Division

The 75th Academy Awards came to an end, and the Oscar night hosted by the showbiz concluded amidst everyone's polite interactions.

The media indeed vied to report on the grand ceremony, and for a while, the Oscars became the topic of widespread discussion.

However, it couldn't be said that the little golden statue for winning the Best Foreign Language Film had a significant impact on Lyman's life.

He could responsibly say that the impact was truly not substantial.

After all, life had to go on, and it wouldn't come to a standstill just because of a so-called award.

Lyman celebrated in the US for two days, expressing gratitude to CAA and Paramount while further strengthening their relationships.

After that, he returned to France with René, Thomas, and George, planning to take some time off or initiate new film projects.

Creating new works was always something he eagerly embraced, buried deep in his bones.

In the blink of an eye, it was March, and "Fury" had completed its run in global markets. The work on the film had entered its final stage, and the money-sharing meeting could begin once theater chains around the world had sent their box office earnings to EuropaCorp, the distributor.

On March 3rd, Lyman rushed to Paris from Cannes with René, intending to settle a portion of their studio's earnings first.

The revenue-sharing in North America had already been thoroughly calculated under the supervision of Paramount Pictures, and the sharing was done. However, obtaining the overseas earnings was not as easy.

That's why it had been delayed until now.

At nine in the morning, the two went directly to Luc Besson's office, exchanging a few pleasantries before getting down to business.

"These are your profit reports. You can take a look first. If everything is correct, the finance department will sign off, and the money will be deposited into your studio's account," Luc said.

"Thank you, M. Besson."

With the assistance of a professional accounting team they had hired, the two checked their various earnings.

Speaking of it, tracking detailed overseas box office numbers these days was truly difficult. Even though Lyman's team had been fully involved throughout, they couldn't guarantee the complete accuracy of these earnings. All they could say was that they had tried their best to keep it within a reasonably close range.

The detailed account was meticulously prepared, and even someone like Lyman, who wasn't well-versed in finance matters, could understand it.

The total global box office of "Fury" was $542.3M. After deducting various expenses such as taxes and fixed costs agreed upon in distribution contracts in different regions, EuropaCorp received a total of $285.2M in box office shares.

Although EuropaCorp utilized tax rebates for "Fury", cashing in a total of $3.5M in rebates in one of its main filming locations, Australia, according to the agreement, this money was not included in the film's shareable earnings.

Thus, after deducting the distribution fees, totaling $33M, and subtracting the $33M in promotional and advertising expenses, the remaining funds were $152M.

Part of this amount needed to be used to pay the remaining salaries of the cast and crew and other industry association-related expenses, leaving a balance of $152M.

Since the production budget included $6M from Lyman's Mann Studio, $20M from CAA, and the rest from EuropaCorp, these three parties would receive their respective shares based on the ratio of their investment.

According to the agreement, Mann Studio could receive nearly $18.24M from this box office revenue.

Although they still needed to pay income tax and other miscellaneous taxes, they could expect a profit of over $15M.

Furthermore, after "Fury" finished its run in France and the US, EuropaCorp, in conjunction with Paramount Pictures, began negotiating the basic transfer fees and rental sales sharing of video tape copyrights with the largest video chain store in the Americas, Blockbuster.

The former was immediate cash, while the latter represents long-term gains. Therefore, the later part of the channel sales was not closely related to Mann Studio, and the amount they could receive was not significant. After their negotiation, they reached an agreement on the figure of $8M.

Next came the television broadcasting rights and the secondary development of film copyrights, as well as other peripheral uses. This was where Mann Studio, as an investor, could enjoy a share. The total basic licensing fee was $9M, which was in line with the film's value.

Combining these two aspects, Mann Studio gained $2M.

Adding up all the profits, Mann Studio's total earnings in the past six months amounted to over $16M. This figure already deducts the hiring fees for the professional accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the commission of their agent, John.

As for the remaining long-term gains, they would have to wait for them. It was likely that it would take one or two years to materialize.

After confirming the film's earnings, Lyman felt relieved, and René didn't wait long either. He bid farewell and went to EuropaCorp's finance department to handle the procedures.

