Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 178 Two Movies, Wishful Thinking

Feeling more relaxed than ever before at home, Chen spent the whole day playing with his daughter and basically didn't go anywhere else.

However, he still has to continue working. Huang Bo's movie has already finished its run, grossing 5.63 million yuan.

Huang Bo gained both box office success and fame, transforming himself overnight from an actor into a director and attracting considerable investment from within the industry.

Some even believe that Huang Bo will become the next Ning Hao, a major director in the industry.

Knowing that Chen was at the company, Huang Bo came over, accompanied by Wang Changtian.

"I really regret it now."

Old Wang sat beside Chen Shouzhe, watching him handle the company's work, and sighed as he spoke.

Huang Bo, standing next to him, was all smiles. Old Wang was regretting that he had given Huang Bo a fixed price for the distribution.

After deducting certain factors, the film's ticket revenue share is roughly 90%. This 90% is then distributed proportionally to the theaters, distributors, and finally the production company.

The production company actually loses out, so sometimes the box office revenue of a movie cannot be considered the final profit; rather, it depends on the subsequent copyright transactions.

Some good movies can sell their copyrights for a decent price, even overseas rights.

Shouyou Pictures holds high-value overseas film copyrights, especially for several blockbusters, which generate substantial overseas copyright revenue, earning them a considerable sum annually. Combined with derivative products, these films possess significant cultural value.

If calculated based on the number of points issued, even the lowest five points would still earn more than ten million.

Old Wang never expected that a movie with an investment of more than 20 million yuan could have such a high box office. Of course, Chen Shouzhe was very shrewd back then and only gave him a fixed price for distribution.

He thought that a fixed price would be less risky, so he chose a fixed price; otherwise, it would be easy to lose money by issuing a product with profit sharing.

"You made a profit too, just a little less. When are you going to get the money back from the movie?" Chen Shou asked, looking up as he finished processing the documents in his hand.

“I’ll get the money from the theaters as soon as possible, what’s the rush?” Wang Changtian said.

“I’m not in a hurry, but Huang Bo is. Here, take this.” Chen Shouzhe took a thick notebook out of the drawer and handed it to Huang Bo.

Huang Bo stood up and reached out to take it. When he saw what was written on it, his eyes widened immediately.

“I like to make my movies into a series, so this one is for you. Same as always, I get 80% and you get 20%, no problem, Director Huang Bo?” Chen Shou said with a smile.

"No problem, Director Chen has no problem at all," Huang Bo said excitedly.

Wang Changtian stood up and looked at the thing in Huang Bo's hand. When he saw the word "racing" on it, he immediately understood that it was a sequel to "The Stone." He never expected there to be a sequel.

He immediately felt envious and said, "Director Chen, how about reserving a seat for me?"

"Forget about that. The cost isn't high; at most, it can be distributed by Enlight Media," Chen Shou said, shaking his head.

Those who monopolize resources certainly won't give other companies a chance.

Anyone with eyes can see that it's profitable; surely Chen Shou wouldn't know that?

The reason Huang Bo was given the quota is because he has his own studio and needs to support his staff. He needs to be given a share so that he can focus on making movies, and the quota is already quite small.

Look at Jiang Wen and Zhou Xingxing, they've both given him a lot. Huang Bo is still dependent on him, which means he's being exploited by him.

However, the director's and actors' salaries are included in the calculation. Basically, he doesn't need to spend a single penny of his 20 points. Just like Stephen Chow, it's all included in his salary. The entire investment for the film is handled by Shouyou Film Company.

"I'm only now realizing that your low-cost operation is actually quite profitable," Wang Changtian said enviously.

"I'll give you a chance. Don't say I didn't take care of you. I'll give Enlight Media a share of the movie I'm shooting next month," Chen Shou said.

"You want to make your own movie? What kind of movie?" Wang Changtian asked excitedly.

"The script has already been submitted, you'll find out soon enough, but the share won't be too large. I'll take more this time, and leave some for others," Chen Shouzhe said.

Wang Changtian was immediately relieved. He hadn't expected to have such an unexpected gain. However, he was genuinely envious of the script in Huang Bo's hand and wanted to participate. Unfortunately, Chen Shou wouldn't budge, and he gave up after trying several times without success.

The summer movie season has officially begun. This year, without Chen Shouzhe joining the fray, there are many movies scheduled for the summer season. Moreover, we have already received news that many of Chen Shouzhe's movies will be released in the second half of the year, especially before the Lunar New Year season, with "Mojin: The Lost Legend" set to be released.

Some media outlets and companies specifically monitor the Film Bureau to identify potential investment targets.

Whenever the Film Bureau announces filming permits, it's always the busiest time in the film and television industry.

Production companies and investment firms can find investment targets in those approved scripts, and actors can also find suitable roles in those approved scripts.

It's inherently a proactive circle, just like investing; if you don't manage your finances, your finances won't manage you.

When the films were announced, the entire film and television industry was drawn to them.

[Film Bureau Announcement: The film script "Crazy Racer" submitted by Shouzhe Pictures has passed review and is permitted to be filmed. The film's title is the same as director Huang Bo's previous film, suggesting that this may be Huang Bo's second film after transitioning to directing.]

[Film Bureau Announcement: The film script "Hello Mr. Billionaire," submitted by Shouzhe Pictures, has passed review and is permitted to be filmed.]

