It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 167: How to arrange the premiere? First, seal off Washington! (Two parts combined! Requesting monthly votes!)
"The drama film 'Say I Love You Again,' produced by Bona Film Group and starring Liu Dehua, Charlene Choi, and Cai Ni, officially ended its run today, grossing 880 million yuan at the box office."

"Release the latest press release from Rui Vision: The comedy film 'Remote Control,' directed by Shen Ao, written/produced by Lü Rui, and starring Ge You, Liu Tao, and Fu Biao, has successfully concluded its run, with a total box office of 1.43 million yuan."

New Pictures officially announced its latest historical action project, "Curse of the Golden Flower," directed by Zhang Yimou and adapted from the stage play "Thunderstorm," with an investment cost of 3.6 million RMB!

"Jay Chou announces he's joining the cast of 'Curse of the Golden Flower'..."

...

With the Golden Horse Awards coming to a close, it's already late November.

The industry is absolutely buzzing right now!
"Say I Love You Again" and "Click" both finished their theatrical runs, but their box office results were vastly different.

Many people in the industry are waiting to see Bona make a fool of itself.

Yu Pangzi has placed all his bets on Jackie Chan's "The Myth" and Liu Dehua's new film.

Unexpectedly, neither of the two films performed as expected, while "Click" became a box office hit.

Everyone was watching Ruishijie's moves.

They found a distribution company, but didn't get any help; the company cheated and shirked responsibility when doing the promotion.

If it weren't for the film's high quality, rave reviews, and the impact of factors such as Fu Biao's passing, this film would never have achieved its current success.

In the film industry, it's never a case of "good wine needs no bush"; promotion is extremely important.

Such a huge bombshell has already exploded in the very first collaboration between the two parties. If someone with a bad temper were to do this, they would have already started criticizing it through the media!

However, Lü Rui remained calm and did not respond at all. He also specifically instructed Shen Ao not to respond to the topic.

He is waiting.

Waiting for a phone call!
Of course it couldn't be Yu Dong's; that guy has already been blacklisted by him.

From now on, Bona will not be allowed to touch any of Ruishijie's projects!

What's the point of having a partner like that?
The day after the movie finished its run, Lü Rui received the call he had been waiting for.

“Yu Dong was in the wrong this time. I’ve already scolded him. He personally promised me that he wouldn’t take a single penny of the distribution fees for ‘Remote Control.’ Could you please be lenient and let him off this time?”

Han Sanping ultimately acted as the middleman, since he was the one who facilitated the cooperation between the two parties, and it was really inappropriate for him to sit idly by.

Lu Rui didn't beat around the bush: "President Han, we signed a contract before we started working together. Now he's breaching the contract, so even according to the contract, he definitely won't get the distribution fee."

"Yeah, I know, anyone would be angry in that situation..."

Han Sanping's face flushed slightly. If he had known it would turn out like this, he shouldn't have acted as a go-between in the first place.

That fat guy Yu is really something, he messed up the distribution process so badly!

"Since you've made the call personally, I'll certainly give you face. I can waive the lawsuit against Bona for breach of contract, but they must pay the compensation they owe. Otherwise, outsiders might think that Ruishijie is easy to bully."

"Okay, that makes sense. Tell me, how do you want him to compensate you?"

"Two requirements: First, shorten the payment period to one week. I don't care if he pays in advance or if he steals or robs, I want to receive the settlement payment for 'Remote Control' within 7 days at the latest."

Secondly, Bona Film Group will pay for the film's wrap party; as for how much, he can decide for himself.

Typically, according to the traditional settlement and payment process in the film industry, cinemas typically require 3 to 6 months to pay producers.

In other words, it will take at least three months for the revenue to reach the production company from the day the movie officially leaves theaters.

If it's just a few hundred thousand or a million, given Ruishijie's current size, it's not something to worry about.

But "Click" is a movie produced solely by Ruishijie!

After deducting the cost of 800 million, the box office revenue alone was 4707 million.

Including the revenue sharing from pre-roll ads, that's a whopping 5000 million!
Even if this money is left untouched in the bank, it can earn nearly 30 yuan in interest in 3 months. If invested in a bull market, it could even double in value!

