Chapter 416: Just Say I Said It (Refined)

"... No, Mom, what does this have to do with me?"

"How does it have nothing to do with you? If it weren't for you, why would she cry all night?"

"I just told her the facts, let her choose."

"Choose what choose? She doesn't want to go back and you still make her choose! In the future, tell me first if there's anything, do you hear me!"

"I..."

"You what you, ask you if you heard me??"

"... Heard it."

"When are you arriving tomorrow?"

"Three o'clock in the afternoon."

"Good, I'll talk to you properly when you get home!"

Hanging up the phone, Chen Nuo angrily said loudly: "Talk then! Afraid of you?"

He originally wanted to scold two more sentences, but Guli Guli Nazha knocked on his door, interrupting his anger.

"Chen Zong, Warner sent the box office fax over."

"Oh. Bring it over."

Guli Guli Nazha walked to Chen Nuo and handed him an A4 paper.

Chen Nuo received it, didn't look at it first, but looked at his little assistant, smiled and said: "You've worked hard during this time, you can take a good rest when you go back tomorrow. You can just transfer to Urumqi then. I'll give you a half-month vacation, go back to Xinjiang to see your parents."

Hearing this, Guli Guli Nazha's eye sockets became hot, and tears almost fell.

From Tokyo to Seoul, from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur, from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok, and then to Singapore. In these 10-plus days since July 12th, Guli Guli Nazha felt that she was busy from morning to night, either on the road or working, not only having to handle various chores in promotion as Allison's assistant, but also having to unconditionally put down the things in her hands to help when the boss had something.

Not only was there a lot of work, but the mental pressure was also great.

Every day after waking up, she couldn't help but look at various news reports about 'Inception', look at various netizens' discussions on Twitter and FB, look at IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Weibo, Douban.

Paying attention to the box office of various countries, it can be said that there was not a moment of relaxation in her nerves all day, which led to her having no mood to post on Weibo recently.

Finally, finally she could rest!

Subconsciously, she bowed: "Okay, thank you, thank you Chen Zong."

Look, this is how the environment changes people.

A Uyghur girl, having stayed in Japan and Korea for a long time, almost turned into a ghost or a stick.

Hurry back and disinfect.

Chen Nuo looked at her sympathetically and said: "Find time to buy some Singaporean specialties to take back and give to people, so as not to say you went around the world and didn't even bring a gift. When you buy it, give me the invoice, and I'll reimburse you privately."

Huh?

Guli Guli Nazha was taken aback, her heart felt even warmer, and there was a tiny bit of joy, just wanting to say something, but saw the other party had lowered his head, so she had to close her mouth resentfully.

Chen Nuo looked at this printed fax, and at the first glance, he raised his head abruptly, wanting to find someone to chat with and explore the bottom of it, but found that only Guli Guli Nazha was blinking her big eyes at him.

The girl seemed to know what he was surprised about: "Chen Zong, do you need me to call them in?"

"Go!"

No wonder Warner sent it over so seriously this time.

It's really incredible.

If the North American second-week box office of 133 million US dollars and the UK market's 29 million US dollars trend were within Chen Nuo's expectations—after all, it was said that Michael Sloan was a fake expert who didn't know shit about movies.

It was said that Inception could be benchmarked against Avatar, so it could be benchmarked against Avatar.

How did Avatar walk in the European and American regions in the first week and second week, don't you know?

What if the first week is slightly weaker?

Isn't this 1.43 in the first week and only a slight drop of

Chen Nuo was even confident that even more incredible trends were yet to come.

He didn't ask to truly follow the path of the pioneer *Avatar* without any deviation, but he believed that with a plot and special effects that were by no means inferior, *Inception* could follow for a large part of the cycle, say about two months, and by maintaining a trend of slow and gradual decline, it should still be no problem to carve out a satisfying curve.

Setting aside the UK and US for a moment, other European countries, including South Korea, were releasing it one after another; the complete box office data hadn't come out yet, so that could also be set aside for now.

What surprised him was Japan.

Japan's first-week box office actually reached 2.8 billion yen!

According to the 2011 exchange rate, that was approximately 32 million US dollars!

This really made him feel it was incredible!

No way, how much did *Twilight 3*, which he also starred in, make? And how much did *Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides* make?

These kinds of fan-series movies only sold for about 18 million or 21 million; could *Inception* sell 32 million?

If calculated based on 400 theaters, each theater would need to contribute over 10,000 US dollars in box office per day, with an average occupancy rate of almost over 50%.

On what grounds?

As everyone knows, the Japanese market has always been the market with the greatest long-tail effect. Many times, its screening cycle is even longer than North America's. As long as a movie's box office is good, 2-3 months is normal, and even for something like *Spirited Away*, in some movie theaters, the screening time could be as long as half a year.

