Hong Kong variety show: I can boost loyalty, the most generous boss.

Chapter 81, Section 80: Shocking Hong Kong Island, Movie Box Office Breaks Records!

Yang Jun also came to his own cinema and watched the premiere with Zhu Baoyi, his on-screen girlfriend, choosing the largest cinema in Causeway Bay.

"There are quite a lot of people, mostly couples!"

Yang Jun did not sit in the front row of the VIP section, but instead sat in the very back row to see the audience's reaction.

The movie was about 70% full, which is not bad. There were fewer people in the back, with only a few couples huddled in a corner.

The lights dimmed, and the movie began!

The movie is fast-paced. It starts by introducing a money laundering group, and both Little Ma and Brother Hao are members of the group.

The brotherhood between the two moved many men present. When Little Ma arrived at the Taipei hotel alone and killed the gang leader, everyone was deeply moved!
As soon as Yang Jun appeared, he attracted the attention of the female audience members. They only cared about his looks and didn't care about what the movie was about.

The story weaves together a complex web of emotions, including tough guys with tender hearts, brotherhood, gang feuds, and police-criminal conflicts, creating a truly epic tale of heroism!
Yang Jun was in the back row. He saw that the audience in front of him were watching the movie intently and occasionally exclaiming in surprise. He knew what was going on!
Turning to look at Zhu Baoyi beside him, he found that Zhu Baoyi's face was flushed.

Why are you blushing? It's not like it's a three-color film.
"what happened to you?"

Yang Jun followed Zhu Baoyi's gaze and saw a couple passionately kissing in the far corner, with the man's hand already inside the girl's collar.

"Young people these days, they really know how to have fun!"

What would it be like to open a hotel? Why do this in a public place? Luckily, the movie theater was dimly lit, so only the audience in the last row could see it.

"Boss, I like you!"

Yang Jun was stunned and turned to look at Zhu Baoyi.

Zhu Baoyi's pretty face flushed slightly, as if she had mustered all her courage to confess her feelings!
Zhu Baoyi had long admired Yang Jun, but he hesitated because he later learned that Yang Jun had a girlfriend.
However, after filming "A Better Tomorrow", Zhu Baoyi's feelings for Yang Jun deepened through daily contact during filming.

Spurred on by the couple they had just met, Zhu Baoyi took Yang Jun's hand.

"Baoyi, I..."

Zhu Baoyi stepped forward and silenced Yang Jun, preventing him from saying anything.

Don't say anything, just kiss me!

Yang Jun was pinned against the wall by a girl; it seems handsome guys really do suffer!
Zhu Baoyi is very beautiful, pure and lovely, and is regarded as the first generation of fairy sister.

Yang Jun was naturally pleased. Since the other party didn't mind that he had a girlfriend, he could only be a scumbag.

"Alright, aren't you afraid that if reporters take photos of you without your consent, your innocent image will be ruined!"

Yang Jun released Zhu Baoyi and said jokingly.

Although there were no paparazzi in this era, there were already many entertainment reporters, and these reporters were ubiquitous.

"I'm not afraid!"

Yang Jun flicked Zhu Baoyi's head, causing Zhu Baoyi's eyebrows to furrow.

"You're not afraid, but I am. I'm afraid your fans will beat me to death!"

Zhu Baoyi rolled her eyes. She knew Yang Jun was a gang leader. Who would dare to hit Brother Jun? Did they have a death wish?

The movie ended, and the lights came on!

Yang Jun and Zhu Baoyi sat down solemnly, watching the audience in front of them excitedly discussing the plot, looking as if they hadn't had enough.

"It's so good! I never thought movies could be made like this!"

"I'm definitely going to invite my best buddies to watch this movie a second time, no, a third time!"

"Song Zijie is so handsome! I heard he's the owner of a film company, rich and good-looking!"

"This movie is much better than Aces Go Places. Comedy movies are entertaining but lack substance, but the brotherhood in this movie is truly touching!"

A short, stocky man who had been out there getting by said to his girlfriend:
"I really want a brother like Brother Ma. I'm so touched. In real life, people always ask me for money!"

"Hmph! You'd better stay away from those scoundrels of yours as soon as possible!"

After leaving the movie theater, many people don't go home, but instead queue up again at the entrance to buy tickets, and then go to a public phone booth to call someone else to watch the movie.

Good heavens, a long line has formed in front of the phone booths, all there to see the movie "A Better Tomorrow" with their friends.

Yang Jun and Zhu Baoyi exchanged a smile. They both felt that the movie's box office performance would be good; it was bound to be a hit!
"Miss Zhu, you're about to become famous!"

"Mr. Yang, you're famous now too!"

After having dinner with Zhu Baoyi, Yang Jun escorted Zhu Baoyi back to her dormitory.
Before Zhu Baoyi got out of the car, she kissed Yang Jun again and then skipped away playfully.

