Hollywood Hunter

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It was only halfway through the dailies of American Pie before it was time for lunch, and the afternoon continued with lunch and some work business with Amy Pascal, who had returned from maternity leave the previous day to resume work.

Today is March 3rd.

Monday.

In 1997, Easter was March 30, and a week earlier, on March 21, the Easter schedule would open with three Danielle Entertainment films, Ghosts of Terror, Hurricane Rescue, and The Cable Repairman, plus the MGM film Fae 2.

In addition, the 69th Academy Awards are on March 24 this year.

The Oscars of the 1990s are still at their peak, and even if this is still the year that Daenerys Entertainment deliberately cedes the awards, Simon won't be able to ignore it completely.

Finally, there is the recent box office situation.

The Star Wars series, which opened for re-release on January 30, briefly seized control of the North American film market and quickly gave way again to a Danielle Entertainment production.

According to the box-office trends of the past weekend, the Star Wars debut film still has a maximum of $20 million left at the box-office, and the local box-office total of the re-release will be around $120 million.

In addition, the second Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, which opened on February 21, only grossed $21.46 million in its first week at the box office after the first trilogy consumed most of the sentiment of fans, and is expected to gross only $50 million locally.

In contrast, after the release of "BJ's Diary" on February 14, which earned $37.62 million in its first week, the second week of its release from February 21 to February 27, the box office drop was well contained at 23%, and it collected another $29.03 million, easily reigning as the one-week box office champion.

In the past weekend of February 28th to March 2nd, BJ's Diary dropped 33% and still earned $12.73 million, and the box office is still expected to make around $20 million in its third full week.

At the same time, two and a half weeks after its release, the film has grossed $79.38 million at the box office, which is only $20 million away from breaking the $100 million mark.

Considering the word of mouth of "BJ's Diary", the film will still have a good curve until Easter, and the follow-up box office is conservatively estimated to be no less than $50 million, which means that the local box office of the film will be at least $130 million.

Since Julia Roberts was significantly more popular than Renee Zellweger, and Hugh Grant, one of the leading men, was not as popular as she was when she was caught with a prostitute, this new version of BJ's Diary cost $10 million more than the original version, which cost $25 million, to produce, and reached $35 million.

Now, only two and a half weeks after its release, Daenerys Entertainment has already recouped its full production costs in North America.

The total distribution budget for the three British films packaged for the entire month of February is $20 million? Even if $15 million of that is allocated to BJ's Diary of a Single Woman, it will be two weeks at the latest, with the film breaking $100 million locally? The project will also enter a profitable cycle.

The other two films? As of this past weekend? The cumulative box office total of "Two Blunts" reached $23.13 million, and the box office of "The Following" also made $19.19 million, two projects? The former had a budget of less than $2 million? The latter was only $3 million, and with an additional $5 million in total distribution, it has grossed over $40 million since February 7th? It's also starting to bring in some pretty big profits for Daenerys Entertainment.

And that's just North America.

The most successful aspect of Daenerys Entertainment's package distribution strategy in February? Still in the UK.

Do we need to go into the long-standing and complex relationship between the U.K. and the U.S.? In short? These three films are 'for the good of the country'? The UK distribution of these three films has been very successful.

Even though the market is very large, the box office figures in the UK have been very short. The box office figures in the UK are not yet comparable to those of North America in a short period of time, but according to the recent box office trends from the UK, even if the UK box office of "BJ's Diary of a Single Woman" is not able to catch up with North America, there is not much doubt that it will break the $100 million mark.

The other two smaller films, the new British filmmakers and the excellent quality of the films themselves? Are they more popular in the U.K. than in North America? The UK box office is expected to outperform North America.

Not to mention the series of blockbusters that were released late last year and are still going strong? Three box-office hits in a row in the first mini-period of the year? It's a great way for Daenerys Entertainment to show that it's bigger than ever in front of other Hollywood studios.

During the meal, Amy again asked, half jokingly and half seriously, about the success of the three films in February, why Simon's eye for selecting films has been so accurate all these years.

