I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 488 Total Box Office Over 12 Years!
"Oh God, your behavior is absolutely insane!"

It took Rachel Winter quite a while to accept the fact that the beautiful woman in front of her was Chen Jin.

Even though she had checked it repeatedly, she still couldn't believe it.

Director Mark, standing to the side, suddenly wore an expression that showed complete disapproval but also deep understanding.

As a director, the moment he saw Chen Jin, he felt as if he had been struck by her image. The character of Ryan in the script seemed to be frozen in Chen Jin's mind.

This is the person, this Chinese actor.

With her heavy makeup and alluring style, it's truly incredible that people can overlook her Asian identity at first glance.

Yes, at first glance, no one would associate Chen Jin with anything like other movies, such as "Oh, she's Asian," or "Oh, she's Chinese." The only one who would exclaim is a man dressed as a woman.

And he succeeded in his act; he really does look like a woman, if he didn't have an Adam's apple when he wasn't speaking.

All I can say is that Chen Jin's makeup, styling, and performance were outstanding.

It allowed him to ignore his skin color, even though he did apply a thick layer of white foundation, making him look somewhat like a hybrid, neither white nor yellow, somewhere in between, but his face shape was Chinese.

Such a complex sense.

But this is indeed a way to downplay the audience's discussion about his skin color and instead focus on the character.

He is gay, has AIDS, and is transgender—in every aspect, he is more interesting than Chinese people.

"Chan, how much weight have you lost?"

Rachel wasn't very familiar with Chen Jin before. Even after the phone calls, they had only video chatted a few times, and in person, they had probably only met once.

That audition.

Chen Jin's first audition, which was poorly prepared, was undoubtedly a failure.

He didn't make a very deep impression on Rachel.

But she had no recollection of it. After several auditions and videos, Rachel knew a general idea of ​​Chen Jin's weight and appearance. It seemed that she and the skinny Matthew O'Connor next to her were products of the same "shouldering ground".

The two of them are such a perfect match in terms of weight and build.

What a perfect match these two actors are, even if they're just the male and female leads, they just look so compatible.

Whether it's temperament or image.

"Not even 40 yet, still can't compare to Matthew!"

Chen Jin spoke in Ryan's tone, and no one found it strange. Matthew, who was standing next to her, waved his hand and said, "Oh, no, no, no, Chan, what you're saying will be misunderstood. My original weight was about 180 pounds!"

That is, about 160 pounds.

"And you weigh more than 30 pounds less than me!"

"Of course it's easier for me than for you, and I need to lose a bit more weight. I feel like 100 pounds is about right for you!"

Matthew shrugged, and Mark and Rachel next to him also felt that Chen Jin was a bit too thin.

"No!"

Chen Jin flicked his wig and said elegantly, "I'm a woman. Do you think it's realistic for a 100-pound woman in the final stages of life to be alive?"

"Think about it, he's in the late stages of AIDS and is also transgender!"

This weight of 90-plus pounds is definitely more convincing than 100 pounds.

"I think Chan is right!"

"Raine is a beautiful 'woman,' she has a great figure, and considering her illness, she would definitely look better at just over 90 pounds!"

"that is……"

As a woman, Rachel clearly understood Chen Jin's words: "It's just that being too thin might affect your health. You don't look too good!"

If it were the role of Ryan, Chen Jin would certainly not care.

That's just how she is.

However, Chen Jin is just an actress.

As the producer, Rachel must be worried about his health.

“Rachel, if that’s the case, then I’m obviously more like Ryan!”

"Don't forget, she is indeed sick, with a very serious case of AIDS!"

Rachel: "..."

"Okay, you've convinced me too!"

Rachel shrugged and glanced at the director beside her: "Mark, what do you think?"

"I have full confidence in our film!"

Mark said something very inspiring: "My lead and second lead actors are both so outstanding, I have no reason not to make this movie well!"

"Haha, I hope you mean it sincerely!"

Rachel was actually very happy to see Matthew and Chen Jin's dedication to the role. She was moved and shared the same thoughts as Matthew.

That means we absolutely must make a good movie.

We must live up to the actors' hard work.

Furthermore, he has great confidence in this film.

For an art film, the most important elements are, of course, the script, the director, and the actors.

The script is based on a true story, and the actors are all fine now. The rest depends on the director's skill in handling and directing the filming.

