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

Chapter 75 Sorry, Sony gave us way too much! (Fourth update, please vote!)
Lu Rui slept until he naturally woke up.

After getting up, he first saw Wang Zhiwen and the others off and arranged for them to return to China with the China Film Group team.

After all, it's uncertain how long it will take to negotiate copyright, so some things need to be arranged in advance.

By noon, almost all of our colleagues at the hotel had left.

People in the entertainment industry are very busy, and time is extremely precious to everyone. Although there aren't many cases of people taking on multiple projects at once now, no one wants to waste time.

After lunch, Lü Rui, full of energy, went to see Matt Tolmacher.

He had expected a fierce negotiation, but the talks went much more smoothly than he had anticipated.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement.

Because he wanted to retain the American adaptation rights and planned to handle the distribution in Southeast Asia himself, the distribution rights for "The Pursuit of Happyness" in Europe, America, and Australia were priced lower than those for "Mystic River".

However, because he had just won the Best Director award at Cannes, this title made the film sell for a higher price than "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".

The two parties finally reached an agreement for $720 million, which is approximately RMB 5900 million.

After deducting the investment cost of 800 million, the net profit is more than 5000 million!

Moreover, the film has not yet been released in China, and its distribution in Southeast Asia has not been rolled out yet. It can still make a lot of money later, which will undoubtedly be another huge sum of money!
"I made a killing!"

Lu Rui was overjoyed.

However, Matt Tolmach remained calm.

With Sony's distribution capabilities, the $720 million will be earned back quickly; it's definitely a sure-fire deal.

He even felt it was okay to give Lü Rui a little more benefit, just to make a friend.

After finalizing the distribution rights, the two sides briefly discussed the adaptation rights.

Matt emphasized, "Lv, let's not rush the US adaptation. We need to focus on distribution first. I'll contact you once that's settled."

"Ok."

Lu Rui nodded. If the other party wasn't in a hurry, he wasn't in a hurry either.

That's how a tug-of-war in a game works; you have to stay calm. Whoever loses their composure first is more likely to fall into a disadvantageous position.

After shaking hands with Matt to say goodbye, Lü Rui returned to the hotel to pack his luggage and prepare to return to China.

However, just as the zipper was about to close, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Through the peephole, Lü Rui saw Harvey Weinstein's face, which was filled with resentment.

He had expected it.

How could this Hollywood "copyright vulture" easily let go of its long-coveted prey?

As he opened the door, Lü Rui revealed a silly, adorable smile that he had learned from Liu Yifei.

"Mr. Weinstein? Is something the matter?"

“Lv, do you have time? Let’s talk?” Harvey was also smiling, but there was a sharp edge hidden in his smile.

Lu Rui leaned against the door frame, looking relaxed: "If you want to talk about film copyrights, then I can tell you that I have reached a cooperation agreement with Sony Columbia."

Harvey was getting anxious: "Why? Are my offers worse than theirs? My profit-sharing percentage is definitely the highest in the market!"

Lu Rui shrugged and spread his hands: "Sorry, Sony gave us way too much."

As he said this, he silently added to himself: At least they didn't make empty promises. The price was agreed upon one second, and the money was deposited into my account the next.

What could be more reassuring than having a bag of cash in your pocket?
"..."

Harvey was speechless.

That's how ruthless business competition is.

Highest bidder wins!

"Lv, I hope we'll have more opportunities to collaborate in the future." He forced out the words through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with frustration and resentment.

"must."

Lu Rui wore an innocent and harmless smile, which, combined with his young and naive face, made him look completely harmless.

This made Harvey subconsciously lower his guard.

How could someone who seems so honest and upright possibly fool him?

It must be because the terms he offered weren't as attractive as those from Sony!
Before leaving, he drew a few more pictures of delicious-looking pancakes before hurriedly departing.

Little did he know, Lü Rui hadn't taken a single bite of those pancakes.

He had already learned from Han Sanping that Miramax Films had indeed offered HK$100 million when they released "The Legend of Zu".

