Deceiving Chinese Entertainment Industry for Thirty Years 88

Chapter 86: $2 Million! “That Mountain,” “Heard,” Both Go Overseas!

January 27, 2025

Chapter 86: $2 Million! “That Mountain,” “Heard,” Both Go Overseas!

Capital City.

Click, click, click… The sound of cameras snapping incessantly.

Hao Liu strikes various poses for the camera.

As the fastest-rising young actress of the moment, shooting a magazine cover is a piece of cake.

Of course, she still can’t get invitations for top-tier magazine covers.

But compared to last year, it’s a completely different life.

Actually, if you calculate carefully, Hao Liu’s rise to fame has only been a year.

Although she started acting last summer, from the release of “Heard” to the broadcast of “Taichi Master,”

it really hasn’t been a year.

In just one year, her entire life has undergone a dramatic change.

The choice she made… was worthwhile!

Besides, Ma Xun is a handsome guy.

It can’t be said that he’s captivated thousands of girls… Hao Liu doesn’t see it as a loss.

Ma Xun, that guy, only has one flaw.

He doesn’t say “I love you.”

He only cares about profit.

And these… Hao Liu is different from the naive girl she used to be.

She even thinks this is an advantage.

Only…

“Hao Jie, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

“It must be that thing again.”

“What are you talking about?”

Gao Yuanyuan now seems like a little follower, but in reality, they two always appear together.

The image of the two best friends is quite popular with the audience.

This magazine features a photo of the two of them, but the cover still features Hao Liu.

This shows that Hao Liu is still more famous.

As for the “that thing” mentioned…

“He’s capable.”

This “he,” of course, refers to Ma Xun.

And his capability, of course, is related to the currently popular film, “That Mountain, That Man, That Dog.”

Gao Yuanyuan understands Hao Jie’s thoughts.

“That Mountain” won a major award at the Tokyo Film Festival.

Doesn’t this mean that Ma Xun has the ability to help Hao Jie win Best Actress?

But this Best Actress award… Gao Yuanyuan feels that Hao Jie is a bit too obsessed.

Gao Yuanyuan has actually tried to persuade her, but it was useless.

Now she doesn’t bother anymore.

“Take your time.”

There’s nothing wrong with this sentence, but Hao Liu can’t help but overthink it.

Because recently, Ma Xun has been…

quite cold.

He’s already quite busy, and he always has excuses when she tries to reach him.

In other words, they haven’t had any in-depth communication for many days.

Hao Liu doesn’t know that Ma Xun has been extremely busy recently.

On the one hand, he has important business deals to discuss.

On the other hand, he’s been resting and recuperating.

He jogs, works out, and eats healthily to make himself stronger.

Squats, Kegel exercises… he does it all.

He’s been working too hard recently, so he’s giving himself some maintenance.

But Ma Xun’s recuperation made Hao Liu worried.

She thought that he didn’t support her dream of winning Best Actress.

What should she do?

“I’m going to find him, are you coming?”

“Well… okay.”

Gao Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Now they are inseparable.

Sisters united, going to find him together.

In fact, Gao Yuanyuan’s movie, “Spicy Love,” is about to be released.

This film is scheduled to be released on the last day of the year.

Currently, not many people are optimistic about it.

Among the unreleased films, the most anticipated is still “Party A and Party B.”

At least in the Capital City, there are a lot of advertisements already.

Therefore, Gao Yuanyuan doesn’t think “Spicy Love” will do exceptionally well.

Following Hao Jie to find Ma Xun is also good. Besides, you can’t forget us sisters when it comes to future projects.

But where to find him?

Ma Xun is negotiating business at the Beijing Film Studio.

…

Currently, he’s negotiating with overseas distributors.

If it were within the country, it would be best to do it at the Beijing Film Studio.

To be precise, not the Beijing Film Studio itself, but a place called “Cooperative Film Production Company.”

Okay, it’s actually just an office within the Beijing Film Studio.

But this company exists, and its sole purpose is to negotiate collaborations with foreign distributors.

