China Entertainment started from cutting off the Hu in 1995

Wu Yuchen looked at the several Chinese-speaking filmmakers in front of him with a smile. After he became famous in Hollywood, these former Hong Kong celebrities also took the initiative to join him.

It can be said that they came to Hollywood to visit the pier, or they instinctively hugged each other to keep warm. This situation is very common in Hollywood, such as Italian gangs, Irish gangs, etc., and aren't the most famous ones the Jews?

None of them bothered Wu Yuchen for a long time. After all, he was one of the protagonists at the banquet. People from Hollywood kept coming to chat with Wu Yuchen, and naturally there were also some beauties who wanted to make progress.

At this time, Cheng Long couldn't help but look envious as he watched Wu Yuchen being flirted with by a bunch of blond and blue-eyed beauties. In fact, he was treated the same way in Hong Kong Island. He was often surrounded by beauties, but it was different. This was Hollywood after all. Especially in Hong Kong Island, an area that has been ruled by foreign devils for a long time, it is obviously more psychological pleasure to conquer the beautiful girls.

At this time, Zhang Jiazhen smiled at Cheng Long and said, Jackie, do you also envy others?

Cheng Long shook his head and said with emotion: I became famous at the age of 24, received a salary of millions, and became a director. I feel that I have been very successful, but seeing Director Wu's current achievements, it is like the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead!

What Qianlang? Jackie, you are still in your prime. The industry in Hong Kong Island is currently in recession. You will definitely be able to make a difference when you come to Hollywood.

Cheng Long smiled after hearing this and said nothing more. This was his third attempt to enter Hollywood. The previous two failures had taught him that Hollywood was not that easy, so he did not dare to be too optimistic this time.

The Asian financial crisis hit in 1997, which hit the entire Asian economy. Naturally, it also had a great impact on the entertainment industry. Without money, you can't start work. A large number of artists from Hong Kong Island chose to flee. Among them, there are two general directions. One group went north. After arriving in mainland China, another group chose to go to Hollywood for food.

In fact, the first choice for most famous people in Hong Kong is Hollywood, such as Mr. Tsui, Sammo Hung, Chen Kexin, etc., but they all failed. Don't look at the fact that Chen Kexin has been clamoring about the plot of her own movie in Greater China and creating her own character, but in fact it was a helpless choice after returning from Hollywood to make money!

There are only a handful of Chinese filmmakers who have truly made it in Hollywood.

The first is Wu Baige. After Face was released last year, he has been ranked among the first-line directors in Hollywood. He was the highest-ranking Chinese filmmaker in Hollywood before Wu Yuchen came. But now that Wu Yuchen is gaining momentum, the Chinese leader in Hollywood may have to change.

Wu Baige did not come this time. He is currently filming his new movie Black Jack. Producer Zhang Jiazhen conveyed congratulations to Wu Yuchen on his behalf.

Then there is Li An. His future achievements in Hollywood need not be widely publicized. Everyone knows about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi. He was filming Ride with the Devil with future Spider-Man Tobey Maguire, and he also called to congratulate him before.

When it comes to Li An, we have to talk about Chow Yun-fat. If Fa Ge hadn't been led by Li An in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the entire trip to Hollywood would have been a big failure. The opportunity of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was passed over to Jet Li. However, he has just entered Hollywood and is under the care of Wu Baige. He has received many opportunities, although they all ended in failure.

Compared to Fat Brother, Jet Li's situation in Hollywood was much more difficult as he had to rely on himself. However, the Kung Fu Emperor's action scenes really don't have to be mentioned. He fought beautifully and conquered the North American audience. Although his box office performance was not particularly good, he was very popular in the disc market, so he later became a second-tier movie in Hollywood.

Then we have to talk about Cheng Long. Cheng Long came here to do post-production work on Rush Hour this time. Because of his good results in Red Zone two years ago, he immediately became the leading actor when he came to Hollywood. Facts have proved that he is very capable of adding action comedy. It is popular all over the world. He will also become the most influential Chinese actor in the world.

