Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 97: Outlook for the Top Ten Box Office
To be honest, prices in Hong Kong are really high; a bowl of wonton noodles costs forty or fifty dollars. The wrap party that evening had three tables. It wasn't a fancy hotel, but Wu Yuchen estimated that each table cost two or three thousand Hong Kong dollars, which would definitely cost three or five hundred dollars in mainland China at that time. But it was just one meal, so Wu Yuchen didn't skimp on the cost.

Besides the main cast and crew, Wu Yuchen's table also had Sil-Metropole staff and Law Kar-ying.

It started with a celebration, but once the atmosphere warmed up, the topic unexpectedly shifted to property prices on Hong Kong Island.

One of the employees of Yindu began to complain bitterly, saying that he originally planned to take out a loan to buy a house in 95, but he did not expect that the house price would rise all the way up. In the past year and a half, it has increased by more than 50% on average, and now he regrets it very much.

Ni Dahong couldn't help but ask, "How much are property prices on Hong Kong Island now?"

Law Kar-ying gestured with his hands and said, "Around seven thousand."

Ni Dahong exclaimed, "Goodness, this is more than twice as expensive as it is in Beijing!"

Upon seeing this, Wu Yuchen said, "Teacher Ni, houses on Hong Kong Island are priced by the foot. The seven thousand that Uncle Ying mentioned is one foot, which is 65,000 Hong Kong dollars per square meter."

The so-called "thousand-square-foot mansion" on Hong Kong Island is actually only 93 square meters.

Wu Yuchen's explanation surprised not only Ni Dahong, but also Fu Dalong, Li Xiaoran, and others at the table.

"Sixty-five thousand per square meter?! Is this house made of gold and silver? So even if I work my whole life, I can't afford a toilet?" Ni Dahong, who is middle-aged, has not saved up sixty-five thousand yuan.

Law Kar-ying waved his hand: "It's all hype! Luckily, I have no children and no wife, so earning a living is easy and comfortable!"

A Hong Kong resident next to Wu Yuchen asked, "Director Wu, how many cadres are there in the mainland?"

Wu Yuchen was taken aback by the question: "I'm not quite sure about that. Why are you asking?"

"Everyone is saying that housing prices are unlikely to fall. Once Hong Kong Island returns to China, all the mainland officials with millions of dollars in income will come to Hong Kong Island to buy houses. There's a row of townhouses under construction near Line 9 of the MTR, which is said to be for high-ranking officials. Each house costs 20 to 30 million dollars and is reserved specifically for high-ranking officials!"

Seeing the other party's serious demeanor, the mainlanders at the table exchanged bewildered glances. They were unaware of a popular term in Hong Kong at the time: "red chip takeover," which implied that the mainland would definitely come to take over, leading to rampant speculation.

Wu Yuchen coughed:

"I don't know if there's a million, but I'm sure that even if there were a million, more than 90% of people wouldn't be able to afford a house on Hong Kong Island right now. These kinds of statements are just real estate developers trying to fool you. I suggest you observe more and refer to the trend of Tokyo housing prices in the past few years."

He is well aware that once Hong Kong Island returns to China next year and the British colonial government flees, the high housing prices will be exposed, plummeting by 80% in a few years, and creating hundreds of thousands of people with negative equity. However, few people believe him now, so this is just a reminder.

The Hong Kong people at the table exchanged glances after hearing this, though it was unclear how much they had taken in.

On their way back from their evening walk, Ni Dahong remarked with a sigh:
"Now everyone in China says that capitalism is a wonderful world, but I think their lives are actually not as good as ours!"

"I've dedicated my entire life to capitalists; where would I find the energy to pursue dreams and happiness?"

“Teacher Ni is right. What’s the point of living if you’re going to spend your whole life just to buy a house?” Fu Dalong agreed.

Currently, housing prices in mainland China haven't started skyrocketing yet, and few people are worried about housing. The prevailing perception is that as long as you find a good job locally, housing won't be a major problem.

However, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but offer a reminder after hearing this:
"I think if you have spare money, you should buy a house in Beijing in the next few years, at least to solve your housing problem first. As our domestic economy develops, housing prices will definitely rise in the future. Only with material security and a sense of security can you better pursue your ideals and happiness, right?"

"Director Wu, you're right. After all, Beijing is the center of the country. But I reckon that no matter what, the house price will be at most 10,000 or 20,000 yuan per square meter. It can't be as crazy as the capitalist world!" Ni Dahong laughed.

These words made Wu Yuchen's heart clench involuntarily. He always thought they were different, but in the end, they were all the same. However, seeing the expressions of approval on the faces of Fu Dalong, Li Xiaoran, and the others around him, he didn't say anything more.

