This time in Cannes, Ronan was not as lucky as last year, although he also recorded the names of several films at the festival's trade fair, but there were no real hits.

So, he took the time to contact Monica Bellucci, and under her introduction, met Gaspar No, the director of "Irrevocable".

But things didn't go as smoothly as they thought.

"$3 million in North America. Gaspar Noe offered a somewhat exaggerated price: "I sold all the North American rights to the film to Embassy Pictures at one time. ”

Ronan simply suspected that he had heard it wrong, such a film, selling for $3 million?

"$300,000. Ronan cut nine tenths of the way.

Gaspar Nou has the style of a European director: "We don't need to talk about it anymore. ”

Hearing this, Ronan didn't force it, and left directly.

Although I can't help but be a little disappointed, the film deal pays attention to your love and my willingness, and I can't help it.

Perhaps after the news of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" spread, Gaspar Noe had the illusion that "Irrevocable" was valuable.

The project was not completed, Ronan made a phone call at noon, asked people to make an appointment with the filmmakers in Port City, and after lunch, he met his colleagues in Port City in the café where he checked in.

Previously, at the trade fair of the film festival, Ronan saw a film called "Shaolin Football".

"Ronan, this is Stephen Chow, a famous movie star, director and producer in Hong Kong City. Gabriel, the director of the French office of Embassy Pictures, introduced the two parties: "Mr. Zhou, this is Ronan Anderson, the owner of Embassy Pictures and its Relativity Entertainment Group, and the operation of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in North America is the work of Mr. Anderson. ”

"Hello, long admiration of the daimyo. Stephen Chow took the initiative to extend his right hand.

As a native of Hong Kong City, Stephen Chow's English is not very good, but he can also guarantee daily communication.

Ronan shook his hand and looked at him for a moment, the man was thin and serious-looking, and at first glance he looked like a very stereotypical person, not a comedy star he had seen countless times in his previous life.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zhou. Ronan said with a smile.

Zhou Xingxing's films were one of the most important entertainment activities of his youth in his previous life, and the video hall at that time, except for some indescribable tertiary films in Hong Kong City, Zhou Xingxing's films should be one of the most popular.

Of course, the most popular Minato City actor at that time was Jin Jiang - Thor - Aquaman - Santa Claus - Xu.

With Ronan's current state of mind, these are all nostalgia for his former youth, and of course it will not affect business talks.

After a simple greeting, Ronan said directly: "Mr. Zhou, I watched the "Shaolin Football" you filmed the day before yesterday, it is a very interesting film, I want to ask, is the North American copyright still in your hands?"

Stephen Chow immediately thought of Ang Lee and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", but unlike European directors, he is a very realistic person, although he plays some absurd roles.

"The North American copyright is still there. Stephen Chow said.

Ronan said: "Embassy Pictures wants to buy out the North American rights to your film. ”

This was not what Stephen Chow had expected, he had thought of it before he came.

Stephen Chow asked, "I don't know how much Mr. Anderson is bidding?"

He didn't ask for much, as long as it was enough to have one-third or even one-quarter of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

"$200,000. Ronan said.

Stephen Zhou immediately frowned: "The price is too low." ”

Ronan said simply: ""Shaolin Football" basically has no market in North American theaters, North America is originally a football desert, the biggest selling point of this film is the elements of kung fu and football, which may be very popular in the East, but it is not friendly to American audiences, and Mr. Zhou's comedy, English translation of lines is very difficult. ”

There are too many nonsensical lines, and the taste changes completely after translating into English.

Stephen Chow was a little disappointed: "Can't get into North American theaters?"

Ronan didn't say anything: "Even if it is in theaters, that is, in places where Chinese people gather in Los Angeles and New York, there will be more than ten or twenty theaters." Mr. Zhou, I want to buy your film, mainly because there is a part of the audience in the video tape market. ”

"$200,000 is too little. Stephen Chow was clearly not satisfied: "Mr. Anderson's last Chinese-language film cost $8 million. ”

Ronan smiled: "There's no comparison between movies and movies. ”

When it comes to the revenue capacity of their respective films in the Eastern market, Ang Lee is far behind Stephen Chow.

But in North America, the two are in opposite positions.

Ronan said simply: "$200,000, all the copyrights of "Shaolin Football" in North America. He took out his personal business card and handed it to Stephen Zhou: "If Mr. Zhou is willing to do this business, you can contact me at any time." ”

Stephen Chow put away his business card and left.

Ronan didn't force it, because what he said before was the truth, "Shaolin Football" went to North America, that is, in the offline rental market, there is still a group of audiences.

It is impossible that because the other party is Zhou Xingxing, Ronan will give millions of dollars stupidly.