It sold 32 million US dollars in the first week, so if the second week follows the trend of the North American market, calculating it this way...

"That's right!" Elizabeth also said with an excited face, "I've already checked; the second-week box office record in the Japanese market was the 28.5 million US dollars set by *Avatar*. If we only drop 8% in the Japanese market in the second week, then we will break it and create the record for the total box office of the first two weeks for a foreign film in the Japanese market!"

"Even, if we keep it up, surpassing *Avatar*'s final box office record in Japan is only a matter of time."

"Chen, this is simply... simply a miracle!"

Elizabeth's excited voice echoed in the room, and for a moment, no one spoke.

After a while, Allison said faintly: "Yes, a miracle. I hope you remind Michael who this miracle was born because of. Let him go look at that post on Japan's 2ch, or the discussions on Yahoo Japan, or let him adjust his Twitter follow list."

"The records on these all show that the reason for creating this miracle is because this movie has a male lead who can display super-high charm on Japanese variety shows, possesses extremely strong appeal among the Japanese public, and has extremely strong popularity among female audiences in the Japanese market."

"This is his luck!"

Elizabeth laughed and said: "Allison, no matter how you view us, if Warner were really as stupid as you think, then we wouldn't have survived until today. Michael really didn't mean anything else that day; he was just simply complaining."

Allison sneered and said: "Heh, simply complaining, in front of you? He just wanted to use your mouth to tell us."

"I really sometimes think you have a bit of a persecution complex, or you should go see a psychiatrist."

"You..."

"Alright, alright." Seeing the gunpowder smell getting strong again, Chen Nuo hurriedly interrupted, "Allison, Elizabeth, I called you over not just for the box office, but mainly to say, thank you for your hard work."

"Especially Elizabeth, thank you for your arrangements during this time. You are very professional, and I will truthfully report your excellent performance to Michael later."

Elizabeth showed a grateful expression and said: "Thank you. Chen, you are the most reasonable and professional actor I have ever met, and I am very happy to be able to work with you. I hope we have more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

"Same here." Chen Nuo smiled, "I hope soon. Don't forget, I said in Japan that if the box office is higher, the faster I will go to participate in *Human Observation* again..."

Elizabeth smiled: "If, in the end, we really surpass *Avatar* and become the sixth highest-grossing film in Japanese history, when are you planning to go?"

"Haha, probably two or three months later? I will sacrifice my upcoming rest time, haha."

"Then... what if we surpass *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* and become third?"

"Then, hahahahaha, I think no matter where I am, I will set off immediately."

The next day, when Chen Nuo finished his promotional tasks and parted ways with Allison and Elizabeth, flying from Singapore to Chengdu.

North American and Japanese media also reported one after another on *Inception*'s box office performance from the previous week.

North America's mainstream entertainment media *Variety* evaluated it straightforwardly: "*Inception*'s second-week box office in the North American and UK markets dropped only slightly by 8%, showing extremely steady performance, remaining strong in the fiercely competitive summer season, demonstrating powerful box office endurance."

*The Hollywood Reporter* also used many exclamation marks to indicate the importance of this news: "32 million US dollars! Japan's first-week box office is beyond imagination! *Inception* swept the first market in East Asia, not only showing extraordinary box office appeal, but perhaps also signaling its strong trend in Asia!"

And the largest online entertainment media in the US, *Deadline*, also commented: "*Inception* shows rare long-term potential after *Avatar*; the second-week box office drop in North America was controlled to a single digit, which is extremely rare, and the performance in the international market is particularly eye-catching—Japan's first week directly broke all industry expectations, setting off a movie-watching frenzy in Japan."

At the same time, mainstream Japanese media also reported one after another on the amazing results of this film in their domestic market and made more specific analyses of the underlying reasons for this box office explosion.

After all, the local market and local media naturally see things more clearly.

Japan's most well-known entertainment media *Oricon News* wrote: "*Inception 3D*'s first-week box office exceeded 3.2 billion yen! The charm of Chinese actor Chen Nuo exploded comprehensively, winning overwhelming support from female audiences and sparking heated discussions on social media."

And Japan.

Japan's largest-circulation newspaper, *The Asahi Shimbun*, quoted a well-known film critic in its entertainment section: "The structure of the film itself is incomparably exquisite, but what truly made the market go crazy is the presence of the lead actor, Chen Nuo. His character is both cold and affectionate; it is precisely this sense of contradiction that moved Japanese audiences, especially the female demographic."

When such reports spread via Twitter and reached LA in the US.

Quentin Tarantino laughed a few times in his mansion and then picked up the phone.

However, after chatting for a while, his originally happy expression didn't look so good anymore.

