Chapter 300 What? Did Lu Yuan take the wrong medicine? 4500 words!)
Cobia and Paimon have always been in a competitive relationship.
Among the Hollywood movies in May, "The Night of the Gods of War" is produced by Paimon, and "Army of Darkness" is produced by Cobia.
Judging from the current box office in China, Cobia is actually at a disadvantage, but from the perspective of the Hollywood box office, Cobia has the upper hand.
Global box office total?
Well, one has a total box office of 50 million, and the other has a box office of 49 million and 50 million. They are really almost the same.
In other words, it is really difficult to determine who loses and who wins.
Therefore, when James knew that John was also coming to snatch this "Groundhog Day", he began to secretly compete with each other.
He originally wanted to obtain the overseas license for "Groundhog Day" because the film could make money, but he also had a face issue.
He felt that he could not lose.
John is also similar to James.
He was scolded miserably in the last "Alien" movie. This time, in addition to wanting to cleanse his impression among the upper-level leaders, he also had the mentality of not losing.
When a movie's overseas licensing is given a competitive meaning, the flavor begins to change.
Of course, the two began to compete in private, but the expressions on their faces still showed that they were all good friends.
After all, not long after they got off the bus, countless reporters surrounded them.
"Director James... may I ask, what are you doing in China this time?"
"Mr. John...are you here with Mr. James? What are you doing in China?"
"Hello, Director James, are you coming to China to prepare a new movie? I heard that your "California Nights" is expected to be released in June? I don't know if it's true..."
"Hello, Mr. John, there are rumors that you and your wife have a bad relationship. Is this true?"
"..."
The camera lights kept flashing.
Countless microphones were passed to the two people's mouths.
Countless reporters had excited expressions on their faces.
Facing these shots, both of them had smiles on their faces.
"I came to China this time not to make a movie, but to visit my old friend Lu Yuan. At the same time, our team is very interested in Lu Yuan's "Groundhog Day", so I came here today to have a chat.
The overseas distribution rights of this film..."
"I also came here especially to visit Mr. Lu Yuan. My purpose is the same as Mr. James's. I also came here for the overseas distribution rights of "Groundhog Day". I missed the "This Man from the Earth" last time.
It feels very regretful, so I don’t want to miss it again this time..."
The two people's answers were exactly the same...
But all the reporters heard a hint of gunpowder and explosive news!
Yes!
Hollywood actually took a fancy to Lu Yuan's "Groundhog Day"!
What does that mean?
Does this mean that a Chinese film has finally been recognized by Hollywood and is being competed for?
All the reporters’ eyes lit up at the same time, and they were instantly excited!
This Lu Yuan is awesome!
…………………………
"How's it going? Has the overseas copyright been released?"
"Director Shen, what Paimon is saying is that the overseas price of this movie should be further suppressed..."
"How much pressure are they going to have?"
"One million dollars."
"Only one million dollars..."
"Director Shen, there's no way around it. Ever since the overseas box office hit "The Extra-Terrestrial" was a hit at the overseas box office, it's become increasingly difficult for Chinese films to go overseas. Even if they do, they won't earn more than three million US dollars.
of high price.”
"My movie may not be very satisfactory at the box office in China, but it will not be bad at the overseas box office. After all, the content of "The Age of Alien" is interstellar science fiction, and I think the plot is not bad... I think it is necessary to follow Pai Let’s negotiate over there…”
"Director Shen, it's useless to talk about this."
"Why didn't it work?"
"These Americans only look at box office performance and past results. In the past two years, almost all of our overseas films have been wiped out. We really don't have the capital to negotiate with them now..."
"But one million dollars is too low!"
"Director Shen, we have to be patient. As long as this movie is a hit overseas, no matter how popular it is, well, as long as we can create corresponding value and let Paimon make a lot of money, then we will make the next movie I’ll have a chance to mention the buyout price...”
"Hey...that's all we can do."
"..."
At noon, Shen Lianjie hung up the phone from his overseas manager and sat silently on his chair looking into the distance.
"Alien Age" has been officially released today.
This movie made Shen Lianjie doubt his life again.
Shen Lianjie was very excited about the box office of more than 10 million yuan on the opening day. He even imagined that the box office of this movie would exceed 300 million yuan...
pity……
It’s that chicken-peeing thing again, and the box office has been declining. Although it lasted a little longer than the previous two movies, it was still a tragic movie that was released early...
