In 90, because of the bold purchase of the Hong Kong version of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" that Fox did not dare to release, and made a lot of $130 million after the release of theaters.

As a result, New Line Pictures established its position in the independent studio in one fell swoop, although it was still a little inferior to Kallock Films, which was in full swing at the time, but it can also be regarded as a quasi-first-line independent studio.

Later, in order to finance development, Robert Shea sold a part of his shares to CNN's founder, media magnate Ted Turner, in a deal that reached $550 million, and Robert Shea made a huge profit of $100 million.

At the same time, because of Robert Shea's negotiations and his status as a major shareholder, New Line Pictures was able to retain the right to operate independently.

But within a few years, even CNN was acquired by Time Warner, so New Line Pictures' position in the new group was in jeopardy for a while, and in order to defend his position and foothold, Robert Shea invested heavily in several little-known films.

It turned out to be a mess.

Time Warner gave Robert Shea an order that Shay would not have the final say for future productions with a budget of more than $50 million.

At this moment, it was the filmmakers on the other side of the ocean who saved the new line, and Jackie Chan used his Chinese kung fu and oriental humor in "Rush Hour" to make its box office soar all the way to more than $140 million in the United States, much to the delight of Robert Shea.

Coupled with the comedy film "Ace Spy" in the same period, which was also a box office hit, Robert Shea finally saved his position and the fate of the company.

By the end of the '90s, a young New Zealand director named Peter Jackson had found a new thread, and he brought a big project – The Lord of the Rings, an epic fantasy blockbuster that had been rumored to be made since the sixties and seventies.

In the past, due to its scattered and chaotic copyright, the project has not been able to take place.

This time, however, the young Kiwi arrived with a big project, and the filming was conditional on him being the director of the film himself.

Epic blockbuster, divided into two episodes, there are no big stars, and Peter Jackson was a small director who had only made B-grade plasma horror films before, which is an irrational gamble in the market no matter how you look at it.

Or it can't be called gambling anymore, but it should be said that it is brain-dead.

So although the original book is a bit famous, in the whole of Hollywood, Peter Jackson lobbied everywhere for this big project, but no company was optimistic about being willing to take over.

But when it came to Robert Shea, Shay replied, "As far as I know, the original book is divided into three parts, so why not shoot three episodes?"

Peter Jackson couldn't believe his ears, how could there be such a movie boss!

But Robert Shea knew that he was gambling his life desperately, and if he lost, the new line would definitely be swallowed up by his big brother Warner Pictures, and he could only be laid off and never recovered.

Because the three episodes were filmed at the same time, as long as the first episode is smashed, the next two episodes will immediately become rotten eggs that no one wants.

So Hollywood's trilogy of movies is generally the first one after the success, and then the second and third are shot back-to-back, just like Warner's own "The Matrix".

But this time, Robert Shea not only won the bet, but also won it by a big margin, and with the "Rush Hour" trilogy in the limelight, New Line Pictures is not only as stable as Mount Tai in the Time Warner system, but also Warner Pictures.

After losing the unprecedented invincible "Little Wizard", there was only one "The Matrix" left, but after the first release in 99, there was no sequel for three years.

On the set of "The Matrix 2" and "The Matrix 3", which were filmed back-to-back, there were frequent rumors of the Wachowski brothers' big spending and soaring movie costs.

As a project promoted by Barry Meyer himself, the next performance of "The Matrix" will of course have a significant impact on Warner and Barry Meyer himself.

But Barry Meyer has never been a person who sits still, and it is better to be conservative than to take the initiative, and the unprecedented success of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "The Lord of the Rings" has made the whole of Hollywood see the broad prospects of fantasy films.

Disney can't wait to announce the launch of the project of "The Chronicles of Narnia", and Barry Meyer, as the head of Warner Pictures, is certainly not low-looking, and he has long taken a fancy to "The Golden Compass", which is dominated by New Line Pictures.

However, because New Line Pictures now has "The Lord of the Rings" and "Rush Hour", two top series of films in production, it can't spare resources to shoot "Golden Compass" for a while, but for Warner, which has no resources but no copyright, "Golden Compass" has become the best target to fill the lack of its project.

Robert Shea, of course, knew what Barry Mayer's reason for inviting him was, but he didn't hurry to play haha with Barry Mayer, chatting about the latest gossip for a while, talking about the latest news for a while, and in short, not mentioning anything work-related.

In the end, Barry Mayer couldn't help but speak: "Robert, I know you've been very busy with new lines lately, and the projects of "The Lord of the Rings" and "Rush Hour" have kept your feet busy. ”

"Hehe, so-so, Barry, so-so. Robert Shea raised his glass and smiled.

"Since the new line is so busy, we, Warner, as the parent company, also want to help. Barry Meyer said tentatively, quietly.

"Hehe, you don't need to help, Barry. Robert Shea laughed, "I heard that Warner has been taking care of itself lately, and even DC Comics has been snatched away by the Fire Lion, which can be regarded as the biggest humiliation of the blockbuster studio in half a century." ”

Looking at the gloating Robert Shea, Barry Meyer, who is deep in the city, pursed his lips and couldn't help but smile slightly: "Although the affairs of DC are beyond my control, some things have always been in the palm of my hand, Robert." Like your new line!"

"What do you mean?" asked Robert Shay, with a look in his eyes and not giving an inch.

"I'm just reminding you, Robert, the new line is still a subsidiary of Warners anyway, and there are some things that can't be twisted in the thigh. Of course, Barry Meyer has the means to rectify the new line, but as a strong and weak branch, Warner does try to avoid infighting, and saving resources to develop itself is fundamental.

"Hmph," Robert Shea snorted twice, not to be outdone, "that doesn't mean we're going to do it to your detriment. ”

Hearing this, Barry Meyer's face turned pale, and he said coldly: "Robert, don't forget, whether the new line is released in North America or overseas, if it leaves Warner, it will be a problem whether it can operate normally, not to mention the income of other links." ”