Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 560, Section 558: Launch and Celebration
After watching the opening ceremony, Wang Sheng bid farewell to the leader of the observation group, agreed to meet again at the closing ceremony, and then boarded a flight from Athens to Los Angeles, USA.

As the plane pierced through the clouds, Wang Sheng leaned back in his comfortable seat, closed his eyes to rest, and mentally organized his next move.

The creative team and core group for the "The Hitman's Bodyguard" project have been finalized, and Jackie Chan's involvement ensures a solid foundation in the Asian market and high-quality action sequences.

However, to truly become a commercially successful blockbuster with global influence, it cannot do without Hollywood's mature and powerful distribution network.

Especially in North America and other Western markets, even a high-quality film can easily fail to gain traction without the guidance of local experts.

Therefore, it's still necessary to bring New Line Cinema on board.

Since China officially joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2001, Sino-US economic and trade relations have entered a period widely referred to as the "honeymoon period".

In accordance with the WTO agreement framework and China's commitments, China's film market is gradually and orderly opening up.

Although quotas for imported revenue-sharing blockbusters remain strictly limited, barriers to co-production, capital interaction, and technological exchange are decreasing.

More importantly, China's enormous market potential and rapidly growing box office have made major Hollywood studios extremely interested in it.

Whoever can penetrate this market more deeply will gain an advantage in future competition.

Western scholars later termed this the "market trap."

Of course, the trap is not visible at the moment.

The Chinese market has made rapid progress in the past two years.

Wang Sheng's previous successful collaborations with New Line Cinema on projects such as "Spy Kids" and "Saw" have established mutual trust.

The ever-growing channel resources of "China Film Grand Cinema Line" under his control, as well as the unparalleled publicity and distribution capabilities of Shengying Media in the Chinese domestic market, became his strongest bargaining chip when negotiating with Hollywood giants.

The cooperation framework he proposed, which involves exchanging channels for channels and markets for markets, is also becoming more stable.

Shengying Group leverages its channel advantages in the Chinese market to facilitate and support the promotion and screening of New Line Cinema's films (not limited to co-productions, but also including its pure Hollywood productions) in China. In exchange, New Line Cinema is required to utilize the global distribution network of its parent company, Time Warner, and its closely cooperating Warner Bros. Pictures to ensure that projects led or deeply involved by Shengying, such as "The Hitman's Bodyguard," receive the best possible distribution conditions in mainstream markets such as North America and Europe.

This is a deep bond based on mutual benefit in reality.

For New Line Cinema, this is an excellent opportunity to seize a foothold in the Chinese market; for Wang Shenghe and the Chinese capital behind him, this is a crucial step for Chinese films to "go global" and achieve global distribution.

……

After a long flight of more than ten hours, Wang Sheng's private plane landed smoothly at Los Angeles International Airport.

Without any rest, he went straight to the New Line Cinema headquarters in Burbank.

Director Wu Yiyi, lead actor Jackie Chan, and Zhao Jingsong, director of the international business department of Shengying Media, have arrived ahead of time and completed all the preliminary technical consultations. They are just waiting for Wang Sheng, the helmsman, to come and make the final decision and sign the final agreement.

The signing ceremony and press conference were held in a large conference room at the headquarters of New Line Cinema.

The scene was ablaze with flashing lights, attracting dozens of mainstream entertainment media outlets from North America and around the world.

Wang Sheng, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, sat on the stage alongside Jackie Chan, Wu Yiyi, Zhao Jinsong, and New Line Cinema CEO Robert Shea and co-CEO Michael Lynn, among other executives.

Robert Shea delivered the opening remarks, warmly praising the tremendous success of previous collaborations with Wang Sheng and Shengying Media. He stated that this collaboration on "The Hitman's Bodyguard" represents a further deepening of the strategic partnership between New Line Cinema and Shengying Media, and is a "combination of global vision and local wisdom."

Subsequently, Wang Sheng, representing all the Chinese capital that invested in the project, signed a joint investment and distribution agreement with New Line Cinema.

According to the agreement, New Line Cinema's investment in this project is relatively small and more symbolic. Its core value lies in its commitment to use Warner Bros.' global distribution resources to ensure a truly simultaneous or near-simultaneous global release.

This is a typical model of equity investment through distribution channels and issuance rights.

During the Q&A session, the focus naturally shifted to several key figures.

A reporter astutely pointed out the ups and downs in Jackie Chan's development in Hollywood in recent years, as well as his choice to lead projects in the Asian market this time.

