Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 170 180 [Relying on the sixth sense to escape the hunting of the Tyrannosaurus Rex]

"you sure?"

Hearing that Li Yishu wanted to buy the North American copyright, Xu Suo frowned and said, "Director Li, I know you have confidence, but that's the United States. Even Hong Kong martial arts films and Jackie Chan's movies don't have much of a market there."

The box office of "Sword Rain" is a special case. It is a science fiction film and has the support of Columbia Pictures, which is why it has a box office of 20 million US dollars. A simple "Farewell My Concubine" without any martial arts special effects would basically have a hard time getting a high box office.

"I know, but I have to try."

Li Yishu smiled and said, "It just so happens that I have a movie coming out with Columbia Pictures soon. As long as it does well at the box office, I won't lose money if I buy the North American copyright."

He didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said to Xu Lu. "Sword Rain" had made Xu Lu a lot of money, and the Beijing Film Studio also made a lot of foreign exchange. This time he wanted to buy the North American copyright of "Farewell My Concubine", and no one would refuse. It didn't matter whether he sold it to foreigners or to Li Yishu.

It can't be like the TV dramas that we often see in short videos later, where we sell it to fruit merchants for six yuan, but can't sell it to young people in the same village for six yuan, right?

If this is true, Li Yishu will have to talk it over.

Xu Suo said, "I have no problem with that. The Beijing Film Studio shouldn't have any problem with that either. So do you think we should just reject the North American film distributors?"

"Don't worry, let's talk about it before we finish discussing it this afternoon. By the way, I have to arrange for a film company in Hollywood to buy it."

Li Yishu nodded. He and Xu Lu naturally didn't care, but the Beijing Film Studio was a state-owned institution. If it was sold to a private person and suffered a loss, it would be difficult to argue about it in the future.

Embezzlement of state assets is no joke.

What's more, isn't the purpose of Li Yishu setting up a film company in North America to better prevent similar incidents from happening?

the next day.

The North American Art Film Company sent someone over, and Amy was in charge of the reception~~
It's quite funny to say that David, the head of the North American Art Film Company, was discovered by Amy, and now both parties sit down to negotiate.

The price had been agreed upon, which was 500 million US dollars. After some discussion, both parties agreed to the deal at this price.

1300 million US dollars, this price seems not much higher than Li Yishu's "That Mountain", but it retains the copyright in China, Japan and South Korea, Southeast Asia, and all countries except Europe and North America.

If these countries are added together, there are more than 100 of them.

Even if the average of these countries is only 10 US dollars each, they can still earn more than 1000 million US dollars.

Not to mention that "Farewell My Concubine" was released in mainland China and Hong Kong, and the combined box office revenue will exceed 100 million yuan, so there will be almost no problem.

Moreover, there is no conflict between the mainland and Taiwan yet, so the movie can reap box office revenue when it is released in Taiwan. With Li Yishu as a living signboard, 20 to 30 million New Taiwan dollars can be easily pocketed.

Add to that Zhang Guorong's fame in the peninsula and Li Yishu's fame in Japan...

With this calculation, the total revenue of "Farewell My Concubine" will probably be around 3000 million US dollars.

No, there was also a $100 million sponsorship fee provided by Canon Group. Canon advertisements were inserted in this movie. The wooden box camera that took pictures of Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou in the play inadvertently gave a shot of the Canon logo.

Canon Group made $100 million and provided them with a film that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

The nearly 8-fold rate of return made Xu Suo smile from ear to ear.

A certain deputy director of the Beijing Film Studio who was in charge of attending the Cannes Film Festival was so happy that he didn't know what to do.

Not only has the money invested at the beginning earned an eight-fold return, but it has also been repatriated to China in the form of foreign currency, which is much more cost-effective than taking RMB!
"Director Li!"

Deputy Director Ma excitedly shook Li Yishu's hand and said, "Our director said that if Director Li has any ideas for new films in the future, you can cooperate with our Beijing Film Studio. Our Beijing Film Studio will cooperate unconditionally! And no matter what Director Li needs, our Beijing Film Studio will definitely do it at all costs."

It’s no wonder that Deputy Director Ma is so excited. It is still very difficult for movies to export and earn foreign exchange these days.

In addition, domestic film studios are now starting to be responsible for their own profits and losses. Isn't the reason why they are so keen on co-productions this year to make the studios profitable while earning some foreign exchange?

But now, the two films that Li Yishu has collaborated with Beijing Film Studio have almost allowed the studio to exceed its foreign exchange target that it had not completed for many years. How can this not make everyone in the studio excited?

Li Yishu raised an eyebrow: "The army is also okay?"

"army?"

