On April 1, three other new films also joined the competition for the Easter schedule.
With the exception of Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice," neither of the other two new films poses any threat to "When Harry Met Sally."
Simon is very aware of the box office potential of "Beetlejuice". In the original time and space, it was because of the success of "Beetlejuice" that Tim Burton got the job of directing "Batman".
However, Warner now obviously does not have high expectations for "Beetlejuice". Although it has given an Easter schedule, it only provided the film with an exact opening of 1,000 screens, which is far lower than the previous two weeks. The 1,700 yuan for the movie "Gold Medal 5".
As a result, during Easter week, "When Harry Met Sally" only collected another US$15.49 million with a weak box office drop of 13%, bringing the cumulative box office to US$37.05 million. "Beetlejuice" followed "When Harry Met Sally" with a box office of US$13.24 million in its first week, which was almost twice the first week box office of "Pop 5".
Immediately, Warner's deep heritage as one of the seven major studios in Hollywood was immediately apparent.
Due to the success of the box office in the first week, the screen size of "Beetlejuice" was directly expanded to 1,523 in the second week.
In comparison, entering the third week of its large-scale release, the number of screening screens for "When Harry Met Sally" is still 1,077. Although Disney has not refused to add additional films to the film's schedule, it has stated that this process will take at least four weeks. .
If you pay a little attention to the data of movies currently being released in North America, it is not difficult to find that Disney would rather give more than 1,500 screens to "Good Morning Vietnam", which has only more than 2,000 US dollars per library per week in a single week, rather than free up more canvases for the per-theater average. "When Harry Met Sally" for more than $13,000.
this is the truth.
If it were not for the clear guarantee of 1,000 screens in the original contract, the situation faced by "When Harry Met Sally" might be even worse.
April 11th.
Today is the day of the 60th Academy Awards. The Hollywood writers' strike continues. The Oscars, which was originally supposed to be held at the end of March, has been postponed until now.
Although he will attend the award ceremony in the evening, Simon still spends the whole day busy.
The fifth week of release, the third week of large-scale filming, and the end of the Easter holiday.
During the three-day weekend from April 8 to April 10, the box office of "When Harry Met Sally" inevitably expanded to 25% compared to the previous period. It collected another US$8.11 million in three days, with a total box office of 4,516. Ten thousand U.S. dollars.
Starting from this week, Disney will receive 18% of the North American box office of "When Harry Met Sally" as a commission.
Burbank.
It's already afternoon.
Simon and Amy left the Disney headquarters together. After getting in the car, Amy looked at Simon who was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and meditating. After waiting for a moment, she said: "The company is indeed launching too many projects now, Simon, I think We should consider Eisner's suggestion."
Since the release of "When Harry Met Sally", the box office and reputation have been settled, and Simon has also begun to consider subsequent releases. Due to the priority clause in the original contract, this aspect must be reached with Disney.
Simon and Amy came to Burbank to discuss this matter with Michael Eisner.
According to the box office curve of "When Harry Met Sally", based on the US$100 million box office in North America, the contract signed between Disney and theaters is 50:50. There is naturally water content in this, and Daenerys Pictures only acceptable.
So, from the future US$50 million production and distributor share, minus Disney’s 18% commission and the US$10 million publicity and distribution expenses that are destined to be equally watery, Daenerys Pictures will probably be able to recover 22 million US dollars. dollars, which has ensured that Daenerys Films has recouped production costs and generated some profits.
There are not many Hollywood films that can recoup all their costs during their local theatrical release. Of course, for a movie with a North American box office expected to exceed 100 million, it would only become a joke if the cost cannot be recovered.
As for other distribution channels, after bargaining with Michael Eisner, Daenerys Pictures successfully retained local video and television distribution rights. Daenerys Pictures sold overseas cinema, video and television rights to Disney for a package price of US$30 million.
The US$30 million is basically the same as the US$35 million sale price of the corresponding overseas distribution rights of "Lola Run" last year.
At the beginning, Simon's foundation in Hollywood was too shallow. In order to raise funds for the operation of the stock index futures market as soon as possible, the subsequent distribution rights of "Lola Run" were completely sold at a low price. The overseas box office was only 200 million US dollars, so he bought "Lola Run". Warner, which owns the overseas omni-channel distribution rights of "Run Lola Run", has made a lot of money.
