Chapitre 35: Chapter 35
After two months of screening, Lost in Translation was basically ready to be taken off the theaters, with only a few suburban cinemas still showing it.
However, it didn't matter much at this point. When Lost in Translation finished its North American run, it had grossed $42 million!
The theaters took 47%, Focus Features took a 15% distribution commission, leaving $15.96 million. Focus Features had spent $4.8 million on promotion and distribution, so Carpe Productions were left with $11.16 million.
Carpe Productions had invested $4 million in the production budget and another $1.2 million in post-production promotion, leaving Carpe Productions with a net income of $5.96 million!
This $5.96 million was the base for profit sharing among the crew, representing the net profit from the North American box office.
Charles was quite generous and immediately gave out $3 million in bonuses to the crew members. Typically, the main creators could get a 25% share of the net profits, and Charles was certainly better than most other film companies, wasn't he?
As for overseas revenues, sorry, the main creators were all newcomers without fame. Bill Murray was just an old comedy actor with limited commercial appeal.
Art film salaries were inherently low, and everyone received advance payments. Charles bore all the risks himself.
Even Evelyn, his own mother, had nothing to complain about. They had earned money and fame, so what was there to be unhappy about?
Currently, Carpe Productions' total capital in the account had reached $63.6 million. Of course, there were lawyer and tax fees to be paid, so the actual available funds were $60 million.
Brokeback Mountain needed a $15 million production budget;
Wedding Crashers was still revising the script, and the chosen script for Saw was also a very small investment.
As for the announced Oscar nominations, Nia Vardalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding received a Best Original Screenplay nomination, which had little to do with Charles.
But Lost in Translation received four Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.
However, who were the competitors? The Hours, The Pianist, Chicago, and Gangs of New York - whether it was for Best Picture, Best Director, or Best Actor, Lost in Translation really had no advantage.
The Oscar Academy voters weren't like those journalists from the foreign press association; the reputation of The Pianist had already soared.
Miramax's musical Chicago was favored by the Oscars and also had a high reputation. With The Pianist competing with the musical Chicago, it really was not a contest; The Pianist had a much higher chance of winning from any perspective.
Otherwise, Harvey Weinstein's public relations maneuvers wouldn't have been so deliberate, thus the competition for Best Picture at this year's Oscars was essentially a two-horse race between The Pianist and Chicago.
The Best Director would definitely go to one of the directors of these two films. Although Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York got a nomination, it really couldn't compare to the other films.
Sofia Coppola certainly hoped Charles could spend some money on public relations, but Charles didn't want to waste that money!
"Hey, so Lost in Translation really has no chance?" Evelyn came to Carpe Productions to have coffee in Charles's office.
Charles shook his head and said, "The distributors are Focus Features and Columbia TriStar, and they don't have any ideas right now. What could I do?"
"Alright, Sofia didn't have high hopes either. Today, I came to ask you about what you think of James Wan."
"Oh, it's already sorted?"
"Good Lord, they're two newcomers; wasn't it easy to sign them? No objections at all, and knowing that you're my son, they have high hopes for your support in their film development!"
"Sure, $1.5 million to let them turn their idea into a film. $300,000 upfront for them to complete the script and start pre-production," Charles had already thought it through; $1.5 million was enough for the newcomer director's fee and filming.
Compared to another world where Lionsgate had invested $1.2 million in filming, Carpe Productions was more generous, allowing James Wan and others to receive advance payments directly.
"$1.5 million! That's fine," Evelyn had no objections. Now, in Hollywood, a film with a budget under $1 million was produced hundreds of times a year.
"By the way, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ couldn't find investors and currently has no distributor support!"
"Is it because the subject is niche and hard to make a profit, or does it face obstruction from the Jewish community?" Charles asked seriously.
Evelyn frowned, "Both, I suppose. After all, religious-themed movies have rarely succeeded commercially and always face various problems. Charles, it's best not to have any ideas for this project. You know how strong the Jewish community is in Hollywood."
Charles smirked sarcastically, "Everyone knows what Jews are like. The Passion of the Christ follows the Bible precisely; Jews are just covering it up. A group that could even sell out their beliefs for profit - if they knew The Passion of the Christ could make money, they might be the first to extend an olive branch."
"Charles, you're right, but religious-themed movies are almost always unprofitable, which is why finding investors is so hard!" Evelyn's family were, of course, Catholics and had no opinion on Judaism.
Charles smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I know. Now that the company is doing well, I won't act recklessly!"
Hollywood had a lot of Jews, many of whom were in the entertainment and media industries. DreamWorks was a film company entirely controlled by Jews.
Why shouldn't Carpe Productions invest in The Passion of the Christ? It's the most successful R-rated film, with more than $600 million in global box office revenue.
It's not like they were friends with the outspoken Mel Gibson; it's just an investment!
However, with films like Brokeback Mountain, which had a homosexual theme, and The Passion of the Christ, a religiously sensitive one, adding a film with racial discrimination as a theme, Carpe Productions was really reaching for the stars!
"Boss, Mr. James Schamus from Focus Features will be in Los Angeles in three days. He wants to meet you," assistant Dona Williams reported.
"Alright, arrange it," Charles had directly sold all of Lost in Translation's North American home entertainment market rights to Columbia TriStar, so United International Pictures couldn't eat into the overseas market either.
Wonder what James Schamus will think then? At any rate, they'd definitely be discussing the distribution of Brokeback Mountain this time.
*****
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