Extracting skills from movies

Chapter 681 He comes with bad intentions!

Faced with the influx of invitations, Du Sheng drew a line in his schedule.

The personal album, which was originally scheduled to be released in the spring of next year, has to be put on hold at this moment.

"It's not that I don't want to."

He rubbed his swollen temples and explained to his assistant:
"This month alone has been busy enough with the filming of the MV for the Olympic theme song."

On that last autumn evening in Beijing, the phone in Du Sheng's office rang one after another.

Several beautiful women called one after another, inviting me for everything from private dinners to yoga sessions.

But he could only smile bitterly, turn off his phone, and finish selecting the songs first.

At noon that day, the cell phone on the desk suddenly vibrated.

Cheng Long's voice came from the receiver, with his signature cheerfulness:

"Ah Sheng, I have a business deal I want to discuss with you."

"Brother Long, I feel embarrassed to refuse your call."

Du Sheng put the coffee cup on the table:
"Just tell me, what's the matter?"

"There's a Rob Minkoff in Hollywood who wants to make an oriental kung fu movie."

Cheng Long paused:
"He wants me and Jet Li to ..."

"The Forbidden Kingdom, right?"

Du Sheng raised the corner of his mouth:
"But I'm afraid I can't help with this movie."

Du Sheng knew which one it was as soon as he heard it, but he was not very interested in it.

First of all, there was no suitable role for him in the movie.

Secondly, he did not think it was a particularly outstanding work.

The total investment of the film was close to 4 million yuan, but the domestic box office failed to recoup even one-third of the investment, which was quite disappointing.

Even with the global box office total of $1.28 million and the revenue of approximately $2533 million from VCD and Blu-ray discs, the converted return was still insufficient and almost caused investors to suffer losses.

Rob Minkoff wanted to make this movie because he saw the huge commercial potential of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, and intended to show the spectacular scene of two oriental Kung Fu superstars competing on the same stage.

Indeed, many fans are eager to see these two Eastern Kung Fu legends working together.

But the result was like a poor imitator, and it failed to arouse the resonance they expected.

"oops."

Cheng Long sighed on the other end of the phone:
"That Minkov guy insisted that you play a role."

Du Sheng smiled and shook his head:

"Brother Long, you know, my schedule is even busier than the Spring Festival travel rush."

"Don't make excuses."

Cheng Long suddenly lowered his voice:

"To be honest, I'm embarrassed to call you.

Let today's top stars play supporting roles for us old antiques?
Where can I put my old face... But Minkov is a stickler!"

"That's what you said."

Du Sheng couldn't help laughing:

"It is my honor to be a supporting role for these two Kung Fu masters!"

"Come on this."

Cheng Long was laughing and coughing on the other end of the phone:

"You are now more popular than us old guys.

If you play a supporting role for me again, my fans will post posters about me all over the Internet."

"Brother Long, thank you for the compliment."

"Since you have no idea, just keep it for now."

Just as Du Sheng was about to continue, Cheng Long suddenly changed the subject:

"Mingkov is also looking for investors from the mainland. Are you interested?"

Du Sheng looked a little strange when he heard this.

“How many shares will the other party give?”

"That's all."

Cheng Long said helplessly:
"It's just a small change."

"That's it."

Du Sheng chuckled:

"But if you let them get more, I can consider it."

"Okay."

Cheng Long laughed even more happily on the other end of the phone:

"I told you that you have been a smart kid since you were young."

After hanging up the phone, Du Sheng stared at the sycamore tree outside the window in a daze.

Rob Minkoff will probably never understand why "The Forbidden Kingdom" received a lukewarm response in the country.

This movie is like a foreigner observing the East through a telescope. It films Kung Fu like acrobatics and tells the story like a fairy tale.

Even when there was a kung fu showdown between him and Jet Li, the audience didn't buy it.

Back in 2008, "Red Cliff Part I" directed by Rain Wu swept the box office, and its performance of 3.1 million yuan made "The Forbidden Kingdom" unable to even make it into the top three.

Even "Painted Skin" and "CJ7" easily broke 200 million, which shows that the audience prefers local stories.

“Hollywood is Hollywood.”

Du Sheng said to himself:

"They will never understand that Eastern stories need to be told by Eastern people."

He opened his notebook and began to study the investment plan mentioned by Cheng Long.

Hollywood wants to take advantage of the mainland's favorable conditions, but is reluctant to make concessions. This kind of "cooperation" is really unattractive.

However, if I could get more shares...

The phone vibrated again. It was a new message from the assistant:

"Rob Minkoff's team is in BJ and would like to arrange a meeting with you."

