Chapter 182: Men's Toys and Investment Allocation

Inside the Gulfstream headquarters.

Looking at the big toy before him, Wei Jin felt a surge of excitement and looked at the staff member with some uncertainty.

"Can I use this plane today?"

Before him was a Gulfstream G550, launched by the Gulfstream company in 2003; it was the first ultra-long-range business jet in history with a range exceeding 11,000 kilometers.

One must know that before this, all private jets required stopovers for refueling for ultra-long-range distances.

And this Gulfstream G550 could basically satisfy direct flights to most cities globally; for Wei Jin, it was very convenient to fly directly from Beijing to Los Angeles.

This was also currently the world's top-tier luxury business jet with the longest range, best performance, widest cabin, and best comfort.

Since its launch, a large number of Gulfstream G550s remained in service even in 2023, and many wealthy individuals in the country had purchased or long-term leased this model.

Of course, as the current top-tier private jet, the price was also quite touching; even after being on the market for several years, it still cost nearly 300 million RMB.

However, Wei Jin had not withdrawn his dividends from Summit Entertainment for these years, so buying such a big toy was still quite easy.

William had ordered one last year according to Wei Jin's requirements; currently, the relevant flight crew had all been arranged and were ready to work at any time, and the registration procedures had already been completed in Hong Kong—the domestic procedures were relatively cumbersome, while Hong Kong was much easier to handle.

To be honest, it was just that Wei Jin was lucky; several wealthy individuals who had previously ordered this aircraft model defaulted due to the financial crisis, which allowed him to snatch one up and even get a significant discount; otherwise, following the standard process, he would have had to wait at least another half a year.

"Yes, honorable sir. Regarding the flight routes, the company has already completed the filing for you. You only need to submit an application half an hour before takeoff. Of course, you will need to handle the relevant procedures for the destination yourself."

Wei Jin had naturally looked into this; the application feedback time in North America was very fast, taking half an hour to an hour to get done, while domestically, under normal circumstances, it could be processed in 24 hours.

However, with Wei Jin's status and position, by pulling some strings, it could be done in three to five hours; overall, it was still very convenient, at least he wouldn't have to suffer in the cramped space of commercial airlines anymore.

As a 25-year-old young billionaire, Wei Jin was still willing to spend some money to improve his travel conditions.

Moreover, although Wei Jin paid for this aircraft purchase, it could be leased to the company later; for one, the daily maintenance of the plane could be handed over to the company, and for another, increasing company expenses could also reduce taxes—in a few years, the money for the plane would be saved.

Many wealthy people in the country did this; it was said that Lao Ma's private jet leased to Alibaba cost 50 million a year, while he still used it himself in his daily life.

But Lao Ma was not like Wei Jin, who was just moving money from his left hand to his right; he was a listed company, and that was truly taking from the public to use for himself—no wonder he was going to be hung from a lamppost, tsk tsk. —— Wei Jin took the time to come to Digital Domain; the parts of *The Martian* that needed rendering in post-production were simply too many, and some were relatively long continuous shots that couldn't be produced separately, which also caused the post-production progress to be somewhat sluggish.

From last year until now, counting fully, it had been over ten months, and about 80% was completed; it was estimated that it would be about done in another two or three months.

Estimating the time, Wei Jin felt that he could definitely catch the New Year Slot, which was pretty good news.

Additionally, Digital Domain was worthy of being the industry's top special effects company; the parts already completed had visual effects that made him very satisfied, and he could already imagine the shock this film would bring to the audience after its release.

Perhaps there was no need for other films; relying solely on this *The Martian* would be enough to prove his, Wei Jin's, strength as a top commercial director on a global scale.

Golden Harvest's remake plan was also starting to be executed, and what surprised Wei Jin a bit was that several top executives at Summit Entertainment had all taken a fancy to *Robotrix*.

This was a restricted-rated film starring Ye Zimei and Aoyama Chikako, and Summit Entertainment believed they could delve deeper into science fiction and thriller elements.

In addition, there was *Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky* recommended by Wei Jin; the project had already started, and the actor had already been selected—it was that Dwayne Johnson.

At this time, although Johnson had already appeared in quite a few films and even had a masterpiece like *The Scorpion King* where he carried the banner alone, he could still only be considered a second or third-tier actor in Hollywood; it wouldn't be until after the release of *Fast Five* that he would truly make a name for himself in Hollywood and become a top-tier action superstar.

The filming of *Taken 2* was also proceeding in an orderly manner, and it was estimated that it could wrap up in another month or so; none of this required Wei Jin to worry, as Summit Entertainment had its own operating system. —— Warner's efficiency was higher than expected; by early June, the detailed budget was already out, and the investors from several parties met formally to discuss the relevant matters of the project.

Looking at the detailed budget in his hand, Wei Jin felt a bit emotional; Leon was truly expensive.

