Chapter 189: Explosive Popularity, Project Approval, and the Counterattack of Stubborn Forces

Very quickly, Yang Mi's guess came true. *Now You See Me* reported a first-day box office of 37 million, setting a new record for single-day box office, and the total for the first three-day weekend reached as high as 117 million.

Media outlets were already predicting that this film would likely make history and break the 400 million mark.

More importantly, its overseas box office performance was even more eye-catching than its domestic one.

*Now You See Me* had almost no competition during this release window. The only film released in the same period was *The Mummy* produced by Universal; the rest, such as Warner's *Batman: The Dark Knight* and Universal's *Mamma Mia! *, had already been out for ten or twenty days, and their box office potential was nearly exhausted.

The theater chain scheduling was also very supportive, with 3,800 screenings on the first day. The North American first-weekend box office reached 58 million, with a cumulative global box office of 128 million USD, topping the global box office chart for the week.

Additionally, in terms of word-of-mouth, although it couldn't compare to many classic films, it was considered quite good among commercial blockbusters. It had a 7.6 rating on Yinxiang Net, and netizens also gave it high praise.

Ask the Past: "A rare, satisfying film. It cleverly blends magic, crime, and plot development together. Very exciting."

Carefree Heavenly Dragon: "The pacing is brisk with almost no dull moments, and the climactic twists are constant. Personally, I think it's an 8 or above."

※Shen Ni※: "There is honor among thieves; a very clever idea. The magic is wonderful, and Daddario is really big."

I Also Want to be Artistic: "The final twist is simply divine, completely unexpected."

Xixi Xi: "Recommend going to the cinema to watch it. Don't read reviews; it's easy to get spoiled."

Xin Mo Wu Xin: "Is no one praising Jing Tian? Her acting skills have improved visibly. The key is that her figure is really good. I envy Boss Wei."

Solitude of the Stars: "Kill Wei the dog, snatch Bi Yao."

This netizen was clearly a die-hard fan of *Zhu Xian*. It had been several years, yet they were still obsessed with Jing Tian's Bi Yao, which shows that this character really left a deep impression on people's hearts.

Overall, the word-of-mouth for *Now You See Me* was quite good; it could be called both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

This was not only the case in Mainland China but also in North America, where the word-of-mouth was even slightly better. It had an IMDb rating of 7.9, which is considered very good for a commercial blockbuster.

According to estimates from North American theater chains, the North American box office for *Now You See Me* was expected to exceed 200 million, a figure that would mean it would enter the top ten of the annual box office list.

One must know that, as of now, only six films had exceeded 200 million USD in box office: *Batman: The Dark Knight*, *Iron Man*, *Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull*, *Hancock*, *WALL-E*, and *Kung Fu Panda*.

Wei Jin didn't care about these speculations at all; whether or not it was in the North American top ten didn't affect his earnings. — Ever since Jing Tian received the script for *Lucy*, she had been very diligent, reading the script in the morning and practicing martial arts in the afternoon. After all, there were a large number of fight scenes in the film, and although she came from a dance academy, there were ultimately some differences.

The explosive popularity of *Now You See Me* turned Jing Tian from a newcomer in the film industry into an overnight sensation, which increased her pressure significantly. She didn't want to ruin the reputation she had worked so hard to build.

She also didn't want to hold Wei Jin back, so she pulled Wei Jin over to have him explain the scenes to her.

"This script is actually very simple; it just needs to emphasize the 'satisfying' aspect. The shooting schedule for this film won't be too long, but the intensity might be very high. You need to be mentally prepared."

Wei Jin held Jing Tian's pretty face and said gently.

"I will work hard, Brother."

Jing Tian's exquisite face was full of seriousness.

"What I mean is, the way of training requires a balance of tension and relaxation. You must cherish your body; I don't want you to be full of injuries in the future."

Wei Jin's tone was very soft, but Jing Tian received the love he expressed and couldn't help but nod.

"Mm, I will be careful. By the way, Brother, about when will we enter the set?"

"The crew is currently in preparation, and it's estimated to be towards the end of the month. There is still plenty of time, so you don't need to push yourself so hard."

Touching Jing Tian's head with some doting, Wei Jin began to get restless.

"Tian Tian, is the costume for Bi Yao here?"

"Hm? It is, why, Brother?"

The naive Jing Tian did not yet understand the dangers of the world and appeared a bit dazed.

"I want to go to Mount Wu with Bi Yao Fairy..."

"Brother, I'm all sweaty... Mmph." — There were too many people calling Wei Jin these past two days. On one hand, it was to congratulate him on the great success of *Now You See Me*, but more were actually eyeing *Lucy*. Although the script summary on the Film Bureau's official website was very vague, one could still see that the female lead had a significant role, not to mention that it was Wei Jin's project.

