It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 18: "Copyright" and "huge sum" are both in hand!
"You mean, you want the film and television adaptation rights to a foreign novel called 'Mystic River'?"

Upon receiving Lü Rui's call, Han Sanping unexpectedly came to his door to inquire about the situation.

In the past, he certainly wouldn't have received this treatment.

But it's different now.

A Silver Bear for Best Director made everyone take notice of him!

At the same time, his status in the hearts of Han Sanping, Jiang Wen and others also rose sharply.

Capable people always receive preferential treatment.

Yes, Mystic River.

Lu Rui had just found out the details of the novel on his computer.

This is a novel written by American author Dennis Lehane, which was completed in 2001, last year.

To date, it has been at the top of various bestseller lists for quite some time.

According to Lü Rui's personal speculation, film and television companies should already be eyeing this novel, but he has not found any information about related film and television adaptations.

"Let me inquire about it for you first."

Han Sanping didn't ask any further questions. He took out his phone and started contacting his friends abroad.

His main responsibilities at China Film Group Corporation included liaising with the European and American film industries and buying and selling film copyrights, which gave him extensive connections and networks abroad.

Within ten minutes, the relevant information was relayed back.

"Haha, you're pretty lucky, kid."

"Huh?" Lu Rui looked at him in surprise.

Good luck?

What do you mean?
Han Sanping explained, "The film and television adaptation rights to this novel are currently held by Warner Bros.

Swish!
Lu Rui suddenly stood up, a hint of anticipation in his eyes: "Can we win?"

"Let me try."

Han Sanping did not give any immediate guarantee, but he was very confident.

The Warner Bros. studio manager, Dennis Smith, was extremely interested in Gone Girl.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to sell film and television rights, it shouldn't be difficult to propose purchasing the Chinese-language film adaptation rights to a novel.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Lü Rui quickly thanked him.

"Okay, wait for my news."

After Han Sanping finished speaking, he turned around and quickly left the room.

The film festival awards ceremony is over; now it's time to negotiate prices for film and television rights.

Both the buyer and the seller were excited and eager to make a fortune from this opportunity!
……

That afternoon, Lü Rui bid farewell to Jiang Wen, Feng Yuanzheng, Mei Ting, and others at the hotel entrance.

They would go back to China first to take care of other things, while he himself planned to wait for Han Sanping to finish his work before going back together.

However, while waiting, he didn't wander around aimlessly, but instead stayed behind Han Sanping and studied quietly.

Contacting film companies, bidding from multiple parties, negotiating, haggling, until a deal is reached...

These are all experiences he needs to learn.

Although some of these steps involve confidential company information, Han Sanping did not ask Lü Rui to avoid them.

The development of Chinese cinema needs new talent and new ideas to inject vitality.

Currently, the creative thinking of most older generation directors has become stagnant. Only by introducing fresh blood can the industry be revitalized.

Lü Rui was a rare representative of "new ideas" in Han Sanping's eyes!
Therefore, he spared no effort in sharing his experience and providing guidance, even if it required taking some insignificant risks.

Do you know why those veteran directors are willing to lose money but still continue to make movies?

"why?"

"Because once the film's copyright is sold, the profits are far greater than the box office revenue from domestic theatrical releases! So they don't care about the box office figures at all, they only care about winning awards and selling the copyright!"

Lü Rui understood immediately.

Because there is a clear and intuitive example right in front of us.

The film "Gone Girl," made with an investment of 400 million RMB, not only won him a Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival, but also sold its copyright for a sky-high price!

$450!
Lü Rui truly admired Han Sanping!
In addition to selling the U.S. distribution rights to Warner Bros., he also sold the distribution rights in various European countries to other film studios.

If we look at each transaction individually, each one would be worth roughly several hundred thousand US dollars.

But when you add them all up, it's an astronomical figure!
Based on the current USD/CNY exchange rate, it's approximately... 3700 million RMB!

Simply by selling the copyrights, they made 10 times their investment in profit. That's an incredible windfall!
Based on the initial investment percentage, Lü Rui was entitled to 20%.

That is...

"740 million!? Holy crap!" When this number appeared, he couldn't hold back anymore.

Damn it, before my rebirth, I worked myself to the bone filming a short drama and only earned about a million yuan, and that was in 2025.

But if we go back to 02, he only made a movie, successfully sold the copyright, and received 740 million!
This is absolutely outrageous!

"Haha, don't get too excited, this is just the beginning." Han Sanping patted his shoulder, seemingly to comfort him, but revealing a more fatal temptation, "If you can make a movie like Li An's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' tens of millions of dollars in copyright revenue will not be a problem."

