National Tide 1980.

"However, I am different from ordinary film investors. I can fully afford the losses from a film's box office failure!"

Ning Weimin's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in the silence of the wine cellar.

Of course, at first glance, this statement sounds like Ning Weimin making excuses for his recklessness, but it didn't actually have any ideal effect.

Completely failing to understand Ning Weimin's line of thinking, everyone's expressions instantly shifted from astonishment to deeper confusion.

Even the young Monica and Kelly were speechless, unable to hide their astonishment.

Only Alain Delon and Catherine Deneuve, out of consideration for Ning Weimin's feelings, tried their best to control their facial expressions and did not show too much emotion.

No one understood why Ning Weimin would say something so "reckless," but everyone's thoughts were clearly aligned.

What do you mean by "different"?
Does having abundant funds mean you're different?
When making a movie, is there any filmmaker who doesn't aim to make a profit?

Is it possible for someone to actually throw real money down the drain?
However, seeing the various awkward expressions on everyone's faces, Ning Weimin himself did not panic at all. Instead, he slowly stood up and went to the wine rack to select a bottle of premium red wine.

When he returned with the selected red wine and sat back down, the warm candlelight illuminated his face, outlining his composed features and an expression that seemed to read everyone's mind.

Then he continued speaking.

"Of course, I don't mean to say that because I have plenty of money, I can disregard the failure of film investments. Rather, I want to tell you that the main pillar of my business is not the film industry. Currently, my most important real business investments are mainly concentrated in the catering, fashion, and tourism industries. So for me, making movies is just a side business. If it can generate direct profits, that's certainly a good thing, but if it can't generate direct profits, even if the film loses money at the box office, as long as it has a positive impact on my other businesses, that's something I'm happy to see and can accept."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, and finally some people began to whisper among themselves, expressing their doubts.

How can making movies have a positive impact on the catering, fashion, and tourism industries?

This sounds like a complete fantasy.

In this situation, it was Alain Delon who spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"Ning, I don't understand what you're saying. What does making a zombie movie have to do with your businesses? You can't expect the audience to go to your restaurant or buy your clothes after watching the movie, can you?"

"Of course it's not that simple."

Ning Weimin smiled and shook his head, picking up his wine glass from the table and gently swirling it. The wine dripped slowly down the glass, showing that he was extremely comfortable and without any pressure.

"Let me give you a real-world example. You all know McDonald's, right?"

“Ning, I believe everyone knows her.”

Hearing Ning Weimin say this, Catherine Deneuve couldn't help but chime in.

This queen of the fashion world doesn't only eat at Michelin-starred restaurants; she occasionally enjoys the simple pleasures of everyday life.

"McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food chain, and Americans have opened branches all over the world. But what does that have to do with your movie?"

"The business logic is the same."

Ning Weimin's tone gradually became calmer, and his thoughts unfolded clearly.

"You all probably think McDonald's makes money by selling hamburgers, but in reality, McDonald's hamburgers have pitifully thin profit margins, sometimes even being sold at a loss. This global fast-food chain's real profit core has never come from hamburgers, but from several other sources. First, real estate. For every store McDonald's opens, it first buys the land and property where the store is located, then leases the space to its chain stores. Rental income is its most stable and substantial source of profit. Second, brand licensing and traffic linkage. McDonald's stores are located all over the world; it builds its brand influence through movies and advertising, attracting global consumers." This influence, in turn, supports its real estate strategy, allowing it to acquire prime locations at lower costs, creating a virtuous cycle. Thirdly, there's the food processing industry. McDonald's sources all its food ingredients and seasonings for its franchisees from its own factories and farms. In other words, it sells its own products to its franchisees. So you see, why would McDonald's care if the profit margin of its fast-food restaurants is too low? All it needs is a steady stream of customers. Even if the store's profit is negligible, or even if it incurs a loss, for it, having customers is enough. The more customers it has, the more money it makes.

