novellhall Chapter 194: Wang Feng is trending again?
Chapter 194: Wang Feng is trending again?
Chapter 194: Wang Feng is trending again?
The banquet has ended.
Rob has been making several phone calls every day these past few days.
Every time, it starts with: "Any news from Nolan?"
"No!"
Chen Xun's answer was always the same.
If Chen Xun's audition is successful, the result will naturally be sent to Chen Xun's work email, and Robert will also be able to see it.
The reason I call every day is because I'm anxious.
No one wants to give up the lead role in such a big-budget sci-fi production so easily.
"Nolan is really good at keeping his composure."
Rob muttered on the other end of the phone, "I've asked around, and McConaughey and Fassbender haven't received any news either. Everyone's waiting."
Chen Xun wasn't too anxious.
He did everything he was supposed to do.
He even experienced the dreamlike dungeon that cost $800,000!
The rest depends on how the director and production team weigh the options.
He occasionally browses Twitter and Weibo.
Discussions surrounding "Fast & Furious 5" continue to grow, with box office figures being updated daily.
The film has already grossed $3.3 million in North America, and the figures in China are even more impressive. In just ten days, the box office is soaring toward 10 billion RMB.
The executives at Universal Pictures must be waking up laughing every day.
The [Cultural Influence] value on the panel has slowly increased by 5 points over the past few days, from 70 to 75.
O
It's probably the boost to the industry reputation brought by the movie's popularity.
However, this upward trend is gradually slowing down, and by the afternoon of the third day...
Chen Xun is browsing Weibo.
Now many fans are tagging him to see all sorts of hilarious comments.
Sometimes Chen Xun has to admire the boundless imagination of his fans.
Just then.
#WangFengOfficiallyAnnouncesWorldTour# trended on social media.
Clicking on the topic, there aren't many actual comments about Wang Feng's tour; they're all on @ChenXun.
We call upon him, this nemesis, to punish Wang Feng.
"Did you get Chen Xun's permission? You're trending on social media!"
"We still need to keep a low profile, or we might disappear from the trending topics!"
"Chen Xun, someone's stealing your territory!"
Chen Xun was both amused and exasperated by the comments.
When did he become associated with Wang Feng?
hum~
My phone suddenly vibrated.
"Hello, is this Mr. Chen Xun?"
The voice on the other end of the phone was a woman, speaking in a very professional tone: "This is Syncopy Productions, Christopher Nolan's office. Please wait a moment, Director Nolan would like to speak with you."
Chen Xun sat up straight.
A few seconds later, Christopher Nolan's voice came through: "Chen."
"Director Nolan."
"We made a decision."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xun's heart skipped a beat.
If they call at this time, it means it's settled!
As expected, Nolan spoke directly and without beating around the bush: "After discussion, Jonathan, Emma, and I all believe that you are the best choice for the role of Cooper."
Chen Xun held his phone.
The weight that had been hanging over my heart finally lifted.
Nolan continued, "Your audition performance, especially your understanding of the core emotions of the character, convinced us that age gaps can be bridged with makeup and acting, but the feeling of real experience cannot be created by technology."
Thank you, I won't let you down.
Even though he had expected it, Chen Xun still couldn't hide his surprise and joy.
"Next, my assistant will send the official contract to your agent. The filming period is six months, and filming will start in January next year. We will be going to Iceland, Canada, and some places in California. There will be special training before filming, including basic astronaut weightlessness training and agricultural operations. You will have to learn to drive a tractor."
Chen Xun smiled: "No problem, I learn very quickly."
He inherited Cooper's abilities from the original game, so he naturally had them all under his control.
"Regarding the project's external publicity..."
Nolan paused for a moment: "We've discussed it with the distributor, Warner Bros., and we won't release the full plot or title for now. The press releases will refer to the project as 'Future World,' emphasizing that it's a science fiction work about time, space, and human emotions. You're the first Chinese actor to star in my film, and that will be a key point of promotion."
Chen Xun understood the meaning behind those words.
He used his Chinese identity and Nolan's first collaboration with a Chinese lead as a promotional point to generate buzz.
This is standard practice in Hollywood.
"I will cooperate with the publicity."
Chen Xun agreed.
"Okay, your agent will handle the specific details. Welcome to the team, Chen."
Less than ten minutes after the call ended, Robert called back.
"Chen! Synopy has sent the contract!"
