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

Chapter 362 History has never been forgotten.

The Spring Festival in 2012 had a total of 7 days off.

Including New Year's Eve, plus the six days of the New Year.

In other words, the first week of the screening of "Jinling" is from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the seventh day, one of which is a weekday.

There's also a Hollywood blockbuster being released on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, which can be considered its biggest competitor, Mission: Impossible 4!
Chen Jin had read many news articles about this movie.

They are definitely formidable rivals.

Both in terms of critical acclaim and film quality, it is one of the best Tom Cruise films, ranking among the top in the Mission: Impossible series, even surpassing 1, 2, and 3.

The global box office of nearly 7 million US dollars is no joke. Even though it was released on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, it still earned nearly 7 million RMB in China during its original timeline.

Climbing the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has become a classic in film history. So even without much promotion, these mundane promotional videos alone are enough to excite countless movie fans in China.

Hollywood movies are really hard to beat these days; they're popular all over the world.

Especially IPs like the Mission: Impossible series.

Therefore, Chen Jin didn't know if "Jinling" could beat this formidable opponent, making the six-day slot in advance extremely important.

This is the key to whether "Jinling" can succeed.

"The first day should be fine!"

"Based on the pre-sales situation, breaking 100 million yuan in a single day is absolutely possible, and if things go well, it could even reach a new high of 200 million yuan!"

Chen Jin analyzed the situation to Zhang Yimou beside her.

Meng Danqing smiled at the opportune moment and said, "I have personally witnessed the rise of the Chinese market, and it has tremendous potential!"

"Haha, don't even mention you, I've been making Chinese films for 30 years and I never thought this day would come!"

Zhang Yimou was laughing there. He was actually quite worried about Chen Jin releasing "Jinling" on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Because this release date was untested, and it was during the New Year, and "Jinling" is a film of this nature, it was definitely not popular; but this guy managed to generate such high pre-sale box office numbers by leveraging the marketing of the Spring Festival season.

Zhang Yimou couldn't help but sigh that the current film market truly belongs to young people.

This movie can be done like this?

Instead of promoting movie trailers, why promote watching movies during the Spring Festival and family fun?

"China's film market will definitely get better and better!"

"With 14 billion people, only tens of millions of people went to the cinema. Director Zhang should know how many people in China used to watch movies, right?"

Chen Jin looked at Zhang Yimou, who quickly waved his hand with a smile: "It can't be compared. Back then, there weren't many movies in theaters. Films like 'Tunnel Warfare' were shown for many years. If you calculate by the number of viewers, it's indeed hundreds of millions!"

"But the ticket prices are different now. It's a market economy now, and movie tickets are much more expensive than before!"

This still reflects the thinking of veteran filmmakers.

"Director Zhang, there are still too few entertainment options for the general public in China!"

"Movies are one of the few channels available right now. The nationwide movie-going you mentioned will actually happen soon, especially around the important Spring Festival. Just treat it as a holiday and have some fun!"

"Moreover, the enthusiasm of the Chinese people for watching movies is greater than that of many other countries!"

Because of culture!

Nine-year compulsory education has led many people to prefer obtaining information through various channels.

Therefore, these groups are all "movie fans".

You can't say that people who have never been to the cinema don't like watching movies. They might watch TV shows on streaming platforms like RTHK or streaming services. The real movie-going audience is at least 5 to 6 million people, which is a blue ocean market.

In contrast, many illiterate people and homeless people in Europe and America genuinely cannot read.

No matter how much you develop, they still won't be able to get into the cinema.

This is why China has become the world's largest film market. It's not just because of its large population; population size is only one factor. The main reason is the low illiteracy rate.

The neighboring country has even more A-San, and ten years later, their average annual total box office is still less than 100 billion RMB.

Bollywood produces a quarter of the world's films annually, yet its box office revenue remains stagnant. While economic factors play a role, there is indeed a significant illiteracy problem.

As is widely known, India has only 1 million people, while the remaining billion or so are from lower castes who will never leave their hometowns.

"Don't talk about this!"

"I'm afraid it's not a good time to watch this kind of content during the Lunar New Year!"

Zhang Yimou still felt that it was inappropriate to release "Jinling" during the Spring Festival. He felt bad about letting the public watch such a film during the New Year.

