Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 142 Sixth Princess, I'm Not Satisfied with the Process

The great poet's film didn't do very well at the box office, but out of respect for him, theaters didn't pull it from theaters immediately, instead letting it run its run until the end.

Chen Shouzhe's "A Chinese Ghost Story" has been affected, and it will be difficult for its box office to recover. It can only maintain around 20 million a day, and it will be very difficult to break 16 billion. It is estimated to be around 1.5 billion.

Due to numerous reports and complaints, coupled with the theaters disclaiming any responsibility and penalties from higher authorities, Anle's "Catch the Demon" was forced to be pulled from theaters after only six days of release.

This film had a troubled history, was remade with a different lead actor, and was originally intended to profit from the stock market by stealing box office revenue.

Now, their attempt to steal a chicken has backfired, and they've been brought down by Chen Shou. Their stock is plummeting, cinemas are shut down for rectification, and they're facing a ban from domestic film production companies.

They either have to cut their losses and sell the theater chain, or they have to grit their teeth and stick it out and make their own movies.

It was obvious that they couldn't hold on any longer. Within days, the huge company was in a state of chaos. At this point, other investors, such as Alibaba and Wanda, were already eyeing their cinema chains.

It's not just about movie screens; Anle has built a lot of large-scale supporting facilities around the movies, including land acquisitions and construction. Because of the movie theater incident, countless businesses within it have been affected.

Anyway, the matter will be dealt with later, and Anle will have to pay the price for their actions.

Chen is filming movies in the United States, and many people who want to interview him can't get a chance.

"Why are you calling me?" Chen Shouzhe was a little confused when he received a call from China.

"My colleague is at the Warner Bros. entrance. Do you have a moment? Would you like to do an interview?" the person on the other end of the phone chuckled.

"Alright, I'll give you face. I'll have my assistant bring them in," Chen Shou said.

"Thank you so much, Director. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back to China," Guo Wei said with a smile.

"Phone calls are expensive, remember to bring me some good wine," Chen Shou said.

"Then I won't say any more, I'll definitely treat you to some good wine."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shou instructed Guo Fan, who was standing next to him, to go to the door to meet the person.

Guo Wei, the host of "Six Princesses," has immense influence behind her; she's not someone to mess with.

A few moments later, several people were brought in.

"Director Chen, may we film a bit?" one of the reporters asked.

"No problem, consider it publicity for me," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Great!" The photographer immediately began taking pictures.

"Director Chen, do you have time? We'd like to ask you a few questions," the reporter said with a smile.

"Okay, but not for too long, I still have filming to do," Chen Shouzhe nodded.

Everyone else on set looked over, knowing that Chen Shou was being interviewed. Judging from the equipment on those people, they were clearly government officials.

"Director Chen, my first question is about your views on box office fraud," the reporter asked.

“Zero tolerance is unfair to other filmmakers. The cost of making a film is very high. If other companies steal the box office revenue and we are powerless to fight back, it is unfair to the entire film market and will bury many good films,” Chen Shouzhe said.

"Regarding the issue of Anle's box office fraud, you chose to respond directly. Are you satisfied with the outcome?" the reporter asked.

"To be honest, I am not satisfied with the process. After the incident, I filed a formal complaint, but Anle was still brazenly stealing box office revenue, which is enough to prove that this was not the first time for them. Moreover, they are fearless and not afraid of punishment at all. I think the punishment for stealing box office revenue is too lenient and should be more severe. The relevant authorities should verify the truth and respond as soon as they receive the complaint. But I have waited for two days and have not received a single reply."

Chen Shou was truly angry. He felt aggrieved by the way the higher-ups had handled the situation, which emboldened An Le to act recklessly. Even after being reported, An Le continued to steal and swipe, which was tantamount to provoking the bottom line of the law.

The reporter was surprised that Chen Shouzhe would directly criticize the supervisory unit, but he thought it was good, since they had indeed done a poor job this time and deserved to be criticized.

"Have you really considered making all the films into co-productions?" the reporter asked.

"If the outcome of this handling does not meet my expectations, I really will do this. Foreign monks can chant sutras, but this kind of behavior that harms mainland production companies cannot be allowed to run rampant just because Anle once made contributions to the domestic film market. We live in a society governed by law, and everything should follow the law, instead of saying that merits cannot be punished. In feudal times, people still distinguished between merits and demerits," Chen Shou said, spreading his hands.

"Now, you're not satisfied with the outcome, what about the future films?"

"No, I am satisfied with the outcome, but I am not satisfied with the process. First, it was not timely enough. Despite the conclusive evidence, no action was taken against Anle. Second, Anle's attitude was poor. Despite the conclusive evidence, they continued to brazenly steal box office revenue. They were extremely arrogant, disregarded the law, and bullied small companies by relying on their status as a Hong Kong production company."

He then interviewed about Gravity and other films before his Warner Bros. assistant came to inform him that his time was up, and the interview ended.

