Capítulo 326: Chapter 326: Making an Example
After a series of holidays, life and work in North America gradually returned to normal.
For Hollywood, the first full box office week of 1990 quietly passed. During this week, "Batman: The Moment of Battle" remained the center of attention.
From January 5 to January 11, in its third week of release, the film's weekly box office showed a significant drop of 33% compared to the previous week.
However, due to the high base of over $80 million from the previous week, even with a 33% drop, "Batman: The Moment of Battle" still brought in $59.51 million this week.
In three weeks, this pioneering superhero movie rapidly surpassed the $200 million mark, reaching a total of $230.69 million.
Under the brilliance of "Batman: The Moment of Battle," other films released during the same period seemed negligible.
Due to the film's hot media attention and box office success, many news stories related to this movie became hot topics in the media.
The first was naturally the DC superhero universe plan born alongside "Batman: The Moment of Battle."
According to various sources, Daenerys Entertainment and Warner Bros. planned to develop multiple superhero movies over the next few years, including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, linking all films with a complete storyline to form a vast DC superhero cinematic universe.
Once the news was officially announced, not only comic and movie fans were excited, but a flood of media also began digging for more information about the DC cinematic universe plan. In recent days, top executives from Time Warner and Daenerys have become prime targets for journalists.
While closely monitoring the negotiations on the details of the DC cinematic universe plan between the two companies, another highly topical piece of gossip spread rapidly after last Saturday's celebration party for "Batman: The Moment of Battle."
At the start of the "Batman: The Moment of Battle" project, Adam Baldwin, Valerie Golino, and other main actors all signed long-term film contracts with Daenerys Entertainment. This was no secret to the public, and initially, many questioned whether Daenerys Entertainment needed to do this.
As the movie became a blockbuster hit, rumors surfaced that some of the key creators who signed long-term contracts were dissatisfied with their pay and hoped to renegotiate their agreements.
To express its displeasure with this behavior, Daenerys Entertainment directly canceled a planned extra cash bonus program worth tens of millions of dollars for all crew members of "Batman: The Moment of Battle."
This rumor was highly topical, involving a huge amount of money and was enough to attract public attention, thus it was quickly hyped up.
The media first discussed how much profit Daenerys Entertainment and Time Warner could make from the distribution of "Batman: The Moment of Battle."
With a domestic box office quickly reaching $230 million in three weeks, reaching $400 million in North America for "Batman: The Moment of Battle" posed no problem, and then came the international market.
Batman is one of America's cultural symbols. Although widely recognized globally, international audiences don't share the deep connection Americans have developed over half a century. Before the movie's release, some industry media predicted that the film's international box office would definitely not exceed its domestic earnings.
However, the development of the situation took everyone by surprise.
Simon Westeros's phenomenally crafted superhero movie was filled with so many innovations, using a series of breathtaking film techniques and action design applications. Even if Batman was replaced with another character, the film could still be described as 'stunning,' ensuring that cultural barriers would not hinder international audiences.
Thus, media now generally expected "Batman: The Moment of Battle" to at least match its domestic box office internationally.
Based on a global box office projection of $800 million, the producers and distributors could expect to take home around $350 million in box office revenue, with Daenerys Entertainment's share estimated at about $250 million.
Based on the distribution pace of movies in recent years, this money could be recouped within the next year.
Also expected to bring in most of its revenue within a year was the film's merchandising income. With media projections of $2 billion in merchandising sales over the next year, Daenerys Entertainment could make about $300 million, minus the 10% owed to DC Comics, leaving them with $270 million.
Adding these together, Daenerys Entertainment could bring in $500 million from "Batman: The Moment of Battle" within the next year.
Even if the film's production and marketing costs are directly set at $100 million, Daenerys Entertainment's net profit from this project in the next year would reach $400 million.