Du Sheng raised a mysterious smile:
"Tell them to wait a moment and send the contract over first."

Du Sheng's thoughts drifted back to his previous life, when Huayi Pictures' investment in "The Forbidden Kingdom" was a mere 8 million US dollars, which was just a small piece of the huge cost pie, about %.

But on second thought, this movie not only recovered its costs in the end, but also paved a shining stage for the company's artists and built a bridge of communication with Hollywood.

After considering this, Du Sheng still had some thoughts in his mind.

Now, this little money is like change in his pocket, which he can take out at will.

Although he looks down on this kind of harvest movie, there is no doubt that the cast is strong.

As long as it is announced to the public, it is guaranteed that countless top figures in the circle will take action upon hearing the news.

Not to mention, in her previous life, Sissi was the heroine of this film.

In addition, a few more interstellar artists can be squeezed in.

Anyway, the main thing being consumed is the fame of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, and they don't care, so Du Sheng naturally won't worry about anything.

Speaking of which, the partner that Rob Minkoff originally had in mind should be Huayi Pictures.

After all, Huayi was considered the leader in the distribution industry in its previous life. When Hollywood blockbusters wanted to enter the Eastern market, the first thing they thought of was it.

It has a large number of artists under its banner, almost accounting for half of the entertainment industry. It has a huge lineup and its strength should not be underestimated.

But even so, Huayi always finds it difficult to break free from the shackles of profitability, which is like a curse in the film and television industry.

It looks glamorous on the surface, but in reality, it is extremely difficult to make money from movies, TV series to being an artist.

Even the money Wang Zhongjun had saved up over the years was not even a fraction of what Du Sheng earned from Renren.com last year. Not to mention, in this era, Star Media had emerged with such a strong momentum that it had directly squeezed the market share of established companies such as Huayi, leaving little behind.

Cheng Long knew that investing in "The Forbidden Kingdom" was the golden key to entering Hollywood, and it was also a great opportunity for Interstellar Media to expand its international presence.

That's why he tried his best to recommend it to Robert Minkoff.

Although Robert had also heard of Du Sheng's international reputation, especially after his fight with Tyson in North America, he was known to almost everyone, young and old.

But he didn't know much that Du Sheng was still the helmsman across several industries in the East.

To be on the safe side, Robert asked his assistant to check whether the other party could come up with 10 million.

In North America, especially black stars in the NBA and boxing circles, although they earn a lot, they have no intention of saving money and spend money like water.

If you cooperate with such people, you will definitely lose money.

However, this investigation gave him a shock.

According to data provided by Hurun, Du Sheng’s wealth exceeds 1 billion!

This number would put one at the bottom of the rich list even in North America.

This means that the personal assets of this Asian star alone are on par with the top 500 bigwigs in the Beacon Country!
"Oh my god, how did this person you recommended do it?"

Rob called to ask, his jaw dropped:

"I always thought he was just an actor and a boxer, how come he has such amazing investment skills?"

Cheng Long smiled:
"Let me put it this way, I am not surprised by anything that happens to Du Sheng, because he is a man who can create miracles!"

Rob listened and nodded thoughtfully:
"You're right. Compared to him, the little money I've made from filming over the past decade is nothing.

Du Sheng has only been in the industry for more than three years, but he has accumulated wealth that is beyond the reach of anyone in the world. He is truly a genius among geniuses!

Since he has no time to act, then invite him to join the investment, which will definitely help the Asian box office..."

According to the latest Hurun Rich List, Du Sheng's wealth has skyrocketed like a rocket, and has entered the top ten of the mainland rich list.

And this does not include foreign investments and hidden wealth.

If we take this into account, this number will probably increase by a few more.

Huang Guoyu, who is currently at the top of the list, has a net worth of only 200 billion.

Mr. Ma, who founded the Penguin Empire, ranked 43th with a net worth of 35 billion yuan.

Ma Yun from Alibaba can't even get to the last 50th place, but she is still catching up bravely. It is impossible for her to have no interest in money.

But in 2007, the rich list seemed to have changed completely.

The leader of Country Garden suddenly jumped to the top of the list with an astonishing wealth of 1300 billion yuan.

In just one year, the total assets of the top 500 people on the Hurun Rich List in the oriental country skyrocketed to 1800 billion US dollars, like a balloon.

You have to know that in 2006, this figure was only around billion US dollars.

Such a big change is simply astonishing.

All of this proves two major trends that are driving wealth.

First, the real estate industry began to flourish;
Second, the Eastern economy is galloping forward like a wild horse.

