"Stephen Chow!" Eric was a little surprised.
"Uh, his name is Stephen Chow. Yes, it seems his partner also called him by his Chinese name, which sounds similar to yours. Wait, Eric, have you studied Chinese?"
"Self-taught during the holidays. Don't mind those details. It is Stephen Chow, right?"
"Yes, I wouldn't get his English name wrong. He's pitching a script called 'Kung Fu,' hoping to get investment. We just met this afternoon."
"Although there are many idioms in this script that I don't understand, the marketing department's opinion is that it has potential. And this Stephen Chow is a very famous comedian from China, known as the 'Eastern Jim Carrey.'"
"I've already asked; his previous film, 'Shaolin Soccer,' had investment from Sony Columbia and earned Sony tens of millions of dollars."
"Got it. How much investment does Stephen Chow want?"
"30 million dollars. The amount is quite large, so I need to ask for your opinion. If you think it's not suitable, I'll call him to decline."
Eric hesitated, "Keep him on the hook. My film here is almost done, and I need to go back to Los Angeles anyway."
"OK, I understand!"
After hanging up, Eric couldn't help but sigh, "It has to be you, Judy. You're truly a lucky star."
Regarding the film "Kung Fu," it is generally considered Stephen Chow's magnum opus. Of course, some believe it's "A Chinese Odyssey," and others think most of his works are masterpieces.
But for Eric himself, "Kung Fu," considering its narrative, acting, subtext, and comedic effects, is the culmination of Stephen Chow's style, especially from a director's perspective; it is absolutely an undisputed top-quality film.
And if he remembered correctly, this film was invested in by Sony Columbia, which put in about 20 million dollars. Its global box office eventually surpassed 100 million, and many domestic media outlets reported on it at the time, so Eric still remembers it now.
Of course, if you only look at the box office, after deducting the shares for cinemas, promotion, distribution, and Stephen Chow's director's bonus, Columbia would only earn about 20 million dollars in the end.
However, if you include the DVD market, this figure would multiply several times.
It's not that Stephen Chow has strong appeal in the North American DVD market, but rather that the film "Kung Fu" itself is strong. But it's only this one; his other films didn't perform well, and the DVD market didn't buy them.
The only Chinese film stars who can truly succeed worldwide, who are still alive, are Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Chow Yun-fat also ventured into Hollywood but failed completely.
He lacked his own distinctive style and irreplaceability. Are there few actors in Hollywood who are as suave as Chow Yun-fat? Why use a person of color when there are white actors?
Only kung fu is the key for Chinese people to open up the world market. Bruce Lee opened this door, and Jackie Chan and Jet Li carried it forward, but unfortunately, there were no successors.
Before he transmigrated, as an insider in the industry, everyone was curious about who, Jackie Chan or Jet Li, fared better in Hollywood.
So Eric and a group of friends conducted a survey, after obtaining and analyzing various data.
The final conclusion was that Jackie Chan was in a league of his own, first. His film box office might not always be very high, but his DVD market was truly booming.
Starting from "Drunken Master II" in 1994, Jackie Chan's total DVD market revenue has exceeded 1.2 billion dollars, and this is the most conservative estimate.
Due to health reasons, Jet Li filmed fewer movies in his later years, but even so, his DVD market revenue still exceeded 700 million dollars.
This is why Jackie Chan and Jet Li's films often have modest box office numbers but never lack investment; it's because they are almost always guaranteed to make a profit.
However, Jackie Chan's later films are an exception. By then, he was indeed old and had to take the elevator instead of jumping down stairs, so he almost always self-funded his movies.
The next day, the final scene of transformers at the Nevada military base was completed. John Adams gave his young subordinates an hour of vacation.
The entire base immediately erupted in a frenzy. All the soldiers returned to their barracks to find their phones, then gathered around blackout for photos.
The prop team watched the American soldiers anxiously, fearing they might damage blackout with their heavy hands, as it still had scenes to shoot later.
Eric shouted into a megaphone, "Thank you all for your cooperation during this time. The film is scheduled for November. If you want to see yourselves on the big screen, bring your families to the cinema."
After giving the soldiers time for photos, Eric chatted with Colonel Adams to deepen their relationship, and before leaving, he slipped him another 500,000 dollars.
These past few days, he had become increasingly close with Lieutenant Colonel Freeman. Although the Lieutenant Colonel was in the military, he had quite an artistic heart.
However, due to his position, he certainly couldn't appear in the film, only serving as a military consultant to get his fix.
And from his mouth, Eric learned that the reason John Adams was able to be promoted to brigadier general before the age of 40 was because his connections were too strong; he was a member of the Adams family.
That's right, the Adams family, the one that drafted the Declaration of Independence, one of America's traditional powerful families, with tentacles reaching across the military, political, and business spheres.
