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

Chapter 423 Come on, who's afraid of who?! Let's face it head-on!

Ratings are pouring in! Chen Jin's Hollywood debut, *John Wick*, which she wrote, directed, and starred in, has surpassed 1.5 million yuan in pre-sales!

Is the Venice Film Festival Best Actor actually an action actor?

"The Benchmark for a New Generation of Kung Fu Actors!"

"Still the King After All! The Premiere of 'John Wick' Concludes with Positive Audience Reviews!"

……

Looking at the news articles on the headlines of the entertainment section of the website, Wang Zhonglei, who was browsing through them in his office at Huayi, clearly had a very unpleasant expression.

No one expected that the pre-sales of "John Wick" would follow such a trajectory for its theatrical release.

Moreover, this "action blockbuster," which no one outside had high hopes for, was completely turned around in terms of the situation and public opinion by Chen Jin's three moves at the premiere.

Previously, many people online were skeptical about Chen Jin's ability to film action scenes.

An award-winning actor making an action movie?
Just like Tony Leung, Gong Li, and Ge You when they film action scenes.

In their view, Chen Jin definitely wouldn't do the fighting; either she hired a stunt double, or the filming was subpar.

Moreover, the fact that it was self-directed and self-acted made netizens even more suspicious.

until--

The premiere is over.

Actually, it wasn't over yet; discussions had already started online, and behind-the-scenes footage and GIFs from the premiere were being shared countless times on Weibo and QQ groups.

It has even escalated.

Chen Jin's signature moves were truly impressive and cool.

Leaving aside the bottle cap kicking, the most outrageous thing is that flying kick that sent a mineral water bottle more than three meters high flying. This is definitely not something you can learn in a few months of intensive training.

This is definitely real skill, and only someone with exceptional leg strength and core strength can do it.

The more experienced the person, the more they realized how incredibly powerful Chen Jin's move was; this guy's kung fu skills were truly amazing.

It is by no means a fancy trick or a last-minute attempt to cram.

Laymen, on the other hand, tend to see it as even more exaggerated.

In addition, with the release of the first wave of film reviews, besides comments like "the all-rounder's words are good-looking and exciting," many people's most frequent comments were about Chen Jin's action scenes.

The number one action star of the new generation in China!
This is the most upvoted film review, and it truly reflects Chen Jin's performance in "John Wick," which deserves such a positive assessment.

Therefore, this kind of cross-industry effect and film reviews have led to increasingly higher pre-sales.

Online discussions are gaining momentum, and there are still many netizens interested in buying tickets to see the film's true quality.

In addition, starting today, "John Wick" will begin preview screenings in prime time slots in several major and medium-sized cities in China during the afternoon and evening.

This led many moviegoers who couldn't wait for the preview screenings to buy tickets for the actual release.

These days, many movies that have preview screenings are low-budget films that lack confidence in their production. This is the first time a highly anticipated film like "John Wick" has had a preview screening in China, which is why tickets are so hard to come by today.

And the more this happens, the more people will participate in pre-sales and rush to buy.

That's the principle behind scarcity marketing.

Today, pre-sales have exceeded 5000 million yuan, and the preview screenings are all sold out with an occupancy rate of up to 90%. There are still many viewers who want to see the show but have not been able to get tickets.

Many of the preview screenings for tomorrow have already sold out.

Those within the industry were actually more perceptive than the audience in sensing something unusual.

If the preview screenings continue like this, tickets for "John Wick" will definitely be hard to come by for the next three days, and after the official release on the first day, it will surely cause a huge wave of moviegoing.

This is actually quite understandable.

Many people couldn't get tickets, so they could only buy tickets for the first day of the premiere.

The midnight showing on the first day was sold out, so we'll have to do the daytime and afternoon shows.

The preview screenings didn't have many slots, but on its opening day, the 10th, "John Wick" had a full 50% or more screenings, and at this rate, the number of screenings will have to increase.

This resulted in a frenzy of viewers rushing to buy the film on its opening day.

After selling out on the first day, the buzz and word-of-mouth will continue to grow over the next few days, so this movie is clearly going to be a huge hit.

"At this rate, I feel like pre-sales might break records?"

Wang Zhonglei and his brother Wang Zhongjun rushed to the office and hurriedly began to talk.

Wang Zhongjun was actually frightened by the momentum of Chen Jin's "John Wick".

Who would have thought that the pre-sales would start off unremarkable, only to explode in sales on the fourth day?!
A premiere that turned the tide?!

"Don't panic!"

"I don't think the movie is that good. These reviews seem to have been bought. There are hardly any bad reviews, and the comments are all the same, focusing on the action scenes. The sales pitch is so obvious!"

Wang Zhongjun browsed through the film reviews on Douban, as well as some long reviews from resident film critics.

So weird.

How can an action movie receive so many positive reviews?
In recent years, not to mention kung fu movies, even movies made by Jackie Chan and Jet Li have been heavily criticized.

