Lu Ban's meeting with Thomas Lee was less than ideal.
The main issues lay in the distribution of profits and the scheduling of screenings.
Lu Ban's preferred release slot was around Christmas and New Year's Day, half a year away, which allowed enough time for his team to complete the film and provide a master copy.
Moreover, Christmas is akin to the New Year for foreigners, with many holidays during that period and numerous moviegoers. Similarly, in China, the New Year's holidays would attract a vast audience.
However, for foreign cinemas, this period is also very significant, even possibly the most important, comparable to the Chinese New Year slot for domestic films. It's when the strongest movies are released. Under such circumstances, to show a film made by "foreigners" could be somewhat unjustifiable, and it's not certain that the shareholders of the cinemas would agree.
After all, Lu Ban was not yet famous enough.
The distribution of profits was quite straightforward.
