Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 403 Collaborating with Hollywood and the Hong Kong Film Industry
September 30th, the first day of the National Day holiday film season.

The patriotic film "The Journey Home" led the film market with a box office of 1.5 million yuan on its opening day.

The patriotic film boom brought about by "Wolf Warrior 2" last year is now at its peak.

At the beginning of this year's Spring Festival, "Operation Red Sea" grossed 36 billion yuan at the box office, ranking second after "Detective Chinatown 2" and becoming the current year's highest-grossing film.

The story of "The Journey Home" also revolves around the evacuation of Chinese citizens, but it is told from the perspective of diplomats and ordinary people, rather than from the perspective of soldiers, thus ensuring the film's freshness.

Thanks to the positive word-of-mouth following its successful opening day, "The Journey Home" grossed 500 million yuan during the first three days of the October holiday, boasting the highest number of screenings during the same period.

With the 1.5 million yuan earned on its opening day, the film's cumulative box office reached 6.5 million yuan, almost double that of the second-place film, "Project Gutenberg".

Datang Pictures, the main producer of the film, has also been frequently updating the film's box office performance posters and the main creative team's roadshow on platforms such as Douyin and Weibo.

Maoyan and Taopiaopiao, two online ticketing platforms, have also set a target box office of 35 billion yuan for "The Journey Home".

Although the National Day holiday film season is only halfway through, everyone already knows who the box office champion is. Even though "Project Gutenberg" is one of the best Hong Kong films in recent years, it cannot shake this result.

At the same time, Datang Pictures has also received unprecedented attention.

With the release of "Detective Chinatown 2" during the Spring Festival and "The Long Way Home," Datang Pictures' film performance this year is comparable to that of any listed film company.

Amidst this string of good news, on the 4th, Chen Xiu met with two important clients at Datang Film Studio.

……

"Mr. Yang, Mr. Huo, would you like something to drink?"

Upon hearing this question, Yang Albert, who had been invited, turned to look at Huo Wenxi, then nodded with a pursed mouth.

"Hello, two iced Americanos, double espresso, please."

Huo Wenxi pressed further, "Excuse me, when will Mr. Chen arrive?"

"Please wait a moment, someone will be here shortly."

The receptionist nodded to the two of them and then slowly left the meeting room.

Upon learning that Chen Xiu would be arriving soon, Huo Wenxi and Yang Albert felt somewhat relieved.

When the receptionist returned with two iced Americanos, they simply thanked her politely and did not urge her to hurry up.

The door to the reception room was opened and closed, and after about a minute, it was opened again. Before the person even stepped inside, their voice could already be heard.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Yang, Mr. Huo, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Not closed……"

Yang Albert was about to say it was okay, but he stopped himself halfway through his sentence.

Because the person who entered from outside was not Chen Xiu, whom he had expected, but Wei Feng, the deputy general manager of Datang Film Industry.

Seeing Yang Albert and Huo Wenxi's frozen expressions, Wei Feng walked up to them without surprise and explained, "I'm really sorry, please let me explain."

"Forehead……"

Noticing her boss's mood had soured, Huo Wenxi took the initiative to ask, "May I ask what exactly happened?"

"Here's the situation: Mr. Chen actually had two engagements today. One of them was scheduled two hours ago, and normally it should have finished by now, but there was a slight delay. Mr. Chen just sent me a text message asking me to greet you both first. He said he would personally apologize to you both later."

Wei Feng spoke earnestly, his gaze intense, showing no sign of deception or perfunctoriness.

Upon learning of this situation, Yang Albert's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

We're all in business, so who can't understand a time conflict?

"Mr. Wei, it's alright, we can sit a little longer. I just wonder who the guest Mr. Chen is meeting is?"

The subtext of Yang Albert's words is: Whose meeting is so important that it gets prioritized over mine?

Wei Feng chuckled, and his response was equally impeccable.

"Mr. Chen always likes to put the important things last. He is actually discussing a cooperation with Ms. Zhao Fang, the president of Warner Bros. Pictures' China region."

"..."

Yang Albert pursed his lips and remained silent. In terms of status and seniority, he was definitely ahead of Zhao Fang, but Warner Bros. was not comparable to Emperor Entertainment.

Therefore, Chen Xiu's arrangement of the meeting order was correct. Besides, Wei Feng had just given him face...

Seeing Yang Albert fall silent, Wei Feng's expression remained unchanged, but he thought to himself: Suppress your momentum first, and it will be easier to talk later!

Wei Feng was able to reveal Zhao Fang's information to Yang Albert because he was authorized by Chen Xiu, and Chen Xiu was indeed currently in his office discussing matters with Zhao Fang.

"Ms. Zhao, could you reiterate the cooperation method between Datang Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures?"

Chen Xiu sat on the sofa and turned her head to look at Zhao Fang, who was sitting to the side.

She had short hair, wore a leather jacket, and looked very professional, as did her manner of speaking.

"OK!"

