While "The Bodyguard" is in theaters, the post-production of "Batman" is still progressing steadily.

The film has recently begun the post-sounding stage. Simon considered among several major Hollywood scorers and finally decided to do it himself. After all, no one in Hollywood knows the effect he wants better than him. Warner Studios has the best sound recording

rooms and other related equipment, so this part of the work is still being done in Burbank.

After a busy morning, Simon left Warner Bros. Studios and rushed to the nearby Daenerys Entertainment Burbank branch.

Today is June 9th, Friday.

Ella Deutschman returned from Europe yesterday. Simon came to the company branch. Everyone chose a restaurant nearby to have lunch. Deutschman talked about the results of this European trip.

"In order to grab "Cinema Paradiso", Universal offered an upfront payment of US$5 million plus a later share of the plan. This was just for North American distribution rights, so I had no choice but to give up. Tornatore won the Palme d'Or this time.

There are also many people who want to invest in his next movie. He and I also had differences on the script of "Family Journey", and we also failed to reach an agreement on this matter."

This incident was completely expected, Simon just asked: "What about the others?"

Ella Deutschman said: "Considering the situation at the time, I selected 10 films from the main competition unit and various screening units, seriously communicated with each producer, and then sent them to

They sent out limited-time offers with only one night to consider. In the end, among the films I was interested in, I still didn't get the Jury Prize-winning "Beautiful," but I got Jane Campion's "Sweet Sister," a North American film.

For omni-channel copyright, the transaction price is an advance payment of US$300,000 plus 50% of the net box office profit. There is also a Swedish film called "The Woman on the Roof" with an advance payment of US$100,000 and the same 50% of the net box office profit.

Divide.”

Simon noticed the smile on Ella Deutschman's face when she talked about this incident, and could probably imagine the battle of wits between him and other film producers who were closely following Daenerys' entertainment.

"The Woman on the Roof" is probably just a tack, the focus is still "Sweet Sister".

US$300,000 plus 50% of the net box office profit share is a price that is completely worthless for a Hollywood commercial movie. However, according to Simon's judgment, the production cost of "Sweet Sister" will not exceed US$500,000. Only in North America.

New Zealand film producers can basically recoup most of their costs through the sale of copyrights, not to mention there are profit sharing clauses.

Simon is actually more inclined to buy out, but he also understands that this idea is unrealistic. Just like his original insistence on the share of "Lola Run", those who make movies more or less expect miracles to happen. Deutschman

The offer actually reduces risks for Daenerys Entertainment.

Moreover, the share only involves the box office, and the later income from video tapes and TV broadcast rights belongs to Daenerys Entertainment, which can also avoid long-term financial disputes.

The upfront cost is US$300,000, and an additional US$500,000 will be invested in promotion and distribution. The North American box office of "Sweet Sister" must be more than US$1.5 million to break even.

Simon doesn't have high expectations for the box office potential of "Sweet Sister". As long as it can get 3 million US dollars, it will be considered a success.

According to this figure, Gaomen Pictures can achieve a small profit at the box office, and the later video tapes and TV broadcasts can also bring good income. The New Zealand film producers can also get another 300,000 to 400,000 US dollars in revenue sharing. Both parties are happy.

.

Simon was about to ask about other things when he noticed Robert Rem's slightly frowning expression when he heard the two talking. He looked at him and said, "Bob, what's the problem?"

Robert Rem glanced at Deutschman and said, "Simon, I just think you value these small businesses too much."

"This is no small business, Bob. Just like "Run Lola Run" and "Pulp Fiction." Both of these films tend to be literary and artistic, but their box office sales are amazing. Since I can do this, I believe that other films

Filmmakers can also create such miracles. I don't expect Gaomen Pictures to be able to unearth a movie like "Run Lola Run" every year, but it only takes two or three years for a big-selling literary film to appear, and this is

Success." Simon explained seriously, and finally added: "And, for me, there has never been a concept of big business or small business. I hope to do every job involved well. For you, I do the same.

It's this kind of expectation. This is a very important attitude issue. If a person can't take a 'small business' of 300,000 US dollars seriously, then if you give him 3 million US dollars or even 30 million US dollars, he will not be able to do well."

