Huayu has been doing one good deed a day since 2001

Chapter 266 Exploding into Madness, One Can't Live Without Madness

July 10th was the day Hu Ge returned to the Media Building after finishing filming (Chinese Paladin 7).

It's also the fourth week of the movie "The Little Man," and last week it really exploded with a box office of 2.11 million yuan.

The total revenue of "Little People" in mainland China has risen to 6.81 million.

It is only 100 million yuan behind the newly crowned champion of the mainland box office charts (racing).

The little guy's earnings in Hong Kong have exceeded HK$1.6 million.

That's 8.4 million RMB nationwide.

South Korea easily reached a peak of HK$3.8 million.

This equates to a combined $1.52 million in revenue from China and South Korea.

Even though the film "Before I Met You" will be significantly reduced in screenings starting at midnight on July 14th.

This result is also a new record-breaking achievement.

Deng Chao, Wang Kai, and others had read the script for "The Assassin" and were still pleasantly surprised by the depth of the characters, so they flattered and thanked him.

Old Li then received a report from his secretary that General Manager Han from China Film Group had arrived.

President Han and Chen Kexin came together.

Old Li smiled and went out to greet them, and Deng Chao and the others hurriedly followed.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Kai and Hu Ge ran around opening champagne to toast the guests.

Mr. Han laughed and said, "It's not easy to make historical war epics, but since Mr. Li is determined to invest, China Film Group is certainly not afraid."

"Is this a script? Deng Chao, Xiao Wang, do you want to give it a try?"

Deng Chao bent down and smiled, "This script is excellent. If I audition for the male lead, just give me two or three million in salary, and make it clear to the outside world that it's an internal project with a discount."

Pang Qingyun is the male lead.

Risking one's life, loyalty to brothers, love, and many other aspects have all brought about tremendous changes in life.

That's very insightful.

Chen Kexin asked in astonishment, "Two or three million US dollars?"

Old Deng almost vomited blood, waving his hand, "Two or three million RMB, Director Chen, we're just talking about the international channel within the group."

One sentence completely shut Chen Kexin up.

Old Chen most wanted to invite Jet Li, so he wasn't worried that Jet Li's action scenes wouldn't be up to par for this movie.

The film actually showcases the dramatic acting most effectively.

The male lead had many outstanding moments in his acting.

But Jet Li's last role in the China Film Group and Tencent-invested film "Fearless" earned him $1000 million.

Did we lose money? No.

Huo Yuanjia earned 2.27 million RMB in mainland China, 7900 million RMB in Hong Kong, and 1.5 million HKD in South Korea.

The total box office revenue of 4.56 million yuan in China and South Korea will likely bring in nearly 2 million yuan for the production company.

This company paid A-Jie 8000 million RMB in film fees and still made a considerable profit.

Furthermore, island nations like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand sold their ports for HK$2000 million, while Europe and the US sold theirs for $1000 million.

The total box office in the United States was $2500 million.

All the profits from the box office and theatrical distribution of "The Legend of Huo Yuanjia" were realized through various means, resulting in a profit.

The ongoing DVD rental and sales business will also generate substantial revenue, not to mention streaming media.

With the successive successes of Huo Yuanjia and other heroes, what about Li Lianjie?

Chen Kexin is interested in A-Jie and asked someone privately to inquire about him. A-Jie quoted 1500 million US dollars.

After Lao Chen pressed for details, A-Jie said he could offer a discount, reducing the price from 1.2 million RMB to 1 million RMB.

How the hell are we supposed to choose?!
If Deng Chao asks for two or three million US dollars, Chen Kexin can try to persuade him by leveraging A-Jie's international fame.

You're ridiculously asking for two or three million RMB? You're kidding me.

Is this worth the 1500 million yuan you charge for an advertising endorsement for a year?
You're worthy of the movie fees offered by the Hong Kong and Macau entertainment circles. You wouldn't even be tempted by spending three million US dollars on a single film?

Chen Kexin was completely exhausted.

President Han smiled with delight and clinked glasses with Deng Chao, "I'm almost embarrassed to say what discount you're giving me."

