Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 176 Oscar

"no problem."

Chen Shou didn't care; he could do it one film at a time. He could just make a few more trips to the United States, since the money would eventually end up in his pocket.

"Then let's talk about the second part."

“Chen hopes to do the same as the first time,” Lana said.

“No, Lana, if we do it one film at a time, the licensing price for the second film won’t be this high. I have the final interpretation rights for The Matrix, which we agreed on from the beginning. You only own the copyright to the filmed parts; the sequels and the development of anime merchandise are all mine. This is written into the contract,” Chen Shou said.

“Do you really need that much? Chen, your appetite is too big,” Lily said, frowning.

“When we were negotiating, we did it one film at a time. I once said that it would be best to develop them continuously, and then you could choose to develop them one by one. That’s why it turned out like this. The first film was a success, so the second one would be too bad. I even think it could be better. If Warner Bros. doesn’t agree, there are many other companies that would be willing to cooperate,” Chen Shou said with a smile.

After all, quite a few companies have their eyes on The Matrix. Even Disney came to him, not to mention 20th Century and Columbia, who were all subtly trying to get information, and some even told him directly that they wanted the sequel to The Matrix.

Audiences don't care who made the film; they like the work itself, even if the main characters haven't changed.

Unless Warner Bros. blacklists them, it's up to the main characters whether they believe it or not. Everything Warner Bros. does will pave the way for the next company to cooperate with Chen Shouzhe.

Their hard-earned first film ultimately became a stepping stone for other companies, allowing them to create an excellent film series.

Warner Bros. isn't stupid. Of course, they have professional ethics guidelines, and sequels, within the reasonable limits of both parties, should be prioritized for Warner Bros.

It all depends on whether the price is right.

The previous contract had been studied by Warner's legal department for almost a year, but they ultimately couldn't find anything wrong with it.

When the contract was signed, Chen Shouzhe found a very powerful law firm in Los Angeles through Columbia Law School and hired a very skilled lawyer in this field to handle the matter. Under the demands of both parties, an airtight contract was signed.

Even if Disney's legal department came, they wouldn't be able to find any problems, unless the U.S. Constitution were amended.

Movies aren't high-tech products; they're not something that would drive Americans to desperation.

According to the contract, the 10% fluctuation corresponds exactly to the rumored 40% demand.

If the budget for The Matrix Reloaded is $150 million, Chen Shouzhe could invest $60 million, including copyright payments.

Such a large investment was naturally something no one in China would dare to undertake, but Chen Shou believed that such a large global market would definitely allow him to make money, so he still decided to take on 40% of the second part.

After a brief tug-of-war, the two sisters left first. They had other work to do and needed to go back to meet with Warner Bros. to decide whether to agree to buy the films one by one or to take all three at once.

Chen Shouzhe has already made concessions, giving them the rights to the animation and related merchandise. This means that, apart from the revenue sharing from film and television copyrights, starting with the fourth installment, all the revenue from those licenses will belong to Warner Bros., and they will still be able to control the fourth installment themselves.

After settling things off with Warner, Chen Shou invited Will Smith to dinner.

Of course, he didn't need to pay; Will Smith paid. Chen Shouzhe said he spent tens of thousands of dollars.

"Chen, the movie is about to be released, and you're only now treating me to dinner," Will said with a smile.

"This meal is on my treat, but you're paying for it," Chen Shou said with a shrug.

"Oh my god, I shouldn't have come. This meal is too expensive. I don't have that much money right now." Will thought Chen Shou was joking and quickly spread his hands.

“Will, you really have to pay for this meal, because I spent ten million dollars on you. You have to let me have a proper meal with you,” Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Chen, what are you talking about? Don't joke around." Will was shocked when he heard about ten million dollars. His salary wasn't even that high, so how could he possibly spend ten million?

"You'll be very busy in the second half of the year, with many banquets waiting for you, so it's not too much for you to treat me to a meal, is it?" Chen Shou smiled.

Will suddenly realized something and stared wide-eyed at Chen Shouzhe: "Chen, could it be...?"

“That’s right, the movie has been submitted for an Oscar. I have high hopes for the male lead, so you know my buddy, ten million dollars is all for you guys, and for your son too,” Chen Shou said with a shrug.

"Waiter, bring me a bottle of Romanée-Conti!" Will stood up excitedly and called out to the waiter not far away.

"Sir, which one would you like?" The waiter came over with the order form after hearing this. In the end, Will chose a bottle of Romanée-Conti that would cost more than 500,000 yuan in China. He couldn't bear to pay more than 100,000 US dollars for Romanée-Conti; it would break his heart.

However, Chen Shouzhe spent ten million on the Oscars. He had already spent ten million, so he had to win at least one. He was the lead actor in this movie, so his main goal was to win that Oscar.

