It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 764 Warner Copyright Auction: When Wall Street Meets Hollywood...

As the 72nd Golden Globe Awards for Film and Television came to an end, the organizers immediately announced that the celebration banquet had officially begun.

At the same time, back home, the film industry, which had been paying close attention to this award ceremony, was completely shocked!
All major media, news websites, movie channels and other platforms are broadcasting related news.

Even the major film, television and entertainment headlines and Weibo hot searches were, without exception, all flooded with the sudden release of the Golden Globe Awards information.

"The 72nd Golden Globe Awards for Film and Television officially ended half an hour ago. Director Chen Fei won the Best Picture Golden Globe Award, Best Director Golden Globe Award, and Best Actor in a Drama Film with his film "The Revenant", successfully achieving three wins out of five nominations!"

No one can ignore the weight of a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Even though Chen Fei has won it no less than three times, this award is still very exciting!
An hour later, officials, associations, major film and television companies in the industry, actors and artists... all responded.

These people either directly published congratulatory articles or went to Chen Fei's Weibo to congratulate him.

Related reports continued to pour out, attracting countless people's attention:

"Beijing Film Academy issued a congratulatory letter and hoped that Chen Fei could win another Oscar, hoping for a fourth consecutive victory, to boost the Chinese film industry."

"The Shanxi Film Academy has put up a banner and published a congratulatory letter on its official website. The number of new students applying has surged again!"

"The Oscar nomination list is about to be announced, and many actors in the industry have appeared in the comment section of Chen Fei's Weibo, congratulating him in advance on winning another Oscar! Climb to greater heights!"

"..."

Compared to the bustling Chinese-language film industry, the atmosphere in Hollywood is even more lively.

At the cocktail party, Chen Fei held the golden Ballon d'Or trophy in his hand and continuously accepted congratulations from many parties, as well as requests for group photos.

The male actors were okay. Most of the time they would just come over to clink glasses, chat for a few minutes and then leave.

But those actresses were more shameless than each other. When taking photos, they wanted to dive into Chen Fei's arms.

And after each contact, Chen Fei always felt that there was suddenly something extra in his pocket.

There is no need to guess, apart from the room card, there will be no other items.

"Fei, congratulations."

Charlize Theron, wearing a pair of high heels, clinked glasses with Chen Fei while constantly showing off her own charm and style.

She had given enough signals. Now all that was needed was for Chen Fei to nod, and the two of them could go out and spend the night together.

Unfortunately, her plan never came true. Chen Fei didn't want to become one of her "stamp collecting" targets.

Maybe many people would be interested in this, but he has no idea in this regard.

In the end, Charlize Theron could only watch Chen Fei leave helplessly and looked away sadly.

Chen Fei did not stay at the cocktail party for too long. After greeting the organizer, he left the scene early and prepared to go to the second celebratory cocktail party.

The venue for the second celebration party was none other than Walt Disney Studios.

When he rushed back to the company, it was already a grand scene with lights and decorations.

"Fei! Congratulations!"

The fireworks tube exploded, and Natasha personally held a bouquet of flowers and handed it to Chen Fei.

Chen Fei looked around at the excited faces and shouted, "Tonight, we won't go home until we're drunk!"

With a loud bang, Walt Disney Studios was suddenly plunged into a joyful atmosphere.

Half an hour later, Fade Chen and Natasha left the hall and returned to the latter's office.

"Fei, this is an invitation to a cocktail party and auction from Warner. It will be held tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to go shopping?"

Warner? Auction?

Fade Chen raised his eyebrows slightly, took the invitation and took a look at it.

There was only one signature on top, which was his own name, and no extra information was written.

"What kind of auction is this? What are they selling?"

"I heard it's the copyrights of scripts, movies, novels, etc. According to Warner, they are doing this to clear out some of their backlog of inventory."

Clearing out inventory?

Chen Fei curled his lips and didn't believe it at all.

Which film and television company would clear out the film and television copyrights that they had obtained with great difficulty? Warner's move must have a deeper meaning.

After playing with it for a while, Fade Chen put away the invitation letter and said, "It just so happens that I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I'll go over and take a look to see what they are doing."

"Do you need me to go with you?"

"Sure, if you have nothing to do, let's go for a walk together."

……

The next morning, as the news had fermented overnight, topics such as Chen Fei, Leonardo DiCaprio, and "The Revenant" had suddenly become the focus of the entire Hollywood.

Since the morning, Chen Fei has been receiving congratulatory calls and text messages from home and abroad, as well as many invitations to cocktail parties.

However, he rejected all of these.

I drank enough last night. If I go again, I will be completely soaked in the wine jar.

The auction started in the afternoon, so Chen Fei simply did not go out the whole morning and just stayed in the villa to sleep in.

After waking up, he first talked on the phone with Liu Yifei for an hour, and then logged into Weibo to check the news in China.

As for the fact that he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director again, all directors, actors, etc. in the domestic film industry could not escape the media interviews.

