Capítulo 227: Chapter 227: The Poor Team Player
[Chapter 227: The Poor Team Player]
Hearing his mother's scolding, Stuart made a face at Elisabeth and turned to play with the Rubik's Cube in his hands.
After calming down a bit, Elisabeth realized that she had been toyed with by this little rascal. Moreover, she couldn't very well blow up at an eight-year-old kid, could she? Staring angrily at the magazine in her hands for a moment, Elisabeth suddenly turned her gaze towards the closed door of the small conference room.
"It's all that jerk's fault!" she muttered silently, venting her frustration onto Eric.
...
Inside the conference room, Eric remained unaware that he had been targeted out of the blue again. At that moment, he wore a blank expression while watching Brian Kuzman and Charlie Ronkel seated across from him.
"Ten million dollars and 10% of the North American box office gross. Charlie, is that your position, too?" After a moment of silence, Eric finally asked. It seemed CAA had completely failed to learn from past mistakes and was once again asking for a sky-high figure. In their earlier negotiations, CAA had solely aimed for a high percentage of profits, and while box office splits and profit shares were just a matter of wording, the difference in outcome reached the tens of millions of dollars.
Charlie Ronkel stole a nervous glance at Eric, unsure of how to respond. Brian Kuzman quickly jumped in. "Mr. Williams, Mr. Ronkel has handed full responsibility for this negotiation over to me; he's just here as a listener. If you have any questions, you can direct them to me."
"Oh, that's just dandy," Eric replied with a cold smirk. "If this negotiation falls through, Mr. Kuzman, are you prepared to take responsibility for that?"
As soon as the words left his lips, Charlie Ronkel instinctively glanced toward his agent, his expression laced with concern and suspicion.
Clearly, even Ronkel understood that the conditions being proposed were somewhat unrealistic by Hollywood standards when it came to a star's salary. Yet, he felt conflicted; on one hand, he certainly wanted such a lucrative deal, but on the other hand, he knew that insisting on this compensation might lead to a total collapse in negotiations.
Seeing Ronkel's expression, Eric felt a wave of reassurance wash over him. As long as the other party hadn't fully handed the reins of negotiation over to this unfamiliar new agent, he would be fine.
Eric puzzled over why CAA had replaced the original agent, Horner Willy; perhaps it had something to do with the upheaval from earlier that year.
But none of that was Eric's concern. He knew Charlie Ronkel's character well enough; he was an ordinary, indecisive middle-aged man who often tried to grasp matters beyond his control while also worrying incessantly.
So, Eric understood that the main breakthrough in this negotiation lay with Charlie. As for Brian Kuzman, who appeared to be sharper and more capable than the original Horner Willy, there was that saying: even the strongest warriors couldn't withstand the burden of a poor teammate.
At that moment, Brian Kuzman silently cursed Ronkel for being more of a liability than an asset. He had already discussed everything thoroughly with this middle-aged man, assuring him that if Charlie didn't interfere, he could secure an incredibly generous deal for Stuart. Naturally, Kuzman would also benefit from a higher commission. Unfortunately, this couple was still reluctant to fully hand over their negotiating power to him.
Right then, Eric was merely testing the waters, and this incompetent middle-aged man had unwittingly revealed their hand.
Kuzman realized that if Charlie Ronkel stayed put, their negotiations with Eric would continue to worsen.
"Mr. Ronkel, if you trust my judgment, maybe you could step out for a bit," Kuzman said, smiling at Charlie Ronkel in order to not let him disrupt his plans.
Eric seemed to ignore what Brian said to Charlie; he made no effort to intervene with words or gestures. Since he had already planted a seed of distrust in Charlie Ronkel's mind, it would be strange for him to leave now.
Sure enough, when Charlie heard Brian's suggestion, he wriggled in his seat without standing up and said, "Brian, I think I'll stay right here. You all talk, and I promise not to interject."
Brian Kuzman's fingers clenched around the top of his desk instinctively, but he maintained a smile on his face and turned back to Eric. "Mr. Williams, we all know you've signed a distribution agreement with Fox that includes the rights to distribute Home Alone 2. I imagine even if you wanted to, Fox wouldn't let this negotiation collapse, would they?"
"Well, you should also know that the box office for Running Out of TIme has surpassed $200 million, and that was originally distributed by Fox but ultimately taken by Columbia. So it's not a big deal; I could always shoot another film for Fox," Eric said casually while toying with his pen.
