Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 187 We can't let Director Wu down!
"President Cai, we're old acquaintances. Hunan TV has really gone all out this time!"

Cai Yinong smiled and said into the phone:
“President Ouyang, it’s not that I’m being unreasonable, but the price of ‘Meteor Garden’ is only one aspect. More importantly, we need to ensure that it can be broadcast as soon as possible during the upcoming summer vacation. However, the main focus of Hunan TV this summer is ‘Princess Pearl 2.’ How much resources can you allocate to ‘Meteor Garden’?”

Ouyang Changlin paused for a moment, then slowly said, "President Cai, can't we postpone the broadcast for two months? It's common for the mainland to be a few months or half a year behind Hong Kong and Taiwan."

Cai Yinong shook her head and said with a smile, "Director Ouyang, in six months, pirated DVDs will be everywhere. Right now, the streets of Guangdong Province are already full of pirated DVDs from Hong Kong and Taiwan."

She then added, "But that's not the point. This drama was made to promote newcomers, and it needs to be broadcast in conjunction with the TV series to achieve the best effect for F4. We've already scheduled the release of our mainland album for the summer, we really can't wait any longer! We hope Director Ouyang can understand!"

Ouyang Changlin sighed upon hearing this. He felt that idol dramas like "Meteor Garden," which target teenagers, were a perfect match for Hunan TV. However, Hunan TV's biggest hit this summer was its own "Princess Pearl 2."

"That's a real shame, Mr. Cai. If you have any good dramas to recommend in the future, please let us know as soon as possible. Hunan TV is eagerly awaiting your return!"

"Haha, don't worry, Director Ouyang, I definitely will!"

After hanging up the phone, Cai Yinong took a sip of water to moisten her throat. The reason she explained so much to the other party was because she was optimistic about their future. Hunan TV took off with just two seasons of "Princess Pearl," and with shows like "Happy Camp," they would inevitably have to collaborate with them in the future.

Meteor Garden became a sensation in Hong Kong and Taiwan within a month of its release, and this trend naturally spread to mainland China. Cai Yinong instantly became a star, and in addition to CCTV, several other television stations contacted her to purchase her rights.

CCTV still has a strong image to maintain. Dramas like "My Fair Princess" and "Meteor Garden" don't fit their aesthetic standards and are generally not broadcast on CCTV, as they represent the official image to some extent. However, they were badly beaten by "My Fair Princess," and a couple of years later, they directly snatched the rights from "Romance in the Rain."

Local TV stations, on the other hand, don't care about all that; they just want high ratings!

This time, Cai Yinong chose neither Beijing TV nor Shanghai TV, with whom she had previously collaborated. In terms of sincerity, Guangdong TV offered the most, directly quoting 1800 million yuan!
Perhaps because Guangdong province is closest to Hong Kong and Taiwan and has frequent international exchanges, they are acutely aware of just how popular "Meteor Garden" was. Therefore, this wealthy patron offered a hefty sum of 1800 million yuan. Keep in mind that "Meteor Garden" only had 20 episodes; at that time, 90 yuan per episode was an astronomical price for a domestic television station!
This made Cai Yinong realize how effective the "export-to-domestic" strategy really was. She wasn't worried about the broadcast platform's viewership; Guangdong Province was the largest economy in China, and back then, Guangdong TV still frequently managed to break into the top five, unlike its later frequent drops out of the top ten. Now that the TV station had spent so much money to buy it back, they would definitely invest heavily in promotional resources.

After receiving Cai Yinong's message, Wu Yuchen was full of praise. As for the fact that "Meteor Garden" would be clashing with "Princess Pearl 2" this summer, he was not only not worried, but also eager to see what would happen.

Since F4's rise to fame is already a foregone conclusion, let Huang Xiaoming and his goddess Xiao Yanzi have a love-hate relationship!

The sale of the rights to "Meteor Garden" went smoothly, while another negotiation concerning Chinese films was also underway.

In a conference room, representatives from China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, and cinema chains from various provinces gathered together.

"As expected of Director Wu, he can not only make award-winning art films like 'Mr. Donkey,' but also down-to-earth romance movies like 'My Sassy Girl'!"

"Last year there was 'The Classic,' and this year there's 'My Sassy Girl.' Director Wu's romantic films are truly amazing!"

"Hey, the first half of this year was really tough. Apart from 'Mr. Donkey,' we had nothing. Even Jackie Chan couldn't help us!"

This year's film market is much more sluggish than last year. In 98, thanks to the success of "Titanic" and "The Classic," the total box office for the year exceeded the 11 billion yuan total box office of 97 by nearly 5 million yuan. This greatly encouraged people in the film industry, who all thought that the Chinese film market was about to bottom out and rebound.