At this time, many mainland directors have reported online their comments on his successful winning of the award.

"I really want to exchange my 22 billion box office for his Golden Globe Award for Best Director. I don't know if he is willing to do so. I will definitely discuss it with him after he comes back."

"Congratulations... I'm happy for him. The Berlin International Film Festival awards ceremony is coming up soon. I hope I can gain something from it too."

"I'm quite busy with work on Mr. Six, so I'll make it short. Congratulations to him for winning the award..."

"Haha, a long time ago, I was the first director to win a Golden Globe Award. From the perspective of a senior, I still hope that he can continue to be humble. After "The Taoist Goes Down the Mountain" is released, I may try to win another award, this time it will be an Oscar."

"..."

What was beyond Chen Fei's expectation was that in addition to those well-known mainland directors, the Film Association, which had already distanced itself from him a long time ago, also spoke out!

“At the recent Golden Globe Awards, Chen Fei successfully won the Best Director Award for his outstanding directing talent. This achievement is undoubtedly a high recognition of his talent.

As a big family dedicated to promoting the development of the film industry, the Film Association warmly congratulates him on his achievement... We have seen his shining talent and unlimited potential, and sincerely hope that he can "go home" and become a member of the Film Association to contribute to the prosperity of Chinese-language films..."

In addition, major film industry organizations including the Writers Guild, Producers Guild, and Actors Guild have also issued public statements and extended an olive branch of "return" to him who is far away in Hollywood.

"Hey? What's going on? The sun is rising from the west?"

Fade Chen blinked, and was a little confused for a moment.

You know, he is a well-known "thorn" in the mainland film circle. He and those old guys are simply incompatible and have long been at odds with each other.

If it weren't for his strong abilities and the support from his superiors, those old guys would have forced him out of the mainland film and television industry long ago.

Until now, whenever Feiyue Films' scripts and finished films were submitted for review, Chen Fei had to say hello to Tong Gang, otherwise they would definitely not pass the review.

This shows how disgusting these old guys are.

But now they actually came out and did a wave of "welcome home" operations, which is very strange.

When did these old immortals actually lower their proud heads?
Chen Fei felt something was amiss in his heart, but for a moment he couldn't guess what they were thinking.

It is absolutely impossible for them to have a change of heart. These old guys must be planning something bad again!
……

In the afternoon, Fade Chen got into Natasha's car, and they went to the Warner Film Building together.

Since today's auction is not open to the public, the media and reporters who received the news can only take pictures from outside and are not eligible to enter.

When Chen Fei arrived at the venue in a low-key manner, what he saw was the scene where all the members of the Big Six in Hollywood were gathered.

Even well-known independent production companies including Lionsgate, New Line Cinema, Focus Features, and Lakeshore Films had representatives, or the presidents were present in person.

"Fei, Natasha, you are here too!"

Kevin Feige, CEO of Marvel Studios, also came to the scene today. In comparison, the information he received was even more detailed than Natasha's.

After saying hello, the three of them walked to a corner.

Kevin Feige whispered, “According to the news I received, Warner Bros. has placed all its bets on the DC series of movies. Coupled with the continuous losses for several years, the company’s internal capital chain has begun to show holes.

As for today's auction, their main purpose is to sell off the remake rights of old movies and some scripts that have been in stock for a long time to ease the financial pressure."

Betting big on the DC movie series?

Chen Fei curled his lips and almost couldn't help laughing.

Ever since the failure of "Green Lantern" in 2011, Warner Bros. has been constantly making outrageous moves.

Coupled with the huge success of the Marvel series of movies, they are so excited that their eyes are red!
You know, in the North American comics market, DC exists on the same level as Marvel, but now Marvel is developing better and better, and has become an evergreen tree in the Hollywood film market.

But looking at DC, except for Batman, the others are half-dead.

Warner will naturally not sit idly by. After much discussion, it officially launched the "DC Movie Universe Development Plan."

As for today's auction, it is clearly a desperate move.

All funds will be used for DC movies, which is undoubtedly equivalent to a big gamble!
Soon, as people arrived one after another, the staff began to guide the guests to their seats.

As expected, Chen Fei was led to the first row, and on his left and right were the two vice presidents of Universal Pictures and Disney.

Because the two swords were not very familiar with each other, they just said hello briefly and did not have a deep chat.

Almost all of those present here today are competitors, and since there is no media or reporter cameras recording this, people are not very interested in socializing and chatting with each other.

Soon, with the appearance of a Warner Bros. executive, the auction officially kicked off.

The executive’s opening remarks were direct: “After the auction is over, Warner Bros. will conduct a detailed copyright handover with the successful buyer of the copyright.

This includes signing a formal copyright transfer contract, paying copyright fees, and delivering the original materials and related information of the novel. At the same time, Warner Bros. will provide the buyer with necessary support and assistance to ensure the smooth filming and distribution of the film..."

Offstage, Fade Chen whispered, "Hey? Are you preparing a one-stop service support?"

The next second, the Warner executive on the stage pressed the remote control in his hand.

