The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

in the car.

Li Xu swiped his phone screen, first opening Han Sanpingpin's text message.

Besides the usual congratulations, the most important part of Han Sanpin's text message was the last sentence: he asked Li Xu to meet privately the next day to discuss something.

Seeing this, Li Xu quickly sent Han Sanpin a brief thank-you message and accepted the invitation.

After Han Sanpin, it was President Wang from Huayi.

His text message was simple: besides congratulating him, he wanted to invest in Li Xu's next movie. Li Xu replied casually, giving him a perfunctory response.

As for the others, such as Zhang Yimou, Li Xu gave brief replies to everyone he knew and was familiar with.

After replying to all those messages, Li Xu finally finished. When he looked up, he realized that the car was almost at his residence on the Third Ring Road, less than a few kilometers away.

This residence was purchased by Li Xu a few months ago.

It wasn't very big, just over 100 square meters, but Li Xu bought it outright for only 200 million yuan.

Since Liu Yifei approached him for investment on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year in 2007, Li Xu has accumulated nearly 30 million yuan in assets over the past two years through investments in movies and stocks based on vague memories of the future. Two million yuan is just a small amount of money for him.

I glanced again at the direction the driver was traveling.

Li Xu looked at Jing Tian and Liu Yifei beside him and asked, "Yifei, Tiantian, how about we have the driver take you home to rest?"

"It's alright, I'll take you home first."

"As for Sister Yifei, she's staying at my place tonight. My dad heard I won an award and sent over some good ingredients to help me recover."

Upon hearing Li Xu's words, Jing Tian immediately refused.

As she spoke, she waved her phone with a smug look on her face, then quickly dialed a number and gave instructions to the person on the other end:

"Aunt Li, a friend of mine is coming to stay. Could you clean out a guest room, choose the one with the best ambiance, and remember to put in fresh flowers, fruit, and other items that I usually prepare in my room every day?"

After giving instructions over the phone, Jing Tian slammed the phone down, winked at Liu Yifei, and said with a hint of self-satisfaction:

"Sister Yifei, don't worry. Aunt Li is very quick and meticulous. She has been working in my family since I was a few years old."

"Besides, if you come to my house, the top doctor I arranged for you can come directly to your home, which will be more discreet."

"Okay, thank you, Tian Tian. I'll come over to your house tonight."

Liu Yifei didn't have a chance to interrupt from beginning to end.

Seeing that things had come to this point, she had no choice but to softly hum in agreement and no longer refuse.

-

After returning home, Li Xu had a good night's sleep to adjust to the time difference.

the next day.

He went to a private restaurant that was not open to the public.

This is a courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles, where red lanterns sway gently in the evening breeze, and icicles still hang from the eaves.

After entering the courtyard, Li Xu was led by a waiter to the innermost private room.

Upon arriving at the private room, Li Xu gently knocked on the door.

The door to the private room opened quickly, and Han Sanpin came out to greet him. He looked at Li Xu with a broad smile on his face.

"So our Berlin hero has arrived. Please have a seat. I just arrived a little earlier than you."

"In front of Chairman Han, what is the Berlin Hero? This is just a small award. Chairman Han is too kind."

Li Xu smiled and accepted Han Sanpin's words, then stepped inside.

Once the tea was served, Han Sanpin didn't have the waiter attend to him. He waved for the waiter to leave, then personally poured Li Xu a cup of tea: "Try it, Li Xu, this is top-quality pre-Qingming Longjing tea, a gift from an old friend of mine."

Li Xu quickly accepted it with both hands: "Chairman Han, you're too kind."

"Proper etiquette must be observed."

Han Sanping waved his hand with a kind smile, "This time, you've really given our domestic films a lot of credit. Two Best Actress awards at Berlin, unprecedented!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xu smiled modestly and didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he started chatting with Han Sanpin.

As the two chatted, the waiter soon brought the dishes.

The cuisine is Huaiyang style, with a rather light but very delicate flavor.

While eating, Han Sanpin subtly steered the conversation to business: "Li Xu, we've enjoyed the scenery of Berlin. Now, I'd like to talk to you about something serious."

Upon hearing this, Li Xu gently put down his teacup and straightened his back a little.

He knew the real drama was about to begin.

As expected, Han Sanpin's tone was solemn from the moment he spoke:

"Li Xu, your film 'Soulmate' has brought glory to our domestic film industry, so I won't be stingy with my praise."

"I've already reached an agreement with several cinema chains in China. Your film will be primarily distributed by China Film Group, with Huayi Brothers and Bona Film Group as co-distributors. The release date is set for March 1st."

"On average, our several cinema chains can give you 47% of the screenings in the first three days. After that, it depends on your box office performance. In addition, our major cinema chains will also provide full cooperation in various aspects of publicity and distribution."

