Chapter 80: Make a Fortune

The film "The Night the Comet Came" became a hit; Wu Yuchen didn’t need to check anything else—he could tell from the attendance rates.

At the Sydney Film Festival, it screened continuously for two weeks; during weekday daytime showings, most films had low attendance, with crowds only pouring in after work in the evening.

But "The Night the Comet Came" maintained over 70% attendance even during weekday daytime screenings—a very high figure indeed!

Moreover, Wu Yuchen spotted several familiar faces among the audience, who clearly had come multiple times, unmistakably die-hard fans of suspense films.

On the fifth day of the screening, distributors had already come knocking.

But they weren’t the big American or British studios Wu Yuchen had hoped for—just a small Australian local distributor offering $50,000 for the global screening rights.

“Hey, Wu, you spent only $10,000 on this—we’re offering five times that and you still think we’re not serious?”

“Mr. Jason, I’m sorry, but I’d prefer to discuss this after the festival ends.”

Though his words were polite, Wu Yuchen’s stance was firm—did they really think they could take him for a fool? Dream on!

Don’t be surprised; many local distributors try to snag bargains—it costs nothing to make an offer, and maybe they’ll get lucky.

Then they don’t even need to handle distribution themselves—they can just resell the rights and make a tidy profit.

“Wu, you know very well that the Sydney Film Festival favors art films, and your 'Coherence' is a sci-fi suspense film—it won’t win over the judges!” The man lingered, trying to shake Wu Yuchen’s confidence.

Wu Yuchen’s expression turned cold: “I think we have nothing more to discuss. Should I call security to show you out?”

Seeing Wu Yuchen’s resolve, the man realized there was no chance left and left without another word, letting out a cold snort.

Jiang Qin had practiced English for months but still couldn’t fully follow their rapid conversation; however, Tang Yu had been translating for her beside her.

She stepped forward, gently taking Wu Yuchen’s hand, and asked with concern: “Is it really as he said?”

Seeing her expression, Wu Yuchen squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled:

“Art films are favored at most festivals, and there are ten Best Film slots—there’s still a chance. Even if we don’t win, it’s just a free trip to Sydney anyway~”

Over the past few days, Tang Yu had also gotten a clear sense of the situation, and with the festival organizers assigning two staff members to help after seeing the buzz around their booth, Wu Yuchen finally had time to take Jiang Qin out sightseeing.

How could anyone come to the Sydney Film Festival without watching great films?

Wu Yuchen and Jiang Qin headed first to the screening of "Shining Glory."

This film was truly a classic; even though he’d seen it in his past life, watching it again moved him deeply.

Wu Yuchen remembered that in Zhou Xingxing’s "The King of Comedy," the protagonist Yin Tianchou had a poster of this very film on his wall.

Jeffrey Rush’s performance was outstanding—he won next year’s Oscar for Best Actor with this Australian film, proving just how powerful it was. He later played Captain Barbossa in "Pirates of the Caribbean."

While Wu Yuchen calmly toured with Jiang Qin, a mild debate was unfolding among several judges.

The Sydney Film Festival’s jury consists of five members, one or two of whom are Australian filmmakers; each year, several of the top ten films are Australian, a form of protection for local cinema.

“I recommend 'Coherence.' Its exploration of human nature is fascinating—I am myself, yet I am not myself; to kill myself, I must pretend to be myself. When people are selfish, they become so ugly they even envy themselves!”

If Wu Yuchen were here, he’d recite the entire classic line from "My Own Swordsman": “Who’s the fool now? And who did I kill?”

But another man spread his hands and said: “But it’s a sci-fi suspense film—it’s not truly artistic.”

A woman wearing glasses countered sharply:

“Come on, Paul, we have ten slots—do you really want to fill them all with your so-called art films?”

The Sydney Film Festival’s official slogan welcomes films of any genre!

Should I read you the festival’s mission statement?

“We hope films are bold and avant-garde, using unconventional methods to express their themes.”

Isn’t 'Coherence's’ satirical take on human nature innovative enough?”

Seeing the man momentarily speechless, another judge chuckled to defuse the tension:

“Paul, we already have 'Shining Glory' this year—art films are already shining brightly. I think we should give other genres a chance. After all, the festival must remain open and inclusive.”

