China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 726: Bloodbath in the South Korean Film Market, "Knowing Brothers"

Wow! Wow! Wow!
After Zhou Yutang finished talking with director Bong Joon-ho, they mostly praised each other for their business, inspiration for the script, and interesting things that happened during the filming and post-production of the movie.

The applause from the audience was like thunder, bringing IU's wandering thoughts back to reality.

Some of them are professional actors arranged by Showbox.

These people are responsible for giving appropriate feedback at critical moments and driving the emotions of most of the fans at the scene.

But most of them are fans of IU, Choi Min-sik and others. After all, such a luxurious lineup can be regarded as the top lineup in South Korea no matter what.

Add to that the fact that the Grand Commander Jiangdong is a prominent figure in the Asian entertainment industry, and the box office appeal is very strong.

“Thank you everyone, I hope you enjoy the movie.”

The microphone was handed to IU, and a professional yet sweet smile appeared on her innocent face, acting like a catalyst, making the cheers at the scene even louder.

South Korean films are different from those in China and have their own independent film censorship and rating system.

Filmmakers here have a wider space for expression, and audiences can often see films that expose the dark side of chaebols and reflect certain social systems.

The South Korean Film Rating Review Committee's review and rating is divided into 5 levels:
National level, can be viewed by those aged 12 and above, 15 and above, prohibited for those under 19, and the strictness of the review decreases accordingly.

There is also a special level, that is, restricted movies that are prohibited from being shown in any public theaters and can only be sold through DVDs, etc. Because the content may involve serious violations of moral ethics, legal taboos or extreme forms of expression, it can only be distributed and disseminated through specific channels.

This film "Tomb Raider" contains some elements of thriller, horror, exorcism, etc., so it is rated as "for viewing by people over 15 years old".

The event included a segment where fans could watch movies together. After the opening credits of JD.Entertainment and SHOWBOX production companies, a number of leading actors appeared on the screen one after another.

Among them, the Chinese name of the chief producer and screenwriter, Zhou Yutang, is particularly eye-catching.

The movie started, the scene fell silent, and IU looked focused.

The story tells of a wealthy South Korean family named Park living in America who are constantly being harassed by strange supernatural phenomena, and even their newborn baby is affected.

So, they paid a large sum of money to invite Hwa Lin [IU] and Bong Gil [Yoo Ah In], two young wizards who are very famous in the exorcism industry in South Korea.

When Hwa-rim and Bong-gil arrive, they rescue the family's newborn baby, only to discover that the family is suspected to be plagued by a dark curse from their ancestors.

It turned out that there was a problem with the layout of the ancestral cemetery in terms of feng shui, which caused the ancestral souls to restless, thus triggering a series of strange events.

Hua Lin and Feng Ji are both inexperienced, so in order to completely solve the problem, they invited senior experts in the industry to help.

The audience's attention was completely attracted by the movie.

IU secretly reached out from below and interlaced her fingers with Zhou Yutang, enjoying the little sweetness.

The plot continues to develop, and the protagonists break into the tomb.

Tracing back to the roots, it turns out that the ancestor of this wealthy family was a traitor to Korea during the period when Japan colonized the peninsula.

They gained money and power by betraying their compatriots, and their descendants still enjoy astonishing wealth to this day. In order to cover up this shameful and despicable history, the Park family buried their ancestors somewhere on the border between North and South Korea.

And his grave is just a cover-up. Beneath it is the arrangement made by the Japanese to destroy the lifeline of South Korea.

The battle between tomb feng shui and onmyoji also implicitly touched upon the North-South Korean issue, which hit the local audience's G-spot very well.

The protagonists engage in a thrilling battle with the released neon samurai demons.

It ends up being a happy ending for the whole family, as the evil spirit is successfully sealed away.

But at the end of the movie, there was still a button left, and the audience was still not satisfied. Someone asked: "President Zhou, will there be a sequel to "Tomb Raider"?"

"If there is a sequel, I will watch it again."

Zhou Yutang responded in a leisurely manner: "If the box office is within the expected range, there should be."

As things stand now, the script for the sequel is already under development. Why not make some money while you can?
If "Ghost Blows Out the Light" brings the audience magnificence and surprise beyond imagination, then "Rampant Tomb" has the rhythm of an ordinary supernatural horror commercial movie.

