Rebirth in 1985

Chapter 259: Additional Investment Projects

Lu Shaohua seemed to understand what Huo Yingdong meant. He shook his head and sighed. Huo's Group was mainly engaged in real estate and had no involvement in the film industry. Lu Shaohua approached Xiang Huaqiang, a gangster and movie tycoon, to invest in the film industry, so it was not suitable for Huo Yingdong. However, Lu Shaohua did not mind if he wanted to participate in the investment.

"Haha! Let me tell you about the cooperation project first, and then you can decide whether to invest in it." After that, Lu Shaohua paused and continued, "The Hong Kong film industry is very developed now, and I personally feel that we can cooperate in this area."

Lu Shaohua was telling the truth. In the 90s, Hong Kong films were indeed very developed and had a certain influence in the southeast region and even internationally. However, they gradually declined in the later period. The reason for this decline was that the bosses of those film companies always wanted to "win high income with the smallest investment". In the final analysis, they were reluctant to increase investment. As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb. If there is a good film, especially a good film with big scenes, how can it be successful without additional investment?

"Oh? Don't keep us in suspense. Just say it directly." Xiang Huaqiang urged.

"That's right, stop being mysterious." Ho Ying-tung also echoed.

"Haha, then I'll speak frankly." Lu Shaohua laughed first, took a deep breath, organized his words, and then continued. "According to my personal speculation, future movies should pursue the kind of grand scenes. In other words, the bigger the scene, the more attractive it will be."

After a pause, Lu Shaohua continued without waiting for Xiang Huaqiang to speak. "A large-scale movie requires more investment, and now several film companies in Hong Kong are pursuing the goal of gaining the best profits with the smallest investment, so they will not invest in some large-scale movies at all."

Having said this, Lu Shaohua paused. He was giving Xiang Huaqiang some time to react. As for Ho Ying-tung, he was an outsider and didn't understand any of this.

After a while, Xiang Huaqiang nodded and said, "Well, now Hong Kong film companies are indeed seeking to gain the best benefits with the smallest investment, including my company. The reason is very simple. If a big-budget movie is made and the box office is not good, then all the money will be lost."

"Haha!" Lu Shaohua laughed. He knew about the concerns of those film companies without Xiang Huaqiang telling him. "This is indeed a big problem, but Uncle Xiang, have you ever thought about it? With the development of the times, increasing investment is inevitable. If it remains unchanged, the final result will be elimination."

After a pause, Lu Shaohua smiled at Xiang Huaqiang and continued, "This is why I proposed cooperation. For a big-budget movie, if several people cooperate and share the risk, even if there is a loss, it won't be too big. Oh, if the cooperation is successful and unprecedented, the money earned will not be shared by one plus one equals two!"

With Lu Shaohua's financial strength, he can invest on his own, but Lu Shaohua does not want to do so. Although Hong Kong's film companies are not in harmony with each other, they are sometimes extremely united. If Lu Shaohua increases his investment, it will inevitably increase the actors' salaries, which will disrupt the Hong Kong film market. If this is the case, it will definitely cause major film companies to join forces to suppress him.

Furthermore, many cinemas in Hong Kong are now controlled by various film companies. Even if Lu Shaohua’s Phoenix Entertainment produces a good film, it will be useless if others don’t allow you to release it. Therefore, the only thing Lu Shaohua can do is to join forces with them.

Lu Shaohua had reason to believe that as long as the first investment was successful and they could taste the sweetness, the next one would be much easier. As for whether the first one could really be successful, Lu Shaohua was not worried at all. Just kidding, don't forget that he was a reborn person. When he was a technical supervisor in an Internet cafe in his previous life, he liked those big-scale and big-budget movies very much, and he knew that they could attract people.

Lu Shaohua's words made Xiang Huaqiang fall into deep thought. He was wondering whether what Lu Shaohua said was feasible. Just as Lu Shaohua said, even if it was a loss, it would not be too much if several companies shared it. What's more, if the first part lost money, he could stop investing and terminate the cooperation!

Lu Shaohua didn't care what Xiang Huaqiang was thinking and continued, "Uncle Xiang, if it's a big-scale movie and we have done a good job of promoting it, are we still afraid that no one will come to watch it? Everyone is the same, everyone is curious. If I release a message now saying that we invested tens of millions or hundreds of millions of yuan in a movie, the amount of money invested alone will be enough to attract many people's attention."

Yes, publicity is also a very important part. Hong Kong movies really don't pay much attention to publicity. Although there is publicity, the intensity is not strong. It can be said that there is no publicity at all. If several companies work together, Lu Shaohua can fully predict that the same scenario as the last time Longteng Risk was established may occur. Even if there is no deliberate publicity, the media will automatically spread the word.

After hearing what Lu Shaohua said, Xiang Huaqiang seemed to be a little tempted. According to Lu Shaohua, using a large investment as a promotional theme can indeed attract people's attention. As long as the premiere is a hit, the invested funds will almost be recovered. What is there to be afraid of?