However, with the first half of the year almost over, the box office is estimated to have only reached around 400 million yuan, which is only half of the same period last year. This is only because "Mr. Donkey" supported the first half of the year. If it weren't for "Mr. Donkey" grossing over 100 million yuan, the situation would have been even more disastrous.

Jackie Chan, who was highly anticipated, delivered "Gorgeous," but the box office was only 20 million, far less than the 80-90 million of his previous films "Rumble in the Bronx" and "Who Am I?"! Although romance movies have been very popular in the past two years, people don't want to see Jackie Chan fall in love; they just want to see him fight!
Therefore, after watching "My Sassy Girl", these theater representatives were extremely excited and could already imagine the scene of theaters being packed with people and couples scrambling for tickets.

At this moment, a young man stood up and politely addressed the crowd with a smile:
"Hello everyone, some of you may have met me before, while others may not recognize me. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Yu Dong. I used to be the section chief of the distribution department at Beijing Film Studio, and now I am the manager of the distribution department at Miracle Films!"

"Haha, Manager Yu, I didn't expect you to be working for Director Wu now. You'll have to take good care of these movie copies from now on!" said an acquaintance who had dealt with Yu Dong before.

"Manager Yu, putting everything else aside, I deserve at least 50 copies of Director Wu's 'My Sassy Girl'!"

"Yes, yes, we've been eagerly anticipating Director Wu's movie. This summer vacation is all about this one film!"

"Manager Yu, you'd better make sure you have plenty of copies this time. We're just hoping Director Wu will come to our rescue!"

Seeing the eager, expectant eyes of these theater representatives fixed on him, like hungry wolves, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Yu Dong's small eyes, and he broke into a kind smile:

"No problem, no problem! The number of copies will definitely satisfy everyone this time. But before we talk about the number of copies, there is something I need to discuss with everyone first."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, exchanged glances, and then someone said, "Manager Yu, just tell us what you need. Do you need toilet paper or help with your advertising? We promise to do our best!"

"That's right, we have an unshirkable responsibility to direct Director Wu's films!"

Hearing these people's words, Yu Dong sneered inwardly. Toilet paper? They really underestimated him!
Yu Dong's chubby face still wore a simple, honest smile.
"Everyone, to be honest, last week I was chatting with Director Wu, and he suddenly lamented to me that when he makes movies in Hollywood, the distributors can get more than 60% of the box office revenue on average. But when the movies are released in China, they only get 37%, and they still have to pay distribution fees. After saying that, he shook his head and sighed!"

As soon as Yu Dong finished speaking, the group of theater representatives who had been clamoring and strongly supporting him immediately fell silent.

Good grief, they're coming for them!

Before 1994, China Film Group (CFG) purchased films from major studios for 90 yuan per film, then distributed copies to provincial distribution units. CFG took 70% of the total box office revenue, with 24% going to provincial distribution units for cinema construction, and the remaining 6% going to the provincial treasuries. In 1995, the domestic film *Red Cherry* pioneered a revenue-sharing system: of every 100 yuan in box office revenue, 5 yuan was first paid to the National Film Development Special Fund and 3.3 yuan to business tax, with the remainder split between the production company and the cinema at a ratio of 35% and 65%.

This 35% box office share has remained unchanged until now. In fact, when "Mr. Donkey" was released this year, the theaters increased the share once, from 35% to 37%. This is of course the result of Wu Yuchen's reputation and box office success over the years.

"Manager Yu, how can you compare them! Hollywood is Hollywood, and we are us. Our national conditions and systems are different!"

"Manager Yu, didn't we just give Director Wu a raise in the first half of the year? 37% is unprecedented, higher than everyone else!"

"Manager Yu, you know how bad the domestic film industry is right now. Our cinemas don't make any money at all throughout the year. Besides paying the staff's salaries, what else doesn't cost money, like equipment, building materials, and utilities?"

"That's right, Manager Yu. Director Wu is now one of the top directors in our country. He should consider our difficulties and think more about the future of Chinese cinema!"

Seeing that Yu Dong was about to increase box office revenue sharing, the theater representatives were getting anxious. Take the 2% increase earlier this year, for example; it only applied to Wu Yuchen personally for now, but once that door is opened, it's hard to take it back. What about when Zhang Yimou's movie comes out next year? Will you raise it then? And if Chen Kaige's movie comes out and you don't raise it, are you disrespecting my Palme d'Or?!
Therefore, although only 37% has been mentioned to Wu Yuchen so far, this revenue-sharing standard is expected to become widespread within two or three years. Now, hearing that Yu Dong wants to take even more from them, the cinema chains are instantly alarmed.

