It’s a bit of a drive to New Line Cinema.
Yin Fanka pretended to be careless and chatted with Lu Fei all the time, chatting about Hollywood, acting, and movies.
"You still won the Berlin Film Festival Newcomer Award!?"
"If I don't go into business and continue my acting career..."
Lu Fei told the story, being an actor can only work for capital, and it is impossible to work part-time. I want to reach the top step by step, step by step, and I want to be capital.
The first step for pua is to package the concave character.
Yin Fanka turned sideways, listening to the highest compliment, with a hint of admiration in her eyes. She had never failed to treat men in high positions. With this hand, her mother captured her unreliable father.
One is playing pua, the other is filling green tea, and they are matched.
Lu Fei sighed: "Oh, but now, I don't even have time to spend money, so how can I have time to act?"
The corners of Yin Fanka's mouth twitched. She thought her father was already shamelessly pretentious, but she didn't expect someone to be more pretentious than him.
She looked curious and asked: "That's why you thought of investing in a movie to realize your dream? Wow, that's cool. What genre is it and what story is it telling?"
"Horror suspense film."
When Lu Fei briefly described a few plots, Yin Fanka immediately stopped him: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, don't go on. Watching a suspense movie and being spoiled is like watching a detective who is revealed in advance as to who the murderer is. It was a terrible feeling."
"Okay, when the movie comes out, I'll give you movie tickets."
Who wouldn’t invite me to New Line if they couldn’t afford movie tickets?
Yin Fanka's face froze, feeling that the atmosphere was unusually awkward, and she lifted her hair to cover up her embarrassment.
Lu Fei raised his lips and talked about him, talking here and there, just to let her hesitate to speak first, until the car slowly stopped at the door of New Line Cinema.
Wang Ben reminded: "Boss, we're here."
"Brother Ben, please do your best and send Miss Yin Fanka back to the hotel like last night."
Lu Fei smiled politely at Yin Fanka, opened the door and stepped out of the car with one foot.
From behind, she suddenly heard a low-pitched temptation: "Lu, can I accompany you to watch "Saw"?"
Lu Fei narrowed his eyes, "This is an internal screening, only for the producers, distributors and some theater managers to watch."
"But after listening to your story, I can't wait to see it right away. I can't wait until the day it's released."
Yin Fanka clasped her hands together and used her mother's second trick to control men, showing weakness in front of men and exposing her neediness.
Relationships cannot be built without trouble for each other.
Good relationships are all caused by mutual trouble, no matter how big or small the trouble is.
Lu Fei stared and thought for a moment, never understanding the purpose of contacting him, but there was no doubt about one thing——
When the white lotus is cut open, it is completely black inside.
Yin Fanka looked pitiful and said: "Saorui, Lu, shouldn't I embarrass you with such an unreasonable request?"
Lu Fei smacked his lips, feeling the faint smell of tea, "This is a horror movie, are you sure you can accept it?"
…………
New Line Cinema, like Lionsgate and Weinstein, has always been a second-rate company in Hollywood. It started by investing in low-cost horror films and has existed for more than 30 years.
Although the ownership belongs to Time Warner, it enjoys a high degree of independent management rights and is responsible for investment, production and promotion.
The confidence comes from the frequent hits, such as "Dead Man", "Lord of the Rings", "Rush Hour", "Blade"...
And the gold found in the sea was none other than CEO Lao Sai.
"Hey, Lu." He stretched out his hand politely, and his eyes froze the moment he touched Yin Fanka, "Who is she?"
"She's my personal secretary." Lu Fei laughed, "You wouldn't mind if I bring someone else to share a seat, would you?"
"Of course I don't mind, but can you ask this lady to sign a confidentiality agreement? I'm not someone who doesn't trust you. Everything is just to be on the safe side."
Lao Sayi pretended not to know Yin Fanka and acted businesslike.
