Made in Hollywood

According to the signed director compensation agreement, Duke will receive a basic reward of $500,000 when the North American box office of the film reaches $100 million, starting from 5% of the $150 million, and for every $50 million increase at the North American box office, The box office share he received was increased by 5%, and the maximum share was capped at 20%.

Today, the North American box office of "Independence Day" has reached 310.93 million US dollars, and Duke can fully enjoy the 20% upper limit of the North American box office.

"I promise, Duke."

Townsend Rothman vowed, "Your share will not be less than a cent."

It takes time to get the division, Duke knows this, and just wants to remind 20th Century Fox, as a North American publisher, not to delay it for too long.

Now, his value is undoubtedly reflected, and he is supervised by a professional team. He is no longer the little director who was obscure before. Duke believes that 20th Century Fox will not make some unwise decisions.

After all, whether it is Warner Bros. or 20th Century Fox, both parties have a basis for cooperation. Under the same conditions, Duke will definitely choose them as a partner. The executives of the two companies must also understand this.

Townsend Rothman didn't stay long, apparently knowing that there was no power to impress Duke with words, he left quickly and made an appointment with Nancy Josephson for lunch tomorrow.

"Let's find a place to rest for a while."

After gesturing to Sophia and Nancy, Duke took the lead and walked towards the rest area on the far left of the banquet hall. He found a random table and asked the waiter to bring three glasses of juice. He sat down and wanted to say a few words "Independence Day". "The topic of overseas box office, someone came over again.

However, this time, it was not the representatives of big Hollywood companies, but the old acquaintances of the Cruises.

"Long time no see, Duke."

Before he got close, Tom Cruise greeted him with a bright smile. Duke stood up out of courtesy, "Yeah, long time no see, Tom, and Mary, just sit down."

When they were seated, Sophia called the waiter, asked for their advice, and asked for two sodas.

"Duke, I think there may be some misunderstanding between us." Tom Cruise rarely took the initiative to speak.

"It's nothing, Tom." Duke shook his head, as if he really didn't care, and said casually, "It's just a trivial matter."

Out of sight of Duke and Tom Cruise, Sofia Coppola rolled her eyes, as if mocking some unintended remark in her eyes.

"When I came here just now..." Tom Cruise quickly turned the topic to the movie, "I heard that many companies are interested in investing in your new movie?"

"It's just an intention." Duke smiled lightly. "You know, Tom, the audit system in Hollywood companies is very cumbersome."

"Can you know what type of subject matter it is?"

Hearing Tom Cruise's question, Duke completely understood, "A story based on the experiences of the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division during the Normandy landings is a war theme."

"So it's going to be released next year." Tom Cruise immediately thought that next year would be the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II.

"The premise is that you can find a film company to invest in." Duke did not answer directly.

"Your film will lack investment?" Tom Cruise thought for a while, then suddenly suggested, "I have some money on hand, why don't I..."

"Thank you, Tom." Duke shook his head slowly, pulling a shield casually, "I signed an agreement with Warner Bros., they have priority investment rights, if they give up, I think we will have a chance to cooperate. "

Eyes swept across Tom Cruise's face, Duke sighed in his heart, the huge success of "Independence Day", the chain reaction brought by it is terrifying, even someone like Tom Cruise can temporarily throw it away Get rid of the contradictions in the past, come directly to set up a relationship, and even put forward investment suggestions.

Of course, Duke would not accept the investment. After all, to enable him to be the male lead, he would rather invite another Tom than the one in front of him.

Again, if Tom Cruise takes a pay cut and doesn't mind playing a small role with a small role, Duke will definitely welcome it with both hands up. The question is, will Tom Cruise give Tom Hanks in the film? as a subordinate? Or to set off the latter kind?

As for the real hero, Captain Miller, Duke would never choose Cruise, his acting skills are really...

After chatting for a few more words, Cruise took the initiative to leave. When he saw the two who were gone, Duke did not say anything in particular. There were too many events in Hollywood. As long as the other party did not violate his interests in the future, he would also I don't have so much time and energy to get entangled with an actor.

Throwing Tom Cruise behind his head, Duke's thoughts turned to the new movie, maybe it was a preconceived notion, or maybe it was Hanks' acting too impressed, Tom Hanks was him The first choice in my heart.

That's right, his new movie is "Saving Private Ryan"!

