Chapter 00164: The Great Deceiver
# The Great Deceiver
Chapter 164
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 164: The Great Deceiver
Weinstein had high hopes for *Tai Chi*.
While martial arts films might not be mainstream in American theaters, he knew there were certain groups in the U.
S. who were passionate about Chinese kung fu movies, like the black community in Los Angeles who idolized Bruce Lee.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to do much about it, but now things were different.
There was something new: videotapes! As the most developed country in the world, the U.
S. had the fastest-growing videotape industry.
Weinstein’s goal was to secure all the rights for *Tai Chi* in North America.
Even if the film didn’t perform well in theaters, he could still make a profit through videotape distribution.
So, he still held onto a sliver of hope and asked, “Chen, can you tell me who you’re dealing with?”
“20th Century Fox! I can’t disclose the exact amount, though.”
“Of course, I understand. I wanted to ask about the rights for *Tai Chi* in Western Europe…”
“Sold!”
“What about Australia?”
“Also sold!”
“What about the videotape rights?”
“All sold!”
Chen Qi laughed, his expression sincere. “Mr. Weinstein, I really have to thank you for your interest in the film. Your offer of $2 million for *Tai Chi* caught the attention of the big Hollywood studios. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the chance to negotiate with them. Those big studios really have a lot of guts—they bought all the rights for *Tai Chi* as soon as we met. Sigh…”
“…”
Weinstein really wanted to slap him, but Chen’s face was so earnest and sincere, like a lamb just stepping into society who had met his destined benefactor.
Weinstein could only force a smile and say, “You’re really lucky. I hope you always have this kind of luck!”
“I’ll need your help for that. I’m really sorry this time, but I hope we can work together in the future.”
Hmph!
Weinstein exchanged a few more polite words, but he had no desire to stay any longer.
He stomped down the stairs.
After walking a few steps on the street, the cold wind blew, clearing his head.
The more he thought about it, the more something felt off.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his entire body trembling with rage.
He ripped off his hat and threw it to the ground, then kicked a lamppost hard, cursing, “F***! I think I’ve been scammed! That yellow-skinned kid was messing with me!”
“Boss?” His assistant was confused.
“He never intended to sell it to me! Not from the beginning!”
Weinstein finally realized what had happened, his face twisting like a melting wax figure.
He grabbed his assistant by the collar and roared, “Go investigate! Use every connection you have! Find out how much 20th Century Fox actually paid!!!”
…………
Let’s rewind time a bit.
Hollywood had gone through a long slump in the 1950s and 1960s due to McCarthyism and the rise of television.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that it began to recover, with a new wave of directors like Coppola, Spielberg, and George Lucas emerging, marking the beginning of the post-Hollywood era.
During this time, Hollywood’s commercial films became more mature, and the film industry rapidly developed, reaching a point where movies could appeal to audiences of all ages.
However, due to the Cold War, Hollywood’s reach wasn’t global.
But when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, the last barrier disappeared, and Hollywood naturally began to conquer the global market—this was also one of the reasons for the decline of Hong Kong cinema.
Take 20th Century Fox, for example.
A few years ago, they were struggling, but then they made a comeback with the groundbreaking *Star Wars*, restoring their status as a major studio.
Steven Roberts, in his 30s, was in charge of Fox’s overseas operations.
He was young, capable, and had a sharp eye for opportunities.
After scouting around in Berlin, he found that *Tai Chi* was the only film worth acquiring, so he came to negotiate in person.
When he met Chen Qi, he was surprised—the guy was even younger and more capable than he was.
He knew Warner had already tried to negotiate but failed, so he figured Chen was a tough opponent.
After some small talk, they got straight to the point.
Roberts made his offer: “$200,000 for the North American rights.”
“You must be joking. That’s absolutely not possible. Yesterday, an American company called Miramax offered $2 million. If you’re not serious, there’s no need to continue.”
“$2 million?”
Roberts was shocked.
After thinking for a moment, he laughed. “Chen, I’ve never heard of this company. It must be some small, newly established firm. A company of that size couldn’t possibly afford $2 million. They must be lying to you!”