It was originally established for “The Last Emperor.”

Or rather, to legitimately conduct collaborations.

The company name is incredibly straightforward.

And now, the Japanese distributors are here to negotiate.

Ma Xun chose this location for the negotiation, demonstrating his professionalism.

In “That Mountain, That Man, That Dog,” the two most important people on the surface are Kang Jianmin and Han Sanping.

These two are the leaders.

The Japanese representatives are talking to them, which is correct.

And Ma Xun, as the investor, stays behind the scenes.

It’s not entirely behind the scenes, he attends the meeting, but doesn’t speak much.

The negotiation is, of course, in stages.

Representatives from the three parties, one by one.

Toei came first, and they gave what they considered a very good offer.

$1 million!

To be fair, this offer is already far higher than in the original timeline.

But, to be fair again.

It’s different now!

Our film won the highest award at your own Japanese film festival!

In Ma Xun’s mind, $1 million is just the starting price.

But seeing Kang Jianmin and Han Sanping’s expressions…

They lack composure!

They can’t handle this price?

He quickly coughs twice!

Actually, their eagerness to sign the contract is understandable.

Doing this kind of cultural business with the Japanese side.

The last relatively successful one was “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

This TV series was eventually bought by the Japanese side for about $20,000 per episode.

There were also some other fees.

Adding everything together, the Japanese side spent about $3 million in total.

This was a great success.

But remember, the production cost of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” was over 100 million RMB.

Looking back at “That Mountain, That Man, That Dog,”

including everything, plus the money Ma Xun spent on bus stop advertisements,

it was only about 5 million RMB.

The award brought back an additional 1.6 million RMB.

Now they’re offering 1 million USD.

This means we’re making a profit without even considering box office revenue.

Of course, Kang Jianmin and the others get very little.

He had previously agreed to Ma Xun’s 9:1 profit split.

After the Toei representatives leave,

“Are you not satisfied?”

Before Kang Jianmin could speak, Han Sanping couldn’t help but speak.

“Director Han, can’t you be a little more patient?”

As soon as Ma Xun said this, Kang Jianmin immediately spoke.

“Yes, there are two more companies.”

Han Sanping wasn’t angry, he just thought $1 million was already very good.

Actually, current overseas offers for Chinese films are not very high.

Take Jet Li, who is very successful overseas.

Korea usually offers $1 million to $1.8 million.

Japan is about the same.

The US offers a little more, but sometimes it can be lower.

There’s no way around it, US distributors are tougher and more cunning.

Therefore, the Japanese distributor’s offer of $1 million puts this film on par with Jet Li’s works.

This shows that the Tokyo Film Festival’s top prize is very effective.

In the original timeline, this film didn’t win this award.

Of course, after our screening in Tokyo, we received very high praise.

To put it bluntly, the Japanese audience really loved this film.

So… let’s see what the other two offer!

Ma Xun didn’t schedule their meetings too closely.

That would be too obvious.

About an hour later, Toho’s representatives arrived.

“Hello leaders, I’m Oyama Masaki, I’ve brought a proposal…”

Proposal?

This immediately attracted Kang Jianmin and Han Sanping.

Oyama politely handed over the documents, and the two leaders immediately looked at them.

Ma Xun didn’t go over to look, but just from Oyama’s use of “leaders,” it’s clear that he has some understanding of us.

As for Ma Xun himself… he actually values Toho more.

Regarding the overseas distribution of “That Mountain, That Man, That Dog,”

Ma Xun did have many “ideals.”

He hoped to sign a profit-sharing contract.

But when it comes down to it, he has to be realistic.

It’s still the same old saying.

Ideals are plump, reality is bony.

We can’t be too unrealistic when doing business.

Jet Li already has the best overseas sales among Chinese actors; his films in Japan only sell for over $1 million.

Anything over $2 million is impossible.

It’s usually a buyout deal.

How could our low-budget art film get a profit share?

Besides, profit-sharing contracts sound good, but they’re very difficult to operate.

