The entertainment empire began with Liu Yifei's premarital pregnancy.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Daily check-in successful. You have received the following rewards: one bottle of Liuwei Emperor Pills (10 pills) + one bottle of Beauty and Nourishing Pills (10 pills) + 100 million US dollars.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Monthly check-in successful. Rewards: One bottle of Liuwei Emperor Pills (10 pills) + One bottle of Beauty and Nourishing Pills (10 pills) + 100 million US dollars + Script for the first movie "Pirates of the Caribbean"]

Today is July 1st, and Lin Bufan is signing in as usual.

As the system's voice faded, several rewards were placed in front of Lin Bufan.

"Pirates of the Caribbean!"

As usual, Lin Bufan put all the other items into the dimensional space, but picked up the movie script.

The Pirates of the Caribbean film series has spawned five films in total, grossing over $45 billion worldwide.

It could bring Lin Bufan at least 10 billion US dollars in profit. Moreover, in Hollywood, box office revenue only accounts for about 30%, with the majority going to peripheral development.

Based on this ratio, the Pirates of the Caribbean film series could earn him billions of dollars, but that would require a long period of accumulation.

Lin Bufan put away the script. The investment in this movie is quite high, and it can't be started yet.

"Boss, Director Tsui Ke has arrived!"

Just as he put away the script, Bai Bing knocked on the door and came in.

"Please come quickly!"

As Lin Bufan spoke, he stood up and walked towards the door, and Xu Ke followed Bai Bing in.

"Director Xu, please!"

"President Lin!"

Xu Ke looked a little embarrassed, as he had taken the initiative to meet Lin Bufan this time.

"Director Xu, calling me President Lin is too formal. I grew up watching your movies. Just call me Lin Bufan." Lin Bufan smiled and invited Xu Ke to sit down, then turned to Bai Bing: "Brew some tea and bring it in!"

"Yes, boss!"

After Bai Bing left, Lin Bufan chatted with Xu Ke.

After some polite exchanges, Xu Ke stopped addressing Lin as "President" and instead addressed Lin Bufan as "Director Lin," following industry custom.

"Boss!"

A few minutes later, Bai Bing came in with the brewed tea.

After Bai Bing left, the conversation got back on track.

"Director Lin, I've come here to seek refuge with you..."

Xu Ke looked at Lin Bufan with a serious expression.

He was serious. In his early years, Tsui Hark directed many classic films, including the Wong Fei-hung series and Aces Go Places.

However, in 01, the film "The Legend of Zu" was a box office flop, which made many companies hesitant to invest in Tsui Hark. The subsequent films "Black Mask" and "Seven Swords" further proved this point.

In later years, it wasn't until the 10-year-old TV series "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame" that he was able to stand up again.

This is the lowest point in Tsui Hark's directorial career.

"Director Xu, you're too kind. There's no such thing as seeking refuge here. Once we're in Kyoto, we're all in a cooperative relationship."

Lin Bufan looked at Xu Ke with a smile.

Lin Bufan never puts on airs when dealing with these talented directors; he always believes in sharing the wealth.

"Boss!"

Just as Lin Bufan was chatting with Xu Ke, Liu Zhengyang, the manager of the director department, knocked on the door and came in.

"Zhengyang, you've come at the perfect time."

Lin Bufan turned his head, beckoned Liu Zhengyang over, and then looked at Xu Ke: "Director Xu, I've delegated the signing of contracts to my subordinates."

"Director Xu, hello!"

Liu Zhengyang walked over and sat down next to Xu Ke, then took out a contract and placed it in front of him.

After giving a brief greeting, Xu Ke picked up the contract and glanced at it. It was the same as what was rumored and what he knew.

What appealed to him most was Kyoto Entertainment's promise to provide him with resources in Hollywood. Although there were some preconditions, Xu Ke didn't care.

Although he has been failing for the past few years, he does not believe that he will continue to fail. He is waiting for an opportunity.

After much deliberation, he finally decided that Kyoto Entertainment was his opportunity, so he came.

"Director Xu, from now on we're all on the same side."

After Xu Ke signed the contract, Lin Bufan reached out and shook hands with him.

"Perfect timing, here's a script."

As Lin Bufan spoke, he got up and returned to his seat, bent down to open the safe, took out a script, and then closed the safe.

Of course, all of this was for show; in reality, he stored the important things in a dimensional space.

"Painted Skin?"

Xu Ke took the script and glanced at the two large characters on the cover.

Hong Kong has also produced many films like "Painted Skin" that are similar to those in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," but after he glanced at the script, he realized that "Painted Skin" had undergone some adaptations, even major ones.

"This film is expected to have an investment of 8000 million."

In later generations, the official account stated that the investment cost of "Painted Skin" was US$1500 million, equivalent to about 1.2 million yuan, but this publicity cost was definitely inflated.

Moreover, Lin Bufan's "Painted Skin" will definitely have a major overhaul of the cast, which will save on actor salaries. After calculation, the production department estimates the investment to be around 8000 million.

Of course, this is the actual investment cost; the publicly stated cost is 100 million.

"Isn't Director Lin afraid I'll lose money again?"

Xu Ke's hands, gripping the script, turned slightly white, and his voice trembled slightly.

Since "The Legend of Zu Mountain", Xu Ke's directing career has plummeted. In recent years, unless he makes films with his own money, no company is willing to invest in him, as they are all afraid of losing money.

He originally thought that since he had just signed with Kyoto, he might have to wait a while longer.

Alternatively, they could test the waters with a few low-budget films first.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he signed with Kyoto Studio, Lin Bufan prepared a big-budget production for him.

Given the current situation in China, an actual investment of 8000 million yuan in film production is, if not the absolute limit, certainly a top-tier blockbuster.

What's more, after reading the script, he discovered that "Painted Skin" was also a special effects movie. You know, his last special effects movie was "The Legend of Zu," which was a huge loss.

"I believe Director Xu won't fall in the same place twice."

Lin Bufan looked at Xu Ke with a serious expression, then suddenly smiled and said, "Besides, I have never thought that 'The Legend of Shushan' is a bad movie."

"The Legend of Zu" can be considered the ancestor of fantasy special effects films. Whether it is the plot, the visuals, or the special effects, it is remarkable.

Some people say that the plot of "The Legend of Shushan" is bad, but Lin Bufan never thought so.

A special effects film actually has very simple requirements for its plot. As long as it is logical, it doesn't need too much analysis of the content, since it's not an art film.

In Lin Bufan's view, the only failure of "The Legend of Shushan" can be summed up in two words: "exhilaration".