America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Back in the office at Davis Studio.

Martin handed Louise a bottle of water and asked, "What are you thinking?"

Louise replied, "Since the mid-90s, Pacific Pictures has been working with Warner Bros. on distribution. It's been fifteen years now, and Warner has changed its chairman and CEO several times. The distribution cut has not increased for the first time, but it has only ever jumped by 1% at most."

Martin had heard from Nicholson that, in the era when resources were not as concentrated as they are now, the distribution cuts of major Hollywood companies often accounted for only 20% of the North American box office receipts, excluding marketing and publicity costs.

Now the average is around 30%, and for works by new companies or novice directors, it can even exceed 35%.

For commercial films that Martin had starred in over the past two years, just counting the earnings within two years of release, the increased distribution percentage by Warner Bros. meant that the production company would have to give Warner at least an additional ten million US dollars.

In North America, a few hundred thousand US dollars could hire a hitman, and that's just the total price before subcontracts.

Martin said, "Old movies are not greatly affected, but new movies... "Gone Girl" is fine since the distribution agreement was signed in mid-January. This year we also have to shoot "John Wick: Chapter 2". The box office and profits of the sequel are bound to surge, that's tens of millions of dollars."

After thinking for a moment, Louise said, "Your studio has only been established for a few years. During that time, many of the films you shot, such as "House of Wax", "Infernal Affairs", and "The Dark Knight", were originally Warner projects, with the copyright in Warner's hands.

The copyrights truly in your hands are only "Wanted Order", "Limitless", and "John Wick", and your sunk costs are very low."

After contemplating, Martin said, "There isn't much impact on "Gone Girl"; we can proceed with the existing agreement. For the sequel to "John Wick", quietly reach out to other companies. With the performance of the first film, getting a better distribution deal should not be difficult."

Louise nodded, "Leave it to me."

She quickly made a decision: "In the future, Pacific Pictures' business will be divided into two parts. Your projects will continue to involve investments by Pacific Pictures, and other projects of Pacific that can work with Warner will continue to do so; those that can't can look for other companies."

Martin joked, "Be careful I don't lead you into a ditch and make you go bankrupt."

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"I trust your judgment and ability," said Louise, who had gradually adjusted her mentality over the past year and was content working as a producer in control of projects.

As for earning money, that's not shameful at all.

Following Martin's projects offered her intellectual enjoyment, physical pleasure, and a monetary return. Where else could she find such an investment?

Martin then called Chad Stahelski to ask about the preparations for "John Wick: Chapter 2". The script was already complete, and Chad was designing action scenes with Chen Hu. After Martin finished shooting Gone Girl, he could move directly to the set.

Chad also reminded Martin not to slack on his daily exercise and training.

Over the last few years, Martin had consistently kept up with training without needing any prompting or supervision.

Having gone through the incidents at Burbank Middle School and the Santa Monica Pier, he knew all too well that in critical moments, it could save his life.

The more people a scoundrel screws over, the more he worries about being screwed over by others.

...

In the Warner Building, another meeting was drawing to a close.

Kevin Tsujihara, in addition to pushing for "The Hobbit" trilogy and the DC Extended Universe, proposed another plan to expand the film business.

The content was very outdated, something that the big six companies of Hollywood have been doing in recent years—acquiring high-quality small and medium-sized production companies.

Warner Bros. had already acquired companies like Legendary Pictures and New Line Cinema since the turn of the century.

This enabled them to directly absorb the other party's film library, bringing in high-quality content—like how New Line brought Warner the complete rights to "The Lord of the Rings" series.

Warner Bros. had mature templates and operating mechanisms in this area, and compared to investing in unknown new movie projects, the risk was much smaller.

After discussing it with several of his key subordinates, Kevin Tsujihara preliminarily listed a few companies: Castle Rock Entertainment, Pacific Pictures, and Davis Film Studio.

"Castle Rock and Pacific are indeed good choices," someone objected, "but Davis Studio is just a shell company established by Martin Davis, and the film library... probably doesn't exceed five films, does it?"

The proposer retorted, "Strictly speaking, there are only three: "Wanted Order", "Limitless", and "John Wick", but don't forget, "John Wick" is preparing a sequel. The first film grossed over 400 million US dollars and even started a new action film trend. The second film will return with the original team, and the revenue can only be higher."

He paused briefly and continued, "Based on the universe of the first film, at least a trilogy could be made, and some characters, such as Winston, played by Mene, could even lead their own spin-offs."

Having thoroughly researched Martin's films, Kevin Tsujihara commented, "The prospects for the John Wick series are indeed promising."

