Hollywood Domination Chapter 259: Kevin’s confusion

My family knows their own affairs. When the six major Hollywood companies are envious of Marvel being able to hire Jennifer Jefferson, the box office bomb for "Iron Man", Kevin Fei from Marvel Studios Ji is not in a good mood now—he is not very optimistic about the upcoming negotiations, and he is deeply depressed about why he has to take the lead to complete the negotiations.

I have to say that think outside the box is indeed a very effective way of thinking. Marvel's "Iron Man" was able to become a hit because Kevin boldly broke the rules, thinking outside the box, and using Robert Downey Jr. Starting with Iron Man, the decision to pave the way for the first stage and "The Avengers", to make such a pioneering work that is almost unprecedented in the history of movies, is the result of thinking outside the box. Also because Marvel was outside the box from the beginning, they did not have the usual thinking mode of the companies inside the box: the Big Six in Hollywood have existed in the film industry for centuries, and they have seen all kinds of The wind and rain, blockbuster films that are determined not to lose money suffer big losses, dark horses with small investments make big profits... Over time, they have formed a belief similar to superstition, attributing the success and failure of the film to some illusory factors—— Just like the current Jennifer Jefferson, her films have never lost money, only the problem of earning more and less, so now that she has acted in nearly 10 films and has not missed a single one, many film companies are I attribute the box office success of movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean" whose first protagonist is Captain Jack to Jennifer, because Johnny Depp's box office appeal is actually not stable, even commercial films have big servants , Josh Blanche will not 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 film companies more or less attribute the box office success of "Iron Man" to Jennifer Jefferson. Indeed, she is not the first protagonist, but she has to Admittedly, many audiences went to the cinema because of her. Otherwise, you, a second-tier comic hero and a low-end actor who has been too angry, how can you get such a good opening box office? Use the treatment of 4,000 theaters to open films at the same time to arrange films? In short, as long as you want to attribute credit, it is impossible not to fail to find a reason.

But for a company like Marvel that has just entered the industry and has no in-box thinking at all, at least for Kevin, a thinker outside the box, he doesn't see it that way—and what he expected Similarly, the highlight of "Iron Man" is entirely on Robert Downey Jr. Whether it is online fan topics or real-life audience surveys, it is all proving this point. It is impossible for audiences to care about Jennifer Jefferson. Ah, no matter how well she acts, she is not the focus of the plot. With just a few plays, what do you want the audience to do?

Of course, she did perform very well, and she also had a certain box office appeal, which made Kevin feel that the salary paid to her was still very worthwhile, and even raised the salary to 10 million. Reasonable, even he thinks (of course he thinks now), if Jennifer raises the asking price to 10 million in the preliminary negotiation, he has a great chance of agreeing to it—but, when they proposed an investment of 20 million When he entered the game and had to guarantee the investment rights for the sequel, Kevin knew that the negotiation price had completely exceeded his psychological price. What disgusts him the most here is the sequel investment rights. Kevin's character is quite arbitrary, and this feeling of sharing control makes him very uncomfortable.

However, he has just entered Marvel Studios, and it is fair to say that Jennifer's team's proposal is not too unreasonable, at least his superiors and Paramount are very excited about it-Marvel's "Hulk" has just passed 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 a coincidence. Under such a situation, Dameng is willing to bring 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, and there is no need to turn against Hollywood's A-R because of this. And if Kevin wanted to oppose it to the end and drive Jennifer Jefferson out of the project under the circumstances at that time, he even doubted whether the person who was kicked out would become himself.