Although the pre-sales of "Jinling" seem to be very successful, what about the future?

It's not like this is the first time we've had movies!

Of course, the current situation is much, much better than he had anticipated; even if the entire internet is criticizing it, it won't affect the film's profitability.

With this kind of pre-sales and promotion, it shouldn't be a problem to reach 2 million on the first day and ultimately 5 million.

Someone will go see it eventually.

In other words, even if the criticism is severe on the second day of the Lunar New Year, with a box office of 2 million yuan on the first day of the Lunar New Year, there is still a base of tens of millions of yuan in box office revenue.

This is due to marketing efforts and the inherent box office appeal of Zhang Yimou, Bale, and others.

However, Zhang Yimou clearly did not want to see this outcome, which is why he brought Chen Jin over.

"Director Zhang!"

Chen Jin was well aware of Zhang Yimou's concerns: "What was your original intention in making this film?"

"Don't tell me it's for the money, because Zhang Weiping was the one who invested the money in the first place!"

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yimou chuckled and patted Chen Jin on the shoulder: "You did it for the money?"

"That's part of the reason!"

Chen Jin was very honest: "If we can make everyone aware of the heinous crimes the Japanese committed against our compatriots, and incidentally make some money, that would be even better!"

"But when I put Jinling magazine on the Spring Festival, making money was actually only the second most important thing!"

This is the truth as told by Chen Jin.

Zhang Yimou nodded, took a sip of tea, and said, "I made 'Jinling' because I read ***'s novel and thought it was very suitable to be made into a movie. And at that time, it happened to be during the Olympics!"

"I was thinking that the Olympics is a window to promote ourselves to the whole world!"

Why can't we try it in movies!

Zhang Yimou raised his head and said, "I made this for the Japanese. I want their young people to know how their ancestors and their country invaded us; I want foreigners to know what the Japanese did to China 80 years ago!"

"Money... is something you should consider when investing, and of course I don't want you to lose money either!"

Chen Jin was certain that these words were Zhang Yimou's true purpose in making this film.

I definitely didn't say that on purpose in front of them.

"So, it should definitely be during the Spring Festival!"

Chen Jin grinned: "That's my idea for taking first place!"

"Even if I face public condemnation, I will make the whole world know what the Japanese have done to us!"

"Besides, those who are criticizing are definitely in the minority!"

"I think that after watching this movie during the Spring Festival, they will feel sad, but more than that, they will feel a deep, visceral pain!"

"Because I have confidence in our film!"

If it were "Hot and Spicy" instead, Chen Jin would feel guilty.

The marketing was overdone.

However, Chen Jin had no such concerns about "Jinling." His initial goal was to let the entire nation know.

"Besides, this is just our concern!"

"We don't know what will happen on the second and third days of the Lunar New Year!"

No one can predict the public's mood.

Just like how the film "The Battle at Lake Changjin" made so many people cry during the Spring Festival, and even led to a boycott during Christmas; this was an outcome no one expected before its release.

Because anyone who has a deep attachment to this land truly loves it.

They love this land even more than they realize.

Go look at the people standing below when the flag is raised in the square. They may have cursed and scorned, but when the time comes, their inner passion and genes will awaken.

This is a sense of belonging that flows in the bones of the Chinese people.

"I thought those who survived the massacre wouldn't agree to let us go to the cinema to watch 'Jinling'!"

"But they all agreed!"

Chen Jin suddenly spoke to Zhang Yimou.

"Ok?"

Zhang Yimou suddenly straightened up, which made Meng Danqing, who was standing next to him, feel incredulous.

"Yes, the marketing department's suggestion!"

"I was worried that seeing this would bring back bad memories for them, so I only asked around. I didn't expect them to agree!"

Zhang Weiping also did this in the original timeline.

We urge survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, as well as their descendants, to go to the cinema to watch the film.

Chen Jin was initially afraid of experiencing secondary trauma, but these people were braver than anyone could have imagined.

"I think their voices are more valuable than any film review!"

"You did a good job on this!"

Zhang Yimou patted Chen Jin on the shoulder.

In fact, the greatest recognition for a film does not come from the audience, but from those who have experienced the scenes depicted in the film.

No one will forgive the Japanese on their behalf.

Even now, many eyewitnesses and their descendants continue to speak out, hoping to receive an apology and recognition from Japan.

