China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 714: Absolutely No. , Koi Grows Up

Director Chen's personal butler, who has a perfect grasp of the ways of the world.

Zhou Yutang had just returned to the capital not long ago, and soon he brought Zeng Li to meet Chen Hong at Wang Changtian's dinner party.

Chen Hong first asked Xinli's Cao Huayi to be the middleman. Cao used his connections and found Wang Changtian from Guangxian, and only then did he make an appointment with the Grand Commander of Jiangdong.

The reclusive poet Chen and his wife attended the event and brought their young son with them.

"Arthur, sit down."

Looking at the cowering look on Young Master Chen's face, one can tell that Brother Chen Kai behaves a bit like a feudal patriarch.

After Zhou Yutang and Zeng Li took their seats, Arthur greeted them respectfully before being allowed to take their seats.

Zhou Yutang's focus was not on Arthur. He noticed that Chen Kai's hair had turned a lot greyer, so he asked, "Director Chen, how is the post-production of The Great Wall going?"

"Oh, don't mention it."

Brother Chen Kai smiled bitterly and shook his head, then he picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The bitter wine makes my throat ache.

Zhou Yutang knew what was going on as soon as he saw it.

Hollywood won't play along with you, Poet Chen, and your aristocratic family.

It must be that the Legendary and Universal teams had absolute say, and the final editing rights fell into the hands of others. Brother Chen Kai felt a little frustrated as a director.

He did not mention "The Great Wall" and only talked about "The Great Tang Ghost Banquet of Monk Kūkai", also known as "The Legend of the Demon Cat".

Obviously he was unsure, so he placed his hopes on this new film.

That's why we have this dinner today.

The topic always revolved around "The Legend of the Demon Cat" until three rounds of wine and five dishes were served.

Cao Huayi mentioned the Tangcheng Film and Television Base, and Chen Hong followed suit and expressed her husband's intention:
"Mr. Zhou, I've been thinking about this new play of Brother Kai for a long time, and I think you are the most suitable candidate for the male lead."

"The two characters of Tachibana Ishii and Bai Juyi in the novel have been merged into Bai Juyi. You are definitely the main character."

The maximum salary for Hollywood's top stars is 20 million US dollars.

Including the crew's artistic director and script consultant.
There are so many things and so many titles, it’s like drawing a big pie!
Cao Huayi's eyes were burning, and his hands under the table unconsciously clenched into fists.

As the main producer of this film, he also bet the future of New Classics Media on this project.

The light king Changtian was also secretly surprised.

He was just trying to make a connection, and I have never seen Brother Chen Kai so humble before. It seems like he is really giving it his all.

Even the casting was given to Zhou Yutang a lot of power, not to mention the subsequent share of the movie box office.

Zeng Li had an intuition.

Zhou Yutang will definitely refuse.

It’s not that Jiangdong’s sincerity in inviting Zhou Lang was not strong enough.

Such generous conditions are unique in the entire Chinese film and television industry. Even the international superstar Jackie Chan cannot have such treatment.

Jackie Chan's international influence is unquestionable, but he is old after all, and the box office performance of the films he starred in in China in recent years has been disappointing.

What capital values ​​is the rate of return that an investment project can bring.

The Grand Commander of Jiangdong, who has never been defeated, is the chosen one and the only one.

Among the top domestic directors, who wouldn’t want to work with Zhou Yutang?
This is the first time that Zhang Yimou has worked with him to restore the prestige of the national master and bring him back to the peak.

Even a cocky guy like Feng Xiaogang has praised Zhou Yutang more than once on variety shows, and has expressed his desire to cooperate in both explicit and implicit ways.

Another top Chinese director, Stephen Chow, also expressed his true feelings when promoting "The Mermaid" in an interview program, saying that he wanted to join forces for two weeks to make a big splash.

The reason is that Zhou Yutang's box office appeal is too strong at the moment. In the past two years, the movies in which he played the leading role had the worst box office of nearly 2 billion.

Zeng Li, who came with Zhou Yutang, sat quietly and chatted with the enthusiastic Chen Hong from time to time.

While I was proud of my man, I also felt a little amused.

