During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 876 Men are the New Directors of Twist and Mahua FunAge Until Death

Perhaps it was Lao Jiang's reminder that had an effect, because the Beijing Film Academy did not put up banners for "Chasing Dreams in the Entertainment Industry".

However, thanks to the full support of the acting academy, the screening and seminar were still of a very high standard.

Many renowned directors who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, such as Ning Hao, Lu Yang, Wen Muye, and Cao Baoping, all showed their respect by attending the event.

However, it's clear that everyone who went was disgusted by this so-called worst film in history.

Sure enough, Ning Hao and the others had just returned from school and couldn't wait to rush to Wei Jin's office, where they started complaining all at once.

"I'm fucking speechless. Ten years of hard work, and this is the piece of junk they produced? It's like a pile of shit, it stinks to high heaven!"

"That's right, senior brother, you have no idea how disgusting it is. What kind of bullshit did you film? It's a textbook that teaches students how to use unspoken rules and how to get ahead!"

On average, there's a case of unspoken rules every five minutes, with the male protagonist providing narration throughout. There are more than ten storylines, yet they never intersect.

And the editing was a complete mess, it looked like it was shot with a phone's rear camera, I almost got dizzy watching it, it was absolutely terrible!

Ning Hao and Lu Yang took turns attacking, and although Wen Mu didn't say anything, his expression showed that he also agreed.

"If I had known it was such a piece of junk, I would never have gone. No one's face matters!"

Ning Hao looked like he'd been tricked by his mentor, which amused Wei Jin, who pointed at the three of them and teased, "Didn't you guys ever think about running away beforehand?"

"How could I not have thought of that? But Teacher Cao made an excuse to leave before the first third of the performance was over, and everyone who followed was kept under surveillance."

Not only could I not escape, but acting students kept coming over to pour me tea and water, practically reminding me to pay attention to the movie. It was infuriating!

As Lu Yang finished speaking, Wen Mu added, "I was alright. I sat next to Director Gu and followed his example by closing my eyes to rest. I managed to get through the second half."

"And what about the seminar afterwards?"

"What's there to discuss? This film is utterly devoid of substance, filled with criticism, behind-the-scenes stories, unspoken rules, negativity, and the dark side of society. It doesn't offer anything positive, lacking both a summary and any thematic elevation. What's there to discuss?"

"That's right, apart from the few of us, Wang Xiaoshuai, Guan Hu, Lu Chuan, and everyone else present didn't say a word."

"It's just those guys from the acting academy making a fuss over nothing, bragging like they're something special. They'll be proven wrong when it's released, and that'll be a real pain."

"There's no way they can escape it!"

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to get yelled at to death, but I'm kind of looking forward to it, hahaha."

The three of them unanimously made a judgment on "Chasing Dreams in the Entertainment Industry," which immediately improved their mood, and they even had time to linger in Wei Jin's office, drinking tea and chatting.

After brewing the tea twice, Wei Jin remembered something, "By the way, senior brother, we still haven't decided when to release 'Mr. Donkey'?"

"I've thought it through, but I haven't had a chance to discuss it with Mr. Zhong yet."

Ning Hao explained, "I was thinking that Director Zhang's movie is scheduled for release in mid-to-late May, so I'll release mine in mid-April. It'll be about the same."

"That works, it's just about enough time."

Wei Jin nodded, then looked at Wen Muye, "What about 'Sheep Without a Shepherd'? The Lunar New Year slot is yours, are you confident?"

"Absolutely! Senior brother, just watch how I dominate the battlefield!"

Wen Mu was also very impressive. He participated in the entire production from beginning to end, and both the script quality and the cast were top-notch.

Although the Lunar New Year film season is still far away, he feels that it is entirely possible to look forward to becoming the dominant force in the season. The company can't be at the bottom for several years, can it?
These words were very much to Lu Yang's liking, and he immediately put his arm around Wen Muye's shoulder and shook his head.

"Yes, that's the kind of spirit you need, otherwise how can you be my little brother? I'll stand up for you when the time comes, and we'll beat Feng Dapao and kick Li An!"

Wei Jin glanced at Lu Yang and said, "Come on, don't be ridiculous. Xiao Wen has already broken 10 billion, and you're still lagging behind. That would be embarrassing."

"Who are you underestimating? If 'Brotherhood of Blades 3' doesn't break 10 billion yuan during the National Day holiday, I'll offer my head to you!"

These words instantly reminded Wei Jin of the movie "Arrogant 2," and he quickly raised his hand, laughing and cursing, "Don't you dare bring up heads so easily, how many heads do you have?"

It's said that a man remains a boy until death, and Wei Jin's words clearly provoked Lu Yang, who retorted with a stiff neck, "Then what do you say, senior brother?"

