Chapter 737 He felt he was a person favored by good fortune (11,400 words)
Enjoy life to the fullest when you're successful; don't let your golden goblet stand empty before the moon.
When Lu Yanhe woke up the next day, he was dizzy and looked around at where he was.
An unfamiliar room.
An unfamiliar bed.
Fortunately, the person next to me was someone I knew.
Chen Siqi.
Lu Yanhe sat on the bed, feeling a sense of melancholy, as if he had drawn his sword and looked around in confusion.
He quietly got out of bed, walked out of the room, and after a while, everything in front of him finally became familiar.
It's the same place as last night.
Hua Ruzhen's house.
Hua Ruzhen and Muken Sorge were both awake. One was sitting on the sofa looking at a tablet, while the other was busy at the kitchen counter.
"You're awake?" Hua Ruzhen asked with a smile when she saw Lu Yanhe come out.
"Sister." Lu Yanhe yawned, feeling a bit of a headache, and had to press his temples with his hand—a gesture typical of people his age, yet he was already doing it at such a young age. "Where are they?"
"Those who could go back have gone back, and those who couldn't have gone to bed. Luckily, I have enough rooms here," Hua Ruzhen said with a smile. "I need to host some friends all year round, so I rented a big house."
Lu Yanhe found a chair and sat down.
"It has to be you."
Hua Ruzhen: "You can't rest today either, can you?"
“No way.” Lu Yanhe sighed and shook his head. “Today is the Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony. Although I didn’t win, Clark won, but for the sake of public relations, I still have to attend and applaud him.”
Hua Ruzhen: "It's tough. Awards season is always like this. There's no time to rest. Only those who persevere to the end are the winners."
She poured him a glass of lemon honey water.
After taking a sip, Lu Yanhe's dry throat finally felt much better.
Are you going today?
“Go.” Hua Ruzhen nodded.
For a renowned director and investor couple like them, the doors of any awards ceremony are always open to them, whenever they want to go.
Lu Yanhe looked like he was about to collapse.
"I was too intense yesterday, and now I feel a bit weak in my limbs."
Hua Ruzhen asked, "Then, should I find someone to give you an injection? Don't worry, there are no side effects."
Lu Yanhe knew what Hua Ruzhen was talking about.
In Europe and America, intravenous infusions are popular among some "elite" and "wealthy" groups to restore energy.
Although Hua Ruzhen said there were no side effects, Lu Yanhe still shook his head and said, "No, no, I dare not touch these things."
Hua Ruzhen smiled and said nothing more.
Lu Yanhe suddenly became a little more sober.
Hmm... Hua Ruzhen is quite different from her friends like Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, and Chen Bige.
Although she was very good to him, the two of them grew up in different environments, had different life experiences, and had different values on many things.
Harmony in diversity.
We must never conform simply because we agree with something.
Lu Yanhe gave himself a wake-up call.
-
Humans are truly contradictory beings.
You know that some people are genuinely good to you, but you also know that you and they are fundamentally incompatible in many ways.
There are many things you can't do, and you always keep your distance from those who do them, yet there are a few people who make you a "double standard dog".
You think you're a pure and innocent idealist, but in reality, you're just a vulgar person, an emotional creature. You lower your moral standards for those you truly approve of and emotionally accept.
You pride yourself on being righteous, but if one day you hear that Li Zhibai committed murder, your first reaction will be—this must be a wrongful conviction.
Even with overwhelming evidence, besides being angry at his actions and resentful of his inaction, deep down, your heart will still involuntarily tilt towards the conclusion that "he must have had no choice."
Lu Yanhe knew his own flaws, so he sincerely hoped that everyone around him would be well, that no one would have to step into the "dark side of humanity," and that everyone could live a happy and bright life.
-
In the afternoon, while Lu Yanhe was discussing the evening's schedule and arrangements with his team, the British Academy Film Awards, one of the "four major indicators" of the Oscars, released its longlist.
This time, Lu Yanhe, Huang Feng, and Qin Shulan all made it to the finals without any surprises, and Huang Tianlin was also pleasantly surprised to be shortlisted.
Helena Rubinstein said that Huang Tianlin's speech at the Golden Globe Awards earned him a lot of positive feedback and support, especially from members of the Academy who also came from countries with smaller land areas and weaker international standing.
