The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 130: It's Over 10 Billion!

On Sunday, July 25th, "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" grossed 2073 million yuan. On Monday, the 26th, it dropped to 15.8 million yuan, on Tuesday it dropped further to 1392 million yuan, on Wednesday it was 1075 million yuan, and on Thursday it simply dropped to 925 million yuan. Compared to "Avatar" and "Gravity", "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" clearly lacked staying power.

As of Thursday, July 29, "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" had grossed 8.992 million yuan, and it seems likely to break 1 billion yuan.

Following Shen Qing's instructions, Chen Zhixi signed Dilraba and Nazha to contracts, with the same ten-year terms as the company's other artists. As the company's chairman, Shen Qing, as usual, wanted to meet with the company's newest artists.

"The company will first arrange for you two to play some supporting roles. Once your acting skills improve, the company will naturally arrange for you to play the leading lady."

In the chairman's office, Shen Qing earnestly painted a rosy picture for the company's newly promoted artists.

"Mmm-hmm." The two women nodded vigorously.

"It's hot, right? You need to lay a solid foundation in your freshman and sophomore years. Don't rush into acting."

"Okay, sure."

"Naza, study hard for your exams. You still need to go to university."

"I see."

Shen Qing remembered that Nazha's later romantic relationships were quite eventful, even significantly impacting her career, with some relationships being highly controversial. So she asked, "Nazha, do you remember the clauses in your contract regarding the artist's romantic relationships?"

"It's not prohibited, but there's an obligation to report it, and public disclosure is restricted."

Naza suddenly added at the end, "Boss, I've never been in a relationship."

Shen Qing nodded, but didn't believe it at all, and said, "Focus on your career, and be careful in everything you do."

"Okay, I've got it." Naza nodded earnestly.

"Alright, you two can leave now."

The two bowed to Shen Qing in tacit agreement before leaving Shen Qing's office together. However, as they walked, Naza suddenly stopped and, to Reba's surprise, turned back into Shen Qing's office.

Reba and Nazar weren't familiar with each other yet, so she was too embarrassed to ask.

Naza is thinking too much right now.

Why did the boss ask her about love when the two of them came to see him together?

Why did you specifically tell her to focus on her career?

Why didn't the boss say this to Reba?

Does that mean a big boss has taken a liking to her?

Naza thought about it more and more and it seemed possible.

When Chen Zhixi approached Nazha and told her that Magical Films wanted to sign her, Nazha felt like she had been hit by a pie falling from the sky.

The actresses who signed with Magical Films have all had very successful careers.

Zhao Liying was just an extra before, and she's only been signed with Shenqi Films for a short time! She's already a top-tier actress!

After signing with a contract, Li Yitong gained popularity by playing supporting roles. This year, she played the female lead in "The Romance of Tiger and Rose," which will soon be broadcast on Hunan Satellite TV. Based on the past record of Magical Films producing hit shows, it's hard to believe she'll soon become a top-tier star.

Tan Songyun and Mao Xiaotong have only been signed to the company for a short time, yet they have already played many supporting roles and are gradually making a name for themselves in the entertainment industry. Magical Films has never produced a single failed production; once you finally land a leading role, you're guaranteed success. Therefore, Magical Films is actually very attractive to artists.

However, besides being a signed artist, there is another identity that may be even more irresistibly alluring to female artists.

There have always been rumors in the industry that Zhao Liying is the woman of the big boss Shen Qing. Whether the rumors are true or not is unknown. All she knows is that since Zhao Liying joined Shenqi Film and Television, she has risen to become a top-tier actress like a rocket.

Some people in the industry say that Liu Yifei was jointly blacklisted by Tangren Media and Huayi Brothers after 08, and had no projects to join or film for nearly a year and a half. Then she offered herself to a big boss. Nazha also doesn't know if the rumors are true or not, but she knows that Liu Yifei became the female lead in "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", and the movie's box office is about to break the 10 billion yuan mark. Liu Yifei's popularity is soaring.

Rumors circulated within the industry that Liu Shishi was also Shen Qing's woman, which is why she was able to jump from a supporting role to the lead in "Scarlet Heart," and later even star in a movie produced by a big boss. She similarly rose from a perennial supporting actress to a top-tier star.

It is said that Wan Qian is the same. She signed with another agency a long time ago, and her contract was only recently transferred to Shenqi Film and Television. But before that, she had already starred in many of Shenqi Film and Television's dramas.

Yang Mi is not an actress under Magic Film and Television Company, so why was she able to star in "The Shallows" and "Palace"?

