Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 363 After Reaching the Summit
"The Wandering Earth..."

The aunt muttered to herself, "This name... it certainly doesn't sound like a sequel to 'The Martian'."

"Brother Chi said that there will only be one 'The Martian,' and there will be no second one."

Ran Qiao revealed the exact information that only insiders have.

If this news were to reach the ears of the many investors in the industry who are eyeing Ikeno, they would probably be heartbroken, and it would likely trigger other chain reactions.

Aunt was very surprised because although she was also considered an "insider," she was not as close to Ran Qiao and Chi Ye as they were personally... mainly because she was not at that level or in that position, and didn't even have Chi Ye's WeChat on her phone.

"Auntie, don't worry, Brother Chi really takes good care of me."

Although Ran Qiao has a rather laid-back personality and likes to maintain her health, it doesn't mean she has no ambition. Just think about it: she has been in the entertainment industry since she debuted as a child star.

However, none of those who are involved in the entertainment industry can regard fame and fortune as dirt.

No one is an exception. If you believe those "gentle and serene" personas, you can only say that the marketing accounts are successful.

"The Wandering Earth" is still just a baby in swaddling clothes and hasn't attracted much attention in the industry. News about it is scarce. But with the example of "The Martian", Ran Qiao knows that as long as this project is made public, it will definitely attract the attention of the entire Chinese entertainment industry and then be snapped up.

Given Ikeno's proven ability to "heal" people, female characters will likely become the most sought-after area by various capital groups.

So, the female lead…

It's easy to see that this role is indeed quite prestigious.

Of course, Chino did all this not out of kindness. His character is now well-known in the industry. He is the type who will not act without a reason. Especially after leaving Yuena and going it alone, he has developed the "bad habit" of always getting something in return for his actions.

The casting of Ran Qiao as the female lead in "The Wandering Earth" can only be attributed to her suitability for the role. Another reason is that, as the first well-known artist in the Chinese entertainment industry to be signed to his company, Ran Qiao must achieve corresponding results and set a precedent.

Just like in "The Martian," only with real-life examples can the entire company be revitalized, and his future retirement base be established.

Ran Qiao was cast as the female lead in "The Wandering Earth," while other newcomers signed with his company were also assigned to various projects that the company was about to launch during this period.

First, there are the promising talents signed by the Beijing Film Academy. Chi Ye has already reached a bundled cooperation agreement with iQiyi and Hunan TV, and the first batch of works launched by this cooperation consists of as many as six.

We should thank The Martian for that.

Because Ikeno himself held a larger share of the company, the success of "The Martian" not only gave him a much stronger position, but also made his wallet even thicker.

To put it bluntly, with money, a platform, and connections, one has the complete ability to organize events and create opportunities.

Six works: two idol dramas, two period dramas, and one suspense/espionage thriller.

These six works were all written and produced by Chi Ye himself, and directed by several directors from the company. They are: Love O2O, My Sunshine, Nirvana in Fire, Joy of Life, The Silent Truth, and Lurk.

He will star in two of these works, "Nirvana in Fire" and "Lurking".

For the other four productions, the male and female leads will be played by artists signed with the company, while the main supporting roles will be played by artists from iQiyi and Mango TV. Most of the remaining roles will be filled through normal channels.

Thus, this is the "big move" that Ikeno Corporation has made in the past two years.

It's definitely a big move. A "new company" and "new face" that transformed from an artist's studio has invested heavily in resources and connections to manage six S+ works in a short period of time since the transformation.

Of these six works, even the one known as the "Live-Action Idol" with the smallest investment in the investment world requires special effects and a top-notch team to produce. It can be said that in any behemoth company, it would be an investment that would determine half the life of the entertainment sector.

Therefore, Ikeno's move almost emptied his savings, which he had just made from "Goblin" and "The Martian," and everyone saw his determination to rebuild the company.

only……

Will it go that smoothly?

This time, it's not just that Ikeno is acting in his own productions; the team and investment he uses are all from his own "connections."

With six projects launched simultaneously, not to mention the lack of funds, there simply wasn't enough personnel and team configuration, making it almost certain that a large number of new people would need to be brought in.

