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

Chapter 400: The Moment of Magical Clash in North America!
Wow!
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause after the successful North American premiere of "Jinling".

Many people had reddened eyes, including Leonardo DiCaprio and others. Perhaps as actors they could pretend to be emotional, but some people couldn't even be bothered to pretend, which is a fundamental difference.

Spielberg and others may not be able to empathize with the Chinese people as much as Chen Jin does.

Embrace this history.

At least they're willing to play along.

Or perhaps, like Bell, he has a deep understanding of this history, so each time he reads it, he gains a completely different perspective on the city of Nanjing.

That made him truly shed tears.

Of course, this wasn't the first time he had watched "Jinling"; on the contrary, he had already watched it after he finished editing it.

He was very dedicated to the film he starred in, and he was well aware of the feedback from the Chinese people. He knew that he had many fans in China, some of whom might like him because of his fame in Hollywood, such as for "The Dark Knight"!
But in fact, it was the popularity of the movie "Jinling" that made him even more famous.

He became the most popular Hollywood star in China, bar none.

He has even surpassed Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and others.

He knew all of this.

His management team will give him feedback on these positive aspects, as well as the business value, etc.

He also understands that since starring in "Jinling", his life seems to have indeed become somewhat different.

He has developed numerous connections with China, almost as if they are intertwined, and he possesses immense commercial value in China; all of this is, of course, the reward for his low-paid performance in "Jinling".

To be honest, he never imagined such a scene would happen before acting in "Jinling".

Can you imagine that in a foreign country, many people like you because you starred in a movie from their country? It's that pure.

In contrast, it is extremely difficult for Chinese movie stars to make a name for themselves in Hollywood.

There is no other way but to fight your way out on your own.

Foreigners are unlikely to like a movie with a Chinese protagonist; they have a deep-seated sense of discrimination.

Therefore, "Killer: Dragon" can be considered Chen Jin's initial attempt.

Not convinced?

We'll beat you until you submit!
"Judging solely from the audience's perspective, the film's premiere was a great success!"

Harvey clapped along and whispered something in Chen Jin's ear.

Sitting next to him were several like-minded people, including Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio.

"Any premiere that's unsuccessful? Weren't they all brought in by you?"

Chen Jin was slightly surprised and couldn't understand why Harvey would say such a thing.

"what?"

Harvey was clearly taken aback by Chen Jin's words, then chuckled, "Bro, you probably don't understand how awful the North American media is!"

How can I possibly convince everyone?

"If that's the case, what's the point of Rotten Tomatoes reviews before release?"

"At most, I can invite some celebrities to help out, but the media will never listen to me!"

Harvey said helplessly, "Movie ratings in North America are controlled by the media, and Rotten Tomatoes is their weapon for manipulating the market!"

"Of course, if the movie is good, they are still willing to give it some positive reviews!"

"but……"

Harvey said with some concern, "Right now, I'm only worried about those two companies you mentioned!"

Sony and MGM!
These are two Japanese film studios, especially the former, which was formerly Columbia Pictures. Their relationship with Harvey is so-so, but when it comes to their own country's interests, they will definitely resort to some underhanded means.

In its previous life, the North American distribution rights for "Jinling" were sold for $1200 million, but it ultimately flopped so badly that it only grossed $31.1 at the box office.

It was those guys at Sony who did this.

They first blocked the number of premieres in major theaters, allowing "Jinling" to be shown in 11 theaters when it was released.

This step alone has essentially sealed the fate of "Jinling".

This movie can only be watched in 11 theaters across the United States.

Moreover, it wasn't just 11 theaters from the start of its run to the end; at its peak, the largest distribution scale was 30 screens simultaneously!
"The Battle of Jinling" was shown on 30 screens across North America, with one venue providing four theaters.

That is, four screens.

This is certainly a Chinese-owned cinema chain, but unfortunately it's a drive-in theater, so it can't make any waves at all.

However, even with only 11 theaters, "The Golden City" still grossed $31.1, which is quite considerable per theater.

One movie theater earned approximately $1 to $2.

If this were shown in more than 5000 theaters across the United States, this proportion would already be in the range of $5000-8000 million in box office revenue.

And this was despite Sony buying countless negative articles from the media.