Previously, without calculating the cast, 120 million USD was enough; now that Leon had joined, the production budget was directly raised to 160 million, and even then, you couldn't find any faults.

Including the global marketing and distribution expenses, the overall cost of this film reached a terrifying 250 million USD.

Now was the time to divide the investment and equity; Leon had already confirmed he would participate, and people from his film company, Appian Way, had also arrived.

As for Nolan and Leon, neither of them came; compared to capital, they were still not professional enough, and in such formal negotiation occasions, their presence would only add to the chaos.

"Wei, Appian Way must participate in the investment; the share cannot be lower than 15%. This is also Leon's consistent requirement for participating."

"Are you sure you can make decisions for Leon? 15% is fine, then it depends on whether Warner can concede that much."

Wei Jin's meaning was expressed very clearly: whoever brought in the investment party was responsible for conceding the share; Warner's scheme had failed halfway.

"John, Appian Way 10%, Leon won't have any objections." Wei Jin's approach was also within Warner's plan; it was nothing more than wanting to test his bottom line, and next, it would depend on what resources the investment party he brought could provide and what benefits they could obtain.

Several parties began a fierce debate; on one hand, they wanted to gain a say in the project, and on the other hand, they also hoped to get greater benefits during the profit distribution.

Zhang Wei sat on the side, completely unable to interject, appearing very awkward, because once outside the country, China Film Group really had no competitiveness.

Finally, after a fierce war of words, the parties reached a consensus.

The final investment division was: Warner 30%, Summit Entertainment 25%, Wei Jin 25%, and Appian Way and China Film Group 10% each.

Warner became the largest single producer and held the position of project lead, which could be considered barely winning back a round.

As for the profit distribution method, the Asian region was entirely handed over to Wei Jin and China Film Group; the North American region belonged to Warner, Summit Entertainment, and Appian Way.

Profits from other regions globally were distributed according to investment shares; it looked like Wei Jin had suffered a loss, but he knew that the box office of this film in Asia would not be low, nearly 200 million.

Moreover, Summit Entertainment could also occupy nearly 40% of the North American box office and peripheral revenue, which for Wei Jin was completely acceptable.

"Guys, this is a top-tier global commercial blockbuster; perhaps we should consider the issue of actors."

After the investment was settled, Summit Entertainment, under Wei Jin's instruction, opened a new topic.

"I think we shouldn't just choose from Hollywood; we need to consider other places, such as Asia and Europe."

"Oh? Then who do you think can represent Asia, and who can represent Europe?"

Warner didn't feel surprised; on the contrary, as long as it could help the box office, it was acceptable; this point was much more mature than many domestic investors.

"Monica Bellucci or Sophie Marceau, how about that? Of course, Theron is also good."

Wei Jin's words made several investors nod; they were indeed good choices.

The former two, as the flowers of Europe, had undeniable appeal in the European region, and compared to Hollywood actresses, their salaries were also much cheaper.

And Theron, as a Golden Horse Best Actress in Berlin, also had considerable popularity in the European region, which could be considered to meet the requirements.

"As for the Asian region, how about that girl in *The Forbidden Kingdom*? She has high popularity in both Huaxia and Japan."

Wei Jin's words made Zhang Wei stunned; Liu Yifei had also been taken by him? If his own son knew, he would probably be heartbroken.

Of course, it was impossible for Wei Jin to take all the actor roles by himself; the investors from several parties also successively proposed their favorite candidates, and after nearly half a day, the parties reached an agreement on only two roles.

One was the role of the protagonist's wife, with Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau proposed as candidates, to be determined after specific contact.

One was the role of the tycoon; the Zun Long proposed by Wei Jin actually received unanimous approval from everyone.

This person had already announced his retirement from acting last year; if they really wanted to invite him out of retirement, it would take some effort, but for those present, these were all small problems.

As for the other roles, a rough scope has been discussed, but specific selections can only be decided after auditions. — "Han Dong, that is the specific situation."

Zhang Wei reported the results of the discussions to Han Sanping in detail; the latter remained silent for a long time, which made Zhang Wei feel somewhat apprehensive.

"Hmm, alright. I had anticipated this result before going, so it's not bad. You've worked hard."

"Then Han Dong, my work here is finished. Do you have any other arrangements?"

With the business trip concluded, Zhang Wei became interested in the Riding a White Horse proposed by Wei Jin and wanted to stay for a couple more days.

"What did Wei Jin say? When is he coming back?"

"President Wei didn't say, but judging by his manner, I estimate he will stay for a few more days."

"Hmm, then don't rush back yet. Follow Wei Jin and see if this kid has any other projects."

"Understood, Han Dong."

The third update for today. I earnestly request all fellow readers to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up reads, favorites, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes. Thank you, everyone! (End of chapter)