"Mr. Shen, do you think that if the IP-based development of our domestic film and television industry is successful, it can also bring such high profits?"
To be honest, Wang Zhongjun didn't believe it. The US currency exchange rate was almost 1 to 9. Although China had slowly started to develop in recent years, it was still far behind. The entertainment industry was also in a state of rudimentary development, barely scraping by. Earning tens of millions a year was difficult enough, yet Zhong Lingxuan was asking for billions in profits all at once—wasn't that ridiculous?
Shen Fang smiled: "President Wang doesn't believe me?"
Wang Zhongjun nodded.
"Mr. Shen, I also believe that the Chinese film market will get better and better, and everyone will become more and more successful and earn more and more money. But to say that a film and television IP can be worth billions is really unbelievable to me."
Shen Fang looked at Wang Zhongjun and said, "Then I'll have a good talk with you."
I was just about to speak.
"President Shen, Chairman Han, President Wang, Happy New Year!" A tall, stout middle-aged man with a fleshy face and slicked-back hair walked over with a big smile.
"Mr. Yu, Happy New Year! What brings you here today?" Wang Zhongjun glanced at Fatty Yu and said.
This time, the distribution rights for the hero didn't fall into Fatty Yu's hands, and such a large-scale project will result in a loss of at least tens of millions.
Shen Fang looked at Yu Dong, the president of Bona Media. In the early days, Bona made a lot of money by distributing Hong Kong movies. Later, it also produced several TV series. In the end, Bona Media was listed on NASDAQ. Unfortunately, the Americans did not buy into it, and it lost a lot of money.
Later, it was relisted on the mainland's Growth Enterprise Market and spearheaded many big-budget films, such as "Wolf Warrior 2", "Chinese Doctors", "My People, My Father", "The Battle at Lake Changjin", "The Final Moment", "Operation Red Sea", "The Captain", "The Bravest", "The Taking of Tiger Mountain", "Operation Mekong", "The Grandmaster", "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate", "A Simple Life", the "From Vegas to Macau" series, the "Overheard" series, "Bodyguards and Assassins", "The White Storm", "The Founding of an Army", "Protégé", and "Pegasus", among other films of various genres.
It encompasses classic films from different series and has produced many big-budget films.
He has better insight and ability than Wang Zhongjun, and most importantly, he has genuinely done a lot of practical things.
The biggest difference between Bona Film Group and Chinese-owned companies is that they basically don't do any celebrity management business. It's not that they don't do it at all, but they do very little. They sign very few artists because their main business is distributing and investing in films.
Fatty Yu extended his right hand warmly: "President Shen, this is our second meeting."
Shen Fang was a little confused when he heard this. When had they met before?
"Last time I went to Hong Kong, I happened to see you stirring up a storm there. I originally wanted to go and have a chat with you, but something came up and I couldn't make it. This time, we finally met."
Shen Fang smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Yu."
Fatty Yu shook hands with Shen Fang warmly.
"Mr. Shen, I've heard that everyone in Hong Kong is now at your beck and call. You know I make a living by distributing Hong Kong films, so please take good care of me when the time comes."
Shen Fang understood that Fatty Yu had misunderstood, or rather, he was overthinking it.
"Mr. Yu, don't worry, I'm not interested in distributing Hong Kong films. You can do your business normally. As long as it's not one of those particularly outrageous movies, I have no interest in getting involved, nor do I have the time to get involved. This collaboration is just to prevent a few bad apples from disrupting the market. I don't really want to be a decision-maker; I just want to oversee things and make the collaboration between the two regions smoother. This is a collaboration initiated by Chairman Han and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. I'm just the person in charge."
Fatty Yu narrowed his eyes. This incredibly young CEO Shen was truly shrewd with his words. However, he didn't take Shen Fang's platitudes seriously. He was already in the position; how could he possibly ignore it? This position held the wallets of a large number of Hong Kong entertainers in his hands. Anyone who dared to disobey would be in for a world of trouble.
"Mr. Shen, what were you saying just now? Tell me about it too, let me hear it."
Shen Fang handed Yu Dong a cigarette and briefly explained the IP plan he had just mentioned. Yu Dong's eyes lit up after listening; he was quite knowledgeable. Indeed, someone so young with such a large business was no ordinary person. However, he also agreed with Wang Zhongjun's words. He was doing the simplest job: finding good film distributors, making money, without needing to invest or film. After others produced the films, he handled the promotion and collected the money passively.
But honestly, he wouldn't make much money anyway; he was well aware of the current state of the domestic film industry. He had investigated Shen Fang's background; calling him a big shot wouldn't be an exaggeration. If a big shot could point out the way to making money, he could just follow along.
"Mr. Wang, to address your concerns, I'll briefly address them in two points. First, China has a population of nearly 1.3 billion, making the film industry a vast blue ocean. Although the film market isn't doing too well right now, its future is promising. As the domestic economy gradually improves and people have more money in their pockets, they will naturally spend more. The film and entertainment industry is essential for people's spiritual nourishment, and it's indispensable. The future of this sector is limitless."
“It’s not a problem to generate billions of dollars in revenue from a film and television IP series in such a large market. Moreover, I predict that the Chinese mainland film market will take off starting this year, beginning with Hero.”
Upon hearing this, Fatty Yu nodded. Judging the future of the film market based on population is a bit bizarre, but it makes sense. With such a large population in China, even if we don't mention that a movie ticket costs around 50 yuan, 10 million moviegoers would generate 500 million yuan in box office revenue.
Wang Zhongjun was also stunned when he heard this. He did not expect Shen Fang to answer him in this way.
"As long as we put our heart into producing good film and television works, and gain the audience's trust and willingness to spend money to watch them, our domestic film and television industry will get better and better. There is no doubt about that."
Shen Fang added a sentence specifically, fearing that if the market improves, they might just go through the motions with the audience.
"President Shen, it seems you have a lot of confidence in the hero," Fatty Yu said with a smile.
Shen Fang smiled and said, "We'll see how the final product turns out in a bit, and then you'll know. I was on set when this show was being filmed."
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