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

Chapter 171 Superbody, $2 Million in 3 Days, Huge Explosion

On April 3, "Let's Get Married" was broadcast simultaneously on four channels. On the first day of its release, all four channels achieved a viewership rating of over 1. Among them, Jiangsu Satellite TV had an average viewership rating of 1.95%, and Zhejiang Satellite TV also had a rating of 1.76%.

If its viewership data on Jiangsu Satellite TV were placed last year, it would have already made it into the top 10 for the entire year.

Of the dramas, seven were broadcast on CCTV-7 or provincial satellite TV channels. It's extremely rare for a drama to achieve a viewership rating in the top 10 of the year.

But that's not all; this is only the data from the first day after the broadcast.

After its premiere, the show's reputation spread rapidly, and more and more people heard about it through various channels. The show's ratings also entered a steady upward phase.

By April 11, the show's average ratings on Jiangsu Satellite TV had risen to 2.61%, while Zhejiang Satellite TV and Beijing Satellite TV both broke 2%, and even the worst-rated Anhui Satellite TV had risen to 1.6%.

Using the same standards as last year, "Let's Get Married" had already risen to the top 5 for the whole year, while this year it is currently ranked first for the whole year.

To date, no other TV series, including those broadcast on CCTV and provincial satellite channels, has achieved the viewership ratings of "Let's Get Married." There's no doubt that "Let's Get Married" is a hit, a massive hit, a phenomenal success that has broken all previous records.

Furthermore, the viewership ratings for "Let's Get Married" are still climbing.

As April arrived, while "Let's Get Married" was sweeping the TV drama market, Shen Qing and her company were also making a series of developments.

The filming of "Empresses in the Palace" has officially wrapped up.

The films "Bad Genius" and "Love is Not Blind" have started filming one after another.

The TV series "With You" and "Love O2O" have started filming one after another.

Preparations for series such as "Why is Secretary Chen like that?", the first season of "The Lost Tomb", and the first season of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" have been launched one after another.

"Why is Secretary Chen like that?" is expected to start filming in May, while the first seasons of "The Lost Tomb" and "Ghost Blows Out the Light" are both expected to start filming in June.

At the company level:

The "Everyone Check-in" app and the "Everyone Karaoke" app have been launched on Apple and Android respectively, while the "WiFi Master Key" app has been launched on Android.

Before Shen Qing could even arrange for his artists to help promote the app, WeSing had already topped the Apple App Store's free app chart.

There is a severe shortage of these kinds of products on the market.

WiFi Master Key spread rapidly across the Android market without any advertising from the very beginning, demonstrating unprecedented potential for viral spread.

Data charges are too high now, with 1GB costing over 130 yuan. Netizens desperately want a tool to solve the problem of excessive data usage. News of people waking up the next day with a 1800 yuan debt after forgetting to turn off mobile data before bed has shocked countless netizens.

Shen Qing continued filming "The Martian" at the China Film Digital Base. Liu Yifei came to visit the set and got along very well with Anne Hathaway. Before leaving, Shen Qing gave Liu Yifei a task: to help promote the "WeSing" app on Weibo.

"Don't hide it. Netizens these days are savvy; being open and honest will actually win you favor. Try promoting this 'WeSing' app on Weibo," you could say, "Boss Shen Qing asked me to help promote my sister company's product." Give it a try if you have time.

Following "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" and "The Great Wall," Liu Yifei's Weibo followers skyrocketed, now exceeding 1300 million, demonstrating her immense influence.

Did you make "WeSing"? That sounds really fun. Believe it or not, I've genuinely wondered why no one has made a product like this before—

"I never expected that we two would be so in sync. We really are a match made in heaven," Shen Qingsi interjected smoothly.

"I'll try it out myself when I get home, and then I'll promote it after I'm familiar with it." Liu Yifei smiled, and then immediately downloaded and installed WeSing from the Apple Store.

Chen Lin, COO of Ciyuan Rhythm, contacted Tiantian Dongting Company and proposed a full acquisition plan. The other party quoted an overall valuation of US$6000 million. After evaluation, Chen Lin believed that the final transaction price would be between US$4500 million and US$5500 million. After thinking about it for a few days, Shen Qing finally decided to abandon the acquisition plan.

While Tiantian Dongting is useful for Ciyuan Rhythm and the Douyin platform it plans to incubate, it is not essential. Furthermore, Tiantian Dongting's copyright library lacks exclusive authorizations and doesn't have a large number of songs. The price offered by the other party made Shen Qing feel that this project was somewhat of a waste.

On April 15, the premiere of "Lucy" was held in Beijing. Shen Qing, the director of the film, made time to attend despite his busy schedule.

After the premiere, Fan Bingbing will continue promoting the film in China for two days before flying to the United States to attend the US premiere of "Lucy".

Because this is the first time since last year's "City of Rock" that Magical Films has not adopted a large-scale preview release method, some people have questioned the quality of "Lucy".

