Hong Kong Entertainment: The King of Kung Fu

Chapter 661: Taiwanese Business Alliance

Yang Ye waited until the negotiations between the eight major film producers and the Hong Kong film industry broke down and began to boycott Hong Kong films before he stepped forward to clean up the mess.

Because only in this way will these bosses listen to him.

In fact, it is also very uncomfortable for them to boycott Hong Kong films, as they all have cinema chains to run.

The cinema is open and movies are being shown.

If it is vacant, how much money will be lost for a day's rent, utilities, and labor?
The eight major film producers in the original time and space had a conflict with Hong Kong. They did not introduce any Hong Kong films for a full six months and only used old films to make up the numbers. This killed a large number of Hong Kong film companies, but they also suffered heavy losses.

It has been more than two months now. Although I look tough on the outside, I feel bitter inside.

Yang Ye drank a sip of tea, then said slowly: "First of all, when it comes to selling trailers, you must be extremely cautious.

Movies are not real estate, trailers are not pre-sale properties, houses are a necessity, but movies are just consumer products with too many variables.

No matter who they are, just take the contracts of two stars and don’t know what the film is about, and you dare to give them money.

I have to say, you are really brave! What if they are scammers?

After all, you are Taiwanese, not the local bosses in Hong Kong.

They are clearly deceiving you, what can you do? "

This sentence made everyone blush. Some people felt unhappy and thought, are you teaching me how to do things?
But in the current situation, Yang Ye was not wrong, many people were indeed deceived.

Some Hong Kong guys set up shell companies and cheated Taiwanese businessmen out of their money, but they refused to admit it.

What can Taiwanese businessmen do? Go to Hong Kong to sue him?
There's no point in doing this. Even if you win the fight, the worst that can happen is that they will compensate you with the shell company.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Hong Kong films were controlled by large companies.

These companies have many connections in both the black and white worlds. Anyone who wants to cheat them is courting death.

In a sense, the prosperity of Hong Kong films is inseparable from the control of community groups to a certain extent.

However, since the Hong Kong government cracked down on society organizations in 1991, the control of society organizations over the film industry has been effectively curbed.

The funding source for Hong Kong films has also shifted from large companies and associations to Taiwanese film producers.

The eight major film producers have no roots in Hong Kong, so it would be strange if Hong Kong filmmakers didn't cheat them.

Moreover, this sentence may not be appropriate for others to say, but Yang Ye has been immersed in the film industry for 20 years, and has been successful and invincible. He has long been the overlord of the film industry, so he is really qualified to say this.

Even though it sounds unpleasant, we just have to bear with it.

But this statement is as good as saying nothing. Taiwanese businessmen now don't even buy Hong Kong films, let alone trailers.

Yang Ye didn’t care whether these people listened or not, and continued: “In Hollywood, the film system has a detailed division of labor, and everyone has their own responsibilities.

It often takes two to three years, or even longer, for a movie to go from project initiation to release.

Throughout the entire process, every link, including script, art, shooting, editing, post-production, publicity, and release, will be strictly controlled.

Why do this? Because although film is an art, it has industrial attributes. Strictly speaking, it is a craft.

Therefore, it is very suitable to control it using industrial processes.

The reason why our Yangji’s films are always successful is because we are more cautious.

We have a plan for how many movies we will shoot every year.

The choice of actors to be used and the amount of money to be invested in each play have all been thoroughly discussed.

From the proposal of a project to its establishment and then to its production, every process will be controlled to prevent it from going astray.

Of course, there are many uncertainties in movies, and it is impossible to be 100% successful. Even I have movies that don’t make much money.

If you are just an investor, you don’t need to understand these things, but you still need to review the projects and be careful not to be deceived, right? "

These words were indeed from the heart, and everyone nodded.

However, these are all things in the future and cannot solve the current predicament at all.

Wang Yingxiang of Longxiang had been badly cheated recently, and he was filled with emotion. He sighed, "Boss Yang's words are indeed very reasonable. I have learned a lot. So, how should we solve the current problem?"

Cai Songlin also said: "Of course we all hope to buy good films, not bad ones.

But as you just said, Mr. Yang, there are too many uncertain factors when it comes to movies.

We also have cinema chains to operate, and if strict control is exercised, film production will inevitably decrease.

Then how can our cinema chain continue to operate?"

Among the eight major film producers in Taiwan, Cai Songlin is the most deeply involved in Hong Kong films and has the biggest hand in it.

He owns two large cinema chains in Taiwan, Golden Horse and Great World, which require more than 200 films each year.

