Chapter 157 Negotiating Price


    Chen Qi took the time to meet with the Yuan brothers. Yuan Heping expressed congratulations on the results of "Tai Chi" and hoped to write another script for Yuan''s class.


    He agreed wholeheartedly, but he was not sure when he would write it because he was very busy.


    Historically, Yuan Jiaban''s company had its ups and downs, ups and downs for more than ten years, and closed down in the mid-1990s. There is nothing to say about the action scenes in the movies they made, but the genres are too monotonous, only kung fu movies.


    Kung fu movies are not always popular in Hong Kong. They are popular for a few years, then cool for a few years, and then popular again for a few years. Yuen Woo-Ping doesn''t know how to make other films. It lacks innovation and cannot win over other companies. Moreover, they have no big stars to support their appearance, and a bunch of brothers are weird and unable to do anything.


    In the final analysis, it is still small in size, and the upper limit for small companies is too low.


    After meeting the Yuan brothers, Chen Qi had a meal with Li Hanxiang, both in private.


    Li Hanxiang was preparing for "The Unbridled Girl of the Tang Dynasty", and he naturally revised the script, but he still followed the rules and signed it for Chen Qi, saying "bringing a knife but not an umbrella on a rainy night".


    Now that "The Bold Women of the Tang Dynasty" will be filmed, it won''t necessarily be starring Xia Wenxi. She is now a model and has not yet entered the film and television industry. Chen Qi didn''t care, he just wanted to earn royalties and have a relationship with Li Hanxiang.


    The remuneration is HK$15,000, which will be given privately.


    This money could not be brought back to the mainland, so it could only be spent. Chen Qi went to Great Wall''s account and bought some clothes for Li Wenhua, Li Lianjie, and Gong Xue in the name of Great Wall. They were not expensive, but at least they were decent - they would be there in a few days. I''m going to Berlin. There are only four places available in Berlin.


    The remaining part was used to buy some small gifts for everyone in the team so that they can brag when they go back. The trip to Hong Kong was not in vain.


    For some unknown reason, Chen Qi used his last bit of money to buy a few boxes of condoms, um, the biggest ones...


    Everyone knows that he paid for it himself. Oh, this is so touching, and his money-making ability comes into play again. He has always been very generous. He wants his younger brother to serve him loyally without giving him any benefits. Who would be stupid to follow you?


    …


    Tsim Sha Tsui, Nathan Road.


    In later generations, Nathan Road had many luxury stores, as well as cosmeceutical and skin care product stores. Now the environment is relatively messy, selling everything.


    Chen Qi and Fu Qi took time out of their busy schedules to come over and found an electrical appliance store that sold various home appliances. The main thing was that there was a sign posted at the door that said: Golden Lion Video Tape Rental!


    The two went in and opened a small counter in the corner of the electrical appliance store. It was very simple. The most eye-catching thing was the rows of wooden shelves on the wall, with boxes of video tapes stacked on the shelves.


    A short and thin middle-aged man greeted him warmly and said, "Boss, do you want to rent a belt?"


    "Not at all?"


    "There are so many movies, so it''s definitely not complete, but in Hong Kong, I dare say there is no one who can do it more comprehensively than me. I''m the first one in Hong Kong to do it!"


    Chen Qi casually took out a few boxes, including Hong Kong and Western movies, and asked, "How much does it cost per day?"


    "15 yuan!"


    “So expensive??”


    "It costs 200 yuan to buy a box. It''s very cheap to rent. Boss, look at the tape. I must have a video recorder at home. It''s worth the money."


    Chen Qi randomly picked a few boxes, and Fu Qi gave him the money. The man''s smile became even brighter and he said, "Boss, are you interested in joining our club? We are all movie lovers. Whoever has a new tape, we often watch it with each other." ”


    "Huh? You look very skilled. Have you been doing this for a long time?"


    "Not long ago, I was in Taiwan before..."


    This man was very talkative. Balabala introduced himself. His name was Roman Kai. He was born in the United States and worked in Taiwan. At that time, he formed a club with his friends and exchanged videos to entertain themselves.


    Later, I moved to Hong Kong and felt that this business had great potential, so I opened this small shop.


    "How many people are renting?" Chen Qi asked again.


    "A lot, but not many. Nowadays, home video recorders have just become popular and the quantity is small. But as long as they buy the machine, they will definitely come to rent tapes from me. If they come once, they will come a second time. They are all loyal customers."


