I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 229 Global Release!

The lights in the screening room went out.

Several marketing executives silently followed Mark out of the screening room.

The corridor lights were so bright that Mark squinted.

He subconsciously straightened his suit and adjusted his breathing slightly.

But somehow, the viscous, bloody smell from the movie still lingered in my nostrils.

At this moment, the lingering effects of the film, like a cold wire, still entangled his nerves, making his hair stand on end uncontrollably.

Only after entering the spacious hall did the oppressive feeling in his heart ease slightly.

Behind him, several heads of the market research department had complex expressions. Some wiped away cold sweat, some stared at the evaluation forms in their hands, and some were very excited, their eyes flashing with an unprecedented hunger and a sense of unfinished business...

"Gentlemen? What do you think?" By the time they reached the edge of the hall, Mark had calmed down. He cleared his throat and looked at Lisa, the data manager, standing next to him.

"8.5 points!" Lisa lowered her head, looking at the data she had written down. After a brief hesitation, she finally spoke again: "This movie had a low budget, but the trap designs, combined with the film's unique suggestive techniques, are more 'soulful' and aggressive than the gory movies I've seen before... This movie should be a hit!"

After hearing Lisa say those words, Mark looked at the others.

The market analysis director handed him some data: "I also give it an 8.5. It can be released and will have a good market response. However, I recommend an R rating. Heart patients must be warned before watching it..."

After hearing the movie ratings one after another, Mark nodded silently.

Then, they walked towards the conference room.

..........................................

In the conference room.

Catherine sat in the corner, feeling dazed.

Through the glass window not far away, she saw Mark and several heads of the marketing department walk out of the screening room.

Their expressions ranged from solemn to astonished, from nodding to seeming unsatisfied...

There was no cursing or anger as I had imagined, and no one even walked out halfway through the movie to call her ahead of time.

In fact, when she helped contact Paimon yesterday to help Zhou Yang review the film, she was already prepared to be scolded.

After all, the film's rough visuals, the cheap extras, and...

She thought back to the past month, when Zhou Yang only spent a few hours each day working with a few extras in the basement, using props and blood discarded by the Twilight crew...

All of this seems to suggest that this movie is a vulgar and terrible film.

If it weren't for Zhou Yang's sincerity and her soft heart, she wouldn't have even wanted to make the call.

but now!
Judging from their reactions, it seems that this guy actually managed to make a decent movie using those spare moments?

How can this be?

Catherine turned to look at Zhou Yang, who was sitting calmly in his seat, browsing through various data...

This absurd scene somewhat overturned her understanding...

And at this moment!
The meeting room door opened.

"week!"

She saw Mark push open the conference room door, slightly excited, and immediately shake hands with Zhou Yang: "This film...we need to talk about it."

“Okay, Mr. Mark, may my lawyer and translator come in?” Zhou Yang’s English was a little broken, but he immediately smiled when he saw Mark’s expression.

“Okay.” Mark released Zhou Yang’s hand, nodded, and invited Zhou Yang to sit down again.

Then, he watched as Zhou Yang dialed a phone number, and shortly afterward, two figures in suits entered.

He gestured to his assistant to close the soundproof door to the conference room: "Zhou, I need to know the complete copyright status of this 'Saw' movie!"

“Currently, I hold the copyright to this film. In fact, in a sense, this film should be considered a work of our Paimon Company…” Zhou Yang looked at Mark with a smile.

“Oh?” Mark asked curiously, “I remember you’ve been in Los Angeles for exactly a month, right? You seem to have been on the set of Twilight the whole time…”

“Yes!” Zhou Yang nodded: “The Twilight Saw movie was filmed on the set of the Twilight series…”

"You were filming 'Twilight' and 'Chainsaw' at the same time?" Mark subconsciously looked at Catherine with a slightly questioning expression.

Catherine's eyes were filled with complicated emotions. After hesitating for a long time, she smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Mark, would you believe me if I said that Mr. Zhou Yang used the useless props and expired blood from our 'Twilight' movie?"

"Filmed in a month?" Mark was stunned, somewhat incredulous.

"Maybe it was less than half a month... He filmed it whenever he had a spare moment..."

"..."

When Mark saw Catherine's complicated expression, a storm of emotions surged within him.

But on the surface, he remained calm, simply nodding and smiling: "Zhou, we'll take this movie. Name your price!"

“Mr. Mark, actually, I’ve been very interested in our Paimon Pictures for a long, long time. My participation in *Twilight* was partly due to the sincere invitation from Director Catherine and Miss Mia, and partly because Paimon Pictures is the production company…” Zhou Yang smiled at Mark, “Mr. Mark, I hope this film can be given to Paimon as a free gift…”

Mark was a little surprised when he heard this: "Free?"

