My daily life with the original diva

"It's not bad. So how much will I get from the overseas box office?" Upon hearing about the domestic box office, Kimura Hiroshi was quite satisfied with the figure, but he was more curious about how much he would get from the overseas box office.

It's important to understand that in the 1980s, it was quite common for films to have their box office revenue hacked when they were released overseas. After all, it was extremely difficult for Japan to monitor how much box office revenue foreign cinemas actually generated.

Without online ticket counting or video surveillance, relying solely on paper tickets, there are simply too many ways for someone to pocket a portion of the revenue. You have no way of knowing. So he was genuinely curious about how much of the overseas box office revenue he could actually receive. His overseas box office revenue was split 40/60 with Toho, with him receiving 40% and Toho 60%.

Unexpectedly, Kimura Hiroshi was not too moved by the large number of domestic box office revenue. Fukada Yu once again witnessed the ambition of the young man in front of him. His ambition for money far exceeded that of most people, and many directors of conglomerates could not compare to him.

"Not bad? Kimura-san, this 1.6 billion yen share is something most movies can't even get at the box office this year. You think it's not bad for you?" Fukada Yuya said with a sigh.

After expressing his feelings, Yuya Fukada mentioned the overseas box office, "As for the overseas box office, Kimura-san will receive about five million US dollars. I know that the share is a bit low, but there's nothing we can do about it. After all, we only received about twelve million US dollars. Giving Kimura-san five million US dollars is the result of my best efforts. By the way, I can give Kimura-san US dollars as some compensation."

Upon hearing this number, Hiroshi Kimura sighed deeply. Sure enough, a large portion of the box office revenue was swallowed up. Generally speaking, when a film is released in another country, the box office revenue is split 30/70, with the local distribution theater receiving 70% and the film provider receiving 30%. Based on a box office of 67 million, Toho should have received at least 20 million US dollars, but in the end, they only received 12 million US dollars.

However, the fact that he ultimately received five million US dollars is already quite good. Yuya Fukada still has a conscience. It's not something he or Toho can solve by having their box office revenue swallowed up. They can only accept it unless they have theaters in other countries, which is impossible. Even Toho doesn't have that much power or money.

"Thank you so much, Fukada-san. But please exchange it for Japanese yen. I don't really need US dollars right now," Kimura Hiroshi said after expressing his gratitude.

The US dollar is the world's most widely used currency. Having such a large sum of US dollars in hand is definitely better than having Japanese yen. It will make many things much more convenient for you. However, Kimura Hiroshi doesn't need to do that. He has to exchange it for Japanese yen because the yen will appreciate rapidly in the near future. At that time, it would be a bit foolish to keep US dollars in hand.

Unexpectedly, Kimura Hiroshi wanted Japanese yen. In that case, let's give him yen. Fukada Yuya said, "Alright, let's exchange it for Japanese yen for Kimura-san. At the current exchange rate of 1 to 223, it should be 1.115 billion yen. Including the domestic box office, Kimura-san will receive 2.759 billion yen. This money will be transferred to Kimura-san's account at Witness Company in batches over the next six days."

Such a large amount cannot be transferred all at once; it can only be transferred in batches. Kimura Hiroshi nodded and said, "Thank you for your help, Fukada-san."

The box office deal was over, but that didn't mean the matter was settled. Fukada Yuya continued, "Kimura-san, this collaboration has been very fruitful for you, me, and Toho. So, would you consider having Toho distribute your next film as well?"

Clearly, Yuya Fukada's most important goal was still this: to talk about box office revenue first, to use money to let Hiroshi Kimura know the benefits of cooperating with Toho, to entice him, and then to get another film in his hands.

“No problem. We can hand over the distribution for the next movie to Toho. However, I’m afraid this movie won’t be able to achieve such high box office returns overseas. It will probably only be able to achieve decent box office returns within East Asia,” Kimura Hiroshi said.

The reason why "Léon: The Professional" achieved good box office results in Europe and America is ultimately because the film caters to the tastes of certain Western audiences. In contrast, this newly filmed movie dealing with school violence is unlikely to attract their attention, so it is probably impossible for it to achieve the same success as "Léon: The Professional".

Yuya Fukada took it in stride, laughing as he said, "Haha, Kimura-san's ambition is truly grand. He actually thinks every film he makes will be a huge hit overseas. I wouldn't dare to dream of that. If this film is a hit domestically, then Kimura-san will have a place in the Japanese film industry. If he makes two more great films overseas, then in the future, Kimura-san's status will be even higher than that of Akira Kurosawa."

