中國投資大腕勇闖好萊塢
????上世紀九十年代中后期,第一批美國好萊塢大片登陸中國市場,比如《亡命天涯》(The Fugitive)和《泰坦尼克號》(Titanic)。宏大的場面、震撼的特效、引人入勝的劇情以及精彩的表演都令影迷們深深著迷。在中國,人們甚至創造了一個新名詞,稱之為“美國大片”。 ????此后,美國大片在中國風光無限。1995年,《亡命天涯》票房收入達到3,300萬美元,占中國年度票房總收入的三分之一。1997年公映的《泰坦尼克號》票房收入達到5,700萬美元,打破了《亡命天涯》創下的記錄。2010年,電影《阿凡達》(Avatar)更是收獲了2.14億票房。我有一個16歲的侄女住在中國中部,她曾經和同學排了一個小時的長隊才買到《阿凡達》電影票, 25美元的票價相當于她母親月收入的十分之一。目前好萊塢進口大片幾乎已占據中國電影票房的半壁江山。 ????據說,甚至中共高層領導人也愛看美國大片,比如江澤民以及習近平。習近平曾經說過,好萊塢電影場面宏大而真實,“價值觀明確,善惡界限分明”。因此,他在2月份訪問美國期間簽署協議、允許更多的好萊塢3D影片和Imax影片在今后進入中國市場也就不足為奇了。 ????中國的市場潛力已經促使夢工廠(Dreamworks)和傳奇電影(Legendary Pictures)等制片公司開始接觸中國公司并尋求合作。但中國媒體大腕、投資家吳征卻逆向而動。這幾年他已經多次赴好萊塢,希望尋找合適的電影制片商合作,投資有全球票房潛力的英文和中文電影,并且要在中國和亞洲其他地區建立娛樂分銷體系。 ????46歲的吳征是陽光紅巖投資集團(Sun Redrock Investment)總裁,該公司是中國最大的私人媒體投資集團之一。曾在法國和美國接受教育的吳征常常被拿來與魯伯特?默多克作比較。吳征1999年和他的妻子、中國知名電視談話節目主持人楊瀾一起創建了陽光傳媒集團(Sun Media Group)。陽光傳媒的投資涉及20多家中國媒體公司,覆蓋2億多消費者。 ????吳征正在通過嘉實七星媒介私募基金(Harvest Seven Stars Media Private Equity)拓展其媒介帝國的疆域。擁有8億美元資產的嘉實七星媒介私募基金于2012年2月由陽光紅巖投資集團和中國兩大基金管理公司之一的嘉實基金共同成立。最近幾周,吳征公布了他在好萊塢進行的頭兩項投資: (1)與投資家及制片人杰克?艾伯茨合資成立“聯合東方制片”(Allied Productions East),準備拍攝的《大清留美幼童》(Mission Boys),講述的是十九世紀七十年代20名中國高中畢業生被送往美國哈佛大學(Harvard)和耶魯大學(Yale)學習的故事;(2)與完美風暴娛樂公司(Perfect Storm Entertainment)導演林詣彬合作,每年拍攝兩到三部電影,包括巨制片和低成本影片。 ????消息人士稱,吳征最近還與吳宇森【曾執導《碟中諜II》(Mission Impossible II)、《喋血雙雄》(The Killer)和《變臉》(Face/Off)】及其合伙人特倫斯?常就可能的合拍項目進行會談,并試圖“收購大型好萊塢電影制片公司的股份”。 ????吳征最近兩次就中國電影業機遇及其自身商業追求接受《財富》雜志訪問。以下為經過編輯的采訪實錄: |
????When the first batch of Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fugitive and Titanic entered China in the mid and late 1990s, moviegoers were blown away by their cinematic grandeur, breathtaking special effects, riveting storytelling and impressive performances. China even coined a new phrase for the Hollywood tent pole productions, "Meiguo Da pian" or "Big films from the U.S." ????Since then, "big films" have become truly big in China. In 1995, The Fugitive raked in $33 million, accounting for more than one third of the country's annual ticket sales. The record was broken in 2007 by Titanic with $57 million and then Avatar's $214 million in 2010 -- my 16-year-old niece living in central China lined up for an hour with her classmates and paid about $25, an equivalent of one-tenth of her mother's monthly salary, to see Avatar. At present, Hollywood imports account for about half of China's box office takings. ????Even senior Communist leaders such as past president Jiang Zeming and Xi Jinping, the soon-to-be Party secretary and president, are said to be fans of "big films." Xi has been quoted as saying that Hollywood movies are grand and truthful and that they show "a clear outlook on values and clearly demarcate between good and evil." It was not surprising that during his trip to the U.S. in February, he signed an agreement that would allow more Hollywood 3D and Imax films into China. ????The profit potential in China has prompted studios such as Dreamworks and Legendary Pictures to reach out to companies there and forge joint ventures. But Bruno Wu, a big-name Chinese media entrepreneur and investor, is moving in the opposite direction. Over the past year, he has taken numerous trips to Hollywood in search of deals with filmmakers and studios, investing in English and Chinese language content with global box office potential, and building an entertainment distribution system for China and other parts of Asia. ????Wu, 46, is chairman of Sun Redrock Investment, one of the largest privately-held media investment groups in China. Educated in France and the U.S., and often compared to Rupert Murdoch, Wu founded the Sun Media Group in 1999 with his wife, a well-known television talk show host. Sun Media Group has investment interests in more than 20 Chinese media companies, reaching more than 200 million consumers. ????Wu is expanding his media empire through Harvest Seven Stars Media Private Equity, an $800 million film fund established in February 2012 by Wu's Sun Redrock Investment and Harvest Fund Management, one of the top two management companies in China. In recent weeks, Wu unveiled his first two investment projects in Hollywood: 1) Allied Productions East, a joint venture with financier-producer Jake Eberts to develop "Mission Boys," the story of 20 Chinese high school graduates who were sent to the U.S. in the 1870s to study at Harvard and Yale; and 2) A partnership with director Justin Lin, of Perfect Storm Entertainment, to deliver two to three films a year from blockbuster to specialized fare. ????Wu is also currently in talks with John Woo (Mission Impossible II, The Killer and Face/Off) and his partner Terrance Chang over possible co-production deals and trying to "acquire stakes in major Hollywood studio brands," according to sources briefed on the matter. ????Wu spoke twice with Fortune recently about China's opportunities in the movie business and his own aspirations. Below are edited excerpts of the interviews: ???? |