Entertainment: Who still wants to fall in love when there are cheats?

Chapter 254 I am not the god of medicine

After having the idea of ​​making an art film to win awards, Li Boda pondered what kind of art film to make.

To be honest, when it comes to winning awards, especially international awards, the subject matter is actually quite easy to choose: just relentlessly bash China.

If you try your best to portray China as a poor and backward place, as long as that's the main theme of the film, and the director isn't bad at it, the chances of winning an award are very high, and it will be a big one!

Just like "Farewell My Concubine," which was set in 1924, during the Republic of China era, one can imagine what China was like at that time. So, on this basis, with an excellent story added, it won a major award.

The films that Zhang Yimou won awards for were essentially the same; their themes were already set, and they all had commonalities. That's why Zhang Yimou was winning international awards like crazy at that time.

Later, Zhang Yimou started making period martial arts films. Did he win any more international awards? Probably not.

Jiang Wen's award-winning films abroad are either about impoverished people during the War of Resistance against Japan or similar situations.

If Li Boda wants to make an art film and win an international award, the best course of action would be to set the story in a similar way to the background of "Farewell My Concubine".

The further back in time the story is set, the lower the chances of winning an award.

However, Li Boda didn't like this kind of movie.

It's not that Li Boda is denying the past; after all, similar things did happen in the movies made by Zhang Yimou and his group, and in many places, it could even be considered commonplace. However, times are changing, and we can't always focus on that time and not look forward.

It's already 2014, and 2015 is just around the corner. How can we expect foreigners to perceive our country's people as being stuck in the 1960s and 70s? Even Li Boda himself finds it hard to accept.

As a director, Li Boda had worked in Hollywood. The people in Hollywood only knew about Chinese people like Li Boda from the films directed by Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. They even thought that Chinese people wore tattered clothes.

When Li Boda went abroad to film, people would see that he and his crew were dressed neatly and fashionably, and their first reaction was to ask if they were from Taiwan or South Korea. Even if they denied it, people would still assume they were from Taiwan or Hong Kong, rather than mainland China.

Therefore, Li Boda wanted to make some films of other genres to compete for awards.

Just then, Li Boda suddenly saw a news report, or rather, a legal case.

A man named Cheng Yong was arrested for selling Indian generic drugs.

Indian generic drugs?
A sudden inspiration struck Li Boda, and he became interested in the matter.

Therefore, Li Boda immediately sought out people to investigate Lu Yong's background, wanting to find out what exactly the so-called Indian generic drugs were all about.

With Li Boda's network of connections, it would be very easy for him to find out someone's basic information.

So soon, Cheng Yong's personal information appeared in front of Li Boda.

After seeing Cheng Yong's information and even learning about the whole incident, Li Boda was at a loss for words.

Or rather, Li Boda felt that what happened to Cheng Yong was all too normal!

Gleevec, a targeted drug for treating leukemia, costs 40,000 yuan per bottle. Indian generic versions cost only 2,000 yuan or even a few hundred yuan per bottle. With such a huge price difference, Cheng Yong has undoubtedly encroached on their market share.

Of course, developing a drug is very time-consuming and expensive. It requires a lot of time and money to develop a drug, so it's normal for it to be expensive.

After all, if they don't sell at high prices and make money, companies that develop drugs won't be able to continue investing in researching new drugs.

So it seems normal that Cheng Yong was arrested!
However, what I described above is the normal situation!

In fact, Cheng Yong has been selling Indian generic drugs for many years. The reason he was never arrested before was not because he was particularly careful, but simply because the company that developed Gleevec did not care about the profits Cheng Yong made from selling the drugs, or perhaps they did not pay much attention to the Chinese market, so they turned a blind eye to Cheng Yong's actions!
That's why Cheng Yong has been selling medicine for so many years without any problems.

Then, the copyright held by the company that developed Gleevec expired, and a domestic pharmaceutical company took over the production of Gleevec. The first thing they did was to take Cheng Yong to court.

They didn't develop any drugs, nor did they invest a lot of time and money in research and development. The drugs they produced didn't have lower prices either. Then, they directly took Cheng Yong, who had previously been ignored by the company that developed the drug Gleevec, to court.

Li Boda felt that this situation was perfectly normal.

Of course, it can't be said that international pharmaceutical companies are particularly conscientious. If they were, they shouldn't have set the price so high in the first place when selling drugs. If they had set the price lower, they would have made less money.

