Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 713 Negotiations Fail? Threat

The day after returning to Beijing, Wu Chen's life did not change its rhythm due to the noise from the outside world.

In the morning, he first met with Liu Yong, the CEO of Gewara.

The meeting place was a coffee shop downstairs from Starry Night Pictures.

This time, Liu Yong was much smarter.

Perhaps it was the warning from that phone call a few days ago that had an effect, or perhaps it was the rapid developments of the past few days that gradually calmed him down from his initial euphoria.

He elaborated on Gewara's current market share and user growth data, but focused on the future.

Actually, it's mainly to express an attitude.

"Mr. Wu, the success of 'Interstellar' has shown us the enormous potential of integrated online promotion and distribution. I've been thinking about it, and we can't just be a simple ticketing platform."
From initial promotion and ticket sales to post-sales reputation maintenance, a complete cycle is formed.

Wu Chen listened, holding his coffee, without giving a clear answer.

All I can say is that Liu Yong's plan was quite good, but things didn't go as smoothly as expected.

However, he didn't say anything more, only offering a few words of encouragement, telling him to continue to focus on user experience and not to let temporary victories go to his head.

Before leaving, Wu Chen still gave him some reassurance.

"Starry Night Pictures will naturally side with its own people."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yong became very excited.

That afternoon, in the same coffee shop, at the same spot, Wu Chen met another "new player".

Wang Xing, the founder of Meituan.com.

Wang Xing was wearing a simple plaid shirt and black-rimmed glasses;
At that moment, he looked more like a programmer than the leader of a rapidly rising internet company.

"Director Wu, I've long admired your name."

Wang Xing's opening remarks were very direct and without much formality.

To be honest, he was sizing up the young man in front of him.

Young, handsome, and possessing a calm aura that is unmatched by his peers.

Wang Xing sighed inwardly. If it were him, having achieved fame at a young age, enjoyed a smooth and successful career, gained worldwide renown, and possessed such a vast empire, he would probably have already shown his brilliance and become arrogant.

"Haha, speaking of Director Wu's 'Interstellar,' I went to see it yesterday, and to be honest, it was very impressive."
I think Director Wu underestimated the total box office. Even if I don't know much about movies, I think it should be more than one billion US dollars.

When making small talk, it's natural to find topics that one or both parties are happy to discuss.

Interstellar is a good starting point.

Wu Chen naturally knew this.

Whether it's the online ticketing dispute or himself, Interstellar is an unavoidable topic.

“There are no perfect works.” Wu Chen smiled. “Art is something that no one can predict. Some people like it, and naturally some people don’t. Box office results are still very difficult to predict.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries and getting to know each other's personalities, Wang Xing got straight to the point.

"Director Wu, I won't beat around the bush anymore."

Meituan's movie ticketing business is still in its early stages and has encountered some difficulties. Gewara Lifestyle Network has made a very successful move. However, we believe that the movie ticketing market is far from over.

Wu Chen nodded slightly upon hearing this.

It must be said that the other party has a very discerning eye.

"I'm here today to discuss the possibility of strategic cooperation with Starry Night Pictures. Meituan has huge offline traffic and ground promotion capabilities, while Starry Night Pictures has top-notch film content."

"If we can join forces, I believe we can create even greater value than we have now."

Wu Chen looked at Wang Xing, his mind perfectly clear.

"Mr. Wang, I understand what you mean. But the so-called strategic cooperation is too vague. Why don't we talk about something more practical?"

Wu Chen put down his coffee cup, leaned forward slightly, and looked directly at Wang Xing.

"Would Mr. Wang be willing to spin off Meituan's film division as a separate entity? Xingchen can invest with a combination of cash and resources."

Wang Xing's pupils suddenly contracted.

He had considered many ways to cooperate, but he never imagined that Wu Chen would ask him to split up the business and directly invest in it.

Although Meituan Cinema is not a core part of Meituan's overall business portfolio, and is only a newly launched business.

But who would have this idea in the first place?
Even if they need to raise funds, it won't be that quick.

"Director Wu, it's hard for me to agree to your request." After thinking for a moment, Wang Xing said slowly, "Director Wu, how about we change the terms?"

Meituan Cinema is still in its early stages; it's not yet worthy of your high regard, is it?

"I just don't want to put all my eggs in one basket," Wu Chen smiled, giving a vague answer.

Then he added:
"But Xingchen has lost much interest in strategic cooperation;
In the content field, we have Shanda Literature; in the ticketing field, we have Gewara. To be honest, having more would just be icing on the cake.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xing inexplicably felt a sense of defeat.

