In the blink of an eye, Lin's Pictures has been established for more than a year, and has only produced two works in this year. This efficiency is not high compared with many film companies in Hong Kong, but the revenue ratio is enough to make those companies greedy.
drooling.
When the company was first established, it was all funded by Lin Chaoyang's royalties. Nearly 3 million Hong Kong dollars were injected one after another. It gave people the impression that it had little strength. Starting from the second half of this year, it started with 10 million Hong Kong dollars from "The Truman Show", and then
Another HK$22 million from "A Better Tomorrow" was recorded.
Excluding the company's various expenses and investments, by mid-November, Lin's Pictures had more than 25 million Hong Kong dollars in its account. Tao Yushu felt an unprecedented happiness.
With sufficient funds, Tao Yushu's first thing was to open a new play.
Yesterday, "Fantasy" was released. Wang Jing first went to Golden Harvest's Longtou Cinema in Kowloon to participate in the screening event, and then went to two more theaters before returning home until midnight. Before he woke up early in the morning, he was called to the company by Tao Yushu's phone.
On the way to Lin's Pictures, Wang Pin bought two newspapers and looked through them. He felt a little relieved when he found the news report of "Hardcover Chasing Girls". The box office information would not be released until the afternoon. Now he saw that there were
News reports prove that the movie is still somewhat popular.
Being at Shaw Brothers is different from being at Lam Brothers. In Shaw Brothers, you work for the boss, but in Lam Brothers, he is considered half a boss himself, so naturally he is more concerned about the box office performance of the movie after its release.
Therefore, it was unavoidable to be a little uneasy along the way. The box office was not released during this period, and I didn't know what Tao Yushu was looking for.
"Ah Jing, come and sit down."
When he came to the company, Tao Yushu's attitude was as gentle as usual, and Wang Jing felt a little more at ease.
"Mrs. Lin, is there anything important you called me here for?"
"Nothing serious, I just want to talk to you about the new play."
"New play?" Wang Jing's tone was full of surprise.
"Fantasy" was only released yesterday, and the first-day box office hasn't even come out yet. The boss is already thinking about the next movie?
Wang Jing didn't know how to react for a moment.
He didn't know whether the boss had confidence in "Hardcover Chasing Girls" or in him.
But in any case, this confidence is somewhat blind.
"Yes, the company now has ample funds, but there are too few new film plans.
There should be at least five movies a year, including preliminary preparation, mid-term shooting, post-production, release and settlement.
Five films can at least ensure that the shadow of our Lin films will always appear in the news and in the market."
What Wang Pin was thinking about was that if he opened five plays a year, he could count on two hands the number of people who could achieve this level of performance in Xiangjiang.
Jiahe, Xinyicheng, Debao, Baohe... Quite a few of them are companies from Jiahe and Xinyicheng.
He knew from the beginning that Tao Yushu was very radical, but he didn't expect that he would be so radical. In the second year after the company was founded, he would produce five dramas a year.
However, there is nothing wrong with this. If there is a show, he will make money.
Of course, the premise is that the box office is ideal.
"No problem, I'll write the script right away."
Although he had no idea for a new play in his mind, Wang Pin agreed to Tao Yushu's request without hesitation.
Wang Pin has had a clear understanding of himself since he entered the film industry.
He is a craftsman, not an artist.
As people in Xiangjiang say, it’s all about getting money.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any ideas now, many times ideas are forced out of you.
His answer made Tao Yushu look a little pleased. Her husband was right, a director like Wang Jing is really easy to use.
He has no bad habit of doing art at all. As long as the boss pays, he can keep taking photos.
The two continued to talk about the idea of ​​a new movie, and they agreed that if the box office of "Fantasy Girl" was satisfactory, they could make two more movies in this way. Wong Jing himself is a very talented person, otherwise it would not be possible.
He has the top efficiency of being able to shoot a movie in a week at his peak.
