Full-time actor

Just half a month later, "Better Days" officially surpassed 7 million RMB at the domestic box office, setting a record for art films in China and even globally.

In North America, it broke the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for an art-house film, reaching $5144 million.

Not only in mainland China and North America, but also around the world, box office revenue has soared.

No one expected that an art film could generate such a huge buzz, and suddenly the issue of bullying was being hotly debated online worldwide.

This further boosted the film's box office performance.

Chen Yu's popularity is undeniable, and his debut work is naturally captivating.

This can be considered a major reason for the growth in overseas box office revenue.

Most importantly, many overseas media outlets joined in the publicity, and CAA's public relations and hype played a significant role in this.

For a time, "Better Days" was incredibly popular.

Chen Yu was naturally also paying attention to the box office trends at home and abroad, and it has to be said that the results were not far from his expectations.

"I knew it would be popular in China!"

"I didn't expect it to be such a hit overseas!!"

Liu Yifei walked in carrying a plate of fruit. Her popularity has skyrocketed worldwide in the past few days.

The character Chen Nian resonated with many women abroad, leading countless girls to want to know who the actress who played Chen Nian was.

That's the appeal of a good character.

"Let's go, we need to get ready for our promotional trip to North America..."

This matter has been dragging on for a long time, and it just so happens that this time it coincides with the casting for "Budapest". The next schedule will be busy with flying all over the world.

……

Meanwhile, in Hollywood on the other side of the world, CAA is preparing for the casting of "The Grand Budapest Hotel".

The success of "Better Days" has made CAA even more excited for their next film.

They had already read the script, and both the characters and the content of the script itself were impeccable.

Chen Yu was indeed a genius.

Furthermore, as long as Chen Yu is involved, box office success is absolutely guaranteed.

The minimum threshold globally is now 5 million.

With $3 million in Asia and over $2 million in other continents, this is all thanks to the reputation he built up from one film to another; therefore, CAA gave him plenty of opportunities when it came to casting.

The script has been sent to the studios of all the top-tier artists under its umbrella.

They naturally showed their utmost sincerity in collaborating with Chen Yu.

The first person to receive the invitation was Ralph Fiennes, the original lead actor in "The Grand Budapest Hotel".

This guy is famous worldwide for playing Voldemort in Harry Potter.

His manager, Dave Bassett, walked into Fiennes' lounge.

"CAA sent over a notebook, would you be interested in taking a look?"

Upon hearing the voice behind him, Ralph Fiennes turned his head away, looking rather languid.

"What book?"

Having just finished filming "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," he naturally wanted to give himself some time to rest.

Dave Bassett looked at the person in front of him.

It has to be said that Ralph Fiennes is currently incredibly popular worldwide.

With his chilling demeanor, serpentine body language, and shrill voice, he perfectly embodied the evil image of Voldemort.

So much so that people remember this character deeply.

In 1993, Ralph Fiennes made a strong impression with his role in Schindler's List, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

She later starred in the Oscar-winning film "The English Patient".

As for now——

He became a sensation through "Harry Potter".

Faced with Ralph Fiennes's inquiry, Dave Bassett naturally had to provide a detailed explanation.

"Does Heal Chan know?"

Faced with the question from the person in front of him, Ralph Fiennes finally became serious: "H...chan? The one from China?"

"Sorry, I thought it was Jacken Chan!"

"I know him, that young man from China, the Chinese Super Cyclone!"

Chen Yu's current fame among young people worldwide has far surpassed that of Jackie Chan.

Putting everything else aside, if it really is that person from China, then he would naturally know about it.

They're actors in the same industry, after all.

After all, Chen Yu is now very well-known in Hollywood, especially since "Better Days" has recently grossed nearly $100 million at the North American box office.

It's still selling like hotcakes.

For an art film to achieve such high results, it's definitely a very strong achievement.

Globally, the figure has already exceeded 5 million US dollars.

It was entirely thanks to Chen Yu's efforts, his directorial debut, and the sensation he caused in Venice.

It's hard not to know Ralph Fiennes even if you want to.

"That's right, it's his new work!"

"The lead actor?"

"Yes, but I also work as a part-time director, producer, screenwriter, coordinator, and so on."

"It can be said to be his second film in preparation."

This is absolutely a fantastic opportunity. Everyone knows Chen Yu's current influence, so participating in his film or collaborating with him would be a great decision.

