Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 182 The First Prize: Choice is More Important than Effort
At the film festival, although not in the main competition, Gravity still won several Future Film Festival Awards.

Chen Shouzhe went up to accept his first award as a director, and standing on the stage felt somewhat surreal.

"This is my first time standing on an award stage. I have been a director for six years and have produced and shot many films in these six years. This is my first time standing on an award stage. I am very grateful to the Venice International Film Festival for giving me this award. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will bring even better works to the stage." Chen Shouzhe said in his acceptance speech and walked off the stage with the award.

Although he won an award, it was just an ordinary one. The main reason it attracted attention was because he was the one who received the award.

An international director who has made many blockbuster films in six years since his debut, only received an award on the stage of Venice, which is indeed unbelievable to many industry insiders.

Many people think that Chen Shouzhe is about to embark on his award-winning journey. No one questions Chen Shouzhe's ability; they just feel that he is unwilling to bow down for the sake of awards.

After all, the award ceremony environment in China can no longer be described as simply terrible.

After its Venice tour, Gravity has been released globally, and production has already begun in China, with a release expected next month, during the National Day holiday.

We originally planned to go in November, which is a less popular time slot.

Even China Film Group wouldn't dare do that; the main issue is whether to split profits or distribute the films as licensed releases.

Chen Shouzhe wants to import films in bulk, so that the money is fixed and both he and Warner can earn more money.

However, the theaters were not satisfied. They believed that a revenue-sharing arrangement would allow them to receive a share of the box office revenue and earn more money.

In order to bring the film to theaters through a revenue-sharing arrangement, the theater chains began contacting Chen Shouzhe.

Several cinema chains joined forces to approach him; he had just returned to China and was already being treated to a meal.

“It’s difficult to schedule foreign films. If there are too many screenings, the higher-ups will object; if there are too few, the producers will object. Director Chen, you are one of the producers. We’ve been working together for so many years. You can’t abandon us,” Liu Xiaobing said with a smile.

“I’ll definitely earn more from the film distribution method, while you’ll make more money from the revenue sharing method. But for good movies, we should definitely choose the revenue sharing option,” Chen Shou said with a smile.

Smiles immediately appeared on Liu Xiaobing's and the others' faces as they breathed a sigh of relief and raised their glasses.

"Director Chen, I can't thank you enough. This glass is for you. Leave the scheduling to us. At least 50% of the screens will be 3D. There aren't many 3D movies on the market anyway. If the movie performs well, we'll continue to increase the number of screens," Liu Xiaobing said, raising his glass.

"That's right, it's the same here."

"It's still more enjoyable to work with Director Chen."

Other cinema chain executives said happily.

Compared to other production companies, they really liked Chen Shouzhe.

Who wouldn't like a director who can make money? If one person can capture one-fifth of the market, it's a huge business for every cinema chain.

The film has been confirmed to be imported to China through a revenue-sharing model, and must be distributed by China Film Group. Warner Bros. had already submitted its application for review, and the relevant authorities quickly approved it.

Once it's finished, it will be released at the end of September or before October.

The much-discussed battle between Guo Wengui and Cao Cao has finally come to an end.

Guo Degang has closed the comment section on Weibo and will no longer respond to this matter.

Chen Shouzhe was not involved, and Yu Qian also kept quiet and did not say anything to the outside world.

Apart from Lao Guo and his brother-in-law, no one else was involved; everyone was just watching the show.

As for who is right and who is wrong, perhaps only the parties involved know the answer. Of course, this matter will become a hot topic in the future.

Chen Shouzhe has already begun planning and preparing for Yang Mi's movie, Seattle Love, which will be divided into two parts. In Chen Shouzhe's memory, both movies are excellent.

Yang Mi's age was just right for the role, but he didn't plan to direct the film himself; instead, he asked Yang Mi to find a suitable director. Almost a month had passed, and she found a teacher from the Beijing Film Academy to direct.

The film was released under the control of Yang Mi's company, but the script was written by Chen Shouzhe, and the equipment and materials used were from Shouzhe Film Studio. It was immediately clear that Chen Shouzhe was trying to create momentum for Yang Mi's studio to go public.

The project announcement had barely been released when it already made countless female celebrities in the industry envious.

Some of them worked hard to accumulate capital, while others were still actors, fighting tooth and nail for status.

Yang Mi has already secured leading roles in several films thanks to his connection with Chen Shouzhe, and has also produced a wildly popular fantasy drama under the company's name. Now, he has announced another film project.

The company is destined to go public, and it has people backing it up.

Anyone in the industry with even a little bit of connections knows that Yang Mi disappeared for a period of time when she was at the height of her popularity a couple of years ago, and then Chen Shou had a daughter.

Thanks to her daughter, Yang Mi is now thriving, and no one in the industry dares to make any moves against her, for no one knows what Chen Shouzhe might do.

Even if they were just creating a scandal, they wouldn't dare to target Yang Mi and Dilraba.

Chen Shou was seen traveling with Dilraba in Venice, and nothing happened when they were photographed together; it's practically an open secret within the entertainment industry.

There's a lot of discussion online, but nobody seems to think there's anything wrong with it.

Is it that Chen Shou is not good enough for the heat?
On the contrary, many people think that Dilraba is lucky.

A young international director is a deadly poison for actresses.

If given a chance, Chen Shou would have countless women over there.

Seeing that Yang Mi's studio was back in operation, they were incredibly envious.

He released two movies right away, and they were even a series.

The only word to describe it is envy.

"The connections we made back then are finally coming in handy," said Li Baibing's sister, who is also her business partner, with relief.

“Yes, sometimes choice is more important than effort,” Li Baibing said with a sigh upon hearing the news.

Gravity has just been released in China, and its international run, which lasted for a month, is gradually coming to an end, with a global box office of over 700 million US dollars.

In addition, some people in China estimate that it should be around one hundred million US dollars, and because Chen Shouzhe is the director, it may even reach two or three hundred million US dollars.

It is very likely that the total box office will break the billion-dollar mark again and enter the history of film.

Other domestic companies were envious of Chen Shouzhe's profits. Even Huayi Group had to back down, having Ye Ning invite Chen Shouzhe to dinner, subtly indicating their hope that Huayi would join them.

Because Huayi's stock price has dropped to just over ten yuan. From its peak of 80 yuan per share with a market value of over 90 billion yuan, it has now fallen to just over ten yuan with a market value of over 30 billion yuan, losing more than 60 billion yuan in market value in just one year.

The real estate sector is in dire straits; the era of easy profits is over. Looking back, Huayi realizes that it must rely on movies to boost its stock price.

Meanwhile, Enlight Media, which has maintained a stable partnership with the film industry, remains as steadfast as ever. However, it's possible that the leading private enterprise will soon see a change in leadership.

Therefore, good news is urgently needed to stimulate the stock price, and the best way is naturally for Chen to stay on this side, especially for large overseas projects.

News has already spread from Hollywood that the entire Chinese entertainment industry is focusing its attention on Chen Shouzhe.

"Talk to him; we must stop the stock from falling any further."

(End of this chapter)