Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 387 Is there any future for Southeast Asian movies?

In 2017, the total box office during the National Day holiday was 29 billion, up 82% year-on-year.

During the National Day holiday in 2018, the total box office of the film market reached 35 billion, up 20% year-on-year, setting a new record for the total box office during the National Day holiday.

Although the growth rate has dropped significantly, it is still rising. Therefore, both the official announcement and the industry media reports are full of joy and celebrate the new schedule record.

However, unlike the excitement outside, few people in the film industry are happy about this result. The reason is simple: of the total box office of 35 billion during the period, 20 billion was supported by the movie "Detective Chinatown 2".

In other words, the box office of all the other 13 movies released during the National Day holiday this year is not as high as this one.

If "Detective Chinatown 2" is excluded, the total box office for the entire period is only 15 billion, which is not even as high as the box office record in 2016.

Obviously, the impact of the cold winter in the film and television industry has begun to show.

However, what makes the peers most jealous is that this effect seems to have no effect on "Detective Chinatown 2". Even after the National Day holiday, the single-day box office of the movie is still strong above 30 million yuan, and they can only watch others soaring towards billion yuan.

While one's own failure is regrettable, the success of one's peers is even more worrying.

The only thing that the audience complained about was that the quality of the plot in the second part declined a bit. In particular, the murderer's ultimate motive of "cultivating immortality" and the puzzle method of "five elements killing" were obviously borrowed from the "Double Vision" of that year.

Many fans of the "Green Ivy Series" could not help but comment online, questioning whether Meng Bai's level has declined or he is not putting his heart into making money.

But soon other fans came out to explain that Meng Bai was not the chief screenwriter of the film. In the column of screenwriter positions for the film, the first person listed was also director Chen Sicheng.

[It is said that Arc Light has separated the film version and the web series version of the "Tang Detective" series. The film version will continue to be led by Chen Sicheng, while Meng Bai will be mainly responsible for the web series. ]

[No wonder, I was wondering why they were aired at about the same time. The quality of the web series is much better than the movie version. It seems that the screenwriter has changed.]

[Indeed, the quality of this plot would be too poor if it was written by Meng Bai, but it seems very reasonable when it was written by Chen Sicheng.]

[So, although movies are the art of directors, the script really cannot be omitted, especially for commercial feature films with suspense themes.]

[Needless to say, look at Zhang Guoshi next door. Since the absence of top screenwriters such as Lu Wei and Zhao Dongling, the quality of the film has not changed, but the plot has declined drastically. ]

【…】

To be honest, if we look at the plot of Detective Chinatown 2 alone, it is still passable as a suspense comedy. At least the logic is smooth and there are no flaws.

At the same time, there are enough jokes, and except for a few too many advertisements, the overall movie is pretty good.

But there is no way, as a sequel, the audience will inevitably compare it with the first one. It is obvious that "Detective Chinatown 1" is obviously better than "Detective Chinatown 2" in terms of plot.

When the first film was released, many viewers were discussing who was more important to the film, Meng Bai or Chen Sicheng. After all, Arc Light had not produced any film projects at that time, so there was no reference standard.

But now that the second film has been released, almost everyone who has seen the first film can feel the obvious contrast in the plot, and the answer is naturally self-evident.

[As the director of the film, Chen Sicheng gave the "Tang Detective" film flesh and blood. But it was the screenwriter Meng Bai who really gave the series its soul. ]

This is the comment with the highest number of likes in the comment section, and it can be regarded as a consensus reached among the audience.

"Tsk tsk, President Meng is amazing. This guy hasn't even appeared on the stage yet and he still gets such a high evaluation."

In the Arc Light's reception room, Chen Sicheng said half jokingly and half with emotion.

He has been both happy and depressed recently. What makes him happy is the booming box office performance of his new movie, and what makes him depressed is the negative reviews of the plot.

Chen Sicheng's personality is very similar to that of "Chengcai" whom he played in "Soldier Assault". He is ambitious, clever, and eager to be recognized.

