Literary Master 1978

In the blink of an eye, Lin's Pictures has been established for more than a year. In this period of more than a year, it has only produced two works. This efficiency is really not high compared with many film companies in Hong Kong, but the profit ratio is enough to make those companies drool.

When the company was first established, it was all funded by Lin Chaoyang's royalties, and it has been invested in succession. Nearly 3 million Hong Kong dollars, giving people the impression that it has no strength.

Starting from the second half of this year, first "The Truman Show" received 10 million Hong Kong dollars, and then "A Better Tomorrow" received 22 million Hong Kong dollars.

Excluding the company's various expenses and investments, by mid-November, Lin's Pictures had more than 25 million Hong Kong dollars in its account. Tao Yushu felt an unprecedented happiness.

With sufficient funds, Tao Yushu's first thing to do was to start a new play.

Yesterday, "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" was released. Wang Jing first went to Golden Harvest's Dragon Head Theater in Kowloon to participate in the screening event, and then went to two theaters and did not return home until midnight.

Before he woke up in the morning, Tao Yushu called him to the company.

On the way to Lin's Film Studio, Wang Jing bought two newspapers and read them. He felt a little relieved when he found the news report of "The Romance of the Condor Heroes".

The box office information will not be released until the afternoon. Seeing the news report now proves that the movie is still popular.

It is different to work in Shaw and Lin. In Shaw, he works for the boss, but in Lin, he is also half a boss, so he is more concerned about the box office performance after the movie is released.

Therefore, he was inevitably a little uneasy along the way. The box office was not released at this time, and he didn't know why Tao Yushu asked him to do it.

"A Jing, come and sit down."

When he arrived at the company, Tao Yushu's attitude was as gentle as usual, and Wang Jing felt a little relieved.

"Mrs. Lin, is there anything important for you to call me here?"

"Nothing important, I just want to talk to you about the new play."

"New play?" Wang Jing's tone was full of surprise.

"The Romance of the Condor Heroes" was only released yesterday, and the first day box office has not yet come out, but the boss is already thinking about the next movie?

Wang Jing didn't know how to react for a while.

He didn't know whether the boss had confidence in "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" or in him.

But no matter what, this confidence was somewhat blind.

"Yes, the company is now well-funded, but there are too few new film plans.

There should be at least five movies a year, including pre-production, mid-term shooting, post-production, release, and settlement.

Five movies can at least ensure that the shadow of our Lam films will always appear in the news and the market."

What Wang Jing was thinking was that five movies a year, and the number of companies that can achieve this in Hong Kong can basically be counted on two hands.

Golden Harvest, Cinema City, D\u0026B, Baohe... A considerable number of them are companies of Golden Harvest and Cinema City.

He knew Tao Yushu was very radical from the beginning, but he didn't expect it to be so radical. The company had to release five movies a year in the second year of its establishment.

However, this was not bad for him. If there were movies, there would be money to be made.

Of course, the premise is that the box office is ideal.

"No problem, I'll write the script right away."

Although he had no idea about the new movie, Wang Jing agreed to Tao Yushu's request without hesitation.

Since he entered the film industry, Wang Jing has had a clear understanding of himself.

He is a craftsman, not an artist.

People in Hong Kong say, it's about making money.

It doesn't matter if you don't have ideas now, many times ideas are forced out.

His answer made Tao Yushu look a little relieved. Her husband was right. Directors like Wang Jing are really easy to use.

He has no bad habits of doing art. As long as the boss pays, he can keep shooting.

The two continued to talk about the idea of ​​the new movie, and they all agreed that if the box office of "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" is ideal, they can shoot two more movies in this way.

Wang Jing himself is a person with quick talent, otherwise he would not have the top efficiency of shooting a movie a week at his peak.

After chatting with Tao Yushu for almost an hour, he gradually had some ideas in his mind and planned to go home and write the script first.

At this time, someone else came to talk to Tao Yushu about something. He wanted to leave, but Tao Yushu introduced him.

"Ah Jing, let me introduce you. This is Zhang Wanting and her husband Luo Qirui..."