In the words of these skeptics, large-scale preview screenings were so effective that they not only controlled theater chains and cinemas, but also established Maoyan Movies' dominant position in the industry, while also promoting the film and spreading word-of-mouth. Since this tactic was so effective, why is it suddenly no longer being used?

Perhaps it's because Shen Qing herself knew that the quality of "Lucy" was actually just average?

Large-scale film promotion can certainly generate positive word-of-mouth, but if it promotes negative word-of-mouth, wouldn't that be shooting yourself in the foot?

Instead of large-scale previews, they'll release it directly to the general public, which will entice even more people to the theaters.

There are quite a few people who hold the above views, but even more people scoff at them.

"The Great Wall" has only been out of theaters for a short time, and Shen Qing's reputation is at its peak right now.

The global box office of "The Great Wall" exceeding 10 billion US dollars has made countless Chinese people proud of Shen Qing. Now, do you really think that a few people's baseless speculations can dampen the audience's enthusiasm for the name "Shen Qing's film"? That's really overthinking it.

On April 20th, during a relatively quiet film season, "Lucy" once again brought cinemas across the country to full capacity. Many business owners who had invested all their savings in cinema construction practically regarded Shen Qing as their second parent.

Most cinemas usually lose money, only making a fortune when a blockbuster is released. Now, for cinemas across the country, the release of a film directed by Shen Qing means that cinemas are about to enter a period of great profits.

4月20日至22日这3天，《超体》在国内的票房分别为8741万、1.0728亿和9654万，3

The film grossed 2.82 million yuan in box office revenue over the course of 24 days.

This result is definitely far behind that of "The Great Wall," whose preview screenings grossed significantly more, and its daily box office after its full release was more than double. However, this result is still quite good, with 2.82 million yuan in box office revenue in the first three days. Its final box office revenue has a real chance of breaking the 1 billion yuan mark.

These days, only Shen Qing's films and the Transformers series have managed to break the 10 billion yuan box office mark.

"Breakup Buddies" has also surpassed 10 billion yuan, but the screenwriter of this film is still Shen Qing, and the production company is also Shen Qing's company.

On April 20th local time, the movie "Lucy" officially hit the North American film market, opening in 2700 theaters, a number far less than that of "The Great Wall".

However, as a low-budget film, "Lucy" is absolutely outstanding.

It grossed $1808 million, $1602 million and $1278 million respectively in its opening weekend in North America, for a total of $4688 million over the three days, beating the African American film "Think Like a Man" which grossed $3300 million, and becoming the top-grossing film of the week.

The third-ranked film is Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games," which, after four weeks in theaters, still grossed $14.5 million this week, bringing its total North American box office to a staggering $3.57 million.

"Lucy" has surpassed "Taken 2"'s $4335 million in its opening weekend in North America, but is significantly lower than "Taken 3"'s $5880 million. However, "Lucy" has seen a huge surge in overseas box office revenue.

Excluding North America and Greater China, "Lucy" still grossed over $100 million overseas in its first three days, even approaching twice the box office of "Taken 3" in the same period and the same statistical region.

"Taken 3" had the popularity of the first two films and also had the superstar Shen Qing playing the male lead, but its overseas box office was completely crushed by "Lucy".

Especially in the European market, I don't know how it happened, the box office was unbelievably high.

In the first three days after its premiere, including box office revenue from all countries and regions, "Lucy" has officially surpassed the $200 million mark in cumulative box office revenue.

In just three days, $200 million was achieved. Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' previous internal assessments were essentially all wrong. The overseas box office performance of "Lucy" has given both companies a real eye-opener.

While it's true that Shen Qing directed "Lucy," it's also a true female-centric film.

This movie doesn't even have a male lead; Fan Bingbing is the only actor carrying the box office.

If this film becomes a success, Fan Bingbing's international influence will undoubtedly skyrocket. And judging from the film's box office performance in the first three days, this movie is more than just a success!

Countless companies and industry peers, especially female celebrities, were watching this movie closely. When the results were announced, everyone was stunned.

Actually, the plot of "Lucy" is just so-so, with a lot of loopholes, but the pacing and atmosphere are really awesome, which is Shen Qing's strength. But can Fan Bingbing alone carry the box office of this film?

It turns out that not only can it withstand the strain, but it can withstand it to the point of bursting.

Fan Bingbing had already returned to China. After getting off the plane, she didn't go anywhere but went straight to the China Film Digital Production Base. When she arrived at the perimeter of the filming location for "The Martian," she stopped and quietly watched Shen Qing working diligently behind the monitor not far away. Suddenly, she smiled.

Shen Qing saw her and greeted her. Fan Bingbing smiled and walked over.

"Lucy is incredible, especially its box office performance overseas, which is nothing short of phenomenal. So, what do you think?" Shen Qing asked Fan Bingbing with a smile.

"Thanks."

Fan Bingbing moved her lips but made no sound, but Shen Qing understood what she meant.