After the release of "Detective Chinatown 1", he was somewhat dissatisfied with the audience's high evaluation of the plot. Therefore, when preparing for the second part, when he learned that Meng Bai would not be fully responsible for the script like the first part, he held his breath and wanted to prove himself.

Unfortunately, this enthusiasm was only half gone by the time he watched the finished film. When it was officially released and he saw the audience's reviews, the remaining half was gone.

I have to admit that I am indeed a little behind in terms of plot logic.

So now when facing Meng Bai again, although he could not say that he was inferior, he was indeed convinced.

Hearing Chen Sicheng's words, Meng Bai said indifferently: "Ha, you are too polite. The audience's praise is just that. If you really want to mention your reputation to the public, then it is still you, the director of the '3 billion box office'... Oh, by the way, it will soon be 4 billion."

Up to now, Chen Sicheng has made three movies in total. "Beijing Love Story" had a box office of 4.2 million yuan, "Detective Chinatown" had a box office of 11.4 billion yuan, and this time "Detective Chinatown 2" is expected to reach 30 billion yuan, his total box office has definitely exceeded billion yuan.

This achievement has surpassed Zhang Yimou and ranked fifth among Chinese film directors. The only ones ahead of him are Li An, Wu Yusen, Wu Jing and Zhou Xingchi.

Of course, this is mainly due to the development of the times and the market. After all, the box office value ten or twenty years ago cannot be directly compared with today.

But no matter what, at least among the group of directors who have transformed from actors, he is one of the top few.

Meng Bai was naturally very happy to see this. He and Chen Sicheng were now in a cooperative model, one gaining fame while the other profited, which could be said to complement each other.

"I say, you two grown men should stop flattering each other in business." Chen Zhixi, who was sitting on the side, looked at the two of them and said with pretended dissatisfaction.

What? She is a beauty after all. She has been sitting here for a long time, but neither of them paid any attention to her.

Shaking his head, Chen Zhixi looked at Meng Bai: "I heard that you have been busy with official cooperation recently, how is the situation now?"

"Sister Xi, what you are asking is that I am just cooperating with the higher-ups to make noises. They don't have to report to me what they have investigated." Meng Bai said.

Chen Zhixi rolled his eyes at him and said, "Come on, everyone knows that your Arc Light is now the 'Master of the Martial Arts World' in the film and television industry. I can't hide this news from anyone except you."

Although Ruyi’s business is mainly focused on movies, it also produces TV dramas, so it is also very familiar with the recent hot events in the film and television circles.

"Oh, that's an exaggeration. I'm just an agent at best." Meng Bai said with a smile, "In fact, the higher-ups have already been investigating this aspect. It's just that because it involves a wider range of areas, it took a lot of effort."

"Rating fraud" is just a starting point for the relevant departments to investigate. What they really want to do is to investigate and reform the entire industry. As for the profiteers behind the black market in the industry, they are just dealt with in passing.

"Yes, the film and television industry has been developing rapidly and chaotic in recent years, and it really needs to be rectified." Chen Zhixi sighed: "As for the previous contract issue, I guess the tax issue also needs to be resolved as well."

"Why, do you have any taxation issues in Ruyi?"

"Well, everyone has been trying to evade taxes in the past few years, and every company has some non-compliance issues." Chen Zhixi spread his hands.

Chen Sicheng, who was standing by, also smiled. In order to avoid taxes, Chengya Films, which he had cooperated with Wanda, also went to Horgos to register a company a few years ago. This time, this company was one of the co-producers of "Detective Chinatown 2".

However, looking at the future trend, I'm afraid he will have to talk to Wanda and solve the accounting problems as soon as possible and cancel the accounts that should be cancelled.

"You don't have to worry so much." Meng Bai comforted the two of them: "The higher-ups want to control, not overturn the table. Unless you are caught in a trap, they will definitely give you a chance. I estimate that they will send out a notice in a while, so that you can make up for what you need to do."

The primary goal of the government is stability, followed by "correctness" and the like. If the pursuit of "correctness" leads to a more chaotic situation, then it is putting the cart before the horse.

In fact, Chen Zhixi and the others had the same idea, but they felt relieved only after listening to Meng Bai's words.

