I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 55 Shocking! These bastards actually...

early morning.

A cold wind was blowing outside the window.

An Xiaoshi couldn't sleep all night.

The entertainment industry is far more complex and chaotic than she imagined.

She once calculated that the investment in "Love Ferris Wheel" was around 200 million yuan.

Around 200 million is enough to film the entire process.

However, when they got to the middle part of the shoot, the investment amount exceeded the budget...

"For a movie to be a hit, the actors are very important!"

"Actors bring their own audience..."

"Chen Liang plays the domineering CEO, a very important third male lead. The salary you offered him was only 20 yuan, which is unreasonable!"

"He is the core and soul of the entire film, and also its selling point. He has many fans in China..."

"I suggest raising his fee to around 50; otherwise, the effect won't meet the standard..."

"Also, I think the salaries of our project leader and the lead actor, Mr. Zheng Yichen, should be increased again..."

“He’s been busy on set these days, and he’s secured a lot of resources. His overtime pay should be calculated…”

"..."

When she was making her film debut, she was like a little white flower that had fallen into the mud.

When the project was initiated, the person in charge of the production team, Shen Zhengfang, the head of the finance department brought by his senior Zheng Yichen, confidently said that an investment of 200 million yuan would be enough.

But, when the movie was halfway through filming...

Everything began to slip out of her control!

Or rather, ever since the major cast change for "Love Ferris Wheel," she has been unable to control the crew.

Yes, like a puppet sitting in front of a camera.

In fact, when filming was about a third of the way through, she and Zhang Jingya made an additional investment in "Love Ferris Wheel".

Although it wasn't much, it cost around 10 yuan for cold drinks.

However, after paying the additional fees once, the ever-increasing costs made her gradually realize that she seemed to have fallen into a trap.

A gust of wind blew through An Xiaoshi's long hair.

It was a summer night, but An Xiaoshi felt a chill in the air.

She hung up the phone with the finance department and silently looked at the bill in her hand.

The bill was very detailed, down to the price of every single button and every prop...

However, each prop is very expensive!
Moreover, the labor costs are shockingly high, more than double the previous budget.

She called her senior, Zheng Yichen, and he answered the phone quickly.

You get what you pay for.

"To make a good movie, you can't skimp on the investment. Besides, you can't cut back on the actors' salaries either. Normally, a movie like this would cost at least 500 million to make..."

"Don't worry, it'll definitely be a huge hit, this kind of movie..."

"Don't worry, I'll handle everything. You just need to follow the path we've laid out for you, step by step, and I'll send you to the Golden Horse Award in Taiwan..."

"Once you get a nomination and make a name for yourself in the directing world, you'll have a steady stream of investment coming your way!"

"..."

After hanging up the phone.

An Xiaoshi closed her eyes.

At that moment, she suddenly felt as if she were falling into an abyss.

She wants to make movies.

But she didn't want to make a movie based on lies.

It was as if everyone on the film crew, except for them, was a vampire, tempting them step by step in various ways, and then gradually increasing the sunk costs.

She stood alone outside the window for a long time, and finally, gritted her teeth, tore up the financial statements, and threw them into the trash can.

Just as I closed my eyes and pondered the future...

Her phone vibrated.

She glanced down and saw that there was an extra 25,000 RMB in her bank card.

She was a little confused at first.

But then she suddenly realized that this was the dividend she had received from her previous investment in "Monkey King vs. Superman 2"!
Looking at the dividend of 25,000, plus the previous 15,000, the total dividend is 40,000.

This movie actually made money!
"Perhaps I should invest more in people with dreams..."

Just at this moment...

She made a decision!
She immediately called Zhou Yang.

"Zhou Yang, how much more investment do you need?"

"We have no shortage of investment!"

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Yang was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said something that surprised her.

Zhou Yang, who has always been greedy for small gains and the more money the better, actually said that he doesn't lack investment opportunities?

"Have you found investors?"

"Yes, we found it. Thank you, Director An. Let's collaborate again next time we have a project... Director An should have received the second profit share by now, right?"

"received."

"Oh, that's good." "Zhou Yang, is there anything you're missing for your new movie?"

"We lack nothing at the moment."

