The world begins with Hong Kong movies

Chapter 344 How is it possible?

"Xia is really amazing!"

In the elegantly decorated booth of the bar, Yanfang looked at the exquisite magazine in her hand, a look of surprise on her face.

What she was holding was a popularity ranking magazine internally published by the entertainment group behind Fengrui Films.

The first page features the latest monthly and quarterly popularity rankings.

The most eye-catching thing, of course, is the approximate income shown after the popularity ranking.

Everyone understands the principle of not flaunting wealth!

The department that operates the group's internal magazine wouldn't be so clueless as to compile overly detailed data on the income of the listed celebrities.

However, even just a general overview is already very appealing.

Of course, the data on the list only includes revenue earned through the group's channels; revenue from other sources is not included.

In other words, if a celebrity who is on the trending list makes money through real estate or stock speculation, it will not be recorded on the list.

The emergence of the popularity rankings has a significant impact on the company's celebrities and entertainment staff.

Seeing colleagues making millions while you can only earn tens of thousands, the sense of loss is unimaginable.

Although a monthly income of tens of thousands is already considered high income in Hong Kong, it still depends on who you compare it to!

If we're all actors, and there's a huge difference between our acting skills and appearance, it would be very embarrassing and shameful if the difference in our earnings were too great.

If things go wrong, your colleagues and superiors might suspect that you're slacking off.

The emergence of the trending magazine caused quite a stir within the entertainment group, and it naturally caused an even greater sensation when it spread outside.

Putting aside other things, celebrities from other companies will subconsciously be compared.

If the gap isn't too big, it's fine, but if the gap is too large, it might cause people to lose their composure.

When it comes to the popularity charts of the entertainment group to which Fengrui Films belongs, they have always been dominated by several of the company's female celebrities.

As the company's top female employee, Wen Bixia has consistently ranked first in income.

And so it is; this person frequently tops the popularity charts.

It's not that there are no challengers, but that none of them are as determined as she is!
As mentioned earlier, Wen Bixia's background is among the worst in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, where most actresses don't come from privileged backgrounds.

Her family was so poor that she had to run away from home at the age of sixteen to make a living in society, which clearly showed her strong motivation to earn money.

I will never let any opportunity slip by.

Fengrui Films produces sixteen or seventeen films a year, and Wen Bixia plays the lead role in at least four of them.

She wouldn't hesitate to take on any role as the second female lead in any other film, as long as it was suitable.

Her colleagues at the company nicknamed her "the workaholic wife"!

If the company didn't have high standards for film production and for the actors, Wen Bixia would probably have started taking on multiple roles in quick succession in order to earn more money.

It might not matter in other companies, but she wouldn't dare to act so recklessly at Fengrui Films.

Even so, she was busy from the beginning to the end of the year and didn't have much free time.

And so, she reaped rich rewards through her own efforts.

On the newly released internal popularity ranking, Wen Bixia is still ranked number one. Her income last month was around two million, and her earnings last quarter exceeded five million.

Don't underestimate this!

At that time, even the most popular actress in Hong Kong, Cherie Chung, only received around HK$750,000 for a single film.

Among the actresses, Anita Yuen received the highest salary, earning over a million yuan per film, which is far less than that of male stars of the same level.

This high salary is only possible because of her status as a top singer; otherwise, it would be at most a little over 500,000.

The actress who recently became a sensation, Nie Xiaoqian, only earned around HK$600,000 for a single film, similar to Brigitte Lin.

To reiterate, if the income wasn't low, why would female celebrities in Hong Kong be so determined to marry into wealthy families?

If mainland celebrities had the income of the traffic era, why would they care whether their partner was a so-called rich kid?
Fan Xiaopang's line, "I am the wealthy family," is still quite memorable, and in fact, she eventually lived up to it.

With the wealth she possesses, she would definitely be considered a 'wealthy family' at least in her hometown.

Currently, Wen Bixia can earn two million a month and five million a quarter, which is definitely not a small amount.

Moreover, Fengrui Films is known for its adherence to rules in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

At least in terms of paying taxes normally, they are quite proactive.