Just like she said before, if you ask which company in the industry is the safest and most informed, it must be Arclight Pictures.

After talking about the industry situation, Chen Sicheng finally turned the topic back to business. "I was thinking about whether to make a new movie a few days ago."

"Why, you're not directing "Detective Chinatown 3" anymore?" Meng Bai asked puzzledly.

"I didn't say that. I just wanted to take it easy."

Chen Sicheng sighed, "We can joke about this, but the quality of the second part has indeed declined a lot, mainly because of the script on my end. So if you don't do anything for the next part, I'll have to prepare more, so that the reputation of this series won't continue to fall."

"It's not that serious. Our Arclight's current screenwriting department is still very capable, so you can use it." Meng Bai said, "Including the overall planning of the next stage of the 'Green Ivy Series', they are also responsible for it. I just give them a direction."

"Okay, I'll come to your place more often. Please make sure you explain it to them first, and don't deny me access when the time comes."

Chen Sicheng smiled and continued, "But I am a little tired of always filming the same series. While I am writing the script, I plan to film something else to see if I can get any new inspiration."

"So what are you planning to shoot?" Meng Bai asked.

"I just haven't thought about it yet, so I came to you." Chen Sicheng said bluntly: "See if there is any script that you don't need, I can help you share it."

"Fuck, you're quite thoughtful." Meng Bai curled his lips speechlessly: "There must be a script, but you have to have a direction, right?"

"I've thought about it and decided to use Southeast Asia as the background of the story, so that there will be fewer restrictions on censorship. The subject matter should still be suspense, so it can be regarded as the opening of a new series." Chen Sicheng said: "I plan to call it the 'Southeast Asian Crime Series', what do you think?"

"Southeast Asia, crime, suspense..."

Meng Bai pondered for a while and felt that this was indeed a good story background and type.

Arclight started out as a suspense film and is most familiar with this genre. However, the film market is much more mature and strict than the online drama market, so it is difficult to be as free as "Forensic Qin Ming" and "Day and Night Chase".

This can be felt when he was filming "Psychological Crime: City Lights".

Therefore, if Arc Light wants to continue to leverage its advantages in the film industry, it would be a good idea to set the story in Southeast Asia, which is very close to China but more flexible.

Especially countries such as Vietnam and Laos, inspired by Thailand in recent years, have also given many preferential policies to domestic film and television projects and crews.

Apart from the poor safety caused by surrounding wars and deteriorating public security, the cost of filming abroad is not much higher than filming in China.

After thinking for a while, Meng Bai nodded and said, "It's no problem to start a new series, but this time Arc Light needs to be the main controller. Of course, you can choose the project first, Senior Brother."

In other words, Meng Bai has the final say on what projects to shoot in this entire series, but Chen Sicheng can freely decide which one he wants to shoot, or whether to shoot it or not.

"No problem, you have the final say." Chen Sicheng said without hesitation: "Just divide the investment amount when the time comes."

Chen Zhixi on the side also showed interest: "If that's the case, then it's also our part of the Confucianism. Just give us some soup or something, we won't be picky."

In today's film market, "Meng Bai + Chen Sicheng" has become a new hit combination, with an influence no less than the "Ning Hao Iron Triangle" or "Shen Ma Comedy". This kind of low-risk, high-return project must be involved.

Meng Bai would not refuse. Movies were not something that a single company could handle on its own. Not to mention the risk, funding, distribution channels, and theater scheduling all required cooperation.

Anyway, just make sure Arc Light gets the biggest share in the end.

The cooperation was confirmed, but the specific project had to wait for Meng Bai to prepare. As for the creative ideas, not to mention the fragments of inspiration, the creative experience accumulated over the years was enough for him to use.

After Chen Sicheng finished talking about the new series plan, Chen Zhixi mentioned another thing.

"I heard that President Meng has quite a bit of money on hand now. Have you ever considered investing in our Ruyi so that we can strengthen our cooperation?" Chen Zhixi had a bright smile on her pretty face.

Meng Bai raised his eyebrows: "Why, are you guys trying to get investment from me?"

"Alas, there's nothing I can do. It's a small business and I'm short of money." Chen Zhixi sighed.

