Chapter 844 Old Man, You Can’t Afford to Play
The release date of "Life is Beautiful" spans the autumn and year-end holiday periods out of sheer helplessness, entirely to make way for the films of the distributor Columbia Pictures.
Fortunately, the final box office results were good, and the film was still very successful despite being surrounded by strong competitors, so it was very valuable.
In Hollywood, no one doubts Lin Weimin's appeal among American audiences anymore.
Not only that, throughout the second half of the year, "Life is Beautiful" was released in many European countries and achieved impressive box office results, earning nearly 95 million US dollars in box office throughout Europe.
The cumulative box office in Asia has exceeded 40 million US dollars, and now it has earned another 165 million US dollars after its release in the United States, becoming another adapted film of Lin Weimin's works with a global box office exceeding 300 million US dollars.
From "The Intouchables" to "Farewell My Concubine" to "Life is Beautiful"...
This achievement is incredible, and it makes us even more amazed at the universality of Lin Weimin's works around the world.
Michael Phillips finished talking about the release and box office of "Life is Beautiful" on the phone, then flattered Lin Weimin, and finally hung up the phone reluctantly. After hanging up the phone, Lin Weimin was calculating his own profits.
Seeing that the global box office of "Life is Beautiful" has exceeded 300 million, the actual box office share that the producers can get is about 140 million US dollars. After deducting taxes, Lin Weimin can only get about 30 million US dollars.
Film is a mature industry and it is impossible for one person to make all the money.
Fortunately, classic movies like "Life is Beautiful" have generated a lot of subsequent profits.
Just like "Farewell My Concubine" back then, in the year the movie was released, Lin Weimin only earned more than 40 million US dollars, but in the following years he received more than 10 million US dollars in revenue.
Putting aside the movie, Lin Weimin returned to the living room, where Tao Huimin was watching TV while holding her little baby.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon these days, and the little girl is on winter vacation. She plays outside every day and forgets herself. She won’t stop until she is exhausted.
It was almost half past nine, and the little Doubao was lying in Tao Huimin's arms, looking a little wilted.
Lin Weimin went over and teased her twice, and she opened her big watery eyes again and tried to cheer up.
Tao Huimin rolled her eyes at Lin Weimin and stuffed her daughter into his arms. "Go ahead and coax her if you want. She's finally going to sleep, and you're still bothering her!"
"Dad, let's play hide and seek."
When in Lin Weimin's arms, the little bun became energetic again.
Lin Weimin played with her for a while, but she was exhausted and soon could not hold on any longer, and her eyelids began to twitch.
Lin Weimin held her in his arms and patted her back gently with his hands.
"Dad, when will the roller skating rink be built?"
Before going to bed, Xiao Doubao did not forget to build the roller skating rink. Tao Huimin gloated and said, "Let you show off. Hurry up and build a roller skating rink for your daughter, okay?"
Lin Weimin said happily, "It's almost done, happy. Dudu has found a place and will start construction in the spring. It will be completed in a few months."
"If we build a roller skating rink today, we'll build an airport tomorrow!"
"If my daughter wants the moon in the sky, I will pick it down for her!" Lin Weimin boasted happily.
Tao Huimin couldn't help but give him a blank look.
Before New Year's Eve, Lin Weimin had already visited all the old leaders and colleagues who were due to leave, saving him a lot of trouble after the New Year.
On the morning of the 30th, morale in the community was low. Many people came to the community, signed in, and left. Most people only stayed until after lunch and then left.
In the afternoon, there were almost no people in the community except Lin Weimin who persisted to the end.
It was almost six o'clock, and the entire office building was empty. He came out of the office and saw Xiao Zhou still at his post. He asked with a smile, "What are your plans for the evening?"
"Boss, my wife will come over to bring me some dumplings later, and we'll celebrate the festival here. I have a TV in my room, so we can watch the Spring Festival Gala."
"You've worked so hard. I can't go home during the Chinese New Year."
"Look at what you said. My job is so easy. The workload is not heavy during normal times. It's just a little hard during the New Year and other holidays. What's the big deal?"
Xiao Zhou is a down-to-earth person, optimistic and cheerful, and this kind of personality is always likable.
Lin Weimin asked, "Does my wife have any objections?"
"What can she have any objection to? My monthly salary is twice hers. A few days ago, when I brought my bonus home, she counted it on her fingers several times! Now that I have the money, I have to work hard. She supports me!"