Watching René leave, Lyman smiled and then remembered the main business at hand. "M. Besson, regarding the new film, I already have a rough idea, and the script is also being improved. I have also started working on the shooting schedule report."

Hearing this, Luc Besson's eyes lit up.

Success breeds success; this was a belief he had always held. Moreover, he had witnessed Lyman's steady rise step by step, so naturally, he was extremely interested in his new project.

"What genre is it?"

"It should be a crime-based film."

Crime?

Lyman's style was truly versatile, and each of his films covered quite a broad spectrum.

However, Luc Besson didn't mind. He had already become accustomed to Lyman's way of not restricting himself to just one or two genres. He became even more interested upon hearing this, "How much investment are you thinking of?"

"I like shooting on real locations, and M. Besson should be well aware of that," Lyman replied.

Luc Besson nodded. Indeed, three consecutive films had been shot in a similar manner, even the tank scenes were done with genuine tanks instead of mere models. It seemed this directing approach was Lyman's personal style.

"So, this film will involve many different sets and a large number of extras. It will be a significant expense."

"Can you give me a rough figure for the production budget?" Luc Besson wasn't deterred by the challenge; the consecutive successes had made him highly optimistic about Lyman.

"At least a hundred million dollars," Lyman calmly said, as if he were just stating a number, but beneath that calmness lay tremendous confidence.

"To achieve the effect I want, this figure is approximately what's needed," Lyman added.

Luc Besson on the other side fell into silence. Despite EuropaCorp having invested in similar large-scale productions, most of the funds were not their burden; they sought financing, and even if the project incurred losses, it wouldn't put much pressure on them. In other words, if the project failed, it would be the investors and overseas distributors who would be in the pit, and for them, the impact wouldn't be significant. They might even turn a profit.

However, now that Lyman mentioned this number, even though Luc Besson anticipated that the investment in the new film wouldn't be small, the massive sum of one hundred million dollars still made him doubtful.

Such a scale of investment or financing required careful consideration by EuropaCorp.

"First, you need to prepare the relevant project plan, and I will have our company's market analysis department review it," Luc Besson said after thinking for a moment.

In any case, they should first secure Lyman's new film, and they could figure out the rest later.

After chatting for a bit more, the two officially finalized the current codenamed "Miscreant" project.

Later, René returned to the office and signaled to Lyman that the payment procedures were completed.

Thinking that his studio was currently nothing more than an empty shell, Lyman spoke again, "M. Besson, I want to purchase some film shooting equipment. Could you help me with this?"

Renting equipment for film production didn't seem quite right. Even though they weren't focused on running the studio, they should still try to have something good.

Moreover, the two had already planned this aspect long ago, and now, with the profits from "Fury" coming in, they had the funds to make the purchase.

"Is Lyman planning to buy equipment for personal use?" Luc Besson asked.

"Yes, previously, I didn't have much financial freedom, so I've always borrowed equipment from your company. Now that the financial situation has improved a bit, I want to make the studio's operations more formal."

"That's a good thing." Luc Besson didn't mind. Their company had regular dealings with major equipment manufacturers in Europe, and purchasing shooting supplies like this was not uncommon.

Getting the supplies from their side was not only convenient but also saved money.

As old customers, getting a discount or some other benefits was straightforward, and they naturally understood Lyman's idea.

Luc Besson didn't say anything more because having the funds, buying equipment was much more cost-effective than renting.

"Do you have a list or any specific requirements?"

Lyman was well prepared for this and took out a small notebook from his pocket, filled with a detailed list of filming equipment.

Luc Besson made a phone call, and shortly after, a staff member from the logistics department brought back the calculated quotation.

Lyman took the sheet and carefully examined it. If they went through EuropaCorp's channels, the cost would be close to $2.3M.

It was truly expensive, but there were reasons for its high price. These were all products made by top manufacturers, and their maintenance was guaranteed.

"Alright, please help me with the procurement based on this list. Thank you, M. Besson."

"Don't mention it." It was just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning compared to the new film project.

"I hope you can present the project plan as soon as possible. Our company needs to proceed with the review," Luc Besson continued.

"I will do that..."