Before Crazy Stone, Ning Hao had been shooting art films, first Incense and later Green Grass. If it weren't for Andy Lau's Asian Rising Star Director Program, Ning Hao might have become the next Jia Zhangke.

The reason why Song Yi was willing to support Ning Hao in filming the unprofitable "Incense" was because of "Crazy Stone", "The Gold Robbery", "No Man's Land" and "My Lucky Star".

Ning Hao actually had the initial idea for the script of Crazy Stone in 2000, but he still wanted to make one or two movies to test the waters first. Moreover, the initial version of Crazy Stone was completely different from the final version.

Seeing that Ning Hao's matter had been settled, Li Ming started chatting with Song Yi, "My Naughty Girlfriend's box office in Hong Kong should have exceeded 10 million, right?"

In late January, My Naughty Girlfriend was released in Hong Kong Island, and the box office exceeded HK$7 million in 11 days. Since Jun Ji-hyun went to Hong Kong Island to promote the film, My Naughty Girlfriend has become the most popular Korean film, and soon broke the Hong Kong box office record of The Spy Who Died.

The distribution company of "My Naughty Girlfriend" in Hong Kong Island is Edko Films Ltd. This film company is also a long-established film company in Hong Kong Island. The company's boss, Kong Chi Keung, later filmed "Monster Hunt".

"It just broke 10 million not long ago, but it lacks stamina. I estimate the box office will be around 15 million Hong Kong dollars," said Song Yi.

"The box office in mainland China is 30 million RMB, in Hong Kong it is 15 million HKD, and in Japan it is 500 to 600 million yen. The box office in Asia excluding South Korea has exceeded 100 million. What else are you not satisfied with?" Li Ming envied.

My Naughty Girlfriend grossed 30 million RMB in the mainland, ranking fourth in the mainland box office in 2001. The top three movies were Pearl Harbor, Who Says I Don't Care, and Big Shot. The fifth place was Cheng Long's The Spy. The Spy grossed 29 million RMB in the mainland, while Pearl Harbor grossed an astonishing 102 million RMB.

"My Naughty Girlfriend is a split-revenue film. According to the 13% split ratio, only 4 million yuan will go to New Asia. No matter how much money it makes, it has nothing to do with me." Song Yi said the truth. Although My Naughty Girlfriend is very popular in the mainland film market, the majority of the money was earned by the theaters and the distributor Huaying Group.

"Look, are you talking like a human being? Only 4 million? You and Jun Ji-hyun just flew to Yanjing and took away 4 million. Why are you dissatisfied? If you are not happy, transfer the 4 million to me." Li Ming teased Song Yi.

Song Yi remembers that Sino-Korean co-productions were a thing that happened after July 2014, when the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television of the mainland signed the Sino-Korean Film Co-production Agreement. Sino-Korean co-productions enjoy the same treatment as domestic films in the mainland, and are not subject to restrictions on imported films.

The first Sino-Korean co-production was "My New Sassy Girl" starring Cha Tae-hyun and Song Qian. This movie did not have any outstanding parts except the theme song "I Believe", and there was no other explanation except making money from the previous film.

In order to develop the film industry, the Mainland's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television has successively launched China-Hong Kong co-productions, China-U.S. co-productions, and China-South Korea co-productions. However, all three types of films have failed to adapt to the mainland market.

In fact, the mainland and Hong Kong began co-producing films in the mid-to-late 1990s. However, the terms at the time were not favorable to the mainland. Basically, Hong Kong filmmakers "assisted" the mainland in making films. From producers, directors, cameramen to main actors, they were basically local Hong Kong people, which was naturally not conducive to the healthy development of co-productions.

It was not until September 2003, when the CEPA documents and their annexes were signed, that co-productions between the mainland and Hong Kong Island entered a new era, and co-productions between China and Hong Kong also enjoyed the same treatment as domestic films in the mainland film market.

Ten years later, the mainland's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has set the rigid standard for co-productions as "the Chinese investment ratio must generally be no less than one-third, there must be Chinese actors playing the main roles, and the filming must be in China."

This is to avoid some Hollywood companies deliberately asking Chinese film companies to invest a little money, add some Chinese elements, and invite Chinese actors to act for a few minutes in order to enjoy the treatment of co-productions. They dare to claim that they are co-productions. In fact, this can only be regarded as a co-production. For example, Xu Qing in "Looper" only appeared for 5 minutes, and Li Bingbing starred in "The Meg".

