My family knows my own affairs, and when the six major Hollywood companies are envious of Marvel for "Iron Man", Jennifer can be invited. Jefferson hit this box office bomb when Marvel Studios' Kevin . Mr. Fergi was not in a good mood right now - he was not very optimistic about the upcoming negotiations, and he was deeply depressed about why he had to come forward to complete them.

I have to say that thinkoutsidethebox is indeed a quite effective way of thinking, and Marvel's "Iron Man" was able to be an instant hit, also because Kevin boldly broke the convention and thought outside the box, enabling little Robert. Downey, starting with Iron Man, decided to pave the way for the first phase and "The Avengers", making such a feat that is almost unprecedented in the history of cinema, which is the result of thinking outside the box. is also because Marvel was outside the box from the beginning, so they don't have the usual thinking mode of the companies in the box: the Big Six Hollywood have existed in the film industry for centuries, they have seen all kinds of ups and downs, and they believe that blockbusters that will not lose money will lose money, and small investment dark horses will make a lot of money...... Over time, they have developed a belief akin to superstition, attributing the film's success and failure to some illusory factor – just like Jennifer is now. Jefferson, her films have never lost money, only the problem of making more and making less, so now that she has acted in nearly 10 movies and has not missed a single one, many film companies are attributed to Jennifer for the success of "Pirates of the Caribbean" whose box office success is obviously Captain Jack. Depp's box office appeal is actually not stable, even when commercial films have big servants, Josh. Blanche won't talk about it, after "Pirates", he switched to acting in art films, although his acting skills have improved, no matter how you look at it, the box office luck is not very strong.

Because of this almost instinctive psychology, Hollywood studios more or less attributed the box office success of "Iron Man" to Jennifer. Jefferson, indeed, she is not the first protagonist, but I have to admit that many viewers are rushing to the cinema for her, otherwise why would you, a second-tier comic book hero and an actor who has been so angry, get such a good opening box office? Use the treatment of 4,000 theaters to open at the same time to schedule films? In short, as long as you want to take credit, it's impossible not to find a reason.

But for a company like Marvel that has just entered the industry and has no inside-the-box thinking at all, at least for Kevin, a thinker outside the box, he doesn't see it that way - as he expected, the highlight of "Iron Man" is entirely in Robert Jr. Downey, whether it is a fan topic on the Internet or a real-life audience survey, is proving that the audience can't care about Jennifer. Jefferson, no matter how well she acts, she is not the focus of the plot, just a few plays, what do you want the audience to do?

Of course, she did play very well, and she also had a certain box office appeal, which made Kevin feel that the salary paid to her was still worth it, and even raised this salary to 10 million, he thought it was reasonable, and even he thought (of course, he thinks now) that in the early negotiations, if Jennifer raised the asking price to 10 million, he was very likely to agree - but when they proposed 20 million investment into the game, and also guaranteed the sequel investment rights, Kevin knew that this bargain had completely broken through his psychological price. What disgusts him the most here is the sequel investment rights, Kevin's personality is quite authoritarian, and this feeling of sharing control makes him very uncomfortable.

However, he has only just joined Marvel Studios, and to be fair, Jennifer's team's proposal is not too unreasonable, at least his superiors and Paramount are thrilled by it - Marvel's "Hulk" has just been on the street, "Fantastic Four 2" has also been scolded, and the success of "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" is hard to say whether it is an accident. In such a situation, Da Mengken brought 20 million into the game, which can be regarded as sharing the pressure, as for the sequel investment rights, this is a matter of the future, there is no need to turn the face with Hollywood's A-R because of this. And if Kevin was going to oppose the situation at the time, put Jennifer. Jefferson kicked out of the project, then he even doubted that the person who was kicked out would become himself.