Paul readily conceded: “You’re right—'Shining Glory' is truly excellent! I’ve seen this new director Wu’s short film 'Bus 44'—he’s clearly a very thoughtful young man.”

…

After a week of sightseeing, as the festival neared its closing days, Wu Yuchen stopped taking Jiang Qin out and returned to the booth.

On the afternoon before the closing ceremony, a staff member came over smiling: “Director Wu, please be sure to attend our closing ceremony and awards presentation tomorrow!”

“Thank you!” Wu Yuchen smiled at the news.

Beside him, Tang Yu was already about to cheer—she now knew this meant they were very likely to win an award.

The next day, Wu Yuchen wore a formal suit, but he didn’t make Jiang Qin wear a gown—not because he couldn’t afford it, but because it was still winter in Australia in June, and the temperature was below ten degrees—he didn’t want her to catch cold.

The three of them—Wu Yuchen, Jiang Qin, and Tang Yu—walked the red carpet together; their reception this time was far louder than in Berlin, as word-of-mouth over the past two weeks had turned "Coherence" into one of the festival’s hottest films.

As for the awards ceremony itself, there wasn’t much to say—it simply honored ten Best Films with no ranking or suspense; the atmosphere and tension were far weaker than in Berlin. Each crew came up one by one to collect their award, and finally, all ten representatives posed for a group photo.

Having been through Berlin, Wu Yuchen and Jiang Qin were now calm; Tang Yu, however, was overjoyed—it was her first time witnessing a film win an award.

Wu Yuchen looked at the small Best Film trophy in his hand; he didn’t value it for its own sake, but it was a ladder—the key to entering the radar of American and British distributors.

Many American and British distributors had come to the Sydney Film Festival—perhaps the most in years—all thanks to "Shining Glory."

Since its debut at the festival, savvy buyers had immediately contacted their companies—Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, Buena Vista International—all rushing to secure the U.S. distribution rights.

“Damn it, Buena Vista moved so fast!” Frank cursed as he unbuttoned his collar—he’d flown all the way from the U.S. just to personally assess "Shining Glory."

Two days ago, upon arriving, he’d watched it immediately—it was truly excellent, and biographical films like this were perfect for Oscar campaigns; the Academy’s old guard adored this genre, and with a little maneuvering, it could easily land an Oscar nomination—and even win.

But he was too slow; by the time he tried to negotiate with the producers of "Shining Glory," they were already close to a deal with Buena Vista International. He’d visited several times these past two days and been turned away each time, leaving him frustrated but helpless.

Seeing "Shining Glory" was now out of reach, Frank didn’t want to come home empty-handed and asked his subordinate:

“Daniel, are there any other good films at this festival?”

Daniel thought for a moment: “Boss, there’s a sci-fi suspense film from the East—it’s been a huge hit here, and its concept is truly brilliant!”

This piqued Frank’s interest; Hollywood’s tropes had grown stale over the years: “Tell me more.”

“Parallel worlds, intersecting timelines…” Frank muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming.

In a screening room, "The Night the Comet Came" was playing—but unlike earlier festival showings, the room was nearly empty, with only about ten people seated.

Wu Yuchen glanced at the audience—among them were representatives from Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, and an English film company.

Wu Yuchen hadn’t expected that "Shining Glory" had drawn higher-ups from these companies, inadvertently bringing attention to his own "Coherence"—so much so that they’d rented a separate theater just to screen it again.

When the film ended and the lights came on, none of the distributors reacted.

Frank shrugged: “The first ten minutes are too boring—most audiences wouldn’t make it through.”

The Sony Pictures Classics rep nodded: “Yeah, I thought it was some brilliant idea, but it’s just the same old time-space gimmick—Hollywood’s been doing this for decades.”

“So many East Asian faces—I bet viewers get face-blindness watching this.”

“The visuals are a bit rough—I had to squint to finish it.”

The English company rep stayed silent, watching the two Hollywood reps playact—each taking turns criticizing the film’s flaws, yet neither moved to leave. Ha ha.

Seeing Wu Yuchen approach, the two exchanged glances and realized they couldn’t fool him anymore, so they dropped the act.

Frank smiled: “Alright, I admit the film has some merit.”

The Sony rep said: “Frank, you don’t want us to end up bidding against each other, do you?”

Frank nodded: “For a low-budget Eastern film, we shouldn’t lose face—how about we make a final offer?”

“OK.”

