Chapter 85

After all, Kahe had once been the dominant force in the Hong Kong film industry, and it quickly arranged a meeting with Stephen Chow. Chairman Zou of Kahe decided to invite Shen Zhenghui and Stephen Chow to have dinner together.

Stephen Chow was usually a quiet and serious person in front of strangers and in his daily life, which was completely different from his on-screen persona. Fortunately, Shen Zhenghui was prepared for this.

Before the dinner, he arrived a bit earlier at Stephen Chow's request, and Chairman Zou of Kahe chatted with him for half an hour. Chairman Zou was already old, and his successor had not inherited his abilities, vision, and courage. Kahe was facing a crisis of decline in the near future, if not already. In Kahe's eyes, Haruhi Eiga was a rapidly developing Japanese film company, and most importantly, this company seemed to value the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets—actually, it was more interested in the mainland market. If Kahe could seize this opportunity, it might be able to survive a bit longer—compared to its former glory, maintaining the ability to produce films could be considered a struggle to survive.

Of course, Chairman Zou was not strongly pursuing a collaboration with Shen Zhenghui and Kahe. Kahe had already given up on the opportunity, and from various sources, it had confirmed that Haruhi Eiga had already found two other partners in Hong Kong: Lin Jian's Pan-Asia and the Xiang family's Wing Shing. Haruhi would not spend a large amount of money to set up another publishing and distribution company. However, Haruhi was willing to continue collaborating with Kahe on individual films, which was good news for Kahe. Chairman Zou wanted to discuss this issue. "Tokyo攻略" (Tokyo Strategy) needed to be released for the 2000 New Year's season, and they couldn't wait any longer. Chairman Zou and Shen Zhenghui discussed this, and he couldn't afford to let his subordinates drag their feet. He wanted to directly finalize the investment ratio with Shen Zhenghui.

Shen Zhenghui, who had already received authorization from Fukuda Mitsumi, did not hesitate. Kahe lacked confidence in securing a mainland release. Chairman Zou had been too deeply involved in the underworld in the 1980s, and his good friend was a big mouth, which led to a tragic outcome. In the end, both sides agreed that the entire film would be invested with 40 million Hong Kong dollars, with Kahe and Haruhi Eiga each contributing half. Haruhi Eiga would also send a producer, and the shooting in Tokyo would be handled by Haruhi Eiga. Japanese actors could be recommended by Haruhi Eiga, with the director making the final decision. As for the revenue split, Shen Zhenghui generously offered to give all the box office revenue outside Japan to Kahe, and 30% of the Japanese box office revenue. However, if the film was released in the mainland, Haruhi would take half of the mainland box office revenue.

Chairman Zou also generously agreed to this distribution. The next step was for Wang Jiasheng and Morohoshi Kazuya to discuss the details.

When Stephen Chow arrived, Chairman Zou and Shen Zhenghui had already finished their discussion. Stephen Chow greeted Chairman Zou somewhat awkwardly and sat down to chat for a while. Chairman Zou then got up to leave. He knew that his role was to facilitate the meeting between Shen Zhenghui and Stephen Chow, and since his business was done, there was no need to stay. The dinner party then became a meeting between Shen Zhenghui and Morohoshi Kazuya, and Stephen Chow and his assistant, Tian Wen.

After Chairman Zou left, Stephen Chow fell silent, so it was left to his assistant, Tian Wen, to start the discussion. "Mr. Shen, right? We at Starlight have received your call, and we understand that you are interested in investing in our new film, 'Shaolin Soccer'?"

Seeing the real Stephen Chow, Shen Zhenghui felt a bit excited. Although this Stephen Chow was different from the one in the movies and his imagination, he still felt an uncontrollable emotion welling up inside him. He took a deep breath and smiled, nodding.

"Yes," Morohoshi Kazuya said, "Haruhi Eiga is very interested in Mr. Stephen Chow's new film. We understand that Mr. Stephen Chow is raising funds for the new film, and Mr. Shen has specially come from Japan to discuss the investment."

Shen Zhenghui noticed that Stephen Chow's brow furrowed when Japan was mentioned.

"We have also prepared a written proposal for you to review," Tian Wen said with a smile, handing over a document to Shen Zhenghui and Morohoshi Kazuya. The film was planned to be invested with 50 million Hong Kong dollars, with a 20% possibility of additional investment. Stephen Chow would act as both the lead actor and director, with a combined salary and director's fee of 20 million Hong Kong dollars. The production profit would be split 50-50 if it was less than 30 million Hong Kong dollars, and 60-40 if it exceeded 30 million, with Stephen Chow taking 60%.

Morohoshi Kazuya's face turned grim. Such conditions would be rejected by any film company!

Shen Zhenghui tapped his fingers on the table, as if deep in thought. For a moment, the table fell silent.