Therefore, it is of course better to receive payment as soon as possible.

As for the celebration banquet, it will only cost around 100,000 yuan at most, which can be considered as a lesson for Yu Dong.

As for other matters, Lü Rui did not press the issue further.

After all, Han Sanping is in the middle, so it's best to stop there. Going too far will make everyone look bad.

At this moment, Han Sanping secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Lü Rui hadn't pressed his advantage.

He immediately agreed, patting his chest and guaranteeing, "Don't worry, I'll definitely get it done for you! If Yu Dong doesn't agree, China Film Group will make up the difference!"

Lu Rui smiled and didn't say anything more.

Should China Film Group fill the gap?

Just take that with a grain of salt.

Even if Han Sanping dared to offer it, he wouldn't dare to accept it.

If someone with ulterior motives were to accuse someone of "embezzling state-owned assets," they might be forced to wander abroad for the rest of their lives, never to return to China.

After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping immediately dialed Yu Dong's number.

As soon as the call connected, he said impatiently, "I've already spoken to Lü Rui. He agreed not to sue Bona for breach of contract, but you have to do as he asks..."

After hearing this, Yu Dong exclaimed "Ah!" and muttered reluctantly, "President Han, this is too ruthless! Where am I supposed to get so much money in a week? I have to pay for the celebration banquet, and they won't even give me a share of the distribution profits..."

Han Sanping was furious and scolded him with exasperation, "How dare you say that? Look at the mess you've made of the distribution!"

Let me tell you, this is already the best outcome! If it really came to the point of going to court, see who would dare to hire Bona for distribution in the future? They're short-sighted..."

Yu Dong was thoroughly scolded and didn't dare to utter a sound. He could only reluctantly agree, "Okay, I'll listen to you and do as you say."

But then he cautiously asked, "Can Bona still participate in future Vision World projects?"

Han Sanping said irritably, "This is none of my business. You have to figure out how to communicate with them yourself. I'm not going to act as a go-between for you anymore. You'll only end up ruining me sooner or later..."

To be honest, he was actually very dissatisfied with the trouble Dong had caused this time.

If it weren't for the fact that the other party had once worked under him, and also because of his father-in-law's status, he wouldn't have bothered with this mess!
"Thanks for your help, brother. I'll pay you a visit when I have time..."

After hanging up the phone, Yu Dong felt both angry and frustrated.

In the end, Bona not only didn't make a penny from the project, but actually had to lose money.

More importantly, future cooperation with Ruishijie will likely be terminated.

He regretted it more and more, and wished he could slap himself twice.

If he had known it would turn out this way, he wouldn't have ignored "Click" in the first place.

Who would have thought that a film with an investment of only 800 million yuan, and directed by a newcomer, would become a box office hit with 1.43 million yuan?
In contrast, "The Myth" and "Say I Love You Again" had extremely high investment costs, but their box office performance was far inferior to that of "Click".

This is just awful!
After fuming for a while, he started to hate Lü Rui again.

"We're all in the same circle, we see each other all the time, is it really necessary to be so ruthless?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He stared at the "Lust, Caution" project proposal on the table, flipped to the last page, and signed his name in a few quick strokes.

Since the cooperation with Ruishijie can no longer continue, it might be better to further increase the efforts to embrace Hong Kong and Taiwan capital.

He had also heard about the conflict between Li An and Lü Rui, and was initially hesitant.

But now that things have come to this, since there is no longer any opportunity to cooperate with Ruishijie, there is no need to be hesitant to cooperate with Li An.

As for the issue of introducing "Lust, Caution" to mainland China, he believes it is not a difficult matter.

Although the subject matter of this project does have some "borderline" elements, with his and Jiang Zhiqiang's support, Li An's qualifications, and the assistance of some external forces, passing the censorship shouldn't be difficult...

……

The controversy surrounding the release of "Remote Control" has temporarily come to an end, and Lü Ruiquan has handed over the follow-up matters to Hou Hongliang.

He then turned his attention back to the film and television market.

The news of the "Curse of the Golden Flower" project has been generating a lot of buzz lately, even reaching Hollywood.