Feeling Tao Yushu's attention to Zhang Wanting and her husband, Wang Jing knew that they should be colleagues in the future.

He greeted the two of them and exchanged a few words. Tao Yushu said to him, "Wait for me first, let's have lunch together at noon. I guess the box office statistics for yesterday will be out soon."

"Okay, Mrs. Lin, you go first."

Wang Jing left the office, found a seat outside and sat down casually, and started chatting with Wu Meizhen.

"Brother Jing!"

After the two chatted for a while, Stephen Chow came to the company.

He and Wang Jing worked together on "The Romance of the Condor Heroes", and their relationship became much better.

"Hey, Ah Xing, are you in the company again?"

Wang Jing's attitude towards Stephen Chow is very close. Everyone in the company calls him "Xingzai", but Wang Jing insists on calling him "Ah Xing".

Because Wang Jing knows that Lin Sheng also calls Stephen Chow this way.

Mrs. Lin also told him that if there is a chance, the company will give Ah Xing a solo show to promote him, which is enough to show how much the company values ​​him.

"Yeah, since I have nothing to do, why don't I come to the company to see if there is anything I can do to help. By the way, Brother Jing, why are you here today?"

Wang Jing is a director, and he spends most of his time filming and rarely appears in the company.

"Mrs. Lin asked me to come and talk about the new play."

Stephen Chow's eyes lit up when he heard these words, "Do you want to start a new movie? How about giving me a supporting role?"

Seeing him like this, Wang Jing laughed and said, "You are the first brother of our Lin family, and you will be the leading actor in the future."

"Brother Jing, please don't make fun of me. I haven't acted in a few movies and I'm not famous."

"Are you afraid that you won't be able to film any scenes in Lin's..."

While the two were talking, the phone on Wu Meizhen's desk suddenly rang, and she picked up the phone.

When Wang Jing heard the word "box office", she stopped chatting with Stephen Chow and stared at Wu Meizhen.

After she hung up the phone, Wang Jing asked hurriedly: "Azhen, is the box office out?"

"Yeah. Shaw Brothers' box office is out, it's 166,000 yuan."

Wang Jing was overjoyed when he heard this number, and then he confirmed with Wu Meizhen again, "We have 5 theaters in Shaw Brothers, 7 screens, right?"

"yes."

Wang Jing was relieved now, the box office for a single screen was 23,000, which is a huge hit!

"Brother Jing, Brother Jing, this box office should be good, right?" Stephen Chow asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Wang Jing patted Zhou Xingchi on the shoulder, "A Xing, you are going to be famous!"

"Congratulations, Brother Jing!"

When the two of them patted each other's rainbow farts, the door of Tao Yushu's office opened. She walked out with Zhang Wanting and her husband, and said to Wu Meizhen:

"Azhen, help me make a reservation at Felix Restaurant at the Peninsula Hotel, and treat Director Wang and Director Zhang to dinner at noon."

As she was talking, she saw Stephen Chow, "A Xing is here too."

"Mrs. Lin!" Stephen Chow said hello to Tao Yushu.

Tao Yushu nodded to him, and then said to Wu Meizhen, "Count Ah Xing in."

"Okay, Mrs. Lin."

Wu Meizhen responded and was about to call to make a reservation at the restaurant when the phone on the table rang again.

"Mrs. Lin, the box office from Golden Harvest is out, a total of 849,000. In addition, Shaw Brothers also called before, and their box office is 166,000."

Wu Meizhen said to Tao Yushu after answering the phone.

Hearing this figure, Wang Jing and Stephen Chow were a little surprised. Adding to what Shaw Brothers said, the box office of "Girls in Hardcover" on the first day actually exceeded one million?

No, this doesn’t include the Double Southern Line.

Although the box office output of Double Southern Line has never been high, it cannot be ignored.

Tao Yushu nodded calmly, "That's right. Let's wait a little longer. It's estimated that the Shuangnan Line will be out soon."

Less than twenty minutes after saying this, the call came from Shuangnan Line, with a box office of 158,000 yuan.

