Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 262: Wonderful! The Devils on the Doorstep and Shaolin Soccer are going to Japan!
Jiang Wen's words are quite meaningful.

But his personality is such that he always likes to do the opposite.

So, after hearing Ma Xun's question, he replied with a very interesting sentence.

"Why can't anti-Japanese movies be sold to Japan?"

Ma Xun laughed after hearing this and added another sentence.

“Anti-Japanese films should be sold to Japan!”

After hearing this, Jiang Wen was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.

"Mr. Ma, I didn't expect you to be such a person."

"Director Jiang Wen, I wonder what kind of person you mean by 'such a person'?"

Ma Xun's question was a bit prying, and he thought that Jiang Wen would not say anything bad.

But wouldn't it be wonderful to listen carefully to what good things this guy can say?
Jiang Wen smiled and said, "I originally thought you were just an ordinary big boss in the circle, but now I believe that you are a big boss with ideas, opinions and principles, and what's more rare is that you are a big boss with a red heart!"

well said!
Ma Xun wanted to learn a sentence from Xu Fengnian: Technical work deserves a reward!

But forget it, it’s more important to talk about business.

"Director Jiang Wen, you really are flattering me for the sake of business. I'm a little embarrassed."

This was of course a joke, and Jiang Wen shook his head, "No, no, Boss Ma deserves such an evaluation. At least I felt pretty good when I saw you teach that little Japanese manager a lesson."

Ma Xun corrected him: "That's not a lesson, I'm talking business with someone."

"Oh, that's the lesson in business."

"Ha... Director Jiang Wen, let's talk about the movie."

"Okay, let me get this straight. You must have heard of the movie 'Devils on the Doorstep', right?"

"I've heard that the media has been promoting this film for you for several years."

"Hehe...but for now, it seems that this movie has no chance of being shown in our country."

"Director Jiang Wen, you are really direct."

"Of course, I am sincere in discussing business with you, Boss Ma."

"Very good, then let's talk about it in detail."

Next, Jiang Wen began to talk about his movie "The Devils".

In fact, the problem is similar to that of the previously banned movies.

That is to say, without passing the censorship, the movie "Devils on the Doorstep" went to Cannes and won a grand prize.

Although it didn't win the Palme d'Or, it was still second place.

The results can be said to be very good.

But that is also a violation.

As long as you commit this crime, you will be banned and will also have to accept certain punishments.

Of course Ma Xun knew about the punishment, but there was something more interesting going on here.

The so-called punishment is to ban Jiang Wen from directing movies for five years.

It seems that basically all those who were punished were sentenced to five years.

But the problem is that Jiang Wen himself later talked about the five-year ban on directing.

What he said was that when the news came out that he was banned from directing for five years, he took it seriously and indeed did not direct a movie for five years.

Of course, he was not idle either. He starred in some movies and even took over other directors' work, such as "Looking for the Gun" and "Heroes of Heaven and Earth".

There is no need to talk about "Looking for the Gun". Later, Lu Chuan's films were getting worse and worse, until he made the epic "disaster blockbuster" "749 Bureau".

The movie "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" is very special. Like "Devils on Doorstep", this movie also has Japanese actors starring in it. Moreover, this time it's a big name, Takaichi Nakai.

This Takaichi Nakai had originally received advice from his teacher Ken Takakura and had made up his mind to develop in mainland China.

As a result, after the filming of this movie was completed, he returned to Japan and wrote a book, mainly recalling the filming process of "Heroes of Heaven and Earth". In this book, he scolded Jiang Wen and bluntly said that this guy stole the director's work in various ways and had great power in the crew. Anyway, they were unhappy.

It’s ok if it happens domestically, but Jiang Wen, your case has risen to the international level!

Well, actually Jiang Wen is quite popular internationally. Quentin has known Jiang Wen for a long time, which was when they were filming "The Emperor's Shadow".

But these things are very interesting to talk about.

Later, Jiang Wen even angered Mr. Chen Yifei to death.