In front of Deutschman, Jennifer, and Danny Morris, the president of New World Pictures who were dining together this time, they were rebutted. Although Simon's tone was very calm, Rem was still a little uneasy. He was still a little nervous.

He insisted on his point of view just now, but he just forced a smile and nodded: "Okay."

Simon sighed secretly and turned to Deutschman again.

Without waiting for Simon to ask, Deutschman took the initiative and said: "According to your request, Simon, I successfully signed a two-film contract with Campion. She will next film a film called "Angel"

I have read the script for the biographical film "Stand With Me", and it is also a good film that is competing for awards. In addition, she also has an original script idea, telling the story of an aphasic woman who marries to New Zealand with a piano, because

The script hasn't been finalized yet, so I can't judge its quality yet. She said she would draft an outline in the near future."

The story about the piano and the mute girl is obviously the one Simon loves very much, "The Piano".

Having not seen the script, Simon did not comment too much. He continued to chat for a few words. He looked at Danny Morris, the head of New World Pictures, and asked: "Danny, that movie "Children in the Cornfield"

"How are the preparations for the sequel going?"

Danny Morris was initially appointed as the head of Gaomen Pictures. Because he was not optimistic about the prospects of literary films, he was sent by Simon to be in charge of New World Pictures, which specializes in thrillers and horror films. During the exchange just now, I felt

Simon's emphasis on Deutschman and his views on 'big business' and 'small business' made Danny Morris somewhat regret his decision to give up his position as president of Gomen Pictures.

New World Pictures is currently responsible for not many projects, mainly "Scream 2", the sequel to "Scream" that was a hit last year, and "The Amityville Horror 3", the third sequel to "The Amityville Horror"

and "Children of the Corn 2," the sequel to "Children of the Corn" that Simon Asks about.

All three films were commercial successes.

Therefore, once the sequel is completed, unless it is much better than the previous one, the credit will not actually be too great, but if it is messed up, it will definitely seriously affect your future.

With this in mind, Danny Morris quickly said: "The script has been completed and I am currently looking for a director. In addition, Simon, I plan to shoot this movie in Australia, which can save at least 10% of the budget."

The budget of "Children in the Cornfield" is US$3 million. Because it is a low-cost film, filming in Australia will definitely not be able to get the generous tax rebate conditions as "Batman". If the budget is reduced by 10%, it actually only saves 300,000.

Dollar.

Rushing to Australia for filming was originally an idea that Danny Morris had some hesitation in his mind, but after hearing what Simon just said, he made the decision without hesitation.

At least, this kind of attitude can win a lot of favor from the boss.

Simon was indeed satisfied.

Although a company's profits are not derived from savings, if it can be calculated carefully, it must still be calculated carefully.

After chatting for a while, Simon did not ignore Rem and talked about "Bodyguard" again.

The box office of "Bodyguard" in its first week was US$23.63 million. This figure was slightly lower than Simon's expectations, and even worse than "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in the same period. Fortunately, the soundtrack album of "Bodyguard" is as good as the original one.

The unexpected hit made Simon full of expectations for the film's future box office trends and overseas box office performance.

Moreover, compared to original albums, Simon actually still values ​​box office more.

If "The Bodyguard" can achieve the original global box office of US$400 million, Daenerys Entertainment will be able to earn at least US$100 million in net profits in the next one or two years. In comparison, the expected revenue from the soundtrack album is equally astonishing, but in memory,

The album sales of more than 4,500 copies are the result of long-term accumulation in the next ten or twenty years.

In addition, Simon is also a little worried about the impact of "Ghostbusters 2" released this week on "The Bodyguard". He does not have very specific box office data for "Ghostbusters 2" in his memory, but this is a big-budget movie that cost $37 million.

It is obviously also a best-selling film on the annual list. Moreover, "Ghostbusters 2" is comparable to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Bodyguard" in terms of release scale and publicity offensive.

After lunch, just as everyone returned to the Burbank branch office building, they heard another breaking news.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Paramount Communications suddenly held a press conference and stated that it would initiate the acquisition of Time Inc. and made a high offer of US$10.6 billion.