Although the box office performance of "When Harry Met Sally" was not as good as "Run Lola Run", Simon is no longer the rootless young man he was last year, so naturally he can no longer give in blindly.
However, the sale price of US$30 million is still the result of Simon's compromise.
As long as "When Harry Met Sally" does as much overseas box office as it does in North America, Disney will essentially be able to generate a profit, not to mention lucrative video and TV distribution.
Daenerys Pictures transferred overseas distribution rights for US$30 million, allowing Simon to retain the local video and television distribution rights for "When Harry Met Sally."
After negotiating the follow-up distribution of "When Harry Met Sally", Michael Eisner also expressed the hope to continue to distribute several other films in the hands of Daenerys Pictures. This is something Amy just thought is worth considering. .
When Simon heard Amy's words, he came back to his senses, glanced at his female executive next to him, shook his head and said: "Amy, I have made too many compromises during this time, enough. So, I want to You know, the negotiation just now was the last concession I made to Hollywood. After this time, no one can take advantage of Simon Westeros at will."
Amy felt some of the emotions in Simon's tone and said: "These two things are not conflicting. Simon, Daenerys Pictures is still very small now. We must establish our own distribution channels as much as possible. But considering the company’s situation, we must maintain certain cooperation with the Big Seven.”
Simon did not deny it and nodded: "Of course, Amy. However, for Daenerys Pictures' next films, the distribution rights for "Pulp Fiction", "Basic Instinct" and "Rain Man" have already been acquired by other films. In the hands of the company, I couldn't give up more. Eisner offered a 10% commission, which seems very generous. But if you look at "When Harry Met Sally," "Beetlejuice" can It was easy to expand the screening scale by 50% in two weeks, but we can only passively wait for Disney to donate more screens. I don’t want other films under Daenerys Pictures to encounter this situation again."
Amy said: "Simon, if we released it alone, the number of screens we would get from theaters might not be as many as Disney gave us."
"Theatrical chains also have to make money. I don't believe that after a series of blockbuster movies such as "Run Lola Run", "The Butterfly Effect", "Dead Man" and "When Harry Met Sally", North American theater chains will still Reject movies produced by Daenerys Pictures. What's more, the writers' strike has been going on for more than a month. If it continues for another month or two, the summer schedule may not be affected, but the schedule in the second half of the year will definitely be affected by the seven major studios. It is no longer possible to provide sufficient film sources for theaters, and that is our opportunity.”
Amy thought about the several so-called reality shows that the company was preparing, and her eyebrows became a little more worried. She said: "The Writers Guild has restarted negotiations with the Producers Union, and perhaps a settlement can be reached before the end of the month. Next month But in the new year’s TV program promotion season, neither party should want to mess this up, which will only hurt both parties.”
Simon just shook his head slightly and said: "Amy, if you feel that you are too busy, you can continue to recruit people. We will have to do many things ourselves in the future, and this is not negotiable."
"Okay," Amy could only nod, glanced at her watch, and said, "It's already half past two. The Oscars will be held tonight. Aren't you going to prepare for it?"
Simon said casually: "I can just wear this suit. Besides, I still have things to deal with later."
Amy hesitated and said, "What about MacMillan?"
Simon nodded helplessly.
Returning to the Daenerys Film Headquarters in Santa Monica, looking at the busy scene in the office building after the expansion again, Simon was thinking about choosing a more spacious office space for the company, and soon came to the second floor own office.
Producer Ron MacMillan, who had assisted Simon in completing "Run Lola Run", was already waiting in the office.
With the partnership established in "Run Lola Run", after Simon established Daenerys Pictures, Ron MacMillan naturally became the company's first contracted producer.
After working with Wes Craven on "The Last Day Out" last year, Ron MacMillan is currently working on "Scream" with Wes Craven as well.
What Simon was going to talk to Ron MacMillan about happened to be Scream-related.
Seeing Simon come in, Ron MacMillan, who was obviously much richer than Luo Tuo two years ago, stood up and shook hands with him enthusiastically, and said, "Simon, how was the discussion with Disney?"
"It's done." Simon shook hands with Macmillan, sat down behind his desk, pulled out a folder, and said, "Ron, we have to talk."
Ron MacMillan sat down opposite Simon. Seeing his face turn serious, he unconsciously asked, "Is there any problem?"
