Huayu became famous overnight

Chapter 278 Watch me catch you all without fail!
Xu Ming's conversation with Nolan did not last long.

Both parties have their own circles and people with whom they need to continue their social interactions.

Otherwise, why waste time showing up at this banquet? Do you really think everyone is here to eat at a buffet and congratulate Wanda?

Even Scarlett let go of Xu Ming's hand and went to chat with her celebrity friends.

Many Hollywood projects originate from these kinds of banquets.

However, even though the exchange was brief, Xu Ming immediately felt the feedback from his earlier display of divine power.

"Xu, would you be interested in investing in our company's film projects?"

Do you have any suitable scripts on hand? We can collaborate on their development.

"I'm Boole, the assistant to the president of the Writers Guild. Are you interested in joining the Writers Guild? Oh, I'm already a member. Here's my business card. Feel free to contact me if you have any related needs or questions."

One by one, those present generously extended their goodwill to him.

Before this, most of the Hollywood filmmakers Xu Ming had encountered only regarded him as a rich fool.

Even if he presents a project, it's because other companies wouldn't even consider it, which is why it's his turn.

If there were even the slightest other possibility, it wouldn't have fallen into his hands.

It's very simple. Aside from scamming investors, people who genuinely want to make movies won't consider non-professionals.

Most local filmmakers would not easily accept Xu Ming.

After all, in their eyes, Xu Ming only had two labels: one was a representative of Chinese capital, and the other was a playboy, both symbols of being a sucker.

But when he gained Nolan's approval, the latter was even willing to invite him to join the screenwriting team.

The situation is different.

Xu Ming didn't need to do any further proof; the film industry naturally accepted him.

Therefore, there is a strategy to flattering someone, and the higher the status of the person you are flattering, the easier it is.

Otherwise, if we keep pushing through layer by layer, how long will it take to gain a foothold?
Like some actresses, they accompany the props, lighting, and camera crew, and even the production assistants, and after doing all that, they often only get a small role.

But for the female lead, it's enough to just accompany one investor; at most, a director can join in for a sip of hot pot soup.

"Brother Ming, who is that foreigner? Does he have such a big influence?"

Xiao Juan, observing from the sidelines, could tell how much influence Nolan had on the people in the room, even though she didn't know him.

"A major Hollywood director."

Seeing that Xiao Juan still looked confused, Xu Ming said carefully, "You can think of him as an enhanced version of Jiang Wen, like someone who made four or five 'Let the Bullets Fly' movies."

Both are directors with extremely strong personal styles and a group of loyal fans, but Nolan is more prolific and consistent in his creative output than Jiang Wen, and his commercial success has been steadily rising.

In other words, he is still relatively inexperienced, and has two powerful figures above him, Spielberg and James Cameron.

When Interstellar is released, it will probably be on par with the two.

In an instant, Xiao Juan understood Nolan's status in Hollywood. She opened her mouth slightly and said, "You're quite capable. You've gotten close to him so quickly."

"No, other secretaries have sweet words, why do your lips sound like they're coated with poison?"

Xu Ming glared at the other person, annoyed. "It's because your boss's talent is too dazzling that people have noticed and want to befriend him, don't you understand?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Xiao Juan nodded repeatedly.

Xu Ming finally understood how others felt when they faced him.

What's most infuriating is that these were soldiers he personally trained...

"By the way, didn't 'Painted Skin 2' premiere yesterday? Have the box office figures been released yet?" Xu Ming asked.

"The ticketing website for movies has been updated. It grossed 7000 million on the first day, and it seems to be making great strides," Xiao Juan said.

"Heh, Huayi has finally gotten its revenge this time," Xu Ming sneered.

Before the release of "Painted Skin 2", the highest-grossing Chinese film this year was "The Great Magician" with 1.7 million yuan.

Directed by Derek Yee and starring Tony Leung, Lau Ching-wan, Zhou Xun, and others, the film is primarily composed of Hong Kong filmmakers.

The highly anticipated film, "Under the Hawthorn Tree," only grossed 1.5 million yuan at the box office, slightly higher than its predecessor's 1.4 million yuan, despite the reputations of director Zhang Yimou and director Qi Ming.

After all, it's an art film, a nostalgic youth film, and the male and female leads are both newcomers, so its box office potential isn't very high.

Looking at it this way, Huayi is the only tall one among the short ones.

Even with all sorts of problems, people can only grit their teeth and support the former, hoping it can make Chinese films famous.

The state of the Chinese film industry in its previous life also proved that it was indeed hopeless.

No wonder Han Sanping risked everything to ask me for a promise some time ago. If the box office of domestic films continues to decline, they may not even be able to compete with Bollywood.

As for comparing with Hollywood, the authorities never had any expectations from beginning to end, but it's too much to lose so badly.