Rachel believes Mark can make a good film because he has indeed been preparing for it for a long time.

"I suggest we go out for a drink!"

"Starting tomorrow, there won't be another chance like this to celebrate the successful start of filming for our movie!"

Rachel was talking when she unusually joked with Chen Jin: "What do you think, boss?"

"Of course!"

"I fully support doing this!"

"Whether we leave now or wait a while, this can be included in the production crew's expenses!"

Chen Jin was also smiling there. The crew members were busy for a while before they all surrounded Chen Jin and Matthew and headed towards a nearby bar.

Chen Jin was still dressed as Ryan.

At this moment, Chen Jin clearly sensed the feeling the production crew gave him.

It's so different from Wall Street.

Even though he wasn't the main character, but just the second male lead, everyone treated him with respect and warmth.

This isn't because he's the boss or because he's invested in the company. In fact, only a handful of people know about his investments, and others just see him as an actor.

The atmosphere was so harmonious.

At a party, he seemed to blend into the entire crew and group.

This has nothing to do with the size of the film crew. He felt the warmth and comfort of the crew in front of him; on the contrary, he felt out of place as soon as he entered the film crew of "Wall Street".

A powerful director and an aloof male lead—everything was actually predetermined.

"Ren!"

"From now on, I'll call you Ryan!"

Rachel walked over with a glass of champagne, clinked glasses with Chen Jin, and then quietly said, "Thank you!"

"I'm very sorry for my previous rudeness to your agent and some of your misunderstandings!"

"I am so sorry!"

Rachel spoke very sincerely, and Chen Jin smiled and said, "Paula should accept your apology. I will pass it on to her. As for me... I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration in the future!"

"It's a pleasure to work with you!" Rachel's opinion of Chen Jin has completely changed, and she even feels a better impression of him than Matthew does.

This Chinese actor is very humble and hardworking. His dedication to the role surpasses that of many so-called "actor spirits" in Hollywood!
Matthew then walked over with Mark.

"Come on, let's raise a toast together, wishing everything goes smoothly during the filming of 'Dallas Buyers Club'!"

Director Mark made a suggestion, and the three of them immediately toasted together. Rachel joined in at this point, and then... the rest of the crew.

The dinner party lasted until almost midnight before everyone helped each other sing their way back to the hotel.

Their crew rented several guesthouses about 1 kilometer from the film set, and each person had their own room. Although the accommodations couldn't compare to five-star hotels, they were still quite cozy.

buzzing-

Chen Jin hadn't actually drunk that much, and she was still sober when she got back to the guesthouse.

Zhu Yanmanz didn't come directly. She planned to spend a few days exploring Los Angeles before joining Chen Jin on set for some alone time.

Seeing Chen Su's call on her phone, Chen Jin washed her face and then turned on speakerphone.

Guess how many copies "American Dreams" sold?

Chen Su sounded quite happy. Several of his works had been successful without Chen Jin as the lead actress, which was something he was definitely proud of.

Because he was in charge of almost everything.

This is a success for China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).

Chen Jin had actually realized this, so she planned to let Chen Su take charge of several films himself to see some of the truth.

In fact, his so-called success came from Chen Jin's trust and selection.

Whether it's "Love is Not Blind 3" or the current "American Dreams in China," it's all thanks to a kind of precognitive ability bestowed upon him by the system. He knew these movies would be box office hits, not because of Chen Su's manipulation.

Therefore, by giving him some freedom and letting him try things out for himself, he will come to realize his true abilities.

People are prone to arrogance, especially the current de facto top leader of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).

Chen Su is clearly qualified to be the head of a company, but having a clear understanding of the situation is what Chen Jin needs him to do right now.

"The trend should only get better!"

"This movie has received good reviews!"

"Have we reached 5 million yet?"

Chen Jin made her own estimate.

Chen Su strongly suspected that Chen Jin had been following the movie while she was in the United States. In fact, Chen Jin hadn't watched it at all.

Did you see the news?

Chen Su asked.

"I don't have the time for that. Just tell me, what do you say?"

Chen Jin didn't want to waste words with this guy.

Chen Su had no choice but to say, "Yes, after opening with a 7.8 rating on Douban, the box office is even better today, Sunday, than yesterday. It has sold nearly 5.5 million in 3 days, and it looks like reaching 10 billion is not a problem. Whether it can surpass 'Love is Not Blind 3' depends on the two films next week!"

