It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 254 Company Restructuring Plans... Driving Tanks into Seoul? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Yesterday, Lü Rui hosted a banquet at the State Guest House for all employees of Rui Vision and industry partners. The number of attendees was large, including representatives from China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Enlight Media, and Wanda Group..."

"The romantic film 'Li Mi's Conjecture,' produced by Ruishijie and directed by Cao Baoping, released its cast announcement this morning: Fan Bingbing, Zhang Yi, Wang Shuohui, Ning Li and other talented actors have joined the cast!"

"China Film Group, together with Ruishijie and Bad Monkey, released a casting announcement for 'Crazy Racer.' The film is directed by Ning Hao and stars Huang Bo, Lü Kongwei, Rong Xiang, Wang Shuangbao, and Wang Xun."

"Today, Ruishijie's film and television department announced several TV series projects, including the spy drama 'Lurking,' the military drama 'My Brother is Called Shunliu,' and the historical drama 'Going West'..."

"Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter: The Hollywood fantasy film 'Twilight,' written by Lu Rui and with an investment of up to $3000 million, has successfully wrapped up filming."

"After interviewing Tian Xiaopeng, president of Ruiyue Animation, the media learned that the Sino-foreign co-production animated film 'Kung Fu Panda' is progressing steadily."

Director Shen Ao appeared in Nanjing and revealed to the media that he is preparing a film about the Nanjing Massacre, aiming to expose that painful history...

……

Announcing annual film and television project plans at the beginning of each year has long been an unwritten rule in the industry.

Vision is no exception.

At this time of year, major media outlets would compile project lists from various companies, compare and analyze success rates, and even invite industry experts to comment and make predictions.

This year, the VisionX was undoubtedly the most dazzling presence at the event!

The film, television, and animation sectors are all thriving!
Such a comprehensive industrial chain layout has truly surprised many in the industry.

It's worth noting that Ruishijie has only been established for 5 years.

Compared to established companies that have been cultivating their businesses for many years, it undoubtedly appears quite immature.

But in terms of development speed, it's like a rocket!

Especially compared to the scattered projects recently announced by other companies, Ruishijie's lineup is truly impressive, successfully taking the lead and making countless peers envious.

"No wonder this slut is so confident and determined to leave Huayi. It turns out she's climbed the high branch of Ruishijie."

In Huayi's general manager's office, Wang Zhonglei stared at the casting announcement for "Li Mi's Conjecture" and suddenly realized what was going on.

If he's right, Fan Bingbing's personal studio was most likely set up behind the scenes with the help of Lü Rui.

Although Ruishijie does not appear to be involved in artist management, Lü Rui himself has quietly invested in many artists.

For example, Liu Yifei is a recognized "wise girl".

Now, with the addition of Fan Bingbing, their two completely different styles are like adding wings to a tiger!

"Wow! Director Lü, you've got some serious skills! Having two women on your left and right, enjoying the bliss of having two wives..."

Wang Zhonglei was initially filled with rage, but then a look of disdain appeared on his face.

He originally thought that Lü Rui was a virtuous and upright person in the industry, but now it seems that he is nothing more than a lustful man.

No wonder that when he asked Lü Rui to drop Fan Bingbing after the audition results for "Pacific Rim" came out, he was flatly refused.

Looking back now, the two of them were probably already hooking up back then!

Do not!
wrong!

Perhaps they've already been secretly having an affair and engaging in illicit relations, but they've kept it a secret until the contract expires...

Thinking of this, Wang Zhonglei snorted coldly: "This time I made a mistake, consider you two lucky! We'll see who has the last laugh!"

Although Huayi and Ruishijie appear to be partners on the surface, their businesses have been expanding rapidly in the past year or two, and they have begun to show signs of rivalry.

In Wang Zhonglei's view, it is likely that one day in the future, the two sides will inevitably have to face each other in a battle!
He wasn't intimidated at all.

After all, Huayi's resource network is now fully expanded, and it also has strong support from above.

