Entertainment 2000: Supporting female stars will bring you a hundredfold return

Chapter 190 (6k) Famous scene of a liar, Sister Li took it seriously!

"Teacher Gong Li."

Gong Li, who is in her thirties, is in the prime of her life.

Her black hair is like clouds, her eyes are deep, her nose is high, and her lips are full and red.

There is a steady confidence in his eyes.

That is the beauty of a successful career, mental stability, adequate sleep and normal menstruation!
"Director Tang, just call me by my name."

The two shook hands.

Tang Wen, who thought the journey was boring, became interested in chatting.

"Where did Sister Li come from?"

"Venice, this year's Golden Lion Awards invited me to be a judge."

Tang Wen suddenly remembered: "Sister Li is too modest, she is the chairman of the jury."

Gong Li smiled and asked, "Director Tang, don't you have any award-winning movies this year?"

"Well, there is a movie called Peacock, but it will probably be released next year."

He didn't feel it was a pity that he didn't get to see Gong Li become the jury chairman.

As for winning awards, he pays more attention to public relations after the movie reaches a score of 75 or above.

But it was impossible for him to do public relations for Gong Li, even if he didn't do it in person.

Once the news gets out, it will be a severe blow to his reputation!
Director Tang is a respectable man.

What public relations methods?
It has nothing to do with him.

It was all done privately by our American partners. I was unaware of it and am a victim.

Tang Wen already had an emergency plan. If anything went wrong, he would let the North American company take the brunt of the impact.

He has seen many of Gong Li's movies.

Gong Li has seen all the films directed by Tang Wen.

The two chatted happily.

Finally, let’s talk about the movie “Hero”, as expected.

Gong Li went to support Zhang Yimou.

She is very famous internationally, and a few words of praise from her can add a lot of color to the film.

"Does Director Tang think that this movie can recoup its cost?"

“You’ll only know after you’ve watched the film.”

Gong Li nodded and asked curiously, "Director Tang, are you going to watch this movie too?"

"Well," Tang Wen did not hide his feelings: "If I think this movie has a market in North America, I might buy the copyright."

Gong Li looked surprised and was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Director Tang is very generous."

She thought Tang Wen and Zhang Weiping had some grudge against each other.

But Tang Wen couldn't explain. He couldn't just say that I was the one who cursed myself online and Zhang Weiping jumped into the trap?

Then, he just made a slight move, but Zhang Weiping couldn't stand it and stood up to apologize.

In Tang Wen's eyes, this man was just stupid and bad.

There is no threat at all.

Tang Wen was too lazy to bear a grudge against him.

Besides, if we can get the movie rights of "Hero" at a suitable price this time.

Once it is released in North America, it will be able to earn tens of millions of dollars, not counting the system rebates.

If Zhang Weiping knew about this, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood. He has been busy for several years, and even if all the profits were added together, he probably couldn't earn this much.

Thinking of this, Tang Wen looked at Gong Li and said with a smile: "Sister Li, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

He had heard the rumors before.

Gong Li and Zhang Yimou broke up not only because of the emotional conflicts between them.

It has a lot to do with Zhang Weiping.

Zhang Yimou is introverted, humble and easy to control.

Gong Li is opinionated and independent, and Zhang Weiping cannot control her.

So he took advantage of their quarrel and interfered, causing them to break up completely.

After the breakup, Gong Li got married again, but she was not happy.

Gong Li smiled and said, "I want to hear them all."

"The lie is that there is nothing that can't be overcome for the development of domestic films. Blah blah blah."

Gong Li was amused: "Still talking nonsense. You are too lazy to even make up stories. What about the truth?"

"The truth is, if the movie is good, I can make money if I buy it, maybe even more than he did. He worked hard for two years, and in the end, I got the best deal. It pissed him off."

Gong Li covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter, her body shaking violently.

Tang Wen looked at him calmly for a few seconds.

Well, Sister Li is indeed capable.

Later, in the TV series "Curse of the Golden Flower", Gong Li's performance was so eye-catching.

"Sister Li, stop laughing. Do you support me or not?"

"Support! Absolutely support!"

Gong Li nodded continuously, if what Tang Wen said really happened.

She could laugh out loud just thinking about it.

Women are narrow-minded and cannot bear to see their enemies having an easy time.

As if touched by the genuine humor in Tang Wen's words, Gong Li remembered something and asked, "Sony Pictures in Hollywood contacted me some time ago and asked me to give me a novel."

"What subject matter?" Tang Wen took a sip of water.

