Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 409 This Generation

These days, the biggest star in the entire Hong Kong entertainment industry is Golden Harvest.

Ever since Golden Harvest announced the main creative team for three films, its stock price has been rising rapidly, shocking other companies.

The filming hasn't started yet, the stock price is like this just because the main creative list has been announced.

If the movie is really released and sells well, the stock price will definitely go through the roof.

A media outlet with good intentions did some statistics and found that before Zhang Chen acquired Golden Harvest, the market value of Golden Harvest was approximately HK$8000 million.

Now it has tripled to HK$250 million.

Apart from anything else, just from this wave of stock price surge, Zhang Chen made a fortune, and so did the shareholders of Jiahe.

For a time, Golden Harvest's stock became a hot spot in the market, but there was no demand for it at all.

Zhang Chen came to his senses. No wonder those film and television companies in later generations were trying their best to go public. It felt great to have such a surge in wealth.

He hasn't done anything yet, but his net worth has increased several times.

Otherwise, people say that once people have tasted the sweetness of the financial market, it will be difficult to do anything else.

It’s simple, it’s just too easy to make money in this industry.

If you play with finance and do nothing every day, you may only earn 3,000 yuan a day.

Working hard in the industry for a month may not be as good as working in finance for a day.

The entertainment and social sections were all reporting on Zhang Chen. In the newsstands on the street, almost every magazine mentioned Zhang Chen and Jiahe.

This is no longer just a matter of the entertainment industry; it is something that the entire nation is discussing.

For a time, Zhang Chen became a rising star in the entertainment industry. Countless people wanted to get to know him, both openly and secretly, to see if they could catch up with his good luck.

These days, as long as you have a relationship with Zhang Chen or Golden Harvest, you can get some benefits. Living examples are Media Asia and Oriental Films.

Ever since Chen Xi publicly announced at the press conference that he would develop three film projects with these two companies, the stock prices of these two companies have risen together.

Although not as exaggerated as Golden Harvest, it also made Wong Jing and Lam Kin-yue laugh from ear to ear.

Many people wanted to get close to Zhang Chen, but without exception, they all failed.

They couldn't find the person at all because he had already returned to the mainland.

Zhang Chen needs connections, but these are enough at this stage.

All that’s left is to wait for the movie to be released. By then, based on the box office performance, it won’t just be him who will attract resources, but many resources will come to him.

Even though Zhang Chen couldn't be contacted, the invitations kept coming.

I can’t connect with Zhang Chen, and the same goes for Jiahe.

Then it became that Shi Nansheng took Chen Xi to various dinner parties every day, meeting people, eating, chatting, and becoming friends...

At this time, Zhang Chen was in the company, leading a group of screenwriters to work on the script of "Pacific Rim".

The project is about to be launched, and he must finish the script quickly.

This time, the script of "Pacific Rim" still follows the previous model. Zhang Chen has come up with the theme framework, and the screenwriter team is responsible for enriching the details.

Especially about the growth paths of the heroine and the giant beast Honghuang.

Space-time wormholes appear one after another all over the world, monsters from other worlds invade, and humans invent mechas to fight against them.

The heroine Fan Binbin was originally a zoo keeper, responsible for taking care of a baby panda.

Unexpectedly, the zoo suddenly turned into a wormhole coordinate. The strange gas emitted caused the death of a large number of people and animals in the zoo, and the few surviving animals also mutated and became abnormally huge.

Humans drove mechas to defeat the mutated animals. Among them, the weakest panda, Honghuang, was kept as a research subject because it was a juvenile mutation.

Because Fan Binbin was its keeper, he was also recruited into the military and was responsible for calming Honghuang's emotions.

During this process, Fan Binbin also learned how to drive a mecha, because when Honghuang went crazy, only a mecha could subdue it.

In recent years, alien monsters have invaded the wormhole every year, but they have been defeated by human mechas every time.

Then a new alien monster appeared. This monster was stronger than any previous one. He killed several of the most advanced mechas in succession.

