Chapter 511

Fang Hong spoke with forceful conviction, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

For this matter to be settled, Yan Zi must apologize for what she did in the past, for those she stepped on, and for the Principal.

In the past, how many people raged in indignation—yet received no apology, only obfuscation and vague self-exoneration that hurt countless feelings.

Since he started it, he must see it through; if no one held him accountable before, then he will be the one to do it.

He is no great moralist, but if he claims moral high ground, he must act on it; if he exploited those emotionally invested netizens, he must give them an answer.

Otherwise, why did they charge into battle for you?

"Little Fang, you're asking too much of them," said Zhang Ju.

How could they possibly apologize? That would be too much of a loss of face. For example, would you apologize to the ants and dogs in your eyes?

To those people, the general public is no different from ants and dogs.

"Zhang Ju, I've done so much—surely you don't think a single word, a single threat from them would make me back down? Is it really that simple?" Fang Hong retorted.

"I understand you, but don't overreact—think of yourself too. Let's make the big thing small and the small thing vanish. I can mediate, get you both to sit down and talk it out, and that'll be enough. What do you say?" Zhang Ju suggested, out of goodwill.

He mainly feared the promising Yutu being harmed and ruined by them—that would truly be a loss not worth the gain.

"No. Yan Zi must publish a public apology to the people and apologize to Song Wen. Whether she apologizes to me doesn't matter—I have no grudge against her." Fang Hong spoke selflessly, though he had just demanded her apology.

Of course he knew Zhang Ju meant well, but some actions must be answered for—they cannot simply be buried.

"Alright, I understand," said Zhang Ju, seeing Fang Hong was determined, so he hung up the phone.

He was only supposed to relay messages and facilitate communication between both sides; since communication failed, that was that.

This matter has little to do with the film industry—it only affects the broader entertainment circle.

As for justice and evil, it depends on how you interpret and view the issue; if anyone insists on personal attacks or illegal methods, then they are the evil ones.

This is unacceptable and intolerable—neither Alibaba nor Yan Zi are in Beijing, nor are they key enterprises.

This struggle, if seen small, is just you blackening me and me blackening you; if seen large, it's a battle for influence within the circle. Everyone has seen the Principal's strength.

Everyone is also watching how this develops—if Fang Hong continues to pursue Yan Zi relentlessly, her only outcome will be to leave the industry.

But Yan Zi's behind-the-scenes network is no pushover!

After hanging up, Zhang Ju also conveyed the Principal's condition to certain people: that she must come out and apologize.

The news quickly reached Jack Ma and Yan Zi.

"General Manager Jack, if we don't use extreme measures, the Principal won't let me off this time," Yan Zi said mournfully.

She had repeatedly asked others to hint that the matter should end—she thought it was over, but the Principal kept relentlessly chasing her.

Jack Ma's short frame sat slumped in his executive chair; though small in stature, his faint yet unmistakable aura and confidence were clearly felt.

His gaze seemed distant, as if lost in thought—he hadn't expected the Principal to be this rigid, this difficult to deal with; he had to reassess this man entirely.

His previous evaluation of this person must be completely overturned!

"Use the pretext of deliberately spreading rumors and defaming your personal reputation to bring him here. Once he's here, he won't be able to resist." Jack Ma offered advice.

"Is that feasible?" Yan Zi asked in surprise.

She had wanted to do this before, but Fan Luyuan said it wouldn't work because one was in the south and the other in the north.

"First gather evidence for this. I'll handle the rest."

Though this was extremely difficult for Fan Luyuan due to his low rank, for someone like Jack Ma, it was an entirely different matter.

Once the Principal leaves Beijing and comes here, we can charge him—he won't be able to escape.

Yan Zi's expression turned serious as she nodded solemnly.

The Principal can't touch him in Beijing, but once he steps outside Beijing into our territory, he won't be able to resist.

Fang Hong didn't know how this would develop or how his opponent would counter him.

All he could do was strengthen his own strength—only strength was his most solid guarantee. The animation film Big Hero 6 had now been completed.

This animation film took over four years and countless efforts; after viewing it, Universal's General Manager Donna was very satisfied.

The production was meticulous and refined, matching global audiences' expectations for animation films.

This animation film could be called an animated superhero epic, filled with cute moments and humor, each scene stirring the audience's emotions.

Thus, produced by Yutu and distributed by Universal, Big Hero 6 premiered simultaneously on October 24 in 3,761 theaters across North America and in 59 countries worldwide.

Publicly, it was promoted as a joint project between Chinese and American companies; otherwise, political factors would arise.

According to the New York Daily News: "Big Hero 6 earned $15.83 million on its opening day in North America, reaching $56.2 million over the weekend, ultimately claiming the North American box office crown."

RenTrak's senior box office analyst Galabedian pointed out: "Never underestimate the power of family-friendly animation. If you take your whole family to see a movie and promote it together, you'll understand why Big Hero 6 won the weekend box office crown."

Internationally, Big Hero 6 achieved a miraculous 38% box office increase in Japan, with total earnings now at $34.6 million.

Thanks to its outstanding reputation, it became the highest-grossing animated film in Japanese cinema history by cumulative three-week box office.