"Well, I think this method is feasible, but making a movie is not as simple as it sounds. For example, the details such as the script, director, and actors are still very complicated." Xiang Huaqiang expressed his concerns.

"Hehe! I think it's worth a try too. How about this, count me in, but let me make it clear that I will only pay the money and I don't care about other things." Ho Ying-tung also became interested. He didn't know much about the film industry, but simply thought that it could make money, so he wanted to get involved.

"Grandpa Huo, do you really want to participate in the investment?" Lu Shaohua asked.

"Well, to be honest, I am interested in all the cooperation projects you proposed. Take Longteng for example. It only took a few months for the company to grow from 100 million to more than 1 billion now. The money is coming in very quickly!" said Ho Ying-tung with a smile.

"Okay, since both of you are interested, let's do this and get a few more people to invest together." Lu Shaohua nodded. He felt that it was not enough to rely on the three of them alone. It would be better to bring all the powerful film companies in Hong Kong together. That way, it would be very convenient for both actors and later theaters. However, there are conflicts between Hong Kong film companies, so it is not easy to cooperate. "Grandpa Huo, if you want to participate, in addition to paying money, you have to complete a task."

"Oh! Tell me, what is the mission?" asked Ho Ying-tung.

"I personally think that it is not enough for the three of us to join forces. We should get two more people to participate. This will reduce the risk of investment. If we lose money, our loss will not be so great." After saying this, Lu Shaohua stopped and looked at Huo Yingdong and Xiang Huaqiang. It is undeniable that they both nodded at the same time to show that what Lu Shaohua said made sense. Seeing them nod, Lu Shaohua continued. "There are only a few famous film companies in Hong Kong, and since we are going to cooperate, we should expand our influence without limit."

"Creating momentum?" Ho Ying-tung immediately saw through Lu Shaohua's intention and said.

"Haha, yes, it's just to create hype. Just think about it, several influential film companies in Hong Kong are brought over to work together, it's quite a gimmick!" Lu Shaohua said with a smile, but his smile was a little sinister.

"Well, then tell me which two people we should pull?" Ho Ying-tung asked again.

"Zou Wenhuai, Run Run Shaw." Lu Shaohua said the two names without thinking. Needless to say, Zou Wenhuai was one of the founders of Golden Harvest Film Company and had a great influence in the Hong Kong film industry. As for Run Run Shaw, he was the founder of Shaw Brothers Film Company, and his influence was even greater. Although Shaw Brothers has stopped producing movies, its influence is still there.

"Sixth Uncle Shao?" This time it was Xiang Huaqiang who spoke. While saying this, he glanced at Lu Shaohua, as if to confirm whether Lu Shaohua had said the wrong name.

"Yes, it's Uncle Shao Liu. I know you mean Uncle Shao Liu has stopped making movies, right?" After saying that, Lu Shaohua did not wait for Xiang Huaqiang to say anything else and answered his own question. "Although Uncle Shao Liu has stopped making movies, he still has a great influence in the film industry. If we bring him in to invest together, we will get twice the result with half the effort."

It is undeniable that Lu Shaohua's point of view was recognized by Xiang Huaqiang and Huo Yingdong, and they both nodded at the same time. But then again, it is not as easy as imagined to get the two of them to stand on the same front.

It is indeed not easy, but in Lu Shaohua's opinion it is not that difficult. Who let Henry Fok get involved? Henry Fok is considered a good guy in Hong Kong. He rarely makes enemies with others and has good relations with all parties. He is the best candidate to be the middleman.

"Haha, Grandpa Huo, this is the task I told you about. If you personally take action and get them to cooperate, I believe it won't be a difficult task, right?" Lu Shaohua finally stated his purpose.

"Hey! I knew there was no such a cheap thing in the world. Look, you kid tricked me." Huo Yingdong made a small joke, and then said seriously. "I can't guarantee 100% success, but I will try my best to convince them. Now the most important thing is you, nephew Xiang. If they join in the cooperation, do you have any objection?"

"Haha, we are all businessmen, and profit is the most important thing. As long as there is money to be made, I have no objection. Moreover, if we can really cooperate together, I will only be responsible for providing money and manpower, and I will not care about anything else." Xiang Huaqiang also stated his position.

Indeed, Hong Kong's film companies are fighting each other to the death, and no one is willing to admit defeat. Ultimately, it is a matter of interests. They are afraid that their own company will be suppressed, so they always play opposing roles.

"Well, it's settled. It all depends on Grandpa Huo. You have to convince them to join first. After they agree, we can sit down and discuss the details together." Lu Shaohua finally made the decision. There was no other way. If we couldn't convince Zou Wenhuai and Run Run Shaw to join, it would be useless to discuss the details now.

"Okay, I'll try my best. I'll go talk to them tomorrow." Ho Ying-tung agreed. As for whether it would succeed, it would depend on God's will.

……