Well, now that "Iron Man" has exploded, two weeks after its release, the box office in North America has reached 160 million. After the 12-week screening cycle, 300 million is already a very conservative figure. It’s not impossible to think about it. The overseas box office also has 180 million. The global box office has exceeded 340 million. All the upfront costs are almost covered. , Copyright, and preliminary estimates of profits are in the hundreds of millions. ——At this time, Marvel began to feel sorry for the one-seventh share. Jennifer Jefferson's big dream will take away the omni-channel share of the Iron Man movie, and take 20% forever... She invested 20 million in, and in the end she might even take away more than 200 million, and Marvel didn't even have much means to stop her behavior similar to robbery: the popularity of the movie made it possible to derive more than 200 million based on the movie The sales of peripheral products such as comics and character dolls will be better than those based on comics, and these products must also be divided into Big Dream. As stipulated in the agreement at the time, Marvel released a doll derived from the comic image of Tony Stark. This has nothing to do with the big dream, but if they want to use the shape and face of Robert Downey Jr. in the movie If the mold comes out and the peripherals come out, then the big dream will have a share of the money.

Of course, there are also dvd, TV broadcasting rights... Marvel is still too naive about the film industry. With the pain in his heart, he even felt some resentment towards Paramount. If it weren't for their strong insistence at the time, Marvel would have said goodbye to the big dream. Well, the box office may be tens of millions less now, but Marvel's The profit that can be obtained from the product is much higher than the current situation.

Needless to say more about the copyright of this episode, Dameng will definitely not sell it, but must buy back the 20% copyright of the sequel!

——This is the unanimous understanding of all Marvel executives. They even turned against Jennifer Jefferson completely because of this, and they would not hesitate to kick her out of the sequel. After all, according to Marvel’s way of thinking outside the box Said that Jennifer Jefferson's impact on the box office is not as great as they once suspected. When other companies are envious and jealous of their own Jennifer Jefferson, Marvel is thinking , even if she is kicked out, the loss should not be too great.

Of course, it would be even better if she could stay without investment rights. Marvel would not reject this a-r's joining, and could even consider raising the salary from three million to six million. It is a very rare concession for them, after all, Jennifer Jefferson is not responsible for the box office of "Iron Man".

Of course Kevin very much agrees with this idea, even this idea was formed under his leadership, he was just very upset that the final executor was him, which made him feel like he was wiping the **** of Paramount and Isaac Feeling - it's not feeling, it's fact, he's just rubbing **** for Paramount and Isaac, they're only looking at Jennifer Jefferson's pretty icing, and now they're having an apocalypse, sending him to suffer .

Even he is very clear that as the chairman of Marvel Studios, wiping his **** is part of his daily work, but when he is sitting in the conference room of Dameng, waiting for Jennifer Jefferson and Che When it came to Sare Vijayri and that **** puppet Jim Davidson, Kevin could still feel the irritability in his heart, thinking that he would have to smile at Jennifer again, and this tricky star How could he embarrass himself? Kevin was furious. If he couldn't find a scapegoat, he would never have gone through such a situation by himself...

According to general business etiquette, Jennifer Jefferson should have personally received Kevin after he arrived at the Dream. After receiving the meeting room, he excused himself to go out. According to Kevin's guess, he should have invited Jennifer Jefferson to come forward. Although Jim claimed that she hadn't arrived at the company yet, Kevin secretly expressed doubts about this. .

Although he wasn't in a good mood, Kevin didn't show it. On the contrary, he made up his mind to maintain his demeanor today. After all, Jennifer was almost sure to lose his temper. If his attitude was also very stiff, How can the negotiations continue?

There was a burst of laughter outside the transparent glass office. Accompanied by a few attendants, Jennifer Jefferson appeared around the corner. Unexpectedly, she seemed to be in a good mood, which made Kevin very impressed. Surprised, and didn't even mind her obviously too casual attire.

"Kevin." Just as the two parties reached an agreement, every time the two met during the filming and distribution stages, Jennifer greeted him affectionately, and even offered to shake his hand. grip.

"Jennifer." Kevin tried his best to suppress his surprise—maybe it was because the first negotiation between the two sides was really a one-sided massacre. As if you can't play it out, you will always be at a disadvantage unconsciously. At this point, he was secretly annoyed and powerless, just like today, he had done a lot of psychological construction for himself, but he was caught off guard by Jennifer when he met him.

