Jeffrey Hansen, who was sitting next to him, felt that he should help bargain, but before he could speak, Eric had already said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Cohen, I'm not going to sell it by way of a buyout, let's talk about a sharing agreement, right?" ”

Blount Cohen frowned slightly, revealing a look of displeasure: "Eric, if you divide it, I can only give you eighteen percent." ”

"Mr. Cohen, didn't you just say twenty percent?" Jeffrey retorted from the side.

Blunt Cohen said lightly: "What I just said is just an average situation, if we are to distribute, then the cost of publicity and distribution must be much higher than the cost of production, 18% is already very reasonable." ”

Jeffrey was about to argue, but Eric blocked the impulsive Jeffrey next to him and said, "Okay, Mr. Cohen, but I have another plan, how about we sign a VAM agreement?" ”

Although VAM agreements are very common in the film and television industry, Blunt Cohen still sneered in his heart, secretly saying What qualifications do you have to sign a VAM agreement with Colombia? Still, he motioned to Eric with interest, he wanted to hear what kind of gambling conditions the little fellow could offer.

Eric didn't seem to see the undisguised mockery on Blunt Cohen's face, and said with a smile: "With 50 million US dollars as the minimum limit, under the premise of Columbia's guaranteed publicity and theater screenings, if the box office is less than 50 million US dollars, I will give all the rights to Columbia Pictures for free." ”

After saying these words, even Bront Cohen, who is accustomed to seeing the wind and waves, was a little moved, their box office estimate is about 50 million US dollars, if they really sign a gambling agreement, as long as they make a small move, it is a very simple thing to control the box office of the movie within 50 million US dollars. Blunt Cohen felt that Eric was stupid, but at the same time he had to admire the young man's courage.

Jeffrey Hansen stood up abruptly and said to Eric in disbelief, "Eric, are you crazy?" ”

Eric got up and patted Jeffrey on the shoulder, motioned for him to sit down, and continued, "If the box office is within 50 million to 100 million dollars, I want a 20 percent share, and if the box office is more than 100 million dollars, then for every 10 million dollars added to the box office, my share will increase by 1 percent." ”

After Eric finished speaking, he stopped talking, and took his coffee and drank it calmly. Jeffrey Hansen, who was next to him, fidgeted and swept his gaze between the two men, a little worried that Bront Cohen would directly agree to Eric's ridiculous deal, and the $10 million buyout would be in vain. 10 million US dollars, how many people have never seen that much money in their lifetime.

Unfortunately, Bront Cohen was indeed a powerless man, and after hesitating for a full five minutes, he finally said, "Eric, I need to have a meeting to discuss this matter, and I will give you an answer tomorrow?" ”

Eric nodded, and got up to say goodbye to Bront Cohen.

Arriving at the parking lot, Jeffrey did not pick up his car, but got into Eric's co-pilot.

"Eric, you're so impulsive. 10 million US dollars, it will be gone in a blink of an eye, you look at all these years, although comedy movies can generally achieve a good box office, but there are very few dark horses, tomorrow we will directly choose the buyout agreement, maybe we can fight for the price again? Listen to me, young people, sometimes you only get one or two chances in your life, and if you miss it, you will never have it again, and with ten million dollars, you can continue to make movies, you can do a lot of things. ”

Eric was immersed in the pleasure of digging a hole for Columbia Pictures at this time, and the blood on his body seemed to be boiling slightly, the box office in his previous life was included in the Guinness Book of Records, and now this copy is as good as his previous life, he doesn't believe that with the distribution ability of Columbia, an old giant, the box office will be much worse than in his previous life, so at first he didn't know how to fight for his maximum benefit.

According to the normal sharing negotiation, his low-budget film can only get a maximum of 20% of the box office share, and when Bronte Cohen heard that Eric wanted to sign a sharing agreement and stingily reduced the original 20% share to 18%, Eric had a flash of inspiration and remembered a way to make the share float - betting.

In the film industry, it is very common to bet on the box office, because usually, it is a win-win situation, and both parties can get the most out of themselves while avoiding risks.

If calculated according to the final $280 million North American box office in the previous life, after signing the VAM agreement, Eric can finally get a 38% share, which is higher than the 35% share of those powerful producers. And, judging by Bronte Cohen's reaction to hearing him mention yì, Columbia Pictures is ready to jump into the pit.

"Hey, Eric, I've said so much, are you listening to me?" Jeffrey Hansen found his nagging mouth dry, and Eric sat in his seat and became distracted. It took two taps on Eric's shoulder before Eric reacted.

"Okay, Jeffrey, I know you're good to me, but think about it, a few months ago, I didn't have anything, so what's the matter, secretly tell you a little bit of heart, I think, the box office is likely to break 200 million, think about it, according to the gambling agreement I proposed, how much share can I get in that case?"

Jeffrey glared at Eric with a paranoid look.

Eric smiled disapprerovingly: "Jeffrey, it's good to have confidence in me, if it really succeeds, you, as the nominal producer, I will definitely give you a generous dividend at that time, and you can redeem the Firefly Film Company from the bank, so, how about doing me a favor now?" ”

Jeffrey dreamed of redeeming the film company he co-founded with his wife, but he didn't take Eric's words seriously, and seeing that he couldn't persuade Eric to change his mind, he had to ask, "Okay, Eric, what do you need me to do?" ”

"Help me connect with a law firm and an accounting firm, and if nothing else, Colombia will definitely agree to the agreement I propose, and then I will need someone to help me monitor and audit the implementation of the agreement, and if there is a dispute, someone will help me fight the lawsuit."

Jeffrey said, "That's all right, but, Eric, do you still have any money?" Even just hiring two of these teams would cost a lot of money. ”

"Of course," Eric said as he opened the storage compartment in front of the car and pulled out a copy of the follow-up royalties and movie rights as collateral, which were worth as little as a million dollars with current sales. If the bet really fails, take the account, and I believe those firms will not refuse. ”

"Eric, you're ...... Crazy! ”

"All great geniuses have the attribute of madness."

Jeffrey spread his hands: "Well, you are not only crazy but also arrogant, and Aristotle can't stop you." ”

"Aristotle was busy, Stendhal said that."

“……”

Jeffrey eventually agrees to do his best to contact the firm, while several executives in the Columbia Pictures conference room are deliberating on Eric's proposed terms of the bet.

"Okay, that's about it, let's give your opinion." Blunt Cohen recounted Eric's terms and conditions, and looked at the top executives, waiting for their opinions.

When Blunt Cohen finished speaking, most of the executives in the room were in disbelief, should they say that boy was crazy or stupid?

Finally, Lester Reid, an executive in the distribution department, was the first to say, "Mr. Cohen, this is a good opportunity, promise him." According to our estimates, the maximum box office potential of this film is 50 million, and after signing the gambling agreement, it is very easy to limit the box office to 50 million US dollars with a little operation, and we don't even have to pay 10 million US dollars for the buyout. ”

Lester Reed finished speaking, and the others chimed in.