You're Not Qualified

Because of the early success of "Lost in Thailand," the shortcomings of Andy Lau's "Cat and Mouse" were magnified infinitely by the audience.

As the saying goes, there's no harm in comparison!

In its previous life, this film had few competitors at the same time, and audiences could just watch it without thinking and have some fun. But in this life, there is Lin Yu's "Lost in Thailand," and the difference is immediately apparent. The media has been comparing the two films.

Film critics, needless to say, had a lot of flaws in "Lost in Thailand," so "Cat and Mouse" was criticized even more harshly.

The movie, which could have grossed 23 million at the box office, was cut in half and only grossed a little over 10 million. It didn't even make it into the top 20 of the year's box office, let alone the top 10.

In contrast, Lin Yu's "Lost in Thailand" grossed over 60 million yuan at the box office by the time it finished its run, instantly making Lin Yu a highly sought-after director.

And as soon as the box office figures for the third week were released, Han Sanping organized a celebration banquet for everyone. He and Lin Yu even smashed an ice sculpture displaying the number 50 million!

Moreover, at the celebration banquet for "Lost in Thailand," Lin Yu witnessed firsthand what it meant to have "bosses as numerous as dogs and big shots everywhere."

Lin Yu, the main character, was frequently toasted, and he couldn't refuse! These people were all of higher status than him, so refusing to drink would be considered disrespectful!

However, Lin Yu was not a simple-minded fool. Throughout the banquet, he raised his head to drink quite a few times, but he never changed the wine glass in his hand!

"Hehe...! Director Lin! Your movie 'Lost in Thailand' is almost out of theaters. Do you have any new ideas? Don't worry about funding, just give me a figure, and China Film Group will invest!"

Lin Yu looked at Han Sanping standing in front of him and couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Um...Mr. Han, well...I do have an idea, but..."

"If you have any difficulties, just say so. You're such a big director, why are you still so hesitant?" Han Sanping looked at Lin Yu's hesitant appearance and couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"Actually, there's nothing difficult about it, it's just a matter of funding," Lin Yu said with a smile.

"I just said you only need to name a number, and China Film Group will invest. Do you think I'm joking?" Han Sanping said, somewhat annoyed.

"No... it's just that my idea is a bit too ambitious! If we were to make it into a film, we definitely wouldn't be able to recoup our costs through domestic box office alone, so..."

Han Sanping was genuinely surprised: "What exactly is this kid trying to film? How much money is he willing to spend? If it were tens of millions, it certainly wouldn't be like this."

"Haha... Director Lin! Big ideas are fine. If you're short on funds, Enlight Media can help!" Wang Changtian said as he walked over.

"Don't leave out Huayi, Director Lin! We at Huayi are also very interested in your film. Director Feng always praises you to me and has been thinking of getting together with you sometime!" Wang Zhonglei stepped forward and said.

Lin Yu looked at the top bigwigs at the banquet, all of whom were now standing in front of him. He didn't hesitate anymore. Anyway, the bold would starve while the timid would starve. He didn't care whether they dared to invest or not. He would take the plunge! At worst, he could just start his own business in a few years.

"Gentlemen, you all know about Shenzhou-4, right? I think our country's next Shenzhou-5 will be a manned spaceflight, and my idea is to make a space science fiction movie! The budget will be at least 85 million... US dollars!" Lin Yu said, enunciating each word clearly.

Hearing Lin Yu's audacious idea, the heads of the three top domestic film companies couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Eighty-five million US dollars! That's seven hundred million RMB! That's almost three times the investment in "Hero"! The ridiculous thing is that Lin Yu actually said seven hundred million might not be enough? Is he crazy?!

The three CEOs present were all silenced by Lin Yu's words, and none of them spoke first.

A director whose box office has barely surpassed 50 million is already thinking of making a movie with an investment of 700 million? No one in their right mind would think Lin Yu could pull it off! Their consensus now is: Lin Yu is getting a bit cocky.

Looking at the expressions of the three top industry experts in front of him, Lin Yu knew he was getting a little anxious. However, since he had already spoken, Lin Yu wouldn't take it back. Besides, he didn't expect them to agree; he was just laying the groundwork for the future, letting them know, "I, Lin Yu, also have a passion for making blockbuster films!"

Moreover, if relying solely on the domestic route doesn't work, he'll have to take another route abroad.

"Director Lin, you're not mistaken, are you? It really is eighty-five million US dollars?" Han Sanping asked, frowning.

"Mr. Han, I wasn't wrong, it's 85 million US dollars, and that might not even be enough," Lin Yu said confidently.

"...Sigh! You could say a hundred or two hundred million wouldn't be a problem, but a seven hundred million investment is really too much. Director Lin, how about we shoot something with a lower budget first?"

Seven hundred million! Even Han Sanping, who always only wanted to invest in big-budget films, couldn't help but feel intimidated.

"Hehe... alright! I'll think about it some more! Once I've made up my mind, please don't hesitate to vote, bosses!" Lin Yu thought for a moment and then gave up.

"No problem, it's just that our budget is too small, Director Lin! If you're making a film under 100 million, just say so, and we can at least cover half of the lighting costs for you."

"What you're saying is true for Huayi as well. Besides, you can pick any actor or director you want from Huayi, and we can discuss the pay and everything else."

After Lin Yu saw that he had given up on the idea, they began to agree with him. He didn't take it to heart, after all, his idea was indeed a bit far-fetched.

"Then thank you both, Mr. and Mrs. Wang." Lin Yu raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"It's nothing! Don't mention it."

"What are you saying...?"

After dealing with Wang Zhonglei and Wang Changtian in Lin Yu, he turned to look at Han Sanping, who had just given him a meaningful look.

"Mr. Han! Shall we go somewhere else?"

Ten minutes later…

"Little Lin, is it okay for me to call you that?" Han Sanping looked at Lin Yu with a serious expression.

Lin Yu nodded.

"Are you really confident? Or is this just a spur-of-the-moment idea that came to you after seeing Zhang Yimou make 'Hero'?"

"Mr. Han! To be honest, I've had this idea for a while now. If you'd like to see the script, I can send it to you tomorrow."

Looking at Lin Yu's serious face, Han Sanping couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

He is an ambitious person, as can be seen from his continuous investment in big-budget films in China in his previous life.

However, he still largely distrusts Lin Yu, but he is unwilling to give up just like that.

"Xiao Lin, if you want to invest, no problem. China Film Group can invest, even full funding is no problem, but I need to see if you can succeed. As you are now, to put it bluntly, you're not qualified yet," Han Sanping said seriously.

"I know." Lin Yu nodded solemnly.

"So I'll first show you and China Film Group that I can not only make movies that domestic audiences like to watch, but also movies that foreign audiences like to watch. But I need distribution channels, I need an opportunity to distribute my films in Hollywood."

"I can give you this opportunity, but I can't give you more funding for filming abroad for the time being, at most twenty million US dollars."

"I don't need money, I just need an opportunity to distribute my film globally, and I will show you a satisfactory result."

Han Sanping: ...