Yu Dong immediately raised his hand: "Everyone, I know you're suffering, and I understand you all. But you also have to understand Director Wu! Isn't filming tough and tiring?"

Just the year before last, when Director Wu was filming "My Brothers and Sisters" in Northeast China, he personally carried the camera and chased after several children in the freezing cold. His hands were covered in frostbite after filming one scene!
Furthermore, regarding the filming of "If Love Has a Destiny," Director Wu was out in the fields in the countryside during the sweltering summer heat, enduring both scorching sun and torrential rain. He never even mentioned heatstroke or fever!

Then, with great emotion, his eyes misting over, and his voice hoarse, Yu Dong waved his hand and said:
"Director Wu has never complained once for the sake of Chinese films, but since he doesn't say it, I have to speak up for him. We can't let Director Wu down!"

As he spoke, Yu Dong glared at the crowd and shouted:

"Director Wu can easily earn tens of millions of dollars for a single film in Hollywood. Isn't that much easier and more lucrative than making movies in China? If you're still being stingy with this share of the profits, what will happen when Director Wu becomes disheartened and stops making commercial films in China? Then you'll have your day!"

After Yu Dong finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

It wasn't that these old hands were intimidated by Yu Dong's imposing manner, or moved by his talk about how hard Wu Yuchen worked on movies. That was just to fool the young people. They'd be idiots to believe even half of it. Who the hell doesn't work hard when making movies?

However, the implicit threat in Yu Dong's last words alarmed them: if prices don't rise, Wu Yuchen will never make Chinese commercial films again!

It should be noted that among the so-called big directors in China, such as Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, and Jiang Wen, they all make art films. Which one of them, at Wu Yuchen's level, would condescend to make these commercial films for the general public?
Indeed, in the current perception of the Chinese film industry, it is considered beneath Wu Yuchen to make these commercial films. Some even say that he is wasting his talent and should not waste his time and energy on these films that have no artistic value.

Now, Yu Dong is practically making his point clear: if you don't increase your share of the profits, Director Wu will only make art films from now on, and we'll see how you guys make money while lying down!

For a moment, the representatives from the various cinema chains looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

At this moment, a representative from China Film Group broke the silence in the room with a smile: "Let me say a few words. What Manager Yu just said is right. In America, Director Wu has a lot of people chasing after him, sending him checks to make movies. If he wanted to make money, he would have stayed in Hollywood long ago. Do they care about this share of the profits? What Director Wu cares about is your attitude and your goodwill!"

The representative from Shanghai Film Group also spoke, emphasizing in a deep voice: "A great director like Director Wu, who is willing to share joy with the people, is rare in our country. You should all cherish him!"

The theater representatives finally understood: China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group were clearly supporting increasing Wu Yuchen's commission. They weren't actually afraid of China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group—they couldn't do anything to them—but they were afraid that Wu Yuchen might actually stop making the films!

Considering the declining film market over the past two years, how much less money would they earn each year without Wu Yuchen?
A representative from a Beijing cinema chain asked, "Manager Yu, how much would you like to raise the price?"

Yu Dong immediately put on his honest smile again: "Not much, 45%."

……

"A deal's done? Great!"

After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping was overjoyed and smiled at Wu Yuchen in front of him, saying:
"Brother Wu, it has to be you! Even we at China Film Group couldn't do anything about this group when they teamed up, but you managed to take them down this time!"

In fact, China Film Group has long wanted to increase the share of profits for film producers. Otherwise, if the major film studios earn too little and can't make money, how can they make good movies?
However, China Film Group was powerless against the alliance of cinema chains, as they were all on the same side. If pushed too far, they would complain to higher authorities.

Wu Yuchen asked with a smile, "President Han, how much did they finally agree to?"

“40%!” Han Sanping chuckled.

Wu Yuchen took a sip of tea and smacked his lips: "There's a bit too little!"

"That's quite a lot! You've gone from 35% to 40% in less than a year. I bet those cinemas are cursing you out!" Han Sanping shook his head, clearly quite satisfied with the result.

Wu Yuchen smiled but didn't say anything. Han Sanping's words made sense. It was impossible to increase the revenue share of the film distributors too much at once, otherwise they would quit. They could only cut the flesh with a dull knife. He would do it again next year and the year after, gradually increasing the revenue share of the film distributors!
In his previous life, Zhang Weiping negotiated a 40% profit share for "Hero," 41% for "House of Flying Daggers," and 42% for "Curse of the Golden Flower." It could be said that he and Zhang Yimou single-handedly increased the profit-sharing ratio for the production companies. From this perspective, all Chinese-language film production companies should thank them.

But now that Wu Yuchen is involved, he will definitely take the lead and let his peers see the influence of Director Wu!

(End of this chapter)