How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 187 The Sufferer
As Ren exited the JD.com building, his newly acquired Rolls-Royce was parked at the entrance.

As Kanpianer.com's control over cinemas and online users became more and more solid, the company's revenue also gradually and steadily increased. He likes to reward himself when he achieves some success.

"A gift for me?" Wang Yao joked after getting into the car.

"Is it appropriate for a billionaire like you to rob someone the moment you meet them?" Ren Quan rolled his eyes.

"The reason we're rich is because we know how to rob," Wang Yao said with a chuckle.

“Berna must be anxious; their box office performance was the worst in May,” Ren Quan said with a smile.

April and May have passed, and just as Wang Yao predicted, four or five films from the Berna Group were released, but the total box office was less than 50 million yuan, while "Ip Man 2" and "Iron Man 2" were about to break the 200 million yuan mark.

They were also a bit anxious. "The Gunman" was scheduled to be released at the end of May, probably hoping to take advantage of the May movie-going boom and ride the wave of "superhero" popularity. So they thought they should quickly reconnect with Wang Yao.

After all, the losses from the cross-shareholding with Meishe also affected Berna's data. If the box office data is also poor, it will be really tough.

"There's no use in rushing. The quality and genre of the films are what they are. This year is probably going to be a year of low-budget and big-budget productions. It'll be hard to find films with conventional themes," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"Low budget? You think 'Lost in Thailand' is a good film?" Ren Quan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Let's see if we can get the distribution rights. I think this subject matter is good." Wang Yao shook his head.

The two chatted as they arrived at the dinner party, which was at Zhang Chaoyang's business, and he was probably there as well.

"Mr. Wang, pay me back!" Just as expected, Zhang Chaoyang shouted as soon as he entered the door.

"Mr. Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you." Yu Dong also stood up to greet him.

"Mr. Yu, it's a pleasure to meet you." Wang Yao first greeted Yu Dong, the CEO of Berna, whom he was meeting for the first time, and then turned to smile and said, "Mr. Zhang, what makes you say that?"

"The debts of the mother are to be repaid by the son. Meishe has caused me to lose so much money, you have to show some appreciation," Zhang Chaoyang joked.

“When the photographers are eating meat, I don’t get a chance, but I’m the one getting beaten up. Mr. Zhang’s words are a bit harsh.” Wang Yao looked around at the people present. Apart from them, there were only Dongfang Xin and Li Bingbing. It was a gathering of acquaintances.

“That’s right. When Mr. Zhang invested in Meishe, it was only a few million. Even if he sells it now, he can still make at least ten or eight million. How can he say he’s losing money? Unlike us, who entered the market later, we are in a much worse situation.” Yu Dong said with a wry smile.

Bernard is indeed second only to Ali and Chengtian in terms of suffering.

"Originally, we could have made a profit of 100 million yuan. A hundredfold investment would have been a remarkable story. Now it's become a joke," Zhang Chaoyang laughed.

"You'll have to ask President Xu and the others how they got the company into this mess," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"Forget about these unlucky things. The main reason for inviting President Wang here today is to meet him. Previously, Dongfang was the one who liaised with you. I've been busy with the IPO abroad, and now we finally get to meet." Yu Dong changed the subject.

After exchanging pleasantries, the food was served, and the conversation mainly revolved around the recent reversal in the reputation of "Iron Man 2". Zhang Chaoyang and Yu Dong were both subtly inquiring whether Wang Yao was behind it all.

Wang Yao remained tight-lipped, suggesting it might be the work of an overseas marketing team. After all, Kanpianer.com has no grudge against "Iron Man 2," and the distribution company is Huaying Film Studio—who would dare offend them?

Everyone agreed, and the topic was dropped.

"Did they contact you about 'Leaf 2'?" Zhang Chaoyang asked.

Recently, the popularity of "Master Ip 2" has surged, showing signs of a resurgence. The two memes, "I want foreigners to die" and "Master Ip beats everything," are almost going viral.

"Yes, they gave us a 30% cut," Wang Yao admitted.

