On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar calendar, it is a full week before the release of "Lucky Stars".

Seeing that Chinese New Year's Eve is two days away, the Shadow Café at The Peninsula Hotel is particularly lively, and many big stars call friends to come here for afternoon tea, and then find a place to play mahjong.

During this kind of big holiday, if you don't have a reservation, the Peninsula Tea will not have a seat.

Zou Wenhuai drank tea and glanced into the distance, where Shao Yifu was drinking tea and chatting with his old friend Qiu Degen, and Fang Yihua, the actual controller of TVB, was also accompanied, interjecting from time to time to create an atmosphere.

"The box office of "The Saint of Gambling" broke 15 million, right?" Zou Wenhuai retracted his gaze and asked himself He Guanchang at this table.

He Guanchang nodded: "It seems that it broke 15 million the day before yesterday, and according to this momentum, the box office of "God of Gamblers" must be more than 30 million." ”

Liu Lianghua said unpleasantly: "Breaking 30 million again, this Kang Jianfei really can't be killed, and he is still alive when he is banned by Taiwan." ”

After entering the 80s, the standard for Hong Kong blockbuster films is that the box office exceeds 10 million, and at least 20 million or more can be called box office blockbusters. As for the god films with a box office of more than 30 million, there have been no more than 5 in a few years, and Kang Jianfei directed half of them.

"The Saint of Gambling" was released on the 19th Friday of the lunar month, while Golden Harvest's "Lucky Stars" was released two days later because of the schedule adjustment and was released on the 21st day of the lunar month. As for "Wishing you prosperity" in Xinyi City, it was placed in the middle of the two movies, that is, it premiered on the 20th of the lunar month.

After the nonsensical craze of "Love Saint" in the summer, many film companies, including Golden Harvest, followed suit, but the audience seemed to recognize Zhou Xingchi and did not buy other nonsensical comedies very much.

Kang Jianfei immediately asked Zhou Xingchi to film "The Saint of Gambling", which can be said to comply with the ardent requirements of the majority of Hong Kong audiences. This film, which broke the box office record in Hong Kong in another time and space, collected 2.47 million at the box office on the first day of release. In a week, the box office reached 14 million.

Now that "The Saint of Gambling" has been released for the tenth day, although the box office statistics of the last two days have not yet come out, the box office has at least 17 million.

And "Fuxing Gaozhao" starring Cheng Long, Hong Jinbao, and Yuan Biao on the Golden Harvest side has just been released for a week, with a box office income of 12.76 million, nearly 2 million less than the box office of "The Saint of Gambling" in the first week.

As for Xinyi City's "Wishing you prosperity", this movie is seriously boring in terms of plot sound and laughter, but fortunately, some of the bridges are well designed, and fans and fans of Alan Tam and Lin Zixiang buy it, plus Shi Tian's comedy appeal. The box office also sold 7.32 million in eight days of release.

Whether it was in the last time and space, or now, "Wishing you prosperity" is a watershed in the prosperity and decline of the new art city.

The core creative team of New Art City, Xu Ke and Shi Nansheng, have long left and cooperated with DreamWorks to set up a film studio; Then Zhang Aijia left and returned to Taiwan. Some time ago, I helped Golden Harvest make a film; Recently, Teddy Robin also had conflicts with Mecca, Shi Tian, and Huang Baiming, and this "Wishing you prosperity" Teddy Robin did not participate in the production. It is estimated that it will not be long before he will leave Xinyi City.

The former core creative team. Now there are only three bosses left: Mecca, Shi Tian, and Huang Baiming. Shi Tian and Huang Baiming felt that Mecca had too many shares, and asked for the redistribution of the company's equity many times, but they were ruthlessly rejected by Mecca. If it weren't for the common interests between them, I'm afraid Xinyicheng would have broken up.

Moreover, the mentality of the three bosses of the new art city has already changed, and they were ambitious and passionate when they first started their business. Often works all night to discuss the plot.

