Kapitel 142: Industry report

Time flew by during the shoot, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Kate Beckinsale's scenes were all wrapped up, and she had already left the set. The remaining members of the crew were on a flight preparing to head to Paris, France.

On the plane, Eva Green sat beside Lyman, her head leaning against his shoulder.

Even in their breaths, her fragrance lingered.

Inexplicably, a vague sense of inexplicable dependence arose between the two.

Dimly, he remembered saying many rejecting words, making no commitments, but she...

Lyman set aside the newspaper and glanced at her.

She didn't seem particularly clever at first sight, which explained her naivety.

He hoped that time would reveal to her the true nature of men, whether it be someone like him or not.

Silently, his thoughts meandered, gazing at the layers of clouds, then quickly suppressed.

He was never one for sentimentality, nor did he wish to become overly dramatic even in a second lifetime.

Together when together, apart when apart; love when it's love, not love when it's not; if he can't give, he can't give; why complicate matters with too many wishful thoughts?

The more one thinks about everything in the world, the more complex things become.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"Yes," Eva Green replied, leaning closer.

After finding a more comfortable position, the behavior came to a halt.

Lyman allowed her to lean against him and began to read the newspaper intently.

There was an article analyzing the American film industry's report, which he found quite interesting.

...

As the footsteps of May gradually approached, it was once again time for the fierce competition in the summer box office market.

For the major film production companies in 2002, it was a mixed bag of joy and concern.

On the joyful side, the previous year had seen a $760M increase in box office revenue compared to the year before. By April 12th of this year, the total box office revenue had accumulated to $3.762B, setting a new record for the same period in the box office market. This indicated the potential for further growth in the film market.

On the concerning side, the average movie ticket price had risen to $6.03 per ticket, an increase of nearly 18 cents from the previous year. This meant that the number of moviegoers had dropped by about 3%, the first decline in the number of moviegoers in the past four years. With the rise of home entertainment such as television, DVDs, and other forms, this trend was likely to continue.

Reading up to this point, Lyman couldn't help but nod in agreement.

This media expert indeed had a keen eye, as the market forecasts were absolutely accurate. In the future, with the rise of various electronic games, mobile phones, online media, and other forms of entertainment, a significant portion of the movie market would indeed be shared. Hollywood's box office market was indeed showing signs of decline, and more young people were no longer interested in going to movie theaters. This phenomenon had led to the direct consequence that Hollywood started to focus more on the overseas market, seeking cooperation with countries like Japan, South Korea, and China, in hopes of turning the situation around.

This was the trend, and there was little to argue about it.

Continuing to read, the article also analyzed the prospects of different movie genres.

First: Comedy Takes the Lead.

These past two years had seen a surge in comedy films, with three out of the top six in the box office rankings being comedies.

The success of these movies not only spoke of their quality but also indicated a fact: audiences were in dire need of some relaxation.

The primary reason still lay within the current societal atmosphere. Due to the ongoing conflict in Iraq, it had remained a paramount concern within the United States, receiving the utmost attention and dominating television broadcasts. Immersed daily in such war-related signals, the desire for relaxation became evident, with comedy films clearly becoming people's foremost choice for stepping into cinemas.

The figures on the box office charts were a reflection of this psychological inclination. They also demonstrated that comedic films capable of making everyone laugh would perpetually be embraced by the market.

Secondly: Sequels remained the most reliable productions.

Towards the end of last year, Entertainment Weekly had selected the ten most anticipated films of 2003. The two sequels of "The Matrix" had secured the top position. This reiterated the audience's response to market choices and validated Hollywood studios' favored rule of producing sequels to popular films.

Aligned with this perspective, sequels seemed to have flooded this year's film lineup, with preliminary estimations indicating over twenty. Among them, movies like "X-Men 2", "Terminator 3", "Rush Hour 2", "2 Fast 2 Furious", and "Charlie's Angels 2" held a promising presence, and it seemed unlikely for them to incur losses.

This illustrated that for film companies, producing sequels was an approach with minimal risk and promising returns.

Thirdly: Women-centric themes flourished.

After the turn of the century, there appeared to be an evident trend within the American film industry. This trend saw a growing number of films centered around women-centric themes.

Works catering primarily to a female audience often performed decently. For instance, "Freaky Friday" achieved a domestic box office revenue of $110M. This was previously unimaginable since the movie lacked any significant male characters; it was purely centered around women.

