Entertainment Reborn Rhapsody

Chapter 476: A TV Series with a US$ Million Investment

In 2016, during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Monkey, the Chinese film market hit a new high. In just seven days of the holiday, the total box office revenue exceeded 3.5 billion, an increase of nearly 70% over the same period last year, shocking and amazed the world again.

The simultaneous release of two blockbuster films, Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid" and Chuhe Film and Television's "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Lost Tomb of Dragon Ridge", is one of the biggest reasons for the box office surge.

Within seven days, the two films were fought fiercely and to the death, which strongly stimulated the audience's desire to watch the movies. While fighting each other, they also complemented each other.

In the end, "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Lost Tomb of Dragon Ridge" relied on the appeal of the original and sequel, excellent production standards, and better audience reputation to beat "The Mermaid" with a box office of over 1.5 billion yuan, winning the throne of the Spring Festival box office champion and defending the title of Spring Festival overlord for Chuhe Film and Television.

"The Mermaid" is not bad either. Stephen Chow's box office appeal is at its peak at this time. The seven-day box office reported 1.3 billion yuan, but the word of mouth is relatively average. Under the pressure of the "Ghost Blowing Out the Light" series, the subsequent box office impact on the film may be quite large.

Although "Journey to the West: The Three Strikes of the White Bone Demon" was not as popular as the above two blockbuster films, its box office in seven days also exceeded 2 million. Even "The Man from Macau ", a shady Hong Kong money-making movie, had a box office data of nearly million during the Spring Festival holiday. The capacity of the Chinese film market is evident.

The box office battle among several films did not stop with the end of the Spring Festival holiday. Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2016, the entire February and March were dominated by Chinese-language films.

"Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Lost Tomb of Dragon Ridge" broke through the 3 billion box office and finally ended the Spring Festival box office with 3.3 billion yuan.

In the previous life, "The Mermaid" was unstoppable in the same period, but in this life, there is an additional Chuhe Film and Television, and an additional phenomenal commercial series of films. Stephen Chow's appeal has been suppressed to a certain extent. Of course, the box office of the film also exceeded 2.5 billion.

Stephen Chow and the outside media are extremely satisfied with this result. After all, he is facing the Chinese film and television giant Chuhe Film and Television. Since Ning Hao's "Crazy Stone" opened the Spring Festival period, Chuhe Film and Television has almost never lost. The only defeat was because of the two freaks "Avatar" and "Gravity".

Just when everyone was talking about the two blockbuster films, Shanhe, a big shot who had almost disappeared for half a year, finally announced that the project of Shanhe's new film "North African Operation" had been approved and preparations had begun.

This news immediately replaced "Ghost Blows Out the Light" and "The Mermaid" and became the focus of heated discussion among the crowd.

"Finally, a new film has come out. I thought Shanhe was really going to retire to the mountains!"

"Without Shanhe, the appeal of the Chinese entertainment industry has at least halved. I'm not used to it!"

"Shanhe just wanted to take a break. Don't believe what the media says. Look, they're back again!"

...

The Qiu family, who had just returned to Beijing from their hometown, soon welcomed many visitors. Zhang Yi was the first to come.
After exchanging pleasantries with the rest of the Qiu family and playing with the two children, Zhang Yi and Shanhe sat down at the coffee table, drinking tea and chatting as usual.
"You are really good, you have been gone for half a year, you really need to retire from society!"

Shanhe smiled and poured tea for Zhang Yi.

"It's a bit exaggerated to say I'm going to retire, but I will reduce the frequency of work in the future. I'm a bit tired, and I want to spend more time with my family in the future."

"Right!"

Zhang Yi took the teacup, nodded and sighed,
"Since I met you, you have been extremely talented and tireless over the past ten years. You have created a new world for Chinese films with your bare hands. Look at Chuhe Films now. It is simply a giant beast, so huge that it is terrifying!"

"Brother, no matter how strong a person is, he cannot change everything. Chuhe Film and Television is just an accidental product. It looks beautiful, but it has not brought any fundamental changes to Chinese-language films!"

"You are being a little self-deprecating!"

Zhang Yi shook his head and refuted,

"The Chinese film market has grown to this point today, and you, Qiu Shanhe, are the number one contributor. No one can deny that. Think about when we were discussing the script for 'Hero' at China Film Group, we were at the end of our rope. Two hundred million RMB was the highest we could get. Now, it's easy to get two billion or three billion, and you've even made four billion. It's totally different now!"