"My Naughty Girlfriend" received 4 million yuan in the mainland as a split-revenue film. If it can enjoy the treatment of Sino-Korean co-productions, the producer + distributor can take up to 43% of the box office, which is 12.9 million yuan. This way, it will increase by tens of millions of yuan. Song Yi naturally hopes that the Sino-Korean film cooperation agreement can be signed earlier, so that the films produced by New Asia Films can enjoy the treatment of Sino-Korean co-productions.

Although Li Ming didn't know how much money Song Yi made from the movie "My Naughty Girlfriend", it was definitely more than 100 million yuan.

"Brother, you said that we at Xiaoma Pentium have filmed quite a few TV series, and you said I should also make a movie to test the waters, what do you think?" Li Ming asked.

Song Yi was very supportive, "What kind of movie do you want to make? A movie with the same name as "Love Is Not Blind"?"

Xiaoma Pentium started filming TV series in 1998, and the first TV series was "Love Is Not Blind". This TV series is also a star-making machine. In addition to the leading actors Li Yapeng and Xu Jinglei, Liao Fan and Wang Xuebing have also starred in this TV series.

Liao Fan won the Best Actor Award at the Berlin Film Festival for his role in Black Coal, Thin Ice. Wang Xuebing is Fan Bingbing's boyfriend. One of the screenwriters of Love Is Not Blind is Diao Yinan, who happens to be the director and screenwriter of Black Coal, Thin Ice. Look, no matter where you are, the film and television industry is so small that it forms a closed loop.

Li Ming was not surprised that Song Yi could guess that the first movie he wanted to shoot was "Love Is Not Blind". "Love Is Not Blind" is the first idol drama in mainland China, which has groundbreaking historical significance. Li Yapeng became a popular young actor in mainland China with this movie, and Xu Jinglei became one of the four best actresses with this movie.

Putting aside other things, Song Yi's mother Zhou Shulan and sister-in-law Liao Yu have both seen "Love Will Always Be Loved", which itself is a big IP. If Li Yapeng and Xu Jinglei continue to star in this drama, even if the plot of the TV series is streamlined and re-screened, it will at least have a box office of five or six million, but it's a bit ugly.

"What do you think?" Although Li Ming had filmed many TV series, he had never filmed a movie, so of course he had to ask Song Yi's opinion.

Song Yi thought about it carefully and replied to Li Ming, "There are pros and cons to filming "Love" at this time. Let me analyze it for you in detail."

Li Ming pulled the stool closer and said, "It's okay, you can talk. I just happen to have time today."

"In fact, the movie 'Love Will Always Be' can be filmed at any time, not necessarily this year. With the success of the TV series, audiences must have high expectations for the movie version of 'Love Will Always Be', and everyone must want to know what the ending of Wen Hui and Yang Zheng is. If it's not filmed well, it will be a waste of the big IP 'Love Will Always Be', and it may even affect the box office of future movies produced by Pony.com." Song Yi first mentioned the disadvantages.

Li Ming first stopped Song Yi and said, "Wait a minute, you said that the big IP of "Love Will Never Die" was wasted. What does this IP mean?"

Song Yi heard that the mainland film market did not have the concept of IP yet, so he needed to teach Li Ming some knowledge. "The so-called IP stands for Intellectual Property. If it is directly translated, the IP of an Internet company can be understood as a general term for all well-known cultural and creative works, such as animation, literature, film and television, games, etc."

"Among all the film and television companies, Disney is the most successful company in IP marketing. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh have helped Disney make so much money that every Disney cartoon and movie can become a ride in Disneyland."

"Disney has always claimed to have the strongest legal department on the planet, and it has spared no effort in protecting its IP. I once heard a joke that if you are struggling to survive on a desert island like Robinson Crusoe, don't be afraid, you can draw a Mickey Mouse head on the beach of the desert island. Then Disney's legal department will sue you for infringing Disney's copyright, and then you will be saved," said Song Yi.

After hearing Song Yi's joke, Li Ming couldn't stop laughing. "I kind of understand now. Star posters and soundtracks of the TV series "Love" also belong to IP peripheral development."

