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

Chapter 401: North American Box Office for "Jinling"!
The midnight slot for "Jinling" in North America is in full swing.

Chen Jin was also very anxious, waiting for Harvey's information. The main problem was that North American box office statistics were very slow, unlike in China where detailed statistics could be obtained.

Each cinema will update its box office figures tomorrow, thus determining the midnight slots for the first day.

In fact, not every country can achieve such a precise box office statistics mechanism as China. Even the United States, which symbolizes the most developed film industry in the world, cannot do what China has.

In other countries, it's even worse.

The reason Chen Jin was waiting there was because Harvey had a way of knowing a general range of midnight movie box office revenue.

Each cinema chain will provide feedback, and then the film companies can obtain the corresponding data through collective calculations; although it is not very accurate, it is roughly correct, and at least they know whether a film will flop or be a box office hit.

All that's left is to wait for the final number.

"Jinling" is unlikely to be a blockbuster or a huge hit. Chen Jin just hopes it won't flop too badly, so that he can at least have something to look forward to.

However, the discussion surrounding this film has been quite intense.

Neither Harvey nor his series of promotional efforts before the film's release thwarted the Japanese company's conspiracy.

Even more outrageous is that the mayor of Nagoya actually came out publicly a few days ago and refused to admit that there was a massacre. This has brought another wave of popularity to the film, and Chen Jin found many accounts to criticize this guy on foreign websites.

This public opinion event has been stirred up and become increasingly heated.

As for the film review websites, they have become the battleground for the tug-of-war between the two sides, and Sony has indeed spent a lot of money.

The Hollywood Voice

"Zhang indulges in lavish cinematography and exaggerated slow motion, emphasizing the blood spurting from each elaborate gunshot wound. Bale plays an opportunist experiencing a pang of conscience, but ultimately, his path to redemption feels like a feeble imitation of Schindler's List..."

The New York Daily News

"Zhang adopted a one-dimensional, patriotic approach to expose the Japanese invasion and occupation of Nanjing, which was not without reason or out of place; in recent years, some Chinese films have shown a more emotional nationalism, chauvinism, and demonization of the Japanese army!"

Film Magazine

"Without a doubt, Zhang Yimou's 'The Flower of War' is a film with a certain political propaganda intention. In the film, all Chinese soldiers are heroic and great, while the Japanese invaders are despicable and contemptible, which is a vilification!"

……

Such media reviews are everywhere, and to be honest, Chen Jin found them all quite amusing.

Even if you've taken the money, you can't be this perfunctory. It's obvious you're just doing things for money. Originally, the inability to fight against the timeline was the fault of the publisher and Zhang Weiping, but in this life... Chen Jin obviously won't tolerate it.

Harvey paid for numerous positive reviews from publications such as The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Voice.

Magic vs. magic: before midnight, "The Golden City" actually rose another 10% on Rotten Tomatoes, which shows that Harvey's efforts were somewhat effective.

Chen Jin has a lot of respect for some of the media outlets.

Because Harvey didn't actually pay any money, but what they said was very fair; this gave many North American viewers who wanted to see "The Golden City" their first glimpse into the surreal phenomenon of paid articles.

In fact, in the future, many self-media film critics in China will also engage in this kind of money-for-favors scheme.

This was all learned from North American media.

Praising a film might be seen as being paid, but criticizing it can be excused by saying "everyone has different tastes." In fact, many film companies are quite disgusting.

Especially for films released in the same period, they will buy negative reviews for other movies!
Because criticizing movies is something the public enjoys, but praising them is not, especially movies I don't like.

Moreover, many self-media outlets do receive money to praise movies, and when this is exposed by viewers, they are blocked; but if you criticize a movie for money, you can get away with it and continue to jump out and make easy money by spouting nonsense.

This will become the norm in China in the future, and it will directly destroy the film market.

There are countless people stirring up trouble, and many good movies have suffered from a wave of negative reviews and disillusionment before their release due to a lack of funding for promotion and distribution.

Buzz!
Just as Chen Jin was deep in thought, looking at the Rotten Tomatoes reviews, the phone on the table suddenly rang.

1:21 am.

The box office results for "Jinling" during its midnight slot are roughly in.

"Wayne, how are you?"

Chen Jin answered the phone and started asking questions.

