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

Chapter 249 Beijing People's Art Theatre Reflection: Can't afford it, simply can't afford it!
"Xiao Chen, the dean requests your presence." The older woman who came to deliver the message glanced at Chen curiously.

At that time, the director of the Beijing People's Art Theatre was Mr. Liu.

He was a screenwriter by training, and he was approachable and had a very gentle management style in the hospital.

Feng Yuanzheng, the later dean, once revealed: "He was very gentle. People in the hospital didn't call him dean; they called him uncle."

"Little Chen is here! Come sit down and try my pre-Qingming Longjing tea."

"Thank you, Dean." Chen, with a clear mind, accepted the teacup with both hands.

She's from Dongshan, and she's naturally adept at understanding social dynamics.

"I've been here in the hospital for so long, and I haven't had a chance to ask you how things are at home?"

"Thank you for your concern. I'm doing well; my father is recovering quite well."

There was a brief exchange of pleasantries.

Chen took the initiative to ask why the dean had summoned him.

In her opinion, there might be something her boss was hesitant to say, so she might as well take the initiative.

That is indeed the case.

Mr. Liu had considered everything carefully, but he wasn't actually happy with the reply from Blue Star Entertainment.

Tang Wenruo's great reputation is mainly due to his womanizing ways.

Did they take a fancy to the "cabbage" in their own yard?
We need to get to the bottom of this.

If Chen is interested, then he shouldn't interfere.

If Chen dislikes the other party, and it's Tang Wen who's unilaterally harassing and bullying his young actor, then he'll have to say something.

The position of director of the Beijing People's Art Theatre is highly prestigious.

In particular, he was the second dean, and he took over the position directly from Mr. Cao Yu.

You can't judge someone solely by their job title or rank; they wield considerable influence in the arts and culture circle.

"Then may I ask if you know Director Tang Wen?"

This is considered inquiring about the actor's private affairs.

Old Liu was very polite.

Chen was taken aback, wondering why Dean Liu was asking this.

But Old Liu isn't the type to gossip.

That probably means something important.

Chen is a smart man. He knows that when he is unsure of the situation, he should tell the truth so that things don't get out of control.

"We are friends. You asked him if he wanted to cooperate?"

Seeing that she looked natural, Old Liu didn't press the matter. After thinking for a moment, he simply turned his laptop screen around and showed Chen the email.

Chen's eyes widened, and he felt helpless: "I didn't know that either."

"You're a good girl, I bet you don't know that."

"Thank you, Dean. I'll go and talk to them."

"Great, it would be best if they sold the adaptation rights to us properly. We can try to get you a role through auditions."

The Beijing People's Art Theatre is not wealthy, but there are certain boundaries that cannot be crossed.

There are a fair number of writers in China, neither too many nor too few.

There are many famous actors and writers in the theater.

What if they all unite and want the main character?
"I'm fine, Dean."

"I'm glad you understand. You don't need to reply to them; I'll just send them a formal email," Old Liu said with a smile.

After leaving the dean's office, Chen called Tang Wen and chatted for a while.

The two chatted every few days.

We talk about our lives and work.

Sometimes it's a phone call, sometimes an email, or sometimes QQ.

Chen has logged onto Renren.com and started updating the Beijing People's Art Theatre's activities.

Although stage plays are a niche genre, there are quite a few artsy young people these days.

Many people are interested.

The rumors surrounding her and Tang Wen brought her a wave of attention.

The number of people following her has exceeded 50,000.

Insignificant in later generations, but today, he could be considered a "big V".

Tang Wen had anticipated Chen's call.

He knew that the Beijing People's Art Theatre was not short of money and would not accept an outsider's choice of the female lead.

After all, Tang Wen was not a literary master.

It won't affect the casting of the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

But he still did it, mainly to let the Beijing People's Art Theatre know: Chen is one of my people!
If anyone tries to bully her, I, Tang Wen, will definitely not stand for it.

Secondly, don't introduce her to potential partners when you have nothing better to do.

Tang Wen knew that the older women working in the system had a habit of trying to introduce potential partners to any young people of marriageable age they saw.

Sometimes, regardless of whether you have a partner or not, as long as you're not married, they'll insist on introducing you to potential partners.

After hanging up with Chen, Tang Wen sent Xia Tian the copyright quotes from the United States and island nations.

Since the Beijing People's Art Theatre is going to be bought, then let them buy it.

Thanks to his fame as a singer and director, the book "Paradise" sold much better than in his previous life.

Structurally, the novel is very suitable for adaptation into a play or musical.

Therefore, Broadway in the United States had already taken notice and made an offer.

In 2002, a script didn't sell for much money.

The price for a script on Broadway is roughly between $1 and $5.

Most of these scripts only sell for a little over $1.

However, the price of adaptation rights for best-selling books is not included in this category.

When Paradise first appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, a production company offered $6 for it.