Although this film also has a lot of explosion scenes, it has higher requirements for narrative ability. After three consecutive films, especially after the super-sale of "Independence Day", "Saving Private Ryan" is the one Duke can find. the most suitable choice.

If the next film is still purely sensory stimulation, even if he chooses some explosion or visual effects films that have been relatively successful, Duke feels that the possibility of hitting the street far exceeds the possibility of success.

Movies are definitely not a commodity that can be simply copied and succeeded, it is affected by too many factors, "Independence Day" made Duke reach a peak in terms of explosion and sensory stimulation, but after the peak is a downward slope, a director's style Long-term fixation will inevitably bring about aesthetic fatigue. The former Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich are clear examples.

After "Independence Day" was a huge hit, some films might be successful on other directors, but they might fail on him.

As long as the style is similar to the previous three films, the audience will take out "Independence Day" for comparison at the first time. Today's special effects will not make a qualitative leap in a short period of time. Preconceived comparisons can easily lead to many prejudices. These Prejudice will affect the audience's word of mouth, and even lead to unsatisfactory or even failure at the box office.

Although "Saving Private Ryan" has many explosive scenes, it is fundamentally different from a purely sensory stimulation film.

The transformation is easy to say, but it is not easy to do. Duke is not worried about the control of the war scene, but is worried about his literary drama. Fortunately, he has shot three movies in three years, plus the previous accumulation and filming. The experience and experience will always bring a lot of help to the future production of this film.

There is also Tom Hanks. Although the North American box office of "Forrest Gump" has not exceeded 300 million US dollars, it is inevitable that the film will sell well. This is not the kind of film that "Once Upon a Time in Philadelphia", Hank Sri Lanka's remuneration is bound to rise sharply, and the asking price for a basic remuneration plus a share is not too much.

However, these are all issues that the producer should consider. Duke does not plan to invest in the film. With the "Independence Day" super-sold, he is ready to let Nancy Josephson compete for the top of Hollywood in this project. Director's Sharing Agreement.

Maybe also conflict with Tom Hanks?

Suddenly, Duke thought of this. Now is not the new century. The filmmaker will give up 25% of the total revenue of the film. If he and Tom Hanks shouted a high price at the same time, there must be one side who needs to compromise. .

After a little thought, Duke temporarily put this matter aside. In case of conflict, he would not be able to give up his own interests. If Tom Hanks did not back down, he would not hesitate and would definitely give up Hank. s.

The probability of this kind of thing happening is extremely high. Tom Hanks is indeed a well-known good person in the circle, but he will not back down when it comes to interests, and it is not only about himself, but also the public relations around him. , assistants and brokers and many other team members, these people will keep silent?

Everyone is affected by their surroundings.

The film has not yet been approved, and these are still far away. Duke has turned his energy back to the party. The new film project still requires Nancy Josephson to negotiate with various companies. It depends on whose conditions are more suitable.

After socializing with Mario Casa who came to say hello, Sofia asked Duke curiously, "Are you going to take a vacation?"

"Yeah." Duke nodded. "The job is temporarily handed over to Nancy. I plan to go to Europe. Are you interested? We can go together."

"Let's find your temporary lover." Sophia refused without thinking.

"I'd rather go alone."

Although he wanted to go to Europe, Duke's plan was doomed to fail. The afternoon after the party, Nancy Josephson informed him that the film adaptation rights of the British epic had basically been reached. Duke Need to represent Duke Studio in the final round of negotiations and sign the subsequent transfer agreement, and Europe will definitely not be possible.

As long as the transfer price is basically agreed, other aspects of the negotiations will be relatively smooth. After agreeing to pay the film copyright owner Saul Saz a total of 8 million US dollars in three installments, and the representative of the copyright agency in London After Tolkien's descendants owned 7.5% of the film's net profit, the three parties formally signed the copyright agreement and memorandum.

Duke also picked up the film rights to his favorite work.

It's September, and while Nancy Josephson is negotiating with many Hollywood companies, she has not neglected the project she is responsible for packaging. "Friends" co-produced by ICM and Warner Bros. landed on NBC this month, only two episodes After that, it caused quite a bit of repercussions...

At the same time, the North American screening of "Independence Day" has reached the end, and the growth rate of the North American box office has completely turned into a snail crawling.