Reborn in Hong Kong: The Tycoon Grows Up

Whether investing in movies is beneficial to Fucaira and Heiyun Group is a question Bao Zixuan needs to think about. Another point is that these people in front of them are not short of investment; whether they will agree to Heiyun's entry is also a key issue. No investment is required, they may look down on small money. But if it’s a big investment that they can’t refuse, let them become real industry giants; people with absolute say, who can make all the difference in Hollywood!

It is estimated that no one can refuse this temptation, because the feast prepared by Bao Zixuan is very sumptuous.

Bao Zixuan said with a smile: "Other costs are easy to talk about. After all, actors and directors have to work hard and even devote themselves to it. And they get money based on their acting skills and strength, which is not a lot. But I don't understand why publicity and production get so much Isn’t it a bit unreasonable to divide the shares into the same amount?”

Hearing Bao Zixuan say this, several people at the scene were still very happy. After all, they are producers, directors and actors; of course they don’t like publicity and distribution companies to get too much share.

George Lucas said very seriously: "That's because the promotion and distribution channels for Hollywood movies are mainly in the hands of the eight major film companies."

"Currently, Hollywood is basically monopolized by eight film companies. They are: Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, United Artists, 20th Century Fox Studios, Disney Studios.”

"These film companies not only have a long history and a large amount of film and television copyrights, but also control almost all links in the upstream and downstream of the film and television process. It can be said that they have mastered the film trends starting from the script. Those of us who want to make movies, Basically, there is no way around big companies. Because big film companies have complete systems, studios alone are a gap that is difficult to cross.”

"For example, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is one of the five earliest film companies in Hollywood. A film production company shot one of the best films in the history of film - "Gone with the Wind" and created a long-lasting screen classic - 007 , created the immortal cartoon characters - Tom and Jerry, initiated the establishment of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and launched the Academy Awards; that is, the Oscars. Any of the above achievements can make this company immortal. What's more, several myths are combined into one. The company's lion logo was once regarded as a symbol of the United States. It has a gathering of superstars and once created the myth of launching a movie every week."

"As a veteran giant in the film industry, Paramount is well-known for its logo of stars surrounding snowy mountains. In fact, it is very appropriate to use mountains to compare Paramount's position in the film industry. In the first thirty years of its establishment, the company With its many stars, high-quality films and chain theaters across the United States, the company has always been the dominant player in Hollywood."

"From the 1960s to the 1990s, Paramount's powerful people changed rapidly, but this did not affect the quality of the company's films. Whether it was Robert Evans or Barry Diller who was in charge, the company's president Able to produce films like ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Saturday Night Fever’.”

"Of course, the Raiders of the Lost Ark that we worked on together was also a collaboration with Paramount, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to guarantee a large number of screens."

"In 1920, brothers H. Cohen and J. Cohen, who used to work at Universal Pictures, and Brandt established a small company in Hollywood to produce comedy short films called CBC Film Sales Company. In 1924, it was renamed Columbia Pictures. , and developed into one of the eight major companies in the American film industry in the 1930s, mainly due to the shrewdness of H. Cohen and the creative talent of company director F. Capra."

"Currently, Columbia Pictures has been acquired by Japan's Sony, making it even stronger than before. It is simply difficult for other film companies to shake its status in the world."

"Warner Pictures was founded in April 1923 by four brothers, Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Sam Warner and Jack Warner. At that time, it was headquartered in New York, USA, and the studio was located in Burbank, near Hollywood. Warner Bros. began its business of distributing and exhibiting films in New York in 1917, and the establishment of Warner Bros. to produce films was an expansion of the business."

“In 1925, he took over Vitagraph Production Company, and in 1927 he produced and released The Jazz Singer, the first sound film in film history, which enabled Warner to enter the ranks of the eight major Hollywood film companies in the early 1930s. "

"Universal Pictures ranks second among the eight major Hollywood companies, and became the most powerful film company in Hollywood during the company's founding period. However, because founder Carl Laimer only used his own funds to operate the company, and it did not have strong By the mid-1920s, the powerful theater chain had surrendered its top spot to the newly established MGM. But even so, its strength should not be underestimated."

