Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 306 They've Came to Live at Home, Bloodsuckers

Ren Zhonglun's intuition told him that Chen Shouzhe's project was very important, very important to him, and very important to Shanghai Film Group. If he could get the project, it would be of great benefit to him.

He had participated in the previous two patriotic films, which brought him great benefits, so he couldn't miss this one.

Chen Shou couldn't figure out what Shanghai Film Studio could offer him; it was even worse than Guangming.

At least Enlight Media has the ability to promote and distribute films. Shanghai Film Group is indeed rich, but it is not short of money. Even if it doesn't have a script, if it announces that it will make a movie worth 1 billion yuan, there will be plenty of capital in the industry to invest in it.

Even a billion-dollar movie is only a little over one hundred million US dollars. Chen Shouzhe's overseas movies have never lost money at the box office. They believe that Chen Shouzhe can make money, and there are plenty of people who wash clothes to give him money. They are happier if he makes money, and they don't care if he loses money, because they can still wash a lot of clothes that are wearable.

Ren Zhonglun was destined to leave empty-handed. Chen Shou asked Xiao Fang to pay the bill, treating him to a meal, and then left the teahouse for the company.

Zhong Lifan was already waiting for him, impatiently waiting in his office. She had already seen the benefits of patriotic films to the company; they could sometimes be a help. Just look at "Yunnan Insect Valley" this time. With such a huge amount of public opinion guidance and experts from all walks of life coming out, the higher-ups still gave him time to release it quietly before June.

It's been three weeks, a total of 22 days, and the box office has already exceeded 25 billion, making it the highest-grossing film in the three-part series.

According to the promotional materials, this is the last big-screen movie they'll be making. There are no other promotional materials, and the main cast and crew aren't seen promoting it.

The same goes for Wuershan; he checks the box office figures every day, but he never sees him.

Even when facing the media, the lead actors remained silent. Dilraba, the female lead of the film, refused to say anything to the media and declined to answer any questions.

Now, with Chen Shouzhe's resources, she has become a big-screen actress. Of course, her acting skills are just average, but she can't compete with the amount of resources he gives her.

"Has the script been approved?" Zhong Lifan asked.

"It's approved. You can submit the script for review now," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"That's great! I'll arrange for someone to go right away. Why are you back so late? Didn't you finish early?" Zhong Lifan clapped her hands happily. She had already read the script and knew that if it was approved, it must be a big production.

"By the way, inform the management department that the budget can be prepared now. I just ran into Chairman Ren at Jundun and was dragged in for tea for an hour," Chen Shou said with a wry smile.

"Huh?!" Zhong Lifan was stunned for a moment. "What a coincidence! Did you already know?"

"It must have been a coincidence," Chen Shouzhe shook his head.

"He's a shrewd person; he must have figured it out."

"I can tell, you've been keeping me drinking tea for so long, what do you think?"

"Did you agree?"

"No, we didn't agree. We don't need Shanghai Film's money anymore. Besides, he made me lose a lot of money," Chen Shou said with a smile.

“Yes, we lost a lot because of Shanghai Film Group. How about this collaboration between several companies?” Zhong Lifan asked the most crucial question.

“Golden Shield and Haiyi both have 10%, Wanda will definitely have 10% as well,” Chen Shou nodded.

“Currently, four.” Zhong Lifan understood that Chen Shouzhe would definitely include Wanda Pictures, since it was now his own company and Wanda Pictures would certainly be involved.

We should also have Golden Shield and Haiyi, and as for the others, we'll have to consider that.

For patriotic films, it's not about having as many shares as possible, but about what kind of transactions can be made with them. After all, these are patriotic films, and making money isn't the main goal.

Giving it to Shanghai Film Group wouldn't be a problem, since it would just put them in a debt of gratitude. The issue is that Shanghai Film Group already owes too many favors; one more wouldn't make a difference. It would be better to give it to a partner, or to Xi'an Film Group, since Xi'an Film Group can help with censorship and higher-level matters. Xi'an Film Group already put in some effort with "Yunnan Insect Valley," and they also need to help with another film scheduled for release in August.

"I'll submit the script for review first. If things go smoothly, it should be in May; if not, it should be in mid-May," Zhong Lifan said.

"no problem."

Another job is coming up, and this year is packed with work. Compared to other directors, he is already very prolific.

Other directors are lucky if they release one film a year; one film every two years is normal.

It's common for people to spend several years preparing for a film, and some even spend ten years.

Two films a year isn't much for Chen Shou; he's slacking off now. Otherwise, with all the scripts and intellectual property he's accumulated, he could make many more.

Ren Zhonglun was clearly unwilling to give up, and that evening he wanted to invite Chen Shouzhe to dinner, but Chen Shouzhe went home.

Just when Chen Shouzhe thought he had given up, he stormed into the horse farm.

This was his first time visiting the horse farm, and Chen Shou was speechless at his persistent and clingy behavior.

“Chairman Ren, there’s really no need for this,” Chen Shou said.

“A movie worth hundreds of millions is worth it for me.” Ren Zhonglun smiled. “This place is really nice. Do you have any guest rooms? I’m not going back today.”

What could Chen Shouzhe say? He was getting old, and they couldn't just kick him out now. The horse farm still had quite a few guest rooms. They were going to move in two years. Chen Shouzhe hadn't prepared much. The new site was already under construction in the next city, which wasn't part of the capital.

Some animals have already been moved there. After all, this place is only a few dozen acres, and there have been too many animals donated by others. The horse farm is already too full to accommodate them all.

He couldn't believe that a university teacher could do what Ren Zhonglun did. As the saying goes, shamelessness pays off, so there was nothing wrong with what he did, and he might even be praised.

“Even if you don’t give it to us, talking about movies would be good. It’s okay if we don’t give Journey to the West a chance; making money isn’t the main thing for patriotic movies,” Ren Zhonglun said.

“I know Shanghai Film Group is a state-owned enterprise, which is why I don’t want them to come in,” Chen Shouzhe shook his head.

"Why?" Ren Zhonglun asked.

“It’s hard to get the money out once it’s in. It’s okay if I spend it, but I’ve been losing out in other ways all these years,” Chen Shou said directly to Ren Zhonglun. He was also helpless because there were many restrictions on cooperating with state-owned enterprises, such as the issue of red envelopes.

Giving directors and actors red envelopes (bribes) when a movie does well at the box office is an unspoken rule in the industry.

The falling out between Baldy and Wang Baobao was also due to this incident. The movie broke 1 billion yuan, but Wang Baobao only received the basic salary and did not receive any bonuses afterward.

Although Huang Bo didn't have any, he invested and made a fortune.

Chen Shouzhe's movies sell well, and he gives them red envelopes (cash gifts) to all actors, big and small. However, since it's a state-owned enterprise, which only recognizes contracts, it's not easy to get them to give back that money.

Business was conducted strictly according to regulations, so Chen Shouzhe and his partners always provided the funding for their collaborations with state-owned enterprises, while the other partners enjoyed the various benefits brought by the films.

If it were a small company, it would need the support of China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group. But Shouwei Film Industry is already one of the top production companies in the industry. For him, state-owned enterprises are a burden, a parasite.

Currently, apart from Xi'an Film Studio, which can provide assistance from the bureau, China Film Group and Shanghai Film Studio have been completely ruled out by him.

(End of this chapter)