It is said that this is a scene that only appears in movies.

Jiang Wen was on the set, and he thought Director Chen was not there, so he started cursing. It turned out that the microphone next to him was not turned off, so everyone in the crew heard him cursing the great artist.

Of course, it shouldn't be something like jblz. It's probably just scolding Director Chen for his shitty filming.

As a result, Director Chen had a bad stomach to begin with, and this time he was so angry that he had gastric bleeding. The great artist was gone just like that... Those who understand medicine know that this organ is directly related to emotions.

This was his experience for the next five years.

But, back to Jiang Wen's punishment...

He believed the rumor and stopped filming for five years.

But five years later when I went to the police station to ask, I was told, hey, what happened? The punishment didn’t exist at all!

This is what Jiang Wen himself said.

But does this punishment really not exist?
Ma Xun later heard from people in the circle that he had actually been punished, but this punishment was tacitly acknowledged by everyone.

Jiang Wen has indeed not been a director for five years, and the bureau's ban has been enforced. But after the ban was lifted, he said that the rumor was a lie and was just a joke.

The bureau did not come out to refute him, which shows that they gave him face.

That should be the case.

Now, "The Devils" has won the Cannes Grand Prix, but it has been banned in China.

But in Ma Xun's opinion, this matter is not without room for change.

After listening to Jiang Wen talk about his movie, Ma Xun directly gave him an option.

"Director Jiang Wen, this film 'Devils on the Doorstep' has not been censored, but as far as I know, the bureau will definitely give suggestions for rectification. So, why don't we try to modify it according to the bureau's suggestions?"

This method is actually quite reliable.

Because the bureau actually gave Jiang Wen a lot of face. There was no official announcement about his five-year ban. Moreover, no matter what Jiang Wen said later, the bureau did not issue any announcement.

To put it bluntly, the higher-ups actually dote on you, Jiang Wen.

If you make some changes to the movie, maybe it can be released.

The movie "The Bicycle Thief" actually didn't get any changes, but it was later lifted from the ban and was released for a while.

When Jiang Wen heard this method, a strange look appeared on his face, as if he was thinking about something. But after thinking for a while, he sighed again.

“Boss Ma, you don’t know, it’s not that I don’t want to change it, it’s just that it’s difficult to change it.

On the one hand, the bureau gave too many suggestions for rectification, almost like a book.

On the other hand, it is difficult to reshoot this drama, and there are still people like us in the filming location...Boss Ma, I really can't do anything."

What he said made Ma Xun laugh.

It seems that Jiang Wen is not unaware that he is more favored.

But, Ma Xun certainly had a purpose when he said this.

"So the only way for this movie to be released is overseas. How much do you think it can sell in the U.S.? I can assure you that it may not even make $10.

So, the greatest hope should be in Japan, right?"

Take advantage!

Through this conversation therapy, Ma Xun grasped Jiang Wen's weakness.

"Boss Ma, what you said..." Jiang Wen thought for a moment and simply admitted, "Yes, going to Japan is the last and best choice. On the one hand, there are Japanese movie stars in our film, and on the other hand, this film is indeed about the anti-Japanese war, but most people probably can't tell. Maybe the Japanese will be influenced by the film title or something, so we came to take a look."

Hey, his reason is quite interesting.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "Well, in that case, from now on, you must listen to me!"

This... is it necessary to completely control Jiang Wen?

Jiang Wen never liked being bound by anything, but at this moment he heard something.

"Boss Ma, as long as you can successfully get this movie to Japan, I'll do whatever you say!"

Ma Xun laughed loudly, "Okay! Let's make it a deal. Next, you have to cooperate with me and put on a good show. With Director Jiang Wen's acting skills..."

"No problem! I will definitely perform the role well!"

Jiang Wen's response was quite clever.

The two of them smiled at each other, and Ma Xun whispered the next plan to Jiang Wen.

……

"Axing, $200 million is a fair price."

"It's very fair. I'm OK with it. It depends on whether Guohui agrees or not."

