Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 30 The Beginning of a Legend

The public reaction to this was even stronger, especially online.

Netizens were thrilled to learn about Zhang Jun's background and how he achieved such success despite having no connections or family support.

One netizen excitedly commented on a BBS: "This shows that hard work pays off. As long as we are willing to work hard, we will definitely be able to realize our dreams."

A large number of people echoed this sentiment, but soon a discordant voice emerged.

"Don't even think about replicating Zhang Jun's success. Zhang Jun got into Tsinghua University through the college entrance exam. Which school can you even get into?"

"Damn it, stop talking, bro, I went to vocational high school!"

This is the true value of being admitted to Tsinghua University.

In the eyes of the general public, those who can get into Tsinghua University and Peking University are one in ten thousand, geniuses among geniuses.

Therefore, although Zhang Jun demonstrated film knowledge and skills that did not match his learning experience at Tsinghua University, no one would doubt that he had a problem.

A genius might have a hobby of taking photos in their spare time, so it's normal for them to know a little bit of everything.

To be honest, Zhang Jun quite likes his status as a Tsinghua University graduate now. Although his graduation defense was painful, he has already enjoyed the benefits that this status brings.

Ye Xiaoyi, He Xuan, and Jiang Tao were also happy.

Ye Xiaoyi was pleased that she had the foresight to recognize talent and decisively persuade her father to invest in Zhang Jun, and now she had indeed succeeded.

Once she graduates, she can take over Guanzhi Pictures and enter the film industry.

Ye Xiaoyi initially joined the Tsinghua University Film Association out of hobby, never expecting that one day her hobby would become her job. She said she was very happy.

Needless to say, He Xuan originally thought she was just accompanying the boss's daughter for fun. But she didn't expect her to achieve such great results.

Mr. Ye is such a generous person, he won't skimp on bonuses or anything like that.

Jiang Tao was even more surprised. He switched from being a small producer at the August First Film Studio to working for a private film company, and his wife complained that he had given up his secure job.

But now that he has achieved results, the admiring look in his wife's eyes when he goes home is incredibly satisfying.

He Xuan promptly sent the news of the film's success to Ye Bingcheng, who was in the south inspecting projects.

The real estate tycoon was not surprised at all. He said on the phone, "When I first talked to Zhang Jun, I knew this kid could make it."

The confidence in his eyes wasn't feigned; it came from genuine talent.

Ye Bingcheng thought for a moment and then said, "We shouldn't be stingy with people who have made achievements, otherwise people will think that I, Ye Bingcheng, have mistreated my meritorious people."

"Here's what we'll do: Go and pick out a property from Beijing Chengxin Real Estate; anything over 100 square meters, we'll give to Zhang Jun."

He Xuan exclaimed in surprise, "President Ye, isn't this inappropriate? A small bonus would be enough!"

"Short-sighted! They're just going to give up a small bonus to a meritorious employee? That's not how you do business!"

Ye Bingcheng reprimanded him, then added, "Furthermore, I will have my assistant give Zhang Jun a bonus of one million yuan in my personal capacity."

Be generous, not stingy.

I have a feeling that he'll bring us far more surprises than this.

Since the boss had spoken, He Xuan had no choice but to comply.

Ye Xiaoyi fully supports her father's decision and even feels that he gave her too little.

Although she didn't have the authority to manage the company for the time being, Ye Xiaoyi still told He Xuan that she would give Zhang Jun a bonus of one million yuan after the movie's box office revenue was distributed.

He Xuan was helpless against this spendthrift father and daughter.

On the other hand, this is also why she is loyal to Chengxin Group, because Ye Bingcheng values ​​and is generous to talent.

It was precisely because Ye Bingcheng valued talent that she was able to rise from a salesperson in the sales office to her current position, and was subsequently assigned to assist his daughter.

"This is it? What do you think? The environment is pretty good, isn't it?"

He Xuan quickly implemented the reward policy and took Zhang Jun to visit a 130-square-meter apartment in the second phase of Chengxin City in Xicheng District.

