On April 1, three other new films also joined the competition for the Easter schedule.

With the exception of Tim Burton's "Beetle Juice", none of the other two new films pose any threat to "When Harry Met Sally."

Simon is very aware of the box office potential of "Beetle Juice", and it is precisely because of the success of "Beetle Juice" that Tim Burton got the job as director of "Batman".

However, the current Warner obviously does not have much expectations for "Beetle Juice", although the Easter schedule is given, it only provides the film with the same 1,000 opening screens, far lower than the 1,700 in the previous two weeks of "Gold Medal Police Academy 5".

As a result, in the week of Easter, "When Harry Met Sally" only collected another $15.49 million with a slight box office drop of 13%, and the cumulative box office reached $37.05 million. "Beetle Juice", which followed "When Harry Met Sally", grossed $13.24 million in the first week, almost double the box office of "Gold Medal Police Academy 5" in the first week.

Immediately, Warner's deep heritage as one of Hollywood's seven major studios was immediately revealed.

Due to the success of the box office in the first week, the screen size of "Beetle Juice" directly expanded to 1,523 in the second week.

In comparison, entering the third week of large-scale release, the number of screens for "When Harry Meets Sally" is still 1,077, and although Disney did not refuse to add a schedule to the film, it said that the process will take at least four weeks.

A little attention to the data of movies being released in North America shows that Disney would rather give more than 1,500 screens to "Good Morning Vietnam," which has only more than $2,000 left in a single week, than more canvases for "When Harry Meets Sally," which averages more than $13,000.

That's the reality.

If it weren't for the 1,000-screen guarantee in the original contract, "When Harry Met Sally" might have been in a worse situation.

April 11th.

Today is the day of the 60th Academy Awards, and the Hollywood screenwriters' strike continues, and the Oscars, which was supposed to be held at the end of March, have been postponed until now.

Although he will attend the awards ceremony in the evening, Simon still spends the whole day busy.

In the fifth week of the release, the third week of large-scale openings, the Easter holiday ended.

During the weekend of April 8 to April 10, the box office decline of "When Harry Met Sally" inevitably expanded to 25% compared to the same period before, collecting another $8.11 million in three days, and a cumulative box office of $45.16 million.

From this week onwards, Disney will next receive 18% of the North American box office of "When Harry Met Sally" as a commission.

Burbank.

It was already afternoon.

Simon and Amy left the Disney headquarters together, and after getting into the car, Amy looked at Simon, who was leaning on the back of the chair and closing his eyes and pondering, and waited for a moment before saying: "The company is indeed rolling out a lot of projects now, Simon, I think we should consider Eisner's suggestion." ”

Since the release of "When Harry Met Sally", the box office and word-of-mouth have been settled, and Simon has begun to think about the follow-up release. Due to the priority clause in the original contract, this aspect had to be agreed with Disney.

Simon and Amy had come to Burbank to talk to Michael Eisner about it.

According to the box office curve of "When Harry Meets Sally", according to the box office of 100 million US dollars in North America, the contract signed by Disney and the theater chain is 55 percent, which naturally has water, and Daenerys Pictures can only accept it.

Then, in the future, the $50 million production and distributor share, minus Disney's 18% commission and the $10 million or so publicity costs that are destined to be also mixed with water, Daenerys Pictures will probably be able to recover $22 million, which has ensured that Daenerys Pictures has recovered its production costs and generated some profits.

There are not many Hollywood films that can recover all their costs in the local theater release stage. Of course, for a movie that is expected to break 100 million at the North American box office, it will become a joke if the cost cannot be recovered.

As for other distributions, after a bargain with Michael Eisner, Daenerys Pictures managed to retain the rights to distribute the videotapes and television broadcasts in the country. Overseas theatrical, videotape and television rights, Daenerys Pictures sold to Disney for $30 million in packages.

$30 million, which is basically the same as the $35 million sellout 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 follow-up distribution rights of "Lola Run" were completely sold at a low price, and the overseas box office of 200 million US dollars made Warner, who bought the overseas omni-channel distribution rights of "Lola Run", make a lot of money.

