Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 76 is released, and everyone's making money.
Stephen Chow never expected that this time, the publicity would be dominated by news about Chen Shouzhe.

In particular, Chen Shouzhe's remarks at the Central Academy of Drama even reached overseas.

Countless foreign netizens are mocking China, saying they feel that China cannot produce its own blockbuster films, etc.

The vast majority of Chinese netizens still support Chen Shouzhe, and the government has also stepped in to endorse his remarks. The movie channel has even started showing kung fu movies, depicting him punching Japanese devils and kicking Europeans and Americans.

No TV channel is more capricious than Princess Six. The Film Bureau has also stepped forward to say that it will support domestic blockbusters and promote Chinese culture.

Many people in the industry scoffed at this, asking, "How much would it take to break even on a 400 million investment?"
They felt that Chen Shou was blinded by greed.

Why do foreign films often have budgets of hundreds of millions of US dollars? One reason is that they have the world's largest box office, a large enough audience, and a large enough consumer base.

On the other hand, their film markets cover the globe. Although the country has joined the world trade, it is still difficult to get domestic films into foreign cinemas. They don't think their films can make money abroad.

Only those that win awards can sell a good copyright; to put it bluntly, it's a bulk purchase where the other party buys out the rights.

Don't think that those directors who make waves overseas are pitiful. In fact, they don't need to rely on box office revenue; they're already living a good life just by selling film rights.

Otherwise, how could Section Chief Jia continue making movies? He would have gone bankrupt long ago.

Whether the film and television industry mocks him or slanders him, Chen Shou doesn't care. Just like his master said, these people are a pack of wolves that can't be tamed. Unless he has a Gatling gun in his hand, they will still rush up and bite him.

Chen Shouzhe didn't attend the promotional events at the Shanghai Theatre Academy or in several other major cities; he was just waiting for the premiere.

It will be released on the 23rd, with the premiere on the 15th, right in the capital.

The promotion started at the beginning of the month, and the premiere on the 15th was hosted by Emperor Entertainment and Bona Film Group. Although Stephen Chow was the director and the lead actor, he did not receive as much popularity as Chan Sau-cheung.

Even though he has been very low-key, many people still come to him, whether they know him or not.

"Director Chen, why are you hiding here smoking all by yourself?"

Chen Shou was finally getting some peace and quiet, and everyone could tell he wanted some peace and quiet, but someone still came knocking on his door.

"Mr. Zhang." Chen Shou looked up and saw the person who came, and stood up.

"It's nothing. The main character tonight is director Stephen Chow. I'm just here to watch." Chen Shouzhe reached out and shook hands with Zhang Qiang in front of him. Chen Shouzhe looked at the person next to him, somewhat surprised.

"Mr. Zhang, why are you alone?"

Zhang Qiang, one of the deputy general managers of China Film Group, is a very capable person. Chen Shouzhe has had little contact with him and is a little confused as to why he would come to see him alone. Han Sanping is present today, so it shouldn't be his turn to come over.

"Director Chen, may we speak in private?" Zhang Qiang asked.

“It’s quiet here,” Chen Shouzhe said, taking out a cigarette case from his pocket. Zhang Qiang still refused. In public, as one of the senior executives of China Film Group, he should keep a low profile. Chen Shouzhe’s carefree attitude surprised him, but considering his master’s image, he understood. People in the industry all know that Chen Shouzhe never leaves his hair alone, except for not getting a perm.

"To tell you the truth, I'm planning to leave China Film Group," Zhang Qiang said.

"Leaving China Film Group to go into business?" Chen Shou asked in surprise.

"Yes, someone invited me to go into the sea."

"Congratulations, Mr. Zhang. Soon I'll be calling you Chairman Zhang."

"Haha, we'll talk about it later. Even if we go into the business, we'll start from scratch. Although the company is very powerful, it's still a big player from out of town. Director Chen, would you be interested in learning more about it?"

Chen Shouzhe then realized that Zhang Qiang had come to win him over.

"I'd like to ask, who is the boss?"

The company that could persuade Zhang Qiang to leave China Film Group must be no ordinary company, especially considering that Zhang Qiang is still young, and there are even rumors that he will take over Han Sanping's position.

The news that Han Sanping was going to step down had already spread to a small circle. No one in the entire film and television industry was indifferent to the future position of the top figure in China's film and television industry. Small stars were one thing, but companies with some strength were also keeping an eye on it, and some people had even placed bets on it.

Chen Shouzhe wasn't stupid; the trials and tribulations of the past few years had taught him that some things required careful consideration.

Zhang Qiang has good connections within the industry, and some people thought he might take over Han Sanping's position, but now he's going to start his own business.

There's only one possibility: he can't get up there, and his position won't even change.

Since I've reached a certain age and see no hope of advancing further, I might as well leave China Film Group and pursue wealth.

The fact that they were able to pry Zhang Qiang out of China Film Group shows that this capital force is clearly not weak; as he himself said, they are a dragon crossing the river.

Now he's very curious about who this person is who dares to call themselves a "cross-river dragon."

"Ali!"

Zhang Qiang said two words with a smile on his face.

Chen Shouzhe felt relieved and took a deep breath: "Indeed, he is a dragon crossing the river."

"Is Director Chen interested in joining? Alibaba is preparing to enter the market," Zhang Qiang said.

"I'm not cut out for this," Chen Shouzhe said, shaking his head.

