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

Chapter 427 Let me see the limits of you, Wall Street tycoon!
"Chen Jin! Chen Jin!"

"Wan Qian!!"

"Michael!"

"..."

At the roadshow, fans were incredibly excited, chanting the names of the lead actors in "John Wick".

Enquist, who played the main villain, probably never imagined that he, a relatively unknown actor in North America, would be so welcomed by so many people in a foreign country thousands of miles away.

The enthusiasm at the scene was something he had never experienced before in his acting career.

Allen, the North American actor who played his character's son, also couldn't believe everything he had seen and experienced in the past two days.

My God, can you imagine that he was chosen for a role by chance, and now the movie has grossed nearly 1 million US dollars in less than three days after its release in China!

That's right, 1 million US dollars!
God, is the box office in this region really that crazy?

There are very few films in history that have grossed over $1 million in their opening weekend in North America, and Allen was quite surprised.

6.4 million RMB.

John Wick was released in less than three days.

In its opening weekend after release, it broke the record for the fastest film to reach 6 million yuan.

This was clearly something Chen Jin herself hadn't anticipated.

He thought the online buzz was already intense enough, but he didn't expect the online and offline ticket scramble to be even fiercer. Not only were scalpers getting in, but the scarcity of tickets for the preview screenings also led many people to choose to watch the movie this weekend.

The ticket-buying frenzy that erupted exceeded Chen Jin's own expectations.

Unsurprisingly, it completely exploded.

He had thought that breaking 300 million in two days over the weekend was already phenomenal, but the figure of nearly 450 million still made Chen Jin feel that he had underestimated the Chinese people.

This year has truly been a year of explosive growth for Chinese cinema.

Even without his butterfly effect, a film that almost broke the record in Chinese film history, "Avatar" (grossing over 13 billion yuan), would have been released at the end of 2012—"Lost in Thailand"!
12.7 billion!
It will be at the end of this year.

Now, with Chen Jin changing the landscape of the film industry and integrating the online ticketing system ahead of time, the box office revenue of the films has obviously exploded even further.

It's possible for it to double.

People nowadays have money, but they really lack entertainment.

If there were a blockbuster film that everyone knew, even if it didn't reach the level of "Ne Zha 2" which drew massive crowds, it would definitely be comparable to "Wolf Warrior 2" in the future.

After all, John Wick's reputation and popularity speak for themselves.

Even a terrible film like "Painted Skin 2" can actually gross over 10 billion yuan. If we disregard the possibility of Huayi Brothers inflating box office figures, then "John Wick," which is of higher quality and has greater popularity, should obviously have a better box office return.

This isn't to say that a good movie will necessarily have a high box office; rather, the ratings and commercial appeal of "John Wick" speak for themselves, so it's simply impossible for it to be bad.

The entertainment industry for the domestic population is so scarce that they can only rely on movies to alleviate the boredom of their lives.

You can actually tell from "Painted Skin 2".

Otherwise, why have film and television companies flocked to the film industry like crazy in the past two years? It's just that it's too easy to make money these days. You can release any anthology film and it will be a huge hit. Even bad movies have a lot of people willing to buy them.

"Chan, I... I really don't know how to describe it anymore~~"

Allen shrugged, still unusually excited as he walked backstage after the roadshow.

This was the first time in his life he had encountered so many fans. In North America, he was ignored by everyone, let alone fans; but here, he felt an overwhelming welcome.

These days, even if a Hollywood star is just a dog, Chinese people still idolize them.

"Calm down!"

"Our population in China is far greater than that in North America!"

Chen Jin was laughing there, while a group of people were slumped over resting. Clearly, the non-stop roadshows of the past two days had exhausted them.

But everyone's face was filled with excitement.

This was driven by box office success.

Anyone seeing such a surge in box office revenue would be too excited to sleep.

Before the release of "John Wick," no one could have imagined that the film would have such a phenomenal start in China in the summer of 2012.

Including Chen Jin herself.

So movies are really hard to predict.

When he has a large following, he doesn't need much promotion; people will spontaneously go to the cinema to buy tickets.

"no the same!"

Enquist, standing to the side, was smoking and seemed a little dizzy.

"The Indian film market can't be that crazy, right?"