Hiroya Kimura also realized that he was overthinking things. In the end, Léon: The Professional was just a shortcut. You can't expect every movie to be a hit overseas. You have to take it slow. After becoming an instant success, you need to accumulate experience so that you can earn more money later.

Chapter 251 Investment Requires Prudence

Over the next few days, as agreed, Dongbao began to transfer funds to the account of Baquan Co., Ltd. in batches. Although it was a company account, it was actually a way for Kimura Hiroshi to avoid taxes. In reality, he controlled it alone. The account was just registered under the company's name, and the company actually used a different account.

As Kimura Hiroshi watched his account balance grow exponentially every day, one can imagine how he felt. He truly felt like he was floating on air. He was already preparing to buy another large commercial property in Ginza Town; this money should be enough.

As for continuing to invest in movies, sorry, he wouldn't dare invest that much money. If he used more than 2 billion yen to make movies, he wouldn't be able to afford small-budget ones, and he would have some spare money to invest in. As for high-cost ones, he wouldn't even consider them.

First of all, the Japanese domestic film market is actually not very large. Even with the huge success of "Léon: The Professional," the box office only barely exceeded 6 billion yen, less than 30 million US dollars, which shows how small the market is. This is the data driven by its overseas popularity; otherwise, exceeding 4 billion yen would have been an excellent achievement.

With a small domestic box office and uncertain overseas box office, the possibility of hidden box office revenue or even being unable to be released is common. For example, "Léon: The Professional" had a large amount of box office revenue stolen. As a result, the risks of high-investment films seem infinitely high, and it would be too foolish to throw away hard-earned money.

No investment is as good as real estate. It is the safest investment because the general trend of history will not change just because you buy a few more houses. That agreement will definitely be signed, the yen is destined to appreciate, and a bubble is destined to come. Given the choice between making a profit of more than ten times in four years, making more than ten times in two years, or losing everything in two years, Hiroshi Kimura chose the safe option.

Not to mention, this money doesn't just belong to him. His girlfriend, Akina Nakamori, invested tens of millions of yen. In other words, according to the profit sharing, about one-twelfth of the profits belong to her. Therefore, Hiroshi Kimura can't use it all. He still has to wait for her to come back and discuss it.

With more money in his account, Kimura Hiroshi was naturally in a very good mood. For several days, he was extremely polite to everyone he met, and his smile never stopped. Even if there were any minor problems, he didn't care. He was truly as easy to talk to as he could be.

Seeing his expression, the people around him roughly knew what had happened. He must have made a fortune; only money could make him happy for so long, and it was a huge sum of money. As for where it came from, those around him knew it must have come from the movie.

Because Léon: The Professional was taken off the screens at the end of last year, and its box office reached over 6 billion yen, as the producer and investor, Hiroshi Kimura must have received a considerable share. However, no one knows exactly how much he received, because Kimura himself has not said anything, and Toho has not released any related information.

"What's making you so happy, Kimura-san? I've noticed you've been secretly smiling these past two days while you're resting," Koji Tamaki asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm also very curious about what happened, Kimura-san." Fujii Ikuya, who was standing next to him, was also very curious, but he didn't dare to speak first. He waited until Tamaki Koji asked before asking as well.

After several days of planning, they can finally film the dance music video for "New Treasure Island" together. The dance is not difficult; it is basically based on the famous, grotesque dance video of the overweight, youthful version of Teacher Huang from later generations. Kimura Hiroshi made some modifications, and the main performer is still Kimura Hiroshi. The Checkers band and the Anzen Chitai band are just his backup dancers.

The filming was relaxed, and everyone got along quite well. However, after two days of filming, everyone noticed something interesting: Kimura Hiroshi would occasionally chuckle to himself, which was unlike his usual demeanor, so everyone was very curious.

Seeing the two band lead singers staring at him with great curiosity, waiting for his answer, Kimura Hiroshi realized that his demeanor had been a bit off these past few days. Although he could pretend not to care, having made a fortune, he would unconsciously reveal his emotions when he relaxed. It seemed that his ability to pretend as an adult was not yet fully mastered.

"Oh, Akina-san is coming back in a couple of days. We've made plans to hang out. It's been a few days since we last saw each other, so just thinking about her makes me happy." Kimura Hiroshi quickly made up a reason.