When talking about his wife, Xiao Zhou showed a happy smile on his face.
He got married at the beginning of this year. His wife's family is from the suburbs of Yanjing. After graduating from secondary technical school, he was assigned to work in the community of Yanjing. The salary is not high, but the job is decent.
The couple's wedding room was arranged in the house allocated by the Chinese Literature Society. The couple lived in a large house of 100 square meters. They will never experience the feeling of living in a small house again in their lifetime.
"That's good." Lin Weimin nodded.
"President..." Xiao Zhou looked a little hesitant.
"What's the matter?" Lin Weimin thought Xiao Zhou was in trouble and wanted to ask him for help.
Xiao Zhou looked a little entangled, and asked hesitantly: "Boss, do you think the housing prices in Yanjing City can still go up?"
"Why are you asking this? Do you want to buy a house?"
"My wife said she wanted to buy another commercial house. Didn't I bring home the bonus a few days ago? She gathered the money we had and it was almost 100,000 yuan, so she said she wanted to buy a house. I thought how could this money be enough? Some commercial houses are now sold for 5,000 yuan per square meter, and the money we have is not enough to buy a 20-square-meter house. And the housing prices are so high now, I'm worried..."
"Are you worried that house prices will fall?" Lin Weimin asked with a smile.
"Um."
Xiao Zhou nodded honestly and looked at Lin Weimin with expectation in his eyes.
In his eyes, the president is a capable man who is not only talented but also capable. The Guowen Society has been thriving in recent years, all thanks to the president's good leadership. So when he was confused, the first thing Xiao Zhou thought of was to find Lin Weimin to help him solve his doubts.
Faced with Xiao Zhou's question, Lin Weimin thought for a moment before answering.
"The level of housing prices in a country is closely related to the economic situation. When the economy is on the rise, housing prices are likely to rise. The capitals of many countries are generally political, economic and cultural centers, siphoning talents from all over the country.
Yanjing is the capital of our country. The population here will only increase in the future. If our economy continues to improve, theoretically, there is still a lot of room for housing prices to rise.
Of course, the rise is not unlimited, and maybe one day the housing prices may fall, but I don’t think this will happen in the short term.”
Lin Weimin's answer was very cautious. He certainly knew about the future of housing prices, but he would not make any definite predictions. His words were based on rational judgment and he believed they could solve Xiao Zhou's confusion.
After hearing Lin Weimin's answer, Xiao Zhou smiled and said, "I have a clear idea after hearing what you said."
"The general trend may make you money, but be careful not to gamble too much," Lin Weimin warned.
Xiao Zhou said seriously: "I understand, don't worry."
Lin Weimin nodded.
While the two were talking, a young woman walked into the Chinese Literature Society carrying something.
Lin Weimin attended Xiao Zhou's wedding and recognized her as his wife. "Since your wife is here, I won't accompany you."
Xiao Zhou smiled and said, "President, take care. I wish you a happy new year."
"Thank you, and Happy New Year to you too."
Lin Weimin responded with a smile, then said hello to Xiao Zhou's wife who had just come in before leaving.
"Your president hasn't left yet?" Xiao Zhou's wife asked, looking at Lin Weimin's back.
"He is a big leader, shouldn't he set an example? He must persist to the end."
As the couple was talking, the daughter-in-law laid out the dumplings and various dishes she had made at home, filling eight aluminum lunch boxes and placing them on the desk, looking quite sumptuous.
Xiao Zhou couldn't wait to pick up a dumpling and put it in his mouth, "Hmm~ Homemade dumplings are still the best."
At this moment, Lin Weimin, who had just left, pushed the door open again, holding a beautifully wrapped gift box in his hand.
"There happens to be a box of chocolates in the car. You two can have them as snacks while watching the Spring Festival Gala."
"How embarrassing!" Xiao Zhou's wife was about to refuse, but Xiao Zhou took it and said unceremoniously: "Thank you, President!"
"Okay, get busy."
After Lin Weimin left, Xiao Zhou's wife complained: "The leader was just being polite to you, why did you really want it?"
"The president is not a polite person. He understands that we can't go home for the New Year and expresses his condolences to us. He does this every year."
Xiao Zhou's wife didn't know the inside story. After listening to him, she sighed and said, "Your president is such a nice person!"