Ten million?

It's still the US dollar!

Lu Rui's eyes narrowed slightly, his heart seemingly churning with turbulent waves!
There is a chance!

He definitely has a chance!

Seeing that he had achieved his goal of motivating others, Han Sanping smiled knowingly, then took another document out of his bag and handed it to Lü Rui.

"Here is the Mystic River you requested."

"You got it?!" Lu Rui exclaimed in surprise as he took the package and began to examine it carefully.

A few minutes later, he was certain that this was the Mystic River he remembered, a book filled with suspense and tension that vividly depicted the intricate details of a murder case!
"Thank you, Chairman Han!"

"Haha, don't be so polite." Han Sanping patted him on the shoulder. "I've specifically applied to the higher-ups, and China Film Group will pay the relevant fees for you first. The rest will be directly included in the film investment, so you won't need to pay in advance."

Lock in your investment share in advance?

Lu Rui raised an eyebrow, not refusing the offer.

Han Sanping values ​​him, but isn't he also eyeing China Film Group?
After all, China Film Group is now a much stronger backer than Beijing Film Academy.

If Han Sanping officially takes over as chairman a few years from now, this backing will undoubtedly be even more solid!
…………

On February 21, the tenth day of the first lunar month, Lü Rui and the China Film Group team successfully returned to the capital.

Upon landing, after completing a routine interview with reporters, he immediately got busy.

First, there's the payment from overseas.

Fortunately, he was cautious and registered the company in advance through an intermediary, using the company's name to participate in the investment of this movie.

If we don't do this, we'll have to pay a huge amount of money in taxes!
However, since the company is currently a shell company, it cannot accept large-scale fund transfers in the short term.

However, these are minor issues; you can simply hire an intermediary to handle them.

It took Lü Rui three days to rent two storefronts near the Beijing Film Academy and set up the company's basic structure.

Although it's called a company, it's actually just a small studio, without even a proper receptionist.

However, the name itself is quite sophisticated and high-class!

[Ruishijie Film & Television Company]

The message is concise and to the point, highlighting his dedication and passion for film and television creation, while also implying his profound vision of exploring new horizons in the film and television industry from a unique personal perspective.

After a series of operations, more than 500 million yuan was successfully deposited into the account.

When the female accountant hired by Lü Ruixin saw the long string of "0"s in the account, she was completely dumbfounded!

If she hadn't already known his identity and that the currently popular movie "Gone Girl" was directed by her own boss and had even won a major award abroad, the female accountant would have been ready to call the police!
Even robbing a bank wouldn't make money this fast!

More than 02 million in 500 was definitely a huge sum of money!
Lu Rui didn't dare tell his parents everything, afraid of scaring them. He only said that he had made a lot of money, giving them some leeway.

He hurriedly returned home for three days, bought a lot of things for his parents, and then went back to Yanjing.

I didn't take the old-fashioned green train this time; I flew the whole way, and even flew first class!
If you have money, what's the point of keeping it? Are you going to play it for a living?
So when he returned to school, he was refreshed and no longer felt the fatigue he had when he took the train to Xiamen.

The only thing that made him lose his composure was that the school had put up banners again!
[Warmest congratulations! Lu Rui, a sophomore in the Directing Department of our school, has won the Silver Bear Award for Best Director for her debut film, "The Vanished Lover"!]

School gate, playground, dormitory buildings, teaching buildings, office buildings...

Everywhere in the public eye, brand new banners have been hung up!

Fortunately, he's not the type to "go crazy" in social situations, otherwise he would have dug out a three-bedroom apartment on the spot!
Back in the dorm, I had just put my luggage down when my advisor, Jiang Wei, called.

"Come to the teaching building quickly, the leader wants to see you."

The last time we were shortlisted for the main competition, it was just a group of leaders from the directing department, along with the vice president and president in charge of the directing department.

But this time, when Lü Rui carried the trophy he had brought back from Berlin, he saw that all the teachers and leaders from the Department of Performing Arts, Department of Photography, Department of Literature, and Department of Fine Arts had come!

The constant chatter of male and female teachers kept echoing in his ears, completely bewildering him.

Finally, he was conscripted by Wang Jinsong, who liked to make slingshots out of rubber bands and use them to break other people's windows, without even realizing it.

"Tomorrow is the final exam for the 02 acting class. Just show up and let them see the talent of this up-and-coming director..."

"Oh, okay..."

Lu Rui agreed to the matter in a daze.

But as soon as he stepped out of the office building, he suddenly came to his senses.

Beijing Film Academy, Class of 02?
Isn't this the star-studded class?!

(End of this chapter)