With the resignation of Vivendi's vice-chairman and board member Arnault, Jean Messier lost his biggest ally on the board.
But Messier clearly wasn't ready to throw in the towel.
He's a business prodigy, after all. At 28, he was an official in France's Finance Ministry. By 30, he was the Finance Minister's personal advisor. At 33, he founded his own bank, and by 38, he was running Vivendi.
Under Messier's leadership these past years, Vivendi shone bright. It held strong in water supply and environmental services while charging into sunrise industries like telecom, internet, entertainment, and media.
For the last two years, Jean Messier's name dominated French business headlines, his fame and buzz rivaling Dunn's on the entertainment pages.
He's racked up award after award in France's economic circles.
You could say Vivendi's current fame, strength, and global standing are all thanks to Messier.
So now, just because the company's a bit in debt and facing some minor hiccups, they want him to step down?
No way he's okay with that!
Even without Arnault's backing, Messier's bound to launch a final counterattack within Vivendi.
Too bad… he's just a hired gun.
At the end of the day, he's an employee!
If the bosses don't agree, all his ambition's for nothing.
Lately, Dunn's been getting calls from friends—some Vivendi shareholders, others tied to the board—all leaking the same intel: within two weeks, Messier's out!
That put Dunn's mind at ease.
He'd originally canceled his RSVP to the premiere of Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl, but now, feeling good, he decided to go after all.
Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl hits theaters officially on July 5th.
But since it's an IMAX blockbuster—the first of its kind in Hollywood—not just fans, but filmmakers and media folks haven't seen anything like it.
So, they're holding a premiere ahead of time on July 1st to invite key filmmakers, critics, and journalists to witness this grand moment.
Then, they'll give a few days for critics and media to write reviews and spread the word, letting the hype build and giving IMAX films a free publicity boost.
The premiere's at an IMAX theater in LA—one that usually screens documentaries, experimental shorts, or astronomy films, so it's rarely packed.
This time, though? All 200 seats are taken.
And that's still not enough.
It's the first IMAX movie ever, and Universal's pre-release hype was pure fire—calling it the future of Hollywood, a tech breakthrough to pull audiences back to theaters.
The arrival of DMR conversion tech is set to be Hollywood's next big trend!
With that kind of pull, this IMAX theater—twice the size of a regular one—didn't even have spare seats for fans.
Hollywood filmmakers and media critics were tripping over themselves to be there for this milestone.
Normally, premiere guests need warm invites and sometimes even a paycheck from the hosts.
But Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl? Totally different.
People were begging the organizers to let them in!
A premiere this unique was a first, even for century-old Universal.
It felt more like an insider screening—every seat filled with VIPs, no room for regular fans.
Of course, Universal's execs knew the truth: the frenzy wasn't about their clout—it was about Dunn!
The premiere ceremony stuck to tradition. Dunn Walker, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, and other key cast and crew took the stage, bowing to thank the packed house for showing up.
That part was weird.
Thanking them?
If anyone should be grateful, it's the guests thanking Dunn—without him, they wouldn't have a shot at witnessing this historic moment.
Then, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp gave short speeches. Supporting actor Tom Hardy and lead actress Anne Hathaway, lacking the clout, kept theirs under three sentences.
They were saving time for the premiere's big gun—Dunn.
He was set to deliver the keynote.
Dunn scanned the front row—Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Roland Emmerich, Ang Lee, Robert Zemeckis, John Woo, Sam Mendes, Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Nicolas Cage—Hollywood's heavy hitters—and flashed a small smile.
"I'm honored to see so many familiar faces here. We've got producers, directors, actors, critics, and journalists—thank you all for coming to the premiere of Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl. I'm sure you've noticed the lineup: big-name directors, A-list stars, dazzling lights, and over a hundred media outlets waiting outside."
"But what makes this premiere special isn't the celebs or the press—it's the movie itself! Everyone here works in the film industry, and I know you all share a deep love for cinema. From the silent era to talkies, from black-and-white to color, movies have been around for over a century."
"Back in the '30s, North America had 120 million people, and weekly ticket sales topped 40 million. Now? 350 million people, and in all of 2001, we sold 1.48 billion tickets. Population's tripled, but ticket sales have dropped nearly 50%. Sure, there are reasons—back then, no TVs, no gaming consoles; movies were pretty much the only game in town."
"But that doesn't change one fact: audiences are drifting away from theaters! Why? Are our films getting worse? As a filmmaker, I don't think so! We're in the 21st century—the golden age of movies! We've got cutting-edge tech, bigger budgets, the best global talent, and we can shoot anywhere in the world. Old Hollywood couldn't even dream of this."
Dunn paused, glancing around. Everyone was listening intently—especially the front-row VIPs, their faces dead serious.
"Cinema's growth depends on fans. We film lovers don't just need to make great movies—we need to bring audiences back to theaters! Piracy won't kill movies. TV won't kill movies. Video games won't either! Cinema's got to evolve, like the leap from black-and-white to color—a full-on revolution!"
"I'm sure you've guessed what I'm getting at. Yep—IMAX movies! IMAX's DMR tech is the future of commercial cinema. Giant screens, mind-blowing sound—it's a whole new experience. Old-school theaters are history; IMAX theaters and films are the way forward."
"Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl is the first IMAX blockbuster. I'm thrilled to share this era-defining moment for Hollywood with you all. And huge thanks to Director Tim Burton and the cast for two years of hard work—your efforts packed this house tonight."
"Now, I declare… the movie begins!"
---
Dunn sat between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas—two guys who've spent decades pushing Hollywood's tech frontiers.
Sure, they've caught flak from old-school directors like Francis Coppola and Miloš Forman, but they've kept at it.
In that sense, they've done Hollywood a massive solid.
"What's the cost on that DMR tech?" George Lucas asked, unfazed by Star Wars: Episode II's lukewarm box office, clearly intrigued by IMAX.
Dunn watched Universal's logo roll on the massive screen and grinned. "Not much—two or three million bucks."
Lucas frowned. "And the prints?"
"About… $50,000 each," Dunn replied.
Lucas shook his head. "Getting IMAX to catch on won't be easy!"
A regular film print costs around $3,000.
But an IMAX print? $50,000 a pop—that's a hefty chunk of change.
With 75 IMAX theaters in the U.S., conversion and print costs alone hit $6 million!
Could ticket sales from just 75 theaters cover that?
Dunn stayed calm. "Honestly, I'm not sweating the profits. I'm focused on the potential—the push for cinema. Plus, even with the high costs, it's not like we can't make money."
"Oh?" Lucas perked up.
"Right now, prints are film-based because IMAX digital projectors aren't out yet," Dunn said. "Next year, once they hit the market, we'll switch to digital copies. Costs'll drop fast—maybe $200 per print."
Lucas nodded. "Digital's the future. Star Wars: Episode II was shot on digital cameras, but… well." He sighed.
Dunn bit back a laugh and said, "Plus, IMAX tickets cost more—that'll boost the box office."
Lucas gave him a sidelong glance, his tone odd. "Higher revenue split too, huh?"
Dunn smiled faintly. "Movie's starting—let's watch!"
He wasn't touching that one.
It's obvious.
No profit, no progress.
In North America, studios and distributors usually split about 53% of the box office. With IMAX theaters not bought outright, IMAX Corp skims 7-10% too.
That means Dunn Films could pocket over 60%!
No wonder Lucas sounded salty.