Chapter 405 Taking over Jiahe
One day later, Zhang Chen appeared at China Film Academy.
In the office, Han Sanping and Zhang Chen sat on opposite sides, drinking tea and talking.
Without a script, Zhang Chen could only tell the story he thought of.
His original idea was to make "Rampage" first, and then lead to "Pacific Rim", and then the robot would take the monsters to fight the monsters...
But after careful consideration, I rejected "Rampage".
"King Kong" cost 200 million US dollars. With its gems ahead, it will be difficult for "Rampage" to surpass it.
So in the end we decided to make "Pacific Rim" first, with "Rampage" only as a supplementary element to "Ring 2".
"Robots fighting monsters? Why does it feel like a combination of "Transformers" and "King Kong"?"
Han Sanping smacked his lips.
Zhang Chen smiled and sipped his tea: "I thought you would say it was Ultraman fighting little monsters."
"Hey, you kid is teasing me, right? Don't think I can't hear it~"
"No, no~"
Zhang Chen smiled and quickly filled the third master's cup with tea.
"You read it right. It's actually a combination of "Transformers" and "King Kong". Just focus on the hot spots. This year there will be "King Kong", next year there will be "Transformers", and at the end of the year there will be "Pacific Rim". The box office should not be... Bad..."
Zhang Chen told the truth, with such a high investment in making a science fiction film, he must consider the box office.
There is another reason why I decided to make "Pacific Rim". Although "Pacific Rim" has robots, it is not actually a science fiction film and will not be criticized by science fiction fans.
"Is the story too cliche?"
Han Sanping initially thought that Zhang Chen was so imaginative that he wanted to make a science fiction film.
So that’s the story.
"This kind of film is not afraid of cliche stories. What the audience mainly enjoys is the special effects."
Han Sanping thought about it and realized that this was really the case. No special effects blockbuster relied on the plot. What the audience saw was the special effects.
"Transformers" hasn't been released yet, but you can guess the plot with your butt.
There is no plot in "King Kong", not even a damn plot. All the audience is watching is a gorilla killing everyone on the screen.
In essence, there is no difference between "Pacific Rim" and "Ultraman Fights Monsters".
The routine is the same, but that doesn't affect its success.
"Pacific Rim" had a global box office of US$400 million in its original time and space, which is not a huge profit, but being able to make a second film at least means it is profitable.
"In blockbusters with special effects, the audience doesn't care whether it's a cliché or not, but whether the visual feast can make the audience's adrenaline soar. As long as the audience is excited to watch it and is frightened by the special effects scenes, then the movie will be successful."
After Zhang Chen finished speaking, Han Sanping agreed more and more.
"By the way, what's the budget for your play?"
Zhang Chen stretched out a finger and gestured: "About 100 million US dollars~"
"That's 800 million yuan."
Hiss~
Although he was mentally prepared, Han Sanping still took a deep breath.
Eight hundred million~
At present, no film in China has invested more than this. The highest investment is "Red Cliff", which is claimed to be 600 million, but it is only on paper.
"Is this too risky for you? The total box office last year was only 1.8 billion..."
Han Sanping has a very good understanding of how big the domestic film market is. The size of the market is still too small now. Even if it were all given to "Pacific Rim", it wouldn't be enough to smooth out the costs.
Zhang Chen nodded: "It's a bit risky. If you want to make money back, you can only rely on the international market, so you must introduce Hollywood capital~"
Han Sanping also feels the same way.
The current highest domestic box office is "Taken" with 270 million, but the number of screens is still too few.
"Do you already have a partner?"
Zhang Chen shook his head: "Not yet, it's just an idea at the moment, but I think New Line should be willing to join. I think we can bring in another Big Six, such as Columbia..."
"Or maybe Warner, I can help you contact them~"
China Film and Warner have a good relationship, and they established a joint venture together in 2004.
When "The Promise" was returned to the overseas market by Miramax, it was Warner who took over the deal. Even though they were not optimistic about it, they still had to let their second-rate company take over the overseas distribution.
