Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 225 Sixth Uncle Wants to Make a Bet

Little Fatty Wang Jingjing grinned from ear to ear, especially when the ice sculpture carved into the number "eleven million" shattered after a hammer blow; he almost shouted out loud.

His debut film grossed over 11 million yuan at the box office, something even his father, Wang Dalin, had never achieved.

Wang Dalin sat at the head table, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.

Uncle Liu sighed repeatedly:

"The young are to be feared, the young are to be feared."

He was genuinely impressed by the younger generation, referring to Wang Jingjing and Liang Kun Wang Dao.

These two are really bold; they dared to use newcomers who had never made a movie before in the first production of their film company.

Aren't they afraid of a disastrous start?!
Uncle Liu sighed inwardly, "Is he really getting old? Has he lost his fighting spirit?"

I was young and adventurous back then.

The staff of Qiankun Film and Television cheered loudly.

For the chubby boy and for myself.

Mr. Li said that the company would only keep the cost of the film's box office revenue, and all the profits would be distributed to everyone in the company.

More than six million! Almost everyone in the company will get tens of thousands, which is almost a year's salary.

"Ah Jing broke records with her debut film, she really has a bright future."

"Dalin, you have a worthy successor!"

Wang Dalin laughed and said:
"As long as this little guy doesn't start strong and then decline, it'll be fine."

Sixth Uncle laughed:

“I watched that movie, and Ah Jing’s directing was quite solid.”

"His future achievements will be no less than yours."

Wang Dalin smiled and shook his head, then suddenly whispered:

"Sixth Uncle, have you seen the new movies from Qiankun Films this month?"

Uncle Liu shook his head:
"You mean 'Disciples of the Emperor'? I don't have time to read that!"

Wang Dalin sighed:
"I heard from A-Jing that Qiankun Film and Television's marketing department predicts that this movie could potentially gross 20 million yuan at the box office!"

Sixth Uncle smiled, unconvinced:

"When we make movies, we're overjoyed if the box office reaches one million."

"It took twenty years of development to reach a box office of ten million."

"Until last year, Dragon's Way broke the 20 million box office mark for the first time by risking its life."

"That's 20 million in box office revenue, it's not something that's easy to achieve."

Wang Dalin then said:
"I don't believe it either, but Qiankun Film and Television Company's marketing department is really something."

"They have a very thorough understanding of the market."

"After the screening, the marketing department wrote an internal forecast report and sent it to Liang Kun. Ah Jing said that the report clearly stated that the box office revenue in the first week would reach two million, and the first month would reach nine million."

"The total box office will exceed ten million."

Uncle Liu gasped:
"Are you serious?"

Wang Dalin sighed:
"I would never lie about something like this."

Uncle Liu sighed.
"It really is the world of young people now."

A thought struck him, and he asked...

"You just said that Qiankun Films has a new movie released. I remember that movie was directed by your apprentice, right?"

Wang Dalin laughed and said:
"Li Sheng and Wang Sheng are young people, and they like to use young people."

"Lingxi is really lucky, just like I was lucky enough to meet Uncle Liu back then."

Uncle Liu laughed heartily:

"You're quite modest."

"Tell me, what's the marketing department's prediction for this rally?"

Wang Dalin whispered:

"According to the forecast report, the box office revenue of 'The Emperor's Disciple' will reach 18 million this month!"

hiss!
Even though Uncle Liu had seen many storms, he was still quite shocked by this report:
"Young people really dare to speak their minds!"

He didn't really believe it.

Are you kidding me? Where would there be so much box office revenue?

As the two were talking, Liang Kun, Wang Dao, and Little Fatty came down from the stage.

"What happy thing has happened to Sixth Uncle this time?"

"I'll ask you with a smile," said Liang Kun.

Uncle Liu thought for a moment and then simply said it:

"Dalin just mentioned that you made an internal prediction about the movies that will be released tomorrow?"

Liang Kun didn't take it seriously either:

"Yes, the marketing department predicts that the box office will be around 18 million this month."

Uncle Liu hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't help but ask:
"Does Mr. Li really believe it?"

Handsome Kun asked curiously:

Why not believe it?

Uncle Liu couldn't help but say:
"That's eighteen million!"

Handsome Kun said arrogantly:
"What Longwei can do, my Qiankun Film and Television Company can also do."

