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

Chapter 413 After Half a Year of Silence! The King Returns!
"The Hollywood blockbuster 'Hong Kong Tour,' starring Christian Bale, Jackie Chan, and Chen Jin, officially begins filming today in Hong Kong!"

"The King Returns: A Trip to Hong Kong - I Think It's Great!"

Chen Jin's new film is coming! "John Wick" is set for a summer release!

Hollywood's Ambitions: Chen Jin's Debut Film, "John Wick," with a Hollywood Cast and Crew, to Premiere in Mainland China and Worldwide on August 10th!

"John Wick" will be released simultaneously in various regions around the world!

……

In just one day, the Chinese entertainment industry, which had been quiet for many days, was finally hit with a bombshell.

In particular, Chen Jin, who had kept a low profile for almost several months, has finally been exposed to the public eye again, and this time it's not one news story, but two!

Furthermore, both were major news stories reported globally.

Filming has begun for "Hong Kong Trip," a movie featuring two international superstars, Bale and Jackie Chan!
The Hollywood action blockbuster "John Wick," which he directed himself, has a release date!
Acting is a profession that requires avoiding the public eye.

Last year was Chen Jin's rising period, so there were more news reports and press releases, mostly trending on Weibo.

It hangs there year-round, one every day.

This is actually quite normal; at that time, Chen Jin was trying to increase her fame.

Now, this year, he no longer needs that kind of hype to support his fame.

Therefore, he has clearly begun to gradually distance himself from various reports and has even personally gone overseas to get away from this place of trouble.

He truly managed to avoid any news reports about him for several months.

This is actually what artists in the Chinese entertainment industry should be doing.

The lead actors on the big screen are constantly exposed to the public and have absolutely no novelty to speak of; if their movies are released, many audiences will have little expectation, which will undoubtedly be detrimental to the box office and the film itself.

If someone hasn't been active for a long time and suddenly returns with a new film, audiences will pay attention, and if they're interested in the movie, they'll go to the cinema themselves.

This is a truth that has been proven by the market.

Being trending on social media every day doesn't necessarily mean you're popular; box office success is the true symbol of your strength.

Everyone knows perfectly well who the top influencers are; capital knows it even better than you do.

Because they know what they've already got in their hands.

"Wow, Jin-ge is on his way to Hollywood?"

"It's only been a few years, and they've already made it into Hollywood?"

"This industry is much better than the Chinese entertainment industry!"

"Wow, Bale, Jackie Chan, what a cast for this new movie!"

"That movie with the release date is amazing too. It's directed, written, and starred by Chen Jin. He went to Hollywood to make a movie under the most negative circumstances. He was completely unfamiliar with the place and people, but he actually made it. And what does it mean to have a global release date?"

Wow! Chen Jin is really different from other male actors in China!

"Yes, I thought he was past his prime, but I never expected..."

These two blockbuster movies have been released.

Domestic social media platforms like Weibo and forums are buzzing with discussions about Chen Jin's news and movies, as if we've returned to the era when Chen Jin dominated the film industry.

In just six months, Chen Jin's growth and development have truly transformed him from a young heartthrob into a seasoned actor with real talent.

This wave of transformation has indeed been very successful.

To be honest, Chen Jin did have box office appeal, but she benefited more from the release date.

From "Love is Not Blind" to the Spring Festival Gala, and then to "The Founding of a Republic", "Life's Big Events", and "So Young", the box office explosions were more due to the release dates and publicity than to Chen Jin's genuine audience appeal.

His popularity was actually inflated at that time.

Therefore, his sudden move to Hollywood, which was essentially a retirement from the entertainment industry, was actually a very wise choice.

In that situation, if you're constantly trending on social media, it will only make people feel annoyed.

The sudden silence, followed by today's instant news exposure, has transformed many casual fans into objects of intense attention, thanks to the accumulation of six months of work and the release of new material.

That's why actors must stay away from high exposure.

Nobody likes seeing news about a celebrity every day; too much of it can backfire and make people uncomfortable.

But if they come occasionally with their artwork, it might actually pique their interest.

Humans are such strange creatures.

Chen Jin's return has brought him to the attention of people who were previously indifferent to him, not to mention his former fans.

Consequently, the movie "John Wick" quickly became known to many people.

This is publicity and promotion.

Many actors in later generations disappear from the public eye for a long time, only to suddenly appear in the news headlines with their new works—this is a common tactic.

