Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 316 A Grand Entertainment Strategic Alliance Combining Film and Television Industry Chain, Social Platforms, and Video Websites
On June 5th, "Painted Skin" officially announced its release date as September 26th, which also means it is withdrawing from this year's summer movie season.

Yi'an internally considered this decision carefully.

Currently, the two most popular film seasons in China are the Lunar New Year season, which is dominated by domestic blockbusters, and the summer season, which features many Hollywood blockbusters.

For example, this summer's movie season featured a lot of big-budget films such as "Kung Fu Panda," "Hancock," "Red Cliff Part I," "WALL-E," "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," and "The Dark Knight Rises," making the competition extremely fierce.

Therefore, some strong films that can compete for a lot of screenings in theaters sometimes consider release dates that are less desirable, such as the May Day or National Day holidays.

Although it doesn't have the same advantages as the Lunar New Year and summer movie seasons, it can avoid some strong competitors and dominate the film season.

The Forbidden Kingdom, which was released in late April, had this in mind, as did Painted Skin.

September 26th is a Friday, so we can first capitalize on the weekend box office, and then wait for the National Day holiday to capitalize on another small peak.

Considering the influence of "Painted Skin," Yi An's promotional efforts, and the support from Bona Film Group, China Film Group, and Enlight Media, it could easily become the first choice for most people going to the cinema during the National Day holiday.

If it were released during the summer blockbuster season, with so many Hollywood blockbusters and the huge "Red Cliff Part I," "Painted Skin" wouldn't be as eye-catching.

However, although "Painted Skin" avoided the summer movie season, it does not mean that Yi An will avoid this summer movie season.

Produced by Yi An and starring Julian Cheung and Wang Ou, "Contract Lover" was released in August.

"Perfect Imperfection," co-produced by Yi An Investment, is scheduled for release in late July.
Produced by Yi An Investment and starring Zhou Gongzi and Deng Chao, "The Equation of Love and Death" is expected to be released at the end of August, which is also considered part of the summer movie season.

Three movies were released at once, and although they were all low-budget, their popularity was unmatched by that of ordinary film companies.

Yi An is in charge of the publicity and distribution of the three films and has a general idea of ​​their positioning.

With a low budget, expecting to go head-to-head with Hollywood and "Red Cliff Part I" is just plain stupid. So, they're taking a guerrilla approach, operating on the fringes and leveraging the advantage of a different subject matter to reap the rewards of leftovers.

Last year's Lunar New Year film, "Fate Calls Transfer," produced by Yi An, did exactly that.

Despite relying on its comedic themes, it managed to carve out a niche for itself in two tragic blockbusters, "Assembly" and "The Warlords."

In particular, the early removal of "Assembly" from theaters allowed "Call for Love" to benefit from its harmless comedy, ultimately resulting in a total box office of over 3500 million yuan.

Because the film had a low budget, and product placement covered a significant portion of the costs, plus it was a comedy, the rights sold quite well.

After settling accounts with their partner, China Film Group, Yi An pocketed over ten million yuan.

This only includes what Yi'an earned from the film project; the revenue generated by the advertising department, distribution department, and Yi'an Cinemas is not included.

Therefore, Yi'an increasingly believes that this kind of low-budget film is good; it may look unremarkable, but it is actually quite interesting and has low risk.

"The Warlords" and "Assembly," which were released during the same Lunar New Year season as "Call for Love," seemed to be doing better than each other, but in reality, they both lost a fortune and suffered setbacks.

Based on her previous experience, Yi An is now employing a strategy of thematic misalignment and guerrilla tactics for several films released during the summer season.

At the same time, lower expectations, take profits when they appear, and adhere to the principle of small costs and small profits, because even small profits are still profits.

"The Equation of Love and Death" is a suspenseful romance film with an artistic feel, and it is not really a commercial film.

However, with Zhou Xun, Deng Chao, and Wang Baoqiang making a cameo appearance, there are still many strong factors to play. With celebrity appeal and positive word-of-mouth, a box office of 2000 million yuan is definitely within reach.

"Contract Lover" is a low-budget romance film. Julian Cheung and Wang Ou are somewhat famous, but they lack box office appeal.

Yi An's plan is to use the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day) in early August as a starting point to attract couples with this theme and romantic elements, while simultaneously promoting related topics on Weibo.

Considering the cost of this movie, it only needs to gross 1000 million to break even, and anything more would be a profit.

As for "Perfect Couple", to be honest, Yi An didn't take it too seriously.