"Your acting skills are fine, and your fame is fine too. It's a pleasure working with you!"

This is Deng Zhao, whom Li Wenyu brought over. After trying out the script, it's clear that Li Wenyu was the one who preferred him.

Even if the male lead has many action scenes, battlefield battles, and finally faces a one-on-one assassination attempt against the third of the three sworn brothers.

He easily turned the tables countless times, and he endured it all without paying any attention.

He was almost late in assuming the auspicious time for his inauguration as Governor-General of Liangjiang.

He only needed a few serious punches and kicks to crush the actor playing the third brother.

This requires showcasing action scenes.

No problem. Preparing for a large-scale war drama for two or three months is already considered highly efficient.

Wang Kai and Jin Dong also prepared for the role of "The Lone Agent" for only 3 months before passing the audition.

Li Wenyu raised his glass and smiled, "For the second male lead, Zhao Erhu, I'd like to ask Brother Hua. We'll see about his availability. His Mandarin might not be up to par, so we'll use a professional voice actor."

"Number three will be contested by Xiao Wang, Xiao Hu, and A Dong."

Wang Kai and the other two hurriedly nodded, indicating that they were all willing to take on the role even at the cost of broken bones.

We aim to minimize actor salaries, allowing a significant portion of the investment to be used during filming.

Chen Kexin, “…”

He was paralyzed again.

He would be happy to cast Andy Lau as the second male lead.

But he wanted to use Jin Chengwu's name for number three, as Jin Chengwu was also the number one handsome man in Hong Kong for several years.

Wang Kai, Jin Dong, and Hu Ge are slightly less attractive.

As for popularity? They're actually bigger than Kaneshiro Go.

Whether it's the hit dramas they starred in or the minor blockbusters of the year.

Neither the movie nor the film was bad.

Of all the projects, the Hu Ge film project is the weakest.

Well, Chen Kexin tragically discovered that although the investment was secured, he, as the director, felt he had very little say in the matter.

Old Li continued to drink champagne to celebrate, treating Old Chen merely as a competent tool.

Actually, this guy can make good films, whether it's "The Warlords" or "American Dreams in China".

Including one of Swallow's original works (Dear).

This can be considered excellent.

But if you let loose, Chen Kexin can also give you a straw hat for 6000 in the props.

Is that 6000 RMB or 6000 USD?
Even Jin Chengwu couldn't afford such an expensive straw hat.

President Han then toasted Wang Kai, Jin Dong, and the others separately again, his smile becoming even more animated.

Is he marveling at how A-Jie's discount turned 1.2 million into 1 million?
Deng Chao's three to five million US dollars turned into two to three million RMB.

Are the others this ruthless too?
Deng Chao's (Squid Game), Wang Kai's (Dark Glory) and (Lone Agent).

This is at least a regional hegemon in East and Southeast Asia.

Omega also has a certain international influence.

Now they are directly pushing for location scouting and construction, including recruiting or seeking assistance for soldiers and extras needed for large-scale historical war dramas, and screening film and television cities.

Amid the banter, Lao Li nodded and said, "We're currently preparing for filming to begin in October. Deng Chao will finish filming before the start of filming (The Winner Takes All)."

"But if it's to make a splash in the 07 summer box office."

"It's not too late to sell the port after his (Winner Takes All) hits high ratings in the island nation."

President Han's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up, saying, "Deng Chao, now we're just waiting for you to practice your action scenes."

Deng Chao quickly smiled and said, "It's definitely no problem. Actually, I've been practicing Tai Chi and Five Animal Frolics for half a year, which will be of great help in terms of physical movement."

Hu Ge only thought of visiting the Tai Chi master and the Five Animal Frolics master when the filming of the Legend of Sword and Fairy was completed.

Old Deng started practicing back in 05.

This was driven by Sun Li.

Sun Li is a young woman, a pretty girl, and she had been openly envying Wang Zuxian's youthful appearance and aging in reverse for a year.

Sun Li, who is in her mid-twenties, doesn't have much need for anti-aging or reverse aging.

And then what? In two more years she'll be turning thirty.