Uncle Liu suddenly lost his appetite for the food in front of him. "You're not sharing any real knowledge!"

Liang Kun couldn't help but look at Wang Dao, who was about to go to Le Huizhen's place when he saw Liang Kun's gaze.

"Uncle Liu, it seems you don't believe our movie can achieve such box office results, right?"

Sixth Uncle spoke frankly:
"Yes."

"You should know that in the past twenty years, only Dragonway's movies have broken the 20 million box office mark for the first time!"

"You guys really dare to think that way."

Liang Kun looked at Wang Dao, meaning to give Sixth Uncle a shock.

He was a self-taught filmmaker; he knew a little about film, but not deeply enough, and his understanding was truly inadequate.

Liang Kun believes that Wang Dao will give him a good result.

As expected, Wang Dao satisfied him, and his very first words caused Sixth Uncle's expression to change:

"Sixth Uncle, there's a problem with your statistical method."

Uncle Liu's face immediately darkened:

"Why are you being so subtle? Just say I'm getting senile, isn't that enough?"

Wang Dao smiled and shook his head:

"You're a senior figure in the industry; I probably wasn't even born when you were making your movie."

Uncle Liu's expression softened a little.
"Then what do you mean?"

Wang Dao chuckled lightly:
"I said your statistical methods are flawed, and you shouldn't judge a film's quality solely by its box office revenue."

Sixth Uncle frowned and said:
Is there a problem with the statistical methods?

Wang Dao nodded:
"There is a problem."

He pointed at Wang Dalin,
"Uncle Lin is a famous director in Hong Kong, and he has also won international awards."

"But none of his films have ever grossed more than ten million."

"Is it because his movie is bad?"

Uncle Liu shook his head:
"Dalin's films are excellent."

Wang Dao smiled and asked:
"Then why isn't his box office performance high?"

Without waiting for Uncle Liu's reply, he gave the answer directly.

"Movies from that era didn't have high box office returns to begin with."

"People won't have enough extra income to go to the movies, so it's no wonder the box office is so high."

"But that doesn't mean the movies from that era weren't good."

"I believe that if we brought classic movies from that era to the present, breaking five million in no time would be no problem."

Uncle Liu and Wang Dalin nodded in unison.

Wang Dao praised them both with a single sentence, which pleased them greatly.

"To calculate movie box office revenue, we need to make both longitudinal and horizontal comparisons."

Things always develop in stages.

"Five hundred thousand, one million, two million, five million, ten million, twenty million..."

"Think about it carefully, this is like a hurdle."

“Every obstacle has trapped filmmakers for many years.”

"But once someone breaks this record, it becomes very easy for others to break it as well."

Uncle Liu seemed to be deep in thought:
"Is it because the level of those who came later has improved?"

Wang Dao smiled and shook his head:

"No, it's simply because times have changed, citizens' incomes have increased, and they have more spare money to watch movies and have fun."

"Of course, filmmakers' production skills are also constantly evolving."

"The principle is the same."

Uncle Liu thought for a moment, and sighed once again:

"The future is terrifying!"

Liang Kun beamed with pride.

Just as Wang Dao was about to get up and run to Le Huizhen's table, he heard his sixth uncle say with a solemn expression:
"A-Dao, do you really think 'The Emperor's Disciple' will break 20 million at the box office?"

Wang Dao had no choice but to sit down and say:
"Of course!"

Uncle Liu asked, puzzled:
"What's the reason?"

Wang Dao chuckled lightly:
"There are many reasons."

"Dragon's Wing broke the 20 million mark at the box office last year, which means that as long as the movie is well made, it is possible to reach 20 million at the box office."

"Director Ringo Lam has a great grasp of pacing. All the actors are playing themselves, without any trace of acting. It's a seamless performance that makes it hard to stop watching."

"This movie is based on a true story and is very relatable to many people."

"The main characters are all handsome men and beautiful women, which easily creates a long-tail effect..."

Sixth Uncle said incredulously:
"So, doesn't that make your movie perfect?"

Wang Daoxiao corrected him slightly:

"This is a film from our company. No film is perfect. There will always be people who like comedies but not tragedies, people who like art films but not commercial films, and people who simply like porn..."

"If we can bring the audience who like this movie to the theater, then we've succeeded."

Uncle Liu pondered for a long time, then suddenly said:

"I do not believe!"