"... Still need to observe?"

"*Captain America*, do you think even if *Captain America*'s box office drops severely this weekend, what problem can that explain?"

"Okay, okay, I won't talk to you anymore. But I think you will regret it; you will eventually find that you 21st Century Fox lost an opportunity."

"Goodbye!"

Subsequently, he hung up the phone, thought for a while with an annoyed expression, then sighed slightly and dialed another number, "Hey, Jon, have you seen the news?"

When Quentin Tarantino finally decided not to take the crap from the Big Six anymore and turned his gaze to Lionsgate, these news items were also displayed on the computer screen of a mansion somewhere in New York.

Mason Collins looked at it carefully, thought for a good while, and then also picked up the phone.

"Jerry, have you seen the reports?"

"Right, this should be Warner's second wave of promotional offensive."

"Yes, that's right, from now on, we need to prepare to leave."

"I think it should be the final afterglow."

"You come to the company early tomorrow, and we'll discuss it again." "Yes, if it opens high directly, then we'll clear our positions directly. We can't wait for *Captain America*'s box office to come out. We must learn our lesson!"

But in Louisiana,

Karen Wilson and Susan, after seeing *Inception*'s box office results, didn't think much, but instead cheered in unison.

"It will definitely go up again tomorrow!" Karen smiled.

"Mom, what do you say now? Can you let me out?"

"No, I said I was grounding you for a month."

"Come on, Mom, I've already made you several thousand dollars!"

"So what... by the way, do you think we should sell?"

"I don't know!"

"Okay, you don't know, then you stay in your room until school starts."

"............ Mom, I was wrong, my opinion is to keep it."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because Chen didn't tell us to sell."

"... I shouldn't have asked you."

"I'm telling the truth, when it's time to sell, he will tell us."

"... Alright, you can go back to your room. I'll call you when it's dinner time!"

"Mom! You have to trust him!"

"Go upstairs quickly!"

Finally, when these reports were moved to Weibo by some entertainment accounts from Twitter or relevant Japanese websites, it immediately attracted the attention of many movie fans.

That day, the entry "Inception overseas box office explodes" actually rushed to the ninth spot on the hot search.

However, under this entry, many were not discussing the box office.

"#Inception overseas box office explodes Congratulations, I really want to see it. But why? Why do we have to wait a month to watch a Chinese movie?"

"Can Huanxin and Hengdian stand up and explain? Why is it released in North America on July 8th, but in China it's on August 10th!?"

"Naked discrimination! On what grounds? Do you look down on us? #Inception overseas box office explodes"

"Is this a movie invested in by Huanxin and Hengdian? Why is it released in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, but we can't see it yet!? I want to watch Inception!!! #Inception overseas box office explodes"

"Who will come out and give us an explanation! @Chen Nuo @Huanxin Film and Television #Inception overseas box office explodes"

Han Han Sanping didn't have the habit of using Weibo, and these complaints were temporarily just complaints from a small portion of people. Although it caused a small ripple, after all, it had just been released, and the Japanese and American box office had just reported some good results, and what would happen later was unknown, so it couldn't be considered a big deal, and naturally, it wouldn't reach Han Zong's ears.

However, although Han Zong didn't know yet that there were already discordant voices on the internet today, thinking of the *Inception* box office results that came out yesterday, his mood couldn't help but become increasingly irritable.

Not only that, the box office of *The Great Cause* still hadn't shown any improvement, which gave him an even bigger headache. He had already done everything he should have done, but the box office decline hadn't lessened at all!

What the hell should he do!

Annoying, really annoying!

"Why are you walking back and forth? You're blocking my view of the TV!" his wife on the sofa said impatiently.

Han Han Sanping said impatiently: "How many times have you watched *The Return of the Condor Heroes*? I can even recite the lines. Aren't you tired of it?"

"Not tired, not only am I not tired, the whole country isn't tired of it either, otherwise why would it be rebroadcast every summer vacation? Han Han Sanping, I told you to sit down, can't you hear me?"

"I..."

Han Zong was just about to say something when the phone rang again.

He walked to the side of the coffee table, originally thinking it was his secretary who hadn't finished saying something, but when he saw the name on it, he couldn't help but be shocked.

"Pick it up, what are you doing standing there? Who is calling you?" his wife frowned, revealing a suspicious look, "Let me see the phone."

"Crazy." Han Han Sanping cursed angrily, turned to leave with his phone, but was suddenly grabbed by his wife, who snatched the phone away violently, "Sneaky, let me see which vixen it is... eh?"

"Give it to me!" Han Han Sanping was angry and roared back.

His wife's expression was sheepish, and she handed the phone back to him, saying: "It's Chen Nuo's call, why aren't you answering it?"