Zhao Fang nodded, straightened her back, and then said, "According to Warner Bros.' headquarters, we hope to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with Datang Pictures, mainly involving movies, TV series, and animated films." "As a partner, Warner Bros. can provide comprehensive support including live-action visual effects, animated film visual effects, overseas shooting locations, and IMAX technology."

"Our requirements are that we can participate in the investment of works co-produced by both parties, and the share must not be less than 30%. We also welcome Datang Pictures to invest in films produced by Warner Bros. and provide publicity assistance when the films are released in China."

After saying that, Zhao Fang looked at Chen Xiu with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

These terms had already been discussed between the two of them, and she didn't understand why Chen Xiu was asking to reiterate them.

Meeting her gaze, Chen Xiu nodded with a smile: "If we reach a cooperation agreement, there might be a film next year that needs Warner Bros.' assistance."

"That's fine..."

"Let me finish. This film is about the Pacific Railroad built by Chinese laborers in the mid-to-late 19th century, and a series of related stories. Can Warner Bros. help with that?"

"The Pacific Railroad?"

Zhao Fang frowned slightly, pondering the story behind it, then stared at Chen Xiu with a look of sudden realization.

"You want to film the story of the first Chinese people in the United States?"

"Yes! To be precise, I'm thinking of making the next 'Detective Chinatown' movie a prequel to the entire series, set in 1900!"

Chen Xiu readily admitted it.

Compared to the mundane and tasteless detective stories in "Detective Chinatown 3," the prequel "Detective Chinatown 1900" is far superior in both story and theme.

Postponing the third film and focusing on producing the previous one would undoubtedly be a better choice.

If Warner Bros. is willing to assist in the filming and help recreate the experiences of the Chinese laborers, so that the film can be successfully released overseas, then this collaboration is still worth discussing.

Zhao Fang fell silent, pondering the possibility of this collaboration, while also developing some admiration for Chen Xiu's idea.

After a moment, Zhao Fang looked up and said, "There shouldn't be a big problem. Hollywood filmmaking is quite free. I will report your request to the head office truthfully."

"Thank you. If possible, I would also like Warner Bros. to help find some affordable and reliable Hollywood actors during the filming of the movie."

Chen Xiu continued to make demands.

If "Detective Chinatown 1900" is to be released globally, it will need to have a few Hollywood stars in the film. They don't need to be too high-profile; second or third-tier stars will suffice.

Zhao Fang nodded and said, "This isn't a big problem. Do you have any other requests?"

"That's roughly it. We'll negotiate the details for each subsequent collaboration. We'll discuss anything else that comes to mind later."

"OK, that works too."

After discussing the details of the collaboration, Zhao Fang got up to take her leave, and Chen Xiu personally escorted her to the door.

"Mr. Chen, there's no need to see me off. I will convey your message to Warner's headquarters."

"OK, thanks."

After watching the other person leave, Chen Xiu turned to the receptionist to inquire about the other group of guests.

Upon learning that Wei Feng had already gone to receive him, the corners of his mouth curled up and then relaxed, before he slowly walked towards the reception room.

Upon arriving at the door, Chen Xiu lightly knocked twice on the glass sliding door before pushing it open and entering.

Through the gradually opening door, Yang Albert and Huo Wenxi sat side by side, while Wei Feng sat opposite them. The atmosphere among the three seemed quite harmonious.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yang, Mr. Huo, I'm late!"

While apologizing, Chen Xiu walked over and shook hands with Yang Albert and then with Huo Wenxi.

"I'm so sorry, I should have managed the time better. I've kept you waiting."

"It's okay, we didn't wait too long."

Albert was initially quite angry, but seeing Chen Xiu's sincere apology, his pent-up anger instantly dissipated.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Xiu sat down next to Wei Feng.

Considering that Yang Albert had already waited long enough, he didn't bother with any preamble and went straight to the point: "Mr. Yang, there were many things we didn't get to discuss in detail last time in Hong Kong. I'm so grateful for your visit today. Shall we continue with our previous conversation?"

“Okay! Mani, you introduce him to Mr. Chen.”

"OK."

Huo Wenxi took over the topic, and without pulling out any documents, phones, or iPads, she cleared her throat and began to sing.

"Based on what we discussed last time, if Datang Pictures can reach a cooperation agreement with Emperor Entertainment, we can actually provide Hong Kong star resources to save on actors' salaries. We also welcome artists from Datang Pictures to come to Hong Kong to film dramas."

"Hmm~"

"Is there a problem?"

"These conditions are quite similar to Warner Bros.' cooperation proposal. Do you have any new additions?"

Chen Xiu smiled at Huo Wenxi, then glanced at Yang Albert, the subtext of which was all too clear.

Warner Bros. has already reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with Datang Pictures. If your Emperor Entertainment wants to cooperate, you should first consider the weight of Warner Bros. before you start negotiating terms, so as not to embarrass yourself!
(End of this chapter)