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Chapter 118: Emotional Fighting Film

Set in the ancient Morningstar Kingdom, the film transported viewers back in time - the clothing, houses, and surroundings meticulously crafted to reflect the era.

"I know where this is, but..." Frank muttered, recognizing the filming location yet noticing subtle differences.

Jerry, too, noticed the familiar yet altered settings.

Arthur observed their confusion with a smile. He knew the differences were due to the new illusion technique applied to the camera lens, transforming everything subtly.

As the film progressed, everyone except Arthur was captivated by the fighting scenes. The choreography looked convincingly like real martial arts, the movements fluid and powerful.

Characters ran on walls, leapt onto rooftops, and engaged in breathtaking chases that showcased their seemingly superhuman abilities.

Yu Shu Lien\'s ongoing battle with Jen Yu, the sword thief, held the representatives spellbound. Despite knowing it was choreographed, the intensity felt real and gripping.

Arthur chuckled at their reactions. In his previous life, such gravity-defying martial arts would have seemed unrealistic. But here, in this world, it fit perfectly.

The two women continued their fierce combat, their fight spilling into the weapon room. Jen Yu wielded the powerful Green Destiny sword, while Shu Lien countered with an array of weapons.

The representatives watched, entranced, as the battle unfolded on screen, Arthur\'s masterful direction bringing the ancient martial arts world to vivid life before their eyes.

As the film progressed, everyone became thoroughly absorbed. During Jen Yu\'s flashbacks with Lo, the audience chuckled.

"Damien looks so weird with that ancient cloth and messy hair," Frank exclaimed, prompting laughter from the others. Damien, after all, was a famous Morningstar actor.

Their amusement quickly gave way to more complex emotions as Jen Yu\'s relationship with Lo unfolded. Her backstory became clearer, deepening their understanding of her character.

Later, after several intense duels, Li Mu Bai was poisoned.

"Come on, Jen Yu..." Frank muttered. He and the others knew she had the antidote.

But Jen Yu\'s hesitation proved fatal. As Li Mu Bai lay dying, confessing his love to Shu Lien, Frank, Jerry, and the others found themselves tearing up.

"Damn that Jade Fox," Jerry shook his head.

Even though Jade Fox met her end at Jen Yu\'s hands, the death of Li Mu Bai - the character they\'d grown attached to - hit hard.

The film\'s ending left them with mixed feelings as Jen Yu leapt off the cliff. While they resented her role in Li Mu Bai\'s death, they understood Jade Fox was the true culprit.

They recalled Lo\'s tale of a man who jumped off a mountain, surviving due to his pure faith. Eric, Ray, and others found this implausible - surely she couldn\'t survive such a leap.

As the credits rolled, Frank sighed, his emotions conflicted. The others shared his complicated feelings, moved by the film\'s emotional depth.

The representatives turned to Arthur Morningstar, the demon behind the film. A brief silence fell over the group as Arthur chuckled and invited them to his spacious office. As they filed out of the private theatre, they held their tongues about the film, not wanting to appear too impressed and potentially weaken their negotiating position.

Julian from E-Motion Pictures in Empirica broke the ice. "I\'ll be honest, Mr. Morningstar - at first, I was quite skeptical about your martial arts film. But color me impressed. Unlike other martial arts films that only focus on fighting, killing, and seeing who\'s stronger, your film not only gave us impressive fighting scenes but was also quite emotional."

The others nodded in agreement. Leonard, representing a studio based in Wales, chimed in, "I was kind of expecting a film with a protagonist who defeats other martial artists, then gets beaten by an antagonist - only to return after training and beat the antagonist. That kind of formula."

Everyone shared a laugh at that.

Arthur joined in with a chuckle, "If I were my brother Bobby, the film would be exactly like that."

"Hahaha," the room erupted in laughter.

Indeed, Bobby was known for his predictable martial arts films where he always played the protagonist. He\'d beat everyone until a stronger antagonist appeared, lose to them, then return to triumph. His films lacked any motivation for the constant fighting - in one interview, Bobby simply stated he fought everyone to display his immense strength.

"By the way, Mr. Morningstar," Jerry interjected, "I know the actor who played Li Mu Bai. He\'s my niece\'s boyfriend. I didn\'t expect him to be so talented in acting."

Arthur nodded, his expression thoughtful. "He has great potential."

Jerry assumed Arthur was being polite, unaware that Arthur genuinely believed in Jun-fan\'s ability to draw crowds, much like Bruce Lee in his previous life.

As they entered the office, Eric voiced a question that had been on everyone\'s mind. "Did Jen Yu survive at the ending?"

The others leaned in, curious. They recalled Lo\'s unsettling calmness as he watched his lover plummet from the cliff.

Arthur\'s smile was ambiguous. "Well, that\'s up to your interpretation," he said. "If you believe she died, then perhaps that\'s her way of atoning for her sins. But if you think she survived and found true freedom, that\'s equally valid. She wanted to escape her family\'s expectations, society\'s pressures. From beginning to end, she was rebellious, never willing to accept the fate handed to her."

His response left the representatives feeling conflicted, pondering the ambiguous ending.

Arthur continued to entertain the studio representatives in his office before they departed.

The following day, Eric returned with Bryan Brothers\' offer, which Arthur found disappointing and declined. Righteous Film Studio\'s below-average offer met the same fate.

Despite his long-time partners\' apparent lack of interest in the martial arts film, Arthur remained patient. His patience paid off as other studios like Martial Studio and E-Motion Pictures presented decent offers.

Arthur attempted to negotiate better terms, but sensing the studios\' reluctance to go all-in on his martial arts film, he ultimately settled for their \'good enough\' offers.

Arthur was well aware of the declining popularity of martial arts films in Anatolia, let alone in the West. The genre wasn\'t particularly favored outside its traditional stronghold, making distributors hesitant about its performance in their home markets.

While he was confident the film would perform exceptionally well in Anatolia, its success beyond was uncertain. Arthur understood this reality - after all, he couldn\'t simply change people\'s tastes, especially given the cultural differences between demons and other kingdoms and countries.

Yet, it was precisely this unpredictability that intrigued Arthur. He was curious to see how a genre typically popular only in Anatolia would fare in other regions.

While "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" might not reach the astronomical box office numbers of "Lord of the Rings" or even match "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", Arthur had a new ace up his sleeve: wider distribution.

This time around, the film\'s release would follow a different pattern. After its premiere in the Horn Kingdom, it wouldn\'t be long before audiences in Morningstar, Choson, Japon, USE, and even parts of Evros would get to see it. This rapid, multi-region release strategy was something new for Arthur\'s films.

The key to this expanded distribution lay in Arthur\'s growing industry clout. His track record of three critically acclaimed and commercially successful films had opened doors. Studio executives and distributors who might have been hesitant before were now eager to work with the demon filmmaker who seemed to have the Midas touch.

These newfound connections meant Arthur could negotiate simultaneous or near-simultaneous releases in multiple territories. Instead of a slow rollout region by region, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" would hit screens across a wide swath of the world in a relatively short time frame.

This strategy had the potential to boost the overall box office significantly. Even if the film performed moderately in some regions, the sheer number of theaters showing it could add up to impressive total earnings.

In essence, Arthur was leveraging his past successes to ensure his latest film had the best possible chance at financial success, regardless of how it might be received in any single market.