Artists under the Rebirth of the Coal Boss

Chapter 277 Setbacks in Copyright Acquisition!
This is an international long-distance call from Xu Zhixia, bringing bad news.

Godzilla's IP address has indeed been frozen.

However, there is fierce infighting within Toho between the executive and chairman factions regarding the sale of the Godzilla IP, and given the current momentum of this internal struggle, there may be no resolution within a few years.

This year has been dubbed the "Year of Toho" in the Japanese film market, with Toho films occupying eight of the top ten spots in the annual domestic box office rankings.

Including works such as *Rookie Class: Graduation*, *Gokusen the Movie*, *My First Love Is With You*, *The Unsinkable Sun*, *Kaiji Gambling Apocalypse*, and *Detective Conan the Movie 13: The Raven Chaser*...

They all achieved a complete monopoly on the top 3 spots in the weekly box office rankings!
For the fifth consecutive year, the total box office has exceeded 500 billion yen, breaking the record for Japanese film companies!
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In contrast, the tokusatsu film "Godzilla: Final Wars," released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Godzilla series, performed poorly at the box office, setting a new record for Toho Films' losses this year.

Godzilla is one of the most famous monster figures in film history, a symbolic icon of postwar Japanese popular culture, and has had a profound influence on many monster works in Japan, Europe, and the United States.

The first Godzilla film was released in 1954, produced by Tokyo Hoya Film Co., Ltd.

At that time, the mainstream film genre in Japan was narrative films, mainly telling stories between people. This film with the theme of monsters can be said to have pioneered the monster movie genre.

The team led by tokusatsu master Eiji Tsuburaya created a Godzilla suit weighing 63 kilograms, which, combined with a detailed miniature city model, made the first-ever stunning scene of "the giant beast flattening Tokyo".

This film, which cost only $17.5 to produce, grossed $360.27 worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese film of 1954.

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Unfortunately, a moment of brilliance does not represent eternity.

After the first Godzilla movie became a hit, Toho Company aggressively developed this entirely new genre...

By 2004, Toho Co., Ltd. of Japan had produced a total of 48 "Godzilla" movies.

This subject matter has been thoroughly exploited...

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After the turn of the millennium, Jurassic Park ushered in a new era of CGI-driven movie special effects, sweeping the global film market.

In contrast, the Japanese tokusatsu industry has declined considerably. The clumsy costumes and sets are outdated, and they can only sell nostalgia. Furthermore, they lack funding and technology for CG special effects.

The Toho executives argue that both Toho and Toei are ultimately film companies, not just specializing in tokusatsu (special effects) films.

Special effects films are just one part of Toho's many film and television projects.

In today's society, CG is everywhere and traditional tokusatsu is becoming increasingly unprofitable, so why should Toho spend so much effort to make a film or television work that is difficult to produce and does not yield any results?
Toho needs to make money; they're lucky if their tokusatsu shows don't lose money!
Subsequently, under the impetus of this faction, Toho issued a declaration that it would not produce any more Godzilla movies for the next ten years, and dismantled many of the filming sets related to Godzilla movies.

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In this situation, Lin Xingzhuo has no other option but to maintain contact with the Dongbao executives and build a good relationship.

According to memories from my previous life, the protracted internal strife at Toho, which was widely expected to be resolved, will unexpectedly come to a conclusion next year.

In the end, Toho's managing director won by a narrow margin. Although the Godzilla version did not sell, they did sign a 10-year licensing agreement with Legendary Pictures.

Lin Xingzhuo told Xu Zhixia not to be discouraged and to continue the copyright acquisition journey to the United States...

Tiger Shadow Starlight International's Tokyo office is maintaining relations with Toho's managing director's faction, striving to gain the upper hand in next year's negotiations!

After finishing a phone call with Xu Zhixia, Lin Xingzhuo and the others arrived at the Capital International Airport.

While checking in at the airport, Lin Xingzhuo was bored, so he picked up a copy of the "Young and Dangerous" comic book. It was currently being serialized up to the climax of the story, the battle between the Daoist Nankeng and Hung Hing in Futian.

Lin Xingzhuo had been following the series while filming "Love in a Puff". After returning to the mainland, Huang Zongze asked Huang Zhiwen, a Cathay Pacific flight attendant who specializes in first class, to bring him the latest episode.

She not only gave him books but also gifted him a gift, and she even wore a red flight attendant's dress with black stockings, which gave Lin Xingzhuo a perfect opportunity to test her amazing skills in all directions.

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This is the same man who once verbally abused a disgusting male passenger from mainland China in Cantonese on the show "Women 100%".

Lin Xingzhuo was initially wondering if the other party was willing.

Later I found out that they were just hurling insults, but the real problem was...

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Lin Xingzhu had barely flipped through two pages of the comic when Ding Ye called again, the background noise still coming from the clinking of glasses.

Lin Xingzhuo got straight to the point: "I'm at the airport, heading to Shanghai to shoot an advertisement. Don't bother me for the rest of the drinking session."

Ding Ye, slightly tipsy, said, "I know, I'm at Xiaolou Restaurant. Their braised catfish is really good... My former students are coming to meet up with me..."

Hearing some foreign accents in the background of the phone call, Lin Xingzhuo was reminded of the classic film "Out of the Amazon" and asked curiously:

"Foreign student? You work at a military school abroad?"

Ding Ye said, "What are you thinking? I was an instructor at the Shicheng Army Command Academy!"

"Of the students from that group back then, one is now a brigade commander in Wa State, Myanmar, and several others are defense ministers or high-ranking military officers in Africa..."

"By the way, Attorney Xu told me about the situation in Japan, the internal strife at Toho. Which faction do you think will win?"

Lin Xingzhuo recalled that in his previous life he had reviewed the documentary "Toho vs. Toei: The Post-War Survival Battle" which Bilibili had imported. He put down the comic book in his hand and said:
"I judge that the executive faction that supports selling the copyright will win. However, in such a large film and television group, the internal factional struggle is likely to be the result of compromise. In the end, it may be licensing rather than selling the copyright."

Squeak! Rip! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of chairs being pulled out and glasses clinking came from behind Ding Ye. He said, "Okay! I understand! I'll have Tai Bei Xiaolin speed things up!"

After Lin Xingzhuo gained unlimited firing rights, the "military force list" of the Tiger Group coal capital was shared by the eldest sister-in-law Shen Mojun, Ding Ye, and Lin Xingzhuo.

However, Taibei Xiaolin has no memory of this.

After toasting, Ding Ye said on the phone, "By the way, the list hasn't been updated yet."

"Xiao Lin is a local influence I recently acquired in Taibei. His family runs a temple in the area and also does some international labor brokerage on the side."

Lin Xingzhuo immediately understood the underlying meaning: "This is... a business involving the Brown Sect and wiring? Is there potential?"

"The Japanese entertainment industry and Japanese yakuza groups have a close and deep relationship! Some large entertainment agencies have been accused of being branches of yakuza groups!"

Ding Ye said, "I know that. However, we'll be entering the Japanese market sooner or later, so let him go and fight a preliminary battle, and also test his abilities..."

(End of this chapter)