I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Chapter 313 The Entire Times Square Shines for You

"Exclusive broadcast?"

When Lu Ban heard Thomas Lee's suggestion, he subconsciously asked a question in return.

"Yes, we can reduce the theater's share, give you more revenue, increase the number of screenings, and provide more promotional support. In exchange, our company will exclusively broadcast your three films, 'The Tide of Magic,' 'The Cry,' and 'The Mouth of the Madman,' in the North American market. Specifically, we can accept a 30% commission rate, which means you can get close to 70% of the film's box office revenue."

Thomas Lee looked at the young director in front of him, his words full of sincerity.

Two days ago, he received a call from his boss, who demanded that he negotiate the exclusive rights to "Magic Tide" as his top priority, which puzzled Thomas Lee.

Although he had seen "The Tide of Magic" and thought it was an excellent film, he was extremely skeptical that his company had managed to secure the exclusive broadcasting rights.

First of all, although his company is the largest theater chain in North America, it doesn't have a 90/10 split with other theater chains. It only accounts for about 50% of the market share. Choosing to exclusively broadcast on his company means losing about 40% of the revenue from other theaters. If they are confident in their work, they won't risk losing more than they gain.

Secondly, judging from Thomas Lee's contact with Lu Ban, this person is not so conservative. He is more likely to choose an aggressive strategy. For Lu Ban, it may be more important to cover the entire market.

"Mr. Li, I'm sorry, I have no intention of choosing exclusive broadcasting."

Lu Ban answered immediately without even thinking.

"My goal for this film is to achieve a revenue share of 5 billion, which is 800 million US dollars. If we choose to have it exclusively released in your theaters, I think it might make it more difficult to achieve this goal."

He was telling the truth.

"...Eight hundred million US dollars???"

Thomas Lee thought he had misheard.

If Lu Ban had mentioned a box office of $800 million, he might have thought that Lu Ban, as a director, had high aspirations and ambitious goals.

But what does an $800 million box office revenue share mean?

According to the normal revenue sharing model, the production company would receive 40%, and $800 million would require $2 billion in box office revenue as a baseline.

To date, only five films in global film history have grossed over two billion US dollars.

Is Lu Ban trying to break into the top five global box office rankings with this film?

This is even more delusional than wishful thinking.

Thomas Lee thought Lu Ban might actually be a little mentally unstable.

"Director Lu, if you don't want to accept our exclusive broadcast invitation, you can just say so. There's no need to make such a joke."

Thomas Lee gave an awkward but polite smile.

"No, I'm very serious."

Lu Ban replied.

"Actually, during this period, I have reached agreements with several other theater chains to release the film on Christmas Day. I have also purchased a huge advertisement in Times Square. By next week at the latest, you will see the entire Times Square flashing for 'The Tide of Magic'."

"???"

Thomas Lee's question marks kept overflowing.

Setting the release date together with other theaters is not a problem; in fact, any reputable production company would do that. But what about the giant Times Square advertisement?

Times Square has many advertising screens, the most famous being the Nasdaq screen and the Reuters screen. The most expensive Nasdaq screen costs around $60,000 a day for a 30-second video loop. The other screens vary in price, and lighting them up can cost hundreds of thousands, or even close to a million dollars.

Moreover, these ads aren't just for one day; they run for at least a week. To do what Lu Ban did, it would cost at least several million.

Moreover, it's only August now, and there are still four months until the Christmas release date. Lu Ban definitely needs to release it at least once a month during these four months.

All told, the publicity and promotion here alone would cost tens of millions, and that's just the most basic level.

Including on-the-ground promotions, advertising on screens in other shopping malls, newspapers, etc., in North America alone, these marketing expenses are enough for some small-budget teams to shoot an entire movie.

Previously, a film invested over $200 million in global marketing and distribution, which earned nearly $2.8 billion in global box office revenue, ranking second in global box office history. However, that was the final installment of a well-known superhero ensemble film, and its popularity was already high enough. Whether Lu Ban, a director making his debut in the European and American markets, can have such high box office appeal is really hard to guess.

After concluding his discussion with Lu Ban, Thomas Lee reported Lu Ban's response to his superiors, inevitably receiving a scolding.

After the formalities were finalized, Thomas Lee applied for a vacation, wanting to relax and unwind.

He returned to North America and strolled the streets of New York, which gave him a sense of unreality.