"Here's what we'll do: at the end of the year, we'll see who ranks last among the three directors from Beijing Film Academy. Whoever is last will have to shave their head for the rest of the year."

Lu Yang and Wen Mu exchanged a glance, and the image of the other's bald head immediately flashed into their minds. They decided to take the gamble!
"OK, no problem."

At this moment, Ning Hao interjected, "Hey, you three, Guo Fan isn't even here, and he doesn't have any movies released this year, yet you're just making decisions for him like this?"

"What else can we do? It's his fault for taking his wife abroad to live a carefree life and constantly showing off their love on social media. My wife is always arguing with me about it."

"Hahaha"

The Revenant was released in the film market.

Despite being an art-house film, it also incorporates a lot of political elements and didn't invest much in pre-production publicity.
But the buzz surrounding its 12 Oscar nominations, coupled with Leonardo DiCaprio's starring role and his strong defense of his Best Actor title, is enough to generate audience anticipation.

Theaters are also very optimistic about this film, as its global box office has already exceeded 5 million US dollars!
As a result, on the first day of its release, the film had an average screening rate of no less than 24%, second only to Zootopia, which had already grossed 13 billion yuan at the box office.

The film's box office performance fully justifies its screening schedule.

On its opening day, the film grossed over 6600 million yuan; it then surged in the weekend, with box office takings exceeding 8500 million yuan for two consecutive days.

In its opening weekend, The Revenant raked in a staggering 2.38 million yuan at the box office, a truly amazing feat!

In contrast, several other films released at the same time received a lukewarm response.

The movie "Los Angeles Mischief Plan" starring Song Hye-kyo, Yang Zi, and Xia Yu grossed less than 10 million yuan in its opening weekend.

Compared to the production cost of over 30 million, it's absolutely impossible to break even; the production company must be crying in the bathroom.

The movie "The Uninvited Guest," starring Leon Lai, Geng Le, and Han Chae-young, was even worse!

The production company originally planned to release the film in early April, but due to fierce competition during the Qingming Festival period, they moved it up to mid-to-late March.

Ultimately, it couldn't escape becoming cannon fodder; after its opening weekend, the film's box office was less than 500 million.

Based on this data, let alone making a profit, the final revenue sharing might not even cover the marketing and distribution costs, resulting in a huge loss!
On the contrary, the film "The Formula of Love" starring newcomers Zhao Liying and Zhang Han performed relatively well, with box office revenue exceeding 3500 million yuan in its opening weekend.

This drama was a script that Zhao Liying accepted before "The Journey of Flower" aired last year, when her salary was not too high.

The total production cost of the entire show is estimated to be around 15 million, and judging from the current situation, breaking even should not be a problem.

Without a doubt, Zhao Liying's big-screen debut was a success, and the film industry has gained another actress vying for attention!
With the release of many other films, "Detective Chinatown," which had been in theaters for over six weeks, finally ran out of steam and ended its extended run ahead of schedule.

There's no other way; daily earnings have fallen below 10. Rather than lingering on, it's better to make a graceful exit and leave some room for our industry peers.

"Produced by Shanhe Media and Fiber Optic Pictures, written and directed by Wei Jin, co-directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, and starring Wang Baoqiang, Ni Ni, Liu Haoran, Xiao Yang and others;
The suspenseful comedy film "Detective Chinatown," released during the Spring Festival, concluded its run yesterday morning after 45 days, grossing a total of 23.36 billion yuan! "Detective Chinatown unfortunately lost to 'Yunnan Insect Valley,' ranking fourth on the domestic box office chart!"

With the movie a huge success, a celebration banquet was inevitable, and Fiber Optic Old Wang was quite enthusiastic about it, taking the initiative to do so, and the venue was set at the Marriott Hotel.

However, due to the postponement, the film was pulled from theaters at the last minute, so no invitations were sent out to the industry in advance, and the celebration banquet was not large in scale.

Besides the two major production companies, most of the other companies in the industry also sent some representatives.

Including some celebrities from the industry who came to show their support, and more than a dozen media outlets, there were about fifteen or sixteen tables in total.

Although the event was small, the atmosphere was quite good because everyone who came was someone I was close to.

For companies like Mahua FunAge, almost everyone was present except for founder Zhang Chen, Shen Teng, Mary, Allen, and others; friends of the main creative team, including Bao Qiang, Ni Ni, and Xiao Yang, were also there.

The social time before the celebration banquet began was very lively.

Yan Fei and Peng Damo, who have both joined the 20 billion yuan director club, were undoubtedly the focus of the event and were eagerly interviewed by the media.

Following closely behind are Bao Qiang and Ni Ni, the main creative team members. Both of them have recently seen their net worth skyrocket and have received many congratulations.

Meanwhile, Wei Jin, the host, was also busy, chatting with Zhang Chen, the founder of Mahua, about the new project.