After chatting with Tao Yushu for almost an hour, he gradually had some ideas in his mind, and planned to go home and write the script first. At this time, someone happened to come to talk to Tao Yushu about something. He wanted to leave, but Tao Yushu introduced him. "
Ah Jing, let me introduce to you, this is Zhang Wanting and her husband Luo Qirui..."
Sensing the importance Tao Yushu attached to Zhang Wanting and his wife, Wang Jing knew that these should be his future colleagues.
He greeted the two of them and exchanged some pleasantries. Tao Yushu said to him again: "Wait for me first. Let's have dinner together at noon. I guess yesterday's box office statistics will be out soon." "Okay, Mrs. Lin, you are busy first."
Wang Jing exited the office, found a seat outside and sat down casually, chatting with Wu Meizhen. "Brother Pin!"
The two chatted for a while, and then Stephen Chow came to the company.
He and Wang Jing collaborated on "Fine Cover Chasing Girls", and they became quite familiar with each other. "Hey, Ah Xing, are you coming to the company again?"
Wang Jing is very close to Stephen Chow. Everyone in the company calls him "Xingzi", but Wang Jing insists on calling him "A Xing" because Wang Jing knows that Lin Sheng also calls him Stephen Chow.
Mrs. Lin also told him that if there was a chance, the company would give Ah Xing a solo show to praise him, which was enough to show how much the company valued him. "Yeah, if you have nothing to do, why not come to the company and see if there is anything you can do to help?"
.By the way, Brother Jing, why did you come to the company today?"
Wang Jing is a director. He spends most of his time filming and rarely appears in the company. "Mrs. Lin asked me to come and talk about the new movie."
Stephen Chow's eyes lit up when he heard these words, "Do you want to start a new movie? How about giving me a supporting role?"
Wang Jing laughed when he saw him like this, "You are the first brother of our Lin family, and you will be the leading actor in the future." "Brother Jing, please don't make fun of me. I haven't even acted in a few movies.
And not famous."
"Are you afraid that you won't be able to film in Lin's...?"
While the two were talking, the phone on Wu Meizhen's desk suddenly rang, and she picked up the phone.
When Wang Jing heard the word "box office", she stopped chatting with Stephen Chow and stared at Wu Meizhen. When she hung up the phone, Wang Jing hurriedly asked: "Azhen, is the box office out?
?”
"Yeah. Shaw Brothers' box office is out, it's 166,000 yuan."
Hearing this number, Wang Jing was delighted, and then he confirmed with Wu Meizhen again, "We have 5 theaters in Shaw Brothers, 7 screens, right?" "Yes."
Wang Jing felt relieved now. The box office for a single screen was 23,000, which was a huge hit! "Brother Jing, Brother Jing, this box office should be very good, right?" Stephen Chow asked excitedly.
"Of course!" Wang Jing patted Zhou Xingchi on the shoulder, "A Xing, you are going to be famous!" "Congratulations, Brother Jing!"
While the two were patting each other's rainbow farts, the door of Tao Yushu's office opened. She walked out with Zhang Wanting and her husband, and said to Wu Meizhen: "Azhen, help me book the Felix restaurant at the Peninsula Hotel, and invite Director Wang for lunch.
Dinner with Director Zhang and his wife."
As she was talking, she saw Zhou Xingchi, "A Xing is here too." "Mrs. Lin!" Zhou Xingchi said hello to Tao Yushu.
Tao Yushu nodded to him and said to Wu Meizhen, "Count Ah Xing."
"Okay, Mrs. Lin."
Wu Meizhen responded and was about to call to make a reservation at the restaurant when the phone on the table rang again.
"Mrs. Lin, the box office from Jiahe is out, a total of 849,000. In addition, there was a call from Shaw Brothers earlier, and their box office was 166,000. Wu Meizhen said to Tao Yushu after answering the phone.
Hearing this figure, Wong Jing and Stephen Chow were a little surprised. Adding to what Shaw Brothers said, the box office of "Girls in Hard Cover" on the first day actually exceeded one million? No, this does not include the double southern line.
Although the box office output of the Double Southern Line has never been high, it cannot be ignored.
