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

Chapter 444 Celebrating Success! A New Breakthrough for Chinese Cinema!
"Keep the next celebration party low-key!"

Chen Jin walked into the office and said to Chen Su with a somewhat speechless expression.

Chen Su also shook his head: "Brother, why is the celebration banquet so low-key?"

"This is already very low-key, held internally within the company. Last month, Huayi Brothers announced it all over the world when 'Painted Skin 2' sold 10 billion yuan!"

"We have 20 billion!"

The box office has doubled, can't we at least have a moment to be high-profile?
"It's all because you're too popular!"

Chen Su said to Chen Jin sarcastically, and Chen Jin knew that what he had just said was indeed a complaint.

This really can't be blamed on the company. Who would have thought that a group of reporters and fans could guess Chen Jin's return based on the arrangements outside the company? It's just a matter of one step ahead of the other; these guys are indeed very skilled.

The exposure of various behind-the-scenes photos and videos of filming in the future will be the result of the efforts of paparazzi and die-hard fans.

They're capable of anything, from buying information to opening boxes.

"Please say a few words, Mr. Chen!"

Chen Su and Chen Jin were surrounded by a group of people from the company as they walked toward the office.

Chen Jin quickly waved her hand: "Why make it so formal?"

"Have a good meal and drinks, everyone. We still have a few movies coming up that will require your help. Thank you for your hard work!"

Chen Jin smiled at everyone and gestured for Chen Su to start handing out red envelopes.

This is the most cost-effective option.

There are no speeches or meetings, and no money to motivate company employees to work hard.

Even if many people are there because of Chen Jin, who wouldn't like to earn extra money while doing what they love?!

"Jin-ge, you're the most handsome!"

"Yes!"

"..."

Several female employees were chatting and laughing, and Chen Jin wasn't angry.

At the company, he felt more free than anywhere else, not even on a film set or on a movie crew.

"Did you see the message I sent you about 'Hitman 2'?"

Chen Jin, holding a glass of champagne, stood aside chatting with Chen Su, while other companies around them cheered and took photos happily, and some even took photos with Chen Jin from time to time.

In short, the main theme is celebration.

Celebrating the milestone of "John Wick" surpassing 20 billion yuan at the box office, this is indeed a milestone for Chinese films.

Everyone involved felt a sense of pride. Although the main effort was put into the overseas companies of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), CETC's domestic operations still contributed significantly to the domestic release.

This was just an internal company celebration; China Film Group didn't invite many people.

"Yes, Old Chen also told me, this is a big deal!"

Chen Su is currently only responsible for the operation of the domestic company, while the overseas expansion is being handled by Chen Kai, the original head of the company.

He has overseas study experience, so Chen Jin is very confident in entrusting this task to him, and the two of them often meet up.

"I haven't congratulated you yet on securing the partnership with Universal!"

"I can't wait for Fast & Furious 6!"

Chen Su raised his glass to Chen Jin.

The two men bumped into each other, and he certainly understood the significance of cooperating with Universal, which is why he felt so much admiration for them.

Chen Jin may seem to be away from the company often, but he is the one who actually negotiated the business deals.

His job is simply to manage the company well.

Chen Kai specializes in overseas projects, Chen Jin in project management, and Chen Su in distribution and screening.

The "iron triangle" of CETC is very stable.

"Thank you!"

"Let's talk about it after the official release. Our main focus should still be on 'Hitman 2,' which is the company's main focus for the second half of the year and next year!"

"Killer Dragon" brought Chen Jin to Hollywood, boosting her profile.

"Fast & Furious 6" and the soon-to-be-completed "Hong Kong Trip" are the foundation for establishing a foothold in Hollywood.

Next year's "Killer 2" will be the key to Chen Jin becoming a global movie star; its box office success will directly determine what level of star she can become.

Hollywood A-list or B-list?

At best, he is just a fourth or fifth-tier Chinese movie star.

"Understand!"

"We will launch our domestic promotional campaign simultaneously, along with a signing ceremony for Universal Music in China. Will you be attending?"

Global Times clearly values ​​its cooperation with CETC.

In addition to the two global launch events, they also plan to hold one in mainland China.

Fast & Furious 6 has partnered with Chen Jin on a new project, Hitman 2, while domestically, CETC has been announced as a partner of Universal, including for future film distribution.

China Film Group Corporation (CFG) has a quota of 50 imported films per year. Universal Pictures definitely wants to capture the box office in mainland China, so those films that are not imported by CFG can enter the mainland China through the quota system.

