Four Hundred and Two - Representative Among Successful People
""The Matrix" peripheral revenue exceeded 100 million!?"
The first time he saw this number, Michael Eisner frowned. He didn't look at the detailed statistics of peripheral items in front of them, and just skipped them and looked at the last number.
Putting down the statistics in his hand, he took a sip of coffee and said, "What do you mean? Do you just want to tell me that Warner Bros. and Wayne Greenberg are going to make a lot of money? Well, no one expected peripheral sales. It’s really a surprise that my forehead is as high as this.”
As if he didn't hear the sarcasm in Michael Eisner's tone, Michael Ovitz kept a straight face and ignored the other party's question. Instead, he picked up the statistics and continued: "Attention, there are sales on this The best sunglasses, windbreakers, male and female protagonists' pendants and other movie derivatives are all produced by Warner Brothers' own peripheral companies.
Secondly, for various peripheral items, such as Nokia’s expensive slider phones, boots, character models, etc., the commission contract signed between Warner Bros. and the brand is no less than 35%! How much profit margin is there? ! "
"Yes, in recent years, the proportion of peripheral profits from Hollywood's blockbuster movies has indeed become more and more important." Although Michael Eisner didn't understand what the other party wanted to express, he agreed with some of the views. “But it’s really rare for peripheral sales to explode like this like The Matrix.”
If you only look at the film type of "The Matrix", no one would believe that there will be an explosion in the surrounding area. After all, this is just an original R-rated film that is not an adaptation or a sequel.
However, on the first day of filming, peripheral sales have been sold out. It is common for peripheral stores to sell out their inventory for a weekend. If you ignore the R-rated attribute of the movie, this will The revenue ratio is already comparable to that of "Batman Begins."
Michael Ovitz nodded and continued: "Attention, what we see is only the data released by Warner Bros., which is only the harvest in North America. No one knows how this movie is sold overseas!
Another particularly important point is that although "The Matrix" is gradually being reduced in screening scale due to its positioning as an R-rated film, after it is released, this will become an offline advantage. In video rental and copyright transactions, R-rated films are more popular with ordinary buyers, which means that this film has greater profits waiting for Warner Bros. and Wayne Greenberg to reap them. "
This is the objective fact. In the North American offline video rental and sales market, large-scale horror films, plasma films, grindhouse films and other taboo-tended films are the main force in this market.
This involves human nature and the film rating system. Countless teenagers cannot openly go to the theater and watch a movie that is banned in the 18th century. However, there are too many loopholes that can be exploited in the rental and sale of video tapes.
"After I proposed that I would leave, CAA inevitably fell into turmoil. No one expected that idiot Martin Bob to let go of a big client like Wayne Greenberg so easily."
Thinking of the agency empire he built, Michael Ovitz couldn't help but sigh. Especially after he came to work at Walt Disney, he faced power struggles and office politics every day. During this time, he often doubted his choice.
The Disney Emperor has been listening silently. He is very curious about what his childhood friend wants to do after investigating so many things.
And Michael Ovitz didn't pause at all, and continued: "For a blockbuster series like "The Matrix," a movie can bring Wayne Greenberg far more income than if he directed it himself. A bonus share of the film's remuneration, this is the benefit of being a film company owner.
Judging from the ending of the story of this film, it is obvious that there is still a lot to be done later, and neither Warner Bros. nor Wayne Greenberg will give up on the production of sequels easily. According to the rules in the industry, if you want to ensure that subsequent films have the greatest success rate, you can only continue to use the creative lineup of the first film.
What is the core of the creative lineup of "The Matrix"? The male protagonist Lee cannot change, and the same goes for the female lead Charlize Theron. They are the hallmarks of this movie that will attract more fans in the future. The more important creative core is actually the novice director Zack Snyder! His shooting style is in the same vein as Wayne Greenberg, and it is the most consistent with the film. Without his guidance..."
"You mean..."
Hearing this, Michael Eisner gradually sat up straight, stared at Michael Ovitz, and said: "The profits involved in "The Matrix" are too great, big enough to make people lose their cool! If we want There is a way to make the sequel director have an accident, no, it must be a problem for the sequel director!"
"uh-huh."
Michael Ovitz shrugged and exhaled. "Don't forget what I do best! On Sunday afternoon, I made an appointment with Zack Snyder for coffee through his agent..."
"Are you sure?" Michael Eisner suddenly smiled. If Zack Snyder could be hired, regardless of the director's own value, I'm afraid Wayne Greenberg and Warner Bros. would be in chaos for a while. The director of the sequel to "The Matrix" has lost his position, which is definitely a big event that can make people crazy.
"Not sure."
