The world is in trouble

Chapter 243 Absolutely Stunning! A Huge Victory!
Historically, Train to Busan only grossed around two million US dollars at the North American box office.

The core reason is not that the films are bad, but that there are too few screens showing them, only a pitiful 27.

Its distribution company, Well Go USA, has been a long-time partner of Chinese-language films since the US-China rivalry, having distributed a large number of them.

These include films such as "The Wandering Earth 2", "Ip Man 4", "Operation Red Sea", "Lost in Hong Kong", and "The Investiture of the Gods". Almost all major Chinese-language films were distributed by this company.

However, the scale of their releases was also very small, only a few dozen or a hundred theaters. In comparison, the 2024 Australian horror film "The Spider in the House" opened in 1350 theaters in North America, which was the largest release scale for this company.

而《釜山行》算是这家公司在北美发行的最小规模之一了，《流浪地球2》开画还有142家，最高达到176家。《叶问4》开画70家，最高达到126家。

"Train to Busan" opened in 27 theaters, with a peak of 36.

In terms of box office, "Train to Busan" grossed around $7 per theater, which is definitely an excellent figure. After all, the film has a score of 8.0 on IMDb, which is very high for a commercial film, much higher than the classic zombie film "Dawn of the Dead" with a score of 7.5.

Now the situation is different. Sony Columbia has become one of the investors in this film, and their distribution capabilities are incomparable to Well Go USA.

Moreover, Amy Pascal is no longer Columbia Pictures' Asia president, but Columbia Pictures' global president, and she will become the big boss of Sony Pictures in the future.

Many heads of distribution companies from around the world attended the preview screening.

Among them, the most important are Lee Mi-kyung from South Korea, Nansaku Ichikawa, assistant to the chairman of Toho Co., Ltd. from Japan, Amy Pascal from Colombia, and Tom Bernard from Sony Classics.

Therefore, this is the highest-level test screening of a film in China to date.

Lin Xiao didn't even invite any celebrities or directors, only artists and directors from the Lightning series. Among the outside directors, he only invited Zhang Guoshi and Zhou Xingchi.

Director He Ping, who recently joined the Lightning series, and Zhen Zhidan are also among them.

Previously, what Director He was most indignant about was being dismissed from his position as Asia Film Advisor by Columbia Pictures, but now he is able to chat and laugh with the president of Columbia Pictures once again.

Because the major TV series "The Squid Game" also had investment from Columbia Pictures.

"Zhang, congratulations! 'House of Flying Daggers' will be released in North America next week. We'll start with 15 theaters, and if it does well enough, we can expand." Tom Bernard shook hands with Zhang Guoshi: "I hope we can achieve good box office results."

The overseas distribution rights for "House of Flying Daggers" were bought out by Sony Classics, eventually expanding to 1183 theaters. However, its North American box office was only around $1100 million, far from a success, and much worse than that of "Hero".

“Lin, I have good news and bad news,” Amy Pascal said. “The good news is that there’s a zombie movie that’s going to be a big hit in North America this year, which will give many viewers something to look forward to.”

This movie is Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead 2004". It grossed $2672 million in its opening weekend in North America, $5900 million in total North American box office, and approximately $1.1 million worldwide.

"Because there are successful precedents, as long as the quality of your 'The Last Days' is similar to 'Dawn of the Dead,' I believe Mr. Tom from Sony Classics will definitely give a very generous gift."

Tom Bernard said to Lin Xiao, "Yes, Dawn of the Dead has created a certain hunger among audiences. If there are similar films, they will still be very popular."

Next, Amy Pascal continued to introduce Lin Xiao to film distributors in other countries around the world.

Then, the two went to a corner and had a private conversation.

“Lin, the film’s production schedule is just too tight,” Amy Pascal said. “As you can see, House of Flying Daggers was completed this summer, but it wasn’t released in North America until December.”

"It's already the end of November, and the entire schedule will be extremely tight."

"Moreover, it is very likely that this film will suffer the same fate as 'House of Flying Daggers,' with a limited release first, and then a decision on whether to expand it based on box office performance."

"After all, North America is a purely capital-driven market."

