When something goes wrong, there must be a monster.
If it is passed down from generation to generation, although it is not 100% correct, there is a high probability that there is something wrong.
There is nothing wrong with Warner coming to China to find production companies to cooperate with and make co-productions.
In the past two years, with the expansion of the domestic market, more and more Hollywood companies have cooperated with domestic companies to produce co-production films.
"Iron Man 3" found cooperation with DMG Media, one of the top five 4A advertising companies in China. Wang Xueqi and Fan Binbin played small roles in it. When they were confirmed to star, there was overwhelming publicity. Those who didn't know it thought they were the heroines.
The action crime blockbuster "Looper" is also a co-production produced by DMG, with Xu Qing playing a role in it.
"Cloud Atlas" starring Lao Tang, in which Zhou Xun plays a supporting role.
In addition to Li Lianlian, Yu Nan also plays a role in "The Expendables 2", which Lay's participated in.
I heard that Huayang Media is also talking with Colombia about a war movie about World War II and plans to make it a co-production.
Colombia has been screwed badly by Huayang Media, but it still dares to cooperate. These capitals really don't care about anything for money.
There is also "Snowflake and the Secret Fan". The partners for these co-productions are either large companies like Huayang and Moying Group, or companies with extensive publicity channels like DMG. Lay's Network has a market value of billions after all.
Well, video websites can also be considered a way of promotion.
There was something wrong with finding Li Qian here, so Li Qian called Han Sanping in advance and asked about the relevant policies.
There has indeed been a change. The authorities intend to rectify this situation of pseudo-co-productions and have formulated three more stringent requirements.
Domestic producers account for one-third of the investment, and Chinese actors play the main roles, which must be shot domestically.
It has almost cut off the possibility of making co-productions.
Li Qian said with some embarrassment, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Thomas, there have been too many things going on recently. Columbia, 20th Century Fox and others are talking about the copyright of "Jaws 3" every day, so I almost forgot about this important matter.
.”
"hehe..."
Thomas laughed dryly. Although it was only Li Qian who did it on purpose, he couldn't tell it apart. Now he had something to ask of Li Qian.
At the same time, his mind was racing. No matter how high the threshold for co-production was, the purpose of his trip must be achieved.
On the contrary, the higher the Chinese government sets the threshold, the more wary it is about co-productions, and the greater the threat from co-productions.
If you don’t let me do it, I will do it!
"Director Li, in this case, it is not impossible. We can accept one-third of your investment. In addition to 50% of the box office revenue in China, we will also enjoy a share of the overseas box office. What do you think?" Thomas
A plan was proposed.
As soon as these words came out, Li Qian laughed.
Mary, the production executive of Legendary Pictures who had remained silent, also laughed.
Li Qian smiled meaningfully, "I don't need overseas box office. I think Ms. Mary understands this very well."
No one knows the ethics of Hollywood distributors, and many capitalists on Wall Street have been deceived.
Legendary Pictures, which has been cooperating with Warner, I heard that they were screwed. If they hadn't signed an eight-year contract, they would have ended their relationship with Warner long ago.
There are too many examples of movies selling well, production companies losing money, and distribution companies making money.
There are also some movies that have to pay actors and directors a share. In order to pay less money, the distribution company will adjust the accounts. It will be found that the movie is a big seller, but the overall profit is not much. If it is more ruthless, it will make a loss on its own account without having to pay.
The box office is divided.
Otherwise, all the major Hollywood giants would have specialized production companies. Their production companies would invest with other investors, and then the group would distribute it. In the end, even if the production company doesn't make a profit, it would be fine, and the distribution group itself would make a profit.
Thomas was exposed. Thomas was not embarrassed at all. This was something everyone knew.
He pondered for a moment and then said, "For one-third of the amount, we can ensure that the target is met through the accounts."
Fake accounts?
Li Qian shook his head and said, "Well, what projects does your company have in the near future? Can you show me them?"
"Of course." Thomas agreed readily. Li Qian said so, so he must have this idea.
Thomas took out a document that contained projects being prepared by Warner's production companies and other production companies it has been cooperating with, such as New Line.
Mary also gave Li Qian an overview of Legendary Pictures’ recent projects.
"Wait a moment, you three."
Li Qian gestured to them, opened a document, read it, and handed a copy to Du Yang.
When Du Yang received the document, he had an incredible feeling. When did a Hollywood film producer take the initiative to seek cooperation from domestic film companies?
Major companies have to rely on these Hollywood giants if they want to sell overseas copyrights for their blockbusters.
In the past, none of the Hollywood producers were superior when facing domestic companies.
And now, the Vice President of Distribution of Warner Bros. has personally traveled thousands of miles to China to seek cooperation with them.
Moreover, Du Yang opened the file and read it.
"Jack the Giant Catcher", with a production cost of 195 million, is a super big production!
