The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 324 Jiang Zhiqiang is Here

At 2005 o'clock in the evening on July 7, 18, the night sky of Yanjing was fringed with a silver moon, surrounded by several stars.

The banquet hall on the third floor of Landmark Hotel was extremely lively at this time.

Hundreds of celebrities, entertainers, directors, producers, screenwriters, and reporters gathered here to participate in the celebration banquet of "Let's Punch, Dad".

After a month of screenings, "Let's Punch, Dad" grossed [-] million in the mainland, surpassing "A World Without Thieves", "House of Flying Daggers", and "Kung Fu", becoming the second highest box office after "Hero". Two high domestic films.

Moreover, it won a box office of 700 million on Hong Kong Island, and a total of 100 million in the three countries of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

The total box office has exceeded [-] million.

There is no doubt that this event is cause for celebration.

There is no need for Fenghua Film and Television Company to spend money. Landmark Hotel and Bergerac wine agent came together, and the two parties jointly sponsored this banquet.

Since someone paid for it and he didn't need to spend it himself, of course Li Shengyao didn't mind holding such a celebration banquet.

Whether it's Feng Xiaogang, Lao Mouzi, or Brother Kaizi, as long as there are celebrities, entertainers, directors and producers in Yanjing, he will send invitation letters.

Brother Kaizi went to Yucheng to promote "The Promise", but he couldn't come here.

Basically everyone else came, and the ones who attracted the most attention were not Feng Xiaogang and Lao Mouzi, but the crew of "Seven Swords" led by Tsui Hark.

The schedule of "Seven Swords" has been confirmed. They will premiere on July 29 and start small-scale screenings on July 22.

"Seven Swords" has Zhen Bullet, Li Ming, Sun Honglei, Yang Caini and others, so it can be said to be a gathering of stars.

Not to mention that the main actors had closed training for almost half a year before going to Xijiang for filming, with a total investment of [-] million.

Tsui Hark is absolutely ambitious. He wants to rely on this movie to turn himself around and prove that he is still the top director on Hong Kong Island.

But today's protagonist is of course not Tsui Hark, but the actors and producers of "Let's Punch, Dad".

Li Shengyao wore a custom-made black suit today, looking handsome.

As the so-called redness nourishes people, he now has a feeling of redness and high spirits.

When Tsui Hark saw Li Shengyao, he was very moved. If he didn't know that Li Shengyao was a director, he would definitely think that Li Shengyao was an outstanding actor.

Although I don't know how Lee Seung Yew's acting skills are, he is in really good condition.

"Director Li, congratulations."

"Director Xu, congratulations."

Tsui Hark's clothes tonight are quite ordinary, a suit can only be said to fit well.

He is too thin, not only his face is thin, but his body is also thin. With the two batches of mustaches on his face, he doesn't look like a British gentleman when he wears it, and he doesn't think he is handsome. Instead, he looks like a funny actor. Pull out a clown mask.

Of course he is actually a very serious person.

Holding a glass of red wine, Tsui Hark clinked a glass with Li Shengyao, and then said in a low voice, "Director Li, can you go over there and have a chat."

He said and pointed to the small table next to the glass window.

Li Shengyao thought that Tsui Hark wanted to talk to him about filming, so he nodded with a smile.

"Seven Swords" has a good reputation, but it is a martial arts movie after all. No matter how long the actors have practiced, it is impossible for them to look better than Li Lianjie.

The traditional martial arts movies have actually been abandoned by the audience.

Under such a big environment, "Seven Swords" has a reputation, but the box office is only more than 8000 million.

It must have been a loss.

In Li Shengyao's previous life, Tsui Hark finished filming "Seven Swords", and then filmed "Iron Triangle", "Looking for a Man in the Deep Sea", and "Women Are Not Bad", three modern films with little investment.

It was not until five years later that he regained the trust of investors and filmed "Di Renjie: The Heavenly Empire".

The two then sat down at the small table.

Many people have noticed the situation here, with playful eyes, they all think that Tsui Hark wants to get more films from Fenghua Cinemas.

Li Shengyao didn't care about other people's eyes.

At this time, the sky has completely darkened, and the street lights outside have been turned on.

There is a large flat land outside the Landmark Hotel, and a circle of eucalyptus trees are planted outside the flat land, and many people are running under the trees.

"Da da da!" There was a sound of high-heeled shoes stepping on the ground around.

But Li Shengyao seemed to hear the sound of running. He was in a good mood, thinking that if time allowed, he might be able to run at night.

Tsui Hark hesitated to speak, as if he had something to hide.

Li Shengyao didn't say much, just sat quietly.

"Director Li, I'm under a lot of pressure right now."

After a moment of silence, Tsui Hark spoke first.

The investment in "Seven Swords" is so large, and it can be said that it is difficult to recover the cost. Tsui Hark is under pressure, which is completely understandable.

"I understand."

"I can already foresee that the result of "Seven Swords" will not be very good."

Tsui Hark looked at the wine glass, his voice was not very loud, but there was a look of loneliness in his eyes.

"The movie hasn't been released yet, Director Xu is too pessimistic."

