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

Chapter 490 Chen Jin vs. Stephen Chow!
Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
After Chen Jin and Matthew finished filming their first scene, the entire crew applauded.

Who says foreigners discriminate against Chinese people?
They saw Chen Jin's acting skills and the filming provided ample emotional value.

Chen Jin did indeed film this scene very well.

Even Matthew said, "Chan, with your acting skills, you should be able to win an award for this role!"

I don't know if this is flattery or the truth.

Or perhaps both.

Anyway, Rachel's eyes were full of smiles when she looked at him. She was originally full of confidence in the script of "Dallas", but then she fell to the bottom when her friend withdrew his investment, and then slowly climbed back up and gradually brought hope back.

Now, confidence has returned once again, even surpassing any previous instance.

Honestly, after watching Chen Jin and Matthew's first scene together, she knew that as long as this movie follows the true story, it will definitely be a deeply moving masterpiece.

Moreover, AIDS patients around the world will be grateful for this film.

Ron did indeed save millions of AIDS patients around the world.

"Chan, can we continue?"

Director Mark was asking Chen Jin for her opinion, hoping to film the first meeting scene in one go while they were still in the mood. It would definitely be a very outstanding one.

"Ok!"

"Matthew!"

Chen Jin called out, and Matthew immediately went into action as well.

A few minutes later, countless crew members cheered again, having witnessed the amazing performances of the two actors who had sparked a remarkable chemistry during filming.

It's a real treat to watch two people act together, even if they don't get along at the beginning of the story.

However, everyone present was involved in film and television, and they were only watching the actors' performances. They were immersed in the experience, just like watching a movie, and that's how they enjoyed it.

Director Mark was undoubtedly quite excited.

He felt that he was going to make a really great movie.

The performances of these two actors went beyond the script's description, delving deeper into the original story.

The actors used their own understanding to think about the characters.

This is the most outstanding type of top-tier actor.

The day's filming ended with everyone feeling reluctant to leave.

Some people are already looking forward to the next day, to the two of them filming tomorrow.

Chen Jin and Matthew, on the other hand, chatted like old friends as they left the set. Sometimes, actors do appreciate each other, regardless of skin color or race; it's simply a mutual recognition of their professional abilities.

Matthew felt that Chen Jin's performance surpassed that of all her peers in the world, and Chen Jin... felt the genuine talent of an Oscar-winning actor.

So, without realizing it, the two developed a very natural relationship.

"Want a drink tonight, Ryan?"

Matthew joked, but Chen Jin smiled and said, "If you think it's okay, then everything's fine with me!"

"Ha ha!"

Matthew understood, and raised an eyebrow, somewhat speechless: "Are you really planning to stay on set for another month in Ryan's image?"

"why not?"

"It's a fun experience that allows you to understand the character you're playing more deeply!"

"All right!"

Matthew knew he couldn't persuade Chen Jin, so he could only say, "Let the misunderstanding be, as long as we're not bothered!"

He was afraid that if Chen Jin went to a nearby bar, she would be approached by some horny guys.

And it definitely will.

If it were the old him, Matthew would know he also knew some kung fu, so he shouldn't be afraid.

But the frail Ryan, who looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over, might not be a match for such a strong North American man.

"fine!"

"I have this!"

Chen Jin took out a bottle of pepper spray from his handbag.

Matthew burst out laughing: "Haha, you're really getting more and more like Ryan!"

"Of course, I am Ryan!"

The two laughed and first went to their hotel for dinner, and then headed to a bar.

Of course, Matthew could never fall in love with him.

It's not because he's straight or for any other reason.

Instead, Matthew's character, Ron, is an extreme homophobe who hates homosexuals. In the movie, the two are just friends in the end, and there is no emotion beyond ordinary friendship.

Experiencing this role is even more unrealistic in reality.

Matthew simply admired him, just as Chen Jin admired him.

The two of them only drank a little at the bar, chatting about interesting things that happened in the industry or in the past.

However, there were some clueless individuals who would occasionally glance in Chen Jin's direction.

Having experienced the role of Raine for so many days, Chen Jin had basically accepted the malice from the outside world, so she didn't take it to heart at all.

If they harass you and a warning doesn't work, Chen Jin will use his equipment.

Fortunately, these people were only engaging in some kind of "stalking," and only a few actually carried out the act.

"Should we go back?"

Matthew felt that his suggestion to have a drink was a terrible one. He should have invited Rachel and the others instead; inviting them now would only disturb their rest and would seem very impolite.

"fine!"

"Don't worry about me, this is also part of experiencing the role!"

"Actually, you can also try telling them that you have AIDS!"

