Rebirth as an American Tycoon

The White Films building was ready, even though it was just an old one, it was more than enough for their needs. For a film company of their size, having one floor would be considered good, but now they had 12 floors, which seemed like a waste.

People could only envy someone so wealthy, who not only knew how to earn money but also how to spend it lavishly.

For this year's Christmas release window, film companies had high expectations, and now the issue was that William White showed no intention of giving up. His so-called children's movie was also based on Christmas themes.

Without Police Academy, theater owners wouldn't have paid him any mind. Their release schedules were strictly reserved for major productions.

The situation was different now. Unless you wanted to make a real enemy of him, it was better to leave some screens for his movie just in case he succeeded again.

Police Academy hadn't left theaters yet, and at the current rate, it would run for at least another month.

Theaters had learned their lesson. They'd lost a lot with Police Academy, so now they were opting for box office percentage deals, determined not to make the same mistake again.

Even theatres partially owned by Hollywood showed varying degrees of support. Times were tough for everyone this year. If another movie could boost morale, things might just get a bit easier for them.

They could only respond with wry smiles to Hollywood's supposed blockbusters, even though as veterans in the industry, they understood what would sell and what wouldn't.

White Films didn't hesitate. They promised that if at least 1,000 screens supported them, the boss would put out at least ten million dollars for advertising, with the promise that if first-week sales fell below expectations, they could pull the film.

"Don't believe it? We can sign a deal to bet on it!"

White Films had no negotiation tactics; they simply bulldozed with brute force.

Faced with such an attitude, other film companies could do nothing but remain speechless.

You must realize, in that era, ten million was not a small sum. Most movies didn't even have that much in production costs, and here, they dared to spend ten million just on advertising. Others simply didn't have the courage.

Money for movie posters wouldn't come close to ten million. Obviously, this guy planned to use TV ads again. Such ads for movies were time-sensitive, typically running for just about a month. Burning through ten million in a month -- now that was ruthless.

At this point, theater owners couldn't resist. They wouldn't let money slip through their fingers.

International theaters that benefited from Police Academy were no longer reserved. They planned to introduce this movie simultaneously, even if it meant a higher revenue-sharing ratio.

A stagnant Hollywood couldn't stay calm anymore; a mistake now and then might be bad luck, but consistent mistakes meant there was a real problem with their approach.

Clearly, White Films had their own method. If they failed this time, everything would stay the same as before; no one would easily change the existing system.

But if they succeeded again, Hollywood would face a new era -- at least the existing distribution model would be overhauled.

TV advertising was nothing new. It had been around for years, but using it for movie promotion wasn't easy.

Their old strategy was simple: announce the release date, mention who directed and starred in it, and that was it.

At most, they'd have some soft pieces in newspapers or have friendly critics praise the movies. That was the whole scheme.

Not all movies got such treatment. Superman and Star Wars did, but the average movie could only afford printed posters, pasted in the proper places.

William White's strategy was evidently different. In hindsight, they realized they'd been played.

The hype for the movie Police Academy started with initial conflicts and has consistently increased. Someone had to be stirring the pot; otherwise, it wouldn't stay hot.

Then, word-of-mouth among students kept it buzzing. Hollywood titans got blackened in the process, and different preview versions propelled promotion to the peak.

After the movie's release, various groups rallied, lifting a comedy to patriotic heights.

At this point, all critics were morally cornered, and lavish praise was the only option.

White Films spun a sob story about Hollywood giants trying to buy them out for 2 million, using all sorts of coercive tactics.

The industry giants, after getting metaphorically sucker-punched, finally woke up.

A simple analysis revealed what happened. Understanding the entire sequence left the old hands trembling; they could no longer underestimate their opponents. The success wasn't accidental.

They could easily imagine that everything was pre-planned, and negotiations were just a part of the setup.

There was no need to back down step by step. The initial terms they offered weren't going to be accepted anyway, and constant bargaining had only been a strategy to bury them.

Realizing all this, they temporarily backed off from opposing White Films. It wasn't their call; it was up to the top brass. If they didn't want trouble, staying peaceful was the best choice.

Didn't you see how pathetic United Artists got played? That was just seizing an opportunity. Now that things settled, it seemed like they'd forgotten about it.

...

"Boss, is the movie release date set?"

"Yep, decided -- premiere's on December 10th."

"Is there gonna be a premiere party?" Jason asked hopefully.

"Ha ha, who's caught your eye that you need all this?" William White was curious about Jason's interest.

"Hey, there's lots I like. Can you hook me up with all of them?"

William White thought for a moment and said, "Not now, but in maybe five years, we'll be sleeping with whoever we want."

"Really, it won't be that crazy?"

Seeing Jason's dreamy look, William White said, "What do you think Hollywood is? As long as we've got the resources, who's gonna turn down something so small?"

Realizing William wasn't joking, Jason started dreaming, not sure what he thought about, but he started drooling.

"Alright, enough daydreaming. Let's get something to eat."

The two of them and a dog happily started their meal.

Jason was a regular here and didn't stand on ceremony with William. The food was much better than at school.

"Boss, after your house's liquor, Bordeaux just tastes flat!"

"Hah, your tongue can't twist the way theirs can; it's their skill. It's likely to do with Paris girls' technique."

"You're kidding, how's that even related?"

"So outdated, man -- it's nothing like American gals. Girlfriends are fine, but don't take them home, 'cause you never know about tomorrow."

"Sigh, maybe I should find a girl from back home."

"Haha, if you want to have fun, don't. You'll regret it!"

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.