In his view, this time, some cooperation should be achieved, but he really didn't expect the other party to suddenly ask for equity, and even if he had, it would be impossible to give it to them now.

So now we're at a stalemate.

At this moment, Wu Chen was not in a hurry at all. He knew that Wang Xing, or rather Meituan as it is now, still had money and had not yet reached the end of its rope.

Their current understanding of movie ticketing is still limited to the level of "traffic entry point," and they have not yet realized that behind it lies a huge market worth hundreds of billions.

It's not the right time to talk to him now.
After Guevara does Meituan Movies a few more times, Wang Xing might have some ideas.

And isn't there going to be a hundred-regiment war in the future?
This meeting was more like a tentative exchange.

Neither of them said anything more, and the conversation ended tacitly.

The winds of change blow very quickly in this circle.

The news that Zhang Yimou is about to leave New Pictures has been leaked from an unknown source.

The entire industry was shaken.

Countless film and television companies are sharpening their knives, preparing to compete for this "national director".

The office of Xiaoma Benteng is located upstairs from Xingchen Pictures.

Upon receiving the news, Zhong Lifang went directly to their door almost immediately.

"Director Wu! Director Wu!" Zhong Lifang's voice came through before she even arrived, her tone filled with barely suppressed excitement and anxiety.

Is what happened with Director Zhang true?

"what's up?"

Wu Chen was looking at data from North America and other countries in "Interstellar" when he looked up and asked, pretending not to know.

"Oh my! Director Wu, we're such good friends now!" Zhong Lifang sat down opposite him in a flurry of activity. "You must have broken up with Zhang Weiping!"

In recent years, Xiaoma Benteng has developed extremely rapidly, making great strides in TV dramas and investing in several successful film projects.

Now, all that's missing is a top-tier director who can truly stabilize the situation.

"I don't know yet. What, Sister Zhong, are you trying to get Director Zhang onto your Little Ma's bandwagon?" Wu Chen teased with a smile.

“Which company in the industry wouldn’t want that!” Zhong Lifang slapped her thigh. “To be honest, if it weren’t for Zhang Weiping being so domineering all these years, keeping a tight rein on Director Zhang, the industry would have made a move long ago!”

Zhong Lifang is not alone in sharing this idea.

Wang Changtian from Enlight Media also quickly called Wu Chen to subtly inquire about the situation.

That evening, Wu Chen made a phone call to Zhang Yi.

"Senior brother, your news has spread like wildfire."

"Let it fly. Anyway, it's a fact." On the other end of the phone, Zhang Yi's voice was tinged with weariness, but also with a sense of relief.

“However, senior brother,” Wu Chen reminded him, “Zhang Weiping is no pushover. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.”

What kind of person is Zhang Weiping?

Everyone in the industry knows this.

A businessman who made his fortune by reselling film copies, he valued profit over ethics and was ruthless.

Over the years, I've done my fair share of things like delaying payments and imposing unfair terms.

However, Wu Chen did not expect Zhang Weiping's actions to be so swift and so despicable.

The next day, a Weibo post from an unknown source suddenly began circulating online.

[Rumors circulate that a famous Chinese film director has remarried!]

Soon, "informed netizens" pointed out in the comments section that the director was Zhang Yimou.

Even more outrageous, rumors have begun to circulate that Zhang Yimou has remarried his ex-wife Xiao Hua for the sake of their daughter.

The news spread rapidly both inside and outside the industry.

Some media outlets rushed to the entrance of New Pictures' company to verify the matter.

Company staff stepped forward to block him, looking impatient.

"We don't care about this. It's pretty boring."

This seemingly disclaiming response is actually like a knife being handed out.

The threat is self-evident.

Zhang Weiping is telling Zhang Yi: If you dare to leave, I dare to expose all your private affairs!
Amidst all this turmoil, the domestic box office of "Interstellar," after breaking 100 million yuan for four consecutive days, finally fell back below 100 million yuan on Tuesday, a weekday.

Daily box office: 9200 million.

When this number came out, many industry insiders breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally... finally it's fallen below 100 million. Damn, I was really afraid it would just stay there and never come down."

"Yes, every morning when I woke up and saw that number of over 1 million, I felt like I couldn't have a conversation. Now, the air feels much fresher."

"Don't get too excited! Don't worry, it'll be back this weekend!"

"Stop talking, I'm numb. All I want to know is when it will break one billion."

(End of this chapter)