"Haha... you are right. It is indeed a revolutionary change!"

Shanhe recalled the miserable state of Chinese films more than ten years ago and responded with a smile,
"This is the inevitability of the times. Even without me, there would be the same result!"

"What's wrong with you, kid? Are you disillusioned with the world? You keep saying these incomprehensible things. Without you, would there be Chuhe Films? Without Chuhe Films, would there be the current prosperity of Chinese-language films? Stop pondering these irrelevant questions!"

"hehe…"

Shanhe poured more tea for Zhang Yi and said with a smile,

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Senior brother, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Two things!"

Zhang Yi held up two fingers.
"The Meg has been delayed for over a year. It will be released in May. You have to come and support me and attend the premiere."

"You don't have to tell me. Annie and I will definitely not be absent!"

"I know you are nostalgic!"

Zhang Yi took a sip of tea and continued,

"Also, regarding the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, have you been informed by your superiors?"

The mountains and rivers nodded.

"I have no choice but to do this, Senior Brother, you must come with me when the time comes!"

Zhang Yi laughed out loud upon hearing this.

"Haha... As long as my old bones still have strength, I will definitely help. In 2008, you shouldered a lot for me. This time it's my turn to help you share some of the burden. This is good. This is how our Chinese heritage should be orderly!"

"Then I won't be polite. Let's work together again in a few years!"

"I am looking forward!"

"Ha ha…"

...

Over the next month, Shanhe and the entire crew were busy with the preliminary preparations for "North African Operation".

Compared with the previous film "Operation Red Sea", "Operation North Africa" ​​has undergone a major change. The plot of the Jiaolong Special Operations Team rescuing hostages has been retained, but all the plots of snatching nuclear materials have been deleted. Shanhe thinks this scene is a bit redundant, especially the Chinese female reporter, who is too distracting! War movies are not popular for the sake of being popular. "Operation North Africa" ​​is about evacuating overseas Chinese, and it should stick to the theme. There is no need to talk about other things. It not only affects the coherence of the plot and the emotions of the audience, but also goes against the consistent style of China. We Chinese people like to watch the excitement, but don't like to meddle in other people's business!

To this end, Shanhe added an additional main line to the film about the diplomats' evacuation operation. The two-line narrative finally converges, and the army and diplomats work together to successfully rescue the trapped hostages.

"Operation Red Sea" is a pure war action film, while "Operation North Africa" ​​is more realistic, with fierce wars, treacherous diplomacy, the strong arms of Chinese soldiers, and the fearlessness of life and death of diplomats. Together, the two make up the efficiency and deterrence of China's evacuation operation!

On April 29th, "The Meg" held a grand premiere at Golden Harvest Cinemas in Beijing. After disappearing for more than half a year, the Shanhe couple reappeared in the public eye.

As soon as the two appeared, they completely stole the limelight from the film's main creators such as Zhang Yi, Li Bingbing, and Jason Statham, not only causing thunderous cheers from the audience, but also arousing the climax of reporters on the scene. The reporters asked the two people questions one after another. The Shanhe couple was very conscious and ignored the siege of reporters. They waved to the audience and walked leisurely across the red carpet.

After the nearly three-hour premiere, the Shanhe couple, Han Shanping and his daughter, directors Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Ning Hao, Xu Ke, and two female giants of Chuhe Film and Television, Zhong Lifang and Yang Liu, gathered together to chat in the VIP reception room of Golden Harvest Cinemas.

Han Shanping helped Zhang Yi to ask the most concerned questions at the beginning.
"Shanhe, how would you rate The Meg? What's your prediction for the box office?"

"I think my senior did a great job. The plot is smooth, the scenes are realistic, the megalodon looks very monster-like, and the underwater special effects are also very innovative. This is the first monster movie in China, so it will definitely be a big hit at the box office!"

Shanhe paused for a moment and then said,

"The domestic box office is over 1.5 billion, and I think the global box office will exceed 600 million US dollars!"

“Can the global box office be this high?”

"Director Zhang, the boss is a man of steel, and what he says is always right. Chuhe Film and Television's forecast is even more optimistic than this!"

“Haha…I hope so!”

After a burst of laughter, Zhang Yi replied with trepidation,
"To be honest, I'm really unsure about this attempt. It's an investment of 130 million US dollars. If I can break even, it's a profit!"