Simon handed over the folder in his hand and said: "About "Scream", I remember at the first production meeting I said that the character of Cathy, who was killed at the beginning, was very important in shaping the horror of the entire movie. Tone is crucial. To increase the impact on the audience, we need to cast an actress with a relatively high profile.”
Ron MacMillan opened the folder and saw an actress' information inside, and a guilty expression flashed across his face.
However, under Simon's gaze, he still said in a relaxed tone: "Simon, doesn't Amanda Wise meet your requirements? She made her debut ten years ago and has played roles in many movies."
"They are all minor characters. If I hadn't seen her information, I wouldn't have known who she was." Simon shook his head, looked at MacMillan, and said, "Ron, this is not the most important thing. In the early stages, During the casting process, I selected Phoebe Cates and asked you to contact her. You told me that Phoebe Cates declined, and then bypassed all other alternatives and gave you the information about this actress. Sent over. But, Ron, you're missing the point. I'm not some outsider who wants to invest in a movie or two in Hollywood to earn some fame after they get rich. Phoebe Cates is a WMA artist, and this is just a phone call Then, Jonathan told me that Phoebe Cates and his agent had never received any offers related to Scream."
When Simon exposed it to his face, Ron MacMillan's expression suddenly became a little embarrassed. After hesitating, he still defended: "Simon, this is just a small role."
Simon frowned and said: "Ron, I don't object to you using your position to have some fun in private. This is the case throughout Hollywood. However, the premise of all this is that you must be responsible for the project in your hands. " "Scream" cost $10 million to make. Do you know what that means? In any city, just $1,000 is basically enough to find a woman of very good quality. For $10 million, you can find 10,000. If you lower the standard, you can even find 100,000 with this money, 100,000 that you will never sleep with in your lifetime. Therefore, no woman is worth risking a 10 million US dollar project, and I will not allow others to do so. Risking $10 million of my money, do you understand?”
Ron MacMillan's expression changed for a while, and finally he whispered: "I'm sorry, Simon."
Simon continued to look at the middle-aged man opposite him for a moment, and then said in a slower tone: "Ron, I cherish our experience of completing "Run Lola Run" together, and I also hope that we can continue to cooperate. So, put Phoebe... Cates talks it down. As for this woman, you can give her another small role. I don’t want any messy things to come out. Remember, it’s just this time, not next time.”
After sending Ron MacMillan away, Simon leaned back on the leather chair tiredly.
These days, as Daenerys Pictures' stall is getting bigger and bigger, all kinds of problems are starting to come.
At the beginning of the month, Simon visited the crew of "Rain Man" in Palm Springs, eastern California, and found that the entire crew was in a state of "letting go". Simon could clearly feel the presence of Tom Cruise and Dustin. ·Hoffman and other main creators already believed in their bones that this movie would be a mess, so they shot it completely with a holiday and fun attitude.
In order to prevent the already very loose budget from overspending again, Simon added an accountant to stay on the set of "Rain Man" at all times. He still insists on checking the filming samples of "Rain Man" twice a week and has made up his mind to personally participate in the film. Post-production to ensure there are no surprises in the film.
For several other films in preparation, many filmmakers who received invitations had a mentality of not killing the fat sheep before killing them, and the remuneration prices they offered were generally higher than industry standards.
Simon also began to understand why Carlock Pictures in the original time and space frequently produced movies that broke budget records, and even produced the first "Terminator 2" in Hollywood history with a production cost of over 100 million. This company relied on German tax avoidance. Capital film companies have obviously been treated as fat sheep.
Simon's words to Amy on the way back from Disney were completely the result of the accumulation of various emotions during this period of time.
Because of the indifference deep in his bones, Simon had no feelings of resentment toward those who took him for granted. However, Daenerys Pictures will naturally not cooperate with them easily in the future.
Mastered a large number of copyrights such as Tolkien's Middle-earth series, "Superman" and "Batman", "Fast and Furious", "Forrest Gump", "Dances with Wolves", "Pretty Woman", etc., and then Together with many other hot-selling movie scripts in his memory, Simon has now accumulated enough chips. If he wanted to, he could even make a North American box office hit every year. Therefore, Simon has no intention of giving Hollywood the illusion that he is a fat sheep.
If you want to eat big food, no problem, just try to see if your teeth are strong enough.