Both of them knew about his relationship with Akina Nakamori, so they didn't have much doubt about this reason.

"Ah, is that so? Youth is wonderful. Even love is so beautiful. Your relationship is truly enviable." Koji Tamaki said with a nostalgic expression. Although he debuted late, he is quite old and has already passed his youth. He is currently single.

As for Fujii Fumiya, he was also envious, but he didn't say anything. He seemed to be thinking about something, probably wondering if he could have such a love.

Just as the three of them were lost in their own thoughts, Rokudo Kaisuke, a member of the band Anzen Chitai, suddenly shouted, "Oh my god, come quick! Look, that male idol Kondo Masahiko who was kicked out of Johnny's Entertainment has actually gone to make adult films! There are even promotional photos of him in this magazine."

Obviously, compared to listening to Hiroshi Kimura's so-called love stories, this kind of news with its erotic undertones and certain implications is more attractive to men. As soon as he shouted it, everyone ran over to see.

The magazine he had just been reading was placed on the small table in the rest area. Everyone gathered around to look at it and saw that it really was a report about Masahiko Kondo. He was completely naked in the article, with a certain part of him covered up, revealing the kind of smile that only some adult film actresses would have.

It's astonishing how quickly a once-popular male idol has fallen from grace. How long has it been since he started making adult films? It's truly eye-catching.

Although Japanese people can accept making this type of film, especially in the entertainment industry, doing so completely plunges one into the very bottom of the entertainment industry. Making this kind of film means that one can never enter the mainstream of the entertainment industry again.

"I never expected him to make adult films. I thought he would try to get into another agency and start over," said Fujii Fumiya, who knew nothing about the inside story.

"He was probably lured there. I've seen news reports about this guy's dissolute lifestyle; he seems to frequent bars to find women. But Johnny's Entertainment managed to get rid of him. People who lack willpower are easily lured away," Koji Tamaki analyzed with his own experience.

Kimura Hiroshi, standing nearby, looked at the report without saying a word, because he knew what was going on. Kondo Masahiko was going to make a short film, and he deserved a lot of credit for it. He just didn't expect that the publicity would start so soon. He wondered how all the girls who used to like him would feel.

They might be secretly delighted, since this way they can see all the idols they used to like, secretly buy a few copies to watch them several times, and maybe even collect them.

And Kondo Masahiko must be really happy doing this. Doesn't this guy like to lie to women? Perfect, there are so many scenes like this in adult films, it fits his usual behavior perfectly. I imagine he's having a great time on adult film sets.

Everyone huddled together discussing the matter, saying all sorts of things. Some were even very curious about how such a film was made, and someone jokingly suggested that he try making one himself. It was truly a scene of laughter and commotion.

It wasn't until the music video director came over and urged, "Alright, alright, it's break time. Everyone, stop chatting and get ready. You're all popular singers, and we don't have that much time to waste."

Chapter 252 Two Busy People

After being fired from Johnny's Entertainment, the once-popular male idol went on to make adult films. This was the kind of explosive news that the media loved. As a result, Masahiko Kondo enjoyed a treatment he never received even at the height of his popularity, making headlines in many media outlets. His photo, in which he smiled while only covering his private parts, also became a major topic of discussion.

Ordinary people also enjoy watching this kind of news. The fact that a once-famous figure has fallen to the point of engaging in a profession that they all look down on greatly satisfies their vain sense of self-esteem. For a time, all the media outlets, newspapers, and magazines that reported on this matter saw a surge in sales.

Logically, such a hot entertainment news story should have been reported for a long time, but the large-scale reporting lasted for less than three days before the number of reports began to decrease significantly.

It's obvious what's going on; Johnny's is definitely using its connections again. Every time Masahiko Kondo appears in the media, he brings Johnny's along, and old issues are brought up again. This is the last thing Johnny's wants to see. Right now, they just hope this matter will be forgotten by everyone as soon as possible, instead of being brought up again and again.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't pay much attention to these things because he was really busy. He was shooting music videos, reviewing comics, and shooting album covers. With multiple tasks running at the same time, it was bound to be tough.

The busy schedule has yielded remarkable results. The MV shooting is nearing its end. The members of Anzen Chitai and the Checkers band are very curious about Hiroshi Kimura's unique dance style, as it is a dance they have never seen before.