Yin Fanka followed the instructions very wisely, took a few deep breaths after signing his name, and followed Lu Fei for a moment.
I saw him cooperating with Lao Sai and shaking hands with the theater managers present one by one without any pretense.
Although the Paramount Law forced the separation of movie companies and theater chains into two, the six major Hollywood theaters are inextricably linked to North American theater chains.
Lu Fei said hello to James Wan and other main creators again, and as soon as he sat down, the lights in the theater dimmed.
The credits began to play on the screen, with the New Line Cinema logo appearing first, followed by the Han and Tang Sanchen Banner logo.
The textual research is based on the Dunhuang mural "Zhang Yichao's Journey".
Yin Fanka blinked, this is his film company?
Just as she was thinking wildly, a rapid and strange synthesizer sound suddenly came out.
As the opening song "hello zepp" slowly sounds, the rapid sound of the violin and the heavy sound of the cello interweave, "DeDeDe" is like the ticking of a clock of life, three-dimensionally surrounded in the dark environment.
Yin Fanka's intuition surged with adrenaline. She subconsciously grabbed the handle of the chair and accidentally grabbed a warm hand.
"How's the music?"
The corners of Lu Fei's mouth turned up, it was still original and exciting.
Yin Fanka exhaled, "It's not scary or not, it's really that rare kind."
"That's it! It cost $300,000."
Lu Fei didn't seem to notice that his hand was being held, and turned around and asked, "Is the release time confirmed?"
Old Sai said quietly: "There is a Fantasy Film Festival in September in Austin, Texas. It is dedicated to showing horror films, science fiction films, and fantasy films. There will be many film critics and movie fans attending. We will choose that day. Start watching."
Lu Fei asked: "September, is this a good time?"
"Neither bad nor good."
Lao Sayi has a good knowledge of the North American box office.
Unlike China, the peak seasons in North America are summer and autumn, followed by winter, and spring is the worst.
For example, the films scheduled for popular schedules are basically all from the Big Six of Hollywood. Occasionally, there are a few movies that other film companies think have the potential to steal from the Big Six.
Obviously, "Saw" didn't reach this point.
"What are your plans for the announcement?"
Lu Fei at least got good news. If the box office and response are good, it will be fully rolled out and added to thousands of theaters.
"Let's chat after watching the movie." Lao Sai ended the chat.
Lu Fei curled his lips and looked at it seven or eight times. He no longer felt anything, so he forced himself to look at it for a while.
Just when he was bored, his arm was inexplicably hit by a ball, like the headlight of a top-end luxury car hitting the pillar.
"Lu, are you not afraid at all?"
Yin Fanka rarely watched horror movies. In the supernatural and terrifying atmosphere created by the movie, she unconsciously held the man's arm.
"I'm naturally bold."
Lu Fei's eyes narrowed. Although he was enjoying it, his vigilance was getting higher and higher.
There was no doubt that a man and a woman were a couple watching the movie. Yin Fanka felt the back of his head tingle when he saw it, as if she was pressed against him without realizing it.
When it came to the end, the dead body suddenly got up from the pool of blood, slowly turned its head, faced the camera, and grinned wildly.
She broke out in a cold sweat and couldn't help shouting:
"I bought it."
"Hahaha, isn't the movie great?"
Lu Fei clapped his hands. The level of bloodshed in the first part was not as good as the disgusting cruelty in the later part.
"Bah bang bang."
Applause rang out sparsely, then quickly surged and surged, filling every corner of the auditorium.
Yin Fanka turned pale and glanced at the man who was talking to Lao Sai and others about the release of the movie. There was a hint of goodwill in his complicated eyes, but he could resist not touching her.
This determination is so terrifying.
Lu Fei smacked his lips and lifted his pants unnoticeably.
"Box office revenue must first deduct necessary fixed expenses, including facilities, number of seats..."
Lao Sayi talked about fixed expenses, share ratios, and publicity strategies in a clear and coherent manner, almost like a guide.