Despite his manager's enthusiastic introduction, Ralph Fiennes showed little interest.

He admitted that Chen Yu was very popular.

However, he just finished filming "Harry Potter" and his popularity is already at an all-time high, so he doesn't have the energy for anything else right now.

Perhaps sensing that Ralph Fiennes wasn't very interested, Dave Bassett quickly added, "It's not what you think, it's an international film, and there will be other Hollywood actors involved!"

"Especially this time, CAA invited many big names."

"The first film, 'Better Days,' was a small test, and it caused a sensation in Venice and the global film industry."

"This time, Chan has set his sights on the international stage. This film has a large investment and ambition, and it is also an art film, so it can compete for the Oscars!"

Knowing what his artists were interested in, Dave Bassett further enticed, "My suggestion is that you take a look at this script; you can't miss this opportunity."

"Moreover, Chan's popularity is self-evident, so there shouldn't be any problems with participating in his movies."

Dave Bassett's incessant chatter made Ralph Fiennes shrug.

"Just leave the script there, I'll take a look at it when I have time."

Ralph Fiennes was quite frustrated.

However, since his manager had already said so, he had no choice but to reluctantly comply.

……

And at the same time.

CAA also distributes scripts to many of its Hollywood artists.

dong dong dong-

Tilda Swinton, who will play the Ancient One in the future Marvel series, was reading the script for The Grand Budapest Hotel when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

She was a well-known Hollywood actress who played the Ancient One in the future Marvel Universe, and later won an Oscar.

And with his unique performance style, he became a hot superstar.

At that moment, her manager, Jim Anderson, walked straight in.

"Hey! David Fincher has a new script—"

"Shh!"

Tilda Swinton quickly waved her hand, signaling her manager not to bother her.

The unexpected situation left the manager stunned.

"A perfectly crafted storyline."

“Anderson, I’m very interested in the Grand Budapest Hotel project.”

Tilda Swinton shook the script in her hand.

what?
Jim Anderson walked over and then noticed that Tilda Swinton was holding the very same major project that CAA had mentioned a few days earlier.

"CAA has already sent script offers to many actors for this film."

"So far, a lot of people have indeed expressed interest in it."

"However, David Fincher has a new script that I believe will be more exciting than arthouse films like The Grand Budapest Hotel."

Jim Anderson highly recommended David Fincher's new screenplay.

In his view, art films have no box office market.

Although "Better Days" achieved considerable success this time, it ultimately couldn't maintain its success across all its releases.

"No!"

Tilda Swinton quickly waved her hand.

“I believe that if you read this script, you would not have said what you just said.” Tilda Swinton has always had her own theory when it comes to choosing scripts, and she never categorizes art films and commercial films.

after all--

In her opinion, the most important thing for a good movie is to have a good script.

Jim Anderson had some doubts, but he trusted Tilda Swinton's intuition.

If it's really as good as she says, he will naturally support her.

"All right……"

"I hope it's as you think, I'll go talk to CAA?"

Jim Anderson was asking that.

Meanwhile, many Hollywood artists were actually reading this European story written by a Chinese person.

Both the script and Chen Yu himself were very appealing to them.

Immediately, an internal struggle ensued over the film script.

……

Three days later, Chen Yu was dealing with his work when the phone rang.

He instinctively reached for the bedside table.

It was Yang Lu's phone call.

"Brother Yu, the box office in North America has exceeded 1 million, which is much higher than we expected."

"Even more encouraging is that last week it broke the North American weekend box office record for art films!"

Chen Yu had been observing overseas box office figures during this period, so he didn't react much after hearing Yang Lu's report.

How's the role recruitment going with CAA?

Chen Yu changed the subject so quickly that Yang Lu almost didn't have time to react.

"I'll go and urge them right away."

"The script was sent to Hollywood artists some time ago, but there has been no news since."

Chen Yu responded and was about to speak when the phone rang again.

Say Cao Cao and Cao Cao will arrive.

It was Richard, the head of CAA.

"Hey! Chan, your script is absolutely brilliant."

"I simply don't know how to describe how popular this book is!"

Richard's voice echoed on the other end of the phone, and only then did Chen Yu sit up on the bed.

"Stop putting butter on me!"

Chen Yu naturally knew that the script for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was indeed outstanding; it was an art film that swept the globe.

