Chapter 220: Raising the Ratio, the Honeymoon Period Is Coming

Sometimes, Lin Nan didn't know how to evaluate Zhang Zhang Weiping.

He was a pure businessman, and precisely because he was a businessman, he kept eyeing every possible way to make money.

"All invited guests were production companies; he wanted them to unite, take a firm and forceful stance, and pressure theaters to raise the current revenue-sharing ratio…"

Yue Jun spoke with great enthusiasm; it was clear he supported Zhang Zhang Weiping's move.

But Lin Nan remained unmoved.

Although Zhang Zhang Weiping's self-interest aligned with the producers' interests, the current state of the domestic market had not yet reached a point where producers could crush theaters.

The professional theater chains still held the initiative—they controlled over eighty percent of cinemas nationwide!

Some production companies might own a few theaters, but these were trivial, scattered, and insignificant.

Although "Thirteen Concubines" was the highly anticipated blockbuster, this year's biggest-budget domestic epic and the year's closing film, every major theater chain was eagerly waiting for its release.

But only Zhang Zhang Weiping held this leverage; most production companies didn't have "Thirteen Concubines," nor did they have Zhang Zhang Yimou.

"Lin Dao?"

Seeing Lin Nan's calm expression, Yue Jun spoke up.

"There probably aren't many companies that agreed to him on the spot, right?"

Lin Nan asked with certainty.

Yue Jun nodded instinctively:

"How did Lin Dao know? All companies showed interest, but most said they needed to report back, discuss, and then reply…"

As he spoke, Yue Jun seemed to grasp Lin Nan's meaning: "In the end, they probably won't join?"

"Yes, most companies won't follow. What do they have to directly confront theaters with?"

Only a blockbuster like "Thirteen Concubines," directed by a top-tier director, had the clout to stand up to theaters.

Because there are only a few such films each year, theaters rely on them for profits. Other companies joining in would be suicide.

Only when the market truly reaches a certain scale and becomes large enough will producers and theaters reach a balance—neither can dominate the other. Right now, we're still short of that.

"He must have targeted you specifically, right?" Lin Nan glanced at Yue Jun and smiled.

"Heh, Lin Dao is right. Among us, Hua Yi and a few others were all targeted, but none of us made any statement on the spot."

It seemed Zhang Zhang Weiping clearly understood that only a handful of domestic production companies could influence the theater side.

These companies all shared one common trait: they had commercially successful blockbuster directors.

On this point, Lin Nan had full confidence—he was definitely one of the targets.

"Lin Dao, what's our company's stance?" Yue Jun asked further.

Lin Nan thought for a moment, and a plan formed in his mind:

"'Thirteen Concubines' is still two months away from release; only Zhang Zhang Weiping is in a hurry. How could he expect other companies to follow him into the fray? None of them are fools."

As for us, we'll wait until he stirs things up, then support him from behind. After all, revolutions have never succeeded on the first try."

As a producer, Lin Nan fully supported raising the revenue-sharing ratio.

But the position of leader carried too much risk. Since Zhang Zhang Weiping wanted to pressure theaters, let him take that spot.

"Lin Dao, what if he presses us for an answer these next few days?"

"Tell him plainly: we support it, but only after he speaks out. But if he expects us to act alongside him, that's impossible."

"I think other companies will take the same stance—even worse, some might just shout along without doing anything."

Lin Nan replied casually; there was no need to drag this out or deceive Zhang Zhang Weiping.

…………

The National Day holiday ended.

"Painting Wall" surged to 130 million, with daily box office still over 7 million.

Light Entertainment released one Pian Zhou Jie Yi Pian after another—all "good news."

In contrast, "The Legend of the White Snake" had also reached 130 million total, but daily earnings had dropped below 5 million.

From its initial dominant box office lead to public outcry and a sharp decline.

"The Legend of the White Snake" gave the industry a performance of "midway collapse," securing itself the title of this year's biggest joke in film.

Being surpassed and crushed by "Painting Wall" was now an unavoidable fact.

No one knew if Yang Zai was truly insane or just foolish, or if he wanted another round of publicity.

Juliy Pictures announced on Weibo that a sequel to "The Legend of the White Snake" had been greenlit and would begin filming between the end of this year and early next year.

They had also invited Li Li Lianjie to reprise his role, and the sequel would be shot in 3D.

To be fair, the announcement did attract considerable attention.

But when Yang Zai, in front of the media, claimed to "learn from experience" and "look to the future," he was publicly humiliated.

Li Li Lianjie's assistant proactively contacted the media:

"We received no invitation and will not participate. When we filmed 'The Legend of the White Snake,' it was agreed that Li Li Lianjie's role was only a cameo."

But after joining the production, Juliy Pictures kept revising the script and adding scenes, turning what was supposed to be two days of filming into twenty-five days of action sequences.

Out of respect for Cui Cui Baozhu's status as producer, Mr. Li Li Lianjie said nothing—but he will never work with Juliy Pictures again…"

The industry was stunned: someone had actually pulled a free ride on Li Li Lianjie? Paid a broken-bone price just to trick him into playing a lead role—entirely action scenes!

