The day after Simon met Jack Valenti, Daenerys Entertainment's first self-distributed film "Elvira" was released in North America, with an opening screen size of 553.

Although it is a legacy project from New World Entertainment, the media still paid considerable attention to it.

On the second day after the film was released, many mainstream newspapers in North America published reviews of the film. However, the film's reputation was mostly negative and did not even reach the passing level. The "Hollywood Reporter" unceremoniously criticized the film.

The film is 'a horror film that attempts to imitate various horror genres but appears to be neither fish nor fowl'.

Now that he decided to send the film to theaters, Simon did not just make do, and specifically approved a publicity budget of 2 million US dollars for the film's copy printing and advertising. In the 1980s, such publicity expenditures were already very considerable.

However, in the first three days of the first weekend, "Elvira" still only received a box office of 2.21 million U.S. dollars, and the total box office in the first week is expected to be only about 3 million U.S. dollars.

It started with US$3 million in its first week. According to the general box office trends of this era, the film's total North American box office is roughly between US$8 million and US$10 million.

The production cost of "Elvira" is US$7.5 million. Including the US$2 million publicity budget, the total investment is US$9.5 million.

Based on the box office alone, this film obviously cannot recover its cost. Even if it can recover its cost or even make a slight profit through later overseas channels, video tapes and TV platform distribution, but after taking into account the time cost, this is ultimately a failed project.

Daenerys Entertainment executives had expected this result and were not surprised. However, after the box office data of "Elvira" was released, many media began to advocate that Simon Westeros "fell off the altar"

Arguments such as "Elvira's Terror" are likely to be the beginning of Daenerys Entertainment's decline into mediocrity.

The New York Times also wrote an article analyzing Simon's massive acquisition of New World Entertainment as a bad move. Overeager expansion will only lead to the rapid collapse and decline of Daenerys Entertainment.

Simon was not affected by these media comments. During this period, he could clearly feel the benefits of acquiring New World Entertainment to gain a foothold in Hollywood.

By buying this company, Daenerys Entertainment acquired an experienced film and television production and distribution team at one time, and owned a number of valuable film and television project copyrights, consolidating its position in the field of television program suppliers, and most importantly

, and got Marvel, all of which are completely worth the $250 million.

Although Simon didn't mind the failure of "Elvira", some senior executives from New World Entertainment didn't think so.

"Elvira" failed at the box office, and Robert Rehm and others obviously felt guilty when they faced Simon in the following days. However, Simon did not say anything to appease these people. Only with pressure can there be motivation. "Elvira"

Failure is also a spur to them.

When "Elvira" sparked media discussion, Daenerys Entertainment sent "Scream" to the MPAA for the third time on the new Monday. In addition, "Rain Man", "Dead Poets Society" and "

The post-production of the three films "Steel Magnolias" has also been completed. Simon is still waiting for the traditional Hollywood forces to express their opinions and has not eagerly submitted these three films for review.

Daenerys Entertainment Burbank Branch.

The time is Wednesday, October 5th.

Unlike "Scream", due to the themes of "Rain Man", "Dead Poets Society" and "Steel Magnolias", the MPAA cannot give a rating exceeding R even if it makes things difficult. Therefore,

Although it has not yet been rated, Daenerys Entertainment has already begun arranging for representatives from major theater chains in North America to participate in the test film in order to sign a screening agreement.

In the screening room, the closing credits of "Steel Magnolias" rose, and Robert Rehm, who had personally hosted the preview, stood up and invited Richard Hill, United Artists' vice president of film source procurement, to come to the next door.

Reception room.

This is the second screening today. The two of them have already watched the sample film of "Dead Poets Society" in the morning.

In the 1980s, the large-scale integration of theater chains in North America had not yet begun. United Artists, which was spun off from United Artists after the Paramount verdict, was still the largest theater chain in this era, with a total of more than 2,200 theaters across North America.

screen, with a market share of nearly 10%.

In order to make up for the bad impression that the box office failure of "Elvira" may have caused in Simon's mind, Robert Rehm has been working tirelessly in recent days to promote the release of several films at the end of the year. For three consecutive days, he personally accompanied some

Theater executives watch sample films and discuss cooperation agreements.

