How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 83 My Plans [3 Updates, Please Subscribe]

The phrase "two-faced" perfectly describes someone as cunning and shrewish as Wang Jing.

But once he gets the wind in his favor, he becomes the most reckless.

Qu Shou is currently the biggest beneficiary of the controversy. He not only gained a good reputation for speaking out for justice for free, but also got free publicity for his two upcoming movies.

Yesterday, the release dates for his two movies were finally confirmed for February 2.7th, just one week before the Spring Festival season. Because the decision was made suddenly, the time for promotion is also very tight, but the advantage is that they can take advantage of the hype.

With only a week to promote the product, Wang Jing could only think of Wang Yao who was capable of doing the job, so she wanted to contact him last night to discuss promotional cooperation.

Unfortunately, Wang Yao was busy teaching Kim Ji-won to write at that time, and he didn't see the message until the next morning. He also had other plans for the day, so he could only arrange to talk in detail that evening.

"Yaozai, it's harder to contact you than to contact Andy Lau these days," Wang Jing laughed heartily.

Looks like they had a great time mooching off others these past two days.

"Director Wang is joking. I'm just on vacation recently, so I've been a bit lazy," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Oh, is it my fault for disturbing your vacation? Don't be offended, don't be offended. I was really worried, brother. After hearing what you said, I realized that having two movies released at the same time is really stressful, like competing against each other," Wang Jing said with a smile.

"Director Wang, don't worry, you have a good reputation, the box office will be fine," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

“Yang Cheng regrets it now. He didn’t listen to you and let Ajiao come out. So this time he gave me a larger budget, hoping to help Ajiao. You know I’m very soft-hearted, and she’s like a sister to me, so I can only ask you for help,” Wang Jing said with a smile.

"What's the budget?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Two films, 300 million,” Wang Jing said in a deep voice.

Wang Yao fell silent. This old man was really ruthless. The total budget for the two films was estimated at 2 million yuan. After deducting all the filming costs, he didn't believe he couldn't squeeze out 3000 million yuan for publicity and distribution.

"So, what box office figures do you expect to achieve?" Wang Yao countered.

“The more the better,” Wang Jing said with a smile.

"Director Wang, to be honest, if you give me the whole budget, I can only get 100 to 200 million exposures at most. Based on the conversion rate experience of 'Confucius,' I can probably get you around 10 million in box office revenue," Wang Yao said seriously.

"Don't scare me, this isn't how you fall down." Wang Jing's tone turned stern.

"I'm talking about the conversion rate I can achieve. With your existing channels and influence, the two films combined should gross tens of millions at the box office," Wang Yao estimated conservatively.

"Wouldn't that be even worse than 'Confucius'?" Wang Jing said in frustration.

He felt that Wang Yao looked down on him.

"This is a conservative estimate. If the film is of good quality, it will naturally spread and the box office might reach 300 million, 500 million, or even 1 billion. But this is all I can achieve with this budget," Wang Yao chuckled.

"Then if I give you 30 million, wouldn't you be able to make 100 million?" Wang Jing sneered.

"I can't guarantee it, but we can give it a try," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Wang Jing remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Wang Yao didn't urge him. He searched for news about Wang Jing and her new movie over the past two days. The popularity was actually not bad, after all, it had Andy Lau and Fan Bingbing. But it was really hard to believe that "Unknown" was so bad. "Beauty on Duty" was a little better, it was just average.

If guided well, it should have had more box office revenue. I think this movie didn't lose money. Wang Yao remembers that Wang Jing invited Yang Mi, who was about to take off, to the press conference and also arranged the release date for "Mei Mi 2". At that time, Li Shaohong was at a low point, and Yang Mi took the opportunity to leave Rongfu and sign with Meiya Entertainment to start working in the Hong Kong entertainment circle. Meiya was also one of the distributors of "Mei Mi".

It seems that Chen Weiting and Ah Sa started dating after filming this movie.

It's estimated that they'll invite Yang Mi to join in the fun, but it won't make much difference. She doesn't have much influence right now; the one with real influence is Xie Na.

Right now, the biggest topic of discussion is undoubtedly Qu Shou's participation, but Wang Yao is unlikely to waste Qu Shou's value on these two bad movies.

Wang Yao guessed that Wang Jing himself knew that these two films wouldn't be any surprises, and he could accept a combined box office of 1 million yuan, but he still wanted to try a different approach.

After all, I have witnessed the reversal of fortune.

"You previously suggested that I donate 5% of the box office revenue to charity to support Qu Shou. Is there any potential in this?" Wang Jing asked after a long silence.

