It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 1036: Obtaining the copyright... A billion-dollar loophole! Eating black traffic???

"Brewster's Millions?"

"Yes, Director Chen, it's this movie. The copyright is in the hands of Universal Pictures. It's an old movie from 1985..."

Listening to Zhang Chen's words on the other end of the phone, Fade Chen suddenly remembered.

Wow, isn’t this “The Richest Tomato”? !
As I recall, this movie was quite interesting, with a lot of memes in it. It was very popular on the Internet for a long time after it was released.

"We just need to adapt the copyright, right?"

Zhang Chen nodded quickly and said, "Yes, we have already written the script, we just need an authorization."

Fade Chen replied casually, "Okay, I'll have someone go to Universal Pictures tomorrow and get the authorization letter back for you."

Normally, the copyright fees for such an extremely unpopular movie would not cost much.

"Okay! Thank you Director Chen for your help. I will send the script to the Film Bureau and have it reviewed and approved first."

"Yes, just talk to Su Guohai about the investment."

"Okay! No problem."

After ending the call, Fade Chen suddenly remembered the existing film and television copyrights of Walton Pictures.

Although some movies may seem useless now, as long as the copyright is in hand, they may come in handy at some point. These are the goose that lays golden eggs!

~

The next morning, on the way to the crew, Fade Chen directly assigned the matter of purchasing the copyright to his assistant.

There is no need for him to personally handle such a small matter. There are dedicated people in the company to be responsible for the liaison, and all the processes are planned.

By the time he started a new day of filming, relevant personnel had already arrived at Universal Pictures and began to discuss cooperation.

Logically speaking, this is a collaboration that cannot be any smaller. The market price of the copyright fee does not exceed 100 million US dollars, which is not worth mentioning at all for both companies.

But! When the head of Universal Pictures' copyright department learned that the person who came to buy the film adaptation rights was actually a staff member of Walton Pictures, he immediately reported it to the CEO!

The developments of other companies are naturally not worth paying attention to.

But Walton Pictures is different. This company is so "evil"! Whenever there is a new move, it always stirs up a wave in Hollywood.

And now they have set their sights on "Brewster's Millions", maybe they have some plans!
"You mean, the people at Walton Pictures took a fancy to this movie that was released in 1985 and wanted to buy the copyright to adapt it?"

Universal Pictures CEO Adam Ferguson looked at the copyright manager with surprise.

"Yes, Boss, the other party has clearly expressed interest in this project."

Hearing this, Adam was silent for a moment, and many guesses emerged in his mind.

Could it be that Walton Pictures thinks this project is great and wants to remake it to gain more benefits? Just like Universal Pictures is currently cooperating with Marvel on "Hulk"?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was very possible!

"How much did this movie earn at the box office when it was released? What was the approximate profit? How much is the copyright fee now?"

Listening to Adam Ferguson's question, the copyright manager replied: "The box office was $4083 million after its release, but it did not generate any revenue, had very bad word of mouth, and also suffered a loss of $575 million. The current copyright fee for external authorization is $45."

Hearing this, Adam immediately lost interest.

What's so interesting about a movie that loses money?
Even if Walton Films buys it, can they still make a good adaptation of it?

Moreover, this is an old film, and it has no fan base. Even if it is remade, it will have to start all over again to promote it, and it won’t get any of the popularity of the original film at all…

Thinking of this, Adam Ferguson waved his hand casually and said, "Raise the price to $100 million and sell it directly to them. This will just make up for the loss at that time."

"Ok."

The copyright manager responded and left the office.

Like his boss, he was not very optimistic about the project.

I just happened to meet a "sucker", so I might as well throw it to him and regard it as reducing the burden.

~

After a day of filming, Chen Fei received a call from his assistant on his way back to Beverly Hills.

"What? One million dollars? Haha, has Universal Pictures become so poor? Is it starting to rip off its peers?"

"Boss, do you need to..."

"No need, 100 million is 100 million, sign the contract as soon as possible to prevent other unexpected situations."

If he remembered correctly, the movie "The Richest Man in Westwood", which was adapted from "Brewster's Millions", seemed to have earned nearly 30 billion yuan at the box office.

Converted into US dollars, it is nearly 5 million US dollars.

Compared with this achievement, the $100 million copyright fee is almost negligible.

I just hope they don't regret it later...

The next morning, as soon as both parties signed the contract, Fade Chen conveyed the news back to Zhang Chen.

"You've already bought it? Oh! So fast! Thank you, Director Chen. We still have to rely on you, otherwise we don't know what to do..."

"It's just a small matter." Chen Fei said casually, "I have arranged for someone to airlift the contract back. When the time comes, you can go to Feiyue Films and ask Su Guohai to get it."

"Okay." Zhang Chen responded, "It just so happens that I have to take this opportunity to talk to President Su about cooperation. The estimated investment for this movie is 2 million yuan, which is not a small amount!"

"2 million?"

Chen Fei was slightly stunned. For a comedy movie, this was indeed not a small amount.

He then asked, "Who has been confirmed as the actor?"

