The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 144: 15 Billion Yuan Box Office and Sky-High Copyright Prices

March 3, 13 am.

The crew of "The Great Wall" held a launch ceremony at the Huairou Film and Television Base in Beijing. Director and male lead Shen Qing, female lead Liu Yifei, supporting actors Hu Jun, Chen Xiao, Zhu Yilong, Hollywood stars Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, and Pedro Pascal, as well as supporting actress Jing Tian, ​​all arrived on time. Everyone was wearing uniforms with the word "Great Wall" printed on them.

Producer Chen Zhixi, executive producers Han Sanping, Wang Changtian, Ye Ning (Wanda representative), Jeff Robinoff (President of Warner Bros.), Thomas Tull (President of Legendary Pictures), and others surrounded Shen Qing and talked.

In addition, Liu Yifei's mother, Liu Xiaoli, Wanda's son Wang Sicong and his girlfriend Yao Xingtong, and Lu Zheng from Starlight Pictures were also present at the opening ceremony.

Shen Qing's former employer, Dingxin Film and Television Media Chairman Zhao Hongwei, manager Wang Damin, and others also came to the scene.

Dingxin Film & Television has actually done quite well in recent years. In the first few years, it made a fortune investing in Shen Qing's films. Later, as Shen Qing's projects grew larger, Dingxin's funds became insufficient, and its share in Shen Qing's films gradually decreased until it was almost gone.

Logically speaking, Dingxin's situation should be getting increasingly difficult, but in fact, in recent years Dingxin has invested in some film and television dramas that have yielded decent returns.

Shen Qing's Magical Film and Television Media Company basically only produces films based on the scripts written by Shen Qing and the copyrights to the novels he has stockpiled. Shen Qing's reputation in the entertainment industry is at its peak, and screenwriters, directors, and producers in the industry often like to bring their projects to Magical Film and Television to try their luck. If Magical Film and Television can invest, the film and television series will not have to worry about selling. If Magical Film and Television can produce the films themselves, who dares to say that these projects will not become the next movie with a box office of over 10 billion?

The problem is that Magical Film & Media doesn't lack projects, so those who approach them directly often leave disappointed. Some, unwilling to give up, knowing that Dingxin and Magical Film & Media have a good relationship, turn to Dingxin instead. Dingxin genuinely finds it difficult to refuse some of these offers, so Chairman Zhao Hongwei acts as an intermediary to help with introductions. These projects that come their way aren't all worthless; on the contrary, some performed quite well in their original timeline, and Magical Film & Media invested a small amount of money in them.

Even Magical Films invested, so Dingxin Films naturally followed suit—and the result was, of course, a profit.

Dingxin has been investing less in projects controlled by Shenqi Film & Television, but more in projects controlled by other companies together with Shenqi Film & Television. As a result, Dingxin has always been doing quite well.

"Could you have imagined that Shen Qing would develop into what she is today?"

Zhao Hongwei glanced at Shen Qing, then turned to Wang Damin beside him and asked.

Wang Damin followed Zhao Hongwei's gaze and saw two foreigners who were behaving very humbly in front of Shen Qing. One was the president of the famous Warner Bros., and the other was the president of Hollywood Legendary Pictures. Both of them were top Hollywood figures that the Chinese film industry had to look up to, but now they were both looking up to Shen Qing.

Even Hollywood superstar Matt Damon has to put on a smiling face in front of Shen Qing.

"I can't believe it, I really can't believe it. I never dreamed that Shen Qing could develop to this level," Wang Damin said with emotion.

the other side.

"Shen, congratulations! I heard that one of your comedy films has achieved great success in China, breaking the record for the highest-grossing film in Chinese film history. That's remarkable, and the Chinese film market is also remarkable."

Looking at Shen Qing in front of him, Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff sincerely praised him.

Before coming to China, his assistant told him that a comedy film directed by Shen Qing, with an investment of only over 1000 million US dollars, had actually grossed 2.26 million US dollars at the box office in the single market of China (exchange rate 6.61), which greatly surprised Jeff Robinoff.

Even for Hollywood blockbusters, it's not easy to gross $2.26 million in the North American market alone, yet Shen Qing actually did it in the Chinese market.

The growth rate of China's film market is simply too fast, and Shen Qing's abilities are truly terrifying.

"Thank you. The astonishing growth rate of the Chinese film market will give rise to one box office miracle after another."

