I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 210 When the Hunter Becomes the Prey

3 month 4 day.

Hollywood.

In the office of the Twilight crew.

Catherine put down the phone and gently stroked the cover of the script for "Twilight" with her fingertips.

The moonlight shone on her face, and complex emotions surged in her blue eyes.

Catherine frowned slightly, her head down, intently studying the script and materials for the movie "Twilight".

More than a decade ago, after she first read the novel of the same name as the movie "Twilight," she was deeply attracted to the film and then had an idea that she would like to direct the movie herself one day.

After more than a decade of ups and downs in Hollywood, she finally got this opportunity. For her, this film embodies all her imagination of the romantic aesthetics of vampires, and it is also a key work in her transformation from an executor to a true director who can control the whole situation. Therefore, she must have a firm grasp on all the factors.

Her vision for this film was simple: she insisted on using the classic Hollywood narrative framework, pursuing a romantic story with an "elegant gothic melancholy" style, and attempting to create a vampire epic film that combined artistic depth with commercial value.

She had to ensure that every single thing and every plot point in the story conformed to the original work. Eastern elements were allowed, but there could be absolutely no random product placements.

Looking at my phone, I remembered what Zhou Yang had said.

Her vision went black instantly!
Oh, God!
What is this?

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

Late at night.

Shen Long lay in bed, looking out the window at the brightly lit night view of Yanjing City, but he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

After the Golden Broom Award, the noise continued, but Shen Long felt a sense of emptiness.

This year's Berlin International Film Festival opened on March 7th, followed by a week-long film screening, and then the awards ceremony on March 14th.

That was the cinematic temple he had longed for.

Six months ago, he was just a penniless small-time director, but now, he is about to follow in the footsteps of Director Zhou to that prestigious institution, where he will meet the internationally acclaimed directors he once dreamed of meeting...

However, perhaps due to some plot points in Zhou's version of "The Mine," the longing deep within him didn't seem as intense anymore.

Yes, there was only a tiny bit of sadness.

Unable to sleep, he finally got up and opened his email on his computer.

The email showed that, thanks to various bundled marketing strategies for Mr. Zhou's version of "The Mine," his DVD of "The Mine" sold over 20 copies in just over ten days, which partially recouped his investment...

He silently looked at the movie in the mailbox, and then saw a movie script called "The Lord of the Rings: Gods of Drift", and immediately fell into deep thought.

A gust of wind blew in from outside the window, and he opened the script, carefully reading the few lines on it.

Then, he clicked on another movie, the synopsis of the upcoming Hollywood fantasy blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings," and immediately fell into deep thought.

Afterwards, while pondering the selling points of his film, he quietly began to try to write a script outline based on the synopsis given to him by President Zhou...

As he wrote, his brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed, and he finally wrote down four words: "Youthful Passion".

At this moment, for some reason, he felt as if he had returned to that rented room, to the time when he started writing "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2" with Boss Zhou.

Before I knew it, it was dawn...

Afterwards, he glanced at the script, stretched, and walked out of the room toward Zhou Yang's office.

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

3 month 5 day.

The Hong Kong Island Stock Exchange was bustling with people and filled with noise.

Following the listings of Tianyu Media and Huasheng Brothers, Huaying International Cinemas has also officially listed on Hong Kong Island.

With an issue price of 6.81 yuan per share and a trading volume of nearly 6.8 million Hong Kong dollars, it became the first listed cinema chain in China, attracting widespread attention.

The Huaxia Entertainment section featured a close-up photo of Li Minghao, chairman of Huaying International, banging drums and gongs, claiming that March of this year was a historic month for the Chinese film industry.

【XuanShi Entertainment】

Sunlight streamed through the window and shone on Zhou Yang's face.

Dong Qichang glanced at the news of Huaying International's listing on the table, then took out the latest box office data.

"The movie 'The Spirit of Zhao Zilong' has finished its run today, with a total box office of 4260 million RMB..."

"The film 'The Soul of Zhao Zilong' has been replaced by 'The Mine.' 'The Mine' has been in theaters for 12 days now, and all theaters except the three major ones are showing it. The box office is astonishing, already exceeding 3100 million RMB. However, after all, this is an art film. According to our data team's investigation, almost 3100 million of the 2800 million RMB box office came because of the news you've been making lately, Mr. Zhou. The box office potential has actually been almost exhausted. The occupancy rate of major theaters has been declining sharply in the past two days. Our theaters, including others, have begun to adjust their screening times and withdraw from theaters..."

