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

Chapter 381 They! They can't control me anymore!

"Mr. Liu, I am calling today to once again sincerely invite you to join the [Xuan Shi Entertainment] team."

"I must admit that Transformers has a huge influence, a global IP that has influenced a generation, but their licensing fees are just too high!"

"Take transforming toys as an example. In a product that sells for 10 yuan, the licensing fee accounts for about 4 yuan."

"Around 4 yuan, plus production, road paving, and taxes, how much money do you actually get? Will consumers pay for the so-called IP value?"

"IP is a concept, but at the same time, IP can sometimes be quite useless..."

"Of course, this doesn't mean the IP era is over, but rather that we're on our way..."

"They want almost half the licensing fee, while we only charge a maximum of 5%, yes, 5%, we only want 5%! As long as the transforming toys you produce can bear our company logo..."

"If you want to make money, come with us!"

"If you're willing to spend money to support your passion for Transformers, then please continue to support it..."

"And our suppression of Transformers within China will not stop!"

"..."

The meeting room fell silent once again.

Under Xu Haibo's gaze, the person finally turned on the speakerphone.

Immediately afterwards...

The conference call was on speakerphone, and Zhou Yang's deep and imposing voice echoed throughout the meeting room.

When the phone call ended, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze again.

At this moment, everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock, hesitation, and struggle.

Zhou Yang's blatant poaching of talent exploded in everyone's minds like a bomb. The 5% licensing fee, compared to Hollywood's nearly 5% commission, was simply a game-changer!
Xu Haibo's face was ashen, his fingers trembling slightly, and he was on the verge of losing control of his emotions.

He clearly realized that Zhou Yang this time...

They came to take their lives!

Xu Haibo tried his best to calm himself down, forcing a smile to reassure everyone: "Don't worry, everyone, we at Tianyu Media will not stand idly by! I'll go back to the company immediately to contact the Hollywood headquarters, and we will definitely give you an explanation!"

After saying that, he hurriedly grabbed his briefcase and rushed out of the meeting room. His fingers were still trembling as he got into his car.

A light rain was falling outside the car, blurring the neon lights. He dialed Chen Lei's number, his voice hoarse: "Mr. Chen, Zhou Yang is poaching our merchandise distributors! We must immediately join forces with Hollywood to file a lawsuit against him for copyright infringement! Also... get Hasbro to lower the licensing fees, otherwise all our distributors will defect!"

After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, Chen Lei responded somberly: "Go back to the company first. As for Hollywood... I'm already in contact with them."

"it is good!"

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

noon.

The rain is still falling.

Chen Lei of Hongsheng Capital was on edge, feeling a suffocating pressure that made it hard for him to breathe.

The market has been completely turned upside down by Zhou Yang, this "troublemaker," and they are struggling to keep up, yet remain on the defensive...

This feeling caused him great pain!

He dialed the number of Hasbro's Asia Pacific head.

After the call connected, he suppressed his anxiety and, in as calm a tone as possible, explained the crisis facing the Chinese market and pleaded with the other party to lower the authorization fee in order to stabilize the distributors.

However, the response on the other end of the phone sank him to the bottom...

The other party declined, citing "global unified policy, we cannot rashly lower prices," and only promised that "we will report to headquarters for discussion as soon as possible. In addition, we are also working with the Transformers legal team to handle this matter."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Lei walked into the Tianyu Media conference room with a gloomy expression. Deng Baichuan, Xu Haibo, and others had been waiting for a long time.

After Chen Lei relayed Hasbro's response, the meeting room erupted in chaos.

"They're trying to kill us!"

"Big companies are slow by nature. In a month, no, half a month, something big will happen in our surrounding markets! Don't they understand that?"

Xu Haibo slammed his fist on the table, somewhat angrily. Just then, his phone rang again...

The more I listened, the more gloomy it became!
On the phone, just now, Zhou Yang personally went to recruit these agents again, and now the conditions are even more outrageous!
"Mr. Chen, Zhou Yang's message to these distributors is very simple: they can distribute 'Transformers' or their 'Transformers Metal,' and there's no conflict between them! His intention is to let these distributors earn double the money!"

"Who can withstand this!"

