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

Chapter 165 is extremely powerful.

"The opening weekend box office results are in. 'The Great Wall' is in first place, produced by Warner Bros., with a weekend gross of $8347 million, bringing its total to $8347 million in one week of release. It opened in 4023 theaters and has a 92% positive review rate. 'Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol' is in second place, produced by Paramount, with a weekend gross of $2653 million, bringing its total to $5897 million in two weeks of release."

The ranking list was reposted by enthusiastic netizens to various places such as Tieba, Weibo, Maoyan Movies, and Tianya, and discussions ensued everywhere.

"It's much higher than I expected. Hurricane 2 was $4335 million, Hurricane 3 was $58.8 million, and I thought that if Hurricane 3 was done well, it would be good to get more than $60 million. I didn't expect Shen Qing to skip a level and get $8347 million in one go. Old Shen really made something of himself this time."

"It's really not easy. At least the Hurricane series has the popularity built up by its predecessors."

"Even if it's directed by a top Hollywood director and stars top actors, not many can make more than $8000 million in their opening weekend."

"Shen Qing is a world-class director and a top actor."

"Judging from this opening weekend's box office, it's a shoo-in for the top ten global box office this year."

China Film Group.

Han Sanping stared at the list on the computer for a long time, then stood up and walked to the window, gazing aimlessly into the distance. At that moment, his heart was filled with excitement.

The numbers aren't as good as Gravity, but everyone knows that Gravity was an exception, just riding the wave of 3D movies. The Great Wall's opening weekend gross of over $8000 million has already far exceeded his expectations.

Shen Qing is truly a genius; he really has the ability to consistently deliver blockbusters to Hollywood! How exactly does he do it?

"If The Great Wall were my work—"

Han Sanping straightened his chest, but his mind was still wandering.

Zhang Weiping of New Pictures commented that he has seen enough of the hype surrounding "The Great Wall" online these past few days.

Yi Mou's "The Flowers of War" is definitely no worse than "The Great Wall".

The box office performance was not as good as Shen Qing's, because he had access to Maoyan (a Chinese movie ticketing platform), and because his large-scale preview screenings were too unethical.

Will The Great Wall be more popular than Hero?

In 2002, the total box office revenue for the entire year was less than 1 billion yuan, but the film "Hero" alone grossed 250 million yuan, which means that one out of every four movie tickets sold that year was for "Hero".

Can "The Great Wall" compare? How much is 2.5 million yuan in box office revenue back then equivalent to today?

It needs at least 50 billion!

Then he saw the North American opening weekend box office results for "The Great Wall".

Shen Qing has succeeded again in North America.

He has a real knack for understanding the tastes of Western audiences.

Liu Xiaoli called her daughter, who was busy with a roadshow.

"I just saw the opening weekend box office results for your movie in North America, and everyone online is saying it's a huge success. Did you call to congratulate Xiao Shen?"

"Congratulate him? Why should I congratulate him?"

"You silly child, didn't he achieve such great results?"

"If you get it, then you get it. There's no need for this kind of talk between us."

"What's the relationship between you two?" Liu Xiaoli asked with concern. "Originally, Mom didn't want to ask. You're all grown up now and can make your own decisions. But you're my only daughter, and I'll always be worried if I don't find out."

"Mom, go ahead and ask. It's okay."

Has he ever said he would marry you? Even if it takes several years?

Hollywood, USA.

A phone number I hadn't heard from in a long time called.

"Director Shen Qing, want to grab a coffee?"

"OK."

After agreeing on a meeting place, Shen Qing grabbed her coat and left the hotel.

The call was from Anne Hathaway; the last time the two met was when they were filming "Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle".

The coffee shop was quiet, and the two chatted casually after meeting, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

You've changed a lot.

Anne Hathaway said to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing examined himself and wondered if Hathaway was implying that he was getting old.

No, he's so energetic that women both love and fear him.

"Do you look a little haggard?" Shen Qing asked her directly.

"NONONO, what I mean is, your achievements are becoming increasingly significant, or rather, quite astonishing."

"Thanks."

"And me? Have I changed a lot?" Anne Hathaway asked Shen Qing again.

Shen Qing nodded and said, "Big."

Hathaway waited for his answer with her sapphire blue eyes filled with doubt.

"She's getting prettier and prettier."

"Thank you," Hathaway said with a smile.

"I heard you're going to make 'The Martian'?" Hathaway asked casually.

Shen Qing nodded: "Soon."

He wasn't curious how Anne Hathaway knew; secrets don't stay hidden forever. Besides, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures both knew about Shen Qing's plan.

When will the audition for the role of Captain Melissa Lewis be held? Can I get an audition opportunity? I've loved this comic for many years and I really love the character of Melissa Lewis.