Two days later, the Sixth Princess released the interview content, an exclusive interview with director Chen Shouzhe.

It immediately attracted countless people. After all, although the box office fraud incident had faded considerably, the internet has a long memory, and everyone still remembered it.

"You really dare to say that! Aren't you afraid of getting invited for tea?"

"Director Chen, be careful."

"That's right. The process was too slow. We've already filed a formal complaint, but one side is stalling and playing games, while the other is acting recklessly. They're practically showing contempt for the law." "In the end, it took more than thirty film companies joining forces to boycott the film before they finally gave a result. It's laughable. They want to handle this like the great poet did, with a cold shoulder."

"Unfortunately, we ran into Director Chen, a stubborn guy who wouldn't listen to any of that and just went straight for it."

“In the past, when big companies bullied small companies and stole box office revenue, it was always downplayed and the small companies had to swallow their anger. Now, someone has stood up. If we don’t unite now, who will speak up when we are robbed in the future?”

The interview with the sixth princess caused quite a stir, with netizens worried about Chen Shouzhe's safety and fearing he might be retaliated against.

Previously, Chen Shou had offended a group of old fogies in the bureau because of the review process, and now he has offended his superiors. It is unknown whether he will be retaliated against in the future.

Many people called Chen Shouzhe, telling him to say less, save face, and not to offend him to death.

Some people patiently advised him to be magnanimous and let the matter rest.

Chen Shouzhe is only in his early twenties, a time when he is young and impetuous. He can't swallow this insult. If he swallows his anger today, who will take him seriously tomorrow?

Therefore, we cannot back down. We should not look down on the poor young, the poor middle-aged, or the poor old, and in the end, we should not look down on the urn containing ashes.

Gravity was filmed in two months, during which time The Matrix was released.

This sci-fi movie swept the box office after its release, taking in $3.7 million worldwide in its first week.

This once again proves that Chen Shouzhe's science fiction films are truly impressive; even before he left the United States, many Hollywood giants approached him seeking cooperation.

Warner Bros. hasn't said anything yet, telling Chen to focus on making the movie first. They even whisper in his ear every now and then, trying to recruit him to join Warner Bros. and Hollywood, etc.

What company wouldn't want a commercial film director who can write screenplays?

A good director is one who can make money; what's the use of winning numerous awards if you can't make money?

Hollywood media outlets reported on this, and even interviewed Warner's CEO.

"We have great respect for Chen. If he is willing to stay in Hollywood, he will receive the highest level of treatment and there will be no instances of his films being stolen from the box office."

This interview was translated into Chinese media, which led to some people being ridiculed.

"They just keep going, another big-budget movie has been a success."

Huayi, already overwhelmed by problems in the stock market, was filled with envy upon seeing this news.

If their company had an investment stake, they would definitely buy up all the trending topics, which would then be enough to salvage the stock price.

Unfortunately, no, Chen Shou didn't give them any chance and even tricked them.

Wang Zonglei was seething with hatred and could only pin his hopes on the movie starring Feng Xiaogang. With so many popular young actors and Feng Xiaogang himself, it should be able to bring back a wave of box office revenue.

Domestic film companies are all envious. They simply can't participate in these kinds of projects. They require hundreds of millions of dollars in box office revenue and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. Who can afford to play these games?

The greater Chen Shouzhe's international fame, the safer he will be.

Wu Jing's movie was also released in August. Because he talked about a young male idol, it caused quite a bit of public opinion. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he gained a group of male fans.

The film grossed nearly 40 million yuan on its opening day and accumulated 2.58 million yuan in five days, which already demonstrates its success.

As the producer, Chen Shouzhe naturally couldn't help but promote the film online.

The final box office of "A Chinese Ghost Story" stopped at 15.81 billion yuan. The stolen part cannot be recovered, but it will be made up from the compensation. However, the box office still did not break 16 billion yuan.

It's a pity for many, but it also brings a sigh of relief to many others.

If Chen Shou continues to maintain this performance, countless people will feel suffocated.

He practically monopolized the domestic box office.

Two more movies are waiting for them; who can stand that?

In mid-September, filming for Gravity finally wrapped up, allowing Chen Shouzhe to breathe a sigh of relief. The remaining post-production work was handed over to Warner Bros., and it should be completed by June of next year.

The films here follow a completely industrialized process. There are rules about when to start, when to end, and how much budget to allocate, unlike some directors who run out of money halfway through filming.

Of course, Hollywood wasn't always like this. It was thanks to a certain great director who didn't control costs well when making a film that a production company almost went bankrupt.

Since then, film budgets have been severely limited, generally not exceeding a certain amount.

After filming wrapped, the aftermath was handed over to Warner Bros., and Chen Shou began preparing to return home. The movie "The Taking of Tiger Mountain" was about to be released, and it was time to go back.

　The editor said the title was terrible, so they changed it. I'm terrible at coming up with titles, so I just made do with this one. It was approved yesterday, so I'm posting it today. Three chapters!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)