Over the next year and within five years, the ongoing merchandising sales, video releases, and television broadcast revenues for "Batman: The Moment of Battle" would undoubtedly be at least as high as the first year's revenue. Given the recent statistics showing the expanding video tape market, Hollywood's global video tape revenue now averages over 45% of total earnings, while box office revenues have slipped to less than 30%.
Thus, the subsequent channel revenues for "Batman: The Moment of Battle" would at least match Daenerys Entertainment's first-year income.
In total, Daenerys Entertainment could expect to earn at least $800 million from the various distribution channels of "Batman: The Moment of Battle" over the next five years. As a distributor, Time Warner's revenue share would not be less than $200 million.
$1 billion—this was the overall profit scale for "Batman: The Moment of Battle" commonly recognized by most media.
With Daenerys and Time Warner poised to make $1 billion from "Batman: The Moment of Battle," what about the salaries of the male and female leads?
The media immediately revealed it.
Adam Baldwin, the actor playing Batman, received $300,000. Valerie Golino, the actress playing Catwoman, received $200,000.
Together, they only totaled $500,000.
The salaries of other supporting actors in the film were even more modest.
Following the release of "Batman: The Moment of Battle," Adam Baldwin and Valerie Golino quickly accumulated a following of fans.
Under the sensationalized media reports, seeing their idols receiving such modest pay while Daenerys and Time Warner earned a staggering $1 billion naturally led to dissatisfaction among fans, many of whom began writing letters and making calls demanding Daenerys Entertainment and Time Warner renegotiate contracts to increase their idols' pay.
The news was originally released by Daenerys Entertainment, which quickly responded to the situation.
Although not yet acquired by Time Warner but maintaining a close relationship, Turner Broadcasting's CNN channel quickly produced a special feature after the news broke, exploring the current status of the last few Hollywood male actors who were finalists for the role of Batman.
Compared to the now-famous Adam Baldwin, the best-developed of the last few finalists only just secured a regular role in an ABC TV show. More dramatically, some even ended up in certain 'film' sets within the San Fernando Valley.
Subsequently, "The Hollywood Reporter" also exposed the details of Adam Baldwin's five-film contract.
Beyond the initial $300,000 salary for the first installment, Adam Baldwin's remaining four-film contract was actually worth a total of $30 million, averaging $7.5 million per film—a true A-list star salary. Compared to the salary Christopher Reeve received from the three "Superman" movies, Daenerys Entertainment was
indeed very generous.
"The Hollywood Reporter" also noted that, riding on the popularity of the "Batman" series, Adam Baldwin could not only take on other movies at A-list star pay rates but also earn substantial incomes from lucrative advertising endorsements. Together, these would definitely exceed the earnings of most Hollywood stars.
Moreover, other actors whose fame soared with "Batman: The Moment of Battle" were similarly situated.
If not for the opportunity provided by "Batman: The Moment of Battle," most of these people would not have been known to the public and might have ended up like those who were on the shortlist for Batman but ultimately not chosen.
Given the importance of the DC cinematic universe plan to Time Warner, Terry Semel, CEO of Warner Bros., made it clear in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" that Warner Bros. would never work with filmmakers lacking a sense of contract.
Hollywood studios typically sign additional option contracts with actors, especially newcomers, in their key projects, representing the interests of the entire Hollywood studio hierarchy.
Thus, with Terry Semel's statement, other Hollywood studio executives like Fox's Joe Roth and MGM-UA's Sherry Lansing also spoke out, indicating they would resist filmmakers who lacked a sense of contract.
Simple words always lack persuasive power, but a series of seemingly unrelated minor incidents that followed made many Hollywood stars and filmmakers take a sharp breath.
After completing "Born on the Fourth of July" with Tom Cruise, Oliver Stone, who was preparing his new movie "The Doors," publicly stated that he did not plan to invite Meg Ryan to play the female lead in this biopic about The Doors.
Following that, John Schlesinger, the veteran Hollywood director who directed "Midnight Cowboy," clarified that his new movie "Midnight Forebodings" had confirmed Melanie Griffith as the female lead. Earlier rumors that Meg Ryan might participate were completely baseless.
