Chapter 606 Conflict Just a joke
In the banquet hall, the invited guests had almost arrived, but the dinner did not start immediately.

As everyone knows, the people attending this event tonight are all top figures in the circle, which also means connections and resources.

And where there are resources, there are transactions.

In the banquet hall, each director was surrounded by filmmakers. People like Cheng Long, Wang Jinghua, Jiang Wenli, etc. all came with their juniors, and were now communicating and introducing themselves to the directors.

As for Han Sanping and Gu Wei's table, no one dared to bring their juniors over, except for Han's daughter. After all, today was Han Sanping's birthday, and a big part of the reason was that he wanted to push his daughter to the front and introduce her to these top filmmakers in the circle.

"How is the attendance rate of "The Wandering Earth"? " Han Sanping asked directly as Gu Wei sat down. The performances of Yu Dong, Wang Changtian, Yang Shoucheng and others next to him were similar. Everyone wanted to know the data of the first song.

This concerns the first domestic special effects blockbuster before Han Sanping leaves office, so he can't help but be concerned about it.

"When I came here, based on the data provided by the major theater chains, the company's publicity and distribution department calculated that it should be close to 200 million."

Gu Wei did not hide it. After he finished speaking, he looked around to see the expressions on everyone's faces, especially Wang Zhongjun's.

Sure enough, upon hearing this data, the CEOs of several producers involved in the investment all showed expressions of surprise, and Wang Zhongjun could not hide the envy and jealousy on his face.

"Two hundred million? Oh my goodness!" Wang Changtian couldn't help but shout out loud after hearing the number.

For a moment, everyone around started talking loudly.

Zhang Yimou, Jiang Wen, Chen Kaige and Feng Xiaogang gathered together. After learning about the situation, their expressions were quite interesting.

“Wow, the box office on the first day is 200 million. According to this rule, it will surpass Let the Bullets Fly in four days, and break the domestic box office record of Lost in Thailand in just one week during the National Day holiday?” Jiang Wen was really convinced this time, the kind of convinced heart.

However, Jiang Wen felt a little better when he thought that the movie he made had remained the box office champion for about a year.

Then he looked at the people next to him. No matter what, they also have representative works with high box office. Feng Xiaogang is better. Firstly, the box office of "Aftershock" was not low. Secondly, "Private Tailor" will be released during the Lunar New Year holiday. He expects this movie to have a minimum of 1 billion.

Thinking of this, Feng Xiaogang's eyes turned and he said, "We still have to wait and see Director Gu. If he doesn't make a move, it's fine. But once he makes a move, he will aim for a new record. Director Zhang, Director Chen, what do you think the box office of "The Wandering Earth" will be? Two billion? Three billion?"

To be honest, what Feng Xiaogang said was purely disgusting to the two of them. Zhang Yimou was better off after hearing it, because Universal's "Jurassic World" is about to be announced to the public, and he will direct this big IP himself. After its release, the global box office will at least be hundreds of millions of dollars.

Brother Chen Kai, on the other hand, had an unpleasant look on his face. He clearly felt that Feng Xiaogang was disgusting him, but he had no way of refutation. To be honest, among the major domestic directors, his performance was the worst. Many people in the circle joked that the title of Palme d'Or director was not worthy of his status.

Considering the current environment, Chen Kai suppressed his annoyance, smiled slightly, and said, "Haha, this box office is indeed amazing, but it also shows that the mainland market is indeed expanding visibly. I guess when "The Taoist Goes Down the Mountain" is released, it won't be a problem to get a 1 billion guarantee."

"Yes, I also have confidence in "Personal Customization" and expect it to be over 10 billion." Feng Xiaogang also said happily.

"'One Step Away' is similar. It will definitely be better than 'Let the Bullets Fly'. It can't just go backwards as it goes on."

Hearing this, Brother Chen Kai's smile paused, and he cursed in his heart, "Who are you talking about?"

Good fellow, when the other directors and filmmakers heard this, they smiled and complimented him, but they were cursing in their hearts, "You are just bragging here, is it so easy to get a billion box office?"

As more and more people gathered around them, Brother Chen Kai certainly couldn't show his fear. He looked at Zhang Yimou half-questioningly and half-askingly, "Gu's The Wandering Earth has an investment of more than 1 billion yuan, setting a record for the highest cost in the mainland. Just relying on the domestic box office, even if it's over 2 billion, it can only guarantee that it won't lose money, right?"

When others heard this, they immediately realized that, yes, even if the domestic box office sells well, it can only guarantee that there will be no loss in the end. The key still lies in the overseas box office.

"Don't let the overseas box office be so bad that they only pick the mainland box office and pretend to be the big shot!" Many people thought with gloating in their hearts.