If we keep losing, we'll lose all face.

"That depends on who you're compared to. Anyway, everyone online is calling for your comeback," Xiao Juan said cheerfully.

"The people's hearts are worth having, but it's a pity that being a savior is not easy, and not everyone wants me to be one."

Xu Ming shook his head; this thing requires the right timing.

We still have to wait and see.

He refocused his attention and threw himself back into socializing.

I won't be staying in Hollywood for long, so I need to take advantage of Wanda's momentum to help the branch establish as many cooperative channels as possible.

……

The evening of July 7.

A bright red banner was hung outside a large hotel in Beijing.

[Warmest congratulations to "Painted Skin II" for surpassing 3 million yuan at the box office in its opening week!]

If it weren't for Xu Ming's masterpieces "The Unknown" and "How Long Will I Love U" preceding it, "Painted Skin 2" would have received even more accolades.

In its previous life, the latter set seven records for Chinese-language films in mainland China during its opening week.

It is also the first IP successfully created in the mainland film industry.

However, with Xu Ming's work now overshadowing them, the people present didn't feel so good about it.

"Mr. Wang, what is your prediction for the final box office of 'Painted Skin 2'?" the reporter asked.

Wang Zhongjun said with a beaming smile, "I'll make a bold estimate: if we break 100 million US dollars, I'll prove that our Chinese-language films are no worse than Hollywood blockbusters!"

"it is good!"

Clap clap clap, applause erupted.

Everyone gave them a lot of face and cheered them on.

This also gave Wang Zhongjun an increasingly strong sense of control and pleasure.

If he can't beat Hollywood, then the Chinese film industry is a piece of cake.
"When do you think there will be an opportunity to break the box office record set by Xu Ming's film 'The Unknown'?"

The atmosphere changed instantly upon hearing this question.

Why bring up something you shouldn't say!

Why use such an unlucky name on such a joyous occasion?
The key point is that "Painted Skin 2" broke 3 million yuan in box office revenue in its first week, and is expected to reach 6.5 million yuan. Everyone is very ambitious.

Suddenly bringing up the 'box office miracle' of "The Unknown" that broke 1 billion yuan is tantamount to ruining the event.

Upon closer inspection, the microphone held by the reporter asking the question had the logo of the movie ticketing website engraved on it. Who the hell let this person in?
"Let me correct you first. The film 'The Nameless' was directed by Ning Hao and starred Jiang Wen, Wang Baoqiang, Qin Hailu, Xu Ming, and others. Xu Ming was just one of the main actors."

Secondly, I believe there's always an opportunity to break through; it's just that we prefer to achieve results honestly and fairly rather than resorting to underhanded methods.

Wang Zhongjun's face was serious. To him, the names Qi Ming and Xu Ming had become like a demon in his heart. They were even a demon to the entire Huayi.

It's a scar that can't be touched.

But it’s different now!

"Painted Skin 2" is expected to gross over 11 million US dollars, and director Feng Xiaogang's "Back to 1942" is scheduled for release this November.

In contrast, Qiming has remained largely silent.

Xu Ming has been reduced to making TV dramas, collaborating with Fan Bingbing, a direct descendant of Huayi Brothers. How can he be considered a competitor?
No, this guy was never worthy from the start.

Today, he will turn the page on this chapter, and the future will belong to Huayi!
According to some American media reports, Xu Ming has recently been in contact with director Christopher Nolan and is expected to join Nolan's new film. What are your thoughts on this?

This time, the reporter asking the question was from Sina Entertainment, which is known for stirring up trouble and doesn't distinguish between friend and foe.

"I think we should focus our attention on Chinese-language films."

Wang Zhongjun paused for a moment, then said coldly, "Moreover, the veracity of this news is still questionable. Let's wait until he actually joins the company before making any further comments."

His heart skipped a beat when he first heard it.

Then it dawned on me that while it's possible Nolan has used Xu Ming as the male lead in some films, it's only slightly better than Zero.

Even if he does join the cast, he'll only be an actor.

The celebration banquet was disrupted, and the atmosphere plummeted.

However, the artists present were different. After hearing the news that Xu Ming might join Nolan's new film, they...

My first thought was to see if I could get involved with the latter and try to break into Hollywood.

Even just showing your face is a great opportunity.

Compared to Hong Kong and Taiwan artists, mainland artists have caught up in commercial value, but their status as celebrities hasn't improved.

Actors of Zhou Xun and Zhao Bate's caliber can play leading roles in mainland-produced films like "Painted Skin 2," but in other big-budget productions, they can only serve as supporting characters for Hong Kong and Taiwanese stars.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of many people, including themselves, mainland actors are at the very bottom of the social hierarchy.