However, this year's Oscars are a big year with many good films, so Huang Tianlin's chances of being nominated for the Best Director Oscar are relatively slim. In this category, there is even more discrimination against Asians than in the acting category. Asian directors rarely win awards, let alone get nominated.
(So Ang Lee is really amazing. He is a typical example of "adapting to and obeying the rules of the game" and using the three major film festivals to surround the Oscar route, thus paving a way for himself.)
The biggest surprise was that "Tropical Rainy Season" was also included in the long list of Best Films at the UK and Austrian Film Awards.
This award is what Helena Rubinstein most wants to win.
Because there is hope.
-
Lu Yanhe and others attended the Critics' Choice Awards that evening, engaging in lively discussions with the audience and offering sincere applause to those receiving their awards.
In fact, Lu Yanhe wasn't very familiar with these competitors.
Perhaps to others, competitors might genuinely appreciate each other, but for Lu Yanhe, he neither watched these people's films nor had any personal relationship with them; it was purely a competitive relationship.
He didn't watch these films because he was worried that if he watched other people's performances and felt that they acted better than him, he would lose his confidence and self-assurance.
In order to find ways to deal with one's own human weaknesses, one must have self-awareness.
That evening, he finally faced off against his biggest rival, Uber Clark.
Introduced by others, the two greeted each other warmly, put their arms around each other's shoulders, took a photo together, and expressed their admiration for one another.
For several moments, he was truly dazed, feeling that competition was unimportant and that these moments of mutual appreciation were the most important. The moment he came to his senses was when he realized that when he uttered those words of praise that he himself believed, he hadn't even seen the other person's movies.
"Wow, I'm being so hypocritical right now."
Lu Yanhe expressed his heartfelt feelings to Chen Siqi.
Chen Siqi laughed and said, "That's why you've been able to go far in this industry."
-
A few days later, a promotional event for the third season of Friends was held in New York City.
Lu Yanhe flew over to attend the event with everyone.
The Situ Film Festival suddenly contacted Lu Yanhe, asking if he had time to participate in this year's masterclass.
This is to create momentum for Lu Yanhe.
The Citour Film Festival in February happens to be the prime time before the Oscar voting deadline.
Lu Yanhe specifically called Artistic Director Wintour Robbe to express his gratitude for the invitation and gladly accepted. He will take two days to fly to Situ to attend the master class, which includes media interviews in the morning, master class discussions in the afternoon, and screenings of Lu Yanhe's two representative works, "Three Mountains" and "Late Spring," in the evening.
The Situ Film Festival released this news shortly after the schedule was finalized.
The youngest filmmaker invited since the masterclass was founded.
The Oscar nomination voting began the following day.
Another day has passed, and the nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.
Lu Yanhe was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, while Huang Feng and Qin Shulan were both surprisingly dropped from the list.
Helena Monchi spent the entire day on the phone, trying to figure out what was going on.
Subsequently, the official nominations for the British Academy Film Awards were announced.
Lu Yanhe and Qin Shulan were shortlisted, while Huang Feng was dropped again.
With this, all four major trend indicators have been nominated.
Lu Yanhe sat firmly in the middle, with Oti in his hand.
Qin Shulan holds the Ballon d'Or and the England Open, and although she lost the Actors Guild, she is still in the top tier.
Huang Feng was the only exception; he lost out on the Golden Globe, the British Academy Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and received the Critics' Choice Award without even being nominated.
This means that Huang Feng's chances of winning the Olympics are almost nil.
Helena Monchi asked Lu Yanhe, "Should we struggle a little longer?"
Lu Yanhe said, "The child is about to start his winter vacation. This is such a rare opportunity for him. Even if he doesn't win the Olympics, he still deserves to appear in front of everyone and receive the love of every adult."
Helena Monchi immediately understood.
OK, if the client is willing to continue paying, she will continue working.
-
Because of this Oscar season, even the planned filming of "Home Alone 3" has been put on hold.
but--
Lu Yanhe's eyes suddenly lit up.
Is it possible to take a risky gamble?
"Should we release 'Home Alone' in North America right away to promote Huang Feng?"
Helena Monchi stared incredulously at the young man before her, wondering what kind of amazing movie this "Home Alone" was that could generate enough buzz to influence an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "How could you possibly understand the power of 'Home Alone'?"