"This little girl~"

Yang Jun shook his head and smiled wryly. He didn't press the issue and book a room. Zhu Baoyi was quite strict with his family, so it was better to let things take their course.

Otherwise, Yang Jun will be too impatient, acting like a pervert. There is a difference between a scumbag and a pervert!
"Ahua, drive back!"

"Yes, boss!"

Yang Jun sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting. He opened the system panel to check the rewards brought by the aircraft's loyalty.

"Aircraft loyalty: 92, reward: VCD player technology."

Wow! A VCD player? Yang Jun's eyes lit up.
This is absolutely amazing! For kids born in the 80s and 90s, a VCD player is a childhood memory!
In mainland China during the 90s, which household didn't have a VCD player to watch TV? Before computers became widespread, almost every family owned a VCD player.

VCD discs can be used to burn a movie or song onto a disc, which can then be played on a TV. You can watch whatever movie you want and listen to whatever song you want.

The VCD player was invented in September 1993 by Jiang Wanmeng. It was invented ten years later and later became popular throughout Southeast Asia!
Unfortunately, Jiang Wanmeng did not apply for a patent, which led to other domestic and foreign home appliance companies frantically copying his work. In the end, Wanyan Company, founded by Jiang Wanmeng, the inventor of VCD, went bankrupt.

Yang Jun obtained the MPEG (image decompression) chip technology for VCD players, which was like a door to wealth.

Holy crap, that clumsy plane gave me such great equipment?
The following day, Yang Jun arrived at the headquarters of Giant Group and personally convened a meeting of the company's senior executives.

At the meeting, Yang Jun proposed to set up a research and development department and planned to work on a brand new project, which was to be kept confidential for the time being.

"Attorney Liang, you're in charge of this project. We're giving you more responsibility!"

Yang Jun personally named Liang Yongqi to be in charge of the VCD player development. With the MPEG (image decompression) chip technology awarded by the system, it was estimated that a prototype could be developed within three months. Liang Yongqi nodded. Previously, she was only in charge of the legal department, but now she was personally involved in an important project, which indicated that the boss intended to promote her.

"Attorney Liang will be the Vice President of Giant Group, in charge of the R&D department, with an annual salary of one million!"

All the executives cast envious glances. A million-dollar annual salary in this day and age? That's a true king of employees.

In the 80s, being a millionaire was considered very wealthy. Only senior executives of the four major foreign trading companies could earn an annual salary of one million. Liang Yongqi's eyes lit up. His boss still cared for him. He was very tired from working overtime every night.

Liang Yongqi served as the vice president of Giant Group, a position second only to Yang Jun and Zhan Mi, and above other senior executives.

Shi Nansheng looked at Liang Yongqi with jealousy. She had worked hard for ten years and only earned an annual salary of over 30 yuan, a huge difference compared to Liang Yongqi.

However, Liang Yongqi is younger than her and has an ambiguous relationship with the boss, which is something she can't compare to.

Hmph! She only got to the top by using her body, didn't she? It's a pity I'm already married, otherwise I could have avoided 20 years of detours.

Shi Nansheng, wearing high heels, walked into Yang Jun's office and excitedly reported to him:
"Boss, the opening day figures for our movie 'A Better Tomorrow' are out. It's ranked second with a box office of 280 million."

Yang Jun smiled wryly, "We're only second in the first day's data?"
Yang Jun checked the box office data and found that the top-ranked film was "Aces Go Places 2," which grossed 3 million yuan on its opening day, but its reputation had declined somewhat.

The second place went to "A Better Tomorrow," which grossed 280 million on its opening day and received rave reviews, with an occupancy rate of over 80% for every screening.

The third place went to Golden Harvest's "Winners and Sinners," which grossed 250 million on its opening day. The three films were neck and neck, and the number of screenings was increasing every day.

After reading it, Yang Jun remained silent for a moment, then said to Shi Nansheng:

"Remove all other screenings from Yang's Cinemas and exclusively screen 'A Better Tomorrow,' aiming to push the box office to 3000 million within half a month!"

This is where the advantage of having a cinema chain comes in. As long as the quality of the film is acceptable, by filling all the screenings, they can strive for the top spot at the box office!
Shi Nansheng's expression changed. Thirty million in box office revenue? That's too difficult. The boss's requirements are too high.

There is currently no film in Hong Kong that has grossed 30 million at the box office. Once a film reaches this level, the entire Hong Kong film industry will be in an uproar!
How many people are there in Hong Kong? Only a little over seven million. With such a small population, it's easy to imagine how difficult it would be to break the 30 million mark at the box office.

"Okay! I'll do my best to get it done."

