Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

This collaboration was truly a pleasant surprise.

Kirk is a pure businessman. In his view, even if you give up 2% of the shares, you still have to be able to sell them. Once you become a MGM shareholder, you will definitely do your best to make good movies for your own benefit.

Zhuang Huai'an also felt it was worth it. What he cared about was not the $5000 million worth of shares, but the distribution channels. No matter how successful Asians are, Hollywood will not give you sole control of a production company.

Otherwise, why would Sony have repeatedly failed and tried again?

Therefore, investing in MGM Studios is a good choice. With such a well-established giant supporting them, Zhuang Huai'an can focus on developing his business with peace of mind.

the next day,

Kirk specially arranged a signing ceremony, and this time he invited hundreds of media outlets to attend, despite his usual low profile and dislike of giving interviews.

It seems that they are determined to boost investor confidence.

Zhuang Huai'an didn't care; he didn't have to kneel down to make money, so it wasn't shameful.

In the MGM Grand Hotel's council chamber, the two signed the contract amidst a flurry of flashing lights and posed for a photo.

When the news broke, Hollywood was shocked.

In the age of internet information, this photo quickly spread back to China, and the domestic media went crazy: a Chinese person had joined the board of directors of MGM, a long-established Hollywood giant.

This whole thing seems so fantastical.

The owners of film and television companies like Huayi were filled with envy.

CCTV even broadcast the news on its evening news, praising Zhuang Huai'an's move as an important step for Chinese filmmakers to enter Hollywood.

Zhuang Huai'an had anticipated the domestic reaction, so after finishing his call with Liu Yifei, he removed the phone battery again.

Perhaps to prove his sincerity, Kirk quickly transferred his share of the box office revenue from "Saw" ahead of schedule.

With this money, Zhuang Huai'an had Yang Chen find a five-story building near the MGM Studios building to serve as the office space for Sugar Heart Films.

They sent Lao Feng out to recruit more people, but unfortunately, unlike in China, Hollywood film crews don't have various unions to work with, so in the end they only recruited some post-production staff.

But it doesn't matter, we can find other ones once we start work.

Zhuang Huai'an gave both James Wan and Ray Whannell a red envelope, each containing $88, with no distinction between them.

After experiencing success, the two continued to work on the "Lurking" production team.

With the Cannes Film Festival approaching,

Zhuang Huai'an notified the members of the "Parasite" crew, asking them to arrange their own time to go there. He then took Zhang Lu and flew to France first, while the Qiangli Brothers returned to China.

"An, you really are a miracle worker."

In the airport VIP lounge, Leo put down his coffee cup and said with a sigh, "I've been in this industry for over 20 years before I was eligible to receive dividends from MK2 shares, while you became a director of MGM in just over a year. No wonder the French media call you God's favorite."

Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand modestly and said with a smile, "There is an old Chinese saying: 'The flowers you plant with care may not bloom, while the willows you plant without intention may thrive.' It's all about chance."

Seeing the other person's blank expression, Zhuang Huai'an chuckled and added, "The more you chase something, the more it eludes you; blessings come unexpectedly."

"So that's what it means," Leo laughed to cover his embarrassment. "No country in the world understands the use of language better than the Chinese."

Zhuang Huai'an gave him a half-smile and asked, "Leo, you specifically chose to take the same flight as me, it can't be just to congratulate me, right?"

"I can't hide it from you after all." Leo laughed heartily. "It's like this, the company was a bit worried after they learned that you had become a director of MGM. Now that Cannes is about to open, they sent me to find out what's going on."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Huai'an immediately understood and asked, "Is it about the contract we signed previously?"

"Yes." Leo nodded.

Previously, in order to better handle public relations, Zhuang Huai'an signed a contract with MK2 Company for the global priority distribution rights of three films.

Now that Zhuang Huai'an has transformed himself into a source of capital, the executives of MK2 Company are getting anxious. They had made a lot of money from Zhuang Huai'an's films before.

Things are different now," Zhuang Huai'an thought with a cold laugh, and said casually, "Leo, I remember our contract had conditions, didn't it?"

MK2 does have priority purchasing rights, but there is a prerequisite: the prices must be equal.

MK2's main influence is in the three major European leagues. Zhuang Huai'an has now won awards in all three leagues. Based on Leo's understanding of him, he knows that Zhuang will not deliberately pursue a Grand Slam.

This is awkward; the MK2's advantage is gone, so they can only resort to a price war.

"Understood, I will pass it on to the company's board of directors."

Leo shrugged. He didn't care about such things and didn't want to be a mediator. He valued his friendship with Zhuang Huai'an more than the company's bonus.

After another ten-plus hours of transit flights, the group landed in Cannes.

"Tsk, although it's not my first time here, this place is definitely more comfortable than Berlin or Venice."

As he boarded the hotel's welcoming car, Zhuang Huai'an gazed at the coastline not far away. Cannes in May was indeed a breathtaking sight.

At the Golden Palm Hotel, the organizing committee's reception staff was still Renault from last year. Renault was very happy to see Zhuang Huai'an again after a year.

After a night's rest,

Early the next morning, Leo, accompanied by Dick Olise, the executive director of MK2, paid a visit.

After bringing coffee to the three of them, Zhang Lu went to stand guard outside the door.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Dick Orisai revealed his true intentions and began a lengthy lobbying effort to persuade Zhuang Huai'an.

Speaking of which, although they are all considered the top three, Cannes is generally considered to be half a level above the other two.

Many people think that as long as your film is of good quality, the three major film organizations will definitely give you an award, but this idea is very foolish.

Regardless of the award, it all comes down to background, connections, resources, and the exchange of benefits, with a small amount of political stance.

Why can't Zhang Yimou win the triple gold medal grand slam? Because of his political stance!

When did Kevin Garnett win the Palme d'Or?

It's 1993.

This timing is crucial. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, both the US and Europe wanted to win over China, which is why they gave half of the Palme d'Or to Canada.

Have you seen any Chinese people win the Palme d'Or in the decades since?

Let alone Chinese people, there aren't even any of Chinese descent!

Jiang Wen from a few years ago portrayed the Japanese soldiers in such a way that it was definitely artistically appealing and topical enough, right?

In the end, I only received a second prize!

To put it bluntly, the reason Jiang Wen won the jury prize was because he is a French son-in-law and his wife Sandrine's family has a powerful background.

Why was Zhuang Huai'an able to win the Gold Lion and Silver Bear awards?

It's very simple, he bought it with money!

That's just how reality is!

So even with Xiahou Lao and Jiang Wen on the jury this year, the Cannes Film Festival still couldn't do without the help of MK2, the local powerhouse.

He wanted absolute certainty!