He paused, looked at everyone, and finally brought the topic back to himself, "My logic in making movies is actually the same as McDonald's. To put it bluntly, movies are just my 'traffic entry point' and my 'brand amplifier,' not my core profit pillar."

"Traffic entry point? Brand amplifier?"

Luc Besson frowned, pondering the words carefully.

"I'm starting to understand. You mean, movies can bring traffic to your other businesses? But zombie movies probably have a very limited audience, right?"

“Limited? No, quite the opposite.” Ning Weimin waved his hand with a smile. “The ‘Resident Evil’ I’m making isn’t a niche gore horror film, but a big-budget production that blends mystery, adventure, action, and science fiction. Its audience will be global, appealing to a wider age range, and it will break down gender barriers for moviegoers because of the female lead. Especially since it’s a series of films that I plan to make over several years. If it’s a huge success, it won’t just bring a single audience, but a comprehensive radiation of brand influence that will spread all over the world.”

He then further broke down his business logic, drawing on practical examples. "First, let's talk about the fashion industry. I'll incorporate elements of my fashion brand into the film—for example, the leather jacket and combat boots worn by the protagonist, Alice, will be new products from my personal brand. There are also many other supporting characters' outfits in the film; for example, Jean will have his own lighter, and Alan will have his own silver cigarette case. When global audiences watch Alice fighting in the ruins in her cool combat boots and truly fall in love with this action film, which is mainly about beautiful women fighting monsters, they will naturally pay attention to clothing products related to the film and buy the same items. Most importantly, once the film is successful, the female lead will become an overnight sensation, a globally recognized superstar, and even maintain her A-list status as the film continues to innovate. Then, won't some brands take advantage of the influence of our film and characters and use our film's background for advertising? For example, sneakers, clothing, alcohol, beverages, tobacco, outdoor products, cars, etc..."

"Secondly, let's talk about the catering industry. I can also insert some soft advertising into the film to promote Chinese cuisine. For example, when the characters are searching for food and collecting resources, Chinese companions can showcase the ability of Chinese people to cook delicious food and create special dishes even with limited resources in wilderness survival. Then, these dishes can be featured in my restaurant to attract customers. I can even create a special post-apocalyptic themed restaurant, based on the world of Resident Evil, with a unique design and menu, such as creative dishes like 'Honeycomb Special Drinks,' 'Zombie Burgers,' and 'Tyrant Steak.' If the movie becomes a hit, it will be the best publicity for the restaurant. Movie fans from all over the world will come to check it out, even if they're just trying something new, which will bring huge customer traffic to my catering industry. Moreover, this kind of themed restaurant can be expanded into a chain like McDonald's, earning rent and franchise fees from the brand and traffic, which is the long-term profit."

"Finally, there's the tourism industry."

Ning Weimin's eyes brightened even more. "Building an entire town and a beehive-like interior just for a single film seems a bit extravagant, especially in a place like France where land and labor are expensive and construction efficiency is extremely low. It just doesn't seem worthwhile. But if it's for several film series, it might be barely acceptable. So let's delve deeper into the issue and find the most cost-effective option. For example, how about we move this town to Shenzhen, which is close to the port city? That's my country. The construction cost would be halved, and the construction efficiency would double. Besides, because it's near the port city, we can also take advantage of the relatively developed film industry resources there. Once filming is finished, the filming location can be directly transformed..." "If the movie becomes a hit, it can be developed into a tourist attraction, or even expanded into a theme park. It can draw in tourists from all over Southeast Asia. In the future, I can continue operating these attractions to recoup costs. I can also profit by creating Resident Evil-themed entertainment activities and selling movie-related merchandise. In other words, as long as our movie is famous enough and seen and enjoyed by as many people as possible, when the scenes in the movie become real tourist attractions, fans will make special trips to visit them, which will definitely make my tourism industry very profitable. What's especially valuable is that this kind of synergy isn't a one-time box office gain, but a long-term, continuous monetization of traffic. It can even be replicated and expanded into other industries."