Brother Chen Kai is from a noble family and has a very high spirit. Even when he asks for help, he is a little stiff. On the contrary, Chen Hong speaks very beautifully.

The result did not surprise Zeng Li. Zhou Yutang was very moved but still refused.

The dinner ended quickly. On the way back, Zeng Li touched Zhou Yutang's arm and asked, "Did Cao Huayi come here for the Three Lives and Three Worlds and Snow Project?"

"Sister Li is just smart."

Zhou Yutang stretched out his hand, grasped the slender and soft waist of the beauty in green, and brought her into his arms.

Chen Kaige and his wife came for their new movie, but Cao Huayi was attracted by Jiangdong Entertainment's two super popular IPs, "Eternal Love" and "Snow Swordsman".

Guangxian indirectly holds shares in New Classics Media, and Wang Changtian has a close relationship with Cao Huayi, so he acts as the middleman.

However, he was obviously thinking too much in the project of replicating "The Legend of Yue Fei".

Alibaba spent a huge amount of money to obtain the film rights of "Three Lives Three Worlds". Cao Huayi cannot come up with enough chips for resource exchange, so why should he be brought on board?
"Ali executives revealed that they will work with Jiangdong to simultaneously promote the film and TV series versions of Eternal Love. Online casting is in progress. Cast your vote for the star you support!"

"Bona Chairman Yu Dong personally attended the premiere of "The King's Woman 3" and made a bold statement that if nothing unexpected happens, the total box office of the "The King's Woman 35" trilogy will reach billion!"

"The premiere press conference of Journey to the West: The Monkey King 3: The White Bone Demon was held in Beijing. Gong Li had a strong aura. The classic Journey to the West was re-enacted. The Spring Festival movie season is about to begin!"

Entering February, the box office growth rate of "Detective Chinatown" slowed down, and "Star Wars" has come to an end. With the high-profile moves of several giants such as Alibaba and Bona, the entertainment industry began to become lively.

Several movies released during the Spring Festival have entered the final sprint of promotion.

"The Mermaid" is unprecedentedly popular, and the premiere of "The King's Woman 3" is also star-studded. Behind Fatty Bonah are a large number of stars including Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Nick Cheung, Zhang Xueyou, Carina Lau, Li Yuchun, and Mr. Long Wu.

Including the Hong Kong capital behind it, the romantic president of Moon Entertainment, and Long Wu Club of China Star are all on the list.

"The trilogy is going to achieve a box office of 3.5 billion?"

On the way to the company, Zhou Yutang saw some film and television news and shook his head and laughed: "Did Fatty Yu drink too much?"

Although the first two films benefited from the Spring Festival and grossed nearly 2 billion yuan at the box office, which was beyond imagination, their reputation was already terrible.

According to Fatty Yu's idea, "The King's Woman 3" must now gross at least 15 billion yuan to have a chance of achieving a real result of billion yuan.

Although the Chinese film industry is taking off, the audience is not stupid, and not every crappy money-making movie can earn more than 15 billion at the box office.

However, "Journey to the West: The Monkey King 3 Defeats the White Bone Demon" has also gained quite a lot of popularity and is worthy of attention.

According to the information released by the film company, the entire film used more than 1500 special effects shots and invited Hollywood's top special effects team, but it is not known how good the quality is.

The domestic film market is in full swing, and it is also awards season in Hollywood.

Leonardo successfully won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, and Kate Winslet excitedly gave him a hug on the spot, which has already made the entertainment headlines there.

"Leo has great hopes this year."

After receiving Bob's call, Zhou Yutang took a look at it.

"The Revenant", which earned Leo a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars, received 12 Oscar nominations, and its popularity is unmatched.

"Zhou, we also have awards."

"What award?"

“Golden Raspberry Awards.”

Old Deng gave a strange laugh.

"Fifty Shades of Grey," which created huge box office waves around the world this year, was controversial and was not well received at the Golden Raspberry Awards.

It received six nominations including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor and Actress, and was honored as one of the worst Hollywood films of the year.

“This doesn’t seem like good news.”

"Zhou, relax."