Wang Zhongjun, the elder brother, is also in charge of the "de-reliance on film" strategy. With the support of the entire Beijing entertainment circle and the capital backing of Ma Yun and others, a future IPO may not be impossible!
By then, he will be a true billionaire in the industry...

Just as he was envisioning the future, his smile suddenly froze.

I almost forgot, Lü Rui still holds 8% of Huayi's shares!

If this really goes public successfully, wouldn't that be a freebie for that kid?

"No, we have to find a way to get the shares back!"

Wang Zhonglei hurriedly got up, instructing his secretary to urge the production department to speed up the start of filming for "The Forbidden Kingdom" while rushing to Wang Zhongjun's office to discuss this most important matter.

While he was worrying about the potential loss of his interests, Lu Chuan was staring at the news online about Shen Ao's acceptance of media interviews, completely panicked.

Is Ruishijie going to make a movie about the Nanjing Massacre?
What do they want to do?
Why choose this particular time to enter the market?
After a moment's thought, a terrifying idea exploded in his mind: "Could they be here to sabotage my 'Nanjing! Nanjing!'?"

Thinking of this, the shadow of the attacks and reports against "Kekexili" instantly surged into my mind.

He was completely stunned. The script in his hand seemed to have become a death warrant, making him restless and uneasy!

Shen Ao: Still taking pictures? We're coming to snipe you!

In a panic, his hands trembled as he picked up his phone and dialed his teacher Jiang Shixiong's number.

"Teacher, something terrible has happened! Ruishijie is going to make a movie on the same subject. What should I do?"

After explaining the details, Lu Chuan's voice trembled slightly, as if she was about to burst into tears.

After hearing the whole story, Jiang Shixiong scolded him with a hint of exasperation, "What are you afraid of? They just gave you a signal, and you're already this scared? Don't you have any backbone?"

Lu Chuan clearly hadn't expected that his panic would result in a scolding.

He actually has some masochistic tendencies.

So, being scolded like that actually dispelled the panic in my heart, and my masochistic tendencies kicked in at that moment.

He suddenly realized!
What's the point of making this movie right now? Isn't it just to wash away the stains of controversy surrounding themselves?
If we can make this movie well, it will be a critical and commercial success, and it will also surpass Ruishijie. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?
Thinking of this, he instantly became full of energy!

"That's right! I must film well and prove myself!"

……

Time flies, and it's now October 8nd.

The New World has officially come to an end!
This crime thriller that swept the Chinese film industry has delivered an impressive performance in the market over its 30-day run.

The film grossed 1.41 million yuan in mainland China, 3675 million Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong, and 4063 million New Taiwan dollars in Taiwan, achieving a complete success in all three markets.

Inside the Ruishijie office, secretary Liang Lulu was holding a report and presenting a clear and organized breakdown of revenue details to Lü Rui:
"The finance department has completed the calculations. After deducting theater revenue sharing, production costs, and marketing expenses, 'New World' generated a net profit of 5400 million."

Based on the company's 60% share, it will receive 3240 million... Subsequent copyright revenue is expected to reach over 1500 million, and we are currently in talks with film and television companies in various regions regarding copyright licensing matters..."

After listening carefully, Lü Rui took the report, signed his name, and instructed, "Enter the full amount first. Keep this money temporarily; it may come in handy soon."

He had already made up his mind.

Shen Ao's production of "Nanjing Photo Studio" will be launched immediately after the script is finalized. At that time, the pre-production preparation, set construction and historical research will all require sufficient funding, and this net profit can be used to cover it.

"Yes, Chairman Lü."

Liang Lulu nodded in agreement, put away the report, turned and left to begin coordinating with the finance department to finalize the accounting procedures...

The office returned to silence.

Lu Rui stopped what he was doing and stretched his slightly sore shoulders and neck.

During the few days that filming of "Pacific Rim" was suspended, he had just assigned all the post-production tasks to his team when he rushed back to the company to deal with the backlog of work.