Lin Xiao: "Let's watch the movie first, then decide, okay?"

A small-scale release would simply rely on box office revenue per theater, while "Train to Busan" had an exceptionally high box office revenue per theater in history. However, "Lin Xiao" still opted for a large-scale release.

Amy: "Of course, there is a huge advantage this year, which is the box office miracle of Dawn of the Dead 2004, which can have a huge example effect."

Lin Xiao said, "But..."

Amy: "You need to prove to filmmakers around the world that 'The Last of Us' is on par with 'Dawn of the Dead,' or even slightly weaker."

"Lin, I know you're exceptionally good at creating miracles; you're practically a magician."

"But don't forget, I've already seen two of your movies, 'Crazy Stone' and 'Love is Not Blind,' and I didn't understand them either, nor did I have high hopes for them, yet they were huge box office successes in the Chinese market."

“I am a typical Westerner, and I represent a large group of Westerners. If I don’t understand it or I don’t think it’s good, then it proves that it has regional and limited characteristics.”

"You should know how difficult it is to have this kind of test screening. Even directors like Zhang Yimou and Stephen Chow cannot have a test screening of this level."

Lin Xiao was certainly aware of this. Although "Hero" had achieved great success at the domestic box office and even featured Li Lianjie, the film was shelved in North America for a long time. If it weren't for the great director Quentin Tarantino's particular fondness for Chinese kung fu films, the movie might never have had a chance to be released.

This high-level screening was entirely due to Amy Pascal's connections; she is now a big name in the film industry.

Amy: "Of course, you got this screening yourself. You just brought us tens of millions of dollars in profit."

"But if this film, 'The End of the World,' is like 'Crazy Stone' and 'Love is Not Blind,' I don't think it will have a chance in the global film market, because Western filmmakers won't have that kind of patience."

The female CEO, Amy, subtly reminded Lin Xiao that "The End of the World" could only have a chance of global release if it possessed global commercial viability.

Lin Xiao: "Of course, I hope that the upcoming screening will not disappoint you or anyone else."

....................................

Next, Lin Xiao spoke with Lee Mi-kyung from CJ Entertainment.

"Lin, you are much younger and more handsome than I imagined," Li Meijing said with a smile. "At least, you are much more handsome than that guy."

Lin Xiao knew who she was talking about: Lee Jae-yong, the current heir of the Samsung Group. Although he was her nephew, he was also Lee Mi-kyung's enemy. Her father's failed power struggle had led to her family being expelled from Samsung.

“Our CJ Entertainment had a very, very successful film last year, ‘Memories of Murder,’ but so far this year, we haven’t had a single one,” Lee Mi-kyung said. “This year, the entire Korean film industry has been overshadowed by ‘Taegukgi’s Box Office.”

"Taegukgi" was released in South Korea in February of this year, and grossed $2 million in the market of more than 5600 million people, setting a new record for South Korean films.

“We originally had plenty of time for promotion, but we finished too late, and neither the director nor the actors were very famous,” Li Meijing said. “So, in terms of the scale of promotion and the number of theaters where it is distributed, CJ Entertainment may not be as big as you imagine.”

“If you hadn’t fired director Bong Joon-ho back then, things might have been much better, after all, he had just finished filming ‘Memories of Murder’ last year.”

"Lin, have you seen 'Taegukgi'?"

Lin Xiao: "I've seen it."

Lee Mi-kyung: "What do you think?"

Lin Xiao: "It's very good, but its success in the South Korean market largely stems from its unique national sentiment. It's a typical product of a single market, while 'The Last Days' is a typical globalized commercial film."

Taegukgi performed very well at the box office in South Korea, but its global box office was relatively weak. It grossed around $1.1 million in North America, and excluding the South Korean market, its global total was only around $10 million.

Lee Mi-kyung: "I just want to tell you that although you filmed this movie in South Korea and used a lot of South Korean actors and co-directors, I advise you not to have such high hopes for the South Korean market. Just as you said, South Korean films nowadays are particularly focused on our unique national sentiments."

