Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 157 A Small Goal of 100 Million Yuan

"Hello, Kaige? Yes, it's me. We're all really looking forward to your film, 'The Emperor and the Assassin.' Are you sure it'll be released during the National Day holiday? Great! Then get back to post-production and we'll be waiting for your good news!"

Indeed, Han Sanping first contacted Chen Kaizi, who has been hailed as China's top director in recent years. After all, his film "The Emperor and the Assassin" is a truly big-budget production, with a production cost exceeding 100 million yuan. Moreover, the story of the assassination attempt on the King of Qin is basically familiar to everyone, and the cast, led by Gong Li, Li Xuejian, Zhang Fengyi, Wang Zhiwen, and others, is incredibly luxurious. Even Zhao Benshan and Pan Changjiang played minor supporting roles, making "The Emperor and the Assassin" attract considerable attention from the very beginning.

Therefore, when Han Sanping wanted to boost the morale of Chinese filmmakers, the first thing that came to mind was the big-budget, star-studded film "The Emperor and the Assassin".

But as Kai Zi just mentioned on the phone, the National Day holiday is just for a premiere; a large-scale public release will have to wait until after he wins his award at Cannes next year. Yes, Kai Zi is that confident; he's sure he won't leave Cannes empty-handed!

This left Han Sanping with nothing but a sigh after hanging up the phone; it seemed unlikely that "The Assassination of Qin" would be released anytime soon.

Then he thought of Wu Yuchen again and called him:

"Hey, Director Wu, how's filming going with 'Mr. Donkey'?"

"Haha, thank you for your concern, Director Han. They are all good actors, and everyone is in great shape right now. I reckon we'll wrap up filming soon."

"I'm so glad it goes smoothly. I'm really looking forward to seeing your award-contending masterpiece!"

Han Sanping smiled and echoed, then turned and asked:
Have you been following any news about Titanic lately?

Wu Yuchen's heart skipped a beat, and then he said:

"No, not at all. Our entire crew has been holed up in the village for two months now, and we've been keeping up with what's happening outside. What's wrong?"

Han Sanping sighed and replied:
"Director Wu, Titanic has already surpassed 3 million yuan at the box office. You were right! Sigh!"

Hearing this, Wu Yuchen wasn't too surprised, since this was something he already knew would happen, and the box office would be even higher, reaching 3.6 million.

He thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "Director Han, I think you were right back then. This may not necessarily be a bad thing. Now our domestic filmmakers should know the gap between our production level and Hollywood's, and they should also know the direction to strive for. In the future, if anyone says they only make art films, just bring up Titanic."

“That’s true. But I didn’t expect the gap to be this big! If it were just a difference of tens of millions or even a hundred million, we could just try to catch up. But now that they’ve already reached 3 million, I’m afraid that when the final box office figures for Titanic come out, people in China will be so scared that they won’t even have the will to catch up anymore! Sigh…” Han Sanping sighed again after he finished speaking.

Wu Yuchen naturally understood Han Sanping's words. In his previous life, that was indeed the case. The movie "Titanic" directly crushed the morale of many filmmakers, who no longer had any hope for domestic commercial blockbusters and kept talking about Hollywood.

"Director Han, what are your thoughts..." Wu Yuchen guessed that Han Sanping's call to him wasn't just a simple complaint; there must be something else going on.

"I hope that our country can have a domestic film that can be released as soon as possible and achieve good results, so that it can bring some confidence to our Chinese filmmakers. The first person I thought of was you, Brother Wu!"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "I'm honored that Brother Han thinks so highly of me. I'd like to ask, how much do you expect for this 'good result'?"

Han Sanping pondered for a moment, then said, "I won't talk about catching up with the success of 'Titanic,' let's just break through a threshold that Chinese-language films have reached in recent years: a box office of over 100 million. What do you think?"

Chinese cinema experienced a significant decline after entering the 1990s. The last film to break the 100 million yuan mark was "Mom, Love Me Again," which was imported in 1990. Since then, no Chinese-language film has been able to achieve this milestone. The closest the film came was Jackie Chan's "Rumble in the Bronx" in 1995, which grossed 95 million yuan, but it just missed the 100 million yuan mark.

Therefore, if any Chinese-language film can break the 100 million mark again, it is a step forward. Although it is still far from being as high as "Titanic", it symbolizes that there is still hope for Chinese-language films.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen understood Han Sanping's thoughts. To be honest, his goals weren't particularly high. He was quite aware of the gap between himself and the enemy, and was relatively pragmatic, knowing to take things one step at a time.