Of course, Zhang Weiping's deliberate marketing played a significant role behind this, coupled with the popularity of Jay Chou, who had just won an award at the Golden Horse Awards, and the addition of Zhang Yimou's name. Almost no one thought the project would lose money.

However, many investors are furious with Zhang Weiping!

This guy is so stingy. He's hogging the good projects and getting all the profits, but he won't even share a drop of soup with anyone else.

From "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" to "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" and "Curse of the Golden Flower," it's all the same.

Many people have already set their sights on him, determined to take his "life" when he has an attack!
Meanwhile, "Taken," which had been showing in Hollywood for 40 days, finally broke the $55 million mark at the box office on November 24.

When the news reached China, it unsurprisingly became the focus of attention for major media outlets.

"Directed by Lü Rui and starring Jiang Wen, Liu Yifei, and Zhou Yun, 'Taken' has officially surpassed 'Hero' at the North American box office!"

"US$5500 million! That's about RMB 4.51 million. Another classic masterpiece in Chinese cinema..."

"Congratulations to Taken for breaking Hero's North American box office record, second only to Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

"On his 23rd birthday, Lü Rui is ushering in a new chapter in his directing career!"

As the press releases were issued, they immediately attracted the attention of countless people.

It's not that no one is dissatisfied, but when they see the number "23 years old", most of them fall silent.

To achieve so much at such a young age is truly remarkable.

At the press conference for the wrap-up of "The Banquet", a reporter asked Feng Xiaogang, "What were you doing when you were 23 years old?"

"23 years old? Haha, back then I was still doing odd jobs in the military arts troupe, I hadn't even touched the edge of my profession..."

He was sharing his past experiences with a touch of pride, but then he suddenly stopped talking.

Because the reporter followed up with the question: "What do you think about the fact that Lü Rui became the top commercial film director in mainland China at the age of 23?"

Feng Xiaogang: "..."

If he weren't afraid of being ridiculed online like Chen Kaige for "not being able to talk," he would have already started cursing right now!

Today is supposed to be the wrap-up press conference for "The Banquet," why are you bringing up other directors?

What he didn't know was that at the promotional press conference for "The Promise," reporters were also deliberately provoking Chen Kaige. "Director Chen, Director Lü has achieved such success at the age of 23, what do you think?"

"If 'The Promise' fails to surpass 'Taken' at the box office after its release, will you be very disappointed?"

"Besides 'Farewell My Concubine,' many of your subsequent works have failed to meet expectations. Does this mean you've run out of creative ideas...?"

Will your failure to win the bid for the chief director of the Olympics affect your confidence in "The Promise"?

Liu Yan, the newcomer, was afraid of Chen Kai, but the other veterans were not intimidated by him at all.

Especially those seasoned reporters, their questions went straight to Old Chen's sore spots!

They were afraid that once Chen Kai calmed down, he would find it more interesting to get angry, and it would be best if he could directly hit someone and lose control on the spot, so that this year's KPI would be secure!
But Chen Kaige learned from his mistake and endured it.

The last time he clashed with Liu Yan, he not only offended Enlight Media, but was also ridiculed by the media for more than half a month.

Some netizens even speculated that his anger might be because the final product of the movie did not meet expectations.
With the movie's release date fast approaching, we can't afford any more mishaps, or it could seriously impact the box office results.

So, forcing a smile, he said, "The fact that young people can achieve such results is a glory for the Chinese film market. They should be encouraged, supported, and affirmed, rather than engaging in any so-called comparisons."

I sent an invitation to the premiere to Ruishijie, hoping that Director Lü could attend the premiere of "The Promise" and discuss the future development potential of this epic masterpiece..."

Since the other party was so "polite," Lü Rui naturally wouldn't refuse to give them face.

He responded remotely from Hollywood via the media: "I am very happy to receive Director Chen's invitation. I will definitely attend the premiere and watch the magnificent epic of 'The Promise'..."

After responding, he stopped paying attention to Chen Kaige.

After several days of hard work, he successfully completed the script for "Life of Pi".

But there's a problem right now: the copyright to the original novel is still held by 20th Century Fox.

