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

Chapter 1429 My Goal: 10 Billion Yuan in Box Office!
"This morning, Wanda, Pan Asia, and Xiangyu cinema chains issued a joint announcement: they will officially merge into Longxiang Cinema Chain, implementing a 'unified brand, segmented operation' model. Huo Qigang will serve as executive director, and Ye Ning and Zhang Peiming will serve as general managers."

"Longxiang Cinemas officially announced that, starting today, it will upgrade all aspects of its cinemas, incorporating new technologies such as QR code seat selection, seamless entry, and intelligent control to create an immersive movie-watching experience."

"Longxiang Cinemas, together with Douyin, Youku, and Maoyan, announced: The four parties will reach a deep strategic cooperation to integrate content, ticketing, and streaming media operations..."

...

Three bombshell announcements hit the film and television industry in quick succession, like three depth charges, instantly creating a massive wave!

Industry insiders had long speculated that Chen Fei would inevitably make a big move after Longxiang Capital gradually acquired Wanda Film.

After all, with the Pan-Asia Cinemas card in hand, plus Wanda's nationwide layout, it's clear that they harbor ambitions for integration.

But no one expected that the action would come so quickly and so ruthlessly!

This is not a simple resource collaboration; it's a complete merger of three cinema chains into one, which has been officially renamed: [Longxiang Cinema Chain]!
This undisguised ambition is blatantly obvious.

The news caused an immediate uproar across the internet.

The hashtags #LongxiangCinemaLinesMonopolizeDomesticCinemaLines# and #ChenFeiTheHiddenBigShotInTheFilmAndTelevisionIndustry# dominated the top five trending topics within half an hour.

The discussion among netizens was extremely heated:
"Holy crap! Wanda + Fanya + Xiangyu, these three combined must account for half of the domestic cinema market, right? Longxiang Cinemas was born 'number one in the domestic cinema market,' so we basically can't avoid them when watching movies from now on, right?"

"Isn't this already a monopoly? They hold 70% of the market share and can give screenings to whichever movie they want. How are other small cinemas supposed to survive? Aren't the regulatory authorities going to do anything about it?"

"I have to say, Chen Fei's resource integration ability is amazing! From Pan Asia to Xiangyu, and then to Wanda, he has taken them all in step by step. This layout is simply textbook-level!"

"By the way, who is this Xiangyu Cinemas? I've never heard of it before?"

"Holy crap, I just looked it up and found out that Xiangyu was originally Huayi Cinemas. No wonder Ye Ning was in charge! So when Huayi went bankrupt, the cinema chain was taken over by Longxiang Capital?"

"Chen Fei's vision is too unique! A few years ago, when everyone was scrambling for content resources, he quietly stockpiled theaters. Now he's directly monopolizing the downstream channels. From now on, no matter whose movie it is, they'll have to look up to him. This is the way a real big shot plays!"

The online discussion is still brewing, and the film and television industry is already in an uproar.

Many industry insiders privately cursed, "Chen Fei isn't even pretending anymore!"

This story dates back to when Huayi Brothers was in crisis.

At that time, Huayi's core businesses, such as film and television production and artist management, were divided up by various parties. However, its cinema assets were quietly acquired by a "cultural company" that had just been registered not long ago. The person in charge was Ye Ning, the original team member of Huayi Cinemas.

When the news broke, there was much speculation within the industry.

Everyone is wondering which new company has the confidence to take over Huayi's cinema chain business.

Some people have doubted Chen Fei, but he already has Pan Asia Cinemas under his control, and Pan Asia's layout in first- and second-tier cities is quite mature. From the perspective of "necessity", it seems unnecessary to acquire Huayi Cinemas, which has an overlapping positioning.

More importantly, when questioned by outsiders, Chen Fei and Longxiang Capital have consistently denied the allegations, only claiming that it was a "third-party capital activity."

But now that Wanda is in his hands, Chen Fei has completely dropped his pretense and directly put the merger of Pan Asia, Xiangyu, and Wanda cinema chains on the table, finally revealing the truth.

It turns out that he had been quietly laying the groundwork for a monopoly on downstream channels ever since he acquired Huayi Cinemas. His previous denials were just a smokescreen.