Liang Kun's expression darkened, but Wang Dao smiled.

Uncle Liu looked at the two of them and suddenly said:

"I trust my judgment based on years of experience, and you trust the marketing department's report. Neither of us can convince the other."

"How about we make a bet?"

Liang Kun became interested:

"What bet?"

Sixth Uncle sighed softly:
"I really enjoy making movies. To make movies, I built a huge film studio and even established the most advanced cinema chain at the time."

"The film industry is in a slump right now, and many films that are made lose money."

"If I'm already thinking of shutting down the film division, then naturally I won't keep the theater chain either."

Liang Kun was stunned, not yet having recovered his senses, when Wang Dao exclaimed with delight:
"Sixth Uncle, you want to sell the cinema chain?!"

This was intelligence that had been mentioned in the intelligence system long ago; I never expected to run into it here. Uncle Liu laughed:

"If I were ten years old, I would definitely continue to run the business. Now that I'm older, I don't have the energy to keep up, so I have to close it down."

Good things will always sell.

"Many people are interested in buying my cinema chain."

"But I have faith in you."

"If this movie really achieves the box office results predicted by your marketing department, I'll give you priority purchase rights, and I might even give you a discounted price. How about that?"

Liang Kun said happily:
"Sixth Uncle, thank you for mentoring the newcomer."

Sixth Uncle looked at him with a half-smile:
"Are you absolutely certain that this movie will really reach 18 million at the box office this month?"

Without hesitation, Liang Kun said:
"I am sure!"

Uncle Liu smiled and extended his hand, and Liang Kun also extended his hand.

Just a light touch!
Let's high-five as a pledge!

Wang Dao was extremely excited:

"Sixth Uncle, so many people are watching, don't go back on your word later."

Uncle Liu was very puzzled:

"Ado, where do you get your confidence?"

Wang Dao chuckled and said:

"Our marketing department's predictions are scientific and accurate; they are simply facts. What more confidence do we need?"

Uncle Liu was speechless.

Wang Dao wasn't in a hurry to go to Le Huizhen's table, and asked with a smile:

"Sixth Uncle, that TV station..."

Uncle Liu was dumbfounded:

"Ah Dao, you're shameless enough to take advantage of the situation?"

"You're even eyeing the TV station?"

"Forget about it, the TV station isn't mine, I won't sell it."

The kingly way disagrees:

"These days, if you want to get rich, you have to be bold, ruthless, black-handed, and thick-skinned, otherwise you'll only end up bankrupt."

"We are young and can afford to go bankrupt, but it's best to avoid going bankrupt if possible."

"Sixth Uncle, let's talk about the TV station."

Sixth Uncle got up and left:

"I'm getting old and my energy is failing, so I'll take my leave now."

Wang Dao quickly stepped forward to help:

"Sixth Uncle, don't be in such a hurry, you've only just arrived and you're already leaving..."

"Others will think we haven't been hospitable enough."

Uncle Liu walked very fast:

"You have to leave. If you don't leave, you'll be eyeing my TV station."

Wang Dao watched with regret as his sixth uncle got into the car, then turned to Wang Dalin and complained:
"Uncle Dalin, look how easily Uncle Liu is teased."

Wang Dalin said speechlessly:

"Ado, haven't we gone a bit too far?"

The kingly way disagrees:

“It’s just a normal transaction. Besides, I never intended to buy Jade Channel. That TV station doesn’t belong to Uncle Six.”

Wang Dalin was dumbfounded:
"You know that, so why are you saying this?"

Wang Dao asked in confusion:
"I was just asking the TV station next door if they were selling it, what's the big deal, Uncle Liu?"

Wang Dalin suddenly said:

"Wang Sheng, from now on, my good-for-nothing son is in your care. You can scold or beat him as you please, but if he is bullied by others, you can help him out."

Wang Dao laughed and said:

"Uncle Lin, don't let Ah Jing fool you, he's very shrewd!"

Wang Dalin said with a smile:
"Then I'll take that as your agreement."

"Alright, I'm leaving too."

Wang Dao quickly helped Wang Dalin into the car.

Sixth Uncle asked Wang Dalin:

"What did Wang Dao say to you?"

Wang Dalin didn't hide anything and told the whole story.

Sixth Uncle exclaimed in surprise:
"Wang Dao's information network is very good; the TV station next door is up for sale."

