Chapter 87: Nepflix’s Proposal
“Huff! Huff!”
It was a typical filming set, except this time it was a studio shoot, not an outdoor one. A small room designed as a club room was packed with drums, guitars, and a piano.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just leave him be. Muyoung’s been like that since earlier. It’s because today’s the drama’s first broadcast and it’s been a week since the movie premiered.”
“Oh, I see. That makes sense.”
The staff laughed as they carried props around.
It was the first week of the movie’s release, when overall performance metrics were available, and the first broadcast was finally airing at 11 p.m. Muyoung clasped his hands together and began to pray.
‘Please, please let the results be good.’
The production company said they would contact us as soon as the audience numbers were tallied, but there’s still no answer.
The company isn’t sending statistics, so there’s no news either. It’s frustrating, so frustrating!
“But what about Muyoung? What if his wish doesn’t come true?”
“There’s nothing we can do.”
The moment the first episode aired, take a photo in front of the TV holding chicken.
One shot during the commercial, one shot in front of the logo that appears at the start, and one shot during the broadcast. That was my dream……
“Instead, I’m going to watch it on my laptop. Hehe.”
“The world is a better place these days, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Back in my day, you had to have a TV.”
Ignoring the staff’s chatter, Muyoung crouched down and turned on his laptop.
Muyoung accessed the S company website and waited for the time to pass. He went on SNS and read fans’ comments.
-Oppa, the movie was really fun and inspiring!
-It’s the most impressive death scene I’ve ever seen. I’m cheering for you. I’m looking forward to the drama that’s coming out soon.
-I hope you win the Best New Actor award, Muyoung ♡
-I really enjoyed the movie. I’m a fan now.
-But it’s a genre that doesn’t really work in Korea, which is a shame ㅠㅠ. I think it would be a hit overseas.
-I didn’t know movies of this genre were made in South Korea.
-The Plague and Moonshot are produced by the same company. No wonder they have a similar vibe. It was a very unique movie.
It was fun to read the new comments that appeared every time I logged in. The vibe online was good, at least.
“Muyoung?”
“Yes?”
Ko Gyeongmin, who had been outside making a call, called him. Muyoung followed him out, wondering what was going on.
He seemed nervous, but also excited, and he definitely had something to say.
“What’s up, hyung?”
“I’ve got one piece of moderately good news, one piece of disappointing news, and one piece of really good news. Which do you want to hear first?”
“It’s like a quiz. Haha. I’ll take them in order.”
First, the moderately good news. Ko Gyeongmin whispered, making sure there was no one in the hallway.
“The Plague has reclaimed the number one spot at the box office, with a cumulative audience of 2.11 million.”
“Oh my gosh! Awesome!”
After its initial release, it had been neck and neck with A Wrinkled Life, repeatedly losing and regaining the top spot. It was a fierce battle, but it had regained its position.
“So, according to the data we received, it’s expected to reach the latter half of 4 million, and the break-even point will be moderately exceeded.”
“That’s great! At least it didn’t flop!”
He meant it. That was a very good result.
For a first movie debut, not losing investment was a success. Muyoung shook his head and marveled to himself.
“What’s the next news?”
“It’s going to come down a little faster in theaters than expected.”
“What? Why? The response has been good.”
It’s only been a week. I don’t know why they’re saying that.
When Muyoung asked again with a serious expression, Ko Gyeongmin closed his eyes without answering. He tried to create a serious atmosphere……
“Pfft-”
“……?”
There was nothing he could do about the laughter that escaped. Muyoung looked at him incredulously, then asked again, realizing something.
“Is that answer related to the really good news?”
“Uh-huh. It is. Hahaha!”
“What is it? Tell me quickly.”
“You know Nepflix, right?”
Nepflix? Of course I do. It’s the world’s largest streaming site. Starting in the US, it has 100 million subscribers worldwide and is the biggest and best OTT platform.
Of course, Muyoung had never seen it.
“They’re going to buy the overseas distribution rights.”
“What?”
“They’re not going to do a second exclusive domestic VOD release and are going straight to Nepflix. It’ll be distributed worldwide through there.”
It was an investment based on the belief that it would do better overseas than in Korea.
That meant that in Korea, The Plague would not be available anywhere other than Nepflix: not on internet portals, movie channels, or IPTV.
“So, in other words, they’re going to handle both video services and international distribution at the same time.”
“Wow. That’s good, right?”
“Of course.”
Instead of being shown in movie theaters in other countries, it would be distributed as a first release on Nepflix.
But there’s a problem. If it goes to a streaming service instead of VOD, no matter how high the cumulative views are, there’s no additional revenue.
“So there’s a down payment involved.”
“How much?”
He held up all five of his fingers.
“……500 million?”
“Are you stupid? It’s 5 billion, not 500 million!”
“Whoa! That’s amazing.”
It was a number he couldn’t even comprehend. Muyoung clapped slowly, looking stunned.
“It’s still under discussion, but it looks like it’ll be settled at around that price. We’re lucky we released it in a hurry. Otherwise, we’d never get that price.”
If it had been released in mid-February as planned, it probably would have been invited to the Berlin Film Festival.
If it had been released simultaneously overseas and in Korea at that time, it would have already been considered distributed overseas. Nepflix probably wouldn’t have offered that kind of money.
“But isn’t that too much money?”
“Why are you worried about that? Are those people stupid? They did the math and figured it was worth it, so they’re paying.”
It wasn’t a giveaway contract, either. In a place like today’s developed VOD market, they were giving up that revenue.
