lcionline Chapter 79 The Hot-Selling Zhang Jun
Chapter 79 The Hot-Selling Zhang Jun
Chapter 78 The Hot-Selling Zhang Jun
"There are so many pirated resources online now, what should we do?" Ye Xiaoyi asked Zhang Jun.
Zhang Jun took a sip of tea and said, "There's nothing to worry about. We can't stop the spread of pirated copies."
Instead of wasting effort cracking down on piracy, we should focus on doing our current job well.
This is the truth; combating piracy has always been extremely difficult. Many copyright holders go to great lengths to sue pirates, only to end up with nothing and waste a great deal of time and energy.
Besides, you can't tell the audience not to watch pirated copies.
They just don't want to spend money to go to the cinema; they prefer to watch low-quality pirated content. There's nothing you can do about it now.
Fortunately, the overall film market remained stable, and with positive reviews and a lot of word-of-mouth, the film's box office continued to climb.
Meng Ziyi, who plays Chen Xiu's daughter in the film, also attended the Shanghai roadshow.
Under her parents' guidance, the little girl was well-behaved and adorable, clinging to Zhang Jun and refusing to let go, taking advantage of her childhood.
Zhang Jun held Meng Ziyi's little hand and strolled around the shopping mall near the cinema where the roadshow was being held, where they bought cotton candy and candied hawthorns to eat.
The little girl smiled as she ate a candied hawthorn, her mouth covered in crumbs, but she was still very happy.
"School's starting soon, right?" Zhang Jun asked the little girl.
The little girl nodded, but then added, "My mom said that if I go into acting, I won't have to study so hard."
What kind of parents are these? An actor who doesn't study and becomes an uncultured actor, won't people laugh at him if word gets out?
But believe it or not, this perception became the prevailing view in the entertainment industry. Later, it evolved into a stage where as long as you had popularity, acting skills didn't matter.
Can an actor who lacks education and acting skills and relies solely on popularity still be considered an actor?
In order to correct the little girl's wrong view in time, Zhang Jun said, "You're wrong. You have to study hard and get into a good university like your brother."
If your mother tells you again that academic subjects are not important, you should tell her that it's terrible to be uneducated.
If she insists, just say it's because I want you to study hard, understand?
Meng Ziyi nodded blankly and continued eating her candied hawthorn, a rare opportunity to enjoy sweets.
The Shanghai leg of the roadshow ended as the second weekend of "About Time" was drawing to a close.
This week, "About Time" continued its theatrical run, earning 3389 million yuan at the box office, bringing the film's total box office to 6577 million yuan.
Undoubtedly, this box office performance has once again shocked the entire industry.
The media's enthusiastic support, the industry's heated discussions, and the curiosity and debate among online viewers have further propelled Zhang Jun's fame to even greater heights.
But if we're talking about who's most excited, without a doubt, it's the film companies.
Whether they were established film companies and state-owned film studios, or newly established film companies, they all developed a strong interest in Zhang Jun.
Among them, Yu Dong was the most interested in Zhang Jun. He and Han Sanping of China Film Group were old acquaintances. Both of them were veterans of Beijing Film Studio. Yu Dong was even promoted by Han Sanping.
Upon hearing the news of the box office success of "About Time," he approached Han Sanping, hoping he could make an introduction.
"This is a difficult thing. People are doing well over there and may not necessarily want to switch jobs," Han Sanping said.
Yu Dong said, "I'm just trying to make a friend. Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still be on good terms. Consider it an introduction to a remarkable young man."
Han Sanping thought for a moment and said, "Alright, they're returning to the capital next week and are planning a celebration banquet. You can come then."
"Okay!" Yu Dong happily agreed.
Meanwhile, in the conference room of Guanzhi Film Industry, Ye Bingcheng also put aside his busy work to listen to He Xuan's report.
"Currently, several companies are contacting Zhang Jun, wanting to poach him. Many of them offer good terms, no worse than ours," He Xuan explained the situation.
Ye Bingcheng habitually tapped the table with his fingers: "What did Zhang Jun say?"
"He didn't say anything, and nobody knows what he's thinking."
He Xuan paused for a moment, then continued, "After all, Guanzhi Pictures is a new company, and in terms of resources and channels, it is not as good as those film companies that have been in the industry for a long time."
Considering the issue of distribution channels, I can understand if Zhang Jun wants to switch jobs.
"But Guanzhi Pictures cannot afford to lose Zhang Jun."
Ye Bingcheng said firmly, "We'll talk about this when he comes back. We'll offer him better terms to keep him. We'll give him shares and a position as he deserves."
Guanzhi Pictures is a startup company. Although it has produced two blockbuster films, it is still a small, unorganized operation.
Guanzhi Pictures lacks the basic framework that a film company should have.
Therefore, Ye Bingcheng also said, "Taking advantage of this opportunity, we should also expand our scale, build up the framework, and operate in the direction of a modern large-scale film company."
He Xuan indicated that she understood.
At Huayi Brothers, the CEO and CEO Wang were also discussing the box office success of Zhang Jun's latest film.
"Of course I thought he was just lucky, but I didn't expect him to succeed again this time, and the box office even surpassed that of the previous movie."
Mr. Wang clicked his tongue in amazement: "I underestimated him. Perhaps we should have offered better terms to poach him."
Huayi Brothers has also been having a tough time lately. Wang Jinghua led a large number of stars to jump ship to Orange Sky, including Chen Kun, who became the top of the four little actors with "About Time".