"No, my brother's 'Chinese Zodiac' is a bit of a threat, but it won't have a big impact on our screening schedule. In fact, it should still be a big hit next week, even if it clashes with 'Chinese Zodiac'!"

Chen Jin's confidence stems from the strength of "Partners" in its original timeline.

It is the second week that surpasses the first week.

Moreover, how could a film invested in by China Film Group possibly suffer a loss in terms of screenings?

Right now, it's clearly in the stage of word-of-mouth fermentation, followed by complete spread.

"Alright, let's wait and see!"

Chen Su also wanted to see if Chen Jin's prediction was correct. Chen Jin's year of remotely controlling the company hadn't bothered Chen Su, but there were always times when the boss had to be tested.

"How are the other movies going?"

Chen Jin asked casually as he lay down on the bed in the guesthouse. Wang Yuanyuan had already tidied up and changed the sheets and duvet cover for him.

"Huayi Brothers' '1942' is not performing well; I feel it will be difficult for it to even break 2 million!"

"There are a lot of people stirring up trouble online, saying that the filming was too arduous!"

It was indeed tough, but Huayi Brothers had previously incurred public wrath, so it's understandable that fans had some complaints. Luckily, it wasn't after 2020; if it had been during that period, it would have been a miracle if "1942" hadn't been reported and taken off the shelves, let alone expected box office success!

The director, lead actors, and investors behind the film are all being criticized by netizens, and no one is going to the cinema to see it.

These days, even though people complain, there are still viewers who watch.

Huayi should indeed be grateful that the internet wasn't as developed back then as it will be in the future.

In the future, he will be worse than a dog.

Many directors and leading actors were executed and banned from watching movies forever, such as Wu Ershan, Lu Chuan, and Guan Hu, who were all by the roadside.

Huayi is still quite fortunate.

"The movie 'Life of Pi' has already surpassed 10 million, and it's unlikely to break 10 billion. It should be able to reach 11 or 12 million!"

"Our 'Love is Not Blind' 3' is at most 16 billion!"

"Then the total box office for the whole year should be able to break 300 billion, right?"

Chen Jin recalled that the original timeline was only 171 billion, which was still a considerable gap from 20 billion; but now, due to the butterfly effect of Chen Jin, several films by CETC have contributed nearly 8 billion.

These are all box office figures that didn't exist originally.

The integration of online and offline channels, along with reforms to movie tickets, indeed accelerated the take-off of the Chinese film market by two or three years.

This is all thanks to Chen Jin.

He certainly didn't take credit for it, but instead marveled at the advantages brought by the system, which allowed the box office in China to almost double.

The box office market should be able to reach new heights next year.

500 billion is unattainable, but 400 billion should be possible.

"30 billion per film, with some effort next year, we should be able to see that!"

Chen Jin was actually predicting this, but Chen Su on the other end of the phone obviously had no idea.

He was taken aback by Chen Jin's question. How did the conversation suddenly turn to the overall market when they were asking about movie box office figures?

Although this matter involves both the China Film Administration and filmmakers, the Film Bureau and China Film Group are actually the most concerned, and the higher-ups may even set corresponding KPIs.

However, with a true "operator" like Chen Jin present, the KPIs have probably already been achieved ahead of schedule.

It's worth noting that last year's box office was only over 150 billion yuan, so setting it at 300 billion yuan was definitely impossible. The box office that was lower than that has already been reached.

"I'll have to ask the General Administration about that!"

"Has no one started collecting statistics yet?"

As Chen Su was talking, Chen Jin smiled and said, "Never mind, I was just asking casually. I just joined the crew. If you need anything, you can call Xiao Yuan or I'll get back to you after I finish filming!"

"it is good!"

Chen Su said a few more words and then hung up the phone.

Chen Jin's thoughts, however, drifted to next year.

Besides his own works, "Lost in Thailand" should be the main focus next year.

There's also the Berlin trip in "Grandma".

"Oh, Berlin!"

Chen Jin quickly turned on her phone and sent a message to Pang Liwei to ask if it was a convenient time for her.

He needs to get Zhang Yimou to make a phone call to Berlin and pull some strings.

It would be foolish not to use your connections.
As long as they make the shortlist, Chen Jin has plenty of ways to handle the subsequent public relations!
(End of this chapter)