Once a reputation is ruined, it seems to no longer matter.

Like Yang Zai—he wore it like a badge of honor, turning the incident into a promotional selling point, leaving not even a shred of face for Li Li Lianjie, and even mocking him for being arrogant…

Even Lin Nan, upon seeing this gossip, had to admire Yang Zai's twisted thinking.

It might have just been a matter of losing one film. But this move of his has completely burned his bridges in the film industry.

With this kind of character, which big star or company would dare to collaborate with him? Everyone would have to constantly guard against being stabbed in the back by Yang Zai.

…………

Lin Nan visited the set of "Search" to pay a call.

Besides Ning Hao and Guo Fan, he hadn't visited any other directors on set yet.

But regarding Yang Mi's matter, he still needed to repay a favor.

This time, Lin Nan got to see what the Great Director Chen was like on set.

Every great director has their own style. Lin Nan strongly agreed with that statement.

Just like right now, as Chen Hong led him to the filming crew, Chen Chen Kaige was explaining the scene to Gao Gao Yuanyuan and Wang Wang Luodan.

That aura of the Great Director Chen made the two actresses feel a bit nervous.

It was clearly a drama, but Chen Chen Kaige just wanted to infuse it with the atmosphere of an art film.

Lin Nan heard Chen Hong say that the script respected the original work and had no major adaptations.

That statement was interesting; as long as Chen Chen Kaige didn't try to "tell a story," the movie would likely jump up a level!

Less than two hours after the visit, reports appeared online.

"Lin Dao Nan visited the set of 'Search' today, the latter telling a story about cyberbullying."

"Lin Dao's visit, suspected to be due to the Yang Mi casting change incident."

"'Search' and 'The Hunt' belong to the same genre. Looking forward to Director Chen's 'Search'..."

Lin Nan really couldn't stay in Chen Chen Kaige's crew.

During breaks, several actors spoke to Chen Chen Kaige and Chen Hong very cautiously, afraid of offending them.

And Chen Chen Kaige was rigidly maintaining his posture and airs, enjoying the flattery and inquiries, while occasionally offering guidance to a few people.

This made Lin Nan feel a bit creepy; wasn't it tiring?

Anyway, he had filmed so many movies, often joking and playing around with actors on set, yet he never saw it affect his status as a great director!

When Lin Nan returned to the company, an employee told him that Guo Fan had been waiting for a long time.

Since "Passengers" wrapped filming, Guo Fan had been preparing for his graduation matters.

He heard the graduation process at the School of Management was much more troublesome than the Directing Department. So, the person came to the company.

"You handled this well, coming back yourself to get the certificate," Lin Nan teased.

"Haha, Lin Dao is right. That's the only convenience; now we just need your and Liu Yifei's signatures."

Guo Fan handed over a few pages of forms, the special materials form for School of Management graduation.

It contained data on "Passengers," from the preparation budget figures to the filming wrap-up time, all very detailed; Yue Jun had already helped stamp it.

The Director and Producer columns both needed signatures to prove Guo Fan's graduation thesis indeed came from the "Passengers" crew.

Lin Nan picked up the pen, scribbled scribbled scribbled, and signed the two names: his and Liu Liu Yifei's.

"You're being too perfunctory, aren't you? At least take it back and let Liu Yifei sign for me."

Guo Fan took it with a smile, "Eh? Don't say it, you really can't tell they were signed by the same person!"

Lin Nan smiled and said nothing. Liu Liu Yifei signing his name looked more like him than he did himself.

"After you finish the defense after the New Year, you should get to work; don't be lazy like Director Lu Yang, haha..."

Hearing Lin Nan's words, Guo Fan nodded with a light smile; he thought the same thing.

"Director Lu Yang is indeed a bit lazy; it seems he went to the Fushan Film Festival as a guest these past two days.

But speaking of filming, does Lin Dao have a ready-made script?"

Guo Fan asked with some expectation; Lin Nan's scripts were guaranteed, a fact recognized throughout the industry.

"Mm, after you sort out the school matters, you'll see the script."

"Alright, then I'll listen to Lin Dao."

More than half an hour later, Guo Fan left the company.

Speaking of the Fushan Film Festival these past two days, Huayi over there did something huge.

They signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Fushan with the alliance of South Korea's six major entertainment agencies.

This meant a large number of South Korean artists and idol stars would enter the mainland through Huayi as a springboard.

After all, only people from small places entering a big market is possible, not the other way around; the ones benefiting would only be the Koreans.

Lin Nan's first reaction upon seeing this news was, "The honeymoon period of the Sino-Korean film and culture circle is arriving!"

The facts indeed matched Lin Nan's guess.

The South Korean artists at the signing ceremony were all famous girl groups and boy groups from over there; the intention was already very clear.

Those domestic idol little stars would probably be hung up and beaten at that time!

(End of this chapter)