He immediately contacted Midoriya, hoping that Midoriya would handle the North American distribution.
Midoriya was stunned.
Suddenly they pulled out another movie?
Comedy?
Children's comedy?
Are you kidding me?
Who's watching?
Faced with everyone's doubts, Lu Yanhe had Chen Yin bring a copy and rushed to the United States.
Fortunately, "Home Alone" is also scheduled to be released during the Chinese New Year this year, and everything is ready, even the English subtitles have been prepared long ago.
Lu Yanhe held a screening event directly inside Green Valley.
Then--
Schmidt Laurie's ideas wavered.
Lu Yanhe said, "Schmidt, if you're not interested in distribution, I'll contact Parameter and D19."
Schmidt Laurie immediately said, "Lu, we should sit down and have a serious talk."
-
Before this year's awards season, even with Lu Yanhe as the screenwriter, a film like "Home Alone" wouldn't have received much attention from any company, no matter where it was produced.
The film is a Chinese-language film, with the director and lead actors having little fame in North America. Moreover, it's a children's comedy with a story that's geared towards a younger audience, making it seem like it's specifically designed for kids.
However, the situation is different now.
Although Huang Feng did not receive any nominations from major film industry benchmarks, his name has been frequently mentioned in the film industry over the past two months through public relations activities. Moreover, because there are no competing films, he has received a lot of attention, just like the little black girl in "Beasts of the Southern Wild". "Beasts of the Southern Wild" made her an instant star, and "Annie: A New York Adventure" was immediately tailor-made for her, which grossed $130 million worldwide.
Hollywood is also chasing after celebrities.
Given Huang Feng's current level of attention, if this movie were released now, it would definitely have a very positive effect.
The problem is that Lu Yanhe hopes Green Valley can achieve large-scale openings, with at least a thousand cinemas.
Green Valley still hopes to start with small-scale screenings; otherwise, the distribution costs are too high, and it's easy to lose money.
Given Lu Yanhe's current collaborations in Hollywood, Green Valley certainly has experience and channels in distributing Chinese-language films.
This is also why Lu Yanhe chose Green Valley as his first choice.
For a film company to reach distribution agreements with so many cinemas in such a short period of time without a long-term cooperative relationship or professional personnel involved, Lu Yanhe actually only trusts Midoriya.
He hoped that Schmidt Lowry would meet his requirements.
Schmidt Lowry also watched the movie "Home Alone" and saw its selling points.
If a seasoned film operator cannot see the market appeal of a movie, or its potential to become a box office hit if handled properly, then he has truly failed in his duty.
Lu Yanhe said to Schmidt Lowry, "Schmidt, as long as you can help us secure a thousand theaters to open the film, I can cover half of the North American promotional budget for this movie, and Green Valley will also be responsible for the European distribution."
Schmidt Lowry almost laughed for a moment—
If someone else had approached him about "giving the European distribution to Midoriya as well," he would have thought, "Where do you get the right to talk to me about separating the European and North American distributions?" But the person in front of him was Lu Yanhe.
Schmidt Lowry really had to admit that Lu Yanhe was genuinely giving him a discount.
Schmidt Lowry quickly did the math in his mind.
At least a thousand theaters will be showing the film simultaneously, with distribution fees approaching ten million US dollars. This stems from the different distribution practices in North America compared to China. Due to their legal requirements, to prevent monopolies, films released in North American theaters must be negotiated with each theater individually, unlike the theater chains in China. The distribution fee for a single theater varies depending on the circumstances, generally ranging from several thousand US dollars. Given the urgency of the situation this time, the distribution fees will undoubtedly be even higher.
If the film is shown in 1,000 theaters, excluding revenue from home entertainment and other distribution channels, it would need to earn at least $20 million in theaters to have any hope of making a profit. Of course, this is just a rough estimate; there are more complex calculations involved, which are too numerous to detail here.
However, as Lu Yanhe said, the movie "Home Alone" is different from the previous films released by Green Valley, such as "The Road to Glory", "Late Spring", "Love Letter" and now "Tropical Rainy Season". The previous films released by Green Valley were all art films, which were released on a small scale and gradually expanded according to the box office, highlighting the idea of "seeking progress while maintaining stability".
Home Alone, however, is a family-friendly, commercial film.