Tao Yushu nodded calmly, "That's right. Let's wait a little longer. I guess Shuangnan Line will be out soon." Less than twenty minutes after saying this, the call from Shuangnan Line came.
, with a box office of 158,000 yuan.
Today, the Hong Kong Film Market has 126 theaters with more than 240 screens, but only 60% of the screens mainly show Hong Kong films.
In addition, theaters specializing in Hong Kong films such as Jiale, Shaw Brothers, Golden Princess, Debau, etc. are hostile to each other, so the opening size of most films will not exceed half the screen.
"Fantasy" was released in Jiale, Shaw Brothers and Shuangnan theaters, with nearly 40 theaters and 70 screens. This opening scale is considered to be very high in Hong Kong. The box office on the first day was 1.173 million, which is a figure
It can be said to be excellent for any new film.
"Mrs. Lin, congratulations on the great sales of your new film!" "Congratulations, Mrs. Lin!"
The first day's box office was released, and there was a burst of congratulations in the company. Tao Yushu responded to everyone's congratulations with a smile on her face, and asked Wu Meizhen to feed a few people who stayed in the company at noon. She took Wang Jing, Zhang Wanting and others to the peninsula.
hotel.
"Ah Fa has become very red and purple recently, and the box office on the first day was good. The audience is all going to him. To really know whether our drama is a hit, we have to wait for two days."
During the meal, Tao Yushu chatted with Wang Jing and others about the box office performance of "Hardcover Girls", which was not as optimistic as she had shown when she was in the company. Wang Jing has been in the film industry for many years and understands this truth.
Then Tao Yushu talked about the fact that Lin's Pictures has decided to produce a new film by Zhang Wanting and his wife, titled "Autumn Fairy Tale." "The focus of this film is love, and we have to find two handsome men and beautiful women." Tao Yushu said.
Wang Jing smiled and said: "Mrs. Lin, have you heard something recently?" "What is it?"
"No one can be as popular as Chow Yun-fat, and no one can be as popular as Zhong Chuhong."
Tao Yushu couldn't help laughing when he heard this, "They are indeed handsome men and beautiful women, so let's invite them both." After hearing her words, Zhang Wanting and Luo Qirui's faces were full of surprise.
Chow Yun-fat and Chung Chu-hong are now popular stars in the Hong Kong film industry. If they are hired, the production cost will probably be tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars. The two of them have been working on small-budget movies before, so they have to make something like this out of nowhere.
For investment movies, happiness comes too suddenly.
But at the same time they are happy, the couple is also a little worried. If the shot fails... they don't dare to think about it, they don't dare to think about it at all.
After investing tens of millions of dollars, if the film really failed, the couple would probably not have to hang out in the Hong Kong film industry anymore. No boss would dare to use them anymore. Seeing that Zhang Wanting and his wife were under great pressure, Tao Yushu had no choice but to comfort the couple.
This sentence made the couple feel a little more relaxed.
In the next few days, the box office of "Hardcover" maintained the hot momentum on the first day of its release, with box office exceeding one million for many consecutive days. The total box office exceeded 10 million in the first week of its release, making it the best-selling movie in Hong Kong in November.
The biggest dark horse in the film market.
Because of the popularity of "A Better Tomorrow" overseas, Chow Yun-fat has also become famous in many regions and countries such as the Bay Islands and Southeast Asia. Within two days of the release of "Better Days", overseas film producers began to contact Lam Pictures.
I hope this film will be released.
Tao Yushu handed over the distribution rights of "The Hardcover Chasing Girls" to Shaw Brothers in several countries including Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
The Shaw family itself made its fortune in Nanyang and only came to Hong Kong in the 1950s. Shaw's theater chain has a considerable market share in several Southeast Asian countries.
Tao Yushu did this, on the one hand, to show his goodwill to Shaw Brothers and to prepare for renting or acquiring Shaw Brothers theater chain in the future, and on the other hand, to unite Zonglianheng and prevent Jiahe from backstabbing.
Entering December, the box office trend of "Hardcover" is still very good.
