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

Chapter 65 Re-winning the North American Championship

"Director Shen told me to behave myself. Did my remarks offend him?" Fan Bingbing hurriedly sought Yang Tianzhen's opinion.

Yang Tianzhen said, "I haven't had much contact with Director Shen, so I can't make a judgment yet."

"It should be him; he prefers to keep a low profile."

"It's not a big deal, is it? Would he really replace your 'Taken' because of this?"

"Really?"

"It's not that bad."

"What about good projects in the future? Will they still prioritize me?"

"You and him aren't... This little thing shouldn't be such a big deal, right?"

"With his current status, what kind of woman can't he find? He lost his virginity a while ago and he's absolutely smitten with her, so he doesn't contact me as often anymore."

"Be more sensible in front of him in the future. With such a beautiful woman, being so obedient to him, no man could resist her."

The next day.

Fan Bingbing went to see Shen Qing and did everything she could to please him, which Shen Qing appreciated.

Jackie Chan called again this morning, still to discuss the plot.

Fan Bingbing then realized that Shen Qing was working on such a big project, an investment of sixty to seventy million US dollars. Her body immediately went weak, and her gaze towards Shen Qing became sly.

"It's no use being provocative; you can't play the female lead," Shen Qing said with a laugh.

After serving Shen Qing for another night, he returned home the next day, but a shadow still hung over his heart, and a sense of crisis grew from the bottom of his heart.

Is she really not suitable for this big-budget film that's in the works, or has he simply stopped liking her?

Thinking about Yang Tianzhen's request for her to be more sensible, she suddenly thought of Wan Qian, whose position in front of Shen Qing seemed even more awkward than hers.

"I don't lack women, I lack sensible women, and I can be even more sensible! That Wan Qian... if I could persuade her to serve him too..."

……

October 8th, afternoon.

Yangcheng, Southern Metropolis Daily.

Huang Heming opened his work email; the box office data for "Taken 2" up to October 7th had arrived.

Opening the email, the box office figure of 1.87 million was almost glaring.

In 10 days, it grossed 1.87 million yuan, averaging 18.7 million yuan per day. And even now, it still grosses nearly 10 million yuan per day.

"At this rate, it'll break 2.5 million in another two weeks, right? Can it break the record set by Transformers?"

Huang Heming shook his head slightly, feeling that the chances were not very high. But apart from that, there shouldn't be any other movie this year that could surpass this one, right?

Is there any hope for "The Warlords"?

What about Feng Xiaogang's film "Assembly"?

These three films must be the top three domestic films of this year, right?

It's still hard to say which of these three films will win at the domestic box office. "The Warlords" and "Assembly" have received a lot of attention in the market, and maybe the latter two will also have a chance to reach 2.5 million. But in any case, the overseas box office of these two films will definitely not be as amazing as "Taken 2".

When "Hero" was a huge hit, it opened in 2000 theaters in North America for the first time in history, and ultimately grossed $5300 million, with $4335 million in one weekend.

The overseas rights to "The Warlords" are reportedly not receiving much attention.

The overseas rights for "Assembly" are gone, as Feng Xiaogang's films have never been very successful overseas.

Comparing domestic box office figures alone doesn't make a difference, but when you compare overseas box office figures, Shen Qing immediately stands out.

He wasn't in a hurry to write a box office feature; he wanted to wait until the latest North American weekend box office charts came out and see how "Taken 2" fared in its second weekend before writing.

About an hour later, the North American rankings were released.

Huang Heming immediately noticed the name "Taken 2," which was listed at the very top.

This week's ranking: 01.

Released for 02 weeks.

Title: Taken 2

Company: Legendary Pictures.

Weekend box office: $2980 million.

Cumulative box office: $8725 million.

Number of cinemas: 3128.

Taken 2 has retained its position as the top-grossing film in North America for the second consecutive weekend.

The film grossed $8725 million in North America, and $1.36 million if the European region is included.

It hasn't been released in Taiwan yet, but it will be soon.

The latest box office figures for Hong Kong are out; as of yesterday, it has grossed HK$4200 million.

Huang Heming reviewed the numbers again from beginning to end, then opened the document, picked up a pen, and wrote down the news headline:

"Taken 2 grossed 1.87 million yuan in China, and topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with $2980 million. It continues to be a hit in Hong Kong, with a cumulative box office of HK$4300 million in ten days."

……

The next day.

Beijing.

When Yang Xiaolin left work, he put the newspaper from his workplace into his bag. When he got home, he took it out and continued reading, focusing on parts he had already read, such as those about Shen Qing and "Taken 2".

"This director Shen Qing is amazing, especially for making over 100 million US dollars at the box office overseas. There are very few directors in China who can do that."

His wife, Yang Chunling, said, "Isn't this the director who's made several movies with our daughter? He's also the director of the latest one, 'The Shallows'?"

Yang Xiaolin nodded: "It's him. Our daughter has been able to work with Director Shen so many times, which shows how outstanding she is. Otherwise, why didn't Director Shen choose someone else?"

Yang Chunling nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

When Yang Mi came over for dinner that evening, Yang Xiaolin couldn't help but give her some instructions.

"Have you been keeping in touch with Director Shen Qing frequently lately?"

"Dad, why are you asking this?"

"You need to be diligent!"

"understood."

"Did you call to congratulate him on the huge box office success of 'Taken 2'?"

"I hit him. Do you think I wouldn't understand something as simple as this?"

"There's always a barrier when you just call; you should still try to meet up for a meal when you have the chance."

"Uh-huh."

Yang Mi's face flushed slightly.

She did ask him out quite a few times, but it was never for dinner. Besides, he was too physically strong; if she asked him out too often, she couldn't handle it!

However, these are things I absolutely cannot tell my parents.

I'd rather tell Yuan Shanshan than my parents.

As for the fact that he gave her three needles, even Yuan Shanshan couldn't tell her that.

"Dad, do you know how much money he'll make from this movie?"

"It's definitely indispensable."

"He owns 56% of this film. Besides the box office, he also gets a share of the nearly $2000 million in overseas rights revenue, plus 10% of the initial total box office revenue in the European and American markets..."

……

After dinner, Yang Mi secretly sent a text message to Shen Qing.

I'll come find you.

A moment later, Shen Qing replied, "What's wrong? Need to be disciplined again?"

"My dad told me to keep in touch with you more often, and to treat you to meals or something."

"It still has to be the father-in-law!"

"Who's your father-in-law? You can't just call yourself that!"

"Alright, alright, I won't presume to do so. When are you coming over? I'll be waiting for you at home."

After reading it, Yang Mi chuckled and scolded him as a pervert, then replied to Shen Qing, "Hey, hey, hey, I promised to treat you to dinner, why are you coming to my house?"

"Eat you? Food can't compare to you."

"You'll be so hungry... wait for me!"

……

Shen Qing, right?

"When Shen Qing's first film was released, I watched it immediately. I knew then that this director had some talent, and given three to five years, he might become a great director. Goodness, who would have thought he would develop like this?!"

"Yeah, I was just as shocked. I first saw Jackie Chan and Li Lianjie's movies in video arcades. At the time, I thought they were amazing, but they seemed so far removed from my own life. But Shen Qing really watched him grow step by step, so he feels much closer to me."

"It's highly likely that this will be the highest-grossing domestic film this year, right? The box office is incredible. I feel that 'Assembly' and 'The Warlords' are no match for it."

"I feel like I'm fine with everything except for Transformers."

Ten days after the film's release, as its performance improved, online discussions about Shen Qing became increasingly lively.