The reason they didn't sue Cheng Yong was simply because compared to the global market, the amount of generic drugs Cheng Yong sold was really insignificant; the profits were too small for them to be interested in.

Another issue is that suing someone across borders is very troublesome and difficult to succeed. It not only consumes time and energy but also costs money. Simply put, it's not worth it!

Domestic pharmaceutical companies, on the other hand, have absolute power in the country. They can easily control a nobody like Cheng Yong without spending any time, effort, or even money.

So it's perfectly normal for Cheng Yong to be arrested at this time!
It's normal, but it still makes people sigh!

Therefore, Li Boda directly called the legal department of the Magic Cube Group and asked them to take over Cheng Yong's case, act as Cheng Yong's defense lawyer, and strive to get Cheng Yong acquitted.

At the same time, Li Boda also personally visited Cheng Yong.

When Cheng Yong saw Li Boda visiting him, he was completely bewildered. He had no idea why Li Boda would come to visit him, since he and Li Boda had absolutely no connection. If he had to say what the connection was, it was probably that he had watched Li Boda's TV series and movies and had even bought a few movie tickets for Li Boda's films.

Upon seeing Cheng Yong, Li Boda didn't mince words and directly stated that he was interested in Cheng Yong's experiences and wanted to write a script about what happened to him and make it into a movie.

Cheng Yong was a little stunned; this was clearly something he hadn't expected.

However, he did not object to this, especially after learning that Li Boda had hired the most elite legal team to defend him. Cheng Yong had no objection whatsoever. He would wholeheartedly support Li Boda making a movie about his case.

Just as Li Boda was preparing to write Cheng Yong's story into a script, the news leaked out.

Immediately afterwards, Third Master Han came knocking on the door.

"Boda, I heard you have a new idea? Do you have a script? When do you plan to shoot it? How much will you invest?" Master Han asked impatiently.

In recent years, Han Sanye has been following Li Boda around, and he's really been living the high life, making a fortune.

The first film, *Infinite Terror*, didn't earn much. However, every film Li Boda directed afterwards was a huge success, especially *Chu Xuan*, *Infinite Terror 3*, and *The Holy Grail War*. The profit from this one film almost equaled the total profit of China Film Group for a previous year.

Therefore, Master Han would definitely not miss Li Boda's new movie.

Of course, in China, if a film is favored by China Film Group and they want to invest in it, it's practically guaranteed that China Film Group will get involved. After all, they are China Film Group, and their status is different.

“Third Master, your information network is truly impressive. I had just come up with an idea, and you already knew about it,” Li Boda couldn’t help but say.

"Haha, how can you survive in the entertainment industry if you don't have access to the latest information?" Master Han chuckled, not feeling embarrassed at all.

"Actually, this time, I plan to make an art film with a relatively low budget, similar to the previous 'Chu Xuan,' around 50 to 60 million," Li Boda said with a smile.

"An art film? No? Boda, what's gotten into you all of a sudden? Why are you making an art film?" Han Sanye couldn't help but ask.

The main point is that, in Han Sanye's opinion, the domestic film industry doesn't lack art films. After all, there are just too many directors making art films now, like Jia Zhangke, who are single-mindedly focused on making art films, and some of them even fail to pass censorship.

Most importantly, art films don't make money! No, they don't make a lot of money!
Li Boda, a leading figure in domestic commercial films and the most successful director in the field, is crazy to stop making commercial films and instead go on to make art films!
"I just want to win an award. The three major international awards, plus the Oscars, I've never even tried them before, so I want to give it a shot," Li Boda said frankly.

"..." Master Han was speechless; he really couldn't say anything about it.

After all, it's normal for a director who makes money from commercial films to want to make art films and win awards.

Take Feng Gangpao, for example. He was the most successful commercial film director in China before, and he even pioneered the Spring Festival film season. But later, didn't Feng Gangpao also want to make some art films and aim for some major awards?

Of course, Feng Gangpao's abilities are still somewhat lacking when it comes to major international awards. However, given Feng Gangpao's status in China, winning domestic awards is quite easy for him; he has already won quite a few domestic awards.

Even so, Feng Gangpao has not given up on his idea of ​​winning an international award.

It's quite normal for Li Boda to follow in Feng Gangpao's footsteps now.