Last year, before "The Little Man" even started filming, Sun Li was already stirring things up. At that time, Deng Chao didn't have any film or television projects, and he looked down on ordinary resources.

The price offered by the other party did not meet his expectations, so he figured he might as well be in a relationship and show off his love instead of wasting his time.

President Han, "..."

President Han didn't know what to say.

Chen Kexin coughed lightly, "President Li, President Han, actually I still feel that the title 'Assassinating Ma' is a bit inadequate."

The group of people followed the topic and looked at Old Li first.

Old Li smiled and shook his head, "It's a small matter. Just think of a new name slowly. If you don't want to have the same name as Zhang Che's version, then let's call it 'The Assassination of Ma'anshan'."

In the 70s, Chang Cheh directed a version starring Ti Lung and David Chiang (The Assassin).

There's not much difference between calling it "Assassination of Ma" and "The Pledge of Allegiance".

If you really want to promote the product, then the "Stabber" is more of a gimmick.

The assassination of Ma Ying-jeou is hailed as one of the four great unsolved cases of the late Qing Dynasty, alongside Yang Naiwu and Xiao Baicai.

This enjoys widespread popularity among the general public.

After the assassination of Ma, many versions of the story circulated among the public, one of which claimed that the assassin had slept with the beautiful wife of his subordinate.

He even framed and murdered Cao Erhu in order to completely possess his beautiful wife.

This version is also widely circulated, similar to the story of Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing.

This has a wider scope than the Xiang Army hiring assassins to kill Ma Chuan.

The script that Chen Kexin presented actually had a similar plot.

Even though the male and female leads have complex characters, it's far from the case that they only wanted to cuckold someone and dominate their wives before killing the second male lead.

However, naming it (such as "Assassinating Ma" or "The Assassination Case") makes it easier to generate publicity.

Peter Chan was once again bewildered.

Is it a remake of "The Assassination of Ma"? It's a remake, and the idea for it came back in 03.

Mr. Li, the major investor who provided the funds, interfered too much with his creative process.

That is, the person in front of me is Li Wenyu.

Anyone else would have slammed the door and left, and would have been tempted to find a new boss to scam investors.

This is Li Wenyu? Oh well, never mind.

Let's operate according to Godfather Lee's will.

Ultimately, Lao Li made his fortune in the entertainment industry, which was his primary source of wealth.

At present, his influence and status have even surpassed those of the most powerful tycoons in Hong Kong, such as Cucumber Old Man, Li Zhaoji, and the Kwok brothers.

Old Li doesn't have as much money as those other companies.

But in terms of influence, a media mogul who dominates East and Southeast Asia surpasses that.

Chen Kexin was unaware that Lao Li had become a national treasure in toy manufacturing.

Old Chen wanted to shout that this was a terrible thing.

A moment later, Old Li saw Chen Kexin, Deng Chao, and the others off.

President Han remained in his office. Given his high position and influence, he wouldn't make a special trip just for a trivial matter.

After Old Li finished his cigar, President Han smiled and said, "President Li, besides (The Lost Tomb), (The Assassination of Ma) and (The Twelve Zodiacs)..."

"China Film Group can invest in projects that are currently in production or in pre-production and lack investment."

"The percentage doesn't matter, the main thing is to participate."

China Film Group joined the investment, and he and Tencent Pictures took a 50% stake in Huo Yuanjia.

However, in the films that China Film Group collaborated on with Time, China Film Group typically only invested 20% to 30%.

No problem, Shiguang is a private group that wants to make more money.

China Film Group is primarily an official entity that focuses on participation.

Old Li laughed and said, "It's easy. If President Han has spoken, the cooperation will definitely be a win-win situation. Ning Hao has also been preparing for quite some time, and he's dragged Xiao Yang along to India to film (Slumdog Millionaire)."

"Times accounts for 35%, Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures account for 65%, and the global box office revenue sharing ratio is also the same."

“China Film Group can get 15% if they join, and I will transfer it to them.”

Nowadays, the revenue of a movie is no longer that important.

You'll earn tens of millions of dollars more.

