Chapter 67: Global Blockbuster

After this episode of Art Life aired, the response was indeed huge.

Lion Camel Ridge's daily box office, which had been gradually slipping, surprisingly made a strong rebound on the first weekend after it aired.

But an even bigger reaction appeared online.

Since there were so many posts about Lion Camel Ridge during this period, forums like Maopu and Tianya opened dedicated sections for netizens to discuss.

What these netizens talked about most was wanting to see Jiang Heng's original draft version, immediately fantasizing a genre that Chinese‑language movies have never had before: a mythic horror film.

In today's spoken‑language film market, genuine horror movies definitely cannot be made.

In short, after the founding of the nation, becoming a spirit is forbidden.

But Journey to the West is a classic; just follow the original description to make a "Dark Journey to the West", it would surely be bloody and thrilling, and definitely attract a huge audience.

These netizens brainstormed all over the forum, and some even suggested pooling money together for Jiang Heng, asking Director Jiang to shoot one!

Then a self‑proclaimed netizen who said they were just off the plane in the United States said: according to people at their company, the production cost of Lion Camel Ridge is at least 100 million dollars, and even gathering 1.8 million wouldn't cover Director Jiang's salary, so everyone gave up!

Another netizen asked if anyone knew Jiang Heng's plans for his next film; he's already watched Lion Camel Ridge three times, loves it so much, and really hopes to see something similar.

As a result, a bunch of netizens left comments reporting how many times they'd rewatched it.

One netizen who claimed to be a girl was the most extreme, saying she had watched it seven times, each time with a different guy, and each time still found it exciting—truly never gets boring after a hundred watches!

That instantly broke the netizens' defenses, asking if she meant "hundred watches" in the literal sense.

Are the male companions enough, and is it still possible to sign up now?

A netizen said it's definitely fake; the other side must be a foot‑picking big guy.

Then the girl posted a photo, her face hidden but her figure great, which got this group of LSPs excited, and they all left comments offering to treat her to a meal.

……

While Lion Camel Ridge continues to create miracles in Neidi, it also broke box‑office records in Xianggang, Treasure Island, Japan, Korea, and various Southeast Asian countries.

After all, these places belong to the Confucian cultural sphere, and Journey to the West themes have been popular for a long time.

For example, in Xianggang, as early as the 1960s, Shaw Studios filmed a Journey to the West series, namely Journey to the West, Princess Iron Fan, Silk Web Cave, and Daughter Country, with quite a broad scope.

TVB later produced Journey to the West and Heaven and Earth Struggle: Handsome Monkey King, achieving solid ratings and earning TVB hundreds of millions in advertising revenue.

Japan also released a version of Journey to the West in '78; only three episodes aired domestically before it was banned, the visuals were extremely eye‑gnawing, and the plot insulted the original work.

The worst part is that Korea produced a Korean version of Journey to the West in 2017; the plot was a mess, unbearable to watch, yet its ratings were high.

Thus, Journey to the West themes have an extremely broad and deep mass base in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

Once Lion Camel Ridge was released, it quickly sparked a viewing frenzy.

In Thailand, it completely displaced contemporary Haolaiwu films from the schedule.

In Korea, the number of viewers set a historic high and sparked widespread discussion.

The hottest topic naturally was the nationality issue; a history professor claimed that the Flower‑Fruit Mountain of the Eastern Victory Divine Land in Journey to the West should be located on Jeju Island in Korea, so from that perspective, Sun Wukong should be considered a Korean mythological figure.

Yet a Chinese director made such a good movie; that's just wrong—we should also produce Journey to the West films!

Secondly, about special effects: how could a relatively backward country like China produce a film with such great effects? It can't be using our effects!

And in Japan, it instantly sparked a Journey to the West craze; not only did Lion Camel Ridge's box office soar, but the original novel's sales also surged.

Even the sales of the Dragon Ball comics increased a lot.

However, European audiences didn't show that much fervor.

To most people, it's a visually stunning "level‑up monster‑hunting" feel‑good film, with the protagonist facing opponents whose strength rises from low to high. Powered by a golden "BUFF", the hero claims all the kills.

Even though the cultural depth of the film isn't deeply felt, Lion Camel Ridge's visual effects outclass past Haolaiwu blockbusters, and its box‑office results are quite pleasing.

In Beimei, several Hollywood studios, faced with Lion Camel Ridge's global hot‑selling box‑office numbers, could no longer sit still.

Even knowing Jiang Heng had previously cooperated with Columbia Company, they still came to negotiate, hoping to secure the North American distribution rights for Lion Camel Ridge.

Jiang Heng leans more toward Columbia Company, but if others add money, he can't resist the temptation.

Fortunately, Columbia Company's female CEO Ai Mei‑Pa Si Ka Er has decent resolve, added leverage, guaranteed the number of theaters showing Lion Camel Ridge in the summer, and ultimately both parties signed an agency distribution contract.

"Director Jiang, trust me, choosing Columbia will be your wisest choice!"

"I hope, that's the case!"

"Then I have a proposal: the South American distribution rights, sell them to us outright, how about it?"

Seeing Jiang Heng hesitate, Pa Si Ka Er quickly quoted a price; Jiang Heng thought it was about right and agreed.

People really can't get all the money into their own hands.

With over two hundred countries and regions worldwide, being able to sell the film halfway is already impressive.

For example, in the Middle East, because of religious issues, it's generally hard to sell the film there.

Also in parts of Africa and South America, lacking the proper network channels makes the business difficult.

After signing another supplemental agreement, Pa Si Ka Er's smile couldn't be hidden, and she said, "Director Jiang, trust me, this film will achieve solid US and global box‑office, you'll become a famous global director, interested in co‑producing a film together?"

Jiang Heng smiled, "What ideas do you have?"

Pa Si Ka Er replied, "My ideas aren't important; yours are! Whatever you want to film, you film it, tell us how much funding you need, we provide it, and if you want the film's creative control, we can discuss!"

Jiang Heng heard this and felt a slight stir of interest.

He now has three films: Lion Camel Ridge is pure Mandarin, while The Matrix and One Hundred Million Years Prehistoric are Hollywood‑type films localized.

But in his heart, there are still some Hollywood‑type movies he wants to make, which involve many U. S. locations and actors; collaborating with a Hollywood studio would make filming much easier.

"It's not that we can't cooperate, but I have a flaw when making movies: I must control the whole process, otherwise I can't produce a good work!"

Pa Si Ka Er laughed, "Fine, fine, everything's negotiable!"

(End of Chapter)