Chapter 123: The Acting Skills of a Berlin Golden Horse Best Actress and Jing Tian's Entry into the Billboard

On December 22, "Room" was officially released, and "Confession of Pain" was released on the same day.

Domestically, the screening rate across major cinema chains reached 40%, but except for Wanda and Shanhe Cinema Line, the others only promised to maintain it for three days, with subsequent adjustments based on attendance; after all, it is an art-house film, and cinema chains also need to make a living.

In North America, due to the excellent results of the early screenings, Summit Entertainment expanded the release to 1,500 screens, which can be considered setting a precedent for art-house films.

On the first day of release, the domestic box office was 14.88 million, which has already set a domestic opening day box office record for an art-house film. It is evident that this Palme d'Or film has fully earned the audience's anticipation. Of course, there were also savvy netizens who checked the North American ratings in advance and spontaneously promoted it online.

More importantly, the subsequent word-of-mouth was extremely good. Many moviegoers who had seen it recommended it to those around them to go to the cinema to watch it, and there were even many grassroots supporters online advocating:

"Watch it and cry for a while; don't watch it and regret it for half a lifetime."

Under such circumstances, this film with a heavy art-house attribute actually shook off a crowd of commercial films and firmly grasped the daily box office championship.

In the first three days of the opening weekend, the box office reached 52 million, shocking industry peers and a crowd of art-house directors. They completely did not expect that an art-house film could have such a violent box office performance.

The situation in North America was even more exaggerated. The box office on the day of release was 3.77 million, and the box office for the first three days of the opening weekend reached 14.88 million. Summit Entertainment couldn't believe it at all after receiving this data; this simply created a box office myth for art-house films.

On December 24, the Golden Globe Awards nominations were announced, and "Room" received a total of three nominations, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film.

The news spread back to the country, causing a stir. The media were excited to have entertainment material, netizens were proud that their country's film had achieved huge success abroad, and even mentor Tian Zhuangzhuang called to inquire.

In short, Wei Jin and "Room" were popular once again, and popular to the point of having no friends.

Under the pincer attack from both sides, "Curse of the Golden Flower" saw its box office decline step by step. Ten days after its release, the box office was less than 130 million, and crucially, its word-of-mouth had also collapsed.

"The whole city is full of big-breasted girls."

"Apart from chrysanthemums, there are only breasts."

To describe the reviews of the film as a barrage of negative comments is not an exaggeration at all.

There were also media outlets using the "Three Brothers of Rotten Films" to describe them: "The Promise", "The Banquet", and "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Even worse, some directly claimed that at least half of the current box office was contributed by Zhou Dong's fans, and Zhang Yimou had exhausted his talent.

The subsequent box office of "Curse of the Golden Flower" is worrying, and it is highly probable that it cannot break the personal record set by Zhang Yimou with "Hero".

At this time, even Zhang Weiping dared not nag anymore; he truly understood Wei Jin's power.

Ever since "Room" was released, Wei Jin had not been distracted by asking about it, focusing all his attention on filming "The Invisible Guest".

On the set, having just finished a scene, Theron found Wei Jin.

"What's wrong, Theron?"

Wei Jin was a bit surprised, because although Theron was invited by him, the two didn't actually interact much on the set.

"Wei, you really are a magical man."

Theron looked at this man who was seven or eight years younger than her, and recalled their first meeting in Berlin. At that time, he was unknown, and in the end, he only took home the Outstanding Artistic Contribution Prize.

Previously in North America, he had also mostly been digging deep into low-budget horror films, which simply didn't catch the eyes of well-known actors.

Even for this film, if it weren't for the plot being truly unexpected, plus Wei Jin having won the Cannes Palme d'Or this year, Theron would not have agreed to appear in it.

Yet, it was such a person who not only won the Cannes Palme d'Or but was even nominated for a Golden Globe, with hopes of winning an Oscar—this is the supreme honor in North America. For a moment, Theron couldn't quite see through him.

"Thank you for your compliment, Theron."

"Wei, you know, I have a great pursuit in art. Coincidentally, your attainments in art are also very high. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to discuss it with me tonight?"

Theron's words were very tactful, but the meaning was expressed very directly.

Actually, when she first arrived at the set, Theron wanted to communicate with him, but seeing Wei Jin with his Assistant, there was no good opportunity, so she held back.

"Of course, this is my honor. The exchange of art will make us more tacit with each other. I believe that after this, the filming of the movie will also go more smoothly."

Wei Jin had long been aware of the openness of North American women, and he didn't mind having a friendly match. Besides, Theron was only 31 years old this year, just at her ripest, and with her status as a Golden Horse Best Actress, the psychological pleasure of conquest would not be small.

"That's wonderful, Wei. Looking forward to the night coming sooner."

Having received Wei Jin's affirmative reply, Theron was a bit happy. One must know that if such an invitation were rejected, it would undoubtedly be very damaging to one's self-esteem.

After handing Wei Jin a room key, Theron left satisfied.

That night, Wei Jin experienced the acting skills of a Golden Horse Best Actress. States such as sobbing, being sealed and closed, being like a wolf or a tiger, being hungry and thirsty, and being infatuated were all performed by Theron with extreme realism.

Of course, to show respect, Wei Jin also brought out 120,000 percent of his directing ability, including the choice of positioning, the scheduling of the lens, the ups and downs of the rhythm, the transition of scenes, etc., which made Theron very satisfied. Of course, what amazed Theron the most was Wei Jin's ability to control long takes; the whole night was actually shot in one take. The days of filming passed one by one, and 2006 also became a thing of the past.

