Chapter 350: Yang Mi's Surprise

Ceng Jia was very efficient; in two days, she had figured out several projects at Mei Ah.

It was just that she seemed a bit hesitant at this moment; after some deliberation, Ceng Jia still decided to leave the choice to Yang Mi.

"Mimi, one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Yang Mi was impatient; how could she play such a childish game with Ceng Jia?

"Jia Jie, stop keeping me in suspense."

"The good news is that the film's male lead has been confirmed as Zhao Wenzhuo, but the female lead hasn't been decided yet. They are very willing to have you join."

Speaking of this, Ceng Jia felt a bit emotional. Back when they were at Rongxin Da, Mei Ah hadn't been this easy to talk to. Despite their past connections, film resources were impossible to get, but now it was completely different.

Of course, this also included the reason that Yang Mi was currently very popular.

"Then what's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that the film's production budget is only 20 million."

Hearing this, Yang Mi frowned. Backed by Shanhe Media and with Wei Jin's guidance, she was no longer a nobody; she now looked down on films with this kind of production budget.

After some deliberation, Yang Mi became concerned about the core issue.

"In terms of salary, how much are they willing to pay?"

"If you join, they are willing to offer the same quote as 'White Vengeance', 2 million."

Yang Mi nodded. The price was quite sincere, but thinking about those three months for 'White Vengeance', she felt it wasn't worth it. With her current status, running a few events would earn more than that.

However, it was film resources after all, and it was the female lead role; the scale in Yang Mi's heart had gradually tilted.

"About how long will filming take?"

"Hong Kong directors are very fast. According to their filming schedule, it should wrap up in about a month."

"Fine, Jia Jie, help me take it." — Time entered late September; the two films released at the beginning of the month had already been pulled from theaters early.

Huayi's 'Love in Space', with an investment of 20 million, finally reported a box office of over 50 million, barely breaking even.

Ai Dajin's 'My Kingdom' was miserable.

With an investment of 70 million, the film's box office was already not great, yet he actually dared to provoke Zuoshandiao.

After the screenings were cut, it barely got any box office these days, finally reporting 40 million. The producers' losses were at least 50 million or more, which could be called a total loss.

Wei Jin estimated that it would be very difficult for anyone to invest in Ai Dajin again in the future.

Unlike the distress of Huayi and Ai Dajin, Han Sanping's mood should be quite good.

'Source Code' had been released for over 20 days, grossing 126 million at the box office, with daily box office still over a million.

Compared to the 3 million USD buyout price, China Film Group would earn at least 20 to 30 million on this, which could be called a huge profit.

'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' and 'Mural' were about to be released, and major theater chains had already begun intense scheduling; the first shot of the National Day Slot was about to be fired.

Many industry insiders and celebrities were helping to promote them on Weibo.

It is worth mentioning that the "support group" for 'Mural' consisted mostly of people related to Mainland China, while 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' actually had more Hong Kong directors and stars.

This undisguised taking of sides clearly displayed the conflict between Hong Kong filmmakers and Mainland filmmakers, and netizens called it exciting.

But it was also normal; 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' could be completely regarded as a Hong Kong film.

After all, whether it was the director, the production team, or the cast, over 80 percent were from Hong Kong. If this didn't count as a Hong Kong film, what would? If it weren't for the fact that the one competing against it was 'Mural' produced by Enlight, I'm afraid even many Mainland stars and artists would have turned to help stand on their side.

It could only be said that the face of Enlight's Old Wang was still much bigger than the fledgling Juli Pictures.

It was just that no one in the industry expected that with only two days left until release, Yang Zi, this guy, actually pulled another flashy move.

Juli Pictures, in conjunction with the distributor Bona, announced to the public.

"In response to the strong demands of the vast audience, the release time of 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' will be moved forward by 6 hours, that is, public screening at 6 PM on the 21st!"

Once the news came out, the industry was in an uproar. The last one to do this was 'Forever Enthralled'. The purpose was nothing more than to make the first-day box office look better; after all, the better the first-day results, the more convincing the promotion.

It was just that that time, Chen Shiren was scolded thoroughly, and Yang Zi was naturally no exception.

A large number of companies in the industry began to mock them. Enlight even directly expressed its stance through its official Weibo: "Only those who have no confidence in their film will engage in such petty tricks; it's shameful and unprofessional."

But Yang Zi, this guy, was not ashamed but proud.

