Chapter 262 Tit for tat
Chapter 262 Tit for tat
"Oh, really? Forgive my ignorance. After all, I was still a child ten years ago."
Wang Hao started with a joke, livening up the atmosphere in the conference room. Then he changed the subject and asked in a slightly puzzled tone:
“But I’m also very curious, Mr. Arad, since you brought up this matter, why is Kevin Feige the one leading the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] project now?
I think you're overqualified to be leading the Spider-Man trilogy."
Wang Hao's sarcastic words immediately made Avi Arad's face turn ugly.
However, he really didn't know how to answer Wang Hao's question rashly.
Because on the matter of the "Marvel Cinematic Universe", he and everyone in Marvel Studios, especially Kevin Feige and his immediate superior, Isaac Perlmutter, chairman of Marvel Entertainment, had serious disagreements.
Although both Avi Arad and Isaac Perlmutter are Squidwards, one is radical and bold while the other is conservative and stingy. To put it bluntly, the dispute between the two is over the direction. Isaac Perlmutter has a higher status and more say, so Avi Arad had to leave Marvel and join Sony to create the "Spider-Man" trilogy.
"Your problem is the same as Marvel's. You're still too conservative."
Avi Arad, who had difficulty answering the question, pointed out Wang Hao's problem in reverse.
"The characteristic of comics is exaggeration and unbridled imagination. If we abandon this, what is the meaning?"
"Then what about Warner's new Batman series?" Wang Hao asked with a smile.
The new "Batman" series that Wang Hao mentioned are the two films directed by Christopher Nolan. They are characterized by realistic texture and dark style, with good box office and great reputation.
"DC is not the same as Marvel!" Avi Arad retorted.
Wang Hao shook his head.
“There is no difference in my eyes.”
He ignored Avi Arad and looked at the Sony Pictures executives sitting in front of him and explained:
"As I said just now, no one understands the 'movie universe' better than me. In today's film and television industry, this is a brand new creative model with no precedent.
The [Marvel Cinematic Universe] is still in its infancy, and the only thing that can prove the feasibility of this model is my [Galaxy Cinematic Universe].
Through the experiment of [Galaxy Cinematic Universe], the ‘cinematic universe’ is completely different from the previous ‘film series’ model.”
When Wang Hao said this, no one dared to interrupt and refute.
Just as he said, Wang Hao, who has achieved certain success, has the most say in the matter of the movie universe.
“Everyone is a veteran who has been in this industry for a long time, and they must be very familiar with past film series.
For most series of movies, they tend to go downhill. Even for successful series of movies, the first movie becomes famous, the second movie reaches the peak, and the third and fourth movies will tend to be mediocre or even take a sharp turn for the worse. "
When everyone heard what he said, they nodded subconsciously.
Indeed, as the most mature film industry in Hollywood, there are many series of movies here, but there are not many series of movies that can really last forever. Even those movies with good reputations will eventually become boring to fans as the film companies repeatedly restart and dig them up, and eventually they will become rehashed.
“But the ‘Cinematic Universe’ is different!
In the past, "series movies" were often subject to certain restrictions in story content and style due to linear narrative.
But the 'movie universe' is different. I call its narrative mode a 'tree-shaped' narrative mode."
The concept of "tree-shaped narrative model" proposed by Wang Hao immediately perked up the Sony Pictures executives present. They seemed to have vaguely grasped the secret of the success of the "movie universe".
"Because of the short life cycle of a 'film series', the first few films must create a big enough hype, otherwise the subsequent sequels will perform worse and worse.
The cycle of the 'movie universe' is longer, so one should not be too impatient in the early stages and imagine that one movie can present the entire vast universe to the audience.
We can plan more leisurely, test the waters with medium-sized films first, understand the audience's preferences, and at the same time expand the movie universe, connecting it with easter eggs and characters.
In this process, we don’t ask every movie to be a huge success. As long as we can ensure revenue balance and average performance, we will give this movie universe more possibilities.
It's like a big tree. It must first have a solid foundation, and then it can thrive, have more nutrients to grow branches and leaves, and bear more sweet fruits. "
Such an in-depth and easy-to-understand explanation enabled the Sony Pictures executives present to fully understand his ideas, and some even recognized and liked his prudence.
You have to know that in Hollywood film and television companies, there are radical people like Amy Pascal and Avi Arad, and naturally there are conservative people.
In particular, Hollywood's film industrialization model itself is centered on controlling risks.
In the past, countless film and television companies have gone bankrupt due to aggressive investment strategies and the failure of one or two blockbusters.
This is also the reason why most Hollywood film and television companies nowadays prefer series movies.
After this explanation, Wang Hao's movie universe plan seems to be more stable and more vital than the series of movies.
As for the payback period being too long, film companies like the six major Hollywood studios are least afraid of the problem of a film payback period being too long. They are not those small companies and have abundant peripheral channels. The longer the life cycle of the film universe, the more profits they may make.
And Wang Hao soon used his last killer move.
"What's more, the current situation at Sony Group headquarters, coupled with the current financial situation in North America and the world, does not seem to allow Sony Pictures to make a larger investment in a single project, right?
During an economic downturn, dangers are everywhere. Do you really intend to invest all your money in one project and take a big gamble?
Or, since it’s not my own money anyway, wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to do a big project that can enhance my qualifications?”
Wang Hao's last words were quite hurtful.
Amy Pascal and Avi Arad's faces changed instantly, and the other Sony Pictures executives, especially the Japanese people headed by Keita Miyamoto, all looked at them strangely.
(End of this chapter)