The old man shamelessly consoled: "Those guys who don't know how to appreciate it must have voted with their butt drums. I think Fifty Shades of Grey is a perfect art film and can definitely compete for the Best Picture Oscar this year."

Zhou Yutang didn't take it to heart at all.

Even last year's Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne was nominated for Worst Actor for "Jupiter Ascending", and Oscar winner Julianne Moore was also nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for "Seventh Son".

Anyway, it’s none of his business. Bob is the producer on the surface.

He even calmly informed Bob that he was going to start the sequel of "Fifty Shades of Grey" next year to reap another huge profit.
With the rise of Internet live streaming, more and more Internet celebrities have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

Zhou Yutang’s MCN company is also an important part of the future entertainment industry landscape.

It has signed contracts with a number of high-quality UP hosts including Liziqi, Office Xiao Ye, food writer Wang Gang, and Dianxi Xiaoge.

There are those who are good at making delicious food in the office in creative and unique ways, and there are also cultural communicators who focus on topics such as traditional Chinese food, rural life and traditional handicrafts.

The company's main resources are focused on Liziqi, who has received good response on YouTube.

The big stage for internet celebrities, come if you have a dream.

Tik Tok’s publicity plan is progressing smoothly, but its rivals are also not idle.

Last year, Miaopai and Xiaokaxiu APP, which were very popular, held a short video party at the Water Cube, inviting a number of popular stars to attend and shouting loud slogans.

——Define the era of internet celebrities dominated by short videos.

This is a response to the aggressive TikTok, and it also declares its position in the short video field.

The year-end bonuses were paid and the Jiangdong annual meeting was held as scheduled.

It just so happened that on this day, a major earthquake occurred in the neighboring Japanese entertainment industry.

SMAP, the Asian super group under Johnny & Associates, has announced its disbandment.

The group SMAP has been active since their debut in 1988, nearly 30 years, and has an incredibly large fan base.

The group's single "The Only Flower in the World" sold 250 million copies and was even hailed as Japan's second national anthem.

The influence is not limited to Japan, and there are many fans overseas. Moreover, the fans who have followed along all the way basically have a certain spending power, and they place deep feelings on the group and are willing to spend money. The fans find it hard to accept, which has caused a strong response.

The media in Japan are reporting this matter extensively.

Some Japanese media have estimated that the subsequent losses caused by SMAP's disbandment will be as high as 636 billion yen.

According to the current exchange rate, it is approximately 37 billion RMB.

This number is still a conservative estimate!
This includes their annual income, fans' consumption expenditures, and one-time losses of related industries. Zhou Yutang asked Nagasawa Masami on Line, and Masami said it was the result of a power struggle among the top management of the agency.

There have been many reports on this incident in China. Zhou Yutang looked through several pieces of information and directly pointed to Johnny Kitagawa, the president of Johnny & Associates.

I don’t know, I’m scared.

This Lao Deng was born before the S2 season. After the S2 war, he ran back to Neon to work in the entertainment industry.

He created many well-known idol groups in the Heisei era and made Johnny's Office bigger and stronger.

Although Korean entertainment is sweeping across Asia with great momentum, in fact, much of its industrial assembly line-like idol production and huge artist training system are drawn from the experience of Japanese entertainment.

Including the operating ideas of Jiangdong Girls Group, some of them are derived from this.

Idol groups are spiritual sustenance in the eyes of fans, but for company leaders, they are essentially commodities that can generate revenue for the company.

Since it is a commodity, it has a price and can be manipulated and enjoyed at will.

Zhou Yutang claimed that he was not a good person, but based on some inside information he got, compared to what Kitagawa, the old man, did.

He is simply a saint.

"woo lalalalalalala

woo oh perfect sacrifice yeah”

The wonderful melody played in the car is none other than Jiangdong Girls Group’s second single album, “Love Dive”, which was also created by a top composer and received quite good response.

The initial sales volume exceeded 60, and this number is still rising. It is not impossible to break one million.

So far, he has won first place in 14 music shows in South Korea.

She directly suppressed the Girls' Generation sub-group and was called the monster rookie who would end the Empress.

When he saw the little koi again, a slight smile appeared on Zhou Yutang's lips.

When I first met her during the filming of "Want to See You", she was still a little girl, but now she has grown into a beautiful young lady.

