In Hollywood now, the mainstream seven major film companies are no longer in the era of big studios where they were still controlled by their founders, fiercely competing for market share, and resorting to all means.
The seven major studios are basically all listed companies or part of listed companies. The helmsmen of the seven major studios, perhaps with varying degrees of power, are all professional managers who manage the enterprises for the shareholders.
In such a situation, if Simon were just a young director who had just made a name for himself in Hollywood and produced a few hit films, he might face ruthless suppression if he severely threatened the interests of other studios.
However, the current situation is that Simon's identity is no longer limited to being a director.
Before the entire Hollywood could react, he had already established an entertainment company like Daenerys Entertainment, whose strength was comparable to that of traditional major studios. Moreover, Simon himself had quickly accumulated billions of dollars in wealth through various means.
In a capital-driven society like the United States, Simon's billions of dollars in personal wealth represent powerful strength. Even if this strength is not as deeply rooted as those old money families accumulated over decades, it is absolutely not something that the 'professional managers' of Hollywood's major film companies can easily provoke or shake.
Those people might make some small moves in private, but the likelihood of them risking their professional future to strongly confront Daenerys Entertainment is very low.
As for uniting to suppress Daenerys Entertainment, the newcomer, it's hard to rally people. Three monks can't even get water to drink, let alone seven, seven 'monks' with different intentions all vying for the same well.
Inside the office at the Santa Monica headquarters.
Simon, having understood all of this, did not take the ongoing WGA investigation lightly.
Just like the vigorous anti-sexual harassment movement in Hollywood many years later.
Many people originally just watched with relish as a certain big shot who had been rampant in Hollywood for decades fell from grace, never expecting that in the blink of an eye, a devastating hurricane would sweep over everyone.
Things are unpredictable.
Although it was clear that the possibility of the WGA's threat to prohibit union members from cooperating with Daenerys Entertainment actually happening was very low, if Simon treated it lightly and allowed Hollywood competitors to seize the opportunity, this worst-case scenario could unexpectedly come true.
At that time, Daenerys Entertainment, which was not yet firmly established in Hollywood, would undoubtedly suffer a heavy blow, and even trigger more serious chain reactions.
Therefore, Simon unhesitatingly decided to nip this potential crisis in the bud as soon as possible.
Having made up his mind, Simon put down the pencil he was toying with and said to Amy, "I suddenly remembered that after 'Look Who's Talking' and 'Batman' last year, the company hasn't signed any cooperation projects with other film companies. Now it's time to continue with this matter".
Amy recalled Simon mentioning this plan last year. He intended to alleviate competitors' apprehension about Daenerys Entertainment's rise by collaborating with other Hollywood studios. However, since the end of last year, everyone had been working tirelessly until now, with no spare energy to attend to this matter.
After a brief consideration, Simon continued, "Amy, release the news as soon as possible that Daenerys Entertainment will cooperate on 10 films externally over the next two years".
Amy's expression showed surprise as she asked, "The 'Look Who's Talking' cooperation model?"
"Of course, and this time there's no need for a copyright tie-in like with 'Wonder Woman.' As long as the project is finalized, both parties will invest 50% each, sharing copyright and profits. Daenerys Entertainment will lead the production, and the other party will be responsible for distribution across all channels. And, this time, the distribution commission rate will be strictly capped at 10%".
Amy said, "8% would actually be fine too".
Simon smiled and shook his head, saying, "There's no need to be so harsh. The key is that Daenerys Entertainment's accounting team must follow the project through all stages, from production to distribution".
Amy thought for a moment and said, "We can set up independent financial accounts for each project, jointly supervised by both cooperating parties, to avoid any recurrence of our company's rightful profits being concealed or withheld".
"You all discuss these details among yourselves; I only look at the results".
Amy agreed, but still asked, "What about the scripts, Simon? Should we use the copyrights we've accumulated?"
"Of course not. The studios that want to cooperate with us should proactively provide scripts, and I will personally select them. Also, remember to sign the relevant copyright agreements in advance to prevent them from backing out".
"I don't think that's very likely to happen", Amy smiled, and as she was about to get up to busy herself with this matter, she noticed Simon leaning back in his leather chair, looking a bit tired, and couldn't help but say, "Simon, after this news is released, you'll probably become the most powerful person in Hollywood".
The consecutive successes of 'The Bodyguard' and 'The Sixth Sense' proved that Daenerys Entertainment's magic continued.
Now, the news that this company is suddenly looking to collaborate on 10 films with external parties will undoubtedly set all of Hollywood abuzz. After all, Daenerys Entertainment's previous collaborations with Orion, Fox, and MGM all achieved massive box office success, which is enough to prove that Simon Westeros doesn't just keep the best projects for himself.
10 movies, perhaps due to the increased number, their commercial performance might not be as outstanding, but as long as half of them can reach the top ten of the annual box office charts, they hold enormous appeal for studios. If a blockbuster project like 'The Sixth Sense' emerges, a studio could live comfortably for a year on just 50% of its profits.
Simon smiled, but in his mind, he thought of Premiere magazine's Hollywood Power List in the original timeline.
