Chapter 784 Who says you can't laugh at someone for being just as bad?

The news brought by Darren Wilson made Lu Yanhe feel quite excited.

He was even a little impatient to meet with Sauron's men.

However, Soren's appearance also surprised Lu Yanhe.

After all, the landscape of Hollywood film studios has remained largely unchanged for a long time.

Giants monopolize the market, and there's internal reshuffling, but the brands are still the same brands.

What kind of group is Hengzhaoshan Group?

What kind of capital is behind this?

Lu Yanhe contacted Chen Ziyan and told her about the news Darren Wilson brought.

Chen Ziyan said, "Hengzhaoshan? I know it. It's an old European company, though not very well-known. But the Math brand you endorse is under its umbrella."

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

Chen Ziyan: "Soren was only established not long ago, less than a year ago, so it's normal that you don't know. In fact, Soren hasn't made any moves yet, and everyone is waiting for their first move."

Lu Yanhe: "It seems that Darren Wilson ran right into their trap with two scripts."

“You could say that,” Chen Ziyan said. “Now is definitely the time when Soren needs to attract creators the most, and you are one of the biggest names right now. If we can collaborate with you, it will make Soren’s brand a hit all at once and create a better image for the outside world.”

Lu Yanhe: "So, in that case, I could actually ask for a much bigger sum?"

"It depends on how much you want to assert yourself," Chen Ziyan said. "It's fine to assert yourself appropriately, but if you make them think you're difficult to deal with or hard to cooperate with, it will have some impact on long-term cooperation in the future."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I know that. They want to cooperate with me on two more projects within the next six years. They really want to tie me to them. Although even with these two projects, it will only be four. Given my output, it's not like I'll be completely tied to them for the next few years."

Lu Yanhe paused for a moment, "But since they're going to do so many projects, whether it's pioneering work or market development, it shouldn't be a problem for me to bring a few people along to join, right?"

Chen Ziyan asked, "Who do you want to bring along?"

“Those who work closely with Linghe and Shihuo, who aspire to make a name for themselves overseas but haven’t yet,” Lu Yanhe said. “If they get a significant, good role, it can be used to give Sister Yuqian and Jiang Yue some exposure. Even a minor role can help some newcomers get some exposure, right?”

Chen Ziyan said, "I don't think it's necessary, Yan He. At this time, unless there is an actor who is deeply tied to you and whose interests are aligned with yours, you can bring him along. Otherwise, it's not worth bringing along. The role is just average, and you can't really make a name for yourself by just showing your face. This is no longer an era where you can go to Hollywood for a short trip and then come back to dominate the country."

Lu Yanhe said, "What if it's an important supporting role?"

Chen Ziyan said, "If it's a good role, they will never directly offer you a package deal with conditions and bargaining chips. Hollywood doesn't play that game. Unless you wrote the script and you tell them as the creator that a certain actor has to play the role, how much of their belief can they have based on your past achievements?"

Lu Yanhe: "Is it really meaningless?"

“It’s not that it’s meaningless, but I think we don’t need to waste our time on these trivial matters,” Chen Ziyan said. “This is a strategic partnership, and I would rather you use their distribution of your other films as a condition for the partnership.”

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

Chen Ziyan's words immediately woke him up.

issued!

This is exactly what Linghe lacks most right now.

Global release!

So far, Linghe's films have basically followed the "blooming in various places" route.

They have film studios and distributors they frequently collaborate with in different countries and regions.

This is certainly sufficient for an art film like "Raise the Red Lantern," and it is also the most suitable distribution method.

However, for a family-friendly comedy like "Home Alone," it has to rely on the global distribution network of Hollywood film companies. Otherwise, the same movie, if distributed by a different company, might see its global box office revenue halved or even more.

Chen Ziyan's reminder is very correct.

Lu Yanhe realized what was happening and immediately said, "Sister Ziyan, why don't you and Chen Yin go to a meeting and hurry up and come over together? I reckon that after Darren communicates with Soren, he'll ask me to meet him right away."

Chen Ziyan: "OK, I understand. I'll go meet with Chen Yin first."

With Chen Ziyan and Chen Yin as his strong support, Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief at his various "immaturities" in business.

