China Entertainment started from cutting off the Hu in 1995

Later, some senior movie fans mentioned The Birth of a Prefix as the signature work of Galaxy Impressions, which made Galaxy Impressions famous, established the team's creative style, and announced that the Hong Kong film industry has another ace creative team. .

But in fact, this is all waiting until after the Academy Awards next year. Now The Birth of a Prefix is in a very bad situation after its release.

A terrible follow-up to the trend, One Word failed miserably at the box office and in word-of-mouth!

It's a combination of Young and Dangerous and Run Lola Run, it's totally different!

After reading the article, Du Qifeng, who was nicknamed Du Pao because of his explosive temper, threw the newspaper on the table angrily and cursed: Follow your mother! We filmed it last year!

You Dazhi came over and pulled Du Qifeng to persuade:

Sir Du, calm down, these media don't care about this, they just want to gain attention!

Then he sighed again: Who let Run Lola Run win the award and release it before us? There is no reason...

Originally, after they finished filming The Birth of a Prefix, they had already scheduled the film to be released in March.

As a result, a year later, news came that Run Lola Run had won two Berlin awards. Yindu Organization also took advantage of the situation and directly released Lola Run on a large scale in Hong Kong Island.

Just take it, it has nothing to do with their galaxy image. But after the movie was released, they discovered that it was also a movie with a segmented narrative structure.

The main gimmick of their The Birth of a Prefix is this, what a crash!

This leaves Galaxy Impressions in a tangle, wondering whether it should be released as originally planned.

After waiting for a week, I found that the box office of Run Lola Run was actually very good. It achieved more than 7 million in one week. This is already a very impressive result for a movie without a star cast.

Run Lola Run itself was filmed on Hong Kong Island, and it was promoted with awards and awards. The film's cool style is also very popular among young people, so even the Mandarin dialogue is quite popular. Although Hong Kong Islanders cannot speak Mandarin well, they can all understand it.

This gave Galaxy Impressions confidence. It felt that Run Lola Run, which also had a segmented narrative structure, was so popular, so there was no reason that One Word would not work.

However, when they were released as originally planned, they received a wake-up call.

First of all, most of the viewers who watch The Birth of a Prefix actually like the Young and Dangerous theme. After all, the promotion of your movie is to see how a young boy becomes a boss!

This group of viewers went to the cinema because of the club struggles and passion. To put it bluntly, they just wanted to have a good time. However, after watching it for a long time, they were still confused and had no idea what was being filmed. Half of them left the theater cursing and cursing at the end of the show. . This gave the movie a very bad reputation among audiences, and the box office in its first week was only over one million.

That’s okay, it’s not good at the box office, we have artistry and it’s a pioneering exploration film.

But the bad thing is that they were released later than Run Lola Run. The title of pioneer exploration naturally fell on the award-winning Lola Run, and they were labeled as followers. , this was unacceptable to Du Dapao, so he became furious.

At this time, Wei Jiahui, as the director, apologized directly: Brother Feng, I'm sorry!

Du Qifeng was still angry and shouted loudly: Ah Hui, why are you apologizing? What I'm scolding is the media, which has nothing to do with you!

You Dazhi also said: Yes, Brother Hui, you took the photos very well!

Wei Jiahui took off his glasses and shook his head with a wry smile:

With the same segmented narrative, Run Lola Run can experiment and explore while being commercial at the same time. It was well received and a box office hit, but I was scolded for not being able to tell the story clearly. Of course it was my problem!

I have watched Run Lola Run more than once. I can't compare to others. I am convinced. I'm sorry for letting everyone down!

Run Lola Run was released for one month and achieved a box office of 18.53 million, while The Birth of a Prefix had no choice but to be released in two weeks, with less than 3 million, which is really miserable in comparison.

Du Qifeng opened his mouth, wanting to comfort Wei Jiahui, saying that the audience didn't know how to appreciate it. But again, there is Run Lola Run here. With the same narrative technique, how can it be both well-received and popular?

This made Du Dapao speechless, and he just felt very aggrieved and panicked.

…

Wu Yuchen had a lot of international phone calls during this period, all because of Lola Run.

The person talking to him at this time was Frank from Fox Searchlight:

Hey, Wu, we at Fox Searchlight are willing to offer 8 million US dollars, and there is no problem with the movie shooting you mentioned. The company has already discussed it internally and can give you 15 million US dollars in filming funds!

Sorry, Frank, although I really want to talk to you now, but you have to wait patiently for a while. You know, there is someone from Sony sitting across from me now.

What? Didn't you say you were in China?

Yes, Sony's representatives have arrived in the capital of China and are sitting in front of me. As you know, Sony has a branch in China.

Frank was just about to say something when he heard Wu Yuchen say:

That's it for now Frank, I can't keep guests from far away waiting too long. Goodbye.