"A $1500 million salary plus a share of post-production profits!"
"Warner's PR department has prepared the press release, to be released tonight! We need to coordinate with the official announcement on social media!"
Rob's voice trembled with excitement.
Chen Xun could understand.
He was equally excited.
Starring in a Nolan film means you've officially entered the elite actor club in Hollywood, recognizing not only your commercial value but also your industry standing.
At 8 p.m. that evening, Chen Xun updated his Twitter and Weibo accounts simultaneously.
The tweet contained a simple image:
A black background with white handwritten text: "The future is coming," followed by smaller print: "Christopher Nolan's next film is coming," and finally his signature.
Caption: "Honored to join Christopher Nolan's team, a journey beyond time and space begins! #FutureWorld#"
The content is similar on Weibo.
Almost simultaneously, Christopher Nolan's official account also posted a message.
A single image with the same black background.
"I'm delighted to announce that Chen Xun will star in my next film, a story about love, time, and the future. #FutureWorld#"
Jonathan Nolan retweeted this, adding, "We've found our Cooper."
The news caused an uproar online!
This project has been in development for a long time, and has gone through script revisions, director changes, and various casting processes.
I never expected it to finally be confirmed today.
Moreover, the lead actor is a Chinese actor.
The film media were the first to react.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news ten minutes later: "Christopher Nolan's new film 'Futureworld' has secured Chinese actor Chen Xun as its lead actor, becoming the first Asian face to star in a Nolan film."
Variety's headline was even more direct: "Chen Xun beats Matthew McConaughey and others to win lead role in Nolan's new sci-fi film; title and plot still a secret."
Deadline's report analyzed the significance behind this: "Chen Xun's rise is astonishing, from a TV star on '2 Broke Girls' to a lead actor in 'Green Lantern' and the 'Hunger Games' series, and then to the lead role in Nolan's new film. This marks a breakthrough for Chinese actors in mainstream Hollywood commercial films and may set a new trend in casting."
On Twitter, #FutureWorld# and #ChenXunNolan# quickly rose to the top of the trending list.
Netizens' comments were varied: "Chen Xun? That guy from 'Fast & Furious 5'? He's going to be in a Nolan movie? WTF?"
"Nolan's casting never disappoints, just wait and see."
So the rumors about Interstellar are true? Chen Xun is playing an astronaut?
"The first Chinese actor to star in a Nolan film!"
"I'm guessing the plot is about time travel, which is Nolan's favorite thing."
"Is Chen Xun's age enough to play a father figure? I have my doubts, but Nolan's judgment of talent is usually spot on."
The situation was even more lively on Weibo.
Three of the top five trending topics were related to this topic:
#Chen Xun Joins Nolan's New Film#
#FutureWorld#
#Chinese actors starring in Nolan's film#
The comments section erupted like it was New Year's Day: "Brother Xun is awesome! He snagged Nolan!"
"Nolan! The Nolan who made 'The Dark Knight Rises'! The director who's a billion-dollar-grossing director worldwide!"
"So, he's now on the same level as Bale, Tom Hardy, and Anne Hathaway?"
"Who said Brother Xun was just a pop star? Doesn't that prove them wrong?"
"This cultural export has been very effective!"
In a forgotten corner, Wang Feng's trending topic, which had just squeezed into the 10th position, suddenly disappeared.
[Starring in Nolan's sci-fi film confirmed]
[Significantly Enhanced Industry Standing]
[Cultural Influence +25, Current Cultural Influence 100]
[Your cultural influence has been upgraded, gaining a cultural appeal bonus. As the male lead in the film, your appeal is increased by 100%]
Chen Xun saw several lines of text appear before his eyes.
Just then, Chen Xun's phone started vibrating.
It's Robert.
"Chen, have you seen today's box office figures?"
When the call connected, Rob sounded a little out of breath, as if he had just finished running.
"Not yet, what's wrong?"
Chen Xun opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water: "Didn't we say that box office growth has slowed down?"
"That was before! Things are different now!"
Rob exclaimed excitedly, "Ever since Nolan officially announced you as the lead, the box office trajectory of 'Fast & Furious 5' has completely changed!"
Chen Xun raised an eyebrow, walked to the computer, and opened the box office tracking website.
North American box office data has just been updated.
Yesterday's box office reached $820 million.
"Wait, wasn't the prediction yesterday only 150 million?"