What does 70 or 80 billion RMB in assets mean to Lao Li?
And then there was the 08 financial crisis that swept the globe two years later!
If you want to make money, then there's a sea of ​​money.

The millionaire is a blockbuster that has been a box office and critical success, with numerous awards to be won.

Involving China Film Group would be more beneficial for Mr. Han's performance evaluation.

Mr. Han was overjoyed; this was a game-changer, with a single book selling over 700 million copies worldwide.

These sales figures are a guarantee, and the book has also won numerous book awards.

Old Han took another sip of champagne. "President Li is so generous, I can't be stingy either. Don't worry, I will go further to promote the Clean Internet Campaign."

"We hope to shrink the space for pirated video websites to survive."

"Piracy can't be completely eradicated, but it will bring more legitimate users to Time Video."

"We can still contribute."

…………

As time went by, the movie (Me Before You) finally premiered in Chinese and South Korean theaters at midnight on the 14th.

At the peak of the summer movie season.

From Lao Li and Xiao Tong to Liu Shishi, A Zhi, Hu Ge, and many other stars, they started a roadshow together.

When was the last time Lao Li personally went on a roadshow?
Anyway, since "Dying to Survive" didn't do any promotional tours, he doesn't need to show up for any of the other cameo appearances.

Li Wenyu's roadshow caused a sensation right from the start.

From the host interacting with guests at the roadshow to countless audience members, the question that Lao Li is most curious about is: what is his relationship with Xiao Tong?
Could it be that you cheated on your girlfriend, Fatty Bing, with someone else?

Regardless of his past cameo appearances, this time he's directly "cameo" as the male lead in a romance movie—that's going too far.

With Jackie Chan around, even having another daughter isn't considered a big deal.

Even if Lao Li publicly admitted that Xiao Tong was the other woman, there wouldn't be much of a stir. That was in 2006.

What does 2006 represent?
From the "mistress villages" of the 1980s and 90s to the "fancy players" of cities and counties, some things are commonplace.

This is not the era of rampant boxing, where countless people are just waiting to make a fortune and start their own businesses.

Of course, Li Wenyu gave a very proper answer when he went on a promotional tour; it was because he, as an actor, was feeling the urge to act.

Just like Leung Ka-fai, who often doesn't consider the pay when accepting roles in order to satisfy his passion for acting.

I don't care about the genre or category of the movie; I'll take on any role that I find interesting and challenging.

He is a sports enthusiast and discovered that his junior from the Beijing Film Academy had written an interesting novel.

The other party is also transitioning into directing and is a highly talented woman signed by Time Magazine.

I'm giving this a try to support my acting passion; this was done with Fan Bingbing's permission.

Currently, the maximum weekly box office revenue for mainland cinemas is between 2 million and 2.2 million yuan.

With the release of "Meet You", the screenings of "(Little People)" were cut to 25%, while "Meet You" had 70%.

The remaining 5% consists of various other blockbusters, including soup-drinking ones (Keep on the phone).

As for how long this ratio will last, it depends on the individual box office results.

Originally, it wouldn't have been easy to say if it were just based on book fans, but Lao Li went on a roadshow, including setting up a trip to Beijing, his hometown, and then to Hong Kong, Macau and the Peninsula.

This provides an incredibly powerful boost to the box office performance of romance films.

It's hard to say how effective his explanations and interactions with his own people will be; how many people will believe him?
How many people don't believe it and are convinced that he is Bao Xiaotong's mistress?
This is a matter of opinion.

The good news is that it will continue until the morning of July 17th.

Old Li and his team arrived at Hong Kong Island Airport to continue their roadshow.

The first weekend of "Meet You" is out.

5900 million in mainland China, 1100 million in Hong Kong Island, and 1200 million in Taiwan.

During the same three days, the number of ordinary people in mainland China reached 2000 million.

Including Monday through Thursday, the total for the fifth week was 1.03 million.

This movie grossed 7.84 million yuan in China in five weeks!
This data is truly out of control and going crazy; it's like they're going to go mad to succeed.

The number one trending topic on the Chinese internet was Fan Bingbing's generous statement that she also admires Tong Liya, a talented young woman, which caused a sensation.

(End of this chapter)