"Charity is a double-edged sword. If we lose money, I wouldn't dare take the responsibility." Wang Yao sighed and asked, "Director Wang, tell me honestly, how much do you think these two movies will do at the box office?"

“It’ll definitely be over 3 million,” Wang Jing blurted out, knowing that at least they could break even.

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you," Wang Yao sighed softly.

"Not even 3000 million?" Wang Jing said hurriedly.

Ha, old man, you really do have 3000 million, huh?

"Director Wang, I haven't seen the sample footage, but I'd like to ask, how would you rate these two films? I want an honest answer: bad or good, choose one." Wang Yao narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice.

After a long silence, Wang Jing said, "The Secret of Love is a good comedy."

After waiting for a long time without receiving his review of "Unwarranted," Wang Yao smiled knowingly.

That's the good thing about Wang Jing; he's very honest. He knows he's making a bad movie, but he's also very arrogant. He thinks that even if it's a bad movie, as long as the publicity is good enough, he can still make a profit. But unfortunately, "Unknown" is really too bad. It's so bad that even the lead actor, Andy Lau, wanted to disappear during the publicity period.

"Give me ten million for the marketing and distribution of 'The Secret,' and I can probably get over forty million in box office revenue," Wang Yao replied. With the aftermath of Qu Shou's success, a 1:4 ROI should be enough to make a profit.

"That's too low," Wang Jing said, somewhat displeased. "There are many celebrities in there."

"To be honest, even the director acknowledges that 'Unpolice' is a terrible film. The chances of it turning around with marketing are slim. But I have an idea, though I don't know if Director Wang can accept it," Wang Yao said hesitantly.

"Tell me about it," Wang Jing asked curiously.

"I only have two options. First, I'll use real money to boost your box office, but I can't guarantee how much. 20 million to 40 million is the limit. Adding the natural box office, I can get around 60,000 to 70,000 in the end. If I'm lucky, I can break 100 million, but the probability is very small," Wang Yao said in a deep voice.

"And the second one?" Wang Jing asked, her tone displeased.

Although the investment in "The Secret" was less than 20 million, 40 million was just enough to break even. He thought the film was alright; it was a lowbrow comedy with a bunch of stars, so it should make some money.

"Reverse marketing. Just promote it as a terrible movie. Have all the main actors, including yourself, come out and subtly say that the film is optional, then create related topics online to see if you can arouse the audience's curiosity and rebellion, and then leave it to fate." Wang Yao sighed, completely out of ideas. Making money is tough, and getting by is incredibly difficult.

Wang Jing paused for a moment, then said, "You want me to badmouth myself? Are you crazy? How am I supposed to answer to the investors? Do I even want to keep my job?"

"Director Wang, you already have so many bad movies on your record, what's one more? Besides, I can help you create a persona of the king of bad movies."

"With this reputation on your shoulders, audiences will have lower expectations for your future films. Once you make a good film, you'll be seen as a reformed, conscientious director who has persevered through hardship," Wang Yao advised.

After enduring the profanities, Wang Jing was somewhat tempted.

He is a very clear-headed person who knows what is important and what is not.

But I still felt uneasy. "Am I really that bad? Everyone else is the king of comedy, and I'm the king of bad movies?"

"What if your rottenness is to allow more people to live? Whether sacrificing oneself to feed a tiger is foolish or saintly is a matter of opinion," Wang Yao said quietly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Wang Jing was stunned.

"Director Wang came from a poor family when he was young. He loved movies and made Chow Yun-fat a star with his first TV series, which broke viewership records. When he made his first movie, he knew nothing about cinematography, lighting, and storyboarding, but it still grossed five million at the box office, surpassing Bruce Lee to become the second highest-grossing film in Hong Kong."

From his debut until 2010, he had directed 93 films, produced 166 films and television series, and written 170 screenplays. For 34 years, he maintained a production output of 7.6 films and television series per year, and at his peak, he simultaneously managed six film and television productions.
Behind all of this is the fact that Wang Jing was responsible for supporting half of Hong Kong's film industry. Behind the prosperity of Hong Kong cinema, there were people bearing the burden. During the dark decade of Hong Kong cinema's decline, without Wang Jing, two-thirds of Hong Kong cinemas would have closed down, and the art films you love wouldn't even have had a chance to be screened.

You say his movies are bad? No problem. Investors will still fund him to make more bad movies, and your favorite stars will continue to star in his awful films. He doesn't care about the criticism he receives; he just wants his movies to bloom even in the mud.
Wang Jing truly deserves the title of "King of Bad Movies." If you're a movie lover, you can criticize him, but remember, you owe him a movie ticket.