If this action movie can even get a 7 out of 10, that's already a blessing.

Wang Zhongjun doesn't think Chen Jin's directorial debut deserves a 7 out of 10.

But judging from the current reviews, it seems that "John Wick" won't even get a score of 8, and it's very likely to get around 8.5-9. Is that possible?
This is definitely impossible.

Action movies rarely get such high scores; even Jackie Chan and Jet Li, let alone Chen Jin, couldn't achieve that.

Moreover, it's a work by a newcomer.

It's quite obvious that these movie reviews are fake. Huayi has used similar tactics before, but this is the first time he's seen one this blatant.

This shows that the other party is not proficient in their business at all, unlike Huayi, which has a few negative reviews mixed in with positive ones, making it seem like they are quite competent.

It must be admitted that Huayi is indeed professional in this regard.

"But pre-sales and preview screenings keep increasing!"

"I'm afraid that if I break the record, word-of-mouth will spread and the movie will actually become a hit!"

Wang Zhonglei's concerns are not without merit.

"Painted Skin 2" is exactly what he described. Even though the ratings collapsed and Douban was full of criticism, the movie was still very popular and hot, so the box office was still very strong.

With Huayi Brothers' massive investment, the film was indeed propelled to success.

Electronics Technology Group Corporation (ETC) could also do the same.

"We can't stop that, at most we can hire some online trolls to post some negative reviews!"

"However, if CETC really does that, the price increase will actually be similar to that of our 'Painted Skin 2'!"

Currently, "Painted Skin 2" has not yet broken 16 billion yuan. Seeing the fierce competition, the two kings obviously had the same worries that Chen Jin mentioned before.

Don't be fooled by the overwhelming publicity surrounding "Painted Skin 2" for breaking Chinese film history records; in the end, it didn't even break them, while Chen Jin's new work directly broke them.

This would make Huayi extremely embarrassed.

Moreover, this shameful affair will be mentioned again and again in the future.

It's like whipping a corpse.

When it comes to film history records, many people think of a certain movie and then recall the joke about "Painted Skin 2" during this summer's box office, which is definitely not something that Da Wang and Xiao Wang want to see.

It was humiliating, like being nailed to a pillar of shame.

The main reason is that Huayi Brothers bought too many tickets because of the news that "Painted Skin 2" broke the record for Chinese film history.

So much so that everyone thought "Painted Skin 2" was about to break records.

But now, John Wick has reached 18 billion yuan before Painted Skin 2, and the two kings must be spitting blood on the spot.

This is why the two of them are so interested in Chen Jin's movies.

This opponent... is too strong!
They have no choice but to take it seriously.

"Let's look at the opening day box office of 'John Wick'!"

"I still firmly believe in my judgment. This movie is definitely not as good as people say online!" Wang Zhongjun said with certainty.

Wang Zhonglei, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Brother, should we buy some negative reviews?"

"purchase!"

"We absolutely cannot allow this film to gain widespread acclaim at this time!"

"Otherwise, it might really be like what's being said online, that it can't be stopped out on the first day. If this movie sells out, there definitely won't be enough to go around on the first day!"

That's what the two of them are worried about now.

Since they can no longer interfere with the preview screenings, they can only act now to lower the rating of "John Wick".

Real business warfare is just that simple and unpretentious.

"I'll contact someone to do this right away!"

Wang Zhonglei was extremely anxious. Every minute that passed meant Chen Jin's movie would sell more tickets.

Huayi Brothers certainly can't just sit idly by and wait for their doom. This Chinese film history champion is definitely "Painted Skin 2". The stock market has been red for so many days, and it has hit the daily limit several times.

If John Wick breaks the record ahead of time, Huayi Brothers' stock price will definitely collapse.

"A preview screening?"

After Wang Zhonglei left, Wang Zhongjun frowned as he looked at the news about Chen Jin and "John Wick" on the computer screen in front of him, his mind filled with the operation of "John Wick" this time.

This is yet another classic example of a marketing campaign that turned the tide against all odds.

Chen Jin originally made her fortune through marketing. The success of Double Eleven and the Spring Festival made the release of CETC's films a model for the industry to learn from and emulate.

With the release of "John Wick" during the summer season, many people thought that the film wouldn't make much of a splash.

With such a mature release window, what other tricks can you possibly pull off?

As we all know, what CETC, or Chen Jin, is best at is creating something out of nothing, creating a new time slot, such as Singles' Day and the Spring Festival. Nowadays, it is destined to be difficult to innovate on a time slot that already exists, such as the summer vacation.

So nobody cared.

Perhaps the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) doesn't need to do this, because the hype surrounding the movie "John Wick" has already been enough, with its debut film, Hollywood production, action scenes, and so on, bombarding the internet beforehand and being seen by many people.

But now, Wang Zhongjun realizes that he underestimated this "movie marketing genius"!
First, they started with preview screenings, then the premiere turned public opinion around, and then word-of-mouth spread, leading to a sell-out of preview screenings. This instantly created the illusion that tickets for the movie were hard to come by. Such a scarcity marketing tactic is clearly a first in the industry.

