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

Chapter 329 Does the ocean care about the depth of a pond?
That afternoon, at Huayi headquarters.

After hanging up the phone in silence, Wang Zhonglei immediately called Wang Zhongjun.

"Brother, Chen Jin refused!"

Wang Zhonglei spoke with a very embarrassed expression.

"Ok!"

Wang Zhongjun on the other end of the phone nodded, showing no surprise: "Did you explain the specific reasons?"

"I already said, I can't fit it into my schedule!"

"It's definitely an excuse. Any normal person wouldn't miss such a good opportunity, right?"

China Film Group, Huayi Brothers Media, Alibaba, Stephen Chow, Edko Films... each of these is a company that many people would want to curry favor with; even though Wang Zhonglei said so, Chen Jin still rejected his suggestion.

Either he really has something going on, but that's unlikely, at least that's what Wang Zhonglei thinks.

If he were Chen Jin, he wouldn't hesitate at all. What could be more important than building such connections?

Even if there are other things to do, I have to cancel them.

That leaves only one possibility: he simply doesn't want to cooperate with Huayi.

Very proud.

This is certainly understandable.

Having produced and starred in several phenomenal works, it's normal for him to become arrogant.

"The old method: find some people and gather information about the other party and the people around them!"

This is one of Huayi's old tricks.

"it is good!"

Wang Zhonglei had no objections; this was pretty much how they dealt with their opponents all along.

You have to have a legitimate reason to smear someone!
If there's really no dirty water to throw, that's fine too; just create some dirty water artificially.

Although Chen Jin is not comparable to Liu Yifei back then, and cannot completely ruin his reputation, it is normal to spread some negative information about him. This is also of strategic significance to Huayi.

The box office of the movies starring Chen Jin is so high that if he continues like this, he could very well become the next Stephen Chow or Jackie Chan.

Just like the box office appeal of the two of them in Hong Kong before the millennium.

Huayi cannot allow an opponent to continue to grow so powerful.

The inevitable crackdown will benefit Huayi Brothers' box office revenue.

As the industry leader, they certainly can't allow a newcomer to continue being so arrogant.

……

On the evening of November 24, Chen Jin and her entourage finally arrived in Taiwan.

Two days later, the annual Golden Horse Awards ceremony will be held at the Hsinchu City Cultural Affairs Bureau Performing Arts Hall, and Sina.com will broadcast the entire event live.

"Hi, Jin, welcome to Taiwan!"

"Director Tian, ​​Director Guo!"

A white foreigner hugged Chen Jin very politely, and behind him were several colleagues who were responsible for picking her up at the airport.

Mike Yue is a subordinate of the head of Fox International's Taiwan branch.

Fox International was the Southeast Asian distributor for "You Are the Apple of My Eye," and the film was also distributed in Taiwan by the same company, along with the production company Star Ritz Productions.

As you can tell from the name, this is not a film distribution company based in Taiwan, but a branch of one of the six major Hollywood studios in Asia.

Twentieth Century Fox is a key player in Asia, along with Fox Asia Pacific Media, providing excellent programming to over 580 million households in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. Of course, there are also offices in mainland China.

Its lack of fame is, of course, because it can't compete with local competitors.

But in Taiwan and even Southeast Asia, Fox International is extremely well-known.

So they had actually contacted Chen Jin long ago, for the purpose of distributing "So Young" and "Life's Big Events"; "Love is Not Blind" had also been shown in Taiwan before, but it didn't make much of a splash.

It was precisely because of the hype of breaking the mainland box office record that it only managed to gross nearly 1000 million RMB in several regions of Taiwan and Hong Kong combined.

As for other regions, they are even less worth mentioning.

It's not that it wasn't sold; there were quite a few companies interested in the film distribution rights for "Love is Not Blind".

Mosquito legs are meat too.

If there's money to be made, some film companies will definitely buy it, but tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars are really beneath Chen Jin's notice; the marketing department is responsible for dumping them.

"Hello, Mike!"

Chen Jin and the others also greeted the young Jewish man in front of them.

He was considered the second-in-command in the Taiwan region, responsible for the distribution of Fox International Taiwan. He didn't manage the company much; that was his superior's job.

The fact that Fox personally came to pick up Chen Jin and the others this time shows their sincerity.

It's one of the six major Hollywood studios... and they really squeezed the price down.

Even though it's just a small branch office in Taiwan, it acts as if it's 20th Century Fox, with a powerful backer, so it's full of confidence.

Of course, they did have their reasons for doing so.

Who can blame them when their newly released film, "You Are the Apple of My Eye," broke box office records in Taiwan?!

"According to the opinion poll in Taiwan this time, 'Life's Big Events' is a strong contender for the award!"

After getting into the car, Yue Mike smiled and spoke to Chen Jin beside him in English.