"But if you shoot "Love Will Last Long" again in a few years, the audiences who watched the movie at that time will be old, and they will watch the movie version of "Love Will Last Long" with nostalgia. By then, the scale of the mainland film market will have grown, and such a love movie will be able to get a box office of 100 million or 200 million yuan. This is the maximum profit." Song Yi said.

"You mean the box office of 'Love Will Always Be Warm' can surpass 'Pearl Harbor'?" Li Ming found it unbelievable.

"Brother Big Dog, when I met with the leaders of Huaying last year, they stated that the mainland film market will implement a cinema system this year, and Huaying Group will not have an exclusive monopoly on the distribution rights of films. Private film companies such as Huayi, Bona, and Guangguang can also distribute films and are no longer limited to agency distribution."

"In the next 20 years, the total box office of mainland movies will grow rapidly at a rate of 30%. Don't look at the fact that the total box office of mainland movies was only 890 million last year, which is only a quarter of the global box office of "Pearl Harbor". After another ten years of development, the mainland film market will be 50 to 60 billion in size, and it is not uncommon for a movie to have a box office of tens of billions. So if Xiaoma Pentium wants to make a movie, I will definitely strongly support it. There is no need for us to get up early and catch the late market, right? In my opinion, Xiaoma Pentium's strength is definitely not weaker than Huayi and Bona, and it can at least become one of the top three film companies in the mainland." Song Yi said.

Song Yi's words made Li Ming's blood boil, but he still forced himself to calm down. "By the way, you just mentioned the disadvantages of filming "Love Will Be" now, so what are the advantages of filming "Love Will Be" now?"

"There are several advantages. First, it is easy to shoot. 'Love Is War' is an urban idol drama with simple scenes and no special effects. As long as the script is well-polished, the director and actors are ready-made and there is no need for coordination, which greatly reduces the difficulty of shooting."

"Second, the production cost is low. The salaries of directors and actors are not expensive now. If capital starts to enter the film and television industry, the salaries of these actors will be blown up like bubbles. In another seven or eight years, if you want to gather Li Yapeng and Xu Jinglei, you will not be able to do it without 10 or 20 million yuan."

"Third, if we can make "Love Will Last Longer" now, then Xiaoma Pentium will have established a firm foothold in the mainland film circle and achieved a very good word-of-mouth effect. Then it will be easier for Xiaoma Pentium to make other movies in the future. This is the effect of a good start." Song Yi said.

After listening to Song Yi's analysis, Li Ming was thoughtful. "Just like New Asia Pictures' My Naughty Girlfriend? I heard that New Asia Pictures is preparing and producing two new movies at the same time this year?"

Song Yi was very surprised and joked with Li Ming, "Big Dog, you are well-informed. Do you have an insider in New Asia Pictures?"

"Go to hell, didn't you introduce the TV series "Love Will Last" to South Korea for broadcast? We, Xiaoma Pentium and CJ Entertainment, are business partners. It's no problem for me to inquire about your situation through CJ Entertainment. You are deliberately keeping a low profile in the mainland. Is it to avoid the Hurun Rich List?" Li Ming asked.

In October 2001, Hurun published the "Top 50 Richest People in Mainland China in 2001" in Forbes. The Liu brothers of New Hope Group won the title with a family wealth of 8.3 billion yuan. The richest person in the real estate industry was Xu Guangsheng of Puhai Shimao Group, with a personal net worth of 6 billion yuan.

Song Yi's current personal net worth is around 5 billion yuan. If Hurun includes Song Yi in the statistics, Song Yi will be ranked 7th on the mainland rich list, and the 6th place will be Ms. Chen who ate Tang Monk's flesh.

There are many reasons why he did not make the rich list this year. First, Song Yi's personal wealth skyrocketed, thanks to his shorting of US stocks after the 9/11 incident. The Hurun Rich List was synchronized in October, so Hurun did not have time to calculate Song Yi's personal assets.

Secondly, although the New Asia Group has many companies, none of them are listed, and some are in South Korea and some are in mainland China. It is impossible for the companies under the New Asia Group to proactively disclose the specific revenue and net profit of the company. Hurun's understanding of the assets of the New Asia Group and Song Yi is like seeing flowers in the fog, and there is always a layer of separation.

