Chapter 395: Box Office

It is often said that every time Chen Kaige shoots a blockbuster, he embarks on a massive construction project.

In the end, regardless of whether the film succeeds or is a box office hit, it never changes the fact that he makes money.

The key to this profitability lies in the film and television bases or "film cities" built from scratch through these labor-intensive projects.

This is because there are always local governments eager to provide land and funding, footing the bill for him.

And what remains after the film is finished is indeed a film and television base capable of driving tourism and cultural industries for a long time.

Furthermore, local governments will continue to expand the scale of these film cities on this foundation, turning them into even more dazzling calling cards!

As early as when *Sacrifice* was in the project initiation and casting phase, there were rumors in the industry that Chen Kaige's team would adapt *The Legend of the Demon Cat*.

And after "Confucius" finished its theatrical run, Chen Hong did indeed publicly state to the outside world that Chen Kaige had already immersed himself in the script adaptation for "The Legend of the Demon Cat."

Originally, the industry assumed that Chen Kaige, after a hiatus of nearly three years and having directed *Caught in the Web* in the interim, would begin filming *The Legend of the Demon Cat*.

As it turns out, the announcement Chen Hong released today caught everyone off guard:

"Because the Tang Cheng Film and Television Base could not be completed on schedule, the film project adapted from *The Legend of the Demon Cat* will be temporarily shelved.

After careful consideration, Director Chen has decided to officially initiate and prepare the Republic-era fantasy martial arts film *Monk Comes Down the Mountain*, with casting beginning today..."

The movements of a Palme d'Or-winning director always attract the attention of the entire film and television circle.

Whether it is filmmakers and actors in the industry, or the vast number of netizens online, everyone is in heated discussion.

"Three years ago, the Tang Cheng Film and Television Base only started construction because of Director Chen, all for the sake of that *The Legend of the Demon Cat*."

"Looking at the situation, *Monk Comes Down the Mountain* is a temporary replacement. This film doesn't seem to have a supporting film base, haha..."

"This is actually Director Kaige's first attempt at a martial arts film!"

"I wonder when casting will start, and if there will be public auditions?"

Looking at the top-trending news online and the massive amount of discussion on Weibo, Lin Nan couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder; Director Chen really is a legend among directors in the industry.

The "one blockbuster, one city" model has truly been mastered by him, and he remains the only representative figure in the film circle for it.

For two consecutive days, Lin Nan attended the premieres of *A Moment of Love* and *One Night Surprise*.

Although he didn't stay long, he had fulfilled his social obligations; as for the other few films, he left them to others in the company.

"*Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon*? Another National Day slot!"

Lin Nan saw the news of Huayi holding a media meet-and-greet; the second installment of the *Detective Dee* series was scheduled for September 28th.

Recalling *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* from three years ago, it seemed it was originally slated for the National Day slot as well.

It was just that in the end, to avoid *The Thieves*, they specifically moved the release up by half a month to September 16th.

"Huayi-produced, low-budget romantic comedy *Ex-Files* officially begins filming."

"Zhang Guoli joins the Spring Festival Gala hosting team..."

After casually flipping through the news for a while, Lin Nan closed the page; it was truly uninteresting, filled entirely with Huayi news.

Getting up to leave the office, Lin Nan went to Tiangong Color; the post-production editing for *The Taking of Tiger Mountain* was almost finished.

"Editing team, work some overtime; no problem finishing *The Taking of Tiger Mountain* completely today, right?"

"No problem, Lin Dao. We don't even need overtime!"

"We can definitely finish before getting off work this afternoon."

The cluster of domestic film premieres continued.

The August slot, destined to be filled with smoke and fire, had officially raised its curtain.

On the morning of the 1st, *About Time* had officially opened in all domestic cinema chains.

As the domestic film leading the charge in August, and being a production of Lin Nan Film Industry, this film undoubtedly held a massive advantage in terms of attention and screen share.

"The cast and crew are still on Weibo promoting it right now."

Liu Yifei reminded Lin Nan while editing her own content.

"Got it, help me with mine too."

Lin Nan was surrounded by a group of cats and dogs, all waiting for him to feed them; Miss Liu was being lazy and playing the rogue, throwing the work onto him.

"Mm, leave it to me."

At noon, Lin Nan received some seat occupancy data from Ye Ning.

Facing imported films led by *Fast & Furious 6*, the seat occupancy rate for *About Time*, at least at Wanda, averaged 86%.

This data was already very high; Lin Nan estimated that after the first day, it shouldn't be lower than 35 million.

In the afternoon, online film reviews started coming out.

"This is a film that wanders between sci-fi, romance, and life; it's completely different from previous sci-fi films."

"There's no arrogance or conceit as imagined, nor a single bit of 'chuunibyou' flavor; instead, it's a very textured story about ordinary people, love, and family. It's good!"

"They actually added chicken soup for the soul into a sci-fi film, but it doesn't feel greasy at all; it's very refreshing..."

"Director Guo Fan is right; you can completely trust Lin Dao Nan's script. It's a very heartwarming sci-fi film!"

Seeing the positive reviews from many filmmakers and netizens online, Lin Nan knew this film was secure.

Although there were still some people complaining that the film wasn't "tense" or "exciting" enough, after all, it's hard to please everyone.

This type of audience might be more suited to the plot of *Fast & Furious 6*.

By this point, the domestic films in the same slot were under pressure.