Then, news came that Barry Sonnenfeld, a famous Hollywood cinematographer who had worked on "Blood Maze" and "Beyond the Future" and was now preparing his directorial debut with "The Addams Family," forcefully told Paramount executives that if they insisted on Meg Ryan as the female lead, he would exit the project. Other confirmed actors for this famous TV series adaptation also publicly expressed their reluctance to work with Meg Ryan.
One, two, three—anyone with a brain could see the pattern.
Meg Ryan's public fallout with Daenerys Entertainment was well-known. This Hollywood starlet, who rose to fame with "When Harry Met Sally," quickly terminated her remaining two-film option contract with Daenerys Entertainment after becoming famous.
The conflict between Daenerys Entertainment and CAA erupted over "Rain Man," and as a result, seemingly unrelated Meg Ryan was terminated along with several key creators of "Rain Man" by CAA.
Unlike the well-established Dustin Hoffman, Barry Levinson, and Tom Cruise, Meg Ryan had just become famous and had not yet firmly established herself in Hollywood.
Then, after demanding a high salary following her rise to fame and breaking her contract with Daenerys Entertainment, she participated in Paramount's "The Rocketeer," which had been covertly taken from Daenerys. The feud deepened.
Crucially, "The Rocketeer" also ended in box office failure.
In Hollywood, without box office backing, you're nothing.
Adding to the current media atmosphere.
Most people following this situation would recall the saying: "Beat the dog before the lion."
In Chinese, a more fitting idiom would be, "Kill the chicken to scare the monkey."
Even a year ago, it would have been fanciful for Daenerys Entertainment to blacklist an A-list actress.
However, last year's ten-movie plan directly linked nearly half of Hollywood with Daenerys Entertainment, with five of the traditional Big Seven studios securing projects from this plan. The remaining two, MGM, influenced by Australian capital, also began to align with Daenerys.
Paramount, having not received any projects from the ten-movie plan due to "The Rocketeer" and "Firebird Strike," therefore, had no need to appease Daenerys Entertainment.
Although "The Rocketeer" failed, Paramount's management was still happy to get a bargain if Meg Ryan was willing to significantly reduce her salary, relying on the popularity from "When Harry Met Sally."
However, while Daenerys Entertainment might not influence Paramount's executive decisions, influencing specific movie projects was effortless. The public opposition from "The Addams Family" creators to working with Meg Ryan was the result of Amy's machinations. Even if Paramount didn't care about Daenerys Entertainment, these filmmakers were still eager to work with them.
Ultimately, Paramount couldn't go against the wishes of all the other creators and forcefully cast Meg Ryan.
Outside of the Big Seven, under Daenerys Entertainment's influence, other second and third-tier studios simply wouldn't bother to make an enemy over someone like Meg Ryan if they had other options.
An A-list actress completely lost her footing in Hollywood in the face of Daenerys Entertainment's dominance, causing many Hollywood stars to feel wary of Daenerys's power. Meanwhile, Adam Baldwin, the male lead of "Batman: The Moment of Battle," wisely dropped all reservations and, in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly," voluntarily expressed his honor in participating in the "Batman" films, pledging to do his best in the upcoming series.
After Adam Baldwin spoke, whether or not they had similar thoughts, the other main creators also wisely made their positions known publicly or privately.
Thus, the conflict that had not yet brewed quietly concluded amidst a gossip-filled atmosphere.
A blow is often followed by a sweetener.
Daenerys Entertainment subsequently announced that due to the film's box office success, an additional cash reward would be distributed to all crew members involved in the production of "Batman: The Moment of Battle."
However, the total amount of everyone's bonuses was cut in half to $10 million.
Whether $10 million or $20 million, compared to the revenue Daenerys Entertainment could generate from the "Batman: The Moment of Battle" project, it was insignificant.
The reduction in bonuses was actually Daenerys Entertainment's statement regarding the earlier 'rumors'.
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