"It's a descending ladder with theater chains, so what's the share between us?" Lu Fei asked.
"Lu, New Line only needs 15% of the distribution fee, the publicity and distribution fee is additional, and the remaining box office share will be yours."
Lao Sai smiled and said: "Don't feel that you are at a disadvantage. Based on the quality of this movie, the global box office must be 60 to 70 million U.S. dollars. One in and one out, the income is 10 to 20 million U.S. dollars."
“What if ‘Saw’ grosses over 100 million?”
Lu Fei grinned and laughed softly.
"ha?"
Everyone thought he was joking. It is rare for a horror film to break over 100 million dollars. "Saw" was completely inferior to "The Butterfly Effect" in terms of cost and story. Even it only had more than 96 million US dollars.
Breaking 100 million? Idiot's dream!
"Hahaha~"
Old Sai laughed happily, he was indeed a layman!
My mind couldn't help but become aware that Hollywood is skilled in making false financial accounts. It can find ways to make false reports and withhold the benefits that the producers deserve.
Xuanfa is the "essence" of Hollywood's ledger system.
Distribution requires money, copy fees, TV advertising, offline expenses for the company's loss-making projects, even mowing the studio lawn, charter flights for management vacations...
The title is cleverly chosen, and everything is taken into account. Even if the global box office exceeds 1 billion US dollars, it will still cause a huge loss on paper.
Even Wall Street can’t find out who’s famous!
"Haha, maybe it will come true."
Lu Fei suppressed his smile and resisted the urge to enter into a box office sharing betting agreement. Although it was fun to cheat, he must cooperate with New Line for a long time and have a long-term success.
"Who doesn't want to break 100 million, let's make a little more!"
Lao Sayin hid his knife in his smile, thinking about how to suck blood.
But Lu Fei rolled his eyes and saw:
"Say, I heard that New Line is selling the global film and television adaptation rights of Iron Man?"
"That's right!"
Old Sayin's eyes lit up, "Lu, are you interested?"
Lu Fei nodded: "I like DC and Marvel superheroes very much. I want to collect one or two. Maybe they will be as big a box office hit as Spider-Man, right?"
"Ah, yes, yes, that's so right!"
Old Sa Yin's eyes were full of greed, "I spent a lot of money to buy Iron Man. Since we are partners, we will sell you 27 million U.S. dollars, but we will only charge you 25 million U.S. dollars."
The executives of New Line Cinema repeatedly claimed that "25 million is not a loss at all" and "Iron Man will definitely be a hit as a movie", forming a group around Mr. Lu to deceive.
Lu Fei secretly laughed in his heart, how dare you fool the Patriarch?
He looked harmless and said: "The external quotation for Iron Man IP seems to be only 25 million US dollars, right?"
"Ahaha, that was all news from last year."
Lao Sa Yin was exposed without any panic, "Several film companies asked about the price, and the price naturally increased."
"Which ones?" Lu Fei asked.
Lao Sa Yin was choked and laughed: "Business secrets, sorry, can't be disclosed."
"Forget it."
Lu Fei shook his head: "Iron Man is just a second-rate Marvel hero, not worth 25 million US dollars, nor worthy of being made into a movie."
"Lu, wait."
Seeing the fish unhooked, Lao Sa Yin hurriedly stabilized his position, "Okay, to tell you the truth, there were only two bids, and the highest bid was only US$24.5 million."
"You haven't told the truth yet. Do you think I don't know? I don't even have a family. Iron Man has smashed my hands, right?"
Lu Fei took out a cigarette and sounded dissatisfied.
Lao Sai lit the fire himself and sighed: "Sauri, Lu, you are right, Iron Man is indeed a hit. We want to shoot but lack funds, and we want to sell but can't."
Lu Fei asked: "Besides this second-rate Iron Man, do New Line have any other superhero IPs?"