"We cannot turn a blind eye to the anxious waiting of the fans; this will greatly hurt the audience's enthusiasm. 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' cost 240 million, and it will definitely be worthy of the ticket money in the audience's hands, ensuring that every fan who enters the theater will be happy."

Watching the news online, Wei Jin looked forward even more to the head-on collision between 'Mural' and 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake'.

Speak of the devil, and the devil appears; Old Wang's call came through.

"Brother Wei, for the theater scheduling of 'Mural', you must consider more for your brother..."

"Don't worry, Chairman Wang. I can guarantee that before 'Thieves' is released, it will be no less than 30%. How about that? That's enough, right?"

"Brother Wei, that's enough. Haha."

Through the phone, Wei Jin could feel Old Wang's joy. You have to know that there were still several Hollywood blockbusters currently showing, including 'Norwegian Wood', an art film adapted from a famous Japanese novel.

This promise from Wei Jin could be considered as helping 'Mural' seize a head start.

After finishing the business, Wei Jin was about to hang up, but Old Wang actually still had something to say.

"Brother Wei, it's like this..."

After listening to Old Wang's account, Wei Jin fell into silence.

He didn't expect that Wang Changtian would eventually choose to join the 'Bronze Sparrow Terrace' project.

"Brother Wei, this project has an investment of over 100 million. I only invested over 10 million; it's considered giving face to Changying. After all, they were the big brother back then."

Wei Jin understood Old Wang's meaning; human relationships and social dealings were nothing more than this.

Changying, full name Changchun Film Studio, was once one of the eight major state-owned film studios.

Since the theater chain reform, the film market began to follow the path of the market and commercial films.

The original eight major studios either transformed or went bankrupt. Old-brand major studios like Western Film Group, Changying, and Shanghai Film Group almost became leasing units; the actor teams were gone, and the director teams were also gone.

In '99, Changying began to reform, establishing Changying Group on the basis of the original film studio.

By selling the old factory area to revitalize assets, they built Changchun Film Century City on the outskirts of Changchun, a large-scale tourism and entertainment city, and their main business also changed from film production to a cultural tourism group. But as an old film studio, Changying was certainly unwilling to decline like this, especially with the strong rise of China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group in recent years, which made Changying want to achieve something in the film market even more.

This time, having raised such a large amount of capital, they must be thinking of making a comeback.

It's just that the old studio mindset is still at work; Changying really wants to cultivate its own directors, and handing such a large project to a complete newcomer who is a connection hire is truly a bit bold.

However, Wei Jin is only a shareholder in Enlight Media, so he can't be bothered to say much about things Wang Changtian has decided.

"Fine, Chairman Wang, I understand. Is there anything else?"

"Well, Brother Wei, there actually is one thing. It's like this: regarding the actors, they are hoping for Liu Yifei..."

"Impossible, I will not agree to it."

Before Wang Changtian could finish, Wei Jin interrupted him directly. What a joke; he had gone to such lengths to build up Liu Yifei, how could he possibly let her participate in a project destined to flop? Changying's calculations were too clever by half.

"Brother, don't be so hasty. The salary is not an issue. How about 15 million?"

"Chairman Wang, it's not about the salary. You should know that a Top-tier Female Star needs to cherish her reputation."

Wang Changtian on the other end of the line fell silent. He understood what Wei Jin meant and immediately retreated to his second-best option.

"Then what about that Yang Mi from your company?"

In Old Wang's view, Yang Mi was currently popular, had the 300 million box office of Brotherhood of Blades 2 as a foundation, and had also appeared in the historical blockbuster White Vengeance; she was indeed a very suitable candidate. Although she couldn't compare to Liu Yifei, she should still add some value to the film.

"Hmm?"

Wei Jin was taken aback by Wang Changtian's train of thought. He was just about to refuse, but then he remembered Yang Mi's resentful gaze that night.

So be it. His own resources were limited, and he really couldn't take care of everyone around him. Although he didn't think highly of this film, it was, at the very least, a female lead role in a production worth over 100 million, which counted as a top-tier resource in the industry.

Even if the box office didn't turn out well in the end, the blame wouldn't fall on the female lead. However, he still had to make it clear to Yang Mi; how she chose was her own business.

"I don't have any objections on my end, but I still have to see what she thinks."

"Fine, Brother Wei, I'll wait for your reply. But it needs to be soon; I estimate they will start filming after National Day, so..."

"Alright."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin called Zhang Xu, and then he stopped paying attention to the matter.

