Capítulo 480: Chapter 481: Visitors
[Chapter 481: Visitors]
Two women arrived unexpectedly and left in a hurry. Since most of Eric's attention was focused on Jurassic Park, he didn't notice Virginia and Joanna's unusual behavior.
On the afternoon of July 15, 1992, a helicopter landed at the airport in northern Kaua'i, Hawaii. An elderly man dressed casually brushed off his assistant's help and skillfully jumped down from the helicopter.
"Danny, have the reporters been contacted?" Martin Davis asked his assistant again as he saw a man in his thirties walking toward them.
The man named Danny, who was in a suit, whispered back, "It's all set. The news will hit the papers tomorrow."
Noticing the man approaching, Martin Davis stopped speaking, nodded slightly, and walked forward.
"Mr. Davis, welcome to Kaua'i," Allen stepped up, extending his hand.
Martin Davis smiled as he shook Allen's hand, saying, "You must be Allen Fisman; I recognized your voice."
Allen politely nodded, "Yes, Mr. Davis. Our crew is currently stationed in Lihu'e, but the accommodations there aren't as nice as this resort. Mr. Williams had me book a room for you at the Westin Resort."
"No, no, no. I'm not here for a vacation; I can stay in Lihu'e," Martin Davis shook his head.
Allen didn't argue, extending his hand instead. "In that case, please follow me. The car is over there."
The three men walked out of the helipad and came to the roadside. Martin Davis signaled for his assistant and bodyguard to get into another vehicle, while he followed Allen into a black Jeep.
After the car started moving, Martin Davis asked Allen, "Eric must be on set, right? Can you take me to see?"
"Sure thing. The crew is shooting at a nearby ranch, not far from here," Allen replied, giving a few instructions to the driver.
The two vehicles arrived at an area cordoned off for filming within minutes. As they entered the set, a man wielding a camera darted towards them, rapidly clicking away.
Allen noticed this detail while negotiating with a guard, squinting slightly but soon relaxed.
...
Eric was discussing the next shots for the Brachiosaurus with Stan Winston when he spotted Allen approaching with others.
"Martin Davis? What's he doing here?" Stan Winston followed Eric's gaze and asked in surprise. Having worked in Hollywood for many years, he was well aware of the top-level executives from the major studios.
"Of course, he's here for a movie," Eric laughed, tucking a pencil behind his ear. "Stan, should we go say hello?"
"There's no need. You go ahead; I'll discuss the next shot angles with Nicole," Stan Winston casually said, not too keen on Martin Davis.
Eric nodded and walked over to Martin Davis.
...
When Eric reached Martin's side, he noticed that the latter was gazing at the massive creature looming nearby.
"That's the Brachiosaurus, one of the main dinosaur models designed for Jurassic Park. It stands 20 feet tall and is one of the movie's largest props," Eric explained as he stood beside Martin. Originally, they planned to use CGI, but since close-ups were necessary and the dinosaur's movements were less complex compared to the T-Rex, Eric ultimately selected a model for a more realistic effect.
Martin Davis pulled his gaze away and, with a familiar demeanor, smiled at Eric. "It's astonishing. Seeing this big guy brings back memories of Star Wars from many years ago. Eric, I believe you're going to create miracles this time."
"Whether miracles happen or not is really up to the audience," Eric chuckled, extending his hand to Martin. "Mr. Davis, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Same here, Eric. Just call me Martin," Martin Davis replied with a friendly smile.
Eric nodded, but he wasn't fooled by the man's amiability. He remembered why Stan Winston didn't want to come over; most of Hollywood knew Martin Davis was notoriously sharp-tongued. Barry Diller left Paramount not just because of differing strategies but mainly due to his frustration with Martin's personality. Barry had spent his last days at Paramount embroiled in conflicts with him. Similarly, Michael Eisner, who also worked at Paramount, once remarked, "How could there be such a person in this world?"
"Well, Martin," Eric glanced at his watch, "I have a dinner party prepared tonight; it's still two and a half hours until we wrap up. Perhaps you could explore a bit; the scenery here is quite beautiful."
Martin Davis waved his hand, "Eric, you keep working. But I hope you don't mind me staying here?"
"Not at all," Eric shook his head with a smile. Just then, a second assistant director gave him an OK sign from a distance.
After apologizing once more, Eric exchanged a few words with Allen and walked away.
...
Filming resumed quickly. Watching the Brachiosaurus being manipulated by the special effects team, Martin briefly sent Allen away and asked his assistant quietly, "Danny, what do you think?"
"Nothing too special, Mr. Davis," Danny Cork replied. "These should be the most ordinary shots. I've read Jurassic Park's original book. If I were the director, I'd focus more on the T-Rex -- now that's the movie's selling point. Eric Williams surely wouldn't overlook that."
"Are you familiar with Jerry Bruckheimer?"
"Of course, but Jerry wouldn't tell me too much. However, I know Williams valued him greatly. Shortly after he left Paramount, Williams signed a long-term deal and made him a producer for his films."
Martin Davis nodded, but he didn't say anything else. Nevertheless, Danny Cork realized his boss probably regretted parting ways with Jerry Bruckheimer, much like he regretted pushing Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, and Jeffrey Katzenberg out of Paramount. Eisner was now the CEO of Universal after leaving Disney, and Barry Diller had less than a year out of Hollywood before contemplating a Paramount acquisition.