"Bollywood movies are very famous, but they don't do much at the box office in India... Just look at Avatar, China is its second largest market in the world, and it far surpasses the box office of the UK, France, Japan and South Korea!"

Enquist is the most qualified to speak on this matter because he is not a North American actor, but has traveled to many countries.

"Chan, to be honest, this is my first time in China, and I originally thought..."

Enquist shrugged: "You know that!"

"Very poor, right? Muddy ground, low houses..."

"Hahaha!"

Everyone in the backstage burst into laughter; Chen Jin's words were exactly what they wanted to say.

"Yes, we've all been fooled by the American media!"

"I always thought China was dilapidated and old, and that the people's clothes and food..."

Enquist sighed. Only by coming here and experiencing it firsthand could one know how happy the people of this country were.

Safe, free, equal, and free from racial discrimination.

Most importantly, their cultural literacy is very high, which means everyone has the right to watch movies, unlike in North America, where tens of millions of homeless people are not eligible to go to the cinema.

"That's the most fundamental difference!"

"Although North America has a population of 4 million, I estimate that less than 1 million of them can afford to watch movies!"

"And here, there are at least 1 million people, and in the future, even 2 million or 3 million..."

Enquist spoke with unusual seriousness.

He was definitely not flattering Chen Jin, nor was he like Allen who only felt the enthusiasm of the Chinese people; he had genuinely thought about these issues.

"Michael, I absolutely agree with you on this!"

"Our official statistics last year showed 2.1 million!"

“2.1 million of our people went to the cinema last year. In fact, in the old days, even if we Chinese didn’t have the money to watch movies, our government would organize local departments to screen films for free in rural areas!”

Since we've come this far, Chen Jin isn't afraid to share some information with them.

"Actually, we once had a movie that attracted 3.5 million viewers, and that was 3.5 million paid viewers. If it had been free, it would probably have been 6 to 7 million viewers. That was back in the 80s!"

"what?"

At this moment, Wu Jing and Wan Qian, who were standing to the side, were both dumbfounded. They really didn't know about this.

Which one?

Wan Qian asked curiously.

"Tunnel warfare!"

Chen Jin spoke in Chinese, and the foreigners next to her were clearly quite frightened.

3.5 million paid movie viewers? What a huge group that is!
"Therefore, the cultural foundation of our people is still very rich. It's just that the economic scale hasn't come up yet. Perhaps one day in the future... we can surpass North America and produce films worth 10 billion or 20 billion US dollars in a single region!"

"Hahaha!"

Enquist was somewhat skeptical and laughed, "If all 3.5 million people go to the movies, I think 20 billion should be achievable!"

Nonsense, "Ne Zha 2" only had 3.24 million viewers.

If we only consider the number of viewers, there are actually several films ranked above it.

Movies like "Mom, Love Me Again," "Tunnel Warfare," and "Shaolin Temple" have a terrifyingly large audience.

Because China is a country where everyone receives education, unlike India and North America, many people will never be able to go to the movies in their lifetime.

In China, as long as you want to and can afford the movie ticket, you can actually watch a movie.

"very nice!"

"Thriving, the market is not yet saturated..."

Enquist could sense from Chen Jin's words that he was very optimistic about the future of the Chinese market.

However, this is actually quite obvious.

Even the big six Hollywood studios, with their haughty attitudes, are coming to China to seek cooperation and open branch offices, which is enough to show how much these investors value China. This is definitely a blue ocean market.

You can question the garbage quality of the films produced by the six major production companies, but you absolutely have to trust the instincts of these capitalists.

The things they favor must have development potential.

"Okay, is that enough?"

"Let's eat something nearby. Tomorrow we're heading south to show you what southern China is like, the best plain in the world!"

"Magic City?"

Allen sat up abruptly.

"Yes, Shanghai!"

The most famous Chinese city overseas, and the only one to break into the global top 20.

"Wow, I'm so excited to see what the best city in your country is like!"

They've already experienced Beijing and Tianjin. Tomorrow they'll head to Jiangnan, Shanghai, Zhejiang Province... and then further on, to Guangdong Province and Hong Kong.

This is the promotional itinerary for "John Wick".