Well, now that "Iron Man" has exploded, two weeks after its release, the North American box office has reached 160 million, and after a 12-week screening cycle, 300 million is already a very conservative number, 400 million is not something that can't be thought about, the overseas box office is also 180 million, and the global total box office has exceeded 340 million, all the upfront costs are almost over, and the money at the box office in the later stage is almost pure earning, plus peripherals and copyrights, the preliminary estimate of profits is in the hundreds of millions. - And Marvel began to feel heartache at this time, and the one-seventh was divided, Jennifer. Jefferson's big dream will take the omnichannel share of the Iron Man movie, forever and ever, and take 20% of it...... She invested 20 million in it, and in the end she took more than 200 million, and Marvel didn't even have much to do to stop her, which was similar to a robbery: the popularity of the movie made the sales of peripheral products such as comics and character dolls derived from movies better than those based on comics, and these products must also be shared by Big Dream. Just like what was stipulated in the agreement at the time, Marvel released a comic book character Tony. Stark's derivative dolls, this has nothing to do with big dreams, but if they want to use the little Robert in the movie. Donnie's shape and face model come out of the periphery, so the big dream will have a penny.

And, of course, there are DVDs and TV rights...... Marvel is still too naïve about the film field, although he has done a lot of work beforehand, but when he really started to talk about the price of the follow-up copyright, Kevin felt the pain of blood in his heart, and he even resented Paramount, if it wasn't for their strong insistence at that time, Marvel is likely to say goodbye to Big Dream, then, the box office may be tens of millions less now, but the profit that Marvel can get from the later products is much higher than the current situation.

Needless to say, the copyright of this episode will definitely not be sold, but the 20% sequel copyright must be bought back!

-- This is the unanimous understanding of all the senior management of Marvel, and even for this reason, it is completely different from Jennifer. Jefferson turned his face and kicked her out of the sequel, after all, according to Marvel's way of thinking outside the box, Jennifer. Jefferson's role at the box office was not as big as they had suspected, when other companies could have Jennifer Brown. When Jefferson was envious and jealous, Marvel was thinking that even if she was kicked out, the loss should not be great.

Of course, if she can stay without the right to invest, then of course it is better, Marvel will not refuse the joining of this A-R, and can even consider raising the salary of three million to six million, which is a very rare concession for them, after all, Jennifer. Jefferson didn't do the box office of "Iron Man".

Kevin, of course, very much agrees with this idea, and even this idea was formed under his leadership, he is just very unhappy that he is the last executor, which makes him feel like he is wiping his ass for Paramount and Isaac - this is not a feeling, it is the fact, he is wiping his ass for Paramount and Isaac, and they are only staring at Jennifer. Jefferson's pretty sugarcoat, now □□ attacked, sent him out to suffer.

Even he was well aware that as the chairman of Marvel Studios, wiping his ass was part of his daily routine, but when he was now sitting in the conference room of Big Dreams, waiting for Jennifer. Jefferson and Cesare. Vijeri, and that damn puppet Jim. When Davidson, Kevin could still feel the irritability in his heart, thinking that he would have to smile at Jennifer for a while, and how would this tricky big star embarrass himself, Kevin was angry, if he couldn't find a scapegoat, he would never have embarked on such a situation by himself......

According to general business etiquette, after Kevin arrives at Big Dream, he should be Jennifer. Jefferson personally came to receive him, but the big star was obviously not in such a good mood. After Davidson took him to the conference room, he went out under the pretext of going out, according to Kevin's guess, he should have gone to invite Jennifer. Jefferson intervened - although Jim claimed that she hadn't arrived at the company yet, Kevin was secretly skeptical.

Although he was not in a good mood, Kevin did not show it, on the contrary, today he made up his mind to always maintain his demeanor, after all, Jennifer was almost certain to be furious, if his attitude was also very stiff, how could the negotiations continue?

There was a burst of laughter outside the transparent glass office, and in the company of several entourages, Jennifer . Jefferson appeared around the corner, surprisingly in a way that surprised Kevin by the fact that she seemed to be in a good mood, and he didn't even bother to mind her obviously too casual dress.

"Kevin." Just like after the two parties reached an agreement, during the filming and distribution stages of the film, every time the two met, Jennifer greeted him affectionately, and even took the initiative to reach out and shake his hand.

"Jennifer." Kevin tried his best to suppress his surprise - perhaps because the first negotiation between the two sides was a one-sided slaughter, and he always had a feeling of being constrained in front of Jennifer, as if his strength could not be used, and he would always fall behind unconsciously. At this point, he was secretly annoyed and powerless, just like today, he had done a long time for himself to build his mind, but he was still caught off guard by Jennifer and took away the dominance.