As a large screen slowly unfolded, two huge English words appeared on the screen.

Ben-Hur.

Chen Fei's brows twitched suddenly. This movie is not simple!

On the stage, Warner executives have already begun the introduction: "The film is adapted from Lewis Wallace's religious novel. It debuted on November 1959, 11 and earned 18 million yuan at the box office.

In addition, it won 11 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography, setting a record that has not been surpassed to this day..."

There was a sudden noise from the audience, and many people were staring at the big screen with sharp eyes, obviously very interested.

When this movie was released, it received a lot of praise and achieved outstanding results in both film reviews and word of mouth.

All major film companies were eager to replicate its success and subsequently produced a series of epic films based on religious legends or classical legends.

Such as "Spartacus", "The Hero of All Ages", "King of Kings", "The Fall of the Roman Empire", "Cleopatra" and so on are included in this list.

And now, Warner is actually going to sell the remake rights of this movie. This is a good opportunity!

Natasha, who was sitting in the second row, immediately leaned forward and asked Fade Chen for his opinion: "Should we acquire the rights to remake this movie?"

Chen Fei's mouth twitched, and he was about to persuade her to calm down and not fall into Warner's trap, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a pair of eyes staring at him.

He rolled his eyes and deliberately showed a confident smile on his face: "Don't worry about it, let me do it."

"it is good."

Natasha sat back obediently.

At this time, the Warner executive on the stage had already called out the starting price.

"The starting bid is $100 million, and each increase must not be less than $10. Please note that the time limit for all copyrights is three years. Warner will take back the copyright after the time limit."

According to Hollywood's production speed, three years is enough time for a movie from preparation to release.

For example, Marvel authorized the film and television rights of "Spider-Man" to Sony for a period of 3 years.

This also means that after spending money to purchase the copyright, the film must be released within three years and officially shown in theaters, otherwise the copyright will be purchased in vain.

The Disney vice president was the first to shout, "$130 million!"

Sony followed closely behind: "$150 million."

Universal Pictures tentatively said, "$180 million."

Fade Chen curled his lips, glanced at the side from the corner of his eyes, and slowly said: "250 million US dollars."

As soon as the price was announced, many people in the venue looked over with some consideration and doubt.

Although "Ben-Hur" was very popular in the 19th century, whether it can achieve box office success again in the current context is another matter.

Is it appropriate to spend such a high price to buy the remake rights?

But seeing the confidence on Fade Chen's face, everyone couldn't help but get excited.

A project that Chen Fei is optimistic about might actually be successful!
But the next second, a voice suddenly came from the venue: "I'll bid $350 million!"

In an instant, everyone turned their eyes to the direction where the sound came from, and then saw a "woman" with a man's face but shoulder-length hair, raising her head proudly.

Megan Ellison is enjoying the spotlight.

She scanned the entire audience with a look that said, "I'm the best and I'm so poor that I only have money left," as if she was selecting an opponent.

After everyone made eye contact with her, they all looked away silently.

Investors from Wall Street and Silicon Valley are all like this. When they first enter the market, they always have a condescending attitude, as if they can suppress Hollywood. They are used to it.

Chen Fei also withdrew his gaze and gave Natasha a look, signaling her not to act rashly.

This was just digging a hole, and it had not yet met his expectations.

After paying $350 million, the right to remake Ben-Hur was successfully acquired by Annapurna Pictures, founded by Megan Ellison.

The auction continues.

From time to time, Chen Fei would bid a few times on projects that he was not optimistic about, and without exception, Megan Ellison would jump out to bid with him every time.

An hour later, with the official end of the auction, Chen Fei gained nothing, while Megan Ellison successfully won two copyrights at a very high price.

Under the gaze of the entire audience, she held her head high with pride, like a hen with phoenix feathers, and left the auction site in a high-profile manner.

That afternoon, Annapurna Pictures issued a notice announcing that it had bought two copyrights from Warner Bros. Pictures at an astonishingly high price.

The first of these was the remake rights to the film "Ben-Hur", which was purchased for US$350 million.

The second one was the script "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword", which was bought for US$415 million.

As soon as these two announcements came out, they immediately attracted the attention of the entire Hollywood.

At the same time, Warner was going crazy with joy.

At that time, Warner won the competition with Sony and Universal and bought David Dobkin's script "King Arthur and Lancelot" for US$200 million, preparing to develop a series of magical epic blockbusters based on the legendary story of King Arthur.

But in the end, due to the huge differences between David Dobkin and Warner in terms of shooting concepts and investment scale, the project was suspended for a time and has remained a hot potato to this day.

But no one expected that Megan Ellison would buy this hot potato for $415 million.

Meanwhile, at Walt Disney Studios, Fade Chen was also so happy after reading these two notices that he couldn't stop laughing for a long time.

He really didn't expect that the people on Wall Street were so "naive" when it came to Hollywood, and they happily fell into two traps in a row.

"Interesting, so interesting!"

……

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(End of this chapter)