Which big company's movie needs preview screenings? They just release it directly; there's always an audience willing to pay.

They expected the movie to be a huge hit, but little did they know that the limited number of screenings meant that a highly acclaimed film would only become more and more popular.

The first "Ne Zha" film relied on the buzz generated by its preview screenings.

The movie received good reviews, and many enthusiastic movie fans recommended it on social media, telling their friends and promoting it online... This is much better than real movie reviews, and it's genuine.

As more and more people say it's good, the number of viewers who want to see the movie will only increase.

However, the limited number of screenings and the fact that it's still in previews will make audiences even more eager to see it. Some will buy tickets for the first day of release, while others will rush to buy them offline.

Once such momentum is established, it's unstoppable.

Huayi is clearly trying to nip this momentum in the bud, because it will be too late once its reputation takes off.

We must act immediately to reduce the positive reviews for the film.

"Huayi can use this tactic in the future!"

"Tickets for the preview screenings are in high demand, and the box office on the first day will definitely be huge. Chen Jin, that young guy, his fresh ideas are really useful!"

Wang Zhongjun sighed, and at that moment, negative reviews of "John Wick" finally began to appear on Douban and Weibo.

And it's not just one, there are many.

Chen Jin received the news immediately, of course.

It's fair to say that EEWorld's netizens are aware of any online activity beforehand; if they don't monitor Weibo and rating websites regularly when their own movies are released, that's a dereliction of duty.

Sometimes there's not even enough time to handle a crisis.

"Brother Jin, someone paid for a bad review!"

Chen Su was on the phone with Chen Jin, and he kept his men watching closely, just in case this kind of situation happened.

In the past two years, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) has grown rapidly and attracted a lot of attention, which has certainly offended many of its peers, especially Huayi Brothers.

Not only Chen Su, but even Chen Jin knew this.

They're all ancient foxes, what's the point of talking about Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?

Buying black water for your rival is a classic tactic, and it will only get more outrageous in the future. They won't even bother with acting; they'll openly smear you. If your director and investors have shady pasts, then you're doomed.

There is no denying it.

It's your own fault for having an unhealthy mind.

Twelve years is nothing compared to this; they just hire some online commentators to give you feedback.

Chen Jin had actually anticipated this, and she knew that at this critical juncture when "Painted Skin 2" was breaking film history records, Huayi Brothers would definitely take a series of countermeasures.

There's no need to think about it.

"Originally, there were about a few hundred negative reviews, but only two or three of them were from people who had actually seen the movie, and some of them were indeed quite accurate in their criticisms!"

"But just now there were a dozen or so negative reviews, all with very similar wording..."

Chen Su was talking on the phone, while Chen Jin was sitting in front of the computer, browsing movie reviews, and he saw it too.

"It made me drowsy; the action scenes were weak and lacked any highlights!"

"This movie is overhyped, I feel so bad for wasting my 30 yuan movie ticket!"

"I admit that Chen Jin's acting skills are amazing, but her action scenes still need improvement. She's not even good enough to carry Li Lianjie's shoes!"

"..."

Chen Jin started to laugh as she looked at it.

The methods of these two kings are too clumsy and obvious. If we don't give them a fight back, they'll really think we're made of clay.

"Old Chen, draft a lawyer's letter immediately!"

"Just say that your competitor maliciously bought negative reviews, find out which company it is, issue a stern warning, and then post it on Weibo!"

"Buy some traffic to promote it, preferably the kind that everyone can see!"

Didn't you buy negative reviews?
I'll make all your negative reviews ineffective.

A lawyer's letter warning!
It's still quite useful these days.

The main reason is that your post on Weibo has made many netizens aware that "John Wick" was outmaneuvered by its competitors; those who read movie reviews and those who browse Weibo are actually the same group of people, with a lot of overlap.

After all, we're all in the internet industry.

In addition, the movie itself has a good reputation, and netizens have been debating its merits.

Great works can often withstand these resistances, while ordinary films may be directly killed by this wave.

Next, Chen Jin only needs to watch how public opinion develops.

Moreover, once this momentum is established, it will actually be a great thing for promoting the film's popularity.

Even negative traffic is still traffic; it can make a movie more popular.

"This time, I'll accept it all!"

"Thank you for sending me the data!"

"Wait until your next movie comes out, and see how I'll destroy you!"

Chen Jin knew, of course, that this was Huayi Brothers' doing. With "Painted Skin 2" about to be taken off the screens, there was no point in resorting to any more tricks.

We'll have to wait for the next Huayi Brothers movie to be released before we can give him a good beating.

Chen Jin needs to make good use of Huayi Brothers' scheming against "John Wick" this time, and portray herself as a "victim" online. Perhaps... she can gain some sympathy and a flood of traffic!
Sometimes, black water isn't such a bad thing.

As long as the movie is of high quality, it's actually a good thing!

(End of this chapter)