Chapter 179: The Fall of the Celestial and Wei Jin's Conditions

"Brother Wei Jin, why is there such a big difference between the domestic and foreign reviews?"

Liu Yifei was a bit puzzled; the film was sought after overseas, and she herself had even gained favor in Hollywood, yet the film was being torn to shreds back home.

"This is a commercial film. Cheng Long and Li Lianjie are starring in it, which requires a top-tier script that matches both of their styles, but clearly, *The Forbidden Kingdom* does not satisfy this point. As for you and Li Bingbing, you are just supporting roles; it doesn't have much to do with you."

Wei Jin was telling the truth. No matter how one tried to shift the blame, it couldn't be pinned on Liu Yifei or Li Bingbing. On the contrary, the two had gained quite a bit of overseas attention through this film.

Li Bingbing had truly entered Hollywood's radar through this film. Her "Bride with White Hair" look, the silver hair fluttering in the wind during aerial combat, and the "hair-whipping" move used during the final battle became objects of imitation for many women, which actually brought her no small benefit.

"How is it on set? No one is bullying you, right?"

Hong Kong actors were still quite arrogant at the moment, and Liu Yifei didn't have "Wei Jin's woman" tattooed on her forehead, so he was worried that some blind person might look for trouble.

"It's quite good. President Shi took me to the set, and Director Chen takes good care of me."

Speaking of the treatment on set, Liu Yifei truly felt it was very good, and she was deeply moved in her heart by everything the man had done for her.

"Hmm, just get some good rest during the May Day holiday. You don't need to worry about things on set."

Liu Yifei had been running promotions for a week straight and had become a bit thin. Wei Jin didn't want her to get rich overnight only to end up with a flat chest.

Thinking of this, Wei Jin felt a bit of regret for acting too late; otherwise, he could have at least helped stimulate things and spark a second growth spurt. However, there might still be a chance starting now. For a moment, Wei Jin's hands began a circular motion.

"Just stay here for these few days. Auntie shouldn't ask about it, right?"

"Hmm, but Mom said to be careful."

Liu Yifei's pretty face flushed slightly; her mother's exhortations left her not knowing how to respond.

"Hmm, don't worry, I'll be careful."

Wei Jin naturally wouldn't argue; he hadn't planned on upgrading to being a father yet. It was just that the movements of his hands became increasingly vigorous. The young girl's face was already covered in a rosy glow, and finally, she couldn't hold back, parted her red lips slightly, and signaled: "Hmm, Brother, I want you." —— During the May Day period, *Iron Man* performed very impressively, making Marvel very satisfied. One must know that they hadn't been optimistic about this project originally; the budget was even ten million dollars less than *The Incredible Hulk*. One must know that the Hulk wasn't exactly a popular superhero.

However, the result was very gratifying: the North American opening weekend box office for the first three days was 98.6 million dollars, and it also raked in 62 million domestically.

It was clear that this film was a success. The key was not just that the film was a hit, but that the lead actor, Robert Downey Jr., became an overnight sensation, gaining countless fans.

Facing such success, everyone at Summit Entertainment was even happier than Marvel and the director of *Iron Man*, Jon, because the upcoming *Now You See Me* could also reap the dividends of this newly minted middle-aged idol.

On the last day of the holiday, Jing Tian dragged Wei Jin to watch this film and liked it very much.

"Brother, I didn't expect Downey to act so handsomely, especially the final scene; it was simply explosive."

Jing Tian's tone was a bit excited. When she was on set, she only thought Downey was a somewhat humorous middle-aged man; she didn't expect him to be so explosive when he got fired up.

"It is quite good. This series will be another profit point for Marvel. Downey can be considered to have made a comeback, but if you want to hire him in the future, his salary won't be low."

*Now You See Me* had been officially scheduled for August 1st. This year's North American Summer Slot was truly too crowded. Wei Jin felt his scalp tingle looking at the schedule Hunter had sent over.

*Kung Fu Panda*, *Hancock*, *The Incredible Hulk*, *WALL-E*, *The Dark Knight*, and so on—countless well-known blockbusters were all crammed into these two months for release.

It was foreseeable that this year's North American Summer Slot would be a bloody battle.

However, even under these circumstances, Summit Entertainment did not adjust the release date for *Twilight 2*, setting it for June 6th to face the challenge head-on.

