National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1287 Ginseng Essence

How should we assess the difficulty of this?

How likely is it that Ning Weimin can turn these movie copies into treasure? Can he really quickly realize positive returns with the movie copies he purchased?

In fact, you only need to compare the situation of French films released in Japan to understand this.

If we look at what Keiko Matsumoto, a semi-expert in the Japanese film market, has revealed, the situation is quite optimistic.

After entering the 1980s, any French film starring famous stars would earn more than 250 million yen at the box office, even if it performed poorly in Japan.

Think about it, 250 million yen versus 4.5 million yen, that's a 55 to 1 odds.

  In other words, it is equivalent to a success rate of almost 98 percent!

So, if you don’t calculate it, you won’t know. Once you calculate it, you will be shocked.

  Ning Weimin's seemingly stupid acquisition was actually a very good deal!

It’s just that no one has ever done this in the past, and no one even dared to think about it.

  why?

The reason is also very simple.

First of all, it’s not that the Japanese and Europeans are really that stupid, but it’s caused by the information gap.

You know, European film companies have very little understanding of the Japanese film market.

Europeans have always looked down on the Asian market and understand neither the Japanese film distribution system nor the Japanese film approval system.

They don't understand the inherent servility and inferiority of the Japanese. They don't know that these little devils are a whole country of Western worshippers who dream of leaving Asia and joining Europe, so they have a special preference for European movies and stars.

Secondly, Japan's film companies themselves are in the same decline as European film studios.

Also due to the weakening of the big studio system, large-capacity cinemas in Japan closed one after another. New forms of entertainment began to emerge and occupy a mainstream position with the rapid popularization of television, making it difficult for film companies to survive and gradually falling into financial difficulties.

Today, Japan's five major film companies are going against the economic situation in Japan. Almost all of them are unable to survive and are in a very tight financial situation. The cost available for film production and shooting each year is getting lower and lower, and they have to find all possible ways to maintain their normal operations.

If Japan had not been experiencing an economic bubble and its entertainment industry had not entered a period of bonus, and movies had not benefited from it to some extent, I am afraid that these five major film studios would have gone bankrupt long ago.

So even though there is a clear lack of film sources, Japanese film companies do not have the spare money to spend on purchasing imported films from overseas.

Who could play things as differently as Ning Weimin, taking the money earned from the speculative market and spending it in Europe without any regrets?

  Who else could have the courage like Ning Weimin, with a vision that transcends the times, and be willing to spend huge sums of money to package and acquire film libraries?

These are all unsolvable problems in reality.

And in the end, there is one very crucial point, which means that all this can only be done by Ning Weimin who is in Japan. Only he with a long-term vision can see the opportunity and exclude almost all European and American film and television companies.

That is the popularity of VCRs in Japan.

You know, the advancement and development of science and technology has been quietly changing people's lifestyles, but often people who are in it find it difficult to notice such changes.

Take the Japanese home video recorder, for example; it first appeared in 1975.

But at that time, a VHS projection system could easily cost millions of yen, which was not affordable for ordinary families.

It was not until 1978 that the price of projectors in Japan began to drop.

This year, Japanese people could buy a camera and a video recorder for only 550,000 yen.

By 1981, the price had changed significantly again, and an HR-4100 could be purchased for only yen.

This price is considered quite affordable, so the penetration rate of home video recorders in Japan exceeds 10%.

Then by 1982, the price of VCRs in Japan continued to drop, reaching around yen.

At the same time, Japan's per capita income began to increase rapidly.

Against this backdrop of highs and lows, VCRs finally entered thousands of households in Japan in large numbers.

At the same time, another emerging industry also quietly emerged. In order to meet the demand for videotapes in Japan, Japanese videotape rental stores sprang up like mushrooms after a rain.

This was not the end. In 1985, Japan's Panasonic Corporation launched the all-in-one recording and broadcasting machine MACLORD YOU, priced at yen, which directly pushed the price down to the ground.

This is equivalent to what a normal working class person can afford with ten days' salary.

In this regard, Japan was far ahead of the world and was the first to achieve an 80 percent household penetration rate of VCRs that year.

At the same time, benefiting from this, video rental stores across Japan also officially took shape in Japan.

The number exceeded 2,500 this year.

But then again, it was precisely because the change process in Japan was so fast that it only took ten years.

As a result, before they knew it, both Europe and the United States were left far behind.

This imbalance in the penetration rate of VCRs has resulted in European and American film companies still failing to see the huge potential market and profits for videotapes.

In other words, the profits of the videotape market are currently a blue ocean that is seriously underestimated and ignored by European and American film companies.

This under-evaluation turned out to be a great benefit for Ning Weimin. It was equivalent to the two French production companies that did business with him leaving him a huge profit margin out of ignorance.

The low acquisition cost allowed him to buy the batch of film copies and then use the rich channels in the Japanese market to make enough money to offset the acquisition cost without much effort.

  Doing this is just like picking up money for free on the street!

In short, for Ning Weimin, even without considering the huge profits in the future streaming media era, the two deals he made in Cannes are much sweeter than they seem, and how good are they!

After saying the above words, Ning Weimin felt extremely relaxed.

After all, he could only keep all his proud calculations within his own heart.

Apart from Keiko Matsumoto, there is no one else around him to whom he can confide so freely.

His trust in other people was not to the same degree that he trusted Pierre Cardin.

Besides, the master is not an ordinary person. For Ning Weimin, gaining his recognition and praise is of great significance in itself.

However, after listening to Ning Weimin's story, the master's reaction was a little different from what Ning Weimin had imagined.

