Chapter 280: The Eating Habits of Huayi Brothers and the Last Afterglow of Hong Kong Cinema

Entering August, *Aftershock* finally surpassed the performance of *The Martian* for the first time.

It broke 400 million in box office in 10 days, becoming the fastest film in the country to break 400 million.

The key box office figures remained strong, raking in over 20 million in a single day, charging ahead with no signs of slowing down.

Many film companies in the industry had already begun to entertain the idea of following the trend and copying their homework.

After all, in their view, this type of film was nothing more than relying on local support, combined with the advantage of the subject matter, to achieve such results.

But thinking about it carefully, the combination of Huayi Brothers and Feng Dapao was the main reason local government was willing to support it; ordinary companies really couldn't pull it off.

As it stands, only those few big directors in the country can get this kind of preferential treatment.

But those big directors who have already achieved fame and success probably look down on this way of copying homework; it really is a case of the parched dying of thirst while the flooded drown.

Wei Jin didn't expect the group's management to have such thoughts as well; it goes to show that wealth moves people's hearts.

However, regarding mainstream films, Wei Jin had no interest for the time being and told them so directly.

"In the current film market, if there is no endorsement from relevant units, mainstream subject matter is bound to lose money; we still have to wait."

In fact, the reason many mainstream films in later generations could achieve good results is closely related to the national strength of Huaxia; only when national pride rises will the audience resonate and be willing to pay for such subject matter. — News came from Hunter's side that *Now You See Me 2* had ended its run, with a global box office of 428 million.

Arriving along with that was the arrival time for the Warner Bros. team: the 8th.

Wei Jin was just about to call Han Sanping when he didn't expect the latter to call him first.

"Wei Jin, there's a seminar held by the higher-ups in the next two days; it's a routine notification for you to participate."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin knew that Han Sanping was truly just "notifying" him.

"A seminar? Discussing what?"

"Exploring the logic behind the box office of *Aftershock* and whether it can be replicated."

Han Sanping's voice on the phone was also somewhat helpless; he didn't even know what to say anymore.

"Han Dong, have these old guys lost their minds? What the hell is there to discuss? With this promotional treatment, this screening schedule treatment, and this buyout treatment, if you gave that to me, I could even drive *Avatar* into the ground."

Wei Jin started ranting directly; these people really didn't have their heads on straight if they actually wanted to discuss such a brain-dead issue.

"By the way, Han Dong, let me say this in advance: *Cold War* is about to be released, and I won't be following administrative directives anymore."

Although in terms of affiliation, China Film Group couldn't control private cinema lines in the country, generally speaking, cinema lines would still cooperate when screening directives were issued, as one cannot fight the authorities.

But having given them face for over ten days, Wei Jin felt he had done his part; it was time to allocate some screenings to *Cold War*.

"Fine, there have been many complaints to the higher-ups during this period anyway. I expect there will be a result in the next two days; you just need to ensure normal screening schedules."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this, but unexpectedly, Han Sanping added another sentence.

"However, it has been confirmed that *Aftershock* will be extended until the end of August, for a total release time of 40 days."

"Damn it."

Wei Jin cursed directly; have they no shame at all? This is probably the most shameless film in recent years; even *The Founding of a Republic* wasn't this excessive, right?

On the other end of the line, Han Sanping could only offer a bitter smile. This news hadn't been announced yet; once it was, it would probably be met with a wave of criticism again, right? Taking a deep breath, Wei Jin regained his composure. Since Huayi Brothers wanted to start this, he couldn't be blamed for retaliating.

"Han Dong, since you said to restore normal screening schedules, then private cinema lines have the freedom to choose what films to show, right?"

Han Sanping immediately understood what he meant and advised:

"Wei Jin, it's only 10 days; if you do this, there will be trouble."

Back when the *Nanjing* incident happened, Shanhe Cinema Line had already received many complaints; if he pulled something like this now, Wei Jin would likely become a target of public criticism, and more importantly, the higher-ups would not be pleased.

"I'm not that stupid; keeping the minimum screening schedule isn't excessive, right?"

The so-called "tall trees catch the wind"; Shanhe Media combines production, distribution, and cinema lines in one, which strictly speaking can already be considered a monopoly.

Under such circumstances, how could Wei Jin go against the wind? In fact, Wei Jin already had the intention to control the scale of Shanhe Cinema Line; this year, he would remove small cinema lines that couldn't keep up with the pace from the alliance and strive to let Wanda take the lead.

"Sigh, that shouldn't be a big problem, but the producers might have opinions about you."

"Heh."

Wei Jin felt no pressure; he bet those Wang brothers wouldn't dare bare their fangs at him. Otherwise, once the stock lock-up period ended, if he dumped 50 million shares, Huayi Brothers would likely be in agony.