With no other options, humans had to dispatch an old model of mecha from the rear, which was the one driven by Fan Binbin.

In the crushing situation, Fan Binbin was no match for the monster. At the critical moment, Honghuang broke free from control and rushed to help its keeper.

After the mecha and Honghuang worked together, they finally defeated the alien monster.

In three days, the first version of the script was released~
"I think this should be changed. Honghuang didn't come here to help its keeper in the first place. He just felt the breath of the alien monster and was ready to drive the invader away out of territorial awareness. However, when he arrived at the scene, he found that the one who was beaten was its keeper, so he changed his original intention..."

The person who spoke was Guo Fan. Yes, he was asked by Zhang Chen to come from Lu Yang.

Of course Lu Yang was reluctant to leave. "Kowloon Walled City" was completed by the two of them together. He originally wanted to continue with "The Man from Lone Star", but he didn't expect that Zhang Chen would take him away.

Of course Zhang Chen is a specialist.

Guo Fan~
Known as the best sci-fi director in the country, he has to bring this person with him when he makes sci-fi films.

Sure enough, I discovered some unreasonable parts in the script as soon as I arrived.

Zhang Chen weighed the options and said, "Okay, this is more reasonable. If you have any other ideas, tell me all of them..."

Guo Fan was greatly encouraged, and remembered what Lu Yang said before he left, "This is your chance, you must seize it~"

Thinking of Lu Yang's previous theory of clinging to someone, he finally continued, "I think Hong Huang's feelings towards the keeper should be similar to that of a mother, and he is not friendly to other humans. This can highlight the relationship between him and the keeper. Later on, we can add a lot of touching scenes in this regard...

In addition, it is better to add a setting to the name. Honghuang is the nickname given to this panda cub by the breeder. After all, the names of panda babies in our country are generally repeated characters, such as Panpan, Huahua, etc...."

"Yes, that's fine. The screenwriters will take note and modify it accordingly~"

Guo Fan was very happy to see that all his suggestions were adopted.

Zhang Chen suddenly stood up and said, "Pack up and get ready to go out with me."

"Where?"

"China Film~"

……

Domestically, news about Zhang Chen has reached a peak.

First, it quietly acquired Golden Harvest and announced that it would start shooting three movies at the same time.

Then it was reported that Zhang Chen was tinkering with a science fiction blockbuster with a cost of 8 million yuan.

8 million~
That's $100 million.
There has never been a large-scale production of this cost in China, and even in Hollywood it would be a huge investment.

Many media outlets are speculating what the story of Pacific Rim is.

The name sounds like it has something to do with the ocean, but I can't find out what it is specifically.

Many people are pessimistic about the film, thinking that Pacific Rim will never be able to recover its huge cost and will definitely lose money.

But more people are curious about how much money Zhang Chen has.

The acquisition of Golden Harvest and the filming of "Pacific Rim" are not small amounts of money.

The person who was asked this question most often was not Zhang Chen, but his parents.

After reading the report, many neighbors came to ask Zhang's parents about the matter.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were both very upset. You want to know, and I want to know too.

When did this guy become so rich?

How come I've never heard him say that?

But Zhang's father was busy and had no time to pay attention to these gossips.

The three cinemas that he and his friends set up were recently transferred to Golden Harvest Cinemas, which has significantly increased Golden Harvest Cinemas' market share in the country.

He is also inviting other coal boss friends to join in and share the cake. Zhang Chen said that within ten years, domestic cinema chains will be a sunrise industry.

Zhang Chen also said that the more cinemas there are in China, the more friendly it will be to big productions like "Pacific Rim".

Even for the sake of his son, he had to convince his coal boss friends who had money but didn't know what to do with it to invest in the cinema chain.

“You don’t know where to invest your money? Simple, invest in cinemas.

What, you don’t understand this business? What are you afraid of? I don’t understand it either, but my son does. If he says he can do it, he can do it.

Could it be that my son would cheat me?"

