Since New Year's Day in 1970, Golden Harvest Film has begun to vigorously promote the movie "The Great Warlord", which has made the media feel a different situation.

Because Golden Harvest Film has been established for a year, it has hardly promoted the movie, even after Zou Wenhuai joined, he did not promote the movie much, and seemed to know that the box office would not be good, so even the publicity fee was saved.

In 1969, the number of films released by Golden Harvest Films was 7, almost all of which had a box office of hundreds of thousands; Even the three movies produced by Zou Wenhuai almost did not make any waves.

Therefore, many media have sung about Golden Harvest Films, saying that Sir Lin, who has always been in business like a god, is now also failing in the film industry.

During this period, it was also rumored that Golden Harvest Films successfully signed contracts with Bruce Lee, and also attracted director Li Hanxiang from Taiwan Island to return to Hong Kong at a high price; However, it is unknown whether these two will become the 'change of life' of Golden Harvest Films, but in order to gain attention, the media will naturally sing about Golden Harvest Films.

In early January, shortly after Lin Zhichao returned to Hong Kong, he came to the Media Building.

In a conference room, Lin Zhichao met the main creative team of "The Great Warlord" - director/screenwriter Li Hanxiang, starring Xu Guanwen and others.

"Director Li, it's the first time we've met, am I a little inhospitable?" Lin Zhichao smiled and stretched out his right hand and said humorously.

Li Hanxiang wore a pair of black-framed glasses, his appearance was relatively rough, and he said generously: "Boss Lin is too thoughtful, as soon as I return to Hong Kong, I don't need to worry about anything, thank you for the care of Golden Harvest Films!" ”

The high-end residential apartments in Causeway Bay and the company's cars all show the importance that Golden Harvest Films attaches to him.

As for the boss not coming forward, everyone understands in their hearts that the boss handed over Golden Harvest Films to Zou Wenhuai and Qiao Shan, and never went to the set, nor did he go to the office building of Golden Harvest Films, but would only listen to Zou Wenhuai and Qiao Shan's reports in the media group building.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It's good to be satisfied, we can cooperate for a long time in the future, and cooperate happily." ”

Li Hanxiang responded: "It should be, it should be!" ”

Subsequently, Zou Wenhuai introduced Xu Guanwen to Lin Zhichao.

"Hello Sir Lin!"

"Just call me Lin Sheng, Boss Lin, it doesn't work in the company's jazz! Ha ha! ”

When everyone saw Lin Zhichao coming in, they were talking and laughing, and they were immediately relieved, this boss's coffee position is really a bit big - the leader of the Chinese in Hong Kong, the king of the world.

"Boss Lin"

Lin Zhichao patted Xu Guanwen on the shoulder and said: "I have seen your movie promotional poster, and he is definitely a late-blooming actor, very suitable for witty and funny plays." ”

Xu Guanwen didn't expect that this boss would be so 'knowledgeable', and he was immediately flattered and said: "Thank you boss, it was Director Li Hanxiang who was willing to teach me, and thanks to General Manager Zou's invitation." ”

Zou Wenhuai wanted to say, it was the boss who discovered you, and found that Lin Zhichao had already taken the lead and said: "It's gold that will always shine!" ”

He understood that the boss did not want these 'honors'.

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao also asked: "Why don't you see the heroine attending this meeting, I remember that Dina played a fourth aunt, right?" ”

Li Hanxiang said embarrassedly: "I captured her naked back during the shooting, which annoyed her, and Dina stopped coming when she was angry." ”

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Director Li's pursuit of art, I believe she will understand sooner or later." I believe that this scene must be very exciting, and it will shine a light on the too traditional atmosphere of Hong Kong. ”

Everyone couldn't help but admire Lin Zhichao's ability to react, and insisted on summarizing Li Hanxiang's outrageous behavior in the pursuit of art.

For Lin Zhichao, it is better if Dina, an actress, does not meet, because as far as he knows, Dina already has some 'left-cold Zen' tendencies, and later generations even publicly declared 'bankruptcy', and divided the boundaries with the bourgeoisie~bourgeoisie, and then returned to the mainland in the mid-seventies to do big things.

At this point, it is not suitable for the two to meet.

"Is there any other advocacy plan?" After sitting down, Lin Zhichao asked.

Zou Wenhuai immediately said: "Yes." On the first day of the release, Guanwen will dress up as a 'huge tiger', ride in a classic car, and conduct a roadshow in Hong Kong and Kowloon. If there is time in the future, the roadshow will be continued. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, Xu Guanwen signed three films with Golden Harvest Films, and he himself was very happy, because he was not famous at this time, and he did not even host "Double Star Annunciation". Therefore, signing three movies means that Golden Harvest Films will praise him for three films, and he can get a remuneration of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars for each film.

