Chapter 661: Chapter 661

She encouraged, "Being a star is just a job, a job that requires you to put yourself out there and establish a positive image."

"If you’re curious, you could try it out first, experience the daily life of a star. If, after a year or two, you really can’t stand it anymore, then it won’t be too late to quit."

"Stars are people too, and many stars who decide to leave the circle aren’t harassed by the media much, so you don’t have to worry about being followed by paparazzi even after you’ve left the limelight."

Xi Jing couldn’t help but ask, "Jinxia, do you think I should pursue this career?"

He Jinxia said meaningfully, "That depends on you, not on me. No one will force you if you don’t want to do it, but if you do, now is a great opportunity."

After some thought, she kindly added, "Winning an award in Berlin is a bigger achievement than you might think. While you’re still riding this wave of popularity, seize the opportunity to debut if you want."

Xi Jing nodded, somewhat bewildered.

Thinking of something, she bit her lip and asked embarrassingly, "Jinxia, Tonghua Entertainment is no longer recruiting trainees, could you... introduce me?"

As she spoke, Xi Jing’s voice became softer and softer; she couldn’t help it—she was afraid!

She was afraid her request might offend He Jinxia!

After all, they had no special connection. Why should He Jinxia help her?

But she longed to join a big company like Tonghua Entertainment and to be under the same roof as Jinxia. Apart from knowing He Jinxia, she didn’t know anyone else from Tonghua Entertainment.

He Jinxia paused, pondered for a moment, and then said, "After the film release ceremony ends, I’ll get back to you later with an answer."

A grateful smile crossed Xi Jing’s face, and she nodded emphatically, "Thank you, Jinxia!"

Compared with Xu Xiuzi, He Jinxia undoubtedly had a better impression of Xi Jing, who was gentle and modest, with a likeable appearance that endeared her to others.

That’s why Jinxia didn’t mind chatting with Xi Jing or doing her a small favor, such as calling Brother Luo to inquire whether they could make an exception for another trainee.

For He Jinxia, the effort was trivial, and she had not expected anything in return, but this act of kindness was something Xi Jing would always hold dear in her heart.

Night fell, and scattered stars hung sparsely in the night sky.

In the brilliantly lit hall of a hotel, the crew of "Eighteen Years Old Sky" was holding a film release ceremony.

Tonight at eight o’clock, "Eighteen Years Old Sky" would be released online in cinemas across 80 cities in Huaxia!

This was only the initial release. As the box office gradually increased, more cinemas in other regions would consider adding the film.

If "Eighteen Years Old Sky" showed potential to be a hit, the pace of distribution would accelerate. If not, the cities looking to screen it later would quietly disappear.

Every year, Huaxia has hundreds of films to release, but cinema slots are limited. Setting aside the blockbusters, very few films get scheduled in cinemas across the nation.

Cinemas are not only divided by city but also by company.

Currently, the biggest cinemas in Huaxia are Luo’s, Huaying, Yuhua, among the five major cinemas, all of which have established branches in various cities. In addition, there are dozens of smaller cinemas.

Based on the different requirements of each cinema chain for scheduling, the major cinemas even have "Overload" clauses for ordinary films, stating they can only be shown in their own cinemas and not in others.

For "Eighteen Years Old Sky", a niche art film, to collaborate with the major cinemas and be scheduled in over half of the nation’s cities was nothing short of a small miracle.

As an art film, it was the most promising one in Huaxia in the past six years.

Six years ago, an art film reached the point of collaboration with the five major cinemas, breaking away from the Overload clause, and that film received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film that year. Fresh chapters posted on novel⁂fire.net

It was just a nomination, not an award, but it carried more weight than "Eighteen Years Old Sky," which won the Crystal Bear Award at Berlin.

One was a debut work by a newcomer, and the other was a masterpiece directed by an acclaimed director; everyone knew clearly which was superior.

Midway through the premiere ceremony, the opening results for "Eighteen Years Old Sky" had already been revealed—

The viewership numbers had reached one hundred million!

This result, once announced, stunned all the media.

Wow, this wasn’t just explosive, it was monumental!

Not only the media were surprised by this achievement, but the entire crew was too, and He Jinxia was even more shocked.

Before attending the premiere ceremony, she had searched for the box office records of Huaxia’s previous art films. As niche art films, the box office figures were usually dismally "niche," too dismal to witness.

Not a single art film had ever reached the masterpiece benchmark of three billion in Huaxia’s box office!

This was a very sad reality.

Although art films conveyed ideas and connotations far higher than commercial films, people went to the cinemas for relaxation and excitement, not to burden their feelings, which caused the somewhat somber art films to be very unpopular.

The industry saying that "art directors can’t survive" was not baseless but a reflection of the actual situation.

A journalist murmured, "Could this film break Huaxia’s twenty-year sales record for art movies and reach the masterpiece threshold?"

Another journalist hastily asked, "I’m a bit confused. What was the last art film that reached the masterpiece threshold?"

"’I Love School,’ a twenty-year-old aging film that is still being broadcast today. It’s a film that the Huaxia government mandates students to watch, telling the story of how to strive, struggle, and advance in school.

Because all middle school students went to see it, and many parents accompanied them, it surpassed three billion at the box office within a month."

"Ah... with that in mind, ’Eighteen Years Old Sky’ is very likely to become another classic."

While journalists speculated that this film could usher in a new era of glory for Huaxia’s art films, some media reporters were not optimistic.

"The somber style of art films and their overly profound content prevent viewers from having a great visual experience. The initial achievement of one hundred million in earnings owes a large part to the star power."

"This film also won an award in Berlin and received constant green-light promotion from the moment of winning to the present, with the hype lasting for a month. Such high opening earnings are the accumulation of this past month’s momentum. Once this heat dissipates, its box office will undoubtedly decline, failing to break through the masterpiece threshold."

"I think the movie will start high but end low. The style and content of art films will never become something the general public is willing to spend money on. People prefer something lighter, and this film is destined to be a niche film targeted at a niche audience."

"Look at the reputation; reputation is very important. If the reputation is poor and the public cannot understand this movie, then the box office will not rise in the later period."

Everyone had their own views, and when taken individually, each opinion had its own logic.

Whether they were optimistic about the film or not, after learning of the opening box office results for "Eighteen Years Old Sky," they unanimously chose to speak highly of the film in subsequent reports.

After all, even if the subsequent results were not good, the opening earnings alone had already broken the record for the highest opening box office ever for an art film in Huaxia!