Especially since The Plague was rated for adults only, the revenue from IPTV would have been sweet…… In a way, it was the perfect amount, disappointing for both parties.
“Wow. That’s great, anyway.”
The Korean theatrical release would go ahead as planned, and only the overseas market would be contracted through Nepflix for the down payment! That was why it might be taken down from theaters early because of that contract.
‘The longer the theatrical release, the more it will affect streaming.’
“But that counts as overseas revenue, right?”
Muyoung smiled and blinked.
What does that mean?
“The running guarantee will drop.”
“……Uh, how much……?”
When a running guarantee is triggered on a 12,000 won ticket, the amount that usually goes to an actor is 250 won per viewer.
If it’s a 5 billion won deal, a simple calculation would put it at around 100 million won, but Muyoung was a supporting actor and a newcomer.
The contract terms are a little different.
“About 25 million.”
“Crazy!”
Compared to the few hundred he was paid for the role, it was almost ten times as much. Muyoung clasped his hands together in prayer and stomped his feet.
“Whoaaaaa- Thank you!”
“Are you that happy?”
“I’m making so much money these days, aren’t I? It’s crazy, huh? Heuk. I’m going to be really rich. No! I’m already rich!”
Tasha! Muyoung punched the air in joy.
Ko Gyeongmin laughed and played along. It was nice to see him so pure and grateful for what he had, without any regrets.
“You’re a newcomer, so you can use this as an opportunity to get a foothold. Okay?”
“Of course I will!”
“Where did you learn to say that?”
“From Junho. Hehehe.”
Newcomers don’t seek economic opportunities through their fees alone. They make themselves known, then aim for the fees and advertising revenue that follow.
“This is amazing, Muyoung. Congratulations.”
“Thank you!”
Since Nepflix bought the rights, people all over the world would start watching The Plague like crazy. That meant that the number of people who knew Muyoung’s face would increase, too.
“Mr. Muyoung, Ha Muyoung!”
“Yes! I’m here!”
“It’s time to get ready.”
A crew member poked his head out the door, looking for him. At those words, Muyoung hurried over.
Looking at the clock, it was already approaching 11 p.m.
“How many minutes until standby?”
“About five minutes.”
“Oh. Then can I take a picture of the first episode……?”
The assistant director chuckled at Muyoung’s cute request. It couldn’t be helped if it was the lead actor doing this.
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you! Everyone, come here! Our first episode is about to air!”
Muyoung happily gathered the people around him. Song-a and Pyo Lai, who were waiting, as well as the staff, all huddled together.
“Wow. Nowadays, this is how it’s done live.”
“I can’t see you, so sit in front, please.”
“Whoa- It’s starting!”
“I can’t see…… Heuk.”
They sat in front of a small laptop and watched the drama’s first episode. After the commercial, the title You Are a Star, I Am a Star appeared.
“Hyung! Picture! Picture!”
“Hurry up and gather! Gather!”
“Whoa!”
Muyoung, his teammates, and the staff gathered around the laptop, smiling broadly. It was a shame that they couldn’t watch their own work on TV.
Below, comments from viewers watching the live broadcast scrolled up.
-Finally, the first episode! I’m excited!
-Romin!!! I love you!!! I’m going to die!!!
-Oh. It’s starting. Starting.
-I heard the main character is Louis from The Plague. I wonder how it’s changed. Hehe
There were 20,000 people watching together. It wasn’t a bad start for a first episode, but Muyoung didn’t know.
He quickly left a comment and uploaded a photo.
[Hello, this is Doha, Muyoung! It’s a drama that’s fun for your eyes and ears! The soundtrack will be released after the broadcast, so please show it lots of love! Everyone, please make lots of money while you’re alive~! Love you!!]
And he posted proof on SNS, too!
They stood there for a moment, watching the beginning of the first episode of You Are a Star, I Am a Star together. Even though they already knew the content, seeing it edited like this felt new.
Clap clap!
At that moment, the assistant director clapped his hands and dispersed the crowd. It was 11 p.m., the time of the first broadcast, but also a late hour.
“Come on! That’s enough! Let’s get shooting quickly!”
“Yes!”
“At this rate, we’re not going to be able to watch the actual broadcast properly. Do you have the script yet? Are Song-a and Lai done with makeup?”
“The youngest writer just called and said she’d be here within an hour.”
“Aigoo. I’m going to die. Okay! Let’s get ready to standby!”
At the assistant director’s loud command, everyone went to their places.
Muyoung also stood in the middle of the set, focusing on the shoot. There were a lot of people to coordinate with, like Song-a, Lai, and Romin, so he had to concentrate even harder than usual.
“Let’s go again!”
“Yes!”
The heat on the set didn’t die down until after midnight. They were so focused that no one even had time to check their phones.
[Real-time search]
[1st place: You Are a Star, I Am a Star OST]
[2nd place: Music ghost]
[3rd place: Ha Muyoung Louis]
[…….]
What happened to the soundtrack that was released after the first broadcast ended. And how many people were curious about Ha Muyoung, the busiest newcomer these days, along with the movie The Plague.
“Are the ratings out?”
“They’re still tallying…….”
“Hua.”
“Why are you so nervous?”
Meanwhile, Director Lee Yujin was biting her fingertips, waiting for the comprehensive viewership data to come out.
The night at the broadcasting station was so bright. As she paced back and forth, the numbers finally came to her.
“It’s second place in the same time slot, with an average viewership of 9%”.
“9%? Really?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t this feel good?”
“……Is that what you call it?”
It was a number that was hard to achieve for a late-night drama’s first episode. Director Lee Yujin clenched her trembling fist and cheered inwardly.