Entertainment tycoon since 83

Chapter 181 Counterattack England

Of course, generally speaking, the most important person in a series is still the male lead.

Except for a few films, most of the box office revenue is carried by male actors.

Other film studios obviously know this, too.

Huang Ze was sitting in Xinghai Films that day, looking at the financial statements of the company's only film currently being filmed, "Days of Being Wild". Zhang Min came in and told Huang Ze a piece of news, "Li Lianjie is here."

"Oh! Let him in."

Huang Ze put down the report in his hand, and when Li Lianjie came in, he bowed to him and said, "Hey, Master Huang!"

"Haha, sorry for making fun of me!"

Li Lianjie quickly returned the greeting with a salute, "Compared to me, the fake Master Huang, you, Director Huang, are more worthy of the title of Master Huang!"

"I didn't expect that Director Huang would guess that correctly."

"What did you guess right?" Huang Ze really didn't know what he was talking about.

"You said before that after Once Upon a Time in China is released, people will definitely call me Master Huang when they see me."

"Now it seems, it is exactly the same!"

Li Lianjie gave Huang Ze a thumbs up and then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, too many people call me Master Huang. Everyone I meet calls me Master Huang. I almost forgot my last name is Li."

"Haha, isn't it good to have a character that leaves a deep impression on the audience?" Huang Ze smiled, "At least he sounds older and more impressive than Monk Jueyuan."

"That's true."

Li Lianjie couldn't help but recall the time when he was filming "Shaolin Temple". He subconsciously raised his hand and touched his head. Only when he felt that it was not bald did he come out of his memories. "Director Huang, I haven't asked you about the real thing yet. Does the company have any plans for my new film?"

"Not in the last six months!"

There are six film contracts, but only four are left. Huang Ze will not exhaust all the resources and start filming Huang Feihong frantically for Li Lianjie.

Huang Ze knew the other party's potential in kung fu movies.

Therefore, for the time being, these two films shot by the company for Master Huang are enough. The remaining four film contracts need to be carefully considered. It would be a bit not worth it to use them up too easily.

If you use it after a year, its value will be greater.

"Oh, if there are no more films, then I will take other ones!" Li Lianjie couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

After the failure of "Chinese Hero", no Hong Kong film company wanted him to make a movie again.

This time, "Once Upon a Time in China" really gave him a chance to make a comeback.

Not only did it create a similar level of popularity in Hong Kong as "Shaolin Temple" did back then, but the financial benefits it brought him far exceeded that of "Shaolin Temple".

His and Xinghai’s pay was one million per film.

But after the release of "Once Upon a Time in China" and the box office results came out within a few days, the offer he was given was no less than two million.

Some people have even given three million.

He was deeply moved by what he heard.

A movie costs three million, and if you make four or five movies a year, wouldn't you become a multi-millionaire in minutes?

"I have something to tell you." Huang Ze knew why Li Lianjie was laughing, so he told him what he had decided beforehand. "This movie is doing very well at the box office. I'll make the decision and give you a red envelope of 1 million. I'll ask the finance department to deposit the money directly into your account."

"Ouch! Director Huang, no, this is too much!"

Li Lianjie quickly refused.

He really didn't expect such a generous red envelope. He thought Huang Ze would only give him a few tens of thousands of dollars as a token of his appreciation.

After all, I have already signed a full-time contract with Xinghai.

in business.

Even if Xinghai didn't pay him a penny, he couldn't breach the contract during the contract period. Not to mention that this is illegal and he will be sued, and Huang Ze gave him a chance to turn things around, how great a favor is this?

For example, now that the other party has a TV station, he cannot afford to offend them.

It's so hard to make a lot of money, why make enemies for yourself?

Why not just earn less here and more somewhere else?

With Huang Ze's demonstrated directing ability, it never hurts to build good relationships. Next time when you're in a low point, maybe someone will pull you out of it.

Therefore, his refusal was sincere, "I really can't accept it. You have done me a favor. We agreed on the salary before, and this is it."

"Have you heard of the story of Zigong redeeming someone?" Huang Ze asked.

"Ah?" Li Lianjie's eyes were full of doubts.

"If the box office is a big hit, I will give red envelopes to the main actors and so on. If you refuse, then will other people refuse in the future? This is making it difficult for others."

"If you accept it and really want to thank me, why don't you just do a good job in the next one?" Huang Ze smiled, "Besides, if the box office of the next "A Man Should Be Self-reliant" is as good as this one, you will still get a red envelope of one million!"

Huang Ze doesn't think there's anything wrong with an agreement.

Give what is due.

At least it can make the actors feel more balanced.

Although the other party would not deliberately not work hard during the filming period, the long-term mismatch between the remuneration and what they deserve would still affect their enthusiasm.

Huang Ze doesn't want to do a one-size-fits-all deal.

It's obvious that this film can make a lot of money, and sharing some of the profits will also allow for better cooperation in the future.

"Okay, it's settled." He waved his hand.

"Don't dwell on this topic any more. Talk about your film acceptance. I have a suggestion for you. Don't rush to sign a contract with others, especially for the role of Wong Fei Hung. Wait until you can see the box office performance of the second film."

"The second part should be released in September at the latest."

"Is that so?" Li Lianjie nodded thoughtfully, "I think the second part will be more exciting, and the box office will definitely be good. I'll listen to you, Director Huang."

"By the way, who asked you to make a film?" Huang Ze asked casually.

"Golden Harvest, it seems that Director Xu Ke and I are going to work together to shoot a movie called "Huang Feihong"."

“Is there a specific name?”

"I don't know." Li Lianjie shook his head. "I heard that there's not even a script yet."

Li Lianjie also complained, "Hong Kong movies are like this. Once a movie becomes popular, a lot of other movies will follow and quickly copy it. But who cares if you don't make money, you'll lose money."

"Yeah!" Huang Ze nodded slightly, "Then next time I want to film with you, I will contact you three months in advance."

"No problem! I will make sure to free up your schedule for you, Director Huang."

"Okay, it's settled!" Huang Ze shook hands with him and let him leave, continuing to look at the financial statements of "Days of Being Wild".

This guy Wang Jiawei really burns film!

It took more than half a year to prepare and three or four months to shoot, but we have only made this much progress.

"Why don't we go and urge him?"

"Forget about it, slow work produces fine results. Just let him do what he wants without overspending too much. After all, he will be the one to wave the flag for himself in the film industry in the future, so it doesn't hurt to be a little more tolerant."

When Huang Ze was feeling deeply moved, the phone rang.

When I picked up the phone, it was Liang Shuyi's voice, and there was unspeakable joy in her suppressed voice.

"Mr. Huang, good news. A TV station in England has come to buy the copyright of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

"Our show has launched a counterattack against gay England!"

(End of this chapter)