Wei Jin enjoyed double the happiness on the set. Except for the fact that his Assistant Xiaobai was always unable to let go and unwilling to join the threesome, everything went very smoothly.

He thought the following days would pass peacefully without any waves, but unexpectedly, Wei Jin, who had no old friends in North America, actually welcomed a set visit, and the person who came was completely beyond his expectations.

"Wei, hello, I am Taylor Swift. You can call me Taylor."

Looking at the slightly curly-haired Taylor, Wei Jin was a bit surprised. This girl was only 17 years old and had no intersection with him at all; what kind of set visit was this? "Oh, Taylor, you are truly a young and beautiful girl."

In the interval of complimenting the other party, Wei Jin sorted out his thoughts and decided to get straight to the point: "Please forgive my rudeness, we are strangers to each other, you came today..."

"Sorry, it was my presumption. I came this time simply because I wanted to get to know you, this genius musician."

Taylor also didn't expect Wei Jin to be so direct. Wasn't it said that Easterners are very reserved? "Oh, so that's how it is."

Wei Jin understood a little. As a musical genius who had just risen in North America this year, Taylor might have been struck by the urge to hunt.

"However, in front of you, I cannot be called a musical genius."

Wei Jin was very clear about his own weight. In front of this future world-class diva, his achievements were not worth mentioning at all. One must know that the first single Taylor released upon her debut received a 5x Platinum certification and was even nominated for the CMT Music Awards. In the future, this girl's achievements in music would be terrifyingly exaggerated.

"No, Wei, you are too humble. That song 'Unstoppable' by Scarlett and the 'Dream It Possible' currently sung by this Eastern woman are both from your hand. This is enough to prove your achievements in music."

At this time, Taylor appeared a bit fanatical, as if she had seen a true god.

On Christmas 2006, the song "Dream It Possible" entered the North American market and quickly attracted people's attention.

The theme of believing in oneself, daring to challenge, and chasing dreams expressed by the song resonated with many listeners.

Especially after watching the song's MV, many people were moved by this warm short film about chasing dreams.

Although the singer was an Eastern woman, music has no borders. A song that can resonate with people will not be buried. There were even music critics who commented on the song: "This is a song about dreams. A grand piano solo serves as the opening, slowly leading to a tactful and powerful voice.

Dreams need to be polished by time, need to be tempered by wind and rain, and may also experience confusion, disappointment, and darkness. But as long as you keep moving forward, you can break through layers of thick fog and let the sunlight pierce through the clouds to emit a scorching light.

Jing Tian from the East expresses her confidence and determination in dreams and the future through 'Dream It Possible', and encourages everyone to bravely and persistently pursue them. Dreams are an indispensable belief and spiritual pillar that support us in having the strength to walk through all hardships."

The MV single had been on sale for only ten days and had already parachuted into the top 50 of the Billboard singles chart. Looking at this momentum, it was highly likely to break into the top ten in the short term.

For a time, Jing Tian attracted a large number of followers in North America and called her the "Eastern Inspirational Goddess".

When the little girl called Wei Jin to share the good news, she was so happy she didn't know which way was up.

Of course, being able to release it so quickly and achieve such results was also due to the great effort of the distribution company behind it; Lu Zheng attached great importance to this single, specifically contacting Warner Music and paying a significant price to entrust them with the distribution in North America, which is how such astonishing results were achieved.

"Oh, thank you for your praise; your music is also excellent and has its own unique characteristics. I believe that in the future, you will definitely become a world-class diva."

Everyone helps carry a sedan chair; besides, what Wei Jin said was not a lie.

Subsequently, Taylor began to exchange musical insights with Wei Jin, and soon Wei Jin discovered he couldn't quite keep up with Taylor's rhythm; he was, after all, a dabbler, and apart from the songs in his head, he didn't have much talent in music.

Wei Jin had to make an excuse about having filming duties to avoid being exposed if the conversation continued.

"Sorry, I've delayed your work. Can you let me watch on set? I really want to know what kind of magic the film has that could make you give up your musical talent and devote yourself to it entirely."

Taylor made a request that Wei Jin found hard to refuse, and added:

"Don't worry, I won't disturb you all."

"Alright then, you can follow my Assistant; she will inform you which areas are accessible."

Seeing that Taylor had made up her mind, Wei Jin didn't say anything more and arranged for Xiaobai to look after her.

Along the way, Taylor followed Bai Bin, curious about everything on set, and also asked about many things regarding Wei Jin; upon learning of the achievements he had attained in music domestically, her resolve was further strengthened.

After staying for half a day, Taylor exchanged contact information with Wei Jin and then took her leave.

Before leaving, Taylor extended an invitation to Wei Jin, hoping that Wei Jin could write a song for her, and also hoping that Wei Jin would put more of his heart into music.

"Wei, you really shouldn't waste your talent; it's a loss for the music world."

Wei Jin was noncommittal about this; as for the matter of requesting a song, Wei Jin stated bluntly that he had no inspiration for the time being, which was equivalent to a refusal. He knew Taylor's talent well; she didn't need to ask others for songs at all, she just needed to date more.

On January 10th, "The Invisible Guest" officially wrapped up filming, but Wei Jin did not leave North America for the time being; he was still waiting to attend the Golden Globe Awards. The second update of the day, I implore all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, and collections. Please flip to the last page for the follow-up reading, thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)