Several film companies have put their focus on Christmas. After New Year's Day, there is no strong competitor. "The Girl" can be said to be like a duck in water, with a cumulative box office of 21.3 million Hong Kong dollars in three weeks of release.
In recent years, the production of local films in Hong Kong has been increasing every year, with more than 160 films released this year.
There are only so many theater resources, three weeks is almost the entire life cycle, and the box office potential has been completely exhausted. On the third day of the fourth week of release, "Hardcover" was officially released from theaters.
The final total box office was set at HK$21,720,626, temporarily ranking 9th in the 1986 Hong Kong movie box office rankings. This box office result also completely established Lam Pictures' reputation in the Hong Kong film industry.
Since the beginning of this year, Lin has participated in the production of two annual hit films, "The Truman Show" and "A Better Tomorrow." These two films were not only huge hits at the local box office, but also boomed at the overseas box office and copyright deals.
Newspapers have previously reported on the impressive box office performance of "The Truman Show" after its release in the United States, France and other places, and it also triggered some reactions among citizens, including the popularity of "A Better Tomorrow" in East Asia, Southeast Asia and other countries.
, there are also many media reports.
Such eye-catching results have naturally made Lam Pictures one of the most dazzling emerging companies in the Hong Kong film market.
However, Lin's involvement in these two films was not deep after all, and colleagues attributed more of the credit to Lin Chaoyang, the "master of screenwriting."
It broke the prejudices of colleagues and allowed them to see the outstanding side of Lam Films.
The local box office of "A Better Tomorrow" was HK$39.62 million, the local box office of "The Truman Show" was HK$33.46 million, and the local box office of "Better Days" was HK$21.72 million, ranking first, second, and ninth in the annual box office list of Hong Kong movies.
Seeing that 1986 was coming to an end, various film companies took stock and discovered that a film company that had been established less than two years ago had actually produced three films that broke into the top ten box office of the year.
The last film company that had such a strong momentum in the Hong Kong film industry was named New Art City.
On the day of the release of "Fashionable Girls", Tao Yushu held a celebration banquet at the Peninsula Hotel, and the scene was star-studded.
Based on Tao Yushu's character, she actually doesn't like this kind of feasting and reveling atmosphere. However, this is also the best way to show off her momentum. "Adu, are you really thinking about joining Lin's?"
Among the crowd, a pudgy guy wearing glasses was asking his friends. "What can I do? If the company won't let me start a play, I can't be a screenwriter, right?"
The pudgy man felt like someone had shot him in the back, "What's wrong with being a screenwriter? Many great directors have survived like this." Johnnie To looked at his friend again, and wanted to tell him that we are different.
Although Johnnie To is also a screenwriter, he has made several TV series and movies intermittently since the 1980s. Screenwriting is only one of his identities. His more important identity is director.
And the friend in front of him is just a pure screenwriter and a fool. We are not on the same level, so don't try hard, okay?
Feeling the contempt in his friend's eyes, the short and fat man cursed: "Damn!"
When he turned around, the short and fat man accidentally bumped into a middle-parted man.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Stephen Chow bowed his head and apologized repeatedly.
"fine.
The short, fat man dusted off his clothes and said nonchalantly.
After the pudgy man and Johnnie To left, Stephen Chow approached Chow Yun-fat with a smile on his face and raised his wine glass in a somewhat reserved manner.
"Brother Fa!"
At this time, Chow Yun-fat was surrounded by a group of people. He raised his glass to Stephen Chow with a calm expression, showing an indescribable coolness.
After taking a sip of champagne, Stephen Chow didn't have time to talk to Chow Yun-fat, because the other person's energy had been absorbed by other people.
Stephen Chow could only watch through the crowd, his face full of envy.
"Envy?"
A voice suddenly appeared in his ear. Stephen Chow quickly turned his head and found that it was the boss. He quickly lowered his head and said hello: "Lin Sheng!"
He said with some embarrassment: "Brother Fa is so popular, who wouldn't envy him.
Lin Chaoyang looked at him with a smile, "Maybe you will be more popular than him in the future?"