"It's easy to talk to him."

"That's OK."

As soon as Tian Qiwen returned, he told Stephen Chow what he had talked about with Ma Xun.

It seems much easier than imagined.

Then, we still need to discuss this matter formally.

In other words, Master Xing, Kwok Fai and Tin Kai Wen should all have a good talk with Mr. Ma.

This requires a good appointment.

Unexpectedly, Ma Xun called on his own initiative.

"Ah? This..."

After hearing what Ma Xun said, Tian Qiwen was completely dumbfounded.

Any changes?
But no matter what, let’s cooperate with Mr. Ma first.

……

After Dashan reported to his superiors, he got a not-so-good result.

$200 million is way too much!
This amount of US dollars is equivalent to 200 million yen in Japan.

At present, Japan's live-action film market is shrinking. Even if a live-action film only makes around 10 billion at the box office.

Those 200 million yen were basically all the profit from the movie.

Nowadays, the average investment for making a movie is 1 million yen.

The share of the 1 billion box office revenue is about 300 million, and after deducting the 100 million yen investment, the 200 million is just right.

So, $200 million is enough to buy a blockbuster movie.

When Dashan was in trouble, he still gritted his teeth and called Ma Xun.

As it turned out, Ma Xun was a very nice guy, so I asked him to come to the hotel for a detailed discussion.

This time the place is quite special.

Ma Xun himself was in the hotel suite.

Generally speaking, when a boss is on a business trip, his office is his hotel room.

Now everyone is discussing in Ma Xun's room, there is no problem.

But, in this hotel room, the privacy is even greater!

Dashan was very excited because he felt that the deal could be done.

But I never expected that when Dashan arrived at Ma Xun's room, this...

"who are you?"

"Waxi..."

"Oh, it's still a little devil."

"No, not the ghost paper, but the Japanese."

Jiang Wen, he actually met Jiang Wen!
Of course Dashan knew Jiang Wen. Anyone working in the film industry in Asia must know him.

But why did Jiang Wen appear here?

Dashan’s surprise was not over yet, because another dwarf came soon.

"You are...Oh, Mr. Jiang Wen."

"I've seen your play, it's pretty good." Tian Qiwen came and unexpectedly met Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen's "I've seen your play" is obviously a polite remark, which should be translated as: I'm not familiar with you, but it's not easy to say it directly.

Tian Qiwen didn't care about all these at the moment. He was just very curious about what Mr. Ma Xun was planning to do.

Ma Xun appeared.

"Please come in."

Jiang Wen, Tian Qiwen and Dashan entered one after another.

It turned out that there was another tall and strong man in the room.

This negotiation...the pressure suddenly increased!
Bai Xiaohang spoke up, "I'm just a bodyguard, don't be afraid, I'm here to protect you."

What kind of negotiation needs your protection?
Forget it, I can’t think about it too much.

But then, Ma Xun gave his reasons for doing so.

"Sorry, my schedule has suddenly become tight. I have to go to Hainan Island to film a romantic movie soon."

Ma Xun was telling the truth, it's "Fifty First Loves".

In fact, there is a very important premise for fooling people.

Telling the truth will help you fool people better.

Let’s not talk about this mystery anymore.

Ma Xun then said: "In fact, I basically understand the current situation of the three of you. Mr. Oyama is a senior executive of Toho in Japan, and he is here to acquire the copyright of our film.

Mr. Jiang Wen and Mr. Tian Qiwen both plan to sell their film copyrights.”

Just as he said this, Jiang Wen interrupted him.

“I’m not selling it anymore!”

Hey? Why?
Everyone was curious, except Ma Xun who was pretending, because the real show was about to begin.

Jiang Wen said in the puzzled eyes of everyone: "No matter what, my movie cannot be shown in Japan, because the Japanese will never watch my movie. My movie "The Devils" is about fighting them!"

In fact, whether "The Devils" can be considered an anti-Japanese film is controversial, but now that Jiang Wen said this, it must have aroused Dashan's curiosity.