Yu Dong's expression changed.

"This is a huge investment, but it makes sense, I guess they've made enough money." Zhang Chaoyang nodded. "I've already bought the copyright, so don't try to take it from me."

"Didn't Mr. Zhang just return from Mount Everest? How come he acted so quickly?" Wang Yao asked, somewhat surprised.

“With such a mess at the US film studio, how can I possibly have the mind to keep climbing? Besides, I don’t know what’s wrong with Alibaba lately. The joint venture we agreed on is now making me wait.” Zhang Chaoyang shook his head.

"Alibaba shouldn't be short of money, right?" Li Bingbing asked in surprise.

"Mr. Ma wants to buy back shares; he's probably saving up money," Ren Quan casually revealed the inside scoop.

"Yangtze River College is still somewhat useful, huh?" Zhang Chaoyang joked.

"It looks like Kanpianer.com is going to make a fortune this time," Yu Dong said with a smile.

“Chengtianmei Photography has been plagued by negative news. The ‘One-Day Store Manager’ event at the cinema was going well, but now with so many negative news stories about online photography, it has really become a ‘One-Day Store Manager’ event. We have no choice but to suspend offline activities, which has affected sales quite a bit,” Ren Quan sighed.

Even though the models are victims of online shopping news, the rumors are unstoppable, and the one-day shop manager related to Meishe can only be temporarily suspended.

"I heard that Wanda is also getting into online ticketing," Yu Dong said with a smile.

"I've heard about it. They're collaborating with Mtime. The industry is so big, we're happy to see fair competition." Ren Quan smiled calmly.

He knew that Yu Dong was probably laying the groundwork, suggesting that Berna had gained another potential partner, Wan Da, as a way to test the waters and increase their bargaining power.

To be honest, Kanpianer.com doesn't really lack partners right now.

"With movie screenings and the 24-hour cinema chain, we probably have over 700 screens and more than 80 cinemas now. Adding in our partnerships, it should be about the same size as Wanda. But Wanda's expansion speed is indeed quite fast. I heard they're going to break 800 screens by the end of the year. Real estate companies really have money to burn," Wang Yao said with a smile, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

"Wanda has an advantage in property management. Whether it's online ticketing or marketing management, it's not as good as Kanpianer.com," Yu Dong added with a smile.

"Looking at it this way, if Kanpianer.com merges with Chengtian, their market value could really break through four billion," Zhang Chaoyang suddenly remarked.

“Yes, if Alibaba is willing to push for the merger of the three companies, it should trigger a takeover bid, right? With the current stock price, the remaining 50% of the shares should be acquired for at most within a billion yuan,” Yu Dong said, raising an eyebrow.

"Putting aside whether Alibaba is willing or not, President Wu is definitely not willing. He might even come up with a poison pill plan for us, which would damage our relationship," Wang Yao said, waving his hand.

"That's true. Mr. Wu isn't someone who's willing to step down and give way to someone more capable. But to be honest, with him around, it's hard for the stock price to rise anytime soon," Zhang Chaoyang commented.

“We should have continued holding the previous shareholders’ meeting to push for new board seats,” Yu Dong suggested.

"It happened so suddenly, I didn't think much about it at the time," Dongfang Xin said.

As a participant, she naturally has the most right to speak.

"In any case, Kanpian.com is now an insurmountable mountain in the film industry, with nearly 20% of the box office market share. Congratulations to President Wang and President Ren!" Yu Dong raised his glass.

Wang Yao toasted him with tea instead of wine, saying, "In the beginning, we will have to rely on the production companies. If you don't make good movies, we won't be able to sell tickets. We are all in the same boat, sharing both prosperity and adversity."

"Well said." Yu Dong's eyes lit up, and he was about to delve deeper into the topic.

"How's the Berna IPO going?" Zhang Chaoyang interrupted Yu Dong's spellcasting.

"Well, it's not bad. The estimated market value is around 5 billion, less than 1 billion US dollars," Yu Dong said with a smile.