But now?

There is a computer in his office in Mecca, and this guy spends his days not making movies, but researching the Hong Kong stock market. Hong Kong's stock market has been rising since September last year. Mecca continues to invest all of his money in the stock market, and now that he makes more money buying stocks than making movies, where can he still focus on filmmaking?

Shi Tian is in a similar state to Mecca, but he is not speculating in stocks but in buildings. Last year, the news that Kang Jianfei made hundreds of millions of dollars from speculation was exposed, and Shi Tian's eyes were red with envy, and even when filming "Wishing you prosperity", he put a bunch of real estate books at any time.

Huang Baiming is not as vulgar as the previous two, but this eldest brother doesn't want to be so tired after he has money, he has been traveling abroad some time ago, and it is estimated that he will come back to continue making movies when the money is almost spent.

"Wishing you prosperity" was filmed in this situation, there was not much thought in it, and it could get more than 7 million box office in 8 days, purely supported by several star starring.

"Xinyicheng is not enough to worry about, and DreamWorks is the most powerful opponent." He Guanchang said with a sigh.

Zou Wenhuai nodded and said: "It would be good if the new art city could last for another three years without breaking up, and the pattern of the Hong Kong film industry will change greatly at that time." ”

He Guanchang and Zou Wenhuai are not immortals, and the reason why they dare to conclude that Xinyicheng cannot last for a long time is very simple, and the behind-the-scenes personnel of Xinyicheng will know it if you look carefully at the recent movies of Xinyicheng.

In the past, the blockbuster films of New Art City basically participated in Mecca, Shi Tian, Huang Baiming, Teddy Robin, Zhang Aijia, Xu Ke and others, but now only one or two movies can appear, basically each doing its own thing.

In another time and space, 85 years later, there are no good films produced in Xinyi City, but fortunately, directors such as Gao Zhisen, Yu Yantai, and Mai Donjiejie joined in to support it, and it continued until the 90s.

As for good films such as "The True Color of Heroes", "A Chinese Ghost Story", "Dao Ma Dan" and so on, although they are marked as produced by Xinyicheng, they all belong to Xu Ke Film Studio, but the film studio belongs to Xinyicheng.

Now Yu Rentai and Mai Donaljie are all in DreamWorks, Gao Zhisen's famous work "Happy Ghost" has already been filmed by Kang Jianfei, and even Xu Ke's studio is hung under the name of DreamWorks, Mecca, Shi Tian, and Huang Baiming have lost their passion and ambition when they started their own businesses, and it is really difficult to say whether Xinyicheng can survive three years.

Liu Lianghua sighed when she saw Zou Wenhuai there, and comforted: "Our "Lucky Star Gaozhao" is not bad, and the box office in the first week is 1 million lower than that of "Gambling Saint". ”

"That's not what I'm worried about," Zou Wenhuai's cloudy eyes shone with wisdom, and he looked at Shao Yifu, who was checking out and leaving in the distance, and said. "Now some people call Zhou Runfa and Zhou Xingchi 'biweekly'."

He Guanchang's face also became grim, because he already understood what Zou Wenhuai was worried about.

At the beginning, Zou Wenhuai, He Guanchang and Liang Feng broke away from the Shaw Brothers to form Golden Harvest, but in fact, it was not very smooth at the beginning, and the appearance of Bruce Lee made Golden Harvest develop smoothly. If there is no Bruce Lee, Golden Harvest is likely to go out of business in the early seventies, it can be said that a Bruce Lee will support the entire Golden Harvest, and the independent account sharing model that Golden Harvest relies on to grow and is still being implemented is specially set for Bruce Lee.

After Bruce Lee died, Golden Harvest signed in the Xu brothers again, and now Cheng Long and Hong Jinbao again. Anyway, every period of Golden Harvest has its own pillar star. These stars are the main source of Golden Harvest's box office, and they are also the foundation of Golden Harvest's ability to grow step by step.

