Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 779 Cricketing Others
After summarizing its own achievements, it's natural to talk about its competitors. I'm sure the competitors of "The Wandering Earth" have also said a lot about it behind its back.

It's human nature to talk behind people's backs; who isn't talked about behind their back, and who doesn't talk about others behind their backs?

No one would have imagined that what the cricketer was saying behind their back would be recorded and released.

Speaking of "The New King of Comedy," my colleague bluntly said that Stephen Chow has no shame and is just trying to fool people with a film like this in order to meet a betting agreement.

"Filming starts in October, finishes in November, and will be released in early February? What a joke!"

If "The New King of Comedy" is a failure, then everything Stephen Chow does is wrong, and he deserves to be criticized.

"He's a genius as an actor, but his talent as a director is limited, and directing independently would be very problematic."

The total box office of "The New King of Comedy" was less than 3 million yuan, but the movie still made money!
When it came to "Crazy Alien," there wasn't much to say either; it was still the same old story about Ning Hao's creative talent waning.

"The rejection of 'No Man's Land' has diminished his talent and ambition as a director. 'Crazy Alien' is too mediocre."

"Crazy Alien" has grossed 15 billion yuan at the box office. With a guaranteed minimum of 28 billion yuan, Huanxi Media has already taken the money and exited the market, making a fortune.

"Baoqiang is pitiful. He lost at least 300 million yuan, and a year's work was for nothing." Don't be fooled by Baoqiang's lack of business opportunities; his income is not low at all. He should have no problem earning 200 to 300 million yuan a year.

The most unjustly killed under the iron heel of "The Wandering Earth" was undoubtedly "Pegasus," a film Chen Zhixi watched. "The film was really good; it had all the elements of a blockbuster: suspense, passion, and emotion. It's a pity." "Pegasus" ultimately grossed 12.6 billion yuan, failing to break even. However, if copyright revenue from various channels is included, the losses should be less, making it not a particularly big blow to Han Han and his investors.

“I would invest in this film if I saw it,” Chen Zhixi said. “Five hundred million is not much. It’s clear that the money was spent wisely.”

However, some people said: "Han Han's technique is still too clumsy. Maybe it's because he's a writer. He's still a bit stiff, and his lines aren't smooth enough. But his audience likes his witty humor. It's not a big problem."

When talking about Han Han, one inevitably has to mention his long-time rival, Guo Jingming.

"Absolutely not, he's too ambitious. He doesn't know how to use his strengths. He doesn't understand technology at all, yet he insists on dabbling in full CG. That's not something he should be doing. Han Han is smart enough to film racing, which is what he knows best. Guo Jingming should be making films like 'Tiny Times,' which depict hypocritical emotions and hypocritical prosperity."

That's incredibly harsh.

"His aesthetic sense is seriously flawed."

"His aesthetic sense is fine. You said it yourself, he's good at filming superficial prosperity. Isn't that the kind of beauty he portrays in 'L.O.R.D.'?"

It's fun and enjoyable for others to play with crickets, but people just say a few words and then move on.

"Zhixi, stay behind for a moment." After the meeting, Li Qiutang kept Chen Zhixi behind and the two went to his office to talk about other things.

Everyone in the company knows that Chen Zhixi is one of Boss Li's trusted lieutenants, and that Li Qiutang wants Chen Zhixi to succeed Zhang Zhao.

Chen Zhixi is not yet 40, while Zhang Zhao is nearly 20 years older than her. She has plenty of time and energy to wait for Mr. Zhang to retire. She knows the boss's plans for her, so she is not in a hurry.

But Li Qiutang has now given her an important choice: "I want to transfer you to Wanxiang Technology as CEO and take the lead in New LeEco. You've been the vice president of production for six or seven years, and I'm very confident in your content. But you lack some management and internet experience. Going to New LeEco will be a good opportunity for you to learn and grow." He even joked, "After being second-in-command for so many years, I'll let you take the lead for once."

Li Qiutang knew she would worry that she had always worked in content creation and would struggle to adapt to the internet industry, so he said, "I kept some of the original LeEco team members. Liu Hong and Liang Jun will help you, and you yourself need to grow quickly."

Chen Zhixi had no reason not to accept this offer. Who would want to be second best when they could be the boss?

She's only in her early thirties, the perfect age to take risks. Producing is her comfort zone, but streaming platforms are equally tempting and challenging.

Besides, the boss personally invited her, how could she possibly refuse?
The appointment was settled. As the new CEO, Chen Zhixi should also be aware of Li Qiutang's plans for the new company's future.

So, Li Qiutang shared her ideas about Chinese dramas, short dramas, mini-dramas, and AI-enabled technologies with Chen Zhixi.

"Of course, this doesn't mean we'll stop making long-running dramas; we still need to follow the market."

These are all in the future. The most pressing issues facing Chen Zhixi after taking over are the copyright licensing issues of LeEco and Qiutian, as well as the financing issues of the new company.

The film and television copyrights of Autumn Pictures and Century Autumn are managed by the group's IP Operation Center, making it extremely difficult for New LeTV to obtain copyrights from the IP Center.

"Financing is easy; there are plenty of people who want to invest in our company. I'll try to help you coordinate the copyrights. Many copyrights at the IP Center are about to expire, so we can work together to find a way to transfer them to your company. At worst, we can do cross-licensing. The IP Center is also eyeing LeEco's copyrights."

LeEco has its own copyright operation department, but Li Qiutang has no intention of merging it. Maintaining the status quo is fine; a hasty merger could cause all sorts of trouble.

Of course, Li Qiutang couldn't just give the new company nothing but ideas.

"Century Autumn has been following up on the Three-Body Universe's 'Three-Body' TV series. This series has been in production for three years, and the start date is still uncertain. Many platforms are eyeing it and want to buy it, but we have been blocking them. This has already caused dissatisfaction among Yoozoo and Linghe Culture. You can find a time to enter the market, and it doesn't matter if you ask for a higher price. I think this series will be a huge hit. Consider this a gift I'm giving to the new company."

"As for how to negotiate other projects of the company, all three companies have ready-made cases to learn from, so I will not interfere."

With the TV series "The Three-Body Problem" still a long way off, making it a mere gift seemed a bit inadequate. Chen Zhixi, however, was not satisfied. As a newly appointed official, she made an outrageous demand: "If you really want to give me a gift for taking office, that's easy. You and Yifei will make a TV series for me. If it doesn't become a hit, I'll fine you a year's salary."

Li Qiutang laughed and said, "You think you can fool us into making TV dramas for you with your meager salary!"

Chen Zhixi's annual salary is only a little over one million, which, even multiplied by 100, wouldn't be enough for the couple to fill their teeth.

Although it was said in jest, and she knew it was unrealistic for the boss and his wife to make a drama, Chen Zhixi still said very seriously: "Drama is popular now, and many big directors have come down to earth to make TV series. Park Chan-wook and David Fincher have both made them. If you and Yifei can make a TV series and put it on our new platform, it will definitely be a hit!"

Who would burn down their own boss's property as soon as they take office?
Li Qiutang sternly rejected Chen Zhixi's request, saying, "You have to pay more."

When he left the company, he kept thinking about one question: what hit dramas will be released in the next few years? Li Qiutang regretted not watching more dramas.

(End of this chapter)