Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 337 Ban? Shopping Platform Goes Public

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shou smiled.

The news that he brought Dilraba back to China appeared on Weibo's trending topics, and soon his phone received another call.

"Chairman Yang, I already know. No need to be so polite. Let's talk about it at the celebration banquet. Haha, thank you for your hard work."

Chairman Yang's call came very quickly; he was probably too excited to sleep. It's already 8 p.m.

"The movie is generating a lot of discussion."

"I'm sitting next to Chen Shou," said Reba.

"Let me see." Chen Shouzhe leaned forward, and Reba handed him the phone.

"Infernal Affairs" grossed 1.63 million yuan on its opening day and received rave reviews. It has garnered high praise and generated a lot of discussion on Weibo, Douban, and other websites.

Similarly, "The Departed" was released in China earlier than it was abroad, mainly because China is located in the Eastern Hemisphere, so the release date is earlier than in the West. It grossed 1.33 million yuan on its opening day. The pre-sales for both films were not high, and of course, it was not yet the holiday season.

Although it's the summer movie season, only students are on vacation; working people don't. At most, some teachers have summer vacation. I believe the box office will definitely break 200 million over the next two weekends.

With two movies released at the same time and both performing so well, it's no wonder people in the film industry are envious. The company is already planning to hold a celebration banquet ahead of schedule.

It seems that film companies in Hong Kong have a habit of opening champagne at the halfway point of a film screening. Chairman Yang called him and invited him to celebrate in Hong Kong.

Chen Shouzhe declined the invitation, citing the filming of "Journey to the West" as the reason. Little did he know that his decision would save him from a disgusting situation.

Just as he was browsing Weibo, Chairman Yang hung up the phone. He was currently in a Hong Kong-style restaurant, the kind that was very old-fashioned, with a style reminiscent of the 80s and 90s.

People there consider this kind of restaurant to be the best, while those luxuriously decorated restaurants are just for business purposes.

There were five other people sitting with Chairman Yang, and others nearby.

"Mr. Yang, that mainland kid isn't giving you any face," a sleazy-looking old man with black and white hair laughed.

"Who do you think he needs to give face to in the film and television industry? I'm not someone who doesn't know his place. Don't you know what Jiang Zhiqiang is like now?" Chairman Yang sneered.

The elderly man with black and white hair was speechless. Hong Kong's film and television industry was once so powerful. When the mainland's film and television industry was still in its infancy, it was Hong Kong that entered the mainland and supported them.

Zhang Yimou's first commercial film cost over 100 million yuan to produce. The fact that he invested over 100 million yuan in the year 2000 was thanks to the capital from Hong Kong. Otherwise, where would they have gotten so much money to make a large-scale commercial film?

Why was Jiang Zhiqiang so arrogant? Just look at who produced that movie and you'll understand.

It was around that time that mainland film and television companies saw Hong Kong's capabilities, and the two sides began to cooperate.

A leopard can't change its spots; he demands leading roles, money, and power, treating mainland film and television companies like idiots.

In the end, they made things worse and worse, and now Hong Kong can only rely on the mainland market. They can no longer produce good Hong Kong films.

I finally got to see a movie called "Infernal Affairs," but it turns out it was invested in by mainlanders who are using them as a stepping stone.

“It’s just that we didn’t give him the Hong Kong Film Award back then. If he had agreed, we definitely would have given it to him,” said the black-and-white-haired old man. He was a director of the Hong Kong Film Awards, and the current exclusiveness of the awards was all thanks to him. Upon hearing this, Chairman Yang laughed and stopped the cigarette he was about to light. He looked at the other man and said, “Does he need it? Does he want your Hong Kong Film Award? His other film is going to compete for an Oscar. Why would he care about your Hong Kong Film Award? Now that everyone’s participating, are you planning to give the Best Actor award to Hua Zai or Wei Zai, and then give him a Best Screenplay award? I know what you’re thinking. Stop thinking about it. He’s already said that his films won’t participate in the three major domestic awards.”

"He clearly needs the company, yet he refuses the Hong Kong Film Awards. Isn't he afraid of being blacklisted?"

"puff!"

Chairman Yang nearly coughed himself to death, pointing at the other person and laughing. The people next to him looked at the white-haired old man, not knowing what to say.

Ban Chen Shouzhe?

Who can the Hong Kong entertainment circle blacklist right now?
"Why don't you try to see if you can blacklist Chen Shouzhe, or if Chen Shouzhe can blacklist the entire Hong Kong film industry?" Chairman Yang now felt that these people were just as Chen Shouzhe had said—brain-dead, still living in the golden age of Hong Kong cinema in the last century.

They can't see the market clearly yet, and they can't see the development of the mainland. Hong Kong is still too small. Now it's become a shallow pond with many turtles, and everyone is looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.

"Infernal Affairs Company is only involved, not in control, so I'm sorry, the film will not be submitted to the Hong Kong Film Awards. It's getting late, I need to go back and rest, I'll be leaving now." Chairman Yang didn't want to stay here any longer; he was afraid he would lose his mind like these people.

Chen Shou had met him several times. He was easy to talk to, but also very domineering. He couldn't imagine the scene. Hong Kong at that time had a kind of Warring States period, which, in the eyes of the mainland at the same time, was actually just a few villages fighting.

Times have changed, but their horizons remain narrow.

The company has two films being promoted and distributed in Southeast Asia, so they will naturally promote them vigorously, since they will be getting a share of the profits.

In particular, being able to receive a share of the profits from "The Departed" shows that Mr. Yang's initial decision was correct.

The box office of the two films has been rising steadily, surpassing 2 million and 3 million respectively.

In today's film market, both films have won over audiences with their critical acclaim. Wolf Warrior 2 broke historical records, and audiences are increasingly concerned about word-of-mouth. Both films are well-made, and although the plots are similar, the background stories and the actors' performances are different, leaving audiences thoroughly entertained.

Discussions about the acting skills of the four actors have become a hot topic among audiences both at home and abroad.

Because of Chan Sau-cheung's influence, "Infernal Affairs" was also released in Europe and America, but its box office performance was mediocre.

As July officially begins, news has arrived that Wanda Pictures will resume trading on the 16th.

Chen Shouzhe certainly played a significant role in giving Wanda Pictures the confidence to relist.

Even if Wanda Pictures' parent company runs into problems, investors are confident that Chen Shou is able to take over the entire Wanda, so they hold quite a lot of stock.

However, those who follow the stock market have noticed something: the news that a shopping platform is about to go public is being discussed the most in financial circles.

This company is the third largest shopping platform after Alibaba and JD.com, and is favored by many investors.

It is scheduled to go public in July and has already begun the public announcement and roadshow stage.

When the prospectus was released, the financial world turned its attention to the film and television industry, while those in the film and television industry were all shocked.

(End of this chapter)