Just yesterday, the total box office of the movie "Lost in Thailand" officially broke the 15 billion yuan mark. Even though Shen Qing had already achieved great success, and even though it was expected that "Lost in Thailand" would break the 15 billion yuan mark, Shen Qing still felt a sense of unreality when the box office actually broke the 15 billion yuan mark.

How can it be so high?

Shen Qing's initial goal was 10 billion, and theoretically, 10 billion would have been the most reasonable target. However, the box office performance unexpectedly reached 15 billion.

Hundreds of millions.

He began to understand Xu Zheng a little better.

Xu Zheng's initial target for the film was 500 million, which was arguably his best expectation. However, after the film's release, it grossed 12 billion. Xu Zheng once said in an interview that he started to feel anxious when the film broke 1 billion.

At 10:30 a.m., the opening ceremony officially began.

Shen Qing led the entire group to worship the four directions and set up the incense burner.

Several producers took turns speaking, followed by Shen Qing, who spoke and was interviewed by reporters. Then, Shen Qing and Liu Yifei together unveiled the red cloth covering the camera.

"What do you think Aunt Liu is thinking right now?"

Before they unveiled the red cloth together, Shen Qing whispered something in Liu Yifei's ear.

"I think they're probably proud of me," Liu Yifei said.

Shen Qing shook his head and said, "I guess Mom is thinking that Shen Qing is a really good young man. Not only is he handsome, but he is also very capable. I would be at ease if my daughter could marry him."

Liu Yifei secretly pinched Shen Qing and said, "Who's talking about your mom!"

As Liu Xiaoli watched Liu Yifei and Shen Qing unveil the red cloth covering the camera, she even began to imagine what her daughter would look like when she got married.

I wonder which lucky groom will be.

She glanced at Shen Qing and thought, "Could it be him? If it really is him, he's actually not bad. He's good-looking and so talented."

Jing Tian looked at the two people who had unveiled the red cloth, and his eyes unconsciously became full of envy.

After the opening ceremony, Liu Yifei quickly walked up to her mother, Liu Xiaoli.

"Mom, what were you thinking about just now? You seemed so engrossed." Liu Yifei couldn't help but ask, recalling her conversation with Shen Qing.

"Mom is so proud of you. It's not easy to star in such a big project."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei excitedly replied with a "Yes".

In the end, she was right; her mother was indeed proud of her.

Liu Xiaoli patted her daughter's head and asked, "What do you think of Director Shen Qing?"

'

Liu Yifei asked in confusion, "What? How?"

"Mom was just thinking about what kind of man my Feifei will marry in the future. After thinking it over, Shen Qing seems to be a good fit."

Liu Yifei:

At the same time, Chen Zhixi walked up to Shen Qing.

"Jeff Robinov and Thomas Tull were not there just to attend the launch ceremony."

Chen Zhixi whispered in Shen Qing's ear.

Shen Qing asked, "The global rights to Taken 3?"

Chen Zhixi nodded.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Qing said, "The minimum production cost for a Hollywood film like 'Taken 3' is $6000 million, and it's normal for it to cost over $1 million. So, shall we ask for $6000 million to buy it out?"

Chen Zhixi shook her head: "It's difficult. The other party may not even be willing to come up with 4000 million US dollars."

Shen Qing said, "If Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures don't approve, then we'll try other companies. The break-even point for Hollywood movies is generally about three times the production cost. If they buy it out for $60 million and the global box office reaches $180 million, they'll make a profit."

"Actually, $6000 million is a bit low. With the popularity of the first two films, the chances of *Taken 3* doing poorly at the box office are very small," Shen Qing said. "We'll start by offering $7000 million to buy out the rights outside of Greater China, plus an additional 20%..."

The company receives a 20% cut of total box office revenue, 20% of DVD sales revenue, and 15% of television/online copyright revenue.

"Okay, let's offer this price and see their reaction."

Shen Qing nodded: "If we really can't reach an agreement, we can try other companies. Walt Disney, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Sony—haven't they all contacted us proactively?"

"Yes, all these companies are very interested in your new movie."

The original Legendary Pictures suffered from poor management and incurred huge debts. It was eventually acquired by Wanda Pictures. This new Legendary Pictures invested in many of Shen Qing's blockbuster films, and its financial situation is much better than that of the original Legendary Pictures. Shen Qing even doubted whether Wanda Pictures could acquire the financially better Legendary Pictures.

