During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 855: Mass Production of Millionaires – Co-production Wraps Up in 100 Days

As we enter the latter half of January, with just over half a month left until the Spring Festival film season, the promotion of upcoming movies has entered its final stage.

In addition to sending out invitations to the premiere to various industry professionals, film crews are also vying to appear on TV shows, give interviews, and hold press conferences.

However, when it comes to hype and sensationalism, "The Mermaid" takes the crown.

The theme song released on New Year's Day—"Invincible," with lyrics and music by Stephen Chow and sung by Deng Chao—has captured the audience's attention.

The promotional song released in the middle of the month, "The World Will Always Be Good," reinterpreted by Adam Cheng and Karen Mok with Stephen Chow participating in the remixing, became an instant hit online, perfectly playing the nostalgia card.

Everyone in the industry knows very well that Stephen Chow is probably up to no good this time!

Just as the entire film and television industry, and even the entire internet, were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Spring Festival film season, a piece of news from a financial channel once again stirred up the storm in the film and television industry.

According to the latest announcement from the regulatory authorities, Xinghe Entertainment's acquisition of Xianyang Tongda, a company listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), has been officially approved.

The transaction involves 3.58 million yuan. Upon completion of this acquisition, Xinghe Entertainment will hold 61.89% of the shares of Xianyang Tongda.

According to business registration information, Xinghe Entertainment's shareholders include corporate shareholder Shanhe Media, and individuals such as Qiao Zhenyu, Zhou Xun, Huang Bai, Zhao Liying, Yang Rong, Zhang Tianai, and Ni Ni, among dozens of other well-known actors.

According to industry analysts, Galaxy Entertainment is expected to complete its restructuring and resume trading after the Spring Festival.

Following Shanhe Cinemas, Meitao Entertainment, Nuclear Power Pictures, and Shanhe Technology, another entertainment company controlled by the Shanhe Group is about to enter the capital market.

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Once the news spread, it quickly became a hot topic on major media outlets, portal websites, news headlines, and Weibo, making countless celebrities in the industry extremely envious.

It's worth noting that Meitao Entertainment, with Fan Bingbing at its core, still maintains a market value of around 40 billion yuan even after the stock market crash.

Including Mi Xing Entertainment, which is mainly owned by Yang Mi, its current valuation in its second round of financing is as high as 15 billion!
With Shanhe Media as its backer, providing project resources, and dozens of top-tier and second-tier celebrities joining, Xinghe Entertainment's prospects will only be brighter, and its market value will be even higher!
Even in terms of sheer earning power, Galaxy Entertainment, which was only established a year ago, is even more impressive than Nuclear Power Pictures, which went public in Hong Kong a few months ago and currently has a market value of over 160 billion!
Of course, a company formed by celebrities and artists cannot compare to Nuclear Power Pictures, which is composed of famous directors, in terms of prestige and influence.

This is determined by the inherently different status of directors and actors within the industry!
Even so, industry insiders conservatively estimate that once Galaxy Entertainment resumes trading, a market value of 10 billion yuan is definitely not a problem!
If you calculate it this way, every single one of these dozens of celebrities who received initial public offering (IPO) stock allocations will see their net worth skyrocket and become rich overnight!
Not only is Boss Wei extremely wealthy, but he can also create millionaires in large numbers. However, such good fortune doesn't fall to others in the industry. What can be done about it?

As expected, Li Xian, the only member of the "The Wandering Earth" crew to receive original shares in Galaxy Entertainment, has drawn everyone's envy.

Come to think of it, Li Xian, born in 91, is not even 25 years old this year. Perhaps in another two or three months, he will join the ranks of billionaires.

Even though it was 2016 and actors' salaries were getting higher and higher, a net worth of over 100 million yuan still puts one of the very top tiers in the industry.

Because the vast majority of popular celebrities who make money are cash cows for their respective companies, and at most only half of that money actually ends up in the hands of the celebrities themselves.

In addition, there are high taxes and fees, as well as necessary expenses to maintain various ostentatious displays. Celebrities may look glamorous on the surface, but they don't actually have much money.

Of course, this is on the premise of paying taxes legally; those who evade taxes are not included.

Regardless, a young billionaire like Li Xian is definitely a high-quality investment.

Sure enough, after dinner and back in his room, Wei Jin overheard Liu Yifei gossiping about the film crew, saying that a lighting technician had introduced Li Xian to a girlfriend.

"Wow, what a great thing! Did he agree?"

Compared to Wei Jin, who had filming commitments, Liu Yifei was a free spirit on set. In the 10,000-square-meter studio, she could truly go wherever she wanted.

Therefore, Wei Jin had no doubt about the veracity of her revelations and instead inquired about them with great interest.

Because Li Xian has been with the company for several years and has never had any scandals or been in a relationship.

