章 644: Chapter 645: A Deal Too Costly
[Chapter 645: A Deal Too Costly]
In an office at Universal Pictures headquarters, Michael Eisner set down the Variety magazine that featured Firefly's financial report for the first half of the year. He couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
Although the net profit of Firefly Group was only a bit more than $600 million, which was less than half of the profit two years prior for both Firefly and ABC combined, it was still surprising to everyone. Typically, during the merger of two large companies, it was common for the new entity to experience a dip in performance due to the turmoil from integration and restructuring. However, Firefly had navigated this turbulent period quite smoothly. Michael Eisner had to admit that if he had been in that position, he would have had a hard time managing things better.
After a successful coronary artery bypass surgery, Michael Eisner's health had returned to what it had been before, aside from needing to maintain a vegetarian diet. Thanks to the strong box office success of The Mummy, he easily resumed his position as CEO of Universal. However, he now faced a tricky problem: Michael Ovitz, whom he had personally brought in to serve as President of Universal in an attempt to appease the board before his surgery, was always trying to share power.
Lost in thought about how to push Ovitz out of Universal, the office door chimed a few times, snapping Michael Eisner back to reality. He quickly focused his energy on the task at hand, knowing he needed to deal with this new visitor.
A smiling, bald, plump man walked into the office, guided by his secretary. Michael Eisner greeted him warmly, standing up and extending his hand. "Mr. Perelman, it's great to see you."
"Great to see you too, Mr. Eisner," Ron Perelman replied.
After the secretary served two cups of coffee, Michael Eisner made some small talk with Ron Perelman before asking, "So, Mr. Perelman, what brings you here today?"
Ron Perelman retrieved several copyright transfer agreements from his briefcase and handed them to Michael Eisner. "Before discussing this matter, I think it would be best for Mr. Eisner to take a look at these first."
Michael Eisner briefly scanned the copies of the agreements and set them aside. "So, you're saying Marvel wants help from Universal to avoid going into bankruptcy protection, right?"
"Yes, I believe we can work together," Ron Perelman said. "From these copyright transfer documents, it's clear that Firefly's actions towards Marvel aren't just retribution; they've had their eyes on Marvel for quite some time. With Eric Williams' eye for developing films, it also implies that the superhero rights under Marvel are worth far more than one might imagine. If Universal can help Marvel escape this crisis, we could become the strongest partners, collaboratively developing these superhero projects under Marvel in the future."
Michael Eisner raised an eyebrow and asked, "So what does Universal need to do?"
Ron Perelman paused for a moment, but quickly replied, "I just need Universal to present a high-priced offer to acquire Marvel -- just as a show of good faith. Universal wouldn't need to put out any actual funds; as long as this positive news prevents Marvel from being forced into bankruptcy protection, I'll have enough time to handle things internally at Marvel."
A sardonic smile crept across Michael Eisner's face. "And then Marvel will engage in deep collaboration with Universal, right?"
Ron Perelman confidently responded, "Of course."
Michael Eisner finally let his smile drop, bluntly stating, "Mr. Perelman, I'm fully aware of the predicament Marvel is in, and I'm also very clear about your character. So, we don't need to resort to these insignificant tactics. If you want help from Universal, that's fine, but I need to see tangible benefits."
Ron Perelman's expression faltered slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "Mr. Eisner, what would it take for Universal to help Marvel then?"
"If Marvel transfers the remaining popular superhero film rights they currently hold to Universal, I can agree to publicly support Marvel," Michael Eisner declared.
"That's impossible..." Ron Perelman instinctively exclaimed, but then quickly realized he had overstepped. He settled on a more controlled demeanor. "Mr. Eisner, that condition is a bit excessive."
Marvel had already lost the rights to Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk. Given Firefly's rough attitude, Ron Perelman guessed it would be extremely difficult for Marvel to regain those superhero rights. If they transferred the remaining valuable superhero rights to Universal, he couldn't imagine what value Marvel would retain.
While Marvel always publicly claimed to own thousands of superheroes, this count included every character ever featured in the Marvel Comics universe, which was inflated. In reality, only a few dozen characters were well known, and the well-known superheroes that sorted equivalently in popularity to DC's Batman and Superman were even fewer than ten.
Ron Perelman recognized that Firefly was eyeing Marvel's valuable superhero potential. However, he believed that what Firefly truly desired were the characters with the same cinematic potential as Batman and Superman -- not all of Marvel.
If he met Michael Eisner's demands and accidentally transferred key superhero copyrights to Universal, he would completely lose that bargaining chip.
Michael Eisner's thoughts mirrored Ron Perelman's in that he also didn't see Marvel as a treasure trove of adaptation potential.
From the start, he had little desire to get involved in this messy situation. Although he was eager to snag some of Marvel's popular hero rights during this opportunity, Firefly's aggressive stance and Ron Perelman's shrewdness made it nearly impossible for Universal to come out ahead.
Furthermore, Universal was already in negotiations with Nicole Kidman over The Mummy sequel. If he upset Firefly by meddling in this issue, Michael Eisner worried that Eric Williams might pull Nicole Kidman from The Mummy franchise altogether. If he jeopardized a profitable project for a goal with an unclear future, that would surely be a deal too costly.
*****
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