The subtext of all this is that although you have chosen CJ Entertainment as an ally, we may not necessarily invest as many resources in this film as you imagine.

But Lin Xiao wasn't worried about this at all.

Although Lee Mi-kyung comes from a wealthy family, she is also a film enthusiast. Moreover, as she said, CJ Entertainment, a major South Korean entertainment company, does not have a representative work this year.

………………

In just over half an hour, all the necessary exchanges had been completed.

The movie officially began playing.

Because the production schedule was so tight, the entire editing and post-production process took only about two months.

Therefore, it's really hard for the core bosses to have high expectations for this movie.

however……

Just a dozen minutes later.

They felt a sense of surprise.

Because the early stages of making disaster movies are the most difficult.

First, the early stages will definitely be dialogue-driven, requiring sufficient immersion and deep emotions, but the plot must be simple enough.

This is something that "The Last Days" achieves perfectly.

Especially with Lee Jung-jae's superb acting skills, this sense of immersion is even stronger.

When the movie had been going on for an hour...

Everyone present was completely engrossed in watching.

Because this rhythm is just too excellent.

The characters in this game are so well-developed.

A divorced, overworked father and his adorable daughter.

A husband as strong as an ox, and a beautiful and delicate pregnant wife.

Moreover, the pace of the entire film is consistently upward.

There wasn't even a moment to pause; it went straight to the ultimate climax.

The emotions flowed smoothly and continuously, almost without interruption or ripples, just a relentless, relentless surge until the climax at the very end of the film.

Moreover, due to the high production costs, professional special effects artists were hired, and the entire zombie horde was filmed on location.

It came in a dark, overwhelming mass.

This scene is truly breathtaking.

It gives people the feeling of a fake blockbuster.

This is quite rare, because almost all zombie movies are classified as B-movies.

There are probably two exceptions: World War Z and I Am Legend.

Of course, "I Am Legend" is not a zombie movie; it's a typical post-apocalyptic film.

But after watching these two films, you'll feel they're A-list productions, not B-movies. This is partly due to their grand world-building, partly due to the star-studded cast, and partly due to their spectacular scenes.

The filming locations around the world for "World War Z" included massive waves of zombies.

The movie "I Am Legend" uses the entire city of New York and an aircraft carrier as its backdrop.

"The Last Days" also has this A-list production feel, even though its budget is typical of B-movies.

Because it contains several particularly grand scenes, such as hordes of zombies surging like the sea, aerial views of post-apocalyptic cities, and large-scale troop movements.

This is why the cost increased from $700 million to $1300 million.

This is a large-scale scene that wasn't in the original "Train to Busan," but Lin Xiao felt it was worth adding, as it creates a blockbuster feel.

In this respect, "The Wandering Earth" is simply textbook-worthy. The production cost alone was around 300 million RMB, maybe less, but it gave people the feeling of a super-large production, which is 300 million RMB after 2017.

…………

Two hours later, the preview screening ended!
Even at a preview screening, someone still led the applause.

Li Meijing approached Lin Xiao and said, "I take back what I just said."

"This is a very magical movie. I had read the script, but I really didn't expect the finished product to be like this."

"It's so excellent, so wonderful."

"To say something politically incorrect, I think it's better than 'Taegukgi'."

This is typical of high-ranking individuals; they need nationalistic sentiment, but they themselves are rather indifferent to it.

"Moreover, I have to admit that you made the right decision to replace Bong Joon-ho; he was too artsy." Lee Mi-kyung said to Lin Xiao, "Although time is very tight, you can trust the strength of CJ Entertainment. We have the capability to launch a massive advertising campaign in the Korean market, and we can also secure the largest theater resources."

"Without a doubt, it will not only be one of CJ Entertainment's representative works this year, but also one of our representative works over the years."

Next, Lee Mi-kyung shook hands with director Yeon Sang-ho and actor Lee Jung-jae.

"Well done, lads."

Director Yeon Sang-ho was so excited he was trembling: "Thank you, President Lee, thank you, President Lin."

Then, he bowed to Ning Hao again: "Thank you, senior. Thank you, senior."