It's well known that there are seven or eight "Four Little Heavenly Kings" (a term referring to four popular young male actors) in mainland China. But after "About Time," Chen Kun declared, "I'll take one spot; the remaining three are up to you."
Huayi Brothers suffered heavy losses in the field of artist management.
Fortunately, the company's core business remains stable.
Huayi Brothers is also actively seeking an IPO and is pushing for a so-called equity plan to turn all directors and stars into minority shareholders of Huayi Brothers.
After listening to his younger brother's words, Boss Wang said, "Let's not think about this now. Our company has Feng Dapao. He can't possibly come here to be Feng Dapao's underling."
Besides, the owner of Guanzhi Pictures isn't stupid; he'll definitely offer Zhang Jun better terms to keep him.
Even the king is envious. The total investment in "About Time" including marketing costs was only 20 million, but it has now yielded more than 60 million in box office revenue.
The key is that there will be subsequent box office revenue and copyright revenue, so earning another 60 million is not a problem.
Unfortunately, Zhang Jun wields immense power at Guanzhi Pictures, with the entire company revolving around him. China Film Group also supports him, making it virtually impossible for him to switch companies.
Boss Wang's attitude has also changed. Ever since Zhang Jun tricked him into thinking that Zhang Ziyi might participate in the film, Boss Wang has decided to invest.
But later his secretary, who wore a pencil skirt, suggested that they wait and see how Zhang Jun's new movie fared.
If the results are not good, Mr. Wang can reconsider the investment issue or find someone else to invest.
Therefore, Mr. Wang pays close attention to changes in the film market every day.
When he learned that Zhang Jun's new film was another great success, and that his secretary in a bodycon skirt said it might break the 90 million mark at the box office, Boss Wang no longer hesitated.
While Zhang Jun was still on a roadshow in Guangzhou, he received a call from Boss Wang.
"Brother Zhang, when will you come to the Rich and Noble World for a meeting? We can discuss some investment matters."
Knowing that Boss Wang had decided to invest, Zhang Jun immediately agreed, "Okay, let's meet again when I get back to Beijing."
Fan Bingbing was very concerned about Zhang Jun's next movie: "What do you mean? That coal boss you mentioned has decided to invest."
"pretty close,"
Zhang Jun clapped his hands and said, "Now all that's missing is Zhang Ziyi. If she agrees, our film will be able to start production soon."
Fan Bingbing seemed a little disappointed when she heard Zhang Ziyi's name; it was a real pity that she couldn't replace Zhang Ziyi as the female lead.
But the thought that she had a role in Zhang Jun's new film, and an important one at that, immediately cheered her up.
Zhang Ziyi was still in Hollywood at this time, continuing to campaign for her Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. If she could win either one, her status in the industry would immediately rise.
At that time, she will be the number one Chinese-language film actress, even surpassing Gong Li in status.
While she was in Hollywood, she received news from back home that Zhang Jun had another blockbuster film. Thinking about Zhang Jun's invitation, she hesitated for a moment.
So she asked her American agent for advice, and the American agent naturally felt that going back to act in Chinese-language films was not a good choice.
"Zhang, we plan to cast you in a top-tier Hollywood blockbuster. This is your chance to break into the Hollywood mainstream."
Imagine, you could become a Hollywood legend like Jodie Foster and Julia Roberts.
The American agent's words were indeed very tempting; at least Zhang Ziyi had already started fantasizing. She imagined herself standing on the Oscar stage, and receiving a super salary of twenty plus ten.
Back in China, they received rave reviews from the media, enthusiastic support from fans, and praise and reports from official sources.
Some might even choose not to go back, immigrate here, and experience the paradise life in America.
If Zhang Jun were here, he definitely wouldn't believe the American agent's words; he doesn't have that kind of bias. Moreover, he clearly understands how difficult it is for Chinese people to make it in Hollywood.
Jackie Chan's foray into Hollywood has only yielded the Rush Hour series as a notable achievement; his other works are somewhat of a filler.
Besides, there's only one Jackie Chan. What makes Zhang Ziyi worthy of being compared to Jackie Chan?
Unfortunately, Zhang Ziyi, blinded by victory and a bright future, clearly failed to see this fact. Perhaps only after her Golden Globe dream shattered and she discovered Hollywood's discrimination against Chinese actors will she change her mind.
This process didn't take long; a few months later, Zhang Ziyi's Hollywood dream was shattered.
After finishing the promotional tour in Guangzhou, the entire project for "About Time" was considered complete for Zhang Jun.
After returning to the capital, he rested for a few days, went fishing, or took his sister Zhang Linwan to enjoy local delicacies.
Or you could hang out with Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan and discuss body structure.
The box office for "About Time" began to decline in its third week, earning a total of 1433 million yuan this week, bringing the film's total box office to 8010 million yuan.
A box office of 90 million is no problem, but whether it can break 100 million in the end depends on luck.
The box office structure of this era is strange. For example, the movie "Kung Fu Hustle" surpassed 100 million yuan in box office revenue on its eighth day of release. Judging from Zhang Jun's experience, with such a long running time ahead, it should easily reach 200 million yuan!
However, despite grossing over 100 million yuan in eight days, "Kung Fu Hustle" only earned 160 million yuan in mainland China. While that seems decent, the box office curve is abnormal.
The box office situation of "Kung Fu Hustle" is not an isolated case. The box office of many films, such as "A World Without Thieves", has also suddenly been halved.