Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 236 By What Right? Swallowing Wanda
"No, no, I just need to talk to you about something," Wang Changtian said.

"What is it?" Chen Shou asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Could Wu Jing's film distribution be entirely handed over to Enlight Media?!"

"Uh, why should I?"

Wang Changtian was surprised by Chen Shouzhe's answer. Why? Yes, why?
Wang Changtian took a deep breath, not expecting Chen Shouzhe to be so direct. He also said bluntly, "Enlight Media has invested in the film, and currently, Enlight Media has the strongest distribution capabilities in the entire domestic market. We can definitely handle the distribution. You can rest assured about that. Just leave everything to Enlight Media."

"You can't put a bunch of eggs in one box. I think Chairman Wang is very clear that I am the biggest producer and controller of Wu Jing's film. I can distribute it to whomever I want. Why choose Enlight Media?"
"Your reasons don't convince me. According to the original plan, we should be in the distribution phase now. China Film Group and Wanda Pictures are the main players, and Enlight Media is just a supporting one. If you feel it's not enough, you can withdraw and hand over the distribution to those two companies." Chen Shou rejected him without any politeness.

"Light is, after all, one of the producers..."

"That small share can only be considered a co-production, not much. They approached you about the first one, but you didn't agree. That's why Wu Jing came to me. If you had gritted your teeth and invested in his movie back then, things wouldn't be like this now."

Chen kept the second half of his sentence to save face for Wang Changtian. He already knew from acquaintances that the biggest obstacle to Guangxian's initial refusal to allow him to buy shares was not the shareholders. The shareholders all knew that the pie was bigger and they would take a bigger slice. Although there were more people, who would turn down money?

At this critical moment, Wang Changtian stepped forward. As the founder and chairman of Enlight Media, he led the opposition against Chen Shouzhe's entry into Enlight Media.

Now you're coming to him again. What did you say when you rejected me?

Chen Shou sighed, noting that none of these old foxes were simple; even when things had clearly fallen out, they could still talk to you with a smile.

It reminded him of people like Wang Zonglei and Yu Dong.

Come to think of it, back then, Wang Changtian turned a starlet into a prostitute at a nightclub, he was ruthless and his methods were incredibly dark.

Thick-skinned people get a full meal.

In Chen Shouzhe's view, what gave Wang Changtian the confidence to ask him for independent distribution? Was it just because he was shameless?
Wang Changtian didn't know what to say for a moment, and sighed.

"Does Chairman Wang have anything else? If not, I have other work to do." Chen Shouzhe had already begun to see the guest out.

The remaining collaborative projects don't count Wu Jing's. Enlight Media also gave a certain share to The Wandering Earth back then. Now that things have fallen apart, Chen Shouzhe wouldn't go so far as to resort to underhanded tactics. At most, it's just a peaceful breakup.

If he's using underhanded tactics, he wouldn't rule out using them either.

Huayi is currently in a terrible predicament. Besides the two brothers' incompetence, various forces are also pulling strings behind the scenes, especially the big internet companies, whose methods are more direct, given their control over a large number of users.

Huayi still has its foundation, but its strength has declined, and it can only watch this lion gradually die.

No one wanted to see him stand up again, and neither did the light; there were plenty of people who wanted them dead.

"Director Chen, how many shares of Enlight Media do you want?" Wang Changtian sighed.

“It’s not necessary now. I’m tightening my belt and preparing to do something else. I don’t have money to invest in Enlight Media right now. If Enlight Media needs funds, we can consider Alibaba. Alibaba is very wealthy right now and is buying everywhere.” Chen Shou smiled. “Are you really out of money? Enlight Media’s stock price is very low right now. We can just pay a slight premium.” Wang Changtian said regretfully.

"I already said, I really have no money left. I was planning to invest my money in other things, so I can't afford to eat right now." Chen Shou sighed as well.

Wang Changtian kept staring at Chen Shouzhe. He could tell that Chen Shouzhe wasn't lying, and he couldn't help but feel flustered.

Chen Shouzhe's two rejections indicate a tendency to sever ties. If the Wandering Earth series ends, then Light Media might not even be able to maintain its own distribution capabilities.

There are too many distribution companies in China, so Enlight Media is not an exception. Enlight Media's main business is advertising and film investment. Losing film investment is equivalent to losing advertising, which is a huge blow to the company. Last year's bear market had already made Wang Changtian suffer, and he barely managed to stabilize the company with his strong financial reports.

I never expected that the falling out with Chen Shouzhe would escalate to such a huge extent, with such a negative impact that it even caused some turmoil within the company.

“Alright, if you’re still interested in light, we can sit down and talk,” Wang Changtian said, standing up.

"I will seriously consider it."

Chen Shou saw Wang Changtian off as he entered the elevator, nodding and smiling. Only after the elevator went down did he turn back to his office.

"If Wanda loses its bet, it will need to pay even more money. Given that the real estate industry is inherently not flush with cash, it is almost impossible for Wanda to come up with tens of billions of dollars all at once. It may even only be able to pay the interest. There is only one way to save Wanda: to borrow money from others."

Chen Shouzhe stood by the window, looking down at the scene outside. His wealth was managed by people who had asked them about Wanda's situation.

They told Chen Shouzhe the truth about the crisis Wanda was facing.

When Wanda listed in Hong Kong, its share price fell below the offering price. On the contrary, domestic real estate companies listed in China encountered a bull market and all surpassed their big brother Wanda.

Old Wang was naturally dissatisfied, so he thought of delisting and relisting in mainland China from Hong Kong.

However, to repurchase the shares that had already been sold, more money was needed, so a performance-based agreement was signed to repurchase the box office revenue from Hong Kong in preparation for the film's release in mainland China.

As expected, the bull market was gone, and a bear market came instead. Coupled with the government's crackdown on the real estate sector, Wanda missed its best opportunity to go public.

With little time left before the Wanda betting agreement expires, Wanda can't come up with the money and has to use its own assets as collateral.

This means Wanda is going to start selling things. Although it's taking advantage of someone's misfortune, if they can acquire Wanda Cinemas, it will be a huge boost for Shouzhe Film Industry. By controlling the upstream production and the downstream cinema chain, they will have an invincible position.

When the time comes, you'll be able to make your own decisions, just like you would when you look at those movie theaters.

The problem is that acquiring Wanda Cinemas won't be easy. They need cash, and Wanda Cinemas currently has around 20 billion dollars in assets. Acquiring the entire chain would require at least 20 billion dollars in cash.

Chen Shou currently only has a few dozen small targets in his hands. Unless he sells his shares in other companies, he can't take over Wanda Pictures entirely. However, Wanda Pictures won't be taken over so easily. He needs to plan carefully.

(End of this chapter)