"'Devils on the Doorstep'? The one that won the Cannes Grand Prix?"

That’s right, the Japanese film market attaches great importance to award-winning works at European film festivals.

Ma Xun took advantage of this point. He nodded and said, "Of course, what else could it be?"

Dashan said directly, "Yoshi."

He immediately realized that the atmosphere seemed to be wrong, and then said with a smile: "We at Dongbao also want to get the copyright of this movie."

Jiang Wen frowned, "When I was in Cannes, someone from Toho approached me about it, but this is a film about fighting the Japanese invaders, and I can't..."

Before he could finish, Dashan immediately gave Jiang Wen a big bow and said, "Jiang Sang, please leave this movie to me!"

Very sincere.

But Jiang Wen still shook his head, "Impossible, you wouldn't understand even if I showed you."

Like his style.

Dashan seemed to enjoy being abused and scolded, and said more positively: "Jiang Sang, we will definitely do our best to make this movie a success. As for that aspect of the plot, it doesn't matter! From what I know, there don't seem to be many war scenes."

This guy has a reason.

Jiang Wen was still shaking his head and refused to sell it.

Dashan didn't give up, and tried to persuade him...

But at this time, Tian Qiwen was anxious, "Mr. Ma, this matter..."

Before he could finish, Ma Xun waved his hand and suddenly said something to Jiang Wen and Dashan.

"Don't worry, I have a good idea."

"any solution?"

Not to mention Jiang Wen and Dashan, even Tian Qiwen was very curious.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "The solution is very simple. Mr. Jiang Wen, you are actually planning to sell the overseas copyright to me, right?"

"Yes, that's it!" Jiang Wen admitted of course that his acting just now was pretty good.

Ma Xun then turned to Tian Qiwen and said, "You are also planning to sell the overseas copyright to me, right?"

Tian Qiwen nodded of course, but when he was about to say something, he saw Ma Xun and Dashan starting chatting.

"Mr. Oyama, when we were discussing the business, I insisted on a price of 200 million US dollars for "Seventeen Years Old Bicycle", and you, Toho, were in a difficult position, right?"

Dashan nodded, "It is indeed difficult, but I will try my best."

Ma Xun shook his head, "Can we try another approach now?"

"Please speak, Mr. Ma." Dashan is very polite.

Ma Xun then went on to talk about an incredible "trading plan".

“200 million dollars, you think you lost money by buying Years Old, right?

So, what if we add "The Devils" now?

So, how about $200 million for two movies?"

Of course Dashan was happy to hear this.

"Masan, Arigato!"

Thank you very much.

Because this is equivalent to a price reduction, and a significant price reduction!
But Ma Xun waved his hand towards Dashan and said, "Don't worry, I have other conditions."

Dashan was very curious, but Jiang Wen said something.

"Going to Japan, huh! We'll suffer a great loss!"

This was not a pleasant thing to say, but Dashan, who understood Chinese, simply chose to ignore it.

Ma Xun ignored Jiang Wen's complaints and continued, "In terms of price, we are at a disadvantage, but Dashan-san, you don't have to thank me. I must be compensated."

"Of course no problem!" Dashan nodded.

This is normal. If you lose money here, you can look for it somewhere else.

Just negotiate the conditions and that's it.

Ma Xun knew, however, that now was the time to draw the sword.

"I sold "The Bicycle Thief" and "Devils on Doorstep" to Toho for $200 million, and next, I will use $200 million to buy the Japanese copyright of "Shaolin Soccer" brought by Mr. Tian Qiwen.

Mr. Dashan, you understand, right? "

Do you understand?

Dashan immediately reacted and said happily: "You are going to sell this Shaolin Soccer movie to Dongbao too?"

Ma Xun nodded, but he immediately said: "But this time we have to split the profits! I want the lion's share, that is, I want 8% of the Japanese box office share!"

This……

What Ma Xun meant was that he would split the profits of "Shaolin Soccer" with Toho in a 2:8 ratio.

