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

Chapter 439 A New Record for Chinese-Speaking People in North America!
August 24, 2012, early morning.

"How about it?"

Chen Jin was sending a message to Kavanaugh. The box office figures for the midnight showings weren't updated by software, so they could only get feedback from theater managers.

Moreover, it's impossible to get a specific figure, only a general range.

It will be two years before North America launches its box office data viewing system. Of course, it won't be a real-time box office system like in mainland China; it will be updated daily.

In this respect, China actually surpasses any other country in the world.

In the data-driven era, everyone can access information.

"We're currently compiling the statistics. Don't worry, I feel it's going pretty well!"

"The Chinese audience, in particular, is huge!"

This is certainly related to the initial publicity and the box office success of "John Wick" in mainland China.

As of yesterday, "John Wick" had grossed 16.13 billion yuan in mainland China, and it is expected to rake in another 20 million yuan over the weekend. This means that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, a new box office record will be set in China the day after tomorrow, and it will most likely surpass the 2 billion yuan mark next week.

The first film in Chinese film history to break 20 billion yuan at the box office.

A true box office magnet, Chen Jin will truly enter the ranks of stars who can draw audiences to the box office, a far cry from her previous worries about no one watching her films.

He is now a star with real commercial value.

Before, he was at most a somewhat well-known actor; there is a huge difference between the two.

Actors are not capital; rather, commercially valuable stars are capital themselves.

Capital will beg you to make movies because you can make money for them—that's the logic.

Of course, this refers to actors who do not have a company or are not signed with an agency. Chen Jin is definitely not in this category, as she has her own company.

In fact, it had already become capital long ago, but now it is the superposition effect of his own and the company's 1+1 being greater than 2.

The company's valuation and investment value will also increase accordingly.

A successful film, especially one that he directed, starred in, and wrote, can propel him to the highest position; even in Hollywood, Chen Jin will have a strong voice in the future.

If Hollywood wants to reap the rewards in China, Chen Jin is actually a good option.

Just like how Hollywood will be begging Wu Jing to make movies in the future, because he has box office value. For other people, it's basically the investors who exchange resources with Hollywood to get a minor cameo appearance.

There are still significant differences between the two.

Or you could do what Jing Tian did: throw money at Hollywood and get them to make a film for you.

This is yet another different approach.

These are three different collaboration models for Chinese actors in Hollywood.

Chen Jin's "Killer: Dragon" is clearly different from the three mentioned above. He actively came to Hollywood to make an American film in order to open up the North American market.

The release of "The Killer" is now the key to proving whether he can succeed in this regard.

Buzz!
The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

The fact that Chen Jin was called at this time clearly meant that it wasn't someone in China, but rather someone who had already received the box office data from Kavanaugh.

"Chan, we did it!"

Kavanaugh's voice sounded somewhat pleased, but not quite excited.

"How many?"

"Around 200 million!"

Kavanaugh let out a long breath and smiled, saying, "This must be the best midnight screening record for a Chinese-language film in North America, right?"

"200 million...how much can we expect on the first day?"

Although Chen Jin had investigated the North American box office, she certainly wasn't as knowledgeable as a professional.

"It's usually 3-5 times!"

"We should make at least $600 million today!"

This number was actually quite far from what Chen Jin had expected. He estimated that with 3000 cinemas, it would cost at least 1000 million.

It seems he did overestimate the North American market and the film "Killer Dragon".

"Cheer up! I also hope the midnight showing can gross 500 million or even more!"

"But with 200 million, our movie didn't flop, did it?"

Kavanaugh felt a little disappointed after completing the statistics; however, his subordinates analyzed the situation with him and he understood.

A film with no prior fame, featuring an unfamiliar male lead, and a story about a Chinese assassin fighting against a North American gang to wipe them out—it all felt somewhat incongruous.

Therefore, a midnight screening costing 200 million is truly a miracle.

In any case, it broke the record for midnight screenings of Chinese-language films in North America, which is actually a considerable achievement.

However, Chen Jin herself was not entirely satisfied.

"All right!"

"Maybe I had too high expectations for this movie!"