It also set the second-highest box office record in South Korea and Russia, and achieved the number-one animated film record of all time in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian regions.

Big Hero 6 also performed strongly in Australia, with audiences in Italy, Spain, Latin America, and Brazil praising the animated adventure comedy.

This animation film has sparked a global wave of cinema attendance, unstoppable in momentum, with box office figures climbing steadily.

The Washington Post reported: "This is a movie that looks incredibly fun. Its appeal lies not just in the action scenes, but in the inner emotions of its central character."

Rolling Stone reviewed: "Big Hero 6 is the biggest surprise among 2014 animated films—packed with a ton of gags, the robot's charm reaches its peak. Too bad it was made in China, though I hear the producer is American."

Fang Hong didn't know Stone Spear's nationality, nor did he care—as long as she completed her task.

Now, Stone Spear was in the animation office area. She climbed onto a desk and clapped her hands loudly—"*clap clap*"—to get everyone's attention.

"Good news just received: Big Hero 6 has broken $175 million in the International Market, and with North America, global box office exceeds $240 million," Stone Spear exclaimed joyfully.

"Clap-clap-clap!"

Hearing this, over a thousand employees in the animation department burst into applause, some exchanging glances filled with joy.

Others embraced each other, expressions of relief—finally, the hard work had paid off.

None of them were wrong, not a single one, not a single hair, not a single content, not a single one, in 6-9, book-bar, look!

For over four years, during which they fought alone like orphans, with other departments and companies turning a blind eye to them, as if they had been abandoned — only the Principal stayed by their side without ever leaving.

What they didn't know was that if they failed, the Principal would have cut them loose.

But they succeeded, winning on their very first outing.

"There's more news — Big Hero 6 will also be released domestically, but that's not the most important part. What matters is that the merchandise for 'Baymax' that we produced has exploded in sales worldwide."

Having said this, Shi Zhimao "whooshed" the documents in his hand into the air.

Infected by his mood, many of the staff grew excited and tossed the papers in their hands up into the air. For a moment, white sheets fluttered everywhere across the entire office — what a lively scene.

Some hugged and jumped, some laughed out loud, some cheered, as if infused with boundless energy.

Animated film merchandise is what really makes money — take Marvel's annual merchandise revenue, for instance, which exceeds ten billion US dollars.

Not only were the staff of the Animation Department on this floor overjoyed, but the staff on other floors were in the same state.

Mainly because at this moment their pressure had been released; they were no longer wound up tight as before.

There was no helping it — if they kept failing to produce anything, the Principal was under pressure, and they were under pressure too. But now their pressure was gone.

As long as animation could make money, they could relax, and Jade Rabbit could climb another step.

Fang Hong also received a call from Donna, who was congratulating him: "OMG, Fang, your animated film is just blowing up, you know that? Toy manufacturers from all over the world are coming to us asking for Big Hero 6 licensing — the phones are ringing off the hook, hahaha."

She was very happy, and burst out laughing after she finished speaking.

Those manufacturers making merchandise — plush toys, accessories, models, clothing, cards, games, you name it — all came to them seeking licensing, handing them money.

Setting everything else aside, just that "Baymax" character alone went viral overseas, becoming a trending topic on every major global internet media outlet.

Toy manufacturers from around the world swarmed in, secured the licensing, and were already producing merchandise. Once they had the license, putting it on shelves for sale was only a matter of minutes.

"Then congratulations, you're going to make a fortune," Fang Hong said with a smile.

"It's not me making a fortune — it's us making a fortune together." Donna was very excited now, speaking with great solemnity, clearly having already regarded Fang Hong as her closest partner.

She hadn't expected that this person not only made films well, but also produced animation well, and in a way that suited the tastes of their global audience.

"You make a very good point — let's make a fortune together." Fang Hong was also smiling; after all, money was being made.

"By the way, is your film entering the Oscars?" Donna asked.

"How would it enter? At best it could only get a Best Foreign Language Film nomination!" Fang Hong said.

Essentially this animated film was still a domestic production; it had merely borrowed Universal's global channels and hung their nameplate, that's all.

"Best Foreign Language Film is still good, isn't it? If you take it home, it brings glory to your face, doesn't it?" Donna said.

"What you say does sound reasonable." Fang Hong was a little tempted — something no one else had ever won, if he won it, wouldn't his status be elevated without limit?

"You decide for yourself. If you enter, I can help mediate on your behalf — there's still a chance." Donna didn't quite dare to give a guarantee.

If mediation alone could win it, then the Oscars would be far too cheap; it was only that the chance of winning was a bit greater, that's all.

"Does it cost money?" Fang Hong's meaning was: if it costs money, he wouldn't enter; if it didn't cost money, he could consider it.

"You really are the type who won't get up early without profit — no money. Consider it a gift from me. Of course, if you don't win it, you can't blame me either," Donna said.

"Fine, then help me handle it. Best if we can get it; if we can't, it doesn't matter." Fang Hong agreed.

If he could get it, it would also give him something to show to his colleagues in the Animation Department, boosting morale — not to mention that the very first animated film they produced had won an Oscar.

Anyone who had taken part in making this animated film would feel honored to share in the glory.

(End of chapter)