Chapter 616: Spoofs Also Have a Big Market

With the full release of the film, ema also announced the relevant data of "Shrek 2".

This forecast figure did not attract any refutation, but was unanimously recognized by the industry. Everyone knows very well that the outbreak of "Shrek 2" is unstoppable. After ten years of hard work, DreamWorks Animation Studio has achieved highest peak ever.

Jeff Katzenberg, who was once kicked out by Walt Disney and Michael Eisner, can finally straighten his back and tell the world that losing Jeff Katzenberg is Walt Disney's loss.

The Disney Animation Studio is in a precarious situation. Since "Tarzan", it has never released an influential animated feature film. Disney can only rely on the works of Pixar Studios to support the appearance of the animation kingdom, and is far behind by the industry.

Dreamworks Animation Studios seems to be on top, in stark contrast to Disney Animation Studios.

"Congratulations, Jeffrey."

At the reception party of DreamWorks Animation Studio and Embassy Pictures after the promotional meeting, Ronan found Jeff Katzenberg and said, "You and DreamWorks Animation Studio have brought a commercial masterpiece."

Jeff Katzenberg did his part: "I've waited too long for this day."

The box office of the first weekend in North America broke the record for an animated feature film in history, trampling all Disney cartoons including "The Lion King" underfoot, and Jeff Katzenberg finally fulfilled his promise when he left Disney that year.

Ronan could roughly guess what Jeff Katzenberg was thinking, and said: "Today's Disney Animation Studios are far inferior to DreamWorks Animation Studios."

Jeff Katzenberg smiled confidently: "If Disney Animation Studios does not make subversive changes, it will inevitably be eliminated by the market."

The hand-drawn animation art of Disney Animation Studios is very powerful, but in the era of computer animation, it is destined to be eliminated by the mainstream market. The larger the conservative forces, the harder it is to change. From Ronan’s perspective, Disney Animation Studios wants to save itself. In fact, there is only one way to go.

Why can the former Disney Animation Studio be reborn after ten years of sinking? Profound heritage and huge investment are one aspect, and the most critical thing is Pixar Studio.

Walt Disney annexed Pixar Studios, and Pixar's cowards entered Disney Animation Studios in an all-round way, and even took control of key departments and positions.

But for Jeff Katzenberg, a sunken Disney animation studio is a good animation studio.

In Ronan's eyes, the same is true.

As long as Walt Disney cannot swallow Pixar Studios, it cannot be said that Disney Animation Studios cannot reproduce its glory, but it will definitely be pushed back for many years.

After chatting about Disney and DreamWorks, Jeff Katzenberg suddenly said: "Ronan, according to the agreement between Embassy Pictures and DreamWorks Animation Studio, I will take a percentage of all online and offline releases. After a while, Embassy Pictures can take about 35% of the revenue from "Shrek 2"..."

Ronan knew what he wanted to say, and interjected directly: "In Hollywood, among all the companies with global distribution capabilities, the distribution ratio signed by Embassy Pictures and DreamWorks Animation Studio is the lowest. Jeffrey, Embassy Pictures Ye Ken lowered his profile so low because of our friendship."

These words blocked the rest of Jeff Katzenberg's throat, and put it on the six major companies, at least 40% of the film's revenue would fall into the hands of the distribution company.

Jeff Katzenberg still said: "Let the people below talk about it."

Ronan smiled: "It's fine to talk about it."

He also didn't want the publisher and the producer to have too much trouble, and he had some friendship with Jeff Katzenberg. As long as DreamWorks Animation Studio's request was not excessive, Embassy Pictures could make some appropriate concessions.

Jeff Katzenberg nodded: "Ronan, working with your company is really reassuring."

"Thank you." Ronan changed the subject: "I heard that Michael Eisner and Roy Disney had a bad relationship on Disney's board of directors recently?"

Jeff Katzenberg said: "The specific situation is unknown to anyone other than those who participated in the board of directors, but the two reportedly broke the glass in the conference room."

Ronan thought of Mel Gibson, who worked with Disney, and asked, "Jerry, don't you find a chance to meet Michael Eisner?"

"I also want to." Jeff Katzenberg's entanglement with Michael Eisner can make a movie: "But there is no particularly suitable opportunity."

Ronan said: "Remember to call me when the time comes, I also dislike Michael Eisner very much."

There is no personal grievance between the two, but Michael Eisner is the head of Walt Disney, and Ronan needs to work hard to dig out the corners of Disney in the future, so it is inevitable to stand on the opposite side with Michael Eisner.

