I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 310 Changes in the sky
The warm spring breeze of April gently brushed past the window of the [Huaying International] office.

Li Minghao silently looked at the box office report for March and April, feeling uneasy.

From March 15th to April 25th, for nearly 40 days, the name "Zhou Yang" became the dominant theme in the Chinese film industry.

Zhou Yang's films have gradually been taken off the screens.

The report shows that...

The box office of "Augmented Racer" has officially surpassed 1.5 million RMB.

"Bao Gong's Night Trial of Ultraman" followed closely behind at the box office, surpassing nearly 6000 million...

Calabash Brothers: 5300 million...

……

Twilight has officially surpassed 200 million RMB...

These films received mixed reviews, yet each one was very profitable.

During this period, some domestically produced films from the [Xuanshi Entertainment] system were also released, but most of them performed poorly at the box office, without any major highlights or much buzz...

After looking at the box office figures, Li Minghao felt a sense of powerlessness gradually welling up inside him.

Since the box office failure of "Catwoman" led to a two-week slump in the stocks of the three major cinema chains and a continuous exodus of capital, their control over the Chinese film market has become virtually nonexistent.

"Mr. Li, the acquisition process is currently severely delayed. Apart from a few old cinemas in third-tier county towns with limited profits, most are taking a wait-and-see approach, neither rejecting the acquisition nor making a clear statement... and they don't seem to be taking sides with anyone..."

The secretary stood to one side, head down, looking at the data in her hand, and then silently reported the data for the first quarter.

Looking back to the beginning of cinema reform in the early 2000s, the three major cinema chains rose rapidly with the help of capital...

As the leading player among the three major cinema chains, Huaying International's development momentum is particularly aggressive. Deeply understanding the stories that capital loves, they have meticulously crafted a blueprint for monopolizing China's cinema industry: Huaying International's ten-year plan aims to seize a 35% market share in 2005, exceed 50% in 2007, and ultimately aim for absolute control of 70% by 2010.
Capital is inherently driven by the pursuit of monopolies, as frenzied as a bloodthirsty shark that has caught the scent of its prey…

Everyone knows that the future of China Cinema Line is equivalent to the future of China's film and television industry. Whoever controls the future will become the "king" of this field.

"How are the other two cinema chains doing...?"

"Capital outflow is severe. For capital, whether it's cinemas under Zhou Yang's system or those under our three major cinema chains, it's really just a matter of changing the spokesperson... In fact, it's not just our situation that's not optimistic; the situation of the five major film companies is also not optimistic... Since Liu Jinghua and his team left, [Huashang Brothers] has been in a state of management chaos for three months. During this period, the box office performance of the films they invested in and released was mediocre, with no potential to boost or stabilize the box office. They can only pin their last hope on 'The Feast of Kings' during the [Domestic Film Protection Month]. Although the team at [Tianyu] did not suffer a major blow, Liu Jinghua's departure also took away a lot of capital from the market..."

"..."

"If film companies can't produce a blockbuster movie, their situation will become increasingly difficult. Capital isn't stupid... Of course, that's not the worst part. The worst part is..."

"Say!"

A breeze caressed Li Minghao's face, still so warm and gentle.

But at this moment, Li Minghao felt a chill running through his heart.

He watched as the secretary silently picked up another report from Hollywood: "The eight major Hollywood studios will be releasing three films in April and May: *Star Wars*, *The Wrath of the Gods*, and *xXx*... In previous years, by this time, the five major studios would have already obtained the rights to these films and begun a massive publicity campaign. But this year, I've received information that, to date, none of the five major studios have acquired the rights to these films..."

"The Howling God is a film under Universal Pictures. However, last year, Universal Pictures collaborated with Zhou Yang on a film called 'Fast & Furious,' with Zhou Yang serving as producer... This year, it seems they also invested in Zhou Yang's new film 'Dark Knight'... The production company for 'xXx' is Paimon Pictures, and the production company for 'Saw' is also Paimon Pictures, and the main European and American production company for 'Dark Knight' is Paimon Pictures..."

"The only variable film is 'Star Wars,' produced by Fox Studios. Two companies, Washington Brothers and Tianyu Media, are currently going to great lengths to acquire the film's rights..."

Li Minghao listened silently.

He seemed somewhat dazed, and after receiving the film materials, he let out a soft sigh.

With that sigh, the entire office fell into an unprecedented silence. The oppressive atmosphere echoed throughout the conference room, causing the secretary to lower her head and remain silent.

Just then, the phone rang.

After receiving the call, the secretary's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

"what happened?"

"Zhou Yang has secured the rights to both 'The Howling God' and 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage,' and moreover..."

"And what?"

