After successfully acquiring 10% of Microsoft stock, the time quickly reached the end of October, and the shooting of Home Alone was complete, and the post-production was 90% complete.

The finished film of the whole movie has actually come out, and all that remains is to add some subtitles to the beginning and end of the film, check the timeline of the whole movie, etc., which is actually not in a hurry.

And Xu Zhi also came to Columbia Pictures with the full version of the movie.

"The movie was ok. David Klein said calmly after reading it, as if he had forgotten his almost out of shape laughter before.

It's just a price reduction, of course Xu Zhi understands, and said with a smile: "Then let's talk about the issuance!"

David Klein nodded and said, "Okay, then our company has two methods for the distribution of films:

One is to take a cut only from the box office, but the commission is higher.

The second is that the percentage of commission is low, but all kinds of publicity and distribution expenses are paid by your producer, of course, we will fund first, and then deduct it directly after bringing the box office income to hand.

I wonder which way Mr. Xu would like to go?"

Xu Zhi thought about it and asked, "Can you talk about it carefully." ”

David Klein said: "In the U.S. market, the first case, if only the commission, is 35% of the box office revenue, if the latter case, we have 15% of the box office revenue, and the film's publicity, copying, advertising investment, transportation, management, insurance and other expenses are settled separately!"

"It's really TM black!" was Xu Zhi's first thought.

In the film industry, not only Hollywood, but everywhere the opportunity is the same, that is, the producer pits the investor, the distributor pits the producer, and the theater chain can also pit the distributor if it is stronger, which is determined by the industrial chain and the order of priority.

Whoever gets the money in his hands first is the uncle, and every time he passes it to the back, a layer of skin is gone.

"I choose the first one, and I will get all the commissions directly. Xu Zhi said: "But the proportion of 35% is too high. ”

David Klein said: "This price is not high, Mr. Xu, you have to consider that your company is a new company, there is no fame at all, and you have not made any movies before, which will make the publicity cost higher, you should also be able to understand this!"

Xu Zhi thought for a while and asked, "What about overseas releases?"

David Klein said: "The overseas situation is actually not urgent, under normal circumstances, we wait for the North American box office to come out before making a decision, after all, the release time is completely different, and some can even be a few years short, but I can also tell you first, under normal circumstances, overseas is almost 45% of the commission." ”

"......" Xu Zhi couldn't help but be speechless for a while, the distribution was removed by 45%, and the local selection line was passed again, which left the producer's estimate that even the soup was dry.

David Klein also understood Xu Zhi's thoughts, and said with a smile: "Mr. Xu, under normal circumstances, films that have achieved or even good results in North America rarely go overseas for distribution, because the distribution cost is too high, and even if it is distributed, only some countries will be selected.

The box office in North America and the subsequent peripheral income are actually what most companies value, and overseas income is the exclusive domain of the Big Eight!"

"So that's the case!" Xu Zhi also understood, now is not the Internet era, the movies that have just been released in North America, netizens around the world can know the evaluation and results, in this era, it is estimated that many American film companies have a bunch of rotten films in their warehouses, but there is no way for people overseas to see it, until the rise of online video in the future.

David Klein said with satisfaction: "But if Mr. Xu agrees to hand over the subsequent overseas distribution and videotape distribution to us, or sell us the rights, then we at Columbia Pictures can give a discount." ”

"Do you want the copyright now?" Xu Zhi suddenly understood in his heart, this guy is actually the same as the previous distribution companies, they are more optimistic about the movie "Home Alone", but Paramount, MGM, etc. are too ambitious, either to mention the distribution price, or to buy out the movie directly.

Xu Zhi shook his head and said, "Now let's only discuss the conditions for the release in North America, right?" I think 30% is a reasonable number!"

The total box office of the future generation of Home Alone in North America is as high as 280 million US dollars, and although it is more than ten years early, even if the result is only half, 30% of the distribution share is a big profit.

But this is also a helpless thing, there is no strong distributor, no matter how awesome the movie is, it is estimated that it will have to hit the street, if you want to get enough benefits, you can only try to maximize the benefits first, and the other party's distribution ability is an indispensable part.

"No way. David Klein shook his head and said, "With a new studio, 35% is already a good result." ”

"Mr. Klein, we at Starlight Entertainment are looking for a long-term distribution company. Xu Zhi said with a smile: "At present, our company has an investment plan for new films, if we can cooperate for a long time, it will be the best choice for everyone!"

"New movie? what genre, is it also a comedy?" said David Klein.

Xu Zhi smiled: "Not bad, but the shooting will wait until the box office of the little ghost comes out." As for the plot, this belongs to the secret stage. ”

David Klein nodded, although Hollywood has a complete copyright registration, the information provided at the time of registration and the plot at the time of filming are likely to be completely different, and many of the real plots will be announced at the time of filming.

"I heard that Mr. Xu has other industries, and it seems that he doesn't have to worry about the troubles of funds, which is really the envy of countless production companies!" said David Klein, although the Columbia Pictures company behind him is very large, it has lost money every year over the years, and even their branch in charge of distribution has been seriously affected.

Xu Zhi said with a smile: "Funding for filming has never been a problem, in the future, my expectation for the film company is to be able to make blood on its own, which requires a stable and sincere long-term distribution partner!"

David Klein thought for a while and said, "Well, let's take a step back, and the 35% commission will remain the same, but our company will do its best to promote this movie." ”

Of course, Xu Zhi didn't believe all of this so-called, and asked: "If I give the movie Home Alone to you Columbia Pictures, then how many screens can this movie get on the first day of release?"

The most important data for distribution is actually the premiere screen, and various other advertising investments can be faked, but the number of screens cannot.

David Klein thought for a moment and said, "1,000 screens. ”

Xu Zhi shook his head and said, "At least 1,500, and half of them have to be in the city." ”

The number of screens is important, but the quality is even more important, and the difference between different locations is very different, with ticket prices being expensive in big cities and basically full capacity, and some rural theaters are at the other extreme entirely.

In the same way, the size of the theater is also very important, but this difference is not very big, mainly depends on the economic degree of the surrounding area.

The rest is to bargain, after all, for the distribution company, the more theaters, the greater the advertising investment, and the copy disk is also a lot of investment, although the film is likely to become a dark horse, but Hollywood companies are losing money or even going bankrupt because of mispredictions, and Columbia Pictures is naturally reluctant to invest too much before the release.

After a few days of negotiations, Columbia Pictures had a professional negotiation team, and Xu Zhi was not an opponent, so he brought in several full-time lawyers from Los Angeles to be responsible for negotiations.

After numerous rounds of bargaining, an agreement was finally reached a week later, and the two sides signed a contract for the distribution of the film in North America.

Columbia Distribution invested $5 million to promote the film, premiering 1,250 screens, while also gaining priority for subsequent overseas distribution and videotape distribution.