On the other side, upon receiving the notification from Zhang Xu, Yang Mi was filled with immense surprise.

"Senior brother really does have me in his heart."

Watching the smile curling at the corner of Yang Mi's mouth, Ceng Jia shook her head. With that man's achievements, it was hard for any woman not to be moved; she just hoped she wouldn't fall too deep.

"Mimi, how are you considering what President Wei said?"

"What else is there to consider? If the box office is good, it adds to my value; if the box office is bad, it has nothing to do with me. It's a 100 million production, and I'm co-starring with Zhou Runfa. What reason do I have to refuse?"

Yang Mi replied without a care. During the initial accumulation stage, one had to rely on quantity to win.

Besides, although Wei Jin's eye for things had always been good, the film hadn't even started shooting yet; who could say for sure about the box office? Could he really foresee the future?

"Jia Jie, can the schedule for Dawangdang be coordinated?"

"It can. They start filming around the end of November. If we compress your scenes a little, I estimate you can join the set in mid-December. With two-plus months here for Bronze Sparrow Terrace, you should have no problem finishing."

Yang Mi nodded. Two-plus months should be more than enough. Previously, White Vengeance was said to be over three months, but the scenes belonging to her couldn't possibly take that long to shoot.

"That's good." — In the office, Wei Jin was busy drawing the storyboards for Bottom-Tier Girl.

As for the promotion of Thieves, Wei Jin did not participate this time. After all, at his current status, it really wasn't appropriate for him to follow along for roadshow promotions.

However, even so, Wei Jin was not the least bit worried about the box office for Thieves.

Firstly, the film's overseas rights had already achieved profitability; no matter how much the box office was, it was pure profit.

Secondly, this film had a large cast; whether it was promotion or roadshows, they could handle it completely, and could even split into two teams.

Finally, after so many years of building his reputation, Wei Jin believed that his films were absolutely the highest priority choice in the audience's hearts, bar none.

Therefore, the top priority was still Bottom-Tier Girl. After all, it was Jing Tian's new work after a three-year hiatus, and Wei Jin also hoped to bring her the best boost.

After working for the whole morning, Wei Jin stretched, lit a cigarette, and took advantage of the break to look at the news online.

One piece of news caught him by surprise.

That tribute film initiated by Shanghai Film Group, Xinhai Revolution, was just days away from release when it was suddenly halted by the Film Bureau.

The reason given was that for major historical themes, it was inappropriate to have overly revealing, passionate scenes.

Once this news broke, the internet was in chaos. Many netizens who were originally uninterested in this film were now scrambling to ask for the footage.

It left Wei Jin between laughter and tears. It reminded him of when Lust, Caution hadn't been released yet and company employees had come to him for the disc; it was exactly the same. It seemed that "lecherous fans" were the greatest productive force in the film market.

However, Shanghai Film Group's reaction was also quick. Ren Zhonglun personally stated that they would delete this scene and guaranteed that it would absolutely not affect the film's normal release time.

Wei Jin gossiped a bit and picked up the phone to call Big Brother Cheng Long; the answer he got was absolutely authentic.

"It's true. When we were shooting that scene, there were too many people on set. Li Bingbing and I were both a bit inhibited, so we specifically drank half a jin of white liquor before we went all-out and fully nude..."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin exclaimed that it was spectacular. One had to know that Big Brother was a wild player, and even he couldn't let go on set this time; one could imagine just how passionate it was.

Big Brother even expressed with some regret that he hadn't kept a backup, and this scene would become a swan song.

However, what Wei Jin admired most was still Shanghai Film Group. To do this with a tribute film, and to have almost slipped it past during the critical review—there was no one else like them.

Unable to find the footage online, the netizens were very unhappy and started complaining.

"Could it be that someone reported it on purpose?"

"Who would be so bored? I think it's mostly competition from peers. Didn't Xinhai Revolution shout about wanting to surpass The Founding of a Republic and Beginning of the Great Revival before? Could it be a dirty trick by China Film Group?"

"Hard to say, I think it's possible..."

Looking at the comments online, Wei Jin felt that perhaps it really was Han who had made a move.

One had to know that he and Ren Zhonglun had been in a love-hate relationship for many years.

Withdrawing his gaze, Wei Jin continued to busy himself with the storyboards, and time slipped away.

Near the end of the workday, he received a call from Yang Mi. This time, Wei Jin did not refuse; after all, this woman had been single for nearly half a year, and he still had to help her keep in shape. (End of chapter)