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

Chapter 354 Hollywood's Olive Branch

The morning fog in Los Angeles had not yet dissipated.

The Paimon Pictures offices were brightly lit.

On the projection screen, the global box office curve for "Dark Knight" soared, breaking the $1 million mark, a stark contrast to the dismal $7500 million figure for "Eragon." Meanwhile, "Fast & Furious" surpassed $1.1 million, with its numbers continuing to climb...

Mark silently watched the box office figures, his heart filled with mixed emotions, before his gaze finally settled on "The Devil Knight"...

He had just finished watching "Dark Knight." Although the special effects were still rudimentary, the film's setting and plot precisely hit the aesthetic preferences of Western audiences.

This is Zhou Yang's second film to surpass $1 million in global box office revenue.

Unlike "Saw", "Dark Knight" is a completely Chinese production. Apart from using European and American actors and adopting Westernized character names, it bears a distinct Chinese imprint from its production team to its filming techniques.

As a filmmaker, Mark genuinely admires Zhou Yang, the Chinese director.

Since the millennium, apart from Li Zhengtao, he has never seen any other Chinese filmmaker conquer the international market with such unstoppable momentum.

He was very happy to cooperate with Zhou Yang...

However, from the perspective of Paimon's top management, Zhou Yang's rise in "The Devil Knight" subtly reveals a dangerous signal, as this work seems to be challenging the global hegemony of Hollywood blockbusters.

This subtle change is hard to describe, but it does indeed indicate a loosening of the existing order.

Since the beginning of the new century, major Hollywood studios have always had a clear understanding of the Chinese market. For example, Tianyu Media only needs to act as a distribution channel for Hollywood films and make money. Even if a local Chinese film occasionally emerges, it should only be confined to the regional market. However, Zhou Yang's works are breaking this unspoken rule.

A ray of sunlight shone into the office from the horizon.

Mark put down the box office report in his hand, frowned, and looked at his secretary: "What's Zhou Yang's reaction to the price increase for 'Transformers'?"

The secretary shook her head: "There's been no response yet, Mr. Mark. Our emails and faxes show as read, but [Xuan Shi Entertainment] hasn't contacted us. We reached out to their newly appointed secretary, but her response was ambiguous..."

Mark paused for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "That's strange..."

He originally planned to wait for Zhou Yang to come and negotiate in person, and then take the opportunity to test the other party's attitude towards the Hollywood market, and even talk about the possibility of future cooperation.

After all, the success of "Dark Knight" proves that Zhou Yang has a precise grasp of the tastes of European and American audiences. If we can win him over to participate in Hollywood projects and make him a part of Paimon, we might be able to open up new market opportunities.

The phone rang suddenly, interrupting Mark's thoughts.

He answered the phone, and the voice of Chen Lei, the head of Hongsheng Capital, came through the receiver.

“Mr. Mark, we hope to authorize Tianyu Pictures to distribute Transformers in China, to help them reverse the decline of Dragon Knight and consolidate their market position.”

Chen Lei's tone was calm, but his words carried a hint of unyielding authority.

Mark frowned slightly and tapped the table lightly.

【Hongsheng Capital】On the surface, it is controlled by Chen Lei, but in reality, the eight major Hollywood film studios are behind this capital.

In China, there are at least thirty similar agency capital firms like [Hongsheng Capital], which have infiltrated almost all film and television companies except for Zhou Yang's [Xuanshi Entertainment].

At this moment, Chen Lei's proposal was clearly not solely for the benefit of Tianyu Media.

"Mr. Mark, there's one more thing..."

Chen Lei lowered his voice a few decibels.

"We hope that Industrial Light & Magic can provide licensing assistance for the filming of some big-budget movies in China at a lower price, but impose a permanent technological blockade on Zhou Yang's films."

Mark squinted.

On the other end of the phone, Chen Lei's tone remained calm, but the chill in his voice was clearly perceptible.

"Behind 'The Devil Knight' lies the clarion call of the Chinese film industry. If we let things continue like this, Hollywood's advantage in the Chinese market will gradually diminish... My idea is simple: lower the price of Industrial Light & Magic's special effects for Chinese films, making domestic Chinese films, except for those produced by Zhou Yang, dependent on us, thereby limiting the development of the Chinese film industry..."

Mark paused for a moment, then slowly began to speak.

"I need to discuss this with headquarters. We only have a small stake in Industrial Light & Magic, but a vote is still required..."

"Of course, Mr. Mark. However, time waits for no one."

"Zhou Yang's 'Dark Knight' and 'Fast & Furious' have already gained some popularity in the global market. The Chinese market cannot be thrown into chaos because of him..."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Mark looked at the dawn on the horizon and fell into deep thought.

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

3 month 23 day.

A light rain fell in Yanjing City.