Additionally, *The Conjuring 2* had already finished its theatrical run, with a North American box office of 211 million dollars and a global box office of 350 million dollars. The production cost of this film was less than ten million, so it could be said they made a killing. Plus, the subsequent merchandise and DVD copyright income for this type of film wouldn't be small; this was the real cash cow.

This year's seven-day May Day holiday turning into three days actually made Wei Jin breathe a sigh of relief; otherwise, with several women taking turns, he really would have been stretched too thin. The plan to sleep together in one big bed seemed to need to be implemented quickly.

After the holiday ended, Tangren announced the casting for *Chinese Paladin 3*. After nearly three months of buzz, the final list was confirmed. Wang Kai secured the second male lead; Miss Cai was finally sharp for once.

Aside from the intrusion of Wei Jin's artists, the rest of the roles were still the original people.

Yang Mi eventually got the female lead. It was said that Hu Ge helped recommend her; the two had collaborated before, so it wasn't considered a surprise.

But Director Li Guoli also favored her highly and gave her strong support when the final casting was determined, which was something Wei Jin hadn't expected. He had to sigh that Yang Mi really had good methods. —— The disaster in his memory still happened. Wei Jin had no better way; the company donated 50 million immediately, and he personally added another 20 million. His artists followed suit, with some donating 100,000 or 200,000, and others one or two million, but this was still just a drop in the bucket.

Many celebrities even wanted to go to the local area to help; one didn't know if it was for show or out of ignorance, but it was purely adding to the chaos.

What made Wei Jin feel slightly comforted was that a large portion of the schools he had donated to over the years were in this area. It finally played a role, protecting quite a few students, which could be considered a small contribution from him, a person from Shudi in his previous life, to his hometown.

The domestic film industry was also greatly affected. Cinemas nationwide closed for three days, and it was estimated that not many people had the heart to watch movies.

Several blockbusters were also affected. The box office for *The Forbidden Kingdom* stopped at 200 million, failing to reach Huayi's expected target. The overseas market performed quite well, with the global box office already exceeding 100 million dollars.

The Film Association held a large-scale charity fundraising event in Beijing. Many artists and celebrities attended, but Wei Jin did not participate; he only arranged for someone to donate on his behalf.

The donation amounts of many celebrities were exposed. The actors were fine; their current incomes were generally not too high, and besides, the talent agencies had to take a cut, so they had already done their best.

However, many big shots in the circle really had no shame. Feng Dapao, Chen Shiren—these people who were clearly "Not Short of Money"—were stingy and donated only 100,000 or 200,000. Others like Wang Xiaoshuai and Jia Kezhang, who had long been selling copyrights abroad, were also silent at this moment. How could they bring themselves to donate only a few tens of thousands? Wei Jin couldn't be bothered to pay attention; he just had to do his own part well.

Cheng Long took the lead and flew to the front lines, and Wu Jing even went as a volunteer, taking a large batch of supplies with him immediately. Both of these men were people of character and were worth associating with. —— In late May, Wei Jin boarded a plane to North America. He had been holding out long enough; it was time to go negotiate with Warner.

The reason he chose to go to North America to negotiate was also because *Twilight 2* was about to be released, and there were some other matters to handle.

Soon, Wei Jin's itinerary was photographed by reporters who were staking him out. In less than half an hour, news appeared online.

"Oscar Director Wei Jin heads to the US, suspected to have a new film project."

For a time, many industry insiders began to speculate: had Wei Jin rested for half a year and was now starting a big project again? Inside the China Film Group office, looking at this news snippet, Han Sanping frowned:

"A new film project? This kid wouldn't really give me a surprise, would he..."

After a flight of over ten hours, Wei Jin landed in Los Angeles. This should be the last time he would sit on a commercial airline's plane; the private jet he ordered last year was finally about to be delivered. The news from the Cannes Film Festival had already spread throughout the world. Some people had human appearances but lacked human conscience; their words and actions were simply disgusting. If Wei Jin had been there, he would have given her two slaps, no matter what; what a piece of work, pfft.

Outside the airport, Hunter had been waiting for a long time.

"Boss, I'm sorry, that person is an idiot. Many people in North America are already boycotting her, and the company will never cooperate with her in the future."

"Alright, Hunter, don't let trash affect our mood. Have the people from Warner arrived?"

Wei Jin didn't pick up on that topic. Some people were courting death and were already dead men walking; there was no need to take it to heart.

"Yes, Boss, they are already waiting at the company."

"Then let's go. Don't let the guests feel that we are impolite." —— "Oh, Director Christopher, my friend, we have finally met."

