Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 89: Hollywood's Ambition

Li Chen went to Hollywood.

It made everyone in the circle feel like "dawn has come".

Finally, no one is dominating the headlines anymore.

Bernardo's Yu Dong was quick-witted and immediately started to warm up the audience for big brother Long's myth.

Sina Entertainment News

"A world-shaking war and an extraordinary love story."

"Cheng Long, wearing armor, will bring a heavyweight shock to moviegoers this fall."

"Yesterday, the reporter learned about this from Berna, the mainland distributor of the film."

"On September 9, my eldest brother will be with Kim Hee-sun, the most beautiful woman in South Korea."

"Indian beauty queen Mallika, Leung Ka Fai, Sun Zhou and others launched the global premiere of "The Myth" at the BJ Great Hall of the People."

“Starting from September 9, the extraordinary power of The Myth will sweep the golden autumn movie market.”

Sohu Entertainment News

"On September 9, the film "A Dream of Childhood" will hold its Asian premiere at the Dongyuan Theater in Beijing."

“And a meet-and-greet session was held at the New Century Cinema that evening.”

"Director Chen Desen and the main actors, including Liu Dehua, Mo Wenwei, Felix Wong and Ying Cai'er, will be there to meet everyone."

Li Chen really couldn't understand why Liu Dehua and Cheng Long were in the same schedule.

As a fantasy theme, we should avoid blockbuster movies like mythology.

Unless you don't care about the box office, no wonder people say that Andy Lau is box office poison.

With the schedule chosen by the producer, even if you gather the four heavenly kings, you still can’t compete with Big Brother Long.

Xu Zheng did not neglect Liu Yifei, who had just arrived in Chiang Mai.

In the evening, Liu Yifei and her mother were invited to dinner, and Huang Bo and Wang Baoqiang were also there.

Xu Zheng also pays attention to domestic news.

Regardless of whether the relationship between Liu Yifei and Director Li is real, it’s always a good idea to build a good relationship.

"Director Xu, I'm sorry to have cost you money, but I hope it won't delay the work of the crew?" Liu Xiaoli said politely.

Huang Bo and Xu Zheng were already very familiar with each other, and he smiled and said, "Auntie, look at what you said. Old Xu is so happy that Yifei can come."

"It's not for Director Li's face. If I want to invite Yifei to guest star, Old Xu will have to worry about where Yifei's salary will come from. Haha."

Wang Baoqiang was also laughing, but did not interrupt.

Xu Zheng smiled and said, "Huang Bo is right."

Wang Baoqiang then asked at the right time: "Brother Bo, are you and Yifei really classmates?"

Liu Yifei covered her mouth and chuckled, without commenting
Huang Bo couldn't hold back his expression and said, "Nonsense, Yifei and I are both from the class of 02! Classmates!"

Xu Zheng laughed without giving any face, "Your brother Bo is from a high school dubbing class, he has nothing to do with Yifei, it's more like they are alumni!"

In fact, how could Wang Baoqiang not know this? He just wanted to liven up the situation.

Explosive news in the mainland is popping up one after another like mushrooms after a rain.

It seemed as if he wanted to vent all his resentment about Li Chen dominating the headlines for a long time.

First, the Youth Times published an explosive news article titled "Huayi Brothers face a major earthquake, mainland artists stage the biggest job-hopping in history", saying that Wang Jinghua would switch to an island country agency.

As soon as this news came out, it caused a sensation.

Various eye-catching headlines appear one after another on the Internet.

"The two Wangs and Wang Jinghua have been feuding for a long time, and they have long been at odds with each other."

"Wang Jinghua emptied Huayi by herself."

"Liu Jialing, Liang Jiahui and other big names want to follow Wang Jinghua even if they have to pay Huayi a huge penalty for breach of contract."

"Wang Jingyan made the two Bings famous, but they chose to stay in Huayi"

On August 8, Wang Jinghua was the first to come out and issue a statement, admitting her resignation.

He also claimed: "My contract has expired and I want to change the way I live and work."

"I will still be good friends with Zhongjun and Zhonglei in the future, and I will continue to cooperate with Huayi."

Now, the news about Wang Jingyan's job-hopping has been confirmed.

Netizens talked about it with relish and continued to rub salt into Huayi's wounds.

"Huayi has completely turned from a giant into a dwarf"

"From now on, Rongchen Pictures will be the world"

"It's been a long time, okay? Huayi is now left with only a small steel cannon and two pieces of ice that can't be warmed up!"

Fan Qiaoqiao had no idea what Li Qiaoqiao was thinking.

Fan Qiaoqiao really felt like he was unable to express his grievances in words.