Women with close relationships, such as Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan, asked directly, and Wei Jin all indicated that arrangements had already been made.

Fan Bingbing was fine; she only said she hadn't seen him in a long time and wanted to exchange artistic views with Wei Jin. She had already figured out her positioning, and with the resources brought by backing Shanhe Media, there was no need to cause Wei Jin displeasure over a single role.

Gao Yuanyuan was a bit distressed. The female lead role Wei Jin had promised was nowhere to be seen. Although she knew the reason, she still felt sad inside. Coupled with the fact that Wei Jin had been intentionally disciplining her during this time and spent very little time with her, Da Meiyuan was almost starting to suspect that she had fallen out of favor.

Even Zhou Xun called to inquire, which surprised Wei Jin a little.

"Old Wei, you know me. I'm good at the job and cheap. Consider me?"

Although she had already been cast in *The Message*, Wei Jin was famous for filming quickly and well. Perhaps while that side was still in preparation, this side would have already wrapped up.

"Young Master Zhou, this film is one I'm using to promote a woman, so you should forget it..."

"A woman? I can be one too. What, do you really look down on me?"

"Forget it, with that figure of yours, I can't bring myself to do it."

"Screw you, you scumbag."

The numerous calls made Wei Jin feel harassed, so he simply decided to announce it.

The next day, the official website of Shanhe Media Group released a message: "*Lucy*, sci-fi action film, production cost 80 million, Director: Wei Jin; Screenwriter: Wei Jin; Single protagonist, female, Jing Tian; Supporting roles: several." The introduction for *Lucy* was simple and clear. A sci-fi action film with a solo female lead—this immediately made everyone think of a term: "Big Heroine" film.

This was simply the type of film all actresses dreamed of. Films tailored specifically for women were truly too rare, and furthermore, it was written and directed by Wei Jin himself; it was simply the most top-tier resource in the circle.

"Why? It was just decided like that?"

A large number of actresses were going crazy. What exactly was so good about Jing Tian?

"It's her again. *Now You See Me* was one thing, but this time there wasn't even a chance to audition. Where exactly am I lacking?"

The actresses born in the 80s were all feeling anxious, and the big stars were the same. Wei Jin is a playboy, can't you just be a playboy for once? You won't even give us a chance for a "hidden rule"? — Liu Yifei looked at the news, her face a bit pale. Had she lost after all? "Xixi, it doesn't matter. You just wrapped up filming; it's good to rest more."

Liu Xiaoli saw that her daughter was not in a good state and, changing from her usual opportunism, began to comfort her instead.

"Mom, it's okay. Brother Wei Jin won't break his promise to me. If I didn't get what I wanted, I believe there will be something better."

In fact, Liu Yifei was also forcing herself to be comforted. Could even the best role compare to a "Big Heroine" film directed by Wei Jin himself? "Mm, it's good that you can think it through. Why don't we go out and relax while you're resting?"

Liu Xiaoli could see that her daughter had fallen deeply in love. At a time like this, she could only go along with her, otherwise, it would cause trouble.

"Mm, I'll listen to you, Mom."

On the other side, the *Chinese Paladin 3* set.

A scene had just ended, and Miss Cai pulled Liu Shishi aside, looking heartbroken: "Shishi, I told you long ago to be proactive. It's getting harder and harder now, sigh."

"But I've already been sending texts and calling every day. How else can I be proactive? What if he doesn't like me at all?"

Liu Shishi's voice was very soft; the act of throwing herself at someone made her feel very embarrassed, even though she also had a favorable impression of Wei Jin.

"Impossible. The first time you met in Shanghai, he was already setting his sights on you. I'm certain of it."

Recalling the way Wei Jin acted when he was with her, as well as the tone he used when chatting with her, Liu Shishi nodded, finally gaining some confidence.

"Then, should we ask him to visit the set?"

Liu Shishi thought of a method; inviting an investor to visit the set was quite reasonable, right? "Hmm, that is possible, but I don't know if he has the time. If he comes, remember to drink some alcohol then." — "What did you say?"

In the office, Wei Jin looked at his new Assistant with some disbelief. His script actually couldn't pass censorship? Did these old things really think they could live forever? Not considering their descendants even a little bit? "W-Wei, President Wei, that is the reply from over there. They said that *The Hunt* still needs to be studied."

Wang Zhi was somewhat uneasy. Having only joined the job for a few days, she really didn't know what to do when facing her boss's fury, even though she was a year older than the boss before her.