"The subject matter is sensitive, but when I heard that Spielberg was going to direct it, I was quite excited." Gong Li said as she picked up the handbag beside her and took out a copy of "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Tang Wen just looked at her speechlessly.

After the movie was released, it was severely criticized in China.

Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li and Yang Ziqiong, three famous Chinese actresses, went to play geishas from the island country.

If I don’t get scolded, then I’m weird.

"You don't think it's good? That's Spielberg."

Needless to say, this person, like Zhang Yimou, is full of yearning for Hollywood.

Tang Wen sighed, took the book and flipped through it. "When being scolded, the audience doesn't care who made it. Besides, has the release date been set? Is it confirmed that Spielberg is directing it himself?"

"This", Gong Li, who was already conflicted, couldn't help but hesitate.

Because of her beauty, Tang Wen gave her some more advice: "Be careful, you must be careful.

This novel was written by an American about the stories of the Japanese people.

The lead actor is a Chinese. Do you think there will be a market for it in the United States?
Do you think the island countries would be willing to do so?
Finally, the country will definitely not be willing to do so! "

Gong Li's hesitation turned into a wry smile: "Really?"

A movie that most of the Three Kingdoms audiences don't like.

To be honest, there's not much that can be done.

Even if you shoot with this goal in mind, you may not necessarily be able to produce a movie that no one in the Three Kingdoms would like.

But Memoirs of a Geisha did just that.

It can only be said that he is a talented player.

And the old fox Spielberg did not serve as a director, but was just a producer.

Tang Wen shook his head: "Logically speaking, this is our first time communicating, I shouldn't advise you like this."

"No, no, brother, you mean well. I understand." Gong Li hurriedly held Tang Wen's hand.

Well, big sister’s hands are so soft.

Let’s get over this.

We then talked about other things and exchanged contact information before getting off the plane.

That evening, the screening of "Hero" for the copyright holder was held at Shenzhen Sun Digital Cinema.

Tang Wen brought Lin Zhiling to attend.

When Zhang Weiping saw him come in, the smile on her face froze.

Without waiting for Tang Wen to come closer, he turned around and started chatting with other people, as if he didn't see him.

If he ignores Tang Wen, Zhang Yimou will not be rude.

He took two quick steps forward and shook hands with Tang Wen: "Director Tang, how come you have time to come here today?"

Today, they mainly invite overseas film producers.

Tang Wen admires and respects Zhang Yimou. Apart from anything else, the opening ceremony of the Olympics was really well done.

"I have a film company in the United States. Let's see if there is a chance to release Hero."

"Mr. Tang is really young and promising. His business is booming. Please come in, please come in!"

Zhang Yimou is not good at speaking, and these few words have consumed a lot of his emotional intelligence.

The screening room can accommodate hundreds of people.

There is no seating arrangement.

The film producers all sat wherever they wanted.

Seeing Gong Li waving, Tang Wen ran straight towards her.

When everyone arrived, Zhang Yimou took the microphone and told everyone the concept of the story and introduced the actors...

Special emphasis is placed on Jet Li.

Even though Jet Li was in Hollywood, he didn't come.

He also receives the most praise.

To be honest, this movie would never have been able to attract an investment of 3000 million US dollars.

Zhang Yimou is famous, but he has never proven himself in commercial films.

Secondly, the domestic market has not taken off at all, and the annual box office is less than 10 billion yuan.

Anyone who dares to make a movie with a budget of hundreds of millions will be taken advantage of!
Zhang Yimou saw that Li An had achieved success in Hollywood and became a follower of him.

I want to make a big production and win an Oscar.

Later, the investor came up with an idea.

If they could get Jet Li to star in the film, they would be willing to pay 3000 million US dollars.

As soon as the two parties contacted each other, Zhang Yimou had been famous for a long time and had a great reputation, so Li Lianjie naturally gave him face.

Then there was this "Hero"

After Zhang Yimou finished speaking, sparse applause broke out in the theater.

It's not perfunctory.

There really weren't many people coming and the seats were scattered.

By the time he finished speaking, everyone was already eager to watch the movie.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Weiping wanted to show his presence again. He took the microphone and talked about how difficult the filming was.

A group of foreigners frowned as they listened to the translation.

Tang Wen secretly curled his lips: Still inexperienced, this isn't an award-winning film. Why are you being pitiful to foreigners? If you want to say that the filming was smooth, the actors should have created wonderful sparks.

He found it boring and started observing these overseas film producers.

As expected, I saw a fat guy in the first row, Hollywood's Harvey Weinstein.