At this moment, the heads of companies like China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, and Stellar Media, which own their own cinema chains, felt as if they had swallowed spoiled leftovers—disgusted and frustrated.

In the conference room at China Film Group headquarters, the heads of several companies were having an emergency meeting, the air thick with smoke and filled with suppressed resentment.

"This is blatant monopoly!"

Zhu Shaolong of Stellar Media slammed his fist on the table, pointed to the data on the projection screen that read "Longxiang Cinemas holds 70% of the national market share," and said angrily:

"He owns 70%! How much do all of us combined make? From now on, won't Chen Fei have complete control over film scheduling and release dates? This is impossible to play!"

Wang Jian'er, who had rushed over from Shanghai Film Studio, was ashen-faced and chimed in, "We must sue him! Let's unite and file an anti-monopoly complaint with the regulatory authorities. I refuse to believe there's no law! No matter how powerful Chen Fei is, can he be above the rules?"

“Suing? It’s useless.” Fu Ruoqing shook her head, her tone full of helplessness. “Didn’t you see his actions? He’s doing ‘segmented operation’ after the merger.”

Huo Qigang, Ye Ning, and Zhang Peiming each manage a section, so on the surface it is not a 'single entity monopoly'.

Furthermore, he also partnered with Youku, Maoyan, and Douyin, effectively blocking any loopholes in the "anti-monopoly" campaign.

If he were to appeal, it would drag on for a year or two, by which time his plan would be complete.

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing everyone's anger.

After a few seconds of silence in the meeting room, someone suddenly spoke up: "Instead of complaining, we should think about how to unite and compete."

Although our combined market share of over ten cinema chains is not as large as his, our geographical coverage is complementary. For example, China Film Group has a strong foothold in the north, Shanghai Film Group has an advantage in the Yangtze River Delta, and Stellar Cinemas has a presence in the southwest. We can definitely support each other by joining forces.

"Joining forces? Easier said than done." Fu Ruoqing sighed. "We can barely keep up in terms of hardware. If he uses QR code seat selection, we can install the system. If he implements contactless entry, we can buy the equipment."

But the software is far inferior! His intelligent theater control system supposedly adjusts brightness and volume automatically based on the number of audience members, and even links lighting and shadow effects to the film's plot. Where do these new technologies come from? We can't even find a trace of them.”

Wang Jian'er added with a frown: "His collaborations with Douyin, Youku, and Maoyan have connected the content-ticketing-streaming media links."

Viewers who buy tickets on Maoyan can be directly redirected to Douyin to watch trailers, and after watching the series on Youku, they can receive coupons for Longxiang Cinemas. We simply can't create this kind of closed-loop traffic system.

As they talked, their hearts grew colder and colder, and their initial anger was gradually replaced by a sense of powerlessness.

Just then, Zhu Shaolong clenched his fist tightly and said firmly, "No matter what, we absolutely cannot sit idly by and let it continue like this."

We must act immediately! Sign a strategic cooperation agreement to share scheduling data and supplier resources, and reduce operating costs.

We need to establish a joint technical team and, even if it costs a lot of money, develop our own smart cinema system. Also, we need to proactively connect with Tencent Video, Taopiaopiao, and other platforms; we can't let him monopolize streaming media and ticketing channels.

"Yes, we can't just sit here and wait to die!"

Wang Jian'er and Fu Ruoqing nodded at the same time, a renewed fighting spirit rekindling in their eyes.

Even those in the meeting room who held a pessimistic attitude couldn't just give up, so they all expressed their opinions.

However, just as they were preparing to refine the cooperation plan, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open, and a trembling voice echoed throughout the room:

"Longxiang Cinemas has issued another announcement!"

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly took out their phones and opened Weibo.

The next second, the announcement just released by Longxiang Cinemas' official account struck them like a heavy hammer:

Longxiang Cinemas to Launch 10 Billion Yuan Movie Theater Plan in Partnership with Shanhe Film City: Building the World's Largest Dome Theater

"To promote the upgrading of film and television projection technology in China, Longxiang Cinema Line and Shanhe Film City reached a strategic cooperation agreement today. They will jointly invest 150 billion RMB and spend two years to build the world's largest dome theater in the core area of ​​Shanhe Film City."

The cinema has a diameter of 120 meters, uses 8K ultra-high-definition projection technology and an immersive 3D sound system, and can accommodate 5000 viewers at the same time.