Prior to this, the merger negotiations between Time Company and Warner Bros. had been going on for three months, and the negotiations had come to an end. Paramount Communications' sudden move made both Time Company and Warner Bros. executives furious. Time Company immediately

issued an announcement stating that it did not welcome Paramount Communications' hostile takeover. Warner Bros. quickly followed suit and expressed support for Time Inc.'s announcement.

Many ordinary people actually don't know much about the inside story of this acquisition, but the entire Hollywood is paying close attention to this matter.

The entanglement between the three companies is actually very interesting.

The previous transaction between Time and Warner was actually Time Company's acquisition of Warner Bros., with Time Company as the acquirer. Now, Paramount Communications has initiated an acquisition of Time Company, and Time Company immediately became the acquired party.

The main reason why Time Company's senior executives reacted so strongly was because of this change of subject and object.

In the acquisition transaction between Time and Warner, as the acquirer, senior executives of Time Company will still be the controllers of this new large-scale media group after the merger is completed. Moreover, according to the news Simon heard, a senior executive of Time Company has even made a plan for himself.

A ten-year generous salary contract has been prepared. Even if some people have to leave after the company merger is completed, they will still receive compensation benefits for ten years.

However, if Time Inc. is acquired by Paramount Communications, after the merger is completed, Time Inc.'s management will most likely be kicked out of the company. As for the ten-year salary contract, there is no way to talk about it.

After the announcement of Paramount Communications, the two parties went back and forth in the media for several days. Paramount Communications soon publicly stated that for the benefit of shareholders, Paramount would file a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Delaware to stop the

Time Inc.'s deal with Warner Bros.

In the negotiations between Time Company and Warner, the two parties adopted a stock swap model. Time Company's price tag was only US$7 billion. Paramount Communications offered a cash acquisition of US$10.6 billion, which obviously would have been a more generous deal if Time and Warner had not

.

However, pure numbers are actually just an appearance.

According to the capital gains tax rate of up to 28% in the United States at this time, if the cash acquisition of Paramount Communications is accepted, the income received by shareholders after cashing out is actually roughly equivalent to the merger offer between Time Inc. and Warner Bros. Because of the stock swap

The transaction does not require capital gains tax.

Therefore, Paramount Communications' argument about safeguarding the interests of shareholders is actually not very tenable.

As a bystander, Simon knew the final outcome of the acquisition.

Moreover, Simon was actually a little envious of this deal.

Not to mention Warner, Time Company owns HBO, which later became the most profitable paid cable TV network in North America. This fact makes Simon extremely greedy. Moreover, Time Company’s print media business, which owns platforms such as Time magazine, is now also very profitable.

.

However, Daenerys Entertainment currently does not have the strength to participate in large-scale acquisitions involving tens of billions of dollars.

Simon is paying attention to this acquisition now because he just wants to gain experience for Daenerys Entertainment’s future layout. In fact, this day is not too far away, and it may even only need to wait until next year.

On the other hand, one week after the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was released, the sales figures for the first week were gradually released.

For later marketing considerations, Alistar Records and Daenerys Entertainment originally made up their mind that even if the album's first-week sales could not exceed 1 million, both parties would privately push the number to exceed 1 million. Fortunately,

The final sales statistics of the "Bodyguard" soundtrack were 1.02 million copies, so there was no need to risk fraud. The two companies quickly launched a large-scale follow-up promotion of this sales data.

Stimulated by the popularity of the soundtrack album, the box office of "The Bodyguard" ended up falling only 15% the next week, collecting another US$20.06 million, with a cumulative box office of US$43.69 million in two weeks.

Although this box office data still cannot surpass the box office of "Raiders of the Lost Ark 3" of $46.01 million in the first full week, it is still very good, especially in the first week of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Ghostbusters"

2》Under a pincer attack.

In its first week, "Ghostbusters 2" also grossed US$44.91 million at the box office, unsurprisingly taking the first place in the box office rankings. "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which entered its fourth week, had a single-week box office

Reaching US$23.88 million, ranking second.
Chapter completed!