Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 614 Li Qiutang is so stingy
The current box office champion is "The Mermaid" with 33.9 billion yuan. If Li Qiutang had reported 35 billion yuan, his colleagues wouldn't have thought he was bragging.

50 billion? Do you even have the nerve to think of that?!

Li Qiutang said, "If you're just bragging, why do you still need to tell the truth?"

Li Qiutang knew no one would believe this number, but he wasn't annoyed. He said, "The market is evolving. Thousands of us working tirelessly day and night just to get 10 billion in box office revenue? You have to be ambitious. 'The Mermaid' made 34 billion, so I said I could reach 50 billion. What's there to be afraid of?"

But in the end, he also said, "Bragging isn't illegal."

That puts the matter behind us. The movie hasn't even started filming yet, so there's no point in bragging about box office numbers.

After chatting for a bit, the light bulb was delivered, and the crew continued filming. Wu Mengda watched for a while, then left.

Yanjing Culture is a well-known film studio in China with considerable strength. The current chairman, Song Ge, is an old acquaintance of Li Qiutang. Song Ge previously served as the general manager of Wanda Film and Television. Before leaving Wanda, the last thing he did for his employer was to secure the copyright of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" and negotiate with Li Qiutang to direct it.

After "Buddies in India" was sold to Yanjing Culture for a guaranteed 8 million yuan, Song Ge reciprocated by inviting Autumn Pictures to join the development of the "Fengshen Trilogy".

Wu Ershan's previous film was "Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal," which was a box office flop, but he still managed to convince Yanjing Culture to support him in making the "Fengshen Trilogy."

Because "Painted Skin 2" was a success, the market was still willing to give him a chance. Moreover, there are only a handful of domestic directors who can be trusted in the fantasy genre. If you think about it carefully, apart from Li Qiutang, Wu Ershan is the only one with experience.

Song Ge described the prospects of the "Fengshen Trilogy" as very grand and promising, with an investment of 30 billion yuan, three parts to be filmed consecutively, and a national epic drama.

"Investiture of the Gods" is a major IP and it's definitely worth making a film about; anyone can tell that.

But when it comes to Wu Ershan's "Fengshen Trilogy", Qiu Tian has to think about it carefully.

If it were just a co-production, Qiu Tian could simply throw in three to five million yuan to get a share and then wait for the movie to be released. But Song Ge's requirements for Qiu Tian were not that simple.

As the private film company with the strongest production capabilities, Song Ge definitely has something in mind regarding Qiutian. He hopes that Qiutian Pictures will participate in the development of the "Fengshen Trilogy" as the main producer, and that Qiutian will not only provide funding, but also contribute its strong creativity and production capabilities in the scriptwriting and filming stages—this is also Qiutian's core competitiveness.

For example, the special effects company Mojing Tianhe under Qiutian, and the many animation companies it has invested in, all have rich experience in special effects production, and these resources are what Song Ge values ​​most.

Of course, if you go to them in person to discuss it, Mojing Tianhe will definitely take on the "Fengshen" project.

Furthermore, it's more accurate to say that it's Li Qiutang's personal matter rather than Autumn Pictures', as Song Ge hopes that Autumn Pictures can assist with the overseas distribution and sales of "Fengshen".

With so many demands, it's no different from making a play by himself in the fall; no wonder he has to consider it.

Autumn does indeed have these resources, but Song Ge may have overestimated Autumn's strength.

The autumn investment is quite substantial, with so many low- to medium-budget films by young directors to be invested in. Not to mention, after the new year, the new films by directors Da Peng, Wen Muye, and Tian Yusheng will all start filming one after another, and they are all waiting for money.

Chen Sicheng's "Detective Chinatown 2" is also in preparation, with a budget of 4 million yuan. It features a horse-drawn carriage race in Times Square, New York, and he expects to release half of it by autumn.

"Operation Red Sea" will start filming next month, with a budget of 5 million yuan. One company contributed 3 million yuan in the fall.

Filming for "The Wandering Earth" is scheduled to begin in May, and the budget is being spent like water.

This is a blockbuster production; we really can't keep going like this until autumn. If we do, the finance department will be furious. And this is just production; the other business units are all begging for money.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Qiu Tian declined Song Ge's invitation to be the main producer of "Fengshen".

In autumn, one's own stall is big enough to feed oneself, so there's really no need to take food from other people's bowls.

It's better to follow your own development pace.

As the year drew to a close, things piled up, and Li Qiutang filmed more and more slowly.

Today is New Year's Eve. The crew worked during the day, had New Year's Eve dinner together in the evening, took a symbolic day off on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and resumed work on the second day.

Li Qiutang couldn't have a moment's peace during that entire day.

Ordinary matters don't reach Li Qiutang. If something does reach him, it's either extremely important or something he did before.

It's not a happy occasion that Li Qiutang is here to deal with today; it's just adding to his troubles.

Xu Shanzheng attempted to secretly secure a role in Wen Muye's film "Dying to Survive." Wen Muye, a newcomer, had no idea that Xu Shanzheng had already parted ways with Autumn Pictures, so he verbally agreed to the role.

The project was in Wen Muye's hands, and the company didn't usually pay much attention to it. By the time the company found out, the Lunar New Year had already passed.

The company tried to keep it a secret, but Li Qiutang still found out.

He didn't blame Wen Muye; it was understandable that he didn't know the company's inner workings.

Without Li Qiutang even having to say anything, Zhang Zhao personally handled the matter and replaced Xu Shanzheng.

Why can't I exchange it if there's no contract? Even with a contract, I could still exchange it!
Xu Shanzheng was at a loss, but he couldn't afford to lose his temper with Wen Muye, a new director, and he certainly didn't dare to cause trouble for Zhang Zhao.

Xu Shanzheng felt it was a pity, but he wasn't angry, as he had plenty of work to do.

The project "Indian Medicine God" doesn't receive much attention in the industry, and its internal rating in the fall wasn't very high.

If you watch the movie "Dying to Survive" without taking a God's-eye view, you'll find that the project is actually quite mediocre.

Firstly, both director Wen Muye and screenwriter Han Jianu are newcomers, so it was already quite an achievement that they were able to successfully start filming. Secondly, realistic themes are unlikely to be big hits at this stage, and "Dying to Survive" has a low budget and a more artistic feel, making it a perfect opportunity for newcomers to practice.

Even with Han Jia's background, the State Administration of Radio and Television can only guarantee that the film will be approved and approved. Can she guarantee that it will make money?
Therefore, Xu Shanxiong only feels sorry to lose such a project.

Xu Shanzheng felt that Qiutian Pictures was being petty. He hadn't failed to pay the two companies after their breakup; 7.8 million yuan in cash was more than enough to cover the costs. What was Qiutian so dissatisfied about?

It's business, if one deal falls through, just move on to the next. Why hold a grudge? Besides, it's not even a grudge, I already paid!
What angered him even more was that Qiu Tian wouldn't let him buy the initial public offering (IPO) shares!
If popular celebrities like Yang Mi and Tang Yan, and second-tier actors like Luo Jin, can buy [the product], why can't he buy it?
So, Autumn Pictures is too stingy. They paid him to buy out the Lost in the World series, and they had no grudge against him, yet they wouldn't let him buy the original shares, causing him to lose tens of millions in profits.

However, Xu Shanzheng sometimes wonders if he would have earned more money if he hadn't left Autumn Pictures.
Who knew Autumn Pictures would be valued so high! It's become the richest film company in the country!
"Alright, alright, hurry up and get ready. We'll be on vacation after we finish this scene." On the Huairou film set, Li Qiutang organized the staff to start filming quickly.

(End of this chapter)