"..."

"Damn it! Zhou Yang is a madman who's going to cause a major upheaval! He's poaching international IPs, does he really think the Chinese market is his backyard?" Someone couldn't take it anymore and slammed their hand on the table, their face frighteningly cold, trembling with anger.

At that moment, Chen Lei's phone rang.

He answered the phone!
A few minutes later, he came over.

"Everyone, from this moment forward, you must immediately provide us with evidence of infringement..."

"But simply filing a lawsuit isn't enough! Hasbro is demanding that we simultaneously report this to the Ministry of Commerce, emphasizing that it concerns foreign investors' confidence in investing in China... During this period, Hasbro will personally intervene..."

"If capital like Zhou Yang continues to disrupt the market, then no one in the entire Chinese market will have a chance to compete!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted!
They all nodded in agreement!
Then, someone stood up.

"My personal suggestion is that this is not enough. We should also contact the foreign media outlets of the Global Times and turn this into an international incident of 'China condoning piracy and cracking down on foreign investment'! Then we should get the seven major Hollywood studios to jointly put pressure on him. Isn't Zhou Yang arrogant? Fine, let's see if he continues to be arrogant!"

As soon as this voice rang out, Tianyu Media immediately started chattering, with everyone indignantly wanting to use international pressure to teach Zhou Yang a lesson!

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

Time passed little by little.

The rain outside the window is getting heavier and heavier.

As night fell, the world grew increasingly gloomy.

The lights outside the window appeared particularly blurry in the misty fog.

The smoke in the conference room was so thick it was almost impossible to disperse.

From initial excitement and exhilaration to gradually falling into a suffocating silence.

Whether it's collaborating with Hollywood or gathering evidence of infringement, it takes at least half a month to operate.

However, reality did not give them a chance to catch their breath.

The conference room door was suddenly pushed open, and the secretary hurriedly brought over the latest public opinion data for "Iron Man".

Everyone stared at the flashing blue light on the projector, falling into a deathly silence.

The clock on the wall pointed to two in the morning, but no one got up to leave.

Chen Lei stared intently at the screen...

The premiere received an audience rating of 8.6, and the "want to see" index on ticketing platforms is skyrocketing at a rate of 6 per hour.

"It looks like Iron Man is about to take off!"

Suddenly someone shouted those words, and the entire conference room fell silent for a second. Then, almost everyone stood up at the same time, and all eyes turned to Chen Lei.

Chen Lei, however, remained staring out the window, his expression grave.

Just then, the secretary glanced down at her phone, her voice trembling slightly: "The box office figures... are out!"

"How many!"

"Iron Man" grossed 3200 million yuan on its opening day, with an occupancy rate of 92%...

Upon hearing the number, Chen Lei's pupils contracted, and he immediately took the phone to confirm.

3200 million!
This number might not seem astonishing under normal circumstances, but at this moment, it struck like a thunderbolt, hitting everyone hard in their hearts.

Chen Lei's fingertips tightened slightly, and his gaze quickly swept to the next line!
Transformers' daily box office is only 500 million!
500……

This means that unless the box office hits another record high, it is impossible for it to surpass the 4.5 million yuan weekly box office record set by Zhou Yang's "The Devil Knight"!
"According to pre-sale data, the number of screenings for 'Iron Man' will be increased to 35% the following day, while Zhou Yang's [Cinema Alliance]... has decided to drastically reduce the number of screenings for 'Transformers'!"

The secretary looked up again and said those words.

Chen Lei shook his head with a wry smile: "I understand, I... never mind, I'll go to Hollywood myself..."

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

Inside the Paimon Pictures office.

Mark looked at the 3200 million yuan box office figure for "Iron Man" on its opening day in China.

He sighed softly, feeling somewhat sentimental, but not surprised.

Zhou Yang's influence in China, coupled with Marvel's all-or-nothing gamble, means this second-tier superhero movie is destined to be a fatal blow to Transformers in the Chinese market.

He contacted major film companies again...

Although major film companies have realized something, they seem to be waiting and watching, showing no intention of relenting and allowing Marvel Studios to return the copyright.

Then, over the next four days, the data was as brutal as he had predicted...