However, he wanted 80%, which was to make up for the previous "compensation".

Dashan was a little confused at the moment, but he was really surprised by this 80%, "This, this..."

Ma Xun knew the time had come, so he used his trump card!

"Mr. Tian Qiwen, please talk to Mr. Dashan and see if he can buy the copyright of your Shaolin Soccer for $200 million."

As soon as these words were spoken, Tian Qiwen and Dashan looked at each other, and then they understood each other from each other's eyes.

It is impossible for Dongbao to pay 200 million US dollars for "Shaolin Soccer" because Stephen Chow's box office performance overseas is really not very good, and it is a comedy.

The comedy style in Japan is quite unique.

Therefore, the box office of "Shaolin Soccer" in Japan will definitely not be high... This is what Dashan thinks.

Tian Qiwen also understood that Dashan would definitely not purchase "Shaolin Soccer" for 200 million US dollars!
And what the two of them were thinking... was the most important part of Ma Xun’s plan.

If you two can't reach an agreement, I must intervene!

Ma Xun said directly: "The box office of "Shaolin Soccer" in Japan is a gamble for me, and gambling is high-risk, and I am willing to take this risk.

Therefore, I must have a high enough share of the box office."

There is nothing wrong with this logic!

Moreover, if you think about it carefully, Jiang Wen, Dashan, Tian Qiwen and the other three would not have been able to reach this deal without Ma Xun.

Ma Xun became the core that had to exist.

It only took Dashan a few seconds to think about it.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I will report to my superiors right away! Please wait a moment!"

This guy ran out happily and didn't even wait for three minutes.

Came back with a smile on his face.

"Yes! This transaction plan is totally feasible!"

Jiang Wen and Tian Qiwen were very happy.

Ma Xun also laughed.

Because he knew very well that if nothing unexpected happened, "Shaolin Soccer" would definitely be a big hit in Japan. In the original time and space, it was more than 20 billion yen!
Apparently, Dashan and his superiors believed that Stephen Chow's films might be a hit, but not such a huge hit!

Ma Xun took advantage of this, and with the cooperation of Jiang Wen in acting, as for Tian Qiwen, he didn't need to know. His current expression was particularly good.

And take a closer look at this whole deal.

The 200 million US dollars was paid by Toho, and Ma Xun did not contribute a penny. At most, he just wasted some words and brain cells.

Of course, he also has to share $100 million with Jiang Wen.

But, he had already discussed it with Jiang Wen before that the money would be paid after several of our films were released in Japan.

And based on the box office of "Shaolin Soccer"... Ma Xun really doesn't have to pay any money, the box office share is enough!
In this way...deceiving Dashan and Tian Qiwen, a great success!
Tian Qiwen was very happy and immediately called Stephen Chow and Kwok Fai again.

Agree! Definitely agree!
Because normally, "Shaolin Soccer" would not even make $200 million.

So……

"Mr. Ma, thank you!"

Look, they even have to thank us.

It's not over yet!
"Masan, Arigato!"

Wow, another one saying thank you to us!

Ma Xun was naturally very happy, and then everyone signed a memorandum. The specific contract would have to wait another two days.

It's okay, that's basically it.

Because none of the three of them actually had the possibility of getting better conditions.

Wait a minute, did I fool three people this time?

"Boss Ma, thank you."

Jiang Wen also said it!
Ma Xun was trying so hard to hold back his laughter that he almost got internal injuries.

Now that the business is done, let’s have a meal to improve our relationship.

……

After eating and drinking, the banquet ended.

Ma Xun was walking alone by the river. He had drunk some wine and was a little tipsy.

Bai Xiaohang drank more, but this guy followed from a distance.

But then, he needs to make a choice.

"Mr. Ma?"

"Oh, why are you here?"

"I didn't come here, we just met by chance."

"Really?"

The person who came was Yin Tao, who blushed a little at this moment because of Ma Xun's words.

Isn't it a coincidence?

(End of this chapter)