This is a long-standing trend, prevalent among audiences, brands, and industry professionals, and it's difficult to change in a short time.

But once you get involved with Hollywood, it's like taking a shortcut.

People like Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing have now separated themselves from mainland artists and are touting themselves as international stars.

"Didn't you and Xu Ming have a good relationship before?" Zhao Bate asked in a low voice.

"The relationship soured after the Hundred Flowers Awards."

Chen Kun was helpless, because Zhou Xun had also contributed to the situation.

"If things haven't fallen apart, it doesn't matter. You can ask your agent or just ask yourself to see if you can get an audition opportunity."

Zhao Bate paused for a moment, then said, "Don't feel ashamed. You have to fight for your own path. If you can't let go of your pride when the opportunity comes, it will be difficult to pick it up again later."

She has always been a flexible and adaptable person. She has basically made it through the mainland entertainment industry. It would be good if she could maintain her position and not decline in the future.

"Okay, I'll ask."

Chen Kun took out his phone, edited a text message, carefully changed the wording, and then clicked send.

……

Xu Ming just flew back from Los Angeles.

On the way back to the company, he casually scrolled through Weibo.

Besides reports from subordinates, I learn about many things inside and outside the industry through this thing.

Besides him, many other bigwigs in China are like this.

It's easy to see how authoritative Weibo's trending topics list is.

Unfortunately, Sina managed to erode public trust in the company. Of course, it's also possible that Sina didn't want to, but was simply powerless to resist...

"The second run of 'Love Story in Beijing' has already broken 1.2% in ratings? This drama has quite a long run. By the way, when did Yang Mi join the cast? For someone of her status, this role is a step down." Xu Ming asked, frowning.

"I had already signed a contract with the production company before joining the company. I was already on set before 'Palace' even aired," Xiao Juan said.

"That makes sense. Isn't Chen Sicheng the director of this show?" Xu Ming asked.

"Hmm, Chen Sicheng wrote, directed, and starred in it himself; he's certainly talented," Xiao Juan said.

A little bit?

Xu Ming raised an eyebrow; this guy later became one of the most successful commercial directors in mainland China's film industry.

The other party's work may not be surprising, but it will never disappoint. They know exactly what the audience likes to watch and are willing to make films for the audience.

Unlike some directors who, even knowing the consequences, still feed the audience a piece of shit in the name of artistic pursuit.

"Let's get in touch and see if we can get you a contract with the company, or at least a few film projects," Xu Ming said.

"What's the highest level of conditions you can be offered?" Xiao Juan asked.

"The kind of certificate." Xu Ming said succinctly.

Xiao Juan immediately placed Chen Sicheng in a position of great importance.

It should be noted that Yu Zheng was more of a partner of Qi Ming than Xu Ming's subordinate, and in terms of rank, he was equivalent to the head of a branch company.

Xu Ming's comparison of Chen Sicheng to Yu Zheng clearly shows his high regard for the former.

Ding Dong!

A text message notification pulled Xu Ming back to reality.

He glanced at the contents and chuckled, "The news in China is pretty well-informed. My contact with Nolan has already spread to the industry today, but it's taken a little wrong."

Nolan's script isn't finalized yet, and the male lead is still undecided. What good would it do him to join?

Aside from exchanging contact information at the Wanda celebration banquet, the two have not been in contact since.

The other party is busy with the release of "The Dark Knight Rises" and doesn't have time to deal with "Interstellar" for the time being. Perhaps when they revise the script later, they will contact me again, considering the inspiration I gave them before.

"Let alone outsiders, our company is already in an uproar. Several artists wanted to ask their agents to inquire about the details of Director Nolan's new project, but I turned them down," Xiao Juan said.

“We directly rejected the artists from within the company, telling them to behave themselves. They haven’t even figured things out in China yet, and they’d only embarrass themselves if they went abroad.”

Xu Ming stroked his chin. "But we can try to catch some outsiders."

Anyway, Nolan's new film is still in the planning stages, and anything is possible, so he's not exactly fooling these guys.

They use domestic capital to lure overseas projects, then use those overseas projects to lure domestic celebrities, and finally use those celebrities to lure domestic capital.

Yes, that completes one cycle.

He had already figured out how to use these "celebrity friends" who were actively trying to build relationships with him.

"By the way, when will 'The Voice of China' premiere?"

"August 13."

"I remember there was a mentor/dream mentor segment, right? Has the guest list been finalized?"

"Not yet, what's wrong, Ming-ge?"

"It's alright, I can fill a few positions here with fresh blood."

Xu Ming's lips curled into a smile as he typed rapidly to reply to the text message.

【Kunzi, I have a show that needs a guest. When you come to record it, I can tell you about Nolan's new film.】

I'll fish you all out of your lives...

(End of this chapter)