To put it bluntly, the world is the same everywhere. The entertainment industry relies on connections and background, and so does the military.
Lieutenant Colonel Freeman stated that the probability of an American colonel being promoted to brigadier general is only about 3%. Unless they possess extraordinary talent that nothing can stop, it won't be the turn of civilians; colonel is the end of the line for them.
Since the founding of the nation, the game of power has always been in the hands of these great families, the only difference being whether it's your turn today or mine tomorrow.
After understanding this relationship, Eric couldn't help but blush.
The 200,000 dollars that night might have been a bit of an insult. He didn't want them to think it was an affront, so he added another 500,000 dollars before leaving, knowing that they might need their help again for transformers sequels or other films in the future.
In the afterglow of the sunset, the MGM motorcade slowly drove away from the Nevada military base, heading south along Highway 5.
Around 9 PM, the convoy entered Somona County, California, and by 10 PM, they arrived in Santa Rosa City within Somona County.
The administrative divisions in the United States are very special, divided into states, counties, cities, and townships, but these four administrative levels are not subordinate to each other but are relatively independent.
States cannot control counties, counties cannot control cities, and cities cannot control townships or villages. Governors, mayors, and county executives are all elected and are responsible to the residents of their respective jurisdictions. ɱ
And in Santa Rosa City, there is a very famous high school—Santa Rosa High School, where many Hollywood films have been shot.
MGM had already contacted the principal of Santa Rosa High School in advance, had them review the script, and a PG13 rating was definitely not an issue.
The convoy parked in the hotel parking lot. After Eric got out of the car, he pulled Patty Jenkins aside.
"I need to go back to Los Angeles to handle some matters. The filming here is entrusted to you. Again, everything according to the script, OK?"
Patty Jenkins nodded, "And I'll say it again, you're the boss, what you say goes!"
Everyone checked into their rooms at the hotel and dispersed. Eric looked down from the window and indeed found James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Little Mercenary, Captain America, and others sneaking out.
James McAvoy was fine, but the others had trained for a month at the Nevada military base and filmed for a week, so their hormone levels were already off the charts. It definitely wouldn't do to not let them blow off some steam.
"Eric, what are you looking at?" Gadot's voice came from behind him.
"Nothing, just a few thieving mice."
"What? Uh..."
"It seems to have gotten a bit bigger."
Over an hour later, a Lincoln arrived downstairs at the hotel. Chen Xing made a phone call, and a moment later, the car drove away.
"Eric, you need to get up."
A familiar voice rang in his ears. Eric opened his eyes to see his mother, Emily Cooper, the woman who loved him most.
"Darling, it's already ten in the morning. You have to go to work."
Eric shook his somewhat groggy head, "Sorry, I've been filming in Nevada recently and haven't been resting well."
Hearing this, his mother looked worried again, "Then sleep a little longer. Work isn't urgent; your health is the most important thing."
Due to the tight filming schedule, he worked eight consecutive days without a break. Actors could clock out and leave on time, but directors couldn't.
Eric still had to review shots and plan, pulling all-nighters every day. He also had to find time to finish the script for blue is the warmest color and was simultaneously writing several new scripts. Sleeping only four or five hours a day was the norm.
Furthermore, the conditions at the military base were not good. Even when he did sleep, he was often woken up by training noises before entering deep sleep.
Now, back home, lying comfortably in bed, he truly felt like he could sleep indefinitely.
He yawned and sank back into the bed, and his mother gently closed the door.
After that sleep, he didn't open his eyes again until past two in the afternoon, his phone ringing incessantly.
"Judy, what's wrong?"
Judy's confused and urgent voice came from the other end of the phone, "My boss, what are you doing? Didn't you ask me to arrange a meeting with Stephen Chow? He's been waiting all morning! I called you several times, and you didn't answer. Chen Xing wouldn't say what you were doing either."
Only then did Eric realize that he seemed to have forgotten something, but of course, he couldn't admit he was sleeping; the boss's authority still had to be maintained.
"Okay, I know. I was just handling something temporarily. Are the people from Starry Sky Entertainment still at the company?"
"Yes, but they've been to the restroom several times already. If they wait any longer, they'll probably get impatient. I don't even know what to talk to them about right now."
"Then tell them to wait another hour; I should be there by then."
"Another hour? My big boss, you're American, not Italian. Can't you have some sense of time?"
Eric scoffed, "Sense of time? That's for restraining the weak. Now we are the strong. Tell them MGM is interested in investing. For money, they can wait ten more days without a problem."
He hung up the phone and walked into the bathroom. The hot water washed away the fatigue and sand from the Nevada desert, and Eric felt much more comfortable.
After showering, he went downstairs. His mother had gone to visit a friend from church. The sexy young nanny, in her twenties, served him the warmed-up meal.