"The specific overseas box office figures haven't come out yet. The film won't be released until tomorrow, but Gu Wei mentioned that it's said that several major companies are jointly releasing the film, and it's expected to gross at least five to six thousand theaters, so the box office shouldn't be low." Zhang Yimou said this intentionally or unintentionally.

Well, Zhang Yimou's words gave everyone a silence buff, and the scene became quiet for a while.

On the other hand, Huang Xiaoming, who was invited to attend Han Sanping's birthday dinner, immediately became the object of congratulations from other celebrity artists.

Liu Yifei, who was sitting at the same table with Huang Xiaoming, became the object of everyone's compliments.

"Hey, Yifei, do you plan to be a producer?" Li Binbin, who has already been involved in film investment, talked about this in front of Fan Binbin and Zhang Ziyi, and seemed to be showing off.

Counting the big stars in mainland China, she should be the most successful one at present. There are signs that she has completely transformed from an actress to a capital. She even speaks much more confidently than before. Relying on her sister who holds a high position in Huayi, she has attracted a lot of capital.

From the establishment of a film and television company and the development of artist management, it can be seen that Li Binbin's ambition is far more than just being an actor.

"Producer? I don't know how, and Gu Wei never asked me before." Liu Yifei, who was the center of attention, showed her silly side and blurted out the question without thinking, which made Xing Aina next to her shake her head slightly.

"My silly sister, look at Sister Chen Hong and Sister Xu Fan. After they got married to Director Chen and Director Feng, didn't they become producers..." Li Binbin held Liu Yifei's hand, smiling and talking about the benefits of being a producer.

It was this name that made Fan Binbin next to him frown slightly, and he secretly cursed her in his heart, "Little bitch, you're really good at getting close to me."

After thinking for a while, Fan Binbin said, "Haha, if Yifei wants to be a producer, does anyone need to worry about it? It's just a matter of Director Gu saying something, right, Yifei?"

Hearing this, Li Binbin almost blurted out "little bitch" and then started to make sarcastic remarks to the other party. Zhang Ziyi also interjected from time to time.

At this point, Liu Yifei couldn't understand the situation. She rolled her eyes and said in a confused and careless manner, "Yeah, the producer is not in a hurry. Gu Wei said he would talk about it after he takes me to the three major European exhibitions and the Oscars."

This time, the young lady successfully silenced the three big stars and other celebrity artists nearby.

...

Sometimes, you can't avoid socializing, even if you hold a high position in an industry.

At the table in the middle of the banquet hall, even though Gu Wei was just sitting there, people kept coming to greet him.

Some people said congratulations and congratulations on "The Wandering Earth", some simply wanted to get to know him, and some came just to make friends and hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with Xingchen Film and Television Company in the future...

The banquet didn't officially begin until around eight o'clock in the evening.

"Thank you all for coming to my retirement party today..."

On the small stage temporarily built in the banquet hall, Han Sanping was speaking politely and looked in good spirits.

"Boss Han told you, didn't he?" Gu Wei said with a smile, looking at the girl from the Han family who came over to greet him. Then he continued to ask, "What made you consider becoming an assistant director in another director's crew in the company, or the company investing in a movie for you to shoot?"

"Yeah, my dad told me that I'd better be an assistant director. I'm not good at filming, and he didn't agree when I wanted to change my major at school." Han Jianu had obviously made up her mind. She blurted out the answer without thinking after hearing Gu Wei's question.

"Change major? To screenwriting? Haha." Gu Wei could imagine the scene where Han Sanping and his daughter glared at each other, and he laughed immediately.

"Old Han disagreed and even told the school teachers about it. I've given up, but he won't be able to control me after graduation, haha."

Seeing Han Jianv, this little cotton-padded jacket, Gu Wei felt that it would be better for him not to enter the entertainment industry after he has children.

"I can be a screenwriter, too. If you have a suitable script, bring it to me. Maybe I can win the Best Screenplay Award at the Golden Globe or Oscar!"

"Ah, I can't write imaginative scripts like Inception and Interstellar. The Golden Globe and Oscar are too far away from me." Han Jianv was a little confused, obviously shocked by what Gu Wei said.

"Haha, everything depends on human effort."

...

At half past eight, the banquet officially began.

Sitting at the same table with Gu Wei were Ren Zhonglun, Wang Changtian, Yu Dong, Ye Ning, Yang Shoucheng, Wang Zhongjun, Song Ge and others, each of whom was the CEO of a top film and television company in the industry.

Han Sanping was not here. He was taking the Han family's daughter to identify people one by one.

"Director Gu, if the company has a movie that needs to be distributed later, could you consider Huayi?" Wang Zhongjun suddenly asked Gu Wei, attracting the attention of everyone present.

