Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 393 Chen Xiu Wants to Be the Godfather of Entertainment Literature?
Huayi, Chairman's Office.

Since the stock price plummeted due to the incident at the end of May, nearly four months have passed, but Huayi's stock price has not recovered.

Coupled with the tax reform controversy earlier this month, investors withdrew one after another, and many projects of Huayi Brothers, a leading company in the film and television industry, were forced to die in the womb.

With a series of misfortunes befalling them, it was inevitable that the mood of the two Wangs, who were in charge of the company, would be affected. It was common for them to shut themselves in and sigh deeply every day.

However, today the two brothers, unusually, did not smoke or drink when they got together. Instead, they added another chair behind the desk and sat side by side, as if waiting for something to happen.

Just as the clock on the wall struck 11, Wang Zhonglei said, "Brother, the press conference should be starting soon."

"Okay, let's just search."

Wang Zhongjun gestured with his chin towards the computer, indicating that his younger brother should take charge.

Wang Zhonglei skillfully opened Douyin and typed "Tencent, iQiyi, and Datang Pictures joint press conference" into the search box.

Pressing Enter reveals a live interview-style broadcast on the updated page.

The person being interviewed was Chen Xiu, and standing next to him were Gong Yu and Sun Zhonghuai, the two heads of the video platform.

The reporter asked, "Mr. Chen, what specific content was covered in this joint press conference held by your three companies?"

"Actually, it's not just the three of us. Several other companies that are collaborating are not listed because their representatives couldn't come. The main purpose of this announcement is to announce the content of the TV series we will be co-producing."

Chen Xiu spoke into the microphone, and Gong Yu and Sun Zhonghuai, who were standing next to him, echoed his words.

Seeing this, Wang Zhonglei frowned involuntarily and turned to Wang Zhongjun, saying, "Brother, they only talked about the TV series, not the movie."

"Hmm! Let's see. Chen Xiu's serious joint press conference must be more than just announcing the TV series he's preparing."

Wang Zhongjun pushed up his glasses, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart.

This premonition suddenly became even stronger when the next reporter raised a question.

"Mr. Chen, is the TV series co-produced by your three companies related to the recent advocacy against exorbitant actor salaries?"

"Yeah, there is some connection."

Upon hearing this, the two brothers, Da Wang and Xiao Wang, immediately turned to look at each other, their faces showing some tension.

Before they could begin their discussion, Chen Xiu continued, "This time, the three of us will be releasing a total of five TV series, most of which are adapted from novel IPs."

"The theme of this collaboration is to bring TV dramas back to content and say goodbye to the production method that only focuses on traffic. Therefore, actors' salaries will only account for 30% of the production cost of these 5 TV dramas."

Before Chen Xiu could finish speaking, the comment section was already flooded with messages supporting and opposing "traffic-driven dramas."

Discussions about exorbitant actor salaries have been ongoing in the entertainment industry since the beginning of this year.

The incident at the end of May served as a prime example, and the tax reform and back payment at the beginning of this month were an even clearer statement of intent.

The fact that Tencent, iQiyi, and Datang Media announced their intention to return to content creation and limit actors' salaries at this time is also in line with the trend of the times.

After Chen Xiu finished speaking, Gong Yu, who was standing to his left, added, "Our collaboration this time is a bold attempt, and we also hope that the film and television industry can develop in a more standardized and healthy way."

The two kings ignored these meaningless pleasantries and began discussing what they had heard.

Wang Zhonglei said, "Brother, is this press conference Chen Xiu organized the same thing as the so-called salary cap alliance from last time? What does he mean by this? Does he really think he's the godfather of the entertainment industry and wants to set the rules for us?"

"..."

Wang Zhongjun remained silent, his tightly furrowed brows never easing from the moment he spoke.

Just as in response to Wang Zhonglei's question, Sun Zhonghuai, who was to Chen Xiu's right on the screen, also began to add his comments after seeing Chen Xiu and Gong Yu speak.

"Our collaboration this time is not about forcibly limiting actors' salaries, but about discovering promising newcomers through low-paid, high-quality content..."

"They talk such nice things, but aren't they just helping newcomers get rid of the old ones!"

Wang Zhonglei summarized Sun Zhonghuai's words, and then his expression suddenly changed.

"If we let these internet people keep going, they'll probably be in charge of the entertainment industry from now on..."

"Why wait until later? Isn't it already like this now?"

Wang Zhongjun's question startled Wang Zhonglei, who sat there speechless for a long time.

On the screen, the interview continued, with the pre-arranged reporter asking each question perfectly timed.

"Mr. Chen, may I ask what the themes are for the five TV series you are preparing this time? What are their stories?"

"The content is quite rich, such as the ancient costume fantasy drama 'Joy of Life', the ancient costume historical drama 'Serenade of Peaceful Joy', the suspense crime drama 'The Hidden Corner', the urban girl drama 'Twenty Your Life On', and the urban time-travel drama 'The Genius Basic Law'."

Do they always cast newcomers as actors?

"They are not all newcomers. Most of them are actors who have been in the industry for a few years and have a foundation in acting skills and popularity. Of course, due to investment issues, we can only consider actors with lower salaries."

"Does this mean that these five new dramas are trying to avoid using popular celebrities?"

"That's not accurate. We just want to make the pay more cost-effective..."