After dinner, he walked out of the house. Chen Xing was waiting by the car. He opened the car door, closed it, and then got into the passenger seat himself. After completing the routine, the Lincoln slowly started and left Beverly Hills.
"How's the investigation you asked me to do coming along?"
Chen Xing pulled out a report from his bag and handed it over, "This is the development of the Chinese film market in recent years."
Eric took it and began to flip through it. Although his predecessor was in the industry, the events of 2003 were too distant; he was only thirteen years old then.
He quickly scanned it and had a general idea. The mainland market now was truly very weak. From 1995 to 2002, the average annual total box office was over 900 million, not even reaching one billion RMB.
The year with the highest annual box office was 1998, because titanic was released and grossed 600 million RMB, so the total box office in '98 reached 1.4 billion RMB, which, converted at the exchange rate, was less than 200 million dollars.
In contrast, the total annual box office in the United States in 1998 was approximately 7.5 billion dollars, which, converted to RMB at the exchange rate, was about 60 billion RMB. The difference between the two was 42 times.
And even with titanic's 600 million RMB box office, Hollywood actually only received about 46 million, which, converted to dollars, was only 5.75 million dollars.
You read that right, just 5.75 million dollars. After that, they still had to pay a certain tax difference in the United States, so Disney probably only ended up with about 5 million dollars.
They went through all that trouble, worked hard, and in the end, only earned pocket change. That's how Disney felt at the time.
Why was the money received so little?
The reason was that China's revenue-sharing ratio for imported films was simply too low.
Hollywood films generally have a revenue-sharing ratio of about 50% in North America, with cinemas and companies splitting it equally. For big IP blockbusters like Star Wars, the lord of the rings, or popular film sequels, the company's share can even reach over 60%; for bad films, it's the opposite.
Additionally, there are clauses related to the number of screening weeks. The specific ratio can be negotiated between the company and the cinemas; it's not a fixed value stipulated by law.
Globally, the revenue-sharing ratio generally fluctuates between 40% and 50%, depending on the film's quality and popularity.
But what was the ratio in China?
The answer is 13%!
You read that right again, it was three tenths lower than even Africa, and only 20 imported films were allowed each year. This ratio only increased to 25% in 2012.
This is why the revenue share for titanic was so low.
At this stage, the Chinese market was a 'chicken rib' for Hollywood—flavorless to eat, yet a pity to discard.
Even with great effort, it wasn't guaranteed to make money; ninety percent went to them! I wouldn't be begging for food on my knees!
Therefore, although the quota of 20 imported films per year seemed very limited, the competitive pressure was actually not great.
However, after all, it is the world's most populous country, and its economy is continuously developing. What if its potential suddenly explodes one day? So, some companies have already set up offices there.
Since he transmigrated in April last year, Eric had been considering whether to set up a branch company on the other side in the future.
By making arrangements in advance and building good relationships with high-level officials, he could seize the initiative when the film market heated up around 2008 or 2009.
Additionally, there was another crucial factor: this year's transformers must be released in China, otherwise it would be difficult to sell toys and merchandise, which yield more significant profits than box office revenue.
After discussing with his father, he had no objections. After all, registering a company and letting it sit there wouldn't cost much money; it was just planting a seed for now.
But later, various matters consumed his time, and this idea gradually faded into the background. Now, with Stephen Chow suddenly knocking on his door, the idea resurfaced.
MGM Building. The Lincoln pulled up to the steps, and Eric walked directly to the elevator.
Now, when they saw him, the company employees were clearly not as fearful as they had been a few months ago; instead, they greeted him with smiling faces.
Primarily, they had learned about Eric's personality; he didn't lose his temper easily and was generally kind to his subordinates.
Additionally, the company was truly making money. Since The Coopers took over MGM, performance had visibly skyrocketed.
At the end of the year, Harry Cooper generously gave everyone a 10,000-dollar bonus, which greatly boosted morale, and everyone felt more motivated in life.
Ding!
The elevator opened, and Eric walked directly to the reception room.
The receptionist opened the door, and he saw three people sitting on the sofa, with the one in the middle being all too familiar.
He wore a black pinstripe casual suit with a seemingly warm wool sweater underneath, and his hair just touched his shoulders.
His features were handsome and well-defined, but his eyes were somewhat cold. It was Stephen Chow, known as the King of Comedy in the East.
Seeing Eric enter, Stephen Chow quickly stood up. He had specifically researched some information last night; the young man in front of him was even more handsome than in the material.
As the host, Eric extended his hand first, "Hello, Mr. Chow, I'm Eric Cooper!"
Stephen Chow quickly shook his hand, "Nice to meet you for the first time, Mr. Cooper. You can call me Stephen."
"First time meeting? No, no, no, I've seen you many times in films, the King of Comedy of the East."
Hearing this title, Stephen Chow was first taken aback, then waved his hand somewhat modestly, "I'm not the King of Comedy; I'm just an actor."