A widower's entertainment

Without a doubt, Columbia Pictures' "Final Destination" is a very successful commercial film in the United States, with considerable box office revenue.

After all, the production cost of this movie was not high, so it is naturally very exciting that it has achieved such box office revenue.

Columbia Pictures, in particular, is well aware that if the story of "Final Destination" is kept up with high quality, it can be made into a series. And now, the first film is undoubtedly a great success, so it is only natural that a second film should be made.

Of course, just as Lin Youcheng initially proposed, the horror of this film "Final Destination" lies in the terrifying atmosphere of death, and the rest of the film will naturally continue this core selling point.

The success of "Final Destination" has once again proven that Lin Youcheng, the screenwriter from the East, had a brilliant idea. The high price paid for the initial story outline was absolutely worthwhile. Even though Lin Youcheng received a small percentage of the net profit, Columbia Pictures undoubtedly made a huge profit, and it is very likely that they made more than one fortune.

According to Lin Youcheng, he could even film several movies, at least six.

If that's the case, then it's truly a script for a sequel that can be made continuously, which is certainly something that Columbia Pictures is very excited about.

Of course, they also know that the most important thing is that the movie must be exciting and entertaining.

Many media outlets and newspapers have reported on the unique thriller film "Final Destination," which has sparked considerable discussion due to its novel and captivating, albeit simple, story.

The Los Angeles Times went so far as to comment, "Lin Youcheng, an Eastern screenwriter, has written an incredible thriller story; this is a true thriller! Columbia Pictures' film 'Final Destination' is expected to have a sequel."

Undoubtedly, industry insiders are well aware that Columbia Pictures' collaboration with Lin Youcheng this time is fantastic, making them all envious and jealous. After all, this collaboration is not just about one movie, but could potentially include several more.

This is unprecedented. Even though low-budget sci-fi films like "The Butterfly Effect" did well at the box office, there wasn't a sequel. Of course, other film companies also know that "Final Destination" has a different story, and this commercial film will be more independent.

No wonder Lin Youcheng only provided a story outline!
This has driven other Hollywood film companies crazy. Why did Lin Youcheng have to cooperate with Columbia Pictures? Such a great idea should have been sold to their own company!

It can be said that the impact of "Final Destination" was greater for other film companies.

This amazing movie, so novel and unique, and so low-budget, is actually a series that can be filmed continuously. How could this not drive Hollywood film companies crazy, wishing that "Final Destination" was a film they were working on?

It's safe to say that Lin Youcheng's screenwriting talent is beyond question. His films have consistently delivered stunning results. His previous sci-fi film, "The Night the Comet Came," truly drove many filmmakers crazy and opened the eyes of Hollywood filmmakers. Now, "Final Destination" is no different.

Such discussions continued unabated, with various voices appearing in American newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, all discussing Lin Youcheng, this mysterious Eastern screenwriter.

Of course, for the Hollywood film companies, looking at the box office of "Final Destination," they had no other thought in mind but to cooperate with Lin Youcheng and make a series of films.

No film company could resist the allure of "Final Destination".

While working on the set of "Strange Tales of the Human World" in China, Li An had naturally heard about the movie "Final Destination." Although he hadn't seen the movie yet, he understood from the producer's explanation why it was successful: low production costs and, most importantly, a compelling story script.

Li An was quite surprised to hear that Lin Youcheng had only provided a story outline.

"Youcheng, he's really amazing!"

"A random idea, yet it's so special."

The filming of "Human Wonders" is almost finished, and he was chatting casually with Leslie Cheung about "Final Destination," which is currently showing in the United States.

Leslie Cheung nodded, agreeing, and said, "Yes, he's still the best."

"When the movie 'Infernal Affairs' came out, it overshadowed all other gangster and police films in Hong Kong. I never expected that he would be able to write 'Infernal Affairs 2' after the first one."

Leslie Cheung has always admired Lam Yau-shing, especially for casting Lam Yau-shing as Ni Yongxiao in the movie "Infernal Affairs 2," a role that has always stayed with him and had a significant impact on his acting career.

"But to be honest, I don't know how a King of Hell who wants you to die at midnight can let you live until dawn. How could such a simple idea have such good box office results in the United States?"

Li An shook his head when he heard Leslie Cheung's words. That movie couldn't possibly be that simple. However, considering that Lin Youcheng's casual outline had turned into such a great movie, he was truly impressed. He had also read Lin Youcheng's "The Sixth Sense" before and thought that the movie's excellent script made it well-deserved to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Looking back now, Lin Youcheng's scripts and stories were never confined to commercial films or art films. After all, there are commercial films like "The Night the Comet Came" and "The Butterfly Effect," as well as "Every Day," which he has also seen. He also quite likes art films like "Seaside City" and "Love."

Because he knew that Lin Youcheng was able to strike a good balance between commercial and art films, Li An was eager to learn from Lin Youcheng. After all, he knew very well that in Hollywood, one could not simply pursue art. Film companies also needed to make a profit, and if the film failed at the box office, it was uncertain whether there would be another opportunity to make a film.

Especially since he is not a native American director, this is even more important.

However, it seems that screenwriter Lin Youcheng has not made a mistake yet. Of course, it is hard to blame the screenwriter for a movie's failure, since the director is responsible for it. If the script is bad, why would the director make it that way? Knowing there are problems, why not make changes?
Li An looked at Leslie Cheung and said with a smile, "After filming wraps up, you can go see the movie and see what you think." Leslie Cheung smiled and said, "After filming wraps up, I'll definitely go see it. It's going to be very difficult for this movie to be released in mainland China."

