Chapter 33 Cooperation
The next morning, Gu Wei and Reid came to Universal Pictures again.

In addition to Brown, they were also received by a company executive who was about 50 years old.

In the Universal Pictures conference room, Gu Wei and the other party sat face to face.

"Gu, congratulations, Warner Bros. made a big profit this time."

said a Universal executive sitting on the sofa.

"Thank you, let's get down to business."

Gu Wei had heard too many words of congratulations in the past few days, so he got straight to business.

"No problem, Universal has decided to take over your script, but the investment ratio cannot reach half, that's too high."

Originally, after Universal learned that Gu Wei had directly asked for half of the investment amount, its immediate decision was to give up on this film. However, after "A True Mob Story" was taken off the screen and the box office exceeded 100 million yuan.

The company's top management held a meeting and decided to take on Gu Wei's script and have Universal Pictures shoot the film themselves.

"Then tell me your conditions."

"The film company can give you three levels of investment, plus a role other than the leading role."

"Well, I only want the investment amount. I will give up on the filming of the movie and the selection of actors, but the ratio is 4 levels. This is my bottom line."

Gu Wei said in a firm tone.

“The investment amount for the 4th floor is still a bit high, because…”

Gu Wei didn't listen to him continue speaking, interrupted him and said directly: "I think you should be clear about my conditions. I originally planned to shoot this script myself.

I have no shortage of funds, and Warner is also very interested in this film and is willing to invest in the filming, and they also talked to me about it once."

When Universal Pictures executives heard this, they paused.

Then he slowly said: "Gu, you have convinced me. I can give you four levels of film investment quota, and the film copyright will be shared in proportion, but you will need to give up the script fees and actor quota."

Gu Wei hesitated for a moment, then stood up, stretched out his hand and said, "Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"Haha, I'm sure it will be very enjoyable."

The next day, Gu Wei and Reid brought professional lawyers to the headquarters of Universal Pictures to sign an investment contract.

On August 8, "Taken" was officially launched as a project. The original production cost was 5 million US dollars. Taking into account that the film was shot several years in advance, the final production cost was set at 2500 million US dollars. For the excess in the later stage, both parties will make additional investments in proportion.

Gu Wei asked a professional lawyer to read the contract and agreed to the investment amount, and then both parties signed. Gu Wei made the investment and signed the contract in the name of Tomorrow's Star Film and Television Company. There were staff members taking photos on the scene and both parties took a group photo.

Universal Pictures said that the film will start production in October, and that preparations for filming will be made in the early stages, including the selection of directors and actors, which will take time. According to the contract, Gu Wei's funds need to be in place before filming begins.

Before Gu Wei came, he asked Warner Bros., and the other party also said that they would settle the profits with him in advance. Calculating the time, two months is more than enough time.

In the United States, there are generally three ways for producers to cooperate with cinemas: "negotiated minimum price, fixed price, and profit sharing."

When the movie starts showing in theaters (usually after 28 days), the theaters will pay the distributor a share of the box office revenue.

This part is mainly based on the cooperation content negotiated between the theater and the producer before the release, and the basis for negotiation is the assessment of the film's box office appeal and the size of the producer.

This means that in Hollywood, big companies like Warner and Universal have more advantages than ordinary producers, and this part is usually called "film rental."

The producer's average income will account for 50% of the total box office revenue during the release period, and the theater will get the remaining half.

This is a little different from the box office sharing in China.

Only after understanding the regulations clearly did Gu Wei dare to sign the contract directly.

As for the cost of purchasing the script, Gu Wei simply chose to give up. According to the script market in Hollywood, for a movie with a budget of less than 500 million US dollars, the script and outline cost more than 7 US dollars. If the production budget is higher than 500 million, the purchase amount will be more than 13 US dollars.

Compared with the investment amount of adding an extra layer, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of US dollars is a good deal, and Gu Wei has calculated it very clearly.

The next day, Universal Pictures announced the project launch of the film "Taken", including the production cost and start time. Gu Wei, as the screenwriter and investment company of the film, was also listed.

After the Hollywood media got the news, they reported it again. During this period, Gu Wei appeared in the media quite frequently, and many people remembered this Chinese director.

When the news reached China, it caused an uproar again, and many more people came to inquire about Gu Wei's whereabouts.

Based on the film's investment amount and proportion, the online media immediately calculated the amount of investment that Gu Wei needed to make, and many people expressed envy.

According to the exchange rate, one movie made Gu Wei a billionaire in China. Some film and television companies and filmmakers lamented that Hollywood movies still make money, but they can only watch.

Han Sanping, who saw the news in China, called Gu Wei and talked about this matter. He teased him a few words and said that he did not consider China Film Group Corporation for such a good thing.

After listening to Han Sanping's words, Gu Wei said helplessly that this was the first time to cooperate with Universal, and he would consider China Film when there is an opportunity in the future.

At this stage, the domestic film market is still not large, and the annual box office is still growing slowly. Now, by cooperating with Hollywood, we can only get a share of the domestic film box office.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Wei also understood what Han Sanping meant. What China Film Group or Han Sanping himself needs at this stage is political achievements. The domestic box office share does not matter. What matters most is the reputation of cooperating with a big Hollywood company.