Shi Nansheng didn't complain about the difficulties. The boss only listened to the results and didn't like employees complaining about being tired or overworked. The employees were like oxen and horses, just working hard!

At Golden Harvest Film Company, Shaw Brothers and Raymond Chow were having tea, and Shaw Brothers was also looking at today's film statistics.

"Wen Huai, even Golden Harvest isn't up to par! It's one thing to be surpassed by New City, but how come they can't even beat a gunfight movie?"

Shaw was somewhat gloating. When he was making movies, he was often beaten by Golden Harvest. Now that he saw his old nemesis Raymond Chow in trouble, he couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.

Zou Wenhuai's face was very unpleasant, and he said in a displeased tone:
"Sixth Uncle, just you wait and see. The one who laughs last laughs best. I have a lot of confidence in Jinbao's movie!"

Shaw smiled, dismissing Giants Movies with disdain, attributing it to poor marketing. He believed that once the reputation of "A Better Tomorrow" suffered in a few days, the box office would plummet.
In the following days, the three films each displayed their unique strengths, attracting large numbers of viewers to the cinemas every day. Finally, on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, the film "Aces Go Places 2" was the first to be taken off the screens, with a total box office of 23 million yuan.

The following day, Golden Harvest's "Winners and Sinners" also left theaters, with a total box office of 2150 million. Only Giant Interactive's "A Better Tomorrow" was still showing.

In the office of Golden Harvest Films' general manager, Raymond Chow paced back and forth, asking his assistant, Robert Ho:

"Old He, haven't the box office figures for 'A Better Tomorrow' come out yet?"

He Guanchang shook his head, his expression also unpleasant.

"A Better Tomorrow has been showing for over ten days, and every showing is still packed. I estimate the box office will be at least 20 million. We might lose."

Zou Wenhuai slammed his fist on the table and said angrily:

"Impossible! We are a well-established film company, how could we be defeated by a film company that has only been established for a year!"

He Guanchang dared not speak. Although he also could not believe it, reality was just that cruel!

A few days later, 15 days after its release, the investors of "A Better Tomorrow" announced that the film would be taken off the screens in Hong Kong, with a total box office of 3880 million.

This news sent shockwaves through Hong Kong Island!

The entire film industry was in an uproar. Hong Kong's box office record had been broken, and the box office had increased by more than ten million dollars.

Major newspapers and media outlets jumped on the bandwagon to report on the story, hoping to capitalize on the trending topic!

A new king is born in the film industry, and he starts with a bombshell!

Giants Film Sets New Box Office Record, Becoming the Biggest Winner of the Spring Festival Season!

3880 million in box office revenue! The golden age of Hong Kong cinema has arrived!

After the media's frenzied publicity, many business owners, seeing how profitable the film industry was, flocked to the film industry, intending to make copycat films and rake in easy money.

When Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest Film Company heard that the box office was 3880 million, he was completely stunned!

He has been making movies for decades and has never made a film with such high box office. Giant Film Company has just been established and its first film has grossed 3880 million Hong Kong dollars.
"Sixth Uncle, we're all getting old. It's the young people's world now!"

Shao Yifu was also dumbfounded and felt bitter. He had originally wanted to see Yang Jun make a fool of himself.

Little did I know that I would be the real laughingstock, and I got slapped in the face repeatedly!
"It's not that Hong Kong cinema has declined, it's that we've gotten old."

Shaw and Raymond Chow, two old rivals, exchanged a knowing smile, both filled with emotion, realizing that the old guard had been swept away by the new generation.

"I need to learn from Mr. Yang sometime. If things continue like this, we'll be eliminated!"

"Haha, even you have your moments of weakness!"

If you can't beat them, join them. Both of these elderly people are outstanding individuals who deeply understand the importance of learning from the strengths of others!
Giant Cinema's director, Nansun Shi, has been incredibly busy these past few days. With the phenomenal success of "A Better Tomorrow," film companies from Taiwan, South Korea, and other island nations have come to discuss potential collaborations.

Shi Nansheng quickly reported to Yang Jun that the price offered by the film company required the boss's personal review and approval.

"Boss, the Taiwanese film distributors are willing to pay 800 million to buy out the screening rights for 'A Better Tomorrow.' What do you think?"

HK$8 million? Yang Jun was quite satisfied. Taiwan has a population of over 20 million, and the two places share a common culture. Taiwan is the largest box office market for Hong Kong films.

But who doesn't want more money? Yang Jun said directly:
"Let them offer ten million. If they refuse, we can change it to a profit-sharing model, but we need to negotiate a higher percentage!"

"As for the South Korean offer of $200 million, it can only grant screening rights; the copyright cannot be sold!"

Shi Nansheng was grinning from ear to ear. No one expected that Giant Films' first film would be such a huge success, earning tens of millions just from selling screening rights.

(End of this chapter)