The filming of "Run Lola Run" went slightly over budget, mainly because prices are high in Hong Kong. We spent more than a month filming, and the cost of food and accommodation was high compared to the mainland. Wu Yuchen had to withdraw an extra $10.

Moreover, he doesn't plan to go back to Beijing for post-production; he'll finish it all in Hong Kong in one go, and he plans to find local Hong Kong musicians to do the film's score.

As mentioned earlier, *Run Lola Run* can be viewed as a game, which is clearly reflected in its soundtrack, which makes extensive use of electronic music. This not only creates a tense atmosphere but also makes the listener feel as if they are playing the game. Currently, Hong Kong is more adept at this kind of rhythmic electronic and rock music than mainland China.

Previously, Wu Yuchen had already been developing and editing the film while shooting, so he saved time in that area and finished the other productions in a few days before starting to find someone to do the music.

Wu Yuchen put his arm around Li Xiaoran, whose hair had been dyed black again, and they walked into a movie theater, where they bought tickets in fluent English.

After buying the tickets, Li Xiaoran rolled her eyes and complained:
"People on Hong Kong Island are so snobbish. They treat you perfunctorily when you speak Mandarin, but their attitude changes immediately when you speak English!"

"It's just like the people you meet on a film set, who fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak. People from economically developed regions generally have a sense of superiority and arrogance towards those from less developed regions."

"I haven't seen that much discrimination against people from other places in Beijing."

"That's why we need to take back Hong Kong Island as soon as possible; it will be even more difficult if we wait any longer!" The two chatted and then walked into the theater.

1996 was arguably the year of the "Young and Dangerous" series in Hong Kong cinema. The series propelled Ekin Cheng from obscurity to superstardom. Of the top ten highest-grossing Hong Kong films of the year, four featured Ekin Cheng, and three were from the "Young and Dangerous" franchise!

But this thing is only exciting to look at for a moment; you can just buy a DVD and enjoy it for a while.

Today, Wu Yuchen took Li Xiaoran to see "Comrades: Almost a Love Story," which was just released this month and stars Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung. It's a classic film from the time of China's return to China.

Wu Yuchen watched the nearly 4-minute "meeting in the sea of ​​people" scene at the end and still had to admire it after watching it again. It was so well filmed. There was not a single line of dialogue, only news broadcasts and Teresa Teng's singing, but it still left a very deep impression on people.

It has to be admitted that director Straw Hat Chen is quite talented!
This movie was actually filmed by Chen Kexin on two fronts. He negotiated with Golden Harvest to invest in "Comrades: Almost a Love Story" on the condition that he film the commercial film "He's a Woman, She's a Man 2". To ensure that Golden Harvest would continue to invest in this art film, he would film a segment of "He's a Woman, She's a Man 2", then film a segment of "Comrades: Almost a Love Story", and then go back to film "He's a Woman, She's a Man 2" again, alternating between the two films. It's truly ingenious. Working people must hone all sorts of negotiation skills with capital!

As the sweet song played, Li Xiaoran leaned her head on Wu Yuchen's shoulder and said, "It's so good that they ended up together."

Wu Yuchen ruffled her hair and asked, "Do you think Zhang Manyu acted well?"

"Of course it's great! The part where she laughs and then cries in front of Zeng Zhiwei's corpse is amazing!"

Li Xiaoran exclaimed that she had experienced firsthand how difficult it was to film scenes involving emotional shifts, so she couldn't help but marvel at Zhang Manyu's brilliant performance.

Wu Yuchen chuckled and then said to her, "If I told you that this wasn't her acting, but that she just laughed during filming, would you believe me?"

"How can it be?!"

Li Xiaoran immediately expressed her disbelief, but seeing Wu Yuchen's calm expression, she couldn't help but ask, "Really?"

"When she saw the tattoos on Zeng Zhiwei's body—a blue dragon on the left, a white tiger on the right, and a Mickey Mouse in the middle—she burst out laughing. Then, realizing something was wrong, she immediately started crying again. The director was initially dissatisfied and made her film over ten more takes, but in the end, the edit found that the take where she laughed was actually the best."

Wu Yuchen explained to Li Xiaoran, and then said to her:

"Relax your mindset. Sometimes it's not about being tense all the time when filming. Natural reactions are also important. When you're off-screen, go back to your life and the performance comes from your life experiences."

In the past few days, whenever he had free time, he took Li Xiaoran shopping and to the movies, trying to bring her back to a normal life. So far, it seems to be working quite well.