Although he understood why Li Boda had such thoughts, Master Han still wanted to persuade Li Boda.

Unfortunately, Li Boda's idea was very righteous.

Once Li Boda has made up his mind, it is almost impossible to change it.

Seeing that Li Boda's attitude was so firm, Master Han stopped saying anything.

However, Han Sanye still wants to continue participating in Li Boda's films.

After all, what if, just what if Li Boda's art films also make money? It would be a shame to miss out.

Even if Li Boda's art films don't make money, or even lose money in the end, it's only a small amount. Compared to the money Li Boda made from his previous films, this amount is like pocket money. Even if he loses it all, he won't feel bad.

Moreover, if the art film loses money, Li Boda might feel embarrassed, and when he continues to make commercial films later, he might give up more of his share, which would actually make him profit, or even a lot of profit.

With this in mind, Master Han's smile remained unchanged: "Boda, since you want to make an art film, I'll support you. Fifty or sixty million, right? China Film Group will invest all of it."

"No, there's no need, Third Master. I'm not short of money. My company has plenty of cash," Li Boda quickly refused.

After some arguing, the investment couldn't be finalized, since the script wasn't even ready yet, and neither party was short of money. "Alright, we'll discuss the investment later. So, how do you plan to make this art film? Do you have any ideas?"

“I’ve got it, Third Master. Have you heard about Lu Yong?” Li Boda asked with a smile.

"Lu Yong? Who is that?" Master Han is usually very busy and has no energy to pay attention to things outside the entertainment industry.

Li Boda immediately told him about Lu Yong and the Indian generic drugs.

Master Han frowned slightly: "Boda, you wouldn't be thinking of filming this, would you?"

“That’s indeed the idea,” Li Boda nodded.

"No, we can't film Lu Yong's story. This kind of script would never pass muster in China. You should find a different story," Master Han advised earnestly.

Seeing that Li Boda had no intention of wavering, Master Han had to seriously explain the domestic situation to Li Boda, especially since it involved pharmaceutical companies, and this matter absolutely could not be filmed.

Moreover, Gleevec, which costs 40,000 yuan per bottle, is not covered by medical insurance. As long as the problem of exorbitant drug prices is not solved in China, movies on this subject will absolutely not be made.

“If we can’t film it domestically, how about I film it abroad?” Li Boda said to Han Sanye.

"Huh? Filming abroad?" Master Han was stunned.

“Foreign film companies are paying me to be a director. They give me a script to film. I think I can take the job,” Li Boda said with a smile.

Hearing Li Boda say that, Master Han was speechless.

After all, foreign film companies invited Li Boda to make movies, and the scripts were even written by foreign companies in name. Li Boda was simply going to be a director, so there really wasn't any problem with that!
"It seems there are no problems." Li Boda smiled as he looked at Master Han.

"..." Master Han was indeed speechless: "So, where do you plan to film it?"

"How about the neighboring country? How about South Korea?" Li Boda asked with a smile.

"...South Korea, okay. As long as it's not within our country and doesn't involve domestic companies or policies, South Korea is fine too." Master Han nodded.

"Third Master, it seems we won't be able to continue our cooperation this time," Li Boda said regretfully.

"Who told you to touch such a sensitive topic?" Master Han said helplessly. China Film Group naturally couldn't get involved in such a sensitive subject.

With a solution in mind, after Han Sanye left, Li Boda immediately found someone from South Korea to register a film and television company. Of course, in reality, it was just a shell company with a name, but apart from having a legal representative, there was almost nothing else.

That doesn't matter, as long as the film can be credited to this company, that's enough.

Then Li Boda began writing the script.

As for the content of the script, it naturally needs to be modified.

For example, the national background becomes "Korean country".

Cheng Yong should also change his name to one with a distinctly Korean flavor, like Jang Geun-suk...

Okay, Cheng Yong's name will be changed to Cheng Yongjun.

The script's general plot revolves around Cheng Yongjun, who, due to financial constraints, sells Indian generic drugs and makes a fortune. However, he suddenly receives news that the patent for Gleevec has expired, and the drug will be manufactured by a South Korean conglomerate. Fearing the conglomerate, Cheng Yongjun is forced to abandon selling the Indian generic drugs. He then witnesses leukemia patients dying in the hospital because they have no medication. Finally, Cheng Yongjun has an epiphany and decides to continue selling the drugs. Ultimately, under pressure from the South Korean conglomerate, he is arrested by the police and sentenced.

