Chapter 7: Going North to Seek Distribution

The movie "Ma Yongzhen" has a smooth plot and outstanding fighting scenes. As a commercial action film, it is still very qualified.

Even though Jiang Heng had watched it many times, he still enjoyed it very much.

But for Hong Kong audiences, they have seen too many similar films and there is not much novelty, so the response on the spot was not very good.

Although no one left the theater midway, some complaints could be heard from time to time. Halfway through the film, Yuen Kwai and Liu Zhenwei left the theater due to too much pressure.

Outside the cinema, two people were standing on the roadside smoking.

Liu Zhenwei suddenly said: "Looking at this reaction, I'm afraid the box office won't be too ideal!"

"The overall environment is not good right now, there is nothing we can do!"

Yuan Kui comforted him casually, thinking, "Even if I lose money, it won't be my own. If I invest my own money like Jiang Heng did, it would be miserable. Safety first!"

"Forget it, let's not talk about that. Let's think about how to start work in the future. I have a script about the Three Kingdoms. Are you interested in directing it?"

Yuan Kui quickly waved his hands and said, "I haven't been in good shape in the past two years and I want to take a break!" The real thought was that he felt that cooperating with Liu Zhenwei was not financially compatible.

In the past year, the two co-directed "The Sparrow Flies the Dragon" and "Black Rose", but the box office performance was not ideal. "Ma Yongzhen", for which they served as director and action director, did not seem to be very good either, and they have begun to consider retiring.

Liu Zhenwei seemed not to notice and said calmly, "Then help with the action scenes when the time comes!"

"no problem!"

After saying this, both of them fell silent.

The situation in the Hong Kong film market in 97 was really bad.

Jackie Chan's big production "A Good Man" was released at the beginning of the year and earned 4500 at the box office, which sounds good, but compared with last year's "Simple Tasks", it was 1200 million less.

What was even more unexpected to many filmmakers was that a box office revenue of 1500 million could make it into the top ten of the year, while there were only films with a box office revenue of over million.

In the past, this was simply unimaginable.

What was even more unimaginable to Yuan Kui and Liu Zhenwei was the box office of "Ma Yongzhen". It went downhill from the beginning and was withdrawn from the screen after only 11 days of release due to poor box office performance. The box office performance was only 301 million, which was extremely miserable.

Liu Zhenwei was so depressed that he almost became autistic. If it weren't for his partner David Lai pulling him back, he would have quit the film industry.

When "Ashes of Time" is released next year, David Li will be so angry that he will stamp his feet and beat his chest, wondering why I dragged him along in the first place.

The failure of "Ma Yongzhen" has made Hong Kong filmmakers and investors even more frightened. Yuan Kui and Liu Zhenwei are considered to be very outstanding figures in the circle, but they cannot hide the downward trend. Hong Kong films will not really decline!

Some people are worried, some go north to pan for gold, some go to Hollywood to find a new way, and some are leisurely and carefree and don't care about these things at all.

I went back to Hong Kong to watch a midnight show, and after hanging out for a few days, I went to America again in the name of post-production!
When he came back, it was already early September. Li Meiqi got the news and came to him immediately.

"Jiang, I need to work, I can't wait any longer!"

"The money is gone?"

"how is this possible?"

Li Meiqi's salary for the film was 100,000 Hong Kong dollars. She was very frugal in her daily spending and still had quite a bit of savings.

What worried her was that Jiang Heng seemed to have no intention of making his work bigger. He tied himself down with a contract and stopped caring about anything else.

Since the filming of "The Matrix" was completed, she has not participated in any film or TV series, which is a complete waste of her life.

"I need to work. A woman's blooming period is very short!" Li Meiqi said with a little sadness.

Jiang Heng smiled, "I completely understand how you feel, but I advise you to wait patiently. You are a newcomer with no works at the moment, and you won't get a good role even if you participate!
But when the film is released, it will be different!"

"How different?"

"You will become an international star by then, do you understand?"

"I really hope that everything you said is true, but I...!"

Perhaps because she was in a foreign country with an uncertain future, Li Meiqi was very emotional. She covered her face with her hands, as if she was about to cry.

Jiang Heng patted her back gently and said with a smile: "Don't be sad, I'll show you something good!"

"What do you want to see?" Li Meiqi took a step back in panic.

Jiang Heng just opened a notebook and said, "Of course it's the film we shot. What do you think it is?"

"I think so too, that's it!"

Jiang Heng went to draw the curtains, and Li Meiqi took another step back with her eyes wide open.

In the end, Jiang Heng just turned on the projector and connected the laptop, "Come here!"