The first edition of Premiere magazine's Hollywood Power List, as I recall, would be announced next year.
To many people's surprise, the top spot on the first list in the original timeline went to Michael Ovitz, the president of CAA.
In fact, this further proves Simon's earlier point: the helmsmen of today's major Hollywood studios do not wield as much power and influence as ordinary people imagine. If it were the Golden Age of Hollywood decades ago, the number one spot on such a list would either be Jack Warner of Warner Bros., or Louis Mayer of MGM, or Darryl Zanuck of Fox; it would never fall to a talent agent.
After giving a few more instructions and Amy had left, Simon leaned back into his leather chair.
Another busy week was coming to an end. Soon, he would have to discuss the fine-cut plan for 'Look Who's Talking' with the creative team, so he could only take a short nap.
He inexplicably felt the urge to suddenly fly to Australia again, leave everything behind, and spend a couple of days with Janette.
However.
He decided against bothering the Japanese stock market again.
A moment later, Jennifer pushed the door open, indicating that the creative team for 'Look Who's Talking' had arrived, and Simon stood up.
At the same time, the news that Daenerys Entertainment would be collaborating with other Hollywood studios on 10 films in the next two years spread like wildfire throughout Hollywood in just one morning.
Suddenly, the phones of Simon, Amy, Robert Rehme, Ira Deutchman, and even Robert Iger on the East Coast, along with other Daenerys Entertainment executives, were all ringing off the hook. Various invitations for parties, dinners, and cocktail receptions flooded in.
As the ultimate decision-maker of this plan, Simon was naturally the focus of everyone's attention.
However, Simon simply had Jennifer decline all invitations. Although he didn't fly to Australia that weekend, he quietly went to San Francisco. It was mainly for rest, and to check the development progress of various projects at Ygritte Company.
By the time the media, which was as abuzz as Hollywood, discovered Simon's whereabouts, the weekend had already passed.
August also arrived quietly and unknowingly.
Although everyone figured out that the WGA's sudden attack likely triggered Daenerys Entertainment's plan to co-produce 10 films, there were quite a few people in the industry who felt Westeros's reaction was a bit of an overreaction. However, in the new week, the originally aggressive WGA seemed to have suddenly lost some leverage, and its attitude clearly softened.
Last week, George Coghill, president of the Writers Guild of America, West, stated in a declaration that the WGA would establish a special investigative committee for Daenerys Entertainment's protocol violation. After the weekend, this so-called committee seemed to have been forgotten by everyone, with only the WGA's legal department still lukewarmly following up.
Clearly, compared to the WGA's investigation into Daenerys Entertainment, everyone believed that the 10 film projects were the most important.
The seven major Hollywood film companies, upon closer inspection, do not have completely irreconcilable conflicts with Daenerys Entertainment.
Well, perhaps they snatched a project or two, or a talent or two, or are preparing to file a lawsuit, but these are all just normal business behaviours, not personal grudges.
As long as everyone is proactive and enthusiastic, there's a good chance they can get a piece of the pie from these 10 films.
Thus, just as the WGA's impending investigation was about to fizzle out, major studios began to curry favour with Daenerys Entertainment.
Orion Pictures, whose performance had been sluggish for over half a year, immediately contacted Amy Pascal, claiming that the company had recently recovered a sum of money and could pay Daenerys Entertainment its rightful share from 'Pulp Fiction'.
However, they hoped that the two parties could sign another film contract.
Amy didn't mince words, insisting that Orion pay the share first before discussing anything else.
MGM, which had just last week declared its intention to pursue a lawsuit, directly changed its tune on Monday, even shamelessly sending over a batch of scripts.
The head of TriStar Pictures, a subsidiary of Columbia, also relayed a message to Simon through Jonathan Friedman, stating that TriStar Pictures had decided to terminate the film contract already signed with Matthew Broderick for a film called 'The Freshman'.
The entanglement between Simon and Matthew Broderick was no secret in Hollywood.
A few months before Norman Brokaw's departure, Matthew Broderick had jumped from WMA to CAA.
'The Freshman' was originally a film that TriStar Pictures was quite fond of, with a dual-male lead setup.
Besides Matthew Broderick, the other male lead was the famous veteran Oscar winner Marlon Brando.
Signing a contract and then terminating it meant TriStar Pictures had to pay liquidated damages.
This indeed showed great sincerity.
It was also widely understood in the industry that after this incident, Matthew Broderick's career in Hollywood was effectively over.
Originally, other studios felt they had no conflict of interest with Daenerys Entertainment and had few reservations about casting Matthew Broderick.
Now, everyone was vying for Daenerys Entertainment's 10 film contracts, and TriStar Pictures had clearly drawn a line by paying liquidated damages to terminate their contract.
If other studios were to collaborate with Matthew Broderick now, it would be a blatant provocation to Simon Westeros.
After all, there was only one Westeros, but a dime a dozen Hollywood heartthrobs who could replace Matthew Broderick.
It's foreseeable that Matthew Broderick won't be able to secure any roles from mainstream first or second-tier Hollywood film companies for the next few years, and even a move to television would be unlikely.
A few years later, this actor will simply be completely forgotten by Hollywood.
