Chapter 821 Resurrection
"Senior, would you like to come with me to this screening and discussion session?"
Lu Yanhe called Shang Yongzhou and invited him to go to the United States with him.
Upon hearing this, Shang Yongzhou didn't hesitate and immediately nodded in agreement.
"Will you participate in the roadshow for 'Burning Fire 2' again?" Shang Yongzhou asked.
“According to the contract with Longyan, I will participate in two more events,” Lu Yanhe said. “Longyan has not yet decided which two events I will participate in.”
Shang Yongzhou: "The current box office trend is very good. Do they want to wait until the box office is about to reach a turning point before having you participate in the roadshow to stimulate the box office?"
“I don’t know what they’re thinking, let them do what they want,” Lu Yanhe said. “Actually, whether I participate in the roadshow or not doesn’t make much difference. Anyway, the people who need to be promoted, who need to know about this movie, and who will go see it have all been there. As for the lower-tier markets that are not covered by general movie promotion methods, no matter how many roadshows I participate in, the promotional content will not reach there.”
Shang Yongzhou nodded.
“Yes, I’m participating in roadshows now, and I feel that the effect of doing a dozen or twenty roadshows is about the same as doing a few,” Shang Yongzhou said. “Especially for ‘Burning Fire 2,’ many of the topics that are being discussed and spread at the roadshows are actually based on the script. The audience members asking questions are all pre-arranged by the producers and distributors, which is very frustrating.”
"Roadshows are also for the purpose of spreading on social media."
"That's right."
"But that's just how movie promotion works these days," Lu Yanhe said. "We can only accept and cooperate."
Shang Yongzhou nodded.
"It's nothing. As long as the movie does well in the end, it doesn't matter if we do more promotional tours."
"yes."
Yes, even for an actor like Shang Yongzhou, who is considered relatively laid-back, the success of a film is still important.
A film made with care and hard work always hopes for a positive outcome.
The outcome of a film is independent of any process.
Whether it's good or bad, this is the only outcome that will affect you.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
“Senior brother, I want to give ‘Burning Fire 2’ a push.” Lu Yanhe said, “Even if Longyan has no confidence in the global box office of this film, I still want to give it a push. This is a film that can represent the level of the Chinese film industry, and I hope it will become our representative work.”
Shang Yongzhou: "Okay, just tell me what you need me to do, and I'll cooperate fully."
"Fortunately, it was you who acted in 'Burning Fire' with me," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
-
Lu Yanhe sent a message to Huang Zhongjing, telling him that he would be holding a screening and discussion event for "Burning Fire 2" in the United States to promote the film.
Huang Zhongjing immediately called to express his gratitude to Lu Yanhe.
Holding a screening and exchange event in the United States at this time will also have a ripple effect back to China.
This was not a publicity event arranged by Longyan; it was actually done by Lu Yanhe using his own resources.
Huang Zhongjing naturally expressed his gratitude.
Huang Zhongjing added, "Yan He, this time we're negotiating the overseas distribution of 'Burning Fire 2' one company at a time, but Green Valley is still pushing very low the terms for the North American distribution of 'Burning Fire 2'—"
“This is because Home Alone 3 was released at the same time. I spoke with him on the phone before, and he told me the same thing,” Lu Yanhe said. “At that time, this situation arose because we were trying to catch up with the global simultaneous release of Burning Fire 2.”
Huang Zhongjing: "Yes."
“I still want to make an effort,” Lu Yanhe said. “Including screenings in other overseas regions, if there are any related arrangements that require my attention, please have the person in charge contact my team. If the time is right, I will participate.”
Huang Zhongjing agreed.
He added, "I thought you didn't want to participate in the promotion of 'Burning Fire 2'."
"I just don't want to act out a scene from your roadshow," Lu Yanhe said with a hint of helplessness. "Of course, I admit it's also because I'm lazy. Running around to one event after another is exhausting."
Huang Zhongjing smiled.
Lu Yanhe: "Furthermore, because 'Burning Fire 2' did very well at the domestic box office, it seems that whether I participate in the roadshow or not is not very meaningful."
"How could it be meaningless? Your very existence is meaningful."
"Oh dear, Mr. Huang, your words gave me goosebumps," Lu Yanhe complained.
Huang Zhongjing laughed even louder.
-
During the second weekend of its North American release, Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou held a screening and discussion event in New York.