Although the box office performance of "When Harry Meets Sally" is not as good as "Lola Run", Simon is no longer the rootless young man he was last year, and it is naturally impossible to blindly back down.

However, the $30 million sellout price is still the result of Simon's compromise.

As long as "When Harry Met Sally" grossed as well as it did in North America, Disney would have been able to generate a profit, not to mention a lucrative videotape and television distribution.

Daenerys Films sold overseas distribution rights for $30 million, allowing Simon to retain the rights to the local videotape and television distribution of "When Harry Met Sally."

After negotiating the follow-up release of "When Harry Met Sally", Michael Eisner also offered to continue to distribute several other films in the hands of Daenerys Films, which is something that Amy just thought was worth considering.

When Simon heard Amy's words, he came back to his senses, looked at the female executive beside him, shook his head and said, "Amy, I've made too many compromises during this time, and it's enough." So, I want you to know that this negotiation is the last concession I made to Hollywood. After this time, no one will be able to take advantage of Simon Westeros at will. ”

Amy felt some emotion in Simon's tone, and said: "These two things are not in conflict, 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 a certain degree of cooperation with the Seven." ”

Simon didn't deny it either, nodding his head, "Of course, Amy." However, in the next films of Daenerys Films, the distribution rights of "Vulgar", "Instinct" and "Rain Man" are already in the hands of other studios, and I can't give up more. Eisner offered a 10% commission, which seems very generous. But if you look at "When Harry Met Sally," "Beetle Juice" could easily increase the scale of the show by 50% in the second week, and we can only passively wait for Disney to give more screens. I don't want that to happen to any other Daenerys Films. ”

Amy said: "Simon, if we release it separately, the number of screens we get from the theater chain may not be as many as Disney's." ”

"Theaters are also about making money, and I don't believe that North American theaters will reject films from Daenerys Pictures after the blockbuster series of "Lola Run", "The Butterfly Effect", "Death is Coming" and "When Harry Met Sally". What's more, the screenwriters' strike has been going on for more than a month, and if it continues for another month or two, the summer schedule may not be affected, but in the second half of the year, the seven major studios will definitely not be able to provide sufficient film sources for the theater chain, and that is our opportunity. ”

Amy thought of the several so-called reality shows that the company was preparing, and she was a little more worried, and said: "The Writers Guild has restarted negotiations with the producers alliance, and maybe a settlement can be reached before the end of the month." Next month is the new TV promotion season, and neither side should want to mess it up, it will only hurt both sides. ”

Simon just shook his head slightly and said, "Amy, if you feel like you're too busy, you can continue to recruit." We're going to have to do a lot of things ourselves, and that's not negotiable. ”

"Okay," Amy nodded, glanced at her watch, and said, "It's half past two, and it's the Oscars in the evening, aren't you going to prepare?"

Simon said casually: "I'll just wear this outfit, and besides, there are still things to deal with later." ”

Amy hesitated and said, "What about Macmillan?"

Simon nodded a little helplessly.

Back at Daenerys Pictures headquarters in Santa Monica, looking at the busy scene of the office building after the expansion again, Simon considered choosing a more spacious office space for the company, and soon went to his office on the second floor.

Ron Macmillan, the producer who helped Simon with "Lola Run," was already waiting in his office.

With the partnership established by "Lola Run", after Simon founded Daenerys Pictures, Ron Macmillan became the company's first contracted producer.

After finishing "Here Comes the Grim Reaper" with Wes Craven last year, Ron Macmillan is now also working on "Scream" with Wes Craven.

Simon's going to talk to Ron Macmillan happens to be related to "Scream".

Seeing Simon come in, Ron Macmillan, who was obviously much richer than Luotuo two years ago, got up warmly to shake hands with him and greeted, "Simon, how did you talk to Disney?"

"That's it," Simon said as he shook hands with Macmillan, shifted to his desk, pulled out a folder, and said, "Ron, we have to talk." ”

Ron Macmillan sat down across from Simon, and when he saw his face become serious, he unconsciously felt a little worried: "Is there a problem?"

