Chapter 109: Watching Him Lose Money

Chapter 109: Waiting to See Him Lose Money

Since Li Jie left to pursue a career in Hollywood, he had not returned to China to film for several years. His decision to accept a role in Zhang Le’s new project naturally caused a great sensation.

Of course, beyond the fact that Li Jie had been focusing his energy on Hollywood, another major reason for his absence from the domestic scene was his exorbitant salary. The pressure to deliver at the box office was immense, and the risks were simply too high.

There were very few large-budget films in China, and Li Jie’s salary—upwards of ten million US dollars—was equivalent to over sixty million RMB, enough to finance two decent movies. Few people were willing to take that kind of risk unless they were certain the film could secure an international release, as Li Jie still held significant box-office appeal globally.

The cast of Zhang Le’s new film was undoubtedly powerful; in addition to Li Jie, it featured two Golden Dragon Award-winning actresses, Yang Liu and Yang Xin’er. The core creative team also included renowned industry figures like Ye Ming and Bao Zhen.

The scale of this production was unexpected. Zhang Le’s previous two films had been massive box-office successes, but they were low-budget projects. In the eyes of the public, Zhang Le was a director skilled at achieving great results with limited resources. This sudden jump to a major production felt jarring to many.

While hiring Li Jie guaranteed a high-profile production, the public remained skeptical about whether Zhang Le could handle such a project. After all, the combined production and marketing costs of his previous two films didn't even reach the amount of Li Jie’s salary.

Even more baffling was the fact that Zhang Le’s new film was a wuxia (martial arts) movie. By abandoning the comedy genre where he excelled, wasn't he essentially committing professional suicide?

The wuxia genre was practically dead, long past its glory days, and had become a minefield of financial failure. Yue Yang’s recent wuxia film had received decent critical acclaim, but it only managed to avoid losing money because of its low budget.

With Zhang Le making such a move, countless people were already sitting back, waiting to see his new film lose money. His previous two low-budget hits had made many envious, and there was no shortage of people waiting to see him stumble at the box office.

Zhang Le was accustomed to being talked down to. When he was filming "Crazy Stone," the industry was full of naysayers. However, while there was plenty of pessimism this time, there were also countless fans filled with anticipation. Through his two previous films, Zhang Le had established enough of a reputation to hold his own box-office appeal.

***

After more than three months of preparation, filming for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" began in mid-July. Zhang Le chose the foot of Wudang Mountain as the venue for the opening press conference.

Despite the loud chorus of criticism surrounding the film, it remained incredibly attractive. Countless media outlets swarmed the event.

Zhang Le and Yang Xin’er were already the focus of media attention, and with Li Jie returning to film domestically after so many years, everyone wanted to know if this signaled a permanent move back to China. Furthermore, Yang Liu’s choice to make her comeback after marriage in this specific film raised questions: was it for Zhang Le, Li Jie, or Yang Xin’er?

Both the media and the public had too many questions that demanded answers. Of course, they were just as confused as to why Zhang Le would choose to make such a film in the first place.

At the press conference, Zhang Le smiled and addressed the reporters: "I am very grateful to all my friends in the media for coming. I declare the press conference for 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' officially open. We will answer your questions as best we can, provided they are related to this film. For instance, questions like when Xin’er and I are getting married—which have absolutely nothing to do with this movie—will have to go unanswered."

"Everyone on Earth already knows when you’re getting married!" a reporter shouted with a laugh as soon as Zhang Le finished his sentence.

Zhang Le chuckled and looked toward Yang Xin’er, who rolled her eyes and pretended not to know him.

"Mr. Li Jie," a reporter asked, cutting straight to the point with a blunt tone, "does your decision to take this role mean that your career in Hollywood is struggling and you’re planning to return to China?"

"I think my career in Hollywood over the past few years has been quite successful, don't you?" Li Jie replied with a smile. "I accepted this role because the script moved me, and I have a great interest in Director Zhang as an individual. It’s not because I couldn't make it in Hollywood and had to slink back here. In fact, to take this part, I turned down a major Hollywood production."

Turned down a major Hollywood production for this film?

The audience found it hard to believe. However, Li Jie wasn't the type to brag or inflate his own importance. It was his consistent style to speak plainly; he wouldn't lie about something like this, nor did he need to. Although they were skeptical, no one doubted his word.

What truly puzzled everyone was: what exactly was in Zhang Le’s film that made Li Jie sacrifice a major Hollywood production?

***

Zhang Le had known about this beforehand. Yang Xin’er had even remarked that they owed a massive favor, but Zhang Le had just smiled. Perhaps it wasn't yet clear who would be the one owing the favor in the end.

Of course, the salary Li Jie requested was indeed a "friendship price," clearly influenced by their personal connection—a favor worth tens of millions of RMB.

"Director Zhang, do you have anything to say about this?" a reporter asked.

"Naturally, I am extremely grateful for Brother Jie’s support," Zhang Le said. "The only way to repay him is to make this film the best it can be and prove that his choice was the right one."

Zhang Le’s words were polite, but his confidence was palpable. He was asserting that choosing his film over a Hollywood blockbuster was the correct decision. It might have seemed arrogant, but looking at his expression, no one felt that way. It was as if his film truly possessed something superior to that Hollywood project.

"Director Zhang, what was your goal in inviting Mr. Li Jie to star in your new film? You know that his salary alone would be enough to shoot over ten 'Crazy Stones'! With such a huge investment, aren't you afraid of losing money?" another reporter asked.

One "Crazy Stone" had turned a profit of nearly two hundred million; what would ten be? The figure was staggering. While it wasn't a fair comparison, the point was clear: people thought Zhang Le was being imprudent by hiring Li Jie.

"I invited Brother Jie because he is the only choice for the lead role of Li Mu Bai," Zhang Le smiled. "As for your concern about a large investment leading to a loss, that is worrying over nothing. Not to mention the box-office drawing power of Brother Jie and Sister Liu, Xin’er and I can still attract quite a few fans ourselves. Moreover, I have great confidence in this film. I, Zhang Le, am not just capable of making low-budget movies; I can handle major productions just as well!"

"And Miss Yang Liu, may I ask if you were also attracted to this film after reading the script?" a reporter asked.

"I agreed to it before I even read the script," Yang Liu said with a smile. "When Director Zhang told me he was going to make a wuxia film, I was immediately intrigued. I had seen 'Flirting Scholar,' and the martial arts choreography in it was excellent. When I heard I would be playing opposite Brother Jie and Xin’er, I didn't hesitate to say yes."