The meal cost about $100,000, mainly because the bottle of red wine alone cost over $80,000.

William left happily, and Chen Shouzhe had also finished his meal. He had already prepared ten million, and would start public relations in the second half of the year. Perhaps he should give it a try for the Oscars.

And it's not just one movie; Warner Bros. has also sent word.

The next day, even more people from Warner Bros. came, not just the Lana sisters, but also the previous producers. "Chen, we've come with sincerity this time. 'The Matrix' still has 30%, but we'll do our best to help 'Gravity' win multiple awards," Lana said.

“That’s right, Gravity will impact the Golden Globes, the Oscars, and premiere in Venice, helping you win those awards,” Christopher said.

“Dude, that’s really exciting. Now I have two movies vying for Oscars this year,” Chen Shou said with a smile.

Those present were somewhat surprised, but considering that Chen Shouzhe's upcoming film was also aiming for an Oscar, they were surprised. However, they were Warner Bros., and they were more experienced in competing for Oscars. Moreover, Chen Shouzhe was also very talented, and they had already seen the film. They were very confident in their chances of winning these awards.

“Chen, as far as I know, no director from mainland China has ever won an Oscar. Perhaps you can become the first Oscar-winning director,” Christopher said.

"Buddy, I can't be sure about that. If I could be 100% sure, then I definitely have no problem with it, and we can discuss things more easily in the future, right?" Chen Shou said with a smile.

“How about at least helping you get a nomination?” Christopher said.

"A Warner nomination is definitely not a problem," Chen Shou nodded.

“I’m sorry, we can’t be completely sure. We can only do our best in public relations, and the PR budget has already been approved—twenty million,” Christopher said.

“That’s fine, I can give up 10% of the 20 million, but I have one condition: I want 40% of the copyright revenue after the film is released,” Chen Shou said.

“No, Chen, it’s still 30%. This time there are two more parts coming up, and we think we should discuss them together,” Lana said.

If they continue to be dragged along by Chen Shou, will they even be able to make movies anymore? They might as well just take everything from this damn Asian man and be done with it once and for all.

Chen Shouzhe definitely agreed. He called his lawyer to start negotiations, explained his demands, and after several rounds of discussions with Lu Sen and the lawyer, they basically reached a general framework.

It took a week to finalize the matter.

The second film has 35% of the rights, the third film also has 30%, and the last film will sell the relevant copyrights while retaining a portion of the copyright revenue. Warner Bros. will spend 20 million to help Chen Shouzhe win the Oscar for Gravity.

After confirming that all contracts were in order, Chen Shou signed his name, completely severing his cooperation with Warner Bros. on The Matrix.

The only remaining film is Gravity, which will be released in August and screened at the Venice International Film Festival as the opening film. This has already been agreed upon privately.

The specific announcement will be made next month, around the time "The Pursuit of Happyness" is released.

After a busy week, Chen Shouzhe finally met Roland and his group from Colombia.

Columbia Pictures also wanted to use Warner Bros.' approach to buy out the remaining rights to Fast & Furious in one go.

Chen Shouzhe agreed, still on a revenue-sharing basis: he would invest a portion, and the copyright would account for a portion.

What makes this movie successful?
On the car manufacturer's side.

The car companies' advertising ensures they don't lose money.

As soon as the film was announced, car companies invested in advertising, providing top-of-the-line luxury cars for the filming. Moreover, the car companies were already heavily promoting the film when it was first released.

It can be said to be a win-win movie, which has shown many car companies their goals.

When Happiness Pursues is released worldwide, it needs to be reviewed in China, but it has already been confirmed that it will be imported into China.

China Film Group wants to continue its cooperation with him, which means it needs to import his films. The films are already part of China Film Group's plans for the second half of the year, and if things go smoothly, they should be released next year or in the second half of the year. They will need to be approved before they can be released.

Forget about R-rated movies; Fast & Furious will be released in China at the end of the year.

Good news also came from China: Huang Bo's movie was released on the 6th, and the box office reached 40 million yuan on the first day, breaking even. After all, the movie's production cost was not high; the main expense was in marketing and distribution.

More than 50 million the next day.

The box office is expected to reach 500 million.

The online reviews are very positive, praising Huang Bo, this new director.

The Beijing Film Academy even congratulated their new director. After all, apart from the acting department, which was lackluster, the rest of the Beijing Film Academy was very strong and had already produced several directors. Most of the directors that Chen Shou had trained came from the Beijing Film Academy.

Now, on the third day, they'll face the impact of Hollywood blockbusters; let's see if they can withstand it.

The box office figures for the third day, amidst much anticipation, have been released.

4867 million.

They held on, the film was a success, Chen Shouzhe's reputation was preserved, and Huang Bocheng transformed from an actor into a director.

(End of this chapter)