Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 210 Headline? Premiere Records Still Being Broken

“Xiying has already put in the effort,” Chen Shou said.

Chairman La and Chairman Ren didn't look too pleased. Liu Xiaobing seemed to understand; clearly, some issues had been resolved behind the scenes by Xi'an Film Studio, otherwise, how could they have received 5% more than the top two?
Although the three companies have the right to issue the product, they cannot make too much money even if they issue it together.

Chen Shouzhe's movies won't lose money, so he keeps his distribution revenue very low. You can choose whether to distribute or not; if you really don't want to distribute, there are plenty of distribution companies.

The light being kicked away has no impact whatsoever; there are plenty of people who can replace it.

The two knew that Xi'an Film Studio had put in a lot of effort in the censorship process, otherwise they wouldn't have gotten 5% more than them.

Chen Shouzhe brought in his fellow villagers, probably partly to support his hometown since his parents were still there, and partly to balance things out with them.

Without a reason, state-owned enterprises are likely to start fighting again.

The two companies are now secretly competing, a rivalry that began back in the era of Zuo Shandiao and continues to this day. Mainstream commercial films, which can generate box office revenue and produce some quality content, are a must-win for both of them.

Chen made the final decision, and Xi'an Film Studio was awarded 15%, 5% more than the other two studios. Wanda Film Studio reluctantly accepted the offer.

We need a male supporting actor in his twenties, preferably someone with a military bearing.

There are quite a few people who fit the criteria, but it's a bit difficult to choose.

"We'll announce the project publicly first, then cast the actors after the New Year, and filming is expected to start in March," Chen Shouzhe told Zhong Lifan.

"So you're not going to announce the casting process publicly?" Zhong Lifan asked.

"It's basically confirmed, so there's no need to make it public," Chen Shou said.

As for the remaining actors, Golden Shield has some ideas. Chen Shou has worked with CCTV before, and they have more experience with national-level actors. They can find many suitable actors, and their acting skills are all quite good.

This would give the casting director a lot of power. Chen Shouzhe arranged a team of seven people to select the actors. Could it be that all seven of them were wearing the same pair of pants?

He was the one who made the final decision, preventing these people from mixing their own agendas into the mainstream narrative, and maintaining strict control from top to bottom.

The contract was signed that same day, leaving no chance for other companies, and the news was immediately leaked to the media.

[Exclusive Headline News: The film "Operation in Northern Myanmar," directed by Chen Shouzhe, has been officially registered and approved for production. The production companies include Shouzhe Pictures, Golden Shield, Xi'an Film Studio, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Studio, Wanda Pictures, Daqian World, and Deyun Society. Filming will begin in March… Casting will not be conducted publicly, and it is understood that some main actors are still undecided…]

No one expected this media outlet to suddenly break the news, which attracted a lot of attention. Many media professionals wondered how this media outlet knew about it.

The film and television industry didn't think much of it; their attention was completely drawn to it.

Of the eight production companies, the last two were brought in because of Chen Shouzhe's connections, and the remaining five are all very strong.

This ranking surprised many people, with Xi'an Film Studio ahead of China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group.
This ranking is based on the order of the production companies. China Film Group is the leading state-owned enterprise, and even if it's not as good as Golden Shield Film Studio, it can't be behind Xi'an Film Studio.

Compared to the previous version of "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy," the addition of Xi'an Film Studio (XFPDS) clearly means that XFPDS will receive a larger share this time.

How could a state-owned enterprise that was already declining suddenly get a larger share of Chen Shouzhe's business than China Film Group?

This puzzled many film and television companies, who began to inquire about what Xi'an Film Studio had done to obtain a larger share than China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, and Wanda Film Group.

No secret can stay hidden forever; someone leaked it.

Xi'an Film Studio helped with the censorship process, assisting Chen Shouzhe in getting the film approved.

Now it's clear: China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group didn't contribute, but Xi'an Film Group, which was once glorious, did, which is quite regrettable.

Established state-owned enterprises still have a rich history. Although the old guys are no longer able to move, they still hold the power of speech, much like the elders of certain families.

Although he's old, he can still step up and protect the younger generation at crucial moments. Inside the brightly lit room, with the New Year approaching, Wang Changtian's mood is anything but cheerful.

Originally, I wanted to talk to Chen Shou again, and I thought Enlight Media could back down. But now it seems that's not the case. It's estimated that cooperation will be difficult in the future. I hope the stock price can still be stabilized, since their business capabilities are still there. It's not like Huayi's collapse.

But what about next year?
This is probably the last chance to cooperate with Tomato King; it will be difficult to get in touch again after that.

Just look at Bona Film Group; they haven't collaborated since Kung Fu Hustle, it was a one-off collaboration.

"Sigh, we'll see when the time comes."

Some were happy, some were disappointed. Finally, the Lunar New Year's Eve arrived, and they decided to spend the holiday in the capital again, bringing their parents over to celebrate together.

Yang Mi also came to celebrate the New Year with them. Although the two are not married, she is still the mother of their child. The elders in the family also treat them as a couple, thinking that it is normal in the entertainment industry that they are not married because of their status.

I spent New Year's Eve with my master's family and watched Yue Yunpeng on the Spring Festival Gala, but the Gala was just so-so.

The adults gathered together to play mahjong, while the children played everywhere and couldn't sleep at all. They kept making a fuss until 2 a.m. before Chen Shou finally managed to coax them to sleep.

The movie started showing after midnight.

With so many movies being released at the same time, the Spring Festival film season is already incredibly popular.

In some southern provinces where people don't watch the Spring Festival Gala, they were among the first to see the movie.

According to data from major ticketing platforms, the main focus is still on "Hello Mr. Billionaire," which grossed 30674.2 million yuan on the first day of the Lunar New Year, breaking the previous record set by WALL-E.

It accounted for 48% of the box office and 40% of the screenings.

All the film companies gasped; Chen Shou had pocketed half of the box office revenue.

The following day saw 37070 million, and the third day saw 41031 million.

The cumulative box office revenue in three days exceeded one billion yuan.

Several production companies are overjoyed, especially Xi'an Film Studio, which is seeing money again.

Only Enlight Media couldn't be happy. The stronger Chen Shou became, the more disappointed they felt. This film might very well be their last collaboration.

Many shareholders can imagine how bad the financial report will look after comparing the current quarter's figures.

The movie is still showing, and other movies are sharing the remaining box office revenue, leaving them to watch helplessly as Chen Shou reaps the rewards of the Spring Festival season.

The promotional efforts continued, and a catchy song also spread.

They contribute to the film's success, but of course, there are also many who criticize the plot.

However, the absurdity of the comedic story overshadowed these shortcomings, and the Easter eggs that appeared in the film were still satisfying.

While the movie was in theaters, a news item appeared on Weibo at an incredibly fast pace, instantly overshadowing all other news and becoming the hottest topic at the moment.

The information comes from a paparazzi and is quite explosive.

Many people in the industry didn't say anything when they saw the trending topic, but the general public was excited.

With "Hello Mr. Billionaire" currently showing in theaters, the director's recent scandal has led some to suspect it's a publicity stunt.

(End of this chapter)