Time flew to Wednesday. Monday's press conference immediately propelled MGM and Hasbro to the entertainment headlines.
Hasbro's stock price surged in response, rising 9% the next day to $6 per share.
Not only did Hasbro's stock price rise, but even Mattel's stock price also saw a slight increase.
Could it be that the market hopes Mattel will also pull a similar stunt, bringing Barbie to the big screen? That would probably have to wait another 20 years.
As for Lego, it's a family business and not publicly listed.
Many retail investors who had previously sold their shares were left pounding their chests in frustration, only able to curse: "They only announce it after the deal is done! Couldn't they have leaked some news beforehand?"
And ever since their last conversation, Dad had secretly marshaled funds to buy up quite a few Hasbro shares. The Cooper Family's stake in Hasbro stock had now reached 5%, but $300 million was also tied up in it.
These shares definitely couldn't be touched for now; in fact, they would continue to increase their holdings until after the movie's release, when they would make a big move.
Affected by this, even Winona's final appeal for theft received much less attention from people and media. Although it was an unintentional help, the big star should still treat him to a meal.
After two days, what needed to be known and what didn't were already known. The feedback received was that the vast majority of audiences expressed anticipation for the live-action transformers.
In fact, when "Terminator 2" was released back then, many people wrote to Hasbro, hoping to bring transformers to the big screen.
That was back in 1991. These people only knew that both were robots, but they didn't consider that the difficulty of live-action adaptation was not on the same level at all.
Now, 11 years later, those people who wrote letters back then might have grown up and perhaps haven't watched transformers in a long time, but upon hearing this news, the fire in their hearts still ignited.
Regarding Eric's boast of $700 million at the box office, the Los Angeles Times conducted a street survey, randomly interviewing 200 passersby.
The result was that 67% of people believed it could be achieved and were willing to pay for their childhood memories by going to the cinema.
However, many analysis agencies and film critics were pessimistic about this, and quite a few people criticized Eric for being overly arrogant.
Major newspapers naturally seized the opportunity to interview top directors like Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton, hoping to dig up some explosive comments from them, preferably a harsh critique of this young man who didn't know his place.
When Spielberg was ambushed at the company entrance, he looked bewildered: "Sorry, I'm busy with the post-production of "catch me if you can" and haven't followed this matter. I won't offer any opinions."
George Lucas just smiled: "Yes, I read the newspaper. While $700 million is a very difficult goal, I have confidence in transformers. If Industrial Light & Magic's assistance is needed, we would be happy to participate."
Peter Jackson was also busy with the post-production of "the lord of the rings 2." The bearded, portly man laughed heartily: "Come on, that's transformers! It's an animation many people watched as children, the favorite of countless teenagers worldwide."
"I think $700 million is absolutely no problem. At least I'll bring my family to support it. Of course, the film production process will require a lot of special effects. Weta Digital has a lot of experience in this area. Make sure to report that, hahaha."
These big directors are all shrewd; how could they not know the dark intentions of the reporters?
However, they were facing the helmsman of MGM. That was not a newcomer; it wasn't someone who could be criticized just because they entered the industry early or had a higher seniority. That was a capital representative on equal footing with them.
They often cross paths; how could they speak carelessly? They still had to make money together in the future!
Compared to the calm of the big directors, it was Hollywood's young generation that was truly restless.
Although the female lead was gone, the male lead position was still vacant. This was a huge pie falling from the sky; it just depended on who could grab it.
Look at Tobey Maguire; he is the best example.
Before the release of "spider-man," how many people knew his name? Even after ten years in the industry, he still hadn't made a breakthrough.
And after "spider-man"? He soared, becoming the darling of major directors and companies. His salary skyrocketed more than 10 times. It truly was a case of becoming famous overnight.
Moreover, Eric had already stated that he wanted young actors, so there would be less pressure without competing with big stars.
Beverly Hills, Cooper Family home.
Dad had already taken seven calls during breakfast. After putting down his phone, he smiled helplessly: "It's James Franco's agent, another old friend. I can't even ignore him."
"James Franco? The Green Goblin? It seems he also wants to go further!"
"Of course. Otherwise, why enter the Hollywood circle? If he couldn't get Peter Parker, transformers is an even better opportunity."
"But my answer is always the same: come to the audition when the time comes. We don't do backroom deals."
Eric felt a bit fortunate that he had only been in the industry for a short time and didn't interact with many people. For now, no one was calling him directly, so he didn't have to deal with these annoying matters.
"By the way, Dad, how's your relationship with the Department of Defense?"
"What?"
"The filming of transformers will definitely use a lot of planes, tanks, and missiles. Dad, have you ever dealt with the Department of Defense? Can we get their support?"
Xia Li Cooper frowned: "Some movies do deal with the Department of Defense and also contact the FBI, but even if there has been cooperation, the necessary funds are still indispensable if you want to get their support."
"Actually, the person in the industry with the best relationship with the Department of Defense should be Michael Bay. Everyone knows his movies; explosions are essential, so after many collaborations, they naturally became familiar."
"Have you decided who you want to direct transformers? If you don't have a choice, I think Michael Bay is good. He's very good at these kinds of commercial blockbusters."
Dad's suggestion was good, and in the original timeline, Michael Bay did serve as the director, but Eric didn't want to use him.
One reason was the cost. After films like "The Rock," "Armageddon," and "Pearl Harbor," Michael Bay was now Hollywood's hottest commercial film director.
According to current market prices, his box office share would be no less than 8%, plus a fixed director's fee, even $10 million would be considered a friendly price.
The second reason was his personality. Michael Bay's temper was famously explosive; he would curse anyone on set, including producers, fearless of everything.
It was obvious that Eric would definitely clash with him. Whose word would be followed then? He didn't want things to get messy.
Finally, and most fundamentally, Eric wanted to direct this film himself. He had craved that microphone for too long.
He had pursued that microphone for twenty years, and even at his current position, he still wanted to fulfill that obsession in his heart.