The North American version of "The Crying" will be released in September, and "The Mouth of a Madman" in October. These two films have already generated a lot of discussion on relevant forums in North America, and pirated resources have also been leaked. However, due to language issues, many foreigners cannot understand them and need some dedicated translators to translate the Chinese into English subtitles. Those who have seen these two films have praised Lu Ban highly, after all, this type of film is rare even in Europe and America recently.

Early in the morning, Thomas Lee arrived at Times Square.

People come and go here in an endless stream. As one of the busiest and most prosperous crossroads in the world, it frequently appears in various news reports and movies. It is arguably the most prominent landmark besides the Statue of Liberty.

He looked up and saw that the screen with the Nasdaq logo was still playing advertisements for cosmetics and clothing. Other advertising screens were also displaying their own advertisements, a dazzling array of products, with neon lights flashing.

Suddenly, all the screens went black.

If it were just one or two screens, passersby might only think it was a brief black screen during an advertisement switch. But in an instant, all the screens in Times Square went completely black, the noisy sounds disappeared, and the streets became silent.

Thomas Lee looked at the Nasdaq screen.

The logo of Silent Media emerged from the darkness, followed by the appearance of a vast forest.

This is a 30-second trailer that perfectly captures the film's chilling, somber, yet exhilarating atmosphere. Thomas Lee looks around and notices that most pedestrians are stopping to watch, seemingly captivated by the trailer's visuals.

Just as the screen went black again, it seemed that the matter had come to an end.

Suddenly, a roar rang out, just like the giant wolf in the movie. Thomas Lee saw a gray-white giant wolf leap out of the screen, its entire head sticking out of the frame!

Chapter 314 Delayed

Thomas Lee gasped when he saw the giant wolf burst out of the frame.

But soon, the giant wolf disappeared, and everything returned to normal. The colorful advertisements brought Times Square back to its bustling state.

"Special effects..."

Thomas Lee realized that this must be a screen effect, augmented reality, or glasses-free 3D application that allows people to see a three-dimensional effect on a flat screen.

However, such applications are still relatively rare, and they require a certain level of coordination. The best effect is achieved when everyone's attention is drawn to the playback, as shown in the example above.

I never expected Lu Ban to actually go all out...

Thomas Lee could hardly believe it.

However, he didn't make any absolute statements. He was well aware that whether "The Tide" could really reach a box office of two billion dollars would largely depend on the North American reviews of "The Cry" and "The Mouth of a Madman".

Of course, Thomas Lee and AMC Theatres did not take any measures such as suppressing Lu Ban, banning his films from being shown, or putting them during off-peak times. No theatre would turn down money.

September arrived quickly, and The Cry was officially released in North America.

Although the film had already been leaked on the internet and other channels before, many people were still waiting to watch it in theaters.

The Crying movie did quite well at the North American box office, reaching nearly three million dollars on its opening day. Although it can't compare to those blockbusters, it's quite remarkable for a niche horror thriller film, especially considering it's a foreign movie.

Ultimately, The Cry grossed $40 million in North America after a month of release. In fact, during its first week of release, The Cry's box office continued to grow, with each day's box office exceeding the previous day's.

This was thanks to word-of-mouth and its spread among young people. Young people who love novelty and excitement flocked to this type of movie. Soon, Lu Ban's name became a household name on high school and college campuses, and many people even started searching online for his previous online movies and videos.

In October, coinciding with the long holiday in China, "The Mouth of a Madman" was released in North America. With the groundwork laid earlier, the film grossed more than five million dollars on its opening day and reached a record-breaking box office of ninety-eight million dollars during its one-month run.

This is the highest-grossing domestic horror/thriller film overseas, making it one of the top three highest-grossing Chinese films abroad.

Discussions about Lu Ban and the two films, as well as "The Tide of Magic" which was promoted in Times Square, are intensifying on well-known overseas film forums.

[This is fucking real horror, bro. Don't laugh, but after watching "The Crying Cry," I was too scared to sleep with the lights off for several nights. This stuff is just too intense!]

[I'm very grateful to director Lu Ban. After watching "The Mouth of a Madman," I went to the library, borrowed a copy of "A Brief History of Time," and finished reading it. Before that, I would fall asleep after just three minutes of reading a textbook!]

Have you seen the trailer for "The Tide of Deception"? This movie seems completely different in style from the previous two. I'm getting more and more excited for it. How can I fast-forward to Christmas? I can't wait any longer!

[It's a strange feeling. The Chinese-language films I've seen before are mostly about kung fu masters flying around in ancient costumes, but these two films feel very modern to me. I never imagined that this country could make such interesting modern films. I think I should go find some other movies to watch.]