However, the two parties signed a profit-sharing performance-based agreement!

Only after reaching a certain level of profitability can the two investors, Zhongguoxing and Bai Nian Film Company, receive the high-priced copyright buyout fee.

The final result was as expected.

Miramax's books showed the collaboration as a loss, so the HK$100 million investment naturally fell through.

But is this really the case?

Lu Rui didn't think so, after all, he knew Harvey much better than anyone else.

This guy is no good!
He even preys on minors!
After seeing Harvey off, Lü Rui didn't stay at the hotel any longer. He packed his luggage and headed straight to the airport.

The sunlight on May 24th shone through the glass of the waiting area onto him, reminding him of the urgency of time.

The awards campaign for "The Pursuit of Happyness" has temporarily come to an end, but preparations for "The Prestige" are urgently needed.

After all, he had already promised Warner Bros. that the movie must be released before the end of the year, without any delays.

The plane took off, and the clouds churned outside the porthole.

Just then, a new system notification sounded in my ear:

[Ding! Please expedite the financing, casting, and location scouting for "The Prestige".]

[Reward upon completion of the mission: B-level talent: "Christopher Nolan's triple magic narrative structure, mirror and symmetrical composition, foreshadowing and detail-oriented techniques."]

A faint smile appeared on Lü Rui's lips.

This system is becoming more and more reliable; it always manages to deliver surprises at key moments.

More than ten hours later, the plane landed at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Lu Rui still chose to leave through the underground parking garage. However, as soon as he got into his car, he was drawn to Zhao Peng's barrage of revelations: "Brother Rui, Zhang Weiping of New Pictures just announced the copyright fee for 'House of Flying Daggers'."

It is said that the North American distribution rights were sold for 1.15 million RMB and the Japanese distribution rights for 0.85 million RMB, totaling as much as 2 million RMB.

He even told the media that even if "The Pursuit of Happyness" won an award, the copyright fee would never be more than that of "House of Flying Daggers"...

"Don't pay any attention to him." Lu Rui curled his lip. "This guy is just like Zhang Jizhong, both experts at hype."

It's worth noting that the announced investment cost for "House of Flying Daggers" was a whopping 2.9 million!
In contrast, "The Pursuit of Happyness" only grossed 800 million.

The former had an investment cost 36 times that of the latter, boasted a star-studded cast and crew, and was a favorite period martial arts film in North America.

It would be strange if the distribution rights were sold for less than the price of "The Pursuit of Happyness"!

He also said that the reason he didn't win an award in Cannes was because he didn't think much of Cannes... his goal was the Oscars.

"Cough cough!"

Lu Rui almost choked on his water.

Even a groundbreaking work like "Hero" failed to win an Oscar, so what makes "House of Flying Daggers" even?

"From now on, only believe half of what this guy says out of ten sentences."

During his trip to Cannes, Lü Rui witnessed firsthand Zhang Weiping's shameless and outrageous actions.

On the red carpet at the closing ceremony, when interviewed by the media, he shamelessly said: "When 'House of Flying Daggers' was submitted for review, many experts were so shocked by this martial arts film that they could hardly believe it!"
One of the censors, after watching the film, rushed out of the screening room with tears streaming down his face, went back to his room, locked the door, and alone savored the intense shock and emotional impact the film had on him over the past two days!

When he heard this, Lü Rui almost lost his composure.

Even Zhang Yimou, whose skin was thick enough from the sun, couldn't help but blush and feel his ears burning.

It's no wonder that this person was later able to write a top-notch essay that became a sensation, titled "I filmed a bed scene with Bale."

His skill in hype was comparable to that of some major domestic car brands in later generations that had no bottom line in marketing!
The Mercedes continued its journey and soon arrived at Nortel.

Lu Rui didn't really want to go back to school because he was afraid of being surrounded by a crowd of people, like watching monkeys in a zoo.

After the news of his potential award spread, Jiang Wei, Zhang Jiandong, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Zhang Huijun took turns calling him, insisting that he return to school immediately.

With no other option, he had to head to the school first.

