American fame and fortune

As the Escalade drove out of the DreamWorks campus, Martin made a few calls and learned about the latest situation in the theater through DreamWorks people.

Bruce asked: "Have the film rights been sold?"

"No, the price is not right." Martin put away his mobile phone and said: "Everyone from the big companies left, and in the end, I don't know which company was left as the buyer, and they only gave 30 million US dollars."

Bruce said: "For a production of $150 million, $30 million, to be honest, is really too little."

Martin said: "After the distributor buys it, it still needs to promote it and push it into distribution channels. If it doesn't spend 30 million US dollars, it can't be released on a wide scale."

Bruce was puzzled: "You still want to buy it?"

Martin simply explained: "I asked you to pay US$30 million because I am going to increase the price by US$10 million and sell it to Netflix."

Bruce couldn't help but said: "Do you think of Netflix as a garbage recycling bin?"

Martin laughed.

The two chatted and farted, and returned to Burbank in a relaxed and happy manner.

In comparison, the atmosphere inside the DreamWorks Theater was somewhat depressing.

Megan Ellison sat in a row of chairs in front of the screen, looking at the smooth mirror-like alloy curtain, not wanting to say anything.

"Seventh Son" didn't sell out, so it wasn't a surprise.

But what do those bastards’ quotes mean? Totally insulting quote!

The last guy actually went backwards in his offer, giving the same $30 million offer as Martin Davis.

What is the status of Martin Davis? What does she have to do with Megan Ellison? Giving $30 million is normal.

How can any one person compare it?

Megan Ellison still remains confident to the outside world, and she is still confident in herself, but in fact, her position has begun to mess up.

She asked Wilson: "Where are your connections in Hollywood? Keep pitching Seventh Son to them."

Wilson told the truth: "For a transaction worth tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, the little favor I had with them is not enough."

Megan Ellison asked again: "Do you think this film can be successful if we continue to find someone to distribute it?"

Warner Bros. has terminated its distribution contract with Annapurna.

Wilson cannot answer this question because there is no reliable formula or inevitable rule of success in the film market.

Hollywood has been using the successful model summarized over the years to produce commercial films in an assembly line style. There are many successful works based on this, and there are also many failures.

And in recent years, there have been more and more failures. It seems that many markets and audiences no longer buy the successful Hollywood assembly line model.

In his eyes, "The Seventh Son" is a typical work created according to the successful assembly line model.

None of the buyers from the first-line distribution companies took a fancy to him.

Wilson had no choice but to say: "Martin's influence is too great."

Megan Ellison already knew what happened before, nodded slightly, and said: "You continue to contact in private, if you can, 300 million US dollars..."

She clenched her fist and further lowered her expectations: "$200 million is fine."

Wilson knows it is very difficult, but once he is in this position, he will work hard to do a good job. After all, this job at Annapurna Pictures will not last long, and he has to think about his next job.

Megan Ellison stood up holding on to the armrest of the chair. She looked quite like Larry Ellison. She no longer had the same confidence on her face, and said, "Take the copy and let's go."

…………

San Francisco, in a Japanese-style mansion in Woodside.

Larry Ellison was sitting in the tea house, skillfully playing with Japanese tea sets, but his eyes fell on David Ellison opposite.

Originally, I felt that this son was not very reliable, and my daughter's personality and behavior were more like him.

But as expected, we can't just look at daily performance. Only after actual operation can we know that Meghan is really not as good as David in big things.

Larry asked, "Is Megan not doing well?"

David lives in Hollywood and naturally understands, but he is a smart man and will not comment on his sister casually: "It's all been written in the media."

Larry nodded: "You can't take action?"

"I don't have the ability to distribute Sky Dance, and I can't put Megan's movie into theaters if I buy it." David doesn't want to get involved in his sister's affairs. Anyway, his father has been partial since he was a child: "Sky Dance has long stopped investing in independent productions. , all I participated in were platter projects from other companies.”

Larry understood his son's thoughts and said, "I know, you don't have to worry about this matter, but you need to take care of your sister's safety in Hollywood."

David can still do this: "Although Hollywood is self-contained and always cheats and deceives outsiders, they don't dare to do anything to the Ellison family."

"What's going on with Martin Davis?" Larry Ellison asked.

"A man who came out of the slums of Atlanta, succeeded in getting to the top with one woman after another by wearing pajamas. It can even be said that he is a typical example of success by eating soft rice." David said this, but there was no hint of contempt in his tone.

