Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 348 A Reprimand, Premiere Interview

He had said all the nice things he could, and he no longer cared what Jiang Wen's plans were.

The next day, Chen Shouzhe went to Wanda Pictures. The major shareholder was there, which surprised the people at Wanda Pictures. Chen Shouzhe rarely came. The chairman was Lao Wang, and Chen Shouzhe, the second largest shareholder, rarely cared about Wanda's affairs.

They came suddenly and I don't know why. Most of the top executives from Wanda Pictures were there.

"Director Chen." Liu Xiaobing had been waiting for Chen Shouzhe for a long time.

"Mr. Liu, I just happened to come here to see you," Chen Shou said, looking at Liu Xiaobing.

"Director Chen, is there something you need?" Liu Xiaobing asked, completely bewildered.

“Wanda Pictures has resumed trading and is listed on the stock exchange. I know you are working very hard for the group now, but why didn’t you discuss the guaranteed film with Jiang Wen with me?” Chen Shou said.

"I figured Jiang Wen had a track record with 'Let the Bullets Fly,' plus her relationship with Director Chen..."

“A 1.2 billion yuan guarantee is no small amount. Movies are inherently uncertain, and even I have to respect the market. It’s true that buying the guarantee now will boost the stock price, and his movie will be released in a few months, which will definitely benefit the stock in the short term. But I don’t plan to do that. From now on, I will need to review all the company’s guaranteed projects,” Chen Shouzhe said.

He wanted Wanda Pictures shares to increase his influence, not to make money in the stock market.

Old Wang is a businessman; he wants to buy and sell stocks. Buying the guaranteed minimum for a movie is definitely to boost the stock price and then make money from the stock market.

Chen Shouzhe is focused on maintaining control of the market, so he won't be buying or selling these stocks for the time being. Therefore, he needs to stabilize the stock price.

If the minimum guarantee fails, and other factors are considered, the company's stock price will fall. Other shareholders will make money and leave, but those who need Wanda Pictures will not be able to leave.

Therefore, Chen Shouzhe will not allow Liu Xiaobing to act recklessly, especially regarding the guarantee of minimum returns. He needs to strictly control this. They can guarantee minimum returns for their own films, but guaranteeing minimum returns for others requires his approval.

His actions would definitely cause objections from other shareholders. After talking with Liu Xiaobing, Liu Xiaobing, as a professional manager, also understood what Chen Shouzhe's purpose was.

He has no right to meddle in the power struggles between shareholders. Since Chen Shouzhe has stepped in, you can naturally go to Chen Shouzhe if you have any questions.

He needed to report this to the chairman, and Lao Wang quickly learned of the news after Chen Shouzhe left Wanda Pictures.

Old Wang is very clear about what guaranteed movies are; he's done guaranteed movies before, mainly for the purpose of boosting stock prices.

"Didn't you discuss the guaranteed movie deal with him before?" Old Wang asked Liu Xiaobing over the phone.

“No, after the company resumed trading and went public, I followed the company’s plan and looked for a suitable film to guarantee the minimum return. Jiang Wen is a famous director. He has been preparing for a film for three years since 'Let the Bullets Fly.' I think he is the most suitable to guarantee the minimum return. I guess Jiang Wen talked to Director Chen about it, and he came to the company to tell me this year,” Liu Xiaobing said.

"Alright, since he said so, future guarantees will have to go through him, after all, he's the professional." Old Wang naturally couldn't kick Chen Shouzhe when he was down; if Chen Shouzhe ran away now, Wanda Pictures would definitely be finished.

Wanda Pictures was able to resume trading and continue its listing only because of Chen Shouzhe's fame.

The shareholders are optimistic, but he has offended Chen Shouzhe because of this incident. If Chen Shouzhe were to withdraw his support and run away, Wanda Pictures has already resumed trading.

If Chen Shou runs away, Wanda Pictures' stock price will immediately plummet by half, and he will be the one who loses out.

He also knew that Chen Shouzhe didn't want to risk guaranteeing a minimum return, so the only option was to find another way, or sell Wanda Pictures entirely to Chen Shouzhe. Both sides had their own considerations; one was a businessman, and the other was a director, so their thinking was different.

If Chen truly loved money, he could easily follow Huayi's model, manipulating the three companies to get them listed, and then easily pocket tens of billions.

Unfortunately, like Guo, Chen Shouzhe doesn't allow outsiders into his company. He has already made enough money and hasn't been swayed by capital.

After all, cultural companies are quite different from technology companies. Technology companies need a lot of capital to develop, while cultural companies don't actually have such outrageous capital requirements. They need to be strong themselves and produce enough cultural output.

Why do people nowadays like to create variety shows and hype up celebrities?

The problem is that money comes too easily, while the most important cultural works are overlooked. Without the support of these works, relying solely on so-called idol stars is just another way to fleece consumers.

This kind of company is clearly capitalist and won't last long.

As a film production company capable of creating cultural products, Shouzhe Film Industry will gradually rely on its resources to become an important target for these talent agencies that need to create stars.

They demanded exorbitant salaries from others, but dared not do so with Chen Shouzhe. He suppressed all their demands, telling them to act if they wanted, or get lost if they didn't.

The cultural works he brings are his greatest source of confidence and guarantee. Whether he can build a company like a Hollywood giant in the future depends on how much he can accumulate.

Although the other shareholders were not satisfied with Chen Shouzhe's actions, they, like Lao Wang, needed to rely on Chen Shouzhe. As for whether they would sell their shares, Chen Shouzhe actually hoped they would.

Chen Shou went to visit Xiao Xiaomeng and also started preparing for the filming of Operation Red Sea. He went to Haiyi to communicate a couple of days ago, and today is the 11th, there is one more thing.

The Seattle premiere of Yang Mi is today, and as the producer, Chen Shouzhe is required to attend.

The Secret Company's main film this year attracted quite a few people to support it, mainly because of Chen Shouzhe's influence; otherwise, there would never have been so many people.

Chen Shouzhe had already seen the movie, and everyone present watched it again. The next step was the usual procedure: interviewing the main creators.

As for Chen Shouzhe, he naturally couldn't avoid being asked questions by the reporters present.

"Director Chen, the movie is being released on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day). Will that affect the box office of 'I Am Not a Miracle Doctor'?"

"The difference in subject matter and the fact that they are not in the same category will not have a significant impact. Our domestic market is huge and can definitely accommodate multiple films. I myself have two films released in the same period."

Upon hearing Chen Shouzhe's answer, everyone present nodded. There are only a few good slots available, so everyone is competing fiercely, and the winner takes all; it all depends on one's own abilities.

Yang Mi watched Chen Shouzhe from the stage. Actually, when the movie "The Divine Doctor" was released, she went to see Chen Shouzhe, just in case the movie affected her movie.

After all, there was no news at all, and with their own people fighting each other, especially Chen Shouzhe, Yang Mi didn't have much confidence.

Chen Shouzhe's company is not listed, but her company's stock price is a major factor.

"I'd like to ask Director Chen, there are rumors that the Golden Horse Awards intend to invite the films 'Infernal Affairs' and 'I Am Not a Doctor' to participate. I heard that Director Liu Weiqiang was interested in participating, but was unable to do so due to pressure from the production company. The same applies to the Hong Kong Film Awards. Director Chen, are you really not going to participate in the two awards? Also, will you not participate in next year's Golden Kun Awards?"

(End of this chapter)