America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 78 A resounding victory (Please subscribe)

As the crowds in front of the festival theater gradually dispersed, most of the buyers who were interested in the film agreed to meet again the next day.

Samantha from Focus Features walked at the very back, with Kelly Gray accompanying her as she left the theater.

Samantha, who is nearly fifty, is well-maintained and chats with Kelly about the movie: "The male lead's opening, middle, and closing scenes are very impressive. You have a good eye and have chosen a great actor."

Kelly listened with delight: "He's outstanding in appearance, a first-rate actor, and comes from a humble background, but he's incredibly talented."

Samantha's gaze suddenly shifted to the side of the theater entrance, looking at the people there.

The male protagonist, dressed in a suit, stood out like a beacon in the darkness under the streetlights, attracting everyone's attention.

She's from Hollywood, looking directly at him: "Carrie, I'll definitely recommend this movie to the company."

Kelly knew immediately that there were other conditions, so she waited for the other party to continue.

Samantha added, "Such an outstanding leading man, I'd love to meet him."

Kelly, having worked in Hollywood, understood the implication and declined without hesitation: "Sorry, he's coming back to Atlanta with me later."

Samantha nodded slightly: "I was presumptuous, Kelly. We'll have the opportunity to work together again."

Kelly's smile revealed nothing amiss: "Okay, goodbye."

Samantha didn't want to talk about the movie anymore and got into her car and left.

Her company, Focus Features, has a production and distribution style that leans towards art films.

I came here more out of a favor from Louise Mayer, a business partner of the company.

Samantha wanted to hook up with him and test whether the seemingly great male lead was as amazing as the ones in the movies.

If I can't get him, I won't force it; Hollywood has no shortage of handsome men.

Kelly muttered "slut" to herself and waved under the streetlight.

When Martin arrived, the car was also there, and the two of them got into the back seat together.

Kelly couldn't help but exclaim, "Those sluts in Hollywood are always horny!"

Martin said, "Louise heard this and will fight you to the death. You're no match for her."

Kelly asked, "Whose side are you on?"

Martin stated frankly, "I will tear all your clothes off."

Kelly didn't mention what had just happened; instead, she said, "I have a villa by the sea."

Martin hugged her and kissed her hard: "Rich woman, you've finally had a change of heart and are going to give me the house!"

Kelly firmly dismissed this unrealistic fantasy: "You're overthinking it." She had another idea: "How about I have the highest foyer renovated and a chain installed?"

"Not good." Martin understood what she meant and decided to tell the truth, since he was the one who suffered: "I almost died from exhaustion while filming that scene. I couldn't handle it by myself; we needed to use machinery. You could have managed with a swing."

Kelly leaned against him: "I'll have someone come up with a proposal as soon as possible."

A dozen minutes later, the two entered the same suite in the same hotel.

Martin couldn't understand why Kelly was so upset about Hollywood tonight. She even called Louise midway through the night and put the call on speakerphone.

Louise, on the other side, was so angry that she smashed a wine bottle.

…………

The Savannah Film Festival lasts for a week, and there are three more screenings of "Zombie Gigolo" that have invited media reporters.

The main cast and crew stayed in Savannah.

Martin wanted to gain a comprehensive understanding of how Hollywood films are operated and managed, so he contacted Kelly Gray and joined the negotiations between the "Zombie Dancer" studio and various distribution companies.

Most film studios offered lower prices, and negotiations essentially broke down. Only Lionsgate and Warner Bros. remained as North American distributors negotiating with studios.

Both companies have made their stance clear: they will only discuss buying out the copyright, not box office revenue or copyright revenue sharing agreements.

Representatives from publishers in Europe, India, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Latin America also negotiated buyout agreements with the studio.

"$350 million, full rights buyout." Warner Bros.' Breitner was very assertive: "If you're not satisfied, I can only apologize."

Big companies don't lack low-budget films; on the contrary, they have piles of low-budget films begging them to distribute them.

Dave replied, "Please wait a day; we need some time to discuss this."

Martin was very self-aware; he only brought his ears and eyes and didn't say a word from beginning to end.

Subsequently, the studio held a third round of negotiations with Jeffs of Lionsgate, with Lionsgate raising its offer to its maximum of $240 million.

Since Lionsgate does not have overseas distribution capabilities, it only needs the North American rights to the films.

Kelly Gray then rushed over and held an emergency meeting: "Our goal is clear: if the price is right, we'll sell the film rights and get it into theaters."

Dave said, "I suggest choosing Lionsgate. Sell the North American rights to Lionsgate, and sell the overseas rights separately. This will give you more room to maneuver."

Kelly was actually quite satisfied with $240 million, but she wouldn't mind earning more.

Kelly asked, "What about the release plans offered by Warner Bros. and Lionsgate?"

Benjamin chimed in, "Warner Bros. is tentatively planning to have a preview screening in March or April next year. They're a big company, they don't care about the time cost."