Well, it sounds reasonable. All of a sudden, coal bosses joined in waving their checks, and the number of theaters in Golden Harvest Cinema Line increased dramatically. Although many are still under construction, they can no longer be underestimated...

The eight major cinema chains in China today are basically based on former film studios, with Golden Harvest being ranked number one among private cinema chains.

……

Huayi, Wang Zhonglei angrily pushed open the door of Wang Zhongjun's office with a newspaper in his hand, "Brother, have you read the report? It's all about Zhang Chen, he's simply going against us..."

Wang Zhongjun was more shrewd than his brother after all. He frowned and scolded: "Why are you panicking? Don't be so impatient. You are already an adult..."

Although Wang Zhonglei was not convinced, he did not dare to disobey his brother, so he could only complain: "I am just angry. We just built up the momentum of "The Forbidden Kingdom", and he suddenly came out to make a 800 million science fiction movie to steal our popularity. Isn't this deliberately looking for trouble?"

Wang Zhongjun picked up the teacup and took a sip. The gleam behind his glasses showed that he was thinking. After a while, he said, "How about you contact a group of reporters who have a good relationship with us and ask them to help hype up the audition for "The Forbidden Kingdom". With so many female stars auditioning, there must be competition. It's normal for them to throw dirty water on each other..."

"Okay brother, I'll go right away..."

Wang Zhonglei couldn't wait.

Not long after, amid the overwhelming discussion in the media about Zhang Chen and "Pacific Rim", some different voices suddenly appeared.

[Liu Yifei auditioned for the female lead in "The Forbidden Kingdom" and looks forward to working with Cheng Long and Jet Li]

[It is rumored that Zhang Ziyi is also interested in the female lead of "The Forbidden Kingdom" and is currently negotiating auditions]

[Insider revealed that Fan Binbin has completed the audition and is determined to get the female lead~]

[Huayi's Wang Zhonglei said that the 800 million science fiction blockbuster was just a publicity stunt and the cost could not be recovered in China]

[Senior film critics expressed their views: Zhang Chen is moving further and further away from the path of film art]

……

Liu Mansion
Liu Tianxian walked into her mother's bedroom with a newspaper in her hand, looking indignant. "Mom, this is too much. They clearly invited me, but now they are the ones who I am looking forward to working with Jackie Chan and Jet Li..."

Liu Xiaoli took the newspaper and read it through. She could only comfort him: "The Wang brothers of Huayi are like this. They like to hype others. But does this mean that they really think highly of you? Forget it, let's not express our opinions for now. Just give them face. As for the conditions they proposed, your godfather is already thinking of a way for you..."

……

At the same time, Li Binbin was also complaining to Li Xue: "It's always like this. They say they want fair competition. Obviously, I am from Huayi, but the Wang brothers always want to give opportunities to outsiders. It's either Zhang Ziyi or Liu Yifei. Since they don't value me, why did they keep me in the first place?"

Li Xue saw her sister's indignant look and knew that there was no point in persuading her. How could she persuade her sister?
The Wang brothers are indeed traitors.

They have the resources at hand, but they don't take care of their own people, as if they believe that domestic flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers.

"I asked around and found out that Fan Binbin didn't come to the audition at all. Liu Tianxian and Zhang Ziyi did come to the audition, but we don't know what the results were."

After a brief pause, Li Xue said, "Sister, why don't we leave? Let's learn from Fan Binbin and set up a personal studio. It's better than being here and suffering like this..."

Li Binbin may complain, but if you really ask her to leave, she would be quite hesitant.

"But after we leave, what if..."

But his sister Li Xue was more decisive than her: "Don't worry, sister, Golden Harvest has released three new films at once. Based on Zhang Chen's past performance, I think the new films will definitely do well at the box office.

Zhang Chen owns two companies, Golden Harvest and Xingchen Entertainment. What can Huayi use to compete with him?

Since I can't get any good resources here anyway, I think it's better to just quit Huayi, so that I can maybe get some benefits from Zhang Chen.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Zhang Chen should not ignore us."

