Chapter 126: It's just an appetizer
Lin Yicheng came out of the office building and met up with Zheng Jun.

After getting into the car and just closing the door, Lin Yicheng slammed the seat with a "bang", his face covered with frost.

The second-hand Audi didn't speak and didn't express any dissatisfaction.

Zheng Jun acted as if he hadn't heard or seen anything and just started the car.

"back office."

Lin Yicheng said coldly, took out his cell phone and called Gao Weimin.

"Are there any Hong Kong movies released recently?" Lin Yicheng asked directly as soon as the phone was connected.

Gao Weimin on the opposite side was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to his senses and said the names of three Hong Kong films.

"Have the release time and screening schedule been decided?" Lin Yicheng asked again.

"Two have been decided, but the other one is still under discussion." Gao Weimin replied from the other side.

"Give orders to arrange the worst screening times and the smallest theaters for these three movies."

"This..." Gao Weimin was a little embarrassed.

Although the Hong Kong film industry is in a downturn, in recent years, apart from "Kung Fu", almost no film has been able to achieve high box office results.

But no matter what, there are still a certain number of audiences. If we follow Lin Yicheng's request, Galaxy Cinemas will also suffer certain losses.

As the general manager of Galaxy Cinemas, his bonus is linked to the cinema chain's revenue.

……

"What? Didn't you understand?" Lin Yicheng said in a somewhat unfriendly tone.

"I understand. I'll arrange it right away."

Gao Weimin quickly stated that this was the boss's order, and if he didn't want to pack up and leave, he had to carry it out without any compromise.

Although Galaxy Cinemas was established only a year ago, it has a very good momentum. Although there is still a gap with the top five cinema chains, it stands out in the second tier.

It is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

He is just a middle-level manager in Wanda Cinemas. The best he can do in his lifetime is to become a vice president. How can that compare to being second only to the general manager in Galaxy Cinemas?

When people reach a certain position, they just want to go up and don't want to fall down.

"In addition, for all Hong Kong films released this year, within the rules, postpone their profit sharing time as long as possible. Can you do it?" Lin Yicheng asked again.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lin, I can do it." Gao Weimin immediately patted his chest and made the promise, even though Lin Yicheng couldn't see through the phone.

At the same time, Gao Weimin also observed a moment of silence for the Hong Kong films that are about to be released.

First adjust the film schedule, then delay the profit sharing. These two moves are enough to make the producers suffer.

I don’t know how the Hong Kong circle offended the boss and made him so angry.

However, this has nothing to do with Gao Weimin, so he naturally wouldn't ask about things that he shouldn't ask about.

"Well, I will continue to acquire cinemas this year. You can decide how to plan and integrate them. Next year, Galaxy Cinema Chain will become the sixth largest cinema chain in China."

"Okay, Mr. Lin, I'll do my best!" Gao Weimin said loudly, his tone full of excitement.

At present, there are five largest cinema chains in China, which are China Film Star Media, Shanghai United Cinema, Beijing New Film Association, Wanda Cinema Line, and China Film Southern Shinkansen according to this year's ranking.

Each of these five companies has a market share of more than 10%, and the five together account for half of the country's market.

If Galaxy Cinemas can become the sixth largest, the domestic cinema landscape will undergo tremendous changes.

By then, as the general manager, his status will naturally rise, and those producers will have to act according to his mood!

……

Putting down the phone, Lin Yicheng felt a little relieved, but it was not enough. What he said in front of Tong Gang and Zhang Hongsen was naturally true and false. As for the ratio between the two, or which ones were true and which ones were false, only Lin Yicheng himself knew clearly.

As long as it involves that area, no matter how small the matter is, it must be treated as a big matter, and no matter how simple the problem is, it must be treated as a complex problem.

Therefore, Lin Yicheng did not expect Tong Gang and Zhang Hongsen to take any action immediately. It was impossible to think about it.

In the interview just now, Lin Yicheng could only say that he had temporarily fended off the moves made by the Hong Kong circle, preventing the other party from achieving their goal and causing the worst impact on himself and Galaxy Film and Television Company. This was already a rare achievement.

If it wasn't Lin Yicheng, if he hadn't already made certain achievements and was not favored and expected by his superiors, if it was someone else, he would definitely be in trouble.

However, it is not in Lin Yicheng's character to just take a beating without fighting back, so this matter is not over yet!
Giving the Hong Kong circle some leverage in scheduling films and profit sharing is just an appetizer, a way of collecting interest in advance.

Domestic cinema chains and theaters are not under the jurisdiction of the General Administration, but rather the Central Propaganda Department. Lin Yicheng doesn't believe that the Hong Kong circle can still get involved there.

It is unlikely that the Hong Kong circle will be crushed in one go. There is still a long time, and Lin Yicheng will slowly play with them.

Sometimes, cutting flesh with a blunt knife is more painful and deadly.

Not to mention the distant future, there will be an excellent opportunity next year, and by then, Lin Yicheng will definitely take advantage of the situation.

……

As of this month, there are only a dozen more cinemas in China than last year, and a few dozen more screens. Overall, the growth is not significant compared to the number in 2006.

It was not until 2010 that the growth rate experienced an explosive increase.

Currently, Galaxy Cinema Chain has a total of 83 cinemas and 276 screens.

Although the number of cinemas only accounts for a little over 6% of the country's cinemas, the number of screens accounts for 8.6% of the country's screens.

All in all, Galaxy Cinemas’ market share is very good, but there is still a gap from Lin Yicheng’s goal.

According to Lin Yicheng's plan, the number of cinemas under Galaxy Cinema Chain will exceed 100 and the number of screens will exceed 350 this year.

Only then can Galaxy Cinemas be truly called the sixth largest!

Thanks to Pony Ma's hard work, Tencent's stock price soared again this year, reaching 100 billion yuan. The value of Lin Yicheng's shares has more than doubled compared to last year.

Lin Yicheng also took this opportunity to borrow another sum of money from the bank to acquire the cinema.

Afterwards, he used Galaxy Cinemas as collateral to redeem Tencent's shares.

Although it cannot be called making money out of nothing, it is still a typical business operation.

Which of those real estate tycoons doesn’t play by similar tactics?
Compared with the way the Glazer family acquired Manchester United two years ago, Lin Yicheng felt that he was still very conscientious.

They are truly using chickens to lay eggs and getting something for nothing.

If it weren't for the advantages of rebirth, Lin Yicheng would never have done this given his cautious personality.

Lin Yicheng had his own considerations for being in a hurry to redeem Tencent's shares.

It is now April 2007, and the subprime mortgage crisis has already shown signs of emerging. It will not be long before it sweeps Wall Street and causes the famous investment bank Lehman Brothers to go bankrupt.

Then, this crisis will sweep the world and the stock market will be filled with wailing.

Lin Yicheng had experienced this personally in his previous life, and in the end he was in tears.

The domestic stock market in 2007 was like heaven and hell. Before the stock market crash, A shares were unstoppable and reached an all-time high of 6124. Then, like a roller coaster, they plummeted so fast that people had no time to react.

Under this trend, Tencent naturally cannot remain immune.

If he continued to keep the stocks in the bank, it would be a big trouble. Once the stocks depreciated, the bank would definitely control the risks, tighten the credit and urge Lin Yicheng to repay the loan.

How would Lin Yicheng repay the loan by then? Where would he get so much cash flow?
Therefore, Lin Yicheng's best option was to borrow as much as possible when Tencent's stock price was high, purchase more cinemas, and then use the cinemas as collateral.

(End of this chapter)