Chapter 399: Inspiration and Invitation

Time entered the middle of February.

The film market was overall somewhat sluggish, but the performance of *Once Again* was quite eye-catching.

Currently in its 19th day of release, the box office has reached 568 million, with the single-day box office still maintaining around 10 million.

It is foreseeable that breaking 600 million at the box office will be effortless.

The extension for *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* ended, and it was taken off the screens accordingly, with a final box office of 1.016 billion.

In addition, *The Great Magician*, co-produced by Emperor Motion Pictures and Bona, has also been taken off screens, with a Mainland China box office of only 160 million.

Even counting all overseas box office, the total box office still did not exceed 180 million.

As for *The Viral Factor*, it has been released for 25 days with a box office of 130 million, but the single-day box office is already less than one million.

The double insurance policy that Emperor Motion Pictures placed on the New Year Slot and Spring Festival Film Season this year has been declared a complete failure.

Boss Yang is in a very bad mood right now; although there were other producers for the two films, Emperor Motion Pictures' losses are still close to 200 million.

Calculating it, Emperor Motion Pictures invested over 500 million last year, and apart from *The Last Supper* which hasn't been released, everything else was actually a loss!

"I just hope *SPL: Sha Po Lang 2* can have a good result."

The celebration banquet for *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* was held at the Imperial Hotel, and the scale this time far exceeded the past.

When Wei Jin appeared at the scene with Jing Tian, the hotel's oversized banquet hall could almost be described as packed with people.

Major production companies and first- and second-tier celebrity artists all came to show their support.

There was no helping it; the power of the seven major producers is indeed great enough, encompassing almost all of the strongest film companies in the Mainland entertainment industry.

Today's protagonist is destined to be Xu Laoguai, who has soared after years of silence.

For this celebration banquet, he specifically rushed back from Berlin, though it was normal; it was just a screening, and he, the director, did not need to stay there the whole time.

At this moment, Xu Laoguai is in high spirits and glowing with health; while socializing with people from all directions who came to congratulate him, he sighs in his heart about the hardships of these years.

Xu Laoguai debuted very early; since filming his first personal television series *Golden Blade Romance* in 1978, he has been in the industry for 34 years.

In 1981, he won the Best Director award at the 18th Golden Horse Awards for the black comedy *All the Wrong Clues*, which was co-starred by George Lam, Teddy Robin, and Karl Maka.

Starting from the 80s, he was active in the Hong Kong film scene, once becoming the highest-grossing director in Hong Kong, and presented countless classic masterpieces to audiences and film fans.

*Best Partner*, *Once Upon a Time in China*, *Swordsman*, *New Dragon Gate Inn*, *The Lovers*, *Green Snake*, and so on and so forth.

Unfortunately, after the failure of *Zu Warriors* in 2001, which had an investment of 35 million USD—equivalent to 290 million RMB—almost no one in the Hong Kong region asked him to film again.

Using countless personal favors, he finally managed to raise funds and spent 4 years sharpening his sword, intending to wash away his shame with the special-effects blockbuster *Seven Swords*, but unfortunately, reality gave him another heavy blow.

With a production cost of 140 million HKD, he lost a full 100 million.

Since then, the once-blockbuster genius director has been completely silent.

It wasn't until he joined Shanhe Media and relied on *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* that he barely managed to gain a foothold in Mainland China.

Today, *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* has achieved his reputation as a 1-billion-box-office director, but Xu Laoguai knows very well in his heart that if it weren't for Wei Jin's guidance on the script back then, the box office of this film would very likely have been halved.

So when he saw Wei Jin enter, the 62-year-old Xu Laoguai immediately came up to greet him, a very eager smile appearing on his face.

"President Wei, everyone is waiting for you."

"Director Xu, congratulations, the third 1-billion-box-office director. I'm afraid many people are eyeing your new film tonight, right? Haha."

Facing Wei Jin's teasing, Xu Laoguai shrugged helplessly.

He has 20% investment rights in the *Detective Dee* series; this portion made many production companies at the scene have ideas, and in addition, many celebrity artists were also eyeing the roles.

But as a Studio director for Shanhe Media, how could he, Xu Laoguai, be unclear about the situation? Before Wei Jin nodded, he politely rejected everything, whether it was investment or roles.

With Wei Jin's arrival, it also signaled the official start of the celebration banquet.

When the seven major producers and the film's creators shattered the ice sculpture symbolizing the film's box office of 1.016 billion on stage, the atmosphere of the entire scene reached a climax, and the media's cameras clicked incessantly.

"Director Xu, may I ask how you feel about becoming the third 1-billion-box-office director in the country?"

"I am very happy; after all, it is a very great result, far exceeding my expectations."

Xu Laoguai was also mentally prepared for today's occasion; he looked around and continued his speech.