Throughout the release of "The Golden City," numerous North American media outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, published various negative and defamatory news reports about the film.

Although there was a political element in those 30+ box office receipts.

In other words, Bale's fans, Chinese people, and others were the main ticket buyers. If the film had been shown in more theaters from the beginning, the ratio certainly wouldn't have been so favorable.

However, the box office figures for each theater can still provide some insight into the prospects of "Jinling".

This is why Chen Jin insisted on securing some first-run theaters for Harvey from the very beginning.

Many of the theater managers invited by Harvey were also present at the premiere. They had already seen the finished film of "Jinling" before, and they came to support the film again to reaffirm its commercial prospects.

In North American theaters, random surveys are frequently conducted to assess the commercial viability of a film.

As it turns out, fans in North America, especially Bale's fans, still have a strong desire to see "The Flower of War".

The Berlin Golden Bear played a significant role in this, but most importantly, this time it took a completely different path to release.

"Wayne, a smear campaign is inevitable!"

"What I'm afraid of is no box office success. If the opening day box office is good, even a barrage of opposition and smear campaigns won't really help!"

"The first day is crucial; we must get as many people as possible to go to the cinema!"

Harvey strongly agrees with Chen Jin's statement.

As a Jew, he actually understood the importance of the film's premiere even better.

If the box office performs well on the first day, he won't be afraid of any negative articles; he can counter them with magic. You're buying negative articles, aren't you?

I'll buy it too!

The popularity of the black-and-white conflict can also increase box office revenue.

What I fear most is no box office revenue. If that happens, all the money I spend on smear campaigns will be wasted. So in my previous life, if I didn't have enough theaters and had to deal with smear campaigns, I would have been completely wiped out!

"I will make sure that as many Chinese people in North America as possible can get their films into theaters as soon as possible!"

This is arguably the only positive factor for Chinese films entering the North American market.

Chinese community!

The world's largest immigrant population, especially in North America, has nearly 500 million Chinese.

After the movie "Jinling" became a huge hit in China, the overseas Chinese community was probably the most eager to see it. They have a sense of belonging overseas, but some of them still have a deep longing for their homeland.

The original film, "Jinling," grossed over $30 at the box office, which was driven by this group.

They are the only group that actively goes to the cinema to watch movies, and they will spontaneously look for nearby cinemas showing the film.

The purpose was simply to hear the dialect of her hometown. Although Chen Jin also did English dubbing this time, some Chinatowns offer Chinese-language cinemas.

"This is great news!"

"When 'Hero' was released in North America, Chinese people contributed nearly 800 million US dollars to the box office!"

Harvey was impressed by this group because they were among his "big spenders".

"Yes, so our first step in promotion is this group!"

"Hold onto all the tickets you can, because many Chinese people really want to see this kind of film!"

"Then, you can get Bale's fans involved, and the fans who came to the premiere..."

Chen Jin spoke to Harvey from a business perspective, and Harvey, of course, understood the point: "I understand, but shouldn't the Chinese community also have some say? Let the Chinese people speak to their relatives?"

"Okay, I'll buy some press releases in the country to support you!"

"But you have to pay for this!"

Harvey: "..."

Shit, that stingy bastard.

"Wayne, no matter how well 'Jinling' sells, it's just a number to me!"

"It's different for you!"

"How much!"

Weinstein just wanted to know this one number, if it was too expensive—

"Several million RMB, more than enough!"

"Fuck, you expect me to pay for such a small amount?"

He thought it cost a lot of money!
"Of course, I'm not actually obligated to do that, right?"

Chen Jin secretly smiled at Harvey and said, "We're doing this just to boost the box office of 'The Flower of War.' With millions of Chinese people in the audience, even if an extra 10 people go to the theater, you'll still make a profit!"

"Can I trust you?"

That's a bit of a jerk. If you don't trust me, who the hell can you trust?
Besides...

"I wouldn't stoop so low as to swindle you millions, would I?"

Chen Jin couldn't bear the shame.

"OK, OK!"

"I need to see the news reports about it later!"

Weinstein was still a little pained; a few million RMB wasn't a lot, but it was enough to hire several female models.

Ugh, that damn jerk, why does everything he says always sound so right?

For the Chinese community, promotion in North America is definitely not as effective as promotion in China.