If his father were not Larry Ellison, if he were an ordinary person, would he be able to work as hard as Martin Davis?

According to Hollywood rumors, Martin Davis can satisfy two female producers at the same time.

David Ellison asked himself that he couldn't do it.

Larry frowned: "Is this person difficult to deal with?"

David Ellison said: "It is very difficult to deal with. He has a deep relationship with the Donkey Party. He has the aura of a national hero of the United States on the outside, and the identity of the leader of the Coca-Cola Cult on the inside can affect the attribution of many basic votes. His public image is very good. , it is said that he treats his friends and people around him very well. His actual character... How should I put it? I think it is more appropriate to describe him as a mad dog. After biting the enemy, he will bite off a piece of meat even if he pays a lot of cost to himself. .”

"Another point is that he can use public opinion and manipulate public opinion, and he is very rich." David Ellison has obviously done detailed research: "There are media reports that he is worth at least 1 billion U.S. dollars. I feel that it is more than that. He He invested in Elon Musk’s Tesla some time ago and also has certain shares in Apple and Netflix. I personally estimate that his net worth is around US$2 billion.”

Larry Ellison said: "I know."

David said no more and left quickly after drinking the tea prepared by his father using Japanese tea techniques.

Larry Ellison picked up the phone and made a call: "Just keep an eye on Meghan, don't worry about the specifics, that's it for now."

…………

Burbank, Davis Studio.

In the newly decorated pull-out room, Martin, Louise and Jennifer Siebel were watching the latter's new film together.

Last year, Jennifer Siebel began filming the second film after receiving a lot of first-hand information and budget funds from Martin.

She is the producer and director of this film and also appears in the film.

At this point, the film has reached the end, and Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to prison for several crimes.

This is a documentary titled "Inside the Mask".

The specific content is a series of related cases including the causes and consequences of the Weinstein scandal.

The film was shot with strong support from Martin, and Jody, who knows the ins and outs best, also left the country, as well as dozens of victims including Jennifer Siebel.

There is no doubt that this is a documentary about Jennifer Siebel highlighting women's rights and accusing Harvey Weinstein.

But the film was really good, mainly because it suited Martin’s position and needs and made Harvey Weinstein a human devil.

The film ends and the lights are turned on.

Jennifer Siebel breathed a sigh of relief, but looked at Martin and Louise.

Strictly speaking, she has left Hollywood.

As an actress and director who once had dreams, Jennifer Siebel hopes to be recognized by top professionals in the industry.

Louise stood up and hugged Jennifer gently: "Thank you for speaking out for all women. This documentary is an amazing achievement."

Jennifer nodded vigorously: "This is what I should do."

Martin looked at Louise and said to himself that the effect of women's empathy is really good.

He went over and shook hands with Jennifer: "I plan to release this documentary in theaters and apply for the Oscar documentary award next year."

This time it was Louise’s turn to praise, as expected of Martin, Gavin Newsom is now the Lieutenant Governor of California, are you planning to give away an Oscar statuette?

Based on Hollywood’s current political correctness and Martin’s experience in running the Oscars, once this film is released, who else can compete for the Oscar for Best Documentary?

This was completely beyond Jennifer's expectation. She originally thought that it would be enough for "Inside the Mask" to be on Netflix's on-demand website like the previous one.

But what Martin means is not only to push it into theaters, but also to apply for Oscars.

This was fine and Jennifer felt it suited her side's needs.

Although the production costs of this film were paid by Davis Studio, she also devoted a lot of time and energy.

Gavin also values ​​the subsequent effects of this film.

At this point, it is not only the person who is pulling the votes, but also his family.

Jennifer Siebel smiled and said: "Martin, please be more attentive."

Martin said with a smile: "This is a movie invested by Davis Studio, and of course it must be operated in the safest way."

Naturally, Jennifer Siebel would not refuse and said, "As a director, I will obey the arrangements of your producer."

Louise pointed to her watch at this time: "It's almost noon, let's go have lunch first, and then discuss specific matters after lunch."

Jennifer Siebel said casually: "Okay."

Martin led the way: "There is a restaurant on Bowei Street that is very unique. I have already made a reservation."

When the three of them had lunch, they further discussed the specific distribution and prize winnings of "Inside the Mask".

To be considered for an Oscar, the film must be shown in Los Angeles theaters, which is a prerequisite.

Of course, this is not difficult for Martin. He doesn't even need to find a distributor. He can directly contact several theaters and reserve the theater for screening.

No one can expect that this kind of documentary will have many audiences and box office.