New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
"The shares of Marvel Company should be spread out and purchased by multiple companies.The character negotiations with Henry should be finalized as soon as possible.Those three main roles are our focus; the others don't matter," Charles instructed Donna Williams before boarding the plane.
Donna nodded, "I will.If there's anything I can't decide, I'll call."
Charles nodded, "I should be back in the United States in June!"
Afterward, Charles entered the airport and boarded a flight from New York, USA, directly to Nice, France.
The small town of Cannes is right next to Nice.
After a six or seven-hour flight, he arrived in Nice and took a car directly to the small town of Cannes.
As a city in southeastern France bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Cannes is also a developed tourist city.
During the world-renowned Cannes International Film Festival, tourists flock to it, right next to the large southern port city of Nice.
After arriving in Cannes and resting for a night, Charles met with Philip and others who had arrived earlier.
Film festival activities are not just about awards; they are also a market for various film transactions and a platform for film promotion.
If brokeback mountain weren't participating in the Venice Film Festival in September, it would definitely have made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival this time.
In a suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Cannes' Croisette, Charles was holding a catalog of participating films, including the Main Competition, Directors' Fortnight, Un Certain Regard, and various other sections.
Even the catalog of non-competition films was included, as Capet Pictures was there to purchase films, so they needed to pay attention to both participating and non-participating films.
"fahrenheit 9 has been selected for the Main Competition and can compete for the palme d'or," Charles said to Philip, who was sitting opposite him.
Philip also smiled, "And it has a good chance of winning!"
Charles thought for a moment, then nodded, "That's true.
Relations between France and us have been a bit strained recently.
I believe the French government would be very willing to do something that could embarrass the United States."
Entertainment has always been just one of the tools of politics, which is undeniable.
US-French relations began to sour in 2002, and the following year, the Hollywood naval epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which depicted a fantastical cowboy hero British warship defeating France's most powerful warship, was released.
The film was grand and magnificent, and Russell Crowe's performance was impeccable, but the box office taught Miramax and its partners a lesson.
If Charles remembered correctly, fahrenheit 9 was chosen as the winner of the palme d'or at this year's Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony.
This year's Cannes Film Festival jury chairman is Quentin Tarantino.
Who is Quentin Tarantino?
He is Harvey Weinstein's number one lackey and follower.
Philip's eyes moved, and he said, "Currently, no North American distributor is willing to take on the documentary fahrenheit 9.
Should we?"
Charles was also struggling internally, as this fahrenheit 9 had a very good box office, but he still shook his head and said, "Philip, Capet Pictures has already been involved in two controversial films, the passion of the christ and brokeback mountain;"
"One is a religious theme, and the other is a homosexual theme.
Although both are very controversial, they don't have much impact on politics;"
"Although fahrenheit 9 has the support of many celebrities and ordinary people, Capet Pictures cannot offend the White House just to distribute this film.
Even if there's no immediate impact, it will show up later."
It wasn't that Charles was timid, but rather that touching this kind of film would definitely affect Capet Pictures' future.
It didn't matter when the company was small, but it would definitely encounter many troubles during its growth.
Otherwise, why wouldn't so many independent distributors take it on?
Couldn't they see the commercial value of this documentary?
Let Lionsgate take it on.
They specialize in various types of B-movie markets, focusing on low-budget series films, and don't have many areas where they need to cooperate with the US government.
In his previous life, wasn't fahrenheit 9 Lionsgate Films' most successful film before saw?
Philip nodded, after all, the pressure faced by distributing this fahrenheit 9 was not small.
After Philip left, Charles went to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, which overlooked the beautiful Bay of Napoule and the Balearic Sea.
Both are subsidiary seas of the Mediterranean Sea, with beautiful scenery and pleasant climate.
Charles changed into a T-shirt and shorts and headed straight for the beach.
Cannes' five-mile-long blue beach always attracts many tourists, especially now during the Cannes Film Festival.
Looking at the many luxury yachts docked in Cannes Port, Charles thought that he should also have a private luxury yacht.
On the third day of his arrival in Cannes, Charles began to enjoy films in various screening rooms, after all, the number of films participating in the Cannes Film Festival was not small, and various awards in various sections also required many films.
There were finished films, rough cuts, as well as promotional featurettes or film projects seeking investors.
The Cannes Film Festival is a melting pot, and its main purpose is to provide a platform for different films from all over the world to promote themselves.
For three consecutive days, Charles did not find a film he remembered, and even if he did, it was not suitable for distribution in the United States.
However, today a highly anticipated film came to Cannes for promotion, which was director Zhang Yimou's house of flying daggers.
"Boss, we have many competitors for house of flying daggers, including Miramax, Sony Pictures Classics, and New Line Cinema, all of whom are interested!" Philip reminded Charles from the side, implying that an auction would definitely be needed.
Charles's mouth twitched.
Was Philip misunderstanding?
It was simply that Charles paid more attention to Chinese filmmakers.
Many Chinese filmmakers came to this year's Cannes Film Festival, including the main creators of 2046, house of flying daggers, etc.
Charles had also met Chinese film stars such as Gong Li, Maggie Cheung, and Kelly Chen.
"Miramax wants to buy their distribution rights again this time?" Charles smiled, "Hero's global box office has already exceeded 100 million US dollars, and Miramax hasn't even released it in North America yet!"
"It will be released in August; Miramax has already given the schedule," Philip reminded.
"Oh, is that so," Charles was not embarrassed and continued, "The price of Hero was 20 million US dollars, and now director Zhang Yimou's another similar kung fu film will be even higher!"
"Let's see the situation first," Charles did not intend to compete with them for the copyright of house of flying daggers, because Charles remembered that this film's box office in the United States was only over 10 million US dollars, less than one-fifth of Hero's North American box office.
He could, however, help to bid up the price, which would also be a contribution!