"That's quite a lot. Maybe it can catch up with Huayi after it goes public," Zhang Chaoyang said casually. Huayi's current market value is probably close to 10 billion US dollars, so Zhang Chaoyang's words were somewhat provocative.

“Actually, compared to us, Berna and Chengtian are more suitable for a merger,” Wang Yao said with a smile. “Since it’s listed on the US stock market, it will definitely expand overseas in the future. Chengtian has shares in Legendary Hollywood and a number of overseas cinemas. Mr. Yu, aren’t you planning to make a profit after the listing?”

"After this experience with Meishe, I've made up my mind. People should focus on doing what they're good at and not be overly ambitious. Capital operations may seem profitable, but they're actually harmful," Yu Dong sighed.

Originally, I thought I could get a little benefit from cross-shareholding and take advantage of Meishe, but now it has become a negative asset investment.

“We still need to pay attention to the capital market.” Zhang Chaoyang shook his head. “If President Wang has any ideas, Sohu still has some money in its accounts. The poison pill plan is not impossible to crack, it’s just a matter of cost.”

"That's getting off topic. Kanpianer.com is only focused on achieving its Q2 revenue target of 3 million yuan," Ren Quan interrupted.

"The Gunman was released yesterday, and its box office exceeded 1000 million on the first day. It should be able to contribute to the box office of Kanpianer.com in the future," Yu Dong got to the point.

"This is indeed a good result on the first day of the admission process," Ren Quan nodded.

"Originally, the strategy was to take over from 'Legend of the Condor Heroes 2' and carry the glory of domestic gunfight films to compete with 'Steel 2'. I didn't expect 'Legend of the Condor Heroes 2' to make a comeback. I was caught off guard." Yu Dong said with a wry smile, feeling inexplicably betrayed.

"Therefore, it's best not to easily adjust some major strategies," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“I’ve also noticed that Gu Tianle has been getting good reviews and popularity lately. Although ‘Ye 2’ is also doing well, most people have already seen it. Why don’t we allocate more resources to ‘Gun King’? We still have a lot of potential,” Yu Dong said with a smile.

Gu Tianle's portrayal of the ancient saint, packaged by Wang Yao, didn't generate much buzz, but its popularity remained consistently high. Furthermore, with the recent start of filming for "A Chinese Ghost Story," the viewership was indeed quite good.

“Since Mr. Yu has asked, we naturally have to give him face. However, the company still needs to make money. A 30% share of ‘Ye 2’ is equivalent to selling one ticket, which is more than three tickets of other kinds.” Ren Quan said with a smile.

“Of course, so I plan to adjust the film production company’s share to 15% directly,” Yu Dong said with a smile.

The commission revenue of Kanpianer.com mainly comes from the revenue sharing between cinemas and film producers.

Normally, the commission is 10%, split 50/50 between the two parties.

Sometimes, cinemas will adjust their own attendance to increase occupancy rates, or movie streaming platforms will organize private screenings at their own expense.

Either the production company wants to boost box office revenue and voluntarily gives up a share of the profits.

Yu Dong essentially gave an extra 10% on top of the original 5% commission for the film's producers, just to secure more screenings and promotion for "The Gunman." This percentage is indeed quite high for a potential film that grossed over 10 million on its opening day.

“I’ve seen the previous estimate for ‘The Gunman’, which was around 100 million in box office revenue. Even if Mr. Yu makes concessions now, it can only increase the revenue by 20% or 30% at most. That probably won’t quench Bona’s thirst. Are you betting everything on ‘The Laughing Swordsman’ for the second half of the year?” Wang Yao wiped his mouth and asked.

Bernard's concessions are for the sake of box office figures; an extra ten or twenty million won't make much difference.

“Of course not, there’s also the variety shows that President Wang mentioned before.” Yu Dong also put down his chopsticks.

“Variety shows are great! I heard that Mr. Wang’s show, ‘Fairy Robe,’ is very successful and its revenue is close to 2 million. Overall, it’s estimated to be more profitable than ‘If You Are the One.’” Zhang Chaoyang also became interested.