Wang Yao narrated a person's life story in a calm voice.

Wang Jing seemed to hear the mourning she was receiving at the moment of her death.

He never imagined that anyone could summarize his life in such a way.

But without a doubt, he was moved.

“You understand me.” After a long silence, Wang Jing sighed.

"The bitterness behind the king of bad movies, this kind of marketing press release may bring new opportunities to Director Wang, but if you can find a few more well-liked stars, such as Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau, to speak up for you and support you, then you might actually have some unexpected surprises."

However, it's important to note that when promoting "Unpolice," you must take the lead in acknowledging or implicitly admitting that it's a movie that adults may not particularly enjoy, but children will definitely love.

"I've seen that 'Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf' has been doing very well at the box office recently. Since winter vacation is here, switching from adult films to children's films might be an opportunity. Anyway, I've read your plot synopsis, and the main storyline is a family film, plus the sci-fi elements make it more appealing for families to take their kids to see," Wang Yao advised.

"Yao-zai, you've just told me the plan so openly? What if I don't want to work with you?" Wang Jing suddenly asked curiously.

"It's alright, even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms." Wang Yao smiled dismissively.

If Wang Jing tries to skip out on the project, he'll immediately use her popularity to promote "Love in the Global City," digging up old stories about his relationship with Chen Weiting when he was 21 and Yang Ying when she was 15, and adding the topic of women's safety to the mix. This would probably blow up the entire entertainment industry.

Forget about box office revenue, it might even be taken off the screens eventually.

You might lose a little, but I will always make a profit.

This is Wang Yao's life motto.

"If I had met you twenty years earlier, I would have definitely sworn brotherhood with you, even burning paper money and chopping a chicken for you," Wang Jing sighed softly, her voice tinged with fierce determination.

"Thirty million, 'The Secret' has grossed forty million, and 'Unknown Police' has grossed for sixty million. Together, the two films have grossed over 1 million. I will donate 5% of the total box office to Qu Shou for charity!"

The reason Wang Jing conceded was not only because she was moved by Wang Yao's proposal, but also because she learned that Wang Yao was now working with Ren Quan and others on a publicity and distribution company.

The film "Confucius" had a marketing budget of 5000 million yuan, and its box office is currently predicted to be only 1.5 million yuan. The 1:3 ratio can be used as a reference.

He could figure out the difference between 3000 million and 1 million in box office revenue, plus a boost to his own reputation. So he wasn't worried at all that Wang Yao would cheat him.

"Director Wang, if I fail to do it, the money is non-refundable. At most, we can make up for it in one of your other films later," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“You can definitely do it. I will find suitable people in the industry to speak up for you,” Wang Jing said.

"Then I'll have Ren Quan contact you to sign the contract. Time is tight and the task is heavy, let's split up." Wang Yao hung up the phone and called Ren Quan to explain the situation.

"Huh? You got the whole marketing budget? Wang Jing trusts you that much?" Ren Quan was surprised.

The publicity and distribution budget for "Confucius" was distributed among three companies at the time; Wang Jing was really going all in.

“I don’t think 3000 million is his entire budget. ‘Undetected’ claims a budget of nearly 2 million. Even if the special effects are really expensive, it’s not a Hollywood blockbuster. Besides, I don’t think Wang Jing is the kind of person who values ​​quality. It might be more likely if it were Xu Ke.” Wang Yao smiled.

"That's true, but his movies are mostly terrible. Won't he lose money?" Ren Quan asked with some concern.

"Has Huayi signed the contract?" Wang Yao asked.

"It's not signed yet. Old Wang has been a bit busy lately and we haven't had a chance to meet." Ren Quan smiled awkwardly. Actually, they hadn't reached an agreement yet, and he was still trying to negotiate.

“Hot Summer Days is going to be released in half a month, so it seems like they’re very confident.” Wang Yao smiled dismissively. “Then let him wait a bit longer. If Wang Jing does a good job with this case, the premium will be back in our hands. No rush.”

"Haha, okay, I believe you can definitely pull it off." Ren Quan chuckled.

"Brother Quan, please take note of this. I'm making the following arrangements."

　Regarding the update time.

　　Because I've been updating 10,000 words every day lately, I don't have any drafts saved up.

　　And I'm used to writing and posting everything at once, so it's most likely around noon.

　　However, the condition may vary from day to day and is therefore unstable.

　　Please forgive me, dear readers who are waiting for updates.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)