Chapter 783: Who Said You Can't Laugh at a Hundred Steps with Fifty?

The news brought by Darren Wilson made Lu Yanhe's blood boil with excitement.

He even felt somewhat impatient to meet with the people from Soren.

However, Soren's appearance also surprised Lu Yanhe quite a bit.

After all, the landscape of Hollywood film studios had not changed for a long time.

Giants monopolized the market, internal reshuffling occurred, but the brands were still those same brands.

What kind of group is Hengzhao Mountain Group?

What capital lies behind it?

Lu Yanhe contacted Chen Ziyan and told her about the news Darren Wilson had brought.

Chen Ziyan said: "Hengzhao Mountain? I know, it is an old capital firm in Europe. Its fame is not very high, but the math brand you endorse is under its umbrella."

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

Chen Ziyan: "Soren was established not long ago, less than a year. It is normal that you don't know. Actually, Soren has not made any moves up to now; everyone is waiting for their first move."

Lu Yanhe: "Then it seems Darren Wilson bumped right into their crosshairs with two scripts."

"You could say that," Chen Ziyan said. "Soren is indeed at the time when it most needs to recruit creators. You are one of the biggest signatures right now. If they can cooperate with you, it will instantly make Soren's name known, and the image projected to the outside world will also be better."

Lu Yanhe: "So, does that mean I can completely open my mouth wide and ask for more?"

"It depends on how wide you want to open it," Chen Ziyan said. "Opening your mouth appropriately is certainly no problem, but if they feel you are difficult to deal with and hard to cooperate with, it will still have some impact on future long-term cooperation."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said: "I know this. They want to cooperate with me on two more projects within the next six years; actually, they just want to bind me deeply to them. Although even adding these two projects makes only four projects, given my output, it shouldn't completely force me to be bound only to them for the coming years—"

Lu Yanhe paused, "but since they want to do so many projects, whether using me to open the mountain or to break into the market, I should be able to bring a few people along with me, right?"

Chen Ziyan asked: "Who do you want to bring along?"

"Those who cooperate closely with Linghe and Shihuo, who have ideas about making a name for themselves overseas but haven't gained much fame yet," Lu Yanhe said. "If there are heavy-weight, good roles, they can be used to gild Yuqian Jie, Jiang Yue, and others; ordinary roles can also give some new faces a chance to show their faces, isn't that right?"

Chen Ziyan said: "I don't think it is necessary, Yan He. At this time, unless there is truly an actor deeply bound to you with shared interests, you can bring them along; otherwise, whether to bring them or not, if the roles are ordinary, showing your face won't produce any flowers. This is not an era where you can just take a stroll in Hollywood and return to dominate the country."

Lu Yanhe said: "What if it is an important supporting role?"

Chen Ziyan said: "If it is a good role, they absolutely will not simply bundle it to you with conditions and chips. Hollywood does not play that game. Unless it is a script you wrote, and you tell them in the capacity of a creator that only that specific actor can play it, with the achievements your past works have gained, how much will they believe?"

Lu Yanhe: "So it has no meaning at all?"

"To say it has no meaning is certainly not true, but I feel we shouldn't spend effort on these scraps," Chen Ziyan said. "This is a strategic cooperation; I would rather you use them to distribute your other films as a replacement condition."

Lu Yanhe was stunned.

Chen Ziyan's words directly woke him up.

Distribution!

This is exactly what Linghe lacks most right now.

Global distribution!

Up to now, Linghe's films have basically followed the route of "blooming everywhere."

In different countries and regions, they have distributors and distribution partners they cooperate with frequently.

For an art film like "Raise the Red Lantern," this is certainly sufficient, and it is also the most suitable distribution method.

But for a family entertainment comedy like "Home Alone," it must rely on the global distribution network of Hollywood film companies; otherwise, for the same film, if a different company distributes it, the global box office could be cut in half directly, or even more.

Chen Ziyan's reminder was very correct.

Lu Yanhe realized this and immediately said: "Ziyan Jie, why don't you and Chen Yin and the others hold a meeting, hurry up, and come over together? I estimate that after Darren communicates with Soren, they will arrange a meeting with me immediately."

Chen Ziyan: "OK, understood. I will go meet Chen Yin first."

With Chen Ziyan and Chen Yin and the others as a solid backing, Lu Yanhe also breathed a sigh of relief regarding his various "immaturities" in business.