Chen Jin whispered something in Matthew's ear, and Matthew's expression became somewhat strange.

"Even Ron has never done anything this crazy!"

"Haha, I didn't mean for you to say that in front of so many people, it would cause a riot!"

"I mean, if anyone is nearby!"

"For example...this one!"

A drunken guy next to Chen Jin finally couldn't resist stepping forward.

"Hi!"

Matthew was about to stop him when Chen Jin stopped him with a look. Instead, he beckoned to the burly man with his finger and then stood up.

This guy actually fell for it, thinking that Chen Jin wanted to go out with him for a fling.

The two arrived at the back alley of the bar, and Matthew followed them out.

"Want to try it? The stimulation of being infected with HIV?"

Chen Jin spoke to the burly man, who was clearly taken aback. Chen Jin immediately softened her tone and said, "HIV!"

"Oh, shit!"

The pig was so frightened by Chen Jin's words that it sobered up completely.

He pretended to hit Chen Jin, but Chen Jin's smile was wide: "Blood can spread too, you know~~~"

"Fuck!"

I fuck you!

"#%￥%@#￥!"

The guy cursed and swore, turning back to look at himself every step he took, and walked straight out of the alley.

"Hahaha!"

Chen Jin laughed so happily, as if it were Renne who was doing this.

Matthew, who was standing behind him, had witnessed the whole thing. When he looked at Chen Jin, who was wearing Ryan's clothes, he had a momentary feeling that the character and the actor were overlapping.

Reason told him that this was Chen Jin.

But after having a few drinks, his artistic sensibilities became more pronounced, and he felt that there had never been a time when Chen Jin resembled Ryan more than she does now.

"This guy didn't go back to the bar, let's go grab another drink!"

Chen Jin turned around, suddenly pulled a pack of cigarettes from her bag, lit it, and took a drag. The disillusioned figure illuminated by the dim light at the alley entrance, combined with the long, alluring shadow, gave Matthew a feeling of perfect cinematic quality.

"Forget it, let's go!"

"I find this really interesting!"

"I witnessed the formidable side of people with AIDS!"

Matthew smiled and took the cigarette Chen Jin offered him. The two of them chatted and laughed as they smoked and walked towards the hotel.

That night was truly an interesting experience.

Even after returning to the hotel, Matthew was still replaying Chen Jin's brave conversation with that burly man at the alley entrance in his mind.

That fearful, tiger-like demeanor is exactly the most realistic portrayal in the movie, isn't it?

"Chan, thank you!"

"Thank you for helping me gain a deeper understanding of the script!"

Matthew sent a message to Chen Jin and then went to sleep.

Chen Jin was on the phone with Chen Su, who was actually quite lucid at the moment.

As for the Wang brothers of Huayi Brothers, who are tens of thousands of kilometers away in China, things are not going well for them at this time.

"Back to 1942" flopped!

Feng Xiaogang's highly anticipated film of the year failed to gross even 2 million yuan at the box office.

On the other hand, the movie "American Dreams in China," starring one of his own artists, is about to break 8 million yuan, and it looks like it will be another movie with 15 billion yuan or more. How can this not make the two kings feel depressed!

15 billion!

This is the fourth film produced by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) this year to achieve this level of box office success.

On the other hand, Huayi Brothers, the leading domestic film group, finally produced a film that grossed over 15 billion yuan, but unexpectedly suffered a backlash and is now being condemned by everyone.

At the beginning of this year, the box office target set by the higher authorities for Huayi Brothers was 50 billion yuan. Before the release of "Painted Skin 2", neither Wang nor Da Wang had any idea of ​​what the box office would be like.

But after "Painted Skin 2" was released, the two of them were incredibly excited, as if their meridians had been opened.

This is a major boon for the stock market.

It was at this time that Huayi suffered the most severe catastrophe in its history.

While it didn't completely wipe out Huayi Brothers, it still caused a huge financial blow. The stock price plummeted, the market value was wiped out, and the movies they produced all lost money. They finally managed to make a profit during the Double Eleven shopping festival, but now "Back to 1942," which cost them over 600 million yuan, has flopped like this.

Anyone in that situation would be extremely devastated.

What's more, he has a younger brother who was previously no match for him, yet his life is getting better and better.

This comparison is indeed quite heartbreaking.

It seems unlikely that 50 billion will be achieved this year.

However, what offered them some consolation was Jackie Chan's self-directed and self-acted film "CZ12," which was also invested in by Huayi Brothers.

However, the dividends they received were too small.

Jackie Chan wouldn't allow them to take too many shares. The original purpose of making this movie together was for Huayi Brothers' market and distribution in China. Now that Huayi Brothers is not as good as before, Jackie Chan doesn't care about them at all.