It's not just because of the co-production; the film simply doesn't have many other options.

The director and actors are all newcomers to the film market with limited appeal. The previous publicity focus was actually on producer Li Xiang. Therefore, Yi An could only market the film more as a comedy to attract comedy audiences.

As for how effective it will be, that's hard to predict.

Yi An also watched the finished film of "Perfect Imperfection". It has some unique features, but the overall quality can only be described as mediocre.

Comedy films have a high ceiling but a low floor; quality only represents one aspect, and luck often plays a more significant role.

As a result, Yi An's prediction for this movie was quite broad—1000 million to 3000 million.

It all depends on the market performance after the movie's release!

Yan Li merely paid attention to this summer's film season but did not interfere, leaving it entirely to his subordinates.

After all, the three movies combined are expected to gross less than 1 million yuan in total, and he personally directed them. Everyone else in the company should just give up.

Du Guowei, deputy director of Yi An Film and Television Department and head of film, became the general director of Yi An's summer film season.

Du Guowei was not a founding member of Yi An Film Studio; he joined midway through the project. He is Singaporean and previously worked for several film companies in Hong Kong, and also had experience in Hollywood.

Wang Decai, the head of the film and television department, is Yan Li's confidant. His loyalty is beyond question, but in terms of ability, he can only be described as experienced.

However, the people who produced Yi'an TV series were all trained by Yan Li, and with the addition of some outside talents and the introduction of a studio system, there was no shortage of key personnel.

With his seniority and experience, Wang Decai was able to keep things under control, and the TV drama production business was thriving.

But Wang is not good at making movies.

After all, it's called the film and television industry, but TV series and movies are actually two different industries.

Moreover, for Yi An's film industry, now is the time to make bold moves and expand its territory, and it needs talented people who dare to fight and take risks.

Yan Li, as the boss, can get involved, but he can't always be the one leading the charge. He needs a deputy or someone to hold the fort when he's not around.

Du Guowei joined Yi'an at this time and was highly valued.

He was primarily responsible for and managed the production and distribution of "Call for Love," as well as the production of "Contract Lover," "Peach Blossom Luck," and the investment in films such as "Perfect Couple" and "Ip Man."

Du Guowei, who is in charge of this summer's box office, sees it as an opportunity.

An opportunity to separate from the film and television department and establish a film department.

Although the current film and television department is actually two separate businesses, it is ultimately not legitimate. Who would want to be second-in-command when they can be the top leader?

Moreover, Du Guowei's ambitions don't stop there.

Besides wanting the film department to be independent, he also wanted to take over the film distribution department from the distribution department and integrate it into the film department, thus realizing a one-stop shop for film and distribution.

He even wants the film division to control a portion of the cinema chain if Yi'an Films and Yi'an Cinemas merge in the future.

In this way, when Yi'an goes public in the future, the film department will be able to secure more original shares.

At the same time, the film department's influence within Yi An will greatly increase, and he himself is a well-known figure in the industry.

Of course, this is just a hypothetical scenario, and it's hard to say whether it can be realized. The key now is to do a good job in the business. The better the film business performs, the easier it will be for Yan Li to talk to, and the less internal resistance there will be in the company.

Conversely, let alone snatching a position from another department to become a big shot, you'll have to hand over your current position to someone else.

Yi An is gearing up for films and is also actively working on television dramas.

Two TV series, "The Legend of the Gods 2" and "The Difficult Love of a Diamond Bachelor," will lead the way, with three other TV series produced or invested in to complement them.

This is just the film and television department. If we include the TV series distributed by the distribution department, we also need to include "Red Cliff Part I" plus three other TV series.

Yi An produced, invested in, and distributed a total of four films and eight TV series during the 2008 summer season.

It has participated in the most projects among all film and television companies.

The company produces a large number of projects, making it one of the top film and television companies in terms of output.

Similar press releases have appeared on various platforms and Weibo. Yi An's somewhat abrupt publicity campaign has already caught the attention of astute individuals.

...

"Mr. Yan, is your company, Yi'an, also planning to go public?"

At a dinner party organized by Mr. Li of Xiaoma Benteng, after a series of preliminaries, Mr. Li asked about his thoughts.

In the film and television industry, there are quite a few companies planning to go public, but only Huayi Brothers and Yi'an are recognized by the outside world as having the qualifications and ability to become rising stars in the stock market.

Bona's Yu the Fat Man is very good at jumping around, but the risks are too great and the capital is insufficient.

