Hong Kong Entertainment: The King of Kung Fu

During its heyday, Cinema City used the trick of selling the same product to two different owners.

But it is unheard of for someone like Yang Ye to sell one product to eight owners.

However, what Yang Ye said made some sense. If he allowed the eight major companies to bid, they would definitely raise the price of his movie to a very high level.

This is actually beneficial to Yang Ye, but Yang Ye did not do so.

It seems that Yang Ye is grateful that the eight major companies helped him to lift the ban.

What they didn't know was that Yang Ye didn't allow the eight major companies to drive up the price of the film because he was actually thinking about his own interests.

Because such price gouging will inevitably cause actors' pay to skyrocket, thereby causing film companies' production costs to rise sharply.

Of course, in the overall trend, actors' pay will definitely continue to rise.

It’s just that the pay of Hong Kong stars is too outrageous.

This has greatly damaged the healthy development of the film and television industry.

Yang Ye himself is the owner of a film company, so he naturally doesn't want this to happen, as it is damaging his interests.

Apart from anything else, if a Hong Kong female star can earn millions by making a movie, how can he still support a woman?

But he would not say these words clearly.

If he dares to say such things, he will be making enemies with all the actors in Hong Kong and will make countless enemies.

Even if others don't dare to oppose him openly, they will still poke him in the back and call him a loser.

Therefore, Yang Ye just used his own method to suppress it a little.

In fact, given the Hong Kong film model, sky-high pay is inevitable.

Since there is not much of a local market in Hong Kong, the way to make money is by selling goods. The more goods you sell, the more money you make.

So what does it rely on to sell? It relies on celebrities.

Why are "Long Jie Xing Fa Hua" known as the five biggest stars in Hong Kong? Because their overseas market is awesome.

Some people say Liu Hua also counts? He really does.

In the 800s, Liu Hua's film copyrights could be sold for about 500 million Hong Kong dollars in South Korea, plus 200 million in Taiwan and 1500 million in Singapore and Malaysia. He could steadily earn million Hong Kong dollars from these four markets. He could also sell a little in Thailand and the Philippines.

This is why Hong Kong societies at the time would do whatever it took to invite Liu Hua to film, because as long as they controlled the costs, such as squeezing him out on pay, they would be able to make a profit.

Of course, compared with the two superstars Long Jie, Liu Hua still has a big gap. In these four markets, Jet Li can get back 2500 million and Chen Long can get back 5000 million.

……

For the eight major film producers, it would actually be very cost-effective if they did not have to compete but instead joined forces to purchase Yang Ye's films.

Because even if you grab one at a high price, you may not necessarily make much money, and those who don’t get one can only stare blankly, watching others eat meat while they can’t even have the soup.

If they are released together, each film will make money. Although the profit of each film is small, it will add up to a lot.

However, things are not that simple. Yang Ye proposed another concept: dividing!

"My films are all divided according to the revenue sharing in North America, Japan and mainland China. In mainland China, I can get 35% of the box office of a film. The distributor, that is, China Film Corporation in mainland China, gets 17%, and the cinema chain gets 48%.

I hope you can also adopt this box office sharing model, which is good for you. Because if it is a one-time deal, I only make my share of the money. If I make a bad movie, you, the distributor, will lose money. It is equivalent to transferring the risk to you.

Under the profit-sharing model, the interests of producers, distributors, and theaters are tied together. If we make a bad movie and the audience doesn't like it, it's our production company that loses, while the theaters can reduce the number of films or even cancel them directly to avoid losses."

Although Yang Ye said this, the eight major companies were somewhat skeptical, because Yang Ye was an undefeated general and he had never lost.

However, no one can always win, and Baiyang Pictures has also made movies that lost money, but they won too many times, so the losses were ignored.

The film industry is a very risky business, and the Big Eight companies, as insiders, are naturally very clear about this.

In the end, the eight major companies agreed to Yang Ye's plan. When they jointly introduced Baiyang Pictures' films, they divided the revenue according to the ratio of 35:17:48 between the producer, distributor, and theater chain.

Yangji takes 35, and each theater chain takes 48.

