Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

March,

"Hearing Girl" has finished its theatrical run. It grossed 108 million yuan in mainland China, 41 million yuan in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and 2.6 million US dollars in Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

Among them, "The Hearing Girl" contributed the most, surpassing "Postmen in the Mountains" to become the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in the history of "The Hearing Girl".

The above figures only represent theatrical box office revenue and do not include TV on-demand and DVD sales. According to Aunt Wang Cuiying's calculations, the total profit of this film should be around 1.2 million RMB.

Suddenly, film offers poured in like snowflakes, but Du Hua turned them all down, leaving only high-quality endorsements and TV interviews.

After a preview screening, "Soldiers Sortie" was acquired by Beijing TV for 42 yuan per episode. Zhong Lifang gathered the main actors and went to the TV station to record a promotional program.

When I returned, I happened to run into Zhuang Huai'an leaving.

"Boss."

"Hello, boss."

"Oh, you've worked hard. Go upstairs and rest."

Zhuang Huai'an greeted them and was about to leave when he noticed Baoqiang's radiant smile, so he stopped in his tracks.

"Baoqiang, what's making you so happy?"

"what?"

Baoqiang paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "It's nothing, boss, I... I just remembered something happy."

"That's true, it's definitely something to be happy about that the TV series is getting broadcast on a major network." Zhuang Huai'an nodded, assuming that Baoqiang was happy because he was about to become famous.

Zhong Lifang, standing to the side, laughed and said, "He's probably met a girl he likes."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zhuang Huai'an immediately became interested and asked, "Baoqiang, is what President Zhong said true?"

"No... I don't think so..." Baoqiang said hesitantly, as if possessed by Xu Sanduo, "It's not even close to being settled yet, I just... we just met."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Huai'an's heart skipped a beat, and he was immediately startled. Could it be...?

"Baoqiang, you're the girl I met at the TV station, right?"

Zhuang Huai'an remained calm and feigned curiosity, asking, "What's that girl's name? What does she do? I have some influence at Beijing TV. If you really like her, I can ask someone to set you up."

"Ah...this...this isn't a good idea..."

After hesitating for a long time, Baoqiang blushed and stammered, "His name is Ma Jinlian, and he's an intern director at a TV station. I...I think...he's pretty good."

I'm so awesome! It really is!

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Zhuang Huai'an smiled and said, "Knowing her name is enough. I'll have someone inquire about the girl's character first. After all, when we're looking for a wife, we need to understand her background, right?"

"Yes, boss, you're absolutely right! Thank you for your help."

Baoqiang grinned, showing his big teeth. He agreed with Zhuang Huai'an's approach. Even rural kids know that when it comes to arranged marriages, you have to ask a matchmaker to find out the details and see if you're compatible for marriage. The boss's approach was exactly what he wanted.

"Alright, Baoqiang, go upstairs and rest. Lifang, come with me to the China Film Studio next door."

"Okay, boss."

Baoqiang went upstairs, and Zhong Lifang followed Zhuang Huai'an on foot.

"Boss, is it that woman?" Zhong Lifang was quick-witted and immediately noticed her boss's unusual behavior.

"That woman is not suitable for Baoqiang."

Zhuang Huai'an's expression was cold. "You should talk to the TV station and find a reason to fire this woman. It would be best if they could shut her down completely. They absolutely cannot let her get close to Baoqiang."

"Okay, boss," Zhong Lifang nodded. "Firing him is easy. He's just an intern. It's just that Baoqiang's side... they left their contact information."

"That's even simpler. Just give him more gigs. Once he's busy, he won't have time to think about this kind of thing. We can deal with the future later."

After "Soldiers Sortie" became a huge hit, Baoqiang's matter was considered over. Among a large number of actresses in the industry, Ma Jinlian had no competitiveness whatsoever.

Arriving at the China Film Group building, they made their way smoothly to Han Sanping's office, where they were met by Ning Hao, who was grinning widely as he walked out.

"Director, you've arrived?" Ning Hao's face stiffened, and he felt a little uneasy.

"You're here. Are you here to discuss your schedule?"

"Yes, it's set for June 3rd, the month for protecting domestic products."

"That's good," Zhuang Huai'an nodded with a smile. "If you need my help anywhere, just give me a call."

"Okay, I'll head over now."

"Go ahead, come to the company for tea sometime."

Zhuang Huai'an stood there watching Ning Hao leave, his heart unmoved. Some people are born to be like the wind, untamable.

Turning around and walking into the office, Han Sanping greeted him with a smile.

"Come sit down. I always come to your place to mooch tea. Today, try mine too. It's genuine pre-Qingming Longjing tea, which I brought back from a meeting in Zhejiang Province a while ago."

"Really? Then I'll have to try it."

The two sat down on the sofa. Old Han personally brewed tea, lit a cigarette, and then they got down to business.

"Yang Chen sent me a message saying that Mars is finished. I plan to go to Hollywood after Cannes to take a look."

"That's great!" Han Sanping laughed. "This post-production has taken almost a year. It's not easy."

"It could have been faster, but Cameron was working on his own film, and the technical staff were separated."

"OK,"

Han Sanping stood up and brought over two documents. He handed over the top one first, saying, "This is the film schedule. Currently, China Film Group has no plans to import any major films. This month, we only have 'The Da Vinci Code.' June is the month for protecting domestic films, and we're mainly promoting Ning Hao's 'Stone.'"

As for the summer movie season, it's going to be a free-for-all: Mission: Impossible III, Superman Returns, X-Men 3, and an animated film called Garfield. I plan to release them all together.

Zhuang Huai'an took the schedule and immediately laughed: "Brother Han, are you really not afraid that Hollywood will complain to the WTO by letting imported blockbusters fight each other?"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Han Sanping waved his hand dismissively, his words carrying a hint of domineering arrogance, "In the mainland film market, China Film Group has the final say! If you're going to be a 'catfish,' you have to have the awareness of a catfish!"

"You're awesome!"

Zhuang Huai'an offered the highest praise a man could receive, and after thinking for a moment, gave his answer: "Let's release it during the National Day holiday. Let's go big and release it simultaneously worldwide, so that Asian regions can get it a night earlier."

"That's what I think too," Han Sanping nodded approvingly. "October is also the month for protecting domestic products. It's not that I'm telling you to avoid the competition, but that's how you maximize your profits."

Han Sanping took out a pen and circled the schedule on it, then handed over the following document.

"Hey, the reform document for the film industry was specially approved by the higher authorities for 91 Company, as a leading private film and television company."

"So fast?"

"Special cases are handled specially, you're quite the big shot now," Han Sanping remarked meaningfully.

Zhuang Huai'an raised an eyebrow. According to the original trajectory, the Film Bureau would not have fully opened up the private cinema market until the end of 06. Now it seems that the leaders are probably using 91 Company as a pilot project.

"That's great. If things go quickly, Mars might even be able to have its premiere in its own theaters."

Zhuang Huai'an smiled and asked again, "Brother, do China Film Group, Beijing Film Studio, Youth Film Studio, and the like still have any non-performing assets to deal with?"

"You're addicted to poaching other people's partners, aren't you?"

"Hey, you can't say that. I'm just trying to help state-owned enterprises."

The two exchanged a glance, and Han Sanping pointed at someone like Laozi, instantly filling the room with a joyful atmosphere.