"Sit, sit down." Jennifer secured a seat across the table and generously settled the attendees. -- Today's meeting was well attended, in addition to Kevin, Jennifer, and her obnoxious agent, as well as Jim. Davidson and Big Dream's lawyers, of course, Marvel also brought lawyers and record-keepers, after all, if today's negotiations don't go well, it is very likely that the two sides will end up facing each other in court, no matter how careful the arrangement is.

People sat down one after another, Cesare. Vijery leaned over and whispered a few words to Jennifer, then glanced at Kevin again. Kevin felt sick again, Cesare. Vijri, a cunning fox, can smile and be so attentive that you want to be immortal when the situation calls for it, but when the situation changes and he puts on another face, the sense of superiority that bursts out of his heart is simply annoying. - Today, he has a new mask, and Jennifer. As Jefferson whispered, his smiling expression and confident attitude sent an ominous chill down Kevin's spine upwards: Big Dream must have done some preparation for Marvel's appeal, and it is likely that he had prepared a bunch of harsh treaties and a series of demanding prices for the lion's mouth.

At first they let Jennifer. When Jefferson came to star, I actually refused......

With a cry of grief and indignation, Kevin forced himself to smile professionally and confidently, and he said, "Jennifer, I know your time is precious, so—let's talk about it." Based on the company's strategic considerations, Marvel wants to buy back the 20% copyright you hold in this series, of course, we can guarantee the 20% omni-channel share of "Iron Man 1", but the sequel's capital injection rights and corresponding sharing rights, as we said on the phone, we want to redeem it at a higher price at one time. ”

Although Jennifer's expression has always been pleasant, after saying this, Kevin still couldn't help but tense his shoulders, ready to bear the anger from her, and he himself was not proud of Marvel's request: Indeed, the condition that Marvel is proposing now is full of the smell of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, and even a little bit of bullying the weak. If the big dream represented by Jefferson was not a small film company that had just started, Marvel might not dare to bully people like this.

"Hmm." Surprisingly, Jennifer did not get angry, but agreed very calmly, and even found a step down for Marvel in an understanding tone. "Corporate Strategy...... You need to hold all the rights to the Avengers franchise in the palm of your hand to make it better for the company's overall strategy - or, I put it bluntly, better for the company's acquisition, right? ”

Kevin didn't expect Jennifer to be so reasonable, and even so insightful, he was even a little surprised that he couldn't answer: this matter is within Marvel, and not everyone knows the inside story.

Indeed, Marvel is not stupid, when the movie was just released, the box office exploded, and everyone was full of expectations for the profitability of "Iron Man", they came to offer to redeem the copyright, even if Jennifer was willing to sell, this must be the rhythm of being stabbed by Dazai, and the impact of this matter is not good, it will make Marvel have a reputation for being mean and stingy. But Marvel had no choice but to risk falling out with Jennifer and getting into a strong rival to do so, because after the huge success of "Iron Man", Paramount's acquisition of Marvel has been in full swing, audit firms have begun due diligence, asset appraisal agencies have begun to value the company, Paramount has begun to contact shareholders and executives - the acquisition is very likely to be completed within the year, and Marvel urgently needs to unify the rights of the Avengers series within the year, This will greatly enhance their bargaining power with Paramount, and according to the information Kevin received, this is also Paramount's request - Paramount is now annoyed by Marvel's reckless 20% copyright, because "Iron Man" is now their only trump card, and "The Incredible Hulk", which Marvel had high hopes for, was judged to be the first blockbuster of the year at the preview stage, and Paramount is actually confident in the profitability of the sequel to "Iron Man", which accelerated the pace of acquisition. And Marvel would rather pay cash to get the copyright back, because the copyright is cheaper than cash in the valuation.