Indeed, everyone has their own shortcomings; it must be a team effort, with people around you.

The premiere of "The Mist 2" was held very grandly.

Lu Yanhe met with the other key creatives and chatted enthusiastically.

Afterwards, the red carpet, watching the premiere together with media friends.

Lu Yanhe felt it was because he had just left the Piccolo Film Festival.

In the past period, he had concentrated on watching a large number of art films; now suddenly seeing a thriller film where the pacing and story completely served sensory stimulation was very satisfying.

Strictly speaking, the style of "The Mist 2" had a few more degrees of decay and gloom compared to the first one.

However, the second part also gave Lu Yanhe greater room for performance.

The segment where he came out downstairs produced a very magical effect—

Everyone knew who was about to appear, but this sense of expectation combined with the thriller and horror atmosphere created by the film made the audience feel a subtle, not-quite-fearful tension.

It was a feeling of knowing what would happen, yet still feeling somewhat tense.

Lu Yanhe found that "The Mist 2" was much better than he had expected.

He didn't know if this was his own filter.

Of course, he felt this was also because his expectations for this film were initially quite low.

But, similarly, he also saw a problem this film might encounter—

The thriller and horror parts in the second part decreased far too much compared to the first part.

Can it still become a favorite among thriller enthusiasts?

For this genre, losing the support of the "genre," what kind of impact it will have on the box office is hard to estimate.

Actually, D19 did not say its expectation for "The Mist 2" was to reach the box office results of "The Mist 1."

The production cost of "The Mist 2" plus the promotion and distribution costs totaled only thirty million US dollars. According to a rough estimate, actually reaching ninety million US dollars in global theatrical box office would achieve profitability, not to mention other copyright derivative revenues.

The box office of sequel films is often difficult to be higher than the previous work. Many times, why, knowing this point, can the production cost of a sequel still be higher than the previous work? It is because even if it is higher and the box office drops, there is still profit to be made—

For production companies, sequels earn more steadily, with less risk.

After the premiere of "The Mist 2" ended, Lu Yanhe did not have time to communicate with others.

Because after the premiere, d19 had arranged several interviews for Lu Yanhe.

Not only magazines and TV stations, but also a podcast with millions of fans and a self-media account run by a horror film enthusiast blogger.

Lu Yanhe went nonstop, completing all kinds of promotional work, and only had time in the evening to check the first wave of reviews.

As he had expected, Rotten Tomatoes had it at 72%, which was decent for a thriller film, but true horror-thriller fans actually rated the movie very poorly, even saying that after *Home Alone*, it had become a "pseudo-thriller" that tried to "play with everyone."

This was a very serious criticism.

However, Lu Yanhe really couldn't say anything.

Because he felt they made a very good point.

But even with reviews like these, Lu Yanhe felt it shouldn't affect the box office.

Because *The Mist 2* itself was complete as a film; even with fewer thriller elements, it was still a very good story.

You could tell from the Rotten Tomatoes score.

Even box-office forecasting agencies were still projecting a North America gross of $100 million.

If it could really hit $100 million in North America, that would be great.

That would make it the first film where Lu Yanhe truly served as the lead and crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office.

The first time, he only became the "lead" thanks to the studio's marketing—in reality, the leads of that film were those three teenagers, and he was the main villain. It was just that as filming went on, the production went down a one-way path of pushing Lu Yanhe.

Darren Wilson also said: "*The Mist 2* breaking $100 million in North America would be best for you right now. Sigh, it's just that your works are coming out too frequently. If you could have one film a year like *The Mist 2*, or *Hurricane 2*, or *Home Alone*, that would be enough to keep you solidly in the A-list for several years. But you released them all in one year."

Lu Yanhe said: "It's fine. My works come out fast, but I also shoot a lot. I'm not afraid of releasing them."

Darren Wilson said: "I'm worried that *The Mist 2*'s box office will fall too far short of the first one, and shake Hollywood's confidence in you. This isn't *Hurricane 2*—this is *The Mist 2*, the first film where you're truly the lead, and the first one did so well at the box office."

Lu Yanhe said: "There's no point worrying at a time like this. Just work hard on promotion and try to push the box office a little higher. Isn't the forecasting agency's number still looking pretty good right now?"

"The forecasting agency's number isn't all that reliable either—there's still many days before release," Darren Wilson said. "The good thing is that audience reviews are still quite good, which gives a lot of theaters confidence. Of course, with the predecessor out there, this film will definitely get a decent result no matter what."