As the general manager of a film company in China, can you easily participate in such a large-scale production with an investment of hundreds of millions or even 200 million?
This kind of big battle gave Du Yang an uncontrollable impulse.
Seeing Du Yang's excited look, Thomas felt quite proud.
Warner Bros., the Hollywood giant, has so many big productions, and any one of them placed in China would make them tremble.
A country bumpkin who has never seen the world!
Thomas' inner sense of superiority returned again, and he turned his head to look at Li Qian.
Well...
Li Qian's actions immediately made the smugness in Thomas's eyes disappear. He just looked at the information about the big-budget movies that Li Qian casually flipped through page after page.
Thomas swore that the man in front of him had never stayed on any page for more than three seconds.
It's as if these big productions don't have the slightest appeal to him.
It's true that it doesn't appeal to Li Qian. What are they?
"Superface" starring Uncle Depp, a suspense movie that cost $100 million to produce?
The investment in the hurricane disaster movie "Fear of the Storm" was only 50 million.
"The Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio is obviously a film competing for the Olympics, forget it.
The Chinese-American director James Wan's horror film "The Conjuring" has an investment of US$20 million. Li Qian remembers that there are several films of this film. If it can be a series, it will definitely be a big hit, but it is not available in China.
There were not many films that were making money in China, so Li Qian casually threw a few documents on the table.
Thomas' eyes froze, not interested?
But then he laughed, and Li Qian pointed to one of the big productions and said, "This science fiction movie "Pacific Rim" is good. Maybe we can discuss cooperation?"
"Pacific Rim"?
With an investment of up to 190 million in large-scale productions, Thomas certainly remembers that today, when the "Transformers" series is popular all over the world, there are also many mecha movies.
"Of course, no problem." Thomas nodded happily.
"An investment of US$10 million will be exchanged for 50% of the domestic box office revenue." Li Qian quoted a very reasonable price.
"Impossible!" Thomas vetoed it without thinking. What's the difference between this and an open grab?
"Mr. Thomas, the box office of "Transformers 2" is only 400 million yuan. Even if "Pacific Rim" sells 400 million yuan, the amount I can get is only 66 million yuan."
"That was two years ago, and "Transformers 3" had just won 1 billion at the box office."
"If "Pacific Rim" could be compared with "Transformers 3", it wouldn't appear in front of me." Li Qian said with some disdain.
"Pacific Rim will be released in two years, and your country's market will become bigger and bigger. We expect a box office of at least 800 million!" Thomas argued.
"100 million yuan, 70% profit."
"60%." With a box office of 500 million, 60% of the revenue is exactly 100 million.
"65%, if Mr. Thomas can accept it, let's move on to the next question."
"OK!"
Thomas smiled and recovered the cost of more than 16 million US dollars. Although it seemed to be a loss, the share of the co-production was much higher, and with Li Qian promoting the film, the domestic box office was guaranteed.
The huge cost of US$190 million is too risky.
"Director Li, we will shoot Blue Bird and Xiangjiang. The other less than 30% of the funds will be used as the cost of your company's assistance in shooting." Thomas explained how to solve the problem of 30% investment.
Li Qian nodded, "Then let's start the next question."
"Any other questions?" Thomas asked puzzled.
"There is another condition for the co-production, which is that it must have a Chinese actress in the starring role. I think the role of the Japanese heroine in the movie can be replaced by a Chinese actress." Li Qian said with a smile.
???
Thomas looked at Li Qian in bewilderment. He really dared to say that this was the heroine of a Hollywood super-production with an investment of nearly 200 million US dollars.
Not only Thomas, but others and even Du Yang found it a bit incredible that Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi could not get this kind of role!
Li Qian ignored their strange looks and continued, "Since it can be a Japanese female character, then I think there will be no problem if it is replaced by a Chinese actor of the same Asian descent."
"Director Li, this is an A-level production with an investment of 200 million, and there is no precedent for a Chinese actress to star in it." Thomas suppressed his sarcasm and emphasized.
"Mr. Thomas seems a little forgetful. Wasn't Liu Yufei from "The King of Kung Fu"?"
"Liu Yufei is one of the most famous actresses in your country. That is for your country's domestic box office."
"Oh? Could it be that my fame and box office appeal are not as good as those of Liu Yufei?" Li Qian was surprised and immediately shook his head, "In this case, Mr. Thomas can go to Liu Yufei to cooperate. I think she will be very happy."
"Well...."
Thomas couldn't refute it. It's not like he hadn't investigated. Liu Yufei's only one movie, "Time Planning Bureau", was a hit, and the director of this movie was Li Qian's former executive director, who worked for him.
Apart from that, the movies he starred in have no impressive results at all, let alone being on par with Li Qian.
"But "Pacific Rim" is a Japanese-style mecha. We need Japanese box office, and it is impossible to replace Japanese actresses." Thomas could only explain this.
