It was very difficult to establish a distribution channel, when Diorama Pictures brought European films to the United States, and established a distribution channel step by step, because they had no background, no connections, and no background, so almost every work had to start from scratch. It wasn't until 1998 that the "Two Big Smoking Guns" and "Grand Central Station" were introduced, which was the real big deal, and it successfully made a name for itself, and was able to sign a two-year short-term contract with top cinema chains, including Royal Entertainment and AMC, so that the distribution department really got on the right track.

However, the original Diorama Pictures was really self-made, and it was not easy to even talk to these big theaters; However, the current Chaos Pictures is not the same, starting as a production company has already achieved good results, and the development of the distribution department is more of the icing on the cake.

The negotiation process between Chaos Pictures and AMC was a bit stumbling, but overall it went smoothly, and the cooperation agreement was finalized in less than 48 hours. And that's just the beginning.

If "Sin City" succeeds, then it is only a matter of time before Chaos Pictures signs a short-term cooperation agreement with major theaters in the future, and at that time, the loss of benefits for a film can only be regarded as a drop in the bucket.

Ian and Theo clearly understood this, so they chose to back down and give up a small part of their interests in exchange for a larger one. In terms of the overall situation, both of them can see it very clearly and accurately, and naturally it is impossible to suffer losses easily.

What's more, "Sin City" has not yet been released, and the box office results are still unknown, maybe Chaos Pictures does not have to bear the losses at all, and while winning profits, it will strongly complete the establishment of the distribution department.

Of course, the distribution department is far from that simple, and the network that Diorama Pictures has spent six years building up at the end of the year is unlikely to be completed overnight - even if Chaos Pictures' previous three titles were successful.

If it's so simple to set up a distribution department, why is DreamWorks reluctant to build a distribution department? Could it be that they can't? Of course not. They chose to abandon the distribution department for a number of reasons, one being that they wanted to focus on the production of films, whether it was Steven Spielberg or Jeffrey Katzenberg, including David Geffen, who were very pure filmmakers with relatively weak ties to the commercial sector.

On the one hand, in order to maintain the independence of DreamWorks, if the distribution department is established, it also means that the company must hire a CEO to take charge of it, which will inevitably upset the balance between the iron triangle, and the three giants are the type who like to make their own decisions, and they don't like people to come and interfere with their production.

On the other hand, distribution also means the establishment of a department, which is like a small company, and after the input, it must be produced. If you can't make ends meet, the distribution department can quickly become a liability, which can have a ripple effect that causes problems for the entire company.

In addition, and the most important aspect, the cooperation with the theater chain is only the first step of the distribution channel, from the North American theater chain to the world theater chain, this is a very long process, not to mention the home video market, non-theater screening, peripheral market contact and development, etc., which are very time-consuming and energy-consuming.

Conversely, working with major studios, such as Disney or Universal Pictures, will inevitably have larger screenings and easier flexibility. There is more room for choice in the schedule arrangement, and the supporting publicity measures can also follow immediately; Follow-up business expansion is a one-stop service.

In other words, why not divide 15 to 20 percent of the box office profits to the distribution company in exchange for a piece of cleanliness and simplicity? This is true not only of DreamWorks, but also of New Line Pictures, Legendary Pictures, and so on.

If you just want to be a film production company, you do. But if you want to take it a step further, things are very different. Just look at the ending of DreamWorks and New Line Pictures, and the same is true after Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. ended their cooperation agreement, and they have been looking for a partner who must be attached to a major film company in order to continue to survive.

Therefore, choosing to set up a distribution department is a moth to a big gamble for Chaos Pictures, and negotiating the release of "Sin City" with AMC seems simple and easy, but in fact it is only the most insignificant first step in the entire distribution process.

"Theo is talking to them about future cooperation, has been going around in circles, and there is nothing substantial." Ian simply explained that the subtext is actually that Theo is still digging into the potential value of the possibility, they have "lost" ten percent of their benefits, and it is impossible for AMC to escape so easily, even if they cry and pretend to be pitiful, they have to dig up something more from AMC.

Lance nodded understandingly, looking clear.

From the bathroom to the conference room, it is less than fifteen steps away, time is limited, Ian just summed up all the situation in a few sentences, that is, Ian and Lance have such a tacit understanding that they can complete all the communication in a short time, if it is replaced by someone else, it is estimated that they will be confused at this time.