This guy has lived in Taiwan for many years and can understand and speak a little Chinese.

"We'll have to ask Fox's PR team for help!"

Chen Jin was, of course, very polite.

In any film festival or award ceremony, public relations is an unavoidable topic, including the Oscars, which is the world's premier arena for public relations money and fame.

Luxurious and extravagant.

As everyone knows, to win an Oscar, a public relations budget of tens of millions of dollars is just the beginning.

Of course, if you get an Oscar nomination, the film is worth at least $1500 million; if you win, it's worth $3000 million!
This price is clearly marked.

Because any film nominated for an Oscar is guaranteed to be released in North America, ensuring both the number of screenings and box office revenue.

The numbers above represent the minimum standards for being shortlisted and winning an award.

For example, if the movie "XX" starring Chen Jin had won an Oscar, even just for special effects, it would have grossed at least $3000 million at the box office after its release.

This is a globally recognized data metric, a consensus reached by countless analysts in the industry.

That's why the Oscars are so prestigious.

This is a microcosm of various industries in the US financial market, where capital has permeated everywhere.

"No problem, if Volkswagen and CETC reach a cooperation agreement!"

"We will definitely do our best to help you get it!"

This is another reason why Volkswagen dares to lower prices.

The Golden Horse Awards have many people involved.

Unlike the Golden Rooster Awards in China, the Golden Horse Awards, like the three major film festivals, adopts a jury system. However, this jury has more than ten members, plus a jury chairman.

The review process is divided into three stages: preliminary selection, secondary selection, and final selection.

The preliminary selection chooses films that are eligible for the Golden Horse Awards, the second round selects the list of nominees, and the winner is the final selection.

The voting method is the same as the three major voting groups.

Fox International has been deeply rooted in Taiwan and Southeast Asia for many years, including its Singapore office, Japan, and South Korea, and knows many filmmakers.

The Golden Horse Awards invites judges who are half from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and half from Southeast Asian film circles, including well-known directors and actors.

This year, for example, the chairperson of the Golden Horse Awards jury is Sylvia Chang.

There were fourteen judges in total, and only one spot was awarded to a mainland Chinese actor, Huang Bo, who won the Best Actor award a couple of years ago.

This is one of our own, from the Beijing Film Academy.

But Chen Jin certainly wouldn't recognize other people, such as the famous South Korean director Lee Chang-dong or the bestselling Taiwanese author Jimmy Liao.

Many judges will vote according to their own wishes, but most will follow personal relationships and social norms, so these require public relations efforts.

"Although our offer from Fox is lower than the others, we have a significant advantage in terms of screen time!" "You've seen the box office success of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye,' and we have the channels to make 'So Young' another blockbuster..."

"..."

Sitting in the car, Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others who came to attend the Golden Horse Awards together were all in another car.

Chen Jin and Yue Mike were in the same car.

So Yue Mike had nothing to worry about and directly discussed the film's distribution with Chen Jin.

"Mr. Yue, the price is a bit too low!"

Chen Jin listened the whole way, speaking very little, and then said in fluent English, "Actually, I don't care much about the Golden Horse Awards!"

"I don't actually care about the box office performance of 'So Young'!"

Mike Yue: "???"

Two sentences completely stunned the Jewish man.

Why don't you listen to what you're saying?

If you don't care about awards, why did you come to Taiwan to participate in the Golden Horse Awards?

If you don't care about box office returns, why are you talking to me about all this?

Yue Mike definitely didn't believe it, but Chen Jin... was really telling the truth.

Chen Jin wouldn't have wanted to come to the Golden Horse Awards if it weren't for Lao Tian and his group; moreover, he came with political motives.

As for the box office in Taiwan, no one thinks they have a lot of money, but compared to the 15 billion+ in mainland China, Chen Jin is not showing off, she really looks down on it!

Even if it's like "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and they made over 6000 million, so what?!

Even with careful budgeting, the total amount I received was only a little over 1000 million.

This was the revenue-sharing distribution channel used for the Taiwanese film "You Are the Apple of My Eye," which was the most profitable scenario. Now, Fox is negotiating to buy out the distribution rights in Taiwan, which would cost at most 1000 million!

What's there to care about?
"Mike, I'm going to tell you the truth!"

Chen Jin stopped wasting words and said directly, "I have no interest in negotiating distribution rights for a single region or country. The marketing department has already told you that if you want 'So Young,' I'll package the Southeast Asian distribution rights for Fox!"

"The Big Events of Life" was only distributed in Taiwan and not sold. There are many more people who covet this award-winning film, and it was sold in Japan and South Korea a long time ago.

"Ok?"

Upon hearing Chen Jin's words, Yue Mike suddenly shuddered.

He then realized that Chen Jin was not just an actress; she was the boss of an electronics company.