"Of course, our president is a very good man!" Xiao Zhou had a proud look on his face.
On New Year's Eve, the streets of Yanjing were no longer as bustling as usual, with only a few vehicles and pedestrians on the road.
Lin Weimin drove back home. At this time, the courtyard was full of laughter and was very lively.
Tao's father was kneading the dough, Tao's mother was chopping the stuffing, Tao Huimin was washing the vegetables, Yin Geli was cutting the vegetables, the nanny Qin was cooking, and her brother-in-law Han Dingbang was looking after the children.
The shooting schedule of "Hero" was tight and the task was heavy. This year, Han Zhuangzhuang was filming outside and did not come back to celebrate the New Year.
Little Nannan is older now and doesn’t like playing with little girls like Xiao Doubao.
The sense of mystery that "Spirited Away" brought to Chihiro's aunt has faded away. Now in the eyes of little girl, Xiao Doubao is just a little kid who teases cats and dogs and cries at every turn. Who would want to play with her?
Little Doubao followed her niece around for a long time, but no one wanted to play with her, so she felt very bored.
When she saw Lin Weimin coming back, she immediately clung to her father's lap.
"Dad, please set off fireworks for me."
The fireworks in Xiao Doubao's mouth were the poppers that children played with. Lin Weimin took her to set off a few in the yard. She was so happy that she jumped and clapped on the spot.
The father and daughter played in the yard for a while, and by half past seven, the New Year’s Eve dinner was ready.
There was a large round table in the living room, with more than a dozen dishes on it, an extremely sumptuous meal.
The New Year's Eve dinner began and the Spring Festival Gala also began. The adults just watched for fun, but the two children watched it seriously, with two pairs of eyes fixed on the TV screen, shining brightly.
The crosstalk programs in this year's Spring Festival Gala were generally poor. The most noteworthy thing for the audience was the competition between two generations of sketch kings, Chen Xiaoer and Zhao Benshan.
Zhao Benshan and his partner Fan Wei performed a show called "Red Sorghum Model Team", which was really funny.
But Chen Xiaoer's "Cosmic Gymnastics Team" is not good. It has a bunch of sports champions, which makes it feel a bit like a composition with a given topic and is very stiff.
These are of course Lin Weimin’s personal opinions, and his family is quite happy to see them.
During the Chinese New Year, people just want to have fun. Everyone eats, drinks and chats enthusiastically. Except for children, who will watch TV seriously?
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Tao Huimin suggested playing mahjong, which was enthusiastically seconded by Yin Geli.
Lin Weimin watched the foreign girl skillfully shuffle, arrange, touch and win cards, and he was impressed by the powerful appeal of the Chinese quintessence.
"Are you the one firing the cannon again? He just finished firing five balls and you're feeding him four?" Tao Huimin complained.
Lin Weimin spread out his cards, "I'm listening too, okay? See? If I win with all the same cards, I can win the pants off you!"
"Then you are lucky, right? Your luck is so bad, just point the gun, change players, change players!"
Tao Huimin was arranging for a replacement, and Han Dingbang, who had been waiting on the side, immediately drove Lin Weimin off the table and sat down happily.
Lin Weimin shook his head helplessly.
Women always have long hair and little knowledge. What's the point of talking nonsense all the time?
If you want to be a fool, you have to be a big fool!
"Dad, dad, I'll play mahjong with you!" Xiao Doubao took Lin Weimin's hand and called him to another table.
There were only Xiao Doubao and Xiao Nannan at the table, and there was a set of mahjong on the table.
All the cards were spread out together and the two were playing connect the dots.
To be honest, it was the little girl who was playing connect the dots and the little bean bun was messing with her.
"Dad is good at this, watch me!" Lin Weimin squeezed the little girl aside and prepared to show his skills.
Unfortunately, when he finished solving the puzzle, there were still 8 cards left that he couldn't solve.
The little Nan Nan who was squeezed out sneered, the level of the master of firing was indeed just this!
Lin Weimin was pondering over the few remaining cards on the table. At this moment, the host's voice of counting down was heard on TV, and he quickly shuffled the cards together.
"Hurry up, hurry up, it's midnight, watch TV!"
The little girl innocently looked at the TV following Lin Weimin's instructions, while the sensible little girl looked at her uncle speechlessly.
Old man, you can’t afford to play!
(End of this chapter)
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