Huayu Entertainment: You have been directing for three generations, are you comparing your qualifica

Chapter 133 The End of an Era!

The box office performance of "Annabelle" exceeded everyone's expectations, including Lionsgate, which had high hopes for the film.

The overseas market surpassed the North American domestic box office.

Looking at the email from Lionsgate, the information was almost identical to that reported by foreign media.

$3550 million in North America in its opening weekend!
$3740 million in other countries and regions! Strong performance in Latin America and Europe.

Given such a strong growth rate, it is expected to break the global record of 2 million US dollars.

"Boss, we've got a clear picture of Shu Chang's lawsuit. The contract was signed behind her back by her former company, and the new film contract was signed by her current agent without her knowledge, which led to her filming in multiple productions at the same time."

Upon hearing Chen Zhixi's report, Tian Xiaole nodded to indicate that she understood.
This matter is easy to resolve. Since a breach of contract has been made, then just pay compensation.

But why help her? It's impossible to do something so thankless just by saying a few nice words.

"Here's what we'll do: have Xiao Yang ask Shu Chang if she's willing to sign a contract with us. If she is, then help her resolve the lawsuit."

Shu Chang is considered a veteran actress, and her acting skills are decent among female actresses in television dramas.

Her popularity and national recognition are top-tier; only by signing her and generating revenue for the company can they potentially help her.

As soon as Chen Zhixi left, her assistant came in with an invitation.

"Boss, this is an invitation from the movie 'Fearless'."

Tian Xiaole took the invitation, looked at the standardized invitation and the movie's detailed information, and since she had no connection with the main creators, she declined.

"Let's cancel it. Just say we're busy with movie promotion."

"Okay, boss."

"Buzzing..."

My phone rang with a text message notification; it was from Yan Ni.

The sitcom she starred in, "My Own Swordsman," is about to premiere on CCTV-8.

Tian Xiaole sent a congratulatory text message, saying she would watch it when it aired.

I left my phone on the table and browsed the news online for a while.

And you know what? There's a lot of information here.

The film "The Banquet," invested in by Huayi Brothers and directed by Feng Xiaogang, and hailed as the Chinese version of Hamlet, has officially wrapped filming.

The man behind Zhang Yimou is clamoring that New Pictures' next film will return to commercial cinema and will be an exclusive production, refusing to accept other investors.

Tian Xiaole had already imagined the scene of Han Sanping jumping up and down when he saw the message.

China Film Group has been unable to get involved in the New Pictures project, which makes him very dissatisfied with Zhang Weiping for taking all the profits.

The news spread instantly throughout the entertainment circles of both regions.
Zhang Yimou's new films are all big productions, and they definitely require a lot of actors.

Another piece of news caught Tian Xiaole's attention.

The Beijing Film Academy has launched its new Master of Fine Arts program, and the first batch of applicants includes Huang Xiaoming, Zhao Yanzi, Chen Kun, Zu Feng, Yan Dancheng, and others.

Everyone else chose the acting department, but Zhao Yanzi was ambitious and applied to the directing department.

According to the timeline, she successfully passed the postgraduate entrance examination and chose Lao Tian as her supervisor.

"Isn't this a scam?"

Tian Xiaole was speechless. He picked up his phone from the table and called Lao Tian.

After winning the Golden Lion Award, Tian Zhuangzhuang was very relaxed, much like a retired cadre, spending his time teaching students at the Beijing Film Academy.

"Old Tian, ​​are you one of the mentors for this year's Master of Fine Arts program?"

"Yes, I'm one of the three mentors. What's wrong? Do you have a friend who recommended you to me?" Old Tian asked curiously.

"No, but I advise you to be more careful in choosing people."

Tian Xiaole was speechless. Zhao Yanzi's reputation was already so bad. The incident of her wearing a ghost costume was brought up again, and the hype had barely died down when she started jumping around again.

"I don't plan to mentor any students this year. I'm getting too old and it's not up to the task. Mentoring you is enough."

