Chapter 448: Refreshing: The Unlucky Deng Chao

To respond to the previous media sarcasm, China Film Group, Wanda, and Shanhe Media released the news the moment they received the document from the General Administration.

"Pacific Rim has been approved by the General Administration and has received a 10-day Extended Key!"

As the news spread, it immediately attracted the attention of various media, cinema chains, and production companies in the industry.

Although the Extended Key for Pacific Rim is only for 10 days, with the current box office exceeding 1.3 billion and daily earnings of over 20 million, plus an extra weekend and the extension, the 1.5 billion box office target is within reach.

"I knew it would be like this. It's a good thing it's only ten days, otherwise there really would be no way to survive."

"Now the gambling agreement for Shanhe Media is going to be fulfilled again. 47.5% of the box office share, what a killing!"

"This is unfair. In ten days, how many domestic films will fall at its feet? I object!"

"I support it. I've been waiting for so long, surely I won't have to queue for IMAX 3D again, right?"

"."

Regarding the news of the Pacific Rim extension, reactions from all sides varied; there were those who opposed it, those who supported it, those who were jealous, and those who remained silent.

The voices of opposition came from fellow producers, especially those who had films about to be released, as Pacific Rim's current daily earnings would definitely seize a significant market share.

Cinema chains generally remained silent and were even somewhat happy, as they could earn more under the same costs.

As for the audience and film fans, almost all were satisfied, because for those who hadn't managed to grab 3D tickets earlier and were unwilling to settle, hadn't this opportunity arrived? Regardless of how the outside world viewed it, the extension of Pacific Rim had become a foregone conclusion; no one could change it.

The only thing the industry could do was predict to what extent this film would push the domestic box office record.

Just at this time, Enlight Media updated a Weibo post.

"The Four 2, started filming today at Hengdian. Looking forward to the first film's box office results, successfully breaking through 200 million."

The industry was somewhat surprised; this start of filming by Enlight Media had no press conference, and they were not accepting set visits beforehand, which was truly low-key enough.

Wei Jin actually understood this somewhat. Although the box office performance of The Four was currently quite good, its reputation was still falling further, and the Yinxiang Net rating had already dropped to 6.1.

Under these circumstances, being a little low-key was not necessarily a bad thing.

On the other hand, schools like Beijing Film Academy and Central Academy of Drama held quite high-profile graduation ceremonies, putting Undergraduates and Graduate Students together, which attracted the attention of many media outlets.

Wei Jin posted a Weibo: "Congratulations to Director Guo Fan on his Graduate Student graduation, time to get to work!"

Once the message was out, many actors in the industry began to repost, like, and congratulate Guo Fan, and some who had particularly good relationships even teased him.

"Does Boss Wei mean that Director Guo is about to have work? How about considering me, sister? Although I'm not cheap, I guarantee I'm easy to use."

Without looking, Wei Jin knew this was Zhou Xun; only she would be this "bold."

"Xiao Jin, come to think of it, Xun Ge'er has been signed to the company for two years now, right? Aside from Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, you haven't given her any good resources yet..."

"Yuan Yuanjie, why are you turning your elbows outward? It seems I need to teach you a lesson today."

Gao Yuanyuan, relying on the fact that she was "six months pregnant," wasn't afraid at all; she stuck out her tongue and raised her eyebrows at Wei Jin in a provocative manner.

"Come on, come on, let's see what you can do to me."

The corners of Wei Jin's mouth lifted slightly. He squatted down, and while Gao Yuanyuan was a bit confused, he reached out and grabbed her dainty feet in his hands.

"Hehe, Yuan Yuanjie, if I use this move, how will you resist?"

After speaking, he aimed his fingers at the soles of her feet and began to tickle.

"Ah~~ stop, stop it, it's so ticklish, haha... stop it quickly... no."

A pregnant woman should not have intense emotions. In the end, Wei Jin did not joke with the health of Gao Yuanyuan and the child. This scene of him playing Zhang Wuji forcing Zhao Min lasted only one minute.

Looking at Da Meiyuan's flushed face, Wei Jin lowered his head and bit her red lips. After tasting them, he had a playful look on his face.

"Hehe, Yuan Yuanjie, let's see if you dare again."

Just as Gao Yuanyuan was about to say something, Wei Jin's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Hello, Mr. Chairman?"

The caller was indeed the chairman of the Venice Film Festival, that kind-looking old white man—Ma Ke.

"Oh, Wei, that title no longer applies to me. I have stepped down. It is a pity that I cannot see you complete the feat of the European Three Major Film Festivals Grand Slam during my tenure."