Although the master affirmed, appreciated and praised Ning Weimin's ability to make money in Japan through the "nesting doll" model of stocks and real estate, his self-control to stop when he saw the good and withdraw in time, and how he operated after purchasing the film copies, he said that his success was indeed not a fluke, and his ideas and judgments were indeed unique and different from others.

But the strange thing is that the master's expression is not as exciting as these words.

The master's expression seemed a little absent-minded, and also revealed a bit of melancholy.

After that, the master didn't even speak for a long time.

Ning Weimin felt that several minutes had passed before his boss suddenly came to his senses and said to him, "Sorry, I was a little distracted. I didn't expect that you would have such a mature operation plan for these movie copies that you bought on a whim. I also didn't expect you to pay so happily for such a large transaction. Now it seems that you can't delay payment for these two transactions, and you don't have much money now. Am I right?"

As the old saying goes, listen to the words by their tone and the gongs and drums by their sounds.

Ning Weimin was so smart that he immediately discovered the master's real focus without any further instructions. He also understood the boss's hidden meaning at once.

So he didn't bother to explain anything and immediately expressed his loyalty actively.

"Mr. Carton, are you having financial problems? Are you in need of money? If so, I hope you can tell me. I am willing to do my best to help you."

Such an attitude and words naturally made Pierre Cardon feel at ease, and he became more and more emotionally fond of Ning Weimin.

However, in the conversation between the two just now, Ning Weimin avoided the main point and was reserved about how much wealth he had earned in Japan, and his explanation was rather vague.

He only told the master that he brought 500 million from Japan, but he did not say whether it was francs or US dollars.

This led to Pierre Catton's misunderstanding of Ning Weimin's financial ability.

It should be said that in Pierre Cardin's eyes, it was already a remarkable thing for Ning Weimin to come up with 500 million francs to buy movie copies at this age.

This was the minimum amount of financial assistance he had expected.

However, he didn't expect that even though he called Ning Weimin back, he was still a step too late.

Ning Weimin was such a generous guy who gave money that he had already written a check for 300 million francs and gave it to someone else.

Even if he doesn't need to pay the balance of the transaction in the short term, how much money will Ning Weimin have left in his hands?

Frankly speaking, because of his preconceived notions, Pierre Cardon no longer had any hope that Ning Weimin could help him.

What's more, Ning Weimin has a good plan for the things he bought.

After hearing what he said, even Pierre Cardin had to admit that Ning Weimin's purchase of the movie copy was a good investment, and this brilliant idea would definitely bring him good returns.

So the old man really didn't intend to let Ning Weimin be involved in this matter at this time.

After all, it is not easy for a young man to earn hundreds of millions of francs.

Pierre Catton did not want to affect Ning Weimin's brilliant business plan because of his words.

What's more, this matter does not involve Pierre Catton.

Whether in public or private, Ning Weimin actually has no obligation to help.

After thinking about it, the kind-hearted French old man decided to keep Ning Weimin out of the matter. He deliberately acted as if nothing had happened and changed the subject.

"Okay, don't think too much. I'm just curious. I've heard your story and it's really wonderful. So, now, we should go to dinner. My friend, you haven't been to Maxim's yet, right? Today, I will entertain you and your wife there and give you a welcome. Believe me, you won't be disappointed. There are many dishes unique to Maxim's in Paris. Oh, by the way, I've also arranged a hotel for you. It's a luxury suite at the George V Hotel with a large balcony and Avenue George V outside the window. The hotel is not far from here, and it can be reached in 20 minutes on foot. Your luggage should have been delivered to you..."

However, Ning Weimin was a shrewd man and was not so easily fooled. Instead, he immediately read the signs of insincerity on his boss's face.

So he continued to ask very persistently, "Mr. Carton, please don't hesitate, just tell me your request. I have always kept your gratitude in my heart for so many years and I dare not forget it. In fact, I have always been looking forward to having an opportunity to do something for you as a reward for you. So even if you need $100 million or $200 million right now, I will..."

But the master's temper is still so stubborn, and it seems that he is a little hard of hearing due to his old age.

"Haha, kid, don't insist. I have fully appreciated your friendship. I thank you sincerely. However, even if you have 100 million francs or 200 million francs, it will be useless for what I want to do now..."

In order to comfort Ning Weimin, the master smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

Fortunately, the astute Ning Weimin noticed the misunderstanding in their conversation in time and prevented the mistake from continuing.

"Mr. Carton, I didn't say francs, I just said dollars..."

"What? What did you say? Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly..."

"I was talking about the US dollar..."

"How is that possible! You...you mean...you have 200 million dollars?"

"Yes, if you need it, I can give it to you now..."

People like Pierre Cardin have experienced a lot in their lives, especially at his age.

In fact, it stands to reason that no matter how bizarre the things in this world are, or how powerful the stimulation is, it would be difficult for him to behave in a way that would cause him to lose his composure.

In fact, ever since Ning Weimin met this French old man.

No matter what the occasion or what the circumstances, he always looked at Pierre Cardin with a calm and nonchalant attitude.

Except that sometimes I can't control my temper at work and get angry because the results don't meet my expectations.

In daily life, the master is almost always a person who maintains elegance, confidence and gentleness.

It seemed that others would never notice any exaggerated expression on his face.

But things are very different at this moment. This pattern suddenly changed and it is time to end.

The effect of Ning Weimin's words was like a blow to the head, causing this experienced fashion master to shudder and suddenly feel dizzy.

He stared at Ning Weimin blankly, his pupils dilated.

It was just like an old man who was about to die suddenly saw the ginseng spirit that could make him immortal.