Li Xiaoran nodded as if she understood. She had really gained a lot from participating in "Run Lola Run". When she got back, she would go to school to find her teacher to brush up on her basic skills.

As Wu Yuchen walked out of the movie theater, he looked back at the poster of "Comrades: Almost a Love Story" featuring Maggie Cheung. She would be a jury member at the Berlin Film Festival a few months later. He wondered if she would support him this time.

After the music was finalized, the final version was quickly completed. Wu Yuchen reviewed it and, finding no problems, promptly sent the videotape to the Berlin Film Festival.

To be honest, he has already missed the November 30th deadline, but that date is really just for outsiders. People in the arts aren't that strict. The art world is basically a circle of acquaintances. Many directors with some fame participate, and as long as they send their names before the final list is announced at the end of January, they can get in.

Although Wu Yuchen isn't particularly famous, he did win the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival last year, so he's considered a direct descendant of the Berlin film community. He made up an excuse, saying there was a problem with the courier service, and sent out a new copy to smooth things over.

After spending nearly two months in Hong Kong, Wu Yuchen returned to Beijing in December, where the temperature was much lower than in Hong Kong. Upon arriving in Beijing, Wu Yuchen barely rested before heading to the Beijing Film Studio.

In the factory manager's office, Han Sanping smiled and asked Wu Yuchen:

"Director Wu, how's filming going on Hong Kong Island?"

"Thanks to you, with you acting as a middleman, the Yindu side was very cooperative and helped me a lot!"
"That's why I rushed back to report to you as soon as I finished filming!"

Han Sanping asked with concern, "Why don't you take a week off first? After all, your health is important!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "The filming already started late, and I don't want it to drag on until the New Year and I can't come back. Otherwise, everyone in the crew will hold a grudge against me!"

Seeing this, Han Sanping stopped trying to persuade him and nodded, saying:
"Director Wu, I've already set up the crew for you. Cui Jian and Jiang Wu received the script a month ago, and we've also sent people to Harbin to cast the child actors. There are three to five candidates for each of the child actor roles, but you'll have to go there and make the final decision yourself."

"Director Han, working for you is simply wonderful!"

"Haha, this is all part of my job, after all, it's a project of our Beijing Film Studio!" Han Sanping laughed loudly.

When Wu Yuchen first approached Han Sanping, he mentioned collaborating with him after filming "Run Lola Run." Therefore, while Wu Yuchen was in Hong Kong, Han Sanping helped him set up the entire production crew, getting everything ready for his return to begin filming.

Initially, it was a verbal collaboration between the two companies, but after thinking it over, Wu Yuchen felt that he should also bring in Qingying Film Studio, since they had helped him a lot before, and this movie, which was likely to be a box office hit, couldn't be without Qingying Film Studio.

Therefore, after discussing with Han Sanping and Hou Keming, Beijing Film Studio and Miracle Film Studio each contributed 40% of the funds, and Qingdao Film Studio contributed 20%, totaling 120 million yuan.

Wu Yuchen's latest film, "My Brothers and Sisters," is purely aimed at the domestic box office.

This movie was released in 2001 and grossed 2600 million yuan nationwide, while the total national box office that year was 8.7 million yuan.

Next year is 1997, and the total box office nationwide will be around 11 billion. If we simply calculate based on the percentage of box office revenue, this movie should easily gross over 3000 million.

Of course, the final box office performance of a movie cannot be calculated in this way; it is greatly influenced by the social trends, market tastes, and marketing at the time.

"My Brothers and Sisters" is a tearjerker similar to "Mom, Love Me Again". It doesn't pursue high artistry, it's just one word: make everyone cry!

Wu Yuchen estimated that, in terms of social trends and the market, this film, released in 97, would be more in line with popular tastes than the one released in 2001, and would be even more tear-jerking.

As for marketing, the reason Wu Yuchen thought of making this movie was because of Section Chief Yu Dong!
In his previous life, Yu Dong resigned in anger because his entire department was abolished when Beijing Film Studio merged into China Film Group. After starting his own business at Bona Film Group, he made a fortune with this small production with a budget of 200 million yuan, which grossed 2600 million yuan at the box office. He not only made a fortune but also made a name for himself in the industry.

Now, Yu Dong can not only be used directly by the Beijing Film Studio, but also leverage the entire marketing channels of the Beijing Film Studio, which should have a much greater influence than the small Bona Film Group that Yu Dong had just established in his previous life.

Therefore, based on all aspects of the analysis, Wu Yuchen believes that as long as he can make a good film called "My Brothers and Sisters", the box office will not be less than 3000 million, and he can even reach 4000 million. He should be able to enter the top ten box office next year!

(End of this chapter)