The surge in these female-oriented films might be attributed to the rising recognition of feminism within American society in recent years. Alternatively, it could also signify an increase in the proportion of female viewers within the overall film audience.

Fourthly: The rise of film adaptations from comics.

Last year, "Spider-Man" achieved a box office miracle of surpassing $100M within three days and over $400M in domestic box office revenue. This directly led to the trend of bringing superheroes from comics to the silver screen this year. This represented an entirely new market, the prospects of which were yet to be fully assessed...

The film "Miscreant" mainly shot its scenes in the suburbs of Paris in France.

The choice of Paris for shooting was, of course, influenced by EuropaCorp's headquarters and network, which were mostly concentrated here. Considering convenience in shooting and cost, it was the optimal choice.

Additionally, EuropaCorp secured advantageous tax rebate conditions on behalf of the production team.

Just a few days ago, René carried a wealth of data and contractual documents and applied to the government for approval of the tax refund amount in conjunction with the responsible individuals from EuropaCorp.

Project explanations, lists of key creative team members, scripts, lead actors – all needed detailed introductions and scrutiny before the final approval was issued.

France's support for the film industry was not insignificant. With a total filming cost of $100M, the tax rebate for filming alone garnered nearly $7M in support.

However, a downside was the rather exclusionary approach. If not for the majority of the behind-the-scenes team of "Miscreant" being French, along with key positions such as the director and producer, combined with the influence of EuropaCorp, leveraging personal connections, it's likely that the related government agencies wouldn't have granted the allocation.

This was also why countries like Australia and New Zealand had become popular overseas filming locations. While their review processes might be similarly meticulous, they weren't exclusive in their considerations.

These funds weren't to be distributed easily or all at once. According to the information relayed by René, based on the supportive policy, the payments would gradually be disbursed after the completion of all filming activities.

...

As the plane smoothly touched down at Paris International Airport, the creative team of "Miscreant" also set foot on the soil of Paris.

The majority of the crew were French, and they had visited Paris countless times. As they looked around at the scenery, they found little novelty in it.

Seated in the special car arranged by EuropaCorp for pick-up and drop-off, the group headed towards the filming location.

The surrounding tall buildings gradually vanished, leaving the bustling city behind. They arrived at the outskirts of Paris, where the chosen filming location was. The outdoor setup work had already been initiated by EuropaCorp.

The economic development of Paris had long lost its former glory, with some basic infrastructure remaining incomplete.

For instance, the flat road they were driving on turned into a slightly bumpy dirt road.

Fortunately, this situation didn't last for long. As the vehicles made their way towards the photography studio invested and constructed by EuropaCorp, the road transformed back into a cemented path.

According to the driver, this road had been built with their company's own investment for their transportation needs. It was evident how little the Paris city government cared about the development of the suburbs.

Thinking about it, the central train station had been slated for renovation for years, but the related work had remained stagnant. It was unclear where the problem lay.

"What are you looking at?" Eva Green curiously asked.

Her words broke Lyman from his thoughts.

"Nothing. Eva, your home is in Paris, right?"

"Yes, it's over in the city area. Quite far from here," Eva replied. She then inquired, "Why are you asking about this?"

"No reason."

The journey continued in silence until the convoy reached EuropaCorp's photography studio.

Awaiting them were not only René but also several high-ranking members of EuropaCorp, including Luc Besson.

"Long time no see, Lyman," Luc greeted first.

"You've gone through some trouble on this trip," Lyman responded.

"No need to be polite," Luc waved his hand and led the group into the photography studio for a tour.

It was just completed in February this year, and parts of it were still under construction. However, the space was quite expansive. Luc revealed that the entire studio covered an area of 2 acres.

In recent years, EuropaCorp had indeed been thriving. Not only were their self-produced films profitable, but their cooperation with Paramount for distribution was also lucrative. The two companies had established a relatively deep collaborative relationship. When Paramount's movies were released in the United States, the distribution rights for France were mostly given to EuropaCorp.

This was how the business world worked. If you can bring me profits and want me to share those profits, it's unreasonable not to expect something in return.

Everything was driven by interests.

This was also why they had invested in their second studio this year. When you have money, you need to spend it where it matters. Letting it sit in the bank and wait for depreciation is the dumbest move.

Upon arriving at the prepared filming location, everyone pitched in to unload the equipment and props they would be using from the vehicles and set them up.

"We have a gathering tonight. Will you be available?" Luc extended an invitation.