Wu Yuchen walked over, and Frank immediately asked:

“Wu, our time is precious—we leave tomorrow. What’s your price?”

All of them were seasoned pros; if they could guess his bottom line, they’d try to buy the rights cheaper—so none would make the first offer.

Wu Yuchen smiled faintly, his tone casual: “Oh, I’m the opposite—I have plenty of time. I plan to visit every film festival this fall—Toronto, Sitges—I’m sure I’ll find a buyer eventually.”

Wu Yuchen’s cryptic yet firm response made them realize this kid wasn’t easy to fool.

Frank smiled: “Wu, I’m genuinely interested in the film. Directors’ time is precious—you wouldn’t want to waste it traveling, right? $500,000 for North American screening and home video rights.”

Wu Yuchen internally marveled—no wonder these are the big studios; they’re way more generous than that clueless Australian distributor who tried to scam him earlier!

Hearing Frank’s offer, the Sony rep chuckled: “Wow, Frank, I guess I’m even more sincere—I’ll offer $600,000.”

“Really? I suddenly think $650,000 might be better.”

Frank jumped in immediately, tossing his earlier “final offer” out the window—screw appearances!

He’d come for "Shining Glory," but failed—now he didn’t want to return empty-handed. "The Night the Comet Came" had surprised him.

The Sony rep glared at him, then turned to Wu Yuchen: “$750,000. Wu, I hear your short film’s adaptation rights were sold to Sony Pictures Classics—we have credibility and sincerity.”

Wu Yuchen turned to Frank, but Frank didn’t look at him—he looked at Sony and named a number: “$1 million.”

“You!” The Sony rep glared at Frank, the schemer.

Wu Yuchen, meanwhile, stared hopefully at Sony, silently urging them to raise the bid again.

But the Sony rep disappointed him—he didn’t raise his bid, only scowled at Frank:

“This film won’t make any box office in North America!”

“I’m willing to take it—just to fill Fox’s library, isn’t that enough?” Frank said calmly.

The Sony rep ignored him and handed Wu Yuchen a business card: “Wu, if you have any thoughts, feel free to contact me.”

Then he straightened his coat and walked away.

Wu Yuchen smiled and asked Frank:

“Mr. Frank, you’re certain about $1 million?”

“Of course. Are you not satisfied?”

“Oh no, I’m just afraid you might change your mind.”

Wu Yuchen spoke politely, but he didn’t put away the card.

Frank snorted: “I’d never do something so untrustworthy. But $1 million comes with a condition: Fox Searchlight has first refusal on the North American adaptation rights.”

Hearing it was only first refusal, Wu Yuchen nodded readily in agreement.

Frank had his reasons—first, the Sony rep was right: this film would never get wide release in North America, only limited screenings in Chinatowns and Asian communities.

However, "Comet" would earn strong returns in the home video market—not only for its original concept and rewatchable plot, but also because the mere publicity hook of a $10,000 sci-fi film would draw many viewers. He couldn’t predict exact earnings, but this deal would certainly not lose money.

Don’t assume foreigners don’t watch Chinese films or all suffer from face blindness; Hong Kong martial arts films have always sold well on DVD, and in the past two years, Cheng Long’s action movies have been especially hot, with DVD sales and rentals of "Red Fire Zone" once cracking the top ten in North America.

Frank planned to take it back first for a trial run; if the response truly exceeded expectations, he’d secure the adaptation rights outright and remake it as an American version. This film clearly had a low budget and wouldn’t cost much to shoot.

After watching the show, the English distributor’s representative finally smiled and spoke up:

“Director Wu, you don’t need to go to the Sitges Film Festival anymore. Eight hundred thousand dollars for European screening rights and DVD distribution—I believe my offer is fair.”

Compared to America, this English distributor had greater confidence in "The Night the Comet Came."

Because, to some extent, Europe was more accepting of films and wouldn’t overly care whether the lead was white.

In 1996, the concept of parallel timelines intersecting with self-murder in "The Night the Comet Came" was undeniably brilliant; anyone interested in suspense films would be profoundly shaken upon watching it. He was therefore confident the film would earn substantial returns in Europe.

After a brief pause, Wu Yuchen nodded directly—he agreed the price was good, and he truly didn’t want to wait several more months.

Because Yahoo had already gone public in April, he wanted to use his current ability to operate overseas to invest his earnings into Yahoo’s stock; waiting a few more months would only be worse.