For example, the investment in "Iron Man 1" is 100 million, and Big Dream invests 20 million, and after a few years of sharing, he gets back 100 million, and earns 80 million, then Marvel will use 80 million to buy out the copyright, which is cost-effective for Big Dream, because they got the money a few years earlier, and this is also cost-effective for Marvel, they paid 80 million (very heart-wrenching), but they can take a big advantage in asset valuation, because in this way, they don't need to find ways to falsely report the cost of some "Iron Man 1", At the same time, you can also make generous estimates for long-term returns, and even for financing evaluation, complete copyrights and incomplete copyrights, financing ratings are different. If Marvel wasn't still teetering on the verge of bankruptcy not long ago, and was really poor, it would be more appropriate to directly use a huge sum of money to buy out the copyright of the entire series, rather than reserving the right to share "Iron Man 1" for Big Dream as it is now.

Of course, this win-win approach is the most ideal and the most unrealistic, because "Iron Man 1" has been released after all, and there will be no controversy about its copyright valuation, and for the sequel that has not yet been released, it is difficult to say how much the 20% copyright valuation is - this is "Iron Man 2", and "Iron Man 3", 4, 5, how should this be valued? The probability that the two sides can reach a consensus in one go is so low that Kevin scolded in his heart more than once why he didn't hold on for a while at that time. For the current Marvel, if they have to get the copyright back, there are not many ways for them to choose.

Of course, it's just not much, and it's not to the point where there is no way out, and Kevin certainly tries the least costly first: for a while, Jennifer taunts him, scolds him, or even beats him, he doesn't care, as long as they can sell the rights back at a reasonable price, and he's willing to say anything good about it. And if Jennifer refuses, then Marvel will find the best lawyer and spend legal fees with Big Dream.

There is a sentence that makes a lot of sense for the company - there is no contract without loopholes, Kevin guesses that when the two parties are discussing the terms of the contract, Big Dream may also leave some back doors for himself, just like Marvel is also pondering the words, these flaws are tools for ripping the skin, especially in an industry with many details and large flexibility like movies, this lawsuit can be fought to the ground, and in the case of Paramount also wants to recycle the copyright, it is difficult to say who can't hold it first. And at the same time, Marvel will also intercept the share that is expected to be paid to Big Dream, they know that Big Dream's stall is very large, and now there are 30 million levels in operation, and even movies close to 100 million level have not yet entered the distribution stage, and the film industry has not yet entered the distribution stage, and the film industry is burning money for distribution, and the payment is slow This is the consensus, without a large amount of money from Marvel, Big Dream is likely to fall into the dilemma of the rupture of the capital chain, at that time, whether to accept Marvel's conditions, take away a large amount of cash in one go, or accept more stringent aid... … Kevin hoped -- and he could only hope that Jennifer. Jefferson was able to make sensible choices, even if her temper was too great, and Cesare was able to make sensible choices. Vijery would have been able to control her and make her make a sane decision if Jennifer hadn't asked Disney to be her financial support.

In addition, Marvel is not without killer features, if Big Dream's attitude is too tough and the two sides completely collapse, they can also shelve the "Iron Man" series with a salary, and directly let Captain America and Iron Man in preparation co-star in a movie, so that the copyright is limited to the big dream of the Iron Man series, and the copyright in hand will completely lose its value, at that time, the initiative will really be on Marvel's side, of course, this also means that Marvel and Paramount will take a much greater risk than continuing to develop the Iron Man series, It's even less cost-effective than going to court, so it's really their last resort.

Overall, although the outlook is very difficult, Marvel still has more chips in their hands after all, and the initiative is on their side, so Kevin will have the determination to gnaw this hard bone - and he is ready for the storm.

However, things didn't turn out quite the way Kevin thought - Jennifer. Not only did Jefferson not get angry, but he also asked about Paramount's acquisition with a pleasant and understanding attitude, looking like 'anything can be discussed'?

“…… Yes, it is. Sensing that he had been silent for too long, Kevin replied with a slight stammer, he looked at Jennifer, and a myriad of thoughts popped up in his mind: 'She's in a good mood today?' This is her true character, I was tricked by her last time in Century City? ''It's actually Cesare. Vijeri is manipulating behind her back, she's just a puppet? ''What the hell is Big Dream doing?'' ’

Since in all simulated scenarios, Big Dream would oppose this proposal-for-tat, so now Kevin really couldn't find a suitable answer for a while, so he could only hand the baton of conversation to Jennifer again, the blonde didn't seem to see the question on his face at all, she smiled slightly, and said to herself. "Yes."