It is true that everyone has their own weaknesses, and it is essential to work as a team and have others around you.

-

The premiere of "The Mist 2" was a very grand affair.

Lu Yanhe met with the other main creators and had a lively chat.

Afterwards, we walked the red carpet and watched the premiere with the media.

Lu Yanhe thought it was because he had just left the Picardo Film Festival.

He had been watching a lot of art films lately, and now he was really enjoying a thriller whose pacing and story were entirely geared towards sensory stimulation.

Strictly speaking, The Mist 2 has a more decadent and gloomy feel than the first film.

However, the second part also gave Lu Yanhe more room to showcase his acting skills.

The scene where he came downstairs had a very magical effect—

Everyone knows who is going to appear, but this sense of anticipation, combined with the suspense and horror created by the film's atmosphere, gives the audience a subtle, not-so-fearful, sense of tension.

It was a feeling of knowing what was going to happen, but still being a little nervous.

Lu Yanhe found that "Mist 2" was much better than he had expected.

He didn't know if this was his own biased perspective.

Of course, he felt this was also because his expectations for the film were relatively low from the start.

However, he also saw a potential problem with the film—

The second part has far less of the thriller and horror elements compared to the first part.

Can it still become a favorite among thriller enthusiasts?

It's hard to estimate what kind of impact this type of film will have on its box office performance without the added benefit of its genre.

In fact, D19's expectations for "The Mist 2" did not include reaching the box office performance of "The Mist 1".

The production and marketing costs of "The Mist 2" totaled only about 30 million US dollars. A rough estimate suggests that a global theatrical box office of 90 million US dollars would be enough to break even, not to mention other copyright-related revenue.

Sequels rarely surpass their predecessors at the box office. So why do sequels, knowing this, often have higher production costs than their predecessors? Because even with higher costs, a lower box office return still makes a profit—

For production companies, sequels are more secure and less risky.

After the premiere of "Mist 2" ended, Lu Yanhe didn't have time to talk to anyone else.

Because D19 arranged several interviews for Lu Yanhe after the premiere.

It includes not only magazines and TV stations, but also a podcast with millions of followers and a self-media platform run by a horror movie enthusiast.

Lu Yanhe worked non-stop to complete all sorts of promotional tasks, and only had time to check the first wave of reviews in the evening.

As he expected, it scored 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty good for a thriller. However, true horror thriller fans gave it a very low rating, even calling it a "pseudo-thriller" that was trying to "play around" after "Home Alone".

This is a very serious criticism.

However, Lu Yanhe really couldn't say anything.

Because he felt that what the other person said made a lot of sense.

However, even with such comments, Lu Yanhe felt that it shouldn't affect the box office.

Because the integrity of "The Mist 2" is still there, even without the horror elements, it is still a very good story.

You can tell from the Rotten Tomatoes score.

Even box office forecasts from box office prediction agencies still predict $100 million in North America.

I hope it can really gross $100 million at the North American box office.

That was Lu Yanhe's first film where he truly played the lead role and which grossed over $100 million at the North American box office.

In the first film, he only became the "lead actor" through the film company's marketing; in reality, the main characters were the three teenagers, and he was the main villain. However, as the film progressed, it embarked on a path of relentlessly promoting Lu Yanhe.

Darren Wilson also said, "The Mist 2 still broke $100 million at the North American box office, which is the best thing for you now. Sigh, you've been releasing too many movies in one year. If you had just one movie like The Mist 2, Hurricane 2, or Home Alone, it would have been enough for you to stay in the top tier for several years. But you released them all in one year."

Lu Yanhe said, "It's okay. My works are published quickly, but I also shoot a lot, so I'm not afraid of being published."

Darren Wilson said, "I'm worried that the box office performance of 'The Mist 2' will be far worse than the first one, which will affect Hollywood's confidence in you. This is not 'Hurricane 2,' this is 'The Mist 2,' a movie in which you are the real lead, and the first one did so well at the box office."

Lu Yanhe said, "There's no use worrying at a time like this. Let's focus on doing a good job with publicity and try to get better box office results. Aren't the forecasts from the agencies looking pretty good right now?"