A light drizzle pattered against the window, blurring the view outside. At [Xuan Shi Entertainment], a phone rang in Zhou Yang's office.

The call was from Paimon.

Zhou Yang pressed the answer button, and Mark's enthusiastic voice came through the receiver: "Zhou, congratulations on the success of 'Demonic Knight'! I believe you are aware that we are about to grant the Chinese distribution rights for 'Transformers'. Due to market factors, the current licensing price is indeed too high, considering that you are not a deep partner of ours and that several companies are competing for this copyright. However, based on our previous pleasant cooperation, I have negotiated a deeper cooperation plan with headquarters, which will allow us to license 'Transformers' to you at a more favorable price..."

"Oh? What kind of collaboration?" Zhou Yang asked with a smile.

On the other end of the phone, Mark rattled off his terms: "Zhou, we can sign a ten-year exclusive licensing agreement, granting us exclusive global distribution rights for all your company's films. Furthermore, for your big-budget films, we'll offer a ten-year in-depth collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic's visual effects team, ensuring every blockbuster enjoys preferential pricing. In addition, we'll grant you full access to Hollywood A-list production resources..."

Every promise made over the phone gleamed with gold and was incredibly tempting.

Zhou Yang was slightly surprised after hearing Mark's suggestion.

The other party then sent a detailed email, and Zhou Yang carefully reviewed every clause in the agreement.

Although the data in the document was indeed very tempting, Zhou Yang fell into deep thought as he examined the specific details.

He picked up the phone again and dialed Mark's number.

"Mr. Mark, do you mean that all our future big-budget films must sign a cooperation agreement with Industrial Light & Magic? In addition, the global distribution rights of our films outside of China, including the screening arrangements in each country, will be completely controlled by you? In other words, regardless of the quality of our films or the market demand, you have the right to decide whether to authorize specific regions, and we cannot even interfere with the screening data, is that right?"

"Zhou, that's true."

"But what if our film has the potential to be a blockbuster in the global market, but your distribution strategy prevents it from being released in certain regions, ultimately affecting the overall box office performance?"

“Zhou, why would you think that? You really don’t trust our professional ethics at all. What company in this world doesn’t pursue profits? You’re overthinking it.”

"Furthermore, after signing with Industrial Light & Magic, will all of our company's film special effects production have to rely on them? And will our own special effects team be unable to continue developing?"

“Basically, it’s like this. You need to know that Industrial Light & Magic is a top-tier visual effects company globally. After signing an agreement, they can offer very favorable prices. As a shrewd businessman, you should understand the enormous costs of visual effects production. Moreover, these investments are ongoing; with the development of the film industry, technology and equipment need to be updated and iterated every year, which is a huge expense. From a business perspective, building your own visual effects team is simply not worth it. There has never been anyone that foolish in this world…”

"..."

Zhou Yang did not respond, but put down the phone and his gaze fell on the five-year plan chart of "Spectacular Special Effects" on his desk.

Raindrops pattered against the windowpane, reflecting his pensive profile.

The plan is densely marked with key technology development milestones, from upgrades to motion capture systems to breakthroughs in fluid effects, each reflecting the ambition of the Huaxia Special Effects team.

His gaze finally settled on the red text that read "Independent Rendering Engine Development".

Just at this time……

Mark's final warning echoed in his ears: "Zhou, this is the optimal solution jointly devised by the eight major Hollywood studios. Whichever company you choose to sign with, you'll receive the distribution rights to all future Hollywood blockbusters in China for the next ten years. It could even help you reach the pinnacle of the Chinese film industry and achieve a public listing. You can choose not to choose us, or you can consider the other seven studios, but the core terms are essentially the same..."

"I really can't think of any reason why you would refuse us, unless, of course, you're an idiot..."

The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly turned sharp: "If you refuse, you will be permanently excluded from the list of A-level special effects suppliers, and... you will not be able to obtain authorization for any of our Hollywood films. In other words, in the future battlefield, your films will face attacks from the eight major Hollywood studios and from Chinese domestic blockbusters..."

"Perhaps you don't yet understand what this means."

"But in fact, besides your [Xuan Shi Entertainment], four of the five major film companies in China are already our partners."

"."

Silence fell over the office.

Zhou Yang laughed.

"Cooperation is fine, but I hope the agreement can be amended in two ways: first, to guarantee my film priority in screenings; and second, to allow my company to have choices regarding special effects... For example, for a production costing over 100 million, I can choose Industrial Light & Magic; for productions under 100 million, I can..."

"Impossible, Mr. Zhou Yang."

"Then I choose not to cooperate."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am sure."

"Then good luck!"

The phone was hung up.

Just then, the phone rang.

It was Liu Jinghua calling.

On the other end of the phone, she only said one sentence:

"Mr. Zhou, I've been squeezed out of [Huashang Brothers] by capital."

(End of this chapter)