"Haha, I knew you'd care about that!"

Judging from Harvey's laughter, Chen Jin completely put aside her worries: "Feeling alright?"

"That's amazing, Chan!"

"Seriously, I never expected that more than 1000 cinemas could sell so much money just from one opening!"

"It should be around 70 US dollars!"

"Each theater sold over $700 tonight!"

"The occupancy rate reached over 50%, especially in several cinemas in the Chinese-speaking areas, where the occupancy rate was almost 100%!"

Harvey was talking excitedly.

"Haha, that's definitely the Chinese way!"

"Many have been waiting for several months..."

Chinese audiences became the main force in the midnight slot, which was indeed within Chen Jin's expectations.

So, Chen Jin didn't think selling it for over 70 was that exaggerated.

"Listen, Chan, this number is already quite astonishing!"

"If all theaters in the US were open, the midnight box office could reach around 500 million, a figure that many commercial films cannot achieve!"

Harvey spoke in a very professional tone.

In fact, his analogy is extremely incorrect.

Because of the spending power of Chinese people, no matter how many stores you open, the actual increase may only be 1-2 times.

It's definitely not going to reach 500 million, but 200 million is something we can try to achieve.

It's worth noting that the record for the highest number of midnight screenings in North America is held by 2009's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which grossed 5817 million.

No film has broken this number to this day.

Moreover, despite the immense popularity of "The Avengers," it only grossed $1870 million in its midnight release; however, its North American box office is already approaching $6 million.

Being released at midnight doesn't necessarily indicate how popular a movie is; it only proves its popularity and large fanbase.

Take Harry Potter for example. This series has countless fans worldwide, and the number of viewers rushing to the theaters at the first opportunity is probably more than that of Marvel. But you can't say that Marvel's global fanbase is smaller than Harry Potter's.

Because the final North American box office of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" barely exceeded 2 million.

The 200 million RMB figure for "Jinling" represents Chen Jin's estimate of the impact of the Chinese community.

Its future trajectory depends on its opening weekend performance; but at the very least, it will definitely be much, much better than the original North American box office of "The Battle at Lake Changjin".

Based on past practice, a midnight movie with a budget of $70 could potentially gross at least $2000 million.

If the daily occupancy rate can remain at a high level, other theater chains will also open one after another; at that time, there will be more than 1000 theaters showing "Jinling" in North America, possibly 2000 or even 3000, covering every corner of North America.

"I feel that 'The Flower of War' will make at least $3000 million!"

Harvey was already there, envisioning the future.

If it really is $3000 million, then he wouldn't actually lose money.

Considering that North American box office revenue only accounts for 20% of profits, the DVD and streaming market could earn him 4000-5000 million!
Overall, the profit of "Jinling" is expected to reach around 6000 million.

They definitely made a fortune.

"Then I'll wait for your good news, although... it actually has nothing to do with me!" Chen Jin said, feigning regret. Harvey immediately burst into laughter: "No, no, Chan, you can't say that! You're the lead actor and producer. The more successful the movie is in North America, the more it will help your future films and your fame!"

"I hope your kind words really help me break into the Hollywood market!"

Chen Jin knew it was unlikely, but it was necessary to play dumb with Harvey.

"If we can really reach 3000 million, I'll definitely get you into this year's Golden Globe, and maybe even... an Oscar!"

"really?"

That's exactly what Chen Jin wanted to hear.

He still needs the Golden Globe and Oscar awards. Even if he doesn't win, being nominated is better than not being nominated at all.

It's okay to feel disgusted with your daily life.

"Of course, the Golden Globe is no problem, as for the Oscars..."

Harvey had already started to have wicked ideas, wanting Chen Jin to return all the money he had made from him; of course, in Harvey's view, Chen Jin was worth it.

Buying an Oscar nomination for over $3000 million would be a great help in opening up the North American market.

"We'll talk about it later!"

"Let's wait and see how well 'The Battle at Lake Changjin' performs at the North American box office!"

"I think you're right. I'm planning to throw a party for the first weekend. If sales are good, I hope you'll come!"

These old lechers' dinner parties are usually all about beautiful women and fame.

However, it is still necessary to get to know his team and clique, such as Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio. Although they talked a lot at the premiere, Chen Jin did not exchange any contact information.