Leslie Cheung is right, it's impossible for "Final Destination" to be released in mainland China. However, this will not affect the "Final Destination" phenomenon the film has created in the United States, North America, and around the world.

It was truly Final Destination, which opened a new door to thriller and horror films in 1996.

Moviegoers were amazed by the story's thrills and horror, and also by the imagination of screenwriter Lin Youcheng, who came from the East. After all, Lin Youcheng's previous film, "The Sixth Sense," was quite heartwarming, so how could he suddenly turn into such a bloody and terrifying thriller?

This is really too unexpected.

While surprised, I naturally admired it.

At the same time, several Hollywood film companies also came knocking on his door. Although they had contacted Lin Youcheng more than once, his collaboration with Columbia Pictures made them restless.

It seems we can't ask over the phone yet. After all, this is the outline that Lin Youcheng discussed with Columbia Pictures. It wasn't even written down yet, but it was taken directly and made into a movie. How can other companies accept this? Whether it's Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, or even MGM, producers flew directly to Beijing to talk to Lin Youcheng about cooperation, just to show their sincerity.

The constant visits really frustrated Lin Youcheng, just like the previous incidents where editors from different magazines were vying for manuscripts.

The Paramount Pictures representative was an acquaintance. Producer Freeman looked distressed and said, "Lin, a script like 'Final Destination' should have been given to Paramount to film. Haven't we always worked together very well before?"

In fact, Lin Youcheng's collaboration with Paramount Pictures is definitely the most successful. After all, their previous collaboration on "The Truman Show" won several Oscars, such as Best Picture, and his Oscar-winning Best Original Screenplay.

After that, Paramount Pictures also wanted to cooperate with Lin Youcheng. Although they had cooperated before, it was clear that other companies were also eyeing the project, making it difficult to directly sign a five-year contract with Lin Youcheng. It's worth noting that directors usually have to make five movies for the company. However, Lin Youcheng could only discuss cooperation.

That's right, one word—talk.

Freeman and Lin Youcheng said with regret, "Lin, it would be great if we could have collaborated on this script with you!"

Lin Youcheng had heard this kind of talk more than once, after all, it wasn't just Freeman who told him, but other film companies as well.

Lin Youcheng naturally had a good talk with Freeman and expressed his hope to cooperate again if the opportunity arose, without making any absolute statements.

This explains why Lin Youcheng didn't care whether Columbia agreed to the cooperation model, since he had other film companies besides Columbia to discuss cooperation with.

Compared to the booming foreign films, the domestic film industry was in a bleak state. It could even be said that this year was the darkest moment for domestic films. The entire film industry was very depressed and chaotic, with very low output. The box office was mainly dominated by imported blockbusters. Apart from a few patriotic films that received some box office revenue through group tickets with the support of the government, the overall performance of domestic films was very poor.

Since the import of blockbuster films officially stimulated the mainland film market starting in 1995, many state-owned film studios were in a state of panic. Their investment capabilities, market awareness, and internal management were all in an awkward situation. More than half of the state-owned film studios could only maintain their operations by selling studio logos, renting out venues, and collecting labor fees from outsourced personnel.

It is precisely because of the overall sluggishness of the domestic film market that the only film with outstanding box office nationwide was the patriotic film "Kong Fansen," which had group ticket bonuses. Before its release, the production company expected to reach 6000 million yuan in internal staff x 2 yuan average ticket price, and expected to achieve a box office of 1.2 million yuan, breaking the record for the highest-grossing domestic film. However, the film ultimately only grossed 3600 million yuan, which was quite a slap in the face.

Furthermore, with the increasing prevalence of television in ordinary households, journalists covering movies have turned their attention to television, and social investors and institutions, who share a passion for film, have also poured their money into television, making TV dramas a hot topic among film and television viewers.

As for movies, they have become a niche phenomenon in some first- and second-tier cities. After all, video arcades are thriving, squeezing the survival space of cinemas. In a region, for every cinema, there are at least twenty or thirty video arcades of all sizes. The cheaper ones have a color TV, while the better ones have a large-screen projector. They are surrounded by film powerhouses from the United States, Hong Kong, and various other countries. In addition to movies, there are also TV series, mainly from Hong Kong. Cinemas naturally have a hard time competing with them.

This is why director Li Shaohong has also started making TV series; the pressure on production companies is immense.

It was precisely because of this pressure, and because Lin Youcheng was a big name in the literary world, a screenwriter in China, and even a screenwriter in the world, that higher-ups naturally wanted to talk to Lin Youcheng, a screenwriter who was highly regarded in the international film market, to get his opinion.

In fact, Lin Youcheng was well aware that although the domestic film market was in a slump now, it would improve in the future. Of course, it was still a difficult period. Naturally, Lin Youcheng would offer his own opinions, such as the types of films and the censorship system. He also mentioned some things that were not to be discussed. As for whether the authorities would accept them, that was another matter.

All Lin Youcheng could do was offer some suggestions and opinions.

He didn't pay much attention to it, after all, some things are beyond his control.

Foreign films are currently very popular, while domestic films in mainland China are in dire straits. However, they will become popular in the future, but even after they become popular, they will eventually fall into dire straits again. People say the industry is doomed, which is just a cycle of history.

Autumn has arrived in Beijing in the blink of an eye, and the air is already chilly. Lin Youcheng shook his head, not thinking much about it. 1996 is almost over, and 1997 will be here soon.

In a few years, the new millennium will arrive, and this period of great suffering will be over. (End of Chapter)