This person always calls himself a Kung Fu fan.

In fact, a complete movie businessman.

Of course, he has some passion for Kung Fu, but he will cheat whenever he can against domestic film and television companies.

Tang Wen pointed to Lin Zhiling and said, "Remember that man, Harvey Weinstein. He is good at winning Oscars, but he has no moral principles and his character is extremely bad."

Lin Zhiling nodded, and Gong Li also listened.

When the foreigners’ patience was almost exhausted, Zhang Weiping finally finished: “Since some special effects of the movie have not been completed yet, please bear with us.”

After saying that, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and stepped aside.

Sitting together with Zhang Yimou, both of them were unsure and their faces looked very serious.

Whether "Hero" lives or dies depends on how much the overseas copyright can be sold tonight.

If sales are too low, the pressure to release the film will be greater.

Their hope is that if all overseas copyrights are sold, they can earn 20 million US dollars.

If this figure is reached, combined with other audio-visual copyrights, etc., not only can the investment be recovered, but also a profit can be made.

If it cannot be achieved, you will probably have to lose money.

The lights dim.

The screen lights up.

In a true sense, the first domestic blockbuster slowly began.

Zhang Yimou's movies are a pleasure to watch, in terms of colors and scenes, apart from anything else.

Qin's arrows
Chess Hall Showdown
The Battle of Red Clothes in Populus euphratica Forest...

All of them are poetic collisions of violence, aesthetics, and color!

Unfortunately, some of the special effects were not done well.

It seems quite different.

An hour and a half later, the lights came on.

There was applause in the venue.

"What do you think, Director Tang?" Gong Li asked while applauding.

“Not bad, a commercial film above standard.”

Tang Wen did not lie. Even if you look back at it 20 years later, "Hero" is still much better than many movies.

Zhang Weiping came on stage and this time he didn't say too much.

While everyone is more or less immersed in the mood of the movie.

Please ask Koreans to quote first.

"Five million dollars!"

Swish!
Zhang Weiping's face turned black.

Tang Wen also laughed: It was really a blow to the head.

Fortunately, South Korea is close, so more than one publisher came.

Several people bid, and the price rose to "50 U.S. dollars."

Then it stopped again. In addition, several Korean publishers began to discuss openly.

Zhang Weiping was so angry that he had a headache and couldn't help but raise the price:
“Dear Korean friends, your country is one of the largest film markets in Asia.

We can’t sell it for less than $3.5 million.”

The Koreans were immediately shocked and waved their hands to indicate that it was impossible.

They talked a lot, saying that the price was sky-high and they wouldn't even be able to recover their costs if they bought it.

The two sides negotiated for a long time, and finally three Korean distributors jointly purchased it.

The total bid was US$200 million.

This price is acceptable to both parties, but in Zhang Weiping's heart, it is basically the bottom line.

Then there are other Asian countries outside the island nations.

It sold for a total of over a million dollars.

For Tang Wen, it’s better than nothing.

Zhang Weiping was quite satisfied.

Next comes the highlight, the Japanese film producers.

In 2002, the island nation was the world's second largest voting base.

Second only to the United States.

The copyright fee naturally cannot be low.

"I think the island countries don't need to be listed separately. I want them all along with the North American copyright!"

The fat white man stood up from the first row and waved his hand domineeringly.

It looks like someone is in favor and someone is against.

"Mr. Harvey, don't be impatient. Even if you want the copyrights of two regions, you can compete with everyone one by one." Zhang Weiping said.

Harvey ignored him, turned around and looked at everyone and said, "Anyone want to make an offer?"

The film producers looked at each other, wondering why this man was so rude.

The Japanese film producer was the first to step forward and bowed: "Two million US dollars."

One of the North American film producers offered: “This movie may not be as popular in North America as it is in Asia, so our offer is $100 million!”

Zhang Weiping's face turned green, and he quickly cited the example of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to refute, saying that "Hero" could also make over 100 million in North America.

Unfortunately, no one believed it.

After a few rounds, someone from the island country raised the price to 300 million.

There are less than 300 million in North America.

Harvey sneered secretly and was about to shout out a high price to shock everyone.

Suddenly, a very recognizable female voice was heard: "500 million US dollars, North American copyright, we at Galaxy Entertainment want it!"

The person who stood up was naturally Lin Zhiling.

Harvey didn't know it, but he knew Galaxy Entertainment.

When he saw Tang Wen next to Lin Zhiling, he felt something was wrong.

He had envied Galaxy Entertainment’s ability to make money.