After saying that, Wu Yuchen hung up the phone, and then smiled at the two people sitting opposite him:

Please forgive me, gentlemen. As you know, Run Lola Run has received a very good response after it was released in Europe, and there is an endless stream of calls~

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his phone, then put it aside.

After Lola Run won the award, many companies actually came to us wanting to discuss copyright sales, but Wu Yuchen just left his contact information and responded politely to discuss the matter one month later.

He just wanted to wait until Run Lola Run was released in Europe and achieved good results to have greater bargaining power. Now it seems that he made the right bet.

A white man and a yellow man opposite smiled at the same time, and the yellow face said: I understand very well, isn't that why we are here?

The white man said: Director Wu, was it Fox that just spoke to you? I suggest you not to have high expectations for Fox. I'm sure they plan to pay in installments even if they buy it. Now everyone in Hollywood knows that Fox is Titanic has been dragged into the quagmire. In addition to high production fees, they also had to prepare a large amount of publicity fees, and liquidity was very tight.

This white man directly dismantled his colleague Fox in front of Wu Yuchen, but what he said seems to be quite reasonable. The current situation of Fox is indeed not very good. It is cutting back on other aspects and will not recover until the big ship is released. Slow down.

Mr. Pitt, thank you for the reminder. Wu Yuchen said politely, and then looked at the two people in front of him.

Although Columbia was acquired by Sony, the people at the helm have always been Americans. Although the two people in front of me are from Sony, one is responsible for global distribution and the other is responsible for Asian distribution business, with the white man Pete as the main one.

Wu Yuchen pointed to the mobile blackboard that someone had set up. There were graphics and data written on the large paper. PPT and slideshows are not popular in China now, and Miracle Pictures has not developed them, so Wu Yuchen can only let people use them. Handwritten instead.

Both of you, this is the data of Run Lola Run since it was released in Europe one month ago, 13.33 million in the first week, 11.41 million in the second week, 9.48 million in the third week, and 7.65 million in the fourth week. The total is 41.87 million, and the weekly The decline is very small and remains within 20%, which fully meets the conditions for long-term screening.

Wu Yuchen looked at the two people and saw them nodding in agreement. Then he asked someone to turn the blackboard to the next page and continued:

This is the box office data I found for the release of Pulp Fiction. It was released for more than a year. The total box office in Europe was 108 million, and the box office in the first month was 53 million. Using this as a reference, the total box office of Run Lola Run in Europe can be Up to 80 million.”

After finishing speaking, Wu Yuchen smiled and said to Pete: So, I think my estimate of the American box office at 80 million is reasonable, right?

Peter smiled and then shook his finger:

No, no, no, Wu, movies can't simply apply cases. The situations in Run Lola Run and Pulp Fiction are very different.

First of all, even if Run Lola Run is released for one year, I don't think it can reach more than 80 million. I will only say one thing:

Pulp Fiction was nominated for an Oscar and was nominated for 7 awards. This earned it a lot of attention during its continuous release and is also the reason why it was screened for more than a year. And can Run Lola Run be nominated for an Oscar?

I know the judges at the academy very well. They are all old men, stubborn and nostalgic. They may not be able to accept your use of cartoon inserts and other novel shooting techniques!

Although you may not be able to accept this, it is the fact. I think its European box office may be only 60 million. If Europeans really like Laura that much, there may be a small probability of 70 million. It is only a small probability, 5% possible.

Peter held his thumb and index finger with his right hand and gestured. He didn't stop until now and continued:

This is the European box office, let's talk about the North American box office. Wu, I don't know if you have been to the United States, but I want to tell you that the United States and Europe are completely different. The United States is much more conservative than Europeans.

In the eyes of Americans, unless they are Hollywood stars, even big European stars who are also white are just like that in their eyes, let alone yellow people. It may be offensive to say this, but that's the way the American film market is.

Therefore, even if Lola Run can achieve a box office of 60 million in Europe, it may not be even half in the United States. I can only give you an estimate based on a box office of 20 million.

After Pete finished speaking, he held out two fingers.

Wu Yuchen was a little impressed by this guy now. Although he knew that the other person was trying to get a price, he had to admit in his heart that this person was really Li Jufu.

In fact, the original version of Run Lola Run did only have a box office of 10 million in the United States. If the other party valued him at 20 million, he would have made a profit.

But Wu Yuchen can't say that. Now that he has the advantage of European box office, negotiations must remain strong.

Mr. Pitt, if Run Lola Run is so cheap in your eyes, then I think there is no need for us to continue talking. I might as well continue the phone call with Fox.

Wu Yuchen's expression turned cold and he said calmly.

At this time, the yellow face next to him, the neon man Matsuda, smiled and said:

Director Wu, we have traveled thousands of miles to come to China, and we are very sincere.

And regarding the script of Black Hole Frequency that you mentioned on the phone before, we at Sony have also read it. It is indeed a very good project. We at Sony intend to invite you to film in Hollywood as a director. We may have many more cooperations in the future. You might as well offer a price, maybe we can both be satisfied.