Moreover, Robert Rem also had a vague premonition that his boss might have had a showdown with MPAA Chairman Jack Valenti when he met with him last Friday. Several theaters directly affiliated with major film companies that were originally interested in cooperating have declined in recent days.

For his test film invitation, Robert Rehm can now only fight for screen resources from seven theaters outside the system.

However, Robert Rem is not too worried about the current situation.

Due to the previous Hollywood strike, major theater chains in North America were generally in a state of shortage of film sources during this period, and the quality of film screenings could not be compared with the same period in previous years. For three consecutive weeks, the total box office in North America in a single week was at 3,000

With a serious shrinkage of less than 10,000 US dollars. Coupled with the box office miracle created by Daenerys Entertainment in the past two years, Robert Rehm has full confidence to obtain sufficient releases for the company's films without relying on the resources of the seven major theaters.

screen.

"Charlie, counting the "Scream" we have already seen before, the three movies were personally selected by Simon and supervised the entire production. "Scream" is actually Simon's idea. So, the three movies,

Daenerys Entertainment needs to guarantee a combined 55% box office share."

"I've heard about the rating issues that "Scream" has encountered," Richard Hill said, holding a cup of coffee with a confident expression, "Bob, you probably don't know about "Scream" yet.

"Can "The Call" be released on time? "Dead Poets Society" and "Steel Magnolias" may not have this problem, but companies such as Cineplex Cinemas controlled by Universal and Loews Cinemas owned by Columbia probably will not open the screen for you

Resources. So, 40%, we can only give so much. In addition, if "Scream" can pass the rating, we can sign a one-time contract for the screening of these three movies, but in New York, Chicago, etc.

In core cities, United Artists Cinemas needs to have exclusive screening rights."

Because of the attendance rate, the box office sharing contracts signed between film companies and theaters usually decrease in a stepped manner. In the first few weeks of the opening, the film company can get at least 60% of the box office share. As the attendance rate decreases,

The share of revenue received by film companies has also gradually decreased.

But generally speaking, the final box office share that mainstream film companies can get for commercial films is between 40% and 55%. The North American film industry has experienced more than half a century of development, and the industry also has very mature calculation formulas for this.

Therefore, Robert Rem and Richard Hill did not get entangled in specific details, but directly discussed the final share ratio.

When Robert Rem heard Richard Hill's request, he shook his head and said: "Charlie, our company's situation may not be very good, but your situation is actually worse. Now all theaters are short of film sources. Moreover, if

The Seven are able to achieve the box office performance of Daenerys Entertainment in the previous two years, and the proportion of box office share they ask for will be even higher. You may have to pay a huge deposit to obtain film sources as before. So, 55%, you agree to this

A little while before we can continue talking."

Richard Hill retorted: "Previous results do not represent the future. "Scream" may not be bad. After all, Westeros personally conceived the idea, but he did not sign it. As for "Scream"

"Dead Poets Society" and "Steel Magnolias," if they weren't starring big stars like Robert De Niro and Jessica Lange, they would actually be more literary films and wouldn't have many selling points at all."

"When Harry Met Sally, major Hollywood studios also felt that it lacked a selling point, but the film earned US$110 million at the North American box office," Robert Rehm continued without giving in.

Said: "Charlie, if you want to make this business, it's best not to consider external factors like the Seven. The suppression of Daenerys Entertainment by the Seven Film Companies cannot help you make more money.

But it is possible to cooperate with us. You have to understand that not only the three movies now, Daenerys Entertainment will also produce more movies in the future. If we have a happy cooperation this time, Daenerys Entertainment will definitely give priority to it in the future.

United Artists Cinemas serves as exhibitor.”

When Richard Hill heard Robert Rem's last words, he looked at the other person's expression and immediately understood the subtext.

If this cooperation is not pleasant, United Artists Cinemas will definitely be ostracized by Daenerys Entertainment in the future.

In recent days, Richard Hill has received calls from executives of some major Hollywood studios, asking United Artists not to cooperate with Daenerys Entertainment.

Obviously, for some reasons that have not yet been made public, the relationship between Daenerys Entertainment and the Seven has begun to become tense.