Mr. Wang, the company's general manager, issued a strict order not to let them respond to the media.

She wanted to make a few excuses, but she was powerless.

She was so depressed that she went to Yang Siwei to vent her grievances.

It was Yang Siwei who gave her an idea and asked her to thank Wang Jingyan for his support on her blog.

Don't say anything else, she will help her.

Sure enough, Fan Qiaoqiao posted a blog post expressing gratitude to Wang Jingyan.

'Many netizens' and fans left messages.

"There's nothing to say about this. You still have a contract with Huayi, and you're a mainland artist. It's impossible for you to be free of worries like those people in Hong Kong."

"Yes, what the above person said is correct. They are from Hong Kong and they are not on the same page as Beijing."

"Come on, dear, there's no need to explain so much. Those who understand will understand."

"We are all adults, don't use moral blackmail. It is commendable that my daughter Qiaoqiao was brave enough to post a message to thank Wang Jingyan."

Fan Qiaoqiao didn't expect that Yang Siwei's promise to help her would have such an immediate effect. How many of these netizens are...?

As expected, not having a capable agent to help me has always been my shortcoming.

Although the big and small Wangs of Huayi tried their best to deny the claim that Huayi was seriously injured.

Even the king, who is usually known for his calmness, rarely made harsh remarks to the media.

"It would be fine if I left. Hua Yi can leave anyone!"

But it is an indisputable fact that dozens of artists have collectively changed jobs.

The king did not give Wang Jinghua a way out.

Next, Wang Jinghua also slapped Hua Yi in the face with practical actions.

Just two days later, Wang Jinghua announced that she would join Orange Sky Entertainment.

And established BJ Orange Sky Entertainment Eighteen Culture Agency.

Wang Jingqian serves as general manager and is fully responsible for the company's management and operations.

Chengtian also welcomed Wang Jinghua to join the team.

Cheng Sky will also do its utmost to help Eighteen Culture become the most powerful agency in the industry.

This not only slapped Huayi in the face, but also surprised a group of netizens who were just watching the show.

"Aren't you joining Rongchen Pictures?"

"Why would Wang Jingjian choose Chengtian Entertainment, which was established less than a year ago?"

"This Orange Sky Entertainment is completely for the popular people."

"Please note that to date, there is only one artist in Orange Sky, and that is the heartthrob."

Wang Jingyan's actions confused the onlookers.

But it must be said that Wang Jingyan’s joining is indeed a timely relief for Chengtian Entertainment.

Orange Sky Group is not short of money. Orange Sky Entertainment is backed by Orange Sky and has Wang Jingyan’s artist resources.

In a short time, Chengtian Entertainment immediately ranked among the top domestic film and television companies.

The domestic film and television circles are bustling and bustling.

Li Chen, who is abroad, has a rare chance to relax.

In the past two days, Li Chen was invited by New Line to visit their studio and special effects production process, which benefited him a lot.

Li Chen felt that the first step towards special effects could be taken.

At the very least, we can emulate the domestic method of targeted talent training and gradually send people to Hollywood to learn.

There shouldn't be too many people in the first wave, 20 to 30 people will be enough.

Shay from the new line also seemed anxious.

He thought that Li Chen, an outsider, didn't understand the situation, but it turned out that Li Chen knew everything.

Perhaps it is true that everything has its limits and then turns to its opposite, and the moon waxes and wanes.

After The Lord of the Rings, New Line began to run into trouble.

First, there were constant lawsuits.

Last year, Saul Zaentz, producer of the animated version of "The Lord of the Rings," sued New Line.

He claimed that they defrauded him of $2000 million in copyright fees and reached an out-of-court agreement not long ago.

The situation has not been cleaned up yet, and this year Peter Jackson, the director of "The Lord of the Rings", also sued New Line for profit distribution.

New Line was embroiled in lawsuits and lost a lot of money, and its films did not perform well at the box office, so it had no cash flow.

It can be described as internal and external troubles.

The one who is anxious now is not Li Chen, but Xie Yi from the new line.

If he doesn't want to be acquired by the parent company, he has to produce eye-catching and box-office-winning films to win the hearts of shareholders.

Li Chen is now sitting back and waiting for someone to take the bait.

Forget about the Big Six, but New Line might still have a chance.

As for the issue of funding, Li Chen never worries about it because there are many people in the country who want to get a piece of the pie.

As long as he can break through the gap of New Line, Li Chen will be able to gain a firm foothold in Hollywood.

Of course, it's still early days.

Shay, who is in his sixties, will definitely fight to the death.

However, if he didn't fight to the death, he wouldn't have a chance.
Shay was a man who had a lot of ideas and business sense even when he was in college.