The protagonist, Huang Feng, is now a darling of the media and critics, thanks to the public relations efforts surrounding "Tropical Rainy Season".
Even those who didn't vote for Huang Feng, who wouldn't like such a cute and talented child?
After quickly doing the math in his head, Schmidt Lowry said, "In the first week, 500 theaters will open. If the box office in the first week can break ten million dollars, the number of theaters will definitely expand to more than one thousand in the second week."
Lu Yanhe replied without hesitation, "Then I will no longer include the European distribution as a condition for you."
Schmidt Lowry: "..."
“Lu, you know, I haven’t been harsh on this film anymore. It’s already done a great job, I’m already—”
“Schmidt, you should also know that I didn’t charge you a single penny for the North American distribution rights,” Lu Yanhe said. “Green Valley only needs to be responsible for the distribution and publicity costs. I even agreed that we would cover half of the publicity costs.”
Schmidt Lowry looked at Lu Yanhe in disbelief.
"You're giving us the distribution rights for free?"
“Opening in 1,000 theaters, with a two-week window, and free distribution rights.” Lu Yanhe looked at Schmidt Lowry with a determined gaze. “We share the risk. Similarly, Schmidt, ‘Home Alone’ is a movie with huge box office potential. If I didn’t know you definitely wouldn’t agree, I would have hoped that the movie could be opened in 3,000 theaters at the same time.”
Schmidt Lowry couldn't help but cover his face and laugh.
“You can screen it in a few theaters in advance to see how it goes, but it must be shown in a thousand theaters by the end of this month,” Lu Yanhe said. “This is also to build momentum for the Oscar nominations of ‘Tropical Rainy Season’ and Huang Feng.”
“Lu, if you can give this movie enough time to promote it, to be honest, I’m confident that it will gross over 50 million in North America.”
Lu Yanhe laughed.
"Schmidt, what do you think? Releasing the film at this time, although a bit rushed, will give Huang Feng and me a huge amount of exposure and attention, and won't that help 'Home Alone' achieve a miraculous box office success?"
This movie not only grossed $300 million in the United States in the 1990s, but also $470 million worldwide.
This classic film, which achieved great success with a small budget, is one of the very few films in film history that truly minimized the impact of "cultural barriers" and "ideological differences" in its story and characters, and became a hit worldwide.
All over the world, regardless of country, cultural background, or wealth, people suffer from "naughty kids." But when a "naughty kid" acts naughtily towards a foolish thief, everyone is both worried for him and hoping he'll be even naughtier.
Lu Yanhe was sincerely grateful that no movies with similar themes existed in this time and space.
Therefore, instead of becoming a rehash of old ideas, it has become a "creative" goldmine.
-
The next day, Lu Yanhe finally opened an overseas social media account, and the first post he made was a movie poster.
Home Alone.
The poster shows a boy covering his face with both hands, looking shocked.
Behind him was a house and two bumbling thieves.
On the movie poster, the screenwriter is Lu Yanhe, and the lead actor is Huang Feng. These two names are the most prominent.
Lu Yanhe posted: Coming Soon!
Subsequently, the official Green Valley account reposted this message: January!
Just as Lu Yanhe said, he and Huang Feng are now under media scrutiny because of the awards season.
As soon as the movie poster was released, it was immediately reposted and reported by major media outlets.
The movie "Home Alone" had already begun generating buzz in various Asian countries.
This film, marketed as a family-friendly movie for the Chinese New Year, hadn't previously attracted much attention in Europe and America because they had a significant "prejudice" against films with the "family-friendly" theme. The prevailing attitude was, "If it's 'family-friendly,' then it must be your own kind of 'family-friendly,' we in Europe and America don't buy into that; we have our own 'family-friendly' films."
Their prejudice is similar to the attitude of streaming services like Maxine towards "My Own Swordsman". Even though they want to work with Lu Yanhe and "My Own Swordsman" is so popular in China, they are unwilling to purchase it at the same price they would pay for Lu Yanhe's other works unless they are offered a low price.
Because they firmly believe that this is not a subject matter accepted in Europe and America.
However, this time, the main keywords on the poster for "Home Alone" released by Lu Yanhe have nothing to do with "family-friendly".
The next day, Lu Yanhe released the second poster for "Home Alone," which featured a photo of Huang Feng looking out the window.
In the blank space, there are three lines of text:
—I was "forgotten" at home all by myself, how pitiful.