Pushing open the door of the conference room, Lance saw only four people, in addition to Theo, Austin Hogan was impressively listed, and there were two other unfamiliar faces. Lance was momentarily puzzled - why are there so few people? But Austin was quick to answer, "After the main business was talked, they all went back to the screening room, 'Sin City' is really a really good movie, and they hope to be able to watch it today." ”

I see. Whether Austin's excuse is true or not, but there were more than these people in the conference room just now, that's for sure.

"I invited you here because we needed to have an in-depth discussion about the movie schedule, and Ian insisted that you need to be there for this matter." Austin is still the same as the rules, there is not much politeness and flattery between the conversations, and he simply goes straight to the point, but the two sentences go directly to the business stage, and Lance has not even sat down.

Austin then looked to the side, and one of the men, about thirty years old, raised his right hand, "Good afternoon, Mr. Strello, I'm Roy-Cutler." After a brief self-introduction, he looked down at a report in front of him, "That's right, I want to ask first, when exactly is the work 'Sin City' going to be released?" If you want to enter the summer file, we are almost finished with the schedule at hand, and it depends on who you plan to choose to collide with. ”

This is a situation that Lance has long predicted, even if Chaos Pictures has a distribution department, they don't have the ability to compete with those big companies now, and if they want to enter the summer file, they must go head-to-head with those commercial blockbusters. Unless Lance's directorial reputation already has the ability to call the wind and rain and can make those big companies avoid the limelight, there is no other way.

"No, I don't have any idea of a summer file." Lance shook his head with a smile. "Sin City" was not originally a suitable work for the summer file.

Roy smiled and nodded, "Understood!" He looked down at the report in his hand again, "There are only two options left, before the summer season, there are still schedules for the first and third weeks of April; Otherwise, it will have to be postponed until September. At present, our September and October schedules have been scheduled, but they are not completely determined. Roy paused, and found that Lance had no intention of speaking immediately, so he went on to explain, "My personal suggestion is to put it in September, October, or even on Halloween, so that there is enough time for promotion and ensure that the movie has enough accumulation." ”

Roy's words are very vague, in fact, he is saying that Chaos Pictures does not even have a distribution department now, and the publicity is a blank slate, if it is released in April, the schedule will be too tight, and it may eventually lead to a fiasco, so it is better to put it in the second half of the year.

Lance understands all these truths, but he has other ideas, the autumn season is a consistent idle schedule, and the competition is not fierce, on the surface this seems to be a good thing for "Sin City", but on the contrary, due to their lack of sufficient publicity resources, it will be more difficult to attract the audience in the autumn season into the cinema. As for the Halloween schedule, this is a good thing to try, but it won't be until November......

I thought about it, "Are there only two schedules left in April?" Lance didn't respond positively, but asked curiously.

If you choose the April schedule, this also means that Chaos Pictures only has one month to carry out promotion, which is naturally no problem for large companies, but Chaos Pictures ......

Roy hesitated, but seeing Lance's determined eyes, he suppressed his doubts and said, "Yes. The second week of April has already confirmed that the 'Sahara Cavalry' will lead the way, and the fourth week of April will be the 'Translation Storm', both of which are too hard to suit you. ”

"Sahara Cavalry" naturally needs no further words, the publicity has been overwhelming in recent times, from the investment of 160 million, to the affair between Penelope Cruz and Matthew McConaughey, and then to the trailer of landing in the Super Bowl, it can be said that this work is the most high-profile blockbuster work in this spring's file.

"Translation Storm" is also not small, this work is led by Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, two Oscar-winning actresses, and the director is the accomplished Sidney Pollack (Sydney-Pollack), which cost 80 million to build, and it is menacing. During the publicity period, it was called "another 'borrowing a knife' type psychological thriller", which attracted a lot of attention.

These two works can be called giants in the spring file in terms of strength on paper and publicity positions, the distribution company of "Sahara Cavalry" is a little weaker, and Diorama Pictures cooperates with Baldwin Pictures, but the cost is huge; The cost of "Translation Turmoil" is one size smaller, but Universal Pictures is responsible for the distribution.

Therefore, it is more difficult for Chaos Pictures to fight hard.

"What about the first week of May?" Lance thought for a moment and asked the next question. (To be continued.) )