novelraw Chapter 56 The People from Hollywood
Chapter 56 The People from Hollywood
The fact that "Lost in Thailand" grossed 1.18 million yuan at the box office has caused quite a stir in the Chinese entertainment industry.
It lacks both grand scenes and a captivating plot. If it weren't for Shen Qing directing and starring in it, would it have grossed 3000 million at the box office?
They actually managed to snag 1.18 million! Who can their competitors complain to?
Shen Qing also felt that he might be criticized. Foreign directors can make movies like "The Lord of the Rings," but Chinese directors can only make movies like "Lost in Thailand." After searching online, he found that similar criticisms were directed at Chen Kaige and "The Promise."
The public opinion surrounding "Lost on Journey" is not bad. Most netizens say that since director Shen Qing can make films like "Taken" and "Ip Man", what's wrong with him wanting to relax and have some fun making a lighthearted and funny film like "Lost on Journey"?
This movie made us laugh so hard in the theater, so what if we push its box office to over 100 million?
Then casting began for "Mr. Donkey".
Director Zhou Shen did a good job in "Almost a Comedy". In casting for "Mr. Donkey", Shen Qing only specified Wan Qian and delegated the casting authority for the other roles.
Director Zhou Shen recommended Guo Jingfei for the role of Zhou Tienan, and Lei Jiayin and Deng Chao for the role of the coppersmith. He himself said he didn't know how to choose and asked Shen Qing to make the decision.
Shen Qing had collaborated with Lei Jiayin many times before and they had a good relationship. Under these circumstances, Zhou Shen did not directly push Lei Jiayin but chose one of the two. Shen Qing guessed that he probably preferred Deng Chao.
Deng Chaoyan, the coppersmith...
Shen Qing went through the thought in his mind. Deng Chao was quite versatile, and it seemed plausible that he would play a coppersmith.
Let's cast Deng Chao then. We can't keep using the same few people from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
The investment was set at 500 million yuan, jointly funded by Shenqi Films and Dingxin, with Shenqi Films holding an 85% stake.
After all the roles were finalized, the main creators and lead actors held a meet-and-greet at Shenqi Films. Shen Qing was also present, but he did not speak and instead gave the reins to director Zhou Shen.
During the meeting, Shen Qing felt that Wan Qian might have something on her mind, so she called her over afterward to ask her. Wan Qian mumbled that she didn't, but Shen Qing didn't believe her and kept asking. Finally, Wan Qian cautiously asked Shen Qing if he didn't like her anymore.
"No? You're so beautiful and so sensible, how could I not like you?"
"But...you haven't...you haven't..." during these last few meetings.
Shen Qing suddenly realized that she felt he was neglecting her.
He chuckled, kept her there, and brought her home that evening for a thorough cleaning, using some new tricks, which she complained were perverted. Shen Qing even righteously declared:
"Pervert? No, no, it's all for work. You'll feel better after I teach you a lesson, right? You'll be able to fully dedicate yourself to filming once we get to Shanxi Province, won't you?"
Filming for "The Shallows" is scheduled to begin in early June in Shimei Bay, Hainan, including Jiajing Island.
If we're talking about nearby locations, Zhejiang Province has suitable filming locations, but the conditions are definitely not as good as Hainan. The downside of Hainan is that it might be more expensive, but Shen Qing thinks it's worth it. Not only is the effect better, but it can also be considered a vacation with Yang Mi.
Since the beginning of the time travel, three movies have already grossed over 3 million yuan at the box office. Can't we enjoy ourselves a bit?
The shark scenes in "The Shallows" are mainly handled by mechanical models, supplemented by some computer-generated CG effects.
Shen Qing has already made contact with foreign special effects companies, and at the same time, he is also considering setting up his own post-production special effects company.
Liu Yifei is trending again. The American production company has officially announced her as the female lead in "The Forbidden Kingdom," and she is reportedly currently undergoing intensive training.