If it weren't for his normal behavior, Wei Jin would have suspected that he was gay.

"How could that be? Li Xian isn't stupid. Even if he really wanted to find someone outside the entertainment industry, this kind of introduction is unreliable."

"Hmm, that's true, but..."

Wei Jin nodded, about to say something, when the phone rang.

Looking at the caller ID, Wei Jin was a little confused. Wasn't this someone who had just contacted him a few days ago?

"Hunter?"

"Boss, did I disturb you?"

Wei Jin glanced at Liu Yifei and saw that the girl had already mischievously squatted down, a smile appearing on her lips.

"It's not an intrusion, what's wrong?"

"Didn't you tell me to keep an eye out for Hollywood projects? I went to a party yesterday and Paul told me that Warner Bros. has a project about to start, an adaptation of..."

While listening to Hunter's explanation and experiencing the heavenly service, Wei Jin's thoughts drifted back to more than ten years ago.

Before acquiring a stake in Peak Entertainment, Wei Jin arranged for William to scour bestselling book copyrights, but while he managed to get some, he missed out on others.

Warner's upcoming project is one of many that slipped through the net, and now, after all the twists and turns, it's finally coming into their hands.

As for whether Warner Bros. will reject Wei Jin's participation, to put it bluntly, as long as they still want to make a co-production, they absolutely will not!

Moreover, the fact that Paul was able to reveal this information itself expresses an attitude; there might just be something else going on behind the scenes.

“Very good, Hunter. You continue to keep in touch with Paul, and we'll discuss it in more detail when Oscar arrives.”

"Okay, boss."

Just after hanging up the phone, Wei Jin heard the girl's voice.

"Brother, is it a co-production?"

"Hmm? Yifei, you have an idea?"

Wei Jin was slightly curious, because Liu Yifei was used to being a lazy bum and rarely spoke up.

"Yes, they haven't done a co-production film in a long time, and they don't have any new projects this year. If it's suitable, we can give it a try."

Liu Yifei didn't really want to film it; it's just that in the past two years, Hollywood resources have all been tilted towards Fan Bingbing and Yang Mi, and even Liu Shishi has benefited from it.

As one of the empresses, she should at least get to know them first. If she doesn't like them, then she should let them pass by. At the very least, she'll leave those women with leftovers.

Wouldn't that make you feel much better?

"There are female characters, but there's a seven or eight-year-old child in the role, which is too much older than you. With your natural beauty, you can't convincingly play an older character."

Wei Jin's words stunned Liu Yifei. She then sighed, blaming herself for being too beautiful, which was truly a source of distress.

However, this meant that Yang Mi and Liu Shishi were out of the running, and her mood immediately improved. She then started talking about "Yunnan Insect Valley".

The film's daily box office is holding up fairly well; it's been three weeks since its release, maintaining around 20 million yuan per day. Based on the current situation, once the extended release period ends, the final box office figure should be around 23 billion yuan.

To be honest, Wei Jin never expected the show to reach this point; it was quite an unexpected surprise.

However, Liu Yifei, who played the female lead, was not satisfied and said that if the delay was long enough, she might become the actress with the highest box office in a single film in China.

Clearly, even the laid-back Liu Yifei was tempted by the allure of achieving the top spot in a single film's box office performance.

In response, Wei Jin tenderly pulled her closer to his chest, gently touching her graceful figure with his large hand, and comforted her:
"Yifei, think about it. You've already got the top Chinese director and Asia's richest man under your thumb. What does box office success even matter?"

"Hmph, so many people are beating you up, but there can only be one box office champion. Who says it's not important?"

Liu Yifei gave Wei Jin a charming glare, then suddenly remembered something and her tone became "fierce".

"And don't think I don't know, that Sun Qian from the crew, hasn't she hooked up with you too? I knew you weren't being honest."

After her red lips were sealed, Liu Yifei quieted down, but she punched Wei Jin with her pink fists to express her dissatisfaction.

As she sank deeper into the leather sofa, Tianxian's resistance weakened until she finally gave in completely.

There's nothing she can do; over the years, she's long since given up on dealing with the Wei and Jin dynasties. It's just that those female celebrities are too eager to advance their careers.
The next morning, Wei Jin left the hotel feeling refreshed and headed to the film studio to prepare for a new day of filming.

As for Liu Yifei, she was lectured for several hours last night, and she probably won't get up until noon.

Upon arriving at the film set, Wei Jin first instructed Wang Zixuan to remember to deliver food to Liu Yifei, and then turned his attention to the studio.

Under Chen Xi's management, the film crew was now operating smoothly.

Everyone was either getting their makeup done or setting up the set; and the actors, who were already made up, weren't idle either.

He was either rehearsing with his co-star, silently memorizing lines, or adjusting his emotions to get into character.