Iron Man's box office has held steady above 3000 million, and social media is flooded with cool clips of the "mecha".

Meanwhile, Transformers' daily box office has fallen below 300 million, and its screening rate has shrunk to 8%...

With box office figures around 4.3 million, and only 5 days left before "Transformers" leaves theaters, unless it maintains a daily box office of 300 million, it won't reach 4.5 million...

"This Chinese man won this battle... Even Transformers was targeted..." Mark sighed, at this moment, he didn't know what to say.

And it was at this moment that he received the news.

Reports indicate that several major Hollywood studios are considering renewing their copyright agreements with Marvel Comics...

There is only one condition: to sue Zhou Yang!

But it seems...

I was rejected!
........................

This is the most brutal form of strangulation.

And this battle, in which Zhou Yangfang Capital strangled the capital of "Transformers", has finally come to an end.

On October 10, the daily box office of "Transformers" dropped to 2.8 million yuan, and the number of screenings was only 7%.

[Tianyu] urgently contacted cinemas to try to organize group screenings to boost sales, but was thwarted by the [Cinema Alliance]. Zhou Yang increased the screenings of "Iron Man" to 45% and launched a "watch two movies together and get a 50 yuan shopping voucher" promotion.

On the 11th, the three major cinema chains gritted their teeth and subsidized ticket prices, managing to bring the box office of "Transformers" back to 350 million yuan. However, the potential is getting lower and lower, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to continue subsidizing the box office.

On the 13th, box office revenue dropped again to 210 million, and even the midnight screenings were not full.

On the 14th, in the final sprint, Chen Lei personally coordinated the booking of the entire venue, ultimately bringing in 350 million yuan in a single day.

When it was taken off the screens on the 15th, Transformers' cumulative box office reached 4.46 million, just one step away from the record set by Dark Knight.

The cinema alliance has released "Transformers".

The three major cinema chains were unwilling to give up and secretly extended the screening to the 17th. As a result, they only grossed 160 million yuan in two days, and even with subsidies, they suffered a net loss of 200 million yuan.

Around the 18th, Transformers finally surpassed 4.51 million yuan at the box office, officially ending its theatrical run and topping the all-time Chinese box office record...

Despite the massive publicity campaign launched by Tianyu Media in conjunction with major film companies to propel "Transformers" to the top of the Chinese box office, this frenzy resembled a false prosperity.

Even the stock price of Tianyu Media failed to cause the slightest ripple, only rising slightly before falling back down.

The market is well aware that the Transformers project in the entire Chinese market is actually operating at a huge loss. All participants are subsidizing it. This seemingly glorious victory is essentially nothing more than a brutal game played by capital to maintain the dignity of Hollywood...

……

And just when everyone was feeling sentimental.

At this time, [XuanShi Entertainment] also released its performance report from September to now.

Transformers: My Girlfriend is a Robot grossed 2.25 million RMB.

Thanks to its emotional resonance and low price of 15 yuan, the film's daily box office has remained stable at around 1500 million yuan, with over one million viewers, making it a "backbone" of Zhou Yang's camp and the biggest contributor to this battle.

"Deformed Steel Bar" ultimately grossed 8120 million RMB.

The 8-yuan ticket price and catchy marketing strategy once boosted its daily audience to 750,000, but its overly abstract style limited its box office potential, and subsequent releases diverted viewership from new films, making it virtually impossible for it to break 100 million yuan...

Transforming Bike: Saviors and Transforming Metal: Cosmic Electricians.

With box office takings hovering around 2500 million and 1500 million respectively, these two disruptive works, which mainly feature "rustic sci-fi" and tokusatsu styles, performed poorly and seemed to have only served to squeeze out screenings...

As for "Transformers: Hemorrhoid Warriors", it only grossed 900 million RMB, making it arguably Zhou Yang's worst-performing film recently.

The film's failure made countless filmmakers realize that the market seems to have become immune to this kind of abstract subject matter. Even Zhou Yang couldn't generate box office success or buzz anymore...

There's been a lot of criticism in the market...

But despite the complaints, what more can you ask for in a movie ticket that costs only 6 to 8 yuan?

……

All eyes were focused on that string of numbers.