There are no constraints, Lin Zhichao feels that there is no need to restrict too much, just finish three movies for Golden Harvest Films, and it's fine. If everyone can cooperate in the future, it must be a priority, after all, are Shaw Brothers movies still willing to share?

"Then the cinema of the Shaw Brothers father and son, when are you going to talk about it?"

"Wait for 2 days after the release, and then talk about it, so that you may have more confidence."

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It seems that Golden Harvest Movie has turned over with "The Great Warlord", and I just happened to wash away the atmosphere of being ridiculed." ”

Everyone laughed, and anyone could see that Lin Zhichao was full of confidence.

The idea of "The Great Warlord" came from Golden Harvest Films, not Li Hanxiang himself. What's more, Bruce Lee, a Hollywood actor, has been signed by Golden Harvest Films (officially filmed this year), which is also a killer feature.

After a brief chat, the meeting ended, and Lin Zhichao just got to know everyone before the release.

When they came to their office, Zou Wenhuai and Qiao Shan followed up together.

"I have a good idea that the main audience of Western films in Hong Kong is the middle class in Hong Kong and foreigners in Hong Kong. Cinemas on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, such as Jordan Road and Portland Street, Kimberly Street, Temple Street and Shanghai Street, which are closer to the low-end nightlife venues, have always been crowded with people of all walks of life. There are 4 theaters that release Western films, and there are only 3 theaters that show Chinese films, but every midnight show at 11:30 on Saturday night, it is extremely difficult to see the so-called middle class and ghosts, so Western films will not arrange night shows, I want you to arrange it, first let our movie "The Great Warlord" a week in advance, this Saturday to arrange a 'midnight show', for a test screening. ”

Zou Wenhuai was puzzled and said: "Arranged in the midnight field, if it is not a 'hit hit', it is easy to be attacked by the media." ”

Lin Zhichao explained with a smile: "This movie is just a test screening night, and we can even re-edit and change the dialogue according to the audience's reaction, and everything is for the audience's preference." It's a determination! ”

Zou Wenhuai immediately understood and said: "This is really good, through the reactions of these three-minded people, we can understand the movie reactions more clearly." ”

Lin Zhichao said again: "Not bad! This time, we're planning a new concept of 'midnight screening', which can be a 'litmus test' every time a new film is released. To match this pattern, itinerant vendors can be invited to sell all kinds of snacks such as sugar cane, fried chestnuts, brine offal, roasted corn, popcorn and so on. Because the audience of the 'Midnight Show' must be young people, men and women, calling friends, they are good people, bad is bad, they are all people of character. ”

In the previous life, the midnight scene was just the beginning of Hong Kong movies in the 70s. The midnight audience was overwhelmingly young, men and women, calling friends, munching on sugar cane and shouting and scolding when they were not satisfied, and even throwing sugar cane on the screen when they were not satisfied. As a result, the midnight audience got the nickname of the "Cane Biting Gang".

Through Lin Zhichao's explanation, Zou Wenhuai and Qiao Shan immediately decided to seize this 'marketing method', and there are still ten days before the movie is released, and everything is in time.

The Peninsula Hotel.

"Spring Festival stalls? This propaganda slogan is somewhat interesting. I just don't know if my director of Huangmei Opera has made a breakthrough? If he is still standing still, I am afraid that Hong Kong citizens will not eat his set! Shao Lao Liu said.

Director Zhang Che, who drank tea with him, said with a smile: "Raymond has made three movies in Golden Harvest Films, and none of them has more than one million; Director Li Hanxiang stumbled on Taiwan Island for six or seven years, and finally got into a lawsuit and had to return to Hong Kong to film to pay off his debts. It seems that after leaving the Shaw Brothers movie, everyone's skills seem to have weakened, and at this point, it's a pity that they didn't understand it. ”

Zhang Che, who once scolded Shao Lao Liu, has completely become the 'loyal lackey' of Shaw Brothers. This scene seems to be a plan, first scolding the object you want to defect to, and finally being loyal and revealing your talent.

Shao Lao Liu said: "Our Shaw Brothers films pay attention to the team and pay attention to cultivating talents by themselves, while Golden Harvest Films is a halfway monk, and I can't watch it anymore!" Moreover, "007's Queen's Secret Envoy" was released in Hong Kong on New Year's Day, and it was the time when 007 was popular in recent years, and it was chosen to be released at this time, and Raymond seemed to have forgotten the taboo. ”

Zhang Che nodded and said: "It may be an urgent proof, expecting to revitalize Golden Harvest Films with the fame of director Li Hanxiang." On one side is the queen's secret envoy, and on the other side is the big warlord, but there is something interesting, I hope they don't lose too badly. ”

Both of them are not optimistic about Golden Harvest Movie's "The Great Warlord", and both of them believe that Li Hanxiang still uses the style of Huangmei Opera back then, so they are even less optimistic.