—Two thieves actually tried to steal from my house. I'm so scared.
Why are those two thieves bruised and battered? That's strange.
On the third day, Green Valley Pictures announced that Home Alone would have its premiere in New York on January 17.
On the fourth day, Variety published a long interview with Lu Yanhe and Huang Feng, telling the story of their collaboration.
On the fifth day, many celebrities and public figures posted photos of their invitations to the New York premiere of "Home Alone" on social media platforms.
For five consecutive days, the movie title "Home Alone" was bombarded in Europe and America, sparking a great deal of discussion and attention.
Huang Feng also appeared on two shows under Helena Rubinstein's arrangement, both to promote "Tropical Rainy Season" and "Home Alone".
Despite his small stature, Huang Feng is a clever and lovable little guy.
Fortunately, many television programs in the United States are broadcast live, so the immediate effect is very strong, and there is no need to wait.
On the seventh day, the first trailer for "Home Alone" was released.
Lu Yanhe didn't hold back and sent an email to everyone he knew in Hollywood and had some connections with, asking them to support and promote the film on social media.
The cast includes Derian Dylan, who co-starred with him in "Hurricane 2"; Edward Hodgson, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor last year; Arne Bogut and Lily Williams from "The Mist"; British actor Jamie Wilson; several actors from "The Mist 2" with whom he had a good relationship; and renowned Spanish actress Fellaina Ricci.
Not to mention directors like Murken Sorge.
This will leave him with a lot of favors—
However, he is not afraid of owing favors.
Worrying about this kind of thing at this point is just being too indecisive.
His current goal is to get this film to audiences in Europe and America as quickly as possible.
Chen Siqi also utilized the resources of "Jump Up" and asked European and American writers and media people she knew to forward and promote it.
For a time, the popularity of "Home Alone" was comparable to that of the "seed contenders" in the fierce competition of the awards season.
But this is just a "false prosperity" at first glance.
Nobody knows how many viewers "Home Alone" will actually draw into theaters.
This was an unprecedented screening.
On the day of the premiere, director Lu Xiaochuan, actor Liu Teli, and Luo Weida, who played another bumbling thief, also came to New York to take their first family photo together.
This is a high-stakes gamble.
Apart from a few people around Lu Yanhe, no one else knew that this sudden screening was to promote Huang Feng's Otti.
Even though everyone has already accepted that Huang Feng is out of the game, Lu Yanhe is still trying to use a diversionary tactic to turn the tide.
He knew how many people would fall in love with this kid after the movie was released.
He also believes that many judges will come to like this kid because of the movie, and will then reconsider their voting choices.
During this short ten-day promotional trip, Lu Yanhe spent several million US dollars on promotional expenses.
The production cost of this film was actually less than two million US dollars.
Chen Yin's eyelids were twitching uncontrollably.
Lu Yanhe retorted, "If you make so much money normally, when will you throw it away if not now?"
More than a dozen media outlets were present at the New York premiere.
Their initial reviews after the premiere determined the public's first impression of the film.
Of course, there's also the Rotten Tomatoes score from the audience.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
He knew that recently, due to the awards season and the promotion of the movie "Home Alone," he had been in a state of high excitement and was a bit irritable.
But he can't stop now and has to maintain this state of high excitement for a long time.
Now he truly understands why many celebrities become so excited, even to the point of seeming a bit manic, in many situations.
And just as Lu Yanhe had predicted, after this incredible, even unimaginable, lightning-fast premiere, the film received rave reviews from the media and audiences.
Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100% positive rating, and audiences gave it a 93% positive rating, shocking the entire Hollywood.
What the heck?
What kind of movie did Lu Yanhe make?
Going back to what I said earlier, in the United States, Rotten Tomatoes' rating system and media reviews have a relatively high level of credibility among viewers.
Of course, there will still be critics, but just like with Douban, if a film's rating appears in a novel, the website's rating will definitely not be positive, because it will inevitably be criticized. This is normal, because the judgment of true film enthusiasts will absolutely not align with Douban scores.
However, if we broaden our perspective, putting aside other factors, Douban's scores may not be fair or meet your expectations. But when the general public is unfamiliar with a film and unsure which movie to watch, aren't they more likely to check Douban ratings? Is it because, at the general public level, there isn't a more reliable rating than Douban? Is it the average Weibo rating or Maoyan rating with over 9 points? Or those preview screenings that are full of praise?
