Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Workplace Novel
When Saw was sent to the MPAA for rating, Charles also started negotiations to find a distributor for the movie.
Thanks to the good box office results of low-budget films like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Lost in Translation, Carpe Films' Saw also attracted the attention of several independent distributors.
Lionsgate and Rogue Pictures were both interested in distributing Saw, and after seeing the rough cut, they thought it could be released on Halloween.
However, both Lionsgate and Rogue Pictures initially wanted to buy out the North American theatrical and DVD rights for the film, which Charles definitely couldn't accept.
Moreover, Charles himself was a shareholder in Netflix; the DVD market would definitely involve a partnership with Netflix for long-term revenue, or he could directly sell the DVD rights to Netflix as a guarantee.
Since James Schamus, the head of Focus Features, was also interested in Brokeback Mountain, they discussed the distribution of both films together.
There were always disagreements over the distribution commission between the two parties, with Focus Features wanting a minimum 15% commission while Charles couldn't go higher than 12%.
Negotiations would take time; if Focus Features didn't work out, there was still Lionsgate.
Artisan Entertainment was also a prospect. New Line Cinema, with its high-and-mighty attitude, wasn't worth negotiating with anymore.
In Beverly Hills, Charles' luxurious mountaintop villa was newly renovated, and he officially moved into the mansion named Carpe Manor.
His mother, Evelyn, specifically came over to help Charles with the move.
"This place is too big. You're going to need a few servants to help out," Evelyn commented as she toured the house.
"It's alright, it's quiet enough!" Charles wasn't thinking too much about it; his mind was filled with news about Lionsgate's acquisition of Artisan Entertainment.
"Lionsgate is buying Artisan; have they made an offer yet?" Charles asked, no wonder Artisan Entertainment wasn't interested in business now.
Evelyn shook her head, "The exact offer is still unknown. They have internal quotations, but Artisan Entertainment owns a library of over 6,000 films and 1,800 TV show episodes, valued at over $200 million!"
"Does Artisan have high debts?" Charles hadn't heard of Artisan having high debts; those 6,000-plus films and over 1,800 TV episodes were all B-movies and non-mainstream stuff.
The quantity was large, but their worth wasn't guaranteed. However, Lionsgate focused on niche markets, and DVDs and video tapes were their main business.
After all, when DreamWorks was acquired by Paramount in a previous life, Paramount used the rights to DreamWorks' live-action films to get over $800 million in funding from investors.
Of course, Paramount retained the distribution rights for those films.
A film company's value lies in its library of rights; the more popular the mainstream films, the more valuable the rights. Hollywood's Big Seven Studios were valued in the tens of billions of dollars, and each of their rights libraries was like a treasure trove.
"The three investors in Artisan Entertainment suffered heavy losses during the tech stock crash and now want to sell Artisan Entertainment to raise funds," Evelyn explained to her son.
"Ah, Artisan!" Charles sighed. Not to mention the huge library of non-mainstream film and TV rights, its North American distribution channels were exactly what Carpe Films needed.
With a strong library of film and TV rights, Charles could deepen his cooperation with Netflix and gradually control Netflix's development.
"Lionsgate has already begun the next step of financing on the NYSE and is also preparing to issue a batch of corporate bonds to raise funds," Evelyn told Charles all the information she had.
"$200 million!" Charles sighed. What a great opportunity, especially with the fast-developing film market now.
"Lionsgate must have tasted the benefits of acquiring film companies," They were playing the game right, having gone public via a reverse merger on the NYSE.
"Paramount expressed interest in acquiring Lionsgate two years ago and made another offer early this year," Evelyn explained.
"Lionsgate's chairman, Frank Giustra, came up with a poison pill plan to counter Paramount's acquisition."
"Forget it, let's focus on the present," Charles waved it off. The more he listened, the more frustrated he felt. Carpe Films still needed time.
Evelyn shrugged and smiled, "Another thing, a novel about women in the workplace is set to be published; The story revolves around a young female college graduate working as an editorial assistant at a fashion magazine, dealing with workplace difficulties. The plot is quite good; I think the novel will sell well once published."
Charles frowned and asked, "What's it called?"
"It's called The Devil Wears Prada. Do you want to see the manuscript? I have it!"
"Let me have a look!" Charles thought this was probably the novel adapted into the movie The Devil Wears Prada.
Evelyn took the manuscript out of her bag, and Charles sat down to read it.
The novel, written by Lauren Weisberger, was indeed the one adapted into the movie The Devil Wears Prada.
However, the novel wasn't as exciting as the movie. The movie elevated the story, making it more interesting, while the novel felt much duller.
Of course, Anne Hathaway's performance in the film was also a standout, along with Meryl Streep as the fashion editor-in-chief.
"Carpe Films should get the movie adaptation rights to this novel!"
*****
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