Tang Wenli ignored him, and "Paradise" became more and more popular, and his fame grew.

Production companies have already offered up to $20.

There is more than one.

Broadway theaters and production companies are not short of money.

Back in the early 2000s, tickets for regular theater performances cost between $30 and $75.

If it's a popular show, like "Cats" or "The Phantom of the Opera," and you want a slightly better seat, the ticket price can easily reach $150.

That was in 2000!
Today, America is thriving, the situation is excellent, and ticket prices are rising every year.

Broadway is an alliance, not a single theater, and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue every year.

Therefore, the price of $20 is really not expensive for them.

But don't say that it can't compare to domestic products.

Even other countries can't compare.

During this period, not only were the adaptation rights for stage plays not fetching good prices in China.

Even for film and television adaptation rights, very few fetch over a million dollars.

In addition, another book mentioned by the Beijing People's Art Theatre is *The Devotion of Suspect X*.

Although it hasn't caught the attention of Americans, it's already a hit in the island nation.

Coincidentally, the island nation's stage play market is also quite good.

The Takarazuka Revue, one of their three major theaters, sells regular tickets for 5000 to 1 yen, which is roughly 40 to 85 US dollars.

The luxury suites are even more expensive.

The profitability is also impressive, with an average annual revenue of 10 billion yen, or about 850 million US dollars, per drama.

Therefore, they are willing to offer prices.

I especially feel that this novel is very much to the liking of people from island nations.

After an initial offer of $3 was ignored by Blue Star Entertainment.

The latest offer is $95,000.

Shouldn't the Beijing People's Art Theatre normally buy the adaptation rights?

Ok.

After organizing the materials and attaching the US and Japanese quotes, Xia Tian sent them to the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

After the old dean finished reading it, his eyebrows shot up!
Ah, at this price.

He meant to say, "You can't just follow international prices."

But saying that makes it sound like the Beijing People's Art Theatre is inferior to Japanese theater troupes and Broadway.

Bluestar Entertainment stated that the US and Japan made offers, but Bluestar did not sell.

We, the people of Earth, are involved in the arts, and we have great respect for art institutions like the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Therefore, we'll sell it to the People's Art Theatre at this price, even if it means taking a loss, and we won't raise the price.

Old Liu smiled wryly: The key is, we can't afford it at your price.

Unlike Broadway or island nations.

They are government-subsidized entities.

Spending nearly $30 to buy adaptation rights is unprecedented.

These days, money is very valuable.

$30, nearly 250 million RMB, is a huge expense for any arts organization. Blue Star has made this clear.

This is still the price that the Beijing People's Art Theatre got at a good deal.

Mr. Liu sighed: I never expected that I had really underestimated this director, Tang Wen.

They really went all out for Chen.

But he was also curious: how much would Broadway and Japan need to offer to reach a cooperation agreement?

After thinking it over, he sent someone to Blue Star Entertainment to ask if the price was negotiable and to find out more about the situation.

on Monday.

The core production staff and actors of Beijing People's Art Theatre held a meeting.

In July, they had just celebrated their 50th anniversary.

Everyone was immersed in a lingering sense of excitement.

Even busy people like Xu Fan and Pu Cunxin came.

The latter held both an acting and management positions at the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

He sat down on the stage and casually asked, "I heard the department took a liking to two novels? How did it go? Did you manage to acquire them?"

Everyone below turned to look at Old Liu.

As everyone knows, he values ​​scripts highly. If he's going to produce a new play or script, he has to go through it all first.

In addition, he has a wide network of connections, so he often handles external communications personally.

Old Liu shook his head: "You've come to the right person. It's a long story."

"What? Is there someone who doesn't give you face?" Pu Cunxin didn't take it seriously.

In his mind, the Beijing People's Art Theatre couldn't possibly lose face in writers' circles.

At most, it's just that society is becoming more and more pragmatic.

They just want more money.

At worst, add another 20,000, that'll be enough!
Old Liu became serious. He was about to reach his destination this year, and now it seemed he should say something before he left.

After a moment's hesitation, he suppressed his smile, his tone unusually serious:

“Pu Cunxin, let me ask you, what do you think a best-selling novel is? Let’s take the two books we’ve been eyeing as examples.”

Five People You Meet in Heaven; The Devotion of Suspect X

What do you think the cost of adapting these plays into stage plays should be?

Pu Cunxin was taken aback for a moment, then carefully examined the old man, not daring to be negligent.

As everyone knows, if your boss addresses you by your full name, it's no small matter.

Fortunately, he wasn't one to slack off, and immediately lowered his head to recall.

The staff and actors in the audience also straightened their backs; it was rare to see Mr. Liu so serious.

I'm not so much afraid, but more respectful.

Pu Cunxin quickly came up with an answer: "1 to 2."

The domestic theater market is small, and adaptation rights are simply too expensive to buy.