"I'll think about it~"

……

China Film Group, Han Sanping's office
A man pushed the door open and walked in, followed by his secretary with a look of grievance on his face.

When Han Sanping saw the person coming, he waved to the secretary behind him, indicating that everything was fine.

Then he said, "You old man, you don't even knock on the door when you come to someone else's house. Why are you making things difficult for a little girl?"

The person who came was Ren Zhonglun: "What are you doing here? I came to conduct a surprise inspection to see if you, a mountain eagle, have done anything bad in the office~"

Han Sanping's face turned serious: "That's too much. Others call me Zuoshan Diao, how can you call me that?"

Ren Zhonglun was amused when he saw Han Sanping was angry: "You deserve it. You, China Film Group, are holding the power to approve imported films. You are nothing but a mountain eagle."

Hearing the strong jealousy in the other party's words, Han Sanping also opened his mouth and said, "Old Ren, every time we quarrel over this, I will say it again, we at China Film have great power, but we also have great responsibilities.

You know how bad the film market was in the past two years?

The reason why I have been working hard to promote the blockbuster project is that I want to cultivate more people's habit of watching movies and expand the market. This way, when foreign capital comes in, we will not be wiped out.

You are a veteran in the industry, and you should know that since we joined the WTO, one of the items in every negotiation must be to gradually open up the domestic film market.

What does this mean?
The wolf is coming!
Can the fourth and fifth generations who can only make art films resist the invasion of Hollywood?

They are the ones who cry wolf every day, and they are also the ones who dig their own graves every day.

Only when China Film Group has the power to approve imported films can it use Hollywood blockbusters to force domestic commercialization.

If I don't speed up the commercialization of the domestic film market, when the market is fully liberalized ten years later, will there still be a place for our domestic films?

Europe, South Korea, Japan, there are so many countries with real examples before us.

The Hollywood film industry is too strong. If the national film industry cannot hold on, then China will become Hollywood's backyard, and you and I will be sinners of the country.

So don't blame me. I have to make big investments and produce big films.

Only big productions can train the team at the fastest speed, and only big productions can attract audiences to the cinema.

Industrial development requires capital, markets, and skilled industrial workers.

If other products can develop in leaps and bounds, the film industry can certainly do so. Big productions are the engine that drives the film industry's leapfrog development.

As long as we have the ability to produce big productions, Hollywood will not be able to defeat us, because we can do what they can do, and we also understand our own people's preferences better."

"Alright, alright, stop flattering you. Tell me why you called me here this time. You said it was a good thing. If it's not a good thing, I won't agree with you~"

Ren Zhonglun waved his hands, seemingly impatient, but in fact he had already accepted Han Sanping's statement.

He understood what Han Sanping said, but he was unhappy even though he understood it.

Why should China Film Corporation shoulder the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the film industry? I can also go to the cinema.

As they were talking, the door was pushed open again from the outside, and Zhang Chen brought Guo Fan in, clapping as they came in.

“What San Ye said is very good, blockbuster movies are the engine of leapfrog development.

When Hollywood movies invade in large numbers, low-budget movies may still make a difference, but at best they can only be considered guerrilla warfare. The results may be good, but they cannot affect the overall situation.

Blockbusters are the regular army, the main force in conquering cities and territories.

Only when your country’s film industry has the ability to produce blockbusters can it be called a film industry.”

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he greeted the two of them: "Hello, Third Master, Hello, Mr. Ren~"

Han Sanping came over with a laugh, patted Zhang Chen on the shoulder and introduced him to Ren Zhonglun: "Old Ren, this is the good news I told you~"

"What good thing?"

"Zhang Chen is going to make a science fiction blockbuster, and I convinced him to reserve a spot for you."

Ren Zhonglun also knew Zhang Chen and had invested in his film The Shallows.

"Then tell me, what is the story of the science fiction film you want to make?"

Zhang Chen took a script from Guo Fan behind him and handed it to him: "Mr. Ren, this is the script, you can take a look first~"

Ren Zhonglun took the script and read it silently.

