Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 120 The Most Profitable Movie

Movies that are completely unavailable in China can be seen here.

The United States has a film rating system. As long as a film passes censorship and is rated, it can be shown in theaters.

This is similar to Hong Kong, where there is still a Category III film market, and director Wong Jing has also made many Category III films.

These kinds of movies are very profitable, especially in overseas markets. Wherever they can be rated and imported, they can sell a lot of box office revenue.

However, it is almost impossible in the country. Chen Shouzhe has a lot of such scripts in his script library.

There are many companies in the United States that specialize in producing this kind of film, such as Lionsgate.

"Chen, welcome to Lionsgate." A producer named Darren greeted Chen Shouzhe.

"Hello Darren, hello Director Wan." Chen Shou shook hands with the two men, Darren and Director Wan.

Looking at the excessively young Chen Shouzhe, the two were actually quite excited.

"Hello Director Chen, let me introduce you. This is Lei, and he's the one who introduced you to us," said Wen Ziren.

Chen Shouzhe looked at this person, regardless of whether he knew who the other person was, Lei reached out and shook hands with him.

"Director Chen, hello. I am Lei, an actor. I am honored to have starred in the Matrix you wrote."

“That’s great, The Matrix is ​​a really good movie, Ray.” Chen Shou shook hands with him firmly.

Lu Sen came with him, and the group of five entered Lionsgate.

It's worth noting that Lionsgate is not an American film company, but rather originates from Canada in the northern United States. However, its headquarters are located in the United States, with companies in the United Kingdom, Colombia, the United States, and Canada. It is an independent film and television production company.

Before coming, Chen Shouzhe did some research and found that this company was famous for producing horror movies.

It has to be said that horror movies are really profitable, and Lionsgate is particularly outstanding in this regard.

"I'm curious, Darren, how did you find me?" Chen asked, looking at a group of people sitting in his office drinking coffee.

“This is all thanks to Ray. Ray starred in The Matrix, and he once talked to me about the idea for The Matrix. Of course, he didn’t reveal too much of the script, but he kept praising you as a great filmmaker. So we found out about your company, and we didn’t expect your company to have so many registered scripts, including many horror films. So I started contacting your company, and after half a year, we finally got to see you,” Darren explained.

"I see. I'm sorry, I have a lot of things to do in China, so I haven't been able to come over," Chen Shouzhe said.

“You are a remarkable director and screenwriter; the Columbia Disaster Trilogy has already proven your excellence in screenwriting,” James Wan said.

"You are Director James Wan?" Chen Shou looked at the man with a distinctly Eastern face. The surname Wen is a Chinese surname, originating from the State of Wen, and has produced many famous figures in history and even in modern China.

“I am of Chinese descent. My family went to Southeast Asia a long time ago, and I grew up in Australia,” Wen Ziren said.

"Is that so? So which script have you chosen?" Chen Shou asked with a smile.

"Saw!" Darren said.

Chen Shou was about to drink his coffee when he paused, the cup almost touching his lips.

Several people looked at Chen Shouzhe with surprise; this reaction was somewhat unexpected to them.

Chen Shou took a sip of coffee, put down his cup, and said, "You guys really know how to choose. I have very high expectations for this movie."

“Is that so? That’s great, it means we can make a lot of money,” Darren said.

“Yes, it can make a lot of money, so Darren, director James Wan, I can’t sell it to you all at once,” Chen Shou said.

Darren and James Wan nodded. Darren said, "Director Chen, we've inquired about your collaborations with Columbia and Warner. We'll handle the filming, you'll provide the script, and you can take 10% of the profits."

“No, I want to invest, half of it. Anyway, the production cost isn’t high. My collaboration with Columbia is the same – half the investment, plus the script copyright revenue,” Chen Shou said.

“This… please let us discuss this, okay?” Darren said.

"Please do as you wish." Chen Shou remained seated in his office while Darren and the other two walked out of the reception room.

"Will they agree?" Luxem asked.

“There are many companies in the US that make horror movies; it doesn’t have to be Lionsgate,” Chen Shou said, spreading his hands.

“That’s true.” Lucien nodded.

There are many independent film companies in the United States. Lionsgate has a good track record in horror films, strong distribution capabilities, and a large audience who enjoy horror movies. Collaborating with Lionsgate is a good option.

After waiting for half an hour, Darren and James Wan came in, followed by managers from several other companies.

“Director Chen, we are willing to cooperate,” Darren said with a smile.

“That’s great. I have a lot of horror scripts here. If it’s successful, we can strengthen our cooperation,” Chen Shouzhe said.

"Really? Director Chen's script is sought after by countless Hollywood companies," James Wan said excitedly.