At the event, Lu Yanhe invited Moken Sorge and Anna White to the stage for a discussion.
Lily Williams and Ivan Paterson, the male lead in "Godless," also attended the special screening.
Following the screening and discussion, Lu Yanhe also grabbed Will Holland, the lead actor who was busy with the public relations activities for "Get Out," and held an online discussion about the making of fantasy films—an event hosted by film critic Tom Wayne, with whom Lu Yanhe had a close relationship.
The two promotional events at least helped the movie "Burning Fire 2" gain some exposure and attention.
Subsequently, Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou went to France to participate in a live program on French television to promote their film.
In exchange, Lu Yanhe will also answer three questions about "Get Out" on the show.
It is through this method that the movie "Burning Fire 2" is gradually attracting more and more viewers.
We tried our best, but the results were minimal, and not much better.
Lu Yanhe is indeed a big star now, but even a big star cannot go against the tide and easily change the situation in this huge film distribution system.
However, as Chen Ziyan said, at least he tried his best for this movie.
Two weeks after its release, Home Alone 3 has grossed over $400 million worldwide, seemingly close to the $700 million gross of the second film, and has the potential to reach $700 million again.
However, "Burning Fire 2" did not perform as well. After two weeks of release, although it grossed over $300 million in China, it only grossed a meager $20 million overseas, and just under $10 million in North America.
This box office performance is actually quite satisfactory for all the distributors and retailers.
Even for Longyan, achieving over 20 million US dollars in box office revenue in six overseas markets is considered quite good.
The film has not yet been released in South Korea and Japan, the two overseas markets where the first film grossed millions of dollars.
Lu Yanhe, however, was not satisfied.
Only he himself was dissatisfied.
This even made him somewhat discouraged.
Why would he be dissatisfied when everyone around him felt that the result was already quite good?
Why can't I be someone who celebrates good results with everyone?
Lu Yanhe sighed.
And at this very moment, the Oscars ceremony is about to begin.
Get Out is a very popular film.
Lu Yanhe is poised to dominate the Best Original Screenplay category.
For the past two weeks, all the winners of this award have been Get Out.
It's practically a done deal that Lu Yanhe will win this award.
D19 has already begun preparing for the Luyan River.
This is the second Oscar nomination that D19 has secured for Lu Yanhe.
If he wins, it will be the first Oscar that D19 has secured for Lu Yanhe.
-
“You’re sure to win an award,” Murken Sorge told Lu Yanhe. “Everyone I meet praises your script.”
They had already walked the red carpet and were chatting backstage.
The backstage area was incredibly crowded, a stark contrast to the orderly scene seen on television.
Almost everyone who passes by them says, "Good luck to you."
Both of them received individual nominations today: Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Given the current situation surrounding *Get Out* this year, the final outcome is truly unpredictable. The social discussion surrounding this film has been immense and heated; under such intense scrutiny, the final result is uncertain.
Lu Yanhe smiled and said to Muken Sorge, "I also hope to win an award, and see if I can help the box office of 'Burning Fire 2' go up a notch by winning an award tonight."
"Actually, 'Burning Fire 2' could have been nominated for the Oscar for Best Visual Effects," said Moken Sorge.
“Nobody even thought about this.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “Forget it, it’s no use saying anything now.”
"However, Yan He, for my next movie, I'd really like to cast your friend in it."
"Friend? Which friend?"
“Li Zhibai,” said Muken Sorge, “is very similar to a character I wrote, in terms of temperament.”
"Of course! Do you have his contact information?"
"I'd like to go back to China. Could you give me some information?"
“No problem, actually Sister Ruzhen knows him too,” Lu Yanhe said. “He’s a very good actor.”
“Yes, I watched the two episodes of Friends where he had a cameo. In my script, I needed a very handsome, enthusiastic actor with that rich kid vibe, someone who could make girls swoon with just a smile. I had looked at a lot of actors through agencies before, but I wasn’t satisfied with any of them. The moment he appeared in Friends, I knew I had found him,” said Murken Sorge. “My next movie will still have some thriller elements, but it won’t be a horror movie anymore. I want to make a monster movie with a bit of a Cthulhu feel to it.”
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.
"Then why didn't you come to me?"
“Because this film is told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl, the other characters are all supporting roles, with screen time generally not exceeding twenty minutes,” said Murken Sorge. “Besides, I’ve worked with you on so many films, and I also wanted to find some fresh faces.”