Wei Jin greeted him somewhat exaggeratedly. The first rule of negotiation is to make your opponent unable to fathom your thoughts.

Nolan was a middle-aged white man with a somewhat honest appearance, but his achievements in film were truly eye-catching and very talented. Many well-known works came from his hands.

For example, *Memento*, *The Prestige*, the *Batman* trilogy, *Interstellar*, etc. This guy had won the North American Saturn Award more than once and was truly skilled in the science fiction field.

"Hello, Wei, I have also been looking forward to this for a long time. In fact, when *Buried* was just released, I wanted to meet you. The creativity was truly excellent."

Nolan's words carried a bit of sincerity; it could be seen that he also greatly appreciated Wei Jin's talent.

"Thank you for your recognition. I also like *The Prestige* very much. Sometimes, a film should perhaps be a bit purer."

The reason for filming some movies is just that simple, merely to realize a beautiful childhood fantasy; *The Prestige* is just such a movie, without ambition, not considering box office gains or losses.

"Oh, Wei, I really should have met you sooner; I think we would have a lot in common. Back then, I was..."

This movie had a budget as high as 40 million USD and failed to recoup its costs, but it is undeniable that it is a classic fantasy film; in his speech, Nolan was also full of love for this movie.

"I created this script with my brother, we..."

Talking about the movies he loved, Nolan threw business to the back of his mind and shared quite a few stories from the creation period.

"Ahem, please forgive my presumption, but shouldn't we talk about business first, Nolan?"

Warner's representative, Paul, spoke up to interrupt the friendly exchange between Nolan and Wei Jin, appearing somewhat impatient.

"Alright, perhaps we should talk about *Inception* first."

Having his interest interrupted, Nolan was somewhat unhappy, but he truly liked this script very much.

"Wei, I sincerely hope you can let me have it. I guarantee I definitely won't let it gather dust; it will certainly become a classic that goes down in film history."

"Director Christopher, I completely believe that. However, why wouldn't I direct it myself? You know, the temptation of a movie destined to go down in film history is no less than a top-tier beauty to a director..."

A faint smile hung on Wei Jin's face; Nolan was really not a qualified negotiator. This round, he had already won.

"Alright, Wei, let's talk about your thoughts. I hope you won't let me return empty-handed."

Nolan had a request of others, and the rhythm of the conversation was firmly controlled by Wei Jin.

Wei Jin did not answer immediately, as if he were truly deep in thought; in reality, he was just creating an atmosphere for negotiation.

Just when Nolan and the Warner representative had both waited until they were somewhat anxious, Wei Jin finally spoke.

"Hmm, Nolan, you are an excellent director. This script can be handed to you, but I have a few conditions; you might as well listen to them first."

Wei Jin's gaze was somewhat sharp; it seemed that if the other party did not agree, he would choose to direct it himself.

"First, I want a co-directing credit; second, I want a 60% investment share, regardless of what the budget is; third, regarding characters, my opinions must be respected; fourth, the copyright belongs to me."

Wei Jin had also carefully considered these conditions; they could both firmly stamp the movie with his own mark and avoid spending too much time on the project, while also obtaining the greatest benefits.

"Wei, our team has done a preliminary budget. The production cost alone for this movie will exceed 120 million USD. Are you sure you want a 60% share?"

Regarding the other conditions, the Warner representative had no objections, but as for the ownership of the investment share, Warner hoped to possess the status of primary controller.

"This is my bottom line. Perhaps you can discuss it further. I will be staying in North America for a while; I hope to hear your reply before I leave."

Wei Jin had no interest in continuing to drag things out with them; if they didn't agree, at worst he would just start the project himself at the end of the year.

Nolan and Warner's representative Paul exchanged a glance, both able to feel Wei Jin's determination, and nodded.

"Wei, we can agree to the conditions, but we still need to discuss the specific investors and the profit-sharing method."

In many Hollywood projects, rights and interests are not determined according to investment shares, but rather by what kind of resources you can bring to the project.

"Of course, but this will require a detailed budget to be out first. Two weeks, is that a problem?"

For such a large project, it was of course impossible to settle it in a few words, but the premise for cooperation was already there; the rest was nothing more than haggling.

"No problem, we will hurry to make the budget..."

"Good, I'll wait for your news."

The second update for today, 8,000 words presented. I earnestly request all fellow book friends to provide a subscription, follow-up read, collection, monthly ticket, and recommendation ticket. Thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)