Chapter 327: The Crown Princess Goes Online, the Golden Lock Tightens

In the film market, in just one week, the box office for *Beginning of the Great Revival* has already surged past the 200 million mark.

According to these figures, breaking 600 million seems to be a very real possibility.

More importantly, the domestic film market, which had been in a slump since the first half of the year, has had its downward trend completely swept away, and the producers of many upcoming films are full of expectations for their box office performance.

That film *Snow Flower and the Secret Fan*, which had been hyped up to a fever pitch, also held a high-profile premiere in Beijing, with countless industry insiders coming to show their support.

After all, Ms. Deng's current influence is still quite significant; whether it is companies in the industry or artists, everyone is very envious.

As for this kind of occasion, Wei Jin is naturally not interested; right now, he is watching Lu Yang film with great interest.

The film *Saving Mr. Wu* has only been shooting for three days, and for the first realistic-themed script directed by Lu Yang, Wei Jin naturally has to come and oversee things.

This shooting schedule first concentrated on Liu Tianwang's scenes; there was no help for it, it was mainly a matter of his schedule.

Although Liu Tianwang's films haven't been very box-office hits in recent years, his popularity base is extremely solid, and various commercial engagements are still very frequent; being able to clear a 15-20 day window this time is already giving a lot of face.

As a scene ended, Wei Jin nodded behind the monitor; Lu Yang still has a good grasp of the lens, and it looks like there is no need for him to worry.

"Hua Ge, Hong Lei Ge, thank you for your hard work."

"President Wei is too kind, it's only right."

Wei Jin did not say much more; he raised his wrist to check the time and called out to Lu Yang.

"Let's stop here for today; I'll treat the crew to a casual meal."

"Great, President Wei is generous."

A burst of cheers suddenly erupted in the crew; it's no wonder everyone looks forward to someone coming to visit the set.

At the dinner that night, drinking was naturally unavoidable. Wei Jin didn't refuse anyone, but it was tough on Lu Yang; this guy's alcohol tolerance wasn't great, and he kept dodging drinks, inevitably being mocked by a few familiar assistant directors.

"President Wei, hello, I'd like to toast you."

A girl plucked up her courage, held her wine glass, and walked forward.

Wei Jin looked over at the sound, and a tall woman with a beautiful and spirited face came into view; surprisingly, she was a familiar face.

"Hmm, what is your name?"

Facing the inquiry from the big boss, the courage the girl had worked so hard to muster seemed to be insufficient, and she appeared slightly nervous at this moment.

"President Wei, my name is Zhang Jiao, and I am from the 2009 performance class of the Beijing Film Academy."

Hearing this, Wei Jin felt very fortunate for his wise decision. There are simply too many artists in the entertainment industry who change their names; for anyone he hasn't dealt with, even if he recognizes them, he must pretend not to, such as the familiar Zhang Tianai before him.

"Oh? That's a real pity. I graduated in 2009, so I didn't see you at school. But you can call me Senior Brother; that shouldn't be taking advantage of you, right? Haha."

Seeming not to have expected Wei Jin to be so easy to talk to, a flash of surprise appeared on the girl's delicate face, and she immediately began to change her form of address.

"Senior Brother Wei, although I didn't see you at school, I have heard many legendary stories about you. I really admire you. This glass of wine is for you."

After saying this, Zhang Jiao raised her glass and drank it in one gulp, quite heroically.

Seeing this, Wei Jin smiled and raised his glass to join her, though he was lamenting in his heart that young girls these days are incredible—downing Moutai just like that.

"What role are you playing in the film?"

Hearing this, Zhang Jiao answered honestly: "A policewoman."

"Hmm? Then you shouldn't have any scenes today, right?"

"Yes, I came to the crew to help out and, incidentally, to learn more from the seniors."

Hearing this, Wei Jin nodded; she was indeed ambitious, and he immediately offered some encouragement.

"Hmm, keep up the good work. With your qualifications, you will have a chance to make it."

Receiving Wei Jin's praise, Zhang Jiao was overjoyed; because of the alcohol, her pretty face was flushed and looked ready to drip with beauty.

However, she was very perceptive; seeing that Wei Jin had ended the topic, she didn't linger, said a few polite words of thanks, left a sweet smile, and walked away.

Wei Jin watched the girl's retreating back, lost in thought, then turned to ask Wang Xu, the producer of *Saving Mr. Wu*: "How was this girl brought into the crew?"

Wang Xu noticed the boss's expression and felt a bit of relief in his heart.

"She was recommended by a teacher at Beijing Film Academy. Although she is from the advanced class, she has already appeared in films and has some talent. After I saw her in her professional attire, I felt she was quite eye-catching, so I took her on."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this; Wang Xu was also from Beijing Film Academy, so looking after the school was expected.

