lovenovelstory Chapter 77 Profit Sharing Investment
Chapter 77 Profit Sharing Investment
Chapter 78 Profit Sharing Investment
The money from the Taiwanese and Southeast Asian companies was transferred very quickly; the money arrived in their accounts within two days of signing the contract.
Tang Long strolled leisurely into the film studio.
He used to come here to collect money, but this time he came to deliver money, and it felt different.
He went straight to Xu Ke's office, where Wu Siyuan happened to be there, saving him the trouble of making another trip to Siyuan Film Studio.
"Director Xu, Mr. Wu, what big project are you discussing again?"
Since they were already quite familiar with each other, Tang Long didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to the two of them, pouring himself a cup of tea as he did so.
"What advice do you have for 'Swordsman II' and 'Once Upon a Time in China III'?"
"Director Xu, how could I dare to give you any pointers? I was just asking."
"Look how happy you are, what good news is it?"
"Of course there's good news."
Tang Long then slammed two checks for ten million Hong Kong dollars onto the table.
"This is your share of the profits."
Including revenue from Hong Kong and overseas, the "Reign of Assassins" project brought in a total of HK$40 million.
Both the film studio and Siyuan Pictures have a 25% investment share, meaning each will receive exactly 10 million.
For the sake of the check, Xu Ke ignored Tang Long's arrogant demeanor.
He picked up the check, flicked it with his finger, and looked at Wu Siyuan with a smile: "Now I don't have to worry about investing."
"Haha, there's really no need to worry anymore."
As he spoke, Wu Siyuan smoothly slipped the check into his pocket.
"Were you discussing investment just now?" Tang Long asked.
"That's right, because of the failure of the first film, it wasn't very successful in attracting investment for 'Swordsman 2'."
We might need to fund this movie ourselves.
As for "Once Upon a Time in China 3", Golden Harvest wants to start filming the third installment as soon as possible. Director Tsui and I both have investment shares in the "Once Upon a Time in China" series.
With two projects invested in simultaneously, plus some projects that haven't yet yielded returns, funds are a bit tight.
However, with the ten million you sent, the funding problem is completely solved.
Tang Lung wasn't interested in "Once Upon a Time in China III," but "Swordsman II" caught his attention.
"Mr. Wu, Director Xu, Lin Qingxia and I are starring in 'Swordsman 2' again, and you still can't secure investment?"
From "New Dragon Gate Inn" to "Reign of Assassins", the two have collaborated on two films, both of which were box office hits.
The media referred to their partnership as a box office guarantee.
Many viewers are looking forward to their collaboration again.
The first actress confirmed for "Swordsman 2" was Brigitte Lin. For her sake, Tsui Hark even argued with the gold shop several times.
A while ago, Tsai Tzu-ming even tried to force Li Lianjie to take over the male lead role of Linghu Chong.
However, Tsui Hark directly stated that Tang Long had already been confirmed to play the male lead, so he had to back down.
He might dare to force others to give up, but he really wouldn't dare to do that with Tang Long.
With Jet Li, a popular kung fu star, in his hands, Richie Films no longer wants to act as recklessly as before.
He planned to emulate Win's Entertainment and run the company well.
So he really didn't dare to offend Deng Guangrong.
Tang Long and Brigitte Lin had already signed acting contracts before New Year's Day to facilitate Xu Ke's efforts to attract investment.
But it seems the results are still not very good.
"It's not that we can't attract any investment at all, but that Xu Ke, that flop, set the cooperation terms too harshly, so they're all unwilling to invest."
How demanding are they?
"They were in charge of funding, Xu Ke was in charge of production, and in the end, they only gave him 40% of the profits, and they didn't even give him the copyright."
"No wonder they're unwilling to invest. I wouldn't want to invest either. You're clearly trying to get something for nothing, with everyone else bearing all the risk."
.
"I was helping them make money," Xu Ke said defiantly.
Of course, the main reason why Tsui Hark is so confident is that he is not short of money, in addition to having confidence in "Swordsman 2".
Thanks to Tang Long's presence, Xu Ke's financial situation is much better.
Even if the film studio is solely responsible for "Swordsman 2", he doesn't need to go all in like he did in history.
"Director Xu, what are your thoughts now?"
"Since they are unwilling to invest, we will take a 30% cut of the investment in Swordsman 2."
My film studio owns 40%, while Tangde Pictures and Siyuan Pictures each own 30%.
"No problem, I've said before that I'm willing to make up for any lack of investment in the film."
Wu Siyuan nodded in agreement.
"In that case, I'll have Nansheng begin preparations."
Having settled the business and received the money, the three chatted and drank tea in a relaxed manner.
The conversation inevitably turned to the sensational incident in the industry where the negatives of the film "All's Well, Ends Well" were stolen.
"Huang Baiming truly lives up to his name; he is not only a talented filmmaker but also a master of film production."
No wonder he's so successful in the film industry.
"Director Xu, it seems you admire Huang Baiming quite a bit?"
"I really admire him. I have to admit he's very talented; he's good at both comedy and art films."
He has unique insights into film production and company management; he's practically a combination of me and Nansheng.
Take this incident for example. I'm 100% certain that he's behind it, pushing it forward.
During this period, he frequently appeared in the media, and "All's Well, Ends Well" is now known throughout Hong Kong, saving him a lot of publicity costs.
Turning a bad thing into a good thing is something most people can't do.