At this point, Ning Weimin raised his glass and gestured to the crowd.

"In short, for me, even if 'Resident Evil' fails at the box office, as long as it builds enough brand influence, helps my fashion brand sell more clothes, attracts more customers to my themed restaurant, and allows my tour groups to take one more trip, then it's a success. It's like Hollywood superhero movies, which always boost a bunch of related brands. That's my understanding of 'a small investment yields huge profits.' I don't make a fortune from the movie itself, but rather leverage it to drive my core business, creating a cycle of traffic and profit. To put it bluntly, if I sell a car at a loss, it seems like I'm losing money and people will think I'm a fool. But what if all the car parts are made in my factory? The money I lose is still far less than what I earn. And I'll have a huge advantage over other car manufacturers. Isn't that right?"

Ning Weimin finally finished speaking.

This is still the biggest benefit of the film that he deliberately concealed.

Without him saying that money laundering was possible or that it was easy to legally avoid taxes by investing in movies.

But these words were enough to broaden these people's horizons, break their preconceived notions about the film industry they thought they knew well, and give them a completely new perspective.

So the expressions on everyone's faces gradually changed from doubt and skepticism to sudden realization, and then to being endlessly amazed and shocked.

Alain Delon was taken aback for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed, raising his glass to toast Ning Weimin.

"Ning, you're so shrewd! You're not just making movies, you're using movies as leverage to build a business empire! No wonder you dared to invest 200 million francs, no wonder you said you could bear the losses from failure—it turns out from the beginning you didn't see movies as the only source of profit. You're so much smarter than those of us who only look at the box office!"

Catherine Deneuve also slowly rose, elegantly raised her glass, and the approval in her eyes replaced the previous scrutiny.

“I finally understand what you’re thinking. Ning, you’re not gambling, you’re strategizing. The movie is just one move in your plan, like advertising for all your other businesses. This kind of thinking is brilliant; no wonder you’ve accumulated so much wealth in such a short time.”

Luc Besson slapped the table excitedly, his excitement no longer concealed.

"That's brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Before, I only thought about how to make a good movie and how to control costs, but I never thought about these things. Ning, you've shown me another possibility for film investment—not just a simple commercial game, but an ecosystem synergy. With your plan, I'm completely confident that 'Resident Evil' will not only be a great movie, but will also become an important piece of your business empire!"

Jean Reno nodded, his tone full of admiration.

“I see. I was worried that the risk was too great, but now it seems that your considerations are far more comprehensive than ours. It is our good fortune to be able to cooperate with an investor like you.”

Although Patricia Case didn't understand business logic very well, she could tell from everyone's reactions that Ning Weimin's idea was feasible. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ning Weimin with more admiration.

Monica Bellucci stared intently at Ning Weimin, her eyes filled with even greater surprise and gratitude.

She originally thought that Ning Weimin only valued her looks and temperament, which is why he gave her the role of Alice. Now she realizes that every step this man took was carefully considered.

Following him, you can not only play your role well, but also get on his business express train and reach a wider stage.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Ning Weimin smiled and raised his glass in response.

"You flatter me. I'm just looking at things from a different perspective. Film is art, but it's also business, and true success is about creating a virtuous cycle between art and business. I believe that Resident Evil will not only become a classic film, but also a new starting point for our collaboration."

Cheers to this new beginning!

Everyone raised their glasses in unison, the red wine clinking crisply in the stemmed glasses, shimmering with a golden glow in the candlelight of the wine cellar.

As night deepened, the cold winds of Burgundy howled outside the wine cellars, but inside, it was warm and cozy, filled with the aroma of wine and laughter.

Today, the greatest significance of this gathering is that Ning Weimin made everyone here understand that Hollywood's production standards are not actually that unattainable for them, and that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Once the business logic is understood, someone can guide them to create big-budget productions. (End of Chapter)