Judging from Zhang Chen's words, this time it's still a stage play adaptation, after all, these are the only IPs that Mahua FunAge has to offer.

Wei Jin immediately expressed his support, saying that although last year's film "A Moment of Heaven" was a failure, he still recognized Mahua FunAge's achievements.

What surprised Wei Jin was that Mahua FunAge was actually going to promote a new director this time.

"Song Yang?"

Seeing that Wei Jin didn't react for a moment, Zhang Chen waved his hand, and a man with a mature appearance immediately came over with a smile to greet him.

Goodness, it turns out to be Zhang Yang from the movie "Goodbye Mr. Loser" who said the classic line, "I call you brother, and you call me dad."

In fact, Wei Jin visited the Mahua Theater quite often and had met Song Yang.

Compared to Shen Teng, Mary, and Allen, Song Yang is much more low-key, which is a bit of a mismatch.

"Mr. Wei, although Song Yang has no experience directing films, he is the screenwriter and director of the stage play we are currently adapting."

Zhang Chen gave Song Yang a detailed introduction, and the implication was very clear.

In other words, although Song Yang is not formally trained in acting, he is very familiar with scripts and has participated in the creation and adaptation of many projects, so he is capable.

"Mr. Zhang, once the script and budget are finalized, just send them to the group for review."

Wei Jin had no intention of interfering in the internal management of Mahua; he only needed the company to ensure quality control.

His statement put Zhang Chen at ease.

Although Yan Fei and Peng Damo have entered the 20 billion yuan director club and brought huge support to Mahua FunAge, it is still far from enough.

If Mahua wants to develop and even plan to go public in the future, it must cultivate a reserve of talent and take multiple approaches!

As for Song Yang, he was even more excited and expressed his opinion on the spot.

"President Wei, rest assured, I will do my best."

Wei Jin patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Yes, do a good job."

After some socializing, the celebration banquet began.

At Xie Nan's invitation, Wei Jin, along with Fiber Optic Lao Wang, Yan Fei, and Peng Damo, smashed the ice sculpture symbolizing box office success, drawing applause from the audience.

The cameras of media reporters clicked away, capturing this memorable moment.

Then, Wei Jin generously handed over 2000 million yuan as a red envelope to the main creative team, bringing the atmosphere to its peak.

Unfortunately, although "Detective Chinatown" couldn't beat "The Mermaid" at the box office, it was more profitable due to its higher production costs!

The box office revenue alone reached 9.2 million yuan. When the fees for pre-roll ads, product placements, and copyright revenue are included, the total revenue reaches 12 billion yuan.

Even after deducting the production cost of 80 million and the marketing expenses of 50 million, the return exceeded 10.7 billion, with a net profit margin of more than ten times, which can be described as exorbitant!

Under these circumstances, how could Boss Wei be stingy? Even Old Wang, who is usually very frugal, had no objection to it at all.

After all, with a 20 million investment in fiber optics, a 15% share would have yielded a profit of 160 million, so this small bonus is really just a drop in the ocean.

Of course, the creative team was also very happy, and they all smiled broadly after receiving the red envelopes.

Even the reporters who came to show their support gave a thumbs up, praising President Wei's generosity—because their travel expenses were also quite substantial.

Therefore, the atmosphere at the celebration banquet was quite good, filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

However, Wei Jin did not expect that Old Wang was in such a hurry, already planning a sequel even though the play had just finished its run.

“Brother, it won’t be that fast. It’ll be at least next year, maybe even the year after,” Wei Jin said, glancing at Old Wang.

For a film series like "Detective Chinatown" that has achieved both critical and commercial success, sequels are definitely not something that can be rushed into production.

The best approach is to release one film every two to three years to maximize audience appeal and unleash box office potential.

"Brother, I'm not rushing you, but don't forget about fiber optics when the time comes. I'm not greedy, just give me the share you think is appropriate."

Old Wang kept rambling on, looking like he was afraid of being left behind by Wei Jin to work alone. After all, fiber optics really didn't contribute much to this show; he just won by doing nothing.

"Don't worry, I won't forget you, brother, once it's started."

Upon receiving Wei Jin's promise, Old Wang beamed with joy, raised his wine cup to toast him again, and then brought up another matter.

"Brother, Baoqiang and Deng Chao's new movie is probably going to start filming at the end of the month. Do you want to come and support them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bao Qiang on the table, as well as Ni Ni and Chen Yuqi sitting on either side of Wei Jin, all had expectant looks on their faces.

Everyone knows that for someone of Wei Jin's status and position, attending the press conference would definitely boost his exposure!

"Let's talk about it then."

There are no fools in the entertainment industry. Everyone present could tell that Wei Jin was politely declining, but apart from some regret, they had no other emotions.

Old Wang then invited everyone to drink, and the atmosphere became quite harmonious throughout the meal, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves.
(End of this chapter)