Stephen Chow said with embarrassment on his face, thinking that Lin Chaoyang was making fun of him, "Lin Sheng was joking."
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore. How about you being the leading actor in Apin's new movie?"
Stephen Chow was suddenly surprised, but then he asked: "Lin Sheng, isn't Brother Pin looking for Andy Lau to play the male lead?"
"Andy Lau is currently filming Bao He's "The Last of Us," and the schedule is so tight."
In the Hong Kong film industry, it is normal to be involved in dramas. Generally, artists or managers have energy and can balance the relationship between the crew. It is not difficult to schedule roles. Andy Lau only debuted in 1981, but his rise is very fast, and he lives in both film and television.
Development has achieved good results
In terms of television, he has been highly praised by TVB, and has produced dramas such as "The Falcon", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Deer and the Cauldron".
In terms of movies, there are also works such as "Into the Wrath" and "The Outlaw" that have received great box office and awards awards.
Last year, he had a falling out with TVB over contract issues. He did not recover after being frozen out. Instead, he relied on his connections to make movies such as "The Magic Jade" and "The Best Lucky Star".
Wong Jing's new film is called "The Best Bad Friend" and it continues the "chasing girls" routine of "Beautiful Chasing Girls".
Originally he wanted to name the new film "Chasing Girls in Hardcover 2", but Tao Yushu felt that "Chasing Girls in Hardcover" had just been released and had a sequel released every few months, which meant too much money-making.
There is no rush to wait until half a year to make a sequel, Wang Pin is very efficient anyway.
Andy Lau was recommended by Chow Yun-fat to play the leading role in "The Best Friend". The two had a good relationship at TVB before. At first, Ann Hui was going to film "Into the Wrath", which was the sequel to "The Story of Hu Yue".
horn.
I originally wanted to find Chow Yun-fat, but at that time Chow Yun-fat didn't take the film because of the film's career prospects, so he turned around and recommended it to Andy Lau, allowing the fledgling Andy Lau to make a name for himself in the film industry.
After accepting Lin's "Autumn Fairy Tale", I recommended Andy Lau to Wang Jing.
Wong Jing had collaborated with Andy Lau in "Emerald" before, and was recommended by Chow Yun-fat, so he naturally had no objection to it.
Unfortunately, Andy Lau is now close to Bao Wo. He played a supporting role in "The Best Lucky Star" before, and now Bao Wo has given him a separate role in "The Heart of the Heart"
The two films were scheduled to coincide with each other. Of course Andy Lau wanted to have them all, but Mr. Lin did not give him the honor.
We are not familiar with each other, so there is no need to accommodate him.
Stephen Chow looked at Lin Chaoyang and couldn't believe it.
Although Lin Sheng and Mrs. Lin had said more than once before that they would give him a solo show in the future, Stephen Chow has been at TVB for so many years and knows that sometimes it is better to listen to what the boss says and not to take it seriously.
"Lin Sheng, I... have never played a leading male role. I am not famous and cannot hold the box office... Stephen Chow pursed his lips and spoke in a low voice.
"These are not things you should worry about, just play your part and that's it!"
The tone of Lin Chaoyang's words was clearly a warning, but there was an inexplicable reassurance in Stephen Chow's ears. The boss's attitude was clear that he wanted to praise him. The boss was not afraid of losing money, so he had nothing to hesitate about. "Thank you.
Lin Sheng, I will definitely work hard!" Zhou Xingchi said with his lips pursed.
“It’s not enough to just work hard, you have to find your own characteristics.
There are many actors in Xiangjiang, but there are only a few who stand at the top of the pyramid. You are mine, and I hope you can stand on top."
Lin Chaoyang's words were serious and full of high hopes. Zhou Xingchi felt a surge of blood in his heart. He said with a moved face: "Yes, Lin Sheng, I will definitely live up to your expectations!"
Lin Chaoyang nodded happily, patted his shoulder and left.
Stephen Chow looked at Lin Chaoyang's back and was moved when Wang Jing came to him and said, "Axing, did Lin Sheng tell you?" "Brother Jing!" Stephen Chow turned around and saw Wang Jing, with joy and nervousness in his eyes.