Before even entering the school, Lü Rui could see banners already hanging at the school gate from afar.

Warmest congratulations! Lu Rui, a senior student majoring in directing at our school, has won the Best Director Award at the 57th Cannes Film Festival!

There was more than one banner.

[Warmest congratulations! The world's first director to win all three major European Best Director awards has been officially crowned! Our senior student, Lü Rui, has achieved another outstanding result!]

The gatekeeper saw the car approaching from afar and quickly opened the school gate.

Upon entering the school, banners were displayed everywhere – on both sides of the road, on the playground, and on the basketball court.

Zhao Peng, driving the car, laughed and said, "Haha, Rui, you're really awesome now. You've achieved the grand slam of Best Director while still in school. The school leaders are ecstatic."

No matter how long Lü Rui attended school, as long as he can win awards and achieve results, that is a real teaching achievement!
This is especially great news for the leaders of the directing department!

"Let's hurry up and go," Lu Rui urged hastily, his feet practically treading out the three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment.

When I arrived at the teaching building, I looked around and, wow, not only the teachers from the directing department, but also the teachers and heads of other departments were there.

They took photos and videos, and it took almost half an hour to finish.

Before leaving, Jiang Wei took out the prepared file folder and handed it to him: "This is your application for graduate school admission. Just give it to Professor Tian."

Lü Rui: "???"

What the hell?

Isn't Tian Zhuangzhuang right in front of us?
He turned slightly to the side, handing the file bag to Tian Zhuangzhuang, who was smiling broadly beside him, and passed it from his left hand to his right.

"I know you're busy, just come and register before September 5th and fill out some information."

"it is good."

Just as Lü Rui was about to leave, Jiang Wei reminded him again: "Remember to come back before June 10th for your graduation defense. The graduation ceremony is in late June."

The school has reserved a spot for you as an outstanding undergraduate graduate; you'll need to give a speech on stage, so please prepare your remarks in advance.

Outstanding graduate?
Lu Rui nodded again, not at all surprised.

Based on his current grades, let alone being an outstanding graduate or being recommended for postgraduate studies, even if he wants to stay at the university to teach or even embark on a political career, it would probably be just a matter of a word.

After leaving school, Lü Rui didn't rest. After adjusting to the time difference, she immediately threw herself into her new job.

The release permit for "The Pursuit of Happyness" has been obtained a long time ago, but the release date has not yet been set.

Now that it has returned with honors from Cannes, it's time to pick a date for the film to meet the audience.

Distribution is handled by China Film Group, so we need to contact Han Sanping about this.

After meeting, Lü Rui immediately suggested, "Let's choose a release date that's closer to the date, and release it while the hype is high."

“Then let’s do it on July 2nd.” Han Sanping pointed to the calendar. “The latter part of the month is definitely not going to work. ‘House of Flying Daggers’ is coming out on the 16th. Your film doesn’t need to go head-to-head with it.”

“Okay, that’s the date.” Lu Rui nodded in agreement, and then brought up the matter of “The Prestige” again, “I’ll try to get the actors’ auditions done before June, and start filming in early next month.”

"No problem, I'll take care of the formalities."

"Thank you, Chairman Han."

After leaving Han Sanping's office, Lü Rui called Ren Zhonglun again.

The latter also indicated that everything was in place and they were just waiting for him to say "start the machine."

After speeding back to the company, Lü Rui asked his assistant for the actor audition resumes he had collected over the past few days and began the initial screening.

At the same time, he didn't forget to contact the renovation company and provide the new company with a renovation design plan.

Because it's only a partial adjustment and doesn't require major demolition or reconstruction, the cost isn't high.

After comparing the proposals from several companies, he immediately finalized a cooperation agreement with the one that offered the best proposal.

As for overseeing the renovations, Lü Rui delegated the task to Zhao Peng.

Once everything was arranged, he immediately began the audition process for "The Prestige".

"The first group, Hu Jun and Liu Ye?!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Lü Rui suddenly realized something was wrong, but it was too late...

(End of this chapter)