Li Meiqi then walked over and saw Jiang Heng opening the video file with the words "The Matrix" on the desktop.

There is no dragon logo, no production company animation, and the main storyline is entered right away.

Because she was familiar with the script, Maggie Q found it effortless to watch and was immediately attracted by the action scenes in the film.

Especially the fight scene where Trinity, played by her, jumps into the air and the camera spins when she first appears on the screen. It is so handsome that it is beyond words.

She could only say that there had never been such action scenes in Hollywood, and there probably wasn’t one in Hong Kong either!

If she maintains this level, she may really become an international star as Jiang Heng said!
This is a woman with a strong sense of career. Thinking of this, Li Meiqi's breathing became a little rapid with excitement, and she stared at the picture on the screen intently.

She didn't even drink a sip of water during the entire two-hour movie.

When Neo, played by Wu Aizu, soared into the sky like Superman on the street and the curtain suddenly darkened, Maggie Q heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed on the sofa, her forehead covered with beads of sweat.

Jiang Heng opened the curtains and showed a sunny smile, "How is it? I hope it can satisfy you!"

Li Meiqi looked over against the light and felt that Jiang Heng basking in the sun was so handsome and talented!

"I really can't believe that I played the leading female role in this movie. I actually acted in such a movie. Please tell me, is all this true?"

Jiang Heng walked up to her and thought for a moment, then stretched out his hand and pinched Li Meiqi's fair and smooth arm!
"I knew it was all just a dream!"

Li Meiqi gave a wry smile and didn't react at all.

Jiang Heng was stunned. Could it be that I had not been reborn, nor had I made any movies, and all my experiences so far were just a dream?

This dream lasted too long!
Shit, he's not still lying in the hospital like a plant!

Just when he was doubting his life, he felt a sharp pain in his waist. It was Li Meiqi, who was lying on the sofa, who reached out and twisted his waist.

“Ahhh, fuck, it hurts, let go!”

Li Meiqi loosened her hand and rubbed her arm, saying with an aggrieved look: "You pinched me hard even though you knew it hurt!"

Jiang Heng smiled helplessly, "Didn't you ask me if I was dreaming? This method is the most effective!" Li Meiqi said, "When do you plan to release it?"

Jiang Heng said: "Don't worry, we need to go to the mainland first!"

"Going to the mainland? Are there many people watching movies there?"

“Of course, the mainland has a large population, but it is the future of Chinese-language films!”

Li Meiqi didn’t understand those things because she was only over 18 years old at that time and was just a little girl.

"Can you take me there?"

"you?"

"I can be your assistant!"

Seeing that Jiang Heng was still hesitating, he added, "No salary required!"

"Okay! Then book two tickets to Beijing first, and make me a cup of coffee without sugar!"

"you!"

Seeing that Jiang Heng really treated her as an assistant, Li Meiqi glared at him hatefully and then obediently did as he asked.

This is the man who has the potential to make her an international actress. He also said that there will be a sequel to "The Matrix". So let her be an assistant, because she wants to stand out so much!
If you want to make progress, it’s not shameful!

The next day, the two of them flew to Beijing. After landing, they naturally chose a five-star hotel and paid the hotel to provide a car for their convenience, which was really a show of style.

At dinner that night, Li Meiqi couldn't help asking, "When did we go for the review?"

Jiang Heng ate steak with a knife and fork, "Don't worry, don't worry!"

Seeing that Li Meiqi still looked confused, Jiang Heng explained: "There are many brokers in Beijing. As long as the news is spread, someone will come to your door soon."

"can you?"

Li Meiqi still had some doubts, but thinking about the fact that they had just arrived here and were unfamiliar with the place, this should be the best way.

Otherwise, you will be like a headless fly flying around, and there will probably not be any good results.

Little did they know that Jiang Heng had lived here for many years in his previous life and was well aware of the development of the mainland entertainment industry.

In the mainland entertainment market in 97, many of the later well-known film and television companies had not yet been established. Even Huayi Brothers, which was known as the number one private film company, was still shooting commercials at the time and had not yet entered the film and television investment field.

The only ones that have the ability to distribute films are some state-owned film studios, but they are inevitably a bit too ambitious.

If a Hong Kong filmmaker like Jiang Heng, who has no reputation, were to approach him directly, he would probably be considered a liar.

As for reviewing it first, it is even more unreliable. If there is no one with strong connections to smooth things over, "The Matrix" might be cut into pieces. If that happens, it might as well not be released!

So Jiang Heng’s idea was to sit in a five-star hotel and wait for people with connections and ambitions in the film industry to come to him.

