Chapter 161: You must be good to her!

"2 million US dollars."

"Hehe, how about waiting until the awards are given out? What do you say, Harvey?"

Seeing Lu Kuan dissatisfied, and the plot direction was exactly the same as the last time, Harvey decisively raised the price.

"3 million US dollars, this is the limit of my estimated value for this film; if you are not satisfied, I am also very sorry."

The fat man stood up and made a gesture to leave; this time he was determined never to fall for Lu Kuan's trick again!

Sigh! It's all stuff that's been played out; don't show off here.

"Sit down first."

Boss Lu hesitated: "How about this, take out the *Fahrenheit 9/11* you have in your hand and estimate its value; I'll make up the difference for you."

Harvey's vigilance rose!

"How do you know I have *Fahrenheit 9/11*?"

Lu Kuan looked helpless: "To be honest! I've been paying attention to this film for a while."

"Oh, that's impossible; this film is one I've bet heavily on, how could I let it go easily?"

Boss Lu sneered in his heart; this dog-coin started spouting nonsense again.

*Fahrenheit 9/11* is a documentary by director Moore, which directly fires at the US authorities and the President Bush by exposing the truth of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Harvey bought the distribution rights to the film at the beginning of this year, but at this time Miramax was still a subsidiary of Disney, and he wanted to distribute *Fahrenheit 9/11* and had to get Disney's consent.

Disney's public relations department resolutely rejected his proposal; their spokesperson in the government demanded that no trouble be created for the presidential election.

2004 is the US presidential election year, and Bush will seek re-election on behalf of the Republican Party.

However, as mentioned earlier, in the 2004 Cannes, a genius director risked universal condemnation and awarded the Golden Palm to this documentary with no artistic value.

Even wanting to award the Best Actor to Little Bush almost scared Cannes chairman Jacob to pee.

If he really awarded it to Bush, he might have been on a poker card.

And this genius director is now sitting on the side eating steak, listening to Harvey and Lu Kuan talk about the deal.

And deeply worried about his safety in the coming week...

After *Fahrenheit 9/11* was blessed with the Golden Palm in later life, it quickly became popular, and Disney decided to start distribution.

The global box office was nearly 230 million US dollars!

This didn't count the royalty income of more than 3 million DVDs, which was also a profit of more than 30 million US dollars.

According to the distribution costs and proportions in the US and European regions, this film finally brought Disney a net profit of about 48 million US dollars.

It's a crime not to pick up this leak!

But at this moment, Lu Kuan still had to remain calm and couldn't let Harvey see the clues.

He had to find a reasonable excuse to dispel the Jew's doubts.

Harvey laughed: "Are you like me, identifying with the box office value of this film?"

"No, no, no, its box office value is not worth mentioning; what I fancy is another aspect."

"What do you mean?"

Boss Lu wiped his hands with a napkin.

"You often deal with Chinese filmmakers and know our national conditions."

"This is a film that smears the leaders of competing countries; I have some friends who need it for political speculation."

Harvey stared at Lu Kuan; he wanted to see the truth in the eyes of this cunning Chinese!

What is Lu Kuan's purpose?

It's just that he couldn't find a flaw in this reason for a while.

After a while, the Jew pondered and responded: "I spent 9 million US dollars when I bought *Fahrenheit 9/11*; you have to let me earn some at least."

This dog thing, there isn't a single true word in his mouth.

The real purchase price of Harvey was exposed as 6 million in later life, which was recorded in the book *Hollywood Economic Insider* by Hollywood reporter and writer Epstein.

This Epstein is a writer, not the one who does Lolita Island.

The Jew An Lushan's mouth opened and closed and it rose by 50%.

"Then forget it; I said it was speculation, and the cost and return are not proportional at all."

"Let's continue to talk about the cost of *Shoplifters*."

Harvey's face was a bit unhappy, but he still didn't let go of a trace of Lu Kuan's facial expression fluctuations.

"How about the 3 million I just said?"

"Not how!"

Lu Kuan's expression was arrogant: "Harvey, you are also an insider; Quentin is my friend, so I'll just say it straight."

"I went to see Lu Lu Kebei and Laurent of MK2 this morning; you should be clear about their relationship with Cannes."

"And the chairman of this session, Patrick, is a friend of Laurent, and my compatriot Jiang Wen is also one of the judges!"

"I have a very high certainty of winning the Golden Palm!"

Harvey was dumbfounded and couldn't help but believe it; Lu Kuan said it too detailed and too confidently!

"If you don't believe it, we can make a bet; if I win the Golden Palm, 6 million at one price; if I don't win, I'll sell it to you cheaply for 1 million!"

"Dare you bet?"

The Jew was dumbfounded: "This..."

Suddenly a ringtone, Lu Kuan glanced at his phone; it was Lu Lu Kebei!

Good assist!

The privacy of the high-end restaurant's private room was very strong; he turned on the speakerphone and took the initiative.

"Hello Mr. Lu Lu Kebei, I think there is still room for discussion about the proposal from you and Mr. Laurent of MK2 just now!"

"I don't know how much certainty Mr. Laurent has in guaranteeing that I win the Golden Palm?"

Lu Lu Kebei on the other end of the phone was stunned.

Is this a fool?

Just a moment ago, he was still righteous, how could he go back on his word in less than half an hour?