Shen Qing shook his head and said, "Like 'Gravity,' the original comic will be adapted into a Chinese version, so there won't be a character like Melissa Lewis. The captain role in the Chinese version will definitely be played by a Chinese actor."

Hathaway nodded and said, "I understand. What about Inception? What about Interstellar? Are there any roles I can audition for?"

"There probably will be," Shen Qing said.

The two chatted quite congenially, and when it was time to part, Anne Hathaway suddenly asked Shen Qing a question.

"My hotel is nearby. As a gentleman, won't you see me off?"

"OK."

When they arrived at the hotel she had mentioned, she asked again, "Don't you want to come up and sit for a while?"

Shen Qing looked up, and the first thought that popped into her mind was: "Could this be a honey trap?"

Then he chuckled to himself, realizing that the other person was a top Hollywood actress, and what kind of person did he think she was?

"it is good."

Shen Qingdao.

The two went upstairs together.

Shen Qing entered the room first. Anne Hathaway opened the door and gestured for him to enter. After Shen Qing entered, Anne Hathaway followed and then closed the door behind her. She then hugged Shen Qing from behind.

Shen Qing felt a slight tingling sensation on her back, like an electric shock.

Three hours later, Shen Qing left and returned to the hotel she had booked.

He couldn't help but sigh on the way.

too fast.

The relationship happened too fast, it happened suddenly, and the progress was also very fast. The three-way communication was completed on the first try.

The contract for "Lucy" has been finalized, with a guaranteed global copyright transfer fee (excluding Greater China) of US$6800 million, plus 20% of the initial total box office revenue, 20% of the DVD revenue, and 20% of the TV/VOD revenue.

The two sides also reached a general framework for discussing the investment in "The Martian".

The total investment is estimated at US$1.1 million. Magic Film & Media Co., Ltd. is the producer of the film. The contract stipulates that if Magic Film & Media Co., Ltd. can complete the production of the film within US$1 million, the remaining US$1000 million will be the producer's reasonable profit.

Shen Qing, who served as director, lead actor, and screenwriter, received a base salary of $3000 million. In addition, Shen Qing enjoyed a percentage of the film's profits.

30% of the initial total box office revenue, 30% of the DVD revenue, and 30% of the TV/VOD revenue.

In addition, the Greater China rights to the film belong to Shen Qing—this is the most favorable change for Shen Qing compared to the previous contract for "The Great Wall".

The Greater China rights for "The Great Wall" required Shen Qing to pay real money, but by the time of "The Martian," the Greater China rights for the film already belonged directly to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing plans to offer 10 to 20 percent of the mainland film rights to other film companies after returning to China. Of course, this won't be free; he'll have to pay for it.

Thus, the trip to the United States came to a perfect end, and Shen Qing, along with Jing Tian and the entire team, set off to return to China.

When Shen Qing returned to China, "Breakup Buddies" had officially finished its run, with a cumulative box office of 12.7 billion yuan.

However, few people are paying attention to it anymore; almost all eyes are now on "The Great Wall," which is sweeping the global box office.

It's not that nobody cares; at least Ning Hao cares a lot.

Before the release of "The Great Wall", Ning Hao was full of pride and even thought that the gap between himself and Shen Qing was no longer that big.

It wasn't until the box office figures for "The Great Wall" in North America came back that the situation changed.

It almost crushed Ning Hao's spirits.

The gap between the two people is still so big.

While the box office of "The Great Wall" is still soaring, Shen Qing has already shifted his focus to developing and incubating Douyin (TikTok).

Today, Magic Investment Group has established a company that rivals ByteDance: CiYuan Rhythm.

CiYuanRhythm has initially established an independent subsidiary called "CiYuanRhythm Research Institute". At this time, it is still easy to apply for a company with the word "research institute" in its name, but it will not be possible in the future.

Ciyuan Rhythm Research Institute is the company's technology platform, and Yiqidaka is the company's first product, used to accumulate data and algorithms for technical training.

Shen Qing also wants to create a tool similar to CapCut, accumulating templates, filters, special effects, and video beautification algorithms, so that they can be integrated into Douyin when it is launched in the future.

The target audience is users of Douyin, owned by Shen Qing. No matter how you shoot, it will be more beautiful, simpler, and have more interesting and concise special effects and templates than other platforms.

The CapCut backend can integrate one-click registration and posting functions for Douyin videos.

Douyin's support and incentive measures can be directly sent to the CapCut creator's backend. In the early stages, CapCut users can be encouraged to post their videos on platforms such as Weibo. Once Douyin is launched, it will be easier for CapCut to guide these people to Douyin.

CapCut users will be among the earliest bloggers in the country to understand video content.