"Haha." Li Qian smiled.
Thomas asked, "Why is Director Li laughing?"
Li Qian said with some regret, "I laugh at the market researchers of your company, Warner Pictures, for raising a bunch of trash. The box office of "Transformers" in Japan was US$34 million, and "Transformers 2" was US$22 million.
, the third part is not much better, is your company just pointing to this box office?"
Of course Thomas knows this, that's why this project is risky, otherwise he wouldn't have appeared in front of Li Qian.
"This is a Japanese-style mecha, adapted from Japanese comics."
"Japan has countless similar film and television dramas and animations. This kind of mecha is not very attractive to Japanese audiences. Moreover, Japanese audiences prefer animated movies. Even if it is double that of "Transformers 3", it will cost 50 million US dollars."
What about the box office?”
Li Qian said calmly, "US$50 million is only 300 million yuan, and domestic audiences rarely see similar movies. It is not difficult to achieve a box office of 300 million yuan. What's more, I will also promote the movie. Our market will further expand in two years."
, far less than this box office."
Thomas was still undecided. Li Qian thought for a while and said with a smile, "Will the Japanese audience stop watching because there are no Japanese actors? Japanese people follow your country's lead. It doesn't matter whether there are Japanese actors or not."
Affects the movie’s box office.”
Speaking of Riben, Thomas's face showed a touch of arrogance again. Riben is nothing, he is just one of their younger brothers.
Thinking about it this way, what Li Qian said does make sense. Even "Transformers" couldn't sell at the box office in Japan, let alone other mecha movies.
Moreover, China's film market is growing at a rate of 30% every year. Who knows what it will be like in two years, but it will definitely be better than Japan's box office.
Moreover, with Li Qian as producer and a Chinese actress, the film will be even more popular in China.
His purpose is not to use Li Qian to let Hollywood blockbusters conquer the domestic film market!
Moreover, the protagonist of this movie is a mecha. If the Japanese actress is replaced by a Chinese actress, it will not have a big impact on the box office of other countries and regions. Anyway, the audiences in North America and Europe will not know it.
Although I accepted Li Qian's idea in my heart, the conditions still had to be renegotiated. After all, she was a heroine with a huge investment of 200 million US dollars!
Finally, after some real negotiations, a verbal agreement was reached.
Li Qian invested approximately US$25 million, or 150 million yuan, and received 75% of the domestic box office revenue of "Pacific Rim."
The box office must reach 600 million, and only then can Li Qian make back his money, in addition to the profit from publicity.
The risk is a bit high, but Li Qian can accept it. There will be a sequel to this film, and the weird thing is that the heroine in the sequel becomes Jingtian.
Li Qian can already roughly guess the result. The one who can make a sequel must be a box office hit. It stands to reason that a box office hit will not change the actor, let alone such a serious matter as changing a Chinese actress.
But it happened to be changed, which means that the domestic box office will not be low, and Jingtian was changed for the sake of domestic box office.
As for how Wanda intervened and promoted Jingtian to be the heroine of a popular Hollywood series, Li Qian didn't think about it.
Based on the growth rate of the domestic market, selling for 600 million yuan in two years should be no problem.
Xuanfa can make some money and also gets a heroine. Although the limelight is all about mechas, it's enough. This role is worth at least tens of millions.
Li Qian didn't like any of the other movies. First, there was no prospect of being a big hit in China, and he couldn't cast a domestic actor.
However, Li Qian invested in James Wan's "The Conjuring", investing US$2 million, accounting for one-tenth of the investment. This film will definitely not be released in China, so it is considered a normal investment.
It's a low-budget horror film. James Wan is somewhat famous in this area, and with the DVD revenue, it's quite profitable.
For projects that had a high probability of making money, Thomas just treated Li Qian as a sweetener. After all, once the accounts were settled, the majority would still be theirs.
The cooperation between the two projects requires Thomas to report to Warner before the contract can be officially signed.
The copyright contract for "Jaws 3" has been signed. The full overseas rights are US$35 million, which is a sky-high price. However, judging from the situation of the previous two movies, there is definitely a lot of profit.
"Director Li, I wish us a happy cooperation." Thomas was very happy to achieve his goal. They made a lot of money. They used Li Qian to help them make money from Chinese people, and slowly opened the door to the Chinese film market in the future.
"It's a pleasure to cooperate." Li Qian smiled, he also made a profit.
"I wonder which actor Director Li plans to give this role to, Zhang Ziyi or who?" Thomas asked again. Only Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi were known to actresses in China.
"I haven't thought about it yet, but I will give you an answer as soon as possible." Li Qian shook his head.
It doesn't matter to Thomas, in fact, no matter who he is, he is not well-known overseas, and Li Qian is enough for China.
.....
ps: The protagonist will not become an accomplice of Hollywood, insert a little Hollywood plot.