He wanted the film to be released in theaters as soon as possible, and he had a slight preference: "Lionsgate is a small company with tight funds and doesn't want to take on too much time cost. They will immediately put the film into the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for rating after they buy the rights. They have a horror film that was temporarily withdrawn in mid-November, which will just fill in for Zombie Dancer."

Kelly was also thinking to herself, "What if the rating doesn't go well?"

Benjamin said, "Learning from 'Yau Mum Too,' we skipped the ratings process and went straight to preview screenings."

Kelly knew about this movie, a film by Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón. Good Machine Distribution was dissatisfied with the MPAA rating and released it directly to theaters. It not only grossed tens of millions of dollars at the North American box office, but Alfonso Cuarón also received an Oscar nomination.

This is not an isolated case in North America.

Under normal circumstances, if it's possible to get a rating, then it should be done.

Small companies value speed and efficiency. Dave added, "Lionsgate plans to first hold small-scale screenings in California and Georgia. If the screenings are successful, they will continue to invest resources in promotion and distribution. If not, after two or three rounds of screenings, they will launch the product on DVD and videotape."

Kelly specifically said, "I understand that for low-budget films, if the screening scale is slightly larger, the publicity and distribution costs will far exceed the production costs."

Martin listened intently, which reminded him of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.

Kelly made the decision: "Selling the global rights in one go is not in our interest. We will split the rights, selling the North American rights to Lionsgate, and EuropaCorp is interested in buying the European rights, so we will sell them to them."

Gray Studios urgently needs funds to renovate the studio: "Other overseas companies, wait and see how the North American previews go. Dave, go tell them we'll send someone to talk to them."

Dave, who oversees the entire investment process and has ample room for maneuver in overseas accounting, said, "I'll inform them right away."

Before the Savannah Film Festival had even ended, the studio and Lionsgate officially signed an agreement to sell the full North American rights to "Zombie Dancer" for $240 million.

A revenue-sharing agreement is out of the question.

For low-budget B-movies, distribution companies often don't acquire all the copyrights and are unwilling to invest resources in promotion and distribution.

The studio spent half the morning negotiating with EuropaCorp, which acquired the European rights to Zombie Dancer, including Russia, for $120 million.

After the agreement was signed, Blanco came over specifically to chat with Martin, who was practically invisible.

"Your brilliant performance made this mediocre B-movie quite watchable," he told Martin. "If you want to be a star, the Atlanta film production market is too small."

Martin roughly stated, "I'll go to Los Angeles when the film is released."

Blanco smiled and said, "Looking forward to seeing you in Los Angeles."

Martin specifically mentioned a director they both knew: "Michel said he lives in Los Angeles, and I will definitely visit him. We can have a drink and chat about French cuisine and the terrible food in England."

Blanco smiled even more broadly and said politely, "I'm looking forward to that day."

The studio sent specialists to accompany the overseas buyers back to their respective markets.

In Latin American markets like Brazil and Mexico, if a film performs well in its North American previews, selling the rights for millions of dollars is not difficult.

With the addition of markets in Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Asia, the studio expects to recoup its claimed $600 million production costs.

For the film's two major investors, it can be considered a resounding success.

Once Gray Pictures truly opens the doors to Hollywood and can utilize box office revenue sharing distribution channels, there will be even more avenues for revenue sharing when producing similar projects.

The fact that Lionsgate bought the film means that Martin Scorsese will inevitably become the male lead in a theatrical release.

This is a resume that you can be proud of.

On the penultimate day of the film festival, Martin returned to Atlanta in Kelly's car.

Kelly was in high spirits: "Benjamin talked to me yesterday. He said he'll be preparing for his new film after a month's rest."

Martin asked, "Another B-movie?"

Kelly smiled and said, "He's good at these things, but I don't trust him to film anything else."

Martin asked vaguely, "Is the funding still being handled this way?"

Kelly clasped her hands together on her lap: "Why would I refuse such a good thing when Vincent and Sophia are willing to invest?"

Martin casually remarked, "Looks like you've profited quite a bit."

Kelly extended a finger and lifted his chin: "I can take care of you, no problem."

Martin couldn't help but laugh out loud, but he didn't ask how much profit Gray Company made from it.

Kelly remembered something and specifically reminded her: "Remember to keep some money from your paycheck and the water bottle from last time, so you don't run out of money to pay taxes during tax season."

Martin thought of the legendary IRS, and all the messy things like state and federal taxes, and said, "Introduce me to a reliable accountant. I've never studied any of this and I don't understand it."

Kelly opened her bag, found a business card, and handed it to Martin: "She can help you with that."

Martin carefully kept it.

Kelly stretched, her good mood from the fruitful trip making her want to go wild: "Let's call Louise again when we get back. What if that slut goes crazy and blows Casablanca up?"

Martin pinched her chin: "I think you're the one who's crazy."

Kelly, still feeling a bit addicted to the memory of last time, asked, "Don't you think it's exciting?"

Martin thought to himself, "Artists really do love to have fun."

(End of this chapter)