Tang Long understood Xu Ke's meaning. It wasn't that ordinary people wouldn't think of using this to create hype, but rather that they couldn't generate such a high level of buzz.
The fact that bigwigs like Raymond Chow are putting pressure on the Hong Kong Police Force is definitely orchestrated by someone.
Among the Seven Wonders of New City, or rather, these Hong Kong filmmakers from the 80s and 90s, Jackie Chan is undoubtedly the most famous.
But in terms of overall ability, Huang Baiming is definitely the best.
He rose from a humble screenwriter to elevate the Huang family to the status of a prominent Hong Kong tycoon, and later even arranged a marriage between the Huang family and the long-established Lam Ping-yim family.
Lin Bingyan is one of the three founders of Hang Seng Bank, and his family is definitely old money.
The Lin family holds a pivotal position and is one of the most well-known families in Hong Kong's financial world.
Huang Baiming's marriage alliance with the Lin family was definitely not just due to his wealth.
He truly embodied the idea that he didn't need to marry into a wealthy family; he himself was a wealthy family.
"But the gang's actions are indeed getting more and more outrageous. Directly seizing film negatives is too egregious, and could even bankrupt a film company if things go wrong."
Wu Siyuan detests people who don't follow the rules, and he especially loathes such behavior.
"Both the legitimate and criminal worlds are cracking down on this kind of behavior, so the theft of film negatives should no longer happen."
Xu Ke scoffed and said, "Ah Long, you're too naive. Those gangsters are more daring than you can imagine. As long as there's money to be made, there's nothing they wouldn't dare to do."
We must remain vigilant and take good care of the film negatives.
Better safe than sorry, Tang Long nodded seriously.
After chatting for a while, he took his leave, as he needed to go to Yingzhijie to deliver money to Deng Guangrong.
He and Deng Guangrong had made an appointment long ago. When he arrived at Yingzhijie, Deng Guangrong had already prepared tea and was waiting for him.
"Haha, Ah Long, you've finally arrived."
"Uncle Rong, this is your share of the profits."
As soon as Tang Long sat down, he took out a check and handed it over.
Deng Guangrong picked up the check and examined it carefully under the light.
There wasn't much money, only eight million.
But the eight million dollars washed away the frustration of investing in "Days of Being Wild".
He values his reputation more than money.
"Not bad, not bad, you're much better than that flop Wang Jiawei."
The media also called him a top art director in Hong Kong, but I think he's all show and no substance.
It's clear that Deng Guangrong harbors deep resentment towards Wang Jiawei; even now, almost two years later, he still thinks about him.
"By the way, my Shadow Knight is making a superhero movie. Interested in playing the lead role?"
Tang Long has no interest in this type of film.
Apart from Wu Yusheng and Mak Dang-hung, the heroic films made by other directors were all rather lacking.
As for Yingzhijie, because of Deng Guangrong, they really are the best at making heroic films, almost like they come out of an assembly line.
They originally made their living by shooting this type of film and had a loyal audience.
"Uncle Rong, forget it. I probably don't have the time. I have to shoot a film for Director Xu after the New Year."
After finishing filming, I'm also preparing to shoot a new movie. Besides bringing you a check, I came to talk to you about the new film.
Deng Guangrong was not unhappy about Tang Long's refusal.
It wasn't that I necessarily wanted him to act; it was just that I felt he had made money for me, so I was returning the favor.
He's the male lead after all, so he won't be shortchanged in terms of pay; it's a kind of reward.
But since the other party wasn't interested, Deng Guangrong didn't force it.
Immediately, his attention was completely drawn to the new movie Tang Long had mentioned.
"A new movie? Or a martial arts film?"
"No, this time I'm going to shoot something different, a police action film. It's not a big investment, just the two of us participating."
If it weren't for an agreement with Deng Guangrong, he would have wanted Tangde Film & Television to independently invest in "Sha Po Lang".
It wasn't that he wanted to hog all the profits without Xu Ke and Wu Siyuan; rather, it was that he couldn't possibly collaborate with them on every project.
Siyuan Pictures and its film studios also have many projects that Tangde Pictures did not participate in.
If Tangde Film Industry wants to grow and thrive, it cannot rely on others indefinitely.
"No problem. Approximately how much funding do you need?"
"We don't know yet; we'll talk about it once the budget is finalized."
"Ah Long, I understand. Since you didn't invite Xu Ke and Wu Siyuan to this new project, you can do it yourself."
"You can also bring Yingzhijie along. I'm not a greedy person. The investment share for the new movie will be the same as for 'Reign of Assassins,' just give me 20%."
Seeing that his tone was sincere and his expression serious, Tang Long nodded in agreement.
This made him look at Deng Guangrong with new respect.
To become a leader in a club, one must have a long-term vision.
Even if Yingzhijie wanted 50% of the share, Tang Long would have agreed, since they had agreed on it beforehand.
It's nothing now, but when I earn more money later, I'll inevitably feel unbalanced.
Deng Guangrong did nothing, just invested some money and got half the profits; making money was too easy.
Tang Long was just an ordinary person, and over time he would inevitably think that way.
This is human nature.
Now Deng Guangrong only needs a 20% investment share, while the bulk of the profits remain with Tangde Film & Television. Only through such cooperation can the partnership last.
Moreover, Tang Long felt that this allocation was reasonable, since he was the one who did most of the work on the new project.
The saying "more work, more reward" couldn't be more true.