Chen Xun stared at the screen: "Is this data correct?"
"That's right! And this morning's pre-sales are already 200% higher than the same period yesterday!"
Rob spoke rapidly: "The feedback from the theaters is that many viewers are asking if the movie is in your movie when they buy tickets."
"After you signed with Nolan, many people who didn't usually watch commercial films started paying attention to you!"
Chen Xun refreshed the page, and the global box office data was also updated.
The figure, which was originally around 8.9 million US dollars, has now jumped to 9.1 million US dollars.
It increased by 20 million in two days!
"This is just the beginning!"
Luo Bo's tone was extremely excited, and Chen Xun felt as if Luo Bo's saliva was about to spray from the other end of the phone: "It's even more exaggerated in China! Yesterday, the daily box office surged back to 120 million RMB! Weibo is full of topics about buying tickets for Nolan's new male lead and supporting Brother Xun to reach 1 billion!"
Chen Xun opened Weibo.
really!
Besides #ChenXunNolan#, there's now another hashtag trending: #FastFight5BoxOfficeComeback#.
Click in.
The most liked Weibo post was from a movie blogger: "I thought 'Fast & Furious 5' would only gross around 8 million, but the news that Chen Xun got Nolan's new film gave it a huge boost! I went to see it for the second time yesterday and found that many of the viewers were new. They clearly don't watch action movies, but they went to see Chen Xun because of Nolan. What is the Nolan effect? This is it!"
The comments section below is even more interesting: "To be honest, I hadn't seen the Fast & Furious series before, but when I heard Chen Xun was going to act in a Nolan sci-fi film, I wanted to see how his acting was. After watching Fast & Furious 5, I was totally hooked!"
"My parents went! They usually only watch art films, but when they heard that a Chinese actor was going to star in a Nolan film, they insisted on seeing what kind of person he was."
"I've already seen it three times, each time with different friends, just to support Xun Ge's goal of reaching 1 billion!"
Universal Pictures must be ecstatic right now, reaping a windfall at the box office!
"That's what you call a real comeback—using the actor's continued popularity to boost the film's success!"
Chen Xun looked at these comments and was both amused and exasperated.
He knew Nolan's stature among movie fans, but he didn't expect it to translate directly into real box office success.
What was the reaction from Global Times?
"They had a meeting at 4 a.m.," Rob said. "The marketing department decided to increase the advertising budget, urgently produce a batch of new posters and trailers, highlighting your character, and even came up with the title—'The Amazing Performance of Nolan's New Film's Leading Man in Fast & Furious 5.' They also planned to promote the hashtag #HelpFastFurious5ReachBillionDollars on social media."
"So direct?"
"It's a business operation, and it's very effective!"
"This morning, major theater chains like AMC and Regal decided to extend the run of Fast & Furious 5. Originally scheduled to be pulled from theaters next week, it will now remain running for at least another two weeks."
Chen Xun hung up the phone and continued updating the data.
As time went on, more information emerged.
The Hollywood Reporter published a new article at noon: "The Nolan effect is evident, Fast & Furious 5's box office unexpectedly rebounds, and it is possible that it will hit the $10 billion mark worldwide."
"Three days ago, the industry generally believed that the global box office of 'Fast & Furious 5' would be fixed at around $9 million, and it was impossible to break $10 billion. However, with Christopher Nolan's official announcement that Chen Xun would star in his new sci-fi film 'Futureworld,' the market has changed dramatically."
"In the past 72 hours, Fast & Furious 5 has seen a significant rebound in daily box office revenue in several key markets, including North America, China, and Europe, with rebounds ranging from 150% to 300%."
"Theatrical feedback shows a large influx of new viewers, many of whom are Nolan’s loyal fans or viewers curious about the fact that he is the first Chinese actor to star in a Nolan film."
"Data analytics firms initially estimate that this Nolan effect could bring Fast & Furious 5 an additional $8000 million to $1.2 million in global box office revenue. If the trend continues, the film breaking the $10 billion mark will no longer be a theoretical possibility."
The article included a chart that clearly showed the box office curve rising sharply after the official announcement date.
It's like an electrocardiogram suddenly coming to life.
In the afternoon, Chen Xun received a call from director Justin Lin.
"Chen, have you seen the numbers? You're going to lead this film into the billion-dollar club!"
Director Lin's voice was full of laughter.