"Sit down, let's all sit down." Jennifer found a seat for herself across the conference table, and settled the participants generously. ——There are quite a few participants in today's meeting. In addition to Kevin, Jennifer and her annoying agent, there are also lawyers from Jim Davidson and Dameng. Of course, Marvel also brought lawyers and recorders After all, if today's negotiations do not go well, it is very likely that the two parties will eventually go to court, no matter how carefully the arrangement is, it cannot be overstated.

People sat down one after another, and Cesare Vigeri leaned over to whisper a few words to Jennifer, then glanced at Kevin again. Kevin felt uncomfortable again. Cesare Vigeri is a cunning fox. When the situation requires it, he can smile all over his face and be so attentive that it makes you feel ecstatic. But once the situation changes, he will put on When looking at another face, the sense of superiority that burst out from the heart is simply not to mention how annoying it is. ——Today, he put on a new mask. When whispering to Jennifer Jefferson, his smiling expression and confident attitude made Kevin feel an ominous chill running up his spine. : Dameng must have made some preparations for Marvel's appeal, and it is very likely that he has prepared a bunch of harsh contracts and a series of asking prices from the lions.

When they first asked Jennifer Jefferson to play the leading role, I actually refused...

With a cry of 'sadness' in his heart, Kevin forced himself to show a professional and confident smile, and he said, "Jennifer, I know your time is very precious, so - we have something to say Let’s be blunt. Based on the company’s strategic considerations, Marvel wants to buy back your 20% copyright of 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 in one go.”

Although Jennifer's expression has always been very happy, after saying this, Kevin still couldn't help tightening his shoulders, preparing to bear the anger from her, and he himself was not proud of Marvel's request: indeed Well, the conditions that Marvel puts forward now are full of the taste of crossing rivers and tearing down bridges, and even feel a little bullying. If the big dream represented by Jennifer Jefferson is not a small film company that has just started, Marvel may Don't dare to bully people like that.

"Well." Surprisingly, Jennifer didn't get angry, but calmly agreed, and even found a way for Marvel in an understanding tone. "Company strategy... You need to hold all the copyrights of the Avengers series in your hands, so that it will be more beneficial to the company's overall strategy—or, let me put it bluntly, to the company's acquisitions, right?"

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

Indeed, Marvel is not stupid. When the movie just released and the box office exploded, and everyone was full of expectations for the profitability of "Iron Man", they proposed to buy the copyright, even if Jennifer was willing to sell it. It must be the rhythm of being slaughtered, and the spread of this incident will not have a good impact, and it will give Marvel a reputation for being mean and stingy. But Marvel has no choice, and even has to take the risk of falling out with Jennifer and making a strong enemy to do so, because after the great success of "Iron Man", Paramount's acquisition of Marvel is already in full swing Moving forward, audit firms have started due diligence, asset appraisal agencies have also started company valuations, and Paramount has started to contact shareholders and executives—the acquisition is very likely to be completed within this year, and Marvel urgently needs to complete the acquisition within this year. The copyright of the Avengers series will be unified, which will greatly enhance their bargaining power with Paramount, and according to the news Kevin received, this is also Paramount's request-Paramount is now rashly dealing with Marvel The act of giving 20% ​​of the copyright is very annoying, because "Iron Man" is now their only trump card, and "The Incredible Hulk", which Marvel had high hopes for before, was judged to be the first flutter of this year during the preview stage. Paramount is actually confident in the profitability of the "Iron Man" sequel, which speeds up the pace of acquisitions. And Marvel would rather pay cash to get back the copyright, because copyright is cheaper than cash in valuation.