“I don’t understand all that. All I know is that your offer is ten times lower. If you were in my position, who would you want to negotiate with?”
“We’re also very sincere. You can name your price.”
“$3 million!”
“…”
Roberts stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then packed up his things and prepared to leave. “Chen, you should go see a doctor. You clearly don’t understand the international film market. North American rights have never been priced that high.”
“No, no, I’m talking about global rights!”
Roberts paused.
“Apart from the regions I’ve already sold, the remaining areas—North America, Western Europe, Australia—can all go to you.”
“That’s still too high.”
Roberts sat back down, shaking his head slowly.
“It’s not high at all. Bruce Lee’s kung fu films were so popular. You’ll easily make your money back.”
“Movies aren’t just about talk. We have to actually go out and promote them, and no one can predict the outcome. $200,000 comes with $200,000 worth of risk, and $3 million comes with $3 million worth of risk. My primary goal when buying films for Fox overseas is to minimize risk.”
“But you’re not just limited to theaters. You can also sell to TV networks and videotapes!” Chen Qi suddenly interjected.
Roberts’ eyes widened, and what came next shocked him even more.
Chen Qi continued, “Nowadays, all the major Hollywood studios have established home video departments focused on videotapes. That shows you understand how vast this new market is. Videotape distributors in the U. S. are already taking shape. A tape sells for $80, but renting it only costs $2-3. It won’t be long before videotape rental shops are everywhere. If you want to do it yourself, you can produce the tapes. If you want to take the easy route, just sell the rights. You don’t even have to take on the risk. It’s like making money while lying down. Times have changed. The film distribution network has added something new…”
Chen Qi played with the cup and coaster on the table, smiling. “In the past, movies only had two channels: theaters and merchandise, like your *Star Wars* and Disney. But in recent years, videotape technology has matured, and it’s opened up a whole new channel. Watching movies in theaters is a passive choice—what’s shown depends on the studios. But videotapes are an active choice, perfect for audiences who love niche genres, art films, or kung fu movies. Americans would definitely be willing to pay $2-3 to watch a movie that cost $10-20 million to make. In fact, movie fans all over the world would. And then there’s another new channel: television. In the past, transferring film to TV tapes wasn’t feasible, but now it is. You can sell movies to public TV networks, cable channels, hotels, and airport closed-circuit TV systems. That’s another significant source of income. So now, there are four channels for film distribution: theaters, videotapes, television, and physical merchandise!”
Chen Qi looked at Roberts and said, “I don’t have the merchandise rights, but I can give you the rights to the other three channels. Chinese kung fu films have a dedicated fan base, enough to sustain your profit pool. And videotapes don’t have an expiration date. You can release them next year, the year after, or even ten years from now. There will always be fans who want to watch them. You could even release a *Tai Chi* 10th Anniversary Edition… So, is $3 million really too much?”
“…”
God as his witness!
Roberts had never been this panicked, not even when his wife caught him in bed with her lover.
His first thought was: How do you know all this? Has socialist ideology infiltrated the U.
S. so thoroughly? His second thought was: Damn, this makes so much sense!
Chen Qi had been playing the innocent lamb back in China, but now that he was abroad, there was no need to keep up the act.
Of course, he had to show off a bit! What he was saying was common knowledge in the future, but at this point, it was just starting to take shape.
Hollywood might have realized the potential of expanding their distribution networks, but they hadn’t yet accumulated enough experience to form a complete system.
Chen Qi had broken it all down, splitting one set of rights into three, all to drive up the price of *Tai Chi*—including the theory he’d used when negotiating with the Japanese the day before.
Since he couldn’t handle it all himself, he might as well give it away as a favor and build some connections.
Roberts was thinking along the same lines.
He no longer cared much about *Tai Chi*.
Instead, he was thinking about how, if he brought this theory back to the Fox executives, his future would be bright!
“Chen, your eloquence is truly unmatched. Sigh…”
Roberts sighed dramatically.
Seeing this, Chen Qi also breathed a sigh of relief.
Time was tight, and he didn’t have the luxury of negotiating country by country.
It was best to find a big spender to take everything off his hands.
Finally, the deal was done!
(End of Chapter)