The struggles of a failed college entrance exam candidate in Hong Kong entertainment

Chapter 90 What kind of god could make a single film break 50 billion Hong Kong dollars?

On the afternoon of April 7th, at the Skyworth Photography Studio in Pudong near the Oriental Pearl Tower.

After the crew in southern Jiangsu called "cut," they immediately announced that filming had wrapped up in Shanghai and a wrap party would be held that evening.

Many people in the large film crew, who had been filming in Shanghai for 80 days, cheered and celebrated.

Many people are more relaxed than ever before, with excitement and anticipation mixed in. As the project has progressed, more and more people are looking forward to it creating miracles in the future.

After the large team returns to Hong Kong, they will also be filming a series of outdoor scenes set in the city of Hong Kong Island.

But there's not much major work left in the project; it can be completed in about 20 days.

Such a blockbuster film began its physical location shooting and various model prop construction in mainland China in September 1991.

Construction of the Blue Screen Studio began in May 1992.

What if all the special effects were completed in 94?

This period of time is considered long and significant in the history of Hong Kong cinema.

Of course, many mainland industry professionals also think it's normal. CCTV's (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) production team was established in August 1990, but filming didn't wrap up until January 1994.

The total investment was as high as 1.7 million RMB, and two television bases were built!

CCTV's version of the Three Kingdoms used more than 400,000 extras, and the base built was much larger and more complex than (The Matrix).

Of course, hackers only need to keep their computers on for a dozen days before the Lunar New Year, but if they have annual leave, they can work for more than ten consecutive days.

We filmed for more than two months after the Lunar New Year, and we still took a day off every weekend.

There were also instances where Brother Nan hosted part of the filming and production, while Xu Ke or Yuan Heping led a second team to film other scenes.

This was after more than a month of filming, when Xu Ke and others had figured out the production process, including the main tone of the film, before they started working as assistant directors.

As the assistant directors began to oversee the wrap-up work.

Old Xu walked up to Su Nan and said with a smile, "Brother Nan, you spent a few months on the Hollywood (Jurassic) set last year."

"Is the post-production for this movie almost finished? Are they aiming for this summer's box office?"

Regardless of whether industry insiders like Xu Ke and Yuan Heping paid attention to the Jurassic Park in advance.

In this dimension, Su Nan repeatedly showcased his skills in kung fu and martial arts.

They even went to spend several months learning from the Jurassic Park film crew? This will have a ripple effect throughout the entire Chinese-language film industry.

This has drawn the attention of countless people in the industry to the (Jurassic) project in advance, including various inquiries to learn more about it.

Su Nan smiled and said, "It should be soon. It's bound to hit the summer blockbuster season. A blockbuster is coming."

Old Xu remarked with emotion, "I heard that even before this novel was published, Warner Bros. and 20th Century were vying to buy the film and television adaptation rights."

"I've also heard that various dinosaur models are large and realistic."

"If we use CGI effects to revive this prehistoric behemoth, the box office potential is unimaginable."

Lao Xu abandoned his own studio and spent several months immersing himself in (hacking).

I was also deeply impressed by what I saw, and it rekindled my ambition to create a large-scale fantasy and mythological film world with special effects.

He felt that using Hong Kong's traditional special effects techniques was no longer enough for his original projects (White Snake) or adaptations of the novel (Green Snake).

Old Xu asked again, "Brother Nan, if we were to use super models and CGI to create (the Green and White Snakes), how much would it cost?"

Su Nan was also a little confused. "Twenty to thirty million US dollars? You can't raise that much on your own, and Skyworth's special effects studio in Hollywood isn't powerful enough either."

"In the future, if you want to place an order, you can have it produced by Skyworth and other studios like Industrial Light & Magic."

"Also, the White Snake super model can't be as scary as a real giant python, otherwise it will turn into a horror movie. You need to create a more ethereal look."

The total investment cost for Jurassic 1 was $6300 million.

