Chapter 60

What is most important for a cinema chain is undoubtedly the film sources. It's no wonder they are nervous with Zou Dahan making such statements. They originally relied on Lisheng to make a living. If Wu Cheng cannot give them a satisfactory response now, they can only find a new boss.

Lisheng Cinema Chain is composed of seventeen theaters, ranking as the third largest in Hong Kong. Behind it are several smaller cinema chains. These smaller chains either screen Western films or left-wing films. Of course, these only make up a small part of all the cinema chains in Hong Kong. Most of the cinema chains were previously under the control of Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers, including the former Lisheng Cinema Chain.

In other words, these theaters used to rely on Golden Harvest to make a living. But now that Golden Harvest is no longer willing to work with them, how can they not be anxious?

Although Eastern Dragon International previously produced a very successful film, who knows if the next one will be a hit? In this era, the worst thing is to follow the wrong boss!

Wu Cheng, Hong Jinbao, and Can Jianxun pushed the door open and entered. Seeing eight middle-aged men of various builds and appearances sitting there, smoking and looking worried, Wu Cheng almost laughed.

The three walked in, and Wu Cheng gestured for Can Jianxun to open the windows in the reception room to let the air circulate. Then, the three sat down in front of the men.

Looking at the young man sitting in front of them, although they had known that the head of Eastern Dragon International was a young boy, if Hong Jinbao had not been sitting with him, they would not have believed that this young man could be so young. Is he even fifteen years old?

Wu Cheng raised his hand to stop them from speaking and said, "Let's get straight to the point. I understand your concerns. First, you lack confidence in Eastern Dragon International, and I don't blame you because Eastern Dragon International is still small and lacks the strength to convince you. Although we have produced a successful film, no one knows how the second one will fare. Second, you are worried about Mr. Zou's tactics, and I don't blame you because Golden Harvest is indeed very powerful."

Seeing Wu Cheng directly state their concerns, the eight men looked somewhat embarrassed but also felt a bit relieved. Knowing the problem, there must be a solution!

Wu Cheng looked at their expressions and smiled, "Actually, you don't need to worry so much. How many films are produced in Hong Kong each year? At least eighty, if not a hundred! No matter how powerful Golden Harvest is, how many films can they release in a year? Most films end up rotting in warehouses. We have a cinema chain, so why should we worry about film sources? Don't be scared by Mr. Zou's few words! And do you think they will be the first to abolish the cinema chain guarantee system?"

Hearing this, the men felt it made sense and relaxed a bit, their expressions gradually easing, and the anxiety and urgency they had felt earlier subsided.

"I have three options for you, and you might as well listen!" Seeing the men relax, Wu Cheng smiled and raised his index finger. "First, you can choose to continue trusting Eastern Dragon and continue working with us, following Feilong Cinema Chain. The terms of cooperation will remain the same, but the cinema chain guarantee system will be abolished. Second, if you don't trust me, you can choose to leave and join Golden Harvest. There's nothing wrong with that; water flows downhill, and people seek higher ground. Third, you can sell your theaters to us, Feilong Cinema Chain. We will have an asset evaluation company appraise them, and I will buy them at a 10% premium over market value."

Seeing the young Wu Cheng speak with such confidence, the eight middle-aged men felt a bit strange. Their first impression was that this kid was really arrogant! But soon, they felt that although he was a bit arrogant, his determination was not to be underestimated.

Hong Jinbao and Can Jianxun were a bit worried, though. Where would the money come from to continue acquiring cinema chains?

The initial forty million had been reduced to two million, and with other expenses, there was at most one million left. Even with the company's working capital, the total was no more than five million.

What can you do with five million? 'Zajia' needs promotion, and 'Zuiyi' also needs promotion. The budget they had made did not include promotion costs.

Seeing everyone thinking, Wu Cheng added, "Take your time to consider. We will hold a small screening session later, and you can watch the new film before making a decision!"

...

Two hours later, the new film 'Zajia' finished screening. Although the venue was small, the action scenes were far superior to the original.

After the baptism of 'Wufuxing,' Hong Jinbao and his brothers had made new breakthroughs in action scene design and improved their shooting techniques.

In a sense, this could be considered the prelude to the Hong Kong action film craze!

Wu Cheng believed that decades later, when people mentioned the Hong Kong action film craze, 'Wufuxing' would definitely have a place. Many of the innovative shooting techniques were proposed by Wu Cheng.

Although Wu Cheng had not studied film in his previous life, he had seen many films. He might not understand the specifics, but he could describe the scenes and effects he wanted, and the filmmakers would figure out how to achieve them.