What they are interested in is China Film's right to introduce foreign films.
This face must be given.
If you don’t give me face, then Warner’s films will no longer be able to enter China.
Just so domineering~
Yes, China currently does not have many screens and cannot contribute much to the box office, but it has huge potential.
The Big Six in Hollywood are not fools. They have been investigating the Chinese market for a long time.
"So I think you'd better think about it again. After all, it's not a small amount, and I'm not too sure about it this time~"
Zhang Chen did have some confidence in daring to make "Pacific Rim", but not much.
The reason is that "Pacific Rim" was not a big hit in its previous life. Although he will remove some shortcomings, make magical changes, and change the style to a Soviet aesthetic, there is no guarantee that it will definitely become a hit. Big bang.
"What are you thinking about? Now China Film Group is almost unable to untie the pot. They are making blockbusters one after another, and they all want to live alone. They don't consider China Film Group's investment at all. I can't invest even if I have money..."
Han Sanping's tone was indignant.
A question mark appeared on Zhang Chen’s head~
The third master calmed down and then said: "New Picture will not accept investment from China Film Group when making "Golden Armor", and Chengtian will not accept investment from China Film Group when making "Red Cliff". Now even Huayi Brothers have learned this bad habit. They are currently working on a blockbuster movie called "Double J Project". They want Cheng Long and Jet Li to share the same screen. They also refuse to accept investment from China Film Group and want to go it alone..."
"Double J Plan" is "The King of Kung Fu".
Zhang Chen clarified that Zhang Weiping always liked to live alone. Zhang Yimou's movies never accepted investment from the industry, and no other company in the industry could benefit from him.
When Cheng Tian made "Red Cliff", he really didn't find China Film.
Wu Kebo is backed by Japanese funds. Japanese culture likes the theme of the Three Kingdoms very much, and there is no need to absorb investment from China Film.
"I remember didn't I remind you not to invest in "Red Cliff"? It was a big pit~" Zhang Chen was confused.
"Yes, you have reminded me, and I have accepted your opinion, but I can refuse to vote, but he has to give in."
Zhang Chen put his hand on his forehead. It turned out that Director Han also had such a cute side.
But I immediately thought: Huayi Brothers? "Double J Plan"?
Han Sanping seemed to have remembered something and asked again: "I heard that the "Double J Plan" came to you?"
Zhang Chen nodded: "They did come to me. "Double J Project" is a project of Lionsgate. The producer is named Jixi Sihua. After reading the script, he immediately decided that this film must be shot by Chinese people. It also had to be shot in China, and his first reaction was that the director of the film must be someone who understands both Hollywood culture and Chinese culture
It is said that someone recommended Wu Yusen to him, and that person was immediately fired by him.
Do you dare to recommend Box Office Poison to me? Do you want to stage Infernal Affairs?
This film was planned by Jet Li. He found Cheng Long, and Cheng Long recommended me. García Sihua found me..."
"Cheng Long recommends you to direct? Can Huayi Brothers agree?"
He was well versed in the conflict between Zhang Chen and the Wang brothers.
Zhang Chen shrugged: "Of course they are not happy, but it's useless. This is a Lions Gate project. Huayi actually doesn't have much say, but I still refused in the end."
When watching the news in his previous life, Zhang Chen always felt that it was nonsense that Huayi used the heroine of "The King of Kung Fu" as a condition for Liu Yifei to join Huayi.
Can a Hollywood project allow a Chinese company to decide who will own the heroine?
It’s not like this project cannot be transferred without Huayi~
However, Liu Tianxian's operation can be called a classic. He wiped everything out and then refused to admit it.
After playing "The King of Kung Fu", she ran to the United States and signed a contract with William Morris. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and Hua Yi can't do anything about her displeasure.
Why can't I help it? Where did the overwhelming black information come from, and where did the claims about transgender people come from?
Liu Tianxian had been around for a few years but had not become famous. Later, he returned to China and went to work in Hong Kong circles.
Hearing these secrets, Han Sanping opened his eyes wide: "You refused? Why did you refuse?"