The two people on the other side were chatting:

"You kid, have you arrived a long time ago and have been hiding outside and not coming in?"

Zhang Chen smiled awkwardly: "No, I arrived early, but I am sorry to interrupt you when you are so passionate~"

"Hey, kid, are you kidding me~"

The two chatted for a while, and Han Sanping urged Ren Zhonglun to come over: "Hey, have you finished reading it? If you have, give it to me quickly. I haven't read it yet~"

After being urged by him, Ren Zhonglun, who was reading the last page, handed over the script and turned his gaze back to Zhang Chen.

"It's a bit like Ultraman fighting monsters~"

Han Sanping Yile, how come your thoughts are exactly the same as mine at the beginning.

Zhang Chen nodded: "The core is similar, but for this kind of special effects blockbuster, the audience is watching the special effects, and the storyline just needs to be acceptable~"

He still uses the same rhetoric.

"Then why did you think of making a science fiction film? Wasn't the previous "Taken" a good box office hit? It also sold well overseas, so why not make a sequel?"

Zhang Chen did not answer immediately. He organized his words before answering, "There are actually two reasons. One is that I don't really want to do the same type of thing again.

Another one is similar to San Ye’s idea. I don’t want the day when Hollywood blockbusters come in and say that there is no Chinese film that can compete~”

"Hey, good boy~"

The person who spoke was Han Sanping. He hadn't finished reading the script yet, but he was so attracted by Zhang Chen's words that he couldn't help but express his praise.

Their generation is the most unwilling to admit defeat.

Born at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was extremely poor.

The gap that is visible to the naked eye makes it difficult for people to catch up.

But it is this generation that refuses to admit defeat.

I admit that you are much more advanced than me, and I will learn from you, but it is impossible for me to kneel down.

People who grew up in their generation are all very strong inside.

It has nothing to do with material conditions, but with spiritual energy.

That’s why so many miracles can be created.

Zhang Chen felt something in his heart, "In fact, I admire your generation very much. You are not willing to admit defeat, you dare to do things, you are capable, and you have a long-term vision.

Many of the decisions you make will benefit your descendants.

Only you can develop a certain industry regardless of the cost.

There has been no profit for ten or twenty years, but you are the only ones who still persist.

This is actually what Mr. Han San is doing now.

Doesn’t he know that investing in blockbuster movies has a high chance of losing money?

I know for sure, but I have to invest.

Just consider it as paying tuition.

What we look at is not the immediate interests, but the long-term interests.

It’s the same principle as building a highway.

Building highways is a loss-making business and is simply not cost-effective from a short-term perspective.

But in the long run, the scale of brokerage it has driven is unprecedented, which is also the reason why our country can develop rapidly.

Focus your efforts on big things.

Once you've made up your mind, just do it~"

Han Sanping also empathized with what he said and said loudly: "Yes, once we have made up our minds, we will do it.

I think there is nothing wrong with the blockbuster strategy, and I will stick to it. The Promise is the first one, and Pacific Rim is the second one..."

Ren Zhonglun scolded: "You two are playing a double act here? It seems that we dare not invest in the film.

Ask us about our film releases, we are the first to do so:

The first color opera film, "Liang Zhu", produced by Shanghai Film Group;
The first military feature film, "The Battle of South and North", produced by Shanghai Film Group;
The first film to win the Guinness World Record, "Lush Mountain Romance", produced by Shanghai Film Group;
The first domestic digital special technology film "Emergency Landing", produced by Shanghai Film Group;
Now, we have also invested in the first domestic science fiction film "Pacific Rim"~
"

Ren Zhonglun knew that this was not a provocation, but he was just very excited.

Han Sanping fanned the flames: "How much did you invest? Our China Film Group invested 200 million~"

"Uh~"

This time Ren Zhonglun finally changed his color.

Two hundred million?
It's a bit too much.

His eyes rolled: "Then we definitely can't steal your limelight, so let's just invest 100 million~"

(End of this chapter)