Kevin even doubted his hearing, he probably really'Huh? So Jennifer repeated, "Yes." ”

She looked at Kevin, suddenly pursed her lips and smiled, and said affectionately and proportionately, "Trust me, Kevin, I'm not kidding you, I know Marvel will do whatever it takes to get the copyright back - and I told you, in this circle, sometimes friendship and connections are very important, I want to make Marvel as a friend, so, yes, as long as you come up with a suitable valuation, I will sell the copyright back to you." ”

The sudden good news smashed Kevin into a bit of a daze, and he could scarcely believe it was true—so when he felt like he had caught a flaw, he immediately perked up, more alert than before, "Can you define what a proper valuation is, Jennifer?" ”

"Ah," said Jennifer's smile with a little more sly, "but I've already shown my sincerity, haven't I?" Kevin, don't you think it's Marvel's turn to show your sincerity? ”

It was a good shot, and even Kevin's lawyer looked at him with a vague approving impression - the sincerity of Big Dream was indeed abundant enough, and it would be too greedy to ask them to take the initiative to expose their hole cards. But Kevin is now a little at a loss: Marvel has prepared a price that is neither high nor low, as the bottom line of the first round of counteroffer, they originally thought that this would be a protracted negotiation, and the strategy in the second and third rounds of negotiations has not been completely decided, but now taking out this price is equivalent to slapping the face of the big dream, if it is to raise it a little more, he alone does not have this authority.

"Frankly, the pace of today's interview was not what we thought." He simply admitted, "So I can't give you a valid offer-"

"OK, I see." His answer did not surprise Jennifer, on the contrary, the core members of the Big Dream team all had confident smiles on their faces, just like the smiles they had just entered the door, mysterious and calm, as if Kevin's reaction had been expected by them. Jennifer nodded and said briskly, "Call me again when you negotiate a price." ”

She stood up and held out her hand to Kevin. "Kevin."

Kevin didn't have any choice - the young business elite instinctively stood up and shook her hand in a confused way, still pondering the rare statement of Big Dream, "Jennifer." ”

This was the end of this unusually short meeting, and the preparations were made, but it was the Marvel team who left the conference room with a blank foot, and Jenny watched their backs disappear with a completely different mood, and as soon as Kevin stepped out of the hearing range, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth and exchanged glances with Cesare, "It seems that things are going quite well." ”

"Hopefully they'll never realize that we're more anxious than they are." A smile flashed in Cesare's eyes, and he looked down at his watch, and he said briefly, "I need to go back to CAA right away, it's two hours before you and Bob's dinner, but I suggest you leave early to avoid getting stuck in traffic." ”

"Are you sure you can't come tonight?" Jeanne asked, now that the negotiator had left, and instead of putting on the value of being the center of the team, she chased after Cesare, still somewhat uncertain, "After all, this dinner was crucial to our plans." ”

"Didn't you always say you had to share it for me?" Cesare stopped at the door of the conference room, leaning against the door and looking at Jenny with a hint of a playful smile - like years ago, when they were in a taxi, he told Jenny Rob. Marshall's expression was the same as when he was a gay, and at this moment, Cesare's eyebrows were cheerful and happy, and there could even be a hint of appreciation and satisfaction, "Now is a great opportunity, isn't it?" Jefferson -- And I think you're ready to be on your own. ”

Jenny didn't know how to react, she was like a perennial crane tail bad student, who suddenly got a perfect score in the exam and was praised by the teacher - it was an exaggeration, but this actress who had been on the Oscar podium and could be calm and calm in the screams of thousands of people was actually a little helpless at this moment, she seemed to have become Kevin just now. Fei Ji stammered, not knowing what was the most appropriate reply, so he kept moistening his lips and adjusting his expression, "I-I-ok, I mean-since you think so......"

Cesare lifted the folder and tapped her on the forehead.

"Don't mess up," he said, stepping over Jenny as he continued to the elevator, holding up the folder and dangling it as a farewell, "Behave well, Jefferson - don't let me down." ”