"I actually like your Final Battle the most!"

Luc Besson was a little surprised: "Why?"

"The Final Battle" is Luc Besson's debut novel, and it is definitely not a masterpiece, "This Killer Is Not Too Cold", "Blue Sea and Blue Sky", "Subway", and "The Fifth Element" are his masterpieces!

"Although the film is a bit rough in production, it has a strong personal style, it is particularly imaginative, and more importantly, I can feel the enthusiasm of a young director. ”

Zhang Junsheng was slightly complimentary.

And, of course, the truth!

For the director, the most memorable must be his debut film, just like many men will always be nostalgic about their first night...

Despite the imperfections of the performance, it is definitely a treasure in the depths of memory...

"Hey, when I first made "The Final Battle", I was full of enthusiasm for movies and wanted to make a movie that was different..."

Luc Besson is 49 years old and made his first feature film at the age of 24...

His path to directing has been smooth.

"I heard you want to go to Hollywood?"

“… Not for now. ”

"Crazy Stone" won the Palme d'Or, and "A Chinese Ghost Story" was a big hit in North America, and indeed many Hollywood studios wanted to invite Zhang Junsheng to North America.

"Many people think that Hollywood has a good environment, but Hollywood does not need Chinese movies, and no one will make Chinese movies better than Chinese." China has a rich cultural heritage in many ways, not only in architecture and clothing, but also in cooking, which only Chinese can photograph. It's the right thing to do in China!"

Luc Besson was disgusted with Hollywood.

He thinks Hollywood is too commercial and conservative.

Well, compared to the French film environment, Hollywood is indeed a bit harsh, most of the people who colonized the Americas were Puritans, and the conservative values of the Puritans have always influenced the United States, and they are more conservative about sex, same-sex marriage, abortion and other issues than Europe...

Of course, in recent years, the Japanese have begun to dominate the San Fernando Valley, and they have brought more advanced shooting methods, increased plots, interactive modes, and are no longer the kind of bowed heads and fierce operations in the past...

"But Hollywood's business model is strong!"

Hollywood's global development strategy is no longer something that any other company can compete with...

“… yes!"

Luc Besson sighed...

"So, I have to have my own distribution channel!"

“… You're going to England?"

"Yes, Gao Meng and Baidai are too expensive, I can't afford them!"

"Good luck!"

"Thank you. ”

……

Zhang Junsheng's plan B is to buy a British film company!

Why not Germany?

Well, German films have been completely dependent on the government and television stations in recent years, and there are no particularly well-known film companies, and the German film industry has been deteriorating since the 90s of the 20th century, and German audiences are really not interested in "German-made" films. According to statistics, the number of moviegoers of domestic films in Germany accounts for only 10% of the theater audience, and the survival of cinemas is basically maintained by American blockbusters.

Without the support of the audience, if local films want to develop, it is tantamount to a dream!

British films, in the early years, had the Ranke Company and the London Film Company, but now they have declined.

In recent years, Universal and Anchor Bay have developed well, and the whole of Europe has its own distribution channels!

The British film and television industry has been recovering since the end of the last century, and in terms of investment, many British film and television dramas are currently co-productions, and in addition to Hollywood, the largest partner is the European continent!

Because we have the market of the United States!

Therefore, British films have not lagged behind, and Zhang Junsheng's goal is See-Sa or orking title!

Both companies are based in London.

orking Title has produced "Dancing Life", "Hot Blooded Detective" and "Pride and Prejudice", and is a very powerful local British film studio;

See-Sa, very young and founded only the year before last, is a company specializing in film distribution, with branches in Australia, European countries...

Of course, Zhang Junsheng prefers the orking title, because it is very complete, not only has production, production, and distribution, but it also has a TV station - TTV, which mainly produces comedy...

However, the owners of the orking title, Tim Bevin and Eric Feener, who have been in the film industry for more than 20 years, were not so easy to convince them to sell the company!

The main thing, the orking title is too big, with more than 4,000 employees, initial contact, they offered 1.5 billion pounds, Zhang Junsheng directly scared away...

Then, Emil Sherman was found.

The main attack is See-Sa.

Emile Sherman has been mixed in North America before, and he is a well-known producer, having produced independent films with a good reputation for "The Long Way Home" and "Opal Dream"...

With almost 10 years of sales experience, he has already accumulated a number of contacts in Europe, so he is very handy to start a distribution job.

What Zhang Junsheng lacked was a capable principal like him, and after chatting for a long time, the two agreed to cooperate.

Set up a new distribution company, mainly responsible for the European rights sales of Summit Entertainment, by the way, Zhang Junsheng specially reminded to build the new company in France.

The reason is simple, Brexit...

In the future, after Brexit, the British film and television industry will be greatly impacted...

The relevant cooperation framework should be renegotiated, including the recognition of co-productions, tax policies, etc.

At the same time, most film and television production budgets are in dollars or euros, and the fall of the pound will also increase the cost of film distribution!

However, Emile Sherman is biased against France, and this... For historical reasons, the British were not accustomed to the French.

After a compromise, it was finally decided to set up the new company in Ireland...

With an initial investment of $30 million, Emil Sherman will build the general framework, but offline and peripheral channels will be difficult, and this thing is purely to smash money.

Don't worry, wait for Yuehua to go public, Zhang Junsheng's capital flow is abundant, let's talk about it!

You can't get fat in one bite.

Don't you see Wanda's £921 million acquisition of Nordic Cinema Group, the largest cinema chain in Northern Europe, and then what?

As the domestic film and television secondary market enters the cold winter, Lao Wang loses the same as his grandson, and the total debt of AMC and the Nordic Cinema Group is about $4.2 billion - if you include the leasing obligations, it will be $4.9 billion.

What to fill in the gaps?

Lao Wang had to sell the project in his hand and tear down the east wall to make up the west wall...

With the advent of the 4G and 5G era, VR movies will become a reality, and when the time comes, cinemas will become history...

With the continuous upgrading of home audio-visual entertainment equipment, the advantage of cinemas in the picture scale is no longer so hard.

The controversy between Netflix and Cannes represents a gradual concession to traditional cinema screenings...

Today, people can watch a large number of 4K HD video titles on Netflix, and the technical standards exceed even many low-budget theatrical films, which means that today's viewers can see clearer images on larger home displays, so as to get a viewing experience close to that of a cinematic environment.

In the 4G era, such a movie-watching experience can be achieved, but what about 5G?

Cinema is inexorably infiltrating people's private spheres, and the form, subject matter and narrative rules of cinema will also change.

If it wasn't for the fastest way to establish a North American distribution channel, why buy Lucas Cinemas?

If Lao Wang wants to buy it, he can trade it to him!