Chapter 937 No one will complain about the number of successes +1

"Next, I will write a series of film scripts for Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, and Sister Yuqian, all aimed at the global market."

Lu Yanhe's words surprised Chen Ziyan.

Which screenwriter can launch into several movie series right off the bat?

Someone dares to say that, but no one dares to believe it.

Lu Yanhe: "I won't act in these series of movies myself anymore, I can't do them all. I'll let others act in them. The ones with a few people are all big-budget films. Besides that, I also plan to continue making low-budget films, especially horror and thriller series. I've communicated with D19 and we will be collaborating on a series with them."

Chen Ziyan pondered for a moment and said, "Yan He, aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head, "Sister Ziyan, believe me, writing the script is not something I'm forcing myself to do."

“Although you say that, Yan He, I know very well that writing scripts is not that easy,” Chen Ziyan said. “You’re going to write so many scripts in one go, it’s definitely not as simple as you say.”

Lu Yanhe didn't expect Chen Ziyan to be so serious.

He also couldn't tell Chen Ziyan why writing these scripts was so easy for him.

He had to add a comment, saying, "I only have this plan for now. Of course, it's impossible to finish writing it all at once. What I mean is, as an actor, I want to reduce my output as much as possible. I don't want to film several movies a year like I do now. I've established myself, and at least until Men in Black, Godless, and Lunar Legion are all released, I don't need to take on any more so-called blockbusters. I mean, I don't want to take on blockbusters just for the sake of taking on blockbusters."

At the time, "Athena" was actually made with this in mind.

Chen Ziyan nodded: "That's right, that's exactly how it should be. You don't need to compete on quantity anymore."

“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, I hope that I am not the only Chinese actor to achieve this. I think others can do it too.”

"Well, what you've achieved is among the best in Hollywood. And when it comes to the achievements of Chinese actors, you've already made a lot of progress. From Chen Bige to Jiang Yuqian, from Jiang Jun to Yan Liang and Li Zhibai, you've accomplished so much."

“I don’t see it as a responsibility, but rather as something I want to do,” Lu Yanhe said. “So, no matter how much I’ve done or how much progress I’ve made compared to before, it doesn’t make me feel that what I’m doing now is enough. Those who create cultural content can’t help but be proud of their own culture, and they can’t feel satisfied just because they’ve made some progress. Hollywood has the world’s largest distribution channels in the global market, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting to gain a larger market share. European art films occupy leading positions in the four major international film festivals, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting to achieve better performance in commercial films. South Korea is such a small market, yet their films and television dramas have the ambition to conquer the world. How can Chinese films and television dramas be satisfied with their current little achievements? Of course, these are secondary. For me, it’s really just a very pure thought: I hope that I, Chinese films and television dramas, and the Chinese film and television talents I admire can all receive greater attention and support in China, and have the opportunity to go to a wider stage and gain more audiences and recognition.”

Chen Ziyan: "I understand your thoughts and I support you. What I mean is, don't put too much pressure on yourself, even if you don't admit that you are under pressure. Also, don't give yourself too strong a sense of responsibility, even if you don't admit that you have that sense of responsibility."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I definitely won't force myself, don't worry."

-

"Cloudy 3" was also released simultaneously in more than 60 markets worldwide.

This top-tier IP grossed a whopping $120 million in its opening weekend in North America, and its global box office immediately surpassed $300 million.

In just three days, it was a terrifying first weekend result.

Actually, this has little to do with Lu Yanhe. It's entirely because of the "Cloud" series; the first two installments had already accumulated a large number of viewers.

Just like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by casting Oscar-winning actors and actresses, and other A-list celebrities to star in their movies, they achieve a synergistic effect where 1+1>2.

But they certainly wouldn't say that the box office success was mainly due to these A-list celebrities.

However, perhaps because Lu Yanhe's box office performance was so outstanding, or perhaps because a large part of the promotion for "Cloud 3" focused on Lu Yanhe, almost all major media outlets attributed the box office success of "Cloud 3" in its opening weekend to Lu Yanhe.

At least, Lu Yanhe deserves credit for this.

Just like the grand occasion when "Three Mountains" was released in the country back then—

Lu Yanhe was just a cameo character who appeared for fifteen minutes, but everyone believed that the box office miracle of "Three Mountains" came from Lu Yanhe.