Although there are Lin Qingxia and Zhong Chuhong on the DreamWorks side, female stars are not the mainstream of Hong Kong movies after all, and the real signature stars still need male stars.

DreamWorks used to have only one Zhou Runfa, and now it has been praised by Kang Jianfei's two movies. Zhou Xingchi has been lifted off like a rocket, and in the future, DreamWorks will definitely focus on "Bi-Week" for film creation.

"Zhou Runfa can't dig it up. Is it possible to dig up the Zhou Xing Pool? He Guanchang asked suddenly.

Liu Lianghua shook her head and said, "Zhou Xingchi's ten years are about nine years to expire. The liquidated damages plus the money given to Zhou Xingchi must be prepared at least 15 million. ”

He Guanchang said with a smile: "With the potential of Zhou Xingchi, if you can dig it up, 15 million is worth it." ”

Six years ago, Golden Harvest spent 5 million yuan on digging Cheng Long, and the average ticket price of Hong Kong movies was only 7 yuan at that time, and now the ticket price has become 17 yuan. The average box office of movies has also more than tripled. According to this standard, 15 million digging Zhou Xingchi is actually about the same price as digging Cheng Long back then.

Note that Ho Kwan Cheong is talking about "the potential of Zhou Xingchi". Instead of saying "with Zhou Xingchi's current fame". Golden Harvest was desperate to dig Cheng Long at the beginning, because kung fu films began to decline at that time, and Cheng Long's humorous kung fu films were unique.

The same is true of Chow Xingchi now, Hong Kong audiences only recognize Chow Xingchi's nonsensical comedy, if this comedy style can continue to sell well, then Chow Xingchi's value is not inferior to Cheng Long.

This is where the viciousness of Zou Wenhuai and He Guanchang's vision lies, other investors and directors only see Zhou Xingchi's fame, but Zou and He are from the perspective of the potential for cultivation and development.

"Let Yongchang talk, he is eloquent." Zou Wenhuai thought for a while and said.

Cheng Long was dug up by Cai Yongchang, and Zou Wenhuai wanted to repeat his old tricks against Zhou Xingchi again.

……

……

While Zou Wenhuai and He Guanchang were discussing poaching, Pan Disheng and Cen Jianxun were also discussing the same thing.

Pan Disheng just sent Michelle Yang to the airport, and as soon as he came back, he invited Cen Jianxun to his house to discuss the company's development plan. Pan Disheng originally founded Debao Film Company, and the main purpose was actually to promote his jewelry brand, but the big hit of the entrepreneurial work "The Owl and Dumbo" in the Christmas stall made Pan Disheng taste the sweetness of making movies for the first time, and he had a feeling of being uncontrollable.

"Ah Xun, Hong Jinbao is busy with his own Baohe, and he can't spare time to shoot for Debao, what do you think we should shoot now?" Pan Disheng is still a movie layman, everything has to be decided by Cen Jianxun, and he is only responsible for paying for it.

In fact, when "The Owl and Dumbo" was not yet released, Cen Jianxun found director Liang Puzhi, and invited Zhou Runfa, Ye Tong, and Wan Zizhen to star, preparing to make a reality movie "Waiting for Dawn".

As a result, just a week after the filming of "Waiting for Dawn", the Taiwan authorities suddenly announced the closure of Kang Jianfei and his companies. Among the three protagonists, Zhou Yunfa and Wan Ziying were affected by the pond fish, and "Waiting for the Dawn" had to be shelved indefinitely, and Pan Disheng didn't want to be labeled as a leftist because of a movie.

Cen Jianxun didn't answer what kind of drama should be filmed next, but asked rhetorically: "Mr. Pan, do you want to make a movie and get a few votes and leave, or are you going to treat movies as a career?" ”

Pan Disheng was stunned and said, "Is there a difference?" ”

——

Something happened again today, but the five more promised that it would not change, depending on how much Lao Wang's cramp hand can code, and the yard will be passed in the middle of the night. (To be continued......)