"The key is to be one step ahead of others?" Simon also smiled and replied: "In the film industry, from silent to sound, from black and white to color, at every stage, the genres that can be explored have actually been perfected, and if you want to break through, you have to move forward. The recent re-release of the Lucas Star Wars series is a case in point, and it's hard to say how this film would have turned out in twenty years. For Daenerys Entertainment, CG effects and 3D animation are the technological advances, while the concept of a cinematic universe is the innovative advances. And this time, with three films, we can say it's a small innovation at the marketing level on the premise that we have three great films."

Even though Simon was a bit preoccupied, Amy still had a thoughtful expression and said after a moment, "In that case, the technologies like 3D and IMAX that Daenerys Entertainment has been pushing should be the next innovation and breakthrough for us, right?"

"Absolutely."

In recent years, Simon has been investing in the research and development of 3D and IMAX and other technologies, as well as a small-scale promotion, for which he specifically bought the Canadian IMAX company. The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, late the year before last, could be called an IMAX debut, with just 26 IMAX screens in North America, contributing over $50 million to the box office before and after the Battle of the Bulge.

After the success of IMAX in the Battle of the Bats, the total number of IMAX screens worldwide has rapidly surpassed 100 in the past year and will double this year. Simon has invested in two Jinshu Studios in China, each of which has an IMAX projection room.

After the success of the two pilots, IMAX will also become standard in the second batch of 20 cinemas in the pipeline.

With the rapid increase in the number of IMAX screens, the once expensive transfer and print costs are becoming more affordable to studios, making this stunning mode of movie presentation more and more popular.

As the owner of IMAX, Daenerys Entertainment has a natural advantage in this area.

In contrast to IMAX, the rollout of 3D technology has been much slower, mainly because of the immaturity of the 3D filming and projection technology, so Simon has pushed back the timetable for the technology and plans to start again after 2000.

Amy didn't talk much about all of this, but instead said, "Helen Fielding has completed the idea for a second novel for BJ's Single Diary, subtitled 'The Edge of Reason,' which explores the story of Brigitte and Mark after they get together. As per protocol, we have priority. I spoke with Helen on a phone call and she's also keen for the sequel to come out with the second novel?"

Simon recalled the box office success of the sequel to BJ's Diary of a Single Woman, which was a modest success in North America and still selling well worldwide, and nodded, "You're in charge of this, right?

"Starting with Steel Magnolias, Pretty Woman in the Wind, Sleeping with the Enemy, The Pond Goose Assassination Order, and most recently, BJ's Bachelor Diaries, exactly five of them," Amy said, seeing the look on her boss's face as she looked back on the past, and smiled, "Does it feel like time is flying by?"

"Yeah, I'm 29 years old."

That's an odd sentiment to put on someone.

Amy rolled her eyes slightly, then said, "Five contracts completed, plus you gave Kate Beckinsale the Shakespearean Affair that Julia has always wanted to play, the sequel, Julia's side may not be too good to talk about."

"If we can't negotiate, we'll just leave it there, we have a whole bunch of projects we can't develop over here right now, there's no shortage of this one."

Amy nodded.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it," she said.

Daenerys Entertainment doesn't need to accommodate any filmmaker now.

The script for the last film, "Something Bad," has been snatched by Paramount, which plans to produce it under the Orion label with a planned investment of $30 million. ' all generated interest, and I've read the script and thought it was great. Simon, why are you implying that Ira is giving up?"

Simon asked rhetorically, "What do you think is good?"

"A very complete noir crime story with great ideas, suspense and pacing, no?"

Simon had to nod his head as well.

Amy followed up with, "So?"

Simon thought about it and said, "It's mainly because of the screenwriter, Peter Berg, who insists on writing and directing his own film, but I'm not sure about the other guy's ability. You know, I'm always happy to support newcomers, but only if they can prove themselves, as in the case of the two British directors, whose combined budget for the two films was only $5 million. As for Peter Berg, he has no directing credits, nor does he come from any film school. He wants to control tens of millions of dollars with just one script.