Speaking of which, although Ruyi has been quite successful in investing in film and television projects in recent years, its luck in the capital market has been a bit bad.

Since the Internet capital entered the market, the film and television industry has become a new investment outlet. Especially in 2014 and 2015, all walks of life, such as real estate, textiles, shipping, finance, etc., wanted to get a piece of the film and television market.

In 15, Ruyi planned to sell itself to the "Zhongji Group" for billion yuan, in order to "enter" the A-share market. Unfortunately, the acquisition plan was rejected by the China Securities Regulatory Commission because the premium was too high, and the first capital operation failed.

The following year, as the film and television market became more and more popular, Ruyi's valuation also rose. After a series of negotiations, it finally sold 12% of its shares to Tianshen Entertainment for 49 billion. Unfortunately, the deal only lasted for a year before it was sold by Tianshen Entertainment, and the second capital operation failed again.

The new investor who took over Ruyi is Houyang Zaihong, who is also one of Ruyi's current shareholders. He held the shares a little longer this time, but with the weakening of the film and television market and tight funds this year, Houyang Zaihong is also interested in selling his shares.

Having been sold three times in four years, anyone would be depressed. However, it also calmed down Ruyi's boss Ke Liming. After introducing the new CEO Chen Zhixi, the two discussed and decided that the next time they would look for a cooperating investor, they would either look for giants like Tencent and Sunac, or look for partners in the industry.

The former can be sold at a good price, while the latter can cooperate with each other in business to avoid being sold again and again.

However, anyone can see that the "cold winter" of the film and television industry is coming, and everyone is tightening their investment, so it is really difficult to find people willing to take over.

At this time, it was rumored that Arc Light had a large amount of funds and was interested in expanding its influence in the industry. Chen Zhixi and Meng Bai had worked together many times and were quite familiar with each other, so he planned to ask him if he had any idea of taking over Ruyi shares.

In fact, she had planned to come over and chat some time ago, but Meng Bai was busy dealing with the "scandal" at that time and had no energy, so she had been dragging it on until now.

"Invest in Confucianism?"

Meng Bai thought about it and felt that there seemed to be a way out.

Although it has failed in the development of the capital market, Ruyi's own strength is actually not weak. Moreover, because it has "sold itself many times" and has cooperated with Guangguang, Wanda, etc., it can be said that it has a wide network of contacts.

What Meng Bai valued more was actually Chen Zhixi. Of course, the "value" here was not the relationship between men and women, but her vision.

It has to be said that this senior sister of his has a talent for hits. She discovered Xu Zheng at the beginning and bet on "Lost in Thailand". Later, she participated in Deng Chao's "The Breakup Master", directed Da Peng's "The Pancake Man", the "Detective Chinatown" series and this year's May Day "Animal World".

It can be said that she has appeared in almost all the hit movies in the domestic film market in recent years.

It has been widely rumored that Mr. Meng of Arc Light has a unique vision and always produces hit products. However, most of his projects are his own, while Chen Zhixi's are other people's projects.

To be honest, this hit rate is somewhat like that of a time traveler.

Ruyi only started to establish a relationship with Wanda after Chen Zhixi joined the company. Although Wanda has been in a state of capital shortage for various reasons in the past two years, Wanda Films and its affiliated cinema chains are still a powerful force in the domestic film market.

So if the total value of Confucianism is one hundred, then Senior Sister Meng Bai can account for at least forty of it.

Although he values it, it is unrealistic to ask Meng Bai to agree to it directly.

This is different from previous investments. Even though valuations have dropped in the current winter of the film and television industry, such a large investment is at least over 10 billion.

ArcLight certainly cannot come up with this money, but Qiming Venture Partners can.

However, for such a large investment project, he couldn't just decide on it on a whim. He would definitely have to discuss it with Gu Fei and the others. He also had to investigate whether the investment was appropriate and what the cost-effectiveness was.

Chen Zhixi also knew that such a large-scale investment could not be decided easily, and he would not be in a hurry. He just said that he welcomes Mr. Meng to come and talk at any time.

(End of this chapter)