Today, the Hong Kong Film Market has 126 theaters with more than 240 screens, but only 60% of the screens mainly screen Hong Kong films.

In addition, cinemas specializing in Hong Kong films such as Jiale, Shaw Brothers, Golden Princess, Debau and other theaters are hostile to each other, so the vast majority of movie theaters will not open with more than half the screen.

"Fantasy" was released in three theaters: Jiale, Shaw Brothers and Shuangnan. There are nearly 40 theaters and 70 screens. This scale of opening is considered to be very high in Hong Kong.

The box office on the first day was 1.173 million, which is an excellent figure for any new film.

"Mrs. Lin, congratulations on the new movie's success!"

"Congratulations, Mrs. Lin!"

The first day's box office was released, and there was a burst of congratulations in the company. Tao Yushu responded to everyone's congratulations with a smile on her face, and asked Wu Meizhen to give a few people who stayed in the company extra lunch.

She took Wang Jing, Zhang Wanting and others to the Peninsula Hotel.

"Ah Fa has become very popular recently, and the box office on the first day was good. The audience is all going to him.

We have to wait two days to really see if our drama is a hit. "

During the meal, Tao Yushu chatted with Wang Jing and others about the box office performance of "Hardcover Girls", which was not as optimistic as she had shown when she was in the company.

Wang Jing has been in the film industry for many years and understands this truth.

Then Tao Yushu talked about the fact that Lin's Pictures has decided to produce a new film by Zhang Wanting and his wife, titled "Autumn Fairy Tale".

"The focus of this drama is love, and we have to find two handsome men and beautiful women." Tao Yushu said.

Wang Jing smiled and said: "Mrs. Lin, have you heard something recently?"

"What words?"

"No one can be as popular as Chow Yun-fat, and no one can be as popular as Zhong Chuhong."

Tao Yushu couldn't help laughing when he heard this, "They are indeed handsome men and beautiful women, so let's invite them both."

After hearing her words, Zhang Wanting and Luo Qirui's faces were full of surprise.

Chow Yun-fat and Chung Chu-hong are both popular in the Hong Kong film industry. If they were hired, the production cost would probably be tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

The couple had previously been tinkering with small-budget films, and suddenly they had to make such an investment film. Happiness came too suddenly.

But at the same time they were happy, the couple was a little worried, what if the photo failed...

I don’t dare to think about it, I don’t dare to think about it at all.

With an investment of tens of millions, if the film really fails, the couple will probably not have to hang out in the Hong Kong film industry anymore. No boss will dare to use them anymore.

Seeing that Zhang Wanting and his wife were under great pressure, Tao Yushu had no choice but to comfort the couple with a few words, making them feel a little more relaxed.

In the following days, the box office of "Hardcover" maintained the hot momentum on the first day of its release, with the single-day box office exceeding one million for many consecutive days.

The total box office in its first week of release exceeded 10 million, making it the biggest dark horse in the Hong Kong film market in November.

Because of the popularity of "A Better Tomorrow" overseas, Chow Yun-fat also became a big star in many regions and countries such as Taiwan Island and Southeast Asia.

Two days after the release of "The Romance of the Condor Heroes", overseas film producers began to contact Lam Pictures, hoping to distribute the film.

Tao Yushu handed over the distribution rights of "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and other countries to Shaw Brothers.

The Shaw family itself made its fortune in Southeast Asia and came to Hong Kong in the 1950s. Shaw's cinemas have a considerable market share in several Southeast Asian countries.

Tao Yushu did this on the one hand to show goodwill to Shaw Brothers and prepare for renting or acquiring Shaw's cinemas in the future, and on the other hand to form alliances and prevent Golden Harvest from backstabbing.

Entering December, the box office trend of "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" is still very good.

Several film companies put the highlight after Christmas and New Year's Day. Without strong competitors, "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" can be said to be like a fish in water. The cumulative box office reached 21.3 million Hong Kong dollars in three weeks of release.

In recent years, the production of local films in Hong Kong has been increasing every year, and more than 160 films have been released this year.

