A Triumphant Return

Chapter 85 A Triumphant Return (First Update)

Venice, Lido Island.

He Yi'an stood by the window of his hotel room, holding his phone in his hand, the screen displaying a series of exclamation marks.

He stared at the screen for a few seconds, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.

This girl's flustered look must be quite amusing.

Just as I was about to reply, my phone vibrated again.

This time it's my mom's number.

"mom."

"Anwa, when are you planning to come back?" Xu Wan's voice was quick and energetic. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Box office!" Xu Wan's tone was full of excitement. "Guess how much it was yesterday?"

"How many?"

"One million five hundred thousand!" Xu Wan practically shouted. "Two hundred thousand more than Sunday! And today's a workday, yet it didn't plummet!"

He Yi'an was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

This is an unexpected bonus; it seems the negative publicity surrounding it is still effective.

"Li Xiaoping just called me," Xu Wan's voice continued through the receiver, "They said that at this rate, breaking ten million in box office revenue this week is no problem. Your dad also said he wants to extend the screenings."

"An additional screening?" He Yi'an raised an eyebrow. This wasn't something they could just add on a whim. "Did the theaters agree?"

"It's agreed. Your father personally oversaw it, and President Han agreed. So it was China Film Group that pushed for it, saying it was in response to the call to support excellent domestic films."

Xu Wan paused, then exclaimed with a mixture of amazement and admiration, "Anwa, you've really made us proud this time."

"Mom, hey, hey, don't get agitated, keep it down. There will be many more things like this in the future!"

"Hmph, look how capable you are~"

Although she was very satisfied with her son, Xu Wan wouldn't easily change her mind.

"There's one more thing," Xu Wan changed the subject, "Yan Danchen seems to be on the verge of becoming famous as well. Her single works quite well with the movie."

"Father's Prose Poems?"

"Yes. This song is playing everywhere right now, matching the final scene of the movie. Yan Danchen has done several commercial performances in the past few days, and every show is sold out. Several brands have also approached her, wanting her to be their spokesperson."

What brand?

"One is cosmetics, one is clothing, and one is a beverage," Xu Wan said. "The prices aren't low; the cosmetics alone cost 300,000 yuan a year."

He Yi'an thought for a moment and said, "Mom, you can accept commercial performances, but not too many. After all, people need to earn some money. What she needs now is to maintain her popularity, not let it fade away."

"I know."

"As for endorsements," He Yi paused, "let's not rush it. Once 'Full House' airs, her premium will be even higher."

Signing now would actually be a loss for us.

Xu Wan was silent for a moment: "You certainly think ahead."

"You can't do this if you don't think about the long term," He Yi'an said. "Mom, please keep an eye on her for me, make sure she doesn't get scammed."

.

"She's only just started to gain some fame, so there are bound to be a lot of people trying to ride her coattails."

"Don't worry, your mom has worked in the factory for so many years, I can handle this." Xu Wan paused, "By the way, shouldn't you have finalized things regarding 'Chinese Paladin'?"

"How's the filming of 'Full House' going?"

"The filming schedule has been accelerated. Liu Guonan said that at this pace, filming will be completed in a month at most," Xu Wan said. "So I asked Ma Ming's team to start preparing for 'Chinese Paladin'. Scene design and costume design are underway."

"What about the visual effects company?"

"The people you arranged to go to South Korea for training have already gone. The company there agreed to cooperate, but the cost is not low."

"Fee is not a problem," He Yi'an said. "Let them learn properly and bring the skills back with them."

"From now on, we can't rely on others for our own special effects company."

Xu Wan responded and then asked, "What about the actors? Who are you planning to cast for 'Chinese Paladin'? Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Mom, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"You're not going to use newcomers again, are you?" Xu Wan's tone was tinged with suspicion. "The audience for this kind of drama adapted from a game is already not large. Using newcomers again would be too risky."

"Mom, don't you believe me?"

Xu Wan was silent for a few seconds, then sighed: "You always say the same thing!"

"Then don't ask," He Yi'an smiled. "You'll find out when the time comes."

"Okay, okay, I won't ask." Xu Wan paused, then asked, "When are you coming back?"

"tomorrow."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

""

He Yi'an had just hung up the phone.

"Knock knock knock".

A knock came at the door.