The main reason is that the story has a smooth rhythm, the director's camera language creates a sense of atmosphere, and the acting skills of several powerful actors bring the audience a good viewing experience.

Choi Min-sik's performance was worthy of the title of Best Actor, IU did not lag behind, and even Yoo Ah-in gave a brilliant performance.

With overwhelming marketing coverage and the topic being driven by Zhou Yutang, the superstar who has topped Asia's list, the entire movie has received unprecedented attention.

The number of viewers exceeded 3 million in 250 days and exceeded 5 million in 480 days, which was an unprecedented wonderful start.

Since its release, it has continuously topped the single-day box office list and ranked first on the pre-sale rate list with a very high pre-sale rate.

The South Korean film market has been a bloodbath since the beginning of the year, and the number of moviegoers continues to rise.

It is not as good as "The Myeongryang" which was promoted by the South Korean government, but it has already broken the total number of moviegoers of "The Mermaid" in South Korea.

Compared with the movie "The Man from Nowhere" that made Zhou Yutang famous, and "Big Shot" which also swept South Korea with over 10 million viewers, the number of viewers in the same period is much higher.

The movie promotion activities ended that day. As Zhou Yutang’s trip in South Korea was about to end, the Princess of Samsung specially attended the celebration banquet that night.

It can't be said that they were popping champagne at halftime. According to the data statistics department of Showbox based on the current movie attendance and popularity, the number of moviegoers will be at least 1500 million.

This is a phenomenal movie that can make it into the top five of South Korea's total box office list.

For South Korea, a place with a land area smaller than Jiangsu Province and a total population of only more than 50 million, this is a very exaggerated achievement.

Don’t be fooled by the Korean media’s promotion of a national-level phenomenal movie. In fact, when the final box office is converted, the 1500 million moviegoers will probably not exceed 8.5 million RMB.

As a Chinese entertainment giant that has tasted the sweetness of Hollywood's reckless reap of dollars, this box office performance can only be regarded as icing on the cake and not a big surprise.

But for Li Fuzhen and the people in charge of Showbox, this successful film and television project can bring them more influence beyond box office revenue.

"Are you coming?"

Ni Ni came to Zhou Yutang in high heels to report. He nodded slightly and said calmly: "Then bring her over."

To IU and Goo Hara, this might be a disaster that could make the sky fall, but in Zhou Yutang's eyes, it could be resolved with just a phone call.

"Wow, Hal, you are really lucky."

The president of an entertainment company, with a forced smile on his face, looked at the skinny girl who was huddled beside Zhou Yutang like a quail.

She could be manipulated at will before, but now that she has found a powerful backer like Zhou Yutang, it’s a different story.

Even the Princess of Samsung greeted this Chinese entertainment tycoon with a smile. For the local tycoons in South Korea, there is really no need to provoke this fierce dragon that has crossed the river.

"Hara just signed with JD today. Bring her over to see the world."

Zhou Yutang had a light smile on his face, holding IU on his left and Goo Hara on his right, looking indescribably free and easy.

This is also done for others to see, aiming to send a message: Who dares to touch his people?
"Haha, there's an old Chinese saying that goes, 'If a man doesn't indulge himself in romance when young, he's wasting his youth.' That's exactly what President Zhou is talking about."

"I heard that Goo Hara and IU are still good friends. We are so lucky."

The well-known seniors in the South Korean entertainment industry and the presidents of those entertainment companies may look up to IU, but no one would take a small character like Goo Hara seriously.

There were also people who looked at the women around the two great governors with meaningful eyes, each with different thoughts in their minds.

Everyone had heard that the Grand Commander of Jiangdong was known for his romantic reputation, but those were only rumors within the circle. Now they could see it with their own eyes.

I have to say, he really knows how to play.

"."

Goo Hara felt like a puppet, staying by Zhou Yutang's side with a stiff smile on her face until the end of the party when IU gave her a warm hug. Then she reacted and said gratefully:
"Jie'en, thank you."

"Don't thank me, just thank the president."

IU smiled and hugged her bestie, comforting her: "Don't think too much, just stay here tonight, I've booked a room for you."

"how about you?"

"I still need to discuss tomorrow's variety show with the president." IU said as a matter of course.

"what?"

A question mark slowly appeared on Gu Hara's face.

What kind of variety show requires discussion late at night?

It is certainly a happy thing that my best friend can escape from the fire.