There are only so many cinema resources, and three weeks is almost the entire life cycle, and the box office potential has been completely exhausted.

"The Romance of the Condor Heroes" was officially withdrawn from the cinema on the third day of the fourth week of its release.

The final total box office was set at HK$21,720,626, temporarily ranking 9th in the Hong Kong movie box office rankings in 1986.

This box office result also completely established the reputation of Lam's Films in the Hong Kong film industry.

Since the beginning of this year, Lam has participated in the production of two annual hits, "The Truman Show" and "A Better Tomorrow".

These two films are not only a big hit at the local box office, but also a hot overseas box office and copyright transactions.

Previously, newspapers reported that the impressive box office results of "The Truman Show" after its release in the United States, France and other places also caused some repercussions among the citizens.

There are also many media reports on the popularity of "A Better Tomorrow" in East Asia, Southeast Asia and other countries.

Such eye-catching achievements naturally made Lam Pictures one of the most dazzling emerging companies in the Hong Kong film market.

However, Lam's involvement in these two films was not deep after all, and his peers still attributed the credit to Lin Chaoyang, the "master screenwriter".

The popularity of "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" after its release has, to a certain extent, broken the prejudice of peers and let them see the magnificent side of Lam Pictures.

"A Better Tomorrow" had a local box office of HK$39.62 million, "The Truman Show" had a local box office of HK$33.46 million, and "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" had a local box office of HK$21.72 million, ranking first, second, and ninth in the annual box office list of Hong Kong movies.

As 1986 was about to pass, the film companies took stock and found that a film company that had been established for less than two years had created three films that broke into the top ten of the annual box office.

The last film company that had such a strong momentum in the Hong Kong film industry was called Xinyicheng.

On the day when "The Romance of the Condor Heroes" was released, Tao Yushu held a celebration banquet at the Peninsula Hotel, and the scene was full of stars.

With Tao Yushu's personality, she actually doesn't like this kind of atmosphere of feasting and revelry, but this is also the best way to show off her momentum.

"Ah Du, have you really decided to join Lam?"

In the crowd, a short and fat guy wearing glasses asked his friends around him.

"What can I do? The company won't let me play a movie, so I can't be a screenwriter, right?"

The short and fat man felt that someone shot him in the back, "What's wrong with being a screenwriter? Many big directors have survived this way."

Johnnie To glanced at his friend again, and wanted to tell him that we are different.

Although Johnnie To is also a screenwriter, he has filmed several TV series and movies intermittently since the 1980s. Screenwriter is just one of his identities, and his more important identity is director.

And the friend in front of him is a pure screenwriter, a flyer.

We are not on the same level, so don't force it, okay?

Feeling the contempt in his friend's eyes, the short and fat man cursed: "Damn it!"

When he turned around, the short and fat man accidentally bumped into a man with a middle-parted hair.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Stephen Chow bowed his head and apologized again and again.

"It's okay."

The short and fat man brushed his clothes and said indifferently.

After the short and fat man and Johnnie To left, Stephen Chow approached Chow Yun-fat, with a smile on his face, and raised his glass a little stiffly.

"Brother Fa!"

At this time, Chow Yun-fat was surrounded by a group of people. He raised his glass to Stephen Chow calmly, with an indescribable chic.

After taking a sip of champagne, Stephen Chow didn't have time to talk to Chow Yun-fat, and the other party's energy had been attracted by others.

Stephen Chow could only watch from across the crowd, full of envy.

"Envy?"

A voice suddenly appeared beside his ear, and Stephen Chow turned around quickly and found that it was his boss. He bowed his head and greeted: "Mr. Lin!"

He said a little embarrassedly: "Chow Yun-fat is so popular, who wouldn't envy him?"

Lin Chaoyang looked at him with a smile, "Maybe you will be more popular than him in the future?"

Stephen Chow was embarrassed when he heard this, thinking that Lin Chaoyang was teasing him, "Mr. Lin, you are joking."

"Okay, I won't tease you anymore. How about you be the male lead in Ah Jing's new film?"