While other college students were still trying to earn some pocket money, this guy started a film company in his own apartment.

He makes money by collecting movie tickets from college students, just like those guys in our college who played porn movies in the dormitory and charged money.

Later, in order to expand the company, Shay sold New Line to CNN.

However, it still retained most of the shares of the new line and enjoyed independent management rights.

Then CNN was acquired by Warner, and Shay became a Warner employee again.

However, the new line was firmly in his hands from beginning to end.

It wasn't until the Golden Compass in 2007 that it became the last straw that broke the camel's back!
Released on Christmas Day and starring Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass, which had the best timing and location, ultimately failed to save the film from being acquired by New Line.

This is the law of Hollywood, of course, but that’s all later.

What Li Chen has to do now is to keep Shay hanging and force Shay to fall towards him step by step.

In the evening, Li Chen returned to the hotel. After video chatting with Miss Liu, he began to browse information online.

When I saw the New York Times bestseller list, I saw a book title that impressed me: Twilight.

After checking it again, I confirmed that it was correct.

Although it is only ranked ninth, this novel has become the most talked-about one this year.

I just didn’t know if the copyright was still there, so Li Chen checked again.

Surprisingly, there is no record of copyright sales.

But a quick search online reveals dozens of pieces of information about the book "Twilight".

Lionsgate, New Line, and Lake Shore all seem to have had contact with the author of Twilight.

Li Chen called Tim.

You'll find out after you ask.

One reason is that this kind of vampire theme is a rehash of old stuff, and the novel's ranking on the bestseller list fluctuates.

The second reason is that buyers are unwilling to spend a lot of money to purchase the copyright.

Many producers have indeed come into contact with the author of Twilight.

But this type of subject matter cannot be compared with IPs like Marvel superheroes.

At best, it's a Class B production.

Big companies like the Big Six in Hollywood simply don't look down on them.

However, after evaluation, the production teams of companies such as New Line, Lionsgate, and Lakeshore decided that it was not worth spending a high price to purchase the copyright.

The author herself is a housewife with three children.

But he was unwilling to sell his works at a low price, so the deal was delayed.

Li Chen felt amused and felt like he had found a bargain at BJ Panjiayuan.

Anyway, he has nothing to do in the next two days, as Tim will take care of the company's matters.

Li Chen took the legal director, one of the iron triangle of Chiyou Pictures, and went to Phoenix to meet the housewife.

By the way, I went to visit Gu Yongkeng who was studying in New York with his wife.

Soon it was the 25th local time in Hollywood. Richard and Shay had not given up in the past two days, but Li Chen did not give in.

In a few hours he would make his first Hollywood debut.

At this time, on domestic portal websites, Li Chen regained the headlines of major entertainment sections.

"Chiyou Pictures' first thriller and suspense film, "Insidious," will be released in North American theaters at midnight local time on Friday, the 26th."

"Can the Golden Palm director Li Chen fire the first shot in Hollywood?" "The Lurking will be released simultaneously in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan."

Netizens’ comments are always to the point.

"Alas, it's a pity that I can't watch it, otherwise I would have booked the entire theater to support Director Li's Hollywood show!"

"There is no other way but to strongly call for the implementation of a film rating system."

"Otherwise, you won't be able to see anything, not only will you not be able to see anything with color."

"As our ancestors said, the first bird to stick its head out gets shot down!"

"That's right. I'm just afraid that we won't even know how he died. The Palme d'Or in Hollywood is based on box office results!"

"Screw you, our ancestors also have a saying, the first person to eat crabs."

"If you don't have Director Li's courage and determination, then don't be so sarcastic."

"Has this idiot's brain been struck by lightning? It is said that the cost of this film is less than 200 million US dollars."

"There are nearly ten countries and regions releasing the film simultaneously. If he earns 20 yuan from one region, Director Li won't lose money."

"It's just a matter of how much you earn, and you don't even know how you died. I just want to ask you how did you die???"

When people in the industry saw this news, they knew that Li Chen's film "The Hidden" would definitely not lose money.

From the beginning, the bigwigs in the industry, including Han Sanping, were aware of this problem.

They are concerned about how high the box office can reach.

If the movie only makes a few million at the box office, it will still make money.

For Li Chen, who was making his first Hollywood debut, it was also a failure.

After all, it’s the Hollywood debut of the youngest Palme d’Or director, and he’s burdened by the fame!

The six major Hollywood studios, which originally did not take Chiyou Pictures and Lurk seriously, also began to pay some attention to them.

This is probably because in the past week, major Hollywood media and websites have been competing to report on the potential simultaneous overseas releases.