The additional 17 is not given to the eight major film producers, but to the distribution companies.

The contract stipulates that for Yangji's films released in Taiwan that are profit-sharing, Baiyang Distribution Company must participate in the distribution work together with the eight major film companies.

As for the specific division, there are other detailed rules.

Of course, not every film will be profit-sharing.

Generally, only blockbusters such as Yang Ye and Chen Long use this mode.

Some low-budget art films are just bought out directly.

After the discussion was complete, Baiyang Pictures signed contracts with the eight major companies.

In addition to stipulating the profit sharing, the contract also stipulates that the production company and the distribution company have the power to monitor the votes.

If a cinema steals box office revenue during the screening of a movie, it will be punished in accordance with relevant regulations.

In the most serious cases, the copies will be withdrawn and the cooperation will be terminated.

But… before the digital age, box office stealing could not be stopped.

The voting monitoring system can only make them restrain themselves a little and not go too far.

After the contract was signed, Poplar Pictures threw all the movies that had not been released in Taiwan in the past three years to the eight major companies and asked them to screen them.

Although these movies have never been released in Taiwan, pirated videotapes have long been rampant in Taiwan.

It’s hard to say how much box office sales it can achieve!
However, some die-hard fans will probably still support it.

Moreover, the viewing environment in a cinema is much better than watching videotapes at home, which should also attract some viewers.

Finally, to show his sincerity, Yang Ye decided to hold the premiere of his new summer film "God of Gamblers 2" in Taipei.

He will also lead Girls' Generation to hold a "God of Gamblers Concert" in Taipei to promote the movie.

After everything was settled, the eight major film producers returned satisfied, and Yang Ye continued to devote himself to the filming of "God of Gamblers 2".

There are great risks in purchasing ports, and it is a general trend to band together for warmth and share risks. This is how the mainstream markets in the world play now.

It's just that the Taiwanese film producers are acting on their own and are reluctant to give up the small profits at hand, so no one has taken this step. Yang Ye uses practical actions to help them take the first step, and after tasting the sweetness, they will take the second step on their own.

……

In July, "Dragon Warrior" by the Chen Long brothers and "My Sassy Girl" by Zhang Xueyou and Wang Zuxian both achieved box office success and broke through the 30 million mark.

The box office of other companies' movies was suppressed and fell short of expectations. The company was in a gloomy mood and there was a lot of wailing.

Following the huge success of "City on Fire" and "Prison on Fire", Ringo Lam released three "School on Fire" films.

Unfortunately, it was a complete flop, with box office revenue of only tens of millions, which made Mai Jia disheartened!

Another boss of Cinema City, Shi Tian, ​​launched the love movie "Love of Long Short Legs" starring Chow Yun-fat and May Lo, but it was outperformed by "My Sassy Girl" and the box office revenue was only tens of millions.

Well, Wang Zuxian is not in this movie because he is filming "My Sassy Girl".

As for Luo Meiwei, she is not Zhang Xueyou’s girlfriend now. Zhang Xueyou’s current girlfriend is...Chen Huixian.

Yang Ye didn't know why this happened. He definitely didn't take the initiative to interfere or hinder it.

The only explanation is... the butterfly effect!
Because Zhang Xueyou and Luo Meiwei knew each other when Wong Jing brought the "Happy Girls Group" to Hong Kong Commercial Radio for promotion. Zhang Xueyou happened to be there, and he and Luo Meiwei fell in love.

Since the "Happy Ghost Series" was taken over by Yang Ye, May Lo did not star in this movie, and Wong Jing did not form the "Happy Girls Group". Instead, Zhang Xueyou became the "Happy Ghost".

Therefore, Zhang Xueyou and Luo Meiwei did not get to know each other because of this!
On the other hand, since Zhang Xueyou had become famous early on, Yang Ye arranged for him to sing "Lovesickness in the Wind and Cloud" with Chen Huixian. The two of them appreciated each other and became good friends. After a few interactions, they actually got together.

This... let him be. In this world, the lives of too many people who have come into contact with Yang Ye have become completely different.

Chen Long even lost his wife, and Zhang Xueyou just changed his girlfriend. It’s not a big deal, Yang Ye doesn’t bother to care.