"Hmm, good eye."

Although Wei Jin didn't say anything more, Wang Xu was pondering in his heart that since the boss thinks highly of her, he could look after her if there is an opportunity in the future.

At this moment, Zhang Jiao did not know that she had already caught the eye of the big boss—as the film market becomes increasingly prosperous, the audience's aesthetic standards are gradually improving; the viral marketing and hype-based marketing of the past no longer work.

*Snow Flower and the Secret Fan* is the best example.

Previously, media press releases were flying everywhere, one moment claiming it was a top Hollywood team, the next claiming it was an international luxury cast.

As a result, the first-day box office of 9 million was a real slap in the face, and it made countless people following the film drop their jaws in shock.

You have to know that even the low-budget film *Amour* by Huang Bai and Jiang Yiyan, which was released on the same day, had 8 million in its first-day box office, which shows just how lackluster *Snow Flower and the Secret Fan* really is.

Honestly, Wei Jin hasn't seen this film, but he was amazed that such a film with a same-sex theme could be promoted and released with such fanfare in the country.

You have to know that back then, the film *Lan Yu* by Liu Ye and Hu Jun wasn't even allowed to have its copyright brought in, let alone be released in theaters; those "old masters" really do judge people by their status and fawn over foreign things.

It must be said that in order to successfully complete the strategy of laying out the domestic entertainment industry, Ms. Deng has taken great pains; perhaps she used her "money power," or perhaps many people were willing to bow their heads for resources, but whether it was internet media, professional film critics, or filmmakers in the industry, everyone was full of praise for this film.

Unfortunately, they forgot that this is no longer an era where elites can fool the public.

The 5.5 rating on Yinxiang Net directly knocked *Snow Flower and the Secret Fan* to the bottom, and a large number of netizens left comments online to complain:

"Undeniably, the original book was written well, but the adaptation is too lackluster; I'm simply speechless."

"Traveling between ancient and modern times, it's aimless and dizzying to watch. It's the first time I've left the cinema early; it was a total waste of ticket money."

To prove that their reviews were true, many netizens even posted photos taken in the cinema.

The vast majority of the audience was yawning, and only a small number of female viewers were sniffling and sobbing while leaning on their best friends.

With this, the reputation of *Snow Flower and the Secret Fan* completely collapsed; the second-day box office fell to 6 million, the third day continued to fall, closing at 4 million, and the fourth day even fell below 2 million.

Four days after the film's release, the box office closed at 21 million.

Compared to the production cost of 6 million USD, this result can only be described as a bloody loss.

At this same time, the film *Treasure Inn*, directed by Wang Jing, was released in a relay.

Despite having made many trashy films, Wang Jing's movies always have an audience willing to pay for them.

The film's opening day box office of 11 million also proved that Wang Pangzi's grasp of the sinking market is quite precise.

According to these figures, the film would be able to recoup its costs within the first week. As the investor, Yu Pangzi of Bona, was said to be walking with a spring in his step, clearly in a very good mood. — On the 29th, Golden Harvest held a premiere for *The Raid* in Beijing, located at the flagship store of Shanhe Cinema Line. As this was the first film where Wu Jing carried the box office alone, Wei Jin attended to show his support. Accompanying him was Fan Bingbing; as the film's producer, she naturally had to come to show her support.

Today, Fan Bingbing wore a red deep-V gown, looking stunningly beautiful and attracting many gazes at the scene.

At the venue, Wei Jin saw the bald-headed director, Lin Chao-xian, for the first time.

Come to think of it, Lin Chao-xian is considered a veteran director from Hong Kong, having entered the film and television industry in the mid-1980s as an assistant to Chen Jiashang.

It wasn't until 1997, when Lin Chao-xian was 33, that he began directing films independently. Unfortunately, he never had any notable works, remaining lukewarm in Hong Kong and even more obscure in Mainland China.

It wasn't until 2004, when his directed film *Breaking News* was released on a large scale in Mainland China for the first time, that Lin Chao-xian's name reached the Mainland market.

This man excels at action scenes and police-versus-thief gunfights, but he currently has no eye-catching achievements in commercial box office, which is why Chen Kexin is confident about competing against him.

Seeing Wei Jin, Lin Chao-xian kept a very low profile; after all, the gap between them in both professional achievements and commercial status was too vast.

After chatting with the bald director for a while, Wei Jin started chatting with Wu Jing.

Perhaps having made up his mind to develop his career back in the Mainland, Wu Jing was not nervous as the film's release approached; he was even in the mood to shoot the breeze.

"It's a pity Zhen Zidan didn't come, otherwise I would beat him up today."