The films were released simultaneously in Hong Kong and Taiwan with the mainland, and both performed reasonably well at the box office.

Hollywood productions have a natural promotional appeal to these two regions, while Chen Jin's fame is secondary; currently, Chen Jin hasn't even made a name for herself domestically, let alone in these two regions.

Their innate arrogance can only be completely crushed by box office success.

After eating a quick bite, Chen Jin returned to the hotel.

He subconsciously turned on his phone and lay there looking at the news notifications.

Besides the press releases purchased by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), several major portal websites and Weibo headlines were filled with content about "John Wick".

There's also the issue of his action scenes, acting, and the reputation of his first time directing.

In short, Chen Jin has truly become a household name across the country this time.

This is different from the previous "So Young" which became a hit through its Double Eleven promotion. In that case, the movie was popular, but the lead actor wasn't. This time, the movie is popular, but Chen Jin, the director, screenwriter, and lead actress, is even more popular.

Its true box office appeal has gradually taken root in the hearts of the audience.

This is a form of recognition for his directing.

buzzing-

The phone on the table rang. Chen Jin initially thought it was Zhu Yanmanzi calling, but it was quite unexpected.

Ryan Kavanaugh!
The founder of Relativity Media.

"Hey Ryan, you just woke up over there?"

Chen Jin answered the phone and laughed. This period is Chen Jin's honeymoon period with Relativity, which is estimated to last until the release of "Hong Kong Trip".

Of course, something unexpected might happen along the way.

Because Americans aren't that trustworthy.

"Yes, I just woke up, but I've already heard the good news from China!"

Ryan laughed and said, "Congratulations, Chan, you did it!"

"Thank you!"

Relativity Media doesn't receive domestic box office revenue; the agreement Chen Jin signed with them was for a share of the North American box office market.

Because all Chen Jin wanted was the North American market.

He traded the profits from this movie for a chance to become famous.

The same applies to "A Trip to Hong Kong".

Chen Jin was mainly worried that one film wasn't enough, so she released another one.

"However, it's too early to say we've succeeded. The domestic market is our base, and North America is the market we need to focus on next!"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

Kavanaugh actually thought so too.

"But the box office in China can still influence North America. If we can get 2 million US dollars in China, then we can start the publicity and distribution!"

Chen Jin was actually quite clear about the purpose of Kavanaugh's phone call.

After seeing how well "John Wick" sold in mainland China, this guy is eager to see the same success in North America.

And indeed, just as he said, the box office success in China will not only influence other overseas markets, but also, because of internet access, movie lovers will pay attention to the film.

Most importantly, we've gained another keyword for publicity and marketing, plus... it should be a sure thing!
While the box office success boosted the North American market, Kavanaugh was even more pleased with the positive reception of "John Wick" in China.

Even though North American and Chinese audiences have different aesthetic tastes and viewing preferences, good movies are actually universal.

Films that receive good reviews in North America are also popular in China.

Chinese art films may differ due to cultural differences, but this kind of action commercial film, which scores high and does well at the box office in China, is actually doing quite well in North America.

This at least shows that their judgment during the screening was not wrong.

This movie is very well made, and the Chinese market has already proven its worth. So, what they need to do next in North America is to strengthen their marketing and distribution efforts.

They didn't promote it before because it was going to lose money.

But after its huge success in mainland China, Kavanaugh must have been itching to make more money; everyone wants to earn more.

In the North American market, the more money you spend on marketing and promotion, the more you earn.

Moreover, the success of the film in the Chinese market will also affect the screening schedule in North America. Even if Chen Jin doesn't call the theater chains, Kavanaugh will contact them one by one to ask them to print more copies.

Of course, cinemas also want to make money.

Therefore, the success of one market can serve as a reference for other markets.

Kavanaugh now has every reason and the confidence to get AMC to add more theaters.

"If the current box office growth rate in China continues, reaching 2 million US dollars shouldn't be a problem!"

Chen Jin said to Kavanaugh, "So Ryan, you can get moving now. I want to see 'Hitman' gain popularity in North America!"

Chen Jin now certainly has the confidence to back it up.

The underlying meaning of this statement is clearly: Kavanaugh, show me the strength and limits of you, a Wall Street bigwig.

If you want to make money!
(End of this chapter)