Unlike Huayi Brothers, which has revenue from advertising, TV dramas, and music, Yi'an is highly profitable and is expected to merge with cinema chains to create a film and television industry chain.

While a compelling story is important in the capital market, real strength is also essential; a strong foundation makes for a more compelling story.

When questioned, Yan Li smiled but remained silent.

Currently, Yi'an Film & Television and Yi'an Cinema Line still need to be integrated, and the financial crisis is about to break out. The market is highly volatile, and Yi'an's achievements in some areas are not enough to tell a good story. Therefore, Yi'an's listing will have to be postponed.

But Yan Li couldn't possibly reveal such a thing to outsiders.

On the one hand, it paints a rosy picture for the company's internal operations; on the other hand, it serves as a deterrent and misleading warning to competitors; and it can also attract some high-quality partners.

Yan Li has resources from film and television stars, a personal brand, and internet channels, so there aren't many investors who can entice Yi An.

In Yan Li's view, there are only a few types of advantageous partners.

One is the industry that can provide policy support. The film and entertainment industry is most afraid of this, as it is unreasonable to suffer losses.

Therefore, Yan Li is considering introducing cultural investment funds or local cultural and broadcasting companies to obtain some official support and reduce the risks in this regard.

The most important thing is to bring in investors. We must bring them in, even if it means losing money, as long as it works.

Another option is to provide stable funding. After Yi'an goes public, the cinema chain will continue to expand, which will inevitably burn through cash. There will also be other investments that will also burn through cash, so naturally, they need to find a financial backer.

Another option is commercial real estate like China Resources or film studios like Hengdian, which can provide complementary resources and strategic synergy.

Furthermore, Tudou.com and Weibo could actually cross-share some of their shares with Yi'an, forming a more solid strategic alliance of film and television industry chain + social platform + video website in the cultural and entertainment industry.

The current cooperation among the three companies relies on Yanli. Once the company goes public, many things will become less convenient.

Cross-shareholding is legitimate and no one loses out. Moreover, having shares in each other can boost their respective stock prices to some extent. At the same time, as the direct liaison and the three behind-the-scenes bosses and shareholders, Yan Li can also personally gain some benefits.

In short, a company that has the potential to become an industry giant and can leverage the development of multiple parties has too many considerations and calculations in the end.

What the future holds for Yi An is unknown even to his bedmate, and anyone else trying to probe his intentions is simply delusional. Mr. Li of Xiaoma Benteng, being a shrewd man, simply laughed it off upon seeing the situation.

Sha Yi, the top performer at Xiaoma Benteng, was even hinted to come over and offer a toast to smooth things over.

"Mr. Yan, thank you for your guidance. I'll drink this, please feel free to drink as you like."

In the TV series "New Three Kingdoms", Sha Yi also played a role as Yuan Shu, one of the eighteen warlords.

Originally, he wanted to compete for Zhao Yun, but he lost. He then tried to compete for Sun Ce, but after auditioning, the production team found that he had too much of a "My Own Swordsman" vibe, and the audience would easily lose immersion in the role.

So, in the end, he was cast as Yuan Shu, a character who is somewhat of a clown with some comedic elements, which was perfect for Sha Yi to perform.

Although he didn't get the role he wanted, he successfully joined "New Three Kingdoms" and his role in the early stages was decent, so Sha Yi's expression of gratitude for the support is barely acceptable.

Yan Li had a good impression of Sha Yi; he really enjoyed watching "My Own Swordsman".

Unfortunately, Yi An's Deng Chao, Huang Bo, Zhang Zhilin, and Lin Jiachuan can all act in comedies, so there's not much demand for Sha Yi. Even if I still admire him, I still support him being the leading man at Xiaoma Benteng.

Sha Yi and Yan Li were having a great time chatting, but it worried the female artists from Xiaoma Benteng.

They had agreed that they would be in charge of entertaining President Yan at this dinner party, but somehow Sha Yi started chatting with him instead.

Do you even understand Mr. Yan's style? You're Bai Zhantang, not Sai Diaochan...

Perhaps sensing the murderous intent behind him, Sha Yi made an excuse to leave, and two female artists immediately took his place.

"Hello, Mr. Yan, I am Tang Jingmei."

"Hello, Mr. Yan, I am Li Yixiao."

Yan Li was taken aback, then gave a polite smile. To be honest, he didn't recognize either of them.

He recognized the person named Li Yixiao somewhat, but he had no recollection of this soup or anything like that.

