Chapter 18 Southern Cinemas
Song Ci carefully looked at the woman in front of him. She was wearing a tight dark grey suit and had short hair. Just like in his memory of his previous life, Liu Rong gave him a very smart and capable feeling. He stood up and shook hands with Liu Rong. "Please sit down. I just arrived a while ago. What would you like to drink, Ms. Liu?"
Liu Rong was also observing Song Ci. Apart from his handsome face, he was much younger than she had imagined. However, he was very graceful and experienced in dealing with people.
"Latte, thanks."
Song Ci waved to the waiter, "Two cups of lattes."
A moment later, the waiter brought the coffee over. "Two cups of latte. Please enjoy your time."
Liu Rong stirred the coffee in his cup with a small spoon in his hand. The two had contacted each other several times. Without saying polite words, he asked straightforwardly, "Mr. Song, I'm curious, are you really going to open a cinema company and hire me as the person in charge?"
Song Ci picked up the coffee cup by the handle, took a sip of latte, tasted the strong bitterness and said slowly: "I thought Ms. Liu would be curious about why I found you, but now it seems that I was worrying too much.
From the questions you asked, I can see that you are a person who is very confident in your work ability, which makes me more confident in my choice. "
Song Ci did not answer Liu Rong. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Ms. Liu, how do you think the Chinese film market and cinemas will develop in the future?"
Knowing that this was Song Ci's test for future partners, Liu Rong said without hesitation: "In the early 1990s and many years before, the box office of movies in mainland China remained at around 3 billion.
However, with the popularity of VCDs and DVDs, cinemas once declined, and the box office revenue for many years was less than 1 billion. The 1998 film "Titanic" was the last glory of the auditorium-style single-hall cinema. Since then, most cinemas have been converted into shopping malls, performance halls, etc.
After the cinema chain system was established, it was implemented based on a number of cinemas, with capital and film supply as the link, consisting of a distribution entity and a number of cinemas. It implemented a distribution and screening mechanism with unified brand, unified scheduling, unified operation and unified management, which opened up the situation at the sales terminal.
The booming development of the film industry is due to the background of the reform of the theater system. Influenced by the brilliant performance of many blockbusters led by great directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, people have discovered that commercial films can also have good returns.
As a result, a lot of hot money poured into the film industry, and more and more Hong Kong filmmakers went north, promoting the further development of the mainland film market.
It is foreseeable that China's film market will be unprecedentedly prosperous in the future, and the rapid development of the film market will in turn promote the continuous growth of cinema chains. The film market and cinema chains can be said to be interdependent, and the two will prosper and grow together."
Listening to Liu Rong's eloquent talk, Song Ci nodded with satisfaction. As expected, professional matters need to be done by professionals. With a smile on his face, he praised, "It seems that Ms. Liu has done her homework. Your answer is impeccable to me."
To be able to give this answer, Liu Rong had done sufficient preparation, and her answer basically made an accurate judgment on the development trend of the domestic film market and cinema chains in the next fifteen years.
In his previous life, Liu Rong was able to become the chairman of Dadi Cinemas and develop Dadi Cinemas into one of the top three cinema companies in the country. It is obvious that he has a very accurate development vision and superb business capabilities. This is exactly the partner that Song Ci is looking forward to.
After hearing the answer that satisfied him, Song Ci said straight to the point: "Sister Liu, I plan to invest 100 million in three years to establish Tengda Southern Cinema Company. I invite you to become the person in charge of the cinema company and have 5% of the company's stock options. You will be fully responsible for the establishment of the cinema company and the merger and acquisition of cinemas. What do you think?"
He didn't care about the change in title and was shocked by the generous conditions offered by Song Ci. Although it was an option, 5% of 100 million was 5 million.
Liu Rong was stunned for a long time before he reacted and said in disbelief: "Invest 100 million and give me 5% options!"
100 million in cash in 2004 could be considered as a huge fortune. Apart from state-owned enterprises, few private companies or individuals could come up with that kind of money.
"Yes, this 100 million is the fund for you to acquire the cinema chain. Of course, I will inject capital gradually over three years depending on the progress of the acquisition, and the 5% option is my sincerity." Song Ci said confidently. He believed that Liu Rong could not refuse such conditions. By the end of the year, he would sell off his stocks in the stock market one after another, and then he would have the funds to acquire the cinema chain.
Liu Rong took a deep breath and calmed down, revealing a bright smile on his face: "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Song. I hope you can give me more guidance in my future work."
"The establishment of Southern Cinema Line requires Sister Liu's attention. If you have any difficulties in cinema line mergers and acquisitions, you can communicate with me."
Liu Rong assured Song Ci: "Don't worry, Mr. Song. I will return to Guangdong Province tomorrow, hand over the matters at hand and resign. I will set up the company by the end of the month at the latest. But..."
Liu Rong looked embarrassed, as if he had something to hide.
Song Ci encouraged: "We will work together in the future, Sister Liu, if you have anything to say, you can speak directly, don't hesitate."
"Mr. Song, I want to register the company in Guangdong Province. I have worked in the southern region for many years and have all my connections there. In the southern region, many state-owned cinemas are being sold off, some large and some small, with prices ranging from 500,000 to 3 million. Since Mr. Song can guarantee that the company has sufficient funds, I want to acquire these state-owned cinemas as soon as possible. Only by registering the company there can I set up the cinema chain as soon as possible."
Liu Rong has joined Nanhai Holding Company since 2002. Nanhai Holding is a state-owned enterprise established by the Guangdong Provincial State-owned Assets Investment. It was the holding company of Dadi Cinemas in his previous life. So it seems that there is a reason why Liu Rong was able to become the chairman of Dadi Cinemas in his previous life.
When Song Ci heard this, he understood that Liu Rong was concerned that he, as the chairman, lived in Kyoto. If the company was in Guangdong Province, it would be inconvenient for him to manage the company.
However, Song Ci said indifferently: “It doesn’t matter where the company is registered to me.
Since I named it Southern Cinema Line, I value your connections in the southern coastal areas. Registering the company in Guangdong Province will facilitate your work, so register it there. However, I would like to state in advance that I will send someone to strictly check the financial audit. "
"Thank you Mr. Song for your understanding. Financial audit is a matter of course." Liu Rong sighed in his heart. It is so rare to meet such a wealthy and sensible boss.
"But I have a request?"
"You mean Mr. Song?" Liu Rong became nervous again when he heard it.
Song Ci said slowly: "You don't have to worry about the company's funds. By 2008, you must develop Southern Cinema Line into one of the top five cinema companies in the country!"
During the global financial crisis in 2008, countless properties were sold off. As long as Liu Rong had not slowed down in the past few years and seized the opportunity himself, he would have been able to develop Tengda Southern Cinema Chain into the largest cinema chain in the country.
Liu Rong responded to Song Ci with a firm voice, "Don't worry, Mr. Song. As long as the company has sufficient funds, by 2008, if Southern Cinemas cannot meet Mr. Song's requirements, I will voluntarily give up my option shares."
Having gained a great general, after the establishment of the theater chain company, Tengda Culture’s layout in the entertainment industry has basically completed the closed loop. Song Ci was in a good mood, “Welcome Sister Liu to join the Tengda family!
(End of this chapter)
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