Peter also nodded and smiled:

Wu, I don't mean to disparage Run Lola Run. I like this movie very much. It's quite cool! I'm just telling you the truth about some situations in North America.

In fact, he is still willing to buy Run Lola Run. Even though the box office in North America is only 20 million, with Sony's distribution capabilities, they can get 70% of the profit from the box office.

Don’t be surprised, the eight major theater chains are now quite strong, especially Disney. It can even achieve more than 90% of the box office in the first week!

Why are movie theaters willing, you ask?

Because theater chains in North America make more money selling snacks like popcorn and soda than movie tickets, otherwise they wouldn’t be taking advantage of fools!

Where did the popcorn blockbuster get its name? It’s because Americans have the habit of eating popcorn when they go to the cinema.

What Sony values ​​more is actually the video tape and DVD disc copyright of Run Lola Run. The unwillingness to enter the cinema does not mean that the audience is unwilling to rent the disc to watch. The cost of a disc is even only 1% of the selling price. This thing is basically a pure profit for the film company. Many movies with poor box office rely on discs to make back their own costs, and the long-term profits are considerable.

Wu Yuchen said:

I have sold European video tapes, DVD and other disc rights, TV rights, aviation rights, etc. to EMI for 8 million US dollars. Don't tell me that DVDs are not easy to sell. Many Hong Kong movies are sold on North American discs. The sales of the film are very good. As far as I know, Jack Chen is very popular in the disc market.

I wonder how much Mr. Peter is going to quote me?

In fact, Wu Yuchen is also sighing in his heart. Cheng Long's Rush Hour has not yet been released. Otherwise, he can directly use this example to criticize, and the Chinese protagonist can directly earn 140 million in the North American box office.

Peter raised his eyebrows when he heard this. He felt that EMI had made a lot of money. Judging from the European box office of Run Lola Run, the European disc market should be 30 million. If you include TV copyrights, aviation copyrights, soundtracks and peripherals, Wait, even if EMI excludes the 8 million copyright fee paid to Wu Yuchen, it is impossible to make a net profit of more than 30 million.

Given the situation in the European market, he wouldn't want to lower the price too much. Otherwise, if people turn to Fox or other companies, wouldn't his trip be in vain?

What's more, he actually still has expectations in his heart. If Run Lola Run can create a miracle in North America and earn 40 to 50 million yuan at the box office, it will really make a lot of money.

All North American rights are packaged for US$10 million, paid in one lump sum.

When he saw Wu Yuchen frowning, he immediately said:

Wu, this is a very sincere price. I can tell you responsibly that even if you take turns to find other companies in Hollywood, no one will offer a higher price. This is our tacit understanding. You understand?

Wu Yuchen understood now that although the eight major Hollywood companies have competition, they cannot allow outsiders to raise their prices arbitrarily. When a certain level of competition is reached, they will maintain a tacit understanding.

Wu Yuchen was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Matsuda, who was always smiling: Mr. Matsuda, where is the Asian copyright?

Matsuda continued to smile and said: Director Wu, I think there are old rules. The box office of Run Lola Run in Hong Kong Island is 18 million Hong Kong dollars. I can buy the Asian rights for 18 million Hong Kong dollars. Previous Hong Kong Island movies Isn’t that the case all the time?”

Wu Yuchen shook his head when he heard this:

It's different. I have the Berlin Prize, and the popularity of Lola Run in Europe will be very beneficial to its promotion in Asia. 18 million Hong Kong dollars is only 2 million US dollars, which is too little for full rights. If At this price, I might as well go and negotiate with the film producers in each region individually.”

Matsuda pondered for a moment, and the situation of Run Lola Run is indeed special. It has such good results in Europe, and with Asia's attitude of admiring Europe and the United States, it is indeed easy to attract moviegoers.

Director Wu, 3 million US dollars, this is my limit.

Wu Yuchen nodded when he heard this price, thinking that it was fortunate that the financial crisis sweeping across Asia had not yet broken out, and the economic situation in many parts of Asia was still booming, otherwise Matsuda in front of him would never have quoted this price.

Wu Yuchen was quite satisfied with 3 million and smiled and nodded to him. Then he looked at Pete again: Mr. Pete, the global copyright except Europe is 15 million in total.

After saying that, Wu Yuchen stopped talking.

Peter and Matsuda looked at each other. In other words, there are 10 million in North America, 3 million in Asia, and 2 million in other regions such as South America, Australia, and Africa.

Peter thought for a while, in fact, Australia can, the entire America is also their back garden, Africa... But he also knows that the other party cannot sell them separately. With Sony's distribution capabilities, they can't lose money, just video tapes and discs. Can make money back.

Peter stretched out his hand and shook Wu Yuchen's hand: Deal!