"I'm glad you like it." Chen Shouzhe didn't know what kind of taste this fellow countryman had, that he liked horror movies so much. But the person filming it really wasn't afraid of these things. Chen Shouzhe had also filmed A Chinese Ghost Story, and there was even a scene where a female ghost was sleeping with him.

Having finalized the collaboration with Lionsgate, Lu Sen and Chen Shouzhe discussed several other scripts.

“I don’t think we need to collaborate with other companies. We can produce the film independently,” Lu Sen said. He was an ambitious man. Chen Shou’s script was profitable, so why should they collaborate with other companies and give away more screen time to others? Their own company could produce the film perfectly well.

The company's profits are high, and as a middleman, he gets a share, which means he gets more. He came to the United States to make money.

He saw Chen Shou's earning power and felt that his company was now fully capable of producing independently.

The United States has many independent production companies, and Lionsgate is one of them. Their BlueStar division was originally an independent production company.

Now that we have the basic framework and Chen Shouzhe's script, all we need to do is recruit a director.

You don't need to share money with others; you can make it yourself.

“Lu Sen, I don’t have that much energy to manage this place. I know what you’re thinking. A person’s energy is limited. My main job is in China. It’s better to leave the overseas work to other companies. We can just make money while lying down. Why take on risks? And do you think our movie will definitely make money?” Chen Shou said.

“Director Chen, you underestimate yourself. I think you are fully capable of producing your own films, just like ‘The Man from Earth,’ which earned $3.5 million from a single movie. What an amazing figure! All the theater chains know your name now. I think you are better off staying in Hollywood. It has the world’s largest market, and you don’t have to be restricted like you are in China,” Lu Sen said.

"You came abroad because of the restrictions?" Chen Shou asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Luxem nodded.

“I’m giving you two choices: either stay and continue working, or I’ll find you a different partner,” Chen Shou said.

"You, you're not joking?" Lu Sen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said.

“Lusen, you’ve been blinded by money. I won’t lose anything by leaving you; I can replace you anytime. And you will certainly live well without me, since you are capable. If you are not satisfied with the money you’ve earned so far, I think our cooperation can end,” Chen Shou said.

Lu Sen took a deep breath, seemingly lost in thought. Chen Shou watched him. This man in his forties had lived in a poor country in his time, so he chose to study abroad during his university years and stayed overseas.

Everyone has their own choices. There are countless people who go abroad. Lu Sen is a capable person because he was able to stay in the United States and live a good life.

As for those who return to China, to be honest, unless they are invited with high salaries, they are not very good. The gilded shell will eventually break.

Chen Shouzhe didn't like Lu Sen's ambitions very much because he needed a front man, someone who was obedient, not someone who was disobedient and uncontrollable.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think that through," Lucien said, bowing his head.

“If you’re really not feeling well, that’s okay. I’ll provide you with compensation as stipulated in the contract,” Chen Shou said, shrugging.

Luxen was absolutely unwilling; he would be crazy to give up a dividend of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

If this job were offered, I wonder how many people would be vying to do it.

"I'm sorry, Director Chen, it was my oversight," Lu Sen said.

“I’m from out of town, so I can’t eat too much, otherwise I’ll become fat and become a target. Did you experience any discrimination when you first came here?” Chen Shou asked.

“Yes,” Luxem nodded.

“That’s right. If you eat too much, even your allies will want to eat you. My plan for this trip is to make a movie. Let’s take it one step at a time,” Chen Shou said, spreading his hands.

"I understand."

After giving Lu Sen a warning, Chen Shou felt it was time to choose a movie. He planned to make a low-budget film, one or two of which wouldn't attract attention. If he made too many films, he would definitely be targeted. A few days ago, Jiang Wen thought his plan to release four films this year was unseemly, let alone in a foreign country where he would be even more vulnerable to being targeted.

After finishing the two film series, he went to Warner Bros. to sign a contract. He will return in the second half of the year to participate in casting and filming. After doing all this, he called Tao Le to tell him.

Tao Lak said he understood when he said he would be back later.

How long exactly do you want to stay?

"It's still uncertain. I'll finish this as soon as possible and go back," Chen Shou said, leaning back on the sofa with his legs crossed.

“Okay, by the way, Director Jiang Wen has already started reshooting,” Tao Le said.

"When?"

"Filming started yesterday, and many media outlets reported on it. Director Jiang Wen said in an interview that the scenes for this character will be reshot."

"It seems he's under a lot of pressure. Go see him in a couple of days."

“No problem, there won’t be any accidents this time. Don’t stay abroad for too long, you’re a father now.” Tao Le said with a smile.

“Yes, we have a child…” Chen Shouzhe suddenly remembered something.

"A child? This could be a good film!"

　That's all. Get some rest!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)