The cinema will focus on immersive screenings of science fiction and nature documentaries, and will be complemented by a "Film and Television Technology Experience Hall" and an "IP Derivative Cultural and Creative Center" to create a comprehensive film and television complex that integrates movie watching, entertainment, and consumption.

The project is expected to be officially operational in 2025, at which time it will become a new benchmark for global film and television technology…

The announcement also included concept design drawings of the cinema.

The huge spherical building is suspended in the center of Shanhe Film City. When the lights are on at night, it looks like a floating planet, exuding a strong sense of technology!

At that moment, all the colleagues who saw the message fell silent.

150 billion RMB, just to build a movie theater!
This is an extravagant gesture, even by global standards!
People are no strangers to the effects of dome theaters. After all, at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, Chen Fei's team created a dome theater based on the competition venue, which showed the world the shock of immersive experience.

That was just a "semi-finished product," with resolution and immersion not yet at their peak. Now, Longxiang Cinemas is building a "complete version" with all the technology maxed out!
Just imagining watching "The Three-Body Problem" under a 120-meter diameter dome screen is enough to send chills down your spine!

In the conference room of China Film Group, the fighting spirit that had just been ignited among the crowd was instantly extinguished.

Zhu Shaolong slumped into his chair, muttering to himself, "How can we compete like this? What's the point of competing at all!"

Wang Jian'er's face turned pale, and the pen in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

150 billion... Shanghai Film Group's entire year's net profit wouldn't even amount to that much. How can we compete with that?
Fu Ruoqing stared at the concept drawing, speechless for a long time.

He finally understood that Chen Fei's ambition was never to "monopolize cinemas," but to completely rewrite the rules of film and television screenings through technology and experience.

As audiences become accustomed to the immersive experience of dome theaters, the appeal of traditional cinemas will decline significantly.

When the dome theater at Shanhe Film City becomes a "global film and television landmark," the traditional cinema chains they control will only become more and more marginalized.

In contrast, the upgraded version of Longxiang Cinemas will undoubtedly become the target of audiences!

Sunlight streamed through the window, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the conference room.

The integration of Longxiang Cinemas has become too much for them to handle.

Now, with the added blow of billions of dollars in dome theaters, the downstream channel structure of the film and television industry seems to have already predetermined its fate.

Faced with the absolute power of Chen Fei and Longxiang Cinemas, all they can do is perhaps "cling to life".

However, what they didn't know was that this industry revolution initiated by Chen Fei had only just begun.

In the next few years, Chen Fei will bring out a variety of mature technologies, including but not limited to groundbreaking achievements!

The hundreds of technologies developed on Kerguelen Island over the years are ready to be showcased one by one!

……

At this moment, at Shanhai Film and Television City, the filming location for "The Three-Body Problem".

Outside the giant green screen studio, the red backdrop had already been set up in the square.

[Press Conference for the Start of Filming of the Sci-Fi Epic Film "The Three-Body Problem"] These large golden characters were particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

Although the entire internet is buzzing about Longxiang Cinema's expansion and its ambitious plan for a 10 billion yuan dome theater, the focus here is entirely on Chen Fei.

He was standing to the side of the backdrop, methodically checking the procedures with the staff, preparing for this highly anticipated launch event.

At 10:00 a.m. sharp, as the host announced, "The press conference for the start of filming is officially beginning," the actors who had been waiting outside entered the venue one by one.

Chen Fei appeared with actors including Liu Yifei, Zhang Yi, Jing Tian, ​​Zhang Ruoyun, Zhang Hanyu, Shu Chang, Zhu Yawen, Zhao Liying, and Li Xuejian.

Looking around, everyone was dressed in simple formal attire, their faces showing anticipation for the new project.

But compared to the star-studded cast, the scene was even more crowded with media reporters from all over the country.

Camera lenses were densely packed together, and microphones were marked with logos such as "CCTV News," "Sina Entertainment," and "Tencent"...

A rough count revealed that at least a hundred media outlets were present! Flashbulbs were going off one after another, almost blinding everyone.

"Director Chen! Why did you choose 'The Three-Body Problem' as your new work after a year's hiatus?"