Of course, Fengrui Film & Television Company will not turn a blind eye to legitimate and normal means and methods of tax avoidance.

"The company is awesome, it can't compare to those rich people!"

Wen Bixia happened to be sitting opposite her and chuckled upon hearing this, "Sister Mei earns quite a bit too. The income from releasing one album is probably equivalent to the earnings from filming several movies!"

"It's not that exaggerated!"

Yanfang waved her hand and said, "It's not easy to release a high-quality album!"

"Furthermore, the record market on Hong Kong Island is too small!"

The 1980s and 1990s were the golden age of Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

Not only are there a constant stream of high-quality and classic TV dramas and an exceptionally booming film market, but the record market is also thriving.

The earnings of famous singers are no less than those of established movie stars.

There's no other reason than that vinyl records aren't cheap!

This is also the case; Hong Kong stars often pursue careers in multiple fields, including film, television, and music.

Famous singers who switch to the film and television industry are either leading actors or major supporting roles upon their debut, which shows how high their status is.

"That's still better than me!"

Wen Bixia humbly replied, "I can only make movies, I can't sing!"

It's not that I haven't considered releasing an album, it's just that finding songs hasn't been going smoothly.

The Hong Kong record market has been dominated by a few major music companies.

For a new singer to make a name for themselves, they either need to sign with one of the few record companies or have the support of an outstanding songwriter.

Clearly, she doesn't have those resources!

It's even less likely that he'll sign with another record company.

If the record company's activities conflict with Fengrui Film and Television's filming plans, how will she resolve the situation?

Although she is quite famous, the company does not rely on her to survive; in fact, the situation is more like reverse.

The company has a wealth of high-quality scripts, so the importance of actors is not so prominent.

At Fengrui Film & Television, celebrities are all replaceable.

That's why the company's celebrities are generally quite law-abiding. They don't assume that just because they're famous, the company has to cater to them.

Even Ye Yuqing, who desperately wanted to become famous and wanted to gain fame by acting in erotic films, had to honestly explain the situation to the company.

This led to the fact that Veronica Yip starred in many erotic films produced by Qiankun Films, playing the leading lady and causing a great sensation.

As the company's top female employee, Wen Bixia knew a lot about the situation.

To be fair, Veronica Yip did indeed rise to fame by starring in erotic films, becoming a well-known erotic actress in Hong Kong.

Of course, since she dared to take her clothes off on the big screen, she has to bear the negative impact it brings.

She's basically out of luck when it comes to positive roles in company films. Her public image is, frankly, quite terrible.

It even attracted the attention of many film companies with triad backgrounds.

If it weren't for the company's effective security measures that protected her well, it might have caused quite a stir.

Of course, although Ye Yuqing dared to take her clothes off, she wasn't stupid.

Currently, she is only willing to act in erotic films for Qiankun Films and the film company she established with Lung Gen, the head of the Mong Kok branch of Lian Sheng.

At least these two companies are quite friendly and won't deliberately set a trap for her.

Of course, with her growing fame, Veronica Yip's income did increase significantly, and she even topped the list of a certain issue of a popular magazine.

However, among the company's many celebrities, very few follow Yip Yuk-ching's example.

Actresses in general companies wouldn't have such determination and courage unless they were absolutely forced to.

With so many filming projects planned by the company, almost everyone will have a chance!

In addition, there are other ways to make money through the company's partnership channels.

As long as one is not too eager to become famous, it is not a problem to take it slow and patiently; there will always be an opportunity to become famous.

If all else fails, you can try acting in TV dramas on ATV; that also offers a chance to become famous.

In Wen Bixia's perception, Fengrui Films is definitely a conscientious company in the Hong Kong film and television industry, and it acts in a very upright manner.

Otherwise, why would so many celebrities from other companies want to join?

Similarly, although the company has a music department, it hasn't invested too many resources in it.

It's impossible for Wu Feng, the boss, to act rashly.

If we help Wen Bixia, should we help the other celebrities in the company?
In short, to avoid trouble, Wu Feng has never taken out those classic songs that he remembers.

Of course, he wouldn't be stingy if necessary.