That person added, "Reliable sources say that aside from "Gone Girl", Martin has also acquired the film adaptation rights to "Prince of Thieves" and "The Martian". Given his successful track record over the past years, the prospects for adapting these two novels also look very good."

Kevin Tsujihara instructed, "Introduce these three companies into the acquisition review process as quickly as possible."

The CEO had considerable power, but there were checks and balances as well.

After the meeting ended, the relevant departments of Warner Bros. immediately began to gather information and data on the three companies to assess their future prospects.

...

When Gavin Newsom left Los Angeles, Jennifer Siebel stayed behind.

The First Lady of San Francisco called Kevin Lee, a director she had worked with, and arranged a meeting with Martin at Davis Studio.

Siebel introduced Kevin Lee to Martin, saying, "Kevin is both a director and a screenwriter, and I think he writes very good scripts."

Martin directly asked, "May I see the script first?"

Siebel said, "Of course I can."

"The script is with me." Kean Lee gave Martin a printed copy of the script and specifically mentioned, "This is tailored just for Jennifer."

Martin took it, "Please wait a moment."

He had someone bring coffee and started reading the script himself.

The script is titled "The Trouble with Romance", and as the name suggests, it is a romantic comedy that revolves around a protagonist also named Jennifer.

Tailored? Even the name they used was Jennifer.

The plot setup is also quite interesting. The protagonist Jennifer starts dating a new boyfriend, but whenever she is getting intimate with her new boyfriend, she always has illusions of being with her ex and can continuously converse with him.

This setup is quite reminiscent of the little day-to-day stories or Sacred Valley films.

Just by looking at the script, the screenwriter set up many scenes where the female lead played poker.

Martin, having seen a lot in Hollywood, could tell that for these scenes, Jennifer Siebel would need to loosen her clothing.

For Hollywood actresses, this is not a big deal.

But Siebel has another identity.

Martin felt he must clarify something, "Jennifer, are you playing the female lead?"

Siebel smiled, "Of course, this is a role Kean tailored specifically for me."

She was very clever and understood what Martin meant as she said, "Gavin read the script carefully and agreed for me to play the female lead. He thinks this will become an artistic masterpiece."

Martin nodded, closed the script, and handed it back to Kean Lee, asking, "Have you estimated it? How much budget do we need for the production?"

Kean Lee was well-prepared and took out a detailed filming plan, handing it over to Martin: "I've made detailed plans for every aspect. Jennifer is the biggest name in the cast, and we don't need other stars. With 5 million US dollars, I can definitely get it done!"

Even though it wasn't his own money being invested, Martin still looked over the plan carefully and said, "This is a well-made plan."

He might not be capable of making it, but he'd seen many, and could generally assess the substance after a single read-through.

Kean Lee smiled with modest pride, "I've made several works, although none have entered theaters yet."

Martin put away the plan, "I'll have someone from the company do a professional evaluation. Wait a few days, and I'll inform you as soon as we have news."

Siebel, having waited a long time to become the female lead, still had the patience to wait a few more days.

She said, "My greatest wish right now is to complete a work as the female lead, and whether the final product is shown in theaters, on TV or online, as long as it is publicly broadcast, I will be satisfied."

Martin said, "I can't guarantee it will get into theaters, but TV and the internet are definitely not a problem."

This type of film is already difficult to market in theaters. Finding a distribution company and doing promotions and distribution would cost a considerable amount of money, possibly leading to even greater losses.

Martin was still very considerate of the investors.

Siebel stood up, smiling as she shook hands with Martin, "I'll leave everything to you."

Martin gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "Wait for my call."

The two left the script copy and the plan and took their leave.

The so-called review was really just Martin acting alone. He first called Thomas to put suitable actors into the production if any were available.

He then notified Wu Maoting that the project was on.

Before long, Wu Maoting came to Davis Studio and received the script and plan that Martin had sent.

Martin made it clear upfront, "This project only needs an investment of around 5 million US dollars. There's a certain risk, and it might be difficult to get into theaters. I'll consider selling the rights outright to TV stations or online video sites depending on the situation."

Wu Maoting quickly flipped through it, considering this project a stepping stone to show his sincerity, especially after previously abandoning Davis Studio and Pacific Pictures for Warner Bros.

All that had resulted in tears.

Wu Maoting said, "I will fund this project in full!"@@novelbin@@

Martin shook his hand, "Davis Studio will strive to make it profitable."

This was a piece of work from a part of his life he had no memory of—an exploratory foray.

Once the project was confirmed, Martin found a reliable producer through Thomas to be responsible for it.

Afterward, he temporarily shifted his focus to the Oscars.

At the annual Oscar nominees' lunch, Martin once again received a Best Actor nomination for "Benjamin".

David Fincher also got a Best Director nomination.