"Everyone, get into the zone. We only have the final wrap-up work left before we wrap up filming, and I hope to finish it within a week if possible."

If anyone causes any delays, at the wrap party everyone can go all out and beat them to a pulp! Don't hold back, there's plenty of alcohol.

As Wei Jin's voice was amplified through the loudspeaker, a burst of laughter erupted on set. Anyone could tell that the director was joking.

But the enthusiastic atmosphere on set only added fuel to the fire, because after more than three months of filming, it was finally time to wrap up!

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, everyone was ready. Wei Jin glanced at Li Guangjie's appearance at that moment. He was buried under a pile of stones, and his helmet was cracked—this was his last scene.

"Attention all units, 30 seconds countdown, prepare."

On the monitor, the production assistant walked into the frame with a clapperboard in a very ceremonial manner.

"The Wandering Earth, Scene 142, Shot 1, Action!"

After a day of filming, the "Wandering Earth" crew saw Li Guangjie off.

The following day, the crew finished filming a large number of supporting roles, and Liu Yifei also left the crew that day.

It wasn't that there were still press releases and endorsements to be completed; she simply couldn't stand Wei Jin's animalistic stamina and needed to go back and rest properly.

Mr. Wei didn't have any objections to this. After all, the Lantern Festival hadn't arrived yet. If the dumpling wrappers for the fairy were torn, what would they eat then?

Besides, the crew also has Wang Zixuan and Sun Qian on standby, so there are enough for the remaining days.

Over the next two days, the crew continued filming, and a large amount of equipment manufactured by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation was shown being scrapped on camera.

Although the scene was spectacular, Wei Jin felt a little sorry for them. He really didn't know how strong their hearts must be to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on real-life filming.

What? They're not using their own money, so it's fine.

At noon on the 25th, the entire film and entertainment industry focused its attention on an announcement from Huayi Brothers.

This announcement pertains to all shareholders of Dongyang Meila and Dongyang Haohan, the two companies acquired a few months ago!

The announcement essentially stated that Feng Xiaogang, Yang Ying, Feng Shaofeng, and others, based on their confidence in and recognition of Huayi's value, voluntarily purchased Huayi shares from the secondary market and agreed to lock them up for one year, refusing to sell them.
"Huayi can't hold on any longer, they've even come up with this method to stabilize the stock price, hahaha."

During lunch break, Chen Xi, a member of the "Wandering Earth" crew, was scrolling through the newly released announcements and couldn't help but make some jokes.

Guo Fan, standing to the side, spoke with utter disdain.

"Of course. Last year's stock market crash and the several circuit breakers this month have exacerbated market panic, causing Huayi's stock price to plummet to just over 27 yuan."

If morale isn't destabilized any further, the market value might drop below 400 billion before the end of the year. Those two brothers will definitely be anxious and worried, hahaha.”

Wei Jin didn't speak, but he clearly agreed with the two men's statements, and I believe the vast majority of people in the circle felt the same way.

In fact, Huayi is now completely ruined; it's just a general store disguised as a film and television industry business.

Its finance, real estate, and internet businesses account for many times more than its film and television business, which is why it still has its cinema chain business, which has preserved part of its foundation.

Perhaps this is why Huayi Brothers extended an olive branch to Ye Ning?
The latter holds important positions in several sectors at Wanda, including real estate, cinemas, and film and television, making him a truly rare talent.

The crew continued filming in the afternoon, and the day ended quickly. The countdown to the final few shots began on the 26th.

The film crew started work early on the morning of the 27th!

Today is the last scene, and everyone, regardless of whether they have work or not, came to the set, as if saying goodbye to the three-plus months of filming!
"Liu Hukou, where the hell have you been? And what about Li Changtiao?"

"Stop calling me 'hukou' (a respectful term for someone with a family background), it's disrespectful. Call me 'brother'!"

On the monitor, the last shot ended, but Wei Jin didn't call "cut," because Li Xian had a new idea.

He wanted to try out the narration lines from the wrap-up scene himself, to echo the "reminder" given to Ng Man-tat by the narrator when he first sat in the construction vehicle in the story.

"Liu Qi, a junior driver, the Beijing Third District Transportation Commission reminds you: There are thousands of roads, but safety is the most important. Improper driving will bring tears to your loved ones."

"Crack!"

Wei Jin got up from behind the monitor, picked up a megaphone, looked around, and gave it a full sense of ceremony!
"I hereby announce that after 100 days of filming, 'The Wandering Earth' has officially wrapped! The wrap party will be held tomorrow night at the Marriott Hotel in Beijing—no one can miss it!"

"Great!"

“Wuhu~~”

"The boss is so generous!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire crew erupted in cheers, and dozens of fireworks were launched simultaneously amidst deafening applause.
(End of this chapter)