Overnight, the entire global film industry was on the verge of collapse.
The Avengers IP had a countless number of fans, each release earning at least a billion US dollars in box office revenue. The entire global film industry counted on their big earnings, and now it had all turned into a bubble.
But as one wave settled, another rose. Authors of equally anticipated blockbusters like Fast & Furious 10 and Godzilla vs. Ultraman also inexplicably announced they were reclaiming their copyrights.
The dia companies were lambasted one after another, but they were powerless! Although they had collected a sizable amount in liquidated damages, it was almost akin to over-exploiting their brand.
Take Disney for example, their turnover last year was roughly over 60 billion US dollars, and this 10 billion dollars in liquidated damages was, in a sense, pure profit.
However, once this incident ca to light, they had to pull all The Avengers rchandise from their shelves worldwide, and the number of visitors at Disney parks around the globe decreased by nearly half the very next day—the impact of losing the copyright was significant.
If this public relations crisis wasn't resolved, they might have started on a downward spiral from today on!
The wealthy had already taken flights to Huaxia to watch movies, and as for the general populace, they urgently needed an outlet for their emotions.
Abroad, due to so-called human rights and freedom, those fervent fans went crazy, with nurous cinemas even coming under attack, leading to direct economic losses amounting to tens of millions of dollars.
So even declared that if they couldn't get the rights, they'd smash a cinema a day!
Such scenes occurred not just in one country, but almost everywhere across the world except for Huaxia.
And at that mont, the instigator of this event was sitting in a chic sky cafe, enjoying a delightful afternoon tea.
"I thought it was going to cost a lot of money, but with the liquidated damages, it's just 200 billion US dollars," Zhang nglong said, sipping his tea with a smile.
"If Mr. Zhang thinks it's too much money, why not just give
the 200 billion," Wang Ling said in anguish. Although the money was provided by Zhang nglong, it was spent through Wang Ling's hands.
In Wang Ling's view, spending this money was almost no different from burning it. The only difference was that ordinary people would be breaking the law by burning money, while Zhang nglong wouldn't.
"Look at you. Wouldn't it have been nice to enjoy a bit of luxury with those 200 billion?"
"It's fine," Zhang nglong waved his hand dismissively, "I'll have Hong Yi adjust the oil prices tomorrow, and I reckon it will all be recouped in a few days."
"You're ruthless!" Wang Ling couldn't help but give a thumbs up. After all, the oil fields in the Middle East were all owned by his family, weren't they?
"Though I didn't expect cultural export to be so fearso," Zhang nglong couldn't help but click his tongue in amazent, "Even the sasaeng fans and brain-dead fans in Huaxia aren't this extre."
"If they weren't this extre, we wouldn't have been able to carry out our plan," Wang Ling laughed, "Now, only in Huaxia can people watch these movies. Those cinemas have the original reels, but they dare not show them. Don't you just wonder if they are furious?"
"Reminiscing about your own tragic experience when you were rejected?" Zhang nglong teased.
"Exactly," Wang Ling said, "When I was negotiating the screening rights for Three-Body, I was almost giving it away for nothing, and they still called our movies trash and refused to accept them. Can you believe how infuriating that was?"
"It is indeed a sad state of affairs," Zhang nglong said, "Now, those who know a good thing when they see it are fewer and further between. Do you know how much Liu Cixin sold the Three-Body rights for back in the day? Only 100,000! Now, without several tens of millions or even a billion, who would dare to think about it?"
"Hahaha, but now it's not about us begging them," Wang Ling said with a smirk, "Want the screening rights to those movies? Beg
first, and only after pleasing
will I consider the price!"
"See, isn't the call already coming through?" Zhang nglong said, pointing at Wang Ling's phone with a laugh, "Put it on speaker, let
also share the joy."
"Just the person in charge of Huaxia at Venus dia," Wang Ling said with a smile as she answered the phone and then turned on the speaker.
"Hello, this is Wang Ling!"
"Mr. Wang, good afternoon. This is Arriet. We spoke a few days ago, do you rember?" A timid voice ca from the other end.
"Oh, are you the one who said that all our Huaxia's films are trash and even threw my sample disc onto the floor?" Wang Ling began with an air of sarcasm.
He was utterly fearless now!
Venus dia was the largest dia company in the Aricas, having almost integrated more than 70% of the cinemas throughout the continent. Just to get a film into their hands was almost equivalent to reaching thousands of households across the whole Aricas.
The clients eager to collaborate with their cinemas were endless. Perhaps during the off-season, they might have considered screening "Three-Body," but now was the height of the movie release season, and blockbusters were coming out one after another, the entire film industry looking like gods battling it out.
Even for their cinemas at Venus dia, arranging the showtis for those blockbusters was difficult, how could they possibly exhibit a film that was almost expressly prohibited by many nations, with strong cultural influences?
So, when Wang Ling went to talk to them, he was rejected without a second thought, and even had his sample disc swept off the table onto the floor.
But just a few days ago, the loss of the rights to three major films directly cost them a massive loss, with 12 theaters smashed, not to ntion the stock price took a dive.
When Arriet learned that the film rights were now in the hands of Huaxia's Paramount Pictures, he almost broke down. He had just offended them, and now he had to ask for a favor—wasn't this a scene straight out of a social nightmare?
But he had no choice. With the pressure mounting from above, if he couldn't secure the rights, not only was his job at risk, but their company was headed for big trouble. He spent two entire hours psyching himself up before he finally mustered up the courage to call Wang Ling.
"Mr. Wang, there may have been so misunderstandings between us in the past, please allow
to explain my impolite behavior back then."
"Do you take
for a fool?" Wang Ling, always outspoken and confrontational, felt insulted by such a suggestion.
"Mr. Wang, based solely on the 500 million your father gave you, you've made a multiple of that, sothing I truly admire. How could I possibly try to deceive you?"
"Damn, flattery feels good!" Wang Ling mouthed to Zhang nglong.
"Mr. Wang, how about we increase the original price by 10%?"
"10%? Do you think I care about that small amount of money?" Wang Ling said with a sneer, "Do you know how much we spent to buy all the rights? 200 billion US dollars. Do I care about your 10%?"
The figure made Arriet's face turn worse than if he had eaten shit. Are you sick in the head? Even if all the box office earnings for these films were credited to you, at most you'd see an inco of just over a hundred billion.
To make 100 billion, you freaking spent 200 billion dollars, is this sothing Earthlings do?
Arriet was not an idiot to have reached his position; he knew Wang Ling's ultimate goal must be related to "Three-Body."
"Mr. Wang, let's hear your terms. Do you want us to arrange screenings for 'Three-Body' at the sa ti?" Venus gritted its teeth and said, "To be frank, our cultural departnt has issued a clear directive that 'Three-Body' is banned from broadcast in the Aricas, and we are helpless."
"Oh!" All he got back was a cold "Oh."
"Oh?" Arriet, for a mont, didn't know what to say. What did that "oh" an? Was it a yes or a reluctance to sell?
Wang Ling scoffed, "Mr. Arriet, how to make your cultural departnt accept this work, I believe, is not a problem I should be contemplating. At most, I just won't sell. The 200 billion dollars is sothing we can just write off, and even if we were to throw the completed film in the trash, we truly wouldn't care."
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