“If he gets involved, things will become much more complicated.”

Wang Dalin chuckled:

"He's just a young man, Uncle Liu, there's no need to be so surprised, is there?"

Uncle Liu shook his head:
"If you really considered him a young man, would you have entrusted Ah Jing to him?"

Wang Dalin sighed:
"Yes, this little guy gives me a rather strange feeling; he doesn't look like a young person at all."

"It's so strange!"

Uncle Liu sighed:
“Brother Kun and Wang Dao are both young and promising. If they reach our age, they will definitely become great tycoons.”

"Entrusting the movie theater chain to them is a good move."

Wang Dalin exclaimed in surprise:

"Sixth Uncle, so you believe what they said?"

Sixth Uncle said decisively:
"Do not believe!"

Wang Dalin was very puzzled:
"If you don't believe me, then..."

Sixth Uncle sighed:

"But I have a vague feeling in my heart that what those two said might come true!"

"Young people these days are really something else."

Wang Dalin nodded in agreement. Unlike his sixth uncle, Wang Dalin was pleased, as his son, Wang Jingjing, was also one of the most remarkable young people.

The extraordinary Wang Dao went straight to Le Huizhen's table and sat down.

Le Huizhen asked:
"What have you been talking about with Uncle Liu for so long?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Actually, we didn't talk about much, just about the box office of the next movie, and we even made a bet."

Le Huizhen's professional habit kicked in:
"What are you betting on?"

Wang Dao recounted the events.

Gu Xiaoyu was surprised:
"Brother Dao, you're putting us on the hot seat!"

The kingly way disagrees:

"It's not you who are put on the hot seat first, it's our company."

"Then come the director and screenwriter, and finally you!"

Gu Xiaoyu asked in confusion:

"Is that right?"

Wang Dao explained:
"After all, this story is based on a true story."

"If the plot is terrible, then it's the screenwriter and director's fault."

"If the rhythm is off, it's still the director's fault."

"Next are the various procedures such as costumes, props, and makeup."

"The actors' performance comes last."

Gu Xiaoyu said in astonishment:

"I thought the problem with movies was always the actors."

Wang Dao sighed:

"You're right to say that."

Gu Xiaoyu was confused:

"what?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Why should the actors get all the benefits?"

"He earns the most, so it's only right that he gets criticized if he doesn't do a good job."

Gu Xiaoyu was a smart man, and he immediately understood the other meaning in Wang Dao's words.

"So that means we can't afford to offend anyone, not even the people behind the scenes?"

"If you offend them, and they reduce the lighting on your face even slightly, you'll look three times uglier?"

Wang Dao smiled and said:

"bingo!"

Gu Xiaoyu shook her head:

"I thought the film and television industry was relatively pure."

Wang Dao casually remarked:
"Our ancestors said this two thousand years ago: 'All the world's hustle and bustle is for profit. Even kings with a thousand chariots, lords with ten thousand households, and rulers of a hundred families still worry about poverty, let alone ordinary people.'"

"As long as there are interests involved, there will inevitably be competition."

"Look how fierce the competition is in the international diode market. Even superpowers are like this, let alone us ordinary people."

Gu Xiaoyu nodded firmly:

"It makes sense!"

Wang Dao laughed and said:

Everything should be done in moderation!

Le Huizhen leaned close to Wang Dao and asked:
"Were you talking about TV with Uncle Liu just now?"

"Is this how you tease an elderly person?"

Wang Dao said solemnly:
“I’m not kidding him, I really want to buy the TV station, but Uncle Liu misunderstood.”

"The operating rights of Jade Channel are certainly in Uncle Six's hands, but the ownership is not his. Even if I want to buy this thing, I can't go to him."

"I want to buy the TV station next door."

Le Huizhen was taken aback:
“ATV?”

Wang Dao smiled and nodded:

"Yes!"

Le Huizhen asked, puzzled:

"Is Qiankun Film and Television Company planning a vertical expansion strategy?"

The king's way was silent:
"What are you thinking about?"

"I'll buy it myself!"

Le Huizhen was even more puzzled:
"Are you no longer working at the film company?"

Wang Dao gently stroked her delicate nose:
"You didn't even think of that?"

"Guess who I bought the TV station for?"

Le Huizhen stared wide-eyed in disbelief:

"Honey, is this something you wanted to give to me?"

(End of this chapter)