In order to meet the demand, 80% of Hong Kong's film companies have his funds invested in them, either for investment or pre-purchase of copyrights.

During his heyday, he had more than NT$10 billion in funds to operate and film movies.

It was really glorious when it was going well, but now I am stuck, and I am the worst stuck.

In order to get out of the predicament, he even invested in Yongsheng and used the power of the Xiang family to force Hong Kong producers to submit.

Yang Ye looked around and saw that these people were sincerely seeking advice, so he said: "In fact, the solution is very simple, which is to form a theater alliance.

Currently, all cinema chains in Taiwan operate independently. Each one purchases its own films and shows its own movies at its own risk.

If you buy the right movie, you can enjoy the meat yourself, and then delegate the second and third round screening rights to other theaters, letting them have a taste of the soup.

However, Hong Kong established a cinema alliance ten years ago, with unified film screenings and a strict scheduling system.

If you come across a good movie, everyone can enjoy the benefits together. If you come across a bad movie, you can also minimize the loss.

In fact, my films have been co-screened in Taiwan since a few years ago. Why don’t you promote this model more widely? ”

Yang Ye proposed this method because Taiwan's cinema chains are all independently operated and each requires a large supply of films.

In addition to purchasing films from Hong Kong, they also invest in filming their own films, and purchase films from Hollywood, Japan and Europe every year.

After the film is finished showing in its own theater, it will be sold to other theaters for second or third rounds of screening.

Therefore, the screening time of movies in Taiwan is particularly long, ranging from two months to half a year.

The disadvantage of doing this is that each cinema chain requires a large number of film sources.

The eight major film producers combined, minus those purchased from each other and those screened repeatedly, still need four to five hundred films a year to meet demand.

The establishment of a cinema alliance can solve the problem of insufficient film sources in major cinema chains from the source.

In fact, everyone may know this simple method.

It’s just that human nature is selfish, and the essence is to want to have the food all to oneself, so even if one thinks of it, one will not say it, let alone do it.

It was able to be implemented in Hong Kong in the first place because Yeung Kee's films were so profitable and everyone wanted a piece of the pie.

So as soon as Yang Ye proposed it, Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest agreed.

And it was because of Yang Ye’s insistence that his films could be jointly screened in Taiwan.

Yang Ye’s movie is clearly for making money. If anyone disagrees, then don’t release it. I won’t even let you have a sip of soup.

After Yang Ye proposed a feasible plan, the film producers present could not help but think deeply and began to weigh the pros and cons. Yang Ye added: "To be honest, although Hong Kong films are now rushed, shoddy, with a lot of themes, and mindlessly following the trend.

But these films are actually pretty good and entertaining, and are still the best among Chinese-language films.

This is mainly due to the Hong Kong filmmakers' years of experience on the set and their repeatedly honed craftsmanship.

No matter what, it still maintains a certain level, at least a basic level.

But the box office is getting lower and lower. What's the problem? Too many movies are being made.

There have been eight Once Upon a Time films this year, what is there to find new for the audience?
Anyone would vomit if they eat abalone, shark fin, and bird's nest every day.

Therefore, it is necessary to strictly control the film-making process and not invest blindly! ”

Yang Ye's words were equivalent to putting the blame on the Taiwanese film producers.

It was you who blindly followed the trend and invested, and it was you who pushed up the pay of Hong Kong stars.

You need to solve the problem yourselves. Hong Kong is the producer and should not bear this responsibility.

However, it solves the problem fundamentally.

It is a global trend for cinema chains in a market to screen newly released movies in a unified manner, and many places have already implemented this.

Yang Ye brought it up at this critical juncture. After the eight major film producers exchanged glances, Xu Ligong of China Film Group said first: "We at China Film Group agree to cooperate with you and form a cinema alliance."

China Film Corporation is the leader among all major film producers. He took the lead and the others had no reason to hesitate and quickly nodded in agreement.

What they do next is their own business.

However, Yang Ye also had his own selfish motives when he proposed this plan.

It won’t be long before Taiwan opens up to Hollywood movies, and Hollywood studios will move into Taiwan one after another.

Yang Ye’s Donglai Plaza also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get a piece of the pie.

In 1992, Taiwan's per capita GDP officially exceeded US$, reaching the level of the United States in the s, becoming a developed region.

At this time, some business models that are popular in the United States can be launched in Taiwan.

Some have begun to follow Wal-Mart's example and build large shopping malls in the suburbs.

It is far better to build a large shopping mall in the suburbs than in the city center.

Because the operating costs in the city center are too high, and with the increase in Taiwan's car ownership and the planning of the road network, distance is no longer a problem.

