Chapter 57: The Whole World Awaits

Xiang Huaqiang was completely duped by Xu Laoguo the monster and actually believed that their movie "Legend of Shu Mountain" could hold its own against "Lion Camel Ridge"!

He couldn't discern that Jiang Heng was being modest, and he nodded slightly, saying, "Hong Kong films are hard to make now, we must be even more united and not fight a civil war!"

Jiang Heng heard this and didn't know how to respond, just smiled and stayed silent.

Xiang Huaqiang suddenly said, "By the way, how's the post‑production going?"

Jiang Heng replied, "It's basically almost wrapped up; after the New Year we'll re‑edit and add the score, and then we can prepare for release!"

This time, Jiang Heng is planning to make a big move.

The first gimmick is a worldwide simultaneous release!

In fact, achieving that is extremely difficult, but it's all hype for promotion.

Jiang Heng plans to release it in Neidi, Xianggang, Treasure Island, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, and then pick one or two European countries for a simultaneous opening.

As for Beimei, still the world's largest film market, he'll set the release date based on the competition from other blockbusters at the same time.

One can't, just for the sake of a global release gimmick, go head‑to‑head with the top‑ten box‑office hits of the year… Wait, if we actually choose the same slot, the number of theaters showing it can't be guaranteed, making competition impossible.

The second change is an advanced preview promotion!

It will be held in several cities nationwide, inviting media, industry friends, critics and ordinary fans to watch, generating word‑of‑mouth.

With these two gimmicks and the film's ultra‑strong special effects, we believe it can challenge Titanic's domestic box‑office record.

Of course, Titanic's 360 million RMB gross is a mountain too high for countless domestic movies to climb.

The combination of spectacular effects and a romance is already very powerful.

The worst part is that nowadays everyone thinks the grass is greener abroad; surpassing Titanic is just too hard!

Xiang Huaqiang, unaware of Jiang Heng's true goal, has always treated "Lion Camel Ridge" as a rival; this visit is a test to see whether Jiang Heng really plans to lock in a May 1 release.

"He says the time is fast, there's a lot to do after the New Year!"

Jiang Heng chuckled, "Isn't that right!"

Xiang Huaqiang added, "By the way, my wife just adopted a goddaughter; next time I'll bring her over for you to meet! You're all young, you can mingle more!"

Jiang Heng waved his hand, "Never mind, let's talk after the film releases. A 50 million‑dollar investment puts a lot of pressure on me!"

Xiang Huaqiang listened and felt rather uneasy.

He has always regarded "Lion Camel Ridge" as a competitor to "Legend of Shu Mountain", but in terms of investment, Lion Camel Ridge is over 50 million dollars while Legend of Shu Mountain is only about 10 million—completely different scales!

Recalling the earlier conversation, there was a hint of awkwardness.

"Both have pressure, both have pressure!"

In the blink of an eye, the release day of "Man's True Colors" arrived; Neidi's opening‑day box office topped five million, a decent start.

During the festive season with decent word‑of‑mouth and no other blockbusters, it earned at least forty‑to‑fifty million.

In Xianggang, it made just over two million; reaching twenty million would be difficult.

For Xianggang citizens, they've seen far too many similar films.

The biggest novelty is that the two handsome leads Wu Yanzu and Xie Tingfeng star together, plus the stunning villain Wu Jing.

The originally slated male lead Hong Tianming was completely ignored by audiences and media.

Hong Jinbao was extremely disappointed, yet helpless.

The son simply has no selling point.

Unlike when he debuted, that line "the most agile chubby guy in all of Xianggang" alone sparked audience curiosity!

After the New Year, "Man's True Colors" finally grossed over 54 million in Neidi and over 17 million in Xianggang; plus overseas licensing revenue, Jiang Heng made a modest profit.

The key point is that, aside from providing funding, the script and storyboard, everything else was handled by others.

No wonder the rich prefer to invest and lend rather than get their hands dirty!

In late February, Jiang Heng made another trip abroad; upon returning he claimed post‑production was finished, sparking huge curiosity among industry insiders.

Han Sanping couldn't help it, eager to see what a 50‑million‑dollar film looks like.

He called and asked if he could take a look!

Jiang Heng laughed, "Of course, we'll add your name to the crew list as Editing Director!"

Han Sanping, unfazed, smiled and went to Outstanding Rising Film Company, where in the company's small screening room he watched "Lion Camel Ridge".

After the screening, Han Sanping remained in a state of shock; the stunning images still seemed to linger before his eyes, and the soul‑piercing lines still echoed in his ears.

"Your film is incredibly bold; didn't you think about the mainland's censorship or the fallout of a flop in Beimei? Fifty million dollars, huh?" Han Sanping said with a look of anguish.

Jiang Heng smiled, "We still have you, so please, Grandmaster Han, save us!"

Han Sanping looked embarrassed and kept sighing; although the final cut now differed greatly from the script he first read, the film's theme remained consistent.

Initially, because of these concerns and the pending reform of the Beijing Film Academy, he turned down the collaboration.

But now, how could he bear to see such a good film cut into a mess!

He thought and said, "You, you, why suffer! Ah, never mind, pull down my old face, I'll plead on your behalf! Whether it succeeds or not, I can't guarantee you!"

Jiang Heng quickly bowed, "I'm immensely grateful for those words!"

Han Sanping asked, "Have the distributors all been contacted?"

Jiang Heng said, "They've been in touch with me before, but we haven't set a screening time yet!"

Han Sanping replied, "It's fine for revenue‑sharing deals, but for outright purchases, they can't be sold cheap!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "Of course, with the visual effects fully upgraded, they can't be sold at a low price!"

Han Sanping, like a kindly elder, gave many instructions before leaving.

A few days later, he called and asked Jiang Heng to take the film for censorship review.

The final feedback still required cuts, but only a few insignificant shots; after minor tweaks it passed the review and secured the "Dragon" certification.

Meanwhile, a group of distributors came knocking, ready to buy the distribution rights for "Lion Camel Ridge".

Jiang Heng organized a small screening, and indeed left the distributors stunned.

Moreover, European film distributors wondered, with fifty million US dollars, one could produce such awesome special effects; could it be that the blockbusters over at Haolaiwu are all taking kickbacks?

Because the film's effects were outstanding, the outright purchase price for Lion Camel Ridge in Treasure Island, Korea, and Southeast Asia all broke previous records; in Japan, they even first adopted a profit‑sharing distribution model.

In Neidi, they also launched the film's promotional activities, and at the same time the media released news that an advance screening would be held.

Well damn, the first advance‑screening cinema in Jingcheng instantly flooded with over a thousand viewers, and the entrance even had a long queue—all people hoping to snag an advance‑screening ticket.

(End of chapter)