He immediately shouted, “Tang, Galaxy Entertainment doesn’t have a distribution business, right?”

"It will be here soon, Harvey." Tang Wen replied indifferently.

Harvey laughed a few times: "I like your humor, but I'm afraid there's no chance this time."

He shouted at Zhang Weiping on the stage, "Island Country and North American copyright, 2800 million US dollars!"

wow...

There was an uproar in the venue.

$2800 million?
Is this person crazy?
2800 million US dollars, plus the publicity and promotion costs, it will take at least hundreds of millions of US dollars in box office revenue to break even.

So do you think this play is good?

Those who came here are experts, having seen the previous "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

Understand that it is a Hollywood movie in oriental clothing.

And this "Hero" is a completely oriental story.

The price was so shocking that Zhang Weiping, who was blinded by money, forgot to bargain. He asked in a trembling voice, "How much?"

"2800 million US dollars!" Harvey raised his head, exuding a domineering look.

Tang Wen looked strange.

how?

Are we going to witness a famous scene?

In the previous life, about 10 years.

Feng Xiaogang once blasted Harvey, calling him a liar.

The usual trick is to buy the North American distribution rights of domestic films.

He offered a very high price at the beginning, several million or even tens of millions of dollars.

When others saw this, they stopped competing with him for it, and he gave them a deposit of $20.

When the film came out, he said, I don't want this movie anymore.

If you return the product, it will be too late for you to sell it to someone else.

If he comes to you at this time, he will offer you 100 million US dollars.

After Director Feng finished speaking, the investment president of IMAX Corporation of the United States, who was sitting next to him, agreed on the spot and explained:

“Actually, Harvey doesn’t have a very good reputation over here, but I want Feng to know that not all American filmmakers are like this.”

Even his own people didn't speak up for him.

This shows how bad Harvey's reputation and popularity are.

Unexpectedly, I now witnessed his despicable tricks with my own eyes.

Some people may ask, if he does this, can't the copyright owner sell it to someone else?

You have to know that international film producers are well-known companies in various countries.

For Zhang Yimou's sake, participating in a copyright bidding specifically for a movie is already giving him enough face.

There are many movies that no one wants internationally.

Go directly to various film festivals to shop and earn more.

Why bother with a movie?
The copyright fees are so high and the risks are so great.

When Harvey saw that the effect had been achieved, he put his hands on his waist and looked down at the entire field.

Seeing Tang Wen laughing happily for no reason, he felt a little unhappy: "Tang! Are you guys from Galaxy Entertainment still following?"

Neuropathy!
Why click my name?
Show yourself?
Tang Wen laughed and said, "If you take out 2800 million US dollars and bid it here now, I will leave immediately."

"What do you mean? Do you doubt my ability?" Harvey's eyes were sharp, like a vulture seeing a competitor.

Tang Wen continued to smile: Why should I doubt your ability?

You have a lot of strength.

Just the president of a third-rate company.

If it weren't for the few connections you have in the squid circle, how many people in Hollywood would care about you?

Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou on the stage looked at Tang Wen with excitement in their eyes.

I wish Tang Wen would raise his hand again.

Especially Zhang Weiping, who was shouting in his heart: Bid! Raise the price! Aren’t you rich, Tang Wen?
All you have to do is raise the price to $30 million.

You will be wronged from now on...

Well, from now on you will be the VIP guest of my new screen!
Unfortunately, even if he was desperate, Tang Wen had no intention of raising the price.

However, Tang Wen couldn't stand Harvey's behavior, so he stood up and said:
“Xavi, whether you have the ability or not is your business.

But I'm coming over tonight with a check for one million dollars as a deposit.

How much have you prepared?

International film producers all showed expressions of watching the fun.

Everyone thinks the price of 2800 million US dollars is exaggerated.

I want to see what Harvey has to say.

Harvey didn't expect that the angle of Tang Wen's response would be so tricky.

Shouldn't you bid?
Why are you talking about the deposit?

He originally thought that if he couldn't scare Tang Wen away, he would provoke him and make him offer a high price.

Then, offer a higher price yourself.

This way, when you break a contract in the future.

Zhang Yimou and the others will definitely contact Tang Wen.

But Tang Wen is not stupid, he certainly would not pay more than 2800 million to buy such a movie.

The contract will inevitably be breached.

At that time, Zhang Yimou and the others would have no choice but to accept it and make a deal with him.

Unexpectedly, Tang Wen did not raise the price, but instead talked about the deposit.

Harvey panicked for a moment, but luckily he had been cheating for many years.