"Don't be afraid, the boss is not afraid of losing money."
Wang Jing's tone was teasing, but meaningful.
"Chasing Girls" was a hit at the box office, and he received nearly HK$600,000 in local box office dividends alone. Tao Yushu was very generous, and the local box office dividends were settled to him this morning.
If you include the investment dividends from Wang Jing's film studio and the overseas dividends from the movie, it would be worth at least one hundred to several hundred thousand. Wang Jing has been a director for almost ten years, but he did not earn as much as he did from this movie.
Although he was happy in his heart, it was inevitable that he had other thoughts.
"The Girl Who Wanted" became a hit, and Stephen Chow gained a little fame as the third male lead, but when it comes to being the first male lead, both his fame and box office appeal are far behind.
Wong Jing is very afraid that "Best Friend" will be affected because the male lead has little box office appeal. After all, this is related to his vital interests.
But Wang Jing also understands that Stephen Chow is the person that the boss wants to praise. Besides, he has worked with Stephen Chow and found that this boy does have some acting talent. "Brother Jing, you will have to take more care of me in the next film."
Stephen Chow squeezed out a smile to compliment Wong Jing, and the two of them joked for a while. Stephen Chow mentioned the box office dividends, which scratched Wong Jing's itch, with a look of pride on his face.
"Hey, Adu, I just heard Wang Jing chatting with the traffic light. He earns 2 million Hong Kong dollars per movie!" The short, fat man found Johnnie To and said in surprise.
The short, fat man didn't know Stephen Chow's name, so he called out the name of his character in "The Girl Who Wants You". Johnnie To's face was as usual when he heard his friend's words, and he wasn't surprised at all. He obviously knew it already.
"You already knew this?"
"Nonsense, otherwise what job would I take?"
"Why don't you call me something good like this? Are you still a friend?" "Lin wants a director, not a paper boy."
Du Qifeng's words this time were not a cold shot, but a sudden confrontation. The short and fat man looked at him angrily, and his eyes that were red from staying up late were even redder now.
He blinked his little eyes and tried to look powerful. Unfortunately, his eyes were too dry. He felt like crying in the wind after staring for a while, so he had no choice but to put them back on. "Don't you need a screenwriter to start the show? Besides, I
You can also be a director.”
"Then wait until you take the plunge first."
"When we are brothers, you won't be so heartless, right?"
The short, fat man shamelessly pestered Johnnie To, and finally said helplessly: "Let's agree first, I'll come over first, and later you can come up with a reason to resign. Don't say you came with me, I don't want to offend anyone."
"Okay!" The short, fat man gestured and smiled carefully.
The celebration banquet came to an end and everyone had almost left. Stephen Chow said hello to Lin Chaoyang and his wife before leaving the Peninsula Hotel. It is not far from Tsim Sha Tsui to Ho Man Tin, less than three kilometers. Usually Stephen Chow would choose to take the Kowloon Bus.
But tonight, for some reason, he wanted to take a walk.
Behind him is the night view of Victoria Harbor, which has been blocked by tall buildings.
Harbor City, Kowloon Park, Yau Ma Tei... He measured the land under his feet with his steps, and suddenly felt the urge to run.
When passing by Taiping Road, his footsteps alerted the old man who was wandering on the roadside. Seeing Zhou Xingchi's fast steps, the old man was shocked.
He quickly lifted the shelves, threw the things into the cart, pushed the cart, and walked like he was escaping from an enemy bombing. When he needed to, he overtook Stephen Chow who was running in front. "Hey, old man, let's exercise!"
"Toughen up, the police are here!" the old man said angrily.
Stephen Chow looked behind him while running, "Hey, are there any police? I didn't find any!" The old man looked behind him in disbelief, then turned to ask him, "Why are you running if there are no police?" "I'm exercising, old man.
!”
The old man stopped, his heart filled with anger, his eyes filled with evil thoughts, and his words dirty. "Old Mother Throwing Thunder!"
Chapter completed!