Currently, the only female star is Yang Ziqiong, who made her mark last year as a Bond girl in 007: Tomorrow Never Dies. Gong Huang and Guo Zhang came later.

Many movie fans are debating who is the most influential Chinese star. In fact, there is no need to argue. Officials have told everyone with practical actions. In 2000, Cheng Long was chosen as the first image ambassador for Beijing's Olympic bid. Do you think the official will use this as a joke?

…

In a conference room, a negotiation was taking place at the moment. The two parties involved in the negotiation were Wu Yuchen and Fox.

Yesterday at the celebration banquet, everyone acted like they were good friends and chatting happily, but today they are sitting across from each other and starting to bicker over profit. This is Hollywood.

The benchmark for negotiating Sniper Phone Booth cannot be calculated based on the box office of 160 million. Although the daily box office has dropped below one million, the movie can still stay in the theater for more than 2 months. According to our calculations, this can generate at least 20 million Above the box office!”

Oh no no, Director Wu, you are too optimistic. 20 million is obviously impossible. Those who have seen this movie will obviously not watch it a second time. Theaters have begun to reduce the number of screenings on a large scale. Now the number of openings has dropped. It’s below 800, and it will continue to drop...

In the end, the two sides exchanged words and finally tentatively set the total North American box office of Sniper Phone Booth at 170 million, and this was only the beginning of the negotiations.

If the North American box office is 170 million, then according to our usual practice, the overseas box office will also be set at 170 million...

Before Fox finished speaking, he was interrupted by producer James:

No, this is not reasonable at all! The overseas box office of Phone Booth is definitely more than 170 million. Titanic currently has more than 500 million in North America, and the overseas box office has exceeded 1 billion. You should at least give us 340 million calculate!

Fuck! This is impossible! Titanic has the highest level of production and effects in Hollywood. What does Sniper Phone Booth have?! You only have a shabby phone booth!

We have Leonardo! We have Stallone! Leonardo is being wildly sought after all over the world, and Stallone is known to everyone in every corner of the world. He is a star with global appeal! The two of them combined, the overseas box office will definitely exceed the domestic box office in North America! We can give you some discounts for Fox, but it must be calculated for us based on 300 million!

Greedy, you're thinking about shit! There's everything in your dreams! You son of a bitch!

Around here, the two sides are engaged in another scolding war. Elegance and politeness do not exist. Real business wars and negotiations are so simple and unpretentious.

In the end, Fox killed 220 million in overseas box office, and it was impossible to add more.

Based on 220 million, Fox can make half of it, which is 110 million. We want 70 million, otherwise we will go to Sony or Warner!

Are you out of your mind? Do you think we spend nothing on publishing? We have to incur a lot of labor and marketing expenses! 70 million is simply impossible. Neither Warner nor Sony can give you this price. 3,000 Ten thousand!

Well, what the two parties are talking about now is overseas screening rights. The film industry in North America has developed very maturely, and the data on theaters is relatively clear, so the division of accounts in this area is very clear.

As for overseas distribution, it's hard to say. For a series as profitable as Harry Potter, the overseas box office of each installment has not been less than 600 million U.S. dollars. However, in order not to give the main creative staff a share, Warner can forcefully You still haven't said anything about turning the account into a loss.

Therefore, it is currently unrealistic to participate in the sharing of overseas box office revenue. Most movies are sold to major studios at a fixed price.

Based on the 220 million box office, Fox should be able to get about 45% of the overseas share, which is almost 100 million. Now Miracle Pictures is naturally raising the price as high as possible, and the two sides are fighting fiercely on this issue.

The reason why we are talking to Fox is that we are currently cooperating with each other, and on the other hand, as a North American distributor, the other party can actually get a share of the North American movie box office of Sniper Phone Booth. It is not that it will not be given to you, but it will be delayed. If you lose face, you may be stuck for two or three years.