He immediately took out his checkbook: "50 US dollars! I have prepared 50 US dollars to show my sincerity!"

He didn't dare to say 100 million.

If anything unexpected happens at that time, Zhang Yimou and the others will be determined not to do business with him.

Since he has breached the contract by lowering the price, the deposit will not be returned.

Damn you Don!

I originally planned to pay only $20 upfront.

Harvey is not as rich as Tang Wen.

If he really lost the 50 U.S. dollars in the end, he would feel sad just thinking about it.

Damn it Tang!

He seemed to have forgotten that he was the one who provoked Tang Wen first...

Sensing the displeasure in his eyes, Tang Wen stood up and applauded: "Congratulations, congratulations! Congratulations to Director Zhang for recovering the cost, congratulations to Harvey, and I wish you a big box office success in advance!"

"Thank you Director Tang for coming here despite your busy schedule." Zhang Yimou expressed his sincere gratitude.

Even Zhang Weiping smiled and nodded.

In their opinion, without Tang Wen's offer of 500 million, Harvey would not have been able to offer such a high price.

Waiting for Xavi's 2800 million to arrive.

Add to that the copyright fees from other film companies, and they can immediately announce to the country and the world:

"Hero" succeeded!

Profitable.

It makes a profit just from copyright fees.

Zhang Yimou is still the best director in China.

Tang Wen and Feng Xiaogang, all of them, just stand aside.

"Hurry! Go get the champagne!" Zhang Weiping ordered his subordinates in high spirits.

Tang Wen had a glass of champagne and took Lin Zhiling to meet the international film producers one by one.

Film producers also wanted to make friends with him.

Tang Wen, who has repeatedly created box office miracles in Hollywood with low cost, is much more valuable than Zhang Yimou in the eyes of film producers.

Gong Li looked at the triumphant Er Zhang from afar and did not approach.

It’s not just overseas film producers who are here tonight.

There were also people from the distribution company in Hong Kong, whispering behind Gong Li:
"This movie looks beautiful, and the performances of Jie Zai, Wei Zai, and Man Yu are also good. But is it really worth so many US dollars?"

"Yeah, I don't think it will pay off."

"Be careful with your words, both of you. Don't pour cold water on me. Let's go and congratulate Director Zhang and share in his good fortune."

These people spoke Cantonese.

The voice was a bit loud and was heard by Gong Li.

She was born in Dongshan, but currently lives in Hong Kong and can understand Cantonese.

Speaking of which, she also felt that the price was too high.

Abnormally high.

You, Zhang Weiping, had already advertised the film when it started filming, and it cost 3000 million US dollars.

Not to mention how much water there is, how much you have scooped out.

Overseas copyright can still be worth more than 3000 million?

Is it so easy to make money from movies?

Seeing Zhang Yimou smiling, she couldn't help but feel a little worried about him.

Let’s put aside the previous relationship.

The two were still friends after all.

Otherwise, we won’t cooperate again.

But it doesn't seem appropriate to express concern or remind the other party at this time.

After thinking about it, she came to Tang Wen.

After clinking glasses and taking a sip, she leaned in and whispered, "Brother, I just heard you say that Harvey has no bottom line and a very bad character. What's going on?"

Tang Wen was involuntarily attracted by her exposed cleavage. He looked at it for a few seconds and then looked away with difficulty: "Sister Li, Harvey has forced actresses in Hollywood."

"Ah? Hollywood stars have such high status and great influence, how could they not retaliate?" Gong Li's face was full of surprise.

Now it was Tang Wen's turn to be surprised: Hollywood stars have high status and great influence? It depends on who you compare them with.

No wonder you wanted to take on a role in a film like "Memoirs of a Geisha" after seeing it.

It turns out that the Hollywood filter is so heavy!
Her voice of surprise was a little loud, attracting the attention of several people nearby.

Zhang Weiping, who was watching this scene from a distance, did not forget to praise Zhang Yimou: "Look, you can't choose an actress as your wife. You will be tempted by something different."

Zhang Yimou didn't like talking about people behind their backs, so he frowned and looked at him.

It was a great day, and Zhang Weiping didn't say anything else. He happily started chatting with Harvey.

Tang Wen didn't explain too much to Gong Li, but just said: "If we have the opportunity to work together in Hollywood a few times in the future, you will understand."

To collaborate in Hollywood? How many times?

Gong Li's big eyes flashed with brilliance, she raised her glass to drink, pursed her plump lips and said, "Brother, I take this seriously."

(End of this chapter)