The news that two of the film company's scripts had passed censorship spread like wildfire, drawing the attention of countless people in the film and television industry.

"Two films, one directed by Huang Bo, and the second is very likely to be directed by Chen Shouzhe," Wang Zonglei said, sitting in his brother's office.

"So what? Ever since you offended him, he has never cooperated with Huayi even once," Wang Zongjun said.

Back then, Chen Shouzhe climbed the ranks by stepping on Huayi Brothers. After that, they targeted Chen Shouzhe multiple times, but each time their efforts were thwarted. It was from then on that the relationship between the two sides began to deteriorate.

With the stock market down now, if Chen Shouzhe could join them, things might be much easier for them.

It seems too difficult now; having lost the film market, there's no going back.

The entire film market has begun to become market-oriented, and it's no longer the time when Huayi Brothers could dominate the market.

The actors they abandoned back then are now setting up their own studios. Although they are managed by Huayi Brothers, they don't actually belong to Huayi, and many of them have already started to ignore Huayi.

Unless Huayi provides them with enough resources, it's just a cooperative relationship.

"We should still give it a try, no matter what, and try to get his project," Wang Zonglei said.

"Then why don't you give it a try?" Wang Zongjun felt the chances were slim and didn't have much faith in his younger brother.

Many others shared Wang Zonglei's idea, and some even called Chen Shouzhe directly, as if they had a very good relationship.

"I'm sorry, Chairman Yu, we don't need any more investment. Everything is ready, that's right." Chen Shou was on the phone with Yu Dong when he hung up after only a few words.

"Damn it, it's happening again."

After hanging up the phone, Yu Dong was in a bad mood. The two sides had not cooperated since Kung Fu. He had tried to get on the ship many times, but Chen Shouzhe had not given him the chance. This was not the first time he had called Chen Shouzhe, nor was it the first time he had scolded Chen Shouzhe for not giving him face.

Of course, Yu Dong also knew that giving Chen Shouzhe only 20% of the screenings during the Spring Festival made Chen Shouzhe very unhappy. Some people had already spoken out against him at the shareholders' meeting, saying that he had taken it upon himself to reduce the screenings of Chen Shouzhe's films, causing Bona Film Group to suffer significant losses and also worsening its relationship with Chen Shouzhe.

Bona has already initiated its delisting process and will then return to the domestic market for relisting.

Emperor Entertainment also inquired, but failed to get on board. Then Shanghai Film Group followed suit, but the same thing happened.

Liu Xiaobing called from Wanda's side, and then hung up, satisfied.

"Just as I expected, even without Ye Ning, Wanda is still a partner of the film company. And it's a sequel! That's a huge pie!" Liu Xiaobing rubbed his hands excitedly.

He has already made two films since taking over Ye Ning's position. As long as he has a connection with Chen Shouzhe, he is destined to make a profit. He is grateful for the favor Ye Ning left behind back then.

Chen Shouzhe knew his phone was destined to be busy, and he was still taken aback when he saw the incoming call.

"President Ye," Chen Shou said as he answered the phone.

"Director Chen, congratulations on your movie's huge success." Ye Ning laughed on the other end of the phone. It's true that he's now with Huayi, but that doesn't mean their relationship is bad. Chen Shouzhe's relationship with some people who left Deyun Society isn't bad either; it's just a working relationship, not a personal one.

"Haha, congratulations to you too! Are you getting used to Huayi?" Chen Shou said.

"It's alright, but I still hope to continue working with you," Ye Ning said.

“That’s no problem. I just spoke with General Manager Liu on the phone, and he reserved a share for Wanda,” Chen Shou said.

Ye Ning on the other end of the phone was speechless. Continue to cooperate, continue to cooperate with Wanda, right?

"Does Director Chen still have any shares in his two films?" Ye Ning should just ask directly. He knew Chen Shouzhe's personality; it was best not to beat around the bush.

“No, you know I don’t lack investment at all,” Chen Shou said.

“Okay, then if there’s a chance…” Ye Ning didn’t know what to say. He knew that Chen Shouzhe and Hua Yi didn’t get along, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad. He could only hang up the phone helplessly.

"Chairman Wang, there's no chance anymore," Ye Ning said to Wang Zonglei in front of her.

"It's nothing, thank you for your hard work." Wang Zonglei didn't linger and got up to leave Ye Ning's office.

Investors have asked many questions, and Chen Shou has already begun to determine the share allocation.

China Film Group came to inquire, and Chen Shou gave them some, but not much.

There is great anticipation for the two films produced by Shou Zhe Film Studio, and some resourceful netizens have noticed a detail.

[The Richest Man in Xihong City is a sequel to Goodbye Mr. Loser.]

The netizen who discovered this information immediately posted a thread, sharing all the details he found in "Goodbye Mr. Loser".

The train station and school both bear the name Xihong City, corresponding to the current richest man in Xihong City.

The two films, when linked together, immediately went viral online.

As Chen Shouzhe's first film and the first domestic film to break the 1.5 billion yuan mark, this film created too many popular memes and was hailed as the funniest film in recent years.

Now that it's been revealed, many fans across the internet have been leaving comments on Chen Shouzhe's Weibo asking if it's a sequel.

(End of this chapter)