In other words, although this film may seem no different from Ikeno's previous ones, in reality, they are completely different in both meaning and practice.

Are you really sure?

Two days later.

As the holiday season draws to a close, The Martian's overseas box office has begun to decline. Although not as disastrous as in China, it continues the excellent tradition of The Flu, bringing Ikeno's name into the view of overseas audiences.

Inside the Kiwi Fruit Building.

Ikeno, kiwifruit, and mango: a "tripartite meeting".

Mr. Gong glanced at the document in his hand, frowned, put it down, and advised, "Mr. Chi, isn't this a step too big?"

Ikeno remained silent.

On the other side, Mango Pie, who forms a super-connected trio with Chi Ye and Kiwi, also nodded in agreement: "President Chi, it's not that we don't trust you, it's just that six projects at once, all of them large-scale S+ investments, to be honest... when we announced the project investment list for next year at our annual meeting, we didn't even have this kind of activity from you."

"Who says it isn't?"

Mr. Gong gave a wry smile: "You've made us... quite uneasy."

After the two finished speaking, Ikeno simply said, "There will be no second Martian movie."

The two of them were stunned.

"It will take at least two years, or even longer, for The Wandering Earth to be completed."

The two were silent.

Ikeno looked at the two of them: "You two should understand what I mean, right?"

"You mean..."

Mr. Gong frowned: "Those over there who wanted to come in and eat meat... not a single one can get any?"

Wang Liang blinked: "Isn't this... a bit too forceful? Mainly, I've heard that many second-generation rich kids are against this..."

"Cough cough."

Mr. Gong coughed lightly.

Wang Liang understood and shut up.

Because of his family background, he's considered a second-generation rich kid, so he's recently heard that his peers, tired of traveling and being criticized for everything they do, have become interested in the film *The Martian* after seeing its sensational success. Money isn't important to them; what's attractive is the "achievement" and "sense of accomplishment."

"Two years is an understatement."

Ikeno stretched his wrists: "The Martian set the bar too high. If we want to do something bigger, we need to have enough time. Otherwise, we can only make The Moon."

The two of them smiled when they heard this.

"The Moon" was overshadowed by "The Martian" during this year's Spring Festival season, but it still maintained its second place ranking thanks to its comedy, the presence of Shen Bin and Ma Li, and the sci-fi theme similar to "The Martian".

In terms of reputation, it's fair to say that without comparison there is no harm. Mahua Films now "hates" Chi Ye and "The Martian" whether it's passive or active.

For those people, comedy is just an ordinary movie, so how can it bring them the visual spectacle and groundbreaking impact of "The Martian"?
It's boring, very boring.

and so……

"Film production can be developed, but compared to profits and other aspects of influence, the film industry should be the company's focus."

Ikeno bluntly stated, "I don't yet have the capacity to produce six films a year... so the films will have to be made gradually, but the company needs to grow."

Having said that, the kiwi and mango already understood what Ikeno meant.

—After The Martian, his "popularity" in the film industry has been raised to a level that does not belong to him. This level, in addition to fame and fortune, is more likely due to the attention and "whipping" of more mysterious forces and huge capital.

If we blindly continue down this path, Ikeno's future films will likely feature numerous princes and princesses, and the plots will likely suffer epic failures.

Don't say he has autonomy, and don't say the old leader can protect him, because there are some forces that even the old leader cannot and will not offend.

His best option now is to do what Wu Jing did back then. Speaking of which, Nuanwei is quite smart. After "Wolf Warrior 2" ended, he directly postponed it indefinitely until "Wolf Warrior 3". It's clear that there must be a mastermind behind it.

The film industry needs a "cooling-off period" for now, but after the company's transformation, it cannot stagnate. After discovering him, it will not make many moves in the film industry, which is the "cake" that everyone values ​​most. After realizing that it can no longer get a piece of the pie, it is still unknown what will happen to those who were so eager to please him now.

Especially for capital like Tencent and Alibaba, they are likely to continue their previous ambiguous attitude towards his... company.