There is no medical insurance later on. The movie as a whole is a tragedy. Although there are comedic elements in the beginning and middle, it ends in tragedy.

Of course, more details still need to be filled in.

However, that set the tone for the film.

While Li Boda was writing the script, many film and television companies in the industry approached him, saying they intended to invest in his new drama.

However, when Li Boda explained the situation of his new project, it was basically that he had taken on a job with a South Korean film company to direct a movie, and there was no opportunity for collaboration at all.

Then, I'll reveal that the subject matter of the film is very dark, the kind of thing that wouldn't pass censorship in China.

So these people could only leave with deep regret.

However, foreign film companies are very keen to invest in Li Boda's films, and even though Li Boda has stated that he wants to make art films, he has no intention of giving up.

After all, art films aren't without their moments of success.

With director Li Boda's reputation and influence, he could very well make a box office hit even if he were to make an art film.

Nobody wants to miss out on a chance to make money.

However, with a total investment of fifty to sixty million, which translates to less than ten million US dollars in cost, there's no need for foreign film companies to invest.

Moreover, Li Boda's goal for art films was to win awards; he never intended for a global release and therefore didn't need investment from foreign film companies.

As Li Boda's script was nearing completion, December 16th finally arrived.

Infinite Terror 4 is coming out soon!

The release of "Infinite Terror 4" was, needless to say, a huge event worldwide.

People all over the world are paying attention to the movie "Infinite Terror 4".

And Infinite Terror 4 certainly lived up to everyone's expectations.

Putting aside other places, in China alone, "Infinite Terror 4" grossed over 200 million yuan on its opening day.

The moment this number was released, it caused an uproar among countless people.

It's worth noting that even the highest single-day box office for "The Holy Grail War" never exceeded 200 million.

With the groundwork laid by the previous three films, "Infinite Terror 4" grossed over 200 million yuan on its opening day.

The box office exceeded 600 million in three days.

A week later, the box office of "Infinite Terror 4" reached an astonishing 1.2 billion.

They left the Holy Grail War far behind.

Meanwhile, Infinite Terror 4 continued to perform exceptionally well at the global box office, even in North America and Europe, where it was no less successful than The Holy Grail War.

It's worth noting that the Holy Grail War actually capitalized on the popularity of Harry Potter in these countries and regions.

Almost everyone knows that the box office of "Infinite Terror 4" will definitely be higher than that of "Infinite Terror 3". As for how much higher, we can only wait for the exact box office data. However, many people believe that the total box office of "Infinite Terror 4" will be at least 100 million US dollars higher than that of "Infinite Terror 3".

Meanwhile, the director of the movie "Infinite Terror 5" was also revealed: Xu Shanzheng will be the director.

Whether in China or abroad, countless people were shocked to learn that Xu Shanzheng was the director of "Infinite Terror 5".

Overseas, no one has ever heard of Xu Shanzheng—or rather, Xu Shanzheng was the assistant director of Infinite Terror 4.

With this buffer period, foreign audiences were able to accept it.

The main issue is that people overseas didn't know who the director of the previous "Infinite Terror" series was from the beginning.

Whether it's Li Boda or Xu Ke, they both appeared out of nowhere for foreign audiences.

It's quite normal that Xu Shanzheng has suddenly emerged.

On the contrary, people in China know a lot about Xu Shanzheng. Although Xu Shanzheng's "Lost in Thailand" was very successful, it is still difficult for them to accept that Xu Shanzheng is the director of "Infinite Terror 5".

After all, the "Infinite Terror" series and a comedy like "Lost in Thailand" are quite different.

Many people have even started to criticize Infinite Terror 5, and some have even launched online calls for a change of director, with some even listing domestic directors for people to choose from.

Of course, the one ranked first is Li Boda, the director of the first two parts of "Infinite Terror".

Then there are directors such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Feng Gangpao, and Jiang Wen.

Even Hong Kong figures like Wong Jing and Chan Muk-shing were involved.

Among these options, Zhang Yi received the most votes, second only to Li Boda.

However, Li Boda didn't take this seriously at all. Xu Shan's decision to direct "Infinite Terror 5" had already been made long ago.

(End of this chapter)