Zhang Chen replied: "It's still Shen Teng and Ma Li. They are old partners. The comedy chemistry between the two of them is very strong!"

"Well, that's true."

Chen Fei nodded in approval. If it was the two of them, then the 200 million investment would undoubtedly be very reasonable.

……

March is already halfway over in the blink of an eye.

On the 15th, a new piece of news from China immediately attracted Chen Fei's attention.

Bona, the film and television company that has been working silently on Nasdaq for six years, has finally ushered in another glorious moment in the domestic A-share market!

Since deciding to delist from NASDAQ and turn to the domestic capital market, every step Bona has taken has been extremely difficult.

Now, after more than a year of hard work, the second round of financing is finally in place.

After the figure of "10 billion" for the second round of financing was announced by Bona's official Weibo account, it quickly spread in the entertainment circle and attracted widespread attention.

This figure not only demonstrates Bona's strong appeal in the domestic market, but also lays a solid financial foundation for its future development.

What is even more striking is that Bona’s newly introduced shareholder lineup is very luxurious!

In addition to the capital giant Wanda, many directors and first-line actors and stars in the film and television industry have joined, such as Huang Xiaoming, Han Han, Zhang Ziyi, etc., all of whom are on the list.

The addition of these stars not only brought Bona rich industry resources and connections, but also significantly enhanced its status and influence in the entertainment industry.

At the same time, with the success of financing, Bona’s market value has also ushered in a qualitative leap.

According to the latest external evaluation results of Bona, its market value has reached an astonishing 150 billion yuan, which is truly impressive.

You know, in the six years since its listing on NASDAQ, Bona's market value has remained stable at around 50 billion yuan, and has never been able to achieve a bigger breakthrough.

However, after delisting and returning to China, it seemed to be reborn. Not only did it quickly gain a foothold in the domestic market, but it also doubled its market value...

All these changes undoubtedly prove one thing: the prosperity of the domestic film and television market has just begun, and there is still a long way to go in the future!
However, at this time, when the industry was hotly discussing the successful second round of financing of Bona, the star shareholders of LeTV Pictures had very complicated emotions.

Once upon a time, they were the envy of their peers in the industry.

But now?

As LeTV's stock price continued to fall, these celebrity shareholders undoubtedly became a laughing stock.

It would be fine if they were just laughed at, but the key issue is that they also lost a huge amount of wealth, which is something that the celebrity shareholders cannot accept!
"Director Zhang, I have some bad news to tell you. Please stay calm after listening to it..." In the studio, when Zhang Yimou heard Dong Ping's words on the other end of the phone, his breathing subconsciously became rapid.

"Is it about LeTV?"

"That's right!"

Zhang Yimou, who was originally sitting in his office chair, suddenly stood up and said, "Boss Dong, tell me what you want. I can handle it."

Dong Ping took a deep breath and said slowly, "According to insiders, LeTV is almost finished. The outcome of delisting and suspension is irreversible. Director Zhang, you have to be prepared..."

Zhang Yimou didn't listen to what was said next.

He only knew that all the earnings from most of his previous life would completely disappear with the delisting of LeTV!

"Why? LeEco, a company with a market value of hundreds of billions, why did it completely collapse and be delisted in less than two years?"

Listening to Zhang Yimou's question, Dong Ping simply explained: "It's very simple. There is a very large loophole in the company's finances, and this loophole is at least over 10 billion!"

"Bona's market value is only 150 billion, but LeTV's financial loopholes are as much as billion?"

"That's about right. Otherwise, how could such a large company collapse completely in such a short period of time?"

Zhang Yimou was completely silent.

He really cherishes his money. After all, it was accumulated bit by bit and took him most of his life's hard work!
"Director Zhang, I won't bother you anymore. If you have any difficulties, please call me. Huanxi will never refuse to help if I can."

After saying that, Dong Ping hung up the phone.

This phone call completely dispelled Zhang Yimou's last fantasy about LeTV, allowing him to turn to Huanxi even faster.

"Dad? How are you? Are you okay?"

Zhang Mo, who was standing nearby, saw his father's face suddenly turn pale, and quickly reached out to support him.

"Alas, all the hard work of most of my life is gone..."

Zhang Yimou's legs went limp and he slumped in his office chair, his face full of despair and unwillingness.

If he had known this, he would never have been so greedy as to choose LeTV.

Hope turned into despair in the blink of an eye... If his mind was not strong enough, he would have passed out by now!

"I'll get you a glass of water. You must cheer up. If you collapse now, what will happen to your aunt and your brothers and sisters?"

Zhang Mo said anxiously, picked up the water cup on the table and walked to the water dispenser nearby.

However, when she came back after pouring the water, she saw that her father, who had a look of despair just now, had cheered up again and was holding a mobile phone to instruct the crew on the follow-up work arrangements and tasks!

"Shadow will officially start filming in three days. The filming period of this movie is 3 months. After it is finished, we will immediately start a new project..."

He has decided to use work to cover up his pain.

Otherwise, he would have no idea how to face the painful reality that all his fortune was lost to LeTV!

