Chapter 1673: The Big Fish

In fact, the profit-sharing model is quite common among actors and directors.

Many top directors and A-list actors are big fans of this model.

Johnny Depp of the Pirates series is a prime example.

Of course, this isn't the Caribbean that doesn't get hot, but rather Pirates of the Caribbean.

For each Pirates of the Caribbean film, Johnny Depp received a 20% share of the box office profits plus a $20 million salary.

On that alone, before his financial crisis in 2017, he had earned a total of $650 million.

Of course, spending like water and a few flops knocked him off his pedestal, making him box office poison.

But it has to be admitted that this profit-sharing model indeed makes actors flock to it, even willing to take a pay cut to participate.

After all, if the movie becomes a hit, they can make a fortune.

Jiang Wen also has ambitions. Although he doesn't care much about money now because he owns shares in Future Film, Old Jiang wants to prove in other ways that he is the best film director in China.

Well, his target is naturally the national master who made Sorghum Field with him back in the day.

That guy has already transcended his peers. Under these circumstances, Jiang Wen feels that if he can't produce some solid results, it's hard to beat him.

That's why he's working so hard now.

After all, as a man, you have to have some pursuits. Even the most indifferent person will want to defeat his archrival one day and achieve success.

"Are you sure?"

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Jiang Wen looked at him in surprise, never expecting that this guy would offer him such terms.

"Of course."

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "You can take 20% of the profit share from the box office, but your salary is zero. How about that?"

China is different from Europe and America. The model of salary plus profit share doesn't suit China's film industry, so Zhao Fusheng simply offered a pure profit-sharing model.

Of course, this is only for insiders like Old Jiang. For others, ha, does Zhao Fusheng look like he's running a charity?

"No problem."

Seeing how serious Zhao Fusheng was, Jiang Wen suddenly laughed and nodded: "I agree."

"Really?" Zhao Fusheng was a bit surprised, looking at Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen nodded: "If you, the boss, are willing to do this, what do I have to lose?"

"Oh, full of confidence, huh."

Zhao Fusheng laughed and teased: "Let me lay my cards on the table. First, the film's budget cannot be exceeded. Any overrun will be deducted from your share. Second, you are the overall person in charge of the entire film. If something goes wrong, you take the blame."

"Of course."

Jiang Wen nodded seriously: "I understand. Isn't that what they said in Spider-Man? With great power comes great responsibility. Since I dare to take this share, I naturally have to bear the responsibility I should."

He wasn't raised on threats. Even without Zhao Fusheng, the name Jiang Wen is a golden brand in the Chinese entertainment industry, okay?

Zhao Fusheng was amused, not expecting Jiang Wen to have such boldness.

But this Jiang Wen made him think more highly of him; he hadn't chosen the wrong person.

This guy is really trustworthy!

"By the way, regarding actor selection, if I have someone in mind but can't sign them, can I use the company's resources to poach them?" Jiang Wen suddenly asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Normal negotiations are fine, but don't even think about forcing people to change their schedules."

He didn't want Future Film to gain a reputation as a bully.

No one stays good forever, and no flower stays red for a thousand days. No one can guarantee they won't have bad luck, not even Zhao Fusheng, a reborn man. He couldn't guarantee that Future Film wouldn't face difficulties in its future development.

If they made enemies everywhere in the industry, once Future Film ran into trouble, there would be plenty of people coming out of the woodwork to kick them when they're down.

He didn't expect others to provide timely help, but at the very least, he hoped there wouldn't be a bunch of people adding to his troubles.

"Alright."

Jiang Wen nodded helplessly.

He also understood Zhao Fusheng's intention, which was basically not to make too many enemies. But the problem, in Jiang Wen's view, was that in the film and television circle, even if you don't offend others, they will still be jealous of you.

That's the trouble with being a tall tree that catches the wind.

Of course, he wouldn't say this to Zhao Fusheng, because Zhao was considering the big picture, while he only had to think about Future Film.

……

……

After assigning tasks to Old Jiang, Zhao Fusheng had a few leisurely days.

After all, one can't be too tense. If you're busy all the time without rest, even an iron man can't take it.