Wang Sheng readily took over the conversation, firmly supporting Jackie Chan: "Jackie Chan is a globally recognized film legend and a unique master of action comedy. The so-called ups and downs in his career are merely the artist's diverse attempts and explorations at different stages."

His stage has never been limited to Hollywood, but the whole world. The Asian market is his home, and it is also currently the most dynamic film market in the world.

In "The Hitman's Bodyguard," he will present a slightly different, yet equally brilliant, role, which I believe will be a pleasant surprise for audiences worldwide.

Jackie Chan added with a smile, expressing his gratitude to Wang Sheng and his anticipation for the new role: "Director Wang Sheng gave me a fantastic story and character. Yes, I will try more challenges, such as this somewhat rigid and meticulous top bodyguard, which is different from my previous 'fighting and joking' roles, but it still has Jackie Chan's signature action and humor at its core. I am very excited and look forward to working with director Wu Yiyi and the whole team."

Director Wu Yiyi has become another focus of attention.

To North American media, this director, who is not even a household name in China, appears quite mysterious. His selection by Wang Sheng to helm a big-budget, star-studded commercial blockbuster targeting the global market is undoubtedly a significant leap forward.

Facing the cameras and questioning gazes, Wu Yiyi appeared humble and composed. In his accented English, he said, "I am very grateful for the trust placed in me by Chairman Wang Sheng and New Line Cinema. This is a great honor for me, but also a heavy responsibility."

I will closely follow Mr. Wang Sheng's core creative ideas and stylistic direction for the film, fully draw on Hollywood's mature genre film production experience, and integrate our Eastern narrative wisdom. I will work closely with Jackie Chan and all the excellent team members to do my best to make "The Hitman's Bodyguard" a success and live up to expectations.

His statement not only clarified Wang Sheng's leading role in the project, but also demonstrated his cooperative attitude and determination.

……

After swiftly securing the signing and press conference for "The Hitman's Bodyguard," Wang Sheng's trip to Los Angeles was far from over.

That very evening, following the signing ceremony, New Line Cinema hosted a grand celebration banquet at a top hotel in Beverly Hills for the phenomenal success of "Twilight" worldwide.

Inside the hotel banquet hall, the stars shone brightly, and glasses clinked in celebration.

Hollywood celebrities, producers, agents, and journalists gathered to celebrate the box office miracle created by this groundbreaking fantasy romance film.

As the core planner, original author, and most important driving force behind the Twilight series, Wang Sheng naturally became one of the most dazzling focal points of the entire event.

He chatted and laughed with the New Line Cinema giants—Robert Shea, Michael Lynn, and Kevin Brown, the senior vice president in charge of the project.

The highlight of the celebration was when Robert Shea took to the stage and announced a series of astonishing statistics.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us raise a glass together to celebrate Twilight lighting up cinemas around the world!"

Shay's voice was full of passion, "To date, Twilight has grossed over $4.8 million worldwide! And it continues to rake in box office revenue in multiple markets!"

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and gasps of surprise.

In 2004, this figure was undoubtedly a huge success for a film adaptation of a teenage novel, which wasn't the most expensive film ever made.

Shay continued, "More importantly, the success of Twilight is not a flash in the pan. Based on our assessment and market enthusiasm, this series is very likely to become our company's most successful and influential core IP series for the next decade and beyond, following in the footsteps of the greatest epic series in New Line Cinema's history—The Lord of the Rings trilogy!"

These words caused a stir throughout the room.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy grossed nearly $30 billion worldwide and won numerous awards (including The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which swept 11 awards at the 76th Academy Awards), making it New Line Cinema's undisputed crown jewel and pinnacle of glory.

Today, the company's top management has placed "Twilight" at the level of its successor, which is undoubtedly the highest affirmation of Wang Sheng's vision and the potential of this project.

In his subsequent remarks, Kevin Brown expressed his special thanks to Wang Sheng: "It was Mr. Wang Sheng who brought this fascinating story to the table. He accurately grasped the scale of the fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics, and he also strongly recommended the pearl from the East—Miss Fan Xiaopang. This collaboration is a perfect win-win situation for New Line Cinema and Shengying Film, as well as for Hollywood and Eastern film forces."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wang Sheng delivered a brief toast.

He thanked the New Line Cinema team for their outstanding work, praised the brilliant performances of all the actors, and cleverly remarked, "The success of Twilight proves that genuine emotions are a universal language. This is just the beginning, and I believe that with the joint efforts of New Line Cinema and Sheng Ying, this series will create even more miracles."

The celebratory banquet was filled with a warm and lasting atmosphere.

Industry insiders congratulated Wang Sheng and explored the possibility of future cooperation.

(End of this chapter)