Rebirth of Xiangjiang - 1978

In the late 1950s, Xiangjiang produced two science fiction movies called "Two Idiots in Space" and "The Big Winter Melon".

The production of these two films was very rough and could hardly compare with science fiction films, but even so, they became the forefathers of science fiction films in Hong Kong.

In 1975, Shaw Brothers made a science fiction film "Chinese Superman" on a whim.

This drama is written by Ni Kuang, directed by Hua Shan, and starring Lee Xiuxian.

It's said to be a science fiction film, but it's actually a high imitation of Ultraman's film.

Director Hua Shan wanted to combine Ultraman with Chinese martial arts, but the film only received 550,000 at the box office at the time.

The first place at the box office in Hong Kong that year was won by Xu Guanwen's "Genius and Idiot" with a box office of 4.5 million.

After that, Run Run Shaw still refused to give up on science fiction films. He seemed to be interested in science fiction films.

In 1977, Shaw Brothers remade the 1933 American classic science fiction film "King Kong", and the new film was titled "King of the Apes".

This "King of Orangutans" was the film with the largest investment by Shaw Brothers that year.

In order to make this film, Run Run Shaw not only invited top-notch stunt directors from Japan, but also specially invited the female star Evelenka from Germany.

The front camera system machine purchased from abroad alone cost HK$5 million.

It is said that there were only four machines of this machine in the United States and three in Asia at that time. They were purchased by Prince of Thailand, Toho of Japan and Shaw Brothers respectively.

If you add in the other 6 million in expenses such as film, venue rental, and remuneration, this movie cost tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

But it's a pity that this film invested so much money, but in the end it only got 1 million and 200 thousand at the box office.

If you can't get a good box office in Hong Kong, selling out of the country will naturally become a problem, so it can be said that this "King of Orangutans" caused Run Run Shaw to lose a lot of money.

Because of this relationship, Shaw Brothers will not take the initiative to make science fiction movies for at least a few years.

However, just because Shaw Bros. doesn't film it doesn't mean that no one is willing to film it. Lin Daoqiu has already thought about it. Since Jiahe has come to visit, he will give it a try.

The investment in this science fiction movie will definitely be larger than that of "Mission: Impossible", and it will also take longer.

I just don’t know if Zou Wenhuai has the courage to cooperate with me.

…………

However, before Lin Daoqiu went to find Zou Wenhuai, Sammo Hung arrived at Zou Wenhuai's office ahead of him.

"Sanmao, what do you want from me? Sit down and talk."

Sammo Hung had made complete preparations before he came. If Zou Wenhuai still planned to use the drag trick, he would have no choice but to switch to Princess Jin's side.

After all, I already have affection and righteousness for Jiahe and Zou Wenhuai, but if the other party does too much, there is no need for me to hang myself from this tree.

"Mr. Zou, actually I came to see you today because I have something I want to discuss with you."

Hearing what Sammo Hung said, Zou Wenhuai didn't think too much. He listened and nodded.

"If Sanmao has anything to say, just say it. Did you encounter any problems with the new film?"

Zou Wenhuai thought Sammo Hung came to him because he encountered some unresolved troubles in his new film.

But Sammo Hung shook his head. He was not here today to discuss a new film with Chow Wenhuai.

"Mr. Zou, I told you about opening a company before. Do you still remember?"

Zou Wenhuai, who had always been smiling, when he heard Sammo Hung mention this incident, his smile froze for almost two seconds, but he recovered quickly.

If it were the past, Zou Wenhuai would definitely find a way to continue dragging it out.

After all, once Sammo Hung is allowed to go out and start a company, then if he cooperates with him in the future, the remuneration will be converted into a share, so Jiahe will get a lot less money.

But if he doesn't agree to Sammo Hung's words, he seems to be prepared, which makes Zou Wenhuai have to be on guard.

"Of course I remember that you were not busy filming movies before, so I think the matter of starting a company can be put aside for the time being. In fact, I have always supported you in starting a company."

Although he didn't know why Sammo Hung suddenly mentioned this matter, Zou Wenhuai had realized that if he didn't agree to him today, something he couldn't predict might happen.

Because of the addition of the Golden Princess, Jiahe is no longer the best choice for filmmakers.

In the past, the reason why everyone liked to cooperate with Golden Harvest was because the large studio system of Shaw Brothers simply could not accommodate independent producers.

But the situation is different now, so the people below will naturally not worry about offending Jiahe and losing their place to go.

Although Zou Wenhuai was very angry, he still had to keep a very calm look on his face.

"So Mr. Zou promised me to open a company."

Sammo Hung was originally worried that Zou Wenhuai would not agree, so he prepared a lot of rhetoric to convince the other party.

But he didn't expect that he was just the beginning, and Zou Wenhuai agreed, which made Sammo Hung feel a little overjoyed.

"Of course I support it. In fact, Sanmao, you have made so many contributions to Jiahe. Starting a company is a good thing. How could I not agree?"

Although Zou Wenhuai was not satisfied with this result, he also knew that it would happen sooner or later.

You must know that when Xu Guanwen joined Golden Harvest, he received a share of the box office for the first movie he filmed.

Sammo Hung has filmed so many movies in Golden Harvest, it would be really unjustifiable if he is not allowed to start a company.

And when Sammo Hung was happy to get Zou Wenhuai's permission, he suddenly remembered that Yuan Biao had not yet been told.

So Sammo Hung could only carefully tell Zou Wenhuai about Yuan Biao's desire to open a company.

This time Zou Wenhuai seemed to be prepared, so he nodded in agreement after listening.

Things that were originally thought to be difficult to handle were solved so easily, which made Sammo Hung very happy.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zou, we will definitely work harder to film movies in the future."

Afterwards, Sammo Hung happily left Chow Wenhuai's office.

As soon as the door closed, the smile on Zou Wenhuai's face suddenly disappeared without a trace, replaced by a heavy expression.

Not long after Sammo Hung left, He Guanchang also came to Zou Wenhuai's office.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Zou Wenhuai looking very tired.

"What happened?"

He Guanchang still didn’t know that Sammo Hung came to see Zou Wenhuai today.

"San Mao just came to me and said that he and Yuan Biao wanted to start a company."

He Guanchang immediately frowned upon hearing this.

"These two guys are really young. I want to learn how to open a company. I will go and have a chat with him and let him focus on filming."

After He Guanchang finished speaking, Zou Wenhuai suddenly shook his head.

"There's no need to go, I've already promised him to open a company."

As if he did not expect that Zou Wenhuai would agree to Sammo Hung's request, He Guanchang immediately opened his eyes wide.

"If I don't agree to him, believe it or not, he will turn around and run to Princess Jin."

He Guanchang didn't think much about it at first, but after hearing what Zou Wenhuai said, he also felt that Sanmao might really do this.

"Forget it, that's the end of the matter, let them go."