Chapter 226: Masami Takahashi

The Hong Kong International Financial Center is situated in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong Island, facing Victoria Harbour and adjacent to the Kowloon Peninsula across the sea.

At the rooftop infinity pool of the Four Seasons Hotel, located next to one of Hong Kong's landmark buildings, the International Financial Center Phase 2 Tower, Charles, Odette Annabel, and Amelia Caldwell were swimming together.

"Phew," climbing out of the pool, Odette Annabel quickly handed a towel to Charles.

"Thank you." Charles smiled, hugging the red-bikini-clad Odette as they sat on the lounge chair to enjoy the sun.

Charles had originally planned to go to Beijing. However, Capet Pictures was still negotiating with Chinese cinema chains about investment plans for theaters, so he decided to stay in Hong Kong for a few more days.

Additionally, Capet Pictures was preparing to hand over the distribution of its films in Hong Kong to UA Cinema Circuit, led by Bill Kong, who was also an acquaintance.

At that moment, Phyllis Jones approached and reported to Charles, "Boss, Masami Takahashi from Capet International Pictures Japan Corporation has arrived!"

"What's he doing in Hong Kong?" Charles had always kept a close eye on the Japanese market and knew Masami Takahashi well.

Formerly one of the deputies at Warner Bros. Japan Corporation under President Elton, Masami was hired away by Capet International Pictures to take charge of the Japanese market.

"Warner Bros. and Japanese TV have teamed up to develop a live-action adaptation of the manga Death Note, which released last month and was a great success!" Phyllis Jones knew that her boss's current focus on the Japanese film market far exceeded his interest in China.

"I'll change and be right there!" Ever since arriving in Hong Kong, Charles's mind had been occupied with plans to build theaters in mainland China, nearly forgetting about the film markets in Japan and South Korea.

An hour later, Charles met Masami Takahashi in a luxurious apartment at the Four Seasons' adjacent residential Four Seasons Place.

Masami, a man not yet forty, was short, wore glasses, and did not seem very shrewd in appearance.

"Good afternoon, I hope I didn't disturb Capet-san during his rest," Masami bowed as he entered.

"Take a seat, Takahashi," Charles said.

Once seated, Charles had two cups of coffee brought in. "Takahashi, is there something in particular you wanted to talk about?"

Masami looked up at Charles and explained, "Since the late 70s, Japan's film market has been dominated by foreign films; in the 80s, local Japanese films had no competitiveness, with Hong Kong films being the mainstay in theaters, and in the early 90s, Hollywood films rose strongly in Japan. It wasn't until after the millennium that local Japanese films began making a comeback, pushing the market share of foreign films below 50%, mainly due to anime films."

"I know all that; get to the point!" Charles didn't want to waste time.

"Capet International Pictures Japan Corporation hopes to try adapting manga into live-action films," Masami, who had previously been in charge of the distribution and secondary sales of Capet Pictures' films in Japan, stated.

"Is it due to the influence of Warner Bros.' live-action Death Note movie?" Charles asked, "Does Capet International Pictures' Japan branch have the capability to produce films?

Hollywood and local Japanese film promotion methods are different. I don't like micromanaging from the US on how you promote films. While I'm giving you more autonomy, I also expect you to produce results," Charles continued.

Masami nodded, "If we are promoting local Japanese films, we can initially collaborate with Japanese TV channels, which are very influential here."

"What about film content? Currently, whether it's anime films or animated features, they're in the hands of local Japanese film companies like Toho, Toei, Kadokawa, and Shochiku," Charles asked.

"Japan's anime industry is flourishing, and there are many popular manga that haven't been adapted into anime or animation. We could cooperate with Toho and Toei for initial projects," Masami suggested.

Charles nodded, "And the film production?"

"We could commission Japanese film production companies or talent agencies. Collaborating with them could save us time and resources in terms of funding and actors," Masami added, looking at Charles before continuing, "These experiences would help us build a foundation for producing, distributing, and promoting Japanese films ourselves in the future."

Charles spent the afternoon talking with Masami Takahashi and found him to be a rather ambitious person, and Charles liked ambitious people.

Initially, Charles wasn't particularly focused on developing Japanese local films, as ensuring the successful promotion and sale of Hollywood films in Japan was aligned with his interests.

However, since Japan was the most crucial overseas market for Hollywood, he couldn't ignore it. He then called Donna Langley in Los Angeles.

"Developing Japanese local films? But it seems Hollywood hasn't been very successful; since the millennium, Hollywood's market share in Japan has continued to decline. Now, every company is trying to reclaim the market," Donna Langley noted over the phone.

"In the 90s, Warner Bros. indeed developed several local Japanese films, but without much success. Though Warner Bros. still operates a chain of theaters in Japan, they did take the lead in developing local films there," Donna added.

Charles asked, "Do you have any plans for Japan? Masami Takahashi seems to have some insights into live-action manga adaptations. I think it's worth trying."

"Sure, my main focus remains on building our overseas distribution network, but if you're interested, go ahead and develop local films there like you did in France," Donna Langley said over the phone, supportive of the initiative. After all, Hollywood's participation in local film businesses has always been the norm.

Not only does it deepen connections with local filmmakers, but it also expands the company's influence in the region for profit.

After hanging up the phone, Phyllis Jones came in and reported, "Boss, time to head to the media release event!"

Charles nodded; the signing ceremony for the partnership between Capet Pictures and UA Cinema Circuit was scheduled for the morning.

*****

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