They were basically just nodding acquaintances, quite different from true friends like Bale.

"Alright Wayne, goodnight, sweet dreams!"

"Peace~~"

After the two hung up the phone, Chen Jin looked at the brightly lit computer screen in front of her and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

At least, it was more successful than the original "Jinling", wasn't it?

He didn't expect a Chinese film to make a big splash in North America.

Films like "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" benefited from the success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Also, Americans love martial arts films because they don't have them in their country, so they are very curious about them.

There are plenty of war films like "Nanjing" in American theaters; there are one or two almost every year.

Although "Nanjing" is actually a historical film, American audiences don't see it that way.

"The only one who's somewhat useful is Bell!"

Chen Jin was thinking about this when she went into the bathroom to wash up and then went straight to bed.

……

The next morning, Chen Jin stopped paying attention to "Jinling" and went to Paramount's film production base.

He naturally had to inspect the post-production work on "Killer Dragon," and then he had to go to CAA with David Leitch and Chad to scout for actors.

The two recommended a casting director to Chen Jin.

It was quite by chance that it was Steven Winger, the original casting director for "John Wick," who is quite famous in the Hollywood casting circle.

He was also the casting director for Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises".

There's also the Godzilla and Gotham series.

When it comes to casting, it's a very important part of the Hollywood film industry.

Some domestic films do not have this position, but in Hollywood film credits, this profession is indispensable. The reason why "Killer: Dragon" did not have it at the time was because Chen Jin had already cast the roles, and there were not many other roles available, so it was only necessary to report to the Screen Actors Guild of North America.

He was responsible for casting and directing.

"Hong Kong Trip" requires several Chinese-American actors, which involves casting issues; and Hollywood casting is not something that can be done once you have decided on who to cast, even if the capital and producers have finalized the decision.

The Actors Guild is not just for show; everyone has to audition together.

The purpose is to balance the so-called power dynamics in the film industry, protect actors' rights through union negotiations, and prevent directors or producers from acting arbitrarily.

However, even though that's what they say, many of America's rules and regulations are just to be taken with a grain of salt.

Even if it's written in black and white, it's actually not very useful.

It's really just a formality.

Hollywood casting does not rely entirely on unions, but as industry organizations, unions play an important coordinating role in the casting process.

If you insist on using a certain actor and the other party agrees, it's really useless for the actors' union to stop you. It's a matter of mutual consent. I'll use him, what can you do about it?
The actors' union can only watch helplessly, offering a way out so that everyone can be at peace; there's no need to really tear things apart.

No one would turn down money or deliberately hold you back.

Now, Chen Jin is facing the issue of auditions from three parties.

The casting director has already identified most of the actors Chen Jin wants and will recruit them through CAA agency. They will discuss a specific time to invite these actors to audition in the presence of the union.

"Chan, these are some suitable actors I've selected based on your needs. Take a look at their information on the iPad first!"

Steven Wenger handed Chen Jin a tablet with many actors' portraits and resumes, as well as some of the films and television series he had worked on.

Click to see clips and images.

It must be said that North America also has a very formal process and template for casting.

The first actor Chen Jin saw was very familiar.

Liu Simu!

The actor who will play the lead role in Marvel's "Shang-Chi" in the future.

At 23, he fits the baseball player character in "Hong Kong Trip" quite well, except that he's currently just a temporary actor.

It must be said that Steve Wenger is quite professional; he can spot even the smallest, most obscure people.

He must have searched the entire North American Chinese actor community.

It's all in this iPad.

However... Chen Jin rejected him, not because he was incompetent.

But the stance.

There's a serious problem; Chen Jin has seen some news about his future.

Chen Jin had researched some future famous Chinese actors. In recent days, he had specifically browsed through the system for the casting of "Hong Kong Trip". Therefore, Chen Jin probably knew more about many Chinese actors than Steve Wenger did.

Who can defeat someone who has opened up the future?
He knows exactly which actor has had a scandal.

hum-

Just as Chen Jin was swiping the iPad screen, his phone rang.

Why is Harvey making phone calls in broad daylight?
"Leitch, you take a look first, I'm going to answer this phone!"

Chen Jin handed the iPad to David Leitch.

In fact, this iPad can also project the actor's resume and works onto a large screen for the entire casting team to discuss together.

(End of this chapter)