There is also news that Li Chen rejected New Line's offer of US$300 million for the script.

The most important thing is Hollywood's box office prediction website BOP.

The potential opening box office is predicted to be between 1700 and 2300 million US dollars.

The total box office will not be less than 6000 million US dollars.

This caused a huge uproar.

Regardless of whether the BOP is exaggerating or not, its predictions are never too far off.

The hidden posters have been all over the major theaters in North America.

The original lead actor, Ty Simpkins, is only four years old now, so naturally he cannot act in the film.

Tim sent Li Chen the photos of hundreds of boys who had registered on the casting website.

Li Chen fell in love with ten-year-old Nick Robinson at first sight.

The entire poster is shrouded in a lush and eerie green light.

Nick Robinson's expressionless handsome smile was lifeless.

The atmosphere is filled with horror and oppression.

Tim was watching over everything. Li Chen talked to Miss Liu on the phone and then fell asleep peacefully.

The next day, Li Chen slept until he woke up naturally.

After turning on the phone, the inbox was filled with missed calls and text messages.

Li Chen saw the message sent by Tim.

"Boss, wake up and call me back, we did it, we did it!"

"Haha, I'm so excited, boss, call me back soon."

"Boss, are you still awake? Why am I not sleepy at all?"

Li Chen shook his head and smiled and muttered, "This Tim..."

Call Tim back.

I answered the call immediately: "Boss, you finally woke up, come back soon."

"Don't you care about our lurking at all?"

Tim's excited voice was a little harsh.

"Keep your voice down, Tim. I'm not deaf. Tell me, how much is the box office?"

"Hahahaha, it's been out for eight hours now and the box office has already exceeded 270 million US dollars."

"I understand. That's it for now."

Li Chen was also excited when he heard this number.

Ignoring Tim, who was like Tang Monk, Li Chen hung up the phone and quickly turned on the computer.

There are already reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Most of the reviews are positive, similar to the previous life, although the Rotten Tomatoes freshness index has not yet come out.

But it shouldn't be too bad, at least it won't be Rotten Tomatoes!
The reputation of the first and second parts of The Hidden Ones is considered the best in the Hidden Ones series.

After the director was changed, the reputation of the film plummeted.

Li Chen estimates that the potential opening box office should be able to surpass the 1825 million US dollars achieved by last year's Saw.

Tim was like he was on stimulants, and even when his boss ruthlessly hung up the phone it didn't affect his mood at all.

After all, his salary and bonus are linked to the company's profits.

The higher the box office, the fatter his wallet will be.

Responding to media interviews, directing the company to issue press releases and other actions are carried out in an orderly manner.

New Line's president, Shay, was frowning in his office early in the morning.

The sunlight pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling windows failed to ease his complicated mood at the moment.

He knew it just by looking at the box office revenue in the past eight hours.

As the distributor, New Line will definitely make a lot of money.

But at the same time, it becomes more difficult to buy a soul summoner.

"Richard is an idiot. He asked him to wait for good news."

"The good news is that this damn guy kept delaying and finally stopped answering his calls."

“Maybe this guy Richard did it on purpose!”

"The current situation of New Line may be exactly what Warner wants to see."

"No, I can't put all my hopes on this bastard Richard."

In the early morning of the 27th, the first day box office of Lurk in North America was released: 625 million US dollars!
Due to time differences in other countries and regions where the film is released simultaneously, box office statistics will not be available until the evening.

But Tim has connections with those publishers.

Judging from the first-hand information we have, it cannot be compared with the North American box office.

But the total box office is not much different from that in North America.

When the news reached China, Sina reported it immediately.

It was placed at the top of the homepage of Sina's entertainment and culture section, and the other two major portals followed closely behind.

"Chinese Palme d'Or director Li Chen made his Hollywood debut with outstanding results."

"The Hidden Drifters box office in North America on its first day was $625 million!"

The domestic time is now around 27:18 on the evening of the th.

Li Chen is still in New York. He met with Gu Yongkeng and his wife last night.

After drinking some wine, I fell asleep soon after I came back.

At this moment in China, people both inside and outside the circle were in an uproar.

Yang Siwei and Wu Bin, two senior executives of Rongchen Pictures, began to be bombarded with phone calls.

Although Yang Siwei was already used to it, it was the first time for Wu Bin.

After finally hanging up the phone, Wu Bin let out a sigh of relief and said, "This is the first time in all these years that my phone battery has run out of juice!"

Yang Siwei laughed and said, "Boss Wu, you will get used to it sooner or later."

"As soon as the boss makes a move, I have to have at least three spare batteries."

As the two were talking, Yang Siwei's phone rang again.