Robert Rem originally thought that Daenerys Entertainment's attitude would be weaker this time, but he did not expect that Robert Rem, who had a mild temper during the New World Entertainment period, would suddenly be so strong.

Richard Hill inexplicably thought of Simon's figure.

That's what a truly sharp young man is.

Probably what kind of boss you have will produce what kind of employees.

After continuing to fight for it, Robert Rem refused to give in on the share ratio, but Richard Hill found that he really did not have the confidence to have a stalemate with Daenerys Entertainment.

After all, United Artists Cinemas only owns less than 10% of the screens in North America, and even the seven major ones only have a total of about 15% of the screens after the local government relaxed restrictions on movie companies operating theaters a few years ago.

These are the highest quality screen resources, but 75% of movie screens in North America are still in the hands of other theater operators, large and small.

The interest relationships formed over a long period of time have given the Big Seven a very strong influence on the entire North American theater market. If other second- and third-tier film companies were to have the Big Seven make efforts at the same time, the major theaters might really take action out of fear.

means of blocking.

However, Daenerys Entertainment is not included in this list because this film company is so dazzling.

Six films were produced in two years, all of which were ranked in the top ten of the annual list, and five of them achieved over 100 million domestically. If such amazing box office performance can be continued, who will have the confidence to refuse the huge benefits contained in it?

Although he had some perfunctory dealings with the other party on the phone calls from the Seven, Richard Hill never considered cooperating with the Seven to ban Daenerys Entertainment. He believed that many other cinema operators in the industry would not do the same.

Do. Perhaps, only those theaters directly affiliated with the seven major theaters cannot cooperate with Daenerys Entertainment due to the overall interests of the parent company, but Richard Hill feels that those theater directors must be scolding their mothers in their hearts.

As professional managers, everyone has performance indicators.

With these thoughts in mind, Richard Hill glanced at the reception room and suddenly understood something else.

In the past, film companies usually invited the heads of multiple theater chains to participate in test screenings, but this time, Robert Rehm only invited him. This is obviously not just because United Artists Theater Chain is the largest theater chain in North America.

Because of the theater chain company, Daenerys Entertainment does not want to give the major theater chains the opportunity to join forces.

Without the confidence to have a stalemate with Daenerys Entertainment, the cooperation terms proposed by Daenerys Entertainment were not too harsh. During the subsequent negotiations, Richard Hill's attitude softened unknowingly.

By the time after get off work, the two parties had basically finalized the screening agreement.

After reaching a cooperation, Richard Hill rejected Robert Rem's dinner invitation and left. Robert Rem was originally planning to go home from get off work, but he received a call from Simon at the last minute. The headquarters had just obtained Daenerys.

Simon wanted him to go over and take a look at the brand new title titles from the three companies, New World Pictures and Gomen Pictures.

Since his boss was still working after closing time, Robert Rem had nothing to complain about and drove from Burbank to Santa Monica again.

Arriving at the Daenerys Entertainment headquarters in Santa Monica, Robert Rehm quickly arrived at a conference room upstairs.

Simon and Amy were all here. After saying hello, everyone sat down at the conference table. Seeing Simon's female assistant adjusting the projector, Robert Rem took the initiative to talk about the results of the afternoon's negotiations.

"United Artists Cinemas agreed to sign all three films, with a 55% share of the combined box office and a guaranteed four-week screening time. Richard Hill originally wanted exclusive screening rights in some core cities, but I refused. However,

, United Artists Cinemas is not optimistic about "Steel Magnolias". They are only willing to provide 200 screens. If "Scream" can pass the rating review, they can also do this film and the subsequent "Dead Poets Society"

Provide 500 screens. In addition, Simon, the internal test screenings of "Steel Magnolias" and "Dead Poets Society" arranged last week were very good. I am wondering if we can adopt a release strategy of opening in advance on a small scale to build up word of mouth.

, like Disney’s Good Morning Vietnam last year?”

Theoretically, literary and artistic films such as "Dead Poets Society" and "Steel Magnolias" should participate in some film festivals for pre-publicity before they are released. However, the schedules of these films are very tight, and there is no

Schedule similar marketing sessions.
Chapter completed!