"Director Chen, you're joking. From the initial planning stages of Kung Fu Hustle to its current release, Director Chen didn't contribute a single penny. You've turned your talent into wealth. Our chairman has a very high opinion of you," Zhang Qiang said with a smile.

Chen Shou smiled. This wall has a good name. It hasn't even joined yet, and it's already calling itself the chairman.

"Thank you for your kind words, Chairman Ma. I'm still very young and just want to make good movies. Let's forget about everything else," Chen Shouzhe said, shaking his head.

“If Director Chen is willing to join, we can talk,” Zhang Qiang said. “I’ll think about it. After all, I’m penniless right now,” Chen Shou said, shrugging.

“That’s alright. Director Chen himself is a treasure. If you’re willing to join us, you can make up for our shortcomings in manufacturing. We will definitely give you the greatest help. You won’t have to fight alone anymore. We at Alibaba have no shortage of money,” Zhang Qiang said with a proud look on his face.

Indeed, he has the capital to do so. After all, Alibaba is not short of money now, and Jack Ma has become known as "Father Ma." In the capital market, Jack Ma is unrestrained, and everyone calls him "Father Ma."

Unfortunately, Chen Shou felt that being with these people was like trying to negotiate with a tiger; he might be devoured without a trace, as these people were cannibals.

Chen Shou gave an ambiguous reply: "We'll see when the time comes." But when is "when the time comes"? Who knows?

The premiere begins, and the movie is about to start.

The logos of the five film companies appeared one after another, and the movie began to play.

There are many funny moments in Kung Fu Hustle, which don't need much explanation. There are funny moments, tearful moments, exciting fight scenes, and heartwarming scenes.

After the movie ended, the main cast and crew went up, but Chen Shou did not, fearing he would become the target of media attention.

Even though he was in the audience, he was still asked the question.

"I am a reporter from Sina Media. I would like to ask Chen Shouzhe, the screenwriter and director of Kung Fu Hustle."

When his name was suddenly mentioned, a staff member jogged over and handed the microphone to Chen Shouzhe.

"Thank you." Chen Shouzhe took the microphone from the staff member, his voice carrying through the microphone. Small things reveal character.

All eyes were on Chen Shouzhe, who blew out a breath.

"What is the problem?"

"I'd like to ask Director Chen Shouzhe what his estimate is for the film's box office. Kung Fu Hustle has an investment of 200 million yuan. I'd like to ask Director Chen Shouzhe what his box office forecast is for the film," the reporter asked.

Chen Shou hesitated for a moment, then picked up the microphone. Everyone was looking at him. There were many film company personnel present. They had seen the movie and were satisfied with its quality, but they couldn't predict its box office performance.

“It should be no problem to surpass Charlotte's Trouble,” Chen Shou said.

These words immediately stirred up the atmosphere, with many people whispering among themselves, and the creators and actors on stage all breaking into smiles.

Goodbye Mr. Loser grossed 1.5 billion yuan. Will Kung Fu Hustle also gross more than 1.5 billion yuan?

"Beyond Charlotte's Trouble? Is Director Chen sure?" the reporter asked in surprise.

"With a simultaneous global release, just like I said before, Chinese Kung Fu has a huge reputation worldwide. Countless foreign viewers will go to the cinema because of these two words. With the global box office, surpassing Charlotte's World is naturally no problem," Chen Shou said.

"So it's the global box office." Many people were shocked. If it really surpasses Charlotte's Trouble, other companies won't be able to survive.

Eight days after the premiere, on the 23rd, the film was released, and something that left the film industry stunned still happened.

"How many?"

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"Today is December 23rd, not April 1st, and it's a Monday."

"He's gone mad, Yu Dong must be ecstatic."

"We should have gone with them."

"Chen Shou has the ability to turn stone into gold."

"With Stephen Chow and Chan Sau-cheung on board, has the Lunar New Year film season really become Chan Sau-cheung's ATM?"

When the opening day statistics for the movie came out, everyone was stunned.

Box office of 1.3 million.

Day 1.

It broke the record for the highest opening day gross for a domestic film.

This movie is a sure thing to gross 1 billion, 1.5 billion is just around the corner, and with some effort, 2 billion is not a problem. With its simultaneous global release, some organizations have already given an estimate of 300 million... US dollars in box office, bringing the global total to about 2 billion.

Yu Dong had 60 million and 700 million to break even, which led many to call him a fool. But looking back now, he's practically made a fortune.

With box office revenue of over a billion, even at 15% of the revenue, plus the distribution points and the revenue from their own cinemas, they could easily pocket three or four hundred million. They were ecstatic.

He spent the most money and earned the most, after all, he had the cinema chain in his hands. Bona's own cinemas started to allocate more than 50% of the screenings to "Kung Fu Hustle". If it weren't for the regulations, he would have given all of them to "Kung Fu Hustle".

Emperor Entertainment was equally excited, as they received a full quarter of the revenue, plus a share of distribution points in Southeast Asia, finally making big money in mainland China.

Stephen Chow was also happy. While others received a quarter, he received 26% because Chan Sau-che gave him 1%. Now it seems that Chan Sau-che has lost a lot of money, losing tens of millions because of a female lead.

Chen Shouzhe made even more money. He only produced a script, and people gave him money and made a good movie for him. He just sat back and waited to get his share of the profits.

So who really lost out?

Production companies envy investors, but the person the entertainment industry envies most is someone else entirely.

(End of this chapter)