Chapter 411 Another Olive Branch
Chapter 411 Another Olive Branch
Many works of unknown small directors, even if put on a big screen in front of people in the industry, are almost like air.
Fan Wumian has succeeded so many times that it is impossible to ignore him.
This is how it is in the film and television industry, it is quite realistic and cruel.
After you become successful, you will be surrounded by a group of people, and it seems that all people around you are good people, but if you are at the bottom, life will be difficult.
Recently, there have been rumors coming out of Hollywood that Paramount executives are very optimistic about several projects co-invested with Fan Wumian and have continued to add a large sum of funds.
This money will be used in the "1 Million Dollar" project. The main storyline is that the criminal offers a sky-high price of 1 million US dollars, and the money will be given to whoever can rescue him, which will cause a major earthquake in the city.
Because there are too many designed explosions, chases, and fighting scenes, even without the cooperation of Hollywood's top-notch actors, the actual shooting cost will be at least around 4000 million US dollars.
Seeing Fan Wumian and Paramount getting so close, the Disney Group felt a little jealous.
Having just signed a contract for US$5500 million to acquire the copyright of the "A Quiet Place" series at the beginning of the month, the film once again set its sights on Fan Wumian.
An executive director on the Disney board of directors was having dinner at home the day before yesterday and heard his high school daughter praising "The Loser" as very funny.
Upon learning by accident that it was an online drama invested by Fan Wumian in the mainland, the Disney executive director remembered it instantly. That night, out of curiosity, he watched it online and unknowingly watched the entire series. He was surprised that Fan Wumian had a talent for comedy.
It just so happens that the new generation of young people prefer light-hearted comedy movies that don't require thinking, and they often get good returns.
So he took the initiative to find Fan Wumian and proposed to further develop "The Good-for-Nothing" and adapt it into a Hollywood comedy movie.
Upon learning that Disney Group had set its sights on "The Loser", Fan Wumian raised his eyebrows, wondering why those foreigners would like this drama.
However, thinking that "The Loser Lady" became popular all over the world first, and then "The Loser Man" came out, he didn't think it was strange.
There are countless porters on the Internet who work diligently to copy funny short videos from the Internet. They are still popular in the mainland. Despite their different cultural backgrounds, they all find the vulgar and world-shattering style of painting particularly relaxing.
Holding the phone, Fan Wumian said to Director Li Ming:
"What exactly does Disney mean by that? What is the investment ratio of each side?"
".These are not clear yet. We will know after the specific communication, but the other party mentioned that they will cooperate in a way similar to Paramount."
The company executives under Fan Wumian are all aware that he is usually very busy and does not like to take care of things personally, so they generally do not bother him rashly. When encountering problems, they just follow the procedures and report them to their superiors.
This time a big project was involved and considering the time, he should not have gone to bed yet, so Director Li Ming came specially to announce the good news, bypassing other executives to be the conspicuous one.
Several big gangsters in Hollywood almost monopolize the North American market. If they want to make a living, they have to pay tribute to the bosses and share part of the profits. It is true that they earn a little less money, but the advantage is that it is easier and less troublesome.
For example, "Time Trap", which is still showing in theaters, has snatched away some North American market share but has not been suppressed. The theaters have arranged the screening rate according to the standards of Hollywood movies and have also kept up with the publicity efforts.
The next released "A Quiet Place 2" was treated as a big hit, with its screening rate only slightly lower than the special effects movie "King Kong", and all kinds of resources were fully utilized.
With a slightly tangled tone, Fan Wumian said:
"It seems like an adaptation is possible, but I need to think about how to design the script. The stories in "The Loser" are all very short and cannot support the plot of the entire movie. I am worried that if it is lengthened, it will lose its original flavor."
Director Li Ming once dreamed of becoming a great director, and he quietly reminded:
"In the 90s, Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey starred in a movie called Dumb and Dumber. With a total cost of $1600 million, it earned nearly $2.5 million at the global box office. The jokes were also unexpected. Maybe you can learn from it, boss."
Fan Wumian knew about "Dumb and Dumber", but had never seen the entire movie. He had only watched some funny clips on Douyin. He responded:
"Let me think about it first, and tell you when I have an idea."