Tsui Hark shook his head, ""Seven Swords" is still the old one. Even though I invited Peninsula actors, it seems to have no effect."

"The Promise" invited top actors from island countries and peninsulas in order to improve its style.

"Seven Swords" also invited Peninsula actors out of such considerations.

But "The Promise" has already been screened, even though it has broken box office records for single screenings, first-day box office records, first-week box office records, and single-day box office records, as well as the so-called single-day single-film box office records.

But after 8000 and 5000 million in the first week, it took a big dive in the second week and became [-] million, and it will be even less after that.

All major media predict that the final box office of "The Promise" will be around 7000 million.

The box office looks high, and it seems to be comparable to "Kung Fu", but everyone in the industry understands how much water is in it.

This is the case with "The Promise". The investment in "Seven Swords", as well as publicity and filming, is not as good as "The Promise", I am afraid that the result will be even worse.

This is why Tsui Hark is pessimistic.

Li Shengyao paused slightly when he heard the words, Tsui Hark is a smart person, after seeing the situation of "The Promise" and then thinking of "Seven Swords", it is indeed easy to have negative thoughts.

So what did Tsui Hark ask him for?
What you said just now doesn't sound like you're going to arrange a film.

Tsui Hark raised his head, and continued: "Director Li, you used to be the most profitable director in the China Entertainment TV industry, and now you are entering the film industry, and your first film received both word-of-mouth and box office. I also heard that China Film Group invited you to invest in "The Promise" , you refused, I think you have a quality that other people don't have, your sensitivity to the market is far superior to those of us old people."

"I want to ask you about the mainland and the changes in the world film market."

It turned out to be talking about this.

Lee Sheng Yew is a time traveler, so he naturally knows the future direction of the world film market.

It's not something we can't talk about.

Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" did lose money, but the movies after "Seven Swords" hardly lost money.

Tsui Hark is one of the few directors in Hong Kong who would consider the preferences of mainland audiences.

Li Shengyao is willing to make friends with Tsui Hark, maybe he will invest in Tsui Hark's movies in the future.

He smiled and shook his head, "You're being polite, you can't ask for advice, we can discuss it."

Tsui Hark nodded gratefully, "Director Li, tell me."

Li Shengyao picked up the glass, took a sip of water, and then said: "The mainland audience is actually very tolerant. They can shoot comedies, costume dramas, and war movies. As long as the plot is good, the audience will buy it."

Tsui Hark frowned slightly, and looked at Li Shengyao with some doubts.

When Hong Kong directors come to the mainland, the biggest doubt is what the mainland audience likes.

Many of them only know how to make police and gangster films, and they repeat those routines back and forth.

Tsui Hark is not such a person, he shoots all kinds of movies, but judging from the current fashion trends in the mainland, it seems that mainland audiences only like blockbuster movies.

What Li Shengyao said was not very accurate.

Li Shengyao said with a smile: "Looking at it now, it seems that there can only be blockbuster movies in the mainland. "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" are indeed blockbuster movies with good results, but if you look at "Let's Punch, Dad" and "A World Without Thieves" Is it a drama, "Kung Fu" is a comedy, right?"

"Audiences not only watch blockbuster movies, but also movies with a smaller investment."

Tsui Hark nodded.

Li Shengyao continued: "You can make movies that you are good at. Of course, you have to make a little innovation. As long as the movie is interesting, the audience will accept it."

"The other thing to remember is that the idea of ​​a movie must be generous and have great love."

The group of film directors in Hong Kong Island have made so many films, and they are basically qualified commercial film directors. Their biggest problem is not their ability and skills, but their narrow thinking. They don’t believe in collectivism, patriotism, and dedication. Spirit.

This makes their films look petty and out of place in the Mainland.

Needless to say, "Red Cliff", "The Climber" is such a good subject matter, it seems that they were filmed for their love to climb Mount Everest bravely.

Isn't the biggest reason why "Chill" became popular in the mainland later on? Isn't the film's structure obviously larger than those of the previous police and gangster films?

What Li Shengyao said was obvious, and he stopped talking afterward.

Tsui Hark thought for a while, thought of the themes of Hong Kong movies, and movies that had a popularity of more than [-] million in the Mainland, and vaguely understood what Li Shengyao meant.

He then asked: "What about other markets?"

"The island country is completely closed, not to mention Chinese movies, even ordinary Hollywood blockbusters, they don't like it."

The island country is about to enter the era of animated films, and the annual "Detective Conan" is the island country's blockbuster.

It is difficult for a live-action movie to break out in the island country, even if it is a Hollywood blockbuster.

In Lee Sing Yew's previous life, superhero movies would soon sweep the world, such as Hong Kong Island and Wanwan, the highest-grossing movie was the superhero movie.

And the mainland was once dominated by superhero movies.

However, mainland audiences have always disliked routine movies that only fight and kill. After a few years, they quickly got rid of superhero movies, and many local movies became box office harvesters.

In the island country, Marvel's superheroes have never taken advantage of it.

All the year round, the island country can’t even make it into the top ten of the year. The favorite Hollywood movie of the island people is "Frozen", which is an animated film.