For example, later, Hollywood studios came to China, begging to get the money wired to the US.

They signed profit-sharing contracts, but the percentage was low.

12% to 20%, averaging about 14%.

Understanding this reality, Ma Xun is willing to accept a buyout contract.

So, let’s make the contract larger!

And Toho is a good choice.

In the original timeline, “That Mountain” was a hit in Japan, that’s true.

But the film was only released in Iwato Cinema.

Our people don’t know much about Iwato Cinema.

Many people have heard of Iwato Bookstore, Natsume Soseki, right?

That’s right, it was originally above that bookstore. Later, the bookstore was renovated, and Iwato Cinema was moved to the tenth floor.

It’s a very small cinema.

And this cinema was negotiated by one of Toho’s founders with the owner of Iwato Cinema.

The original idea was:

This cinema can be small.

But the films shown must be good films.

Therefore, selling to Toho means entering Iwato Cinema.

Moreover, in Japan, having a film shown in Iwato Cinema is an honor.

So, Oyama Masaki’s offer is…

[Content removed due to illegibility]

“$600,000?”

“Yes! We will also market this film. For example, we will collaborate with Japan Post, and the film will be shown in the famous Iwato Cinema…”

He said all this… Ma Xun rolled his eyes.

What marketing has anything to do with me!

Only $600,000 concerns me!

To be fair, Kang Jianmin and Han Sanping were indeed fooled by this little Japanese guy.

They were fascinated by the marketing strategies.

They’ve never done this before.

But Ma Xun… cough!

This cough was heavier than before.

The two factory directors immediately understood.

“Wait for the news.”

The tone was wrong.

Oyama seemed to have sensed something, and he kept looking at the young man who had been silent.

He was introduced earlier as Ma Xun.

Could he be… the legendary young capitalist?

The one who is incredibly generous, giving deep gifts to Seijun Suzuki?

He’s truly amazing!

Oyama’s thoughts were useless, he could only leave.

Finally, the Shochiku representatives arrived.

This one was straightforward.

“$1.2 million!”

Shochiku was indeed wealthy, and Ma Xun could tell.

This person must have realized his arrangement.

That’s right, all three companies are staying on the same floor!

It would be strange if they didn’t compete.

And this offer…

“It’s clear that Shochiku is very sincere.”

“Haha… of course.”

This guy’s name is Kanda Seirai, and he’s very happy now.

He obviously understands that “sincere” is a compliment.

In any case,

$1.2 million is the current leader.

But now… cough.

Ma Xun coughs lightly.

The two factory directors laughed.

Let’s end the meeting for today.

…

Oyama knew that there was a problem with the negotiation.

But wasn’t our proposal the most sincere?

Obviously, he thought that showing the film in Iwato Cinema and collaborating with Japan Post were good conditions.

A lot of empty talk.

But when it comes to money, it’s incredibly difficult.

Unfortunately, he encountered Ma Xun.

Oyama couldn’t help but sigh, worthy of being a capitalist!

Only a capitalist can see through the truth of not wanting to give too much money.

They are now lagging behind, what to do?

The three parties saw each other, of course!

They’re all in the same circle, who doesn’t know whom?

In other words, the $600,000 offer was given because they saw competitors.

Toho is really stingy.

However, Oyama still planned to secure the deal.

He didn’t leave, but hung around near the Beijing Film Studio… He wanted to intercept that capitalist and have a private chat.

Ah, is that…?

Oyama did intercept someone, but he also saw two girls.

Both young, slender, and incredibly beautiful.

Of course, slender refers to Hao Liu.

Subarashii!

Worthy of being a Chinese capitalist, the beauties around him are top-notch!

Hm? Wait a minute.

Oyama found the two beauties familiar.

Soon, he found them in a newspaper stand nearby.

Oh, they’re also big stars!

Suddenly, Oyama had an idea.

When he returned to his hotel…

“Baka! You actually offered $1.2 million! That price is too high!”

“Didn’t you also offer $1 million?”

