During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 869 Strike First, Fight to the Death
Compared to the Oscars two years ago, Nomadland won four out of six nominations, and also won three major awards: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress.

The news that "Gone Girl" won the Best Adapted Screenplay award pales in comparison, but it is still a remarkable achievement.

Looking at the history of Chinese cinema, there is no one like Wei Jin who never missed a shot; it is unlikely that anyone will ever be able to replicate that.

Therefore, when the Oscars ceremony ended, all major domestic media outlets, news websites, and movie channels broadcast news.

Without exception, the top entertainment headlines and trending topics on Weibo were all dominated by the sudden influx of Oscar news.

The 88th Academy Awards ceremony concluded at 11 p.m. Hollywood time on the 28th, with the Chinese-language film "Gone Girl" winning the Best Adapted Screenplay award!

"Following his Oscar wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Original Screenplay, renowned director Wei Jin has added another new trophy to his collection!"

Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Best Actor award for his role in "The Revenant"!

After 22 years of striving for an Oscar, Leonardo DiCaprio finally achieved his dream today. Overwhelmed with emotion, he expressed his desire to kiss director Wei Jin, but was firmly rejected.

Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan missed out on the Best Actress award. In an interview at the banquet, she said: "I am already satisfied with being nominated and have no regrets!"

"."

As their alma mater, Beijing Film Academy continued its fine tradition, having already prepared banners for the three nominations, and promptly put them up.

"Warmest congratulations to Wei Jin, an outstanding graduate of the 02 Directing Department of our school, for winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the 88th Academy Awards!"

At this time, the college entrance exams for art students were in full swing, and the Berlin Film Festival had only been over for a few days. Wei Jin and Ning Hao's two bright red banners were exceptionally eye-catching!
Many celebrities in the industry sent their blessings under Wei Jin's Weibo post, but many others probably breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Gao Yuanyuan didn't win an award, otherwise it would have been truly enviable.

Even so, looking at the photos of Reyizha, Lei Datou, and others with many Hollywood stars that they updated on Weibo;
Many actors in the film and television industry are also very envious, because this Oscar trip alone can bring a lot of boost to these people!

As for netizens, they were mostly discussing the celebrities on the red carpet and the makeup and styling of the female stars, creating a lively atmosphere.

However, no one expected that just over half an hour later, an announcement from Huayi Brothers would directly suppress the Oscar hype!
"With the unanimous approval of all directors of the Group's Board of Directors, we hereby announce the latest senior management appointments of the Group:"
Ye Ning was appointed as the president of Huayi Film Industry, responsible for all film and cinema business, and promoted to the vice general manager of the group. He was also allocated original shares and promoted to a candidate for the board of directors, with voting and decision-making power.

Zhou Muyang, Wang Tiefeng, Zhao Donglin, and 34 others have been appointed as cinema managers under Huayi Group's cinema chain, enjoying the benefits of stock options and company dividends.
Furthermore, the Group will hold a press conference in Beijing tomorrow morning, March 1st. Chairman Wang Zhongjun, General Manager Wang Zhonglei, along with 35 other middle and senior management personnel including Ye Ning, will attend. We welcome representatives from all sectors of society, major media outlets, and industry peers to attend.

As soon as the news broke, every production company in the industry had only one thought in mind—war was about to break out!

Such large-scale poaching is definitely a business war. If we don't fight back, we won't be able to hold our heads high in the industry in the future.
What's more, they actually went so far as to hold a press conference openly, which is a blatant slap in the face, a naked mockery and contempt!

The internet is in an uproar right now because this involves a business battle between two industry giants, something that has only been seen in movies and TV shows before.

Now it has become a reality, broadening everyone's horizons. Who wouldn't be excited and looking forward to it?
"Xiao Jin, how dare they?"

Inside the bedroom of the Beverly Hills villa, Da Meiyuan leaned closer to Wei Jin, looking at the news on her phone screen with considerable surprise.

She already knew about Huayi poaching her employees, but the two brothers' brazen behavior still shocked her.

"It's not hard to understand. Since they've already offended them, they might as well strike first and at least gain the upper hand in terms of momentum."

As they spoke, Wei Jin embraced the beauty in his arms, pulled out a pair of cards on his phone, and began to explain.

"Look, Sister Yuanyuan, it's only been less than half an hour, and Huayi's stock price has already started to rise, and the momentum is quite strong."

Clearly, while directly reaping the benefits may seem somewhat selfish, it has indeed led to a surge in Huayi's "soft power."

It is foreseeable that Huayi's stock price will continue to rise for quite some time before any direct friction occurs between the two parties.

"Those two brothers are really good at scheming, tsk tsk tsk."