Meanwhile, Columbia Pictures president Amy Pascal's worries were completely relieved. She understood the movie and was completely engrossed in it, finding it extremely enjoyable.

Then, she turned to the classic Sony Tom Bernard beside her and asked, "Tom, what do you think?"

Tom Bernard: "Very, very good."

"It's much better than I expected."

"It's even unlike any other zombie movie."

"All previous zombie movies, in order to create a desolate sense of the apocalypse, were usually very dark, hopeless, and oppressive."

"One reason why Dawn of the Dead (2004) was successful was that it used relatively bright shots, but the overall tone was still dark and despairing."

"This film, 'Journey to the End of the World,' is completely different. Despite being set in the apocalypse, it has a very distinct and positive rhythm. Its sense of passion far outweighs its sense of despair."

"So, this is not a zombie movie, but a classic disaster movie."

"It possesses an extraordinary business rhythm and business attributes."

Then Tom Bernard asked, "How much did it cost to make?" Amy Pascal replied, "1300 million dollars."

Tom Bernard: "Impossible, impossible. The production cost of Dawn of the Dead 2004 was $2600 million, but it was far inferior to this movie in terms of scale."

"Several scenes in this movie left a very deep impression on me, even using fighter jets, tanks, and missiles."

"There are also large-scale troop movements and tidal waves of zombies."

"Is this something that can be made for $1300 million?"

"I feel like it's even an A-list production."

Amy Pascal asked, "So, does it still need to be shown on a small scale?"

Tom Bernard said, "You're the boss, aren't you?"

Amy: "We'll be having a meeting in the next few days to decide on this matter."

Tom Bernard said, "The North American market is still very competitive, with 'Million Dollar Baby' first and 'Meet the Parents 2' next."

Amy: "But these are all typical drama films. The market for 'The Last Days' is completely blank in this period."

Tom Bernard: "Indeed, this movie really came at the right time, coinciding with the huge success of 'Dawn of the Dead' this year. And yet, it's actually better than 'Dawn of the Dead'."

Lin Xiao approached Song Dai, the Hong Kong publisher, Silver City Group: "Mr. Song, what do you think?"

Sil-Metropole Organisation is both part of and separate from the Hong Kong entertainment circle, because it has a very strong political background and is a typical left-wing organization.

General Manager Song: "Very good, very good."

"It doesn't even seem like a typical Asian film; the pacing is more like Hollywood, but it also has the unique charm of our Eastern films."

"I am very optimistic about its box office performance in Hong Kong."

"Mr. Lin, we're all on the same side behind closed doors, so I'll be frank. Actually, I was very worried at first. Because nowadays, purely mainland-style films are hard to get along with in Hong Kong. In today's Hong Kong market, only Mr. Zhou Xingchi is still undefeated. The market for local films is getting smaller and smaller, let alone mainland films, which have been decimated by Hollywood films."

Lin Xiao said, "Then the Hong Kong market will be handed over to President Song."

Mr. Song, the general manager of Yindu, smiled and said, "Of course, but we still need Mr. Zhou Xingchi's help to make the two movies slightly staggered."

Zhou Xingchi: "I still have the final say in the Hong Kong market, no problem."

Historically, "Kung Fu Hustle" grossed HK$6100 million in Hong Kong, while "Train to Busan" grossed HK$6600 million.

Of course, Train to Busan came later, and its box office performance had already increased by then, so overall, Kung Fu Hustle was still stronger in the Hong Kong market.

Ultimately, however, the two films are roughly equal in terms of market power.

Lin Xiao approached the chairman's assistant at Toho Co., Ltd., and asked in English, "Mr. Ichikawa Nansaku, what do you think of this movie?"

Ichikawa Nansaku: "Excellent, Lin-san."

Lin Xiao: "Because of the tight schedule, I made my friends' schedules very rushed, and I apologize for that."

Minami Ichikawa: "Mr. Hayashi, you're too kind. Our Japanese market has certain unique characteristics, so in this respect, it's alright!"

Japanese films are really quite unique.

Animated films are very strong, but live-action films are very weak and are basically dominated by Hollywood films.