At that time, as long as you seized the opportunity, you could make a lot of money even if you started a small business such as home decoration or selling aluminum.

As for Du Sheng, the fields he is involved in include real estate, automobiles, cinemas, games, media, etc., in addition to the entertainment industry.

In addition, if you achieve a certain degree of success in each of them, it will be natural for wealth to accumulate.

When Robert learned about the huge wealth hidden behind Du Sheng, all his doubts disappeared, and he urgently asked Cheng Long to invite Du Sheng to invest in "The Forbidden Kingdom".

Cheng Long told Du Sheng about this and smiled:
"Ah Sheng, you can never imagine how shocked Lao Luo was when he found out about your worth!"

"Isn't this ghost guy shocked by my talent?"

Du Sheng shook his head and said jokingly:
"It seems that the person who came here is evil!"

"Haha, he really doesn't look like a good person."

Cheng Long joked:
"1000 million US dollars, are you sure about the investment?"

He also told Rob about his little thoughts.

For example, asking Miracle Cinemas to provide screening schedules and borrowing Du Sheng's connections to pass the review.

"Investment is fine, but the distribution rights in mainland China and Hong Kong must belong to us exclusively, and I also have to be given a few roles as an actor."

After hearing Du Sheng's request, Cheng Long called Yuan Luobo again.

"Jackie, we can discuss the roles. But they need to pass the audition. Not just anyone can join this movie."

Rob Minkoff made a small offer.

"In addition, the number of cinema chains in mainland China must be no less than 800."

"Miracle Cinemas currently has over 400 theaters, and there will be even more next year. This problem is easy to solve."

Cheng Long responded easily.

……

Since the next day was a holiday, the people at the IOC Operations Center left work earlier than usual.

Du Sheng was dressed casually, with a jacket and casual pants, looking particularly casual.

Fan Bingbing on the side was wrapped in a black coat and wore a pair of cute fox earmuffs on her ears.

"Next up, you'll be busy preparing for your new movie Taken and promoting The Departed, so time must be very tight.

How about we go out for dinner together tonight?"

After wandering around here for most of the day, Fan Bingbing couldn't help but make a suggestion.

Du Sheng shook his head slightly:

“It’s cold outside at night, why not go home and eat?

There happens to be a Miracle Cinema nearby, so we can go watch your movie after dinner."

"Really? That's great!"

Fan Bingbing smiled charmingly and happily.

There are many movies released during this year's National Day.

Such as "War of War" starring Liu Dehua and Fan Bingbing, and the art film "My Aunt's Postmodern Life" starring Zhou Runfa and Siqin Gaowa.
Historical war blockbuster "Tokyo Trial", Hollywood 3D animation "Jungle Counterattack", etc.

Du Sheng had rarely watched these movies in his previous life, but this time he happened to have time to come across them, so he decided to watch a movie to relax.

The nearby Miracle Cinema has scheduled all the films except "Independence Day" for screening.

It is lively, but the box office performance is a bit wilted, like a flower wilted by rain.

The most eye-catching one is "The Da Vinci Code" starring Tom Hanks, which is expected to exceed 1 million box office in China by the end.

The second is "The Warring States", which has a box office performance of more than 4000 million, which is considered average.

However, such box office performance is not particularly special at a time when new records are being set one after another.

If Liu Dehua hadn't called him a few days ago and invited him to attend the premiere of "The Warring States", and if Fan Bingbing hadn't played the leading female role in this film, Du Sheng probably wouldn't have had the time to pay attention to this National Day movie.

However, Liu Dehua had been very kind to him in the past, so he had to go to see the movie when it was released.

As for the invitation sent to Du Sheng by the Spring Festival Gala program team not long ago, wanting him to perform Kung Fu on stage?
Considering the long rehearsal time, as well as the preparations for the new play and the promotion of "The Departed", he had no choice but to decline.

After dinner, Du Sheng drove Fan Bingbing for a few rounds, and they stopped when they passed a movie theater.

Finally, I chose "The Warring States", bought the ticket and went to the cinema.

As soon as he walked into the hall, Du Sheng saw a still of Liu Dehua, so he took a photo and sent it over.

Liu Dehua opened his phone and saw the photos sent by Du Sheng, and couldn't help laughing out loud.

The photo shows a pair of slender white hands holding two movie tickets, and Du Sheng and Fan Bingbing can be vaguely seen.

He smiled and showed the photo to his fiancée Zhu Liqian:

"Ah Sheng is such a romantic guy. He always has a different girlfriend by his side."

.........

(End of this chapter)