The primary agenda item is to conduct a comprehensive planning and adjustment of all departments within the company.

As Vision's business scope continues to expand, from film and television to animation, cinemas, and video platforms, the original extensive management style can no longer keep up with the pace of development.

We can't keep letting core members take on multiple roles and work in a daze, can we?

While this may save on labor costs, in the long run, it will inevitably hinder the company's sustainable development and may even create hidden management problems.

Thus, an internal reform, though not a large-scale undertaking, was quietly launched, enough to influence the career trajectory of every employee in the company.

First, the film department and the television department were clearly separated.

Everyone knows perfectly well whether they should be in charge of film or television, and there is no longer any overlap or confusion.

Of course, Hou Hongliang will still concurrently serve as the head of both departments, but his focus will primarily be on the television drama business. Meanwhile, Lü Rui will be mainly responsible for the core business of the film department.

He would only give Hou Hongliang specific tasks to handle when he was extremely busy.

Then came the three major sections: publicity, distribution, and public relations. These sections were officially separated and each became a department with a dedicated manager in charge.

The general manager directly under these three managers is still Chen Tao.

If we were to ask who Lü Rui trusts the most in the entire company, it would undoubtedly be Chen Tao!
Because the other party not only took on countless "dirty and tiring jobs" for him, but also handled many secret businesses that could not be made public.

If this were ancient times, Chen Tao would undoubtedly be the leader of his assassins!

The two even had their own secret code.

As long as Lü Rui makes a phone call and says, "Taozi, I want to eat fish," Chen Tao will know that the elderly people in his hometown who are receiving government assistance need to be helped.

In fact, the current industry environment is not very peaceful.

The company has encountered numerous problems, especially when expanding its distribution and cinema operations.

At times like these, you need both white gloves to deal with the overt rules and black gloves to keep things under control.

As the saying goes, "Every country has its laws, and every profession has its rules." Sometimes, when local gangs are too rude, you definitely can't back down, or you'll only suffer losses.

Apart from that, Zhou Haoran remains fully responsible for the cinema business.

Ruixing Group continues to be personally controlled by Lü Rui.

The workload there isn't much; the core focus is mainly on investment, which can be managed by a few teams.

The company that is currently most in need of manpower is Ruiyue Animation.

Without a doubt, Tian Xiaopeng is a top talent in the animation industry in terms of technology and production, but his management skills are somewhat lacking compared to Lü Rui's requirements.

Therefore, he plans to recruit a professional who is both knowledgeable in management and proficient in IP development.

Since the decision has been made to create an "Oriental Disney", the development of animation IPs is undoubtedly of paramount importance!

Especially related products, theme parks, and copyrights—these are all cash cows that can generate continuous profits.

If this business can be developed, the profits will be no less than those from the TV drama business.

However, such talents are extremely rare and not easy to find.

Therefore, Lü Rui assigned the task to Hou Hongliang, instructing him to use headhunters to recruit talent from competitors, offering them generous compensation and full autonomy.

With the addition of the blockbuster IP "Kung Fu Panda", there's no shortage of general managers who want to make a name for themselves.

Hou Hongliang is very confident about this.

With his talent for recruiting, handling this matter will be a piece of cake.

People in the industry used to say that Zhou Yi was a "family business" with an impregnable internal structure, but now he has dug it up completely.

These days, poaching a general manager from an animation company is incredibly easy.

He has now set his sights on a suitable target.

That person's name is Ding Liang. He is currently the deputy general manager of Fantawild Pictures, and his main work involves research and development of film and animation.

After a brief encounter, Hou Hongliang discovered that the other person, like himself, was also a person with lofty ideals and ambitions.

However, due to the poor state of the domestic animation industry, he was unable to fully utilize his talents.

Just then, Ruishijie extended an olive branch to him.

Ding Liang greatly admires Lü Rui's courage to invest $1.3 million in an animated film!
This is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to poach talent...

People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. As long as you keep wielding your hoe, there's no talent you can't find!
After finishing the company's planning, Lü Rui focused on following up on the situation of Tudou.com and Ruixing Cinema.