"I want to thank President Wei for his support. The decline of martial arts films is an indisputable fact, but when I reported a budget of 200 million, he supported me without hesitation. Thank you, President Wei."

Many people at the scene cast their eyes on Wei Jin, unable to help but sigh at his superb vision.

It is indeed as Xu Laoguai said, martial arts films have truly declined; this point can also be seen from the overseas box office of *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*.

Compared to the 1 billion box office in Mainland China, the performance in the overseas market was very average; the entire Southeast Asia region was less than 20 million USD.

Although it is related to the number of local 3D screens, it can also verify some facts from the side.

Xu Laoguai on stage was still continuing.

"So, at the beginning of the film's release, I was very anxious. It wasn't until the box office passed 500 million that I let out a long sigh of relief. I finally didn't make the investors lose money. Hehe, being able to achieve such results today is really beyond my expectations."

Xu Laoguai's words drew good-natured laughter from everyone at the scene.

It is indeed so; don't look at how the producers are making money now, but who knows how much risk they bore?

At this moment, the producers were all glowing with health; Xu Laoguai's speech undoubtedly proved their vision.

Calculated according to the 46% ratio of the domestic box office of *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*, the distributable box office belonging to the producers reached as high as 428 million.

Counting the 8 million USD in distributable overseas box office, the 12 million USD from previous copyright transactions, and the income from various miscellaneous on-screen advertisements, the total revenue of this film is close to 600 million.

Deducting the production cost of 200 million and the marketing cost of 80 million, the net profit belonging to the producers is 320 million.

Calculated using the original premium method, the producers invested 30 million to secure a 10% share; now with a net profit of 32 million, a return of over 100%, what else is there to be dissatisfied with?

Not only were the other producers satisfied, but Wei Jin was also very satisfied. Shanhe Media earned 100 million for nothing with almost 0 cost and 0 risk; it was truly too satisfying.

Next, it entered the socializing and networking segment, and most of the people at the scene began to move around.

"Brother, I'm going over to Sister Nan's side."

Jing Tian greeted him and walked toward Xie Nan; their relationship was better than Wei Jin had expected.

It's funny to say, Jing Tian walked over, and Wu Jing walked over.

"President Wei, long time no see, congratulations on the big box office success."

"Hmm, has your Special Forces finished filming?"

Wei Jin nodded with a smile.

Come to think of it, Wu Jing really couldn't stay idle; just after SPL: Sha Po Lang 2 wrapped up, he immediately joined another crew to film a military-themed TV series.

"Yeah, it just wrapped."

"What made you think of filming a TV series?"

Wei Jin asked with some surprise; one had to know that in his past life, Wu Jing took this role because he couldn't make it in the Hong Kong Circle anymore.

But his situation now was quite different; after The Raid, he had already become a popular action actor.

Normally, film actors tend to cherish their reputation and rarely lower their status to appear in TV series.

Of course, one cannot rule out the pay being too high; for instance, in the later years with Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace and Zhengyang Gate, Zhou Xun and Zhang Ziyi were brought down to earth by their paychecks. But a crew like Special Forces clearly couldn't offer an astronomical price.

"Uh, the director Liu Meng was too persistent. He specifically ran to Hong Kong to find me and was even willing to delay the shooting schedule for me. Besides, I really like the script. You know, I've always had a soldier's dream..."

Wei Jin nodded; this was true Amour, and it was precisely these experiences that allowed him to create the Wolf Warrior series later on.

"By the way, President Wei, what do you think about me filming a military-themed movie?"

"Hmm?"

Wei Jin was a bit surprised; did the inspiration come this quickly?

"Tell me more."

"It's that kind of special forces, a very badass soldier king, this time the TV series filming..."

Talking about this topic, Wu Jing was clearly a bit excited. Wei Jin could see that he probably had a vague idea in his mind.

After listening for a good while, Wei Jin offered encouragement.

"Sure, you have both a director's dream and a soldier's dream; combining the two is quite good. Work hard on it, I'm rooting for you."

Now it was Wu Jing's turn to be surprised, "President Wei, do you really think it's viable?"

It was no wonder Wu Jing lacked confidence himself; currently in the country, movies with soldiers as the main focus were mostly propaganda films, and without the corresponding background, it was very difficult to achieve good results.

"Yes, I think it's possible."

Wei Jin's words made Wu Jing overjoyed, and he immediately stated he would go back to carefully polish the script, and when the time came, he would bring it to Shanhe Media and ask the big boss for some guidance and so on.

Regarding the Wolf Warrior series, Wei Jin certainly had his own thoughts.

It was just that Wei Jin had a good relationship with Wu Jing and admired him, so he couldn't be bothered to fleece him.

Moreover, this guy had strong self-esteem; if he really were to start this project, he definitely wouldn't use his rich wife's little treasury, which meant he would inevitably have to find investors to share the risk.

