Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 513, Section 511: A Terrifying Number of Nominations
In February 2004, the harsh winter cold still lingered in Beijing, but inside the Jingxin Building, the headquarters of Shengying Media, a bustling scene unfolded.

The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year has not yet completely dissipated, but the lingering warmth of the capital market and the box office reports of the film market have already become new fuel to drive this cultural aircraft carrier forward at full speed.

Wang Sheng's life returned to a regular, busy routine.

In the morning, I handle the group's strategic documents and listen to the annual plan reports from various business units; in the afternoon, I mostly have project seminars or necessary business meetings.

The halo and pressure brought by going public have gradually transformed into precise instructions for daily operations and meticulous planning for the future.

The "100 Cities, 100 Hospitals" project, under the leadership of the Planning Department, has entered the stage of specific city site selection assessment and business negotiations, with thick feasibility reports piled up on Wang Sheng's desk.

Detailed negotiations with China Film Group regarding the "Zhongbeisheng Digital Cinema Base" are also underway, with the technical team frequently traveling between Beijing and Huairou to conduct on-site surveys and preliminary planning and design.

These are all long-term plans to solidify the foundation of the empire, which cannot be rushed, but also cannot be delayed.

In his spare time, Wang Sheng would browse through the daily public opinion and market reports compiled by Li Tingting.

The media frenzy seemed to echo the afterglow of his glorious achievements, continuing to reverberate in the early spring of 2004.

First, there's the box office battlefield.

The performance of "Spy Kids" during the Chinese New Year season in mainland China can be described as phenomenal.

With the hype surrounding Wang Sheng's Hollywood debut, the mature action-comedy genre, and its family-friendly appeal, the film garnered 1128 million yuan on its opening day, Lunar New Year's Eve. Its box office performance remained strong, easily surpassing 80 million yuan in its first full week (including the Spring Festival holiday), and steadily moving towards the 100 million yuan mark.

This Hollywood production, which landed in mainland China as an "imported revenue-sharing blockbuster," was jokingly referred to by the media and audiences as "the most familiar stranger" due to the deep imprint of "Wang Sheng's production." Its success was also regarded as a brilliant "backdoor listing" by Wang Sheng in accordance with the current film import rules.

What is even more remarkable is the long-tail effect demonstrated by "Kung Fu Hustle".

On February 4th, major media outlets reported that "Kung Fu Hustle," directed by Stephen Chow and with extensive involvement from Sheng Ying Media, has officially surpassed 400 million RMB in total box office revenue in mainland China after two months of market testing since its release on December 5th, 2003!

This is an exciting figure. It not only signifies the unprecedented commercial success of "Kung Fu Hustle," but also intensifies a suspenseful question: can it surpass the 4.2 million yuan box office record set by Wang Sheng's "Night at the Museum" in 2002?
"Night at the Museum" initially reclaimed the top spot from "Titanic" thanks to its fantastical setting, Jackie Chan's brand recognition, and the export of cultural confidence, and was regarded as a milestone for Chinese commercial films.

Now, Kung Fu Hustle, with its blend of Hong Kong-style slapstick comedy and top-notch visual effects from the mainland, still maintains a good number of screenings and attendance rates two months after its release, and has been granted a key extension to enter its third month of screening.

The media has already begun hyping up this "sibling rivalry," discussing whether "Kung Fu Hustle" can ultimately defeat "Night at the Museum" in terms of endurance and ascend to the new throne.

Regardless of the outcome, the dominance of Sheng Ying Group's films in the top two spots of film history is already clear.

Before the box office buzz had even died down, the media revisited old news, reporting again on the 76th Academy Awards nominations announced on January 27th, US time.

The two films directed by Wang Sheng were the focus of the media coverage.

Wang Sheng's Sino-US co-production "The Pursuit of Happyness" has garnered seven nominations for its deeply moving story and superb production, including Best Director (Wang Sheng), Best Picture, Best Actor (Jamie Foxx), Best Supporting Actor (Taylor James Williams), Best Adapted Screenplay (Wang Sheng), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Original Score!