Of course, they couldn't have imagined that this would lead to the later "ghostly" or "grotesque" dances. But in this era, there were no such "ghostly" or "grotesque" dances. Everyone present thought that Hiroshi Kimura had developed a new type of dance. He truly deserves to be called an all-around genius. He can write songs, sing, make movies, and even create new dances. He's really amazing.

The filming went very quickly, mainly because the people involved were all currently very popular, so there wasn't much time to waste. Therefore, they adopted a high-intensity filming approach and finished shooting the music video in less than three days. Afterwards, Hiroshi Kimura had the two lead singers of the band shoot the cover of New Formosa Records with him.

The three men, dressed in suits, stared blankly at the camera, while a microphone sat in front of Hiroshi Kimura. The cover itself had a distinctly postmodern feel.

Hiroshi Kimura finally finished working on his new single in mid-January. Now he just needs to wait for the final production, after which he will start promoting the new single.

After finishing up with Ken-On's business, Kimura Hiroshi began to focus on his own company's affairs, starting with Takeshi Kitano's new film. Compared to when he and Akina Nakamori were filming, where he would often disappear from the set for ten days or half a month at a time, this time the crew was much better off.

Although Kyoko Koizumi is a popular idol, her agency clearly values ​​this film shoot very much, so they turned down many of her other activities to focus on the film. Even when she leaves the set, she won't be gone for more than three days, which makes the film's progress very fast.

"The film will be completed by the end of February at the latest. If we need to expedite the release, it can be released in May or June. How about that? That's a good pace, isn't it? Unlike you and your girlfriend, who have been making a movie for almost a year. That's incredibly slow."

Even when they were having a proper conversation about work, Takeshi Kitano couldn't resist taking a jab at Hiroshi Kimura. It was just that his first time making a movie was such a vivid memory, and the fact that it took so long to film was simply unbearable for him.

Without refutation, Kimura Hiroshi was very satisfied with the current filming progress, saying, "That would be even better. It would be best if it were released in May or June. At that time, we will need your help to film the second movie."

The movie he's going to film with Akina Nakamori has most of its scenes concentrated in the summer, so filming in the summer is the best option. It would be much more comfortable to film summer scenes when the weather is cold, which would be extremely painful, not to mention that Akina Nakamori's body can't handle it. So it's best to finish filming in the summer.

Despite the ongoing filming, Takeshi Kitano showed no complaints and instead asked with great enthusiasm, "Kimura-san, you've finally learned to be efficient. That's truly rare. So, what kind of film are you planning to make next? Ideally, it would be a yakuza-themed film. I've had that idea for a long time."

"What yakuza? The next movie will be a romance film, um, a youth romance film with fantasy elements," Hiroshi Kimura said seriously.

Takeshi Kitano was immediately displeased. He rolled his eyes and said unhappily, "What kind of bullshit teen romance films are those? They're an insult to cinema. I would never make something like that."

Nowadays, with idols everywhere in the entertainment industry, many idols are just good-looking. Singing is a challenge for them, so they can only go into acting. However, these idols' acting skills are also average. They can only film some simple short dramas, tokusatsu dramas, or youth romance films. After all, their image is suitable, and their audience is mainly young people. Filming youth romance films is definitely the most correct choice.

The result of this is that most youth romance films are terrible, the kind that are unwatchable, which is why Takeshi Kitano is so angry.

However, Hiroshi Kimura didn't need to explain to Takeshi Kitano. After all, he was the president, and Kitano was his subordinate and partner. The president didn't need to explain to his subordinate what he wanted to do. Besides, it wasn't like he was the one who was filming.

"I'll direct this movie. You can come and help out. Oh, and bring that kid Shunji Iwai too. Okay, let's finish filming this movie as soon as possible. Toho is waiting." After saying that, Hiroshi Kimura left the set. He still had a lot of things to take care of.

Back at Hegemony, Kimura Hiroshi immediately went to the manga department to review the manuscripts. The tasks for the two manga he had assigned last time had been assigned, and every two days, Kimura Hiroshi would come to check on the progress. If there were any unsatisfactory parts, he would ask them to make revisions. As a non-professional, he naturally wouldn't offer any professional guidance.

He would only state his requirements for the character designs, the story's pacing, and certain scene visuals, and then have the young artists revise them. He spoke very casually, but the artists below suffered greatly from the revisions. Many drafts were revised several times, but Kimura Hiroshi still rejected them.