For example, if the investment in "Iron Man 1" is 100 million, and Dameng invests 20 million, and after several years of sharing, get back 100 million, making a net profit of 80 million, then Marvel will spend 80 million Buying out the copyright is a good deal for Dameng, because they got the money a few years earlier, and it is also a good deal for Marvel, they paid 80 million (very heartbreaking), but It can take a lot of advantage in asset valuation, because in this way, they don't need to try to inflate the cost of "Iron Man 1", and at the same time, they can make generous estimates for long-term earnings, even for financing In terms of evaluation, complete copyrights and incomplete copyrights have different financing ratings. If Marvel hadn't been hovering on the verge of bankruptcy not long ago, it would be really poor. It would be more appropriate to buy out the copyright of the entire series directly with a huge sum of money, instead of retaining "Iron Man" for Dameng as it is now. 1" right to share.

Of course, this kind of win-win approach is the most ideal, but also the most unrealistic, because "Iron Man 1" has already been released after all, and there will be no dispute over its copyright valuation, but for the sequel that has not yet been released. In other words, it is difficult to say how much the 20% copyright is worth—this is "Iron Man 2", and "Iron Man 3", 4, 5, how should this be valued? The possibility that the two parties can reach a consensus in one go is too low, so low that Kevin cursed in his heart more than once why he didn't hold on for a while. For the current Marvel, if they must get back the copyright, there are not many ways they can choose.

Of course, it's just not much, and it hasn't reached the point where there is no way out. Of course, Kevin will try the least costly first: he doesn't care if Jennifer taunts him, scolds him or even beats him for a while, as long as they It is enough to sell the copyright back at a reasonable price, and he is willing to say good things about it. And if Jennifer refuses, then Marvel will find the best lawyer and spend the lawyer's fees with Dameng.

There is a saying that is very reasonable for the company-there is no contract without loopholes. Kevin guessed that when the two parties were discussing the terms of the contract, Dameng might have left some back doors for himself, just like Marvel also pondered Just like the words, these flaws are tools for wrangling, especially in an industry with a lot of details and flexibility like movies, this lawsuit can last forever, and when Paramount also hopes to recover the copyright, who will support it first? It's hard to say if you can't live. And at the same time, Marvel will also intercept the share that is expected to be paid to Dameng. They know that Dameng's stall is very large, and now there are three tens of millions of levels in operation, or even close to 100 million levels. None of the films has yet entered the stage of release, and the film industry burns money for distribution, and the payment is slow. This is a consensus. At that time, whether to accept Marvel's conditions and take a large sum of cash in one go, or to accept assistance with more stringent conditions... Kevin hopes—he can only hope that Jennifer Jefferson can make a rational decision Even if her temper is too big, Cesare Vijari can control her and let her make a rational decision-if Jennifer didn't persuade Disney to be her financial aid.

Besides, Marvel is not without its trump card. If Dameng's attitude is too tough and the two sides completely collapse, they can also put the "Iron Man" series on hold and directly let Captain America and Iron Man who are in preparation Acting in a movie together, so that the copyright is limited to the big dream of the Iron Man series, the copyright in hand will completely lose its value. At that time, the initiative will really be on Marvel's side. Of course, doing so also means that Marvel Weihe and Paramount have to take a much greater risk than continuing to develop the Iron Man series, and it is even more uneconomical than going to court, so this is indeed their last choice.

In general, although the prospect is very difficult, after all, Marvel still holds more bargaining chips in their hands, and the initiative is also on their side, so Kevin has the determination to gnaw on this hard bone— —and he was ready for the storm.

However, the development of the matter was not quite the same as Kevin thought—Jennifer Jefferson not only did not get angry, but also asked about the Paramount acquisition with a pleasant and understanding attitude. The look of 'anything can be discussed'?

"...Yes, yes." Realizing that he had been silent for too long, Kevin replied somewhat stammeringly. He looked at Jennifer, and suddenly countless thoughts popped up in his heart:' She is in a particularly good mood today? ’ ‘This is her true character, did I get tricked by her last time in Century City? ’ ‘All of this is actually being manipulated by Cesare Vijari, and she is just a puppet? ’ ‘What the **** is Dameng planning? ’

Because in all the simulated scenarios, Dameng will oppose this proposal tit-for-tat, so Kevin really can't find a suitable answer for a while, so he can only hand over the stick of conversation to Jennifer again. The blonde didn't seem to see the question on his face at all, she smiled slightly, and continued on her own. "Yes."