On Tudou.com, Ruishijie, with its strong financial backing, outmaneuvered Sohu's Zhang Chaoyang and LeTV's Jia Yueting in the competition for content.

Thanks to its early strategic planning, Tudou.com continues to lead the industry and is showing strong growth momentum.

As for Ruixing Cinema Line, it's more complicated.

The main reason is that cinema chains involve physical cinemas. Those with equity stakes are better, but the scale of business for directly operated cinemas is enormous!
Each cinema has anywhere from a dozen to several dozen people, from front desk staff and stagehands to projectionists and managers, making management extremely difficult.

Fortunately, Zhou Haoran is capable enough to withstand the pressure.

Lu Rui knew the difficulty involved, so he wasn't in a hurry to urge him. He could take it slow and improve it step by step. Anyway, the market hadn't reached its peak yet, so there was still plenty of time to prepare.

Of course, as a company with rapid growth, things aren't all peaceful.

Among them are pioneering and enterprising individuals, but there are also those who try to take advantage of the situation.

Industry insiders know that Ruishijie offers excellent benefits; after the internship period, they fully pay for the five social insurances and one housing fund, and never use labor agencies...

Therefore, some people came here with the idea of ​​just loafing around and waiting to die.

But their plan clearly backfired.

Because regardless of whether they are new or old employees, once such signs are discovered, they should be transferred to another position first, and if that doesn't work, they should be dismissed directly.

Lu Rui was well aware that a large film and television company with hundreds or thousands of employees could never be completely transparent.

However, we must never allow the bad social trends of laziness and slacking off to blow in!

Because these two emotions can spread like a virus, and once they become difficult to contain, the company is completely ruined!
Of course, if it really comes to that, he will definitely not hold back.

Even Hou Hongliang could be dismissed.

As a pioneer, he has never lacked the courage and determination to start over!

On the 10th, after finishing his company affairs, Lü Rui, along with the Pacific Rim crew, officially began filming in the Pacific Rim region.

The core of this trip was to collect footage on location, with the aim of reducing the burden on post-production.

After all, green screen keying is not only expensive, but its visual realism is also far inferior to that of real scenes. Only real-life footage can make the battle scenes between mechs and monsters more immersive.

The team's first stop was South Korea, which is relatively close to China.

Lu Rui's initial idea was actually to film a shocking scene of a monster destroying the Blue House.

However, after contacting the relevant local departments, they refused to agree no matter what.

Left with no other option, he had to change his shooting target to the Seoul Tower, a landmark building.

Before boarding his flight at the airport, Lü Rui looked through the current data on the cinema market with great interest.

"Confession of Pain" has long since faded into obscurity, with no hope of breaking 100 million at the box office.

On the other hand, after 26 days of release, "Curse of the Golden Flower" has accumulated a box office of 2.7 million yuan.

There are still four days left in the theatrical run... the application for the key has failed again, and the daily box office has already fallen below 100 million...

This movie was essentially a box office flop; losing money was inevitable.

According to data previously released by Zhang Weiping, the film's investment cost was as high as 3.6 million RMB!

The mainland market is now beyond saving, unable to even reach 3 million.

The film only grossed less than $700 million in the Hollywood market before being pulled from theaters by the distributor.

It's difficult to make a profit from any angle, unless Zhang Weiping manipulates the accounts and secretly covers up the losses by overstating costs.

At 10:00 AM, the flight took off on time.

After nearly two hours of flight, the plane landed safely at Seoul Incheon Airport.

Watching the staff at the exit carefully checking each passport, looking on with a vigilant expression to prevent criminals from entering the country, Lü Rui secretly rolled his eyes.

He suddenly remembered a story his grandfather had told him when he was a child.

Back in the day, when the old man came to this land, he drove a tank; he didn't need a passport at all.
In other words, we are currently in a time of peace. If the situation were to change, the next time I come here, Seoul might have to revert to its former glory...

(End of this chapter)