Hearing this news, Wei Jin was stunned for a moment, but then he reacted. Ma Ke had served as the chairman of the Venice Film Festival since 2004, and it had been 8 years now; it had indeed been quite a long time.

"Is that so? That is truly a pity. If I had known, I would have given it my all last year."

"Hahaha, Wei, you are still as humorous and as confident as ever. Let's get down to business—is that how you say it in Chinese? I am calling you this time at the request of the new chairman, Alberto Barbera, who would like to invite your Dixing Yinxing to be the opening film. I wonder if I have this honor?"

"Of course, Mr. Chairman, it is my honor."

Wei Jin did not hesitate and agreed directly. For one, he had a good impression of Ma Ke, and for another, the opening film could also be considered promotion for the film.

"Haha, Wei, thank you for your support, but I must emphasize again that I have stepped down."

"Alright, Mr. Chairman."

"Hahaha."

As the second weekend of July ended, Pacific Rim once again refreshed the entertainment headlines.

"Pacific Rim has been released for 33 days, with a box office of 1.389 billion, refreshing the domestic film record and topping the box office charts!"

"A new film box office record has been born, Pacific Rim, 1.389 billion!"

"Pacific Rim still has ten days until it leaves theaters; from now on, every day will be a new record!"

At the same time, good news also came from the overseas box office.

"Pacific Rim is a global box office hit; as of now, the cumulative box office has exceeded 550 million USD."

This figure was even better than what Warner Bros. had originally predicted; after all, they hadn't expected that the domestic side could actually create a result of 200 million USD, and this was not the end.

Wei Jin also received many congratulatory calls, many of which were from people hoping to participate in future co-productions.

To this, Wei Jin could only say they were naive.

Lin Yufen's efficiency was quite good; it took her a little over a month to finish the post-production of Left Ear.

Wei Jin and Lin Yufen watched the finished film in the company's small screening room, and that guy Lu Yang also came along to join in the fun.

After watching the nearly two-hour finished film, Wei Jin looked at Lu Yang.

"Tell me your thoughts." "Uh."

Seeing that Lu Yang seemed to have some concerns, Lin Yufen smiled.

"It's fine, Director Lu, just go ahead and say it."

"Alright, then I'll say it. This plot is too melodramatic. It only allows the male and female leads to grow old together with constant good fortune, while the rest of the supporting characters are too miserable, especially this second male lead; it's too stifling."

Wei Jin smiled and shook his head. Youth campus dramas basically follow this formula: parents divorcing, rebellious personalities, skipping classes and fighting, jealousy and rivalry, sleeping around and abortions, car accidents and terminal illnesses. It might be a bit melodramatic, but the audience loves it. Haven't you seen domestic TV dramas lately? The more melodramatic they are, the higher the ratings.

"President Wei, what do you think?"

"In my opinion, although the formula is old and the plot is very melodramatic, the box office should be quite good, but as for the word-of-mouth, I'm afraid it will be polarized."

Hearing Wei Jin's assessment, Lin Yufen breathed a sigh of relief. What does a commercial director want? Isn't it just the box office? Once you have the box office, what more could you want? Works that truly achieve both box office success and critical acclaim are simply too rare. If such a script really existed, it wouldn't be Lin Yufen's turn to direct it, at least not for the time being.

"Then President Wei, shall I arrange for it to be submitted for review now?"

"Mm."

Casting for *The Devotion of Suspect X* had begun, and Wei Jin took some time to visit the audition site.

Although there was no female lead, the competition was still extremely fierce, and this time there were especially many male actors.

Looking around, at least half of the domestic male actors above the second tier had come. Xia Yu, Duan Yihong, Pan Yueming, Chen Kun... company artists like Chen Xiao, Zhu Yilong, Zhang Yi, Zhang Songwen, Lei Jiayin, Luo Jin, Wang Kai, and Bai Yu were also there.

What surprised him a little was that Deng Chao had actually come too, so he walked up to greet him.

"Brother Chao, why are you here? What about *American Dreams in China*..."

Deng Chao's expression looked a bit bitter. "President Wei, there is already a result, it just hasn't been announced yet. I lost out on the schedule."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin was speechless. This was likely his own fault, because the addition of *Keep Running* and Qiao Zhenyu had squeezed Deng Chao out.

It was just that given his current situation, he would likely just be making a cameo if he auditioned this time, unless he was irreplaceable or particularly favored; otherwise, a big director would absolutely not compromise on an actor's schedule.

After chatting with Deng Chao for a while, Wei Jin walked over to the actresses' side.

