The little maid and Mona Almery came to a small restaurant on the first floor of the villa together. After ordering breakfast, the other maids prepared it, and Almery brought a stack of newspapers and magazines that had been prepared in advance.
The trio of Huanzhu are thoughtful people, at the level of fairies. This is actually even more true for the Wei family's maid and bodyguard team, which has higher threshold requirements.
Mona Elmery has already learned about the trio in advance and learned that they are some of the most popular TV stars in China. Since the little maid regarded her as a breakthrough, Almery did the same.
Putting down the newspapers and magazines in her hands, Mona Elmery still bowed and stood beside the little maid in a very obedient manner, and took the initiative to introduce: "This is the information I collected according to Miss Fan's request, but to be honest, Miss Fan, If you want to understand Hollywood, you only need to follow two newspapers, namely "The Hollywood Reporter" and "Variety", one is more focused on film and television information, and the other is more focused on film and television reviews."
Elmery said, picking out two newspapers and placing them in front of the little maid.
The little maid took the newspaper and motioned to the side: "Mona, you can sit down too. I don't have your language skills, so I need your help in translation."
Almery was not humble and sat down next to him. Seeing the little maid bringing two more newspapers to him, he reached out to take them and asked with a smile: "What does Miss Fan want to know?"
The little maid gestured to a copy of the "Hollywood Reporter" above: "Tell me first, what are the important news recently?"
Almery nodded slightly, moved the newspaper slightly towards the little maid, pointed to the front page news and translated it immediately: "The most popular thing in Hollywood recently is the Thanksgiving period. This news is a report on the box office situation of the past weekend. .The title is 'Thanksgiving season started with fierce competition, and "Collision" fell short of expectations in its first week."
The little maid saw a huge poster of "Collision" outside a theater when she was visiting Manhattan yesterday. She also knew that this was a movie produced by Daenerys Entertainment. Because it was related to a certain man, she immediately showed concern: "It's not as good as expected. Did it fail?"
Almeri's fair and slender fingers pointed at the table below: "This is the box office data," he said and introduced the general content: "The box office of "Collision" in the first three days of the weekend was 62.43 million U.S. dollars, which was lower than the industry's first week of 6,500. The box office data of 10,000 to 70 million only means that the film cannot achieve the breakthrough of 100 million US dollars in the first seven days, but it is not a failure."
The little maid quietly converted it, and found that US$62.43 million was equivalent to more than 500 million yuan. She was stunned. If this still fails, what does it mean to be a success
But then I also thought that this is America. Over in China, there is no comparison.
Thinking about this, the little maid said: "62.43 million in the three days of the first weekend. Even if it doesn't meet expectations, it's still a lot, right?"
Almery nodded: "Of course there are many number one on the list. However, this is the most blockbuster film Daenerys will produce alone at the end of this year, with a production cost of 120 million, a publicity cost of 60 million, and a total investment of 180 million US dollars. With such a huge expenditure, the industry expects the local box office target of this movie to be 300 million U.S. dollars. If it cannot break 100 million in the first week, there is not much hope of hitting 300 million domestically."
$300 million, that’s…
The little maid subconsciously wanted to convert again, but she held it back and kept telling herself that this was the United States. She also reached out and pointed at the box office form: "Tell me about other movies?"
Almery said: "The second place is "Gangs of New York" directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio, with a box office of 20.76 million in its three-day opening weekend. Dollar."
The little maid heard a certain name and immediately said: "Leonardo DiCaprio, the leading actor in "Titanic"?"
Almery nodded: "That's right."
The little maid was surprised again: "I also know Martin Scorsese. It seems that there is a very famous "Taxi Driver", which also triggered the assassination of President Reagan. I mean, the movie shot by these two people, The box office seems a bit low?"
Elmery always smiled and said patiently: "Because of the different themes, "Titanic" and "Collision" are mainstream blockbuster commercial movies and the most popular ones in recent years. . Martin is a very good director, and Leon is also very famous. However, the current audience does not like gangster themes such as "Gangs of New York" very much. This is no longer the era of "The Godfather". Moreover, " The reputation of "Gangs of New York" is not very good either."
The little maid listened carefully and quietly filtered out some useful information.
In Hollywood, it’s not just movies with big directors and big stars that can sell high box office, it also depends on the subject matter type and reputation. It seems that it is the same in China. Just like this year, it is also about the assassination of Qin. Zhang Guoshi's "Hero" was a big seller, while Director Chen's "Jing Ke's Assassination of the King of Qin" was tepid.