Daenerys Entertainment publicly disclosed the detailed inside story of the two scripts, 'Scream' and 'The Sixth Sense'.
Because the announcement of the 10 co-production film projects attracted Hollywood's attention, and no other forces intervened to disrupt the media's direction, public opinion was almost overwhelmingly supportive of Simon.
For the sake of its own reputation, the WGA did not quickly conclude its investigation into Daenerys Entertainment, merely dragging it out without much urgency.
However, due to excellent public relations, 'The Sixth Sense' script incident had little impact on the film's box office.
The three new films released on July 28th, 'Turner & Hooch', 'Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan', and 'Cinema Paradiso', also posed no threat to 'The Sixth Sense'.
From July 28th to August 3rd, another week passed, and 'The Sixth Sense' continued to maintain a very good box office drop of 23%, earning another $23.96 million.
At the same time, 'The Sixth Sense's cumulative box office of $173.98 million over five weeks also surpassed 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade', which was originally ranked first for the year.
In its ninth week, 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade' had a cumulative box office of $172.16 million, trailing 'The Sixth Sense' by nearly $2 million.
Moreover, 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade's weekly box office had already fallen below $5 million, and whether it could break $200 million in the coming weeks would depend on luck.
In comparison, 'The Sixth Sense's weekly box office still remained above $20 million, and with the film's box office trajectory, earning another $100 million in North America was definitely not a problem.
Whether it could break $300 million might also require luck, but this kind of luck, compared to 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade', was only to the extent of making people envious, jealous, and hateful.
Disney's 'Turner & Hooch', starring Tom Hanks and Michael J. Fox, had a first-week box office of $19.12 million, ranking second.
Warner Bros.' 'Lethal Weapon 2' earned another $15.68 million, ranking third, with a cumulative box office of $94.12 million over four weeks, showing strong staying power.
Paramount Pictures' eighth instalment of the classic horror series 'Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan' had a first-week box office of $8.48 million, ranking fourth.
Disney's 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' slipped to fifth place this week, earning another $7.61 million, with a cumulative box office of $98.47 million, also showing strong staying power and nearing the $100 million mark.
Outside the top five, Universal Pictures' distributed 'Cinema Paradiso' did not replicate the luck of 'Sex, lies, and videotape' from early July.
'Sex, lies, and videotape' had a first-week box office of $6.31 million when it opened earlier in the month.
For four consecutive weeks, thanks to excellent media reviews and a consistently slight decline, it continued to earn $3.76 million this week, bringing its cumulative four-week box office to $22.19 million.
Based on this box office trend, 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape' is almost certain to break the $30 million box office mark before it leaves theatres.
In comparison, Universal Pictures, in its eagerness to push 'Cinema Paradiso' to theatres, struggled to achieve perfection in both re-editing and English dubbing.
'Cinema Paradiso' won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but the re-edited and dubbed North American version received terrible reviews, with even director Giuseppe Tornatore publicly stating that it was already a different film.
With poor reviews and lacking commercial appeal, 'Cinema Paradiso' opened on 553 screens, similar to 'Sex, lies, and videotape' in its first week, but only grossed $1.86 million, with an average of just over $3,000 per theatre.
With a failed opening, a long run was naturally out of the question.
It is expected that after the two-week contract period, theatres will pull the film, and its total North American box office will likely only be around $3 million.
With 'Cinema Paradiso' failing in both media reviews and box office, Universal Pictures is also destined not to contend for the Best Foreign Language Film award for this movie, unlike Miramax in the original timeline.
Universal initially paid an upfront licensing fee of $5 million to the filmmakers to acquire 'Cinema Paradiso', and also promised a revenue-sharing clause.
Recent promotional and distribution expenses were also no less than $2 million, so this project is certainly going to be a total loss.
Of course, Universal could afford a loss of several million dollars, but for many who had high hopes for 'Cinema Paradiso' because of Daenerys Entertainment's endorsement, it was deeply disappointing.
Not only Universal, but also Giuseppe Tornatore, who had intended to contend for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar after the Cannes Palme d'Or and further break into Hollywood, was dealt a heavy blow.
Filmmakers who had snatched up the production rights to Tornatore's new film at a high price because of Daenerys Entertainment's involvement were no longer so confident.
After the North American box office for 'Cinema Paradiso' was released, TF1 Film Production, the French production company that had previously secured the investment rights for Tornatore's new film, reconnected with Daenerys Entertainment to explore the possibility of further collaboration.
Simon had previously read the script for 'Everybody's Fine' and, although he didn't have many memories of the original Italian film, he recalled that it was remade into an American version in the original timeline, starring actors like Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale, and Drew Barrymore.
With the French production company proactively reaching out, Simon did not let Ira Deutchman refuse, instructing him to participate in the investment to acquire the North American distribution rights for 'Everybody's Fine'.
'Sex, lies, and videotape' was a hit, while 'Cinema Paradiso' flopped.
The starkly different outcomes of the two films gradually made Hollywood studio executives realize a certain fact: projects favoured by Daenerys Entertainment were not necessarily 100% successful.
Evidently, the key factor was Simon Westeros's personal involvement.