As soon as the press conference entered the Q&A session, a reporter from a film and television industry media outlet stood up first, almost handing the microphone to Chen Fei.

Chen Fei stood in the center of the main cast's area, dressed in a black suit, with a composed smile on his face:
"I think 'The Three-Body Problem' is a milestone in Chinese science fiction literature. Its worldview and intellectual depth are enough to support the creation of a top-notch film, which is the core reason why I chose it."

Being able to recreate this work according to my own ideas is both a challenge and an honor for me…

As soon as he finished speaking, another reporter immediately chimed in: "There are reports that Xi'an Film Studio and Enlight Media are the main investors in 'The Three-Body Problem.' Besides financial support, do they interfere with the creative process in terms of project planning?"

Also, since Wanda was acquired and merged into Feiyue Film & Television, how will they cooperate with the film's promotion and release?

This question directly addressed the core collaboration of the project, and the room fell silent instantly.

Chen Fei glanced around the room and said firmly, "The investors have given us 'unconditional trust.' From project preparation to casting, they have never made any interfering demands on the creative process."

As for publicity and release, Longxiang Cinemas will mobilize resources across the country, ensuring prime-time screenings and collaborating with its commercial complexes for immersive promotion, aiming to extend the influence of "The Three-Body Problem" to all age groups…

"What are your personal development goals? Do you plan to build your own science fiction IP matrix?"

Another reporter pressed for more information, clearly more interested in Chen Fei's future plans.

Chen Fei leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with determination: "The short-term goal is to film 'The Three-Body Problem' well and live up to the expectations of the audience and fans of the original work."

In the long run, I do want to delve deeper into the field of science fiction. China doesn't lack good stories, but it lacks film and television teams that can tell those stories well.

In the future, I hope to discover more local science fiction IPs and even try to integrate science fiction with other genres, such as science fiction suspense and science fiction romance, so that Chinese science fiction films are no longer limited to the label of "hardcore."

The reporters bombarded them with questions, ranging from details of the collaboration to industry trends, from personal experiences to market assessments, completely deviating from the theme of the "launch press conference".

Chen Fei patiently responded to each question, and before he knew it, ten minutes had passed.

Seeing that the topic was getting further and further off track, he finally raised his hand to signal for quiet, still smiling, but his tone left no room for argument:

"Thank you all for your attention to me personally, but today is the press conference for the start of filming of 'The Three-Body Problem,' so let's focus on the movie itself, otherwise the creative team might 'protest'."

His words amused everyone present and cleverly steered the conversation back on track.

A reporter from Sina Entertainment immediately seized the opportunity and stood up to ask, "Director Chen, according to public information, the total investment in 'The Three-Body Problem' is as high as 30 billion yuan, which is considered an 'astronomical price' for a domestic film."

Given such a high investment, what are your expected box office returns? Do you have a specific box office target?

After the question was posed, the entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Chen Fei, waiting for his reply.

A 30 billion yuan investment means the film needs to gross at least 90 billion yuan to break even, which is unprecedented in the history of Chinese films!
However, Chen Fei did not answer immediately. Instead, his gaze swept over the reporters and the creative team below the stage, and finally landed on the words "Three-Body Problem" on the backdrop.

The sunlight shone on him, outlining his tall and straight figure.

At this moment, his previously composed eyes suddenly gained a sharp edge and arrogance!

He reached out and took the microphone, his voice not loud but clear, carrying a power that penetrated the entire room: "My target box office is 10 billion!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a collective gasp of astonishment erupted from the audience.

The flashbulbs went off again, capturing his confident, even slightly arrogant, expression in the photos.

Ignoring the commotion around him, Chen Fei continued, "The 30 billion yuan investment isn't for 'gimmicks,' but for the special effects team, the set design, and for respecting the original work."

I believe good works deserve market recognition, and I also believe Chinese audiences are willing to pay for truly domestically produced sci-fi blockbusters. Billions in box office revenue isn't just a pipe dream; it's our shared goal!

His tone was unwavering, and his eyes were so resolute that it seemed he could already foresee the film topping the box office charts.

This undisguised arrogance shocked everyone present, yet also stirred a sense of anticipation within them.

Perhaps this 30 billion yuan investment in "The Three-Body Problem" can truly create a new miracle for Chinese films?!

(End of this chapter)