He was confident that he could acquire the copyrights through a deal involving Warner, Lionsgate, or even Sony Columbia.

But he's completely unfamiliar with 20th Century Fox!

It's worth noting that Yann Martel's novel not only won the Man Booker Prize, but also remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year.

More importantly, this is a novel published in 2001, unlike Twilight, which he could have intercepted earlier.

Left with no other option, he could only send Peter Griffin to 20th Century Fox to sound them out.

If he's willing to sell, that would be best; he'd even pay a high price.

If they are unwilling, cooperation is also an option. He wouldn't mind bringing another one of the six major Hollywood studios on board to expand the network of interests.

Meanwhile, "Paranormal Activity," which is still showing in theaters, has successfully surpassed $6000 million at the North American box office thanks to its high-quality visuals and aggressive marketing campaign!
Success is now a certainty, and the film's popularity continues unabated.

In contrast, "Saw II," which was released at the same time, had just surpassed $45 million at the North American box office.

The main reason for this is that theaters have given "Paranormal Activity" a lot of support.

Because the number of visitors brought in by this movie was simply too considerable!
As we all know, box office revenue depends on visitor traffic.

More importantly, customer traffic is essential to drive sales of high-profit items like cola and popcorn.

If it weren't for the current Oscar season and the large number of films being released in North America, the number of theaters showing "Paranormal Activity" could have increased significantly!

"Including production costs, the film has a total investment of $1800 million so far, of which more than $1500 million has been spent on marketing..."

Jason Blum's voice was still trembling slightly as he reported to Lü Rui.

He couldn't believe that the Brim House could have such a crazy moment!

Investing five times the cost of a horror movie in its promotion is simply outrageous!
Fortunately, judging from the current results, it was all worthwhile; otherwise, the Brom House would have to file for bankruptcy protection by now.

"What is the projected box office revenue in North America?" Lu Rui continued to ask.

As the Hollywood film industry has developed to its current state, it not only possesses a complete industrial chain but has also established a relatively accurate market forecasting mechanism.

A film often only needs to be shown in North American theaters for one to three days before the prediction mechanism can predict its subsequent box office trend and even the final box office figure based on audience reviews and box office performance.

Jason confidently replied, "Multiple organizations predict that the North American box office will not be less than $8000 million."

"good, very good!"

Lu Rui's long-calm emotions finally began to fluctuate slightly.

Once the film is no longer in theaters, plus the revenue from video rentals, television broadcast licenses, and other derivative income, even the most conservative estimate is that "Paranormal Activity" could generate $1 million in revenue!

At that moment, he secretly rejoiced that he had the ability and opportunity to take the lead in handling the distribution process, acquire Brom House, and firmly grasp the power of discourse.

Otherwise, even if you have the best marketing ideas, you can only keep them to yourself and can't put them into practice.

Without its own distribution company, trying to use these bold marketing tactics will only result in becoming a subcontractor for other distribution companies, with the lion's share of the profits going to them.

After all, in the North American market, distribution channels are far more important than other aspects for the future development plans of an ambitious film company.

Most importantly, the establishment and acquisition of distribution channels become increasingly difficult and costly as time goes on.

Lu Rui clearly remembers that when Lionsgate acquired Artisan Entertainment, a company of average size, in order to expand its distribution channels and film library, the total cost was as high as $450 million!
Artisan Studios was not even considered a prominent mid-sized company in Hollywood, and its size was not much different from that of Brom House today.

Now, he acquired Brom House for only $2950 million, getting a 73% stake—a real steal!
Although on the surface, Jason Brom is the company's boss, enjoying the limelight.

But Lü Rui didn't mind at all.

His identity dictates that he shouldn't be too public; he should stay behind the scenes and make a lot of money.

As for fame, it can be expanded entirely through the identity of a director; there's no need to touch those industries that Hollywood considers taboo.

When you're operating on someone else's turf, it's always good to keep a low profile.

Without having to work like a dog to make money, his current development is already considered excellent.

"I'll leave the follow-up work to you. Try to extend the film's run in theaters as long as possible," Lu Rui said to Jason before getting up to leave.