"No, it's just Iron Man. The rest are not for sale. To be honest, who would sell the valuables for takeout? I'm not a fool. I keep them all in my pocket."
Lao Sai looked at Mr. Lu like a fool.
Lu Fei blew out smoke and said, "I'll ask other companies."
Lao Sai repeatedly tried to dissuade him: "There are only a few on the market, and they are all third-rate heroes. They are not as good as the second-rate Iron Man. If we had not had the money to make them, we would not have changed hands. Superhero movies are so popular now, and second-rate heroes are also heroes." .”
Yin Fanka looked left and right, watching the two people arguing. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Lu Fei liked Iron Man. Otherwise, if they couldn't reach an agreement, they would have broken up long ago, so why bother with the stalemate.
Lao Sai lost his patience during the show: "Lu, we have wasted everyone's time too much. Do you want Iron Man? If you do, the price and conditions are easily negotiable."
"I really want it." Lu Fei said.
"Go make some coffee, Lu, and go to my office."
Lao Sai was in high spirits, his eyes glowing green, like a hungry wolf finding a lamb.
A group of wolves escorted the fat sheep into the wolf pen.
Yin Fanka had mixed feelings in her heart. Even if she didn't understand, she could still smell something was wrong. That's it? Did I just overestimate him?
When I came to the office and acted like an outsider, I saw Lu Fei making a difficult decision:
"Iron Man, also known as Tony Stark, is a billionaire, a recognized genius, a handsome young man, and is loved by women. Isn't this me?"
He hui, stinky and shameless!
The corners of Lao Sai's mouth twitched, and he tried his best to cater to his conscience.
Lu Fei said: "I think so. The real-life version of Tony Stark and the movie version of Tony Stark are definitely a gimmick worthy of hype. After the hype, it may become popular."
Hype? It's useless even if you stew!
Lao Sai smiled coldly, "Ah, yes, yes, Lu, maybe others are not suitable, but if it is you, it is suitable to some extent!" After saying that, the subject changed, "Then how much do you plan to pay?"
Lu Fei took a sip of coffee and asked, "How much do you want?"
"We can make 2 million, 23 million."
Lao Sai held out two fingers.
"22 million." Lu Fei said.
"23 million."
Lao Sai refused to give in. In fact, Iron Man was completely picked up by New Line, and 20 million was fine.
Lu Fei knocked on the table: "We are all busy, there is no need to bargain for one or two million, how about we take a gamble?"
"Bet, how to bet?"
"I'll pay the original price of "Iron Man", which is 25 million US dollars, and I won't give up a penny, but for the distribution fee of "Saw", you charge me 6, no, 7 points less."
"No, not 6 points, not even 7 points!"
"Where's 5 o'clock?" Lu Fei said.
Lao Say kept calculating the gains and losses and wanted him to suffer a loss unless "Saw" could break $100 million.
At the end of the conversation, there was back and forth bargaining, and the time for a cup of coffee finally settled on 5 o'clock.
Lu Fei ended the negotiation and walked out of the door, "I will bring the lawyer and CAA people with me the day after tomorrow. I hope we have a pleasant first cooperation."
Lao Sayi promised again and again, watching the two of them get into the car, laughing and scolding: "Haha, of course it's a pleasure to cooperate. It's so easy to cheat Chinese people out of their money!"
He turned around and told the senior management to dig out all the backlogged scripts in the script library.
"Say, what are you doing?"
The vice president was confused. He didn't like the backlog of scripts, and no one was willing to invest. Even Wall Street couldn't deceive him.
"Haha, meet such a stupid ass, form an investment platter, and see if you can sell (trap) him!"
Lao Sai grinned widely.
The vice president said: "'Saw', are we still going to do anything?"
"Forget it, I've already defrauded his Iron Man, and I'm defrauding his box office. Isn't it a beast?"
After Lao Sai finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter, and the air was filled with joy.