In short, it's quite remarkable that Rotten Tomatoes scored this high in the media.
The media coverage poured in like it was free.
Lu Yanhe told Schmidt Lowry, "You could have increased the number of theaters showing it. Don't miss out on a movie that could have broken box office records."
Meanwhile, just as Lu Yanhe had predicted, the media began showering Huang Feng, who was already a "darling" of the year, with praise. Suddenly, Huang Feng became even more popular.
Midoriya also negotiated with thirteen theaters before starting preview screenings (or more accurately, the film was officially released).
As a result, for three consecutive days, all thirteen cinemas reported single-screen box office figures of over $12,000, with total box office revenue reaching nearly $500,000.
Schmidt Lowry now completely understood where Lu Yanhe's arrogant words came from.
The box office performance of "Home Alone" in individual theaters has made the market demand for it extremely strong.
January to March is typically the off-season for the US film market.
It seems like a dark horse is about to emerge, and theater managers from various theaters have been proactively contacting Midoriya.
Huang Feng has also been pursued by major media outlets.
This is exactly what Helena wanted to see.
She and her PR team seized the opportunity presented by the buzz and exposure to promote Huang Feng.
Many say that Huang Feng's performance in *Tropical Rain*, while stunning, was largely due to the director; he was just a child and didn't understand acting. However, in the recent hit *Home Alone*, he presented a completely different side. His mischievousness, quirky charm, and even endearing precociousness are strikingly different from the delicate and sensitive child in *Tropical Rain*. If anyone still doesn't believe Huang Feng is a talented actor, then watch these two films. If he does miss out on an Oscar nomination this year, he will dedicate the next decades of his acting career to ensuring his name is remembered in every annual "Oscar snubs."
At this moment, Huang Feng truly became the protagonist.
Wherever you go in Hollywood, you seem to hear people talking about him.
They discussed the movie "Home Alone," how much they liked the kid Huang Feng, and whether Huang Feng could be nominated for an Oscar this year.
Huang Feng, who had been deemed out of the running, has returned to the top tier thanks to the phenomenal box office success and huge attention garnered by "Home Alone".
On January 30, "Home Alone" skipped the 500 theaters mentioned by Schmidt Lowry and expanded directly to 926 theaters—this was because there was too little time to negotiate with more theaters at once.
On that day, "Home Alone" grossed $8 million at the daily box office.
The box office is about to explode, and its potential is already taking shape.
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"Everyone says Lu Yanhe is a genius actor, a genius screenwriter, and even a genius director, but no one has realized that he is also a genius with an extremely keen sense of the market."
"His performance of 'Tropical Rainy Season' during awards season created an unrepeatable screening and promotional environment for the Chinese-language film 'Home Alone.' He then used the popularity of 'Home Alone' to bring Huang Feng back into the ranks of top nominees for the Oscar for Best Actor."
"It is said that Lu Yanhe suddenly proposed to release 'Home Alone' in North America just two weeks ago. Even his team did not expect that Lu Yanhe's idea would bring such a big response."
"Furthermore, according to reliable sources, the public relations expenses for Qin Shulan and Huang Feng in 'Tropical Rainy Season' were not even borne by Green Valley, the North American distributor of 'Tropical Rainy Season'—Green Valley refused to bear their public relations expenses, and it was Lu Yanhe who covered these expenses."
...
The Washington Post published a commentary that provided an in-depth analysis and evaluation of Lu Yanhe's involvement with "Home Alone" and Huang Feng's case.
Major media outlets have followed up and reported on it.
Indeed, this was a "miraculous move" that no one expected.
Even at this point, some people suggested that the stunning dress Chen Bige wore on the Golden Globe Awards red carpet was also Lu Yanhe's design.
After all, it was almost Lu Yanhe's most impressive public relations move during this awards season, with media outlets all over the world discussing that dress.
Lu Yanhe didn't even have time to deny it.
Because, with the combined momentum from all sides, the box office performance of "Home Alone" in North America was even more explosive than Lu Yanhe had imagined.
After a week of wide release, the film grossed over $70 million, sweeping away the current sluggish box office performance.
The popularity of "Home Alone" has even prompted major film companies to consider whether to release several films with Chinese-American protagonists.