Hang up the phone and talk to Zhuang Muxi about this matter.
She wore a headband on her head and asked while applying skin care products:
"Since Disney took the initiative to find you, they might have some ideas on how to adapt it. Can't we just let Disney handle it?"
Laughing in silence, Fan Wumian shook his head and explained:
"It's not that simple. The initiative is not in my hands. If I leave it all to Disney, they can just kick me out. There's no need to bring me along. After all, a big company like Disney will not be short of funds."
"To put it in a more vivid way, in the eyes of these Hollywood oligarchs, I am almost like a foreman on a construction site."
"Because I did a good job in the past and there was a lack of good contractors, they were willing to continue giving me orders so that I could earn some money by taking on jobs in the North American market. If I wanted to be a developer, they would feel threatened and would probably join forces to force me to leave."
The metaphor was so vivid and Zhuang Muxi was smart enough to understand it instantly.
She asked:
"So what do you have to do to become a developer? Even if you make a lot of good movies, it's useless?"
"It's useless. The territory has been occupied by them for more than half a century. They have a lot of money, a lot of people, and strong connections. If I don't have any sense and still want to stay, I'm afraid it won't be as simple as forcing me to leave. They only need to use their resources in the global media field to ruin my reputation and make me suffer an unknown fate in a matter of minutes."
Fan Wumian did not have the intention of overthrowing the major Hollywood giants. Behind them were Wall Street tycoons, and it was also involved in Washington's layout of cultural hegemony. It was not easy for outsiders to gain a firm foothold.
The best ending for the Hollywood mythical film studio is to be acquired by a Hollywood giant at a high price, just like DreamWorks, Pixar Animation Studios, and Marvel Studios. As long as the core advantages of the major film companies are not affected, they are still willing to spend money.
As early as the late 1980s, the Japanese Sony Group spent a large amount of money to acquire Columbia Pictures, and it took more than ten years for the company to turn a profit.
The reason why it gave up a place to Sony Pictures Entertainment was mainly because Sony Group was heavily invested by Wall Street giants such as Citigroup and Morgan. Otherwise, there would be no chance to continue to swallow up United Artists and MGM.
After saying this leisurely, Fan Wumian patted her thigh and said calmly:
"It doesn't matter. If I stay in the entertainment industry for a few more years, I might get tired of it and retire. Besides, the global market is so big, and there is more than just the North American market to make money. If I can free up some funds and invest heavily in video websites like Tudou in Silicon Valley, I will have a chance to make a fortune and then run away in time."
The person he was referring to was obviously Netflix, a company that is still struggling today and specializes in the Internet video rental business.
Fan Wumian had paid attention to it a long time ago.
In its previous life, Netflix’s market value peaked at over 3000 billion U.S. dollars, but now its total market value is less than 13 billion U.S. dollars, and its investment potential is even higher than that of Penguin Group.
Zhuang Muxi had no idea what Fan Wumian was thinking, so she crawled into bed and picked up the magazine:
"You are already very good. Come and help me look at these two cars. Which one is better looking? After I got my driver's license last month, my dad said he would give me a car to drive home from the Central Conservatory of Music. It is more convenient in windy and rainy weather."
".The company has arranged a business car for you. Are you uncomfortable riding in the car? The roads in Yanjing are not easy to drive."
Fan Wumian looked at the cars she chose, one was a mini and the other was a sky blue Beetle.
This is a very girly style, with no requirements on performance, only beautiful shapes.
He suggested:
"You are tall and have long legs, so there won't be enough space for two cars. How about asking someone to sponsor a car? With the popularity of A Quiet Place 2, there will always be manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani willing to use your fame for promotion."
Thinking of the only car that Fan Wumian spent money on, which sank into the sea along with the container, Zhuang Muxi didn't know whether to laugh or cry:
"It's not good to ask for sponsorship. I'm not as good as you. Have you received the compensation for the Lamborghini?"
"Not yet. We are still going through the process. Getting sponsorship from brands is one of the benefits of being a star. It's a two-way street, so what's wrong with that?"
Fan Wumian patted his face and said with regret:
"It's a pity that I don't have that much face. If I were the richest Chinese in the world, I could probably get a 70% to 80% discount on a private jet."
(End of this chapter)