Moreover, Jackie Chan also directed "Train to Busan," which was invested in by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC). What kind of investment is that? It had a Hollywood crew.

So now he has also found another benefactor and can completely abandon his former partner, Huayi.

That's how the film industry works.

But all that's seen is the laughter of the new bride; the cries of the old are unheard.

Jackie Chan had previously turned to Huayi Brothers because several of his previous films had flopped.

Now that "CZ12" has become a box office hit and he's also starring in "Train to Busan," Jackie Chan is certainly confident as his "life" seems to be getting better.

It's China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) again!

Both Wang and Da Wang felt increasing pressure from this film company.

"Dude, why are movies from this lousy company so successful at the box office?"

Wang Zhonglei really didn't understand.

Why did Xiaogang's films consistently perform well during the Lunar New Year season, except for this year's failure?

Wang Zhongjun countered with a question.

"In the past, Huayi was just like CETC now—it was all about the brand; if Xiaogang made a product, everyone would buy it!"

"But now, it's Chen Jin's turn!"

Although Wang Zhongjun was very dissatisfied, what he said was true.

One film grossing over 1 billion yuan could be attributed to luck, two films could be considered hype, but three or four films have built a reputation, which is a strange phenomenon in the film industry.

"But this is just too outrageous!"

"Each department has received over 15 billion yuan. This year, CETC must have received around 100 billion yuan, right?"

Huayi didn't even reach half of their level.

Without "Painted Skin 2", the results would likely have been even worse.

"It probably hasn't reached 100 billion yet!"

"But if we include the Spring Festival... it should be soon!"

Wang Zhongjun is worried about the upcoming Spring Festival film season. Their Lunar New Year film season has already flopped, but they still have a film to release during the Spring Festival...

This is a must.

Because of the Spring Festival season, there are too many people who are envious.

Huayi also had a hard time winning the deal.

"Sigh, we're going to clash with them again this Spring Festival!"

Huayi really didn't want to run into CETC.

This rising star is not so easy to deal with.

But if they don't go, Huayi might really be finished.

This is Huayi's last gamble this year.

Stephen Chow's film - Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons!
The release dates for films scheduled for the Spring Festival have already been announced; and for films like "Lost in Thailand," also scheduled for the Spring Festival.

Since Chen Jin placed "Jinling" during the Spring Festival last year and it grossed 17.89 billion yuan, the Spring Festival, a period that was seriously underestimated, has suddenly become a hot commodity.

In particular, Chen Jin has laid a very good foundation. The promotion of watching movies during the Spring Festival was very successful last year, and this year, by leveraging the same strategy again, it has obviously become even more successful.

Traffic appears to be significantly higher than last year.

Therefore, it's impossible for other film studios not to be envious.

"Let's give it a try, just like with 'Chinese Zodiac,' and try to downplay our Huayi brand!"

Jackie Chan didn't discuss any partners with "Chinese Zodiac" at all, and Huayi Brothers didn't show up to support it either; only a few actors attended the premiere celebration.

It has already grossed nearly 3 million yuan at the box office, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the film should eventually break 10 billion yuan.

This is Huayi Brothers' best box office performance in the past six months.

Unfortunately, it was a collaborative film.

Next, "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" will be released during the Spring Festival, following the same pattern.

However, Huayi Brothers is slightly better off than Jackie Chan in that they received a slightly larger share of the profits from "Journey to the West".

Well, just a little more, not much more.

These Hong Kong directors are all incredibly eccentric, with Stephen Chow being even more stingy than Jackie Chan.

If it weren't for the previous collaboration on "Kung Fu Hustle," Huayi Brothers might not have been able to secure this extra share.

"Now, we need to start promoting it!"

The publicity will still be handled by Huayi Brothers, but it will definitely be a massive, all-encompassing campaign promoting Stephen Chow.

Stephen Chow's name is indeed very useful in mainland China these days.

If it weren't for Chen Jin, his box office appeal would definitely be number one across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, without a doubt.

But now it’s hard to say.

The sudden emergence of CETC and Chen Jin has overshadowed Stephen Chow's reputation.

Therefore, the competition between the two films released during this Spring Festival can be seen as a clash between the old and the new; it's just a pity that Chen Jin didn't star in "Lost in Thailand," so it was destined to be somewhat inferior.

Otherwise, the mere spectacle of Chen Jin versus Stephen Chow would be enough to ignite the entire Spring Festival film season.

For Huayi Brothers, although Chen Jin was a deeply hated rival, why not use her to boost box office sales and create hype for their opponent?
(End of this chapter)