What about the box office? In its first run in 93, it grossed $3.5 million in the US and $9.14 million worldwide.

It has been re-released multiple times since then, and by 2024 it had accumulated $11.14 billion worldwide.

Starting in 93, Jurassic Park held the top spot on the global box office charts for several consecutive years.

Old Xu remained silent, continuing to smoke until he threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. Only then did he nod, "After I finish my work (with the hacker), I'll go beg for alms at Jiahe."

"After each success, Golden Harvest has become much wealthier and more powerful."

"Would you like Skyworth to become one of the investors as well?"

Xu Ke clearly knew that this filming model wouldn't break even without global revenue sharing.

Jiahe has a certain revenue-sharing capability, and Skyworth is also gradually expanding its revenue-sharing capability.

Su Nan smiled and said, "I need to think about it for a while. You should talk to Jiahe first."

Essentially, the 93 version (Green Snake) is a high-quality work, but the tragic ending was unpopular and affected the box office peak.

Even if a project with a high probability of losing money uses physical models and CGI to create special effects comparable to Paul Ryce, it's still a risky venture.

The probability of losing a lot of money is extremely high, but if Su Nan is one of the main directors, he will also have a chance to win a prize.

To put it bluntly, once you draw the power of a minor demon or a reclusive Taoist or Buddhist master...

In (Green Snake), you called me a patrolling demon, an unknown Taoist boy. In the 1990s, you would have to call me an immortal.

It's still early, let's wait and see.

Old Xu nodded, then excitedly slipped away, ready to stir up trouble.

After he walked away, Chen Hong, who had removed her makeup and changed back into her everyday clothes, came over and said with a smile, "Brother Nan, I received a call from Gong Li earlier."

"She asked Director Zhang about something, hoping he could be notified more than a week in advance before filming (leaves Las Vegas) begins."

"To make it easier for Director Zhang to take leave from the film crew, and congratulations on wrapping up filming."

Back in February, Southern Jiangsu wanted to launch a new Oscar-worthy project and invited Zhang Yimou to join Skyworth.

That was during the preparation period for Lao Zhang's (Living) movie.

Zhang Yimou ultimately signed a contract with Skyworth for 15 films outside of the studio.

Based on his normal creative abilities, he expressed his intention to start a long-term cooperation with Skyworth for more than ten years.

Su Nan had already explained when the contract was signed that (Leaving Las Vegas) was a low-budget, fast-production film, and the shooting period would not exceed 1 year.

One and a half months.

Regardless of whether the machine is turned on or not when it's still running, if Lao Zhang needs to go to the US, he can just ask for leave.

Letting them rest for a while isn't such a big deal.

Filming for this movie began in early 93, and it wasn't until the summer of 94 that it was gradually released.

Su Nan nodded, "That's easy to arrange. Cage can start filming anytime after his life experience ends. I've already told him."

"Let's get ready and head out. Let's have a good celebration tonight."

As night fell, at the wrap party for "The Hacker 1," there were so many people toasting Su Nan, each saying nice things, that he was almost overwhelmed with their praise.

It wasn't just the film crew who came.

For example, many school leaders and teachers from the Shanghai Theatre Academy came, all of whom were part of Chen Hong's network.

Shanghai Film Studio also came to offer their congratulations, as did the team from China Film Group, which is, after all, an investor.

Su Nan? Besides being a director, he's also a very wealthy man.

Don't think that having assets of HK$10 billion means you're no longer a tycoon; this was only 1993.

His status as a wealthy man is also highly regarded in mainland China.

Fortunately, no matter how much drinking went on at the wrap party, it didn't bother him, who was a total cheater.

On April 9th, Su Nan and her team arrived at Kai Tak Airport on Hong Kong Island, where Zhou Huimin was already waiting to pick them up.

Throughout the entire hacking process, Rosamund Kwan was in Shanghai, occasionally filming GG.

Ah Min practiced singing there until mid-March when she returned to Hong Kong to record the album. The other seven songs she bought were also completed.