In fact, it wasn't just the two of them; Yan Li, one of the female artists at Xiaoma Benteng, only knew one person, Huang Xiaolei, who couldn't come today because she was filming.

Oh, and there's also Peng Xinyi, the second daughter in "Golden Wedding".

However, Yan Li knew her not because she was famous, but because she was Dong Xuan's college classmate. They had known each other since college, but for some reason, Dong Xuan hadn't come today.

Yan Li was already used to this kind of toasting and the ulterior motives behind it, and he glanced at the two of them.

He was actually quite good-looking, but he wasn't in the mood today, and since he was on someone else's turf, he had to be careful, so he just dealt with him politely and got rid of him.

Tang Jingmei was slightly unwilling and had no choice but to go back. Li Yixiao, however, pretended to be stupid and refused to leave. As a result, Yan Li glanced at Boss Li, and the latter wisely chased her away, adding a remark.

"Your charm is too great, Mr. Yan. I'm so shameless that I want to get closer to you."

Yan Li shook his head: "Brother Gou, you're a kind person, don't get me into trouble."

While others might not know, he noticed that when Li Yixiao was toasting, Director Gao Xixi's eyes were clearly not quite right.

There are many intricacies involved between a director and a young actress from the same company. Yan Li is naturally not afraid of Gao Xixi, but since he hasn't taken any advantage of her, why should he cause trouble?

Mr. Li was a little confused. Yan Li saw this and knew that he probably didn't understand. He pointed it out and Mr. Li finally understood what was going on.

Good heavens, what's going on down there!
He knew Yan Li had this kind of taste, so he arranged for some female artists to come over. He didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to cater to Yan Li's interests and get closer to him.

These artists from the company are really capable; getting involved with Yan Li is a huge opportunity for them to soar to new heights.

The company doesn't force anyone to come; you don't have to if you don't want to, and you can come just to drink.

Although Yan Li was a womanizer, he had a good reputation in this regard. He did not force or harass her, and his main principle was mutual consent.

As more and more people wanted to get close to Yan Li, they were also rejected more often, leading to rumors that Yan Li was picky and had high standards.

The key is not whether you can overcome this mentality, but whether Yan Li looks up to you.

Because of this, Xiao Ma Benteng thought he could cast a wide net and maybe catch one, but he didn't expect to bring Lao Gao's people in as well.

Gao Xixi is the biggest benefactor of Xiaoma Benteng, and Boss Li cherishes him dearly. If he knew this beforehand, he would never have done it.

Gao Xixi dared not hold a grudge against Yan Li, and resentment was useless; she would definitely hold Xiao Ma Benteng accountable.

"Thanks for reminding me. Consider it a favor. I'll arrange something good for you later."

Boss Li said something and then went to appease Gao Xixi. Gao Xixi was already resentful because they couldn't get a director for "New Three Kingdoms". One problem after another, so they had to be careful.

Yan Li shook his head. Boss Li was being a bit too indulgent towards the directors below him.

However, this is also his personal charm and management advantage.

Yan Li is clear about rewards and punishments, and he binds people's feelings with interests, making his approach more formal. Boss Li, on the other hand, prioritizes loyalty and friendship, leading everyone as an elder brother. This approach has both risks and benefits, but at least in the early stages of development, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Having finished eating, Yan Li declined the second suggestion and left first.

In the film and television industry, aside from some funding, Xiaoma Benteng is of little use to Yan Li.

However, Mr. Li started his business in advertising and came from a privileged background. He was helpful to Yi'an Advertising Department and other areas. In addition, he was generous and magnanimous, and his company was doing well, so Yan Li was willing to associate with him.

Putting everything else aside, just putting a few actors into the Little Horse Galloping project could help him unlock some new poses.

Yan Li left, but ran into Li Yixiao on the way. The latter blocked his way, stuffed a note into Yan Li's hand, and pleaded with him.

"President Yan, please give me a chance. I'm willing to do anything."

Yan Li glanced at the note; it contained a phone number and a home address, the latter being relatively rare, as hotel room numbers were more common.

"Ms. Li, if you have any needs, you can contact your General Manager Li or Director Gao."

Yan Li didn't care about the numerous notes slipped to him, and when he saw that they were still blocking his way, he directly pointed it out.

You have powerful backers. I, Yan, will not steal what others love. Just stay put and be quiet.

Unexpectedly, these words only made Li Yixiao more agitated, and she stepped forward to grab Yan Li's sleeve.