Obviously, if I want to star in a movie in the future, I must seriously consider these things.
Almery glanced at the thoughtful little maid, and when she responded with her eyes, he proactively added: "The production cost of "Gangs of New York" was 65 million U.S. dollars, and the first weekend was 20.76 million. The total domestic box office should be more than 70 million. In addition, in the overseas market, because of Leon's popularity with "Titanic" and the lack of fierce competition from the same period in the country, the box office should be higher. Therefore, although it is far inferior to "Collision" and "Gangs of New York" It is still a project that can bring good profits to MGM. Oh, by the way, this project is not produced by MGM alone. Daenerys is also involved. It is rumored that Mr. Westeros personally decided to invest. Otherwise, Martin has been waiting to make this project for more than twenty years and may have to wait longer.”
The little maid listened with interest to Almery's casual Hollywood insider information. After the other party finished speaking, she asked: "I also know MGM. Isn't Mr. Westeros the boss of Daenerys? Can he still decide MGM?" thing, and also give such a, um, money-making project to MGM?”
Elmery said: "MGM's largest shareholder is a group of Australian capital, mainly funds from Mr. Westeros' wife's family. When it acquired MGM, it was rumored that Mr. Westeros was behind the scenes. Therefore, in addition to Without direct ownership, MGM is basically a branch of Daenerys."
The little maid asked: "Then why not buy it directly?"
"Because the United States has antitrust laws," Almery said: "Daenerys is already very large, and the government will not allow it to easily annex another major studio."
The little maid thought for a moment, then raised her hand to make some gestures: "Then, the government can't see that, um, Mr. Westeros is actually behind the scenes at MGM, right?"
"So what if you see it," Elmery said with a hint of arrogance in his tone: "With Mr. Westeros's connections in Washington, it is not impossible to forcefully acquire MGM. Since Mr. Westeros doesn't have This is only indirect control, and of course others will not cause trouble without knowledge."
The little maid nodded, gaining knowledge again.
Obviously, the legal rules in the United States are not insurmountable. This is the same all over the world.
Seeing that the little maid understood, Almery continued to introduce the list: "The third-placed "Total Siege" is produced by Warner Bros., with 15.61 million in the three days of the weekend. The total domestic box office is expected to be 40 to 50 million, which is higher than the 50 million." The production cost is even lower, but the global distribution should be able to recover the cost, and considering the subsequent video tape and TV broadcast channels, the results are not bad."
The little maid tilted her head to listen and said, "It seems that the top three are not very successful?"
Elmery said with a smile: "Of course it's different. "Heaven and Earth" just didn't meet expectations because the cost was too high and local distribution couldn't recover the cost. But globally, based on 250 million locally and 350 million overseas, it's just theaters. At the release stage, after all costs are removed, the film will directly achieve a profit of about 100 million U.S. dollars, which is still a conservative estimate. If Martin's "Gangs of New York" has a global box office of 200 million, it will probably be between break-even. It is similar to "Total Siege", but in terms of follow-up channels, "Gangs of New York" will definitely earn more than the popcorn-oriented "Total Siege"."
The little maid thought for a while and asked tentatively: "That is to say, is it better to make more bombs, that is, to make more money?"
"Yes," Almery admired the Eastern girl's understanding, but still added: "The problem is, you may lose more."
The little maid smiled and was about to signal Almery to continue when the maid brought breakfast.
The two of them paused and watched the waitress set breakfast for them. The little maid picked up the tableware and asked, "Mona, have you eaten?"
"I ate early," Almery said, "Miss Fan, how about I wait a moment?"
"No, you continue."
Almery turned to the box office list in front of him again: "The fourth place is a horror film during the Halloween period, also from Daenerys, called "Annabelle 2". This is a very successful spirit summoning by Daenerys. A branch of the movie universe series, it had a box office of US$9.17 million in its third week of release and a cumulative box office of US$72.73 million. It is a very successful project and should break through 100 million yuan in the future and enter the 100 million yuan box office club. Ms. Fan must know the DC movie universe. The same goes for The Conjuring movie universe. However, because it is a horror theme, it seems that it has not been introduced in China?"
The little maid was eating fruit salad and said after hearing this: "I know, that, we have seen pirated copies over there, it's very scary."
Speaking of piracy, I feel a little embarrassed.
Elmery didn't mind these details and continued: "The fifth place is another new film this Thanksgiving, Disney's "Love", a romantic film starring 'Superman' Brad Pitt, the production cost is 3,500 million, 9.07 million in the first three days, and the total local box office is expected to be 20 million to 30 million. Considering the cost and box office comparison, it is probably about the same as "Total Siege". Beyond the top five, there is actually no need to say more. .”