Fortunately, Future Group's development was basically on track, so Zhao Fusheng didn't have to worry about any problems.

The logic is actually simple.

It's like walking on the road. If you're riding a bicycle, you're always worried about wind and rain. But if you're in a car, you don't have to worry about such hardships.

Future Group is in that situation now.

As the company continued to grow and Zhao Fusheng's personal wealth increased, as a non-listed company, Future Group's development speed gradually slowed under the deliberate control of Zheng Yao and others. But it has to be admitted that the company's situation became more stable.

Unity from top to bottom, dedication inside and out.

Even in the subsidiaries, several heads were warning their subordinates to seek stability in victory and not act recklessly.

The reason for this thinking was that Zheng Yao, Dong Chenxi, and others understood that the company had reached a stage where it no longer needed to take risks to survive.

Sometimes, being steady is not a bad thing.

At the very least, caution avoids big mistakes.

Only those entrepreneurs in the startup phase, who must succeed or perish, think about taking risks and gambling.

For a company like Future Group, which has grown into a large enterprise with total assets of its subsidiaries reaching astronomical figures, maintaining stability is often the greatest gain.

That's a sad story.

For young people eager to make a name for themselves, such mature large enterprises are undoubtedly not the best choice.

But these enterprises offer high salaries, good development, and a pleasant corporate atmosphere.

Choices are sometimes not easy to make.

The leisurely days didn't last long. One day in mid-July, Zhao Fusheng received a report from Wu Sijie.

"Chairman, Mr. Ye has sent word, hoping you can go to the United States."

"What's up?"

Zhao Fusheng asked with some surprise: "What happened?"

"It seems to be about Marvel." Wu Sijie bowed.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Book the tickets, then. We'll go."

Wu Sijie nodded and turned to leave.

Zhao Fusheng sat there, frowning slightly. After thinking, he roughly understood Ye Jing's intention.

It seemed that Marvel was planning to launch Iron Man 2.

But if he wasn't mistaken, there must be some disagreements now. After all, Iron Man hadn't officially been released yet, and its box office performance was unknown. In other words, if the film didn't do well, the investments in both films would go down the drain.

To be honest, Marvel couldn't afford such a loss now.

After all, Marvel had already sold off all the superhero copyrights it could sell. What remained in its hands were actually not very famous superheroes.

In short, Iron Man was a gamble. If successful, Marvel could turn things around instantly and become a profitable comic company again. If it failed, Marvel would likely go completely bankrupt.

Therefore, this matter required Zhao Fusheng's approval.

Two days later, Zhao Fusheng arrived in New York.

"Why are you here?"

Seeing Ye Jing at the airport to pick him up, Zhao Fusheng was a bit surprised.

"You're the boss. Since you're here, of course I have to come pick you up." Ye Jing said with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes at him, not believing a word.

"Alright, what's really going on?"

Once in the car, Zhao Fusheng asked Ye Jing.

He didn't believe that Ye Jing would call him to the US for no reason and even come to the airport to pick him up.

"I can't hide anything from you."

Ye Jing smiled helplessly and said: "Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau are preparing to launch Iron Man 2, and I suspect they are in contact with Disney."

"Huh?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. The first piece of news didn't surprise him—he had guessed it before coming—but the latter news really caught him off guard.

Disney!

Zhao Fusheng didn't think Disney was a friendly player.

Or to be more precise, in Zhao Fusheng's memory, Disney was a major rival in his future control of Marvel.

This is no joke!

In the original timeline, after Iron Man's box office exploded and showed signs of recovery, Disney decisively stepped in, spending $4 billion to buy Marvel, and over the next decade turned Marvel's superheroes into a globally acclaimed super IP.

The various films, TV series, and merchandise derived from it made Disney a huge profit.

Now, Zhao Fusheng had beaten them to it and acquired Marvel ahead of time.

Under these circumstances, would Disney give up their plan?

The answer is quite obvious.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng had even thought that once Iron Man was released, Disney might immediately launch a takeover bid for Marvel.

But he didn't expect those Americans to be so impatient, already making moves before the film even hit theaters.