Besides CapCut, Shen Qing also plans to create a music social app similar to "Changba" and "WeSing".

I remember that the original "Changba" accumulated over 100 million users in just one year, which shows that there is still a market for this sector.

Shen Qing's desire to develop "Changba" or "WeSing" is also aimed at accumulating music copyrights and related algorithms.

CapCut can connect with video bloggers, and Sing! or WeSing can connect with talented singers; these will all become resources for Douyin in the future.

In addition, Shen Qing also intends to acquire Tiantian Dongting, with the aim of accumulating music copyrights in preparation for Douyin.

Moreover, the user preference data from Tiantian Dongting will also be very effective for Shen Qing's plan to develop Douyin.

Is there anything else that needs to be done?

Perhaps it could be made into a WiFi universal key?

This app's user growth rate is astonishing. If Shen Qing can replace the original WiFi Master Key and achieve the same growth rate, then by the time Shen Qing's Douyin is launched, the app may have already accumulated five or six hundred million users. It would be perfect for driving traffic to Douyin. After completing the traffic-driving task, it could be packaged and sold directly, and a large sum of money could be made.

WiFi Master Key poses a privacy risk, so it cannot be registered under the name of CiYuanRhythm. Therefore, a completely independent new company should be established.

"The Great Wall" grossed $5842 million in its second weekend in North America, maintaining its top spot. Its domestic box office total in the United States is $1.95 million, demonstrating its astonishing box office power.

Even after excluding the Greater China region, the global box office still surpassed the $4 million mark.

As expected, the internet in China became lively again.

"Didn't someone say before that 'The Great Wall' grossed $4 million domestically and $4 million overseas, for a total global box office of approximately $8 million?"

"One hundred million US dollars, I think?"

"It seems so."

"It's true that someone said that, I think it was said by a netizen on the movie box office forum."

"That's right, and I remember that ID belonged to a die-hard fan of Shen Qing, who was always bragging about how amazing Shen Qing was."

"I've also seen that post. A lot of people are criticizing that person for being too optimistic. It's impossible for a film to have such an exaggerated $8 million budget. 'Gravity' had all the right conditions, and it's impossible for any subsequent film to have so many favorable factors."

"Indeed, a lot of people are criticizing it."

"I sprayed it too."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"What happened? Didn't anyone check the box office charts carefully that weekend?"

"According to the research, 'The Great Wall' remains in first place, with $5842 million in box office revenue this weekend."

"The next column shows the cumulative North American box office, which is already $1.97 million, almost breaking $2 million. And I checked, as of midnight last weekend, The Great Wall's global box office has officially surpassed the $4 million mark, and that doesn't even include Greater China."

"So, in other words, that post predicting $4 million domestically and $4 million overseas was actually a bit conservative?"

"Of course that's conservative, considering that 'The Great Wall' has only been showing for less than two weeks so far."

"It's not that person's prediction was conservative; it's that Shen Qing doesn't play by the rules. I still vividly remember the moment when 'Gravity' broke the $15 billion mark at the global box office. Shen Qing really dares to lead Chinese films into the top three of global film history!"

According to the agreement reached between Shen Qing and Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, the Greater China rights to "The Martian" belong entirely to Shen Qing's company. Shen Qing decided to allocate 20% of the rights to various companies, large and small, including China Film Group, Enlight Media, Wanda Group, Huaxia Film Distribution, and Berna Films.

Shen Qing's films are now the biggest piece of the pie in the industry, and it's no exaggeration to say that no company wouldn't want to get involved.

Shen Qing receives numerous text messages every day: "I'm a friend introduced by so-and-so. Are there any shares left for the new movie? I want to invest."

This is practically Shen Qing's daily routine now.

Shen Qing wouldn't accept any investment from just anyone, nor would he completely reject any. If you truly have strong connections, Shen Qing will naturally give you face.

However, he only allocated 20% of the total share, of which China Film Group and Enlight Media's share will certainly not be small. Whether the remaining individuals or companies take 1% or 0.5% is not something Shen Qing can control.

With the investment share for "The Martian" roughly determined, the next step is casting.

"Gong Li, Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, Yu Feihong, and Chen Shuxian, that's the five of them."

Inside the office, Shen Qing spoke to Dai Ying.

Dai Ying nodded and said, "I'll arrange the audition right away."

The role these people are auditioning for is the leader of the Mars exploration team.

After Fan Bingbing officially received the audition invitation, she immediately wanted to get into Shen Qing's bed. Among the rumored audition invitation list, she was certain that she and Shen Qing were the only ones with that kind of relationship, which should be her biggest advantage.

But in the end, she held back.

"Maybe I only got the audition invitation because of that kind of relationship with him? If I keep bothering him now, will it backfire?"