"None of your business! Give it here!"

"I'm giving it to you! Why are you being so fierce."

Han Han Sanping took the phone, glared fiercely at his wife, and then walked into the study.

Closing the door, he immediately pressed the answer button, held it to his ear, and said in a low voice: "Hello... what's the matter? I told you not to call during the day."

"Ah? You hit your head? Is it serious... oh my, then you should hurry and go get it checked..."

"No, no, no, don't go to China-Japan Friendship Hospital, the doctors there aren't reliable, change to another place... forget it, I'm coming over now, I'll accompany you... um, wait for me, be good."

Hanging up the phone, Han Zong rubbed his face, changed into a serious expression, opened the study door, and walked out.

"I'm going out for a bit."

"Ah? Something up?"

"Um, Xiao Chen has something for me. I'm going to the office to help him handle it. I might be back late tonight, eat by yourself."

"Oh, alright then, come back early."

"Got it."

A few minutes later, after Han Han Sanping got in the car and was starting it, the phone rang again.

It was Chen Nuo again.

He hurriedly answered, "Sweetie, what's wrong? Didn't I tell you to wait for me for a while?"

Hearing this hoarse and gentle voice coming from the headset, Chen Nuo really almost, almost dropped the phone.

He steadied himself, looked at the number, and confirmed he hadn't dialed the wrong one.

What the hell is going on?

Han Zong started growing a beard?

He asked hesitantly: "Han Zong? Is this China Film Group's Han Zong Han Sanping?"

Han Han Sanping heard this voice and almost jumped out of his seat, saying incredulously: "Who are you??"

"I'm Chen Nuo."

"Ah???" Han Han Sanping's brain buzzed, and he subconsciously looked at the screen again.

The two characters "Chen Nuo" were written clearly.

Holy shit.

Han Zong was also a capable person; blushing and red-faced, he reacted immediately and laughed: "Xiao Chen. Haha, I'm driving, didn't look at the phone, I thought it was my wife. Hehehehehehe, what's up?"

Although Chen Nuo had some doubts in his heart, even if Sherlock Holmes were alive, he would never have imagined that Han Zong Han Sanping would use his name as a shield.

He just estimated whether Han Zong had deleted his number.

However, he didn't care and immediately brought up the business.

"Han Zong, it's like this, I just heard something and wanted to ask you about it. There's an artist under my company named Zhang Zhang Xinyu who recently went to audition for a movie. It's invested in by your China Film Group. Hehe, she was auditioning for a small role. But, I heard from the casting director there that you, Han Zong, specifically gave a heads-up not to use our Huanxin artists. Is that the case?"

"What? How is that possible!? What kind of joke is that!" Han Han Sanping immediately said loudly: "Impossible, absolutely impossible, who said that? Give me his phone number and name, I can confront him right now."

"Hehe, no need, no need, I was just asking. Since you said it didn't happen, Han Zong, then it might be a misunderstanding? However, I think that in such matters, no matter what, we should seek fairness. Otherwise, if everyone uses connections and favors in the future, what will happen to Chinese cinema? Don't you agree, Han Zong?"

"Right, absolutely agree! Misunderstanding, it's absolutely a misunderstanding! Xiao Chen... you probably haven't been back to the country for a long time and don't know that the atmosphere in the domestic entertainment industry is getting worse and worse, people dare to make up any rumors. Day after day, now they're even making things up about me. Which movie are you talking about? I'll go check it right now!"

"No need, no need, then I'll let my people contact them again to see what's going on. Sorry to bother you, Han Zong."

"No bother, no bother, by the way, Xiao Chen, have you returned to the country?"

"Returned, I'm at my hometown now."

"Ah! You're back? This... this is a big deal! Why didn't you say so in advance? When are you coming to Beijing? Xiao Chen, to tell you the truth, I really have a lot of things I want to chat with you about..."

After half a minute, the phone hung up.

Han Han Sanping's smiling face slowly froze, then his expression turned gloomy. Holding the phone, he found a number and dialed out.

"Xiao Zhang, you go call Wang Liu immediately... right, that Wang Liu, tell him to get the hell out tomorrow! Get out immediately... right, if he dares to say no, you tell him I said it, and he can forget about working in this industry for the rest of his life!"

"Go do it right now!"

"Also... you contact Director Cai immediately and tell him there's someone named Zhang Zhang Xinyu who should have submitted a resume to the crew before, tell him to contact her............"

"Right, just say I said so!"

PS:

A little late.

Happy holidays!

Telling everyone a piece of news: given that there is too much negative news lately, it's depressing to look at. I have made up my mind to never be even a little bit pretentious from now on, and never let everyone feel even a little bit troubled again.

Let this be the proof!

(End of chapter)