Six days have passed since the 12-day Cannes Film Festival.
"The Piano Tuner", directed by Kyle, is undoubtedly the most popular film in the short film competition unit of this year's film festival.
According to incomplete statistics, this year's film festival has attracted more than 97,000 filmmakers, film producers and tourists. During these 6 days, more than 10,000 people have watched "The Piano Tuner", accounting for 11% of the total.
The popularity of "The Tuner" is evident from this.
It is estimated that after the 12-day screening, the total number of viewers of "The Piano Tuner" will definitely exceed 15,000.
This number is because there are not enough theatres to show "The Piano Tuner"; otherwise, the number of moviegoers would have to double.
But don't underestimate the number of 10,000 people. So far, the movie with the largest number of viewers at this Cannes Film Festival is "The Piano Tuner"!
That's right, Kyle was dubbed the "genius director" by local media and audiences.
...
"Memento", directed by Christopher Nolan, is also attracting much attention!
Memento has been showing for four days now, attracting a total of 1,500 people to watch the film, ranking 17th on the list of the most popular films at this year's film festival.
Interestingly, 68% of these 1,500 viewers watched the movie twice;
34% of the audience watched the movie three times;
In fact, there were more than 120 viewers who watched "Memento" five times!
"Memento" is a movie that many viewers choose to watch twice or three times. In addition to its brain-burning plot, no one can deny its excellence.
There is a small group of viewers who simply love director Nolan!
Kyle still remembers that when "Inception" was released, many movie fans from all over the world watched the film twice or three times, and repeatedly discussed every detail of the film.
There is no doubt that Kyle has achieved his goal of becoming famous at the Cannes Film Festival. The next step is to wait for film producers from various overseas countries to visit him.
May 19th.
"I've whetted my appetite. It's time to meet them!" Kyle whispered.
"Boss, although our 'Memento' is popular, it is not a mainstream commercial film after all and cannot be sold at a high price; not to mention 'The Piano Tuner', the price is even lower. After all, it is just a 14-minute short film. After those film producers buy it, they can only sell it to TV stations in their area." Alexander reminded.
"I know."
Kyle nodded.
A few days ago, after rejecting some film producers from various countries and regions, Kyle finally chose to meet with some people and sell the copyright.
In fact, Kyle doesn't care about the price of selling the copyright!
How much can it be sold for?
What Kyle wants is overseas distribution channels!
These film producers from various countries and regions who come to the Cannes Film Festival are all local bosses in their respective regions. Even if they cannot have a very strong position like the Carlos Foundation in Mexico, they should not be underestimated. They can reduce some resistance to the construction of overseas channels for Page Pictures.
Even if this effect is minimal, it is still a good start!
In order to express his sincerity, Kyle chose to negotiate with them in person.
Not long after...
"Boss, let me introduce you. These three film producers are Baron Tobit from the UK, Mr. Williams from Spain, and Miss Zhou from Hong Kong," Alexander introduced.
Kyle stood up and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you three. Please take a seat."
"Mr. Page, nice to meet you."
At Kyle's signal, everyone took their seats in the presidential suite, and the hotel waiter brought in a few cups of coffee.
Lord Tobit:
He is a thin, slightly hunched old man, a member of the British aristocracy. His family business capital is as high as 300 million pounds, involving water, film, finance and other related industries.
Williams Juan:
He is an obese middle-aged man in his 40s, a distant relative of the Spanish royal family. According to the family tree, he is also the nephew of King Alfonso of Spain.
Of course, it's a distant relationship.
But even so, Williams Juan has considerable power in Madrid, operating the 9th-ranked cinema chain in Spain;
Ms. Zhou:
She is 35 years old, from Hong Kong, and is one of the main persons in charge of the overseas distribution department of Golden Harvest Films;
When mentioning Golden Harvest, many people's first impression is Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and others, who have all worked with Golden Harvest and are its artists;
Even in recent years, Golden Harvest has declined somewhat.
However, thanks to the "Young and Dangerous" series and the "Fighter" series, it is still one of the top film companies in Hong Kong, not to mention that it also has theatres, and its strength is also considerable.
There is no doubt that these three are the overseas film companies that Kyle has carefully selected and chosen to focus on cooperating with in the future.
....
"I know very well what the three of you are here for."
Kyle said solemnly, "It's to obtain the overseas screening rights for Memento, or even directly obtain the overseas copyright for your region."
After the words were spoken, the three people present nodded.
"Mr. Page is right, and of course there's 'The Piano Tuner,' which is just a short film but could be adapted into a 90-minute feature film," added Williams-Juan.
"Agreed!" said Baron Tobit.
"Even if it is broadcast on TV channels, it will definitely be a good film that can attract audiences," said Ms. Zhou.
Kyle shook his head and said, "First of all, I have to apologise to the three of you. We at Page Pictures have an overseas distribution contract with Paramount, so we can't sell you the overseas screening rights for Memento."
"...."
The three of them frowned immediately.
You have to know that their main purpose of coming here is to get "Memento". As for Kyle's short film "The Tuner", it is just an accessory.
"However, we can sell the overseas adaptation rights of "Memento" to you; similarly, the adaptation rights of "The Tuner"," Kyle added.
After hearing this, the expressions of the three people present improved a lot.
There was silence for more than ten seconds...
"Mr. Page, I accept your proposal. 'Memento' and 'The Tuner' are both excellent films, and I believe they will be equally as exciting after being adapted for Spanish."
The first to speak was Juan Williams.
I have to say, he is very far-sighted!
You should know that in 2018, the Indian version of "The Piano Tuner" won the championship in India's domestic box office rankings that year, with a profit ratio of more than ten times.
Needless to say, Memento was inscribed on the Library of Congress's list of protected films in December 2017. Its influence is astonishing, with localised versions in more than a dozen countries, including Korean, Chinese, and African versions.
As Williams Juan spoke, the other two nodded in agreement.
In the words of Baron Tobit: "Both films are really excellent and I don't want to miss them."
After some discussion, Kyle and representatives of the three parties signed a letter of intent for copyright transfer.
Of course, the signing of the formal contract was not so quick.
Some details still need to be discussed with professionals.
In front of the three of them, Kyle told them that Alexander would be responsible for signing the contract.
....
May 24th, morning.
On the last day of the 51st Cannes Film Festival, Alexander, on behalf of Kyle and Page Pictures, officially finalised the copyright transfer contract with Williams and others.
The film adaptation rights for "The Tuner" and "Memento" in the UK, Spain, and Hong Kong have been officially sold for a total of US$1.9 million.
To be honest, not much!
For a billionaire like Kyle, it is a drop in the bucket, but even a small mosquito is still meat!
Furthermore, Kyle's main purpose in transferring the adaptation rights to them was not to make money, but to cooperate with them and lay a foundation for the establishment of overseas distribution channels.
That day, in the afternoon.
Kyle and Christopher Nolan, dressed in their best, walked the red carpet.
Man, today is the awards day!