“Yes, free, the movie rights, free for you!” Mark paused again upon hearing this, then his smile faded as he stared at Zhou Yang: “I know better than anyone that behind everything free in this world lies the most expensive deal. Zhou, I want to know, what do you want…”

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Then Zhou Yang waved his hand lightly, and immediately afterward, the man in the suit next to him silently opened his laptop.

Next, Mark was shown a series of movies that had been produced by [Xuan Shi Entertainment]...

Mark frowned slightly after seeing these movie titles: "You mean..."

“In the past year, we at [Xuan Shi Entertainment] have produced many films, some of which have achieved considerable box office success in China… Each film is like my child, and as their father, I am eager to find a suitable stage for them so that they can stand at a higher level and be seen by more people…” Zhou Yang pushed up his glasses, his smile deepening.

Mark stared at the movies, then after a brief silence, looked at Zhou Yang: "Zhou, you should know that the film distribution companies we work with are all from the five major film studios in China, right?"

“Yes, I understand, but I believe there are never any absolutes in this world… I’ve checked the overseas box office records of films from China’s five major film companies. Since 2000, or even earlier, no Chinese film has ever broken the $500 million mark… I know very well that you don’t make much money from importing Chinese films. If it weren’t for the film industry exchange agreements between China and the US that have been working, you wouldn’t even be willing to import any Chinese films…” Zhou Yang stared at Mark.

Mark paused briefly, then frowned at the smiling Zhou Yang and asked, "Why do you feel you're different from them? They have a huge resource chain behind them, while if I remember correctly, you only have yourself behind you... Moreover, your [Xuan Shi Entertainment] has only been established for a year..."

"But in this past year, I've gone from an ordinary, impoverished director with no connections to someone who's gradually walked into our Paimon Pictures meeting room, chatting and drinking coffee with you, haven't I?"

"..."

“A month is not enough time for most people to even finish filming half a movie, but for me, in a month of fragmented time, I not only acted in Twilight but also squeezed in time to film a movie, and this movie is very interesting to you… If I can make a movie, I can certainly make two similar movies…”

"..."

Under the sunlight, the Chinese man in front of me was very confident, always wearing a smile that was neither humble nor arrogant.

Mark didn't say anything after listening, but silently looked at the movie list in his notebook.

After a silence that lasted for several tens of seconds, the conference room...

Mark smiled, then nodded seriously: "I can try to get it from the company!"

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Mark, and..."

"What else?"

“Mr. Mark, I have several theater chains behind me, and I hope I can get the distribution rights to the Hollywood film ‘Disaster’!”

"What!" Mark was shocked when he heard this. "Zhou, do you know what you're saying?"

"I know, I want to get the distribution rights to 'Disaster'!"

Zhou Yang spoke with a resounding voice, narrowing his eyes.

“Zhou, this won’t do. This involves the company’s cooperation with the five major film companies in China. Furthermore, we need to evaluate various distribution scales and market conditions. To be frank, [Xuanshi Entertainment] has never been within our scope of authorization consideration…”

"When can we do that?"

"Unless you can prove your capabilities, but as far as I know, most of China's film resources are currently concentrated in five major film companies. You might be able to produce a few blockbuster films, but no one can guarantee that they will always be blockbusters. The risk is too great; we can't gamble on that..."

"What if Saw grosses over $100 million worldwide?"

“Zhou, you also said that this is based on hypothetical scenarios… If this movie really does break the $100 million mark at the box office, it will certainly give the company a good impression of your company…”

"so……"

Zhou Yang stood up and pushed open the window of the conference room next door.

The May heatwave, carrying with it the clamor of Hollywood, surged in: "I'll license 'Saw' to Paimon for free, and all I want is 10% of the North American box office, 10% in Europe, and 8% in Asia..."

Mark looked down at the data sheet Zhou Yang handed him.

This price is quite low, at least 45% lower than Paimon's regular purchase price. As the producer, a 10% cut is already a good concession.

When he looked up at Zhou Yang's face again, he narrowed his eyes: "Here's the thing! If 'Saw' grosses over $100 million worldwide, we'll consider collaborating with you on next year's film..."

Why next year?

"We need time to see you grow... provided that you can continue to grow!"

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes, and after a moment nodded: "Okay, but I have one request!"

"any request?"

"I hope that when you license 'Disaster' to any film company in China, you will add a clause stipulating that no film company may use the film to coerce theaters into showing it in all Chinese theaters! Including the theaters under my control!"

"That's no problem, we also want to get more box office revenue!"

"That's good!"

"besides……"

"What else?"

"The global licensing issues of the films I made in the past..."

"I can apply to the company! We'll get back to you tomorrow! But if you sign with us, it has to be an exclusive deal!"

"can!"

(End of this chapter)