I would rather give up no matter how good the story is." After hearing this explanation from her boss, Amy had no more objections.

Not to mention the $30 million from Paramount, even if it were to be multiplied several times, Daenerys Entertainment could afford to give and lose.

It's just that it's not about the money, it's about the time, or rather the schedule. If you invest in a project like this, you must give the resources to the project, and then, if you lose 30 million dollars, it's still secondary, but if you take up a period of time and fail, the potential loss for Daenerys Entertainment could be even greater.

In the end, the rapid growth of Daenerys Entertainment over the years has been the result of a large number of successes and the many failures of other studios.

As she picked up some pasta with her fork, Amy suddenly remembered the project her boss had proposed some time ago: "Simon, shouldn't we be more cautious about Ghost Reconstruction, because you came up with the idea yourself? "

"Have you seen that Lin's work?"

Amy shook her head, "No, why don't I take some time tonight to look at it?"

"He's the opposite of Peter Berg, who we've just talked about, a standard film school student, very pragmatic, and has already made two feature films at only 23 years old. film. So many people in Hollywood dream of becoming famous overnight, but very few are really willing to work hard."

Amy listened attentively, quite touched, and asked, "And secondly?"

"The second thing is that in order to achieve as much of a sense of authenticity as possible, this project is best done by a newcomer."

"I've read your memo, but I think it's right for actors to use new people, but the director doesn't really have to?"

"It's the same with the director," Simon says, "because the film itself also needs to give a more youthful quality, and if it's an established Hollywood director, it's inevitably going to have some ingrained patterning. Well, in that case, Lin, who has made two feature films, may be a little too mature, but, you know, I couldn't go for a real rookie either."

Amy laughed along, "You're the one keeping an eye on it anyway, so I'm sure it's fine."

"Yeah, after the dailies for American Pie this afternoon, it's the production meeting for Ghost Factor, I'll have a chat with them."

Amy nodded slightly, and then continued, "And the first man, Hugh Jackman, who's already set to do L.A. Confidential, which Brian is working on, you're supposed to be very optimistic about him, right?"

"Well," Simon cut the lamb chops on his plate and curled his lips, "I've actually been scouting and arranging some actors for the last few years, not too intentionally, but I've been doing it, and guess what I've been preparing?"

Amy thought for a moment and suddenly had a flash of insight: "The Marvel Cinematic Universe?"

"Bingo, that's a mind-meld, I'm tempted to give you a raise."

Amy laughed, "I'd take it seriously, boss."

"Then forget about it," Simon continued jokingly, then said, "Hugh is one of them, and as for which role he's right for, it's a secret for now."

Amy objected again, "But, Simon, if you make the person you're looking for too popular, you won't be able to use him in the future, and you won't be able to sign a long-term contract."

"I'll keep an eye on that."

The two of them said, and enjoyed a quiet lunch for a while before Amy said again, "And, boss, we should also arrange some acquisitions this year, right, Blockbuster, or, remember boss, you mentioned before, Raystone East's Viacom?"

"Neither for the time being, Blockbuster, this year's work is to divest the direct stores and authorized stores, sell the authorized business, and take the initiative to slim down, reducing our resistance to future wholly-owned acquisitions. As for Viacom ......, Simon thought about the media company's gluttonous MTV and TV stations, or could only shake his head: "The timing is not right at the moment, mainly in the stock market."

Amy considered for a moment and nodded: "I understand."

"And if you know Ray Stone Dong, you should know that it's very difficult for us to get Viacom."

"Raishi Dong is very tough, I know that too, but, Simon, he is 73 years old."

Simon smiled and shook his head as he recalled a certain tough old man in his nineties who had reluctantly resigned after 20 years of clinging to power until he was required by the court to undergo a compulsory psychiatric evaluation, "This shows that you still don't know Raishidong."

"The worst that can happen is that we acquire it in bad faith."