Wang Zhi was born in 1982, practiced martial arts at age 7, and in 1999, she studied at the Guangdong Province Dance School. Later, in order to develop in the north, she took the entrance exam for the Central Academy of Drama and became a student in the 2004 class; her experience was actually somewhat similar to Ceng Li's.

She was a very steady person. During university, she almost never went to film crews. Last year, she participated in her personal television drama debut, *Witness*. At that time, she felt that the entertainment industry was not easy to navigate.

She had originally planned to stay in Beijing to be a village official after graduation to settle down for a while, but who would have thought that just as she was about to graduate, she received a job offer from Shanhe Media. One must know that at the time, she had only followed the crowd and submitted her resume along with her classmates.

What moved her even more was that the company did not require her to start immediately, but instead gave her three months to prepare for her thesis defense and return home to visit her family.

The company's benefits were also very good, with high income and an apartment provided; it was almost the perfect job in her heart. However, the boss's requirements were a bit strict: one had to wear high heels, black silk stockings, and a hip-hugging skirt during work hours. For Wang Zhi, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, this was a bit uncomfortable; she still preferred sportswear.

"Forget it, you go out first."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi felt as if she had been granted amnesty and quickly disappeared. In the office, only Wei Jin remained, lighting a cigarette alone and falling into deep thought. — Wei Jin had not expected that the counterattack from these old guys would come so quickly, and the methods were so clever that they were impeccable.

Two scripts were submitted at the same time; one passed, one was pending. No one could say that they were specifically targeting Wei Jin.

Wei Jin had a premonition that if he found some connections to smooth things over, perhaps the script would pass censorship after a while. These people probably didn't intend to offend him completely; they were just holding him in check. In other words, they were flexing their muscles to let Wei Jin know their power.

However, Wei Jin didn't buy this. He opened his email and sent the original script of *The Hunt* to Hunter, asking him to register it on his behalf.

Since the domestic scene was the territory of these old guys, then he would film abroad. The graduation project didn't require it to be filmed domestically anyway. In any case, it was for winning awards; Wei Jin didn't care at all whether it was released domestically or not.

Having prepared his backup plan, Wei Jin felt a sense of relief and turned his attention to the project *Lucy*.

This film could be considered one of the few female-led films, and it was clearly a case of the role elevating the actor. It wouldn't matter much who played it; it was very suitable for Jing Tian now.

However, if he wanted to achieve the effect of elevating the actor, the box office had to be eye-catching. Wei Jin had long had plans for this.

The original film starred Scarlett. At that time, she wasn't very famous, and she didn't have much box office appeal.

The reason it achieved such a high box office was largely due to the gratification of the film's script. How much harm the heroine suffered in the early stages was reversed in the later stages; the contrast effect was fully maximized, and every audience member felt satisfied watching it.

But that alone was not enough to make the box office take off. The key lay in distribution capability. The original film was distributed by Universal, one of the Hollywood Six Majors, which achieved almost global distribution, and that was how it obtained a global box office of over 400 million USD.

However, since it was directed by Wei Jin and starred Jing Tian, the script would inevitably need to be appropriately localized. In this way, the overseas box office might not be as high as the original, which was something Wei Jin could not accept. Therefore, he planned to make up for it through the actors.

Wei Jin's version of *Lucy* planned to film in Japan. After all, Japan was currently still the largest box office market in Asia. In this way, the casting would inevitably have to lean a bit toward the Japanese market.

In addition, the same went for South Korea. The original actor, Cui Minzhi, was very good and had high appeal in the South Korean region. Coupled with Wei Jin's status as an Oscar Director, he believed it could also achieve impressive results in South Korea.

As for Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, with Wei Jin's reputation, even if the actors were all novices, it wouldn't stop the audience's enthusiasm; he himself was the biggest draw.

Furthermore, the reason he didn't make it a Hollywood film was also another attempt by Wei Jin. As a hard sci-fi, *The Martian* should be able to initially open up the global market for Chinese-language films.

If he could succeed with another soft sci-fi, *Lucy*, it would mean that Wei Jin truly possessed powerful appeal on a global scale. In the future, he could continuously promote the movement of Chinese-language films toward the world, which was also one of the few pursuits Wei Jin had at present.

It was truly the case that when wealth and status reached his level, there weren't many great pursuits left. This censorship incident even made him feel a trace of excitement.

No wonder the great man said: Fighting with people is endless joy, fighting with the earth is endless joy, fighting with heaven is endless joy. Wei Jin now had a bit of that state of mind. Today is the second update. I sincerely ask all book friends for subscriptions, follow-up reads, favorites, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. Thank you all! (End of chapter)