Deputy Director Ma was stunned, not quite understanding what Li Yishu meant, but he nodded: "Sure! It's not like we haven't asked comrades from the military region to help make a movie before, but I'm afraid we'll have to contact the Bayi Film Studio when the time comes."

Xu Xu beside him asked in surprise: "Director Li, you want to make a war film?"

“It’s not a war film, it’s a period piece.”

Li Yishu smiled and said, "Of course, this is just an idea of ​​mine. I am actually interested in many types of films, including police and gangster films, martial arts films, costume films, crime films, science fiction films... I will try different types of films in the future."

"It seems that Director Li still has many good movies in his mind. Don't forget me, Sister Xu, in the future." "And our Beijing Film Studio, our Beijing Film Studio will definitely support Director Li."

"Easy to say."

Looking at Xu Lu and the excited Deputy Director Ma, Li Yishu smiled. He had finished shooting two art films this year and would not be shooting in China again in the short term.

Next year, I will first shoot "Fireworks" in collaboration with Takeshi Kitano, and then "Rumble in the Bronx" with Jackie Chan. After that, I will tinker with the low-budget film "Saw" produced by my own North American film company. During this period, I will see whether to shoot a Hong Kong film or continue to cooperate with Columbia Pictures.

"Brother Yishu, you really won't go back to China with us?"

At the airport, Jiang Qinqin was reluctant to leave, as she was still thinking about returning home with Li Yishu.

"I will be back in June."

Li Yishu touched Qinqin's hair, then looked at Gong Li and said, "Sister Gong Li, I'll trouble you to help send Qinqin back when the time comes."

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm planning to travel to the mountain city as well."

Gong Li smiled. She had never been to the mountain city. This time, sending Jiang Qinqin back would be a good opportunity for her to have some fun there as well.

"The mountain city is quite interesting and good for traveling."

Li Yishu nodded in agreement, and suddenly remembered something, and said, "By the way, Sister Gong Li, if you have time, please call Deputy Director Han Sanping of Emei Film Studio and ask him to prepare the crew. I will go back in early June and start filming directly."

"it is good."

Gong Li agreed, and soon the boarding message began to sound in the airport hall. After Li Yishu sent Gong Li and her group to the boarding area, she turned around, took the suitcases, and took Amy to wait for the next flight to the United States.

He has already made an appointment with Monica to meet in the United States.

Next week, May 5th, is the day when "The Sixth Sense" will be released in North America.

After more than a month of promotion, the news that director Lee Ye-su had just won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival also aroused the curiosity of many movie fans in North America.

Columbia Pictures randomly selected 5000 people for a survey outside cinemas and on the streets. More than one-third of the people knew about the upcoming "The Sixth Sense" and expressed interest in seeing it.

Although the rest of the people didn't know, after learning that the double-Award-winning director had made an American film and that the leading actor was Bruce Willis, they also said that they would go to the cinema to see the quality of this film directed by the European double-Award-winning director.

This street survey is not ideal.

It seems like one-third of the people, but in fact, only a few of them can enter the cinema.

Therefore, the best way is to let Li Yishu participate in several popular American shows.

The most suitable show for Li Yishu to participate in is the overly written "Oprah Winfrey Show".

Los Angeles.

A mansion in Beverly Hills.

"Director Li, we have to succeed this time no matter what, so please make sure you participate in this program. I've already asked someone to help make the connection. It will be recorded tomorrow and aired next week before our movie is released."

At this time, Hisao Morishima had become very haggard and thin, with sunken cheeks. If he was a little fat before, now it looked like he had inhaled something.

Such a big change also left Li Yishu dumbfounded. Is the internal pressure at Columbia Pictures so great now?
Li Yishu said, "President Morishima, don't worry. I will attend the show. I'm just curious about how many screens we have in North America now?"

“2500 screens.”

Hisao Morishima gritted his teeth and said, "This is the limit of what I can arrange at the moment. As long as the box office exceeds 2000 million US dollars for the three days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we will hopefully break through 3000 screens the week after next."

2500 screens?
Li Yishu breathed a sigh of relief. This number was not small at all.

He originally thought that it would be good to have 1500 to 2000 tickets.

Moreover, Li Yishu doesn’t have much time left, and the only time she can really make money at the box office is in the first half of the month.

Because next month, on June 6, a Tyrannosaurus Rex will be born.

However, Lee Yi-su is still confident that she can tear a piece of meat from the mouth of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, because the two films are of different themes, and movie fans tend not to watch two films with similar themes in a short period of time.

"The Sixth Sense" is still expected to break out of the Tyrannosaurus Rex hunt this summer.

(End of this chapter)