“The forecasts from agencies aren’t very accurate right now, and there are still many days until the release date,” Darren Wilson said. “Fortunately, the audience reviews are quite good, which gives a lot of confidence to theaters. Of course, with the previous film in the running, this movie is bound to do well no matter what.”

The promotional work D19 did for "The Mist 2" was basically the same old Hollywood formula, with nothing particularly different or creative.

If this were done in China, such a promotional approach would definitely be unacceptable.

However, that's just how they do things, and Lu Yanhe couldn't just jump out and say, "What you're doing now is wrong, it's meaningless, you need to be more creative."

We'll have to wait and see what kind of box office results "The Mist 2" will achieve on its release day.

-

Before the premiere of "The Mist 2" in the UK, the cast of "Friends" came together in New York to record a talk show to promote the sitcom that airs on Maxine.

Upon meeting, Yin Xincheng smiled and said, "Our 'Friends' days are really getting better. During the promotional period, they even came to the United States to participate in a talk show."

Wen Minglan also laughed and said, "How come it gets more popular every season?"

Lu Yanhe once again brought up the phrase he had said countless times.

"That's the charm of sitcoms."

Only sitcoms always end because the lead actors don't want to continue or their salaries are too high to bear. For example, the original "Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory" are both examples of this.

Wen Minglan said, "I feel like once this series is finished, I can just retire."

Lu Yanhe: "With Sister Ziyan around, you'd better stop dreaming. How could she allow you to take care of her in her old age? She's raised you for so many years, she should be the one who needs you to take care of her in her old age."

Wen Minglan: "Isn't it enough that you're taking care of her in her old age? Does she need me?"

Lu Yanhe: "Wow, I finally understand how brothers and sisters can turn against each other."

Wen Minglan burst out laughing.

Zhan Yun: "It's okay, Minglan. If you don't want to, you can tell Sister Ziyan. As long as she's willing to take care of me, I'll take care of her in her old age."

Wen Minglan: "Wow, I treat you like a sister, and you actually want to steal my job!"

Zhan Yun: "Since you have such a golden opportunity, you can't blame others for coveting it."

"Wow, you actually admitted it outright!" Wen Minglan glared at Zhan Yun. "That's too much!"

Everyone chatted and laughed.

When this group of people get together, everything they say is lively and bustling.

As they walked together on the streets of New York, only a few people noticed them at first, but then one by one, they all showed expressions of shock.

The main problem is that a group of Chinese faces gathered together, which makes them stand out no matter what.

People started pointing at them and exclaiming, "My God, Friends!"

People started taking pictures of them with their phones.

Then, people started talking to them.

Are you filming a movie?

Lu Yanhe and the others had just finished eating together and were just walking around the streets.

After all, apart from Lu Yanhe, whose face is relatively well-known to some people, none of the others are so famous on the streets of America that they can't go out normally.

They clearly underestimated the power of a group of them appearing together.

Some people started asking for autographs, some wanted to take photos with them, and some excitedly told them how much they loved the show "Friends".

Lu Yanhe and his group were accompanied by bodyguards and assistants.

At this point, chaos reigned.

Each family looks after its own interests.

You can't directly stop others, but you should also prevent some potential dangerous incidents.

This happened so suddenly and the situation spread so quickly that they didn't even have time to leave before they realized the situation was getting out of hand.

After the incident, the group of people looked at each other and quickly reached a consensus.

This was the first time such a situation had occurred on their show "Friends," and it happened on a street in a foreign country.

Given their immense popularity, it's easy to imagine the impact this story would have if it were reported in the news.

Therefore, everyone unanimously released a strong star aura at this moment—a very approachable, cheerful image that matched the character settings of the show "Friends," satisfying the fans' needs.

They waited until their car arrived, and then, escorted by bodyguards and assistants, they reluctantly said goodbye to the fans who had gathered around them.

-

As expected, footage of the Friends cast being chased frantically through the streets of New York went viral on social media.

Friends is a show that has grown in audience and fan base by airing season after season.

Normally, there's no point in letting this huge fan base show its existence, but suddenly this "news event" comes out, and this group of people really comes out.

Previously, the popularity of "Friends" was reflected in the number of viewers and playback data within Maxine, as well as in some "mentions" in the media and commentary circles. However, this is the first time that related topics have become so popular on social media on such a large scale.