Let alone Hollywood movies, even Chinese-language films are quite strong in the Japanese market. "Hero" grossed $3399.6 million in Japan, and "Red Cliff" grossed $5400 million.

"Train to Busan" grossed 18 billion yen in Japan, setting a record for Korean-language films in Japan.

But this time it will be different, because one of the core investors in "The Last Days" is SoftBank Group, a Japanese super conglomerate and a true local power.

Ichikawa Minasaku glanced at Lee Mi-kyung and lowered his voice, saying, "Lin-san, but I have a small request."

"This film has already won by a large margin because it has Japanese dubbing. But you should know that our people have complex feelings towards your country, but they identify with your cultural works, which is why your films often achieve great success in the Japanese market. But Korean films are different; our people have very simple feelings towards Korea."

Lin Xiao smiled, "You don't need to be so subtle. The only thing the Japanese people think of Koreans is contempt!"

So when the Korean wave swept the globe, Japan paid little attention, and Korean films were never very successful in Japan.

Minami Ichikawa: "Therefore, when this film, 'Journey to the End of the World,' is released in Japan, it is best to completely blur the Korean influence and highlight the status of Columbia and Sony."

Lin Xiao: "No problem."

........................

The South Korean market, the Japanese market, the Hong Kong market, and the domestic market.

There are basically no major problems in these four major markets.

Both the theater chains and the advertising campaigns are top-tier, as they are giants in the local market.

The only challenging and most important market right now is North America.

The North American market is seen as a global trendsetter and offers the greatest sense of pride. Furthermore, success in North America generally translates to similar success in Australia and Europe.

Aside from a few major markets, the distribution rights for "Doomsday Walk" are still exclusively held by Sony. Now it remains to be seen whether Sony is willing to put in the effort.

While Amy Pascal and Tom Bernard were still in Shanghai, Lin Xiao held a closed-door meeting with them.

We discussed the release schedule and the number of films to be released.

Lin Xiao: "Madam, sir, please do not mistake us for Huayi or New Pictures. The strategic level of both of us needs to be greatly elevated."

"First of all, this year, Dream Vision brought you tens of millions of dollars in revenue simply from the copyright transaction of China's Got Talent."

"Moreover, this revenue sharing can continue for many years."

"In addition, we will become an important strategic partner of Sony in TV dramas, other variety shows, and even large-scale AAA games."

"That's not all. In the future, Sony will need the full cooperation of our Lightning Group for everything from movies and games to the PlayStation strategy. Soon, our Lightning Group will have the largest user base in China."

"So you want to treat us as strategic allies, instead of releasing us in a small number of theaters like you did with New Pictures. I want a large-scale release."

Amy Pascal: "Say what you want."

Lin Xiao: "3000 copies have been released in North America."

Amy Pascal and Tom Bernard were both taken aback.

Amy Pascal: "Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Lin Xiao: "Why is it impossible? By the end of December, 'Million Dollar Baby' had already been released for three weeks and had long lost its box office appeal. Meanwhile, the strong 'Meet the Parents 2' had been released for about a week. The so-called New Year's Day period is a good period for the Chinese market, but for the North American market, it is only a passable period, as the Christmas season has already passed."

"At the time, 'Hero' was showing in 2000 theaters, and it was Quentin who picked it out from a bunch of squeezed movies."

"The combined weight of the two of them far surpasses that of Quentin."

Tom Bernard: "Lin, in America, capital is everything. Even we wouldn't take the risk of opening a film on three thousand screens."

Lin Xiao remained silent, not speaking, but quietly gazing at Amy Pascal.

adventure?

From the very beginning of their collaboration, it was Lin Xiao who was always taking risks, and it was also he who possessed immense courage.

He was the one who provided the artwork, and he was also the one who paid for it.

Colombia has always just profited from the situation.

Moreover, in the North American market, personal connections are paramount, rather than capital.

This is especially true of Hollywood, a world of fame and fortune. From the release of a film to the Oscars, isn't every stage a power game for the big shots?
You've already made tens of millions of dollars in profit from me, so you should give me something back.