Thinking of these things, Gu Wei also smiled. There will be cooperation. Han Sanping has helped him a lot, and he has always kept it in mind. He will definitely not forget China Film Group if there is a chance.

The next day, at Warner Bros. headquarters.

"Gu, the movie has been taken off the screen in North America, and is slowly being released in other regions. I wonder what plans you have for your next movie."

"Warner can provide financial investment and will also provide strong support in other areas."

Mike, the head of Warner, asked.

Gu Wei also has his own plans for his next movie, but not now. He will consider it after he returns from China.

"Mike, let's talk about the plans for the next movie after I come back from China. Don't worry, Warner will be my first choice for cooperation."

Gu Wei looked at him and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Of course, Gu, Warner will be your best partner."

"I hope everything goes well for you when you return home and you can relax well, haha."

Hearing Gu Wei's words, Mike was relieved. Gu Wei's cooperation with Universal made Warner feel a sense of crisis. They didn't want to lose Gu Wei as a partner. Of course, most of the reason was because Gu Wei could help them earn a lot of US dollars.

Gu Wei and Mike continued chatting for a while, and then went straight back to the hotel.

.........

The next day, Gu Wei gave the script he had created during this period to Reid and asked him to register and recruit more company staff.

"Boss, do you really not need me to go back with you?" Reid asked Gu Wei.

"I'd better go back by myself. After I leave, the operation of the company will be left to you for the time being."

At the Los Angeles airport, Gu Wei, sitting in the car, gave instructions to Reid.

"No problem, boss, I will arrange everything you ask me to do."

In mid-August, Gu Wei boarded a plane back to China at the Los Angeles airport and flew to the capital.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the flight arrived at the Capital Airport on time.

Gu Wei and the employees of Xingchen Film and Television followed the sparse crowd and walked towards the airport exit.

"The weather was cold when I left, but it became warm when I came back."

Gu Wei had just got off the plane and was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, but he still felt a little hot and muttered something.

"Boss, it's August now, the hottest time in the country."

The employee next to him added at the right time.

Gu Wei glanced at him and nodded.

"Boss, the company's car has arrived and is just outside the airport exit."

"Let's go to the company first."

Gu Wei put on a mask, left the airport with his employees, got in the car, and went directly to the company.

"Hey, boss, you're back."

The front desk staff saw Gu Wei coming back and shouted loudly.

"Boss, congratulations on the movie's huge success."

"Boss, that's awesome."

The greetings from the front desk staff also attracted the attention of other employees in the company, and they all gathered around.

"Don't we have to work anymore?"

When they heard Wang Chen's voice, everyone scattered.

Manager Wang Chen came out of the office after hearing the noise. When he saw Gu Wei, he asked directly: "Boss, did you just get off the plane?"

"Well, let's go and talk in the office."

Xingchen Films Office.

Gu Wei and Wang Chen chatted for more than half an hour, and Wang Chen reported on recent domestic affairs.

After hearing that nothing serious had happened, Gu Wei stayed in the company for a while and then drove the company car back home.

After arriving home, his parents were at work and no one was at home. Gu Wei went to a restaurant downstairs for lunch and had a quick meal. After eating, he returned home, lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. After flying all night, Gu Wei did not get a good rest.

After an unknown amount of time, he heard his cell phone ringing and answered it in a daze.

"You kid, you didn't even tell me you came back."

Han Sanping's voice rang out on the phone.

"Mr. Han, you are very well-informed. You knew it as soon as I arrived."

"If I hadn't seen the reporter's report, I wouldn't have known that you were coming back today. Are you free in the evening? Let's go out and get together."

"Mr. Han, I will come to the company to see you tomorrow. I just got home and will spend the holiday with my parents at home tonight."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Wei looked at the time. It was already past 5 p.m., and then he read the news online.

Sure enough, there were reports of his return to China, and attached were photos of him entering the company with a bag on his back. These reporters are really powerful.

After being woken up, Gu Wei did not go back to sleep. He simply tidied up and continued to read the latest news on his mobile phone.

"Liu Dehua sang praises to his mother with tears in his eyes and sang "I Love You for Ten Thousand Years", which moved the audience."

"The styling of "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" is revealed for the first time."

"The filming of "The Story of a Noble Family" started in the capital, and Chen Kun, Dong Jie and others appeared in the costumes of their characters in the play."

"'Blue Life and Death' is available on Capital Channel 8".

Looking at what has happened in the circle recently, Gu Wei finds it quite interesting.

At 6: in the evening, Gu's father and mother got off work. When they saw Gu Wei coming back, they couldn't help but ask about his well-being. Gu Wei stayed at home with his parents, and they had a reunion dinner together in the evening.

After dinner, Gu Wei, who was watching TV in the living room, received several calls. They were all about his return to China after seeing the news on the Internet.

Feng Xiaogang, Qin Hao, and Wang Changtian from Guangxian all called him, wanting to invite him over for a get-together. Gu Wei used the excuse that he had just returned to China and had some things to take care of, and they could get together later when they were free, but he didn't give an exact time.

　The first round of recommendations started early this morning. I will update one more chapter and hope for your support!

(End of this chapter)