"If I remember correctly, the Raishi Dong family's control of Viacom should be a two-tier equity model."

"That's a problem."

"So, only Raishi Dong is actively willing to sell Viacom to us."

Amy thought about it and shook her head again: "Viacom's MTV is very lucrative, and if, as you say, Raishidong is even tougher than I thought, it's very unlikely that he will let go voluntarily."

"I've been doing this for years," Simon said, "and I've never been able to get him to do it. And in the future, the media industry will be a world of diversified giants, and Viacom's reliance on the cable TV business alone will make it difficult for it to grow in the long run ......"

Simon didn't continue here, but Amy smiled heartily.

Whether it was MTV, or still in development at this time, Simon was determined to win. In the past few years, Viacom has missed the opportunity to grow into a comprehensive media group through overt or covert sniping.

First of all, the Raisdon family's roots are in National Entertainment, which is a cinema company.

Now Daenerys Entertainment wants to suppress a cinema line company. ......

Sheesh.

And then there's the Viacom side, whether it's MTV or not, which is a cable channel.

AOL, which is controlled by the Westeros system, has already begun to test the cable operator business.

Simon's plan is that after the collapse of the new technology bubble, AOL will rapidly expand its cable business through large-scale acquisitions, aiming to grow into the number one cable operator while remaining the number one network service provider. As long as this goal is achieved, Viacom's cable channels will be similarly clamped down by the America Online platform.

Daenerys Entertainment, on its side, could also create its own similar cable channels to compete with Viacom.

In a multi-pronged approach, Viacom could either be sold voluntarily or, in the most extreme case, liquidated and bought by Daenerys Entertainment.

Of course, both options will take time.

The last thing Simon needs, compared to Raishi Dong, is time.

I'm not afraid of three to five years, so I'll take my time.

Chatting like this, lunch was almost at the end, Amy mentioned one more thing: "Universal Studios in Rome, Simon, you should go and see it."

"After Easter, I have accumulated a lot of things, so it's time to go to Europe again."

Lunch was over and the two of them went about their own business.

After spending the next two hours watching the American Pie dailies and discussing follow-ups, it was time for the Ghost Stories production meeting.

In the meantime, with the brief ideas written by Simon, Lin had finished the script.

In fact, this could have been handed over to a more professional screenwriter, whether in memory or after contact with Lin is not good at this, however, the same reason, Simon needs a real sense of youthful texture, handed over to a professional screenwriter, the script may be easier to fall into a fixed routine than a professional director to operate.

In order to avoid this situation, Simon specifically told Lin Xiabin not to watch any horror movies during the script writing process, especially the Daenerys Entertainment's "Ghostbusters" series.

Just follow an ordinary person's idea of ghost hunting.

Over the past month or so, the script has been completed, and the casting process has also been completed.

Simon wanted as many newcomers as possible, but he also wanted actors, so Simon's casting director, Linda Vargas, conducted a small selection process at acting schools in Los Angeles and New York, and the final candidates were all acting students.

By both coincidence and design, Simon chose two 'acquaintances'.

Both were female characters.

One is Amy Adams and the other is Jessica Chastain.

Amy Adams is 22 years old, comes from a humble background, has never been to college, and is only studying part-time at a private acting school in Los Angeles.

Simon's requirements for the lead actress were to be both pretty in the 70's and have some gloom and doom to suit the horror movie atmosphere, so the Hollywood actress, who Simon had always thought would be perfect for the role of a psychopathic murderess, was very fortunate to be chosen by the dedicated Linda.

Lucky and unexpected.

Knowing Simon's preference for actresses, Linda was thoughtful enough to prepare shortlists for her boss, otherwise it would have been hard to tell if the actress would have made the cut, and Simon had no interest in looking for any memorable big stars.

As for Jessica Chastain, the same is true.

The actress is now a student at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, is a big step up from Amy's pheasant study class, and did better in her audition than Amy.

However, Simon only gave Sister Raumei the role of a friend who comes to visit the man and woman in the story when she learns that their apartment is haunted.