The total box office of this movie in China has just exceeded 80 million.
An investment of 50 million and a box office result of 80 million is really...
Pounced again.
He is still being scolded on the Internet, and even if this continues, he feels that he will be scolded by fans as the king of bad movies.
His reputation and box office success made him officially autistic.
Under this situation, Shen Lianjie began to set his sights on the overseas box office. If the overseas box office can explode, then this movie can still be saved...
But.
Overseas was told that the buyout price for this movie was very low, only one million...
What can you do with a million dollars?
Can I buy the villa in Yanjing owned by screenwriter Sun Peng?
cannot……
"Ding dong."
Just when Shen Lianjie was sitting on the chair and didn't know what expression to use to describe his emotions at this moment, he heard the "ding dong" sound of the computer.
Then he saw a pop-up news.
"Surprise! Director James and John came to China together to..."
writer of sensational headlines!
These unscrupulous reporters!
Although Shen Lianjie was thinking this, he still clicked on the news with his hand.
After all, James is a Hollywood director, and he is definitely a heavyweight director. He definitely came to China for something important.
Maybe you are coming to China to shoot a new movie?
After clicking on the news, a video popped up. After Shen Lianjie saw the content in the video, his expectant expression changed instantly.
"I am here on behalf of our company, Paramount Company. I feel very sorry for the misunderstanding caused by the last movie "The Man from Earth"..."
"This time, I am very sincere... In terms of the overseas issuance rights buyout price, we will definitely be generous, and the company allows Mr. Lu to receive a certain share..."
The voices of James and John echoed in Shen Lianjie's ears.
Shen Lianjie's chest kept rising and falling, and his face gradually turned red, as if he had been slapped hard.
When I was worrying about the price of overseas distribution rights, Lu Yuan’s overseas distribution rights turned out to be...
Was he actually being robbed?
This moment...
Shen Lianjie closed his eyes.
At this moment, millions of grass mud horses can no longer describe his mood at this moment.
……………………
When James and John came to Lu Yuan's company, they were shocked by the scale of Lu Yuan's company!
Yes, shocked.
They had never seen such a small company.
Can this also be considered an entertainment company?
this……
This entire company is worse than a department of their company!
They asked several bodyguards and their assistants to stand outside and not go in.
They felt that if all their bodyguards entered, the room would become very crowded.
"This way, gentlemen, please..."
Wu Tingting politely brought the two of them to the conference room.
In the conference room, Lu Yuan was already waiting there.
"Mr. James, Mr. John, good afternoon..."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Lu..."
"Hello……"
"Mr. Lu Yuan, I actually have only one purpose for coming here this time, and that is to get the overseas distribution rights of "Groundhog Day". Our company can give you certain overseas rights..."
"Mr. Lu Yuan, the same goes for our company. I believe you should know the strength of our Gobia..."
After the three of them exchanged greetings, James was the first to tell his purpose. After Lu Yuan had just finished speaking, Lu Yuan had not replied, and John also told him his purpose in an instant.
"..."
Wu Tingting wanted to translate, but was stopped by Lu Yuan.
He wants to practice his speaking skills.
He feels that his English level has improved a lot recently. Although he cannot understand the details, he can still understand the general meaning.
So, he opened his mouth, organized his words, and took a deep breath.
"I'm very happy that... you two... can... like... the movie. My... happy. I'm very... actually... I..."
After hearing Lu Yuan's words, the two of them looked blank...
The air suddenly became quiet...
Lu Yuan's expectant expression suddenly turned awkward...
"Mr. Lu, let me translate your words..."
"good……"
When James and the two listened to Wu Tingting's translation, they finally felt a little enlightened.
It turned out that he meant to refuse.
The two looked at each other...
Both sides felt a hint of gunpowder.
"Mr. Lu Yuan, please listen to our conditions first before rejecting... You should know our company. Our company is one of the seven major companies in Hollywood. Our company..." At this time, John immediately began to introduce Own your own company.
"Our Paimon Company is not bad either. Our strength is obvious to all. At the same time, we..." Halfway through John's words, James also started...
"..."
"..."
Five million US dollars, six million US dollars...
Five percent share, six percent share...