……

Three days passed quickly and it was soon the 18th.

On this day, the crew of "Avengers 3" officially left the studio in Los Angeles and moved to Atlanta.

Here, the scene where the science team and the magic team fight against Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf will be presented.

At the same time, another crew went to Edinburgh, England.

There, the scenes of Vision and Scarlet Witch walking on the street, as well as Captain America appearing at the train station, will be officially presented on camera.

At the same time, a film crew will travel to the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines.

The scene in which Thanos "retires after accomplishing his mission" and sits on a farmland to watch the sunset at the end of "Avengers 3" was filmed at the Banaue Rice Terraces.

At the same time, as the scene of "Avengers 3" was changing, new entertainment information appeared on the hot search lists of major domestic headlines.

"The Hollywood blockbuster "Assassin's Creed" was officially taken off the screen last night, with a total box office of 1.6 million RMB - Maoyan app."

"Yesterday, the love, song and dance, fantasy film Beauty and the Beast, produced by Walt Disney, grossed 8372 million RMB on its first day of release."

"This morning, the urban, romantic TV series "Negotiator", invested by Tianhao Shengshi and LeTV Video and starring Yang Mi and Huang Zitao, held a wrap-up press conference in Beijing."

"The martial arts and action film Shadow, jointly produced by LeTV Pictures, Tencent Pictures, and Perfect World, directed by Zhang Yimou, and starring Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai, Wang Qianyuan, Guan Xiaotong and others, has officially started filming at the Huairou China Film Base in the capital..."

"After calling Zhang Yimou's studio, the reporter learned that during the filming of the film, all outside interviews and visits will be declined. We hope that media friends will be aware of this."

Although Zhang Yimou suffered a lot of criticism and abuse because of "The Great Wall".

However, netizens are still looking forward to "Shadow". After all, it is a martial arts film, which is the style that Zhang Yimou is best at.

Looking back to when "Hero" was released, although people in the industry were criticizing Zhang Yimou for using commercial films to ruin the originally well-developed art film system, the audience was very engaged in watching it.

And if nothing unexpected happens, this "Shadow" should be another blockbuster with grand scenes!
In addition, the film crew previously revealed that the film will also incorporate many styles such as "landscape painting" and "Tai Chi", which undoubtedly aroused many expectations in the hearts of many martial arts fans.

Ever since Xu Ke completely bid farewell to the filming of "martial arts films", there have been no high-quality martial arts films released in recent years.

Now that "Shadow" has appeared, it has undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention!

Seeing the surge in popularity online, Zhang Zhao, who is in charge of LeTV Pictures, suddenly became excited.

"If this movie is successful, maybe LeEco Pictures will have a chance to come back to life. By then, as long as it is completely separated from LeTV, there may still be a glimmer of hope!"

……

After a night, time smoothly entered the 19th.

After arriving in Atlanta, Chen Fei immediately threw himself into the filming, coordinating all matters of the crew...

"Boss, this is the premiere invitation from Lionsgate. In three days, their movie Power Rangers will premiere at the Dolby Theatre."

Looking at the invitation letter handed over by his assistant, Fade Chen didn't even take it. He waved his hand casually and said, "Leave it to the company to handle it. We will arrange for the right person to show up."

"Okay, Boss."

The assistant nodded in response, then turned and left.

After retracting his gaze, Fade Chen put it back on the phone screen.

At this time, domestic media are taking turns reporting on the 8th Chinese Film Golden Broom Awards.

Although the award-winning guests were not present, the organizers were happily having fun and giving out awards one after another.

The most disappointing films were "Legend of the Gods" and "The Ferryman"; the most disappointing directors were Wang Jing and Liu Zhenwei.

The most disappointing screenwriters are Zhang Jiajia and Wang Jiawei, while the Best Actor and Best Actress candidates are Wu Yifan and Jing Tian respectively.

Although this award result has some suspicion of "riding on the popularity", for many netizens, it is well deserved.

But! The Golden Broom Awards’ extravaganza doesn’t stop there!

After presenting the disappointing awards, they immediately gave out the "Youth Film Handbook" award, which represents "encouragement".

What many netizens and filmmakers never expected was that the organizer actually awarded the Youth Film Handbook 2016 Actor of the Year Award to Ke Zhendong, the leading actor of "Goodbye Mr. Loser"!

As soon as this result came out, domestic netizens couldn’t sit still.

As a mainland film award, it is already speechless to give it to a Taiwanese actor, not to mention that this person is a bad artist who has been banned by the internal film circle!

All of a sudden, verbal abuse broke out!
"What does the organizer mean by this? Are they not going to continue with this award?"

"Good boy! Are you crossing the line now?"

"Haha, now that Ke Zhendong has shown up, I am really impressed. It seems that there is no need to continue giving out this award."

"I really like the setting of the Golden Broom Awards, but I cannot accept the result of this award. I will report it first. Bye everyone!"

"To take advantage of the popularity, they are starting to use black traffic? Isn't that too much?"

……

(ps: Second update, please vote for me!!!)
(End of this chapter)