From "The Mist" starring Lu Yanhe to "Home Alone" starring Huang Feng, two films starring Chinese actors are about to break $100 million at the North American box office in a short period of time.
The impact of Home Alone's box office performance on the North American film industry was no less significant than the massive success of Crazy Rich Asians in another timeline.
If you really understand the North American market, you'll know that despite the long-standing emphasis on "political correctness" in North America, the emergence of a large number of film projects featuring Asian protagonists began with "Crazy Rich Asians," which grossed $174 million in North America.
Why were Asians not allowed to play leading roles in the past? Because they believed that Asians wouldn't be commercially successful, and they wouldn't even give them a chance to try.
Why did they start making movies with Asian protagonists in large numbers later on?
Is it because of "political correctness"?
Essentially, it's because they discovered this could make money.
In particular, the one that made money was considered a hit in North America—
It's not a masterpiece like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" that's hard to replicate.
It's not like Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan's action movies that rely on their unique selling points.
Instead, it's a very cheesy, commercial romantic comedy, a formulaic love movie.
Can a movie like this be a box office hit?
What does this mean?
This shows that they can all pull off this kind of money-making model.
Now, "Home Alone" has a similar effect.
Its subject matter is interesting and full of surprises, but it is also a formulaic and replicable film.
Once you've seen it, any film company can make a similar movie.
-
Oscar voting ended on February 5th.
The reason Lu Yanhe insisted on a large-scale release by the end of January was that the screenings would begin on January 30th, a period of six days.
Six days—if you can help Huang Feng change the fate of the awards season, it's in these six days.
Three days later, on February 8, the Oscar nominations were announced.
Everyone sat together again, waiting for the results.
The first awards announced were for supporting roles.
Lu Yanhe was unsurprisingly nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
The first cheers erupted in the room.
Qin Shulan was among the nominees for Best Supporting Actress.
A second cheer erupted in the room.
The moment Qin Shulan heard her name, her eyes reddened and she covered her mouth.
Only she knows what she has gone through over the past few decades and months to finally receive this recognition.
After that came various nomination lists.
When the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film were announced, "Tropical Rainy Season" was read out, and a third round of cheers erupted.
Subsequently, in the Best Cinematography category, "Tropical Rainy Season" unexpectedly appeared on the nomination list, and the fourth round of cheers was the most surprising, unexpected, and purely joyful.
Then came the nominations for Best Director.
Huang Tianlin clasped his hands together tightly.
Everyone held their breath.
All five names were read out, but his name was not among them.
Everyone fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.
Lu Yanhe reached out and grasped both of his hands.
"There's plenty of time in the future," he said again.
Huang Tianlin bit his lip tightly for two seconds before smiling with relief, nodding, and saying, "Yes, there's plenty of time."
Then came the nominations for Best Actor.
The first name called out was Huang Feng, but that didn't even get everyone into the anxious countdown.
The entire audience screamed wildly—
Helena and her assistant embraced tightly.
This year's awards season was full of excitement, ups and downs, and she even wanted to give up several times, but in the end, she had the last laugh.
Finally, Best Picture.
"Tropical Rainy Season" was also successfully shortlisted.
This year's Oscars saw a film with three acting awards, one technical award, two film awards, and six nominations, making it the third most nominated film of the year. From its initial "small momentum" to its current "big momentum".
The champagne was popped, confetti sprayed out, and everyone was hugging, cheering, and expressing their surprise, excitement, and emotion.
Lu Yanhe smiled brightly in the crowd.
He felt that he was a person blessed with good fortune.
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The film "Tropical Rainy Season" ranked third in the number of Oscar nominations, surprisingly becoming a "trendsetting" film.
Of the six nominated awards, only Lu Yanhe's Best Supporting Actor and Best Foreign Language Film are considered as potential winners.
As for the other awards, unless there's a major upset, they're basically out of the running.
Making it onto the shortlist already requires a lot of effort in the early stages.
Midoriya emerged as the biggest winner.
Not only did the copyright value of the film "Tropical Rainy Season" increase significantly, but it also released a film that grossed over $100 million at the North American box office at the beginning of the year, "Home Alone".