"By the way, I was so angry I almost forgot; the Warner Bros. people are arriving on the 8th."

"Good, I will arrange everything." — The news of the extension of *Aftershock* indeed drew collective criticism from production companies in the industry.

But Huayi Brothers chose not to respond; since the meat was already in their mouths, they let others vent.

Fortunately, the film's screening schedule was finally reduced to a normal level, which could be considered giving other films a way to survive.

At the same time, *The Great Robbery* started filming at Shanghai Film Park.

It was unclear if it was the intention of the investors or if Ning Hao wanted to seize the initiative, but this opening ceremony was different from the past and quite high-profile.

There were many media outlets on site, but hilariously, compared to Ning Hao's new film *The Great Robbery*, they were actually more concerned about the situation with *No Man's Land*.

"Director Ning, may I ask if *No Man's Land* has been sentenced to death? Is there still a chance for it to meet the audience?"

"Director Ning, may I ask if the reason it didn't pass censorship is because the main characters are all bad guys?"

"Director Ning, may I ask if you have anything to say about the current domestic censorship environment?"

"Director Ning, may I ask..."

Perhaps having been worn down for too long, Ning Hao announced his decision.

"Just as everyone guessed, it's impossible for it to pass censorship. However, after *The Great Robbery*, I will reshoot the ending of *No Man's Land*. As for the censorship environment, do you think there's no problem?"

Although he had resigned himself to his fate, Ning Hao held a great deal of resentment toward the censorship, which in turn motivated him even more to become a great director.

The reason *Nanjing* could pass censorship was because Lu Chuan had connections behind him; Ning Hao couldn't take that path, as his background had already been determined.

But the reason *Lust, Caution* could pass censorship was because of the reputation Li An had built through the European Big Three and the Oscar.

At this moment, Ning Hao's obsession with winning awards was stronger than ever before.

As expected, Ning Hao's remarks quickly spread through the circle, and a large number of filmmakers began to publicly criticize the problems of the censorship system.

But those old guys acted as if they were dead, without the slightest response.

Anyway, it was just: you do your complaining, I'll do my censoring. As the saying goes, mountains and rivers will meet; don't let me catch you in my hands. — However, Wei Jin didn't expect that before the Warner Bros. people arrived, Wang Wei from Tudou would come first.

In the office, the administrative secretary brewed tea, and Wei Jin picked up the cup and took a sip.

"President Wang, is everything prepared?"

In his words, Wei Jin felt some emotion; from investing in Tudou to step-by-step becoming the major shareholder, nearly five years had passed. "Mm, with the addition of Jiaoyang Capital, the progress over in North America is even faster than expected."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this; Jiaoyang Capital was his investment entity overseas, which had always been managed by William.

At the end of last year, Tudou launched its fifth round of financing. In order to successfully land on the North American Nasdaq market, Wang Wei proposed introducing foreign capital, so Wei Jin simply let William enter the game.

Relying on the shares held in internet technology companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Apple, Wang Wei accepted William's olive branch without hesitation; of course, he did not know that this was capital controlled by Wei Jin.

The financing amount for this round reached as high as 50 million USD, with Jiaoyang Capital leading the investment with 35 million USD, Wei Jin co-investing 10 million USD, and Sina co-investing 5 million USD.

The final share structure was: Wei Jin 48%, Sina 10%, Jiaoyang Capital 28%, and Wang Wei 14%.

"When is it expected?"

In fact, Wei Jin did not care too much about whether Tudou went public or not; the video website was merely a moat matrix he had prepared for Shanhe Media.

"We expect to submit the IPO prospectus in early November; take a look at the specific share offering..."

Taking the documents, Wei Jin began to flip through them, and soon a number caught his eye: 30%.

After calculating slightly in his heart, Wei Jin set his mind at ease.

According to this ratio, after dilution, he would still possess over 50% of the shares.

"Let's proceed according to this plan."

"There is one more thing; your information will be used in the prospectus. After all, Tudou is a video website, and its main business is movies and television dramas. President Wei, you are an Oscar Director, a Palme d'Or winner, and a Golden Bear Director, internationally renowned. This will be very helpful for both the listing process and the subsequent stock price..."

"That is no problem; it is an obligation that a shareholder should fulfill. I will have the administration send the relevant materials to you."

Speaking to this point, Wei Jin paused for a moment.

"By the way, the previous matters, have they all been handled?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Wei paused slightly before he understood.

"They have already been handled. All procedures are compliant and legal, and it will absolutely not affect this listing."

"That is good. I wish you all the best!"

"All the best!" — As of August 6, *Aftershock* had been in theaters for half a month, and its box office had officially surpassed 600 million.

