Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 441, Page 439: Victory!

Just as "Night at the Museum" entered the final sprint of post-production and "I Can See Ghosts with My Left Eye" was showing in theaters, a landmark piece of news came from across the ocean: after a long run of 112 days, the Chinese fantasy comedy "Shaolin Soccer" officially ended its run in the North American market on July 18.

The final box office figures were nothing short of spectacular: $9237 million in North America!
Based on the exchange rate of approximately 1 US dollar to 8.28 Chinese yuan in 2002, this is equivalent to about 7.65 million yuan!

This number, like a dazzling star, is firmly embedded in the sky of the North American film market in 2002.

It not only became the highest-grossing foreign language film in North America without any doubt, but also stormed into the top of the 2002 North American box office rankings with its ferocious momentum (Note: According to actual data, the 10th highest-grossing film in North America in 2002, Star Wars: Episode II – At World's End, grossed about $310 million, Spider-Man ranked 20th with about $130 million, and Shake Soccer ranked around 30th with $9237 million, but as a foreign language film, it was already a phenomenon), creating an unprecedented commercial miracle for Chinese-language films and even purely Asian films in the North American market.

Moreover, thanks to New Line Cinema's powerful global distribution network, "Shaolin Soccer" also grossed approximately $5000 million (equivalent to approximately 4.14 million RMB) in other overseas regions besides North America and major Asian markets.

Adding to the 5.32 million RMB box office gross in Asia, "Shaolin Soccer" has reached a staggering global box office figure that has shocked the entire Chinese film industry: $9237 million in North America + $5000 million overseas + 5.32 million RMB in Asia. If converted together, the total global revenue far exceeds one billion RMB!

Sheng Ying Media's public relations department was already poised to act.

As soon as the final data was confirmed, meticulously prepared press releases of good news were sent to major partner media outlets around the world.

Domestic newspapers, television, and portal websites all featured headlines such as "Shaolin Soccer Raises $9237 Million in North America, Setting a New Record for Chinese Films!" and "Sheng Ying Production Shines in North America, Wang Sheng Model Validated Worldwide!" on their front pages or featured images.

"Shaolin Soccer concludes its North American run perfectly, with $9237 million in revenue establishing an immortal monument for Chinese films!"

"Shengying's global revenue has exceeded one billion RMB, proving a new path for cultural export!"

"From being besieged by 'surrenderists' to a global box office miracle, Wang Sheng shattered the rumors with his strength!"

These powerful keywords, combined with the exhilarating posters for "Kung Fu Soccer" and photos of Wang Sheng confidently and calmly appearing in a televised debate, have created a new wave of public opinion.

This time, instead of doubt and attacks, there was an overwhelming outpouring of praise, amazement, and national pride.

The remaining noises about "catering to the West" and "cultural inferiority" have been completely crushed and vanished in the face of this monument built with real money and recognized by the global market.

The North American miracle of "Shaolin Soccer" not only brought Sheng Ying Media and Wang Sheng himself great prestige and international influence, but also injected a strong stimulant into the entire Chinese film industry.

It clearly tells everyone that Chinese films are fully capable of winning respect and achieving success in the mainstream international market with their own unique characteristics and charm!

This news of victory was immediately relayed to New Line Cinema, the North American distributor of "Shaolin Soccer".

Kevin Brown, Senior Vice President of New Line Cinema's International Division, was far from calm as he looked at the final report.

$9237!
It far exceeded their initial, most optimistic expectations.

That initial, risky agreement involving a guaranteed minimum return plus profit sharing now appears to be one of NewLine's most successful decisions in recent years. It not only brought substantial profits, but more importantly, through its collaboration with Shengying, Brown and his team conducted an in-depth post-mortem analysis.

They realized that while the success of "Shaolin Soccer" was certainly due to its nonsensical comedic style and the universality of its soccer elements, Shengying Media and its leader Wang Sheng played a role that was far more than just a content provider.

From early-stage suggestions for fine-tuning the film for the international market to later promotional efforts, Wang Sheng's team demonstrated a precise grasp of the core theme of "dream" and skillfully utilized American media (such as "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart") for topical marketing...

All of this demonstrates Shengying Media's profound understanding of the psychology of cross-cultural audiences and its precise ability to control market demands.

In Hollywood's lexicon, this ability might be called "market adaptability and localization guidance," or more bluntly, the precise grasp of the "itches" and "pleasures" of audiences in specific cultural regions.

Wang Sheng and his team seem to have an innate ability to package the core of Eastern narratives in a way that global audiences can understand and appreciate.

This capability is invaluable to Hollywood companies aiming to expand into global markets, especially the Chinese market, which they have long coveted but have struggled to penetrate.

"Kung Fu Soccer" serves as a perfect example, proving that Shengying Media is not only an excellent content creator, but also an extremely rare "super connector" and "market catalyst" capable of bridging the gap between Chinese and Western cultural consumption.

Thus, a decision was quickly formed among the senior management of New Line: the strategic partnership with Wang Sheng and Shengying Media must be further strengthened.

Soon, a formal invitation from Los Angeles, filled with enthusiastic words, appeared on Wang Shengjing's desk in the Xinda Building via encrypted fax.

New Line Cinema cordially invites Mr. Wang Sheng and Mr. Zhou Xingxing, the soul of "Shaolin Soccer," to visit Los Angeles on July 27th to attend the grand celebration party hosted by New Line Cinema for the box office success of "Shaolin Soccer" in North America.

……

"Your Majesty, this is not just a victory celebration..."

Brown's tone was filled with barely concealed excitement and a deeper sense of anticipation: "This is a vision for broader cooperation in the future. The market insight and execution capabilities you and your team have demonstrated are amazing. We very much hope to explore more exciting possibilities with Sheng Ying."

Wang Sheng held the microphone, his gaze sweeping across the rows of tall buildings outside the window, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

He had originally planned to travel to the United States after the post-production work on "Night at the Museum" was temporarily completed, both to have deeper discussions with New Line Cinema about the North American and global distribution strategy of "Night at the Museum," and to negotiate new collaborations with New Line Cinema.

“Kevin, thank you for the invitation.” Wang Sheng’s voice was calm and firm. “The success of ‘Shaolin Soccer’ is inseparable from the outstanding work of the New Line team. Mr. Stephen Chow and I will be there on time.”

"Perfect timing! I also have some new ideas about future collaborations, and I hope to discuss them in detail with you and your colleagues then."

"..."

(End of this chapter)