Junchang: "..."

The two men looked at each other, then Luo Junchang chuckled: "So...this is the guy who asked you to make a movie?"

"Correct!"

"Good thing!"

Luo Junchang was happy for his brother: "They specifically sought you out for cooperation; they're showing real sincerity!"

"While that's true, but—"

"No buts, you can come back after you go back to China!"

Luo Junchang patted Sun Nuo on the shoulder: "I'll take care of things here, so you can go back without worry. You can also visit your aunt and uncle and stop by my house while you're at it!"

"That's possible, but what if there's work in Hollywood too..."

Sun Nuo is mainly worried about this, since his work is currently mainly focused in the United States.

They finally landed two big-budget films, one of which is Marvel's "The Avengers," which is currently enjoying great popularity in Hollywood. The film has extremely high expectations across the United States and is expected to be a huge hit.

At that time, his status will also rise accordingly.

All his hopes were pinned on this movie; once it was released, he would have firmly established himself in Hollywood.

So if he goes back to China now, and Marvel happens to have another movie collaboration, he'll be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

This is also what makes him feel awkward.

"I'll wait for him to contact me and see!"

Let's see if we can negotiate a compromise!

Sun Nuo is much more mature than he appears.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made a name for himself in Hollywood in just over two years. As Wu Bing said, his martial arts skills are indeed the most beautiful and ruthless after Li Lianjie and Wu Jing.

He was able to audition for the action choreographer role in "The Wind Rises" by demonstrating various martial arts skills for over an hour in front of several veteran Hollywood filmmakers.

In addition to various schools and styles of martial arts in China, he is also proficient in many popular martial arts styles around the world, such as Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

"But this Chen Jin is pretty awesome too!"

"Two years ago, I was just an ordinary person, but now I'm in a league of my own in China..."

Luo Junchang was also browsing Google News, seemingly sharing the same thoughts as Sun Nuo.

Do you think he might come to Hollywood?

Luo Junchang suddenly looked at Sun Nuo.

Sun Nuo paused for a moment, then shook her head: "How would I know?"

"Why don't you talk to him? He's famous, and you're skilled. The two of you could really work together. What if he makes a name for himself in Hollywood?"

"Disaster!"

Sun Nuo's two years in Hollywood haven't been for nothing: "Times have changed. It's unlikely that a Chinese kung fu superstar like Jackie Chan or Jet Li will emerge now..."

"Mainly Asian people can't get good roles in Hollywood!"

"Jackie Chan's rise to fame was thanks to 'Rush Hour,' a film tailor-made for him by New Line Cinema. He needed a Hollywood studio to create his own movies!"

Sun Nuo is quite right about that.

Even someone as talented as Jet Li can only play villains, like a cameo role in "The Expendables".

Not to mention a "newcomer" like Chen Jin!
"However, it's hard to say!"

"Hollywood is currently paying close attention to the Chinese market. The fact that it has grossed 3 billion in just two years shows that it still has considerable box office value!"

"Foreigners only care about money..."

"So, this is an opportunity. Maybe you two can become a powerful alliance!"

Luo Junchang yawned, glanced at the time, and quickly said, "Go to sleep, go to sleep. I have to get up early to lead the shift tomorrow!"

"Okay, time to sleep!"

Although Sun Nuo said that, his eyes were fixed on the lit computer screen in front of him.

Chen Jin's face was very clear in his pupils.

Ultimately, Hollywood is all about making money.

Chen Jin's achievement of 30 billion yuan in box office revenue in 2 years really surprised Sun Nuo. Such a "newcomer" might even attract the attention of Hollywood!
(End of this chapter)