Counting the extension, this movie would be in theaters for over 20 more days. Huayi Brothers and Feng Dapao were full of confidence and had already shouted the slogan, "700 million is unstoppable, 800 million is within reach," which showed their ambitions were growing wilder.

Unfortunately, on that very same day, *Cold War* was released.

Without administrative interference, Shanhe Cinema Line finally cleared up space and directly gave it a 60% screening share.

Wanda was also full of sincerity and likewise gave *Cold War* a 60% screening share.

Even the cinema lines under China Film Group, under the quiet guidance of Han Sanping, gave a 50% screening share, though the other party indicated that this could only be maintained for the first three days, after which it would depend on the attendance rate.

Wei Jin expressed his understanding of this; after all, the nature of the enterprises was different, and being able to do this much was already giving a lot of face.

Thanks to such a high screening share, *Cold War* raked in 21.8 million at the box office on its opening day.

Seeing this data, Wei Jin felt much more relieved. Although it was a medium-budget production, Golden Harvest was a listed company, and if the movie's box office was not ideal, the losses would be more than just the production costs.

However, where there is joy, there is sorrow. *Aftershock*, having lost its administrative support, saw its box office cut in half and then in half again, with daily receipts now less than 10 million.

Perhaps feeling that the slap in the face came too quickly, Feng Dapao expressed sarcastically on Weibo: "Certain cinema lines are controlling the screening volume and times, not only giving *Aftershock* fewer screenings, but also almost all night-time slots; this is purely an act of manipulating the market."

Once this was said, many people ran under his Weibo to start mocking him in various ways.

"Director Feng, this is a case of 'the magistrate is allowed to burn down houses, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps'."

"Compared to *Aftershock*, the others' table manners are much better."

"I don't know how Director Feng has the face to say such double-standard words. Sigh, disappointed."

Perhaps seeing that it not only failed to elicit sympathy but also drew collective mockery, Feng Dapao quickly deleted this Weibo post, which gave many trolls a good laugh.

Wei Jin did not care; what was done was done, so what if others said a few words? — Shanhe Building, in the office.

Wei Jin was enjoying the service of his Assistant when the phone suddenly rang.

"President Yang?"

"President Wei, *Ip Man 3* has wrapped up filming. When do you think it would be best to schedule the release?"

Wei Jin understood the meaning behind Boss Yang's words as soon as he heard them.

"President Yang, you are too impatient. The post-production hasn't even been done yet, and besides, there aren't many good release windows left this year."

The *Ip Man* series was destined to be profitable and was worth waiting for to pick a good release window.

"I wasn't thinking about rushing to release it before those two movies. Then let's wait until post-production is done before deciding. However, President Wei, for Golden Harvest's projects in the second half of the year, can Emperor Group participate?"

"President Yang, to be honest with you, the project *The Raid* is a test-the-waters work, and the prospects are not clear. If you really want to invest, contact Shi Nansheng for the specifics."

*The Raid* was the movie Wei Jin had previously mentioned to Wu Jing; it was a script adapted from abroad, similar to the big-male-lead script of *First Blood*.

But whether Wu Jing could shoulder the responsibility, Wei Jin could not guarantee; however, Boss Yang's words reminded him of another matter.

"President Yang, if you really have an idea, you might as well acquire the rights to *SPL: Sha Po Lang*, and we can develop it jointly."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin shook his head. Hong Kong films were becoming increasingly declining, and it was inevitable that Boss Yang would be anxious.

There were quite a few projects led by Emperor Group this year, but unfortunately, none of them made a splash.

*The Stool Pigeon*, with a production cost of 150 million, had a first-day box office in Mainland China of less than 6 million.

*City Under Siege*, with an investment of 100 million, had a first-day box office of 8 million.

It is worth mentioning that *City Under Siege* also starred Guo Tianwang, and its release date was also chosen for August 6.

Many audience members remarked that Guo Tianwang had pinned himself down and beaten himself up.

Although these two films were still in theaters, they were definitely going to be losses.

Wei Jin could imagine Boss Yang's mood at this time; the profits from these two movies in cooperation with Golden Harvest were likely not enough to cover the losses.

Not only that, Hong Kong films invested in by Mainland companies including China Film Group, Enlight Media, Huayi Brothers, and Orange Sky also mostly ended in severe losses.

It could be said that if not for the two movies from Golden Harvest holding things up, the Hong Kong films released this year could almost be declared a total wipeout.

Therefore, many media outlets have already shouted the slogan "Golden Harvest—the final afterglow of Hong Kong cinema," and truth be told, it is actually quite fitting.

There will only be one update for now. (End of chapter)