The situation was just as he expected. When he released the news that a Hong Kong film with Hollywood special effects was ready to be released in mainland China, it indeed caused a small heated discussion in the Beijing film and television circles.

But he never expected that the first person to come was Uncle Ma Weidu!
Ma Weiduo is commonly known as "Master Ma" and is known as "the number one collector in Beijing". He has written novels and once set up the "Seahorse Film and Television Creation Studio" with Wang Shuo and Liu Zhenyun, creating influential TV series such as "The Story of the Editorial Department" and "Seahorse Ballroom".

This is a person who has one foot in the film and television industry and one foot in the collecting industry.

It was probably because he had done too many appraisals on a daily basis, and was urged by others to come and test Jiang Heng's worth.

The three of them sat in the hotel restaurant and talked about Beijing's antiques, collections, culture, and architecture. Ma Wei talked eloquently, and Jiang Heng was not to be outdone, even speaking a few words in Beijing dialect from time to time, which stunned Li Meiqi.

She had asked others about Jiang Heng's background. He was born and raised in Hong Kong and had never left Hong Kong before the filming of "The Matrix" began.

How come he knows so much about the capital and how come he can speak the language here?

Ma Weidu on the opposite side was also a little confused. He felt that his eyes were as sharp as lightning and nothing could be hidden from his eyes. No matter how sophisticated the skills were, no one could deceive him.

But after talking with Jiang Heng, he became more and more unable to judge, and finally left with more doubts.

At Huayi Brothers Company, Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei sat in the office, analyzing the information they had heard.

"I did find out something useful from Hong Kong. It was said that Jiang Heng's father had passed away and left behind tens of millions of assets. This guy used to be a minor actor, but now he has money and doesn't know how to prove himself. He actually wanted to be a director and make a movie. He fooled two new actors and found a few veteran actors to start filming.

After the filming was finished, they said they were going abroad to do special effects, and they were gone for several months anyway!"

Wang Zhonglei concluded, "He is just a rich second-generation who has no idea of ​​his own limitations and is a spendthrift!"

Wang Zhongjun nodded slightly, basically agreeing with his brother's words, but also feeling a little envious.

Tens of millions in 97, that was a huge fortune, but it was ruined like this!
"If that's the case, we should get in touch with him. Maybe he can help us make money!" Wang Zhongjun said meaningfully.

Wang Zhonglei smiled, "I had the same idea. That guy doesn't sound very smart. We can just buy his movie at a low price and enter the film and television industry!"

According to the original history, Huayi would invest in director Feng’s new film “Never Ending” half a year later and transform into a film and television production company.

Such a big thing was certainly not something the two brothers decided on after drinking a few drinks. They had been thinking about it for a long time before that.

Now that they have encountered the Jiang Heng incident, the two brothers have other ideas and want to lower the price to release the Hong Kong film.

The Hong Kong film market was in a slump, but in mainland China, influenced by the spread of videotapes, Hong Kong films became increasingly popular among young people.

As a result, in the early days of the rise of domestic entertainment, Hong Kong stars were very popular, while popular young actors in the mainland could only play supporting roles. This shows the influence of Hong Kong films.

In other words, Jiang Hengming is unknown, and the matter seems very strange.

If a popular movie star came with a big production, the hotel’s doors would probably be packed to bursting.

The Wang brothers took a fancy to the films in Jiang Heng's hands, and a young cadre from the Beijing Film Studio also regarded Jiang Heng's appearance as an opportunity.

He walked directly into the hotel where Jiang Heng was staying, asked the front desk to call Jiang Heng's room, and left his name - Yu Dong.

As a result, the front desk told him that the Hong Kong man was not in the room and must have driven out.

Yu Dong had no choice but to stay in the hotel lobby and waited for nearly two hours before he saw the handsome Jiang Heng and the tall and beautiful Li Meiqi arriving together.

"Hello, are you from Hong Kong, Mr. Jiang?"

Jiang Heng smiled and stretched out his hand, saying, "It's me. May I ask who you are?"

"Hello, I'm the director of the distribution department of Beijing Film Studio. My name is Yu Dong. I heard that Mr. Jiang has a movie that will be released in the mainland. I wonder if there is a chance for us to cooperate!"

Jiang Heng said: "I wonder if Director Yu is talking to me about this in the name of the Beijing Film Studio or in his own name!"

Yu Dong was stunned when he heard this. He had thought about starting his own business, but he had not put it into practice yet. After all, he was still highly valued in the Beijing Film Studio.

Of course, nowadays all walks of life in the country are developing rapidly, and there are many people going into business. Sooner or later, he will have to do it, but he has not made up his mind yet!
Jiang Heng can say that, it seems he is no ordinary person!
(End of this chapter)