The two Wangs don't have a good reputation in the industry, especially the younger Wang's unique hobbies, which are disliked by many people in the industry. Gao Yuanyuan naturally couldn't stand it either.

Upon hearing Wei Jin's explanation, her tone was filled with disdain and contempt.

Wei Jin didn't offer much comment, but simply reminded her, "Sister Yuanyuan, it's getting late, we should rest."

"Ah."

Just as Boss Wei and Da Meiyuan were drifting off to sleep, the atmosphere back home in Wanda was terrifyingly oppressive and extremely tense!

It's like a powder keg filled with explosives; it's just a spark away from exploding!

"Heh, so you really think I'm dead? Very well, very well indeed!"

Inside the huge conference room, his face was ashen, and he laughed in extreme anger; even the senior executives present wore frosty expressions, all sharing a common hatred for the enemy!
If the previous poaching was like being hit on the head with a blunt weapon, and the mastermind was nowhere to be found after being exploited to the bone, then the only recourse was a frustrating internal reorganization;

Today, we are being openly mocked and humiliated in front of the entire industry and even the entire internet!

"Chairman Wang, you tell us what to do!"

"Yes, Chairman Wang, we absolutely cannot let Huayi take advantage of us like this. We must teach them a lesson!"

"."

Amidst the rising calls for battle, Old Wang's gloomy expression eased slightly. After glancing around, he sneered, "No rush, let's issue a public announcement first."

But regarding Huayi, I can tell you all clearly that as long as Wanda is alive, this debt will not be settled.”

Old Wang made a series of arrangements in an orderly manner.

Huayi, that lowly hyena, dared to extend its claws at him, so let's chop off its claws and teach it a lesson.

If they still don't know how to respect others, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them!
Just two hours later, Wanda released a statement specifically naming Hua Yi and Ye Ning, among others, which attracted widespread attention online.

The announcement detailed various misconducts by the competitor, including premeditated large-scale poaching and the despicable behavior of Ye Ning and 35 others who disregarded non-compete agreements and violated professional ethics by joining the competitor.

The lengthy announcement, thousands of words long, was sharp-tongued and filled with righteous indignation, revealing a strong murderous intent and a determination to fight to the death!
Every film and television company in the industry knows that, at this point, the feud between the two companies is irreconcilable!
"Moral condemnation? It seems they're out of options for the time being, huh."

"Does that require a response?"

"No need. We'll teach him a lesson at tomorrow's press conference."

"Okay, brother."

After a night of passion, Gao Yuanyuan, beaming with pride, represented Wei Jin and went to the airport to see off Liu Tianwang, Lei Datou, and others.

As for Wei Jin himself, he went to Top Entertainment with his assistant because the time he had agreed to meet with Warner was approaching.

On the way, Wei Jin overheard his assistant mention that Zhang Ziyi was also on the same flight today, and had specifically chosen to fly with Chen Shiren. Clearly, Zhang Ziyi had her sights set on Chen Shiren's film, *The Legend of the Demon Cat*, hoping to use it as a springboard for her comeback.

There's no way around it; the competition in the entertainment industry is too fierce. While Zhang Ziyi was away, other female celebrities in the industry were far from idle, and their resources were quickly divided up.

It's highly unlikely that Zhang Ziyi will make a comeback in the short term unless she's willing to "lower her status." But if she really does "lower her status," will she still be the international star she is today?

Therefore, there aren't many opportunities left for her, and Chen Shiren's "The Legend of the Demon Cat" should be a very suitable resource in the near future.

"Wei, long time no see, congratulations!"

As soon as Wei Jin arrived at the conference room of Peak Entertainment, Warner Paul, who was already in place, came up to him and gave him a bear hug, as if he were the boss.

"Thank you, and congratulations to you, my friend."

Wei Jin also smiled and offered his congratulations. He had heard from Hunter that Paul had recently been promoted to one of Warner's vice presidents of global operations, a significant increase in his power!
"Haha, it's all thanks to you!"

Despite his exaggerated laughter, Paul's tone was sincere; he was genuinely grateful to Wei Jin.

Paul knew very well that without the foundation laid by his years of cooperation with Wei Jin, it would be difficult for him to enter the core level!
After a friendly exchange of pleasantries, the guests and hosts took their seats. As the assistant served coffee, Hunter also handed over information about "Joker".

The film had a budget of $80 million, of which $25 million was Wei Jin's director's salary, and he also enjoyed a 20% priority share of the box office revenue.

After all, this is a project of Top Entertainment. Even brothers should keep clear accounts, and Wei Jin would not treat himself unfairly.

As for Matt, $1000 million will suffice, since this is an award-contending film, so the salary won't be too outrageous!

Paul didn't dwell on it too much and quickly agreed.