I need the North American market, and you need the Chinese market. Especially Sony right now, do I even need to explain how hungry they are for the Chinese market?
Amy Pascal thought for a moment and said, "First, the Christmas season is too crowded, and it's a family-friendly season, so we shouldn't squeeze into that period."

Lin Xiao: "No problem."

Amy: "So, is there a problem with setting the date for December 29th?"

Lin Xiao: "No problem."

Next, Amy lowered her head, giving herself a final thought and weighing her options.

She is now the global head of Columbia, so she has the power and resources to do so; it's just a matter of whether she's willing to or not.

After a long pause, she finally spoke: "2300 premieres is the maximum I can agree to, and it's already an enormous risk."

"This premiere is on a scale typical of Hollywood films, far exceeding that of any foreign language film."

"Don't forget that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon only reached 2000 stores in its 16th week."

"2300 premieres are already the biggest and most extravagant treatment we've ever given you, and the greatest reward for our friendship."

“I think it’s crazy, even to myself. I think I’ll regret it when I wake up tomorrow morning.”

"In order to convince the group, you will have to cover half of the film's publicity costs, which may amount to several million dollars."

"In addition, two episodes of America's Got Talent will be broadcast before the movie is released. As the copyright holder, we need to find ways to promote it in those episodes."

Lin Xiao: "No problem."

Amy Pascal said, "Then it's a pleasure to work with you."

Lin Xiao extended his hands and shook hands with the two of them.

"Happy cooperation!"

The most difficult part is finally done.

Lin Xiao's series of successes and massive profits finally led to the tremendous achievement of a simultaneous global release.

Don't underestimate this achievement; it's incredibly difficult for Chinese-language films to reach this level.

..............................

12 Month 1 Day!
Lightning Group issued an announcement.

Lightning Entertainment's highly anticipated blockbuster of the year, "The Last Days," will be released in China on December 23.

This announcement isn't all.

Next is a long list of theatrical release dates in various countries around the world.

South Korean market, December 23.

Japanese market, December 23.

Hong Kong market, December 23.

Australian market, Thai market, British market, Taiwanese market, and so on.

Most importantly, it will be released in North America on December 29th, with a massive opening in 2300 theaters.

At this point, whether it was New Pictures, Huayi Brothers, or even other film companies, they were all green with envy.

Depend on!
You're actually going to release it globally simultaneously?

Such a large-scale investment?
With 2300 premieres in North America?
Why?

Your investment is only $1300 million. "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" had a $1000 million investment, and "House of Flying Daggers" had a $3500 million investment.

We can't unlock a simultaneous global release.

You, Master Er Gou, actually unlocked it?
Following this, "Doomsday Journey" launched a massive advertising campaign in markets including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

Although the investment share isn't extremely large, the scale of this promotional campaign is absolutely behemoth-level.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Renren Group also launched a massive promotional campaign for "Perfect World".

The way you're doing this doesn't seem like a second closed beta test at all.
It's on a massive scale, comparable to the publicity surrounding a large-scale closed beta test.

On December 19th, Perfect World will have a spectacular open beta test!
Huayi Brothers' highly anticipated blockbuster of the year, "A World Without Thieves," will officially premiere on December 9th!

That's nothing, the key point is that Huayi also issued an announcement afterwards.

The highly anticipated Chinese blockbuster "Kung Fu Hustle" has moved its release date forward to December 23!
Historically, it was also released on this day, but they had previously announced December 28th.

Now that Lin Xiao has announced the release date of "The End of the World" as December 23, they have also moved the release date of "Kung Fu" to December 23.

Zhou Xingchi was furious.

Is this going to result in both movies suffering losses?
Why don't you take your "A World Without Thieves" and have a big showdown with "The End of the World"?

Why do you have to use my "Kung Fu"?
Lin Xiao reiterated: The Chinese film market is large enough to accommodate two excellent films. "Kung Fu Hustle" is a great film, and I hope both films will be successful!
Almost instantly.

The atmosphere of a super battle for the entire Lunar New Year film season immediately surged!

....................................

Note: It's almost the end of the month. If there's no book that particularly needs your support, could you please give me your monthly vote? Thank you so much!
(End of this chapter)