"Zhou Yang established China's first cinema commercial complex and publicly announced that it would premiere the films 'The Howling God' and 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage,' and that movie tickets would be 50% off! A massive price reduction across the board... These two Hollywood films may drop to below 12 yuan, breaking the historical record for Hollywood movie ticket prices in China!"

When Li Minghao heard this, his pupils contracted and he suddenly stood up.

Immediately afterwards, the secretary hurriedly picked up her notebook and opened the latest documents that had been sent to her.

After seeing these documents, Li Minghao's pupils contracted sharply, and he vaguely sensed that something big was about to happen!
"Damn it, he's not making money anymore?"

"..." Immediately afterwards, his pupils contracted, and he hurriedly picked up the phone and dialed Dong Qichang's number.

The call was answered quickly.

"Mr. Dong, I just received news that you're going to drastically reduce the prices of all imported movies. Is this news true?"

On the other end of the phone, Dong Qichang didn't respond immediately. He remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Yes!"

"Are you crazy?! Do you know what you're doing? You're pushing the entire theater industry into an abyss! Have you considered the consequences of doing this?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone this time, with no intention of responding.

Li Mingrui became anxious: "President Dong, what revenue sharing price do you plan to offer us for the two movies, 'The Howling God' and 'xXx'? With the entire market lowering prices, shouldn't the revenue sharing price you offer us also decrease?"

"I'm not sure about the specifics, but what Mr. Zhou means is..." The call ended abruptly with a silence.

"What do you mean? Mr. Dong, don't tell me you're trying to block these two films. At the last meeting, the relevant departments stated in their declaration regarding the 'Domestic Film Protection Month' and the 'Protection of Domestic Film and Television Enterprises' that no film and television company may block any imported film for any reason or excuse!"

"But the agreement doesn't say that extensions cannot be authorized..."

"What do you mean!"

"Mr. Li, let me be frank... There's a lot of capital pouring into the cinema chains under Mr. Zhou's system. Although the 12 capital firms within Mr. Zhou's core cinema chains, the [Cinema Chain Alliance], are all his own people, the capital in the 15 cinema chains outside the [Cinema Chain Alliance] is capital that has gradually left the three major cinema chains... They talked to me about it some time ago..."

What did you talk about?

"We'll join forces to crush your three cinema chains and redistribute the market share... Of course, we can't cooperate with those bloodthirsty capitalists, but we won't favor any one chain either. Cinemas within the [Cinema Chain Alliance] will get the film source two days earlier and premiere two days earlier. Other cinemas will be delayed by one day, while your three listed cinema chains will be delayed by two days!"

"Dong Qichang, you son of a bitch!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li, business warfare is inherently ruthless. Just like when you joined forces with five major film companies and three major cinema chains to strangle Mr. Zhou... You never gave Mr. Zhou a way out, and you know Mr. Zhou's temperament..."

"..."

The call ended abruptly, and Li Minghao's face turned deathly pale!
this moment……

He realized that something big might be about to happen!

Immediately afterwards...

He looked at his secretary in a panic!

"Help me contact the board of directors. I want to talk to the investors. I need to negotiate with them and sign a performance-based agreement. Tell them I agree now!"

"..."

..............................

"Didn't you get the rights to 'The Wrath of the Gods' and 'xXx'?"

"Okay, I get it!"

Los Angeles.

The entrance to Fox Studios.

Xu Haibo, from the film and television department of Tianyu Media, got out of the car with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

Recently, Huasheng Brothers underwent a major change, just when Tianyu Media was poised to reclaim its former glory...

However, after this major change, Zhou Yang's forces are rising strongly, putting considerable pressure on them!
Even though he knew that the movies "The Howling God" and "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" were most likely going to Zhou Yang's [Xuan Shi Entertainment], Xu Haibo still felt a sudden shock in his heart and a vague feeling of being unable to breathe when he actually heard the news...

He silently lowered his head and glanced at the Star Wars poster!

Star Wars, a global franchise that began to gain popularity in the 70s, boasts hundreds of millions of fans worldwide...

At this very moment, this film has become a key project in the power struggle between Tianyu Media and Huasheng Brothers, or rather, between traditional film companies and emerging capital within Zhou Yang's system!
If he couldn't secure the rights to this film, he couldn't even imagine the bleak situation his company would face in the two months leading up to the "Domestic Film Protection Month" in May and June.
He calmed himself down.

Just as he was about to step through the door...

He received another phone call!
His expression changed drastically after receiving the call!

"Dear Xu, just now, [Xuan Shi Entertainment] quoted us a price far exceeding the market rate. I'd like to know what price you can offer us now?"

"How much did they report?"

After receiving the call!
Xu Haibo's eyes widened, and his pupils suddenly contracted!
"Damn it, is this bastard not making any money?!"

(End of this chapter)