Chapter 23 Global Distribution
During the filming of "The Matrix", those who could speak English on set used the original English voice, while those who couldn't speak English spoke Cantonese or Mandarin, and then dubbed them uniformly in later stages.

So when the film was released, there were three versions: Mandarin, English and Cantonese.

As for the French, German, Russian and other language versions, they are dubbed by the film producers of each country themselves.

Columbia's distribution channels are not only spread across North America, but it also has its own distribution companies or strategic partners in South America.

In this negotiation, Jiang Heng not only sold the North American distribution rights, but also the South American rights as a package.

When signing the contract, we hired a law firm and it took several days to complete the transaction.

Subsequently, it signed profit-sharing and distribution agreements with European countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

At this point, the things he needed to worry about came to an end, and he could finally give himself a few days off.

But the reality is that there are always people from the entertainment circles in Hong Kong and the Mainland who call him.

They either congratulated him on his box office success or celebrated his success, or inquired about Jiang Heng's next film shooting plan to see if there was any possibility of cooperation.

Jiang Heng mostly refused these invitations.

But for some good relationships, it is really impossible to refuse.

One day, Sammo Hung called and invited Jiang Heng to have dinner together.

Thinking about the "celebration banquet" I had attended not long ago, I wanted to refuse.

Hong Jinbao said, "Ah Wei will come too. He was not very smart before and said some bad things. He has been feeling bad about it. Let's have a drink together this time and talk it out. We are still good friends. How about it?"

Jiang Heng naturally would not be friends with Zeng Zhiwei, but he wanted to see him smile. After all, he was too impressed by his rebellious appearance that day.

"Okay, you tell me a place, and I'll be there on time!"

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Heng rested at home for a while. Seeing that the time was almost up, he went downstairs and drove to the restaurant owned by Hong Jin Baoding.

There were quite a few people in the box, including Cheng Long. He smiled warmly and stepped forward to pat Jiang Heng on the shoulder and said, "You are amazing, kid. You beat both me and Zhou Xingxing!"

Jiang Heng hurriedly said with a smile: "Luck, luck, the audience also wants to see something new!"

Cheng Long deliberately kept a straight face, "Are you saying that what I shoot is old-fashioned?"

Jiang Hengxin said: "Indeed, a little bit!"

Cheng Long's action films were truly unique in the 1980s and 1990s. Not only were many of his films box office hits, his global influence also ranked first among Chinese male stars.

However, after the year 2000, the quality of films produced had gone from bad to worse.

Not only are the action scenes not as good as before, but the plot is also very old-fashioned.

Of course, this cannot be said at this moment.

"Brother's action style is unique and you never get tired of watching it!" Jiang Heng complimented.

Cheng Long laughed loudly, and enthusiastically put his arm around Jiang Heng's shoulders, with an expression that said, "I'll protect you, little brother." "Haha, I love to hear that!"

Hong Jinbao stepped forward and invited Jiang Heng and others to take their seats, while he still sat in the first seat.

In fact, Sammo Hung’s position in the Hong Kong film industry is very embarrassing at this moment.

He used to own a company and worked as a producer and director, making many box office hits.

However, the movie "A Cut of the Sword" directed by Lo Wei in 93 lost all his savings, and since then he has had no market in Hong Kong.

To be precise, since then, almost no one has asked him to make a movie.

One more thing to mention is that there is a line in "A Cutting Sword" that is very popular in the era of short videos. It is said by Yuan Shikai: In the torrent of the secular world, it is already a thousand hardships to stand firm... In this year when it is difficult to achieve one's ambitions and everything is difficult to accomplish, it is probably harder than climbing to the sky to stand out. However, Hong Jinbao was unwilling to give up. In 95, he cooperated with Yuen Biao, brought in his two sons and members of the Hong Family Class, and filmed "Modern Laughter Detective". As a result, the box office was only more than 500 million, which was naturally a huge loss.

By 96, Sammo Hung could only be a director and couldn't even be an action director.

Seeing that his senior was in a bad state, Cheng Long asked him to be the director of "A Good Man" and also told his senior the idea of ​​"Who Am I".

As a result, Sammo Hung turned around and collaborated with Xu Ke and Jet Li to shoot "Once Upon a Time in China II".

If the relationship between the two brothers was not so good, Cheng Long would definitely turn against them.

However, the Hong Kong film market continues to be sluggish at the moment. Although "The Lion of Western Regions" achieved a box office of more than 30 million, it was mainly due to Jet Li.

There is still no capital willing to hire Sammo Hung as a director or martial arts instructor.

Seeing "The Matrix" being released worldwide, Sammo Hung was jealous and also wanted to have more cooperation with Jiang Heng.

Even if the director’s job can’t be taken away from me, I can always be a martial arts instructor!

If there is cooperation, there will be a certain say, and my son can always lead the way!

After eating for a while, Hong Jinbao said to Zeng Zhiwei: "Ah Wei, you said nonsense last time when you drank a little, you should at least show some remorse!"

Zeng Zhiwei stood up and said with a chuckle, "Director Jiang, last time, I was drunk and said something nonsense. Don't mind it, don't mind it! I did it, you can do whatever you want, whatever you want, ah ha ha ha!"

Zeng Zhiwei's signature laughter echoed throughout the box, and he immediately drank three glasses in a row, turning the glass upside down to show his generosity.

In fact, given his status in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, even if he doesn't apologize, Jiang Heng can't do anything to him.

But this time, with Sammo Hung stepping in to mediate, Zeng Zhiwei naturally had to give him face.

Furthermore, he would never sacrifice real benefits for false fame. Seeing that Jiang Heng had become the most sought-after director in the Hong Kong film industry and was being asked for cooperation by investors with cash, he was naturally willing to settle this feud.

Otherwise, it will not be worth it if you are retaliated against in the future.

Seeing Zeng Zhiwei drink three glasses in a row, Jiang Heng didn't want to embarrass him in front of him, so he picked up the glass and said with a smile: "Hey, drunken words, I never take them to heart!"

Zeng Zhiwei said: "I always remember that at that time, I really didn't think that Hong Kong could make a good science fiction film. But when it was released, I saw that my god, this is too good. Cameron and Spielberg are no match for it......!"

Zeng Zhiwei's exaggerated expression and flattering tone caused everyone in the box to laugh.

Jiang Heng was also overjoyed, thinking to himself: "I still want to see your unruly side!"

After drinking for a while, Sammo Hung asked, what plans do you have for the new film? Are you ready to start filming the second part of "The Matrix"?
Jiang Heng said: "There is no plan for this yet, it should be a new movie!"

Cheng Long said: "It's a pity that our styles don't match, otherwise we could have worked together!"

Jiang Heng smiled and said, "Yes, there are some, but if there is a suitable role in the future, would you be willing to come and play a guest role?"

Cheng Long said proudly: "If you give the order, I will definitely go!"

He took a sip of wine and said to everyone, "If you have time, please go and show your support!"

Everyone naturally agreed, and Zeng Zhiwei said with a smile: "I can accept a low salary, as long as I can show my face in front of the global audience!"

Jiang Hengxin said, "Just forget it!"

On the one hand, it is impossible to accept this person, and on the other hand, we have reached a preliminary agreement with the Beijing Film Studio to collaborate on a film.

　Please collect and recommend!
　　

(End of this chapter)