20demayo Chapter 166 Establishing a Cinema Chain 1
Chapter 166 Establishing a Cinema Chain 1
Lin Zhou re-entered the living room of his personal space and opened his lightweight laptop, which he used for office work in his future life. His fingertips tapped crisply on the keyboard.
The clear cinema chain plan in my mind is being transformed into lines of well-organized text, falling into the document.
From the brand positioning and site selection of cinema chains, to the hardware standards and operating models of cinemas, as well as the preparation direction and talent system of supporting film companies, he recorded everything in detail.
Lin Zhou finished editing the document on his laptop, and then he connected it to the small printer in the living room.
The paper was slowly expelled, carrying a faint scent of ink, transforming his carefully considered plan into a tangible blueprint.
Lin Zhou carefully folded the several sheets of printed paper, held them in his hand, returned to the study, and then quickly turned around and went out to the bedroom.
The warm yellow light in the bedroom was just right. Su Wanqing was leaning against the headboard, with a soft pillow behind her back, and holding an exquisite beauty device in her hand!
At this moment, she was gently massaging her cheeks in circular motions, with a moisturizing face mask on her face, which made her skin appear even whiter.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up. Her eyes were clear and bright, with a hint of languor from just washing up. Her gaze fell on the printing paper in Lin Zhou's hand.
Looking at Lin Zhou approaching with a puzzled expression, and seeing that he didn't speak, he could only ask out of curiosity:
"What are you holding in your hand? It looks like you're making some kind of plan."
Lin Zhou walked to the bedside and sat down, gently tidying up the stray hairs on her forehead with a natural and tender gesture!
He then handed over the printed planning paper and explained:
"This is my newly developed cinema chain development plan. I plan to establish Zhonghua Cinema Chain in Hong Kong and officially enter the film market."
Upon hearing this, Su Wanqing paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, before placing the beauty device on the bedside table beside her.
She lifted her hand to remove the face mask, gently wiped away the essence on her face with a cotton pad, and then took the planning paper handed to her by Lin Zhou, looking down to carefully review it.
Her gaze was focused as she scanned the text on the paper line by line, clearly seeing everything from the site selection of emerging business districts like Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, and Yuen Long, to the hardware planning of cinemas, and the various details of cinema operation.
Lin Zhou sat quietly to the side, watching her without disturbing her. He simply sorted out his thoughts again, preparing to have a good chat with her after she finished reading them.
Su Wanqing looked at the plans for a good ten minutes before putting them down on her lap. She gently stroked the edges of the papers with her fingers, her brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought about the pros and cons.
After a moment of silence, she looked up at Lin Zhou, her gaze filled with consideration and worry, and said in a steady tone:
"Ah Zhou! I've read your plan, and it's very comprehensive. Whether it's the location or the facilities, it's much more thoughtful than the established cinema chains in Hong Kong."
But have you ever considered that the Hong Kong film market is currently only this big of a pie?
As she spoke, she leaned slightly forward and said again with sincere eyes:
"The established film companies and cinema chains in Hong Kong have been rooted in this place for many years and have long since formed their own circles of interests."
Now you've suddenly announced the establishment of Zhonghua Cinema Line. To put it bluntly, we're taking away their business.
Hong Kong's film industry may look glamorous, but you know better than I how deeply entrenched and corrupt it is. These established forces stick together and are always exclusive. If we rashly enter, we will definitely attract their fierce targeting.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhou gently tapped the edge of the bed with his right hand, his expression calm. He was clearly also pondering this question, yet he patiently listened to his wife Su Wanqing's words.
Lin Zhou knew very well that Su Wanqing, though seemingly gentle, was actually very insightful and always had a keen eye for problems. Over the years, she had given him a lot of very pertinent advice on business, so his current worries were not unfounded.
Seeing that he remained silent, Su Wanqing softened her tone and continued:
"Look at the cinema chains in Hong Kong now, such as Queen's, Lianhua, Cathay, and Shaw Brothers. Although they compete with each other, they have always been united against outsiders."
More importantly, they control the vast majority of film sources in Hong Kong and have formed a film-sharing alliance. Regardless of which company produced the film, it will be released in each other's theaters, supporting each other and firmly controlling the discourse power in the film market.
Her tone was somewhat serious as she pointed to the planning paper and continued:
"You've just established Zhonghua Cinema Line, built the cinemas, purchased the equipment, and recruited the staff. All the investment has been poured in. What if they unite and refuse to provide us with film sources? What do you suggest we do then?"
Ultimately, cinemas rely on movies to survive. Without a film library, no matter how luxurious your cinemas are or how advanced your facilities are, you'll have to close down. All your hard work and investment will be wasted.
These words hit the nail on the head. Hong Kong's film market, seemingly vibrant and diverse, has in reality been divided up by a few established giants.
Film sources are the lifeblood of cinemas. Without movies to show, even the best cinemas are just empty shells.
Those established cinema chains and film companies have cultivated the market for many years. They not only have strong production capabilities and can continuously produce films, but they also cooperate with production companies of all sizes in Hong Kong, forming an airtight network of film sources.
Lin Zhou naturally understood this principle. He leaned against the headboard, raised his hand to rub his temples, and slowly said:
"I have actually considered what you're talking about, otherwise I wouldn't have planned the theater chain in such detail, and even included the preparation of the film company in the process."
He looked at Su Wanqing with a hint of certainty in his eyes: "The monopoly of film sources by established forces is indeed the biggest obstacle for us to enter the film market, but it is not unsolvable."
"The reason they dare to band together and easily cut off the film sources from outsiders is because they believe that outsiders have no production capabilities of their own and can only rely on their film sources to survive."
"But we are different. Zhonghua TV has now established itself with a mature production team, signed artists, and sufficient funds. We can set up our own film company, make our own movies, and create our own film sources."
"And there's another important piece of news you might not know: a new cinema chain was established last year, and a film production company was also founded with them. Wouldn't you say that this has already disrupted the existing order of the Hong Kong film market?"
"What? Someone has already set up a new cinema chain? What's it called?" Su Wanqing asked in surprise.
"Golden Princess Cinemas has nineteen cinemas under its umbrella, and it also has a close partnership with the film production company Cinema City. Its strength should not be underestimated!" Lin Zhou replied.
At the same time, I was thinking to myself, "Golden Princess was going to be one of the three giants of the Hong Kong film market. Now that my cinema chain is established, I wonder if it will still be able to become an industry giant. After all, I have most of the movies you're going to make on my computer..."
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