Chen Jin smiled slightly: "Based on the 200 million midnight screenings, will our number of theaters and screenings be cut next week?"

Now that the midnight screenings are out, the next steps are the opening day and the opening weekend, but more importantly, we need to see how things develop next week.

At least, Kavanaugh was right about one thing.

"The Killer" won't flop; it'll sell some box office revenue, but it won't be a huge hit.

Of course, Chen Jin didn't expect "The Killer" to be a huge hit; he wanted it to surpass "The Golden City" with 1 million US dollars and barely become a minor hit.

Big hit movies typically start at $2 million in North America.

It seems that "Hitman" is facing some difficulties now.

"It depends on the box office performance during the opening weekend!"

"According to market analysis, if we can achieve 600 million on the first day, then we can aim for 2000 million by the end of the first week!"

"If it's 800 million, we could aim for 2500 million or even 3000 million!"

"That's good. Judging from this midnight slot, our 'Hitman' should gross at least $3500 million!"

3500 million!
The lowest box office for "Killer Dragon" in North America.

This is, of course, derived from the data that the midnight slot has around 200 million viewers.

This is indeed quite different from Chen Jin's estimate of 1 million US dollars.

He also thought he could surpass the North American box office of "John Wick" in his previous life, which was $4300 million.

It seems a bit difficult to get through this now.

However, in the previous life, the lead actor of "John Wick" was Keanu Reeves. No matter how commercially it declined, it still had some box office appeal. The main reason was that he was American and North America recognized him.

Even so, John Wick only grossed over $4300 million in North America.

Now, Chen Jin's only advantage over him is in publicity, film quality, and a box office sensation in mainland China.

Chen Jin was unsure how much this would enhance the film.

In fact, Killer: Dragon is not as good as John Wick in the original timeline!
Whether it's the audience's sense of immersion or the choice of the main characters.

Let's hope for better box office results tomorrow during the day!

Kavanaugh laughed and said, "Of course, I can guarantee that even our 200 million midnight screening box office has already alarmed some people in the Big Six!"

For Chinese-language films, this data shows they are actually quite dominant.

It's worth noting that this has already broken the record for midnight screenings of Chinese-language films in North America.

This alone is enough to attract the attention of many people in the industry.

Especially in Hollywood itself.

Many of the records that Chen Jin herself felt were useless were seen by many as a recognition of her abilities.

This at least proves that a film made in Hollywood by a lone individual, who also starred in and wrote the screenplay, can now gross at least $3500 million at the box office, which is truly remarkable.

"I'll lend you some good words!"

Are you satisfied with this result?

Chen Jin suddenly retorted, "Hahaha!"

Kavanaugh suddenly burst into laughter: "Do you want to hear the truth from me?"

"Of course!"

"Actually, when you approached me about this movie, I never imagined it would cause such a sensation!"

"At the time, I thought there would be at most 1000 premiere cinemas, bro, that's the most!"

"I don't even care about you or your movie!"

"Ha ha!"

Chen Jin could imagine that scene.

In fact, Kavanaugh's attitude towards him was similar at the time.

"But you are very capable!"

Kavanaugh's voice returned to normal: "Really, it's your persistence, the quality of the film itself, and your gradual reduction of your share of the film's revenue that have led to the current more than 3000 premieres!"

"And also, the Chinese market behind you, God, I never imagined this movie would be such a hit in China!"

"Your business value goes beyond this!"

"Therefore, I have confidence in you and am even more optimistic about our second film!"

"Isn't that the bigger miracle we're going to create together?"

Wall Street bigwigs are indeed skilled at public speaking and eloquence.

Chen Jin admitted that she was persuaded by this guy's words.

Yes, the second part.

Just like the original timeline, John Wick 2.

With the foundation laid by the first film and the boost from streaming services, John Wick 2, released three years later, raked in over $30 million at the box office in its opening weekend and ultimately earned nearly $100 million in North America.

Globally, it exceeds 2 million US dollars.

It's almost double the size of the first one.

As long as the reputation is good, it can create a strong upward trend.

Chen Jin's system still contains several upcoming installments of "John Wick," plus a few spin-offs, enough for him to create a "John Wick" universe.

"Haha, I admit I was persuaded!"