Are you kidding me?
Hollywood projects, or projects where Cheng Long and Jet Li are in the same frame, do you even look down on this kind of project?
Zhang Chen explained: "No, Cheng Long and Jet Li co-starred. This is indeed a great stunt, almost equivalent to one of the long-cherished wishes of the entire Chinese community.
Chinese movie fans, whether they are Kung Fu fans or not, probably discuss who is more powerful, Cheng Long or Jet Li.
It has always been a fan's wish to have the two appear in the same movie, but it is too expensive.
The combined remuneration of the two people is beyond the reach of any Hong Kong film.
So this idea never came to fruition.
Now that this idea is possible, this film alone is unlikely to lose money, but for this reason, this film is destined to be unbalanced.
The two have equal status, so their roles and roles must also be equally matched. It will never be possible for one to support the other.
And I can't think of any solution, so even if I shoot it, it will only be a bad movie in the end. ”
Zhang Chen told the truth.
Cheng Long and Jet Li, two contemporary Kung Fu superstars in China.
Of course Jet Li's status is not as good as that of Cheng Long. The ones he filmed in Hollywood, such as "Romeo Deadly", "Kiss of the Dragon", "Cosmic Manhunt" and "Danny the Wolf Dog", were actually not very good at the box office.
Jet Li's recognition is not in the movie box office, but in the DVD market.
Lao Hei likes Jet Li very much.
It would be too difficult for two kung fu stars with such different styles to appear in the same movie, taking into account their fighting styles, their roles, the opposition between good and evil, and the different perceptions of action movies between the East and the West. .
Not to mention anything else, just the last bit is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
As we all know, those Kung Fu movies that are highly popular overseas actually have a poor reputation in China.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was criticized as a dog in China at first, and even said it was not good to watch. The trend changed only after it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
"Rush Hour" actually doesn't have a good reputation in China. "The Matrix" is praised to the heavens in China for its imagination and settings, but when have you ever seen anyone praise its martial arts design?
"Hero" also achieved high box office abroad, but domestically there were quite a few criticisms of its martial arts design.
The unified feature of these movies is that they are made for foreigners, so you will feel awkward because they do not conform to Chinese narratives and aesthetics.
The same is true for "Double J Project". Two major kung fu stars joined the cast, but they couldn't even recoup the cost purely by relying on the box office in the Mainland and Southeast Asia. They could only rely on overseas markets, so they had to use Western aesthetics.
Chinese people will definitely think that action movies made under this premise are fake and empty.
It's similar in history, with constant bad reviews in China.
Zhang Chen asked himself that he couldn't achieve a perfect balance.
So he simply refused and refused to pour the muddy water.
"Then Rob Minkoff can balance these?"
Zhang Chen shrugged: "Maybe people think this is not that difficult~"
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Han Sanping frowned. After Zhang Chen refused, the director's choice fell on Rob Minkoff. The other person was an animation director, and his works include "The Lion King" and "The Little Elf"~
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm just telling you that your movie was made by China Film Group with our eyes closed. You don't want to imitate them, right?"
"No, how is it possible? I just want someone to give me money~"
The third master has said so. Zhang Chen must not chase people away any more. If he does, he will be disrespectful.
"How much have you decided to invest?"
Han Sanping thought about it and said, "200 million, 25% share~"
Zhang Chen gave a thumbs up: "Third Master, the situation is bad~"
Han Sanping is indeed Han Sanping, and the price is 200 million.
This is really a blockbuster movie supported by real money.
This number seems to be the number for "Red Cliff" in the previous life. Unexpectedly, there is no "Red Cliff" in this life, and it will fall to "Pacific Rim" instead.
"If you recruit SIPG, they will definitely be willing to invest, and they can offer at least 100 million~"
Han Sanping was afraid that Zhang Chen didn't have enough funds, so he offered help.
While the two were talking, Zhang Chen's phone suddenly rang. It was Dong Jianqiang.
After picking up, just one sentence: buy the nearest ticket and come to Hong Kong immediately.