Yu Dong curled his lips after hearing this. This guy wanted to steal food from China Film Group. His appetite was really huge.

Ye Ning and Wang Changtian were also a little unhappy. When Han Sanping was there, all the films produced by Xingchen Film and Television, except for the two released by Gu Wei's company, were produced by Wanda, Light Media, and China Film. What did Wang Zhongjun mean by saying this now?
"Haha, I've always been slow in making movies, and I'm afraid that Director Wang can't wait." Gu Wei's words were a direct refusal.

"Of course Huayi has no say in the movies directed by Director Gu himself. I'm talking about the movies directed by other directors of Xingchen Film and Television, such as Director Zhang's "Parasite", Director Ning's "Partners", and Director Wu's "Painted Skin 3."" Wang Zhongjun understood the situation and did not think about the opportunity to distribute the movies directed by Gu Wei, but instead set his sights on films directed by other directors.

"Mr. Wang, I have already talked to Director Gu. Parasite has been handed over to Guangguang." Wang Changtian's words were already a bit impolite, and he was almost telling Huayi not to think of competing with Guangguang for food.

"Wanda will be responsible for the distribution of "Partners", so Mr. Wang, forget it." Ye Ning said in the same cold tone.

"What about "Painted Skin 3"? " Wang Zhongjun continued to ask. His target was this movie. He had been in a hot relationship with Wuershan recently and had put a lot of effort into trying to poach him.

"Painted Skin 3 has been left to China Film Group and Xi'an Film Group. It's too late, Mr. Wang." Song Ge turned his head and said.

"Huayi will definitely not be able to distribute these three movies. If Mr. Wang is so interested in the movies of Xingchen Film and Television, do I have a recommendation?" Gu Wei picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and said slowly.

"Oh, Director Gu, just speak frankly." Wang Zhongjun said curiously. The others were also stunned, and even Li Ming and Qin Hong at the next table turned their heads to look over.

"Wolf Warrior, the film company invested nearly 200 million yuan. If Huayi is interested, we can accept it, but we have to guarantee the release."

We all run film and television companies, so of course we understand guaranteed release, which means that the distributor gives a number and the movie is released with the distributor bearing the cost of the box office profit or loss.

"How much is the guarantee?"

"A billion."

Gu Wei's words made the others around him gasp.

To be honest, mainstream movies have not performed very well in the mainland market. Even the "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" produced by Bo Na only boasted during its promotion that it would guarantee a box office of 1 billion yuan, and many people in the industry did not take it seriously.

"Director Gu, are you kidding? Ten billion guaranteed?" Wang Zhongjun's face turned ugly in an instant, and his words didn't sound so nice anymore.

"Haha, I'm not kidding. Since Huayi is so good at manipulating the media, a guaranteed minimum of 1 billion is not a lot. Maybe you, Mr. Wang, can make some money by relying on the hype of media reporters." Gu Wei said with a wry smile.

Now, no matter how dumb the others were, they could understand that Gu Wei was just teasing Wang Zhongjun and mocking him at the same time.

Seeing Wang Zhongjun being humiliated, Yu Dong, who already had a grudge against Huayi, could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, there was a happy event in my family recently and I couldn't help but express it." Yu Dong waved his hand and said.

"Director Gu, what do you mean?" Wang Zhongjun was furious and asked directly.

"It's meaningless. Don't be afraid of what others say about what you have done." Gu Wei said calmly without any fear, obviously not taking the other party seriously.

"Gu Wei, you..."

Wang Zhongjun pointed at Gu Wei and shouted loudly, and the atmosphere at the table changed instantly.

People at other tables nearby also heard the noise and turned their heads to look over, obviously wanting to hear what was going on.

"Director Wang, Director Gu is drunk. Don't take it to heart as it was just a joke."

"Today is Director Han's birthday, everyone calm down."

"That's right, that's right. Today is a great day for Director Han. Director Wang can't be angry."

Ye Ning and Wang Changtian tried to smooth things over, constantly persuading both sides. Gradually, Yang Shoucheng and Yu Dong also joined in, constantly saying things like "peace is the most precious thing".

Song Ge, on the other hand, looked at Wang Zhongjun's chest rising and falling with great interest, trying hard to suppress his smile.

Fortunately, Wang Zhongjun did not lose his rationality and slowly calmed down.

After saying this, Gu Wei felt a little regretful. He didn't regret mocking the other party, but he regretted that he spoke in the wrong occasion. He felt a little sorry for Lao Han.

"Mr. Wang, it was just a joke, don't mind it." Gu Wei took a bite of the dish, stared at Wang Zhongjun with a smile and said.

Gu Wei was a little angry when Wang Zhongjun proposed to distribute the movies of Xingchen Film and Television Company. Later, when he heard that the other party's appetite was getting bigger and bigger, he could no longer hold back.