"Let's see how well this first one performs then."

After exchanging a few words with Kavanaugh, Chen Jin hung up the phone.

"Whoo~~~"

He exhaled, stood up, and stood by the hotel bed, looking at the city that was shrouded in darkness yet still somewhat brightly lit.

Conquering this place, conquering a white supremacist nation, is indeed not an easy task.

His success in China made Chen Jin feel that things were going too smoothly.

Clearly, Hollywood is not as simple as Chen Jin imagined.

Even if he possesses a system and the ability to surpass his previous masterpieces, it is an undeniable fact that Chinese people are not well-received in North America.

In a few years, this situation will actually be even more serious.

"It's time to start preparing for the second installment!"

Chen Jin muttered to herself, her mind filled with nothing but "A Trip to Hong Kong".

He also passed on "Fast & Furious 6".

If Universal really wants to use the "Hitman" IP to replace the character, then this role is truly meaningless; what good is a major villain even if he becomes a hit in North America?!
Chen Jin has no shortage of movies and roles.

"Let's experience John Wick 2 again!"

Chen Jin yawned, lay down on the bed, and immediately entered the system experience.

……

The next day, he woke up from his sleep.

He glanced around warily, his expression and subconscious actions exactly like John Wick's.

That is, the protagonist of "John Wick".

"Still at a high standard!"

Although Chen Jin had already experienced all of the "John Wick" series beforehand and used up all her trial cards, she still gained new insights upon re-entering the game.

For example, combat skills, firearms proficiency, etc.

Most importantly, he could sense that the second part was outstanding and not much lower in quality than the first part.

A story that continues the exciting tale of the first installment.

This is why John Wick 2 was so successful.

Many sequels or second installments in a series fail to surpass the first, and some are even considered inferior sequels; for a film series to be successful, the second and third installments are quite crucial.

After getting up, washing up, and having breakfast downstairs, Chen Jin started writing the script for "Hitman 2".

I'm going to do a promotional event at a nearby cinema this afternoon, and I still have some free time.

Drip!

The sudden notification sound from her phone made Chen Jin stop thinking.

Have you read the latest movie reviews?

"no, what happened?"

While replying to Kavanaugh's messages, Chen Jin opened several commonly used film review websites.

"8.3 points?!"

Chen Jin was stunned when she saw the rating on IMDb.

This score... is ridiculously high!

The fact that "John Wick" got a 9 on Douban (a Chinese review site) is one thing, but that was a gift from Huayi Brothers' "Painted Skin 2".

It's an inflated figure.

Chen Jin never expected that IMDb would be so high.

It's worth noting that IMDb's rating system is much stricter than Douban's, with very few films scoring above 9 points; unlike Douban, where there are many films scoring 9 points, and most of the top 100 films are 9 points or even 9.5+!

The highest-rated film on IMDb is "The Shawshank Redemption," which has the same score as on Douban: 9.2!
It scored 9.6 on Douban, just 0.4 points lower!

Therefore, an IMDb score of 8 or higher is considered a masterpiece.

Especially action movies, very few score 8 or higher.

No wonder Kavanaugh sent him a message directly; the rating really startled him.

There's also Rotten Tomatoes, with a 93% freshness rating, which is also an extremely high score.

"This...is really a bit outrageous!"

It's understandable that Chen Jin received a 9 out of 10 in China; there are special reasons for it.

It's illogical that foreign websites have such high ratings!

Chen Jin wasn't trying to flatter him. Although "The Killer" was an improved version of "John Wick" with more action and action, and the latter only scored around 7.5, it couldn't possibly be 0.8 points higher!
In Chen Jin's view, 8 points was already the limit.

"Did you see that?"

"This score will probably give the top six universities quite a shock!"

The six major film studios have dedicated staff monitoring rating websites, as this is closely related to a film's box office performance.

Films with high ratings tend to have better subsequent box office growth than those with low ratings.

Both are midnight screenings with a budget of 200 million, but the one with a score of 9 will definitely have a higher box office than the one with a score of 6.

Therefore, the estimated box office of "The Killer" at least 3500 million may need to be raised a bit!
(End of this chapter)