The main reason is that Sister Laumou is much worse than the 70 points Simon asked for, which was 60 points at the most according to Simon's personal aesthetic standards. As an ultra-low-budget horror film, the actress must not be too pretty, or the audience will be easily distracted, but she must also be watchable, and Amy Adams' score of 70 is just right.

Even more coincidentally, the actress in the original Ghost Story, Simon can't remember her name, but her appearance bears a striking resemblance to Amy Adams.

Although this time there is one female lead and one minor partner, but now that we have met them, after the performance of "Ghost Records", the two actresses will also become the target of Simon's deliberate attention and training.

As for the male lead, Simon wasn't that interested, as long as his acting was adequate, he chose a young man who didn't ring a bell but was a very good actor.

The afternoon production meeting was the first time the small team had been assembled after the construction was completed. Except for Lin attain Bin, because of the secrecy work in advance, several other people knew for the first time that such a small film would receive Simon Westeros's personal attention, and then learned that this was Simon's idea, they were even more excited.

However, Simon was not particularly interested in anything other than grooming the two women to be the actresses in the bag.

Mostly, as the bellies of the women around him grew larger and larger, Simon's interest in women became inexplicably low during this period.

Perhaps this was a sort of prenatal anxiety of fatherhood.

The kind that stacks up when six women are pregnant together.

It's stressful.

Unlike "American Pie", the meeting with the "Ghost Records" crew was very short, only half an hour, mainly to explain the film's filming process of attention, must be realistic, living, and also suggested that a number of creators are to watch "Beverly's Stepford Wives" and other reality shows.

Simon would take the time to look at the dailies a few times during the shooting process, and if it didn't work, he would go back to the studio to continue.

When the meeting was over, Simon went on to the next production meeting for "The Clash of Worlds" without stopping.

This went on until late in the evening.

After sending off Ben Stiller, the writer of The Hangover, Girl A walked in with a slightly odd expression on her face and handed him a note: "Madame just had this sent over.

Simon took it and looked at it.

The first was a list of addresses, presumably, one of his family's mansions in Beverly Hills.

Then there was a message.

A very, very white Natasha was waiting for my dear to enjoy.

After reading it, Simon was stunned for a moment before remembering that the Ukrainian representative he had met at SpaceX headquarters this morning had not expected Janet to be so quick to get involved, well, no, to help her man get involved.

What a good wife.

I thought, with a slight twist of the lips, that Janet might have noticed his anxiety and sought out a woman to help him relax.

When she saw her boss turn around and return to his desk, she just threw the note in the corner of the desk, and paused.

Simon shook his head, "No, I'll be home later."

"Huh?"

"I'm really not interested these days."

The A-girl, of course, didn't disagree, nodded and left the office.

Simon worked until six o'clock, when he returned to the Dume Point estate.

Janet had returned early, and was reading a large book with Seattle by the glass wall, and was surprised to see Simon.

Simon took the woman in his arms and instructed the baby-faced maid Zoe to take her baby daughter away, who would make her feel inferior right now, before she and Janet joined him on the sofa to watch the last sunset at the end of the sea through the curtain wall.

Janet dilly-dallying to find a comfortable position, enjoying the man's embrace, while smiling and asking: "Why don't you go to Beverly Hills, it's really white, really white, I even took her for a full maintenance?"

Simon joked, "I'm such a responsible man, of course I'm going home from work, how could I go out and fool around."

Janet wrinkled her nose with a small expression of 'you're lying', opened her mouth and nibbled lightly on Simon's body, then put her head on Simon's shoulder, only to be quiet for a moment before the woman jumped up from Simon's arms again and ran away barefoot, leaving a bewildered Simon behind.

Only, less than a minute later, Janet returned again, straddling Simon's lap, holding the man's head and whispering, "This time it's the mouth, as a reward for getting home on time from work, but don't think about it too much.

With no end in sight, Janet ducked her head and kissed the man on the lips.