Interested viewers will spontaneously seek out everything about this movie.

These are often the first die-hard fans to see the movie.

The subsequent internet and media promotion is a typical marketing strategy to expand this audience.

The company executed its plan very well, making the most of these two months to let the audience know as much as possible about the movie "John Wick," as well as Chen Jin's directorial debut, various behind-the-scenes clips, and so on.

In terms of film scheduling, China Film Group secured almost half of the market share.

Han Sanpin clearly has high expectations for Chen Jin's new Hollywood film; in fact, he is very optimistic about it.

It's worth noting that this movie actually had a lot of marketing gimmicks.

This is Chen Jin's directorial debut, her first work after the negative publicity, and unlike her previous action films that showcased her acting skills... and so on, so the number of interested viewers will only increase.

At least in the days leading up to its release, there will certainly be no shortage of audiences going to the cinema to see this movie.

Han Sanpin had this prediction.

As for how many will ultimately be made, that depends on the quality of Chen Jin's film; this is precisely what Han Sanpin is least worried about.

Han Sanpin had already seen the full version of "Killer: Dragon," also known as "John Wick," during the film bureau's review process.

Like Kavanaugh, Lao Han praised the film highly and couldn't wait to see its box office performance after its release.

It is very likely that it will once again shatter everyone's expectations and create a new box office record.

Only then did Chen Jin truly establish herself in the mainland market.

Right now, he's not quite at the level of Wu Jing in the future. At most, he's an artist with some box office appeal, probably with a base of 1-2 million.

However, once "John Wick," a film bearing Chen Jin's strong personal imprint, is released and becomes a hit, what awaits Chen Jin will be an even more legendary market validation than what Wu Jing will experience in the future.

Just like Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow back in Hong Kong.

He will become the king of the box office in the mainland market!

The one and only, the undisputed king!
From now on, any movie that gets good reviews will become the box office champion or break records for the year.

This was something Han Sanpin could foresee.

That's why he's so concerned about the release date of "John Wick".

Whether he has successfully proven himself and risen to the top depends on this movie!

In fact, not only Han Sanpin, but anyone in the film industry who understands the market is aware of this.

Including those two from Huayi.

They never expected that Chen Jin's new film would arrive so quickly.

Summer movie season!
They were caught off guard. They all thought Chen Jin's movie would definitely be released during the Spring Festival next year, because that period was one that Chen Jin had just developed this year. They never expected that Chen Jin would also try to get a share of the pie during the summer season!

Fortunately, Huayi Brothers' "Painted Skin 2" was released at a different time, although both were during the summer vacation.

However, one was in early July and the other in mid-August; they wouldn't even clash. "Damn, that startled me!"

Inside his office, Wang Zhonglei looked at the news about Chen Jin and "John Wick" and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Although Huayi and CETC are obviously competitors, the two Wangs still really didn't want to run into Chen Jin's self-directed and self-acted movie.

Despite their displeasure, the direct competition was real, but neither of them were fools; they were well aware of Chen Jin's capabilities.

As for him, everyone at Huayi knew that going head-to-head with CETC would not end well.

This staggered arrangement is actually a win-win solution, and the higher-ups would be happy to see it happen.

The two leading domestic film companies are working together in a tacit and cooperative manner.

Yes, it's a pretty ideal business environment.

"Chen Jin is really something else!"

"In just half a day, the entire internet is talking about this 'John Wick'!"

Wang Zhonglei looked at the screen full of discussions and felt quite jealous.

Once upon a time, only films starring Stephen Chow, Jackie Chan, and others enjoyed such treatment; but now, suddenly, there's another extraordinary figure in mainland China.

"This movie started filming at the end of last year, right?"

Wang Zhongjun, who was peeling an orange with his legs crossed, asked his younger brother.

"Yes, at the end of last year!"

"He went to Hollywood all by himself, that guy is really something, he made the movie all by himself!"

"Now they're all Hollywood productions!"

Wang Zhonglei said sourly, but he couldn't deny it; it was indeed a Hollywood production, just without such a large investment.

"He's someone important!"

"It's his directorial debut, I just don't know how it will turn out..."

Wang Zhongjun's words were the answer Hua Yi least wanted to know.

They certainly don't want this work to become a hit again.

But it's obvious to anyone with eyes that as long as the film isn't bad, even if it only scores around 6 points, it's already a guaranteed box office hit.

"Or is it an action blockbuster?"

"I just can't believe this kid knows kung fu?"

