章 36: Chapter 36: The Passion of the Christ
The annual grand event in Hollywood was undoubtedly the Academy Awards, the most prestigious film award ceremony in the world.
Compared with the three major European film festivals or the previous Golden Globe Awards, it wasn't in the same league. This was evident from the viewership ratings.
Film companies, actors' teams, public relations agents were all working hard for the nominated movies. You could see media meet-and-greets, judges' cocktail parties, and movie promotions everywhere.
During the Oscars, it was the most bustling season for Hollywood. Hollywood stars big and small were bustling from one party to another.
Focus Features showed a certain interest in distributing Brokeback Mountain, but Charles wanted to reduce the 15% distribution commission.
As a result, they hadn't signed the distribution agreement yet. Anyway, the movie was still in pre-production, so there was time to negotiate.
Los Angeles, Malibu.
At the entrance of a luxurious beach villa, a Corvette drove into the yard. Charles and his assistant, Dona, got out of the car and saw Mel Gibson standing at the door.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Gibson!"
"Good afternoon, Charles!" Mel Gibson also welcomed Charles and Dona into the living room.
Charles visited Mel Gibson with the purpose of investing in The Passion of the Christ, so he made a special trip to his beach mansion.
"Your house is really beautiful!" Charles praised as he walked into the living room.
Mel Gibson smiled and said, "With your wealth, you could buy one anytime."
"However, I don't have high demands for my place to live, and I think there's better places to invest money," Charles replied as he sat down. "Am I right, Mr. Gibson?"
"Charles, what would you like to drink, coffee or something stronger?"
"Uh, beer please!" Charles knew this guy was a heavy drinker, and a bit of beer wouldn't hurt. As for the driving issue, Dona could drive.
Mel Gibson fetched two bottles of beer and had the servant prepare a cup of coffee for Dona.
"There are very few young people like you in Hollywood. Have you considered the consequences of investing in The Passion of the Christ?" Mel Gibson asked, leading Charles to a balcony where they could overlook the Pacific Ocean.
"What consequences? It's just a movie, though it involves religion. There have been similar movies in the past, haven't there?" Charles wasn't particularly worried, given the sensitivity around Brokeback Mountain.
"The Passion of the Christ has been difficult to find investors and distributors. I'm determined to make this film, but I can't say when it will be released," Mel Gibson admitted, as this was an open secret.
Charles smiled, "The script of The Passion of the Christ is based on the Bible, the Catholics won't object. The pressure comes from the Jews, but there are plenty of Catholics in the U.S.. We can send copies to the heads of the major Catholic dioceses. With nearly 200 dioceses across the nation, there will be support!"
Mel Gibson said nothing further. As long as Charles was willing to invest, it was good news. "The budget for The Passion of the Christ is $25 million, and I will direct it myself!"
Charles thought for a moment and proposed, "Carpe Industries will invest $15 million, owning half of the rights. Icon Productions will handle the production!"
With Icon Productions covering the remaining budget, and Gibson himself directing, the deal was solid.
Charles' offer was sincere, and Mel Gibson had no reason to refuse.
"That's great. I've already been to Italy to look for shooting locations, and the main actors have been decided. I've been wanting to make this film for many years, and now I'm thrilled to finally see it happen."
As traditional Catholics, they are the most hostile to Judaism, given that Jesus was betrayed by Jews according to the Bible.
"In terms of the movie, Mr. Gibson, you can make all the decisions yourself. I don't know much about filmmaking," said Charles, not intending to get overly involved. "I'll have someone draft up a contract! Once the contract is signed, Carpe Industries will transfer the money immediately!"
With efficient and concise negotiations, the investment issue for The Passion of the Christ was quickly resolved.
Of course, even without Carpe Industries' investment, Mel Gibson might have self-funded the film.
Within three days, Carpe Industries had signed the contract to invest $15 million in Icon Productions for The Passion of the Christ, securing half the shares.
Carpe Industries didn't procrastinate, transferring the funds promptly. With the budget in place, Icon Productions quickly accelerated the project.
In the evening, at Evelyn's home in West Hollywood, Charles visited his mother and had dinner with her.
"You invested in The Passion of the Christ?" Evelyn inquired.
"Yes, I did, $15 million for half the shares," Charles didn't hide anything.
"Why invest in this film with so many other projects available?"
"I need money, a lot of it. I'm going to invest in films that can make me big bucks," Charles replied, wiping his mouth after finishing his meal. "I need my own distribution network, so I'm not always at others' mercy. Brokeback Mountain, The Passion of the Christ, and the upcoming project Wedding Crashers will all be like this. I want to distribute my films myself.
Building it from scratch is costly and time-consuming. I want to directly acquire an independent film distributor; with a foundation in place, I can invest in expanding and perfecting it!"
Evelyn understood her son's ambitions but was still concerned and reminded him, "Investing in The Passion of the Christ might leave a bad impression on some Jewish investors. It could make future financing difficult."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. After all, if I could handle a controversial film like Brokeback Mountain, investing in The Passion of the Christ is no big deal," Charles understood the greed of capital. As long as there's profit, investors will come.
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was immensely successful. It wasn't until later, when his anti-Semitic remarks were made public, that the investors started avoiding him.
"Alright, I've been planning to buy two houses in Beverly Hills in the next few days, one for each of us. It can be a home and an investment," Charles still had $30 million to spend for tax deductions.
"I have been living in this house for a long time!" Evelyn's house was neither big nor ideally located, but she was attached to it after all those years.
"Let's get a bigger, safer, and more private place. We can throw parties there too. All those stars have big houses, don't they?" Charles chuckled. "I make more money off of one movie than they do off several!"
"Alright, you win!" Evelyn agreed.
*****
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