In the North American theatrical market, there is no such thing as a key extension. As long as a movie is a box office hit, it can continue to be shown until no one watches it anymore.

Therefore, the longer the screening time, the better.

“Okay, Lv, leave it to me.” Jason patted his chest, full of confidence.

This is a key project for the Blum House this year; whether it can bring them wealth depends on its final results.

After leaving Brom House, Lu Rui got into his car and headed straight for the Warner Bros. Building in Burbank.

The matter of "Spirit: Paranormal Activity" has come to a temporary end, and the next major project is "I Am Legend"!
He also has high hopes for this project, which involves an investment of up to $1.5 million!

Most importantly, if this movie also becomes a big hit, it will inevitably create a chain reaction that affects everything, and many stalled projects can be successfully revitalized as a result...

Upon arriving at Warner Bros., Lü Rui was immediately invited into the conference room by the "I Am Legend" publicity team.

When his old friend Lauren Megan saw him, she exclaimed in amazement, "Lv, you're absolutely amazing! The results of Paranormal Activity are truly incredible!"

Lu Rui waved his hand, steer the conversation back to "I Am Legend": "How's the pre-release publicity going?"

"It went quite smoothly." Lauren gave a brief overview of the situation, "Denzel Washington's fame attracted a lot of attention to the film."

To date, we have held promotional events in multiple countries and launched a large number of online and offline advertisements.

After several preview screenings, the theater chains gave the film an overall rating of A and decided to release it on a large scale, opening it in 3606 theaters…

For this film, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Lionsgate unanimously decided to choose the traditional distribution model.

The specific operation involves the director taking the actors on a roadshow around the world while simultaneously placing advertisements online and offline.

But in Lü Rui's view, this model is utterly unremarkable and has no memorable features whatsoever.

Aside from Denzel Washington starring in the film and the use of over 1000 extras and numerous military weapons during filming, the movie has almost nothing special to offer.

You should know that Warner Bros. was a marketing veteran in its previous life, especially adept at profiting from the dead.

For example, if one of the main creators dies, they will often make a big deal out of it!

If Denzel Washington were to suddenly die at home right now, this movie would be an absolute smash hit!
But now, trying to compete with blockbusters like "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "King Kong" using conventional promotion seems like a losing proposition.

"What are the plans for the premiere?" Lu Rui pressed.

Lauren Megan's tone suddenly became proud: "I contacted the Washington Music Theatre, and the premiere will be held there."

"and then?"

Lauren blinked: "What, and then?"

"I mean, how is the premiere event arranged?"

"Just walk the red carpet as usual, do media interviews, screen the movie, and then contact film critics to write good reviews..."

"..."

Lu Rui was speechless.

If we do it this way, how much will the box office be?
With a high cost of $1.5 million, wouldn't it ruin his reputation if the global box office didn't reach $4 million?
"You can't do it this way. Listen to me, let's focus on making the premiere a success..."

In his previous life, when he was making short dramas, Lü Rui was known in the industry as a "genius with wildly imaginative ideas".

The viral video "The King of Knowledge Falls in Love with Me, the White House Cleaner" was his idea.

Besides being a director, he is also very skilled in the promotion and marketing of short dramas.

This unique talent naturally "reborn" along with him and was incorporated into the promotion and distribution of many of the films he directed.

He has an excellent plan for the premiere of "I Am Legend"!

“We can focus on the core plot of the movie ‘survival of the apocalypse’ and, through a triple design of ‘immersive scene recreation + interactive suspense + emotional resonance,’ transform the premiere into a ‘gathering place for apocalyptic survivors,’ thereby triggering nationwide discussion…”

Lu Rui spoke fluently, leaving Lauren and the other team members stunned.

"Lv!" Lauren, feeling a bit confused, interrupted, "What are the specific operational steps for this promotional plan you're talking about?"

"First step!" Lu Rui held up one finger, "First, seal off Washington!"

Lauren Megan: "???"

The team members: "???"

What kind of international joke are you kidding?
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States!
The White House, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court, and numerous federal government departments and foreign embassies are all in Washington, D.C. How can they be sealed off? Who would dare to?
Do they really think the FBI is just for show?
(End of this chapter)