Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 375, Section 373: The Collaborators
October 8th, early morning.

Inside the waiting hall of Shenyang Taoxian Airport.

Although the jubilation surrounding the Chinese national football team's historic qualification has subsided somewhat overnight, many travelers preparing to leave the city still carry an uncontrollable excitement and lingering feelings from discussing the previous night.

The appearance of Wang Sheng and his group inevitably caused a small commotion and attracted countless prying eyes.

He was still wearing that simple dark casual suit.

Li Xiaoran and Gao Yuanyuan followed behind him, lightly made up, but their weariness was hard to hide, quietly playing the role of companions.

Stephen Chow, wearing a hat and sunglasses, kept himself out of the crowd and remained silent as usual.

Through the VIP channel, the group quickly boarded the earliest flight to Beijing.

The first-class cabin is spacious and quiet.

The plane accelerated and lifted off the runway, breaking through the thin clouds, gradually shrinking Shenyang, bathed in the morning light, into a dot on the map.

Wang Sheng leaned back in his comfortable seat, turned his head to the side, and looked through the porthole at the model-like fields and towns rushing past below. He clearly replayed in his mind the report that Li Tingting had given him on the phone before he boarded the plane.

New Line Cinema... Miramax...

Two Hollywood companies, with two completely different cooperation models, were presented to him almost simultaneously.

Miramax, that greedy fat man Harvey Weinstein, offered $1.5 million for the North American rights buyout.

With an arrogant attitude and typical Hollywood predatory nature, they attempted to acquire a film that had already proven its huge commercial potential in Asia for a negligible price, and then use their skillful "platform-based" distribution and possible Oscar lobbying capabilities to reap excess profits in the North American market.

As for the cultural attributes of the film itself and the director's creative intentions, they are nothing more than branches that can be pruned at will.

This is a short-term, one-off transaction that puts the seller in a almost completely passive position.

New Line Cinema, through information conveyed by Jackie Chan's agent Willie Chan, presented a different approach.

They were also interested in "Shaolin Soccer," but they valued Wang Sheng himself and the rapidly expanding Chinese film market channels he represented even more.

They proposed a potential cooperation model of "exchange market".

New Line helped "Shaolin Soccer" enter North America in a relatively respectable way (possibly including some localization editing, but promising to allow the production company to participate in the promotion), while Wang Sheng needed to use his influence in China Film Group Corporation and even the wider mainland market to provide "favorable" scheduling for key films produced by New Line in the future, ensuring that they obtain high-quality resources during prime time.

This is more like a strategic probe and a binding of interests.

Miramax's buyout, seemingly simple and straightforward, actually handed over its fate and most of its profits to others, which was in line with the choice of most Asian filmmakers at that time who were both apprehensive and delighted when faced with Hollywood's "favor".

But Wang Sheng is not.

I've reached the top of the Chinese film industry, and if I still have to beg for food on my knees, what's the point of living?

The new model, though complex and requiring strategic maneuvering, implies greater possibilities and more initiative.

Wang Sheng had almost no psychological burden.

In the wave of globalization dominated by American hegemony, which market in the world can truly avoid Hollywood's cultural dumping?

The upcoming WTO accession will only make this dumping more "legitimate" and larger in scale—the import quota for films will increase from 10 to 20.

Since we can't stop it, we might as well make use of the rules.

What he values ​​is the brief but precious "historical window of opportunity" that came before and after China's accession to the WTO, as well as the recent global event that shocked the world.

The unspeakable event was like a sudden geopolitical earthquake, instantly shifting America's strategic focus.

FK has become the overriding core issue, and in order to gain broader support and cooperation, the United States urgently needs to improve its relationship with China.

Friction and obstruction that existed in certain areas have been temporarily shelved or eased. This warming of high-level relations has, in effect, loosened the constraints on exchanges and cooperation in fields such as culture and economy.

As a result, China's accession to the WTO entered its final sprint, and obstacles were quickly cleared.

A more open and clearly defined market environment is on the horizon.

For Hollywood, a market with over a billion potential viewers and a rapidly growing number of screens is a deadly temptation.

They were eager to find reliable "guides" (it sounds harsh, but it's true) to ensure their products could travel freely across this new continent.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Chinese films to "go global," especially to enter the mainstream North American commercial market!

While Americans still need to "unify" with China, and while they are both envious and somewhat unfamiliar with this market, take advantage of their internal competition to quickly release several commercially viable films. In Hollywood's home base—the North American market—first make a name for yourself, earn real US dollars, and at the same time accumulate experience and connections in international distribution.

This is far more meaningful than simply selling the rights or pandering to the tastes of Miramax and the like for some vague award.

The most important thing is to develop as much as possible.

Wang Sheng reaffirmed this core principle in his mind.

All strategies must serve this ultimate goal.

Individual emotions and so-called artistic convictions must give way to the most realistic calculations of interests and long-term planning in the face of the massive tides of the times and the power of capital.

Although the collaboration with New Line Cinema may seem to require relinquishing some domestic market screen time in exchange, it is still a business deal in itself.

Which Hollywood blockbuster isn't considered an import?
Using the screenings of these "dumping goods" that were destined to enter the market anyway to exchange for tickets for their own films to enter the North American market and a more favorable revenue sharing model is an extremely worthwhile deal.

Moreover, he has the advantage of foresight, knowing which Hollywood movies will be successful in China and which will be box office disasters. When "helping" with the scheduling, he can choose movies that can meet the needs of the new theater chain, have low risk, and even boost the popularity of his own theater chain.

The plane passed through the stratosphere and gradually stabilized.

The flight attendants brought breakfast and drinks.

Wang Sheng simply ate some coffee and then continued to immerse himself in his thoughts, refining the key points that might be involved in the negotiations with New Line Cinema: guaranteed box office, revenue sharing ratio, publicity investment, and the extent to which editing rights would be retained...

……

More than an hour later, the plane landed smoothly at Beijing Capital International Airport.

The familiar urban atmosphere is palpable, a stark contrast to the lingering revelry in Shenyang. This is the center of all decision-making and capital operations.

Return to the company.

Li Tingting handed over a fax document prepared by the secretariat. It contained a more formal outline of cooperation intentions from Miramax, still based on the buyout approach, with the price slightly increased to $1.8 million, but the core remained unchanged.

Wang Sheng glanced at it, casually put it aside, and whispered to Li Tingting, "Leave Miramax for now. Tell them I'm evaluating several cooperation proposals and ask them to wait patiently."

"Understood." Li Tingting understood immediately.

Wang Sheng then instructed Li Tingting: "Notify the secretariat to send a message to Mr. Jackie Chan's agent, Mr. Chen Ziqiang, in my name."

The content is as follows: I would like to thank Jackie Chan and New Line Cinema for their sincerity. I am quite interested in the cooperation model proposed by New Line and believe that it is in the long-term interests of both parties.

Please ask them to provide a more specific proposal, including their expectations for the North American market for *Shaolin Soccer*, their distribution plan, and a specific list of films and release dates they would like our support in terms of screenings. We can arrange a formal meeting.

His words were clear, decisive, and without any hesitation.

"Okay, Mr. Wang. I'll take care of it right away."

(End of this chapter)