The film promotion and distribution work d19 did for *The Mist 2* was basically Hollywood's usual "old three tricks"—nothing particularly different or creative in terms of promotion.

If this were back in China, this kind of promotional model would definitely be considered substandard.

But that was just how they did things, and Lu Yanhe couldn't jump out and say, "What you're doing now is wrong, it's pointless, you need to be more creative."

In the end, what kind of box-office result *The Mist 2* could achieve would only be known on the day of release.

Before *The Mist 2* went to the United Kingdom for its premiere, the *Friends* cast arrived, gathering in New York to tape a talk show together to promote the sitcom airing on Maxine. The moment they met, Yin Xincheng said with a smile: "Our *Friends* days really are getting better—during the show's promo period we even fly to the United States to do a talk show."

Wen Minglan also said with a smile: "How does it keep getting more popular every season?"

Lu Yanhe once again trotted out the line he had said countless times.

"This is the charm of sitcoms."

Sitcoms only ever end because the leads don't want to keep acting, or because the leads' salaries become too high to sustain. The original *Friends*, *The Big Bang Theory*—every single one ended for these reasons.

Wen Minglan said: "I feel like once this series ends, I can just retire."

Lu Yanhe: "With Ziyan jie around, don't even dream about that. How would she ever let you retire? After raising you all these years, she needs you to support her in her retirement."

Wen Minglan: "Isn't it enough that you support her in retirement? Does she still need me?"

Lu Yanhe: "Wow, I finally understand how real-life siblings end up becoming enemies."

Wen Minglan burst out laughing.

Zhan Yun: "It's fine, Minglan. If you don't want to, just tell Ziyan jie—as long as she's willing to take me along, I'll support her in her retirement from now on."

Wen Minglan: "Wow, I treat you like a sister, and you want to steal my rice bowl!"

Zhan Yun: "If you're holding a golden rice bowl, you can't blame others for eyeing it."

"Wow, you actually admitted it!" Wen Minglan stared at Zhan Yun. "That's too much!"

Everyone chatted and laughed.

Whenever this group got together, everything they said was lively and bustling.

And when they walked together down the streets of New York, at first only a few people noticed them, but then one by one, people began to look shocked.

Mainly because a group of Chinese faces together was eye-catching no matter what.

Someone started pointing at them and exclaiming: "Oh my god, *Friends*!"

People began raising their phones to film them.

Then, people started talking to them.

"Are you filming something?"

Lu Yanhe and the others had just had a meal together and were taking a walk down the street.

After all, aside from Lu Yanhe's face being recognized by some people, the others weren't so famous on the streets of the United States that they couldn't go out normally.

And they had clearly underestimated the impact of their whole group appearing together.

Some people started asking for autographs, some asked for photos, and some excitedly told them how much they loved *Friends*.

Lu Yanhe and the others had bodyguards and assistants with them.

At this point, it became chaotic.

Each side looked after their own.

They couldn't just stop people outright, but they also had to prevent any possible dangerous incidents.

This scene happened so suddenly, and spread so fast, that they didn't even have time to slip away before they realized things had gotten out of hand.

After the incident, the few of them exchanged glances and quickly reached a consensus.

This was the first time *Friends* had encountered a situation like this, and it was on a street in a foreign land.

The fact that they could be this popular meant anyone could imagine the impact once this was reported as news.

So, without needing to discuss it, at that moment they all radiated strong star power—an image that was very approachable, cheerful, and consistent with the characters in *Friends*—satisfying the fans' needs.

They only "reluctantly" said goodbye to the gathered fans when their car arrived and, under the escort of bodyguards and assistants, they got in.

The footage of the *Friends* cast being frantically chased on the streets of New York went viral on social media, just as everyone had imagined.

"Friends" was originally a series that grew its viewer base and fanbase quarter by quarter through its ongoing broadcasts.

It was one thing that this massive fanbase had no outlet to show its presence in daily life, but suddenly this "news event" emerged, and this group of people truly came to the surface.

Previously, the popularity of "Friends" was reflected in Maxine's internal viewership numbers and streaming data, as well as in some "mentions" within media and commentary circles, but this was the first time a related topic had gone viral on social media on such a massive scale.

Mainly because the scene on the streets of New York was too exaggerated.

People spread to people, people gathered people, and eventually nearly two or three hundred people had assembled on-site, making some photos look terrifyingly like a "zombie siege."