"47% filming? Thank you, Chairman Han! Chairman Han is so generous!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xu's expression finally changed, and he thanked Han Sanpin earnestly with great joy in his voice.

Li Xu is not one of those outsiders who don't understand the industry; he is someone who works in the film and television industry.

He knew very well what a 47% screening rate in the first three days meant for a movie.

Although early March is not considered a major movie season.

But in the end, even though "Soulmate" won awards abroad, it is still just an art film, not a commercial blockbuster.

"Don't thank me yet, Li Xu, but I have conditions."

When Han Sanpin saw Li Xu's appearance, he chuckled and waved his hand, his tone serious.

Li Xu nodded upon hearing this and said, "Please speak, Chairman Han. If I can do it, I will definitely try my best not to disappoint you."

Hearing Li Xu's quick reply, Han Sanpin was pleased. He liked this kind of magnanimous person the most, so his tone became even gentler.

"Don't worry, this condition won't be mandatory; it's just an idea and a suggestion."

"Li Xu, I think you should know one thing: James Cameron's new film, Avatar, has finished filming and will be released in a few months."

"Guess what kind of terrifying wave this movie will create when it hits the Chinese market! And how much box office revenue will it rake in?"

"Putting aside other things, just take his movie 'Titanic,' which was released more than ten years ago. To this day, no domestic film has achieved the same box office results, let alone broken them."

At this point, even with Han Sanpin's ruthless and ambitious nature, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Upon hearing this, Li Xu also sighed:

"Titanic, this movie is truly amazing. It is not only the pinnacle of domestic film box office, but also the pinnacle of global film."

"For now, the only film that can break this movie's box office record is probably James Cameron's new movie, Avatar."

"I heard that the production and marketing costs of this movie totaled $2.37 million, which is a whopping 18 billion RMB."

"Mr. Han, you don't mean to suggest I get my new movie to compete with James Cameron's 'Avatar,' do you?"

"If that's how you think, then I have to say something discouraging. Although I'm very confident, at least for now, I think I'm still a bit lacking."

Upon hearing Li Xu's words, Han Sanpin couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"You, Li Xu, young people are indeed fearless like newborn calves."

"You want me to get a new movie to compete with James Cameron's Avatar? You're really dreaming. I wouldn't even dare to have such a thought."

"Don't even mention you, even if it were Zhang Yimou, Gangpao, and the poet, I wouldn't dare to have such thoughts about them."

"My requirements for you are not that difficult, they are much simpler."

"What does Chairman Han mean?" Li Xu asked with a smile, not at all embarrassed.

Li Xu admitted that he couldn't compete with James Cameron right now.

Even setting aside Li Xu's incomplete integration of directing skills, the available funding and special effects are far inferior.

Li Xu needs at least another two or three years to accumulate experience before he can even think about challenging James Cameron.

"What I mean is, we need to prepare in advance."

Hearing Li Xu's question, Han Sanpin didn't keep him in suspense. He spoke in a deep voice:

"My thought for you is that I hope your next film can be made in a more commercial style."

"Of course, I'm not saying that 'Soulmate' is bad, but no matter how well an art film is made, its box office potential is ultimately not as good as that of a commercial film."

At this point, Han Sanpin looked directly at Li Xu, his eyes filled with seriousness and sincerity:

"Li Xu, your two previous films were huge box office successes, which has already proven your ability to sell movies."

"And this year's Berlin Film Festival has further proven your artistic level."

"So next, I hope you can take over the banner of our new generation of directors and become the absolute leader among our young directors, so that our domestic films can hold their heads high on the international stage."

Han Sanpin's words were already a clear indication of his intentions.

Li Xu was silent for a moment before speaking: "Chairman Han, I will seriously consider it. I also have the idea of ​​making a commercial film for my next movie. I'll tell you about it when I've finished the script."

"good!"

"It's this ambition of yours that's what gives me confidence. Don't worry, once your proposal is finished, as long as it's strong, I'll definitely give you the maximum resource support!"

"Not only me, but even your superiors will support you!"

Han Sanpin was extremely satisfied with Li Xu's attitude. He picked up his cup and clinked it with Li Xu's, his face beaming like a Maitreya Buddha.

After we finished discussing this matter...

The atmosphere gradually relaxed in the latter half of the meal.

Han Sanpin and Li Xu discussed some upcoming film policy trends, and then talked about the new projects of several major domestic directors.

The implication was that they were extending an olive branch to Li Xu.

The authorities hope to cultivate a new generation of directors who can truly gain international recognition, and Li Xu is currently the most suitable first choice.

After that conversation...

It was almost 10 p.m. when Li Xu left the private restaurant.

The snow started falling again on the street, fine and dense, like salt being sprinkled under the streetlights.