"The film itself is of high quality; I was just lucky to catch this opportunity."
Chen Xun spoke the truth.
The news that Nolan was joining the film actually had a huge impact on the box office of "Fast & Furious 5," which was quite unexpected!
"Don't be modest!"
Justin Lin smiled as well.
The world is truly amazing.
He never expected that simply inviting Chen Xun to participate would have such a huge follow-up impact.
"The CEO of Universal just called me personally. The budget for Fast & Furious 6 can be increased by another 20%. It's because of your actions that this series has proven its box office potential is far more than 900 million. He also wants to give you a special bonus to thank you for the extra revenue you brought to the film."
"How many?"
"$200 million, after tax."
Justin Lin laughed out loud: "Surprised? I just found out too. Universal is absolutely thrilled this time."
Chen Xun was indeed a little surprised.
A $200 million after-tax bonus is no small sum.
Hollywood may be known for its extravagant spending, but such free money is a rare occurrence.
"Fan and Paul also called to thank you for letting them join the 10 billion box office club. Fan also said that in the next contract renewal negotiation, he would include co-starring with Chen Xun in the contract as a bonus."
Justin Lin said it half-jokingly.
Chen Xun could clearly sense Lin Yibin's excitement.
Nothing is more exciting than having your own film loved by audiences and achieving such high box office numbers!
When Chen Xun turned on his computer again after dinner that evening, the box office for "Fast & Furious 5" had already reached 9.4 billion.
One hundred million U.S. dollars.
It increased by 50 million in four days!
On Weibo, the hashtag #AccompanyFast5ToReachTenBillion# has already reached the top spot.
Clicking through, all you see are posts showing off your ticket stubs, photos of the movie theater, and records of watching the theater two or three times.
One fan even posted ten different ticket stubs, with the caption: "I originally only planned to see it once, but now, to help Xun Ge join the 10 billion yuan club, I'm staying until the film's run is over!"
What surprised Chen Xun even more was that some film critics who usually had no opinion on commercial blockbusters also spoke out.
An independent film blogger known for his sharp tongue posted a long Weibo post: "I have never been a fan of popcorn movies like 'Fast & Furious,' but the fact that Chen Xun got the lead role in Nolan's new film piqued my curiosity. As movie fans know, Nolan is very picky when it comes to casting. Anyone he chooses must have something special about them, so I went to see 'Fast & Furious 5.'"
"Chen Xun's performance in this film truly transcends the scope of ordinary commercial film actors. His action scenes are clean and crisp, and his dramatic scenes are also sincere and heartfelt."
"Now I understand why Nolan chose him. This isn't about a popular star trying to ride on the coattails of a big director; it's about a truly talented actor getting the opportunity he deserves."
"This box office rebound proves that the audience has discerning eyes and is willing to pay for good actors, even if it means paying extra for tickets."
This Weibo post was forwarded over 100,000 times.
Seven days after the official announcement.
Fast & Furious 5 has grossed $9.7 million worldwide!
We're only 30 million short of 1 billion.
Universal Pictures is ramping up its efforts, launching special final screenings in multiple markets around the world with discounted tickets and commemorative posters.
China went even further, launching a "10 billion countdown" campaign.
Every million tickets sold, the countdown timer is updated online.
On Chen Xun's Twitter and Weibo accounts, fans post daily updates: "Contributed two votes today, one step closer to 10 billion!"
"I took the whole family to see him; my parents want you to be their son-in-law!"
"I've already watched it five times, I've practically memorized all the lines, Brother Xun, you have to treat me!"
"I recommended it to five colleagues in North America, and they all said they didn't expect it to be so good."
Rob called three times a day—morning, noon, and night—to report on the progress, his tone growing more excited with each call: "9.8 million!"
"9.85 million!"
"990 million! Just 10 million short!"
It took four whole days to finally get that last ten million.
By this time, the film had already finished its run in most theaters, with only a few theaters still showing it.
But even these few shows were still filled with fans and curious viewers.
It was 2 a.m. on the fifteenth day after the official announcement.
Chen Xun was awakened by his phone vibrating.
He answered the phone groggily. It was Robert, but this time the other person didn't speak, only his heavy breathing could be heard.
"Robert?" Chen Xun sat up. "What's wrong?"
"It's broken!"
Rob's voice trembled: "Just updated data, global box office: $10.01 billion!"