He rubbed Yang Chaoyue's head, and the latter shrank his head in disgust: "Hey, uncle, you messed up my hair."

"You just have two braids, what kind of hairstyle is that?"

"You don't understand this. This is called the energetic girl style."

Yang Chaoyue proudly raised her head and raised her eyebrows: "We won the first place in the music promotion stage again."

That delicate face seemed to be saying, come and praise me, come and praise me.

Zhou Yutang refused to let her have her way and teased her deliberately: "The performance of "Cupid" is OK, and the domestic audiences also give it very good reviews"

“I’m talking about new songs!”

"New song?"

Zhou Yutang stared in deep thought, with a slightly puzzled look on his face.

"You didn't miss the new song from the single album, did you?"

Yang Chaoyue's face fell instantly, and her disappointment was visibly evident.

"The acting is a bit exaggerated. Why is your mouth pouting so high?"

Zhou Yutang touched the little koi's head and smiled softly, "I listened to the new song, it's not bad, but you can't be proud. Look around, who isn't popular in Asia?"

There will be a performance by the Jiangdong Girls Group at the Jiangdong Annual Meeting tonight, and he called Yang Chaoyue out to talk to her privately.

If Cheng Xiao and teammates including Zhao Meiyan and Jin Zhixiu were here, they would probably be surprised to find out.

Even after sweeping all the music stages in South Korea and winning 14 first places, she had never been so happy and moved. But the comment "not bad" from Zhou Yutang made her forget about controlling her facial expression and she laughed from the bottom of her heart.

The energetic girl had her own magic power, and her smile made the whole room brighter. Zhou Yutang smiled and said, "Pei Yun told you about the work arrangements for next year, right?"

"Yeah, apart from the Asian tour, there is also the China team plan. Do I really want to transform into an actor?"

"In China, there is no soil suitable for idols to survive. The end of idols is either to be singers or actors."

Zhou Yutang said meaningfully: "It is better to avoid detours. The South Korean branch will have business adjustments next year."

"I understand, but it's a pity that I can't eat my mother's spicy hot pot anymore."

Yang Chaoyue sighed in distress: "How much less money will the South Koreans make!"

But the little koi, who looked childish but obsessed with money, made Zhou Yutang couldn't help laughing: "How much does this spicy hot pot restaurant make?"

Meet some spicy hotpot restaurants opened randomly under the brand, focusing on the sinking market.

It just so happened that Yang's mother went to South Korea to take care of little Koi, so she made her the store manager, and the business was pretty good.

However, catering is only a relatively inconspicuous part of Zhou Yutang's industrial map. Even Yu Jian Hotpot is negotiating a merger with Haidilao.

"Those who are suffering from drought will die of drought, and those who are suffering from flood will die of flood. You have made all the money."

Yang Chaoyue talked about the business seriously: "I originally thought that after I get the share next year, I would let my mother open another braised chicken restaurant. You know, people over there have never eaten braised chicken. We will definitely make a lot of money by then, and then we can open a branch."

A new member of the popular girl group Monster is determined to open a braised chicken restaurant.

I'm holding a watermelon, but I'm still thinking about the sesame seeds
Zhou Yutang was furious that he didn't fight back, so he stretched out his hand and flicked Yang Chaoyue's forehead, which was as white as jade. The latter covered his forehead and immediately flattened his mouth: "Uncle, it hurts, do you know? If I become stupid, will you be responsible?"

"Do your job well and don't think about other things."

"Yeah, I have a week off for the New Year."

Yang Chaoyue ignored it with one ear and let it out with the other, saying with hope: "Are you going home for the New Year this year?"

"I have to wait until the premiere of The Mermaid is over and then return before New Year's Eve."

"Then I'll treat you to a movie. I heard that The Mermaid is a collaboration between you and Stephen Chow. I still owe him movie tickets."

"What is fusion?"

Zhou Yutang's mouth twitched slightly: "That was a collaboration. I was just a guest star and I didn't have many scenes."

"Well, that's what the media reported anyway."

Yang Chaoyue patted his chest and said, "Although I don't make much money, it's still okay for me to treat you to a movie."