"Tsk, you've already gotten tired of the old so quickly," Lu Yanhe joked. Actually, Mu Ken had also said that the main problem was that the role wasn't big enough, and it wasn't a "male lead" movie. Given Lu Yanhe's current situation, it was impossible for him to appear as a supporting actor in this kind of non-blockbuster genre film.
Although Lu Yanhe himself was very happy to agree.
Lu Yanhe still said, "If you ask me to do it, I will definitely still act."
“Forget it,” Murken Sorge said. “Even if you were willing to act, your agent would demand an exorbitant fee that you can’t afford.”
Lu Yanhe shrugged. "Then it's up to you. But if you don't come to me, it's perfectly fine to come to Li Zhibai. He's no worse than me, and in your description, he's even more suitable than me."
Muken Sorge nodded.
-
This year's Oscars ceremony is a relatively quiet one.
The meaning of "Xiao Nian" is that, at least at this time, the shortlisted films are only popular among Academy members, but in the public eye, apart from the box office success of "Get Out," the other films have only achieved mediocre box office results.
Most of the nominated films are unfamiliar to the general public, so they naturally don't pay much attention to the awards ceremony.
Therefore, this year's Oscars ceremony put a lot of effort into the presentations.
They invited a bunch of big stars.
This includes Jiang Jun and Jiang Yuqian.
The two of them will reunite at the Oscars to present the award for Best Sound.
Lu Yanhe was also invited to present the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
It's quite interesting that he himself is a nominee for Best Original Screenplay, and he also has to present the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Of course, no one would say that Lu Yanhe was unqualified to be the presenter of this award.
-
When the winner of the Best Original Screenplay award unsurprisingly announced "Get Out, Lu Yanhe," applause erupted in the audience.
Lu Yanhe happily hugged Muken Sorge and Will Holland, who were sitting next to him, and then hugged Lily Williams, who was seated in the back row, after they went to the aisle.
"Congratulations on winning the award! I knew you would win this one."
Lu Yanhe smiled and thanked Lily Williams, adding, "You'll definitely win an Oscar someday."
Lu Yanhe walked onto the stage.
This result, indeed, is not surprising.
Whether the film won the same award in its original timeline or in this timeline, "Get Out" is arguably the only film among this year's nominees to have been a box office smash and sparked huge social discussion, which preordained this result and left virtually no possibility of an upset.
Unless these people in the academy feel that they shouldn't vote for Lu Yanhe.
He went on stage to accept the award, beaming with pride as he showed the trophy in his hand to the audience, saying, "I won an award, um, another little golden statuette. It's only been a year, I'm back a bit too soon."
Laughter immediately erupted from the audience.
“But thankfully, it’s not the same award.” Lu Yanhe continued to joke, “To be honest, when I was writing this script, I thought that it was possible that I would stand on this stage and receive this award because of this film. Well, the scenery here is still very beautiful, and my dream has come true once again.”
Muken Sorge cheered for him from below the stage.
“These past two days, I’ve been promoting another movie I starred in, ‘Burning Fire 2.’ I didn’t write the screenplay for this movie, but I starred in it.” Lu Yanhe said with a smile as he mentioned the movie. “Muken said I was biased, but it’s not that I’m biased, it’s that I… how should I put it, it sounds a bit… arrogant. If I said I was very confident in winning this award, would you think I was too proud and arrogant? Okay, I admit it, I am indeed proud and arrogant.”
“Writing a good, exciting script isn’t difficult, nor is writing a thoughtful, critical script. But to have both qualities in a single script is incredibly difficult. That’s why I was proud and arrogant after I finished writing it. And this award you gave me proves that I wasn’t wrong to be proud and arrogant.” Lu Yanhe smiled and raised his chin. “A script is a personal creation; it’s my own imagination. I won’t say thank you too much, but finally, I want to thank Mu Ken and his team for turning a good script into a good movie, making it even better and more outstanding. I know how difficult that is, and you did an even better job than I imagined. Although you didn’t cast me in your next movie, but instead cast my friend, I don’t blame you. I’m sure we’ll have other collaborations in the future, and I firmly believe that.”
"Thanks!"
Lu Yanhe raised the trophy high and concluded his acceptance speech.
Just as he was about to leave the stage, he suddenly seemed to remember something and returned to the microphone.