But for IU, Zhou Yutang's schedule in South Korea is very short, and she will have plenty of time to spend with her bestie in the future. Of course, she must seize the rare opportunity to spend time with her bestie.

When IU came out of the bathroom wearing a silk pajamas with suspenders, she saw Zhou Yutang leaning on the sofa bed and talking on the phone. She fell into his arms.
"Director Wang?"

It wasn’t a surprise to receive a call from Wanda Lao Wang.

Zhou Yutang was a powerful figure in South Korea, but he never forgot to pay attention to domestic affairs.

According to the news received today, Ye Ning, who just resigned from Wanda, has officially joined Huayi.

After transferring to Huayi, Ye Ning took over as CEO directly, also served as Huayi's vice president, and was nominated as a candidate for director.

Huayi held a press conference, and Mr. Wang and his wife attended together, giving full face and being very high-profile, which shocked the industry.

Last year, there were reports that Ye Ning was going to resign, but this has never been clarified to the public.

At Wanda's annual meeting last year, Wanda's boss Wang, who seldom praises anyone in public, made an unprecedented move in his important speech to the entire group and specifically recognized and praised the achievements made by his trusted and beloved general Ye Ning.

Although this incident seems sudden, it has actually been brewing for a long time.

Ye Ning holds a high position and power in Wanda Cinema Line, but does not hold any shares. It is rumored that his personal salary is only a few million.

Wanda’s internal profit distribution, reward and promotion mechanisms are all outdated from the original real estate industry.

People go to high places and water flows to low places. It is understandable that Ye Ning changed jobs to seek development. As early as last year, even Tencent tried to poach him, but later Huayi's offer was more attractive.

"His contract has a non-compete agreement. Doing this breaks the rules. Wanda will block Huayi's films in the future."

Although Lao Wang tried to restrain himself, Zhou Yutang could feel the deep anger of the richest man in China even through the phone.

When Ye Ning left, he completed the handover of some of the business he was in, but he still took away his confidants in Wanda and some film distribution business.

For example, the film "Lu Yao Zhi Mali" directed by Wen Zhang was also brought by him to Huayi, and it was officially announced that it will be released in the summer vacation. As the leader of the cinema chain, Wanda has already deployed a sniping plan.

Zhou Yutang thought about it and could understand a little bit.

It’s probably like Li Shuang from Jiangdong Entertainment was poached and some of Jiangdong’s projects were taken away.

Of course, this is impossible.

Sister Shuang is one of the shareholders of Jiangdong Entertainment, and her wealth is not less than that of the big and small Wangs of Huayi.

Lao Wang made this call to make sure that there would be no changes in the connection with Jiangdong's business. If Zhou Yutang was pulled into Huayi's camp by Ye Ning, Wanda would really suffer a huge loss.

By forming a strategic alliance and joining forces in recent years, Zhou Yutang has actually gained a lot of benefits. Even the acquisition of Liverpool was achieved with the help of Wanda.

In exchange, Wanda also obtained investment shares and distribution of some Jiangdong film and television projects, which is also very important.

"Mr. Wang, the cooperation between Jiangdong and Wanda will not change in the future."

Zhou Yutang gave Wanda Lao Wang some reassurance and unscrupulously reached one hand into IU's nightgown.

IU did hear something. These days, the title of China's richest man is still very famous.

But when he thought of Zhou Yutang, with whom he could have an equal conversation, he suddenly felt safe.

Those skillful hands acted at will, as if carrying some kind of magic, which made her unable to help but have misty eyes and moan.

Zhou Yutang stopped at this time. After talking to Lao Wang, he called Li Shuang. Shuang was very surprised: "You had sex with two women at night, but you didn't kill anyone. How could you still have time to call me?"

Pei Yun, the president of Jiangdong branch, is also present at the banquet tonight.

Gossip is a woman's nature. Governor Zhou was surrounded by beauties and was free and easy, but he inadvertently became the topic of conversation for others.

"Sister Shuang, Lao Wang just called."

Zhou Yutang had a dark face as he explained Wanda's affairs to Li Shuang and mentioned a very key person.

Last year, Wanda completed its largest overseas cultural M&A deal, acquiring the entire Legendary Pictures.

At that signing ceremony, Ye Ning, the vice president in charge of Wanda Films, did not attend. Instead, Gao Qunyao took his place. This clearly shows that Wanda's boss Wang was not completely unprepared for this.