Firstly, I've seen Lu Ban's two previous films. Secondly, as a complete casual viewer, I'm not optimistic about "The Tide of Demons" because he's a director who specializes in horror and thriller films, while his new film is clearly a war film. I doubt whether he can present such a grand story.

[You guys are exaggerating! Although I haven't seen either of these movies in theaters, based on the trailer for "The Tide of Magic," I don't think it'll be anything special. Are you all paid shills for the theaters? Here's your contact information; let's all make money together!]

As an industry insider, Thomas Lee, seeing the phenomenal success of Lu Ban's two films, began to have some doubts.

Could Lu Ban's "Magic Tide" really reach a box office of two billion US dollars?

Just as he was feeling a little uneasy, a piece of news suddenly came from the media.

"Furious 11" will be postponed from its original Thanksgiving release to the Christmas release, where it will face off against "The Tide".

"Furious 11" is an action crime film known for its urban racing scenes and explosive action sequences. With the success of the previous installments, the production costs have increased, and the latest one even takes the cars to space.

Although the protagonist's motivation is always for his family, and his family members die and come back to life repeatedly, drawing criticism, and his increasingly outrageous driving skills are also criticized, this kind of popcorn blockbuster is actually the mainstream in the European and American markets. As long as the audience enjoys the movie in the theater, that's enough, and logic doesn't need to be taken too seriously.

When Thomas Lee saw this news, his first reaction was, "Furious 11 is going to clash with The Tide of Destruction!!!"

The box office appeal of "Furious 11" is undeniable. After all, the series has grossed over a billion dollars before, and even though the box office has dropped significantly since then, it is still guaranteed to gross over five hundred million dollars. Moreover, this film is the final installment of the series, marking the official end of this decade-long franchise. It deserves special attention from both a moral and logical standpoint.

Moreover, this year's Christmas season also includes films by some well-known directors. The postponement of "Furious 11" has made the already tight schedule even more congested.

According to Thomas Lee, his company provided "The Tide of Deception" with 10% of the screenings on its opening day, which is quite good for an imported film. "Furious 11" originally had more than 30% of the screenings on its opening day during Thanksgiving, but now that it has been postponed to Christmas, the screenings for "The Tide of Deception" will probably be compressed to the extreme.

Even though his boss, Rick, had seen the movie and thought "The Tide" had great potential, the theater executives also valued the box office appeal of a well-known sequel. On one hand, it was a sure thing to make money, and on the other hand, it was an unknown. Those shareholders who valued their money more than their lives would definitely prefer a more conservative strategy.

Meanwhile, some online sources have suggested that the delay of "Furious 11" was to counter "The Tide," implying that the two films represent the film production standards of their respective countries and are going to have a fierce battle during the Christmas season, a time for family reunions.

On the internet, fans held differing opinions and argued endlessly, while Lu Ban, who was at the center of the controversy, happened to be attending the Yannan University Student Film Festival in November.

Chapter 315 Breaking 10 Billion is a Success

The last time Lu Ban came to Yannan was during the Yannan University Student Film Festival.

At that time, he was a fledgling film director with only experience in online films. Now, just one year later, Lu Ban can no longer participate as a contestant and can only attend as a judge.

Seeing that the judges who critiqued him last year have become his colleagues this year, and the young director who was his competitor last year is now a contestant, Lu Ban felt as if he had been transported to another world.

But for many directors, it feels like a distant memory.

Lu Ban, who had only directed online movies last year, has become a director and actor among the top ten highest-grossing films in China in just one year. His new film will be released globally, directly competing with "Furious 11".

We've all seen prolific directors who make two or three low-budget, terrible films a year just to get by, and we've also seen high-quality directors who spend three or four years meticulously crafting a single film.

But Lu Ban is a director who is both prolific and produces high-quality work; no one has ever seen anything like him.

What's even more frightening is that Lu Ban's film production speed is even faster than that of counterfeit films.

Just as "The Cry" sparked a craze for hospital-themed horror films, "The Mouth of a Madman" ignited a trend of deconstructing the fourth wall. Even before the pirated online movies are finished editing, new movies are already being released. How can this world make such a fuss?

Moreover, the actors in Lu Ban's movies all gave outstanding performances. Even the extras had acting skills worthy of an award-winning actor. Coupled with the amazing special effects, it's really hard to imagine how he managed to get such good resources.