Shao Lao Liu said: "They suddenly held another 'midnight show', saying that they would conduct a 'test screening' a week in advance, but they only held a 'midnight screening' in the designated cinema, and it was only one day, and many reporters were invited to go." It seems that you are really confident, so that you, as an audience, go and see how it goes! ”

Zhang Che nodded and said: "To be honest, Lin Zhichao is really a must in business, first the 'New Year' stalls, and then the 'midnight show' test screening, this marketing is one after another. It's just that film is not only a business after all, but also a technology. ”

Shao Laoliu's eyelids jumped, he just regarded making movies as a 'business', so he was instinctively worried about businessmen investing in films, and for those artists and people who had drunk foreign ink to make movies, he felt that it was not so powerful.

Midnight.

Portland Street is a famous red light district in Hong Kong, where three religions and nine streams converge.

A movie theater that usually specializes in Western films, tonight it was particularly lively outside, young men and women, and all kinds of small stalls and vendors.

Tonight, it is the test screening of "The Great Warlord", that is, the "Midnight Show".

"I just can't understand, why didn't Director Li Hanxiang go back to Shaw Brothers?"

"How is that possible! Back then, Shaw Brothers banned director Li Hanxiang, causing others to work Taiwan Island for so many years, how could they return to Shaw Brothers. ”

"That's right! Now the two generals of the Shaw Brothers, Zou Wenhuai and Li Hanxiang, are both in Golden Harvest Films, and I don't know if this film company supported by the consortium can break the dominance of Shaw Brothers Films? ”

"It's hard! But I'm still looking forward to tonight's "The Great Warlord", after all, Golden Harvest Movie has done such publicity, if it is not filmed well, then I will be mad tonight! ”

"How are you going to go berserk?"

"See, I bought so many snacks, and if I wasn't satisfied, I would throw him M!"

"Haha, that's a great idea!"

With a large number of young men and women who like nightlife, they noisily walked into the cinema, and Zou Wenhuai, Li Hanxiang, Xu Guanwen and others who were mixed in the crowd couldn't help but feel worried.

Tonight's audience is obviously a group of energetic young people, if the shooting is not good-looking, and they know that they are the main creative team; Just like the boss said, don't reveal your identity when you go, otherwise you may lose your sugar cane.

"Let's go! The level of this movie is at least a million. Zou Wenhuai boosted everyone's morale and took the lead in following most of them into the cinema.

He is also very much looking forward to it, if Li Hanxiang is used to defeat the Shaw Brothers movie, he will definitely be angry. It's not that I left Shaw Brothers Movies alone, but that your Shaw Brothers Movies can't retain talents.

"Let's go, if you don't shoot well, you should be beaten and scolded, I'm ready!" Li Hanxiang is also heroic.

He feels that this time, Golden Harvest Film attaches great importance to it, and various publicity channels have been exhausted. Coupled with his confidence in himself, he thinks that there should be no problem with a box office of 1 million Hong Kong dollars!

The investment in "The Great Warlord" is 400,000 Hong Kong dollars, and the investment is okay, after all, there are many movies with an investment of 200,000 yuan; If it can box office more than one million, it will be a steady profit. At present, the share of Hong Kong cinemas is only a little over 40%, and the production is 60%, because this era is the world of filmmaking.

What really makes money is the box office in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, and those deducting theater and distribution costs are almost all pure profits.

In the cinema, "The Great Warlord" officially began to be released.

The previous cartoon description vividly explained how the giant tiger came to be; And the first storyline is to scold the Dragon King, and the artillery shoots at the Dragon King.

"Haha, laughing to death, funny and interesting!"

"This TMD is a warlord, if it were me, wouldn't I be the overseer of the five provinces!"

"Amazing, who played this huge tiger, it was so good!"

Soon, the rave reviews rose, and the laughter in the cinema did not stop.

Following.

"The Midnight Show of 'The Great Warlord' was a huge success, and the audience couldn't stop laughing!"

The media in Hong Kong began to report on it, but this time they did not give any money. Originally, the Oriental Daily newspaper carried a special report, and other media voluntarily obtained news materials.

"Is "The Great Warlord" really as good as the media says?" Shao Lao Liu found Zhang Che as soon as possible and asked.