This kind of thing is not uncommon in Hollywood. For example, Peter Jackson, the director of Lord of the Rings, sued the producers in court, demanding 75 million in delayed payments.

Of course, Fox won't go too far. If there is a collapse, they won't be able to get the overseas distribution rights. The other party can find other distributors, so they still hope to negotiate a price.

In the end, the price negotiated with Fox for overseas film distribution rights was US$45 million. Excluding costs, Fox can make a net profit of more than 30 million from this overseas distribution, which is considered satisfactory.

Then there are other copyrights, the bulk of which is the copyright of discs. In fact, the so-called discs should be regarded as a general term, including VHS video tapes, vcds and dvds. The majority of profits now are still VHS video tapes. DVDs were only born the year before last, but they are developing rapidly.

In the end, Fox paid 50 million for the global rights to the disc.

Don't think it's an exaggeration. Let's talk about Cheng Long's Rush Hour data. Its revenue from VHS video rentals in North America alone was US$71.6 million. The net profit that Rush Hour brought to the film studio from the disc alone was at least 100 million, not to mention the box office and other factors. That's why Fang Silong was so popular in Hollywood during those years.

In fact, the most important thing about discs is also a distribution channel issue. The production cost is very low, but the major manufacturers have complete channels. Therefore, even though Fox gave 50 million, Sniper Phone Booth with Leonardo DiCaprio and Stallone can sell well around the world. Earn more for them. Therefore, it is said that discs are the blood-returning device of major studios. Even if they fail at the box office, they can still rely on discs to make money.

As for other TV rights, aviation rights and miscellaneous things, the price is also a package price of 10 million.

These add up to 105 million.

Of course, Fox will not pay such a large amount of money all at once. Instead, after signing the contract, they will pay a deposit of 30 million, and the remaining balance will be paid in two installments after three months and six months.

After everything was finally settled, Fox's representative shook hands with Wu Yuchen: Director Wu, congratulations on becoming a billionaire in one fell swoop!

Thank you, Fox will make no less than me. If you can bring in the North American box office revenue earlier, then I think I will be happier! Wu Yuchen said with a smile.

Oh, it's not up to us. We can't settle the matter until the theaters have completely finished the project. The Fox representative shrugged.

Yes, I didn’t count the North American box office revenue just now.

However, we can also roughly calculate it based on the box office of 170 million.

Miracle Pictures is just a newly established small company, and thanks to Phone Booth Stallone and DiCaprio have some bargaining power. Therefore, the box office share cannot be as exaggerated as 90% in the first week of Disney animation.

Fox scored Phone Booth 65% in its first week, 60% in its second week, and then down.

However, since the first two weeks accounted for the bulk of the box office, the producers can get almost 60% of the total box office, which is 102 million.

First of all, Fox’s 10% distribution fee must be deducted from it, which is 10% of the box office, which is 17 million. That leaves 85 million.

Then, after deducting Fox’s promotional expenses during this release, it is 32 million.

That's right, it's 32 million in publicity expenses. You don't have to think about it to know that Fox must have poured water into it, but every account is clear. Just to be on The Oprah Show, 7 million was spent in public relations fees. , and there will be a lot of follow-up publicity on TV and newspapers.

Otherwise, distribution is the kingly way. As long as you don’t risk your own life when it comes to distribution, you will always be invincible.

Then the money that falls into the hands of the producer is 53 million, of which Wu Yuchen's personal director's salary of 5 million must be added first, leaving 48 million. This is the approximate number of Miracle Pictures' North American box office share.

Wu Yuchen did the math, and with the contract he just signed, Sniper Phone Booth could bring a total of US$153 million to Miracle Pictures.

Previously, he lamented that Pulp Fiction brought hundreds of millions in revenue to Harvey Weinstein's Miramax, and now he has achieved this achievement.