Chen Jin knew that many movies would be huge hits, so she could snatch them away.

This can be a huge profit; if done well, it could even become a domestic partner of the six major Hollywood studios.

"Never mind, it's probably too late for people from the mainland to make it. You can attend for me!"

Chen Jin has confirmed that she will attend those two global press conferences. She will definitely attend them because she is the main character at both of them.

One film he starred in, and another he wrote, directed, and starred in—both are major announcements.

"it is good!"

"What about the ticket booths for our company's other movies?"

"You're busy too, aren't you?"

Besides Chen Jin's film, CETC has several other major investments, such as "Lost in Thailand" and "Love is Not Blind 3," all of which are confirmed to be released this year.

As is customary, if a company has a big star, their appearance can greatly boost box office sales.

"we'll talk about it then!"

"I should be able to make it in time for Singles' Day, and also for the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival holidays!"

These are the three confirmed milestones, and also the three biggest projects for CETC in the second half of the year, besides "John Wick".

"Love is Not Blind 3" will be released on Singles' Day, "American Dreams in China" will be released during the Lunar New Year, and "Lost in Thailand" will be released during the Spring Festival.

The earliest one to be released is still 2 months away.

Now it's obviously time to start promoting it.

There are actually quite a few films scheduled for release next year.

This is a virtuous cycle: after Chen Jin's movie becomes a big hit, it will lead to the increasing reputation of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) in the industry.

Everyone knows that CETV is the absolute No.1 film company in the industry. This year's total box office has surpassed that of Huayi Brothers, which was previously number one. But what many people don't know is that CETV has only been established for three years and is actually a new company.

According to the film company, he's a newcomer, and filming is done on a yearly basis.

Even if you invest initially, you won't see the benefits until a year later.

Therefore, CETC is currently in a period of rapid development. The real breakthrough will come after films like "Lost in Thailand" are released.

By then, the size of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) will obviously have increased to another level.

With the added partnership with Universal and Chen Jin's brand name, Huayi Brothers would be lucky to even catch up to them, let alone surpass them.

The next two years will definitely be the fastest period for China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).

Have you had any investment projects recently?

Chen Jin suddenly asked, "There are so many! I thought you were too busy to deal with them, that's why I haven't replied!"

What directors in this industry lack most is opportunity.

After the film company became famous, projects came to them on their own initiative.

"Send it to my email; I'll take a look at any that have potential!"

"You have time?"

Chen Su expressed considerable doubt.

He had no idea that Chen Jin had a future system; he could tell whether a project had potential just by looking at the script title.

Because any film that becomes a box office hit in later generations will definitely not lose money on its investment.

Hua Yi took the initiative to fight Chen Jin.

Investing in him would result in losses, and even distributing films requires evaluation. But Chen Jin only needs—the system!
If you're unsure what to do, just check the system directly.

In this respect, even if Huayi develops in a sneaky way for a hundred years, it still can't catch up.

"I'll take a look whenever I have a spare moment!"

"I guess I won't be back until after National Day!"

Are there any big movies being released during the National Day holiday?

Chen Jin rarely returned to China, and it was a company celebration banquet, so she chatted with Chen Su there.

"They withdrew. This was originally a great opportunity for Huayi!"

"It was originally going to be included in the second part of 'Detective Dee,' but now that's probably not going to happen!"

Chen Su smiled, and the two of them exchanged knowing smiles.

Everyone knows that Huayi Brothers had a negative impact recently, so releasing a movie now would be suicidal; even if "Detective Dee" is well-made, it will probably still get a negative score. The netizens' anger still has nowhere to be vented!

The Douban rating for "Painted Skin 2" is hitting new lows every day.

"Damn, I almost forgot about that!"

When Chen Su mentioned "Detective Dee," Chen Jin suddenly remembered someone.

Xu Ke!

I met Xu Ke, the director of the "Detective Dee" series, at the Venice Film Festival. He wanted to change partners for his new film, and Chen Jin wanted to promote Huayi Brothers, so she expressed some expectations for Xu Ke.

"Xu Ke, go and contact him. He has a new movie to shoot!"

“He called me a while ago, but I was in the US at the time, so I didn’t say much. I’ve read the script, and it’s pretty good!”

Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy!
One of Xu Ke's best-received films of his life.

The original timeline was for its release at the end of next year, where it grossed nearly 10 billion yuan, ranking third in China's annual box office.

Although Chen Jin hadn't seen the movie, he had checked future news reports and found it to have very good reviews.

"it is good!"