Unfortunately, no one achieved this goal in two years. Chen Kaige's "The Emperor's Shadow," which was highly anticipated, only grossed a little over ten million yuan at the domestic box office after its release. With no other option, they resorted to a major tactic: administrative intervention. A document was issued from above, calling on all units to watch and learn from "Life and Death Choice." As a result, in 2000, the box office of this patriotic film reached 1.2 million yuan.

While it did break 100 million yuan, everyone knows how "Life and Death Choice" achieved its box office success. At best, it's a superficial achievement, and it hasn't brought any confidence or hope to Chinese cinema. Can this be replicated? It's definitely not a film worth learning from or promoting!
It wasn't until the release of "Hero," which grossed 2.5 million yuan at the box office, that Chinese-language films were truly given a shot in the arm and brought a ray of hope.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment, about the goal of breaking 100 million, and then said to Han Sanping:
"Director Han, what do you think of my 'If Love Has a Destiny' next month?"

Han Sanping hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then asked:

"Director Wu, didn't you say before that this movie doesn't have any big stars and might not do as well as 'My Brothers and Sisters'?"

Han Sanping had also seen the movie "If Love Has a Destiny," but since it lacked both grand scenes and big stars, he didn't have high hopes. The previous film, "My Brothers and Sisters," had a female lead, Wang Zuxian, who is known to everyone; otherwise, it wouldn't have attracted so many people to the cinema.

Wu Yuchen smiled when he heard this. He had said those words to Han Sanping because the Beijing Film Studio hadn't invested in "If Love Has a Destiny".

"Although Wang Zuxian is not in 'The Classic,' my reputation as the director is much stronger now than it was last year, so they're using me for publicity this time."

Secondly, in terms of plot, "If Love Has a Destiny" is definitely more exciting than "My Brothers and Sisters." While watching "My Brothers and Sisters," you might be moved to tears, but most people won't watch it a second time. "If Love Has a Destiny" is different; I guarantee some people will watch it two or even three times!

Thirdly, times have changed. The popularity of romance films in China has been sparked by "Titanic," and if I'm not mistaken, audiences now desperately want to see more romance movies, but we don't have any in China! Good romance films are a rare commodity in today's market.

After Wu Yuchen finished explaining these points to Han Sanping, he paused, then summarized:
"Director Han, if you think my current influence is still good, why not give it a try? Maybe I can achieve this small goal of 100 million yuan?"

This made Han Sanping laugh: "100 million yuan is a small goal, Director Wu, it seems you're very confident! So what is your big goal?"

"I haven't set any big goals yet, I'll just take it one step at a time!"

"Then let me suggest one for you. How about we set the big goal as 'Titanic' for now?"

Wu Yuchen didn't reply, but laughed and said, "Let's finish our small goal first!" Han Sanping's confidence increased after hearing Wu Yuchen's words: "Okay, I'll contact China Film Group right away. This time, Beijing Film Group and China Film Group will go all out to promote 'If Love Has a Destiny' and try to achieve this small goal!"

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Han!"

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen was still pondering the information revealed in Han Sanping's last words. It seemed that Han Sanping's move to China Film Group was now a sure thing, and he was able to mobilize the group's resources.

Based on the information Wu Yuchen knew from his previous life, the higher-ups are currently planning a major move, in which Han Sanping is likely involved. The plan is to merge eight entities, including the old China Film Group, Beijing Film Studio, and China Children's Film Studio, into a behemoth—the new China Film Group, which will be established early next year. Han Sanping will be the powerful second-in-command within it.

It seems that Lao Han has almost made a decision by now, otherwise he wouldn't be able to mobilize the resources of China Film Group while still nominally the director of Beijing Film Studio.

Wu Yuchen smiled into the phone. Given his current relationship with Lao Han, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

Wu Yuchen then put down his phone, thinking that he could take advantage of the fact that the actors were in good condition now and speed things up so that he could finish filming as soon as possible and go back to contribute to the promotion of "If Love Has a Destiny".

……

Ten days later, after Wu Yuchen shouted "Cut!" and then yelled "Filming wrapped!", the entire crew erupted in jubilation.