She was telling Shen Qing that she understood how she achieved her success. She knew that without Shen Qing, she wouldn't have achieved what she had today. She had reached a height she never dared to dream of before. She was sincerely grateful to Shen Qing for helping her get all of this, and she would never forget how she achieved what she had today.

Fan Bingbing stayed in the studio for a while before leaving. She will soon be continuing her promotional tour in China.

The better "Lucy" does, the more necessary it is to do a promotional tour, because it can really boost box office revenue.

On April 24th, the peak ratings for "Let's Get Married" were once again significantly surpassed. The latest episode on Jiangsu Satellite TV reached a single-day rating of 3.87%, with an average rating of 2.98%. Zhejiang Satellite TV and Beijing Satellite TV both surpassed 2.2% in ratings, while Anhui Satellite TV reached 1.75%.

Without a doubt, "Let's Get Married" is already this year's super hit drama and a phenomenal hit.

Huace Film & Television, Ciwen Media, Noon Sunshine, Huanrui Century, Hairun Film & Television—these domestic film and television companies that mainly produce TV dramas have all taken notice.

Based on the current ratings trend of "Let's Get Married", it is almost certain that the final average rating of the show on Jiangsu Satellite TV will break 3 - this show is clearly aiming for the number one rating of the year!

So far this year, CCTV hasn't produced a single drama with a viewership rating exceeding 1.8%.

"Let's Get Married" is now completely dominating, crushing both CCTV and Hunan TV.

Spurred by the huge ratings success of "Let's Get Married," major television stations, including CCTV, Hunan TV, Jiangsu TV, Zhejiang TV, Beijing TV, Anhui TV, Dragon TV, and Shandong TV, as well as major video websites such as iQiyi, Tencent, Sohu, Youku, Tudou, and LeTV, have all come to Magical Films to secure the unsold dramas from Magical Films in advance.

The recently wrapped-up dramas "Empresses in the Palace" and "Princess Agents" have become prime targets for casting, while "With You," which just started filming...

"Love O2O" has been frequently asked for in advance, and even "The Lost Tomb" and "Ghost Blows Out the Light," which are still in preparation and have not yet started filming, have become targets that video websites are determined to acquire.

In the past two years, the price of TV drama copyrights has skyrocketed, so it's a bit wishful thinking for both TV stations and video websites to try to lock in dramas that might not air until next year at the current market price.

Dai Ying reported to Shen Qing about the visits from various TV stations and video websites. Shen Qing then directly summoned Dai Ying and Chen Zhixi to the crew's hotel to discuss work.

Shen Qing had previously wanted to buy the rights to South Korea's SBS television station's "Running Man" in advance, hoping to produce "Running Man China" ahead of time. However, he later realized that he had overthought things. SBS not only demanded exorbitant prices but also only allowed licensing one season at a time. It was obvious that if the first season became a hit, the licensing fees for the later seasons would be even higher.

So Shen Qing simply changed his approach.

Since the licensing fee is so expensive, why doesn't he just produce original variety shows?

After careful consideration, Shen Qing selected three variety shows that did not have copyright issues: "Who's the Murderer", "Ace vs Ace", and "The Masked Singer".

"The Masked Singer" is not a national-level variety show in China, but it is definitely one in South Korea and in the United States.

This variety show has a very innovative format, and it has been licensed to 53 countries and regions by South Korean broadcaster MBC.

The US version set a record for the longest run of a non-scripted program in seven years, and was subsequently renewed for multiple seasons and nominated for a Guild of Producers Award.

Once Shen Qing makes "The Masked Singer" a hit, he can take the license for "The Masked Singer" to South Korea to exchange for the license for "Running Man".

In other words, Shen Qing needs to firmly control the copyrights of these variety shows.

Therefore, his first choice is definitely not to cooperate with the TV station.

Take the variety show "Who's the Murderer" for example. Could Shen Qing really take the proposal to Hunan TV to discuss cooperation? Hunan TV has an extremely rich variety show team and experience. How could they possibly produce a variety show that is completely controlled by outsiders? How could they possibly produce a variety show that aired on Hunan TV in its first season, only to have the copyright holder take it to another station to air the next season if they couldn't reach an agreement?

So Shen Qing decisively changed her target and looked for video websites that had not yet started producing their own variety shows!

"The Masked Singer," "Ace vs Ace," and "Who's the Murderer"—three variety shows, on Tencent Video, iQiyi Video, and Youku Tudou Video—three video websites!

Shen Qing's company will first complete the production, and then sell it to video websites, but only the broadcasting rights will be sold. The initiative must be firmly in our own hands.

"Both 'The Masked Singer' and 'Ace vs Ace' are easy to handle, but this 'Who's the Murderer'—I have an F in my heart."

They have a key figure in mind, but it's unlikely they can get him to come.

Shen Qing sighed.

Chen Zhixi and Dai Ying both looked at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing let out a breath and said, "No one is irreplaceable. Sa Beining from CCTV and Bai Jingting from our company should be suitable candidates. You two should discuss the others carefully. I'll think about it some more."