    “It’s the first one in Hong Kong!”


    "Ha, right!"


    After chatting for a while, the two came out. Chen Qi immediately said: "Uncle Fu, do you want to open a business?" "Do you think this business will be popular?"


    "It''s obvious! It doesn''t cost much to open one, and it can also open up a new distribution channel, just like "Fatal Turn" and "Tai Chi". If the movie theater is offline, there will definitely be people who want to watch it, so come and rent it.


    And you can make gimmicks, such as the complete version of "Fatal Turn" or the director''s cut. Some people like this very much.


    If this market gets bigger, that’s even better. If it doesn’t, we won’t lose money, so why not? "


    "You kid always has fantastic ideas, but we need to conduct an on-site investigation and I will seriously consider it." Fu Qi said with a smile.


    The videotape business emerged in the late 1970s. With the popularization of home video recorders, it became a hot market in the mid-1980s. It became even more popular in the 1990s until VCD and DVD came out.


    They are of the same nature and belong to the same distribution channel.


    This is 1981, and the video tape market can only be said to be getting more and more attention, but it has not yet reached the level of popularity.


    But Chen Qi knows how awesome it will be in the future. It has become an indispensable part of the film industry. Many Hollywood movies are made without even going to theaters. They are directly distributed on DVDs and can still make a small fortune.


    …


    The two returned to the hotel, where a film producer was already waiting.


    The Berlin Film Festival opens on the 13th, and they will leave Hong Kong on the 11th. Today is already the 10th.


    "Tai Chi" was released on the 3rd and has maintained an average daily revenue of 1 million, with a total box office of 8 million!


    "Modern Bodyguard" was released four days early and has been in theaters for 12 consecutive days. Audience enthusiasm has waned, and the average daily revenue has dropped to about 600,000. The total box office has exceeded 10 million, becoming the second movie to exceed 10 million after "Junior".


    But one waxes and wanes and the other waxes and wanes!


    Filmmakers all over Hong Kong are waiting to see when "Tai Chi" will surpass "Modern Bodyguard". Once it does, the final score will basically be determined.


    In this case, film producers from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia will inevitably come to visit.


    "Mr. Chen, 30,000 US dollars is already very sincere! You can''t get much more if you add more. This is the usual practice."


    "The only purpose of convention is to break it. 30,000 is too little. "Tai Chi" is a work that can revive a closed theater. We don''t want to sell it at a low price."


    Seeing that the Southeast Asian film producers on the opposite side were still trying to persuade him, Chen Qi put his hand down and said, "The Berlin Film Festival is about to start, will you go?"


    "Go!"


    "Then we might as well go to Berlin to talk. If you are really sincere, you can wait a few more days."


    "All right!"


    The Southeast Asian film dealer had no choice but to shake hands with him and leave first.


    Chen Qi sighed and asked: "Uncle Fu, are overseas copyrights so cheap?"


    "It''s like this. Japan''s economy is good and the market is large, so it pays more. But small countries in general are poor and backward, and the US dollar is so valuable, 30,000 is really good. Others have 10,000, or even You can buy a movie for a few thousand dollars.”


    "That''s that..."


    "I''m going with the volume, sell more countries, tens of thousands of dollars for this, tens of thousands of dollars for that, the more I save, the more I can get. In fact, Japan''s asking price is 350,000 US dollars, which is considered sincere, so don''t be too greedy."


    "You can''t calculate it like that. The value of a movie can actually be...forget it, let''s talk about it in Berlin."


    Nowadays, when copyrights are sold overseas, they are usually bought out and there is no profit sharing. Who will share the rights with you?


    Chen Qi didn’t want to get a share either. The payment cycle was too long, and there were too many uncertain factors. For example, those Hollywood operations such as “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” could cause losses.


    When he was doing business behind China Film Group''s back, what he wanted was to cut through the mess quickly and make money first. The overseas copyright of "Shaolin Temple" was sold for a total of 3-4 million US dollars. This is his estimate, and "Tai Chi" must be at least the same.


    Don’t compare this era with future generations. Do you know what the country’s foreign exchange reserves were last year? -


    1.296 billion US dollars! Yes, negative.


    A few million US dollars may seem small, but it is actually more than the annual foreign exchange income of some provinces, and this is just a movie.


    (End of chapter)