If Legendary Pictures doesn't show sincerity this time, Shen Qing will definitely look for other film companies. Let Legendary Pictures return to its original timeline of being forced to sell itself due to huge debts.

After the opening ceremony, the crowd dispersed, and Chen Zhixi left together with Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff and Legendary Pictures President Thomas Tull, among others.

The crew officially started filming that afternoon, choosing some very simple scenes, and the filming process went very smoothly.

Also in the afternoon, Chen Zhixi held negotiations with two Hollywood presidents in the conference room of the film crew's hotel.

When the two presidents heard that Magic Films Media was asking for a $7000 million guarantee plus a 20% cut of total box office revenue, a 20% cut of DVD sales, and a 15% cut of television and online rights, they were both displeased.

"I think there's no need for us to continue this discussion. Your company has absolutely no sincerity."

Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff angrily said to Chen Zhixi.

The two presidents flew back to the United States the next day, and Chen Zhixi also began to contact several other film and television companies in Hollywood.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., USA.

meeting room.

"If I were to direct Inception and Interstellar, both of those films would be in the billion-dollar range."

Director Christopher Nolan visited Warner Bros. to discuss investment and filming arrangements for "The Dark Knight Rises." Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff and Legendary Pictures President Thomas Tull were also present.

The 08 film "The Dark Knight" was co-produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. The film had a production cost of $1.6 million and ultimately grossed over $10 billion at the box office.

With the official launch of "The Dark Knight Rises," the film's production cost has soared to $2.3 million. As for box office expectations, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' minimum target remains $10 billion, but their maximum target has been set at $15 billion.

If Shen Qing can make a movie that grosses $15 billion, why can't Nolan?

When Shen Qing was mentioned, Nolan couldn't help but bring up the comics "Inception" and "Interstellar," which led to his statement above.

These two comics were simply incredible; when he first opened them, he even thought they were his own work. He approached Shen Qing several times to try and buy the adaptation rights, but Shen Qing directly and firmly refused each time.

"A billion-dollar budget?" Jeff Robinoff glanced at Legendary Pictures president Thomas Tull, then looked at Nolan again. "Does Director Nolan really think highly of these two comics?"

Nolan nodded: "Both presidents have a good relationship with Shen Qing. If you can persuade Shen Qing to hand over the adaptation rights to the two comics and invest about $3.5 million in me to adapt the two comics into movies, I believe it can bring Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures at least $20 billion in box office revenue."

Nolan knew that it was practically impossible to get the adaptation rights to the two comics from Shen Qing, but he really thought highly of the two projects, which is why he kept bringing them up.

After Nolan left, Jeff Robinoff and Thomas Tull held another small meeting, with the core issue being whether or not to actually spend $7000 million in guaranteed returns and a series of profit-sharing to buy the global rights to Taken 3 (excluding Greater China).

If Shen Qing doesn't buy it and approaches other Hollywood companies, will he still allow those two companies to invest in his projects like "Inception" and "Interstellar" in the future?

Both companies have never lost money investing in Shen Qing's works.

So, were the conditions Shen Qing set for "Taken 3" really that high?

Two comic strips he casually published years ago have the potential to gross over $10 billion in the eyes of a great director like Nolan.

With a $7000 million guarantee plus profit sharing, a global box office of $2.1 million would be enough to break even. With the popularity of the first two films, it shouldn't be hard for "Taken 3" to reach $2 million at the box office.

"Looks like we'll have to fly to China again next week."

"This is what Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff told Thomas Tull."

"it is good."

Just two days later, the two presidents boarded a plane to China again. The reason for the earlier trip was that they learned that Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures had sent people to China.

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have always been the investors and distributors of Shen Qing's Sino-US co-productions. Shen Qing's films have always made these two companies a fortune. We can't just stop using these two companies in the future!

$7500 million!

Because this time there were two more competitors, Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures were much more generous than in the last negotiation, adding another $7000 million to the $500 million minimum guarantee that Shen Qing had requested.

A minimum guarantee of $7500 million, plus 20% of the total global box office revenue, plus 20% of the DVD revenue, plus 15% of the TV/online rights revenue.

It was basically done exactly as Shen Qing had requested during the last negotiation, except that the initial guarantee of $7000 million was changed to $7500 million.

After the two parties reached a consensus, Chen Zhixi immediately notified Shen Qing by phone.

"They agreed to all our demands?"

"That's not actually correct, because initially we asked for a minimum of $7000 million, but this time they gave us $7500 million directly."

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