Chapter 40

"Mr. Ryan, it seems we need to have a serious talk," Collette Singh's expression became serious.

Facing a horror film that could potentially become a series in the future, even 20th Century Fox had to take it seriously.

"That would be for the best," Ryan naturally didn't refuse.

He then followed Helen and Sophia upstairs with Collette Singh.

Soon, the three of them were seated in an office with Collette Singh.

However, Collette Singh didn't rush to discuss "Saw." Instead, he instructed his secretary to bring over some coffee.

He needed to consider how to deal with the troublesome agent.

Film director Ryan was no longer unknown like before; his last film grossed over $200 million worldwide. Wanting to easily buy out all the rights to the film was obviously not going to be easy.

Moreover, the last box office sharing agreement had cost 20th Century Fox over $8 million.

It was evident that this time, there would be a tough negotiation, especially with some seemingly unnecessary additional conditions.

However, neither Ryan nor Helen showed any intention of speaking first. As for Sophia, she remained silent, holding the copy.

After some time, the coffee on the table grew cold.

Collette Singh finally couldn't help but speak, "It's a surprising horror film. 20th Century Fox is more than willing to continue the cooperation just like last time."

"Just like last time!" Ryan frowned. This wasn't the result he wanted. But he still smiled and said, "It's my honor to continue collaborating with 20th Century Fox."

"Very well," Collette Singh's face relaxed a bit, and a hint of smile appeared. "It's a wise choice."

"I can assure you that the premiere of 'Saw' will be on no fewer than 600 screens, and as for the rating, you don't have to worry. 20th Century Fox is a member of the association and won't entertain anything as ridiculous as an NC-17 rating."

With that, his words carried a hint of threat.

At the same time, it also demonstrated the power of being one of the seven major Hollywood studios.

"600 screens!" Ryan was a bit surprised. "Saw" was just a horror film. Only the seven major Hollywood studios would dare to promise such a number of screens on the opening day.

However, he wasn't entirely pleased. It was clear that having 600 screens on the opening day meant buying all the relevant rights to the film.

Perhaps some new directors would agree for the sake of fame, but Ryan didn't have that intention.

It wasn't that he didn't like pursuing fame and fortune; it was just that he had greater aspirations that couldn't be satisfied with merely having 600 screens on the opening day.

"Ryan, you're a smart man. Name your price. Even if it's three times the production cost, I'll agree immediately, and we can even sign a shooting agreement for the next horror film. You can continue to direct the next 'Saw.' It's entirely up to you," Collette Singh said generously.

Three times the production cost was already extremely generous. For many films, the buyout price was only slightly higher than the cost.

Plus, there was the director agreement for the next "Saw." Any Hollywood figure would likely consider this offer generous.

"Mr. Collette, are you saying, just like last time, buying out all the rights to the film?" Ryan asked calmly.

Collette Singh nodded. It was an obvious question. For independent films, 20th Century Fox usually bought out all the rights, rarely discussing sharing, unless the other party was a relatively famous director or film company.

"Buying out all the rights to the film is the best choice for both you and 20th Century Fox," he said.

With that, he picked up the now-cold coffee from the table and took a sip. "I know you might be unwilling and might want a profit-sharing agreement. But that's just how Hollywood works. With your current fame, it's nearly impossible to get a profit-sharing agreement. Hollywood won't have any distribution company agree to it."

"However, I can guarantee that as long as the box office performance of 'Saw' is good, 20th Century Fox can invest in your next film. You can also enjoy a certain percentage of the investment and benefit from a profit-sharing distribution plan."

Ryan knew that what he said was true. The conditions offered by 20th Century Fox were already very favorable.

Even Helen and Sophia, who had been silent all along, showed a hint of interest.

"Selling all the rights to 'Saw' is something I can agree to, but the specific price needs to be further discussed," Ryan thought for a moment and finally nodded.

The production cost of "Saw" was only $1.1 million, which included music, editing, and so on. Three times the price was $3.3 million.

Ryan didn't hide anything about it; all the expenses were transparent. And he didn't completely reject buying out the rights, as long as the price was right.

$3.3 million wasn't enough!

Collette Singh frowned. This was already the highest price he could offer, and he even had to convince some executives and board members.

"Three times the production cost is already a very high number. I can assure you that the entire Hollywood won't have a higher price," he said.

Buying out a low-budget horror film for $3.3 million, even the entire Hollywood didn't have many similar examples.

It was evident that he needed to persuade many people.

Ryan still wasn't satisfied with this, "I think what happens next needs to be discussed with my agent."

The meaning was very clear; he wasn't satisfied with this condition and needed further discussion.

Collette Singh's expression wasn't very good, "Then I'm afraid it'll be a trouble for Miss Helen in the coming days."

Seeing this, Ryan nodded gently at Helen, and with Sophia, he left the 20th Century Fox headquarters.

Once back in the car, Sophia Coppola looked at the copy in her hand, somewhat incredulous, and muttered to herself, "Buying out all the rights for three times the production cost?"

"This matter, once it's out, will surely shock the independent film industry. Shooting for less than a month and easily earning triple the investment, it's unbelievable."

"What's more important is, someone still thinks the money is too little!"

Ryan was speechless at Sophia's expression. He reached out and touched her forehead, feeling no fever. "Do you think such a price would easily pass the 20th Century Fox board's approval?"

"And, remember, it seems my last film had a North American box office of $160 million and a global box office of over $200 million. Just based on the box office alone, 20th Century Fox made countless dollars."

"Otherwise, why do you think they would easily agree to a price three times the production cost!"

Whether it was the $3.3 million price or the director agreement for the next "Saw," or investing in his next film, all of these needed the approval of 20th Century Fox's top management and board.

Until a formal agreement was signed, everything was just verbal promises.

Sophia Coppola sneered, "A director whose last film had a North American box office of $160 million and a global box office of over $200 million still has to continue buying out all the rights to his film."

Ryan ignored Sophia's sarcasm and instead showed a hint of contemplation. "Perhaps it's time to contact Touchstone, the acid test. The sooner, the better."

His experience from his previous life told him that for low-budget horror films like this, the sooner they were released, the better. Otherwise, if it dragged on, 20th Century Fox might have other thoughts.

For example, finding someone to shoot a similar film and release it before "Saw."

Never rely too much on the commercial reputation of Hollywood film companies; for them, as long as there's enough profit, they can sell anything, including their reputation.

"Touchstone? Disney's live-action film distribution company!"

"Not a bad choice," Sophia Coppola showed a somewhat expected look.

It was well known that Disney's distribution company was quite complex, with many subsidiary brands.

Among them, Miramax Films had just been acquired by Disney last year and was specifically responsible for producing and distributing independent films, art films, and foreign films.

Since 1990, Hollywood Pictures had been distributing films. Over the years, it had released many excellent movies, somewhat similar in genre to those of Hollywood film companies.

However, Disney's famous animated feature films were all distributed by Buena Vista Pictures. The three distribution companies mentioned earlier were just subsidiaries of Buena Vista.

Apart from the gradually strengthening Miramax Films, the achievements of Hollywood Pictures and Touchstone in live-action films were far inferior to the other six major Hollywood giants, leading to Touchstone's somewhat unfavorable situation.

So Sophia's remark about Touchstone being "not a bad choice" was understandable.