His self-produced dramas were somewhat unreliable, but if it came to variety shows, he might actually be able to compete with TV stations. After "Fairy Robe" became a hit, he specifically asked someone to investigate the variety show market and learned that Wang Yao's Tianhuo not only produced "Fairy Robe" in China, but also produced another personal variety show, "Superman," in Korea, which was also the ratings champion and extremely profitable.

He came today not only to join in the fun, but also to inquire about collaborations on variety shows.

"These are all rumors from the outside world, and they can't compare to 'If You Are the One'," Wang Yao said modestly. "However, I am indeed planning to invest heavily in the variety show category. I'm already preparing three variety shows for the second half of the year: a dance talent show, a travel show, and a parent-child show."

"Is this a Korean version of 'Superman'?" Zhang Chaoyang asked.

"That's right, even Mr. Zhang knows this?" Wang Yao was somewhat surprised, thinking that China didn't have internet access.

"What 'Superman'?" Yu Dong asked, puzzled.

Zhang Chaoyang gave a brief introduction to his own information.

"What's so interesting about a man taking care of a child?" Yu Dong asked, puzzled.

"How is it not good-looking? I can already picture the man scrambling around in a flurry of activity," Li Bingbing chuckled.

“President Yu, you can’t look at the project from your own perspective. The men taking care of the children is for the women to see,” Dongfang Xin said helplessly.

“This.” Yu Dong blinked and made the decision first, “Both women at the dinner table thought it was interesting, so I’ll invest in this project. President Wang, please take me with you.”

“Hey, Lao Yu, first come, first served.” Zhang Chaoyang patted him on the shoulder. “No matter how much he invests, I’ll invest twice as much. I want to be the majority shareholder, and I demand simultaneous online broadcast. There’s no need to coordinate with TV stations; we’ll just go to Beijing TV.”

Family shows like "Superman" don't really need prime time slots because they're different from those in Korea. The chances of this show becoming a huge hit in China are slim, but it certainly won't lose money. Most importantly, it can generate sponsorship revenue.

“Xia Yu just became a father, his baby is only two months old, he’s perfect for this show. His joining with Yuan Quan is a top-notch combination.” Yu Dong used his connections to his advantage.

"It would be even better if Mr. and Mrs. Xia Yu could participate, but we've also invited Liang Luoshi to be the main host," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Isn't she from a single-parent family?" Zhang Chaoyang was taken aback.

“Superman isn’t limited to stay-at-home dads and moms; anything with a gimmick can do it,” Wang Yao said with a slight smile.

Yu Dong frowned. With Liang Luoshi's appearance, who could compete in the parenting gimmick race? She was the bloodline of the richest family.

Wang Yao's connections are truly unfathomable.

He doesn't lack money; even if he did, there would probably be plenty of suckers like Zhang Chaoyang lining up to give him money.

Now that he has plenty of connections, Yu Dong suddenly feels a surge of pressure.

I deeply regret not considering Wang Yao's suggestion to do a variety show project right away. Now that he's succeeded, if I wanted to get involved, I might face even greater costs.

Having gotten used to being the client and the big spender, it felt a bit strange being the service provider for the first time.

"So dance variety shows are talent shows?" Dongfang Xin asked, noticing Yu Dong's expression.

"Yes, but it's not limited to dance styles. We're even planning to find some opera talents to promote traditional culture through diverse talent shows. This project carries a certain risk of loss," Wang Yao said truthfully.

"What about travel variety shows?" Dongfang Xin asked again.

"The first season is set in Hong Kong. A group of celebrities will go out to eat, drink, and check in, while also introducing some local customs and history to increase the public's understanding of the area and break some traditional stereotypes. Moreover, due to budget constraints, letting celebrities experience the lives of ordinary people is also one of the highlights. I am quite optimistic about this project, but the investment budget is not low," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Even he said it wasn't low, so it's estimated to be higher than the 20 million for "Fairy Robe".

The atmosphere at the dinner table quieted down.

Until Yu Dong laughed heartily.

"Since we're going to cooperate with President Wang, we'll naturally go all out."

(End of this chapter)