1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 185: The Videotape Market Grows from Less Than 10 Billion to 120 Billion in Six Years (Please Subscribe!)

Wow! America is so developed!

At 2 a.m., Chen Fusheng and his group landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport and boarded the embassy's pick-up car. Everyone except Chen Fusheng was awestruck as they saw the bustling city of Los Angeles for the first time.

The consul sent by the embassy took in everyone's expressions and then joked, "Look how calm your Director Chen is."

"That's right, although our Director Chen is young, he has the demeanor of a great general!"

"That's right, that's right."

Faced with everyone's praise, Chen Fusheng waved his hand with a wry smile and said, "What great general's demeanor? I've just been abroad a few more times than you all."

They chatted casually along the way, and soon the car pulled into the consulate.

Because it was late and they needed to adjust to the time difference, they ate something quickly and then returned to the rooms arranged for them by the consulate.

Chen Fusheng had taken a nap on the plane and wasn't very sleepy after returning to his room, so he picked up his pen to add and improve some details about his trip to the United States.

……

The next day, after Chen Fusheng and his group had breakfast at the consulate and said goodbye to all the staff there, they were about to head to Warner Bros. when Karina unexpectedly came to them first.

"Chen, my Chinese friend, it's so nice to see you again. Welcome to America, welcome to Los Angeles."

"Thank you. It's also a pleasure to see you again, Miss Karina. And you look beautiful today."

"Oh, really? Thank you."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and introductions, Chen Fusheng and his team followed Karina to Warner Bros.

"Chen, after Miss Diane came back last time, she told me that the movie you made this time was very interesting! I heard that you only spent nine days filming it?"

"Yes."

"God, if you weren't the director of The Devotion of Suspect X, I don't think I would be interested in a movie that was made in just nine days, but now, I'm really looking forward to it."

"You'll be able to meet Miss Karina very soon."

Since the other party mentioned his previous film, Chen Fusheng took the opportunity to ask about the film's 'performance'.

"Although your film 'The Devotion of Suspect X' won the Golden Bear this year, it only grossed $1238 million in North America. President Steve's evaluation was not bad."

Chen Fusheng remembers that this period was when the American videotape market was booming. From less than $10 billion in 1980, the market grew to $120 billion in just six years in 1986. Although Chen Fusheng doesn't remember how much it is this year, he feels that his film, with its Golden Bear award, couldn't possibly not sell for even a few hundred thousand on the videotape market.

Karina has not mentioned any benefits from this at the moment.

Chen Fusheng had reason to suspect that she thought he didn't understand, so she wanted to hide this income in order to gain an advantage in future negotiations.

Fortunately, Chen Fusheng had memories of the future and knew that the videotape market was very profitable; otherwise, anyone else would have definitely overlooked it.

Since Karina wouldn't bring it up, Chen Fusheng had no choice but to ask her himself.

How well are movies performing in the videotape market?

Karina was clearly surprised to hear the question, and even subconsciously raised her hand to brush her hair aside.

At the same time, she suspected that Chen Fusheng might have done his research before asking the question.

Otherwise, a Chinese person visiting the United States for the first time wouldn't have asked this question.

After conjuring up a plausible logical connection, Karina, feeling there was no need to hide anything any longer, revealed the revenue of "The Devotion of Suspect X" in the videotape market.

"638 million?" Upon hearing that it was not 638 but 63.8 million, and that the unit was US dollars, Chen Fusheng, despite appearing calm on the surface, had actually cursed several times in his mind.

Unlike box office revenue, this doesn't even require revenue sharing; the $638 million is pure profit, which is incredibly satisfying.

More importantly, because videotapes were cheap, movies could have a long lifespan on the videotape market. Many blockbuster movies could still be profitable for one or two years, unlike movies that could only survive for one or two months in theaters.

Unfortunately, times change. With the advancement of digital technology in the 1990s, the once-popular videotape era could not stop the rolling wheels of history and ultimately collapsed, battered and bruised, on the eve of the rise of the Internet.

"I never imagined that 'The Suspect' would be so popular in the videotape market. Congratulations, Ms. Karina."

"To be honest, I was quite surprised too. I hope your new movie will continue to be a success."

"hope so!"

Chen Fusheng felt that "The Man from Earth" was also quite suitable for the videotape market, but unfortunately, such a long-term collaboration was not suitable for him and Warner Bros. at the moment. Therefore, his plan was to try his best to achieve higher box office or popularity for his film, and then try to sell the videotape rights of the film for a high price.

Before long, the car took them to Warner Bros.

Chen Fusheng thought that since Karina had gone to pick them up, no one would greet them. However, after entering the hall, a tall woman who claimed to be the president's secretary reached out her hand to him.

The other party first offered a welcome, then explained:
"Because our company has a movie premiere press conference this morning, President Steve and many senior executives have already gone to the press conference venue, so I'm sorry, I can only represent the president to welcome Chen and your team."

"It's alright. The fact that your company sent Ms. Karina to pick us up at the consulate already shows how hospitable you are."

Chen Fusheng changed the subject and inquired about what kind of movie premiere press conference it was.

“Blade Runner,” Karina replied.

Hearing that it was indeed this movie, Chen Fusheng wasn't surprised. Although many movies hold their premieres the day before the release, holding one a week in advance is not uncommon and is quite common.

But then he heard Karina say, "Chen, if you don't have any plans for tomorrow, you could consider watching this movie. It's a sci-fi film, and it's directed by Ridley Scott."

"Tomorrow?" Chen Fusheng asked Karina for confirmation.

“Yes, tomorrow.” Karina realized that Chen Fusheng really knew their company, so she explained further: “It was originally supposed to be released a week later, but because Universal Pictures’ ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ was so strong, the company had to move the release date forward to avoid clashing with the other party’s strongest period right after its release.”

"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the movie directed by Steven Spielberg, right?"

"Uh... Chen, you actually know Spielberg?"

"I've seen his film 'Jaws'."

Chen Fusheng added in his mind: There's also Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Syndra's List, Saving Private Ryan, War of the Worlds...

"Actually, I don't think your movie needs to be released ahead of schedule."

"why?"

"Because when you choose to change the release date, it means you're already afraid. Since you're already afraid, why force yourself to go for it? Wouldn't it be better to avoid the brunt of the conflict?"

Karina had originally voted in favor at yesterday's meeting, but after hearing Chen Fusheng's explanation, she found it to make some sense.

Of course, the outcome cannot be changed now, and Karina can only pull herself out of her thoughts.

Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Chen, your viewpoint is consistent with that of our film investment analyst Miller. He'll be watching your film later, and perhaps you two will become friends."

"expect……"

(End of this chapter)