Gao Qunyou was previously the global senior vice president of News Corporation. He was hired by Wang Xiaowu at a high salary to become an expert in capital operations for him.

All Wanda's sports projects are managed by this man, including the first shot at taking over the company and the acquisition of Legendary Pictures, which shocked the world.

The most impressive thing is that through the merger and acquisition legend, Wanda's reputation has reached an unprecedented peak, and Wanda Pictures' 10 billion financing plan has been promoted in one fell swoop.

To put it simply, it means using a leverage of 10 yuan to acquire Legend, and then using Legend to raise funds in China at a valuation of 20 yuan.

With the endorsement of China's richest man, a large number of wealthy people immediately flocked to the game, scrambling to invest money in order to get a piece of the pie.

Wanda’s old employees Liu Xiaobing, Gao Qunyao and others took over Wanda’s entertainment industry, but for Zhou Yutang, it had little impact.

The horses keep running and the dances keep going.

Wanda has its own way of playing, and Zhou Yutang also has his own layout.

The entertainment industry is the basic foundation of Jiangdong Entertainment, and short videos are a crucial step.

In addition to the entertainment sector, Zhou Yutang has also been gradually improving the strategic layout of other real industries in recent years.

For two consecutive days, I enjoyed the moving croon of this natural singer at the Shilla Hotel.

It was not until noon that he took IU to the recording site of "Knowing Brothers".

This is a new variety show produced and launched by South Korea's JTBC TV station last year. It is also the most interesting studio interview program in South Korea.

The process is very simple, with the seven hosts Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Kim Young-chul, Kim Heechul, Seo Jang-hoon, Min Kyung-hoon and Lee Sang-min making jokes.

Create a relaxed and humorous atmosphere, and then interact with the guests.

It was originally scheduled to be recorded yesterday, but because a business worth several hundred million yuan was discussed at the Shilla Hotel in the evening, Zhou Yutang notified the program crew to move the shooting to today.

If you are a big enough celebrity, you can enjoy privileges.

"President Zhou, please take a look. This is the specific process and outline of the program."

The program's chief PD took the initiative to hand Zhou Yutang the script in the backstage lounge.

The hosts, including Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Kim Heechul and others, all came over to greet them.

It wasn't surprising that IU was in Zhou Yutang's lounge. After greeting each other, they started discussing about the show.

For talk show variety shows, the highlights are the chemistry between the hosts, their interactions with the guests, and the timely release of some inside information.

A lot of the time it's all improvisation, but given Zhou Yutang's status and position, he definitely has to be taken into consideration.

Zhou Yutang went through it roughly and found that everything was within an acceptable range and there were no major problems.

The program recording location was specially arranged as a classroom. Several hosts joked with each other at the beginning and smoothly entered the guest introduction session. Jiang Hudong's loud voice was completely proportional to his body size:
"Let us give a warm welcome to——"

"Asia's superstar Zhou Yu Tang!"

"Wow! Brother Hudong is so powerful that he can even be invited!" Jin Yongzhe was shocked.

"Really? Is this really him?" Lee Soo Geun's eyes lit up.

"I'm currently watching Joy of Life, it's really great." Kim Heechul also looked excited.

The classroom suddenly exploded like a boiling oil pan. The hosts, who were dressed as students, stood up collectively and cheered desperately.

"Brother's face, need I say more?"

Kang Ho Dong acted like an older brother, looking very smug.

Amid cheers, Zhou Yutang, dressed as a youthful campus hero, walked into the classroom with Lee Ji-eun.

"Hello everyone, I am Zhou Yutang."

"Hello everyone, I'm IU."

Lee Soo Geun excitedly pulled Kim Heechul's arm and shook it: "Is this really how handsome a human should be?"

"Although I have seen President Zhou in the company before, when he put on his school uniform, it reminded me of "Those Years."

“A youth campus movie that is popular in Asia!”

"I still like "Love Like a Bouquet"."

Everyone was talking at once, and they ignored IU who was smiling sweetly and greeting him. Jiang Hudong was reminded and suddenly woke up. He asked blankly with his fat face: "Jie Eun, why are you here?"

"."

Li Zhien looked burdened.

Even Zhou Yutang couldn't help it.

These people really work well together and are very good at creating good show effects.