The film crew stayed in this remote village for two and a half months. Although they weren't hungry, the conditions in this village in 98 were far worse than in the city. Before Wu Yuchen and his crew arrived, there wasn't even enough electricity.

To be honest, the film crew of "Mr. Donkey" brought a lot of benefits to this village by filming here. For example, the power supply problem was solved directly, and a road that can be driven through was paved in a special way. This is definitely a super benefit for Dahebao Village!
In Shuozhou, Wu Yuchen led the entire crew into the city to hold a grand wrap party.

Gong Li smiled at Wu Yuchen and said, "Director Wu, this is the first time I've ever seen a director like you who asks everyone not to toast you!"

"Haha, it's just a personal habit, feel free to do whatever you want with each other~"

At this moment, Li Xuejian said with a smile, "Director Wu, it's been a long time since I've acted in such a satisfying film. This time, 'Mr. Donkey' was truly exhilarating!"

"This is all thanks to the outstanding performance of all the teachers. I really enjoyed filming this time!" Wu Yuchen said to everyone as he picked up his tea, and everyone smiled.

Then Wu Yuchen suddenly said to Li Xuejian, "Teacher Li, when we were filming before, I noticed you were coughing a lot and massaging your throat after filming. Is there something wrong?"

Li Xuejian smiled and waved his hand: "Thank you for your concern, Director Wu. It's just a minor ailment I developed after filming 'Water Margin' last year; my throat gets a little sore after talking a lot. It's nothing serious~"

Wu Yuchen frowned, then said to Li Xuejian in a serious tone:

“Teacher Li, health is the foundation of everything. If you have any health problems, you have to go to the hospital! I know you're busy filming, with 'Water Margin,' 'The Emperor's Shadow,' and 'Mr. Donkey' running back-to-back, but you still need to go to the hospital for a check-up. You can't let work interfere with your health!”

Li Xuejian's acting skills are undoubtedly excellent, and he has contributed many wonderful roles since then. However, his hoarse voice is unbearable to many people.

However, unfortunately, Li Xuejian was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 2000 and underwent surgery, which damaged his vocal cords. Frankly speaking, he was already quite well-off, and the fact that he continued to perform despite his post-operative condition demonstrates his deep love for acting.

Seeing how much Wu Yuchen valued his health, Li Xuejian felt a warmth in his heart and said with a smile, "Director Wu, thank you for reminding me. I will go for a check-up after I return to Beijing."

Wu Yuchen nodded, but added in a half-joking tone, "Okay, Teacher Li, I'll call your wife to confirm later. Don't blame me for making the arrangements myself if you don't go!"

Seeing this, Li Xuejian couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't say anything more, picked up his teacup and clinked it with Wu Yuchen's, the meaning of which was clear without words.

The atmosphere at the table then became quite lively, and Zhou Xun asked Wu Yuchen:
"Director Wu, everyone's been saying you're going to take our film 'Mr. Donkey' to the awards contest. Which award are you planning to aim for?"

Upon hearing Zhou Xun's question, everyone around the table turned their attention to Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the Berlin Film Festival next year."

Previously, he was torn between going to the Berlin Film Festival and Venice. But now he's found out that there are no Chinese people on the jury for the Venice Film Festival this September, so he'll pass and go to Berlin instead, where his chances of winning an award are higher. Plus, this way he won't be so rushed and will have plenty of time to work on post-production.

"Can we go with them?" Zhou Xun asked with wide, expectant eyes, a question that echoed the thoughts of many.

Wu Yuchen has been to the Berlin Film Festival twice. The first two times he didn't bring many people with him, since it was to save money.

But there's no need for that now. Putting aside his current wealth, the Berlin Film Festival will treat him differently once he wins Best Director.

In his previous life, Wang Quan'an won the Golden Bear in 2007 with "Tuya's Marriage," but at that time he flew economy class the whole time and could only stay in ordinary hotels.

After winning the Golden Bear, he returned to the festival in 2012 with "White Deer Plain" and received almost top-tier treatment, including first-class flights and luxury hotels. The entire "White Deer Plain" crew, along with their families and assistants—more than 20 people in total—were all reimbursed by the film festival!

That's right, the organizers of major film festivals all treat people differently based on their status, and foreigners are no exception to this "snobbish" mentality.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen, who is already a Best Director, has no problem bringing along the main actors this time.

Wu Yuchen waved his hand and said, "Everyone will go then!"

This immediately drew applause and cheers from everyone at the table.

(End of this chapter)