Finally, on the 18th, after 12 days in theaters, the total box office of "Iron Man" had surpassed 1.8 million yuan...

With the end of Transformers and the rise of Iron Man.

One fact is becoming crystal clear!

The era that belongs to Zhou Yang may truly be about to arrive.

and……

The landscape of China's film market is about to undergo a major transformation!
..............................

On the 19th.

It rained.

Moreover, the rain was getting heavier and heavier.

The entire city of Yanjing had a gloomy and terrifying feeling.

Some cheered, some were surprised, and some lamented the changing times...

Some people, however, felt a slight sense of pressure.

……

Office of China Film Group Corporation.

This should have been a day to celebrate!
This historic breakthrough for Chinese cinema marks another step forward for the industry and signifies that the dawn of the Chinese film industry has officially broken.

However, when Zhang Changlong answered the phone, his expression suddenly changed.

When Zhang Changlong rushed into the conference room, Chen Li had already turned on the projector, his expression unusually grave.

During the two weeks that Zhou Yang's film was targeting and suppressing Hollywood films, a storm of public opinion gradually arose overseas.

[The Hollywood Reporter] The front page prominently features: [Transformers Embroiled in Plagiarism Scandal]

[Global Cinema] Follows closely: [China Capital Suspected of Maliciously Suppressing Hollywood]

Deadline went even further, stating: "Zhou Yang is disrupting the rules of the global film market."

Even more troublesome is!
Six major film studios, including Hasbro, Warner Bros., and Paimon, have jointly filed a lawsuit with the Ministry of Commerce of China.

The lawsuit accuses Zhou Yang of systematic copyright infringement in his "Transformers Universe" series, and alleges that Zhou Yang's previous films contained agreements that violated market rules. A 200-page infringement comparison report was also attached.

"Breaking news!" Just then, Chen Li looked at Zhang Changlong: "The seven major film studios are pushing for global cinemas to remove films like Zhou Yang's that are suspected of plagiarism. All the films that went overseas in September have been taken down..."

In the conference room.

silence……

All that remained was the buzzing sound of the projector running.

Zhang Changlong frowned deeply, wanting to say something, but at this moment, his thoughts were somewhat chaotic...

Just at this time……

The phone rang again.

Zhang Changlong looked at the caller ID: Ministry of Commerce.

He answered the phone, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

On the other end of the phone, the leader's voice sounded deeply weary.

"Changlong, your film bureau has made a huge fuss this time."

"This afternoon, film bureaus overseas sent letters inquiring whether these incidents actually occurred..."

"The six major Hollywood studios have jointly accused us of condoning market monopolies, and they're making a scene internationally, demanding that we come up with policies..."

"Hasbro's legal team and some overseas business representatives are sitting in the Ministry of Commerce's conference room right now, arguing with the infringement reports. Although these reports are difficult to substantively confirm immediately, the impact is quite negative..."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Changlong felt a complex mix of emotions, but he did not respond.

"That Zhou Yang kid has really messed things up!"

"Foreign media are now reporting extensively that we are violating intellectual property protection."

A heavy sigh came from the other end of the phone:

"Let him tone it down."

"This is no longer just a matter for the film industry."

Zhang Changlong finally sighed: "Leader, we're doing our own thing in our own market. Why is it okay for them to do things in their own territory, but not okay for us to do things in our own territory? Why is it wrong?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone: "I understand your position. But this incident has caused quite a stir and generated a lot of public opinion. We will do our best to coordinate and strive for a fair competitive environment. After all, Hollywood's previous actions were quite excessive, and to some extent, they were a form of cultural invasion."

"Then please."

After hanging up, Zhang Changlong immediately dialed Zhou Yang's number, briefly conveying the current situation and adding, "Don't worry too much, we will fully support you. The film subsidy will arrive tomorrow, just do what you think is right."

Zhang Changlong paused, then said in a steady and powerful voice, "Have faith in us. We will always stand behind you..."

“Actually,” Zhou Yang said thoughtfully on the other end of the phone.

"You said."

"In fact, the most difficult battle was the one in September, but we held on, and now..." Zhou Yang's voice was sharp on the phone: "They can't hold us back anymore!"

(End of this chapter)