Because *About Time* seemed to have gotten off to a good start, and this also meant that this film might really take the lead and start running the August slot?!

"Don't be anxious; you'll be able to see the first-day box office tomorrow morning."

Guo Fan rarely called Lin Nan, chatting about the box office.

"Lin Dao, I want to be calm too, but I can't settle down. Starting tomorrow, there's almost one or two films opening every single day!"

Guo Fan said self-deprecatingly; this was also a fact, as there were too many competitors.

"How about this: I'll sleep late today, and after China Film releases the data to me, I'll forward it to you?"

"Then I'll trouble you, Lin Dao, haha..."

"You're welcome."

Lin Nan said with a smile; he hadn't planned on sleeping early tonight anyway, and his recovery had been good these past few days.

Ning Hao, that guy, really was going to keep his word.

He had previously said he wanted to put *No Man's Land* into the New Year slot, and in the end, it was scheduled for December 3rd.

Now he was really starting to think about going to film festivals.

For this, he specifically called Lin Nan out for a meal to consult on his experience!

"I thought you were just joking; you're for real?"

"I've been making films for so many years too; my highest honor is Best Director at the Beijing College Student Film Festival. I have to make progress!"

Ning Hao raised his glass and downed half a beer. Xing Aina was eating on the side and teased:

"It is time to make progress. Someone else's scriptwriter already won Best New Director at an A-list film festival."

"Can that be the same? His work had too much padding."

Ning Hao retorted, then looked at Lin Nan: "Tell me, what do you think about me going to Berlin?"

"So you didn't sign up for Venice a while ago because you were waiting for Berlin?"

"Right, wasn't I thinking that this subject matter fits that side? Tell me, wouldn't it be great if you were a member of the Berlin jury!"

"That's not a coincidence. How about we hold the film for another two years, and I'll strive to go over and be the jury president?"

Lin Nan was amused; Ning Hao was too daring in his thinking.

However, he was right about one thing: it was indeed possible for Lin Nan to be invited back as a juror, and the probability wasn't small.

"Hold it for two years? That's impossible. You've at least won two Silver Bears for Best Director there; do you think *No Man's Land* has a good chance?"

Ning Hao was a bit persistent and continued to press.

"How can anyone say for sure? I can't guarantee anything for this version of *No Man's Land*.

How about... you take that original version of *No Man's Land* over there? I think the probability of winning an award for that is quite high; at least you could get an Alfred Bauer Silver Bear!"

Lin Nan looked at Ning Hao with a mischievous smile, giving him a "good" idea.

"Are you trying to kill me!"

Xing Aina reacted the fastest and lightly spat at Lin Nan.

"Damn you, I didn't poison this meal, and you're actually trying to harm me?"

Ning Hao immediately pointed at Lin Nan and laughed while scolding him.

"Isn't it just a 3 to 5-year ban on directing? Give it a shot; maybe you'll win a Golden Bear?"

"Hehe, I don't have that kind of courage; I can't compare to Jiang Wen or Lou Ye. I'll just sign up with this version that passed censorship."

Lin Nan nodded with a smile; he was just joking. "So it's decided?"

"Decided, I'm going to Berlin."

At past seven in the evening, Lin Nan was a little tipsy and was driven back by someone from Bad Monkey.

Returning home, after drinking a cup of honey water handed to him by Liu Yifei, Lin Nan originally wanted to lie down for a while to sober up.

But as soon as he closed his eyes, he really fell asleep, only vaguely remembering Miss Liu helping him take off his clothes.

When Lin Nan woke up again, it was already the next morning, woken up by the need to urinate.

"Oh my, it's all Ning Hao's fault for pouring me drinks!"

Looking at Liu Yifei, who had gotten up so early and was sitting in the living room, Lin Nan knew she was there to see him.

Miss Liu showed a sly smile, "Even if you weren't drunk, it wouldn't work; my relative is here..."

Uh...

This was not good news.

"Quick, look at the film news; the box office is very good!"

Liu Yifei patted the spot beside her, signaling to Lin Nan.

Sure enough, the box office for *About Time* did not exceed Lin Nan's expectations.

"Produced by Lin Nan Film Industry, directed by Guo Fan, starring Luo Jin, Wan Qian, Reba, Tang Yan, Sun Yizhou, Deng Jiajia, and others, the film *About Time* had a first-day box office of 38.5 million..."

"The low-budget film *Young Style*, starring 90s-born Best Actor Dong Zijian and Golden Horse Best Actress Qin Hailu, officially opens today."

Lin Nan slapped his own forehead.

"What's wrong?" Liu Yifei asked suspiciously.

"I promised Guo Fan yesterday to ask for the data for him; I have to apologize to him in a moment..."

Lin Nan said while opening his phone.

In his text messages, there was a message received at 12:10 AM, which was the first-day box office data for *About Time*.

"You go wash up first; Mom cooked porridge, I'll go get you a bowl."

Liu Yifei said thoughtfully, and without waiting for Lin Nan to react, she had already gotten up and walked out.

Looking at Miss Liu's slender figure, Lin Nan couldn't help but show a gentle smile, muttering:

"Silly, I could have gone over with you after washing up; you had to make an extra trip, really stupid, hehe..."

At this moment, a matter suddenly occurred to Lin Nan.

Two days ago, when he left the Beijing Film Academy, he saw Chen Jinfei, who was with an assistant.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 396 =====