After Ah Min lingered in the car for a while, Rosamund Kwan laughed and said, "Brother Sanmao said (The Outlaws) is almost finished filming."

"He thinks the filming is a bit fast. Why don't you take a couple of days off and then go to the set to give your feedback?"

Their team returned and took a two-day break before resuming work on the 11th.

Su Nan was speechless, while Amin couldn't help but laugh, "It is indeed fast in comparison; it hasn't even been 30 days yet."

However, for ordinary, slightly "new type" action films.

Putting aside the new settings of One-Punch Man and Big Fighter, the rest are all areas that the Sammo Hung Stunt Team excels at.

The film depicts a wanted criminal from mainland China who wants to form a new local triad and compete with Hong Kong triads for territory.

Then there's the double-crossing, chaotic battles, and police-gangster showdowns? These are nothing new.

Su Nan chuckled, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

To his surprise, the day after he returned home, he received a phone call from Xiang Shisan inviting him to meet and talk about Tsui Hark's (White Snake) when he had time.

Lao Xiang frankly stated that, apart from Win's Entertainment, only Win's Entertainment was interested in the Jurassic CGI special effects and global box office revenue sharing model of (Green and White Snake).

Old Yang, Old Wu, and others from Taiwan were all interested.

These people are incapable of handling profit sharing with Europe and America, nor can they manage profit sharing with island nations.

Inviting Brother Nan wasn't about asking Su Nan to throw money around and negotiate revenue sharing with Hollywood giants like 20th Century Studios.

I just wanted to ask for Su Nan's opinion and evaluation of (Green Snake).

If the project has a decent success rate, these people plan to pool their money and ask Golden Harvest to take the lead in lobbying for global revenue sharing.

In exchange, one of the female protagonists of the Green and White Snake series, or perhaps a character like a fairy, could be chosen by Skyworth.

Yong Sheng invited Gong Li and Li Jiaxin, who played the female lead in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," to start filming for "Flirting Scholar."

But Skyworth can also promote more productions, such as (The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader).

Lao Yang and Lao Wu also have their own filming plans, which can be discussed.

Su Nan hung up the phone and complained, "(Jurassic Park) hasn't even been released yet, and the storm it's stirring up is already getting bigger and bigger."

This is a diffusion effect resulting from multiple butterfly effects.

If you pay attention to that project and spend money to inquire, it's not difficult to find out how big the Tyrannosaurus Rex model in (Jurassic Park) is.

An adult squatting between the legs of a Tyrannosaurus Rex would only be about the same height as the ankle of a standing Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Filming involved using wires and various machines to move the dinosaur, while CGI was used to render the Tyrannosaurus Rex so that the audience could truly feel it coming to life on the big screen.

Thus, they broke into modern society in the 90s.

If you find out this information, any seasoned filmmaker can easily imagine how terrifying and shocking the impact will be.

Xu Ke's attempt to create the Green Snake and White Snake is also an attempt to produce a massive physical model of a thousand-year-old snake demon, which is another example of following the trend.

At this stage, no one knows exactly how much box office revenue (Jurassic Park) will generate.

Jackie Chan's "Speed" gave everyone a new concept: a movie grossed $1.75 million worldwide, which is equivalent to HK$13 billion.

If one person's money isn't enough, a group of people can chip in? Golden Harvest is taking the lead as long as they can get the profit-sharing model sorted out.

The overall profitability from box office revenue and video sales shouldn't be too bad.

This year also happens to be the year when a batch of film production companies that bundled names like Andy Lau and Aaron Kwok into movies and sold millions of dollars in Taiwan without even looking at the content went bankrupt.

Many things come together and combine to exert their influence.

This all seems to be giving Xu Ke a completely new opportunity to manage the market.

Zhou Huimin asked curiously, "How much box office do you think (Jurassic Park) will generate worldwide? Will the storm be even bigger after it's actually released?"

""

Su Nan took a sip of tea and remarked, "Globally? Breaking $6 million isn't difficult."