Upon hearing Eric's remark, Brian Kuzman hesitated for a moment before replying, "Fox won't easily agree to you switching films because it's unlikely you can present another project with the same level of fame as Home Alone."
Eric felt a weight lift off his shoulders with Kuzman's tone. Clearly, CAA didn't know the specifics of his agreement with Fox.
It's worth noting that the initial distribution deal for Fox's three films had indeed been for the sequel to Home Alone. Therefore, while agreeing to Eric's demands for high profit-sharing terms, they also enacted a series of strict conditions, one of which was ensuring that Stuart Ronkel continued as the male lead in the sequel.
Given that CAA was entirely clueless about this, Eric felt emboldened. "Even if Fox doesn't agree to switch films, I could always change the lead actor. I'm sure countless families would willingly let their children star in Home Alone 2 for just a few thousand dollars, wouldn't you agree?"
Immediately after saying that, Eric looked at Charlie Ronkel, believing that the Ronkels would surely resonate with his words.
Although Stuart's pay and profit share in the original Home Alone weren't particularly high, the film had brought him worldwide fame. Within a year, Stuart had landed a series of high-paying endorsements, raking in tens of millions of dollars for the couple. "Charlie, I imagine most of the endorsement contracts Stuart signed were for a year, right? If the advertisers found out that Stuart wouldn't be reprising his role in Home Alone 2, do you think you'd still see several million dollars in endorsement fees from them next year?"
"Mr. Williams, you keep talking about us, but what about you? If Home Alone 2 doesn't get made, Firefly Films might lose over $100 million, right? Compared to that, our offer seems quite reasonable because after all, Stuart is the only male lead in this film; he's irreplaceable."
Eric shook his head. "If you persist in pushing for such a nonsensical offer, Firefly Films would only have 25% of the earnings left for Stuart's payment after everything is said and done. When you then deduct the production budget for the sequel, which is likely to exceed $25 million, our profits might not even match what Stuart would get. Don't mention any losses over $100 million either. And you're mistaken, Brian -- nobody in Hollywood is irreplaceable. I can assure you that Firefly already has a backup plan. If your salary offering is too high, we intend to immediately hold open auditions for the lead in Home Alone 2. An open audition could rekindle the buzz around Home Alone, and the final production budget might only be a fraction of that $25 million."
Just as Brian Kuzman was about to retort, Charlie Ronkel sitting next to him couldn't help but interject, "Eric, it seems you haven't mentioned how much Firefly plans to pay Stuart, have you?"
Damn it!
Brian cursed under his breath, feeling a strong impulse to land a punch on Ronkel's chubby face.
"Eight million dollars."
Eric stated a figure and quickly added, "Charlie, you shouldn't be solely focused on this piddling amount. Try to think long-term. Many can see that Stuart's biggest potential lies in endorsements. As long as he can maintain enough fame thanks to Home Alone, you both could still rake in millions in endorsement fees next year. Just based on that, Stuart could become one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. I mean, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, or Julia Roberts -- they won't be getting paid anywhere close to $8 million, and they certainly can't score a series of high-paying endorsements like Stuart can since they face stiff competition from many peers their age."
"Mr. Williams..." Brian Kuzman knocked on the table, attempting to interject.
However, Eric completely ignored him, keeping his focus on Charlie Ronkel. "Therefore, if Firefly pursues that backup plan I just mentioned, next year there's no doubt Stuart's fame would take a significant hit. While changing the cast might present certain risks for Home Alone's sequel, the hope for success remains high. Once successful, you tell me -- would the advertisers prefer to pick the new lead for Home Alone as their spokesperson, or choose Stuart? The answer seems obvious, right? Think about it, Charlie -- you risked missing out on tens of millions, perhaps even over a hundred million in revenue, all to stick to your unrealistic salary demands. Home Alone 2 will likely be made over several installments, either with Stuart as the lead or Firefly will keep the audition plan going, bringing in a new competitor for Stuart each year."
As Eric finished his argument in one breath, sweat beads appeared on Charlie Ronkel's forehead, while Brian Kuzman slumped back in his chair, knowing that their negotiation had completely failed. Because Charlie Ronkel had been utterly swayed by Eric's words, it would be nearly impossible for him to regain the upper hand now.
*****
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