Kim Heechul stood up and said angrily, "Hodong, it's rare for Ji Eun to be on the show, how could you treat her like this?"

“Yeah, Hodong, why are you doing this to Jieun?”

"She is the national sister!"

Lee Soo Geun and a few others also followed suit to attack big brother Kang Ho Dong.

"You are still young and don't know much."

Kang Ho Dong instead scolded Kim Heechul, "Chairman Zhou is a very wealthy man. Even if he just teaches me some tips on how to make money, I can make a fortune. So my sister should just suffer a little."

"Jie Eun, I'm sorry, you can play by yourself."

Kim Heechul also rebelled realistically, leaving IU behind and running over to show his affection.

Only Lee Ji-eun was left alone on the podium, looking disheveled.

The show had just begun, but the atmosphere was already gradually heating up through teasing and joking around.

Zhou Yutang certainly wouldn't ignore Li Zhien and stood beside her: "Nice to meet you all, no need for introductions, right?"

"no, I'm fine."

"The boss of JD.Entertainment!" Kim Heechul said loudly.

"The superstar sweeping across Asia!" Kim Yong-chul shouted.

"The king of variety shows!" Lee Soo Geun shouted.

"The owner of Liverpool Football Club, a chaebol from China!" Jiang Hudong's fat face turned red.

"."

This made the program PD very excited, and they were thinking about making all the important titles into shining crowns and having them appear on the screen in the later stage.

There is no need to go to great lengths to create any program effects.

Just Zhou Yutang standing there is a legend that people look up to.

Wouldn’t the ratings skyrocket by then?
Zhou Yutang actually admired these comedians who didn't care about their image.

For the sake of the show's effect, they are willing to sacrifice their own image and even act ugly and stupid.

After the initial opening show, the discussion moved on to asking Zhou Yutang and IU about their recent activities, their feelings about coming to the show, and other similar routine questions.

More focus is still on Zhou Yutang, and IU is just a flower-like foil.

"Congratulations to IU on the success of her Seoul concert."

Jiang Hudong first raised the topic: "Congratulations to Chairman Zhou for being ranked first on the Forbes Asian Artist Influence List."

"That's what happened."

Zhou Yutang smiled and nodded.

The American magazine Forbes just announced the "30 Most Influential People Under 30 in Asia in Entertainment and Sports" in early March.

There is a list of the top 30 most influential Asian artists, and 6 of them are Korean artists.

These include G-Dragon, Choi Siwon, Im Yoona, singer Im Hyung-joo, and in the sports field there are former figure skater Kim Yeon-a.

On the Celestial Empire side, Zhou Yutang was naturally the leader.

These people from South Korea were all suppressed by Zhou Yutang alone.

"Wow, the president is really amazing."

Jin Xiche's face was full of curiosity and envy: "Would you mind telling me how much wealth the chairman has?"

"Ah, how can you ask such a rude question?"

Jiang Hudong acted like a big brother and reprimanded Jin Xiche. Then he changed his attitude and asked with a smile, "President Zhou, I also want to know how much you earned last year?"

Internet users in both China and South Korea are extremely curious about the wealth of this young billionaire who created a fortune from scratch.

"SM's revenue was pretty good last year, about 3000 billion won, up 2014% from 13.3, with operating profit up 6.1% and net profit up 878.9% of the same period last year, about 200 billion won?"

Although SM has groups such as Girls' Generation, EXO, Super Junior, SHINee, Red Velvet, f(x), etc., and has the momentum of being the leader of South Korean entertainment, in fact, a large part of the profits are sucked away by the old fox Lee Soo Man.

The rest of the year will only earn about a small goal, not even as much as Zhou Yutang's "Nirvana in Fire" web game and "Flower Journey" mobile game.
These were all the homework that Ni Ni had done in advance. Zhou Yutang knew them all and smiled calmly, "I won't reveal the details, but this year's The Mermaid's box office share will not be less than three times SM's annual profit."

Everyone in the classroom took a deep breath, and then heard a burst of "Wow".

An expression of great admiration appeared on IU's innocent face.

Looking at Kang Ho-dong, Kim Heechul and others, their attitude towards Zhou Yu-tang is full of heartfelt respect and spontaneous enthusiasm.

ps: I will finish my trip to South Korea and return to China tomorrow, please vote~~
(End of this chapter)