Tian Xiaole had almost forgotten that he was still Lao Tian's graduate student.

Although he rarely appeared at school and never took exams, his grades were always among the best, and no one dared to disagree.

But what does Lao Tian mean by that? It seems like he didn't learn anything from him. It's as if he wants to take credit for Tian Xiaole's achievements.

···
After a few days of buzz, the first trailer for "The Thieves" went viral.

The number of people who want to watch movies on Leyu.com alone exceeds 100 million.

The comments below are all expressing anticipation for the movie's release and a promise to go to the theater to support it.

The movie is showing signs of becoming a huge hit, but some people are getting restless.

Huo Wenxi was sitting in Tian Xiaole's office at that moment, wanting the Hong Kong distribution rights for "The Thief".

She was dressed in a professional outfit, with a white blazer over a short skirt, and her long legs were covered in black stockings.

"The film is a joint investment by several companies, and a decision can only be made after discussions."

Tian Xiaole had control over the "Thief" project, and he didn't want to agree to Huo Wenxi's request so quickly; he wanted to at least show some appreciation.

"Before I came here, Chairman Yang had already spoken with Chairman Han on the phone. Chairman Han said that I could just contact you directly."

Huo Wenxi smiled, guessing Tian Xiaole's ulterior motives. He wasn't interested in the Yinghuang female artist, but his gaze towards her was quite aggressive.

Tian Xiaole cursed Han Sanping inwardly for his big mouth, wanting to get some benefits first, but now he had no choice but to agree. Other distribution companies in Hong Kong would not go after them.

"Alright, distribution is your responsibility. Just make sure the publicity and promotion are done well."

"Don't worry about that. By the way, the post-production of [Ip Man] is almost finished. The release date will depend on you going to China Film Group to arrange the schedule."

"It's all little things."

Tian Xiaole spoke casually, glanced at the time, and invited:

"It's dinner time, let's go together."

···
Inside a private room of a high-end Western restaurant in Zhongguancun.

Tian Xiaole opened a bottle of red wine and poured some for Huo Wenxi first.

"You came all this way just for the [Thief] publication?"

"This is no small matter, especially for Hong Kong films..."

Huo Wenxi stopped the conversation in time.

This piqued Tian Xiaole's interest: "What's wrong with Hong Kong films?" Huo Wenxi sighed: "The data will be released sooner or later, so I'll just tell you."

Last year, Hong Kong produced only eight fewer Chinese-language films than the previous year, but the total box office revenue decreased by 43%. Do you know what that means?

“An era is coming to an end!” Tian Xiaole said.

"Yes, an era is coming to an end."

There's the impact of Hollywood blockbusters, the rise of mainland commercial film directors, and the emergence of new-generation directors like yourself.

Huo Wenxi raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, his expression somewhat forlorn.

For Hong Kong filmmakers, the decline of Hong Kong cinema is unacceptable; it was once known as the Hollywood of the East.

Tian Xiaole shook her head, not entirely agreeing with her statement.

“The mainland market is getting better and better, but Hong Kong filmmakers are unwilling to cater to it. They always have an arrogant attitude and refuse to lower their standards. I believe that one day this figure will reach 90%.”

After an awkward silence, the two tacitly refrained from bringing it up again.

She knew exactly what kind of people those filmmakers in Hong Kong were like.

Despite its small size, the area has accumulated remarkable achievements over the years, which has also led to a diverse mix of people and factions.

With the rise of the mainland, the internal faction split into two.

Those who adapt to the times and proactively embrace the mainland are like Ying Huang.

The conservatives are rather xenophobic, insist on Hong Kong Island supremacy, and always have a disdainful attitude.

The bottle of red wine was quickly emptied, but Huo Wenxi was still not satisfied and ordered another bottle.

"Director Tian, ​​if I hadn't mentioned that I called Chairman Yang first, what conditions would you have offered to allow the distribution of 'The Thief' to Yinghuang?"

Tian Xiaole shook his head; he would never admit that he would only agree if he wanted something in return.