Media reports suggested she would officially join Huayi Brothers after "The Forbidden Kingdom," but this was jointly denied by Huayi Brothers and Huang Bin, Liu Yifei's agent at Red Starwood.
There were also reports that Liu Yifei would sign with the Hollywood company William Morris. Liu Yifei's agent, Huang Bin, did not deny this time, but said that the final signing had not yet been completed.
However, Huang Bin also admitted that Huayi Brothers played a significant role in Liu Yifei's casting in "The Forbidden Kingdom," but emphasized that Liu would not join Huayi.
"Huayi Brothers only contributed $600 million?"
Shen Qing visited China Film Group to discuss the overseas distribution of "Taken 2," during which Han Sanping brought up "The Forbidden Kingdom."
"US$600 million for Greater China copyright."
"It's a sure thing, no risk at all!"
According to the agreement, Huayi Brothers will only pay the first installment of $300 million when the filming process is nearly halfway complete, and another $300 million will be paid upon delivery of the film.
"The conditions are that good?"
"The final payment is made by American banks. American banks need to see Jackie Chan's contract and Li Lianjie's contract before they will release the funds. This is a Sino-US co-production film, and Huaxia Company's contract is equally important. Huayi Brothers has superior bank creditworthiness, which is why it was selected by the American production company. What the American production company values is that the American banks are more willing to release the funds, rather than Huayi's professional capabilities."
"This is a huge bargain! For such a small amount of money, they got the Greater China rights, and they only need to pay the first installment when the filming is almost halfway done, but they can already put their own people in the movie from the very beginning."
"That's a huge loss indeed. Okay, let's not talk about them anymore. Legendary Hollywood studios are very interested in the North American and part of the European rights to 'Taken 2.' They've already verbally offered a $10 million guarantee plus 8% of the initial total box office revenue. They're just waiting for their people to come and see the finished film. If it's not too different from their expectations, it'll probably be done. My idea is to negotiate as we go. We can try to get 15%, and if we can get 1000%-12% in the end, that would be a success. 8% is the bottom line. I called you here today mainly to hear your thoughts."
Shen Qing has acquired Cheng Long's abilities, so he is naturally familiar with the so-called "preliminary total box office".
The initial total box office is the portion of a film's total box office revenue remaining after deducting the theater's share (approximately 50%).
Only the cinema's share is deducted; other expenses such as money owed by the production company, taxes, and marketing costs are not deducted.
If an American film grosses $1 million, its initial total box office revenue would be approximately $5000 million. The contract stipulates that 10% of the initial total box office revenue would be $500 million. Theoretically, even if the film's production and marketing costs reach $1.5 million and the production company loses money, the $500 million profit share still has to be paid.
"I have no objection," Shen Qing said.
Han Sanping nodded and added, "The Southeast Asian rights could fetch six or seven million US dollars, which is similar to the first film, but there's no rush for Southeast Asia right now."
Shen Qing nodded: "It's already very good."
After chatting with President Han for a while, Shen Qing said goodbye and left. Then, just a week later, Shen Qing received another urgent call from Han Sanping.
"Director Shen, the vice president of Legendary Pictures, Jojahini, will be coming to China this week to discuss the North American and European rights to 'Taken 2.' Judging from their tone, they are likely to agree to a $1000 million guarantee plus 15% of the initial total box office, but it seems they will have additional conditions that they need to discuss with you face-to-face."
"Such good conditions?" Shen Qing asked in surprise.
Han Sanping on the other end of the phone was equally surprised: "I don't understand the situation either. Originally, it was very difficult to negotiate even 10% of the initial total box office revenue. The original plan was to wait for their vice president, Jojashini, to personally lead a team to watch the film. If the film's quality met expectations, 10% shouldn't be a problem. But somehow, they suddenly let slip that they could negotiate 15%, but they wanted to talk to me in person."
"Let's talk in person then!"
Since we can't figure it out, let's not bother guessing. Let's wait and see what Vice President Jojashini has to say when he arrives.