The question-and-answer session between Chen Xiu and the reporter, supplemented by occasional additions from Gong Yu and Sun Zhonghuai.

The press conference time flew by as if it were wound up.

Upon hearing the end of the message and realizing there was nothing more to add, Wang Zhongjun gestured for Wang Zhonglei to turn off the software.

Once the office quieted down, the two Wangs sat side by side, looking at each other, neither speaking. After a while, Wang Zhonglei finally shared his thoughts.

"Brother, what do you think Chen Xiu is trying to achieve by doing this? He owns his own company, and the higher the celebrity's salary, the more money he makes, right?"

"Who knows? Maybe he thinks he's some kind of godfather in the entertainment industry, just like you said."

Wang Zhonglei frowned, but still shook his head firmly.

"If he just wants to play around with women in the entertainment industry, it's too easy for him. He can learn from his seniors and go hiking and clubbing with female celebrities. Isn't that easier than working hard filming movies and managing a company?"

"With his face and wealth, he doesn't need to climb mountains or go to bars to play around with women..."

Wang Zhongjun retorted, and then his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

"I think Chen Xiu probably genuinely wants this industry to be a better place."

"Um???"

Wang Zhonglei looked skeptical, thinking: Would anyone really want to do something so thankless and exhausting?

With questions lingering in his mind, Wang Zhonglei questioned, "If he wanted to change this industry, why did he repeatedly emphasize that this press conference was only to support newcomers, not to limit the high salaries of celebrities?"

"That's where the cleverness lies. If you flip the table right away, who's going to play along? If these five TV series are successful, other film and television companies will automatically follow suit. The entertainment industry is never short of actors."

"We've been living with high salaries for years, how could five TV series possibly change that?"

"Have you forgotten how celebrities' salaries have increased?"

Wang Zhongjun's question left Wang Zhonglei speechless, and he began to realize the intricacies of the matter.

The soaring salaries in the era of internet traffic are precisely due to the influx of internet capital.

Now that the hot money has receded, the internet capital remaining in the film and television industry is certainly no longer willing to support stars with high salaries.

Kiwi and Penguin's willingness to cooperate with Chen Xiu in doing these things is essentially out of their own self-interest.

Having figured all this out, Wang Zhonglei frowned and pondered for a while, then comforted himself, "Investing in five TV series at once, all starting filming next year, means we won't lack productions for the next two years! Hmph! If these TV series flop, Datang Pictures' cash flow might be in trouble, right?"

"With iQiyi and Tencent helping to share the burden, and without hiring popular celebrities, five dramas won't cost much. Others might make their money back by making just one 'Detective Chinatown'."

When mentioning "Detective Chinatown," Wang Zhongjun's tone was full of envy.

As another film series, Huayi Brothers' "Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings," released in July of this year, only grossed 600 million yuan, making it a complete flop.

In contrast, "Detective Chinatown 2" grossed 38.5 billion yuan at the box office, making it impossible not to be envious.

Wang Zhonglei smacked his lips and suddenly said, "During the National Day holiday, we also have a film called 'Fat Buddies,' a collaboration between Bao Beier and Zhou Yijian. The investment isn't high, so we might be able to make a small profit."

"I remember, Datang Pictures seems to have a movie coming out soon, right?"

"...Yes, 'The Long Way Home,' and there's also a suspense film called 'Sheep Without a Shepherd' in December."

Wang Zhongjun curled his lip and thought to himself: This Datang Film Industry is developing too fast. In just a few years, the number of films it produces in a single year is almost surpassing that of Huayi.

……

Datang Pictures, in the conference room.

As the live stream ended, Chen Xiu listened to Zhang Zili, the director of the film marketing department, explain the publicity arrangements for the premiere of "The Long Way Home".

Upon hearing the final words, Chen Xiu was astonished to discover that Zhang Zili had actually arranged for him to join the project.

"Boss, could you attend the movie premiere press conference?"

"Will do."

"Will you be able to stand on stage with the main creative team and be interviewed by reporters at that time?"

"In what capacity should I take the stage?"

Zhang Zili thought for a moment and said, "A film producer?"

"alright."

Chen Xiu wasn't too opposed to supporting her own company's film.

After Zhang Zili finished his work report and left, Chen Xiu turned her attention to Yang Ming, whom she had called over.

"During the live stream just now, I mentioned those five TV series. You've already read the project proposals. Now, let's talk about the casting arrangements."

"The auditions for the actors in 'Joy of Life' are basically complete; 'Serenade of Peaceful Joy' is a project of Daylight Entertainment, and although we are the investors, we only have the right to recommend actors; the copyright for 'The Genius Basic Law' has just been negotiated, so we don't need to consider it for the time being; 'The Hidden Corner' is not suitable. As for the remaining 'Twenty Your Life On,' which has a total of four female leads, I think that Tian Xinwei and Zhou Ye can play the roles of Jiang Xiaoguo and Liang Shuang, who have more screen time."

"OK, it does seem quite suitable. Go and communicate with Tencent and Lemon Pictures."

"Ok."

Seeing that Yang Ming was about to leave, Chen Xiu thought for a moment and then called out to him again.

"Yang Ming, go and help Meng Ziyi get the female lead role in 'Qing Ping Yue'."

"Ok."

(End of this chapter)