“Kanda! You’re going too far!”

“What’s too far?”

“Shouldn’t we be united?”

“United? If Shochiku falls, you’ll be the first to grab Fuji Television’s shares, right?”

“You… you…”

They started arguing again, or rather, it seems like they’re about to fight.

Oyama frowned, he didn’t want to get involved in this argument.

It’s pointless.

And now… the magazine details Hao Liu and Gao Yuanyuan’s rise to fame.

It’s really exciting.

…

“I know you want to win Best Actress, but you can’t get it tomorrow.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Exactly, I testify that Hao Jie didn’t say she wanted to win Best Actress!”

Hao Liu and Gao Yuanyuan didn’t mention the Best Actress award when they found Ma Xun.

But Ma Xun was very direct, and he brought up the topic directly.

Hao Liu and Gao Yuanyuan were immediately at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, Gao Yuanyuan was there to support her, but Hao Jie felt a little embarrassed.

But… for some reason, she wanted to laugh.

Ma Xun wasn’t angry at Hao Liu’s strong ambition.

He actually thought it was good.

As a boss, he’s most afraid of apathetic employees.

Ambition is good.

So…

“You’re still young, take it step by step. I have a big project coming up, and you two will both be involved.”

This naturally made the two sisters happy.

“What project?”

“Tell us.”

Seeing their enthusiasm, Ma Xun didn’t hesitate.

“I plan to film “The Swordsman,” I haven’t mentioned this to Hong Jie yet, but you two can read the novel.”

“A movie?”

“It’s a TV series.”

Needless to say, this has nothing to do with Best Actress.

Hao Liu was definitely unhappy, but she couldn’t show it.

Gao Yuanyuan didn’t say anything.

She followed the arrangements.

After the three finished talking, as they were about to leave,

without Gao Yuanyuan seeing, Hao Liu grabbed Ma Xun’s hand.

This action… Ma Xun withdrew his hand and coughed.

What’s wrong with this guy?

Hao Liu didn’t know that Ma Xun had done heavy squats yesterday.

His legs were aching badly today.

The one in the middle…

Forget it.

“Humph!” Hao Liu rolled her eyes.

She and Gao Yuanyuan went home.

And Ma Xun… recover quickly! Aching legs!

…

Negotiations continued.

That day, Ma Xun drove to the Beijing Film Studio again.

As soon as he parked his car, he saw someone.

Oyama.

“Mr. Ma, can we talk privately?”

“Oh, please get in the car.”

Yes, the two talked in the car.

Oyama was sensible, he immediately got in the car and took out his proposal.

The proposal was the same one.

Ma Xun showed no interest.

Then…

“Mr. Ma, I’ve negotiated with headquarters! We’ve increased the amount to $1.2 million!”

This price is more reasonable.

Ma Xun gave a slight nod of affirmation, but still said, “Mr. Oyama, this is not enough.”

It means it’s still not enough.

But Oyama was clearly prepared.

“Mr. Ma, Toho is a powerful corporation, and we need many films every year.

Coming to China, I found that there are many excellent films here.

I recently saw a film called “Heard.”

It’s excellent.

I negotiated with headquarters again.

We plan to acquire the copyright of this film for $800,000, what do you think?”

Hm?

Oyama, Ma Xun thought he looked quite handsome.

$1.2 million plus $800,000, that’s $2 million!

Obviously, the copyright price of one film is too high for them.

Now, it’s a buy-one-get-one deal.

It’s as if Toho spent $2 million to buy “That Mountain.”

And I, Ma Xun, gave them “Heard” as a gift.

That’s the idea.

But… don’t forget, this way, I only need to give up $120,000.

Ma Xun nodded.

“Mr. Oyama’s proposal is satisfactory, but we still need to give the other two companies a chance.”

“Of course!” Oyama was very confident, “But I believe they won’t be able to match it!”

Hey, this guy obviously heard something.

Interesting.

Thus, $2 million, two films.

This deal is quite good…

(End of Chapter)

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