Massive Embezzlement Rocks Film Industry as Distributor Jeffrey Chen Allegedly Pockets Profits From 'The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon' and 'Sunshine Women's Choir' Hit

Shareholders Set to Sue Chen Yung-hsiung Next Week Over Alleged Embezzlement of NT$3 Billion in "The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon" Profits

When "The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon" opened in mainland China in 2024, it was hailed as a breakthrough success story for Taiwanese cinema crossing the strait. Two years later, however, shareholders say they have received only 20% of the profit-sharing they are owed, with the remaining 80% unaccounted for. At a shareholders' meeting held on April 9, Jeffrey Chen (Chen Yung-hsiung) — the Hong Kong owner of mainland Chinese distributor "33CC" — had pledged to attend and explain the situation, but abruptly left Taiwan on the eve of the meeting and has since gone incommunicado. An infuriated producer Li Lieh issued a statement demanding Chen surface within seven days.

According to the latest information from shareholders, Chen is now completely out of contact. Even attempts to track him down through industry networks across mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan have yielded nothing. Faced with what they describe as a deliberate disappearing act, shareholders have decided that once Li Lieh's seven-day ultimatum expires, they will formally file both criminal and civil suits against Chen in court next week, in a full-scale effort to recover the missing box-office proceeds.

A Case Within a Case: NT$760 Million in "Sunshine Women's Choir" Receipts Also Vanish

Even more alarming for the industry, Chen's alleged misconduct may not be a one-off incident. A deeper investigation by shareholders has revealed that another of Chen's companies, "11CC," also served as the distributor for "Sunshine Women's Choir," currently the highest-grossing film in Taiwanese cinema history. With Chen still nowhere to be found, investors in "Sunshine Women's Choir" now fear they will fall into the same profit-sharing black hole — and may not even recoup their original investment.

According to shareholder sources, verification shows that Taiwanese theater chains long ago remitted up to 90% of the NT$760 million box-office take from "Sunshine Women's Choir" — an estimated NT$340 million at minimum — to Chen Yung-hsiung. With Chen's apparent intentional disappearance, the whereabouts of that enormous sum has become deeply suspect. Investors in "Sunshine Women's Choir," upon learning of Chen's disappearance, are reportedly scrambling like ants on a hot pan and will hold an emergency meeting this week to coordinate with "The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon" shareholders on a cross-border debt-recovery strategy.

Li Lieh Slammed for Slow Response as Statement Contradicts Earlier Denials

Looking back at the events, Mirror Daily exclusively reported in late March that only 20% of the box-office profits from "The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon" had been recovered. At the time, producer Li Lieh used selected media outlets to push back against the report as inaccurate, even exclaiming that she was "really pissed off" — an arrogant posture that drew industry headshakes. Yet at the April 9 shareholders' meeting, with Chen having fled, a panicked Li Lieh was ultimately forced to issue a joint statement admitting that "the money is all in Chen Yung-hsiung's hands." That admission confirmed the earlier media reporting that the funds were "visible but untouchable" — essentially a self-inflicted reversal.

Shareholders angrily noted that as a professional producer, Li Lieh should have defended shareholders' rights from the outset, rather than papering over the crisis when it first broke. Chen's flight, they say, has not only exposed structural flaws in the distribution system that Taiwanese films face when entering the Chinese market, but also revealed serious lapses by producers in monitoring cash flow.

Cross-Strait Film Industry Shaken; Civil and Criminal Suits to Expose Box-Office Underbelly

Coming on the heels of YOOSONN Entertainment's lawsuit against Chinese distributor Wanda Pictures over unpaid mainland box-office shares from the film "Someday or One Day," the Chen Yung-hsiung disappearance has brought the chaotic state of cross-strait film settlement squarely into public view. Shareholders stress that pursuing both civil and criminal cases against Chen is not only about recovering the hard-earned proceeds of "The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon" and "Sunshine Women's Choir," but also about exposing the predatory practice of Chinese distributors who "take the money and run," and delivering justice to Taiwanese filmmakers who have devoted themselves to fostering cross-strait cultural exchange.

Source: Mirror Daily (https://www.mirrordaily.news/story/55237)