Wei Jin looked at Wu Jing in surprise—how much hatred was there? He then replied with a word of encouragement.

"It's fine, since he's not here, then just wipe out his movie."

"Yeah, this time I must take him down."

"Have you won over Xie Nan yet?"

"Ahem, almost, almost."

Watching Wu Jing put on a brave front, Wei Jin didn't know what to say. If it were him, he would have already hit a home run.

After some laughter, the premiere soon began. There weren't many frills; the feature film started playing directly.

The 120-minute film had a simple but tight plot, with punches landing on flesh and blades drawing blood. The frequent fighting and gunfights were adrenaline-pumping; it could be said there wasn't a single dull moment throughout.

The bursts of applause from the audience gave the cast and crew some confidence.

This time, there was a real chance to take down Chen Kexin and Zhen Zidan. — After the premiere ended, media reports about *The Raid* came out.

"Kung Fu Hustle kid's super-burning action film, *The Raid* has no dull moments from start to finish!"

"*The Raid* — a film that explodes with adrenaline!"

"*The Raid* premiere scene, applause like thunder, the film may become the dark horse of the Summer Slot!"

At the same time, Wei Jin brought Fan Bingbing back to Golden House.

Just now while watching the movie, this woman had been making frequent moves, making Wei Jin very fired up; he had to teach her a harsh lesson tonight.

"You look really damn hot wearing this outfit."

While playing cards, Wei Jin chatted with the beauty beneath him. This woman had truly figured out his preferences perfectly, even going so far as to dress up as Yu Long Tai Hou.

"Uncle, as long as you like it, your sister-in-law will satisfy you, mmm-mmm~~~"

"Then next time, let's customize a Jin Suo costume. I want to taste what 18-year-old Bingbing-jie tastes like."

Once these words were spoken, the feedback from his body made Wei Jin gasp; he hadn't expected this woman's weak spot to be here.

"Jin Suo..."

"Jin Suo..."

After half an hour of continuous calling, this card game finally ended, and Wei Jin injected several hundred million more in capital.

Leaving Wei Jin's body, Fan Bingbing had a rosy flush on her face, her eyes charming and watery.

"Uncle, you aren't allowed to call me Jin Suo in the future; it's infuriating just thinking about it."

It was clear that Fan Bingbing was very resistant to the experience of playing a supporting role to Zi Wei back then; it had almost become a mental demon.

This was understandable; whether it was Zhao Yanzi or Zi Wei, compared to the now-soaring Fan Bingbing, they were far behind. The latter naturally didn't want to bring up the past of having to bow and scrape.

Wei Jin was just about to tease her a few times when his phone rang. He answered with one hand while pressing the other onto Fan Bingbing's head; the latter obediently lowered herself.

"Hello, Hunter?"

"Boss, the third-week box office for *Twilight 4 (Part 2)* is out."

"How much?"

Wei Jin asked nonchalantly while pinching Fan Bingbing's chin.

"66.4 million in North America, 99.6 million overseas, but it's estimated to have reached its limit..."

Hearing this, Wei Jin calculated in his mind: as of now, *Twilight 4 (Part 2)* had been released for 19 days, with a North American box office of 312 million USD and a global box office of 747 million USD.

This result was already quite good. As for what Hunter said about it reaching its limit, Wei Jin knew what was going on; *Transformers 3* had already been released in North America, so it probably wouldn't get much more box office.

"Let the North American market be as it is. Put more effort into overseas distribution. Once we finish this wave, it's time to look ahead."

"Understood, Boss. Also, James's schedule has opened up, and he plans to start *Happy Death Day 2*, aiming for a release next year."

"That's fine."

Wei Jin had no objections to this; this series still had great potential to be tapped, and one film every two or three years was quite appropriate.

"By the way, Boss, after finishing *The Hunger Games*, I plan to pick a few small-budget projects to start. You know, the guys at the company don't want to stay idle..."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this. The lives of North American citizens hadn't been easy these past two years; being able to work was a blessing.

"Good."

Just as Wei Jin hung up the phone, Fan Bingbing surged forward, her hands continuously teasing his sensitive areas.

"Uncle, do you have any projects suitable for me? I haven't shown my face on the international stage for a long time..."

Fan Bingbing truly felt that it was a pity that Wei Jin held Summit Entertainment and didn't use Hollywood resources to promote people.

"Slap!"

Wei Jin slapped the woman on her perky buttocks and gave them a forceful squeeze.

"Aren't you an investor in 'The Patriot Yue Fei'? Isn't it only natural for you to play the female lead?"

Seeming to sense the implication in the man's words, Fan Bingbing hurriedly spoke to explain: "Uncle, you've misunderstood; it's not like what you're thinking."

(End of chapter)