Danny Cork couldn't help but fantasize. If those three had stayed at Paramount, it surely wouldn't be in such a dire situation now, teetering on the brink with dwindling performance and internal instability. Deep down, Danny Cork didn't have a positive outlook on Martin Davis's trip to Hawaii, and he doubted Martin could retain Paramount. Of course, these thoughts were ones he would never dare voice to Martin Davis.
...
In the restaurant of the Lihu'e hotel where the crew was staying, Eric had already showered and changed into comfortable casual clothes. He sat across from Martin Davis as the waiter brought out dishes featuring Hawaiian specialties. The two chatted casually, but Martin seemed in no hurry to disclose his intentions.
Eric wasn't in a rush either. After all, the initiative was on his side. Before Martin Davis arrived, Eric had thoroughly investigated Paramount's situation.
Paramount's parent company originally thrived on non-ferrous metal smelting under Gulf & Western Industries. As the company flourished, its business diversified significantly, dealing in metallurgy, oil, electronics, entertainment, and publishing. However, in the past decade, Gulf & Western had been divesting from its industrial operations in favor of focusing on cultural and entertainment industries. A few years ago, Martin Davis even reorganized Gulf & Western into Paramount Communications, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, and Simon & Schuster Publishing.
Perhaps because he was forced out of Paramount, Barry Diller had always kept a soft spot for it. After leaving Fox, Barry Diller took charge of QVC, a joint television sales company under Comcast and Tele-Communications, and quickly made it thrive. Given that both Comcast and Tele-Communications were significant players in the cable TV sector with aspirations in the movie industry, Barry considered the timing ripe and proposed a joint acquisition of Paramount to them.
At the same time, Viacom, led by Sumner Redstone, hadn't given up on joining the Hollywood game. After losing Disney, Viacom turned its attention directly to Paramount.
Besides these overt contenders, Eric was also aware that the parent company of QVC, Tele-Communications, seemed unwilling to share Paramount with Comcast and had ambitions of its own.
In simpler terms, Paramount was seen by many companies as a juicy piece of meat drawing predators.
After discussing the scenic beauty of the Hawaiian Islands, Martin Davis finally said tentatively, "Eric, I heard there was quite a disagreement over the acquisition of Disney by Firefly and Viacom last year?"
Eric nodded slightly, "Yeah, but that's normal business competition. There's rarely a situation in business where everyone can get along and prosper; it doesn't mean much."
Martin Davis revealed a sly smile. "It's not that simple. Firefly overpaid by at least $2 billion in that deal."
Eric wanted to counter that Martin was pals with Sumner Redstone -- was it wise to stir the pot like this?
"If I were to sell Disney for $2 billion more than last year's acquisition price, I guarantee someone would still take it," Eric confidently stated. "So Firefly didn't lose out; Disney is worth that much, and that's sufficient."
Due to its privatization, little information was publicly available about Disney. However, Martin Davis didn't doubt Eric's words. While Disney's film business hadn't shown signs of recovery or produced a breathtaking project, the entire North American entertainment industry continued to grow rapidly in value thanks to expanding market sizes.
Even if Disney's performance stagnated, at the current growth rate, it wouldn't be long before its market cap surpassed $10 billion. Moreover, under Eric's guidance, and with the benefit of Pixar Animation, how could Disney possibly stagnate?
Seeing that Eric wouldn't engage with his remarks, Martin Davis realized that this young man was also cunning like a fox. Continuing down that path wouldn't be productive. "Eric, let's get straight to the point. I'm sure you know why I'm here; Viacom wants to acquire Paramount, but I don't wish to sell. So, I think we could collaborate. Although the Disney acquisition didn't cause you a loss, Viacom did make Firefly spend a lot more money. Don't you feel like giving them a taste of their own medicine?"
"In business, being hot-headed and seeking revenge is unwise. I certainly won't wade into that murky water without reason," Eric shook his head. Although Martin didn't mention Barry Diller directly, Eric was well aware that Martin's main concern was Barry Diller. "Moreover, I haven't even streamlined Firefly's own operations yet, so I'm sorry, Martin. I don't have the energy to collaborate with Paramount."
"You don't need to exhaust too much of your energy," Martin Davis replied calmly. "Just providing a few promising movie projects for Paramount would suffice, and Paramount wouldn't let you come out empty-handed. You can maintain control of these projects personally."
Martin Davis's thinking was very practical. He didn't intend to sell Paramount, but while he was the largest shareholder, he didn't have the controlling stake. Plus, with Paramount's poor performance, if competitors initiated a hostile takeover when the price reached a certain point, other shareholders would likely opt to sell their stakes. The only way to turn the situation around was to show tangible results. As long as those shareholders perceived profit potential, they would choose to stand on his side. Collaborating with Firefly, or more specifically, with Eric, was undoubtedly the quickest and most effective solution.
"Mr. Davis, you should know that quality movie projects are hard to come by. Making films is like gambling; no one knows what will happen next, and nobody can guarantee success 100%. Everyone initially had high hopes for Spielberg's Hook, but didn't it ultimately fail?"
*****
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