Simon handed over the folder in his hand and said, "Regarding 'Scream', I remember saying at the first production meeting that the character of Cathy, who was killed at the beginning, was crucial to shaping the thriller tone of the whole movie. In order to increase the impact on the audience, we need to choose a well-known actress. ”

Ron Macmillan flipped through the folder and saw an actress profile inside, and a weak expression suddenly flashed on his face.

However, under Simon's gaze, he still said in a relaxed tone: "Simon, doesn't Amanda Wise meet your requirements? She debuted ten years ago and has played roles in many movies. ”

"It's all small characters, and if it weren't for her profile, I wouldn't know who it is," Simon shook his head, looked at Macmillan, and said, "Ron, that's not the most important thing." In the early casting process, I picked Phoebe Kates and asked you to contact her, and you told me that Phoebe Kates refused, and then bypassed all the other candidates and sent you the actress's profile. But, Ron, you overlooked, I'm not one of those outsiders who wants to make a fortune and want to invest in a movie or two in Hollywood to make some fame. Phoebe Cates is an entertainer under MA, and it's just a phone call thing. Then, Jonathan told me that Phoebe Cates and his agent hadn't received any offers related to Scream at all. ”

was exposed by Simon in person, Ron Macmillan's expression suddenly became a little sneering, and after hesitating, he still defended: "Simon, this is just a small role." ”

Simon frowned and said, "Ron, I'm not averse to you using your position to have some fun in private, and it's like this all over Hollywood. However, the premise of all this is that you have to take responsibility for the project in your hands. The production cost of "Scream" is $10 million, and you know what that means? In any city, just $1,000 is basically enough to find a woman of very good quality, and for $10 million, you can find 10,000. If you lower the bar, you can even find 100,000 for this money, 100,000 that you won't be able to sleep with for the rest of your life. So, no woman is worth risking a $10 million project, and I'm not going to allow anyone else to risk my $10 million, you know?"

Ron Macmillan's face changed for a moment, and finally whispered, "I'm sorry, Simon. ”

Simon continued to look at the middle-aged man opposite for a moment, and said in a slow tone: "Ron, I cherish the experience of us completing "Lola Run" together, and I also hope that we can continue to work together. So, let's talk about Phoebe Cates again. As for this woman, you can give her another small role, and I don't want any mess to come out. Remember, this is just one time, not the next one. ”

Sending Ron Macmillan away, Simon leaned back in his leather chair a little tiredly.

These days, as Daenerys Films' stall gets bigger and bigger, all kinds of problems are starting to come along.

At the beginning of the month, Simon went to the "Rain Man" crew in Palm Springs, eastern California, and found that the whole crew was in a state of 'self-indulgence', and Simon could clearly feel that Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman and other main creators had already thought that the film would be messed up, so they were shooting completely with a vacation and fun attitude.

In order to avoid another overrun on an already loose budget, Simon has sent an accountant to stay on the Rain Man crew, and he now insists on checking the dailies for Rain Man twice a week, and has made up his mind to personally participate in the post-production of the film to make sure the film is accidental.

For several other films in preparation, many filmmakers who have received invitations have a mentality of not slaughtering a fat sheep in front of them, and the remuneration prices offered are generally higher than the industry level.

Simon also began to understand why Carlock Films in the original time and space frequently produced movies that broke budget records, and even produced the first film in Hollywood history to break the production cost of more than 100 million yuan, "Terminator 2", which is backed by German tax shelter capital, and the film company is obviously also regarded as a fat sheep.

Simon's words to Amy on the way back from Disney were entirely the result of the accumulation of various emotions during this time.

Because of the deep indifference in his bones, Simon has no resentment or anything like this for those who take him as the wronged leader. However, Daenerys Films will naturally not cooperate with them easily in the future.

Having mastered a large number of copyrights to Tolkien's Middle-earth series, "Superman" and "Batman", "Fast and Furious", "Forrest Gump", "Dances with Wolves", "Pretty Woman" and many other popular movie scripts in his memory, Simon has now accumulated enough chips. If he wants, he can 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, no problem, let's try to see if your teeth are hard enough.