"That's good."

"Director An!"

"you say……"

"I've done some preliminary research on the 'Love Ferris Wheel' production team recently. It's a complex project. If you realize something's amiss, get out of there immediately and don't get involved any further. If you resolve all contractual issues and there are no commercial or investment disputes, the doors of Xuan Shi Entertainment are always open for you... Although we're not a big player right now, we're cleaner than anyone else..."

"..."

After hanging up the phone.

An Xiaoshi lay on the bed, silently staring at the sky not far away for a very long time.

Finally, she closed her eyes.

....................................

The sweltering heat of July gradually faded away amidst the chirping of cicadas.

August has arrived in the blink of an eye.

In August, the land is thriving, with golden waves of wheat swaying in the wind, and the harvest season is gradually approaching.

Chinese film and television industry.

"Superman II," a Hollywood film that garnered global attention, did not soar to new heights in China as everyone had hoped. Instead, it gradually declined amidst waves of disappointed reviews.

On July 18th, the film grossed 15 million yuan at the Huaxia Film Distribution Center!
On July 19, "Superman 2" broke the 19 million RMB mark at the box office.

On July 20, the box office of "Superman 2" began to gradually decline to 15 million RMB.

On July 21, box office revenue continued to plummet to 10 million RMB, marking the biggest box office flop in the history of Chinese blockbusters since 2003.

……

As of August 3rd, after half a month in theaters, "Superman 2" had a daily box office of only 7 million yuan, with a total box office of just 150 million yuan. While breaking 200 million yuan is not a problem, and surpassing the previous record holder "Qin" is only a matter of time, but...

However, the data tells them in solid terms that the box office performance of "Superman 2" was far below expectations!

The evening of April 8.

Piracy is rampant!

"Despite our serious efforts in preventing piracy, there are still many pirated copies of 'Superman 2' on the market. According to detailed data, hundreds of thousands of pirated copies of 'Superman 2' have been sold!"

"Pirated DVDs cost 10 yuan, cheaper than a movie ticket. And, more importantly, even though the quality isn't great, they can watch them repeatedly at home..."

"Moreover, if they rent it, with a ten-dollar deposit and one-dollar per viewing, they can even watch ten different movies..."

"Spurred by this environment, more and more people are choosing to buy pirated copies instead of going to the cinema to watch movies..."

"..."

The assistant, with his head down, handed Deng Hairong a set of data.

Deng Hairong stared intently at the data: "Why not crack down on piracy!"

"We are cracking down on piracy, but our strength is limited... In fact, in a sense, piracy is only one aspect. Another aspect is that the quality of 'Superman 2' was indeed below expectations. It's actually not bad that it grossed 1.5 million at the box office..."

"..."

By 2003, DVDs and VCDs had entered millions of households across the country.

DVD shops are everywhere in major cities across the country, and even in second- and third-tier small towns...

The CD/DVD market in places like Shenzhen and Chongqing is unimaginably large. Almost anyone who knows a little copying technology, can record some DVDs, has a computer, and can find some movie sources can make pirated copies.

and……

Many DVD retailers are in awkward locations.

Although they sell pirated copies, they are also legitimate sellers. Many film and television production companies rely on them to sell legitimate DVDs.

If we expend significant effort to strike them, we may not necessarily succeed in the end.

After much deliberation, Deng Hairong finally made a decision!
"Our legitimate copies of the films haven't been leaked yet?"

"No, most pirated copies on the market are video recordings made with cameras...the quality varies greatly..."

"Okay, I'll ask my boss. We can release the official Superman 2 DVDs to the market ahead of schedule! By the way, we can lower the price a bit and include the official Superman 2 autographed logo!"

"can!"

……

8 month 4 day.

Amidst a flurry of promotional activities, the official DVD of "Superman II" entered the Chinese DVD market.

On that day, nearly 5 units were sold, making it a resounding success!

but……

That night.

Shocked sounds came from Deng Hairong's office.

"What did you say!"

"We just released the official version of Superman 2..."

"Those bastards who are just trying to ride our coattails, they've already released a signed official copy of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes 2' less than four hours after our game went public?"

"They even sold over 8000 copies?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)