Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 693 Internal Subscription in Action
Wu Chen found it somewhat amusing to see Xu Zheng fidgeting and sweating.

He took the script from Ning Hao's hand.
The only sound in the office for a moment was the rustling of papers being turned.

Ning Hao watched from the side, feeling a pang of worry for Xu Zheng.

He felt it was pretty good, but Wu Chen's standards for the script were much higher than his.
About half an hour later, Wu Chen finally closed the script.

He didn't speak, but just looked at Xu Zheng with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Xu Zheng's heart was in his throat.

"It's alright," Wu Chen finally spoke, "better than I expected."

"call"

Xu Zheng let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that his back was completely soaked.

"Alright." Wu Chen put the script back on the table. "I've approved the script. I'll have Xiang Zhuo handle the project approval process for you later."

"Thank you, Director Wu! Thank you, Director Wu!"

Xu Zheng was so excited that he almost stood up and bowed.

Wu Chen waved his hand, already calculating the share of the budget in his mind. He estimated that the film could be completed with a production cost of less than 30 million, and might even be much more refined than the original.

As for the share...
To be honest, releasing too many wouldn't make much sense.

"It would be better to allocate a portion of the quota for internal purchases to provide some benefits to our own people, which would also increase team cohesion."

As Wu Chen thought about the names of Ning Hao, Lu Yang, Guo Fan, and others, an idea suddenly came to him.

He snapped out of his reverie and asked Xu Zheng, "By the way, what about the actors? Have you decided who to cast?"

"I've made up my mind!" Xu Zheng nodded quickly. "I want to ask Huang Bo to play the business rival, and Wang Baoqiang to play the silly scallion pancake chef. We're all familiar with each other."

"Alright, you go and negotiate it yourself. Don't shortchange them on their pay."

In November, the weather in Beijing turned completely cold.

However, the publicity surrounding Interstellar has reached a fever pitch.

As expected, Han Sanping, just as Wu Chen had predicted, used his most proficient "three-pronged attack" on the China Film Group side.

The main venue for "Interstellar Travel Day" in China was set at the National Science and Technology Museum, and many experts were brought in to support the event.

For a time, "Watch 'Interstellar' and learn about aerospace" became the most fashionable slogan.

Online, movie fans have already gone crazy.

"Damn! Less than two weeks left! I can't wait!"

"Did you guys manage to snag tickets for 'Interstellar Travel Day'? I'm planning to queue all night!"

"It's said that the exclusive IMAX footage is ten minutes long! Ten minutes! Wu Chen's ten minutes is enough for other directors to make several movies!"

Just as domestic movie fans were eagerly anticipating it, Fan Binbin made headlines again at the Tokyo International Film Festival;
She, a film festival judge, managed to generate more media exposure than the festival chairman.

During this period, various news articles about her "strong support for Chinese films", "high praise for 'The Three Musketeers'", and "close interaction with the jury chairman" flooded the internet.

Of course, she also took a close-up photo with Milla Jovovich, the star of Resident Evil.

In the eyes of netizens, Fan Binbin's appearance made it seem as if he had already secured the role of Ada Wong in "Resident Evil 5".

This made Li Binbin so angry that he almost couldn't eat, but he could only endure it and wait for the official announcement from the production team.

It has to be said that Fan Binbin is truly gifted when it comes to "creating buzz" and "hyping up topics." Wu Chen couldn't help but shake his head when he saw this news.

This woman really knows how to market herself.

In early November, Wu Chen and Liu Yifei flew to Los Angeles to officially begin a global promotional tour for "Interstellar" that lasted for more than two weeks.

They had barely left when the media began reporting on it enthusiastically.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei depart for Los Angeles; the global promotional tour for "Interstellar" is about to begin.

Immediately afterward, Zhang Weiping took action.

A strongly worded letter from New Pictures Film Co., Ltd. was simultaneously delivered to the desks of the CEOs of major domestic cinema chains.

The core message of the letter is only one:
The letter contained only one core message: "The Flowers of War" demanded that the production company's share of the profits be increased from the traditional 43% to 45%, and that the minimum ticket price for each movie ticket be raised by 5 yuan.

The reason is that this film has a huge investment, excellent production quality, and carries the heavy responsibility of competing for an Oscar, so it deserves a higher box office return.

Moreover, the film is 2 hours and 25 minutes long, which is 40 to 50 minutes longer than a typical domestic film. It's like an enhanced product, and an enhanced product naturally comes with a higher price.

Zhang Weiping's public statements were also very confident and assertive.

“There are government subsidies for building cinemas. Once the cinema is built, you make money and also acquire a fixed asset.”

If my film loses money, all I'll have left is the film itself; all the risk is on me. And according to the revenue-sharing arrangement, the theaters get the lion's share. What could they possibly complain about?

This letter was like a bombshell, instantly causing an uproar throughout the entire cinema industry.

"Has Zhang Weiping gone mad? Who does he think he is, bringing things up like that?"

"45%? Why doesn't he just rob us?! If this sets a precedent, how are we supposed to compete in the future?"

"Did those guys figure out that Wu Chen just flew to Hollywood and wouldn't be in the country before they did this?"

The heads of several major cinema chains held a conference call overnight, and their attitude was unprecedentedly unified: resolutely resist!

But how do we resist?

With "The Flowers of War" as its trump card, and being the only domestic blockbuster in the Lunar New Year film season, Zhang Weiping couldn't possibly not schedule screenings.

Moreover, major production companies seem to be secretly working together to make this happen.
Xu Dong is feeling very uncomfortable right now.

Because Wu Chen is currently on a plane at an altitude of over 10,000 meters, he cannot be contacted.

However, the heads of major cinema chains have already called him one after another, showing their concern and care.
"Mr. Xu, does Director Wu know about this? What's his opinion?"

"President Xu, Xingchen Cinema can't be the first to agree to this. Our cinema chain is on your side."

These greetings all convey the same message: Brother, what's your boss's attitude now?

"Boss, when will you be able to turn it on?"

Xu Dong looked out the window and smiled bitterly.

It just so happens that Starry Sky Cinema is both a theater chain and a top-tier production company in the industry, and they have another blockbuster to be released at the end of November, much bigger than "The Flowers of War".

Without a doubt, Wu Chen is now the point they are trying to win over.
Moreover, they were afraid that if Wu Chen also sided with Zhang Weiping and increased their share of the profits, they would truly be doomed.

Thus, Xu Dong was half-pushed and half-pulled into attending the closed-door meeting the next day of the "anti-price-increase alliance" urgently formed by the eight major cinema chains.

"Without consultation, a unilateral notice was issued, and we must prepare to jointly boycott 'The Flowers of War'."

The next day, Xu Dong listened silently as the heads of major cinema chains indignantly criticized Zhang Weiping in a closed-door meeting.
(End of this chapter)