However, Song Yi could not hide for long. When Xinya Real Estate spent 800 million RMB to buy land in Wangjing, Xinya Group, as a capital crocodile, had gradually revealed its sharp fangs. When Xinya successfully went public through backdoor listing, Xinya Group, as a listed company, would have to disclose to the outside world the revenue and net profit of its parent company Xinya Group and all its subsidiaries, as well as Song Yi's shareholding in Xinya Group.

"The Hurun Rich List is a joke. How many business leaders give gifts to Hurun just to avoid being on the list. To give the simplest example, a big boss of a coal mine in Shanxi Province can easily take out tens of millions in cash. Do you think you are richer than him?" Song Yi asked back.

"Hey, why are you mentioning the coal bosses? I'm not next to them." Li Ming felt strange.

"Nowadays, all coal mines are registered under the collective names of villages and towns, but sooner or later, the coal mines will be opened to private capital. Now that they have money, they want to enter the entertainment industry and hire a little star. After another ten years or so, you will find that everyone will actually miss the fact that coal bosses are the best investors in the film and television industry. Apart from asking for actresses, they have no other requirements, and the coal bosses have a pretty good aesthetic taste." Song Yi joked.

Li Ming didn't understand Song Yi's black joke. He just wanted to drag Song Yi to film the movie "Love to the End" together. After all, New Asia Pictures is a very mature film company.

"How about this, after the Spring Festival, I will invite Zhang Yibai, Diao Yinan, Li Yapeng and Xu Jinglei, and we will get together and have a chat, brothers, about whether we should make a movie version of "Love is Not Blind"? If everyone is interested, then we will shoot it this year and release it next year, and the release date will be Valentine's Day in 2003. What do you think?" Li Ming asked.

Song Yi didn't understand Li Ming's hint, "Big Dog, whether you guys are going to shoot the movie version of "Love Will Come" or not, we can all sit together and decide, there's no need for me to go over, right?"

"No, no, no, you must go. Your concept of a big IP is enough for me to ponder for a long time. You should go and teach us. You are the pioneer of IP movies in domestic entertainment. Even if you are not interested in big men like us, you must be interested in Xu Jinglei, right? Other girls have heard of your name and have long wanted to meet you, the big boss in the film industry!" said Li Ming.

Song Yi glanced at his girlfriend Jin Taixi and quickly denied it, "Big Dog, please don't ruin my reputation. I have a girlfriend."

Among the four leading actresses, Xu Jinglei's appearance is average, but as a darling of the Beijing circle, she is surrounded by the aura of talent, and the noble man behind her is the Beijing circle's big boss Wang Shuo.

After Wang Shuo met Xu Jinglei, he was attracted by her coolness at first sight, and she was also known as "Sami". In order to promote Xu Jinglei, Wang Shuo sent her to the crew of "My Deskmate".

When Wang Shuo first met Xu Jinglei, a sophomore, he was so fascinated that he left home early and came back late every day, and did not return home at night. Later, Xu Jinglei rushed into Wang Shuo's house and confronted Wang Shuo's wife. As a result, Wang Shuo left the house for love, and his wife and daughter fled to the United States.

Xu Jinglei was still fascinated by Wang Shuo's talent at the time, so she vowed to buy a villa for Wang Shuo. Later, the two broke up. Xu Jinglei and Wang Xuebing were rumored to be in a relationship during the filming of "Love to the End". As a result, Li Yapeng and Wang Xuebing fought over Xu Jinglei on the set. This talented woman who is famous for her calligraphy is not an easy person to deal with.

Later, Xu Jinglei filmed the movie "My Father and I" and played a couple with actor Zhang Yadong. After a while, the two had an ambiguous relationship. Xu Jinglei and Zhang Yadong were photographed shopping together. Xu Jinglei responded that she and Zhang Yadong were just friends.

Later, Zhang Yadong's girlfriend Gao Yuanyuan announced that she and Zhang Yadong had been dating for five years, but broke up because of someone else's interference. After Zhang Yadong broke up with Gao Yuanyuan, he immediately got together with Xu Jinglei, but the two broke up again not long after they started dating.

Perhaps for Xu Jinglei, she just wants to enjoy the feeling of being in love and does not want to be bound by a stable relationship. Song Yi thinks it is necessary to stay away from this Beijing-based actress. 　Recommend a friend's book. If you are interested in reading witch stories, you may want to read it.

(End of this chapter)