"The box office for 'So Young' in mainland China will be at least 15 billion RMB, and the distribution rights in Southeast Asia will be worth no less than 5000 million RMB!"

"I know you can't make the decision on this, but you can report it to your boss!"

As a deputy regional head, it's impossible for him to negotiate distribution rights for the entire Southeast Asia region.

I don't have that ability.

But if Mike Yue makes this happen, that guy will be rich.

It's very possible that this incident will lead to a promotion and a raise... A successful marketing campaign can bring him into the sights of higher-ups.

So when he heard Chen Jin say that, this guy's bloodline was awakened—he became a redhead.

"5000 million? The entire Southeast Asian market?"

"Correct!"

This is a quote that Chen Jin analyzed with Chen Su and a few others.

Although "So Young" was a hit in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan have always looked down on the mainland. In the mainland, apart from blockbusters, there is no market for campus romance films like this, even with him in the lead role.

The best hype would be for the mainland to break the record, but even with that gimmick, Hong Kong and Taiwan combined would only amount to a maximum of 5000 million.

This is still the highest expectation.

In reality, it's impossible to reach.

After all, the current record for mainland Chinese films is "Hero," and the combined box office of Hong Kong and Taiwan is only 4500 million RMB.

Other mainland Chinese films fared even worse at the box office.

If it were a film like "The Wandering Earth," Chen Jin would still have expectations; but with "So Young" becoming such a huge hit, Chen Jin wouldn't think much of it.

If Chen Jin misjudged the situation, she wouldn't actually suffer any loss.

The fact that he misjudged the situation shows that "So Young" was a huge hit in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which will benefit the release of his future films.

But the odds are actually about the same as winning the lottery, so Chen Jin certainly wouldn't have any illusions.

As for the two major box office markets of Japan and South Korea, how much "So Young" can sell depends on Fox's capabilities; Chen Jin's Venice Best Actor award, coupled with the sensation in mainland China, will still have some box office effect.

Therefore, a price of 5000 million is simply unaffordable for most small-scale issuances.

Japan and South Korea are the biggest variables.

They need to gross at least 2 million RMB in box office revenue across Southeast Asia for them to make a profit.

Yes, selling the distribution rights for $5000 million doesn't mean Fox will make a profit if the box office exceeds $5000 million. They also have to share the profits with theaters in various regions and countries, and they have to do various promotional activities, so $2 million is the minimum.

Not to mention that Yue Mike couldn't make the decision, even his boss's boss couldn't make this decision.

Only someone at DeFox headquarters could make the decision to acquire the distribution rights for "So Young" throughout Southeast Asia.

"I'll call right away!"

"OK!"

Chen Jin smiled, but didn't really take it to heart.

It's actually quite good that someone picked him up when he came to Taiwan. As for the price, let's just negotiate a package deal of 5000 million.

Chen Jin doesn't really care much about the box office performance in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Does the ocean care about the depth of a pond?
That's not necessary.

Speaking of this place, the area where Chen Jin is currently located, the movie is actually... dead!
By allowing Hollywood to conquer the market while restricting the entry of Hong Kong films, they had already foreshadowed their demise.

What's more, there were countless other bizarre moves that followed.

The development of local art films and the suppression of commercial films have led to a shortage of directors in Taiwan; and then there are restrictions on mainland films entering the island, etc.

In the future, it will be even more insanely spicy!

Draw lots!

I don't know which idiot came up with this policy.

I only saw Chen Jin in her future autobiographical film.

For many years, while foreign films from Hollywood and other countries have been able to enter the Taiwanese market almost without restrictions, the Taiwanese region has implemented a quota system for mainland Chinese films.

Ten films are selected each year, using a lottery system.

Whatever you draw is what you get.

Even bad movies are fine, I don't care about the market at all.

Fortunately, 2011 is still a good year.

Mainland Chinese films still have some market space in Taiwan.

Prior to the implementation of the lottery system in 2013, the allocation of quotas was based on the order in which film distributors in Taiwan submitted their films to the relevant departments.

First come, first served, while supplies last.

So Fox still has a chance.

However, he also often makes silly mistakes.

比如今年年底，也就是在2011年12月31日就发生了可笑的一幕：十多家发行商通宵达旦排队，为的是2012年1月1日一大早，冲到相关部门的办公室送件抢到名额。

Foreigners are no exception.

Ultimately, the foreigners probably felt it was too idiotic, so they complained internationally, which led to the creation of a new law for Taiwanese films—the Film Law.

To prevent a similar situation from happening again, since 2013, Taiwan's Film and Television Bureau has announced that it will use a lottery system to determine the order of mainland films entering Taiwan.

Legislation will be enacted next year.

Therefore, this may be the first and last time Chen Jin attends an awards ceremony in this region.

Next time I come, I'll be using a different ID card!
(End of this chapter)