The little maid happened to stuff a mouthful of sandwich into her mouth and nodded in approval.
Elmery glanced at the girl next to him, thought for a moment, and said, "Does Miss Fan want to develop in Hollywood?"
The little maid nodded immediately.
Elmery said: "In this case, I suggest that Miss Fan should first find an agent."
The little maid swallowed the sandwich and said honestly: "I don't know how to make it?"
Elmery paused and said, "As Miss Fan, this matter is actually very simple."
Of course, the little maid understood what Almery meant by simplicity, and she didn't pretend to be coy. She just said: "This, I was told when I signed the confidentiality agreement a few days ago. You know, I shouldn't be able to use Weibo casually. Mr. Stroh’s name, right?”
"Of course," Elmery said firmly: "However, you don't need to tell the truth. You just need to contact Ms. Davis, who is a very important housekeeper around Mr. Westeros, and ask her to help convey some of the information. People will definitely understand.”
The little maid had actually been thinking about this matter since yesterday, and was still struggling with how to speak. Seeing Almery giving the solution, her eyes immediately lit up, and she didn't even want to continue looking over her breakfast: "Is this really possible?"
"Yes," Almery confirmed again, and gestured to the breakfast in front of the little maid: "Miss Fan, you'd better finish your breakfast first, and we'll discuss it later."
"Well," the little maid immediately turned her attention to the food in front of her, and gestured to the newspaper in Almery's hand: "Can you continue to tell me what happened today?"
Almery continued.
In addition to the box office data for the first weekend of the Thanksgiving season, Hollywood has also been very busy recently.
The more important matters are, first of all, the much-anticipated "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. After nearly a year of filming, it was successfully completed one month ahead of schedule and has entered the final stage.
In addition, there is also the casting of the famous musical "Chicago". Because it is one of Daenerys' key projects, it is rumored that Simon Westeros attaches great importance to it, and many big-name actresses in the circle are competing for it.
Then there are the various impacts that the Blockbuster merger, which was officially approved by the federal Ministry of Justice last week, may have on the industry.
In addition, Westinghouse Electric and Sony have officially completed the delivery of the film business. Westinghouse Chairman and CEO Michael Jordan announced over the weekend an ambitious plan to invest 1 billion next year to expand the film business.
All kinds of things.
Although seemingly scattered information, for those who are interested, they can actually see things that are relevant to them.
At least the smart little maid felt that she had learned a lot without knowing it after Almery briefly introduced a series of today's information in the two newspapers in her hand.
Until the end of the meal, the other two women still did not get up.
Of course, the little maid had no intention of calling out to the other party. After a brief discussion with Almery, she contacted Ms. Angre Davis.
Everything went smoothly after that.
The housekeeper helped make phone calls, and the two drove to the city in the morning. They were personally received by the person in charge of the WMA on the East Coast. They probably confirmed the little maid's information and enthusiastically wanted to send Jet Lee's agent Jet Remy Zhao introduced him to the other party.
After all, they are all Asians, so language is not a problem and it is easy to get along with them.
After the little maid understood it, she declined politely.
Because I learned that Li Youhu also signed under the name of Jeremy Zhao.
After consecutively starring in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero", Li Youhu has gained a certain reputation in Hollywood. If the two of them sign an agent, the little maid doesn't think she can compete with each other.
After some communication, the little maid was directly listed under the name of WMA East Coast President Jenny Reisenberg, who hosted her.
This is also the cleverness of the little maid.
Being backed by a top agent, even if it is difficult for the other party to take care of her because they represent a lot of big Hollywood names, is much better than signing under the name of some small agents.
Jenny Reisenberg knew the identity of the little maid. Although he was not optimistic about the other party's prospects after getting to know her, he did not mind signing such a client.
In order to facilitate communication, an Asian intern was specially transferred and designated as the liaison between both parties. The intern's name is Dong Lili, a second-generation immigrant. Her English name is Lili Dong in reverse. She is 23 years old this year. I graduated from the New York University Film School. Because my parents are from the south and the north of China, I can speak fluent Mandarin and Cantonese.
After completing the formalities, both parties also had lunch together.
Now that he has signed a contract, Jenny Reisenberg must of course show his sincerity. During the lunch, he said that there will be a party for the East Coast film and television circles tomorrow night. Many big names in New York will attend, and a maid can be arranged. I have some connections in the past.