“President Yan, Gao and I have no relationship. He wants to, but I don’t agree.”

Yan Li was slightly taken aback, and roughly understood what it meant, but what did it have to do with him?
"You should look for your General Manager Li."

"President Li will definitely side with him. Actually... he didn't do anything to me. The company can't handle it... I'm scared and want to find someone to back me up."

Li Yixiao's words were a bit jumbled, but Yan Li understood them.

She disliked Lao Gao for being old and ugly, and was unwilling to stay with him. She wanted to switch to Yan Li, who was handsome and rich. Moreover, if she stayed with Yan Li, Lao Gao couldn't do anything to her.

It’s a nice thought!
Yan Li did the math in his head: Li Yixiao got rid of her burdens, made a fortune by getting on the good side, while he had offended Lao Gao for a useless woman, and might even have a falling out with Xiao Ma Benteng. The loss outweighed the gain.

Tsk~
Yan Li sized up Li Yixiao. She was pretty, with a baby face and a sweet and charming look, similar to Li Xiaolu.

When Li Yixiao saw Yan Li looking at her, she quickly adopted the camera presence of someone shooting a magazine cover, saying that she looked best from her best angle, while also putting on a pitiful act to gain sympathy.

Shaking his head, Yan Li was unwilling to do a losing business, but when faced with such a situation, it was not good to just stand by and do nothing.

That tall guy is shameless. He not only flirts with young girls, but he also pursues them even when they don't want him.

I despise him!
Of course, it's also possible that Li Yixiao lied, and Yan Li didn't completely believe her. However, compared to Lao Gao, he was more willing to believe and help the pretty girl.

Yan Li took out his phone and left his number with Li Yixiao: "You can ask her for help. With her help, your company and that person will have reservations, and at least they won't force you."

After saying that, Yan Li ignored Li Yixiao and left with his men.

If you encounter something like this, you've done your best to help. But expecting Yan Li to be a nanny and help you all the way is beyond his capacity. He doesn't have the energy or time for that, nor does he have the character or social standing to do so.

In other words, money is useless in this matter; otherwise, Yan Li would be more accustomed to throwing down two stacks of money and then leaving the matter unresolved.

Perhaps realizing Yan Li's attitude, Li Yixiao looked at the number he left behind and dialed it.

About ten minutes later, Huo Siyan called Yan Li: "Brother-in-law, what's going on?"

"Nothing much, just giving you a chance to stand up for what's right."

"That's Gao Xixi, the great director."

"You don't rely on him for a living, so what are you afraid of? Besides, I'm not asking you to fall out with him. You can bring a few of your girlfriends to help bolster your position. Old Gao is a man of honor. He knows that Li Yixiao knows you and is not someone to be trifled with, so he'll get out of trouble on his own."

Huo Siyan understood; Yan Li was using the influence of the Teddy Sisters to intimidate Lao Gao.

The Teddy Sisters are numerous and influential, both in the industry and online. They can easily ruin Lao Gao's reputation, but they can't do anything to him. Lao Gao has no reason to fight them to the death.

Huo Siyan could do it, but she didn't understand: "Why don't you just give him a heads-up?"

"It's not convenient for me to step forward, so why should I step forward for her? You shouldn't get involved either. We've given her the reins, let her do what she wants. If she wants to save herself, she has to rely on herself."

After Yan Li gave her a few pointers, Huo Siyan roughly understood: "If things go wrong later, I'll just blame it on Huayi Brothers, since I work for Huayi Brothers anyway."

"Ruzi can be taught."

Having figured out what happened and what the situation was, Huo Siyan asked the question that concerned her the most.

"So, what happens after we resolve Li Yixiao's matter?"

"Let her fend for herself, help her escape this sea of ​​suffering, what more do you want?"

"That's too much! I checked online, and she's not bad-looking either. Forget it, leave it to me. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Huo Siyan hung up the phone excitedly. Yan Li hesitated for a moment. The words sounded familiar. Was this young woman trying to pimp him out again?

The Teddy Sisters group is too sensitive, so Huo Siyan doesn't dare to mess around. She finally found someone who is related to Yan Li, and she's afraid that this person will get into trouble.

After thinking it over, Yan Li still sent her a text message. He didn't object to Huo Siyan wanting to improve herself, but she should also find someone pretty or someone he liked.

It's a pity that Huo and Wang Ou really don't get along, otherwise I really wanted her to learn from Wang Ou...

　(4000/158000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)