"As for Peninsula, their movies are developing very well, and they have always been snobbish. They don't like Asian movies. They only accept Hollywood movies."

Except for Jay Lun's "The Unspeakable Secret" which was a hit on the Peninsula, and "Lust, Caution" which was a minor hit on the Peninsula, after the new century, no other China Entertainment movie has sparked a movie-watching frenzy in the Peninsula.

Cheng Long and Li Lianjie's movies are not good.

China Entertainment filmmakers should not count on this market.

Lee Sung Yew went on to say: "Hollywood will start shooting superhero movies, like "Superman" and they will quickly occupy the market."

After a pause, when Tsui Hark had almost digested it, Li Shengyao went on to say, "Let's not talk about the European market. Except for Wang Sunglasses, everyone else should not think too much about it."

"My suggestion is to think about the preferences of mainland audiences, and don't think about leading the audience's aesthetics. This is difficult to do. What we should do is to shoot movies that audiences like to watch."

Tsui Hark thought about it carefully, and talked about some things before he said gratefully: "Director Li, your words have given me some special insights. I think I know where the road ahead is."

"That's good. If there are any movies that need investment, you can find Fenghua."

……

Tsui Hark then left, and Li Shengyao naturally continued to greet the guests.

Probably when the celebration banquet was about to end, some people came over. The assistant hurriedly came to Li Shengyao and said in a low voice, "Boss, Jiang Zhiqiang is here."

Jiang Zhiqiang is the largest investor in Laomouzi Films and the best independent distributor in Asia.

Most of the films of Li Yin and Lao Mouzi are distributed by him.

"Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" can be a big hit in North America, it is inseparable from Jiang Zhiqiang.

He has connections almost all over the world.

Later, Jiang Zhiqiang would also invest in "Return" and "Huo Yuanjia". Among them, "Huo Yuanjia" sold 6000 million knives in the disc market of the beautiful country, making Universal Pictures a fortune.

Li Shengyao has always liked people who can earn foreign exchange.

Jiang Zhiqiang is the publisher he very much recognizes.

Maybe they will cooperate in the future.

He went out to greet him, and soon saw Jiang Zhiqiang, who was only 1.6 meters tall, with an ordinary face, and only brought an assistant. He looked very ordinary.

"Director Li, sorry for being late."

"Mr. Jiang is very polite."

Li Shengyao then called his assistant to serve Jiang Zhiqiang wine, the two exchanged a few words, Li Shengyao was about to leave, Jiang Zhiqiang stopped him.

"Director Li, I watched "Let's Punch, Dad" on Hong Kong Island, let's chat."

Li Shengyao's eyes lit up, and then he led Jiang Zhiqiang to an empty seat on one side.

In his previous life, "Let's Wrestle, Daddy" was screened in many places besides China and India, such as Australia, Great Britain, and the Beautiful Country.

The total box office has more than 3000 million US dollars.

Of course it can't compare with Hollywood movies, but compared to the average Asian movies, this result is very good.

Li Shengyao naturally wants to replicate this achievement, but he does not have a strong enough overseas distribution partner.

The appearance of Jiang Zhiqiang now gave him some expectations.

The two sat down again, and Jiang Zhiqiang said straight to the point: ""Let's Punch, Dad" reflects the growth of women, the love of fathers, and the redemption of heroes. These are universal and sympathetic emotions. , Director Li, this movie can be played not only in the Chinese-speaking area, but also in other countries."

Jiang Zhiqiang was so direct, Li Shengyao naturally would not lie.

He nodded, "When I wrote the script, I took this into consideration. Is Mr. Jiang willing to cooperate with Fenghua?"

"Happy, Director Li, I like your personality."

Jiang Zhiqiang paused for a moment, and then said: "Give me the distribution rights of "Let's Punch, Dad" in Europe and America, and I guarantee that it will be released and played in the beautiful country, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Spain. How about it?" ?”

This has included the largest film markets in Europe and America.

"Okay, I agree."

"Overseas distribution share will be higher, I want to get 12.00%."

"This……"

Li Shengyao paused and frowned deliberately.

Without Jiang Zhiqiang, it would be impossible for him to release in Europe and the United States. This was originally an unplanned box office. As long as it is not too much, he will agree.

But that's how it is when talking about things, especially when it comes to money interests, don't be too straightforward.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhiqiang thought of the relevant materials he had read before.

Li Shengyao is young and talented, but he values ​​money more.

A company with no value, even Huayi, will not give face.

The 12.00% he quoted is actually a relatively low price.

This price is only available to an old acquaintance like Lao Mouzi Li Yong.

A general film and television company has a work for him to operate, and he will quote 14.00%, or even 15.00%.

He gave this price very conscientiously, and made this decision in order to express his sincerity.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhiqiang explained in a low voice the previous releases in Europe and America, as well as his intentions.

Li Shengyao smiled when he heard the words, "Okay, since Mr. Jiang is so sincere, then of course I have to support it."

He then raised his wine glass and clinked a glass with Jiang Zhiqiang, "It's a pleasant cooperation."

(End of this chapter)