"I forgot to advertise! This is the Oscars, the awards ceremony with the largest global audience. I starred in 'Burning Fire 2,' a really good movie that you all have to see!"
Lu Yanhe smiled brightly, quickly finished the advertisement, and ran off the stage.
-
After that, Get Out replicated the experience of that Golden Globe night and never won another award.
Compared to the social issues it has sparked, the Academy members seem to think that giving it so many nominations is already a form of recognition.
Indeed, despite not winning the award, Muken, Will Hollande, and others were very happy.
With this film, Muken finally entered the Oscars' field of vision, transitioning from a horror film director.
Will Hollande also became an overnight sensation thanks to this movie.
Although Lily Williams did not receive a nomination, the nearly $400 million in box office revenue worldwide is a real achievement, and with so many Oscar nominations, it is undoubtedly a very impressive achievement on her resume.
-
With Get Out winning awards, there may still be room for the film's box office to grow.
But what surprised everyone the most was that the box office of "Burning Fire 2" on the second day actually reversed its decline in North America. In fact, it wasn't just a decline; the daily box office surged from over $100,000 to $840,000.
This is even with only 300 cinemas showing the film.
In fact, Lu Yanhe's acceptance speech has now become a major "attraction" on various social media platforms.
Any update will inevitably attract a lot of attention.
Last night, Lu Yanhe's acceptance speech was viewed more than five million times on Twitter alone.
Schmidt Laurie sent a message to Lu Yanhe, saying: I didn't expect you to promote "Burning Fire 2" on the Oscar stage.
Lu Yanhe replied: I don't want to let down any good movie.
Schmidt Laurie said: "Lu, I'm prepared to negotiate with theaters to re-release 'Burning Fire 2'. Not only 'Burning Fire 2', but I'm also prepared to re-release 'Burning Fire 1' as well."
Lu Yanhe: Really?
Schmidt Laurie said: "The theatrical protection period for Home Alone 3 has expired, two weeks ago. We can allocate some of our distribution resources to support Burning Fire. However, I need your entire crew to come and cooperate with the promotion. You trust Burning Fire so much that I'm willing to take a gamble, but without your cooperation, I might have invested millions and lost a lot of money."
Lu Yanhe: Forget it. The movie "Burning Fire" has already earned you tens of millions of dollars just from the copyright cooperation or transfer of streaming media, DVDs, and TV stations. But since you are willing to support "Burning Fire", believe me, I will cooperate.
Schmidt Laurie: Okay.
-
Once Midoriya was willing to put in the effort, things immediately changed.
Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou were once again arranged to appear on one of the most-watched live television programs in the United States to promote the "Burning Fire" series.
In addition, Ignaz Bell, the director of "Godless", also watched "Burning Fire 2" at Midoriya's request and recorded a video praising the visual effects and story of "Burning Fire" for Midoriya to promote the two films on social media.
Midoriya even managed to secure a stage performance opportunity at an anime festival that only had two days to run.
Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou appeared on stage dressed as movie characters and sang the English version of the theme song for "Burning Fire".
After the third week of the release of "Burning Fire 2", the release of "Burning Fire 2" was expanded. It was reduced to only 300 theaters and then expanded back to 850 theaters. The North American distribution rights of "Burning Fire 1" are also in the hands of Green Valley. This time, Green Valley also arranged for "Burning Fire 1" to be re-released in 500 theaters.
After investing heavily in several major promotional campaigns, "Burning Fire 2" saw its daily box office soar to $2.1 million on its first day of re-release, while "Burning Fire 1" also grossed $1.34 million on its first day of re-release.
Their performance was outstanding.
Upon seeing this, Midoriya realized that the "Burning Fire" movie series actually had box office potential, and immediately began a second round of promotional efforts.
They edited a trailer for Burning Fire 1 and 2 and spent $2 million to buy a halftime advertising slot at a major sporting event.
It only has a total playback time of 25 seconds.
It was specially cut.
However, there's a reason why things are expensive.
The following day, "Burning Fire" saw another surge in box office revenue, taking in $1.1 million on its first day and $1.34 million on its second.
This was a very rare operation.
In a media interview, Schmidt Laurie stated frankly: "We would basically not be able to replicate this approach for other films. Our expansion and re-release of 'Burning Fire' 1 and 2 was entirely due to the insistence of the film's lead actor, Lu Yanhe, on the film series. He believed that with proper promotion, the film would achieve box office results beyond our expectations, and as it turns out, he was right."