For Lu Yanhe, this was certainly a good thing.

No actor would complain about such a thing.

No one would complain about getting one more success.

Darren Wilson called Lu Yanhe and told him about the current situation in Hollywood.

“Almost every major film project is trying to add an Asian character and wants to invite you to star in it. In the last two months, my phone has been ringing off the hook. Wherever I go, people are asking about you and when you’re coming back to Hollywood. I guess all the film company bosses are having their legal departments tailor a cooperation contract for you and want to work with you long-term.”

Lu Yanhe: "It seems that the box office performance of several films this year has indeed shocked them."

“It’s more than just shocking,” Darren Wilson said. “You know, one or two blockbuster movies can be attributed to luck, good taste, or talent. But a filmmaker like you who has never failed since the beginning of his career is practically unheard of. And you’re so prolific, making several movies a year. You’re not the kind of actor who strictly controls his output to protect his success.”

Lu Yanhe: "Thank you, that kind of praise does sound really great."

"Lu, is Linghe planning a new collaboration with D19? You wrote a thriller/horror script?" Darren asked.

Lu Yanhe said, "You could say that, although I haven't given them my script yet."

"Do you think thriller and horror scripts can continue to be big sellers? Generally speaking, this genre has a limited box office ceiling; a global box office of $100 million is considered a very good result."

"It may not be able to consistently be a box office hit, but its production costs are, in my opinion, the easiest to control among all genres," Lu Yanhe said. "Moreover, this genre, as you know, has a very fixed audience. Unlike romance films, no one will specifically go to see a movie because of the word 'romance,' but many viewers will go to see a movie because of the words 'horror' or 'thriller,' even if it's a bad movie. Although blockbusters are indeed very profitable, they are also very expensive. I hope Linghe won't always only produce the same type of film. Horror and thriller films, as long as they are done well, can also continuously generate good results."

"So, can I understand that you plan to have a long-term, stable partnership with D19 in the future?"

“Perhaps, if things don’t go too well with my collaboration with them,” Lu Yanhe said, “after all, they’re still trying to persuade me to return for ‘The Mist 3,’ aren’t they?”

“Indeed,” Darren Wilson said. “The game adapted from the movie ‘The Mist’ is very popular. Since its release in March this year, sales have exceeded $1.3 billion. D19 certainly hopes to continue the ‘Mist’ IP.”

The game Darren Wilson was referring to was a single-player role-playing game adapted from The Mist.

It took two years to develop and was very popular after it was launched.

This game's development and production cost was only $200 million.

It's even more profitable than movie box office revenue.

Lu Yanhe said, "Working with D19 has also allowed Linghe to learn a lot in this area. Linghe has always attached great importance to IP-related derivative products."

The movie "The Corpse" will be adapted into a game.

Lu Yanhe has always believed that as a film company, it is essential to learn from Hollywood companies, especially how they operate and maintain the long-term value of an intellectual property.

In this respect, the companies that have truly done well in the world are American and Japanese companies.

They all have accumulated many years of experience in this field.

Darren Wilson said, "D19 offered me a very tempting position, and I'm considering whether to accept it."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback. "Huh? D19?"

Darren Wilson said, "I don't want to be a broker forever. My goal is to go from being a broker to becoming an executive at a top-tier company."

Lu Yanhe actually understood Darren Wilson's thoughts.

"Then why don't you consider coming to Linghe?"

“Lu, if I come to Linghe now, the help I can provide to you and Linghe will not be as great as if I continue to be your agent or go to D19,” Darren Wilson said. “Wan Qingqing has actually done a great job. If I go there, the question of who is in charge in Europe and America will inevitably arise. I know very well that Wan Qingqing is someone you have personally cultivated, and I don’t want to compete with your confidante.”

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

He hadn't expected that, in Darren Wilson's eyes, Wan Qingqing was actually his confidante.

Although he himself was well aware that his support for Wan Qingqing was indeed quite significant in the eyes of others, and some people even thought that there was some kind of ambiguous relationship between them.

Lu Yanhe didn't explain these things to Darren Wilson. Instead, he was considering what it would mean for Darren Wilson if he really went to D19 to become an executive.

(End of this chapter)