Of particular note is the nomination for Best Supporting Actor by Taylor James Williams, the young actor who plays Chris Gardner's son in the film, at the age of 11, for his sincere and natural performance.

This makes him the fourth youngest nominee in Oscar history, behind only Justin Henry (8 years old) for Kramer vs. Kramer, and tied with Haley Joel Osment for The Sixth Sense and Brenton Dwight for Shall (both 11 years old).

For a time, the aura of a "child prodigy" enveloped this young Black boy. Even more astonishing to the industry was the fact that Wang Sheng's other Hollywood film, the action comedy *Spy Kids*, also shone brightly in both technical and performance awards, garnering a total of eleven nominations, including Best Actor (Matt Damon), Best Actress (Kate Beckinsale), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup!
The media quickly calculated that Wang Sheng has received a total of eighteen Oscar nominations for these two films!
This number sets a new record for Chinese directors at a single Oscar, a truly remarkable achievement.

Domestic film fans are proud, and various forums are filled with discussions of pride and eager anticipation for the awards ceremony, speculating whether Wang Sheng will ultimately win several Oscars.

However, Wang Sheng's reaction was unusually calm when he saw the detailed list of nominees in his office.

The Oscars have never been just an arena for artistic competition, but also a battleground for Hollywood politics and business public relations.

As the final installment of the epic series, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" carries a great deal of sentiment and industry recognition. Its grand scale and perfect ending are in line with the awarding logic of the Oscars.

More importantly, its producer, New Line Cinema, has long regarded this year's Oscars as a fortress that must be conquered in order to bring this expensive and painstakingly produced series to a perfect end.

According to Kevin Brown's private remarks and speculation from some industry sources, New Line Cinema has invested an astronomical sum in its Oscar campaign for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," estimated to be between $8 million and $12 million. This is only the public relations cost, aimed at securing its nomination advantage and ultimately translating into an award.

While "Spy Kids," also produced by New Line Cinema, received an astonishing number of nominations that matched "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," it was clear to everyone that the two films carried a different weight in the eyes of the Oscar voters.

"Spy Kids" is an excellent commercial genre film, but its action-comedy elements are naturally at a disadvantage in the eyes of Oscar judges who pursue "artistic depth" and "technical sophistication".

The film's numerous nominations are due to two main reasons. Firstly, the film's quality is indeed excellent. Secondly, while New Line Cinema was actively supporting "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," they also invested considerable public relations resources (approximately $3 million to $5 million) in this box office hit, aiming to expand the success, demonstrate the company's strength, and build momentum for the series' future development.

These eleven nominations are more of an affirmation of its industrial standards and market success, and their significance cannot be compared with that of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which it was determined to win.

The seven nominations for "The Pursuit of Happyness" are mainly attributed to the efforts of co-producer Disney.

Disney handed it over to Miramax Films, a subsidiary known for its expertise in Oscar lobbying.

Miramax, well-versed in Oscar strategies, devised a precise public relations strategy for this realistic and inspirational film, focusing on winning core awards such as acting, directing, and screenplay.

Even so, its public relations expenditure was between $4 million and $6 million, which still seemed much more restrained compared to the extravagant spending of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King".

Wang Sheng knew very well that compared to the epic behemoth that is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, both Spy Who Makes a House and The Pursuit of Happyness were just runners-up.

The new storyline places even more resources and expectations on the final chapter of Middle-earth.

He himself doesn't have much hope of winning an award, especially a big one.

After all, in the original timeline, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won all eleven nominations, tying Titanic's record and achieving a sweep.

For him, receiving eighteen nominations was already a huge victory.

Like gleaming medals, they adorn the "Produced by Shengying" and "Directed by Wang Sheng" brand, greatly enhancing his reputation and influence in the global film industry and paving the way for Shengying Media's internationalization strategy.

This is more significant than whether or not they ultimately win a few Oscars.

(End of this chapter)