Legendary Hollywood Director

Lyman has been worrying about something again recently.

That is, for some reason, the news that Spartan Three Hundred Warriors contacted the publisher leaked out.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with the leak. This is to deliberately let Joseph blow out to attract attention, and then seek a cooperation plan that is more conducive to the project.

For Firefly, the uniqueness of the schedule is really what is needed. Lehman no longer wants to be taken over by the project. It is a win-win situation when it is needed, and it is abandoned when it is not needed.

January 6, near noon.

Inside an open-air restaurant in Burbank.

Paramount and Warner's two distribution executives sat down.

After ordering the meal and serving cold snacks, Warner's executive said first: This week, it has won more than 32 million overseas box office, a total of 340 million, which is really a remarkable achievement.

Although this person failed to mention the name of the movie, Paramount executives also understood that what the other party could say and praise could only be Paramount's most successful project, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

What's this, I can't compare to you guys. A Goblet of Fire and a Monster in the Lake should add up to more than 1.5 billion. These two projects alone can take away 430 million US dollars from the box office, but they make a lot of money. already.

The Warners executive was also secretly proud, but his expression was well hidden. He shook his head slightly, pretending to be melancholy and said, Didn't I hear that there is another one, do you want to cooperate with you there?

Hey, that person's vision has nothing to say, but it's just too greedy. You said that taking only 10% of the commission is already the lowest and most favorable condition. Which public relations promotion is easy, and it's not that you don't do it for nothing. Live. It's so fair, and some restrictions are put forward. Paramount executives sighed. In fact, it is to show the attitude to the other party.

As expected, the other party responded very clearly, Do you want Christmas stalls?

The Paramount executive nodded, I don't know what to do this year, so I have to take one of the best schedules. The conditions are too harsh. Paramount is not its vassal, how can it be so obedient.

It's still too tough in the end, it's not to say that it can't be discussed. In case the company has a big move, it is natural to coordinate the schedule, how can it be thrown at will. Warner executives raised their brows, seemingly considering the difficulties for Paramount. .

Of course, the two of them met today to reach a united front.

But he said that that day, Lehmann spoke with Shirley Lansing,

When people go back and think about it carefully, they feel that something is wrong.

You know, after acquiring DreamWorks and accepting the production team of DreamWorks, Paramount will have to make big moves, so how can you give a Christmas schedule at will.

But Paramount also doesn't want Firefly to cooperate with several others, and Warner is also concerned about Lehman's increasingly strong project production capabilities, and does not want to see the rise of a DreamWorks - mainly because Lehman's cooperation conditions are getting better and better. Getting more and more harsh, I feel that his ambition is too big, and he wants to suppress it, persuade him to give up his heart, to be an independent producer with peace of mind, and don't keep mixing up, so this scene is today.

In other words, it's just a warning.

And this warning was soon tacitly understood within the Sixth Congress.

After the rumors were first released, Lehman also expected that Fox, Universal or the declining MGM would send someone over to negotiate the terms, but what he received soon were similar distribution contracts, not talking about the agreed schedule at all. It means that there will be corresponding cooperation and arrangements.

You must know that the schedule is the easiest way to allocate resources, and it has always been controlled by the six major operations that have been with the theater business.

This is one of the six methods of relative monopoly.

Only those who are in it understand the power of doing so.

Take Lionsgate and New Line as an example. The former has been involved in film and television production and distribution in 1997, but it was not until 2000 that American Psycho became famous, and that movie was still 4. The unpopular schedule of the month suddenly exploded. It can only be said that luck is mostly;

As for the new line, it was a film company established in 1967, but it was not until 1984 that the first independent production project Monster Street was launched.

Then why are the two of them so stupid, they don't go to the summer and Christmas seasons to play, and they have to fight to death in the unpopular seasons and can't earn much box office?

Are they stupid?

Of course not.

But the problem is that you can't get in.

Don't look at the fact that the cinema line and the studio seem to be two factions, two lines that are parallel to each other, but the big film companies and the North American theater chain have long been intertwined interests.

When you watch a blockbuster, it is either 3,000 screens or 3,500 screens. When it comes to the film projects of second-tier companies such as Lionsgate, New Line, Mubao, and Firefly, it takes a lot of effort to get more than 2,000 screens. , isn't this really different?

Therefore, it is okay for independent filmmakers to make small troubles, and the six majors can be tolerated. After all, the United States has 365 days, and the production of the six major projects alone cannot fill the gap. It is the best for everyone to produce films together and provide film sources. But the popular schedules such as summer and Christmas will not give in.

There are people's private plots.

This is also why more than 90% of the top ten projects on the list for so many years are the six major releases, because a good schedule can carry a good box office, and others can't eat it.

For this, Lehman is actually well aware of it, but he is still strongly unwilling.

In the past, it was not impossible for one's own front-line projects to give away some of the benefits, but Nima has been rushing forward like a front-line soldier, wasting potential, and a little fair treatment may not be much. 's complaints.

But this year, Warner's business production was relatively successful, which led to unfavorable coordination. This made Lehmann feel more and more that it was really difficult to play like this. The first-line projects are based on this standard.

Whoever does not have a blockbuster will distribute it to whomever. Maximize the benefits.

Of course, he was thinking very well. In this way, the Firefly project can also enjoy the convenience of schedule and continue to accumulate strength.

As a result, this simple additional clause did not require a reduction in distribution commissions, nor did it mention the issue of publicity expenses, but the two partners, Warner and Paramount, did not agree with it.

After all, in their opinion, whether to give a schedule or not, how to arrange the schedule, that is the company's plan, how can an outsider lead by the nose. He simply refused to agree, and suppressed the wild hope that he raised his head.

In the following days, the Big Six refused to cooperate one after another, and even MGM, who was badly played, suddenly became hard-hearted, which once again showed that regardless of the level of competition that the Big Six had to play every year, it really depends on us. six.

As a result, these people thought they had the commanding heights of victory, just waiting for the ignorant DreamWorks No. 2 to bow his head obediently and be a little bit complacent.

Why do you say that?

Don't you see, how many smashing studios have been rubbed and acquired by the six majors, and even the most danced DreamWorks has collapsed now. Who dares to raise a flag and openly rebel?

As everyone knows, Laiman is a soft-hearted person, and these people are more and more persecuted. Instead, Laiman summons his generals to run around for days, seeking to break the game.

So, how to break the game?

Naturally, it is to learn the method of small people, and the weak will form a group and jointly issue.

One more thing to mention here. Although more than half of the screens in the United States and more than 70% of the theaters in prosperous areas have six shadows behind them, the theaters are not always very obedient. They can provide convenient Conditions, but if the film fails, it will also be reduced to make room for other works.

In other words, when the interests are the same, it is the icing on the cake, and it will never give help in the snow and accompany the loss.

The theaters aren't that good for the Big Six.

It can only be said that in terms of schedule selection, the six majors are indeed the first.

Snow flakes of phone calls and emails flew to studios that still had a firm foothold in Hollywood, such as Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, and Screen Treasure...

If this time is compared to the battlefield, it is that fireflies gather heroes and do things together.

Moreover, Lionsgate is much more courageous than Lehman. They not only want to overturn the North American market, but also to be independent at the source, that is, the global distribution channel, without any control.

Lehman's move, drizzle.

After all, overseas distribution is often operated with the help of the six major networks. Whoever has been rooted for a long time cannot get around.