"..."

Dong Qichang's voice echoed throughout the office.

Although calm, a subtle anxiety lurked beneath the surface. He glanced out the window and sighed softly: "After the 'Golden Broom Award,' our survival in the Chinese film industry has become increasingly difficult... You've essentially knocked the rice bowl of some of the most influential directors from five generations of Chinese filmmakers. In a society governed by law, while we may not be able to do much, the countless resources these directors possess are terrifying, enough to restrict any film other than those from our partner companies from entering our theaters... If we want to survive, unless, as I said before, we can produce and sell our own films, and every single one of them makes money!"

"Of course, this is both a crisis and an opportunity for us, Mr. Zhou. We have proven our talent and commercial value with our own abilities. Now we have the capital to negotiate with some film companies. [Huashang Brothers] contacted me through someone yesterday; they hope to meet with you..."

in the sun.

Dong Qichang pointed out the current state of Xuan Shi Entertainment.

Although [Xuan Shi Entertainment] seems to be enjoying great success now, it is actually Zhou Yang who is carrying all the partner companies under the [Xuan Shi Entertainment] system forward.

If Zhou Yang makes even the slightest mistake, or if he makes another film like Shen Long's version of "The Mine," then all the glory he has built up at this moment will collapse overnight.

Dong Qichang turned to look at Zhou Yang and sighed softly.

Looking at all the directors at [Xuan Shi Entertainment], apart from Che Xiao...

Everyone else, even An Xiaoshi and Zhang Jingya, are just ordinary people like Shen Long.

As for the other directors, even the emerging ones, given that "The Golden Broom Award" offended almost all the film companies in China, they would never gamble with Zhou Yang if given the chance. Even if they did come, many new directors need to be trained, and the training process will inevitably consume a lot of time and money...

There are countless Shen Longs among them...

Zhou Yang can clean up Shen Long's mess once, but who can guarantee he can do it a second or third time?
It wasn't that Dong Qichang lacked confidence, but rather that, based on his many years of experience, he had never met anyone who could single-handedly propel a film to success.

When Zhou Yang heard this, he nodded, looked down at the information on [Huashang Brothers], and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Has [Huashang Brothers] made any offers yet?" Zhou Yang asked Dong Qichang.

Dong Qichang was silent for a moment, then nodded: "It's open."

"What conditions?"

"They want to invest in [Xuanshi Entertainment], and they also want to invest in [Movie House]..."

"how much is it?"

"They didn't say, they might have to talk about it in person..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang frowned and fell silent.

Dong Qichang's expression gradually turned serious: "President Zhou, there are benefits to cooperating with [Huashang Brothers]. After all, they will be releasing a movie called 'The Lord of the Rings' at the end of March. This movie is produced by Paramount in Hollywood, with a production cost of nearly $2.8 million and special effects accounting for 60%. It is a super Hollywood IP worldwide..."

"Although we haven't seen this movie, based on my years of experience in film selection in the industry, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this movie is very likely to be the 'global blockbuster' of 2004!"

Dong Qichang's voice was very serious: "If our cinemas can obtain the rights to this film, then... the cinemas' first-quarter operating targets will not be a problem at all..."

Dong Qichang's voice was somewhat excited. After he finished speaking, he placed all the information he had collected about "The Lord of the Rings" on Zhou Yang's table.

Zhou Yang nodded and took a careful look at the information about "The Lord of the Rings".

"Mr. Dong, you mean..."

"If the demands from [Huashang Brothers] aren't too unreasonable, then we can try cooperating. This should be our best option, as it can avoid the squeeze from [Tianyu] and the other four major cinema chains after the IPO, and it can also give our cinema chain a breather this year..."

"Yes, I know."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Immediately afterwards...

Director Shen Long walked into the office with the completed script.

Dong Qichang glanced at the title of the script and froze.

The Lord of the Rings: Gods of Drift...

What kind of utterly ridiculous name is this?

Mr. Zhou wouldn't...

"Let me consider……"

Before he could finish speaking, there was another knock on the office door.

Immediately afterwards...

Zhang Jingya walked over, nodded to the people in the room, and then looked at Zhou Yang.

"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Liu Jinghua, head of the film department at [Huashang Brothers], is here. It seems he has brought a cooperation agreement. Would you like to meet him?"

"Since you're here, let's meet them!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)