Yang Siwei and Wu Bin said pitifully: "Look, we have to answer this kind of call."

"The boss is so confident that he turned off the phone!"

Wu Bin glanced at Yang Siwei's phone and saw that the caller ID was Wang Jinghua. He laughed and said, "Hurry up and answer it. I'm leaving now."

"Okay, I'm ready to slip away too, I'll go home and answer the phone!"

Yang Siwei answered the phone only after Wu Bin left the office.

"Sister Hua?"

"Siwei, congratulations to your Director Li on his great success. Director Li's phone is turned off, so I have no choice but to call you." Wang Jinghua smiled happily.

"Thank you, Sister Hua. From your voice, I think there's some good news." Yang Siwei said with a smile.

"There will be an opening reception for Shiba Culture on the 29th. Remember to come and support me." Wang Jinghua said with a smile.

With this efficiency, it seems that Sister Hua has been secretly colluding with Cheng Tian for a long time.

Yang Siwei smiled and said, "No problem, Sister Hua."

"If you had been one day later, I would have been in Venice."

"I'm calling you based on the date. Please come early then." Wang Jingyan said with a smile.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jinghua looked at Wu Kebo who was sitting with his legs crossed on the sofa.

"Boss Wu, I used all my connections."

“On the 29th, I don’t know how many big names will come, but it will definitely be a star-studded event.”

"As for the remaining few important figures in the circle, I think it would be more appropriate for you to post the invitation yourself."

Wu Kebo stood up, straightened his clothes, and said confidently: "Don't worry, I know my limits."

Many film and television company bosses and first- and second-tier artists received invitations to the opening reception of Orange Sky 18 Culture.

Even Huayi received it.

But when the 29th really came, the people who came to support the event were not only Wang Jingqian's big-name artists and good friends in the circle.

Most of the artists and bigwigs in the industry who received invitations did not come.

After all, participating in the opening reception hosted by Orange Sky would undoubtedly be a slap in the face of Huayi.

Artists are not like Yang Siwei.

With the support of Rongchen Pictures, he and Wang Jingqian also have a master-disciple relationship.

It's here, so it comes. No one will say anything.

But if you still want to stay in Beijing, even a fool knows what to choose.

Even if you don't go, Wang Jingyan won't care.

Once you go there, you've made an appointment at Huayi.

In addition, what made Cheng Tian and Wang Jingyan feel disappointed was that the most eye-catching thing on the 29th was not the cold reception of their opening reception.

It was a piece of news reprinted from Hollywood.

"In its first weekend, Hidden Danger opened with a box office of $2130 million, ranking first in North American box office this week."

"It surpassed the opening box office of Saw, which was also directed by James Wan and produced by Lionsgate last year, with $1825 million."

"The total box office in 3900 countries and regions around the world has exceeded million US dollars."

"Chiyou Pictures' Hollywood debut was a great success."

"The script by Chinese Palme d'Or director Li Chen was well received by most critics."

"According to Chiyou Pictures President Tim Smith, the potential production cost is only $210 million."

"Lush will be another classic of using small to win big."

When this news came out, it felt like "Once the Swordsman appears, no one dares to challenge him."

At this time, who would care whether your Orange Sky 18 Culture opening reception was well received or not?

In everyone's eyes, there is only Chiyou Pictures and Rongchen Pictures!
Several major portals are filled with the trademark images of Rongchen Pictures and Chiyou Pictures.

One is a panda on a swing, and the other is Kung Fu Panda.

This time, netizens were not polarized and all sang praises.

"Director Li is so domineering, the six major Hollywood movies will become seven major ones in no time."

"It's still Director Li. These unpromising people in the family are still fighting for the top spot in the domestic private enterprise."

"Director Li has already made his mark abroad and is now the most successful in America!"

"I'm just curious, how much money can Director Li make from this film, Hidden? "

“This is still the opening box office!”

“Is there anyone who knows how the box office is divided between Hollywood and other parts of Europe and Asia?”

Netizens were excited, as if they had won a great victory against Lao Mei.

Everyone in the circle is mixed, some are happy while others are sad.

The mood of the two CEOs of Huayi, the former leading private enterprise, especially Xiao Wang, at this moment can be described in one word: physically and mentally exhausted!

In the other double-Zhang combination, Zhang Weiping seemed to have red eyes. He was so envious and jealous that he wished Zhang Yimou could also make a horror movie!

Of course, there are also happy people, such as Han Sanping, who is just a little jealous because he was unable to invest.

At around 22 p.m., Han Sanping called Li Chen.

I called several times before, but Li Chen’s phone was always turned off.

This time it finally got through.

(End of this chapter)