Although this price is slightly higher than the market price, Wei Jin never accepts outside projects, so the quote is not a reliable reference.

Given that he is also a screenwriter and director, and holds the sixth richest position in the world, there is no need for him to haggle over his salary.

He had a slightly different opinion, however, regarding the share.

According to the original agreement, Warner had a priority investment right of no less than 20%, but Paul wanted to get a 40% share this time.

Clearly, Warner Bros. has raised its expectations for "Joker" again, wanting to grab a bigger slice of the pie.

But the Wei and Jin dynasties weren't fools. Why would they give away money for a project that was clearly going to make a fortune globally?

After much back and forth, the two sides reached an agreement on a 30% share, which Wei Jin even said was giving Paul face.

"Alright, Paul. Now that we've talked about Joker, how about we talk about The Meg? Is the project budget ready?"

"The initial budget is US$1.3 million. If there are any overruns, we will discuss additional investment."

Wei Jin didn't have much of an opinion on this figure, and given Hollywood's mature production system, it was unlikely that there would be a budget overrun.

What about market share?

"This time I will give a maximum of 30%, and that is for the entire Chinese team. As for Peak Entertainment, it cannot exceed 20%."

"No, Paul, you need to understand that the Chinese market is getting bigger and bigger. 30% is too little, especially considering it's the entire Chinese team. It's not sincere enough. It should be at least 40%!"

After hesitating for a moment, Paul shrugged and spread his hands. "OK, whatever you say. We're friends, after all. Long live friendship!"

"That's right, long live friendship!"

After finalizing the share allocation, the conversation became more relaxed. According to Paul, the pre-production of "The Meg" would take about six months.

During this period, Wei and Jin needed to complete all domestic preparations, including the review process for co-productions.

This time, Wei Jin doesn't plan to bring China Film Group. As for which of the two companies, Shanghai Film Group and Xi'an Film Group, to choose, they still need to consider it further.

In the evening, Wei Jin took Gao Yuanyuan to a cocktail party hosted by Peak Entertainment, where many Hollywood friends were invited.

Such as Taylor Swift, Christopher Nolan, Robert Downey Jr., Captain America, Ryan Reynolds, and others.

Of course, there were also many celebrities who came specifically to get acquainted with Wei Jin, since the Oscars had just ended and everyone was still there.

However, it must be acknowledged that the survival rules of the entertainment industry are universal, and even more pronounced in North America.

In previous gatherings, Ryan had been relatively unknown, but tonight he became the center of attention, with women frequently approaching him to chat.

All of this is because Deadpool is a box office smash in North America. It has only been out for less than a week and its box office is already close to $2 million.

Ryan, who played the male lead, became an overnight sensation and his net worth skyrocketed!

Unfortunately, due to its excessive gore and violence, and even some explicit content, China Film Group rejected the production company's plan to enter the mainland market.

Wei Jin thought to himself, "Since I'm staying in North America these two days, I might as well go and take a look."

"I am very grateful to my wife; it is she who has brought me good fortune, which has made me who I am today."

When Ryan talked to Wei Jin about Blake Lively, his face was full of happiness, clearly very satisfied with his current life.

Indeed, he has a successful career, a young and beautiful wife, and two adorable children. Anyone would be content with that.

Wei Jin was very fortunate that he had resisted the temptation back then, otherwise he would be in a difficult position to face Ruian now.

The atmosphere at the Hollywood party was great, but the atmosphere back home was tense. The reason for this was Huayi's media press conference!

Perhaps no one expected that Huayi Brothers would act so "righteously" in the face of reporters' accusations against Wanda!
"There's no such thing as being immoral. In the end, it's just that people want to move up in society. Since Wanda can't offer others the same treatment, then don't expect employee loyalty!"

As for the claim that it violated a non-compete agreement, that's even more ridiculous. Does signing a non-compete agreement mean you can't change jobs? Is changing jobs unethical?

Or is it that you can't see the clause in the agreement stating that the non-compete agreement can be terminated by paying a penalty?

Huayi may not be as wealthy as Wanda, but we respect talent, especially top talents in the industry like Ye Ning. We will cover the breach of contract penalties for all 35 people and can pay them at any time!

Furthermore, companies that refuse to offer stock options and attempt to lock employees into non-compete agreements are engaging in moral blackmail, which is truly unethical.

Goodness, after the press conference, Huayi not only spoke with confidence, but also subtly pointed out the real reason why Wanda couldn't retain its employees.

This completely reversed public opinion, turning Wanda, the victim, into an object of contempt from the entire industry.

It must be said that Huayi Brothers really has some skills, but this will inevitably escalate the battle between the two sides, and war is imminent.
(End of this chapter)