Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 148 Total Collapse

Sitting on the plane back to Beijing, Ren Pingsheng rubbed his temples.

He took out a small notebook from his bag and began to do the accounting.

You wouldn't believe it until you calculated it, and the result was quite shocking.

With the 40 million invested by Tencent and Baidu, plus the 5 million already in the account, Shengping Vision originally had a huge cash balance of 45 million.

It sounds like a lot, but it's spent like water flowing away.

We spent four million on the copyright, two million on "Li Xianji", and eleven million on the distribution and promotion of "Lost in Thailand". Today, we've spent another fourteen million on investing in Gewara.

All told, there were only 20 million left in the account.

This includes the four million yuan that Changyou just sent for its two custom-produced dramas, as well as the more than two million yuan that Dapeng and Baike have recently earned from their crazy variety show appearances.

Although the box office performance of "Lost in Thailand" is excellent, it is conservatively estimated that the film's producer will receive at least 15 million yuan in the end.

The problem is that the settlement cycle for theatrical films is extremely long. From the time a film leaves theaters until the theaters settle their accounts, it can take at least six months before the film receives payment!

There is less than a month left to pay the remaining 21 million yuan for "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

Financial pressure suddenly pressed down on us like a mountain.

Ren Pingsheng stared at the numbers in the notebook, and drew a heavy circle on the paper with the tip of his pen.

What to do if you're short of money?

His gaze eventually settled on the four words "Lost in Thailand".

The box office revenue is being held back, but that doesn't mean the film's current value is locked away.

In this era where video websites are burning through money to acquire copyrights at any cost, how much is the exclusive online broadcasting right of a hit comedy that has just dominated theatrical releases and sparked nationwide discussion worth?

As soon as the plane landed, he dialed the number of Gong Yu, CEO of Baidu Qiyi.

"Mr. Gong, long time no see. I have a sure-fire business opportunity; I wonder if iQiyi is interested?"

Half an hour later, Ren Pingsheng sat in the conference room of iQiyi's new office building.

"The exclusive online streaming rights to 'Lost in Thailand'?" Gong Yu looked at Ren Pingsheng sitting opposite him, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Of course he knew about the film. In the past few days, the whole world has been full of jokes about Wang Baoqiang drinking milk and Xu Zheng wearing a green hat. The film has already grossed 20 million yuan at the box office, making it the biggest dark horse of this summer's box office.

But he never expected that the film was actually made by Ren Pingsheng.

"Ping Sheng, you're quick on the uptake. The movie just premiered in theaters and you're already selling the online rights," Gong Yu chuckled. "Name your price."

"Fifteen million," Ren Pingsheng shouted out the number.

"How many?"

Gong Yu nearly choked on his tea. "Ping Sheng, are you kidding me? Fifteen million? LeEco spent eight million on Iron Man 2, and 'New Three Kingdoms' only cost fifteen million for 95 episodes! You're offering me fifteen million for this low-budget comedy?"

"Mr. Gong, that's not how you calculate things."

Ren Pingsheng leaned back, crossed his arms, and said, "Iron Man is a Hollywood import with special effects. People who want to see it have already gone to the theaters. Besides, the 8 million yuan deal is only for a 3-month exclusive, and other websites will share the rights afterward. But this is a domestic comedy. In fact, a large number of people won't go to the theaters to see it. Right now, the movie is trending. If you buy it, it's like buying a data package, and it's exclusive."

He looked at Gong Yu and said, "Think about it, what will those viewers who didn't go to the cinema, or those who wanted to see it a second or third time, do when they find that they can only watch the high-definition, legal version of 'Lost in Thailand' on iQiyi?"

Gong Yu fell silent.

He admitted that Ren Pingsheng had a point, but fifteen million was simply outrageous.

This has far exceeded the market ceiling for video websites to purchase the copyright of a single movie at that time.

"The price is too high; the board of directors won't approve it," Gong Yu shook his head. "Five million at most."

"Ten million," Ren Pingsheng rounded down the price, but it was still an astronomical sum. "President Gong, President Gu of Youku called me twice this morning, but I didn't answer. I came to you first because you are shareholders of Shengping Vision, we are family, but I can't sell off such a lucrative opportunity cheaply."

He paused for a moment, then unleashed his final trump card.

"Moreover, this is not just a movie. If iQiyi acquires the exclusive broadcasting rights, LifeShow will invite the main creative team to cooperate with iQiyi for a round of after-sales marketing after the movie's theatrical run. I guarantee that this money will be well spent."

Gong Yu stared at Ren Pingsheng for a full minute.

He knows this young man's marketing skills all too well; "Old Boys" is the best proof of that.

"Eight million," Gong Yu gritted his teeth and gave his final bottom line, "It can't exceed 'Iron Man' in order to convince the board of directors, and it must be released on iQiyi immediately after the movie's theatrical run ends."

"make a deal."

Ren Pingsheng agreed without hesitation.

Because his bottom line was actually five million.

The extra three million was purely a premium inflated by "General Manager Youku" and "after-sales marketing".

But this is only the first step.

Online copyrights are just the easiest part to monetize; overseas distribution of the film also needs to be promoted as soon as possible. The Southeast Asian market has a high acceptance of Chinese-language comedies, and this film did quite well at the box office in Malaysia in my previous life.

In addition, there are a series of follow-up developments such as audio-visual products and television broadcasts, which will definitely bring in more than ten million.

It's enough to pay the initial investment for "Ghost Blows Out the Light," and it can even leave the company with a surplus of more than ten million yuan.

With the crisis averted, Ren Pingsheng was in high spirits.

Next, once "Li Xianji" is released and "Lost in Thailand" surpasses 100 million yuan in box office revenue, he can use this impressive achievement to discuss support for "Ghost Blows Out the Light" with Han Sanping.

Everything is proceeding according to the perfect script.

However, he overlooked one thing.

No script is perfect in this world, especially when it coincides with a global phenomenon.

Friday, October 11th.

The second weekend after the release of "Lost in Thailand" was originally supposed to be the golden opportunity for the box office to see a second surge.

But on this day, the box office report sent by Huaying Film Studio completely froze the smile on Ren Pingsheng's face.

Daily box office: 385 million.

It fell far short of expectations, even worse than midweek.

Not only "Lost in Thailand", but all the movies released at the same time completely collapsed!

Cinemas in major cities across the country are empty and deserted.

Because on this night, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the other side of the world.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup officially opened with the catchy tune "WakaWaka".

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