Today, the cover art for the movie-themed comic book collaboration, including the main characters' compositions, was all finished. Kimura Hiroichi glanced at it and noticed that the art style of this era was very different from that of later generations.

As a youth romance manga, Kimura Hiroshi requested that the artwork be fresh, the lines be clear, and the characters not have such heavy strokes and colors. This was very different from the popular art style at the time, so he requested revisions again and again. After several revisions, he was finally satisfied.

Nodding, Hiroshi Kimura said, "Very good. Director Hirono, the images of the male and female leads and supporting characters are settled. As for the visuals, do them according to my requirements. By the way, I will give you the plot information, and I will come to check it every five days from now on."

Seeing that Kimura Hiroshi was finally satisfied, Hirono Takashi also breathed a sigh of relief. However, after revising the art style over the past few days, he also realized that this was a completely new style of comic. Although the president in front of him did not know how to draw comics, he was able to conceive a new style of comics based on his own imagination, which was truly extraordinary.

“Okay, President, I will send the artwork to your office every five days for your review. By the way, Ms. Kamio’s manga character design has been preliminarily finalized. Would you like to take a look?” Hirono brought up another matter.

Kimura Hiroshi wasn't in a hurry. This manga, which was destined to be a long one, needed to be polished properly. He said, "Let Kamio-san work on the concept first. There's no rush. Go and give me the manga ideas that everyone has come up with recently. If I think they're good, they can be published in a magazine."

"Okay, I'll go now." With that, Hiroshi Hirono left the office, and soon staff members brought over all the recent works from the manga department. Hiroshi Kimura read them all carefully.

He stayed up all night, only leaving when his sister, Kimura Ryo, urged him to get off work. From those sketches, Kimura Hiroshi selected two works, one about adventure and the other about fantasy, and asked their authors to submit the story outlines. At the same time, he also had them produce the first chapters so he could determine whether these two comics had any potential for publication.

After a long day at work, Kimura Hiroshi had dinner with his sister, Kimura Ryo. When he returned to his apartment, he immediately collapsed onto the sofa. As a well-known couch potato, he preferred lying down to working.

He had only been lying down for a short while when the phone rang. He struggled to get up and answered it. It was Nakamori Akina's voice that came through, which immediately made him feel a little better.

"Hiro-kun, I'll be back at seven tomorrow morning. I can rest for two days. I'll go straight to your apartment then, so don't mistake me for a thief," Akina Nakamori said with a grin.

"Finally coming back. You've been gone for almost eight or nine days. You've been a really busy celebrity," Kimura Hiroshi said. "Keep your voice down when you come in. I'm still sleeping."

"You're so lazy, Hiro-kun. Okay, I'll be quieter later. I need to go to bed early now so I won't be tired tomorrow." Nakamori Akina yawned as she spoke. Running around doing shows for a long time is quite tiring, and she often feels sleepy.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, Kimura Hiroshi said softly, "Then go to sleep early. We can talk about it when you come back tomorrow. Sleep well, and don't dream about me."

"No way, you lazy bum Hiro-kun, I slept like a log and didn't miss you at all. I'm going to rest now. Goodnight," Nakamori Akina said.

"Goodnight, Akina!" After saying that, he was also a little sleepy.

Chapter 253 Whose Silly Girl Is This?

Since the Lunar New Year, the two, deeply in love, had only met once, an opportunity created by Kimura Hiroshi himself. This was incredibly difficult for a couple deeply in love, so after confirming they could rest for two days, Nakamori Akina didn't want to waste a single moment. She bought the earliest flight that morning and flew back to spend this precious holiday with Kimura Hiroshi.

The flight arrived at Narita Airport in Tokyo at 7:00 AM. Nakamori Akina took a car from her agency directly to Kimura Hiroshi's apartment. Seeing how eager she was to see Kimura Hiroshi, her manager, Akiyuki Yoshizawa, was very worried.

“Akina-san is too invested in her feelings. If Kimura-san has any other thoughts, then Akina-san will definitely be the one who gets hurt in the end,” Akiyuki Yoshizawa said to Ms. Noriko, who was driving in front.

Ms. Noriko wasn't too worried about this. Instead, she said with certainty, "No, Mr. Akiyuki. Kimura-san is a rare boyfriend. He would never do anything to betray Akina-san."