Although he said he was unsure, Michael Ovitz's smile was still there. He looked at his childhood friend and continued: "So I need Disney's support to make an offer that the young director can't refuse. Everyone. You have your own price, don’t you?!”
"Go do it!"
If he wants to stay at Walt Disney and get the rights he deserves as a CEO, the safest way is of course to show his abilities to the board of directors and his childhood friends, and this is an opportunity for him.
There is now a fierce factional struggle within Disney, and Michael Eisner's opponents are gradually increasing. A powerful tyrant chairman, during a period of rapid growth in Disney's performance, everyone would be willing to surround him, because he can lead Disney to bring enough benefits to everyone.
But now the situation has gradually changed. Michael Eisner's behavior has become more domineering. Disney's fundamental hand-drawn animation business and the development of live-action feature films have all come to a standstill.
Especially in the past two years, in the face of the strong rise of Warner Bros., followed closely by Paramount, Disney's main point of maintaining its revenue is still the copyright of traditional animated feature films, without any new growth points.
It's like a vicious cycle. The executives within the company are fighting among factions. Michael Eisner is still going his own way. The board of directors is not unanimous. Everything is in chaos, and there is no sign of improvement.
It was precisely this chaotic power struggle that allowed Michael Ovitz to see the opportunity to gain a foothold, provided that executives and the board of directors could see his ability and his hope of bringing benefits to Disney.
He absolutely does not want to see someone with such a high salary but living in the shadow of the power of his childhood friend every day. Michael Ovitz has never lacked ambition, otherwise the Internet would not have rumored him as the mastermind controlling Hollywood stars.
Time is moving forward in the calculations of various companies. "Tornado" did not live up to Warner Bros.'s expectations. Not only did it achieve amazing results on the first weekend, but the film also relied on its strong reputation and special subject matter to suppress it in the following working days. Mission: Impossible.
When it entered the second weekend, everyone including the producer Paramount and Tom Cruise knew that there was basically no hope of making a comeback at the box office. What was embarrassing was that in terms of movie peripheral sales, Mission: Impossible also performed surprisingly weak.
If it is not compared with the two rival films, no one can say that "Mission: Impossible" failed. After all, with Tom Cruise around, it is destined to not be too cold at the box office.
In the past seven days of the week, although the film did not experience explosive single-day box office growth, it performed quite steadily. During the four working days and three days of the opening weekend, the film grossed a total of US$59.8 million in the North American theater market.
This number is of course incomparable to the increasingly distant "Twister". The film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg has grossed 92.5 million US dollars in the past seven days. Several third-party forecasting agencies have confirmed this through the media. Said that he was optimistic that this film would become the first North American film with a box office of over 200 million in 1996.
If we put aside "Tornado," which became more and more popular the more it was screened, the box office revenue of "Mission: Impossible" has fully met Paramount's expectations. If it continues to develop according to this pattern, it will still be possible to recover production costs and even profits from the box office. It's very possible.
"Tom, our movie will be released in overseas theaters this weekend. I don't understand why you have to rush back to attend this party!"
At the end of Mulholland Drive in Beverly Hills is the Greenberg Manor located on the top of a hill. In another villa half a street away from the manor, Nicole Kidman helped her husband straighten his bow tie and complained softly. A few words.
"Nicole, you have to remember." Tom Cruise looked at himself in the mirror, nodded with satisfaction, and said to his wife: "Paramount is Paramount, and we are just a normal business partnership. It doesn’t stop us from talking to the big boss of Warner Bros., does it?”
Nicole Kidman's eyes suddenly bulged. The two have been together for several years, and this is the first time she has seen such a calm husband. This is unusual and surprising.
When Tom Cruise packed his clothes and went upstairs to get his watch, his agent, Pat Kingsley, who had been sitting silently on the sofa, suddenly spoke.
"Is it weird?"
Nicole Kidman frowned slightly, looked at the other person and nodded subconsciously.
"Nicole, the reason why Tom was able to go smoothly and become a rare superstar in Hollywood must be due to luck, but someone who is not clear-headed will definitely not be able to reach his current position. The Tom in your eyes must be full of arrogance. Sensitive, impulsive, and even a little weird that’s hard to understand, right?”
Without waiting for her to respond, Pat Kingsley continued without hesitation: "These are objective facts. No one can deny this. Most of the time, Tom needs me to keep reminding him from behind." . But that’s because he has the capital of arrogance. It’s actually very simple to gain his respect and friendship. Just be successful like Wayne Greenberg.”
"Nicole, the traditional rule of this circle is that when everything is high, you should always suppress the low. This is a circle for the successful, and people like Tom and Wayne are the representatives of the successful..."
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