Waiting for the project to come to his door, wouldn't that be wonderful? After chatting for a while, Wu Jing left with a bit of excitement.

Not long after, Zhou Xun walked over with a wine glass, followed by Chen Kun.

"Old Wei, thanks for this time."

While speaking, Zhou Xun gave Wei Jin's shoulder a light punch with her small fist, showing no awe at all in front of her boss.

"President Wei, thank you!"

Chen Kun's tone, however, seemed particularly sincere.

"Hey, why are you two being so polite? How many years have we known each other? Besides, the casting was decided by Director Xu; I should be the one thanking you for making money for me, haha."

From collaborating on Painted Skin in '05 until now, Wei Jin and the duo of Zhou Xun and Chen Kun had known each other for nearly 7 years; although they didn't keep in touch much, their friendship was still quite good.

However, looking at Chen Kun, Wei Jin felt a bit of emotion.

It is said that leaving a big company leads to success, but his development really lagged far behind his former peers Zhou Xun and Yang Mi.

10 years ago, he was a popular young actor in Mainland China, but now he had gradually fallen behind, distancing himself from former rivals like Huang Xiaoming and Qiao Zhenyu, and even the latecomer Wang Kai was gradually catching up; it was truly sigh-inducing.

"Speaking of this, we also have to thank the bosses for the big red envelopes, haha."

Zhou Xun had been drinking, and her true nature was truly exposed; Wei Jin could only shake his head.

This time the movie was a big hit, and the several major production companies weren't stingy, each putting up one million as red envelopes for the main creators.

Perhaps compared to the paychecks of the main creators, it wasn't much, but this gesture was not small.

After some idle chatter, Chen Kun extended an invitation.

"President Wei, please do us the honor at the premiere of Qian Xuesen."

"No problem, I will attend."

This film was controlled by Western Film Group, and they had sent an invitation early on; as a work from his hometown studio, Wei Jin naturally wouldn't decline.

"Hey, Old Wei, when are you starting work? Your sister here hasn't found anything for this year yet."

"Young Master Zhou, you've been a model worker these past two years; why not take a break?"

Wei Jin's words were true; thanks to her outstanding acting skills, Zhou Xun could be considered a jack-of-all-trades in the hearts of major production companies and directors, and she had no shortage of film offers.

"Tch, is that how you act as a boss? Isn't it good that I'm making money for you?"

Zhou Xun retorted grumpily.

"The little money you earn, do you think I care for it?"

Wei Jin leaned back tactically, showing off a bit calmly.

"..."

These words directly silenced Zhou Xun. Afterward, thinking of the wealth of the man in front of her, she held it in for a long time before she finally let out a flowery curse.

"Damn it, evil capitalist."

The cocktail party ended, and Wei Jin originally planned to take Jing Tian home, but unexpectedly Ren Zhonglun sent an invitation; the latter was a state-owned enterprise boss after all, so Wei Jin couldn't easily refuse.

Instructing Lao Zhu to take Jing Tian home, Wei Jin arrived at a private room in the hotel to "sit and discuss the Dao" with Ren Zhonglun.

Nearly an hour later, Wei Jin returned to Dongshanshu.

He saw the young girl had already bathed and changed, wearing a black spaghetti-strap nightgown, lying on the bed playing with her phone.

Hearing footsteps, Jing Tian put down her phone, got up, and wrapped her arms around Wei Jin's neck.

"Brother, what did Chairman Ren want with you?"

"Just chatting about investments, and by the way, he invited me on behalf of the Shanghai International Film Festival Organizing Committee to serve as the jury president."

Honestly, Wei Jin hadn't expected that after declining an invitation to be a juror the year before last, he would actually be promoted to jury president this year.

One had to know that although the Shanghai International Film Festival lacked sufficient influence, it was still one of the 14 international A-list film festivals globally, and the only one in the country.

In terms of prestige, it was far superior to the Golden Rooster Awards.

However, given Wei Jin's current international status and industry influence, serving as a jury president was absolutely qualified.

So this invitation, while somewhat abrupt, was also reasonable and logical.

"Really?"

Watching the young girl's eyes light up, Wei Jin didn't know whether to laugh or cry; was it really that big of a deal? "Why would I lie to you?"

"I just can't believe it, Brother, you're not even thirty yet, and you're the jury president of an international A-list film festival, that's just amazing, mwah."

The young girl frantically offered sweet kisses, her eyes full of pride; aside from being a playboy, her man was simply the most perfect in the whole world.

The corners of Wei Jin's mouth curled up, his hands wrapped around the girl's slender waist, and he took the opportunity to grip her perky buttocks, whispering into her ear.

"Tian Tian, I have something even better, want to try it?"

After speaking, without waiting for the girl to answer, Wei Jin kissed her heavily.

"Mmph."

(End of this chapter)