But they couldn't even fulfill such a small request.

"Therefore, success is in the hands of fate!"

"All I can do is make 'Jinling' have the greatest possible impact on public opinion. Even criticism is better than no impact at all!"

"It's the same internationally!"

"..."

Meng Danqing nodded in agreement. He only learned about the countless misdeeds the Japanese had committed against China after he arrived in the country.

He had no idea about this before.

Chen Jin's approach is truly treating the film as a propaganda tool.

Inside the cinema, audiences watched the film and learned about the most authentic images and history of that time; outside the cinema, even those who did not see the film learned about the event through the news.

This is the greatest significance of "Jinling".

"Yes, now that you put it that way, I understand!"

Zhang Yimou finally understood.

He had previously speculated about this, wondering why Chen Jin was so fixated on the Spring Festival.

Everyone assumed that Chen Jin was optimistic about the Spring Festival period.

This is indeed a very important reason, but traffic is also something Chen Jin considered.

During this holiday, everyone stays at home, and obviously they will be watching the news and browsing Weibo, which is the biggest public opinion arena.

By using this particular time to let the public know about this, it will definitely have an international impact.

Those who go home to visit relatives, those who are interested in the Chinese New Year... In short, people abroad are not completely isolated from information, so they will definitely know some things about it.

Then, it gained further traction through the Berlin Film Festival.

The future "The Battle at Lake Changjin" was divided into two parts. Even if the second part was released during the Spring Festival, its box office would not be as good as the first part, by more than 10 billion yuan. However, news related to Christmas, hard potatoes, and war has become much more popular than when the first part was released.

This is the impact of traffic brought about by the Spring Festival.

What Chen Jin wanted to do was to spread the word about the crimes committed by the Japanese against China.

In the current social climate, there are many young people who are pro-Japanese.

In contrast, Japan, which promotes hatred towards Chinese people, has a history of education that incites hatred towards Chinese people, while its own people particularly dislike Chinese people.

This means that Japan has no hate education!
"Fine!"

"Then I'll spend this Spring Festival with my family!"

"give it to you!"

Zhang Yimou can now put down his burdens and is no longer under pressure regarding the box office performance of "Jinling"; based on pre-sales, profitability is basically guaranteed.

He was worried that if Chen Jin had temporarily taken over Zhang Weiping's project and the film still lost money, Zhang Yimou would definitely feel guilty.

Now, on the contrary, I feel carefree and without any worries.

"Ok!"

"Do not worry!"

"You should enjoy the Spring Festival, and then come with me to Berlin!"

"That is our true battlefield!"

Many people in China actually know about the massacre; the propaganda is just to remind young people in China not to forget this deep-seated hatred.

Internationally, the goal is to make more people aware of this event.

The two are actually different in nature.

……

After saying goodbye to Zhang Yimou's family, Chen Jin took Zhu Yanmanzi home. Looking at the festive decorations along the way, the atmosphere of the New Year was getting closer and closer.

The sound of firecrackers going off...

Every household along the way was decorated with lanterns to welcome the New Year, and the neighborhoods were filled with lanterns. Children were playing and laughing, and there were also vendors calling out their wares, firecrackers and fireworks... Red streets and pavements were everywhere.

Looking out of the car, you can see people bustling about in the city, each with a hopeful smile on their face.

The once ten-mile-long street is now bustling with activity. The red color, which has stood for millennia, shines brightly in the starry night and rivals the blazing sun.

But Chen Jin was still lost in thought after her conversation with Zhang Yimou.

More than seventy years ago, the bamboo forests of Nanjing were cut down by the Japanese army to set up camp. The bamboo that had not yet sprouted became firewood for burning corpses. Now, the streets are full of festive red, just like the blood-soaked sunset in history books.

The ink-printed "Peace and Safety Every Year" seems to weigh down the sobs of 300,000 wronged souls with every stroke; the "Spring" character cut from gold paper on the door curtain looks like the skull of a child carved into a smiling face by the Japanese army in the mass grave.

During the Spring Festival, we bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, but we often forget the meaning of the word "old".

Those that were slaughtered, buried, and seemingly forgotten will eventually grow in another way within the rings of time, becoming thorns that protect the present!
But history has never forgotten.

And I dare not forget!

(End of this chapter)