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Lin Li couldn't possibly guess Wu Mingxuan's true intentions. He simply felt that Wu Mingxuan might be looking down on Wanda. After all, while Wanda's current market capitalization made it a top real estate giant in China, it couldn't compare to Emperor Entertainment Group, and Wu Mingxuan was Emperor Entertainment Group's aunt.
However, Lin Li had previously signed a military order with Boss Wang, so he wasn't going to give up. He thought, "I heard Director Wu's next film, 'The Chinese Zodiac,' is going to start filming in two months. I wonder if there's anything we at Wanda can do to help with the distribution?"
"I have already signed a distribution agency agreement with Huayi. The five films I will direct in the future will all be distributed in mainland China by Huayi. I have already obtained the courtyard and shares. It would be unkind to breach the contract now. What's more, the penalty is not low. I can't bear to pay it."
Finding that Wu Mingxuan did not refuse directly, Lin Li asked curiously: "How much is the penalty?"
Wu Mingxuan looked at Lin Li with interest and asked him back: "Why? You Wanda are willing to help me with the penalty? No problem, if you are willing, I can sign with you. It's not much, just 3 billion."
Lin Li stopped talking immediately. He was almost crazy. Only a fool would agree to three billion for the distribution rights to five films. It seemed Wu Mingxuan had been completely ensnared by those in the Huayi Jing circle, leaving them no chance of a move.
Since there were no opportunities for cooperation, Lin Li naturally wouldn't continue to waste time on Wu Mingxuan. Wu Mingxuan wasn't the only one in the industry, and the enemy of their enemy was always a friend. Since they couldn't be friends with Emperor Huayi, they might as well make friends with their enemies.
Within days, Wu Mingxuan received word from Li Xue about the strategic alliance between Wanda and Chengtian. This news didn't surprise him at all. It's a
shame the two sides joined forces too late. If they had joined forces a year earlier, before all this unfolded, they could have survived the most difficult three years with the massive film resources they'd invested in. Three years later, they might have had the capital to truly stand up to the competition.
But now your true colors are exposed, and everyone's watching you, so how could you afford to develop your own meager talents?
Money alone isn't enough in the Hong Kong film industry. Even Wu Mingxuan is extremely cautious there, so he's not optimistic about the Orange Sky Wanda Alliance's ability to thrive thanks to Hong Kong films. Hong Kong has already been relegated to the box office of Hollywood blockbusters, and not every Hong Kong film can be released in mainland China.
Wang Jianlin's background is indeed impressive, but the film and television industry is a small business these days. Wang couldn't have imagined Wanda's future, much less the sheer size of the film and television market, so he couldn't possibly devote all his connections to it.
This naturally gave the local tyrants ample room to maneuver. Wu Mingxuan wasn't optimistic about Wanda, and his joining wouldn't change anything. Besides, why would he want to be Wang Jianlin's underling? He wasn't mentally ill.
While Wu Mingxuan had left the preparations for the Twelve Zodiac Animals project to his boss and the professional team, the final say regarding acceptance rested with Wu Mingxuan, the director. He was currently busy with project acceptance.
All the venues needed for the large scenes at the government villas had to be personally inspected by him, the director. With two months left before filming, any dissatisfaction could be rectified promptly.
"Very good! Big Brother's Cheng Family Stunt Team is truly worthy of its reputation. By the way, how are the twelve zodiac animals going? Can we get some back?"
"Mr. He can't do anything about it. He doesn't plan to give them away or transfer them. It's not about the money. But, Xuanzi, your information is indeed very reliable. Christie's does have the Rat Head and the Rabbit Head. As for the price, they're a little tempted after we offered them together for 20 million euros."
"Of course I'm tempted. The item itself isn't worth that much. The previous record was last year when Ho Gambler King donated HK$69.1 million, which is less than €10 million. That's because of their zodiac sign. We bought this to promote the movie, so the meaning is different. Anyway,
if the two together cost over €25 million, there's no point. After we get the items, we'll stick to the original plan. You and I will donate one at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and then the second one next Lunar New Year when the movie opens."
"The Monkey King" was originally released globally, so it certainly wouldn't have been released on Lunar New Year's Day. Lunar New Year's Day
isn't a popular release overseas, and mainland China isn't yet strong enough to support a multi-million dollar investment, so the New Year's Day and New Year's Day holiday periods are the most suitable. "Chinese Zodiac" is different. While it also had a global release, both the theme song and the film's main selling point were targeted at the Chinese audience, making Lunar New Year's Day the ideal release date.
Furthermore, the two authentic bronze statues of the Chinese Zodiac, created by Wu Mingxuan and donated in two separate batches, effectively made the film a global sensation during the Olympics and garnered widespread national acclaim.
Jackie Chan was incredibly impressed by Wu Mingxuan's creative vision. He wondered what had become of this guy, who actually used real bronze heads of the twelve zodiac animals for a film.
Not only did he use two real ones during filming, but he also donated one in front of the entire world at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and another during the 2009 Spring Festival Gala. With this back-to-back success, it was hard not to see the film become a huge hit, the all-time box office champion for Chinese-language films.
Wu Mingxuan knew Christie's would announce the sale of the Rat and Rabbit heads in July, which caused a huge controversy that year. After all, Christie's chose to announce the news just a month before the opening of the Beijing Olympics, a deliberate attempt to incite hatred.
The actual auction will take place at 8:00 PM on February 25, 2009, with a starting price of €9 million. They're trying to buy it under the guise of a film project, so if the price is right, we can negotiate. A package price of €25 million is definitely more than enough.
If they can't get it for €25 million, it won't be a price issue. Those damned foreigners are deliberately trying to embarrass China, ruining its Olympics. If that's the case, they'll have to get back at it sooner or later.
"Xuanzai, who do you think has the dragon head?"
"Why? Big brother, do you also want to collect it for a few years like Mr. He?"
"After looking up a lot of information, I think this thing is good, especially the dragon head. It is really suitable for me."
"It's hard to say about that thing, but it can be used to confuse the real with the fake and lure the snake out of its hole!"