1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 37 Reserved
Wherever people live together, there will be entertainment for the people.

By the end of the 1960s, Hong Kong's population had approached four million, and there were more than one hundred cinemas.

More than a decade has passed, and to date, the city's population and number of theaters have increased by more than 30% year-on-year.

A number of new theaters replaced the old theaters.

Among them is the rising star located in Sau Mau Ping - Kim Mau Ping Theatre.

The Jin Mao Ping Theatre opened in 1978, and a number of film and television stars were invited to cut the ribbon in person, creating a grand scene.

The cinema is a single-building building with over a thousand seats divided into main seats and premium seats.

The seats in the hall are divided into front, middle and back seats, with a ticket price of more than ten yuan, and super seats cost twenty to thirty yuan.

“With such luxurious decoration, it can be regarded as one of the landmarks of Sau Mau Ping.”

Zhai Yuan arrived at the entrance of Jinmaoping Theater.

There were many vendors outside, selling sugar canes, fish balls, roasted chestnuts and so on, and the sound of hawking was deafening.

Going to the movies is still a luxury these days. An average family in a housing estate would only go to the cinema once every few months.

But the city's large population base and citizens' rotating purchase of tickets are enough for theaters to maintain profitability.

After buying a ticket for the movie "The Thousand Faces of Dunjia" which was currently showing, Zhai Yuan walked into the theater.

As you enter the hall, the first thing that catches your eye is the spectacular crystal chandelier above your head.

There are special ticket inspectors in the hall who will guide the audience into the theater after checking the ticket stubs.

"If they continue to operate in this way, in a few years, all these so-called new-style theaters will be gone."

Zhai Yuan looked around and found that the new theater like Jinmaoping had advantages over the old theater only in decoration and equipment, while the management philosophy was still the same as that of the old theater.

There are thousands of seats, but they are all crammed into the same theater, and only one movie is shown each time.

Relying entirely on the quality of the films to retain customers, the business risks are frighteningly high.

Take the movie "The Thousand Faces of Dunjia" that is currently being shown in the cinema.

In Zhai Yuan's mind, this movie can be regarded as a model of ingenuity in Hong Kong action films, but now in a theater with a capacity of thousands of people, the attendance rate is estimated to be only about 20 to 30 percent, and a large number of empty seats are wasted.

"Luckily, Hong Kong movies are still popular now. If you were only shown 'Dreaming of Show Business', the theater owner would lose a lot of money!"

Zhai Yuan felt that the officials in the Legislative Council had a longer-term vision than businessmen, otherwise they would not have passed the mini-theater bill.

Unfortunately, businessmen now look down on mini theaters, thinking that fewer seats mean less profit. Moreover, transformation means giving up existing achievements, so how many people are willing to do that?

"It's better to go barefoot like me. There's no worries. Just do it and it's done."

Zhai Yuan stayed in the theater for a few minutes, but did not finish watching the movie. He returned to the ticket office in the hall.

He stopped a ticket collector and asked, "Where is your manager?"

The ticket collector was a girl in her twenties. When she heard what Zhai Yuan said, she thought he was dissatisfied with the theater's service.

She smiled professionally: "Hello, sir. My manager is busy with other things right now. How can I help you?"

"You can't help me, sister~"

Zhai Yuan smiled at her and said, "I want to discuss cooperation with your theater. Please ask the manager to come over."

The ticket inspector looked Zhai Yuan up and down with suspicion, finding it hard to believe that such a young man could discuss any cooperation.

"Do you want to do business outside the theater?"

The ticket inspector suddenly lowered her voice, approached Zhai Yuan and said, "Since you are still young, I tell you that you don't need to discuss this matter with the theater. You can set up the booth yourself. When the theater sends someone to inquire, you can shamelessly say that you have already paid the booth fee. They usually won't make things difficult for you."

You're quite a nice person.

Zhai Yuan felt that the young lady was kind-hearted, and if her figure didn’t meet his aesthetic standards, they could have been friends.

Maybe it was because he was dressed a little shabbily today. He was wearing an old shirt and shorts, holding a black plastic bag in his hand, and wearing a pair of handmade cloth shoes bought by Zhao Meizhen. His image was out of tune with the other audiences in the theater.

After all, other audiences only go to the movies once a month or so, so when they come they are all dressed up very neatly, with a full sense of ceremony.

"Sister, you misunderstood. I have other serious things to do. These are the materials I brought."

Zhai Yuan opened the plastic bag, revealing copyright certificates in both Chinese and English, screening permission, and a videotape.

Although the ticket inspector couldn't understand it, she subconsciously felt that the text printed on the A4 paper was very high-end, especially the English.

"Please wait a moment. I will go get the manager now."

Not long after, the ticket inspector led a middle-aged man towards Zhai Yuan.

"Hello sir, I am the manager of this theater, my last name is Qian, how can I help you?"

Manager Qian glanced at the plastic bag in Zhai Yuan's hand and asked with a warm smile.

"Hello, Manager Qian. I would like to ask, if I rent your theater, how much does it cost per day?"

"Sir, you are joking. Kim Mau Ping is the most luxurious theater in Kwun Tong. If you book it all, it will cost at least 50,000 Hong Kong dollars a day."

This sounds a bit familiar.

But fifty thousand a day is indeed too expensive. He now has less than five thousand Hong Kong dollars left of all his belongings.

Zhai Yuan looked up at Manager Qian and said calmly, "Yes, the price is reasonable. Can we sign a contract first?"

Manager Qian was startled, with an expression that said 'are you serious?'

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" Zhai Yuan's expression was casual and indifferent, but his tone was full of pressure.

"no no."

Manager Qian waved his hand, and then looked at Zhai Yuan with a more curious look in his eyes: "To be honest, our theater has done the business of renting out the entire theater before, but it was always some big bosses who asked their employees to rent out the theater to watch a play, and usually only one or two shows. May I ask, sir, what are you going to do with the whole day renting it out?"

"Make money."

Zhai Yuan said without any hesitation: "I have an American movie in my hand, and I am very optimistic about it, so I want to show it in your theater."

"what?"

Manager Qian was stunned. This was the first time he heard of such an operation.

When theaters distribute movies, they negotiate a ratio with the production company, and usually the theaters take 60 percent.

Although it sounds high, we have to consider that both parties bear the risk of profit and loss. If the movie is a flop, the theater's losses may be greater than that of the production company.

Operations like Zhai Yuan's that directly rent out theaters for movie distribution are equivalent to transferring all risks to himself.

What kind of movie can guarantee a profit? Did you get Cheng Shilong's new film?
Manager Qian looked at Zhai Yuan with a troubled expression.

"Sir, may I have a moment with you?"

"Okay."

ten minutes later.

Theater office.

Manager Qian looked through the copyright certificate and screening license, slowly exhaled, and looked up at Zhai Yuan.

"Is this the Jennifer that was mentioned in the news recently?"

"That's right."

Zhai Yuan got straight to the point: "Hurry up, I'll sign a three-day contract with you. After three days, regardless of whether we make a profit or a loss, I'll pay you the 150,000 yuan in rent in one lump sum."

(End of this chapter)