Prior to this, the 82 film *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* grossed $6.19 million in its initial global run, and subsequent re-releases over the years reached $7.9 million.

100 million.

Amin was stunned into silence. "A single film grossing over HK$50 billion?"

$6 million is HKD46.8 billion, but Brother Nan said that breaking $6 million is not difficult!

With a little effort, it will easily surpass US$7 million and exceed HK$50 billion.

Ms. Guan, who had just finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom, was also stunned. "What? A single film broke 50 billion?"

She was still on her way to becoming a billionaire when she was suddenly shocked by this explosive topic.

After she sat down next to Brother Nan, Su Nan recounted the glory of the ET aliens in 82.

It also discusses Xu Ke and others' new ambitions and production plans under Jurassic Storm.

After the two blind men gradually received the news, Su Nan led a team to the (Outlaw City) film crew to investigate.

Ah Hong failed to get up; she couldn't get up until dark, so she left three blind bodyguards across the street to keep things in order.

When Su Nan and his group arrived at the film set, they were even more speechless. All the action scenes in the crime drama had already been filmed and wrapped up.

Hong Bao and his team were busy with some dramatic performances, and there was also a production model where they would reshoot one take after another.

When Lao Hong saw Su Nan, he left the camera and strode over, looking like Maitreya Buddha.

At this moment, because it was summer, Lao Hong was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt on his upper body, and his height was not as good as the original Ma Dong-seok.

But the tendons and muscles are really similar to those of a small horse.

Adding a few height-increasing insoles or other props can further enhance the overall effect.

After politely greeting Su Nan, Lao Hongda said, "Brother Nan, I now believe this new project can break 2000 in Hong Kong."

"With box office revenue approaching 2500 million, it's becoming increasingly credible."

"Throughout the entire process, including consulting with people both inside and outside the production team."

"Many people say that the more vicious, cruel, and brutal the wanted criminals from the mainland like Xiao Zhou are, the stronger the sense of exhilaration they feel when they encounter me and I take them down with a few slaps and punches."

"This kind of duel, like a super master bullying a henchman, is so exhilarating."

With the appeal of Wan Qiliang (Wu Shuang) and Gong Li's Venice Film Festival Best Actress award.

Sanmao is now hoping to make 10 billion yen at the box office in Japan, but even 10 billion yen is only about 800 million US dollars.

Once this data appears, (The Outlaws 2) in Yabu, the island nation, he dares to dream of $150 million to $200 million.

Of course, for the first time, we'll try with a maximum budget of $100 million.

Su Nan was speechless.

Rosamund Kwan also laughed and said, "Then I wish Brother Sanmao a successful comeback in advance, and that he can create a new atmosphere and catch up with Brother Jay's and others' appeal in selling ports."

After another round of pleasantries, Sanmao asked curiously, "Brother Nan, I heard that Xu Ke's new project also involves playing with large CGI models."

"He even dared to swindle money from Xiang Sheng, Brother Wu, and Brother Yang."

"Isn't Xu Ke afraid of suffering a huge loss after the game ends, and being eliminated by those bosses?"

He was so well-informed; Xu Ke had also asked him if he wanted to try investing. Baoxiang went through a series of joint projects with Skyworth.

The company has been making good profits for the past two years, and Lao Hong has a lot of RMB in mainland China.

Rosamund Kwan and Vivian Chow had only recently learned about these things and hadn't thought much of it at first.

Now they were all dumbfounded when they heard it.

Su Nan couldn't hold back, "It's not that bad. Compared to the likes of Old Cai from the Netherlands and the Tiger of Wan Chai, these guys are knowledgeable and hope for long-term development."

"If the fall is too earth-shattering, at most it will scare Lao Xu into signing a few contracts of servitude."

The investors that Xu Ke persuaded still possessed a long-term vision.

You're like Wong Kar-wai, who also screwed over Tang Kwong-wing, but that Tang Kwong-wing didn't directly kill Old Wong.

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