"Since you've personally spoken up, we should at least give you this much face."

"Haha, man."

Tian Xiaole was feeling dizzy and ignored Huo Wenxi's mocking expression. She went to the restroom and sent a text message to her assistant.

Back in the private room, the two chatted idly.
Soon, the wine in the next bottle was empty, stopping Huo Wenxi from drinking more.

"Let's go, I'll take you to a hotel to rest."

Upon seeing the hotel information sent by her assistant, Tian Xiaole said to Huo Wenxi.

"You still want to sleep with me, don't you? I can tell from your eyes, you still want to tear my stockings, right!"

Huo Wenxi leaned half his body against Tian Xiaole, uttering lewd words.

"You know too much."

···
The next day, when Tian Xiaole woke up, she was still a little dizzy and there was no one beside her.

Thinking of the woman who was so passionate last night feels like a dream.

But the shredded black stockings in the trash can proved that the battle last night was intense, and Huo Wenxi unleashed another side of herself.

Tian Xiaole suddenly slapped his forehead. In a place as decadent as Hong Kong, and as a high-ranking executive of a film company, how could he possibly get dizzy from just two bottles of red wine?

This is clearly a case of someone suppressing their feelings for too long and then finding an excuse to release them.

What a loss! I've become a tool!

20 number.

The premiere of "Fearless" was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the capital.

Not many people from the mainland film industry went there, after all, the entire crew was from Hong Kong. Jet Li had been out of touch with the mainland for too long, and there was no mutual interest between them.

Many media outlets attended, and Jay Chou's premiere performance of the eponymous theme song "Huo Yuanjia" also attracted many fans.

Ning Hao's film "Extreme Profession" has started filming, and he called Tian Xiaole, saying that as the investor and producer, he had to be there.

The 30 million investment is Ning Hao's most lavish investment to date.

Even the launch press conference was held at the Capital Hotel.

When Tian Xiaole arrived, the press conference had just begun, and many journalists were present. Ning Hao was on stage giving his presentation.

"Thanks to Director Tian for providing such a great script and for solving the investment problem, which made it possible to invite several talented actors. I am confident that I can present the film perfectly to everyone."

"Director Ning, the title of the script doesn't reveal the subject matter. Could you please reveal some details?" a reporter asked.

"It's still my signature dark humor style."

"Were there any expectations regarding box office performance?"

"Let's aim for over 100 million. After all, Director Tian provided the script for 'Stone,' so we can't let things go downhill."

···
Banquet time.

Several key members of the production team came over to greet each other, knowing who the real financial backer was.

"Director Tian, ​​thank you for providing such a great script, which gave me the opportunity to play the role of Squad Leader Gao."

"Mr. Fan Wei, you're too kind. With your acting skills, you're sure to get plenty of good scripts."

For actors who perform sketch comedy, especially comedic sketch comedy, to act in serious dramas is a complete slap in the face to actors from traditional academies.

The character of Squad Leader Gao is mainly characterized by a comedic contrast, contributing 80% of the laughs in the plot through absurd lines and exaggerated facial expressions.

Fan Wei is absolutely perfect for the role.

"Director Tian, ​​I didn't get to act in 'Pacific Rim,' but I did get to act in a film you invested in, which means we have a deep connection."

Chen Minghao is someone I know well; we worked together on "Supermarket" before. In this drama, he plays Detective Ma, the team's combat expert.

"Your acting is good, keep up the good work."

Chen Minghao is a big, burly man, and apart from special roles, he rarely gets offered any roles.

Tian Xiaole waved to Dong Xuan, who was not far away, and after Dong Xuan came over, she said to the rest of the crew:
"These are artists from my company. Please take good care of the female colleagues on set."

"Don't worry, Director Tian, ​​I'll treat you like my own sister."

Chen Minghao patted his chest and said.

"I'm most worried about you; you don't seem like a good person."

Tian Xiaole laughed and scolded, which caused everyone to burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)