strictlysupreme Chapter 36: Being Harassed Before the Movie's Release!
Chapter 36: Being Harassed Before the Movie's Release!
"What? You little brat, why won't you change your ways?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianhe slammed his hand on the table and began to reprimand him.
"The movie you invested in last time, 'My Date with a Ghost,' was pulled from theaters before it even premiered, because they said it was feudal superstition!"
"How dare you come again this time! I think you really don't learn your lesson!"
"Third Uncle, don't bring up things that are hard to talk about. Last time I was young and ignorant, but this time someone is guiding me!"
"My dear older brother is a real master! He's the person I admire most besides you, Uncle!"
"Following him is definitely the right thing to do!"
"Just wait for me to get rich, then I can retire early and enjoy my retirement!"
Chu Yaoyang patted his chest and said smugly.
"Hehe, Uncle, it won't be a waste. My movie will definitely make a lot of money when it's released!"
"But before that, could you offer some support?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianhe glared at his nephew and said, "So this is what you were waiting for me to do, kid. Fine, fine, I'll tell you, this time I'm supporting you with my own money!"
"I can't bring myself to ask my colleague to pay for your meal!"
"Haha, you're the best to me!"
Chu Yaoyang laughed heartily and said with a grin.
……
at the same time.
Baida Cinema.
Inside a luxurious office.
A young man with slicked-back hair sat in a chair, looking at the quarterly performance report, his face ashen!
"Manager Zhang, this quarter's performance is even worse than last quarter. In the end, we actually lost more than 20 million!"
"What are you good for?"
Opposite him stood a fat manager, his face covered in cold sweat.
He kept his head down, not daring to even breathe.
The young man glared at him fiercely and roared:
"Do I really need to teach you what movies to import and how to censor the market?"
"The entire quarter was filled with terrible movies; not a single one scored above 7.5!"
"Are you trying to ruin the reputation of our Baida Enterprises?!"
The young man slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily!
Manager Wang was so frightened he almost collapsed to the ground, stammering, "Young Master Wang, the film industry was in a downturn last quarter, and it wasn't just our cinema that was affected..."
"Both Tiandi and Orange Cinemas are suffering dismal revenue! Even Zhongke Cinemas has had a major setback!"
Manager Wang quickly explained, but his tone was very weak.
"Bullshit! At least Zhongke has 'Hello, My Father,' which grossed 300 million yuan at the box office. What about you?"
"You fucking have the nerve to argue!"
"Next quarter, you'd better thoroughly investigate and filter out bad movies and improve your performance, or you can get the hell out of here! I don't care about anything else!"
Young Master Wang waved his hand and said angrily.
"Yes, Young Master Wang... I'll take care of it right away and contact those directors!"
Manager Zhang, looking disheveled, scurried outside and ran off in a flash!
But soon, they turned back.
"Young Master Wang, there's someone outside who wants to collaborate with you. They say they have a movie they'd like to screen in our theater!"
Manager Zhang said cautiously.
"What's your name? Which director are you?"
Young Master Wang said impatiently.
Manager Zhang hurriedly said, "I've never seen him before. He must be from a third-rate film crew. Should I... turn him down?"
"Push your mother, are you fucking stupid? Why won't you take what's offered to you?"
"Let him in, I want to talk to him!"
Young Master Wang was furious and found him increasingly displeasing, so he said in a deep voice.
Manager Zhang was terrified and quickly pushed open the door to leave.
Soon, Chen Le walked in.
He calmly straightened his clothes and walked up to Young Master Wang with neither arrogance nor servility.
"Young Master Wang, hello, my name is Chen Le."
"I recently invested in a film and want to release it through your Baida Cinema."
"I guarantee this movie will be a huge hit. I wonder if we can get a better release date."
Chen Le smiled and spoke in a very friendly tone.
"Chen Le? I've never heard of you before."
"You're here to ask for my availability, right?"
"The time slots are all allocated to the works of famous directors and big stars, there's nothing left for you!"
"If you want the time to be earlier, that's fine too. I've just drafted a cooperation agreement on the profit sharing ratio. If you sign it, I'll arrange a time for you right away!"
As he spoke, Wang Shao pushed a document towards him with an unfriendly expression.
Chen Le glanced at it, and his expression gradually turned cold!
Even the most tyrannical contracts aren't this outrageous!
The 3:7 box office split completely breaks the previous rules!
This is clearly bullying.
With a box office of 100 yuan, the cinema devours it all, taking 70 yuan and leaving only 30 yuan for the investors, which isn't even enough to cover costs!
"Young Master Wang, are you kidding me with this contract? A 3/7 box office split? Isn't that blatant robbery?"
Chen Le pushed the contract back, his face immediately darkening.
Upon hearing this, Wang Shao waved his hands and said with a proud smile, "My Baida Cinema is a golden brand. Utilizing the foot traffic of the plaza and shopping mall, it has a far greater advantage than other cinemas."
"What kind of level can a third-rate investor like you have, to dare to ask for a 50/50 split?"
"If you're not satisfied, you can go somewhere else. Why are you looking for me?"
Young Master Wang's tone was very impolite.
They completely disregarded Chen Le, this stranger.
Wang Shao had no intention of actually cooperating with someone who was completely unknown.
A mere makeshift crew, a third-rate production team, trying to strike it rich?
Why can't you just honestly make online movies, do it out of love, and earn a pitiful amount of money?
Trying to boost box office revenue by competing with cinemas?
Stop dreaming!
The audience isn't blind!
What makes you a box office hit?
There are too many film crews like this who don't know their own limitations. These small, makeshift crews are all throwing their work into theaters one after another.
Young Master Wang never hesitates to take action.
Under his machinations, most of the profits were taken by the cinemas!
They tirelessly harvested chives, over and over again.
Be the biggest winner while lying down.
Seeing that Chen Le was about to leave, Wang Shao's eyes darted around.
Baida Cinema's performance is so poor these days.
Anyway, he can't make any good movies, and the box office revenue isn't worth much, so a little more or less doesn't matter.
Why not take advantage of free chives delivered to your door?
"Stay."
Wang Shao narrowed his eyes and presented a new contract, "4 to 6, I'll give you a slightly better deal than a makeshift troupe. As for the screening time, I'll decide!"
Chen Le took a deep breath and turned around.
He was naturally aware that cinemas held sway and controlled the rules.
Therefore, he can accept a 4 to 6 split.
This is already the bottom line.
Chen Le nodded, showing no emotion whatsoever.
He smiled faintly and said, "I've signed!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Shao finally produced the contract!
At this time.
There's a knock on the door!
Wang Shao said impatiently, "Go in!"
Mr. Sun walked in.
It was the investor who had previously tricked director Feng Xiaogang and then withdrew his investment at the last minute!
When he saw Chen Le, a mocking expression appeared on his face.
"Uncle Sun, it's you!"
Upon seeing President Sun, Young Master Wang immediately stood up and warmly greeted him.
Mr. Sun patted Young Master Wang on the shoulder, ignored him, and looked at Chen Le instead.
"Oh my, I didn't recognize you just now! Isn't this the boss who just invested five million to buy a third-hand script?"
"What time is it scheduled?"
Upon seeing Chen Le, General Manager Sun suddenly became interested and said in a sarcastic tone.
Chen Le gave a cold laugh and remained silent.