Just as the future success of "Ne Zha 2" in China will make Chinese people all over the world eager to see it, "Jinling" may not reach that level of popularity now, but after a few press releases, many Chinese people will still go to the cinema to learn about this history.

The premiere of "Jinling" ended very smoothly.

It will hit 1131 theaters across the United States next weekend, less than a week from now, on Thursday morning.

The early morning slots are similar to midnight screenings in China, but in North America they are called midnight slots.

Midnight releases demonstrate a film's appeal, while opening day and opening weekend figures indicate its final box office performance. Both records are extremely important in North America.

Chen Jin hopes that the Chinese community can contribute its share by releasing films in theaters during midnight slots.

However, all of the above are based on the premise of one thing.

Word of mouth!

North American audiences pay close attention to film ratings, especially Rotten Tomatoes scores.

In the original timeline, the critical reception of "The Golden City" was, of course, unbearable to look at; but now, Harvey will take a magical counterattack, he will target the media that has been bought off, while those media that are truly critical of "The Golden City" are the key to its Rotten Tomatoes score.

If the magic attacks can be neutralized by bribery, then the only thing left is that it cannot be bribed.

There are still some film critics and media outlets in North America that are principled and have a sense of justice.

So the very next morning, Rotten Tomatoes finally released the score for "The Flower of War".

Unlike its previous life, which was met with a barrage of negative reviews and a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 38%, which later dropped to 27%, this life's "Jinling" has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 75%!

A number that far surpasses that of the previous life.

And it looks like it's still going up.

This was predictable, because when Chen Jin woke up and checked the ratings, only 29 media outlets had given their scores.

You can tell at a glance that many of them charge money.

Well, they're charging for both positive and negative results. Some are 100% fresh, while others are 0%. They've got no shame.

What a ridiculous soap opera! This is clearly a mindless post.

These two are a pair of attacking groups, with Harvey putting up the most effort.

According to Chen Jin's prediction, "Jinling," which currently has a score of 8.5 on Douban, will undoubtedly have a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes; it will then gradually drop to over 90%.

This is a reasonable figure, so 75% is still due to competitors buying negative audition drafts.

Of course, in addition to film reviews, some media outlets, newspapers, and news reports have also begun to smear the film "Jinling".

Needless to say, Sony has already revealed its hand.

Harvey was no pushover either; he also got many North American media outlets to publish articles about him.

For the first time, people in North America have experienced what it means to go from one extreme to another.

Some say it's beautiful, like a Chinese version of Schindler; others say it's utterly useless... There's no middle ground, very similar to a certain group of diodes in the future.

Chen Jin couldn't help but chuckle.

This magical clash has become a laughing stock online.

Because netizens aren't stupid, they sensed something very unusual.

The group that gave negative reviews must have some ulterior motive; those who gave positive reviews must also have some ulterior motive... As the news gained traction online, a North American Chinese blogger finally stepped forward and told the truth.

The film "Nanjing" is not allowed to be released in North America because of this history, so Japanese investors are frantically buying negative articles about it.

The positive reviews, on the other hand, were bought by Weinstein, the publisher of "Jinling".

He passionately declared that "The Golden Palace" was a great movie, that it broke box office records in China, and that his film review was very honest, making many movie fans want to go to the cinema to see it... For a time, discussions about "The Golden Palace" were very heated on Twitter and Facebook.

The number of genuine positive reviews is increasing.

Many Chinese people even voluntarily bypassed internet censorship to recommend this film to foreigners, determined to let the whole world know the truth about the Holocaust.

This, of course, is Chen Jin's promotional strategy.

He was referring to some future publicity and promotion strategies.

It spread from grassroots film critics, creating a sense of authentic film criticism!

From Chinese communities to major North American websites, the voices of "real film critics" can be heard.

And just like that, time flew by and it was May 24th.

Just in the early hours of the morning, "The Flower of War" was about to meet the North American audience. Many Chinese people, due to the news and various updates they had received, had already bought tickets and lined up to enter the theater, eagerly awaiting the midnight showing.

Similarly, many North American moviegoers have also been drawn to the online buzz surrounding "The Battle of Jinling" and want to see it for themselves in theaters to see if the film is as bad or as great as the media has said!
(End of this chapter)