Huayu: Tianxian Qianmeng

When the movie was released, Liu Yifei and Shu Chang went to see it immediately. When they saw the intimate scenes between Ling Yuan and Wang Luodan, Liu Yifei was furious and immediately sent a text message to Ling Yuan, saying sarcastically: "Oh, you're using your position for personal reasons while filming a movie? There's even a bed scene?"

Ling Yuan: "..."

Liu Yifei: "Was the bed scene enjoyable?"

Ling Yuan: "...Hey, shouldn't your focus be on that terrifying atmosphere?"

Liu Yifei: "Hehe."

They even spent a huge sum of money to send a multimedia message: [Goodbye.jpg]

These days, SMS messages are still sold on a monthly basis, such as "20 yuan for 300 messages" or "50 yuan for 1000 messages". If you exceed this limit, there is an additional charge of 0.10 yuan per message. MMS messages are more expensive, costing 0.90 yuan per message.

Ling Yuan: "..."

Liu Yifei: "But... congratulations anyway, you've achieved such great success! Congratulations! [Sprinkling flowers.jpg]"

A few seconds later, he added, "The movie... was really well made, it scared me to death!"

Shu Chang also called to congratulate Ling Yuan.

Little Changchang's voice was so excited it could lift the roof off: "Brother Lingyuan! You're amazing! 3500 million! My goodness! I told my classmates it was my brother who took this photo, I'm so proud! They're all obsessed with you now, hurry up and sign a hundred autographed photos for me, I want to show them off!"

Meanwhile, Ling Yuan was sitting behind the book signing counter at the Tianjin Book Building, signing books in front of him, facing a long queue that stretched all the way to the entrance. This was arranged by the publishing house he had previously worked with.

He has already held several book signing events, not only in Beijing, but also in several surrounding cities.

Every show was sold out; my hands were sore from signing so many autographs.

"Teacher Ling Yuan! Please sign this for me, 'For the bravest audience member'!" A girl excitedly handed over the book.

"Xuzhu! Draw me a talisman! To ward off evil spirits!" a boy shouted half-jokingly.

"Brother Yuan! I've watched the movie three times! The novel is also great!" Another fan squeezed to the front.

Ling Yuan's wrist was so sore he could barely lift it, but he still had to maintain a smile: "Thank you for your support!" "Thank you for liking it!"

The pen flew across the title page. His handwriting was quite good, with the air of a master; after all, he had lived two lives and practiced for decades.

The publisher's editor was grinning from ear to ear, and then made several phone calls urging them to reprint the book.

In just a few days, the novel version of "Spirit: The True Story of Ghosts" sold 15 copies! The publisher's machines are practically smoking, and it's conservatively estimated that it will easily break 50 copies in a year.

The paperback edition is priced at 28 yuan. If we calculate based on 50 copies, the total sales revenue of this edition alone would reach 1400 million yuan!

Even at an 8% royalty rate, the total income would be a solid 112 million.

Moreover, as sales increase, his royalties also increase. He can get 10% when sales exceed 5 copies, and 12% when sales exceed 10 copies.

In addition, the publisher followed up with a deluxe edition, priced at 36 yuan, which is more expensive. It features a gold-stamped cover and a premium feel, primarily targeting the collector's market.

At the same time, Ling Yuan also reached an agreement with the publisher for the publication of the novels "The Ghostly Chronicles 2" and "My Brother Disappeared," which are currently in the printing process.

His company currently employs fifteen people, including six screenwriters and five translators, who adapt screenplays and translate novels. The copyrights naturally belong to him.

Looking at box office experience from later generations, Hollywood has a golden rule: sequels make money!

IPs like the Harry Potter series, Pirates of the Caribbean series, Marvel series, Transformers series, and Resident Evil series... are all incredibly profitable. They earn far more than making a new film! And the difficulty is much lower!

Therefore, Ling Yuan naturally intends to make "The Ghostly Chronicles" into a series, planning to release one book per year, with a minimum of five books.

As long as you hold onto this IP firmly, you can make a fortune just from this series.

Not to mention, as a reborn individual, he also has countless good IPs.

Ultimately, Ling Yuan's "Ling Dong: The Ghostly Chronicles" only grossed over 4200 million yuan at the box office.

Actually, he's quite capable!

That year, the highest-grossing imported film in mainland China was "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" in January, which topped the list with 52 million yuan!

"The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" entered the top five with box office earnings of 42 million and 4166 million respectively.

The co-production between mainland China and Hong Kong, "Infernal Affairs III," ranked sixth with 36 million.

Even the super IP that later sparked a global "pirate craze," Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, also known as Pirates of the Caribbean 1, only grossed 2700 million yuan in China that year.

That year, the only films that could compete with these imported and co-produced films in mainland China were the urban comedy "Cellphone" (4500 million yuan), co-produced by Feng Xiaogang and Ge You, and the period action blockbuster "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" (4100 million yuan), directed by He Ping and starring Jiang Wen and Wang Xueqi.

The film "Cell Phone" grossed 54.5 million yuan, but it was only released on December 17, 2003, and only grossed 45 million yuan within the year. Even so, it was still the highest-grossing domestic film of the year.

Ling Yuan's 42 million is enough to rival "The Matrix Reloaded," crush "Pirates of the Caribbean 1," and isn't far behind Feng Xiaogang's "Cell Phone."

Of course, Pirates of the Caribbean 1, Cellphone, and The Matrix 3 have not yet been released, but Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Matrix Reloaded have been released. Matching The Matrix Reloaded would be enough for them to have a place in the film.

Most importantly, Ling Yuan is still a newcomer, which is undoubtedly a powerful stimulant for the domestic film industry.

……

After Ling Yuan's rise to fame, his endorsement deals also skyrocketed. After all, with a commercial film that grossed 4200 million yuan, he was the lead actor, director, and producer. Now, if anyone wants him to endorse a product, he won't even bother with anything less than one or two million yuan.

The three manufacturers who hired Ling Yuan as their spokesperson were ecstatic; they got a real bargain. If it had been six months later, the price would have been much higher. The marketing manager who orchestrated the deal even got a promotion and a raise because of it.

Previously, when the other party approached Ling Yuan to be their spokesperson, many people in the company objected, saying it was a loss. Now it seems they've made a fortune.

Another lead actress, Wang Luodan, has also become very popular, and she has taken on several gigs. Of course, her fame is not as great as Ling Yuan's at the moment, but her gig fees are not low either. Several people who contacted her asked for four or five hundred thousand.

She suddenly became quite wealthy.

Yes, Lingyuan's Xinghan Pictures has signed Wang Luodan, Huang Shengyi, Jia Nailiang, Zhu Yawen, Zheng Luoxi, and Zhao Ke.

Anyway, these guys are all studying now, and filming one or two movies a year is enough for them. Ling Yuan has more than enough resources to support them.

Having already signed someone, Ling Yuan plans to hire two more agents.

As for Shu Chang and Liu Yifei, they already have their own management companies, so they can't be signed for the time being.

If Shu Chang's contract expires, signing her wouldn't be a big problem, but Liu Yifei is definitely out of the question; her mother and godfather would never agree.

……

In addition, there was some very exciting news: Miramax contacted Ling Yuan, saying they wanted to buy out the distribution rights for "Paranormal Activity" in North America and other overseas regions for $150 million.

This film company is the one that bought the rights to Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and Stephen Chow's "Shaolin Soccer".

Ling Yuan was surprised that the other party would actually contact him first.