Reborn Tycoon Rise

After successfully acquiring 10% of Microsoft stock, the time soon reached the end of October. The filming of Home Alone was completed and 90% of the post-production was completed.

The finished film of the entire movie has actually been released. All that is left is to add some subtitles to the opening and closing credits, check the timeline of the entire movie, etc. There is actually no need to worry about these.

And Xu Zhi also came to Columbia Pictures with a complete movie version.

"This movie is okay." David Klein said calmly after watching it, seeming to have forgotten the laughter he almost lost control of before.

It’s just a price reduction, of course Xu Zhi understood, and said with a smile: “Then let’s talk about distribution matters!”

David Klein nodded and said: "Okay, then our company has two methods for distributing movies:

One is to only take a commission from the box office, but the commission is higher.

The second is that the commission ratio is low, but all publicity and distribution expenses are paid by your producer. Of course, we contribute the money first, and then deduct it directly after the box office revenue is collected.

I wonder which method Mr. Xu would like? "

Xu Zhi thought for a while and then asked: "Can you explain it in detail?"

David Klein said: "In the U.S. market, if we only take a commission in the first case, it is 35% of the box office revenue. In the latter case, we will take 15% of the box office revenue, and the promotion, copying, and advertising of the film will Investment, transportation, management, insurance and other expenses will be settled separately!”

"It's so fucking stupid!" This was Xu Zhi's first thought.

In the film industry, not just in Hollywood, the opportunities are the same everywhere. That is, producers will cheat investors, and distributors will cheat producers. Stronger theater chains will also cheat distributors. This is determined by the industrial chain and sequence. Decide.

Whoever gets the money first is the boss. Every time it passes through the hands of the following people, a layer of skin disappears.

"I choose the first option and get the full commission directly." Xu Zhi said, "But the 35% ratio is too high."

David Klein said: "The price is not high, Mr. Xu, you have to consider that your company is a new company, has no reputation at all, and has not made any movies before, which will make the cost of publicity higher." , you should also be able to understand this!”

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and then asked: "What about the overseas release? How much commission does Columbia get?"

David Klein said: "The situation overseas is actually not urgent. Under normal circumstances, we wait for the North American box office to come out before making a decision. After all, the release times are completely different, and some are even several years behind. But I also I can tell you first that under normal circumstances, overseas commissions are almost 45%."

"..." Xu Zhi couldn't help but was speechless for a while. 45% was removed from the distribution, and the local selection process was passed once again. This left the producer with probably even the soup.

David Klein also understood Xu Zhi's thoughts and said with a smile: "Mr. Xu, generally speaking, movies that do well in North America are rarely distributed overseas because the distribution cost is too high. Even if they are released, they will only be released overseas." Some countries will be selected. Unless it is a big-budget movie from a big company, it is simply not cost-effective to release it on a large scale around the world. Even some dark horses usually sell overseas copyrights at once.

North American box office and subsequent peripheral income are actually what most companies value, while overseas income is exclusive to the eight giants! "

"So that's it!" Xu Zhi also understood. This is not the Internet era. Netizens around the world can know the reviews and results of movies that have just been released in North America. In this era, it is estimated that there are a lot of bad movies in the warehouses of many American film companies. , but there is no way for people overseas to see it until the rise of online video in the future.

David Klein said with satisfaction: "But if Mr. Xu agrees to hand over the subsequent overseas distribution and video distribution to us, or sells the copyright to us, then our Columbia Pictures can give us a discount."

"You want the copyright now?" Xu Zhi suddenly understood. This guy is actually the same as several previous distribution companies. They are more optimistic about the movie Home Alone, but Paramount, MGM, etc. are all ambitious. It's too big, so I either insist on raising the release price, or I want to buy out the movie directly.

Xu Zhi shook his head and said: "Now we are only discussing the conditions for release in North America, right? I think 30% is a reasonable number!"

The total North American box office of Home Alone in later generations was as high as 280 million U.S. dollars. Although it is now more than ten years early, even if the results are only half, the 30% distribution share is still a huge profit.

But there is nothing you can do about it. Without a strong distributor, no matter how awesome a movie is, it will probably have to hit the market. If you want to get enough benefits, you can only try to maximize the benefits first, and the distribution capabilities of the other party are indispensable. part.

"Impossible." David Klein shook his head and said: "For a new film company, 35% is already a good result."

"Mr. Klein, our Starlight Entertainment is looking for a long-term distribution company." Xu Zhi said with a smile: "Currently, our company has an investment plan for new movies. If we can cooperate in the long term, it will be a benefit to everyone." best choice!"

"A new movie? What type? Is it a comedy?" David Klein suddenly became interested.

Xu Zhi said with a smile: "Yes, but the filming will wait until the box office of Home Alone is released. As for the plot, this is a confidential stage."

David Klein nodded. Although Hollywood has complete copyright registration, the information provided during registration and the plot during filming are likely to be completely different. Many of the real plot will not be released until filming.

"I heard that Mr. Xu has other industries. It seems that he doesn't have to worry about funding. He is really the envy of countless production companies!" David Klein said with a smile. Although the Columbia Pictures company behind him is large, these They have suffered losses year after year, and even their branch office in charge of issuance has been severely affected.

Xu Zhi said with a smile: "Financing for filming has never been a problem. In the future, my expectation for the film company is to be able to continue to make money on its own, which requires a stable and sincere long-term distribution partner!"

David Klein thought for a while and said, "Let's take a step back. The 35% commission remains unchanged, but our company will do its best to promote the movie."

Of course Xu Zhi didn’t believe all of this and asked, “If I hand over the movie Home Alone to Columbia Pictures, how many screens will this movie get on the first day it’s released?”

The most important data for distribution is actually the premiere screen. Other advertising investments can be faked, but the number of screens cannot.

David Klein thought for a moment and said, "1,000 screens."

Xu Zhi shook his head and said: "At least 1,500, and half of them must be in the city."

The number of screens is very important, but the quality is even more important. The difference between different locations is huge. Tickets in big cities are expensive and the people are basically full. Some rural theaters are completely on the other extreme.

In the same way, the size of the theater is also important, but the difference is not very big. It mainly depends on the surrounding economy.

All that's left is to bargain. After all, for the distribution company, the more theaters there are, the greater the advertising investment, and the copy disk is also a large investment. Although the movie is optimistic about the possibility of becoming a dark horse, Hollywood companies because There are many companies that suffer losses or even go bankrupt due to wrong predictions. Naturally, Columbia Pictures is unwilling to invest too much before it is released.

After several days of negotiations, Columbia Pictures had a professional negotiation team, and Xu Zhi was no match, so he brought in several lawyers from Los Angeles who were responsible for negotiations.

After countless rounds of bargaining, an agreement was finally reached a week later, and the two parties signed a contract for North American film distribution.

Columbia Distribution invested US$5 million to promote the film, premiered on 1,250 screens, and also received priority for subsequent overseas and video distribution.