He's already said too much.

Actually, it's usually around 10,000 yuan.

It has to be a book by an established author.

Old Liu nodded slightly: "What you're talking about are works published only in the country."

Just so you know, Paradise topped the New York Times bestseller list.

New York City is home to Broadway, the world's largest theatrical stage. Guess if Broadway has seen this book?
How much can they quote?
You don't need to rush to answer; everyone should think about it.

Let me mention another book, "The Suspect," which is a bestseller in Japan and South Korea.

The stage plays in island nations are also thriving.

How much do theaters in island nations charge?

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Everyone looked at each other.

I think both of these books were written by Tang Wen?
how?

They've even got their eye on Broadway in the US?

Mr. Liu asked his secretary to bring him his laptop.

Pu Cunxin said with a solemn expression, "I'm sorry, Dean, I didn't think it through."

"It's not that you were inconsiderate, it's that we were!"
Comrades, we are very backward.

I learned from contacting the copyright holder, Blue Star Entertainment, that Broadway and the Takarazuka Revue in Japan are also pursuing the adaptation rights to these two novels.

The offers are $200,000 and $95,000 respectively!

A soft gasp rippled through the crowd.

Some people frowned: How can domestic countries compare to foreign countries?

Would they really offer such an outrageous price to the Beijing People's Art Theatre?

Tuk Tuk!

Old Liu slammed his fist on the table: "Note that I'm referring to their initial offer, which has been steadily increasing. Moreover, Blue Star hasn't agreed to it."

Hey!
They still haven't agreed?
How much do they want?

It's just the stage adaptation rights to a novel, not the film and television rights.

"You're surprised, and I'm surprised too!"

But please remember, this is a normal quote from foreign counterparts!

They might come to offer this kind of quote once a month, or even more.

What about us? Our plays are still a niche within a niche, and we're still living on subsidies...

After all these years, don't we theater people have an obligation to do something?

The sound wasn't loud, but it was deafening.

Everyone is aware of the situation.

But in the past, people used the excuse that this was art, and that it was elegant and didn't involve money, to cover up the problem.

The problem is that plays and stage productions are also art forms in other countries, and they thrive there.

This is the truth.

The actors and core members of the Beijing People's Art Theatre are relatively pure.

Those who aren't truly dedicated have already gone out to film movies; who would stay here and endure such hardship?

Pu Cunxin replied respectfully, "Dean, I have learned a great deal. But I would like to ask, how much profit does Blue Star Entertainment want before they are willing to transfer the copyright?"

Old Liu sighed:
"They quoted us this price."

However, they were quite rude to the United States and Japan.

They not only demand hundreds of thousands of dollars in adaptation fees, but also a share of the profits before they'll budge.

Good guy!
Chen just found out: "I'm so valuable! I don't even want $30 if I play the lead role."

She felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but still secretly muttered to herself: "What a spendthrift."

Even if I become the lead actor, I don't know when I'll ever earn that money back for you...

Old Liu continued, "Many of you may not have a concept of how much money this is, and neither do I."

Bluestar shared their survey data with me. Broadway is too far removed from our lives.

Our neighbor, the Takarazuka Revue in Japan, earns over $800 million a year from a single production.

Blue Star Entertainment is after this profit...

Of course, I'm not trying to get rich overnight.

But things have to change...

Speaking of which, I want to give special praise to actor Chen.

Chen, who was lost in thought, was a little confused.

Why was I singled out for praise?
"She's done a lot of promotion for our Beijing People's Art Theatre on Renren.com. How many followers does she have now?"

Under the scrutiny of various eyes, Chen quickly stood up: "Dean, there are more than 53000 people, most of them are students. They are very interested in the play, and many people have asked me about the performance date."

"Look, comrades, it's not that we don't have a market! It's not that we don't have an audience, it's just that we didn't promote ourselves properly beforehand!"

With a glance from Old Liu, Chen quickly sat down.

But she knew this wasn't over.

Sure enough, after the meeting ended.

Leaders and senior colleagues came to talk to her one after another.

Meanwhile, rumors about Chen and Tang Wen having an affair, and Tang Wen saying that he would waive copyright fees if he specified Chen as the female lead, were spread by some colleague.

Chen suddenly became a prominent figure in the hospital.

She called Tang Wen to complain.

The latter said domineeringly, "You were born to be the center of attention! When I get back, I'll have a chat with your dean."

"this?"

Chen felt like her boyfriend was going to use connections to get into her workplace.

"It's settled then." Tang Wen didn't give her a chance to be coy, his tone becoming flippant: "Infernal Affairs 2 has broken 200 million at the box office, how are you planning to congratulate me?"

Chen Qiao's face flushed, and she stammered, unable to speak.

Tang Wen grinned mischievously: "I'll definitely attend the celebration banquet. It'll be in a few days, so think it over carefully."

(End of this chapter)