However, Wu Yuchen felt heartbroken when he thought about the huge tax he would have to pay. No wonder so many people are trying their best to avoid taxes reasonably. It is really uncomfortable to watch the large sums of green money slip away from their hands.

But in the United States, if you dare to evade taxes, you will be finished. The IRS is a more terrifying existence than the FBI and CIA.

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but have an idea in his mind. When making the next movie, he must increase the cost and add all the expenses to the crew, so as to contribute less to the IRS. This is also the most direct way for Hollywood companies to avoid taxes and record losses on their books.

Oh, you can also set up a charity fund in the future, and after donating money, you can go to China specifically to do charity. You can't say that doing charity in Africa is charity, but doing charity in China is not charity. There are many poor areas in China!

This was the only trick he could think of. It seemed that the top priority was to quickly find a financial officer to help the company and himself avoid taxes in the United States as much as possible.

…

The next day, on the evening of March 23, in front of the Temple Theater in Los Angeles, Hollywood stars from all walks of life gathered, and the red carpet was surrounded by media reporters and screaming audiences.

From the live ABC TV footage, you can see the red carpet emcee introducing the stars slowly walking down the red carpet one by one.

Wow, walking toward us on the red carpet now is Wu Yuchen, a director from China. He has recently launched two box office hits, Phone Booth and Black Hole Frequency.

Seeing Wu Yuchen in a black suit walking towards him, the emcee greeted him:

Director Wu, welcome to the Oscars! How does it feel to attend the Oscars for the first time?

Awesome! The best audience, the best press, the best filmmakers, the best films all coming together! It's all wonderful!

Wu Yuchen praised with a smile. To make other people's money in Lao Mei's territory, naturally he has to start the boasting mode.

Wu, which movie do you most like tonight, or which actor won the award? the host asked.

Without a doubt, Titanic. Wu Yuchen replied firmly.

Titanic received 14 nominations at this Oscar in one fell swoop, tying the record of Come on Earth.

Then Wu Yuchen said: As for the actors, it is a pity that Leonardo was not selected. In my opinion, he is really a very good actor!

Wu Yuchen looked regretful and his tone was very sincere, complaining for Xiao Lizi. After all, Xiao Lizi had helped him make so much money this time.

The Oscar judges have always been biased against young actors. Handsome actors like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio should not expect to win awards when they are young. This time, they did not even give Leonardo DiCaprio a nomination for Best Actor. .

Okay, Wu, thank you very much for the interview, and I wish you a wonderful night today!

Seeing someone coming from behind, the host quickly ended the interview with Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen looked at the red carpet behind him and the crowd that had gathered in the theater hall. All the stars were gathered together. The actresses were all dressed up and wanted to look stunning on the red carpet. Expensive and gorgeous dresses and dazzling jewelry sparkle with their owners.

As for the Oscars, the world's largest film event every year, since it happened, Wu Yuchen naturally wanted to participate and experience it.

The red carpet of the Oscars is not as easy to watch as the big three in Europe. Otherwise, why would there be so many domestic entertainment actresses going to Cannes more than ten years later and few going to Oscars? Isn’t it because the Oscars red carpet doesn’t look good?

Huang Shengyi wanted to win the Oscar in 2015, but failed. He had to make a fake red carpet to take photos and post on Weibo to fool netizens. Then the netizens exposed it and made a big joke. Finally, he pretended to be fainted and went to the hospital. He also posted a notice saying that he was Because the dress was lost.

There are three ways to get general admission. First, if you or the film you participated in has received relevant nominations, you will definitely receive an invitation letter. The second is that you are a member of the college and have received an invitation letter from the college. The third is that as a presenter, there is naturally an invitation.

Each invitation letter can bring companions. With Wu Yuchen's current status, many people who want to participate in the Oscars are willing to take him with them. This time, Fox directly helped him get a spot.

Should I meet Oscar or join him? He will return to China in the next chapter.