He had previously set a trap with Laurent; if he could bluff Lu Kuan into handing over the copyright, they would divide the proceeds.

Is there a play again?

"Hmm... Lu, of course, please believe in the reputation of such a senior filmmaker; you have to know that Patricia is his old friend for decades."

"Laurent has a lot of influence on him!"

Harvey in front of him was stunned!

How are you as dirty as me?

Boss Lu felt that the conversation should end here; the shock to Harvey was enough.

"Good, let's talk later."

Boss Lu slapped his phone on the dining table and looked at the Jewish fat man opposite him.

"Harvey, what do you say?"

"He... are they buying European copyright from you?"

"That's right, I have already sold the European copyright to them at a low price; in return, they want to help me lobby the Cannes jury."

"Just like you lobby the Oscars, you should be the clearest yourself!"

The Jewish An Lushan laughed!

Bright cards are good! Bright cards, he will just open the price; you Lu Kuan aren't you wanting *Fahrenheit 9/11*? Let's talk about it clearly!

"Lu, we have dealt a few times; I offer 4 million US dollars for *Shoplifters*, and I want 10 million for *Fahrenheit 9/11*!"

Not waiting for Lu Kuan to refute, he continued: "You have to know, even I can't ensure who will definitely win the Oscar!"

"Their guarantee isn't 100%, I can't directly open a higher price for you, you have to understand!"

Boss Lu was heartbroken: "Harvey, is this how you treat your Chinese friends?"

"You offer 4 million for *Shoplifters*, then I also want to bargain for *Fahrenheit 9/11*, 9.5 million! Let you earn 500,000, is that okay!?"

Harvey was secretly happy in his heart.

Fool, I actually only spent 6 million US dollars.

He pretended to hesitate for a long time and asked to go out to make a phone call.

He wanted to make a final attempt.

"Hello, Eisner, I'm in Cannes; I think *Fahrenheit 9/11* has great potential; please discuss it with the board of directors again and allow me to do global distribution!"

On the other end of the phone was the current Disney CEO Michael Eisner.

"I have rejected you for the eleventh time for the same words, Mr. Weinstein; if you are stubborn again, I will consider whether Disney needs to hold your Miramax shares."

A blind tone came from the phone; Harvey was furious, the son is not worth conspiring with!

He quickly adjusted his expression and turned back into the room.

"I just discussed it with Mr. Eisner of Disney."

"Although very reluctant, I have to agree to your transaction request."

He pretended to regret and sighed: "Lu, *Fahrenheit 9/11* is yours."

Please be good to her!

Originally thought it was going to be smashed in his hand, didn't expect this Lu Kuan to be so easy to cheat this time, easily recovering the cost, and earning an extra 3.5 million US dollars!

"Okay, if I fail in this speculation, I hope Mr. Harvey can give me more concessions in the next transaction."

"Just like I made concessions to you this time."

"Of course, we Jews are always full of gratitude to friends!"

Harvey agreed repeatedly, his joy overflowing.

Boss Lu walked out of the restaurant with ecstasy in his heart and got into a taxi.

"Hahahahahaha!"

The driver turned his head and looked at the crazy Asian; he wouldn't be pulling a lunatic, right?

Paying a price of several million US dollars to get *Fahrenheit 9/11* with a net profit of 50 million US dollars in the future.

The main funds for entering Golden Harvest were considered to have been gathered by 80% or 90%.

He called Emil and asked him to initiate a transaction offer to Miramax through the US company.

Lu Lu Kebei on that side couldn't hold back anymore; knowing that the possibility of this *Shoplifters* winning an award was very high, there was no reason not to intercept it in advance.

Anyway, MK2 and Lu Kuan had already fallen out.

"Lu, are you interested in attending the party I organized tonight?"

"Tom Cruise and his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, Brody, and other Hollywood stars will all be present."

"You can bring your female companion; I believe she will reward you with a happy night."

Cannes is the film festival with the strongest commercial atmosphere among the three major European festivals.

This is not only reflected in the complexity of the trading market, but also in countless producers, directors, and commercial sponsors gathering and partying frequently during this half month, looking for opportunities to reach cooperation.

Lu Lu Kebei, as a French native, also has a strong appeal; this is his regular program.

Moreover, besides the guests he invited, other minor celebrities or reporters who want to get in have to buy tickets, generally around 2,000 to 5,000 Euros.

After a film festival, just relying on collecting party tickets can earn hundreds of thousands of euros.

This is the wealth-making ability of this director who has evolved into a businessman.

"It's an honor, Mr. Lu Lu Kebei."

Boss Lu readily agreed, preparing to take Fan Bingbing to rub some heat.

He also had his own purpose: to find partners for the next science fiction film.

If you want to rub, rub the top level.

Fan Bingbing went to Paris to attend the LV special show in later life; at that time, her status could only be in the second row, but she ran to the first row before the opening to take a photo with Sister Gong Li, and arranged for reporters and media to do some promotion.

Then soft articles with titles like *Fan Fan Bingbing Appears at LV Show in Cheongsam, Competing with Sister Gong Li* were released together.

Audiences who didn't know the situation looked and thought these two were of the same status.

She is a natural entertainment circle player, very good at borrowing momentum; as long as you give her a platform, she can play with flowers.

Fan Bingbing is so good at rubbing, can her entertainment circle mentor Boss Lu not be?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 162 =====