Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 297 Operation
Due to force majeure, Hu Xiaobei sold 350 million shares of Hudong Heavy Machinery as planned.

Due to the continued rise in stock prices, the average selling price of these stocks was 40 yuan by January, bringing him a profit of 140 million RMB.

However, he quickly reinvested the funds in the stock market, purchasing 1250 million shares of Haitong Securities at an average price of just over 11 yuan per share.

In addition, he had a balance of 3000 million RMB in his personal company account, which he used to purchase 250 million RMB worth of Haitong Securities stock, totaling 1500 million shares.

As for the small change, it was directly transferred into a special anti-rumor fund account set up for An Xiaoqian.

It is worth mentioning that Dushi Shares did not officially change its name to Haitong Securities until the beginning of January 2007, which differs from Hu Xiaobei's memory of the name change in 2006.

（PS：实际上是2007年4月，海通证券借壳都市股份上市。2007年7月6日完成工商变更登记后正式改名）

For a moment, Hu Xiaobei couldn't be sure whether his memory was faulty or whether his investment in the stock market had unexpectedly caused the delay in changing his name.

After all, even a small butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado, let alone Hu Xiaobei.

Regardless of his own influence, the amount of money he invests in the stock market is enough to affect many investors, and consequently, their families.

In early January, Hu Xiaobei's latest masterpiece, "The Way Home," was released to great acclaim.

This release breaks with tradition by launching Chinese, English, and French versions simultaneously worldwide, sparking a wave of anticipation in the international literary world.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the eve of the Lunar New Year is fast approaching, with the festive atmosphere gradually filling the air.

Looking back, the three of them were on the set of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" during the New Year in 2005, they were participating in the Spring Festival Gala in Beijing during the New Year in 2006, and this year they are on the set of their own "Mulan".

Actually, because of the Chinese New Year, Hu Xiaobei gave the crew a week off.

Logically speaking, Liu Xiaoli and her daughter should have had time to return to Jiangcheng for the Spring Festival.

However, considering that Hu Xiaobei was all alone, the mother and daughter decided to spend the New Year with him.

Liu Xiaoli did invite him to spend the Spring Festival in Jiangcheng, but for various reasons, the three of them ended up staying with the film crew.

Okay, in the end, I just chickened out.

Despite his current success, Hu Xiaobei is still somewhat socially awkward and a homebody at heart.

What's more, he was an orphan, and suddenly having a bunch of future relatives out of nowhere really left him at a loss.

In mid-March, filming for "Mulan" officially wrapped up.

The post-production this time is expected to take about half a year, much longer than in the past, mainly because there are many stakeholders involved.

If Hu Xiaobei were to handle everything himself, not only would the workload be enormous, but it would also easily cause trouble.

Therefore, the specific production aspects of the film, such as special effects compositing and sound effects processing, will be handled by Disney and China Film Group.

Hu Xiaobei only needs to highlight the key points, focus on the core editing work, and grasp the overall direction of the film.

As a commercial blockbuster, "Mulan" has invested heavily in visual effects and sound design, far exceeding the low-budget art films previously directed by Hu Xiaobei.

Such high-standard productions require collaboration from top professional teams to meet the aesthetic expectations of contemporary audiences for commercial blockbusters and are also in line with the current mainstream filmmakers' understanding.

Now that Hu Xiaobei has decided to shoot commercial films, this kind of multi-party collaborative production model will become the norm in the future.

Take "Mulan" for example. With Hu Xiaobei and An Xiaoqian's current influence, they don't actually need to actively seek cooperation with Disney.

Whether it's an art film or a commercial film, as long as they make a new movie, there are plenty of film companies around the world that want to buy the rights.

Disney will come knocking on your door as soon as it smells the scent.

Ultimately, it all boils down to nothing more than making money.

The American film and television industry is driven by capital, prioritizing commercial interests over cultural stances.

They aren't as patriotic or principled as the Chinese; they prioritize so-called self-interest and freedom. As long as the profits are substantial, they'd do anything, even help Hu Xiaobei break into Hollywood and capture the American market.

Even if it involves manipulating the Oscars, or even betraying national interests, that's not unacceptable.

It's worth noting that even active-duty U.S. military personnel are capable of doing absurd things like having someone else fight for them or leaking classified information, all for the sake of online traffic and attention.

So how much integrity can profit-driven capitalists have?
Hu Xiaobei's films are known for being incredibly profitable with high returns, a unique phenomenon in the art film industry.

If art films are like this, what will commercial films be like?

Film producers have a clear understanding of Hu Xiaobei's filming abilities based on details of his past film and television productions.

Industry insiders generally believe that with his outstanding creative abilities, once he turns to the commercial film track, it will be like a dragon entering the sea, where he can unleash his full potential and will surely unleash even greater market potential.

Many investors, cinemas, and distributors wanted to get on Hu Xiaobei's bandwagon to obtain greater and longer-term profits.

However, Hu Xiaobei has ample funds and never accepts external investment; they really can't get money into Hu Xiaobei's pocket.

This proactive partnership with Disney is not only based on long-term development considerations, but also has deeper underlying reasons.

Only by collaborating with top Hollywood production companies could he leverage Disney to make a major foray into Hollywood, capture the American market, and influence the Oscars.

This is the fundamental reason why Hu Xiaobei specifically sought cooperation with Disney and was willing to relinquish some of his profits.

In fact, he also wanted to rely on his own strength to sweep the Oscars with invincibility.

However, this award is too commercialized. No matter how good the movie is, it is basically impossible to win an Oscar if you don't have money, power, or connections.

At its core, this award is about the commercialization of capital; it requires powerful figures to spend money to operate it, making it easy for capital to manipulate.

When a country is controlled by capital, what does the commercialization of a mere film award matter?

After all, capital has already infiltrated the daily lives, clothing, food, housing, and transportation of people all over the world, attaching itself to every ordinary person and sucking their marrow dry.

Ahem... I've gone off on a tangent!

Generally speaking, if a film wants to win an Oscar, or if it wants to do public relations to help its actors win awards, it has to spend a lot of money on publicity.

For example, advertising in major media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and The New York Times.

They plaster huge posters all over the places where mainstream Hollywood filmmakers live, and they even have to create a website to vigorously promote how great their movies and actors are.

Under normal circumstances, publicity alone is not enough; we also need to find ways to "make our faces known".

For example, inviting Oscar judges to watch films privately, hosting various high-end cocktail parties and parties, and taking the opportunity to let judges and actors get up close and personal, etc.

You even have to send movie DVDs to the judges, along with some small gifts to "build rapport," which adds up to a considerable expense.

According to CNN estimates, major Hollywood studios spend approximately $1 million annually on Oscar campaigns.

To get a film nominated for as many awards as possible, the production company needs at least $200 million in basic public relations expenses.

Even targeting a single, important award can cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, less than the overall public relations cost of getting a film nominated for multiple awards.

Since Hu Xiaobei has chosen Disney, he doesn't need to worry about these things; Disney will naturally take care of everything for him.

Otherwise, why would anyone go to such lengths to make money for Disney?
Furthermore, and most importantly, An Xiaoqian has enough confidence and background to not need to curry favor with the judges.

It's just a trivial prize, not worth the trouble. Spending a little more money indirectly is already enough to give it face.

Hu Xiaobei and Disney have a private agreement on this matter, so there's no need to go into it.

(End of this chapter)