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

"So, even if I have the technology and can produce it, I still have to depend on the six major powers. I can only produce it if they agree to it, is that right?" Lin Bufan's expression was rather unpleasant.

He originally thought that his skills were good enough.

However, because of these so-called regulations, I need to get the approval of the six major corporations first, and for every machine produced, whether it's equipment or screens, I need to pay the six major corporations.

While the lack of DCI might have increased costs due to the different formats of various digital cinemas, the establishment of DCI is a good thing for the entire industry.

However, precisely because of their monopoly, the six major players hold a position that is almost supreme in the world, if not absolute.

If they hadn't told him today, Lin Bufan wouldn't have known what was going on.

"Yes, Mr. Lin, unless you're only using it for filming..."

Clearly, the six leaders also know that they cannot offend everyone.

Therefore, only equipment manufacturers are subject to the six major bottlenecks. If it's just about making movies, there wouldn't be such a big concern.

Ke Lin is not just making movies; with the rise of 3D, cinemas around the world will definitely replace their projectors and screens.

To play 3D movies, you need a digital projector, a 3D peripheral kit, a metal high-gain screen, 3D glasses, and a server.

A digital projector costs 30 yuan, and it also requires a special zoom lens and xenon lamp bulbs. Everything else is a one-time expense, but xenon lamp bulbs are consumables, and a single bulb costs several thousand yuan.

All in all, the digital projector set alone would cost around 45 yuan.

Adding in other factors, a single hall requires an investment of over a million dollars. Globally, there are a total of 14 screens, representing a market worth tens of billions.

Moreover, the film market is constantly growing.

Especially in the domestic market, Lin Bufan now possesses various technologies, and it would be a great pity if he couldn't completely dominate the domestic market.

……

"President Lin, Ling Rou has arrived!"

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed, and Xu Hongfei knocked on the door and came in to report to Lin Bufan.

"Please invite them in!"

Lin Bufan nodded slightly.

"Yes, Mr. Lin!"

Soon, Xu Hongfei entered the office with a woman.

"Hello, Mr. Lin!"

"Miss Ling, please have a seat!"

Lin Bufan stood up, walked out from behind the table, and shook hands with Ling Rou.

As soon as the other person entered the room, Lin Bufan looked her up and down. Xu Hongfei wasn't lying; she really wasn't very pretty.

She has an average appearance, but her demeanor exudes a capable and efficient air.

"I heard from General Manager Xu that Miss Ling is very interested in the Sculpting Time coffee brand?" Lin Bufan got straight to the point.

"Yes, Mr. Lin!"

When it came to serious matters, Ling Rou spoke earnestly about her thoughts.

Compared to Xu Hongfei, Ling Rou explained things in more detail, and even Lin Bufan agreed with some of her opinions and ideas.

"Tell me your thoughts."

Lin Bufan looked at Ling Rou and nodded slightly.

"Mr. Lin, if Zhewei Capital acquires Sculpting Time, I hope to become the CEO of this brand." Ling Rou looked at Lin Bufan with great boldness.

Her boldness wasn't based on infatuation or anything like that, but rather on her ambition.

"If you were to become the CEO of Sculpting Time, what would you do?"

Lin Bufan looked at the other person with great interest.

He is not afraid of the other party having ambition, but he is afraid of the other party not having ambition.

"First and foremost, the first thing we need to do is change the name to Time Cafe." Ling Rou said seriously, "The name 'Sculpting Time' is too limiting..."

If you don't know Tarkovsky, you might not even understand the meaning of "Sculpting Time". Moreover, a four-character brand is actually very difficult to promote, mainly because it is "tongue-twisting" and does not sound very smooth.

On the contrary, if it were changed to Time Coffee, it would not only be easier to read and remember, but the word "Time" would also have a very classy feel.

Of course, the existing "Sculpting Time" coffee shops will definitely be retained, because the soul of this brand is what allows a good story to be told.

Furthermore, the public tends to appreciate a brand that tells a good story.

"Furthermore, Time Cafe primarily targets students as its customer base..." Ling Rou said, her eyes shining.

Nowadays, most major coffee brands target business professionals, but there are hardly any good coffee shops near universities or even university towns.

This market is a completely untapped market.

By opening the store near the university town, the customer base consists of college students, graduate students, doctoral students, teachers, and some artistic young people.

At first glance, college students' current consumption level is not high, and they may not earn much money. In fact, they may even burn money in the initial expansion.

However, in the long run, this move is very clever.

Looking at it now, college students are still very naive, but they will grow up one day and enter society one day.

Even the future society will belong to these young people.

The power of sentiment should not be underestimated. Every year, graduates from the university town enter the workforce. If Time Cafe can seize this market first, it will definitely have a bright future.

However, it's not easy to actually do it.

People just haven't noticed this group yet, but if Time Coffee were to enter this market, it would definitely attract attention.

Therefore, if Time Coffee wants to develop rapidly and seize the market, it must burn money.

It's not just the money for opening a store, but also the cost of advertising.

There are over a thousand undergraduate institutions nationwide, and if you include vocational colleges, that number is over two thousand.

Even back in 08, opening a stylish and upscale coffee shop near a school would have been quite expensive, costing between 50 and 100 million yuan depending on the city, not including rent, operating costs, and labor.

If we calculate based on an average of 1 million, just opening a store would require more than 1 billion. Adding in operations, rent, and labor costs, we would need to prepare to burn through at least 3 billion.

This only includes rent; if you buy the shop, the cost will be more than five times higher.

"Mr. Lin, we can open ten stores initially. Once we prove that our model is viable, we can seek financing..." Ling Rou looked at Lin Bufan with ambitious eyes.

If we can prove that this model works, we won't have to worry about external financing at all.

"There's no rush for financing..."

Lin Bufan waved his hand, saying that it was impossible for him to monopolize the profits, but he also wouldn't introduce other capital too early.

"I'm entrusting this investment to you. I need to see results within six months." Lin Bufan looked at Xu Hongfei with a serious expression.

"Yes, Mr. Lin!"

Xu Hongfei responded happily.