Super Zoo

Delegating the overseas distribution rights... oh no, using the word "delegate" isn't quite right. Strictly speaking, he gifted the overseas distribution rights in the Asian region to Long Wu as a way to repay him for his previous assistance. As a result, how much money Long Wu could make was dependent not only on the domestic box office performance of Animal City but also, to a great extent, on the capability and the level of effort of his company. It was as if he had helped Suming with one thing, and Suming repaid him with a potential money-making opportunity, instead of directly sharing profits. Maybe in the future, there would be opportunities for business collaboration between them, but this time, their relationship could remain the same as it was initially, where both sides helped each other. As for how much the Asian distribution rights of Animal City could sell for, it was still an unknown. One thing was for sure: if Suming were to negotiate, as a newbie with little experience dealing with other countries' theater chains, he would be at a disadvantage. Long Wu's Huaxia Star Company, with its wealth of experience, would undoubtedly be able to negotiate a much higher final price. "Just the Asian distribution rights, definitely not a hundred million. However, I'm confident that it will be more than thirty million," Long Wu said with a laugh. "The money in the world can't all be earned by me alone, Brother Shi. How much money your company can negotiate is your own skill. As I said, even if you really negotiate a hundred million, I won't go back on my word. It's nice when there's money to be made for everyone. But I do have a small request..." "Go ahead." "I'm planning to set up a film company, but lack talent. I have some capable people, but sadly they are all novices when it comes to the film industry. I'm thinking, send someone to shadow you and learn how to interact with all aspects of the industry, including participating as an observer throughout the negotiation process for the Asian distribution rights," Suming said. "Of course, that's no problem. Since you're serious about formally entering the film industry, we'll have many opportunities to collaborate in the future," Long Wu said with a smile. "Then let's celebrate our future earnings together," Suming said. After a brief but highly productive conversation, the profit-sharing model for Animal City was finalized. Long Wu did not reach into Suming's pocket to take money, instead turning his firepower towards the theater chains in other Asian countries, while Suming similarly presented Long Wu with a chance to profit beyond expectations. Everyone was delighted. When it came to collaboration, Long Wu was not shy about bringing up a proposal. His Huaxia Star was currently investing in a fantasy blockbuster 'Investiture of the Gods,' which featured many mythical creatures, beasts, and mounts of gods and demons—essentially animals. The initial plan was to rely on animated special effects to accomplish this. This big-budget fantasy film had an investment of two hundred million, a significant portion of which was spent on special effects production. Handled by an exceptional European computer team, each second of special effects was a considerable expense. Long Wu wanted to sign a deal with the zoo to hire several of its animals as actors. On one hand, it could save a significant amount of money on special effects; on the other, the sensational effect of using real animals would undoubtedly be better than pure effects. Of course, special effects couldn't be completely replaced; they'd be used in conjunction with real animals. With a moment's thought, Suming suddenly realized something. Long Wu might look simple and honest, but he was actually very savvy. This collaboration certainly wasn't a spontaneous idea. He must have planned it well ahead of time, maybe even before Animal City had started shooting, when Suming first approached him for help in assembling a crew. Back then, Jacky's concert only involved twenty or so animals in simple coordination, yet it created a sensation. And Animal City had proven that the zoo could indeed train animals to perform acting roles. Using animals in movies—Yangchuan City Zoo was unique in this respect worldwide. Even Bollywood and Hollywood, acclaimed as movie factories, didn't have this capability. If Suming guessed correctly, borrowing animals to shoot Investiture of the Gods was Long Wu's true purpose. The initially mentioned "thirty million" was likely a feint. If Suming refused, or even slightly showed reluctance, Long Wu would definitely have proposed this idea, making Suming owe him a favor and feel obliged to thank him. It was true what they said: there's no match for the wisdom of the old. Suddenly, Suming thought of a movie that Long Wu had previously invested in, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, starring Jet Li and Chingmy Yau. How did that line go? You can't trust not only the women who are beautiful, but also men who appear honest. Uncle had been through various situations, from underground emperor to the chairman of a listed company, and had experienced it all. His calculations were clear and even when helping out, he wouldn't engage in a losing deal. The thought of Zhao Yun flashed through Suming's mind; this uncle also seemed to be that kind of person. Like when they expanded the winery and diluted his shares, Zhao Yun didn't voice a single objection. Later, it turned out that even though his shares had been diluted, the winery's expansion increased his returns considerably. He was an insignificant shareholder with no decision-making power before, and he remained so, reaping more money without any substantial loss. Different perspectives lead to different ways of thinking. Long Wu had his own calculations, and Suming had his. Lending animals was not a problem, but he wouldn't do so for free. In the end, it was agreed that the number of animals would not exceed fifty, and the total number of working days would not surpass two hundred, meaning, on average, each animal would work four days. If this film didn't utilize all the days, they could be carried over to subsequent movies. On Huaxia Star's side, they were responsible for helping Suming's film company get off the ground. Once the Taoyuan Film Company was fully established, they would assist in training the staff. For the next two films from Taoyuan Company, Huaxia Star would, according to Suming's needs, assist as much as possible in building the shooting crew and arranging the distribution through theater chains. After shooting two more films, Suming estimated that Huaxia Star would be on the right track, officially becoming a member of the circle, capable of independently completing a series of movie-related tasks. After closing the deal with Long Wu, Suming shifted his focus to setting up the film company. Taoyuan Entertainment was not a film company; last time, it was just the investor for Terror Animal City, so it couldn't assume the role of a producer. Wang Hao had already returned from the capital with Peng Xue and others, and several major projects of the entertainment company were on track. Suming initially thought to put Wang Hao in charge and place the film company under the entertainment company's umbrella. After some consideration, Suming dismissed the idea. This was partly due to concerns about Wang Hao's capacity. Although the entertainment company had no major issues at the moment, there was a lot of daily business. If he were to also manage a new film company, which was just starting and had much to learn, it would place a heavy burden on Wang Hao. People's abilities grow, and Wang Hao was no exception. His current abilities seemed not sufficient to oversee two major tasks simultaneously, especially considering that the newly established film company required someone's full dedication. Another reason was that as a leader, Suming needed to weigh his decisions. He could not hand over most of his industries to one person, creating a situation where one stood above all others—this had nothing to do with personal feelings.