By the way, it's said that Li Yitong was able to star in "The Romance of Tiger and Rose" because—

In short:

Signing with Magical Films will grant you access to the company's top-tier resources.

Becoming the boss's woman grants access to the company's top resources.

It's true that signing a contract can secure resources, but the top-tier resources obviously come from other avenues.

Moreover, the boss is young, handsome, and successful, making him the kind of person young girls like her admire.

So she turned back halfway.

"Chairman."

"Why are you back again?"

"Chairman, you just asked me about relationships. Are relationships important for artists?"

"Of course, it can even be a matter of life and death."

"May I ask you for advice on matters of love in the future? It's so important for celebrities, and I don't know anything about it."

"Of course." Shen Qing looked at Na Zha with some surprise.

"May I have your personal phone number?"

"Can.

Na Zha wrote down Shen Qing's private number before leaving, satisfied.

In fact, she not only obtained Shen Qing's private number, but also permission to consult Shen Qing about relationship problems. However, she wouldn't be foolish enough to date someone else and then seek out Shen Qing for advice.

"About Time" is scheduled to be released on September 21, the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 22, aiming to compete for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday slots.

张一谋导演的《山楂树之恋》已经宣布定档9月16日，甄子弹的《精武风云陈真》9月23日，《剑雨》9月28．《狄仁杰之通天帝国》9月29日—一这里面威胁最大的就是徐课的《狄仁杰之通天帝国》。

Also, when "About Time" is released, Liu Shishi will likely have to do the promotional tour herself, and Shen Qing is about to go to Thailand to film "Lost in Thailand". When the movie is released, "Lost in Thailand" will most likely not have finished filming yet.

"Baoqiang, it's been a while since we've worked together."

When Shen Qing stepped into the conference room of Magical Film and Television, it was already full of the main creators of "Lost in Thailand". Wang Baoqiang and Huang Bo were sitting in the first two seats on the outside. Shen Qing sat down in the main seat and smiled at Wang Baoqiang.

"It's been four years. The last time we collaborated was in 06 when we filmed 'Lost in Thailand.' In the blink of an eye, the sequel is about to start filming."

Baoqiang stood up and bowed slightly, saying, "I benefited greatly from working with the director last time. I've been eagerly anticipating the sequel, and it's finally here."

Shen Qing waved his hand, gesturing for Wang Baoqiang to sit down, and said, "We'll have plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future."

-

"With Huang Bo joining us this time, the three of us can work together to make the 'Lost in...' series a benchmark for domestic comedy films." Shen Qing looked at Huang Bo and said, "The three of us can totally form a comedy powerhouse!"

Huang Bo also stood up and bowed slightly.

Will they form a comedic trio with Shen Qing?

Regardless of whether it ultimately comes to fruition, the very idea itself has a significant positive impact on both of their careers.

The meeting lasted until noon. After the meeting, Shen Qing invited the two of them to his office.

"The initial production cost of 'Lost in Thailand' is set at 8000 million. If you two are interested, you can also invest in it."

Of the 8000 million yuan production cost, 4000 million yuan went to Shen Qing's salary as screenwriter, director, and lead actress—and that was after she lowered her own salary. The film also had other production companies; if Shen Qing had acted for free, the cost could have been reduced to under 3000 million yuan. But wouldn't that have been giving money away to the other production companies?

The lower the cost, the higher the share that other producers can hold for the same amount of money. If Shen Qing takes less money, the result will be that other producers get more shares; Shen Qing isn't that foolish.

Of the 8000 million yuan production cost of "Lost in Thailand", China Film Group and Enlight Media each contributed 400 million yuan, each holding a 5% stake, while Magic Films held a 90% stake. China Film Group and Enlight Media mainly profited from the distribution of "Lost in Thailand", and their investment in production was minimal.

Shen Qinggang wasn't just being polite; he genuinely had many opportunities to collaborate with Bao Qiang in the future, so he couldn't let Bao Qiang down. Having given Bao Qiang a chance, Huang Bo naturally followed suit.

"Director, I'm putting all of my 200 million yuan salary into this project."

Wang Baoqiang made the decision without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Qing nodded. 200 million, representing 2.5% of the shares.

"Director, I'll put in 300 million of my 200 million salary."

Huang Bo also expressed his opinion.

"We'll have Chen Zhixi sign a supplementary contract later," Shen Qing said.

At this time, Huang Bo was a much bigger star than Bao Qiang, having starred in films such as "Crazy Racer" and "Cow." Bao Qiang, on the other hand, was mostly playing supporting roles in his films.

Therefore, the production team offered Bao Qiang a salary of 200 million yuan, while Huang Bo's salary was 300 million yuan.