Many of these techniques were actually from future films!

In Wu Cheng's view, 'Zajia' might not be on par with 'Half a Pound, Eight Ounces,' but it wouldn't lose by much. After all, it was an action film, and the action scenes were half the battle. 'Half a Pound, Eight Ounces' had an advantage in its humor, which resonated with the common people of Hong Kong, making it more relatable.

So, these are two different styles of films. If you really compare them, they are 'Half a Pound, Eight Ounces' in terms of who wins or loses. After the improvements, 'Zajia' was far more entertaining than the original.

When the film ended, the eight theater owners all breathed a sigh of relief. This film would definitely be a hit, there was no doubt about that.

However, what they were most worried about now was what tactics Golden Harvest would use!

Wu Cheng did not pay them much attention, only telling them to think it over carefully. He needed to hold a meeting first. He had called the company's senior management to hold a meeting.

In the small meeting room, the heads of various departments were all present. Wu Cheng lit a cigarette, tapped the table, and said, "Today's meeting is to calm everyone down. I hope you won't be scared by Zou Wenhui's actions. Although Eastern Dragon International is still small, there's no need to fear Golden Harvest. Why? Because we can afford to lose, but they can't!"

Everyone was speechless upon hearing this.

After all, Eastern Dragon International had invested a significant amount of money this time—tens of millions! Could they really afford to lose? They couldn't help but doubt if Wu Cheng was just talking big.

When they looked at each other, Zhao Yazhi remained calm. She was the most familiar with Wu Cheng's incredible ability to make money. Tens of millions might be a large sum to others, but to Wu Cheng, it seemed as light as a few thousand dollars, handled with ease.

Seeing the varied expressions on everyone's faces, Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Of course, we can't be careless. No one's money comes from the sky. If we lose too much, I'll be heartbroken too."

Wu Cheng's words made everyone laugh lightly. That was more like it!

"Alright, now let's assign tasks. All departments should get to work on 'Zajia.' You've seen the film, and it's definitely a hit. But if we don't handle it properly, a disaster like the Battle of Waterloo is not impossible."

Everyone's expressions became serious upon hearing this, and they all focused.

"Manager Can, Manager Susan has just returned from abroad and is not familiar with the situation in Hong Kong. Since she is taking over the publicity department, you can help her out. The publicity will be handled by you, following the same approach as 'Wufuxing.' TV trailers, I'll talk to Shaw Dahan and see if he will give us a hand. Do you have the confidence to do it well?"

"Boss, don't worry, I'm ready to go all out!" Can Jianxun said with enthusiasm.

"Other departments, especially the finance department, should support the publicity department as much as possible!"

Wu Cheng said, looking at Zhao Yazhi.

Zhao Yazhi smiled and nodded, "Don't worry."

Wu Cheng nodded, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, the meeting is over! Brother Sanmao, Sister Chi, stay behind, I have something to discuss with you."

In the meeting room, Zhao Yazhi and Hong Jinbao looked at Wu Cheng with surprise.

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Don't overthink it. I kept you here to discuss the shareholding issue of Feilong Cinema Chain. This time, we borrowed a significant amount of money, and Feilong Cinema Chain has not been merged into Eastern Dragon International. I want to ask Brother Sanmao if you want to invest in the cinema chain. If you do, we can calculate the shares based on Eastern Dragon International. The money can be considered a loan from me, and we can repay it through the company's accounts once we make a profit."

Hong Jinbao was silent upon hearing this. He naturally wanted to invest in the cinema chain, but the investment was a bottomless pit, and it was uncertain when Feilong Cinema Chain would turn a profit. Additionally, if he did this, he would owe Wu Cheng even more.

After some thought, he asked, "Acheng, can you be honest with me? What are your plans for the cinema chain? My dream is to make films, and I do have bigger ambitions, but I know my limits. Making films is no problem, and running a small cinema chain is manageable, but if it's more than that... I feel my current abilities are not enough."

Wu Cheng smiled slightly, walked to the window, and looked outside, saying with confidence, "My plan is to create a cinema chain alliance that covers all of Asia, even the entire world, so that wherever there are Chinese people, they can watch our films. And on this basis, we can export our films to the entire world. I know the investment will be significant, but that's fine. I have the time and energy to do this. Brother Sanmao, are you willing to join me?"

Wu Cheng suddenly turned around, his eyes burning as he looked at Hong Jinbao.

Not only was Hong Jinbao stunned by Wu Cheng's words, but even Zhao Yazhi, seeing Wu Cheng's world-dominating ambition, felt her heart race, her eyes filled with admiration.

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