After hearing these numbers from the two of them, Lu Yuan felt like he saw money waving at him.
He originally thought that he was not greedy for money and would not be tempted by money...
But……
He found that he was wrong.
Even though he already has hundreds of millions of yuan, even though he himself feels that he is not a money-greedy person.
but……
He still couldn't resist the shining golden look.
His heart was beating loudly.
He was calm on the surface, but deep inside he was already turbulent, with heaven and man at war.
or……
Sold directly?
No, I can't sell it. After all, I have my own company in Hollywood!
But what if this movie doesn't make money in overseas markets? Who can guarantee that their movie will make money in overseas markets and become a hit? Can a miracle like "The Man from Earth" happen again? What if it loses money?
Isn’t it like a chicken flying over an egg?
Perhaps, the most conservative way is to sell to them directly. Anyway, you won’t lose money if you take the money first.
but……
Lu Yuan found himself very confused.
finally……
"Sorry... you two, I have sold the overseas license for this movie to Huaxin Brothers. I'm sorry..."
"Sorry, I can't disclose the specific number. Anyway, I'm sorry..."
"You two, Wu Tingting, please help you book a hotel..."
"..."
It takes courage to say no.
Lu Yuan mustered up the courage to reject the two of them.
After rejecting the offer, even though he looked apologetic and showed no other gestures, in fact he felt that his body had been hollowed out.
He saw the glittering money leaving before his eyes...
I'm not a money-grubbing person!
I'm not! Never!
He tried hard to remind himself to let go of these messy thoughts.
But……
Of no use!
"Mr. Lu Yuan, I think we can still have a chat. In fact, I think..."
"Yes, the company Huaxin Brothers is really too small. I know you value friendship more, but this "Groundhog Day" is also your hard work, isn't it? You don't want your hard work to be wasted like this, right?"
"..."
"Sorry, sorry..."
Lu Yuan shook his head and looked out the window.
"..."
…………………………
James and John left the office...
Both of them felt that Lu Yuan had taken the wrong medicine.
What's going on with this guy?
No matter whether it is authorized to Paimon or Gobia, everyone will have no problem and at most it will be a little uncomfortable.
But……
No matter how they tried to persuade Lu Yuan or talked about various benefits with Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan always insisted on not agreeing and kept refusing.
Is this not taking the wrong medicine?
Is it better to cooperate with a powerful company than with such a small company?
They shook their heads.
Just when they walked out of the company door, Thomson and Downey also came.
Behind them were a group of reporters who were extremely excited but were stopped by security guards.
Journalists are really excited!
Thomson, James, John...
These people are all here to find Lu Yuan!
They're all here!
Isn't this exciting?
However, Thomson probably has no hope.
Who made him late?
But that’s not right either…
Judging from the expressions on James and John's faces...
Not quite right?
Thomson was also annoyed after seeing the two of them. He felt that he might really be late.
But he saw that there was something wrong with the expressions of the two of them.
"Director James, Mr. John, what are you..."
"Go back, Director Thomson, Mr. Lu Yuan has authorized it..."
"Huh? Who was authorized to do so?"
"Brother Huaxin..."
"Huh! Mr. James, what did I think... Haha, you may not understand Mr. Lu Yuan, but I understand... Downey, let's go in..."
"yes."
"..."
Thomson and James glanced at the confident Thomson in confusion.
We don’t understand Mr. Lu Yuan?
Do you understand?
They decided to wait a little for Thomson...
About twenty minutes later, they saw Thomson and Downey being sent out of the company by Wu Tingting and Lu Yuan with doubtful expressions on their faces...
All the confidence I had before seemed to be gone.
He also looked like Lu Yuan had taken the wrong medicine...
"Huh? Director James, Mr. John, are you still here?"
"Don't just stand here with us, why don't we have dinner together?"
"..."
In the distance, Lu Yuan saw the two of them standing in the company yard and greeted them with bright eyes and enthusiasm on their faces.
……………………
Joaquin Headquarters.
"What?"
"Did Lu Yuan really take the wrong medicine?"
"American League, Paimon, Gobia...were all rejected by him?"
"What the hell..."
"Is this fake news?"
After hearing the news, Shen Lianjie also began to doubt life...
He even felt that he and Lu Yuan were not playing the same game...