"Let's talk about it then."

Zhou Yutang feels a bit overwhelmed when communicating with the little koi. Is there a generation gap?
The new girl group Jiangdong reached the peak as soon as they debuted, and a big part of the reason was that the company invested a lot of resources in them.

Even though they have become a top girl group, most of their income in the first year was used to cover the company's initial operating costs.

This is the unspoken rule of the South Korean entertainment industry.

The group members signed the contract themselves and had no objections.

Therefore, Yang Chaoyue is not actually making much money at the moment. If she wants to make real money, she should wait until the group’s popularity is consolidated and then continue to monetize that popularity.

The most important channel is concerts, which have a higher profit margin.

As for other income sharing ratios in the contract, they will also increase accordingly.

Back in the backstage lounge, everyone in the group turned their eyes to Yang Chaoyue.

No one is a fool. There has long been a rumor in the outside world that Yang Chaoyue and Zhou Yutang have a special relationship. It is also a fact that the Grand Commander takes special care of Yang Chaoyue.

She was even given a black membership card for the Yu Jian Hotpot restaurant, and everyone often ate there for free. The company's artist department director Min Hee-jin also took good care of her.

What people are curious about now is what Zhou Yutang said to Yang Chaoyue.

Jin Zhixiu, Zhao Meiyan, and SANA were doing their own things, but Cheng Xiao, who was the closest to her, hugged her arm and asked:
"Xiaoyue, why did Mr. Zhou look for you?"

"Nothing much, just talking about our group's work arrangements for next year."

Feeling a soft and tender touch, Yang Chaoyue shrugged her shoulders and her eyes fell on Cheng Xiao's bear, as if she was attracted by a magnet.

Today, Cheng Xiao is dressed the same as everyone else on stage.

The lower body is wearing hot pants and fishnet stockings, and the thighs are plump.

The most eye-catching thing is the slightly tight T-shirt, which makes the couple look even more exposed.

In addition to the youthfulness of a girl, it also reveals a bit of sexiness.

As the sexy member of the group, Cheng Xiao's figure is nothing short of amazing.

Jin Zhixiu and Zhao Meiyan both looked down at their dumplings and were a little disappointed: "Everyone ate about the same, why is hers so big?"

The girls didn't have to think about it for too long. Min Xizhen walked in with a red face and clapped her hands, "Children, President Zhou has finished his speech. Finally, prepare your positions. The stage will start soon!"

South Korea actually also has the tradition of annual meetings.

But for Min Xizhen, coming to the Jiangdong headquarters to attend the annual meeting felt like a pilgrimage to Beijing.

The scale of Jiangdong Entertainment is incomparable to that of South Korean entertainment companies. It is a behemoth equivalent to a chaebol.

There are mountains of cash and stars appearing on the stage like flowing water.

The Jiangdong annual meeting was as lively as usual, but Zhou Yutang did not go on stage to sing like Lao Wang did.

He just sat quietly in the audience, enjoying the singing and dancing performance of his own girl group.

I heard that Boss Xu of Hengtai has a singing and dancing troupe, and all the members are beautiful and good at dancing.

The old generation Crown Group under his command, as well as the super popular new generation girl group Ceiling that is popular all over Asia, are expected to be not much worse.

The warm applause and cheers at the scene were the best proof.

"Boss Zhou, what arrangements does Cheng Xiao have?"

Yang Tianzhen noticed that the Grand Commander at the same table kept his gaze on Cheng Xiao for a little too long, so he moved closer and asked.

Next year, Yang Chaoyue and Cheng Xiao of Jiangdong Girls Group will gradually shift their work focus back to China, and the domestic agency affairs will be handed over to Yang Tianzhen.

Xiao Jinli is recognized as the little princess of Jiangdong, but she is a little unsure of Zhou Yutang's attitude towards Cheng Xiao.

Throughout Jiangdong Entertainment, all the senior executives have indescribable admiration and respect for Zhou Yutang.

Including Yang Tianzhen.

Even a casual remark Zhou Yutang made, or a subtle change in his expression.

She must ponder over and over again, hoping to analyze the pros and cons that are related to herself.
(End of this chapter)