After a while, Shen Zhenghui stopped tapping and took a deep breath, answering firmly, "I can agree to all of it."

Everyone in the room drew a sharp breath. Stephen Chow's eyes moved, but his body showed little reaction. Tian Wen's surprise was unmasked, as this was a business negotiation, and no one expected the other party to accept all the conditions from the start. He was momentarily stunned.

"But I have additional conditions," Shen Zhenghui continued, and Tian Wen and Morohoshi Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief.

"Please go on," Tian Wen's tone softened.

"I want complete copyright of the film, including sequels, TV adaptations, and everything else," Shen Zhenghui raised his eyebrows. "Of course, the production of sequels will require your approval. Additionally, I want the rights to all merchandise, including figurines, posters, etc. The specifics can be discussed by our lawyers."

Tian Wen instinctively looked at Stephen Chow. He had no idea how to handle such conditions. A 50 million Hong Kong dollar investment, with a 50-50 split of the box office, would require at least 100 million Hong Kong dollars in box office revenue to break even. Hong Kong alone couldn't generate 100 million, so they had to rely on the overseas market. Stephen Chow was a box office guarantee, but he wasn't an international superstar yet, and his appeal was limited to Hong Kong, China, and Asia. The mainland market was still uncertain, and a 100 million Hong Kong dollar box office outside the mainland was a huge burden.

"Mr. Chow, what do you think? To be honest, I really like your films. If you agree to these conditions, we can discuss the investment amount further."

Tian Wen thought his ears must be broken or he was hallucinating. There was actually a film investor who thought the investment amount was too low!

Stephen Chow moved his arms and placed them on the table. "We need to consider it," he said. "Giving you all the copyright and merchandise rights is not appropriate. I think a 50-50 split is more acceptable."

"Splitting the merchandise rights 50-50 would be difficult to coordinate and operate. And splitting the film copyright 50-50 is impossible. We can sign a contract for the conditions to start a sequel, but since I am investing in the film, the copyright must belong to me. Alternatively, we can co-fund the film and set up a new company to hold the copyright. What do you think?"

This was clearly making things more complicated, and everyone knew it.

"Also, I think the name 'Shaolin Soccer' might be problematic for a mainland release. First, Shaolin Temple is a religious entity, and although they are behind the times, they are starting to pay attention to trademark registration and protection. Using this name could be seen as trademark infringement."

"Have we broken the law by using this term for so many years?" Tian Wen couldn't help but laugh.

Shen Zhenghui glanced at him. "Shaolin Soccer" couldn't be released on the mainland because the name "Shaolin" was taboo. The film was held back by the censorship authorities, and it was released in Hong Kong first, making it a violation of the mainland's pre-release review regulations. Thus, "Shaolin Soccer" lost its chance to be shown on the mainland.

Stephen Chow shook his head. "The name is set and cannot be changed." His tone was as firm as a rock.

It was difficult to persuade someone with such a stubborn personality once they had made up their mind. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Morohoshi Kazuya picked up the menu. "Why don't we order some food?"

Everyone had been discussing business, and the time was now perfect for dinner, but without a signal, the waiters didn't dare to come in, leaving the dinner party without any food.

"I'll just have a bowl of noodles," Stephen Chow said to the waiter who had been called in. The waiter, who was initially excited to see Stephen Chow, was taken aback by this request.

"Noodles are fine. Since our main purpose isn't to eat, let's all have a bowl of noodles and continue our discussion," Shen Zhenghui said naturally. "I'll have a beef noodle soup."

Morohoshi Kazuya followed with a seafood noodle soup, and Tian Wen, who was used to it, ordered a vegetarian noodle soup. The waiter was unsure of his feelings, thinking it was ridiculous to order four bowls of noodles in such a high-end restaurant.

Stephen Chow seemed a bit embarrassed. "I really like noodles."

"Me too," Shen Zhenghui responded. "If you have the chance, I'll take you to Sichuan to try their dan dan noodles. The taste is really special. Also, the rice noodles in Fuzhou are great. If you like noodles, you should try them."

This greatly eased the tension with Stephen Chow, and his expression softened. After eating the noodles, they discussed the specific steps if they decided to collaborate. Stephen Chow had no objections to Haruhi sending a producer or a deputy director to learn, but he required that the deputy director follow his arrangements on set. Shen Zhenghui agreed. When Morohoshi Kazuya tentatively asked if Japanese actors, especially female actors, could appear in the film, Stephen Chow sternly stated that the actors must be chosen by him. Shen Zhenghui respected the director's request.

Although Stephen Chow did not make a final decision on accepting Haruhi's investment, he said he would consider Haruhi's conditions carefully. However, based on the topics discussed, Shen Zhenghui felt confident about the potential collaboration.