He walked over and opened the door. Han Sanping and Yu Feihong were standing in the doorway, both with smiles on their faces.

"Xiao An, are you all packed?" Han Sanping asked.

"It's all packed up." He Yi'an stepped aside. "Uncle Han, senior, please come in and sit down."

"I'm not sitting here." Han Sanping waved his hand. "The film distributors are all here, they're just waiting for you."

He Yi'an nodded: "Then let's go."

"Xiao An," Han Sanping said as they walked, "do you have a clear understanding of the implications of this copyright sale?"

"Uncle Han, you're an expert in this area, I'll listen to you." To be honest, He Yi'an really didn't have much experience; he had only heard others boast about it when he read novels in his previous life.

Han Sanping chuckled: "You little rascal, you know how to talk."

"I'm telling the truth," He Yi'an said earnestly. "I'm good at making movies, but I'm really bad at selling them. I trust you to take the helm, Uncle Han."

Han Sanping glanced at him and nodded: "Okay, then I'll help you with the selection."

Yu Feihong had been following them the whole way, not intending to speak, but hearing how much they trusted each other, he couldn't help but interject, "Brother An, you really trust President Han."

"Of course," He Yi'an said with a smile. "Uncle Han is my elder; if I don't trust him, who else should I trust?"

Han Sanping laughed heartily: "You little rascal, you've always had a sweet tongue and know how to flatter people."

The three chatted and laughed as they quickly arrived at the place they had arranged to meet with the film distributors.

This area serves as a temporary copyright trading zone, where film distributors from all over the world move about, carrying various documents and sample films.

Han Sanping led He Yi'an into a conference room, where seven or eight people were already seated.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Han Sanping said in English, "this is He Yi'an, the director of 'Fireworks in the Human World'."

It's only been a few days since the news of He Yi'an's award broke, and everyone is still very familiar with him.

"Hello everyone," He Yi'an said in English. "Thank you for coming. Next, Mr. Han will discuss the specific copyright matters with you."

After he finished speaking, he walked to a corner and sat down.

Yu Feihong sat down next to him and said in a low voice, "You certainly know how to slack off."

"This isn't laziness; it's knowing who to rely on at the right time," He Yi'an said with a smile. "Uncle Han is a hundred times better than me in this regard, why would I want to cause trouble?"

Yu Feihong rolled his eyes and didn't say anything more.

The negotiations went very smoothly.

Having worked in the industry for so many years, Han Sanping is very familiar with the market for various copyright transactions.

With "Fireworks in the Human World" having just won Best Director and Best Screenplay at Venice, it was generating a lot of buzz, so the film distributors didn't try to lower the price too much.

Art films rely on this time to make money.

The French MK2 was the first to finalize a contract, with the French distribution rights being bought out for $500,000.

After signing the papers, Juliette Binoche smiled and said to He Yi'an, "Ale, I hope we can work together again in the future."

"Definitely." He Yi'an shook hands with her.

Next up was Tobis Pictures from Germany, with $400,000.

Then came Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, and Sartre —

In just over an hour, contracts were signed with major markets in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Although each contract was relatively small, the total amount still exceeded three million US dollars.

The last one left is North America.

"There's some trouble in North America," Han Sanping said to He Yi'an in a low voice.

"What's wrong?"

"They weren't very interested in art films, and their offers weren't high. One company offered 200,000, but I didn't agree."

He Yi'an thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Han, there's no rush in North America. I have other plans here."

Han Sanping glanced at him, didn't ask any further questions, and nodded.

"That's all for today." Han Sanping stood up and said to the film distributors present, "Thank you all for your support. I hope our film will be very successful in your markets."

The film distributors stood up and shook hands with Han Sanping and He Yi'an to say goodbye.

After everyone had left, Yu Feihong approached and asked curiously, "Brother An, what are your plans in North America?"

He Yi'an smiled and said, "Senior, have you forgotten? The film we shot in Venice was prepared for the North American market."

Yu Feihong paused for a moment, then realized: "You mean 'The True Story of the Ghostly Shadows'?"

He Yi'an nodded: "If that film succeeds and we establish connections in North America, we can then tie it in with 'Fireworks in the Human World'."

The price will be different.

Yu Feihong looked at him with a complicated expression.

He Yi'an always seems to think three steps ahead before taking a single step, calculating every step meticulously.

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