Chen Su readily agreed, but Chen Jin still had a lingering concern: "Has the Japanese publisher of 'Jinling' not contacted us for consultation yet?"

"No……"

Chen Su sighed.

"The Battle at Lake Changjin" has grossed nearly $6 million worldwide, but it has yet to be released in Japan. This is not because there are no distributors contacting the film, but because there are no film companies from Japan.

These two are fundamentally different.

For example, the six major Hollywood studios can also be distributed in Japan, but if it's not their home country, commercial blockbusters are fine, but art films simply won't get any screenings.

So they won't make any waves.

Besides a few established domestic distribution companies in Japan, such as Toei and Shochiku, they also have their own arthouse cinema distribution channels.

Japanese cinemas come in many different types, and unlike the high box office returns in the US and China during their opening weekends, they have a long run. Some films can even be shown in China for 1-2 years, and they still manage to sell tickets.

Back then, there was a Chinese film called "Postmen in the Mountains," which was purchased by a Japanese distributor for $5000. It was eventually shown in Japan for two and a half years, grossing nearly 900 million yen, which can be called a miracle of Chinese art films in Japan.

Chen Jin wanted to have "Jinling" screened in Japanese theaters for two years to let the Japanese people know about it.

Whether or not tickets are sold is not the key point; it's good that it's displayed there every day.

Every time someone goes to the cinema to buy a ticket, they get to see the movie, and this promotional effect is more important than the movie's release.

It all comes down to whether money or politics will prevail.

Surprisingly, Xiao Zi had some integrity and refused to earn that money.

"They must be afraid of politics too!"

"Even if 'Jinling' could be released in Japan, the government wouldn't allow such a film to be a huge hit!"

Chen Su expressed his concerns.

Chen Jin shrugged: "I don't expect 'Jinling' to be a box office hit. Releasing it in arthouse theaters would be better than generating a wave of hype!"

This film is for those who enjoy watching everyday life.

"Then I'll have someone inquire again about whether the issue price needs to be lowered further."

"No need. If you offer it for free, people won't appreciate it. This price is already very low!"

Is $100 million a high price?

It was only slightly less expensive than the European distribution rights for "Jinling".

But back then, there was no buzz for "Jinling".

Now, "Jinling" is already known worldwide.

They're just burying their heads in the sand with their mundane lives.

"What I hope for is that it can go the distance. Even if the public doesn't know about it on the day of its release, it has to keep showing in theaters!"

Do you know what I mean?

Chen Jin looked at Chen Su, who frowned: "Will the Japanese side allow us to continue showing the film?"

"He'd definitely be too lazy to care if things are lukewarm at all!"

"What they fear is sudden popularity, such as if we promote 'Jinling' and it's released in Japan. That would frighten them and they would boycott it. But if it's released quietly, the Japanese side will turn a blind eye, after all, it's a commercial activity!"

"They can't stop the film business, otherwise they'll be contradicting the regulations they themselves set!"

"Understood!"

Chen Su felt that Chen Jin was right, because in fact, there have been films about the Holocaust that have been shown in Japan over the years.

Some generated a buzz, such as Taro's "Jinling! Jinling!", which was released on the Nico Nico Douga video website last year and then had a small-scale theatrical screening.

During the screening, local police implemented security measures to counter threats from certain forces.

There's also "Devils on the Doorstep," which was broadcast in Japan and received rave reviews; that's just how these guys are, selectively forgetting enemies that are too powerful.

If they could accept the fact that "Oppenheimer" was eventually released after the atomic bomb was dropped, what couldn't they face?!
Taro was bragging in mainland China about how "Jinling" was released in Japan and what a glorious achievement it was. Later, it was discovered that the film had Japanese investment involved, which explains the suspicion of whitewashing.

Actually, the movie didn't make much of a splash in Japan, but it caused a stir among the Chinese public for a while.

Chen Jin obviously wouldn't do that now. He would support the Japanese side to purchase and distribute the film. Even if they had to hire people to buy tickets to maintain the screening schedule, it would be better than relying on a short-lived trend or having no audience at all.

This balance is crucial. It can't be too popular, nor can it be completely absent from screenings. Maintaining it within this range, with a one- or two-year run, is far better than a fleeting wave of popularity.

This is a long-term promotional campaign.

With "The Battle at Lake Changjin" grossing nearly $6 million worldwide, it has already made a fortune, so Chen Jin is still willing to pay this amount as compensation.

Who can blame them when Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also spends money domestically every year to maintain a very positive narrative for Japan!
It's all about spending money.

Who is more noble than whom?!

(End of this chapter)