"Founded in May 1935, it was formed by the merger of Fox Film Company and 20th Century Pictures, the major companies in the silent film era. It was one of the eight major film companies in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s."

"The Walt Disney Company; Disney for short, is the second largest media and entertainment company in the world. It was founded by Walt Disney and his brother Roy Disney in 1923. In the field of animated films, it can be said to be an invincible existence. And peripheral derivatives In this field, we are at the forefront of the times.”

"In 1919, it was funded and founded by Charlie Chaplin, D. Fairbanks, M. Pickford, and D.W. Griffith. The purpose was to get rid of the constraints and exploitation of major film companies and strive for more creative freedom and Greater profits. The original idea was to only film and distribute the works of the four founders. Later, due to Griffith's withdrawal, the number of works by Chaplin, Fairbanks and others was limited, so the company began to fund the production and distribution of films by independent producers. Their films were the focus of their business. Unlike other film companies at the time, United Artists did not have its own studio and had to rent venues when filming. It did not hire its own movie stars and directors, and instead invested in independent producers to make films. "It does not have its own cinemas and distributes films by signing contracts with distributors on a film-by-film basis."

"In the 1950s, the American film industry entered a period of depression and recession. Chaplin and Pickford successively sold their stocks to financial capitalists. After that, United Artists changed hands several times, and was finally sold to MGM boss K in 1981. -Kerkorian financed the purchase, merged it into MGM, and renamed it MGM-United Artists."

"Because of Chaplin in the early stage, the company grew very rapidly; later it was acquired by MGM; after the integration of resources, the company became stronger than before."

"Those of us have not been in the film industry for a long time, and we seem to have some reputation. But we do not have enough background, so we can only rely on big film companies at present. Therefore, after filming, the film can only be distributed through the channels of the eight major film companies; otherwise It’s hard to get too many screens.”

Bao Zixuan: "When I was in the United States, I heard that Hollywood film companies are not allowed to own theaters! Why do we have to go to them for publicity? Is there any other behind-the-scenes operation inside?"

In order to prevent film companies from acting as both athletes and referees, the US antitrust investigation agency imposed penalties on Paramount Pictures. The Paramount Case was an antitrust law imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice on the film industry. In May 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the "Paramount Case" based on the antitrust law, ruling that the vertical monopoly of major studios was illegal and requiring prohibition. Film companies gave up the business of film distribution and cinema screening.

After this ruling, Paramount Pictures gradually sold off its theater chains; it became a company focusing on distribution and production, and no longer owned the theater business. Other Hollywood companies are also divesting their theater businesses, and the Paramount case has completely changed the ecology of the Hollywood film industry.

The Paramount case not only allowed movie companies to divest their theater business, but also ended the "collective booking" method of selling movies at that time. At that time, movie companies usually packaged and sold multiple movies to other theaters, and sold large and small movies together. It was unilaterally beneficial to the film company, and this method of package sale was prohibited at the time.

Judging from the situation at the time, the Paramount case indeed put the North American film market on a path of healthy development. Major film companies cannot dominate one company, nor can they rely on their theater advantages to dominate other competitors.

But things are so absolute. There are policies from above and countermeasures from below. In short, it is impossible to completely stop it. After all, movie theaters also need to have good movies to show. If there is nothing, how will the audience buy it?

Therefore, many times, they are the ones begging the film companies; if there are no excellent movies and good theaters are built, who will patronize them? Therefore, as long as eight companies reach an internal agreement, small and medium-sized film companies really have no chance of getting ahead.

Be it actors or directors, to put it bluntly, they are all workers. In front of the real boss, it is nothing. If you support you, you will become famous. If you don’t have resources, you will definitely be forgotten and eliminated by the market!