For "The Night the Comet Came," he himself had no intention of pursuing further sales, but wasn’t there Tang Yu?

For the fall Sitges Film Festival, he’d have Tang Yu take it again—ideally to win another award. Then, rights in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and even South America could all be sold for profit!

After all terms were settled, the English distributor’s representative smiled at Wu Yuchen:

“Wu, your short film 'Bus 44' and this one, 'Comet,' show you’re a director with strong ideas and an international vision. If you ever get the chance, I suggest you showcase your talent on a bigger stage.”

Frank, hearing this, was also stirred and smiled: “I agree completely, Wu. If you find a suitable script, please come to me—I’m always open. Maybe you’ll get the chance to direct in Hollywood~”

Frank was actually thinking: if "Comet" were truly remade as an American version, this Wu might be a director worth considering.

“Thank you both for your advice—I’ll give it serious thought. If you have time, I’d like to invite you both to dinner tonight.”

Wu Yuchen extended the invitation, hoping to learn more about the current state of European cinema and Hollywood from them. Though he had past-life experience, it could only serve as reference; information from these two men would be far more timely.

“Hahaha, then we won’t be polite!” They exchanged glances and laughed.

…

Wu Yuchen, Jiang Qin, and Tang Yu waited several more days in Sydney, collecting a total of $1.9 million.

One million from North America, eight hundred thousand from Europe, and one hundred thousand from Australia.

Some might think selling for nearly two million dollars was exaggerated, but if they knew that Hong Kong’s Pang Brothers had sold the North American rights for their films "Firestorm" and "The Eye" for $900,000 and $1 million respectively, they wouldn’t find the figure absurd. "Firestorm" was only from 1999—barely a few years ago—and its remake rights were later bought, starring Nicolas Cage.

Adding this $1.9 million to the $300,000 he’d previously saved, he had $2.2 million total. He used $2 million to buy Yahoo stock.

Yahoo went public on April 12 this year at a closing price of $33, but over the past few months it had dropped below $20. Wu Yuchen didn’t know the details of the decline, but remembered Yahoo’s peak market cap had multiplied hundreds of times over its IPO value. He chose to trust Yahoo’s past glory and bought $2 million worth of Yahoo stock at $18.55 per share.

The remaining $200,000 he planned to bring back home—it was more than enough for his needs.

He would never reveal how much he’d earned from selling the rights to "The Night the Comet Came"—otherwise, everyone would be envious. But he planned to give each cast member a red envelope of 6,666 yuan, since he’d truly made a fortune this time.

As for domestic release, he’d ask Beijing Film Studio and Shanghai Film Group whether they’d distribute it; if they wouldn’t, he’d cover the distribution costs himself. He wasn’t after box office profits in China—he simply wanted the crew to be able to watch their own film in a theater, so they’d feel a sense of accomplishment and not think their work had been in vain.

It was already July. Jiang Qin returned to Jingcheng and stayed only two days before saying tearful goodbyes to Wu Yuchen and heading straight back to her hometown—she hadn’t returned for the New Year, and she couldn’t skip summer vacation again.

The first thing Wu Yuchen did upon returning was to gather the "We Two" crew—now they could shoot the summer scenes.

The summer scenes in the film depicted the warm, harmonious days between the two characters; their small, everyday moments radiated mutual care and warmth, like a genuine grandmother and granddaughter.

Zhou Xun and Old Lady Jin Yaqin were now very familiar with each other; filming these scenes was seamless, and they finished in just five days!

The "We Two" crew was thus completed. At the wrap party, Old Lady Jin Yaqin invited Zhou Xun to visit her home often—they had truly formed a deep bond.

Wu Yuchen now turned to post-production: the winter, spring, and autumn footage he’d already shot had been edited; he only needed to insert the summer segment.

As for the score, it was coincidental: in his past life, the score for "We Two" had been composed by Dou Wei. But now, Dou Wei couldn’t play the guqin, and Wu Yuchen couldn’t rely solely on him.

So he went to Zhongyangyinyuexue Academy and found Wu Na, Dou Wei’s guqin teacher; through Wu Na, who had just enrolled, he connected with her master, the renowned guqin master Li Xiangting, and completed the score.

He insisted on using the guqin because its deep, lingering tones were perfectly suited to this film—its sound evoked tradition and the slow passage of time.