Looking around, they were all teenage girls; after all, film resources suitable for them were truly very scarce.

"Director Wei, hello, we meet again..."

Zhang's mother stood up with Zhang Zifeng to greet him, and the latter smiled shyly, "Director brother..."

Wei Jin reached out and ruffled the little girl's hair; it had been over a month since they last met.

"Zifeng, how was your exam this time?"

Speaking of this, Zhang Zifeng's expression turned a bit bitter. "Director brother, I didn't do well this time. Chinese and math were okay, but I only scored thirty-something in English."

"Uh... then you really have to work hard. You at least need to pass, haha..."

Wei Jin could only offer a word of encouragement. Since she wanted to be a child star, she would inevitably have to sacrifice study time, so poor grades were understandable.

He still remembered this girl saying on a show that getting 400 points on the college entrance exam was simple, but when her actual score was revealed to be only 391, she lost quite a few fans.

So, there are no true top students in the entertainment industry; it's all just a persona.

No wonder Chen Duling, a genuine top student from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, could attract so many fans; she was truly too rare.

Sure enough, in the afternoon, Wei Jin saw the press conference held by China Film Group in conjunction with Chen Kexin.

Huang Xiaoming was indeed a representative of high emotional intelligence; he ultimately secured the most core role among the three leads.

At the press conference, Qiao Zhenyu's performance was fine; no great disappointment could be seen. For him, these external resources were not indispensable.

But Tong Dawei's performance was very obvious; he had almost no interaction with Huang Xiaoming throughout the event, clearly harboring resentment for losing to the latter.

How could the media not see it?

Now it was a mess; before the movie had even started filming, news of the leads' discord had been reported, and Qiao Zhenyu had been inexplicably dragged into it as well.

Although all three were desperately trying to deny the rumors, the gossip-loving public wouldn't have it and dug up quite a few past events.

Especially Huang Xiaoming and Tong Dawei; because their acting paths overlapped highly, their infighting had almost never stopped over the years, and there was quite a bit of private animosity between them.

At this point, the fans of the three parties were becoming irrational and started tearing into each other online.

Regarding this matter, Wei Jin didn't pay much attention. There were many such fights in the entertainment industry over billing and roles; as long as it wasn't malicious smearing, he didn't have the spare time to manage it.

Just as he intended to continue watching the fun, Lao Chen came over with several documents to report on work.

The post-production of *Chuqiaozhuan* was completed at the end of last month, and the company organized a screening session a few days ago.

After some intense competition, the first-round broadcast rights were jointly won by Su Province TV, Beijing TV, and Modu TV, with a price of 3 million per episode, setting a new record for TV dramas.

This historical drama had a total of 60 episodes with a production cost as high as 80 million, but it sold for 180 million in the first round alone, directly achieving a large profit.

If the subsequent second and third rounds plus online copyrights were added, the final revenue would be even more exaggerated.

It was just that Wei Jin was a bit curious why the wealthy Mango TV didn't get involved this time? Regarding this, Chen Zhiming gave the answer, "President Wei, Mango TV is currently building their exclusive broadcast theater and is not very willing to do joint broadcasts, and the timing is also hard to coordinate."

Wei Jin nodded. Mango TV's brand effect was becoming increasingly apparent, so naturally, they wanted to widen the gap with other TV stations. They had even started collaborating with production companies in the industry to produce custom dramas for their own fans; joint broadcasts would likely be impossible in the future.

However, Wei Jin didn't mind this; there were many TV stations in the country, and it wasn't a must-have.

"By the way, President Wei, this is the list of signings from the exchange meeting."

A few days ago, Beijing Film Academy and Central Academy of Drama jointly held an exchange meeting and invited quite a few companies in the industry.

Although it was called an exchange meeting, it was actually similar to a job fair at a regular university, providing a destination for their own students.

After all, even at art schools like Beijing Film Academy and Central Academy of Drama, there were not a few students who were forced to change careers every year after graduation because they couldn't find a film crew or sign with a company.

Shanhe Media and Starry Sky Culture were naturally among those invited, and Chen Zhiming and Zhang Xu went to the scene representing the two companies respectively.

Lao Chen was mainly responsible for production business, and this time he signed quite a few students from the Beijing Film Academy Management School to be trained as reserve producers.

Looking at the list handed over by Lao Chen, there were no familiar names, which didn't surprise Wei Jin. There were only a few Gold Medal Producers in the circle, and most behind-the-scenes workers were not famous.

"Alright, for the projects to be launched soon, send them to intern..."

"Mm, I know."

(End of chapter)