Stephen Chow was immediately surprised, but then he asked: "Mr. Lin, isn't Ah Jing going to ask Andy Lau to play the male lead?"

"Andy Lau is currently filming Bao He's "The Last of Us," and the schedule is so tight."

In the Hong Kong film industry, it is normal to avoid scenes. Generally, artists or managers have energy and can balance the relationship between the crew, so it is not difficult to schedule scenes.

Andy Lau only debuted in 1981, but he rose quickly and achieved good results in both film and television.

In terms of television, he was highly praised by TVB and filmed dramas such as "Falcon", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Deer and the Cauldron".

In terms of movies, there are also works such as "Into the Wrath" and "The Outlaw" that have achieved good box office and awards success.

Last year, he had a falling out with TVB over contract issues, and he did not recover after being frozen out. Instead, he relied on his connections to make films such as "Emerald" and "The Best Lucky Star."

Wong Jing's new film is called "The Best Losing Friend" and it continues the "chasing girls" routine of "Beautiful Chasing Girls".

Originally he wanted to name the new film "Chasing Girls in Hardcover 2", but Tao Yushu felt that "Chasing Girls in Hardcover" had just been released and had a sequel released every few months, which meant too much money-making.

There is no rush to wait until half a year to make a sequel, since Wong Jing is very efficient anyway.

Andy Lau was recommended by Chow Yun-fat to play the leading role in "Best Friend". The two had a good relationship at TVB before.

Xu Anhua was originally going to make "Journey to the Angry Sea", which was the sequel to "The Story of Hu Yue".

I originally wanted to find Chow Yun-fat, but at that time Chow Yun-fat didn't take the film because of career prospects, so he recommended it to Andy Lau, allowing the fledgling Andy Lau to make a name for himself in the film industry.

The situation this time was similar to that of "Into the Wrath". Chow Yun-fat had already accepted Lin's "Autumn Fairy Tale" and recommended Andy Lau to Wong Jing.

Wong Jing had collaborated with Andy Lau in "Emerald" before, and was recommended by Chow Yun-fat, so he naturally had no objection to it.

Unfortunately, Andy Lau is now close to Bao Wo. He previously played a supporting role in "The Best Lucky Star", and now Bao Wo has given him a separate role in "The Love of the Heart".

The two films were scheduled to coincide with each other, so of course Andy Lau wanted to have them all, but Ms. Lin didn't give him the honor.

We are not familiar with each other, so there is no need to accommodate him.

Stephen Chow looked at Lin Chaoyang with some disbelief in his heart.

Even though Lin Sheng and Mrs. Lin had said more than once before that they would give him a solo show in the future, Stephen Chow had been at TVB for so many years and knew that sometimes it was better to just listen to what the boss said and not to take it seriously.

"Lin Sheng, I... have never played a leading male role. I am not famous and cannot hold the box office..."

Stephen Chow pursed his lips and spoke in a low voice.

"You shouldn't worry about these things, just play your part and that's it!"

The tone of Lin Chaoyang's words was clearly a warning, but there was an inexplicable reassurance in Zhou Xingchi's ears.

The boss's attitude is clear that he wants to favor him. The boss is not afraid of losing money, so he has nothing to hesitate.

"Thank you Lin Sheng, I will definitely work hard!" Zhou Xingchi said with pursed lips.

“It’s not enough to work hard, you also have to find your own characteristics.

There are many actors in Xiangjiang, but there are only a few who stand at the top of the pyramid.

You are mine and I want you to be on top. "

Lin Chaoyang's words were full of heart and high hopes, and Zhou Xingchi felt a surge of blood in his heart.

He said with a moved face: "Yes, Lin Sheng, I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Lin Chaoyang nodded happily, patted his shoulder and left.

Stephen Chow looked at Lin Chaoyang's back and was moved when Wang Jing came to him and said, "Axing, did Lin Sheng tell you?"

"Brother Jing!" Stephen Chow turned around and saw Wang Jing, with joy and nervousness in his eyes.

