Distributor 20th Century Fox had tried to sell "Star Wars" to other studios because it feared it would lose money on the overbudget production, but following the film's success, by September 1977 it was eager to make a deal with Lucas on the sequel. Unlike the prolonged negotiations of "Star Wars", which took years, Lucas was able to strike a deal with Fox swiftly, partially because he planned to finance the sequel himself with $33 million from loans and the previous film's earning. Lucas hoped to become independent from the Hollywood film industry and went against the principles of many Hollywood producers, who believe in never investing one's own money. Similar to how he set up The Star Wars Corporation for the first film, Lucas created a subsidiary, The Chapter II Company, to help minimize the financial risks. By the end of September, the contract had been signed: the "negative cost" of the sequel was set at $8 million, Lucas would receive final cut privilege, and Lucasfilm was guaranteed 77.5% of the profits if the film grossed over $100 million. Under the contract, by July 1978 Lucasfilm subsidiary Black Falcon Ltd. would gain control of licensing, marketing, and merchandise, and the profit split would be 80% for Lucasfilm and 20% for Fox. The contract made it clear that Fox would have no creative control over the film, set a January 1979 start date for filming, and a May 1, 1980 release date.