The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith performed remarkably well at the Chinese box office, far surpassing Nolan's Beta Blanc.

The two films were released one after the other. The former grossed 1700 million yuan in its first three days in China, while the latter only grossed more than 800 million yuan in its first three days, less than half of the former.

This is partly due to the fact that the lighthearted and humorous style of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is more suited to the tastes of Chinese audiences, but the higher popularity of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in China is also an undeniable factor.

In addition, there is another reason that cannot be ignored: a large number of viewers are drawn to the show because of the rumors surrounding the two main characters.

The two superstars, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, turned their on-screen couple relationship into a real-life romance, bringing tremendous attention to the film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

After the meeting, Shen Qing and Fan Bingbing walked out of the China Film Building side by side, chatting casually.

"It seems we have more copies than 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'?" Fan Bingbing suddenly asked Shen Qing, recalling what she had just seen at the meeting.

"Of course, there's quite a lot more."

"Why is that? Mr. & Mrs. Smith grossed $1700 million in three days, and its global box office has even exceeded $4 million."

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Because after watching the film internally, domestic theater chains and cinemas have almost reached a consensus that 'Taken' has greater box office potential than 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'."

Fan Bingbing stopped in her tracks, her face showing disbelief.

Shen Qing took a few steps back and smiled, "Of course, its global box office can't compare to 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' but in the domestic market, our 'Taken' will most likely beat it. Actually, Chinese people still prefer movies starring Chinese actors. Foreign blockbusters are only novel for a few days. As long as the quality of domestic films improves even a little, those foreign blockbusters are no match for them."

Fan Bingbing looked at Shen Qing, who was smiling, and couldn't understand why he was so confident. He was still so young, and just two years ago, he was completely unknown.

However, she quickly realized that the copies were ordered by the cinemas below, which meant that it wasn't just Shen Qing who had confidence in his own film, but rather that cinemas across the country had confidence in Shen Qing's film.

……

Shen Qing is confident, the cinema is confident, but netizens are not.

With the release of "Taken" approaching, netizens have already offered suggestions for the film.

"What are Shen Qing and Fan Bingbing up to? Why haven't they officially announced it yet?"

When the above post suddenly appeared on Tianya and Tieba, many netizens were stunned.

"?"

"What's going on?"

Am I seeing things?

"Wait, Shen Qing and Fan Bingbing are getting together?"

"Did the committee member make another revelation? What are the keywords this time? Were photos taken?"

The poster then replied, "That's why I'm so anxious—because I haven't been photographed or exposed!"

"?"

Netizens remain confused.

"I really like Shen Qing's movies, and I have high hopes for this director. His film 'Taken' was his most expensive film, right?"

"Definitely! I heard the production cost alone was 1000 million, while 'Fame and Fortune' and 'Nightclub' only cost a little over 100 million! The difference is huge!"

"So, I think *Taken* has a chance to beat *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*. But look at *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*'s marketing; it was entirely driven by rumors. Even after Pitt and Aniston confirmed their divorce, the crew immediately reshot passionate scenes between Pitt and Jolie. That's professional! And look at *Taken*, what's going on? They tried to copy it but failed? They also had rumors of a real-life romance on set, and the movie's popularity skyrocketed, didn't it?"

"Absolutely not, Fan Bingbing is not good enough for Shen Qing."

"What the hell? Doesn't she have any shame? Shen Qing has only been in the industry for a few years!"

Netizens started arguing, and the topic spread further.

Media reporters, having caught wind of the situation, managed to interview Fan Bingbing.

"Ms. Fan Bingbing, during the filming process with Director Shen Qing, did you ever have any feelings for him, even for just a moment?"

"Yes, and not just for a moment, but even now I haven't been able to fully get over it."

The reporter felt a buzzing in his head; was he about to dig up a huge scoop?!

Fan Bingbing is incredibly popular right now, a Hundred Flowers Award-winning actress, constantly in the news, and making headlines every few days.

"Ms. Fan, are you saying you still love him? You still love Mr. Shen Qing? You haven't been able to get over your feelings for Director Shen Qing yet, have you?"

Fan Bingbing replied, "Yes and no. To be more accurate, I haven't gotten over falling in love with Shen Long yet. Shen Long is the male lead in our movie called 'Taken,' and I played his wife in the film. People may not understand now, but after watching the movie, they will understand why I say this. No woman would not want a lover or husband like him."

The original "Taken" was about a father rescuing his daughter, and netizens said that no girl wouldn't want a father like Liam Neeson.

The current version of "Taken" has been changed to a husband rescuing his wife. Fan Bingbing said that no woman would not want a lover or husband like Shen Long.

"Ms. Fan Bingbing, I have one last question. What do you think of Shen Qing's portrayal of Shen Long? Is it convincing?"

"Of course, Director Shen Qing completely immersed himself in the role. By the end of filming, Shen Qing was Shen Long, and Shen Long was Shen Qing."

The next day, the interview content was released and instantly went viral online, but there were actually only two key points.

First, Fan Bingbing herself admitted that she has not yet gotten over her feelings for Shen Long, and no woman would not want a lover like Shen Long.

Second, Shen Long is Shen Qing, and Shen Qing is Shen Long.

Finally, the reporter came to the conclusion that Shen Qing and Fan Bingbing might also develop a real-life romance, just like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Shen Qing also gave an interview that day, clarifying the misunderstandings netizens had made, which were essentially what Fan Bingbing had said.

It's acting; it has nothing to do with reality.

Netizens then concluded: The goddess was willing, but the king was not.

In short, the rumors started out of nowhere and escalated.

Often, explanations are useless.

Zhu Lin even went on CCTV to explain that she and the actor who played Tang Sanzang were just ordinary friends. She said that she was already married when she played the Queen of the Women's Kingdom and had never divorced. She denied the rumors of marriage, divorce, and remarriage, but it was no use. The rumors continued to spread.

Fan Bingbing was already very popular at this time, with a high level of attention. As the rumors continued to ferment, "Taken" further expanded its reach.

Fan Bingbing and the up-and-coming director's on-screen romance turned real; we'll have to see what kind of person this director is.

Soon after, Shen Qing received another call from Vice President Han Sanping.

"The copies are still not enough, and orders are still rising."

……

By July 16, "Nightclub" had essentially exhausted its energy and was pulled from theaters, with its box office revenue stopping at 2835 million.

In fact, "Nightclub" had a higher opening day box office than "Fame and Fortune", but its final box office was lower than "Fame and Fortune", indicating that there is still a difference in quality between the two.

Also on July 16, the movie "Taken" held its premiere in Beijing.