Zhang Jun nodded with satisfaction: "It's really great. The transportation is convenient, and it's not far from Tiananmen Square. It's also convenient to get up early to watch the flag-raising ceremony."

"That's the one then. I'll process the paperwork for you in a couple of days!" He Xuan went to the side to make a phone call.

Zhang Jun continued to look at the well-decorated house. Although the layout was a bit old-fashioned, owning such a house in Beijing, where land is so valuable, was a dream for many people.

According to the tropes of the novels Zhang Jun had read in his previous life, the protagonists usually refused firmly and expressed that they did not want to owe anyone a favor.

However, Zhang Jun wouldn't be so sentimental. He already owed Ye Bingcheng this favor from the moment Ye Bingcheng decided to invest in his film.

It's just a house and a bonus. He can just make a few more movies to pay back the favor, and that'll be the end of it.

Working with a big boss like Ye Bingcheng is truly a pleasure.

They are very open and trusting of his abilities, making them an excellent partner.

He Xuan also discussed the celebration banquet with Zhang Jun. Although the film is still showing in theaters, the celebration banquet can already be held.

Finally, it was decided that the event would be held at the end of the year, and all the lead actors would attend.

On December 23rd, Stephen Chow's new film "Kung Fu Hustle" will be released.

Although Feng Xiaogang had high hopes and even helped Zhang Jun with publicity, "Little Miss Sunshine" was clearly powerless to stop "Kung Fu Hustle".

However, Zhang Jun later expressed his gratitude to Feng Dapao, who in turn conveyed the message from Wang, the CEO of Huayi Brothers, that he wanted to invite Zhang Jun to join Huayi Brothers.

"Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of someone else," Zhang Jun decisively declined the invitation.

On its opening day, "Kung Fu Hustle" raked in a whopping 1029 million yuan at the box office, and its strong momentum drove the overall market to continue its rapid rise.

At this stage, "A World Without Thieves" could no longer compete with "Kung Fu Hustle". The film's total box office exceeded 90 million and continued to move toward the 100 million mark.

Zhang Jun's "Little Miss Sunshine" grossed 347 million yuan on a single day, bringing the film's total box office to 2147 million yuan.

The film demonstrated remarkable resilience, managing to hold its own despite being sandwiched between two blockbusters. It's quite surprising that Zhang Jun withstood the combined onslaught of Feng Xiaogang and Stephen Chow.

Since Little Miss Sunshine didn't suffer any misfortune, then there must be one unlucky one: Garfield.

As the only foreign film in the year-end holiday season, Garfield, lacking special effects, grand scenes, and the support of well-known directors and stars, became cannon fodder in this period.

The marketing strategy of "Little Miss Sunshine" to capitalize on the popularity of "Kung Fu Hustle" was highly effective, and the distributor, China Film Group, also gave it a good number of screenings before the release of "Kung Fu Hustle".

These new screenings are squeezing out screenings of "Garfield".

So until the release of "Kung Fu Hustle," the film's box office never broke ten million. When "Kung Fu Hustle" was released, "Garfield" was completely overshadowed.

This is good news for Little Miss Sunshine, since it can't compete with the other two films and can only bully Garfield, the easy target.

If Hollywood filmmakers knew that Zhang Jun treated their films like pushovers, they would probably send someone to China to have a proper "exchange" with him.

Thanks to the performance of the films "A World Without Thieves" and "Kung Fu Hustle", plus the unexpected success of "Little Miss Sunshine".

The box office for the Lunar New Year films at the end of 2004 was significantly higher than the previous year, thanks in part to the strong performances of films like "House of Flying Daggers" and "New Police Story" during the middle of the year.

And the release of a series of Hollywood blockbusters such as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," "Spider-Man 2," and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

This led to a new milestone in the total box office revenue of the film market in 2004, and the film market presented a thriving scene.

However, when people look back at history, they realize that this is only the beginning.