"Haha, Director Gu's joke is really funny." Wang Zhongjun said with a sneer.

...

The banquet continued and no one mentioned what had just happened, as if it had never happened.

But the people present knew more and more, and after understanding what had just happened, everyone had different thoughts.

While big names like Huang Xiaoming, Fan Binbin, and Li Binbin, and many other filmmakers in the industry were joking with each other, they were also thinking about which side to take.

Not long after, Han Sanping came over with the Han family girl.

He already knew about the conflict between Gu Wei and Wang Zhongjun, so he arrived at the scene as if nothing had happened.

"I was doing my job before. If I did anything wrong, please don't take it personally. I'll trouble you to take care of my daughter in the future."

"Mr. Han, you're too polite."

"It's my duty, Mr. Han."

"Boss Han, a toast to you."

When everyone heard the always strong "Mountain Eagle" Han Sanping say this, they felt a little sad. His era has finally passed.

No matter how many people have worked against Han Sanping before, cursed him, complained about him, and reported him behind his back, no one can deny the tremendous contribution Han Sanping has made to the domestic film industry over the years.

After the banquet, Wang Zhongjun left early with a gloomy face, taking Feng Xiaogang and others.

"Mr. Han, I'm a little embarrassed. It's my fault that I couldn't help myself." In the private room of the villa, Gu Wei talked about this with Han Sanping and Han Jianv face to face.

"Haha, it's okay. I understand everything. To be honest, if I were there, my reaction would probably be similar to yours."

"These two brothers are just daydreaming. They don't even know what they are. They actually want to compete with China Film Group for distribution. Damn it."

Han Sanping waved his hands and cursed a few words.

"Dad, don't say bad words." The girl from the Han family reminded him.

"Okay, okay, I'll be more careful next time." Old Han was a little helpless about his own daughter.

Seeing this scene, Gu Wei next to him couldn't help but smile.

"Mr. Han, I'm going to go back now. The first day box office of The Wandering Earth should be available tomorrow. I'll keep an eye on the overseas side and contact you by phone when the data is out." Gu Wei greeted him and then said goodbye.

"Well, I'll leave the details to you."

Gu Wei was obviously stunned when he heard this. He had never seen Han Sanping so polite. It seemed that retirement really had a great impact on him.

Gu Wei drove the car when they came, and Liu Yifei sat in the driver's seat when they went back.

The young lady didn't ask much about what happened at the banquet. Liu Yifei still remembered clearly when Huayi was blackmailing her online.

.........

The next day, the first day of National Day ended. For the entire film and television industry, a lot of things happened yesterday.

The era of "Zuoshan Diao" has officially ended!
The conflict between Gu Wei and Wang Zhongjun also represents the complete confrontation between the two giants of domestic private enterprises!

Unfortunately, not many netizens know about these two things, and the attention of major media has also been attracted by the first-day box office of "The Wandering Earth".

Sina Entertainment: "Jointly produced by Xingchen Films, China Film Group, Wanda, Guangguang, Bona Film Group, and Emperor Entertainment Group, directed by Gu Wei, starring Hu Jun, Zhou Xun, Liu Ye, Huang Xiaoming, Han Dongjun, Yang Zi and others, the domestic 3D science fiction blockbuster "The Wandering Earth" earned 2.13 million yuan on its first day."

Souhu Entertainment: "The first domestic blockbuster with a daily box office of 200 million yuan was born, and "The Wandering Earth" set a new record for the first-day box office of domestic movies."

Penguin Entertainment: "The Wandering Earth has a Douban score of 9.1, and has achieved great success in both word-of-mouth and box office, and has received rave reviews from major film forums."

Enlight Entertainment: "Tickets for the 3D version of The Wandering Earth are hard to come by. Cinemas are lining up to buy tickets, and even if a single movie ticket is doubled, it is still in short supply."

To be honest, many filmmakers in the industry are confused.

This time I was completely numb. Even when I heard Gu Wei reveal the figure of 200 million at the banquet yesterday, it was far less shocking than when I saw the news report today.

In terms of the midnight screenings, "The Wandering Earth" closed at 2012 million, far exceeding the preview data of "Avatar" and "".

As for the daily box office, there is no need to mention it. The box office of 2.13 million is only slightly less than that of "Avatar" and "2012" combined.

"The Wandering Earth" was released for only one day, and the cumulative box office exceeded 200 million. This speed really stunned the bosses of other film companies.

It already exceeded 200 million on the first day, and the word of mouth is pretty good. How much will the total box office be?
Not to mention that the film was released simultaneously around the world and hit commercial theaters on a large scale in Europe, America, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. The global box office must have exceeded one billion US dollars!

.........

(End of this chapter)