"Xia, how much do you get paid for a movie these days?"

Yanfang asked curiously, "Could you tell me about it?"

"There's nothing I can't say!"

Wen Bixia chuckled and said, "For a medium-sized production, the salary for a film is 500,000 Hong Kong dollars!"

"For low-budget productions, depending on the script and production costs, it's roughly between 300,000 and 400,000 yuan!"

"So low?"

Yanfang was taken aback and asked in confusion, "With your fame, your salary for a movie should not be less than HK$600,000!"

"These are internal company prices!"

Wen Bixia smiled gently, feeling that she couldn't let Yanfang misunderstand, and patiently explained, "Filming with the company's crew will save a lot of trouble!"

"In addition, if the movie does well at the box office, there will be follow-up bonus rewards, and the amount won't be small!"

There's no need to explain some of the company's internal rules in too much detail.

In fact, the company has very clear regulations regarding bonuses for box office performance.

The percentage of bonuses you receive depends on the box office revenue.

Of course, it's not just about the box office revenue bonuses.

Subsequent sales of copyrights and revenue from merchandise will be rewarded with bonuses.

It's fair to say that the bonus for a successful film might even be higher than the actor's salary.

However, it's not easy to explain these situations too clearly to Yanfang.

Anyone who didn't know better would think she was showing off!

"Then how do you earn two million a month?"

Yanfang finally got to the point, her face full of curiosity.

To be honest, her income is definitely among the top tier of Hong Kong actresses.

There's nothing we can do about it; her fame speaks for itself!
Not to mention the millions of dollars in salary for a movie, if you release an album, the income is calculated in the millions of Hong Kong dollars.

Not only that, she can also make money by holding concerts!
It can be said that Yanfang has a wide range of income streams!
If we're really comparing income, he could even rival Cheng Shilong.

Of course, that refers to normal time and space; that's simply not possible right now.

There's no other reason than that the Hong Kong film and gaming industries are now deeply intertwined, leading to a surge in income levels.

As a pillar of Golden Harvest, Cheng Shilong was entitled to a share of the profits from adapted games, and the amount was simply outrageous.

"The revenue generated from the films we've made before!"

After a moment's thought, Wen Bixia replied, "In addition, there's the revenue from live-streaming sales. It adds up to exactly this much!"

She is lucky!

A low-budget urban light comedy filmed a few months ago not only achieved impressive box office results after its release, but also generated considerable revenue in the arcade market after being adapted into a casual entertainment game.

With his salary and bonuses from other films, he easily surpassed the HK$1 million mark.

The key point is that these benefits can last for several months!
If the news were to leak out, it would definitely cause a sensation in the Hong Kong film industry, as no one would be careless when it comes to financial gains.

Indeed, Wen Bixia's answer was vague and did not elaborate, suggesting it was best not to cause trouble for the company.

"Profits from live-streaming sales?"

Yanfang's focus was clearly different from Wen Bixia's.

"I've always heard that your company has come up with some kind of live-streaming e-commerce thing. Can it really make money?"

She asked curiously, "And how did you figure it out?"

"Of course you can make money, and a lot of money!"

When the topic of live-streaming e-commerce came up, Wen Bixia immediately perked up and spoke eloquently: "So-called live-streaming e-commerce is actually just helping to promote products to the outside world!"

"If customers buy things through our brand, we can get a share of the profits!"

"The greater the fame, the higher the revenue from selling products!"

"Right now, my monthly income from live-streaming sales is around 700,000 to 800,000 yuan, and it's only going to go higher!"

"so much?"

Yanfang was taken aback and exclaimed in disbelief, "How is that possible?"

"Why is it impossible?"

Wen Bixia chuckled and said, "Tsingtao Beer alone earns over HKD 100,000 a month from live-streaming sales!"

"And for other fast-moving consumer goods from mainland China, the higher their sales volume, the greater my share of the profits!"

"Hearing you say that, it seems like you might as well just become a spokesperson!"

Yanfang pouted and said, "To save trouble!"

"I don't find it troublesome at all!"

Wen Bixia asked seriously, "How much is the endorsement fee?"

(End of this chapter)