Never heard of it!
"Maybe they secretly trained in America?"

"Haha, that's possible, but wouldn't it be too rushed to combine martial arts training with directing, filming, and post-production?"

As film producers, the Wong brothers certainly know that a so-called action blockbuster requires a lot of processes and post-production; "John Wick" took only about half a year from start to finish filming.

To shoot an action blockbuster in half a year, and to direct it for the first time while also acting in it, the difficulty is... exceptionally high.

Generally speaking, this kind of movie is definitely a terrible film, a money-grabbing scheme.

"We'll see how well it fares after its release!"

"If this gets ruined while filming, hahaha!"

Wang Zhonglei couldn't even imagine how intense the online discussions were now, and what kind of backlash Chen Jin would face.

Public opinion and publicity are a double-edged sword.

Especially for someone like Chen Jin during a critical period.

If he succeeds, he'll be hailed as a legend, the number one in the country, nothing more to say.

However, once they fail, they vanish instantly; it's virtually impossible for them to rise again and regain their current status.

Even if they succeed a second time, it will still require several works.

And each one should be better than the last.

Therefore, the Wang brothers are now eager to see the scene of Chen Jin stumbling and falling when "John Wick" is released.

Now they don't need to do anything, they just need to wait quietly.

"To produce an action masterpiece in half a year, the difficulty is... extremely high!"

Anyway, Huayi Brothers couldn't do it. They didn't get the summer blockbuster "Tai Chi," but it took more than a year to film. It's also a kung fu film and one of Huayi Brothers' important productions for the second half of the year.

"Painted Skin 2" will be released early next month, while "Tai Chi" may be split into two parts and released in September and October.

It perfectly avoids coinciding with Chen Jin's "John Wick".

"Never mind, we'll just wait and see what happens!"

"But we need to pay attention to that project that officially started filming today!"

As Wang Zhongjun spoke, Wang Zhonglei's expression turned serious.

indeed!

Compared to "John Wick," they are actually more wary of "Hong Kong Trip."

"John Wick" has only one person in terms of investment and lead actor, Chen Jin, and it is also his first time directing, so there is a possibility that it will be a bad film.

But the cast of "Hong Kong Trip" alone is enough to scare people to death.

In addition, there's a Hollywood team and the support of Relativity Media.

With this kind of packaging, and considering it's a zombie commercial film, Huayi Brothers feels that once this movie is released, it's definitely going to sweep the globe.

The main cast and crew are all incredibly talented!

"It's very likely that this movie will clash with Xu Jinglei's 'Detective Dee' next year!"

"Then we can only wait for them to set their release dates first; they definitely can't release them together!"

"Well, Lao Xu is no match for Jackie Chan, let alone with Bale and the Hollywood brand!"

This movie is basically already a shoo-in for next year's box office champion.

At least, that's what the two kings think.

"Tell Lao Xu to step up his game. The script still isn't ready. Do they even want to release it next year?"

Wang Zhongjun suddenly spoke.

"I've called him several times, but he keeps dragging his feet. But I can understand, it's his first time shooting in full IMAX format, so he definitely needs to be well-prepared!"

"Anyway, you should hurry up. This year's projects are all on the agenda, but we still don't have any plans for next year's films. Xiaogang hasn't decided which one to shoot yet..."

Meanwhile, the filming at the electronics company was in full swing.

Wang Zhongjun didn't say this, as it was unacceptable to dampen their morale; but the company was indeed flourishing everywhere, with more than a dozen projects already filed, and one project hadn't even been launched yet.

Wang Zhongjun couldn't even imagine what kind of impact these movies would have on the Chinese film market once they were all released.
Perhaps, from this moment on, it is time for Huayi to truly engage in a head-on battle with CETC.

If we don't hurry up, once all of CETC's movies are released next year, Huayi Brothers may very well fall to second place.

His position as the top dog is clearly precarious!
"Okay, I'll urge them one by one!"

"Let's bring some new projects on board!"

It's time to start going head-to-head with CETC!

That's clearly what the two kings were thinking.

Little did they know, Chen Jin really didn't take Hua Yi seriously.

What's the point of valuing a film studio that's destined to become a thing of the past?
What CETC needs to do is to focus on itself, steadily follow the established filming and release dates, and present one film after another. Eventually, it will reach the top!
The two kings obviously had no idea that Chen Jin looked at them as if they were dead.

When it comes to the dead, just ignore them!
(End of this chapter)