The popularity of the Chinese film "Burning Fire" is gradually increasing.
"Burning Fire 2" has grossed over $30 million at the North American box office, and the re-release of "Burning Fire 1" has also grossed over $17 million. Including the box office of "Burning Fire 1" during its initial North American release, the series has grossed over $50 million in North America, a remarkable box office recovery for a Chinese-language film.
Longyan was completely stunned, never expecting that these two films would make a "comeback" at the box office at this time.
This is not the end.
Both films have maintained a very steady performance; while they haven't skyrocketed, they've still managed to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars daily. Both media reviews and audience feedback on social media have been organically driving up box office revenue.
Lu Yanhe's persistence and support for "Burning Fire" has led actors who have worked with him, such as Cai Na and Arne Bogut, to post promotional information related to "Burning Fire" on their social media more than once.
Yan Liang and Li Zhibai were even posting messages about "watching it three times" and "watching it four times" on their social media.
Little by little, the box office numbers slowly climbed up.
Lu Yanhe let out a long sigh of relief.
When March arrived, the box office of "Burning Fire" 1 and 2 finally reached a turning point. The two films grossed more than $60 million in North America. With the release of "Burning Fire 2" in markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, the two films in the "Burning Fire" series have grossed more than $100 million in overseas markets.
Huang Zhongjing was speechless at that moment.
This was entirely due to Lu Yanhe's "bringing it back to life".
-
On the day Lu Yanhe returned to China, Huang Zhongjing specially arranged a banquet to welcome him back.
This time, Huang Tai was unusually quiet and silent at the table, and her gaze towards Lu Yanhe was also "well-behaved".
“I really regret it now,” Huang Zhongjing said. “I should have listened to you and not let Lü Gu buy out ‘Burning Fire 1’.”
Fortunately, he listened to Lu Yanhe, so Huang Zhongjing did not sell "Burning Fire 2" to Midoriya through a buyout.
Therefore, Longyan can still benefit from the box office recovery of "Burning Fire 2".
Lu Yanhe said, "President Huang, 'Burning Fire' has achieved such good box office results in China. We also hoped to open up new prospects for it in the international Asian market. We should consider this more comprehensively. We put in a lot of effort this time, and we made up for some of the losses while chasing after it. We still have 'Burning Fire 3' coming up. Let's work together to make 'Burning Fire 3' achieve even better results in the international market."
Huang Zhongjing nodded and said, "Definitely."
-
After finishing his meal, Lu Yanhe returned to Ziyuan Bridge.
Chen Siqi was waiting for him at home.
"You've returned victorious!" Chen Siqi went straight to the entrance and hugged him.
Lu Yanhe put down the handle of his suitcase, hugged Chen Siqi, rested his head on Chen Siqi's shoulder and neck, and said in a deep voice, "I'm so tired."
"Take a good rest these few days."
"Um."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Chen Siqi patted his shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "Why are you acting like a big dog?"
Lu Yanhe: "I am the big dog now."
"Okay, then go wash up quickly, and then go to sleep." Chen Siqi patted his back.
As a result, Lu Yanhe grabbed her hand in return.
"Let's wash together."
"What are you doing?" Chen Siqi asked in surprise, then laughed.
Lu Yanhe was still nestled in Chen Siqi's neck.
He gave a sullen laugh.
-
A deep sleep, as if sinking to the bottom of the sea.
No dreams.
When I woke up, I heard a familiar, faint fragrance.
Through the door, there seemed to be some rustling sounds, like a tender moment from afar.
Turn over and roll around in the warm bed.
I stretched and it seemed like I could open my eyes now.
And so, another long yawn followed.
Floating up from the seabed.
Okay, we're out of the water.
Lu Yanhe opened his eyes, sat up, turned his head, and scratched his head.
He scratched his head, got out of bed, and slowly walked out.
Chen Siqi is frying dumplings.
The rustling sound was actually the sound of oil splattering.
She heard his footsteps and turned around.
There was a smile on her lips.
Her voice carried the sweet freshness of spring.
"Why are you awake so early?"
Lu Yanhe grinned and said, "I slept very well."
He walked behind Chen Siqi and leaned close to her.
"Go brush your teeth and wash your face quickly, breakfast is coming soon."
Lu Yanhe: "I'll go in a bit, first—give me a hug."
(End of this chapter)
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