Yang Ye did not build Donglai Plaza in Taiwan before, partly because the prime locations in the city had already been occupied by powerful Taiwanese film producers.

On the one hand, we don’t want to compete directly with these people. Donglai Plaza has its own cinema, so are you going to eat alone, or eat alone?
Now that we have formed a theater alliance, this problem will naturally disappear.

……

The first and second problems have been solved.

Now we come to the third question. Hong Kong films released in Taiwan are required to pay a service fee.

The eight major film producers required that they charge 1000% for box office revenues below 20 million yuan, and only 1000% for box office revenues above 15 million yuan.

This problem is no longer a problem. If the theater chains release the film together, you can just collect a share of the box office revenue in proportion.

You can discuss with the producer how much to draw and come up with a number that you both agree on.

As for the fourth article, it limits the purchase price of Hong Kong films to no more than 1750 million.

This Yang Ye doesn’t care!

Yang Ye even directly blamed the Taiwanese film producers for suppressing the pay of Hong Kong stars.

How could he be the bad guy who came out to suppress the prices of Hong Kong films?
Yang Ye's films are released in Taiwan directly by Baiyang Distribution Company, which takes a percentage of the profits. There is no such thing as a purchase price.

As for Taiwanese film producers, they purchase Hong Kong films and distribute them in Taiwan.

The film producers can bargain with the Hong Kong film companies about the price.

However, in this case, the eight major film producers and even some Hong Kong film companies will definitely set up special distribution companies in Taiwan.

And no one knows better than Yang Ye what kind of movies to distribute to make more money. Baiyang Distribution Company’s business in Taiwan will increase greatly!
……

Yang Ye solved the dilemma of Taiwan's film producers by using a very simple theater alliance.

A few days later, Taiwan's eight major film producers held a press conference and issued a joint statement to establish a "cinema alliance."

As soon as the statement came out, Hong Kong filmmakers knew that things were going to change.

The eight major film producers banded together for warmth, and Yang Ye also expressed his intention to crack down on those corrupt officials who cheated and deceived others. It would be difficult for them to cheat Taiwanese bosses out of their money again.

A small group of people naturally hated Yang Ye, but for capable Hong Kong filmmakers, it was good news.

Yang Ye's reputation in the Hong Kong and Taiwan film industry rose again. At the Golden Horse Awards ceremony, Yang Ye attended the ceremony in a gorgeous dress arm in arm with Lin Qingxia, and the audience stood up and gave a warm welcome.

Seeing that her husband was so respected, Lin Qingxia was filled with joy.

In her early years, she was disheartened because Yang Ye was a playboy and wanted to break up with him several times. It took Yang Ye a lot of effort to win him back.

Over the years, as their children grew up, she became too lazy to care about many things.

The two sat down in their seats, greeted the people around them, and then began to whisper.

Yang Ye hadn't seen his and Lin Qingxia's daughter for a long time, so he asked casually, "How is Xiao'er doing recently?"

Lin Qingxia sighed and said, "I feel like she is an orphan."

Yang Ye was stunned: "What do you mean?"

"You are so busy, and I am so busy too. How many days can we spend with her in a year?"

Yang Ye felt helpless. He had no choice but to remain silent.

He didn't even promise to spend more time with them and their daughter in the future. Even if he did, it would be a lie to fool them.

Lin Qingxia said: "Xiao'er now lives in A Jiao's house most of the time. Xiao'er is very envious of Chenzi."

Yang Ye was a little embarrassed, and said: "It's not bad to let Ah Jiao take care of it. Xiao'er and Chenzi will also have a companion, which is good."

Lin Qingxia said helplessly: "It's because Gillian treats Xiao'er so well, I feel that Gillian is her mother, and I am not a qualified mother."

While the two were talking, the award ceremony had already begun. Awards were given out one after another. Lin Qingxia looked at the stage, but she seemed uninterested.

Yang Ye suddenly realized that Lin Qingxia was tired.

Sure enough, not long after, Lin Qingxia said: "Xiao'er is going to middle school now. A girl's puberty is very important. I want to quit the film industry and go to accompany her."

Yang Ye thought that Lin Qingxia in the original time and space also retired from the film industry at about this time, so he nodded and said, "That's fine, but please help me shoot another movie!"

Lin Qingxia asked: "What play?"

Yang Ye said: "My new movie, The Matrix!"

Trinity, the heroine of "The Matrix", is very stunning and cool.

Such a cool role became Lin Qingxia's last swan song in the film industry and could bring a perfect end to her career.

(End of this chapter)