Jeff Katzenberg said, "No problem."

The small party ended quickly, and Ronan spent most of the time talking to Jeff Katzenberg, knowing full well that Katzenberg wanted to punch Michael Eisner in the face.

In the 1990s, Frank Wells, who was the president of Walt Disney at the time, died in a helicopter crash. Many people in Disney were eyeing this position. Among them was the then director of Disney Animation Studios. Katzenberg, when Jeff Katzenberg brought the power of "The Lion King" to the Disney board of directors, was also the most popular candidate.

Michael Eisner, the chairman of Disney, knew that Jeff Katzenberg was ambitious and would not be under his control.

Under the impetus of Michael Eisner, his good friend Michael Ovitz eventually became the president and CEO of Disney.

Jeff Katzenberg was upset and went to Michael Eisner alone. No one knew exactly what happened, but it was rumored that Michael Eisner humiliated Jeff Katzenberg severely. As a result, the latter resigned directly from Disney Animation Studios.

It was one of the most significant events that happened to Walt Disney in the 1990s, and there were no winners for the parties involved.

The Michael Orvis chosen by Michael Eisner is not at all a moderate like Frank Wells, and a pair of good friends have completely turned their faces.

Michael Ovitz was also in front of all Hollywood, proving that his ability to manage large Hollywood companies was seriously insufficient, he was fired by Disney, and his career went downhill.

CAA, which lost Michael Ovitz, fell into the chaos of fighting for power and profit. There was even a scandal in which the head of CAA committed suicide by jumping off a building. It was not until 2000 that the CAA gradually recovered.

Disney Animation Studios has lost the most suitable leader, and after the peak of "The Lion King", it went downhill until it fell in the era of computer animation.

Jeff Katzenberg left Disney and could only try his best to build DreamWorks Animation Studio.

Walt Disney paid more than 200 million U.S. dollars in liquidated damages in order to remove Michael Ovitz from his position. There were problems with the procedures during the period, which also became Michael Eisner’s fate. Disney shareholders drove Michael Eisner to step down At the time, it was one of the biggest charges.

Ronan knew very well that Jeff Katzenberg would not just let Michael Eisner go.

Will Walt Disney, which is already full of internal conflicts, add a former Disney heavyweight, Jeff Katzenberg, will it become more chaotic?

A chaotic Disney is in Ronan's interest.

Also this weekend, "Shrek 2" was simultaneously released overseas, and the overseas box office can only be described as amazing.

In Australia, the box office reached US$11.23 million in the first weekend; France earned US$15.2 million in three days; and Germany opened the box office with US$13.24 million.

These have broken the history of local animation feature film drawing record.

This monster called Shrek is so powerful that it won a staggering $32.01 million box office in the UK in its first weekend!

"Shrek 2" has a box office of US$89.27 million in its first weekend overseas.

A movie with spoof as its main content has never exploded with such powerful power.

In the film, the spoofs are mainly American culture, especially Hollywood culture.

From the environment to the characters in the Hollywood area, the whole film subverts the existing values ​​everywhere, creating a fairy tale world that makes people feel both familiar and strange.

The other point is also very good, full of inspiration for the subversive spoof of American or Hollywood culture.

Faraway Country's imitation of Beverly Hills in Hollywood, describing Beverly Hills as a very distant place, reveals a kind of insinuation, and the shops on both sides of the street in Faraway Country are adapted from the most familiar place of daily life by Americans. The brand CITIC has come to hand, and with a slight makeover, it has produced a witty effect.

"Shrek 2" proved to the world that there is a big market for spoof movies.

Well, the Frog Prince, Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother are all about to be spoiled by this movie.

The subversive freshness that this film brings to the audience is the most terrible thing, and it is also the guarantee to maintain the film's continuous high-level operation.

"Shrek 2" dropped only 33 percent in its second weekend, to $72.3 million.

Ten days after its release, the North American box office has accumulated a total of 241.02 million U.S. dollars!

All the market records of animated feature films in North America have also become the possession of "Shrek 2".

DreamWorks Animation Studio is the profit in this feast of spoof gluttony, and Embassy Pictures is also a super big winner.

Because of the sequel movie, "Shrek 2" comes with a strong audience base, and the total budget of Embassy Pictures for promotion and distribution is only 50 million US dollars.

This is also a typical example of small investment and large output.