Bab 33: Chapter 32
Chairman's Office, China Film
"Mr. Han, the theater chains can't hold back any longer. They've independently added more showings of Spider-Man."
"What's the box office looking like?"
"It opened with 15 million on the first day, on par with The Golden Jacket. But on the second day, it broke the single-day record. We're expecting it to set a new first weekend record."
"I see."
The Golden Jacket grossed 96 million yuan in its first weekend, setting a new record in mainland film history. Now, it seems Spider-Man is poised to break that record. It's no wonder, considering the film has already surpassed $1 billion globally, overtaking Lord of the Rings 2, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and Pirates of the Caribbean 2.
Currently, Spider-Man ranks fourth in the global box office, just behind Titanic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and The Lion King. It's only a step away from surpassing The Lion King's $1.08 billion!
With the mainland and Japanese and Korean markets still to be fully tapped, it's only a matter of time before Spider-Man breaks into the top three.
"Let the market take its course. It's just a movie; it won't cause any major ripples."
"Understood."
Despite Spider-Man's unstoppable momentum, Xu Can can't seem to avoid the industry's skepticism. There's a belief that his success is limited to this one series and that Hollywood's reluctance to embrace Asian actors will eventually curb his rise. Historically, only a few Asian actors like Jackie Chan have made it big in Hollywood. Xu Can's future beyond Spider-Man remains uncertain. When his Hollywood success fades, he may find it challenging to carve out a space in the Chinese market as well.
After the pressure on theaters to limit Spider-Man's showings was lifted, nearly all cinemas adjusted their schedules, giving the film top billing. The box office immediately surged, breaking the 100 million mark in its first weekend and nearing 200 million in its second. The superhero craze sweeping the world has firmly taken hold in China.
As the first wave of moviegoers left the theaters, they enthusiastically spread the word, driving even more people to see Spider-Man. Chinese actor Xu Can was now firmly on the radar of Chinese audiences.
Even CCTV-6, the "Sixth Princess," reported on the film in its latest movie news segment:
"Recently, Spider-Man, starring Chinese rising star Xu Can, has been released in theaters. Last weekend's opening box office set a new record in mainland film history, surpassing 100 million yuan!
"According to predictions from industry experts, Spider-Man is expected to exceed 250 million yuan this week! With the Spring Festival season approaching, the film's final domestic box office is anticipated to exceed 400 million yuan, potentially breaking the long-standing record set by Titanic!"
"Despite the simultaneous release of several films like The Golden Jacket, Falling Out, and Casino Royale, none could stop the rising popularity of Spider-Man!"
"Reports from theaters across the country indicate that ticket windows resemble Spring Festival travel train stations, with spacious theaters packed to capacity and moviegoers lining up to buy tickets. The overwhelming demand has even led to scalpers selling tickets at inflated prices."
"This success is largely attributed to the film's high quality, a rare sci-fi action blockbuster in recent years."
"Xu Can, the film's lead actor, has also significantly contributed to its success. He was once a student at the Beijing Film Academy's acting department before dropping out to pursue a career in Hollywood."
"As a Chinese actor, achieving such success in Hollywood has made him a rising star on the global stage."
"U.S. media reports that Xu Can is currently preparing to shoot a new film. We look forward to more works from this emerging Chinese star."
Xu Can, however, wasn't entirely thrilled. One hit movie doesn't put him on the same level as legends like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, or Chow Yun-fat. But in the eyes of Chinese moviegoers, Xu Can had successfully debuted on the big stage, and his reputation was quickly catching up to other domestic stars like Hu Ge, Liu Yifei, and Huang Xiaoming.
But while those stars enjoy more exposure in domestic media, Xu Can remains relatively low-profile. After Spider-Man's buzz fades, his popularity might wane—unless he comes out with another blockbuster hit.
Xu Can, now in New York, suddenly received a message from his cousin, Xu Yuling. The overseas internet hadn't been restricted yet, so they chatted frequently.
"Brother, you're totally on fire!"
"Doesn't matter if I'm popular. Was the movie good?"
"It was awesome!!!" Xu Yuling replied, adding over a dozen exclamation points.
"All our classmates saw it, some even two or three times!"
Clearly, the young girl was excited.
"Good to hear. Focus on your studies. If you do well on the college entrance exams, I'll bring you to North America to watch Spider-Man 2."
"Brother! You're the best! My classmates still don't believe you're my cousin. I won a bet with them and got free breakfast for a month."
"Little girl's even learning how to hustle now," Xu Can teased.
"By the way, are you really dating Emma Stone? Is she my sister-in-law?"
Xu Can paused, unsure how to respond. It was complicated. He and Emma had been close, but they hadn't discussed anything serious.
"Well, maybe someday you'll find out."
"Great! I have a celebrity sister-in-law!" The girl was thrilled.
"Go to bed early. Don't stay up too late."
"I know, I'm heading to bed. Bye, brother."
It was early morning in China, but in New York, a new day was just beginning. The sun shone brightly over the city.
The New York scenes for John Wick were nearly complete, and the crew would soon fly to Berlin to finish filming. The movie was expected to wrap up and enter post-production by the end of February. Xu Can still had about three more days in New York.
With most of the crew being white male actors and Sister Shitou already gone, Xu Can found himself a bit bored in his downtime. His thoughts wandered to Emma Roberts, and occasionally to Taylor Swift, whose youthful beauty lingered in his mind.
"Wait, what am I thinking? Am I really becoming a scumbag?"
The celebrity world is already chaotic. Xu Can had managed to stay grounded, avoiding the temptations that often came with fame.
He also believed in enjoying life with a clear conscience. He was serious about Sister Shitou, and he had a deep admiration for Taylor Swift, a star he had long admired.
Since they'd exchanged contact information, Xu Can and Swift had chatted often. Sometimes they even had long phone conversations.
Swift often shared her struggles with creating new albums, and Xu Can, drawing from his past life's knowledge, occasionally offered advice.
With each conversation, Swift's attitude warmed toward him. If there were a favorability meter, Xu Can would have seen it steadily rise over the past month.
Just as he was lost in thought, his phone rang.
"Taylor?"
"Who's Taylor? It's Happy."
"Oh, what's up?"
It was Happy Hogan on the other end.
"There are two important things."
"First, NBC's variety show has invited you to appear. They've asked several times, and this time it's hard to turn them down."
Indeed, Happy had mentioned this before. After Spider-Man's success, countless offers and requests had come in, but Xu Can had turned most of them down. However, NBC, being a network under Columbia, was particularly keen on having the rising star appear on their shows. Given his connection to Sony, Xu Can knew he couldn't keep declining.
"Alright, what show is it?"
"SNL. You know it, right? By the way, you'll be sharing the stage with a 17-year-old female singer named Taylor…"
"I'll do it," Xu Can agreed quickly. "What's the other thing?"
Happy was a bit surprised by his quick agreement but continued, "Warner Bros. wants to make a movie with you. It's a live-action comic adaptation, and they've hired Christopher Nolan to direct."
As soon as Xu Can heard the name, he knew exactly which series it was.
Batman: The Dark Knight Trilogy!
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