Chapter 38: New Movie Plan

While Feng Dapao was feeling indignant, Zhang Weiping was also extremely furious after seeing the news.

All the good fortune seemed to go to that kid.

Looking at Zhang Weiping's gloomy expression, Grandmaster Zhang shook his head secretly, thinking that his old partner was becoming increasingly incompetent.

Why bother competing with a green kid?

It would be better to just focus on his own business.

...

As news of the massive overseas rights sale broke, more and more information about Cheng Sheng began to surface.

Even his past was dug up by reporters and spread across the internet.

At ten years old, he wrote an excellent piece that was published in his school journal and praised by many teachers.

At sixteen, he was admitted to the best high school in the county...

At nineteen, he was admitted to the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama...

Everyone realized that Cheng Sheng had been exceptional since childhood. His journey from a rural youth to an international director was truly inspiring.

To achieve such success at the age of 22, one could not find a second person anywhere in the world.

While everyone was discussing Cheng Sheng,

Cheng Sheng, having caught up on his sleep, woke up the next day and immediately looked for someone to buy a house, intending to move out of the dormitory.

It wasn't that he didn't want to live in the dorm because he had become rich, but rather that he simply couldn't stand it.

People were walking back and forth outside his residence all night long, which severely disrupted his life.

When he went to the school canteen to eat, he was surrounded by people, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Therefore, he planned to move out of the school to avoid being disturbed.

Besides finding a house, Cheng Sheng had one more thing to do.

That was to distribute red envelopes.

Since the news of the overseas distribution rights sale had been leaked, he had to show his appreciation.

After all, so many people had helped him while he was filming.

He was not a stingy person.

Having made money, one must not forget one's roots.

He went to the bank to withdraw a large amount of cash and then summoned the entire crew. Under the pretext of hosting a banquet, he had everyone gather at a hotel near the Central Academy of Drama.

After the meal, Cheng Sheng gave a red envelope to every member of the crew.

The amounts varied depending on the size of their roles in the film.

For the leads, Cheng Sheng gave 200,000 yuan directly; the rest of the supporting cast and behind-the-scenes crew received 50,000, 30,000, 20,000, or 10,000 yuan.

In any case, Cheng Sheng's intention was to make everyone rich together.

Of course, his generosity was also a way to win over talent, as he would need people to help him with his future films.

After receiving the red envelopes, the crew members were overjoyed and expressed their deep gratitude to Cheng Sheng.

In addition to the crew, Cheng Sheng gave large red envelopes to Zhang Yang, Yang Chao, and others; as for the exact amounts, Zhang Yang and Yang Chao did not disclose them to the public.

Cheng Sheng also donated ten million yuan to the school.

After all, the success of his film was thanks to the school's assistance, and he could not forget his roots.

He also donated ten million yuan to the military.

Finally, he gave the coal bosses a fifty-million-yuan dividend.

In truth, Cheng Sheng didn't have to give anything; the contract clearly stated that the profits from overseas distribution belonged solely to him.

But Cheng Sheng was not that kind of person. He couldn't truly swallow the entire sum, as all the money used to film the movie had been invested by the coal bosses.

After all the profits were distributed, Cheng Sheng was left with about one hundred million yuan.

In other words, Cheng Sheng had distributed half of the profits to everyone.

Although giving away so much money was somewhat painful, Cheng Sheng did not regret it. After all, before the film was shot, he had nothing.

To earn over a hundred million in just a few short months was more than enough to satisfy him.

On the third day, Cheng Sheng went to China Film to meet Third Master Han.

After all, the premiere date for the film *The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins* still needed to be arranged by China Film.

When Cheng Sheng won the Golden Lion Award, Third Master Han had already called him, stating that he needed to arrange the premiere as soon as he returned.

It was only because Cheng Sheng was so busy that he went to see Third Master Han on the third day.

After some discussion, Cheng Sheng was quite satisfied with the premiere date arranged by China Film.

Previously, Cheng Sheng and Third Master Han had entered into a bet, but Cheng Sheng had taken the initiative to cancel it. If they had proceeded with the bet, China Film would likely have lost money rather than made a profit this time.

Cheng Sheng was not willing to offend China Film for the sake of a little profit; he would need Third Master Han's help with film censorship in the future.

Third Master Han was also very satisfied with Cheng Sheng's attitude. In fact, he somewhat regretted making the bet with Cheng Sheng.

Unfortunately, as the head of China Film, he could not cancel the bet himself.

Cheng Sheng's initiative to cancel it left Third Master Han somewhat surprised and impressed.

After discussing the premiere, Third Master Han asked casually, "Cheng Sheng, do you have any ideas for your new film?"

Cheng Sheng was momentarily stunned. He had already had some ideas regarding a new film back in Venice, but he hadn't decided whether to shoot a new project or a sequel to *The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins*.

Logically, since *The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins* had received such acclaim, he should follow up with a sequel, but that wasn't necessarily the wisest move.

Generally, it is best to wait a year before filming a sequel.

First, there is the production cycle. It takes a vast amount of time for a film to go from project approval and scriptwriting to filming, post-production, and marketing. Usually, a sequel requires about a year to complete these processes.

Second is market strategy. Releasing a sequel a year later typically maximizes profit. A film is released in theaters, then sold through DVDs, Blu-rays, and tapes, and finally broadcast on television. This operational cycle ensures the maximization of the film's commercial value.

Finally, there is audience memory. Although some viewers might not have seen the previous installment, film companies use promotion and recaps of key plot points to ensure new viewers can understand the sequel. Additionally, major video platforms usually provide the previous film at a low price or for free to help new viewers catch up on the background.

Just like the future *Detective Chinatown* universe, which released sequels a year apart.

Considering these factors, Cheng Sheng had no intention of starting the sequel to *The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins* this year.

Since he wasn't starting the sequel and didn't want to rest, he was certainly considering a new film.

As a history enthusiast, Cheng Sheng definitely wanted to make historical films, but he still hadn't decided which dynasty to focus on.

Third Master Han's question suddenly sparked an idea in his mind, and he said, "I already have some ideas for a new film."

Cheng Sheng had no intention of hiding it, because he did not plan to work alone anymore.

He understood that in the entertainment industry, keeping all the benefits for oneself is a quick way to make enemies.

Sharing the joy is the norm in this circle.

There were those who invested in and filmed movies alone, such as Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers.

Before the 1970s, Shaw Brothers movies were entirely self-produced and self-distributed. The Shaw Brothers studio controlled the entire process from production to distribution, forming a highly efficient film production chain.

(End of Chapter)