Zhang Chen felt nervous. Dong Jianqiang has been in Hong Kong for half a month. Is this the end result?
Saying goodbye to Han Sanping and hurriedly coming out of China Film Academy, Zhang Chen went straight to the airport. On the way, his secretary had already bought a plane ticket for him.
……
Hong Kong, Zou Wenhuai’s home
Also coming with him was Chen Xi, who Zhang Chen expected to be the future CEO of Jiahe.
"Fortunately, the matter has almost been discussed. This is the representative of Mr. Chen Guoqiang, and this is the representative of Mr. Li Jiacheng. They are the second and third individual shareholders of Jiahe respectively. I have already negotiated with them. Waiting for you After moving into Jiahe, the shares will be sold to you one after another within half a year, provided that the stock price must rise to..."
Zou Zhongheng finally fulfilled his promise to Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen shook hands with the two of them. When he took over Jiahe, he must get absolute controlling rights, otherwise it would be meaningless.
Now Zou Zhongheng has helped him negotiate everything. The price is only that the stock needs to rise to their psychological price, which is actually not difficult.
"Everyone, the contract has been checked clearly. There are no problems. You can sign the contract now~"
Lawyers from all parties were on site. After carefully checking the contract, the signing process officially entered.
Zou Wenhuai and Zhang Chen looked at each other and signed their names on the contract respectively. On the other side, representatives of Chen Guoqiang and Li Jiacheng also signed their names on the contract.
What Zhang Chen and Zou Wenhuai signed was a share transfer contract, while what he signed with the other two companies was a gambling clause.
The moment Zhang Chen put down his pen and signed his name, Zhang Chen officially became Jiahe's largest individual shareholder.
Both parties shake hands
"Jiahe will have nothing to do with me from now on~"
Zou Wenhuai was very sad. After all, he founded the company with his own hands, and now it belongs to someone else. He was somewhat uncomfortable with it.
"If you are willing, you can come back often in the future~"
Zou Wenhuai did not take the challenge, but said: "I hope you can really lead Jiahe to regain its glory~"
After all, this is the place where I have worked hard all my life, and I still can’t let go.
"Now that Jiahe is yours, can you tell me what you will do after taking over Jiahe?"
"The first thing is of course to restart the production business. A film company is ultimately based on production~"
Golden Harvest has been operating poorly in the past few years and has stopped producing any movies for a long time. It only relies on its theater chain and distribution business to survive.
Without Zhang Chen, it would have been sold to Wu Kebo this year.
After the signing ceremony was completed and it became legally effective, Zou Wenhuai stood up and said, "Okay, from now on, this is no longer my office, so my old man will leave. Don't forget about tomorrow's press conference..."
< br>
Zou Wenhuai walked very freely.
On the same day, Jiahe officially announced the news and would hold a press conference the next morning to announce important matters.
There have long been speculations in the society, because from the beginning of May, Jiahe suddenly suspended trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Anyone who has played in stocks knows that stocks will be suspended only when encountering major events such as changes in major shareholders.
The media has speculated that major changes may have occurred in Jiahe.
They were not kept waiting long. At the press conference the next day, the aging Zou Wenhuai attended in person.
He had not shown up for a long time. The reporters who attended the meeting suddenly saw Zou Wenhuai and knew that there must be big news today.
Zou Wenhuai stood in front of the microphone. Behind him were a group of Jiahe executives, including Zhang Chen.
The media have noticed this, but it has not yet come to the reporter's question period, so they can only hold back their questions.
It has been a long time since he appeared in public. The last time he seemed to be in high spirits was when he was high-spirited. This time when he saw Zou Wenhuai, he found that he was already visibly aging.
"Dear friends from the media, I am Zou Wenhuai. I have invited you here today to announce something.
Here, I officially inform you that just yesterday, I sold all the Jiahe shares in my and my daughter’s names to Mr. Zhang Chen of Xingchen Entertainment. Now, Mr. Zhang Chen is the largest individual shareholder of Jiahe. ”
The media was in an uproar~
Mainland director Zhang Chen, who just last month cursed Hong Kong artists, suddenly became the head of an established Hong Kong film company.