If a company doesn't thrive, artists won't choose it. If a company doesn't thrive, artists can't completely "shed their idol image." But as they get older, how long can their idol image last?
Therefore, this was a very important decision, perhaps even the most important decision since the establishment of Ikeno Studio.

"...Since you've already made up your mind, then let's do it."

Wang Liang is a person with all the bad tempers of a second-generation heir, but he is very obedient to advice. Before he came, his uncle told him not to question Chi Ye on the content, especially on the TV series.

Because this is a true "big shot," someone who has made it through sheer talent.

Mr. Gong had more concerns because... although Chiye Company was said to be launching six projects at once, the scale was actually too large, and there were also cooperative relationships, so kiwi and mango would invest to some extent.

To put it bluntly, in certain works, if there are people they need to promote, their investment percentage might be even larger.

Gong Zong wasn't worried about "Nirvana in Fire" and "Lurking". Although the latter was a spy drama that had been out of the spotlight for a long time and was known as the "killer in the industry", as long as Chi Ye himself starred in it, the project was guaranteed to make a profit.

But the remaining four... without Ikeno "at the helm," and with the other party insisting on cultivating their own company's new team, it's essentially handing over a huge amount of money to a group of newcomers who haven't even graduated from university long ago...

Four films failed in a year... How will the owners behind Kiwifruit view this? Is there a possibility of a precipitous drop in funding in the next two years?

These are all open to discussion.

"Mr. Chi, what you mentioned about the Mist Theater last time was quite interesting, but this time I see there's only one show, 'The Silent Truth'... Isn't that a bit too few?"

The trilateral talks continued into the evening.

Before the event ended, Mr. Gong raised a question.

Ikeno looked at him and said, "We can also increase the number of departments from six to seven, eight, or even ten."

President Gong: "...Then forget it. Idol dramas are fine too, hehe...fine."

"Let's start with one to test the waters. Short dramas are quicker to produce. If the response is good, we'll increase our efforts in the future."

Chi Ye simply said that if he could, he would like to produce six suspense dramas directly... but as he always said, the drama industry is lucrative, and idol dramas are the most profitable.

Suspense dramas... they really don't make money as fast as idol dramas, nor do they have the ability to promote people.

Therefore, "Mist Theater" is a "gift" he gave to Sheng Ning, and also a benchmark "brand" he wanted to establish for himself, which is meant to be seen by the other two major platforms.

The company is currently short of funds due to its development, so we have to prioritize making money. As for "Mist Theater," we'll develop it slowly for now.

"Alright, then I wish us... a pleasant collaboration."

Mr. Gong struggled with this decision for a long time that day, going out several times to discuss it with other senior shareholders. In the end, he decided to listen to Ziweixing in the entertainment industry.

Sometimes, you have to believe in superstitions, especially in the Chinese entertainment industry, where "metaphysics" is indeed highly valued.

……

Others who also value metaphysics include Feng Kuzi, Si Zi, and Zhu Yaolin.

The Martian has grossed over 49 billion yuan, and is heading straight for the top three spots in the history of Chinese films.

Their world collapsed too.

Feng Xiaogang is currently figuring out where to place his red underwear tonight so that "Dream Lover" can lose as little money as possible...

Yes, "Dream Lover" is now a sure-fire money-loser.

Originally, there was no need to lose money; in fact, there could have been a significant profit. However, the success of "The Martian" was too overwhelming. With so many top-tier blockbusters supporting the market, there were simply too many wolves and not enough meat.

With "The Martian" currently dominating the market, it's fair to say that all the films released during this year's Spring Festival season are "victims."

The only difference is who loses more and who loses less.

Films like "Dream Lover," which are neither particularly good nor bad, are among the most severely affected.

Before the film's release, Feng Xiaogang, Ziyi, and others were so excited they couldn't sleep at night, wishing they could have those three characters engraved on their buttocks so they could feel the "explosion" when they went to the toilet.

They felt that while the film was still in theaters, it probably wouldn't be a blockbuster, but it should still be a hit.

After its release, Feng Kuzi felt that Chi Ye was repulsive, with a sharp and unruly appearance, unlike a human being.

(End of this chapter)