All preparations for the film crew's departure to Thailand have been completed, and the official departure date is set for August 12th.

On Saturday, July 31, the box office of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" rebounded, with a single-day box office of 1385 million yuan, bringing the film's total box office to 9.13 million yuan.

从7月9日到7月31日，共历时23天，《西游降魔篇》累计票房破9亿元大关。

then:

On August 1st, another 1452 million was received.

December 2, 1235 million.

December 3, 892 million.

Since August 3, its daily box office has failed to return to over 8 million, further confirming that its staying power is not as strong as that of "Gravity" and "Avatar".

By August 9, the film had grossed another 5.4 million yuan, bringing its total box office to 10.02 billion yuan.

电影自7月9日正式公映，到8月9日24时整，共历时32天，然后华夏影史第三部票房破10亿电影诞生了。

Even now, the "100 Million Yuan Club" is still a great honor for domestic directors, and Shen Qing has unknowingly already had two works that have reached the "1 Billion Yuan Club".

Knowing that "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" would eventually break the 1 billion yuan mark at the box office is one thing; actually seeing it surpass that mark is quite another. When the news officially broke, the industry was most shaken.

The fact that "Gravity" grossed over 10 billion yuan can be attributed to the success of "Avatar"'s 3D craze. But what about "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"?

What else is there to say?

"It feels like just a few years ago we were hyping up the '100 Million Yuan Director Club,' making it seem like such an amazing thing. How come in the blink of an eye, we already have three movies that have grossed over a billion yuan?"

"Don't be misled by Shen Qing's achievements. Even today, the '100 Million Yuan Director Club' is still incredibly prestigious. It's just that Shen Qing's phenomenal success makes the 100 Million Yuan Club seem less impressive! But seriously, only a few months apart, and two of Shen Qing's 1 billion yuan-grossing films have been released? He's really something!!"

"Let's predict which director will be the next film to gross over 10 billion yuan? Is Feng Xiaogang's 'Aftershock' a good chance?"

"Aftershock" has already flopped, with a maximum box office of 7 million yuan.

"The next film to gross over 10 billion yuan will also be directed by Shen Qing. There's no other complicated reason, just one: Director Shen Qing is the youngest!" History belongs to the young.

Liu Yifei hasn't had any new works since "The Forbidden Kingdom" almost two years ago. If it weren't for her strong connections, and if any other actress hadn't taken on any roles after becoming a big star, they would have been forgotten in the entertainment industry.

As it turned out, Liu Yifei did just that. On one hand, she maintained a considerable level of popularity even after not taking on any acting roles for two years. On the other hand, after two years of inactivity, her final move was a game-changer. She thus became the leading actress in China's first billion-yuan-grossing film!

Ever since that day when Naza got Shen Qing's private number, she actually sent Shen Qing a text message, and the question really was about "love".

The problem.

"Boss, can I ask you a question about love?"

The text message was sent at noon. Shen Qing ignored it at first, but replied an hour later: "Ask away!"

"Boss, how does someone know they're in love? Does seeing someone and suddenly having the urge to kiss them count?"

The second text message arrived instantly, and the questions asked were becoming increasingly daring.

Shen Qing looked at the second text message that had just arrived and couldn't help but feel a little wary.

Judging from the reports from my previous life, this girl seems to be a bit love-struck. Has she met someone she's attracted to?

That can't be right, can it?!

If that were true, she wouldn't be so stupid as to ask Shen Qing, the male boss, this question, would she?

"I guess so!"

Shen Qing felt a stirring in his heart, thinking that perhaps he should take care of her before going to Thailand, so that she wouldn't keep asking him about "love" every now and then.

"So what does kissing feel like? Boss, don't laugh at me, but I've never been in a relationship before, let alone kissed."

Naza reiterated that she has no romantic history.

Shen Qing still didn't believe it.

"You really want to know?"

Shen Qing thought to herself, "Today is the day."

"Of course I'd like to! Maybe the company will give me a role someday, and who knows, maybe even a kissing scene? If it's my first kiss while filming, won't people laugh at me?"

Naza typed very quickly; as soon as Shen Qing sent the message, he replied immediately.

"If you really want to know, I'll teach you!"

Shen Qing finally replied in this way.

"Okay, where will you teach?"

"Would you dare come to my house?"

"Why wouldn't I dare? Is the boss going to eat me?"

"That's hard to say."

"Then I'm definitely going."

"Give me an address, and I'll drive over to pick you up in a bit."

In the afternoon, Shen Qing left the company early and drove to the address Nazha had given him. When he arrived, Nazha was already waiting at the intersection. After picking him up, Shen Qing drove to one of his many properties.