Hong Kong Entertainment is going to change.
Zou Wenhuai's words were like water dripping into boiling oil. The media rushed to raise their hands to ask questions.
The selection was noisy for a while before Zou Zhongheng started calling reporters.
First reporter: "Why did you sell it to Xingchen Entertainment?"
Zou Zhongheng: “Let me correct you, we are selling to Mr. Zhang Chen personally, not to Xingchen Entertainment.”
Then he handed the microphone back to his father.
Zou Wenhuai: "Because I am indeed old and can't do anything anymore. I have been making movies for 50 years. I am 80 years old this year and should have retired long ago.
In fact, there is not only one company interested in Jiahe, there are others who also have purchase intentions. But after repeated consideration, I finally chose Mr. Zhang Chen. The reason is actually very simple, because I believe he can lead Jiahe to regain its glory~"
Zou Wenhuai is really old. He took a break before finishing this sentence, and rambled: "I didn't feel old before, but after my 80th birthday, I suddenly found that the people around me were different. The old guys who worked hard together at the beginning also died and retreated.
The situation in Jiahe was deteriorating, but I had no good solution. At that time, I was thinking that I was old and could no longer keep up with the times, so I should retire..."
The media asked: "Mr. Zou, do you have any regrets?"
Zou Wenhuai's cloudy eyes seemed to light up: "Regrets? Of course there are. The biggest regret is that the mainland's movies were opened too late. If they could be opened 20 years earlier, I would definitely be able to make a difference~"
Hearing these words, everyone applauded. Zou Wenhuai is old, but his body is dragging him down and he cannot fight hard, but he still has a heart that yearns for movies.
At this time, someone finally brought the topic to Zhang Chen: "May I ask Director Zhang, what prompted you to acquire Jiahe?"
"That time at the Academy Awards~"
Zhang Chen has no intention of hiding anything: "The arrogance of Hong Kong filmmakers has refreshed my understanding. The decline of Hong Kong movies is already a consensus, but Hong Kong filmmakers do not look for the reasons from themselves, but like to attribute the reasons to the mainland. Even angry at actors who collaborate with mainland China.
So I acquired Golden Harvest.
Those actors who are close to the mainland, you don’t have to be afraid. Others don’t use you, Jiahe uses you.
From now on, Golden Harvest will produce three to five dramas every year, all of which are high-quality. In addition, Golden Harvest can also bring together Hong Kong actors and promote cooperation with other mainland film and television companies. ”
Wow~
At this moment, the flash lights kept flashing.
Zhang Chen's words were loud and loud, like a frontal declaration of war - the acquisition of Jiahe is just to slap you in the face, street fighters~~
The media seemed to see the livid faces of Wu Yusen and others when they heard the news.
Inexplicable excitement~
There's going to be a war~
There's going to be a war~
Someone noticed the words in Zhang Chen's words and immediately asked: "You just said that Jiahe will produce three to five high-quality movies every year in the future. Do you have any plans?"
Zhang Chen did not answer directly when he heard this, but waved behind him, and then Chen Xi stepped forward.
"This is Ms. Chen Xi, who is also the future CEO of Jiahe. I would like to ask Mr. Chen to analyze Jiahe's film list for the new year..."
Chen Xi looked around: "Hello everyone, I am Chen Xi, the new CEO of Jiahe. Let me introduce to you Jiahe's filming plan for this year...
In 2006, the new Golden Harvest will bring three films to the audience. The first one is the extra chapter of the secret agent universe "The Lonely Agent" in cooperation with Mainland Star Entertainment. The other two films are a comedy film "Extreme Job" and a The first kung fu movie "Ip Man"..."
……
The old father was discharged from the hospital, which was a false alarm.
The updates have been a mess these days, and they are updated from time to time. I'm sorry to everyone.
The update should return to normal after that, and I hope you will continue to support it.
Thanks for the dumplings
(End of chapter)