"Don't be afraid, the boss is not afraid of losing money."

Wang Jing's tone was teasing, but meaningful.

"Chasing Girls" was a box office hit, and he received nearly HK$600,000 in local box office dividends alone.

Tao Yushu is very generous. The dividends from the local box office have been settled to him this morning.

If you include the investment dividends from Wang Jing's film studio and the overseas dividends from the film, the amount would be at least one hundred to several hundred thousand.

Wong Jing has been a director for almost ten years, but he didn't make as much money as this movie.

Although he was happy in his heart, it was inevitable that he had other thoughts.

After the popularity of "Girls' Choice", Stephen Chow gained a little fame as the third male lead, but when it comes to being the first male lead, both his fame and box office appeal are far behind.

Wong Jing is very afraid that "Best Friend" will be affected because the male lead has little box office appeal. After all, this is related to his vital interests.

But Wong Jing also understands that Stephen Chow is the person that the boss wants to praise. Besides, he has worked with Stephen Chow and found that this kid does have some acting talent.

"Brother Jing, you will need to take more care of me in the next part of the movie."

Stephen Chow squeezed out a smile to compliment Wong Jing, and the two of them joked for a while. Stephen Chow mentioned the box office dividends, which tickled Wong Jing's itch, with a look of pride on his face.

"Hey, Adu, I just heard Wang Jing chatting with the traffic light. He earns 2 million Hong Kong dollars per movie!"

The short and fat man found Du Qifeng and said in surprise.

The short, fat man didn't know Stephen Chow's name, so he called him the name of his character in "The Girl Who Wants to Be Hardcover".

Du Qifeng's expression remained as usual when he heard his friend's words. He was not surprised at all. He had obviously known about it for a long time.

"You already knew this?"

"Nonsense, otherwise what job would I take?"

"Why don't you call me for such a good thing? Are you still not a friend?"

"Lin wants a director, not a paper boy."

This time, Johnnie To's words were not a cold shot, but a direct attack. The short and fat man looked at him angrily, and his eyes, which were red because of staying up late, became even redder.

He blinked his small eyes and tried to look imposing, but unfortunately his eyes were too dry. After staring for a while, he felt like crying in the wind, so he had to put them back on.

"Don't you need a screenwriter to start a play? Besides, I can be a director."

"Then wait until you become one first."

"We are all brothers, you won't be so heartless, right?"

The short and fat man kept pestering Johnnie To, and he finally said helplessly: "Let's make a deal first, I'll come over first, and then you can think of a reason to resign. Don't say you left with me, I don't want to offend anyone."

"OK!" The short and fat man gestured and smiled carefully.

The celebration banquet was coming to an end, and most people had left. Stephen Chow said hello to Lin Chaoyang and his wife before leaving the Peninsula Hotel.

It is not far from Tsim Sha Tsui to Ho Man Tin, less than three kilometers. Usually, Stephen Chow would choose to take the Kowloon Bus.

But for some reason tonight, he wanted to walk.

Behind him was the night view of Victoria Harbour, which was blocked by high-rise buildings.

Harbour City, Kowloon Park, Yau Ma Tei... He measured the land under his feet with his footsteps, and suddenly felt an urge to run.

When passing Taiping Road, his footsteps startled an old man who was walking on the side of the road. Seeing Stephen Chow's fast footsteps, the old man was shocked.

He quickly put the goods on the shelf, threw them into the cart, and pushed the cart. His footsteps were like escaping from the bombing of enemy planes, and he immediately surpassed Stephen Chow who was running in front.

"Hey, old man, exercise!"

"Exercise your head, the police are coming!" The old man said angrily.

Zhou Xingchi looked back while running, "Hey, are there any police? I didn't see any!"

The old man looked back in disbelief, turned around and asked him, "Why are you running if there are no police?"

"I'm exercising, old man!"

The old man stopped, his heart was filled with anger, his eyes were full of murderous intent, and he cursed.

"Throw the thunder mother!"

Zhou Xingchi's footsteps did not stop, like a running teenager.

"Goodbye, old man!"