"You, Lao Mouzi, really had a great time this time!"

"Of course not. Director Zhang's energy is really enviable. I heard that he has chosen a few more scripts!"

"In terms of creative speed, only Shanhe can surpass Lao Mouzi. You two are indeed direct brothers. You are both typical workaholics!"

"Ha ha…"

"I can't compare to my senior brother!"

After a burst of laughter, Shanhe responded with a smile,
"My creative explosion period is over. After filming 'Casino Robo', I need to calm down for a while. Maybe I should try a different approach!"

"Change it. How?"

Shanhe smiled and replied:
"How about making a TV series?"

"Ha, you're right?"

"Isn't it ridiculous that you, Qiu Shanhe, are filming a TV series?"

"Boss, please explain it more clearly. What is the subject matter and how to operate it?"

"hehe…"

Shanhe replied with a smile,
"Everyone knows that Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem won Asia's first Hugo Award last year. Movies are really hard to adapt. How about making this work into a TV series in the same way as movies?"

Ning Hao has always been very interested in the film adaptation of "The Three-Body Problem", but there are too many difficulties in adapting this science fiction novel. Shanhe's idea makes him very curious.

"That's a good idea, but how much would it cost to make a TV series the same way as a movie? How would we recoup the cost?"

"Let's learn from the production methods of American TV series and divide "The Three-Body Problem" into several seasons for filming and production. I don't consider the cost. This project is relatively risky. I will personally invest first and spend 100 million or 200 million US dollars to produce the first season!"

"How many did you say?"

"Oh my god, 200 million US dollars to make a TV series? Only you dare to think of such an idea!"

"You're going to cause trouble again!"

...

Zhong Lifang looked at the mountains and rivers and responded calmly:
"Boss, look at what you said. You are the spiritual leader of our Chuhe Film and Television. Let alone 200 million US dollars, even if you lose everything, Chuhe Film and Television will follow you! Besides, when have you ever done a business that loses money? This is something you can do!"

"Tsk tsk... Look, this is the reason why Chuhe Film and Television can continue to develop at a high speed. One dares to think and act, and the other is full of courage. It's really fascinating!"

...

The news that Shanhe was going to spend 200 million US dollars to shoot a TV series quickly spread throughout the domestic film and television circles, and then true and false stories were spread on the Internet, causing a burst of exclamations from the public.

Spending 200 million US dollars to make a TV series is simply shocking in China. According to China's TV broadcasting rules, recovering the investment is a fantasy!
Not to mention domestically, even American TV series rarely have investments of this scale. Liu Cixin's "The Three-Body Problem" was hyped up by Shanhe's gossip, and sales increased several times in an instant.

Just when the domestic public was skeptical and discussing the news, Netflix on the other side of the Pacific Ocean received the news and came to them in a hurry, expressing their willingness to cooperate with Chuhe Film and Television with an enthusiastic attitude. As long as it was a Shanhe project, they were willing to pay for any investment.

Within two days, many European and American TV stations such as BBC, NBC, and ABC sent representatives to Chuhe Film and Television to express their intention to cooperate. Shanhe was just a preliminary idea, but it triggered a scramble among global TV network media.

This is the project of "Mr. Billion". Has he ever failed? An investment of 200 million US dollars is nothing. With the quality and appeal of Hua Xia Qiu's works, it is easy to recover the cost!
Zhong Lifang and Yang Liu were delighted. Chuhe Film and Television was not short of money, but of sales channels. The boss was very wise. With just one idea, he developed a new field for Chuhe Film and Television. As long as they established global distribution channels, TV dramas could also receive large investments!

After receiving the news, Shanhe was also stunned and sighed. It seemed that his greatest wealth was the reputation and word of mouth he had accumulated over the past decade. This intangible wealth was difficult to measure with money!

The reason why he came up with the idea of ​​filming the "Three-Body" series is actually very simple:
He was about to use up the benefits of his rebirth and had to prepare for the future. Without the memories in his head, he needed to explore new and original areas!
The TV series "The Three-Body Problem" was a method of taking advantage of the situation. TV series are easier to control than movies. Large investments are not a problem for Shanhe, as the last thing he lacks is money!
Who would have thought that this move would unexpectedly hit the mark and open up a new path for Chuhe Film and Television, and even the entire Chinese film and television industry. If American dramas can be so popular around the world, why can't Chinese TV dramas be exported abroad?

(End of this chapter)