Upon hearing Chen Yu's words, Richard couldn't help but laugh.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two finally got down to business.

"How's it going? How did the casting issue go?"

Seeing that Chen Yu had gone straight to the point, Richard naturally didn't keep him in suspense.

"Many of the artists under our management are highly regarded."

“Tilda Swinton, in particular, couldn’t wait to say she wanted to star in the role after reading the script.”

Hear this.

Chen Yu was naturally aware of this, after all, the script for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was absolutely unique.

Any seasoned actor can captivate you with just one glance.

"Many artists have already signed up, when will the casting begin?"

The casting process was practically a war.

Regardless of which side backs down first, they will naturally have to make significant concessions.

Therefore, Chen Yu definitely cannot give in first during this process.

"No rush, let's lower the pay a bit."

"Whoever is willing to lower their fee to act will get the role."

After hearing Chen Yu's answer, Richard couldn't help but sigh, "Chen Yu is not only a good actor and director, but also a capitalist who exploits people."

But he just likes this kind of existence.

Be brave and resourceful.

"Understood. Then wait for my good news."

Chen Yu knew that many Hollywood blockbusters were willing to lower actor salaries in order to win awards.

For example, Leonardo DiCaprio—

When he took on the role in "The Wolf of Wall Street," he was initially offered a salary of $2500 million, but in order to make up for the film's over budget, he cut his salary to $1000 million.

He firmly believed that the role required "crazy energy".

The final result was, of course, perfect. "The Wolf of Wall Street" grossed $3.92 million worldwide, and Leonardo DiCaprio won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film.

Therefore, when faced with a good script, Hollywood actors never refuse to act because of their salary.

As for "The Grand Budapest Hotel", it fits this condition perfectly.

This work has a very high chance of winning an award; it was a major award winner in its previous life.

Richard understood this principle as well and had no objection to it.

His call was simply to inform Chen Yu of this news.

The two hung up the phone.

As for Liu Yifei, she had already appeared at the door, looking eagerly into the room.

Today, both families gathered together to celebrate the box office of "Better Days" exceeding 7 million yuan.

"We're probably going to get busy soon."

what--

Liu Yifei was somewhat puzzled by Chen Yu's sudden words.

"Richard just called me. Artists in Hollywood are very interested in the script for The Grand Budapest Hotel."

"I think casting will begin in a few days."

Liu Yifei nodded and then strolled over to where Chen Yu was.

"Does that mean we have to go to CAA headquarters?"

The two walked downstairs side by side.

Liu Xiaoli and Shen Xiaoqin were already busy in the kitchen when they overheard the conversation between the two women, and Chen Xiaoqin couldn't help but turn around and look over.

His expression carried a hint of melancholy.

"Leaving again? You've only had a few days of rest."

Chen Yu shrugged.

"The next film is about to start shooting, so we'll definitely be busy with casting during this time."

"If nothing unexpected happens, we may have to fly to Los Angeles this month."

Liu Xiaoli turned around and looked at the two of them.

There was naturally reluctance in her eyes, but she also knew that the greater her abilities, the greater the responsibilities she had to bear.

Both children are currently in the prime of their careers.

Besides providing support, they naturally don't need to do anything else.

In particular, she began to look at Chen Yu with increasing admiration.

The movie "Better Days" is currently showing in theaters, and its daily box office figures are constantly exceeding expectations.

“When our children want to develop their careers, we, as their elders, naturally have to support them.”

"Auntie believes in both of you, and your careers will definitely flourish in the future."

Today was supposed to be a "victory celebration banquet".

After all, if "Better Days" maintains its current box office performance, it could easily reach 10 billion yuan.

"Hurry up and take your seat."

"We can start eating once I've ladled out the soup."

Liu Xiaoli was extremely gentle. She was proud to see her daughter becoming more and more outstanding by Chen Yu's side.

"Let me do it."

Chen Yu rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen, with Liu Yifei following behind...

at the same time.

Ralph Fiennes finally returned home after a day of filming.

I was completely exhausted and was just about to take a shower and rest when I suddenly caught a glimpse of the script on the sofa.

The Grand Budapest Hotel?
What a strange name!

After a moment's hesitation, Ralph Fiennes finally went over to take a look at the notebook that Dave Bassett had mentioned, the one that was being fought over... (End of Chapter)