The main reason is that the scene on the streets of New York was too exaggerated.

It spread from person to person, and from person to person, until finally there were about two or three hundred people gathered at the scene, making some photos look as terrifying as a "zombie siege".

This scene seems to be "the most powerful proof that Friends is very popular".

-

This unexpected surge in traffic, stemming from a viral social media topic, made Maxine grin from ear to ear.

Friends topped the daily viewership chart for the first time.

Maxine also made a last-minute change to the script for the talk show she arranged for them, asking them to respond on the show how they felt about their popularity in the United States.

With the airing of this show, Friends once again gained popularity and viewership.

Friends quickly became a widely discussed show on social media.

In a broad sense, many people suddenly realized, huh?

Is this the sitcom written by Lu Yanhe?

He even played a role in it?

Often, for people who don't really care about the entertainment industry, their understanding of a celebrity is not that comprehensive.

When such information is strung together, it can create an unbelievable trending topic—

Lu Yanhe is actually the screenwriter of "Friends"!

For Chinese viewers and fans, this raises a question—

How could this become a hot topic of discussion on the internet?!

The so-called information gap.

-

Friends' promotional tour in North America was a resounding success.

Before leaving New York, Yin Xincheng and his friends took a photo holding up a poster for "The Mist 2" and promoted the film on their social media platforms.

If only one person does this, it won't really make a splash.

But the key is that once something is associated with the six main characters of "Friends," fans can't help but pay attention.

The five main actors of "Friends" supported Lu Yanhe's movie and posted a group photo with the movie poster on their social media platforms, which became news. Not only did it become news, but it also deeply moved fans of "Friends".

Because of this drama, its fans sincerely hope that the main actors can be just like the characters in the show, loving and helping each other.

This allows them to feel more involved.

At the same time, such support can encourage Friends fans to actually go to the cinema to see The Mist 2 just because they support the main characters of Friends.

This was reflected in the pre-sales of The Mist 2 in several countries.

After the news about "Friends" came out, pre-sales for the film skyrocketed.

-

After Lu Yanhe traveled to several locations with the "Mist 2" crew, he ended his promotional tour for "Mist 2" right after New Year's Day and returned to the "Godless" crew to complete the final stage of filming.

On the day "The Mist 2" was released in North America, Lu Yanhe once again promoted the film on his social media platform.

On the set of "Godless," everyone was saying that they hoped to have time to see "The Mist 2" in theaters before it was taken off the screens.

Lu Yanhe said, "I'll treat everyone to a movie."

He took out $10,000 in cash out of his own pocket and gave it to the production coordinator, giving everyone a sum of money, under the pretext that "Lu Yanhe is treating the entire crew of 'The Godless' to watch 'Mist 2'."

Lu Yanhe is one of the important supporting characters in the movie "No God" and also one of the core selling points of "No God". Even if "Mist 2" is not Midoriya's project, Midoriya would only hope that "Mist 2" will achieve good box office results and create a good prospect for "No God".

With the intention of also promoting the movie "Animal Without God", Midoriya arranged for Lu Yanhe to give cash directly to everyone on set to watch "Mist 2", and started the promotion.

That same evening, Ivan Paterson, the lead actor in "Godless," posted a photo of himself with his movie ticket and a selfie in front of the "Misty 2" poster in the theater on his social media platform, saying: "This movie is so good! Lu's performance should be nominated for an Oscar this year! He is a god!"

The exaggeration that is typical of Europeans and Americans—especially Americans.

But Americans buy into that.

Lu Yanhe was also surprised. After seeing Ivanfa's post, he asked: "You went to see a movie so late?"

Ivan said: Of course! This is a movie you starred in, I definitely have to support it!

Lu Yanhe: Thank you, friend.

Ivan: Will you be in The Mist 3?

Lu Yanhe: We don't have that plan for the time being.

Ivan: I quite liked the second one. Although when I left the theater, several people were grumbling that it wasn't as scary as the first one, but thankfully it wasn't as scary.

Lu Yanhe: Are you such a coward?

Only after saying this did Lu Yanhe realize that he wasn't that bold either.

But it's okay, let it be.

Who says you can't laugh at someone who's only slightly better than you?

(End of this chapter)