That's really head water.

Taking 10,000 steps back, in his previous life, he did owe Zhou Xingxing's movie tickets because of many factors such as video halls and piracy, but since "Shaolin Football", Ronan has been buying tickets for Zhou Xingxing's movies, like Yangtze River No. 7 has also bought high-priced genuine dolls and the like, even later, the quality of Zhou Xingxing's films has declined greatly, not only did he continue to buy tickets to enter the venue, but he never slandered him anywhere, not even as an Internet keyboard warrior.

The movie tickets owed back then have long been paid off.

You can't pay back a lifetime ticket, right? There is a limit to feelings.

Hong Kong movies have begun to decline, and the only way out is to go north, it seems that next year, there will be a rescue work of Hong Kong movies, and it seems that the copyright can also be bought.

Of course, that romantic and poetic gangster style has only one way to hit the streets in North America, and the best way is to remake it.

Most of the old and beautiful gangster films are realistic, dark and cold, and the words in the characters' mouths are also over and over at every turn.

The next day, Ronan continued to look for films at the festival trade fair, and went to see the premiere of "Irrevocable" by the way.

The film, which attempts to shock the viewer visually and psychologically, is imbued with an extreme cynical mood and a typical anarchist cathartic impulse from beginning to end. The loose narrative, the abrupt and stiff switching, the sudden and rapid passage of the camera, accompanied by the gunshots on the vocal cords from time to time, constitute a rough film with strong emotional colors.

Well, that's the words of a film critic before Ronan.

The real situation is that "Irrevocable" has done a lot of large-scale publicity before, just like watching other banned films, most of the audience is looking for pornography and violence.

All sorts of meaningless shaking shots, like boring experimental films, Ronan is even a little dazed by the chaotic story.

In fact, Ronan never really watched this film in his previous life, because it was always the middle and the last ten minutes that he watched.

Then, the scene where Monica Bellucci is violated in the middle of the film appears.

This scene of violent sexual assault in the underground passage is shocking, disgusting, and even overwhelming.

There was a lot of buzz around Ronan, and less than two minutes after the assault began, a large number of female audience members angrily withdrew from their seats, and after five minutes, even some of the male audience members began to leave.

It has to be said that European art directors have focused on darkness for decades, and they have always been able to shoot the ugliest things of human nature.

Ronan watched this scene before, hiding from the computer and watching it on a small LCD screen, and never had the opportunity to enjoy it on the big screen, but now thousands of audiences are in the same theater, watching this scene through the big screen, even people like him can't stand it.

"Twenty years from now, or even just five years from now, you think there's nothing to make a fuss about. ”

Someone said earlier.

But there were more and more scoldings, and more and more people left the scene.

The theater was in chaos, and there were even cases where the audience was too frightened and fainted, and there was more than one person.

By the time the show was over, the auditorium was nearly a quarter empty.

Ronan knows very well that films like "Irrevocable" may only survive in the avant-garde consciousness of Cannes.

This kind of film costs $3 million for the North American rights? It's crazy.

On the day of the film's premiere, Ronan got the news that the film had set a record of 250 audience members leaving the theater and 20 audience members fainting and needing oxygen therapy.

It can only be said that the director Gaspar Nou is too good.

The film sparked a lot of discussion, and in a TV interview after the premiere, Monica Bellucci's husband, Vincent Cassel, was said to have cried on the spot due to the immense pressure.

In this regard, Vincent Cassel is weaker than Monica Bellucci, who is used to filming large-scale scenes.

Monica Bellucci was lighthearted in an interview: "'Irrevocable' is somewhere between 'A Clockwork Orange' and '120 Days of Sodom', it's a bold mix of violence and ecstasy, animality and poetry. Sometimes movies cause discomfort, and this discomfort is not malice, but the disguise of human nature is fiercely punctured. ”

It can only be said that every filmmaker has their own opinions.

"Irrevocable" has gained popularity, but it has no good results.

Just one day later, the Festival de Cannes officially announced the cancellation of all screenings and related promotional activities of "Irrevocable" during the Festival de Cannes.

This is tantamount to expelling "Irrevocable" from this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Subsequently, Ronan got the news and talked to Gaspar Nou about the company to issue it, and they broke off the negotiations.

This film is indeed very topical, but it is difficult to predict whether it will be released in the domestic market.

Like a slightly more conservative country, let alone theaters, there is no hope for the offline market.

Lionsgate approached Gaspar Noe after Ronan, but after thinking twice, he also abandoned the film.

It was at this time that Ronan received a call from Monica Bellucci, and Gaspar Noe wanted to talk to him again about North American copyright.