Lu Yanhe, holding the box office figures from "Home Alone," sent an email to Zeby Doyle of Parameter, saying:
If you could trust me a little more like Schmidt-Lauley did with the Speed project, I would definitely prioritize having you handle the North American distribution for Home Alone.
Zebi Doyle immediately returned the call.
"Lu, regarding the movie 'Speed,' I respect your opinion. If you want Yan Liang to star in it, then let him star in it."
"I'm sorry, but now that my film 'Home Alone' has achieved such box office success in the United States, I will add some conditions and requirements to the 'Speed' project. If you agree, we can continue to discuss cooperation."
Because the deal fell through regarding Yan Liang's starring role, Lu Yanhe had not yet signed a contract with Parameter for the "Speed of Life and Death" project.
Now he has more room to make demands.
Zebi Doyle sighed and said, "The hammer is in your hand. I can only wait for you to strike."
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Zebi, relax. I'm not one to ask for an exorbitant amount. I will always only ask for your friendship based on business principles. In return, you will receive more in return than you would normally expect."
At this time, China is also celebrating the Spring Festival.
Spring Festival film season.
Release date of "Home Alone".
However, neither Lu Yanhe nor Huang Feng had any time to go back and do publicity.
Only the director and teacher Liu Teli can go back and take up the publicity banner.
However, with the huge box office success of "Home Alone" in North America, and the daily barrage of news about "Home Alone" from Lu Yanhe and Huang Feng, its promotional effect is no less than that of other films in the Spring Festival season.
On the pre-sale chart, "Home Alone" ranked second, with pre-sales exceeding 100 million yuan.
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The release of "Home Alone" in North America was rushed, but its release in China was planned well in advance.
Apart from the fact that Lu Yanhe and Huang Feng were unable to return to participate in the publicity, which was beyond Linghe's expectations, Chen Yin had made ample preparations in all other aspects.
On Lunar New Year's Eve, Chen Siqi returned to China to visit her maternal grandparents.
The other friends also gradually went back home.
I was originally planning to attend the Spring Festival Gala, which I do every year, but I won't be able to participate this year.
Lu Yanhe, far from home, held a long-awaited live stream, eating dumplings.
Mukbang (eating broadcast).
He said, "It's a pity that I can't go back home for the Chinese New Year this year. Fortunately, even in a foreign land, I can still fill my Chinese stomach with familiar dumplings."
After Lunar New Year's Eve, Lu Yanhe's schedule in the United States remained largely unchanged, consisting of one promotional event per day, one cocktail party every three days, and one public event every five days. He was beginning to feel somewhat fatigued.
Awards season is so long, you can't miss a single one.
Fortunately, "Home Alone" also achieved a very impressive box office performance during the Chinese New Year period. The word-of-mouth was excellent. Even though it's not a blockbuster, it's perfect for the whole family to watch together, and it's very well-known. "Home Alone" actually held the third position at the box office during the Chinese New Year period. For seven consecutive days, the daily box office exceeded 100 million yuan. After a week, the total box office had reached 942 million yuan, and it looks like the box office will surpass that of North America in the second week.
The original film grossed $300 million in North America, back in the 1990s.
Lu Yanhe didn't dare to hope for such a high number—after all, there's still a gap in appeal between Asian actors and native American actors. However, he hoped it could at least gross over $200 million in the United States.
At this point, the continuous exposure of Lu Yanhe and Huang Feng every day, coupled with Green Valley's additional promotional resources for "Home Alone," made its trajectory in North America very beautiful, and it seemed that surpassing 200 million US dollars was not a problem.
However, the majority of the box office revenue for this film in North America went to Guiling River, not Midoriya. Midoriya was merely the distributor, earning only a percentage of the distribution revenue—which is a very complex tiered calculation formula.
Of course, for Midoriya, this is pure profit—
Aside from distribution costs, it has no production costs or distribution rights acquisition costs.
Schmidt Lowry was shrewd; he quickly approached Lu Yanhe to inquire about the plans to produce several more "Home Alone" films. He not only wanted to secure the North American distribution rights but also the European distribution rights and sought investment for subsequent installments.
Lu Yanhe rolled his eyes, tossed out a sentence, "Let's see how 'Red Eye Flight' turns out to be released," and then took his team to the Sea Tour Film Festival to attend his masterclass.
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I recommend the classic entertainment novel, "I Became the Leading Lady of a Scandal Overnight."
(End of this chapter)
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