"It's funny, witty, satirical style, and Dina's bold fruit dew, that Xu Guanwen's performance is also very good-looking, and the box office should be close to one million!" Zhang Che said conservatively.

To be honest, he was also laughed at last night, and this movie is already a box office of more than one million in his heart.

Shao Lao Liu suddenly put down a sentence unhappily: "I don't know how to cultivate talents, I know that I can dig up others to cultivate well, and this is impossible to win!" ”

Zhang Che shook his head helplessly, he heard that Golden Harvest Movie was engaged in a sharing system, and he couldn't help but want to jump over and try it.

In this world, who doesn't love money!

A week later, "The Great Warlord" began to be officially released in major movie theaters.

Golden Harvest's cinema line, the main force comes from the original electric mao, especially 'the theater is good, the theater is less', this is not that Lu Yuntao's financial resources are inferior to the Shaw Brothers; on the contrary, Lu Yuntao is the son of a super-rich man in Southeast Asia, a proper super-rich second generation.

It's just that Lu Yuntao studied abroad, and his concept is different from that of the Shaw brothers and the Shaw brothers; His idea is to make a boutique cinema chain, not only in Hong Kong, but also in Southeast Asia.

Therefore, it turns out that the cinemas of Dianmao in these two places are less than those of Shaw Brothers, but the quality and service are better.

Golden Harvest's cinema chain not only inherited the cinema chain of Dianmao, but also invested in a number of cinemas in the past year, with a total investment of tens of millions; In addition, Lin Zhichao's touching connections have included many movie theaters that originally played Western films and Shaw Brothers movies into the cooperative units of Golden Harvest Cinemas.

Therefore, Golden Harvest Cinemas is not weak at all in Hong Kong.

Of course, Lin Zhichao still sent Zou Wenhuai to open up the cinema cooperation of 'Shaw Brothers and Sons'.

Abandon the prejudice of the gate valve and the family!

This is Lin Zhichao's first policy in the film industry - internally, and the backbone of the business, core directors, screenwriters, and actors, all implement a dividend system; Externally, Golden Harvest's movies are welcome to be released in major theaters, and Golden Harvest's theaters also welcome major producers to be released.

Lin Zhichao's ideal is to build Hong Kong into a 'real Oriental Hollywood', and there will be no fault lines. In this way, it will promote the economic improvement of Hong Kong's tourism and culture.

If it is for personal self-interest, it doesn't make sense at all, he robbed the financial market once, and all he earned was hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars and hundreds of millions of dollars.

Even if there is self-interest, it is - to make Hong Kong's economy more developed, and he, as Hong Kong's chaebol, can also earn more.

As soon as "The Great Warlord" was released, the theaters it released were immediately full, and the business was very good.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zou Wenhuai found Shao Weiying, the head of the 'Shaw Brothers and Sons'.

Shao Weiying is the nephew of Shao Lao Liu and the son of Shao Rendi, the second brother of Run Run Shaw. In fact, Run Run Shaw is called 'Shaw Renleng', and he changed his stage name to 'Run Run Shaw' when he entered the film industry.

"Boss Shao, I came to discuss with you this time, I hope to cooperate!" Zou Wenhuai gets straight to the point.

He and Shao Weiying are acquaintances.

Shao Weiying asked curiously: "The theater that Zou Sheng said?" But as far as I know, the cinema chain of Golden Harvest Movies is not weak! ”

Zou Wenhuai said frankly: "Boss Shao, we Golden Harvest hope to abandon the prejudice of the gate valve family. The most important thing is that I don't bully you, and you don't lie to me, everyone has a clear conscience. Isn't this a win-win cooperation? ”

He didn't feel inferior, if Shao Weiying had that kind of open-minded thought, he wouldn't care; If you are not open-minded enough, then it will not be useful to say anything.

In essence, Shao Laoliu's cinema chain is actually the largest in Southeast Asia, and the cinema chain in Hong Kong is his second brother's industry, of course, Shao Laoliu has also built some over the years.

Shao Weiying thought for a while and said, "I have always been thinking about running a family business in a market-oriented way. Zou Sheng came to seek cooperation this time, I can see that he is full of sincerity, your movie "The Great Warlord" is very popular, and I am willing to try this cooperation. After that, we will slowly discuss future cooperation. What do you think? ”

There is no blanket promise, it is he who needs to face his sixth uncle, and he needs to consider the strength of Golden Harvest Films.

Zou Wenhuai said: "Of course there is no problem! ”

With the success of the release of "The Great Warlord", Zou Wenhuai finally had a feeling of raising his eyebrows.

He is finally going to complete his 'revenge' on the Shaw Brothers movie!

What kind of hatred?

That's the revenge of 'expulsion'!

(End of chapter)