"Operation Falcon", starring Liu Hua and Cherie Chung, was invited by Siyuan Pictures to take in 1200 million yuan at the box office, which is just ok.

Run Run Shaw came back to life and founded Metropolitan Pictures. He invited Wang Jing to help shoot "The Suicide Squad", which grossed 1100 million. Fatty Wang had completed his mission.

The box office of "Moon, Stars and Sun" produced by Mak Dang-hsung was also suppressed to less than 10 million.

"The Final Combat" produced by Danny Lee's Universal Film Company and "The Detective" produced by D&B only grossed over 5 million, which was a terrible success.

Under the double pressure of the two movies "The General" and "Girlfriend", the box office of these movies has dropped by at least 10% compared with the original time and space.

Don't think that 10% is too little. Hong Kong's local box office largely determines the overseas sales price. Over 10 million and under 10 million are two completely different concepts.

The film industry is a very risky industry, and because of this difference, a profitable film may end up losing money.

……

Shadow Man’s Tea Restaurant!
Yang Ye and Moon Lee sat together having morning tea.

The two of them ate and chatted in low voices. Yang Ye said something in Li Saifeng's ear, which made the little beautiful girl giggle.

Xu Ke walked in wearing slippers and with a messy hair, and sat down opposite Yang Ye and Li Saifeng.

"morning!"

"morning!"

After greeting each other, Moon Lee picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Xu Ke.

"Thank you!"

Xu Ke took a sip of tea, picked up a barbecued pork bun, tore it open, stuffed it into his mouth and started eating. While eating, he said, "Why did you think of inviting me to tea today?"

Yang Ye asked: "Nan Sheng didn't come back with you?"

Xu Ke went to the United States to pursue his wife some time ago, and Yang Ye didn't expect that he would come back so soon.

"I'm sleeping at home!"

"Oh, done?"

"I got married with her in the United States!"

"Congratulations! Congratulations. When will the wedding be held?" Yang Ye and Li Saifeng hurriedly congratulated Xu Ke.

"Forget about the wedding banquet. We've already had a wedding in the United States. We don't want to have a big bash!"

"It's up to you. Even if you don't want to do it, I still have to give you a red envelope and send it to you later!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Xu Ke grinned. Yang Ye was very generous.

Yang Ye and Xu Ke clinked their cups, took a sip of tea, and said, "I came to you because Ah Man's popularity has dropped a bit recently. I hope you can help her create a martial arts film!"

Moon Lee has a loli face. Although she is sweet and cute, her acting range is quite limited.

Because Hong Kong movies are dominated by male stars, female stars mostly exist as vases, and vases should be beautiful and sexy at best.

Moon Lee's character is that of a "violent loli", which, although very appealing, is not easy for her to get suitable roles.

After hearing this, Xu Ke frowned and thought: "A-Man's skills are beyond reproach, but we need to find a role that suits her image..."

Yang Ye said: "Don't think about it, it's ready. I hope you can bring Jin Yong's "Sword of Yue Girl" to the big screen."

Xu Ke's eyes lit up; "Ah Man plays Ah Qing? That's a good fit!"

In the original time and space, Jin Yong's fourteen novels were monopolized by TVB, and ATV could only dig out some scraps. They got a "Sword of Yue Girl" and felt like they had found a treasure. A short story was watered down to twenty episodes.

In this drama, the heroine A Qing is played by Moon Lee.

Yang Ye would naturally not be so bored as to stretch a short story into twenty episodes, but this thing is quite suitable for making a movie, so let's give it a try!

"But Ah Man is too pretty. If she plays Ah Qing, who can play Xi Shi?"

Xi Shi is a person who is so beautiful that Ah Qing is ashamed of herself. Moon Lee is Ah Qing, so who is Xi Shi? This is indeed a question.

But Yang Ye already had the answer, he said: "Zhu Lin!"

Well, Xu Ke thought Yang Ye wanted to promote Moon Lee, but it turns out he wanted to promote Zhu Lin.

……

Illustration: Stills of Moon Lee as Ah Qing! (End of this chapter)