Kevin even doubted his own hearing, he probably really said ‘Huh? ’, so Jennifer repeated, “Yes.”

She looked at Kevin, and suddenly pursed her lips into a smile, and said affectionately and yet modestly, "Believe me, Kevin, I'm not kidding you, I know Marvel will take it at any cost." Back to copyright—and I told you that in this circle, sometimes friendship and connections are very important. I want to make friends with Marvel, so yes, as long as you come up with a suitable valuation, I will give the copyright Sell ​​it back to you."

This sudden good news made Kevin a little dizzy. He could hardly believe it was true—so, when he felt that he had caught a loophole, he immediately cheered up. More vigilant than before, "Can you define what an appropriate valuation is, Jennifer?"

"Ah," Jennifer said with a cunning smile, "but I've already expressed my sincerity, haven't I? Kevin, don't you think it's your turn next time?" Did Marvel come to express your sincerity?"

This is a very good shot, and even Kevin's lawyer looked at him with some approval—Dameng's sincerity is indeed sufficient, and then ask them to take the initiative to reveal their cards , is too greedy. But Kevin is a little at a loss now: Marvel has prepared a price that is neither high nor low, as the bottom line for the first round of counter-offering. They originally thought this would be a protracted negotiation. The strategy in the round of negotiations has not been fully decided, but offering this price now is tantamount to slapping Dameng in the face. If he wants to raise it a little bit more, he alone does not have this authority.

"Frankly speaking, today's interview pace is different from what we thought." He simply admitted directly, "So I can't provide you with an effective quotation—"

"Okay, I understand." His answer did not surprise Jennifer, on the contrary, the core members of the Dream team all had confident smiles on their faces, just like the smiles they had when they entered the door just now. Like a smile, mysterious and calm, as if Kevin's reaction had been expected by them. Jennifer nodded and said bluntly, "Call me after you both agree on a price."

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

Kevin had no choice—this young business elite stood up instinctively, shook hands with her in a daze, and was still thinking about Dameng's rare statement, "Jennifer."

This unusually short meeting ended here. After making enough preparations, the Marvel team left the meeting room full of doubts, while Jenny watched their backs disappear with a completely different mood. As soon as Kevin was out of hearing range, she couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth, and exchanged glances with Cesare, "It seems that things are going pretty well."

"I hope they will never realize that we are more anxious than they are." A smile flashed in Cesare's eyes, he looked down at his watch, and he said briefly, "I have to Go back to caa right away, there are still two hours before you and Bob's dinner, but I suggest you start early to avoid being stuck on the road."

"Are you sure you can't come tonight?" Jenny asked—now that the negotiating opponent has left, she no longer puts on the value of the team center, but chases after Cesare, still a little uncertain "After all, this dinner is very important to our plan."

"Didn't you always say that you would share the burden for me?" Cesare stopped at the door of the conference room, leaning against the door, and looked at Jenny with a hint of a playful smile—like Many years ago, when they were in the taxi, he had the same expression when he told Jeanne that Rob Marshall was actually gay. At this moment, Cesare's brows were bright and happy, and it could even be said that there was a hint of appreciation and satisfaction, "Now is a great opportunity, isn't it? Jefferson—and I think you're ready to be your own."

Jenny didn't know how to react. She was like a poor student who was always at the end of the year. She suddenly got full marks in the exam and was praised by the teacher. The actress who was able to remain calm even in the screams was at a loss at this moment. She seemed to have become the Kevin Feige just now, stammering, not knowing the most appropriate answer, so she could only keep moistening. Lips, adjusting the expression, "I, I——ok, I mean——since you think so..."

Cesare raised the folder and tapped her on the forehead.

"Don't mess it up," he said, stepping over Jenny and continuing to the elevator, shaking the folder in goodbye. "Be good, Jefferson—don't let me down."