This scene seemed like the most powerful proof that "Friends" was very popular.

This unexpected traffic surge brought about by the viral social media topic made Maxine so happy she couldn't close her mouth.

"Friends" topped the daily viewership chart for the first time.

The talk show Maxine arranged for them temporarily modified the script, asking them to respond during the program to how they viewed their own popularity in the United States.

With the broadcast of this program, "Friends" welcomed another wave of heat and traffic.

"Friends" instantly became a series widely discussed on social platforms.

In a broad sense, suddenly many people realized, hmm?

Is this the sitcom scripted by Lu Yanhe?

Did he also act in a role within it?

Often, for people who do not truly care about the entertainment industry, their understanding of a celebrity is not actually that comprehensive.

And when such information is strung together, it can form an unbelievable hot topic—

Lu Yanhe is actually the screenwriter of "Friends"!

And for Chinese audiences and fans, everyone would generate a doubt—

Can this become a hot topic discussed on foreign networks?!

The so-called information gap.

This North American promotional tour for "Friends" could be said to have been full of harvest.

And before they left New York, Yin Xincheng and the others all held up posters for "The Mist 2," took a photo, and promoted the movie on their own social platforms.

If only one person did this, it would actually not stir up much of a splash.

But the key lies in the fact that once, at some point, it is linked with the six main actors of "Friends," the show's fans will be unable to resist paying attention.

The five main actors of "Friends" supporting Lu Yanhe's movie and posting photos with the movie poster on their social platforms became news; not only did it become news, but it also made the fans of "Friends" particularly moved—

Because of the relationship with this series, the show's fans sincerely hoped that these main actors could, just like the characters in the show, love each other and help each other.

This allowed them to feel more immersed.

At the same time, such a supportive behavior could also better encourage the fans of "Friends" to truly walk into movie theaters, simply because of supporting the protagonists of "Friends," to watch "The Mist 2."

This was reflected in the advance ticket sales for "The Mist 2" in several countries.

After this news about "Friends" came out, the advance ticket sales skyrocketed.

After Lu Yanhe ran through several locations with the "The Mist 2" crew, once New Year's Day passed, he ended his promotional tour for "The Mist 2" and returned to the "Godless" crew to complete the final stage of his filming.

On the day "The Mist 2" was released in North America, Lu Yanhe once again promoted the movie on his own social platform.

At the filming site of "Godless," everyone was saying they hoped to have time to go to the cinema to watch the movie before "The Mist 2" finished its theatrical run.

Lu Yanhe said: "I will treat everyone to the movie."

He directly paid out of his own pocket, took out 10,000 US dollars in cash, handed it to the crew's coordinator, and gave everyone a sum of cash, under the name "Lu Yanhe treats the entire 'Godless' crew to watch 'The Mist 2'."

Lu Yanhe was one of the important supporting roles in the movie "Godless" and also one of the core selling points of "Godless"; even if "The Mist 2" was not a Green Valley project, Green Valley would only hope more for "The Mist 2" to achieve good box office results, creating a good prospect for "Godless."

Holding the same mindset that this could also serve as promotion for the movie "Godless," Green Valley operated on the matter of Lu Yanhe directly giving cash to the crew to treat everyone to "The Mist 2" and promoted it.

And that night, the male lead of "Godless," Ivan Patterson, posted on his own social platform a photo of himself with his movie ticket, and a selfie of himself in front of the "The Mist 2" poster at the cinema, saying: This movie was too good; Lu's performance should simply be nominated for this year's Academy Awards! He is a god!

The exaggeration habitual to Westerners—especially Americans.

But Americans eat this kind of thing up.

Lu Yanhe was also very surprised; seeing Ivan's post, he asked: You went to watch the movie so late?

Ivan said: Of course! This is a movie you starred in; I must support it!

Lu Yanhe: Thank you, friend.

Ivan: Will you act in "The Mist 3"?

Lu Yanhe: I have no plans for that at the moment.

Ivan: I quite liked 2; although when I left the cinema, several people were muttering that it wasn't as scary as the first one, but fortunately it wasn't that scary.

Lu Yanhe: Your courage is that small?

Only after saying this sentence did Lu Yanhe remember that his own courage wasn't that great either.

But, it doesn't matter, let it be like this.

Who said fifty steps cannot laugh at a hundred steps? (End of this chapter)