Chương 280: Chapter 280: Leon: The Professional
"This script is not bad. When do you plan to go to the U.S. to shoot?" Arthur asked Luc Besson about the preparation for the movie script Leon: The Professional.
"As soon as possible. I've cast Jean Reno as the male lead but still need to find a suitable girl in the U.S.," Luc Besson smiled, having just returned from Munich.
In the UEFA Champions League final at the Munich Olympic Stadium, Marseille defeated AC Milan 1-0, winning the Champions League for the first time in its history and also becoming the first French club to win the Champions League.
Arthur nodded. The budget for Leon: The Professional was less than 100 million francs, which translates to under 20 million U.S. dollars.
Gaumont could accept this, and Galaxy was willing to distribute it in North America. Although French films generally did not perform well at the American box office, Leon: The Professional had a distinct Hollywood style.
At the same time, Arthur, if he remembered correctly, thought this story was plagiarized from the 1980 movie Gloria.
Leon: The Professional simply reversed the original character relationship's gender roles, changing it from a lady and a little boy in Gloria to a man and a young girl in the new version.
"Arthur, what do you think of The Fifth Element?" Luc Besson had long been contemplating the script for this movie, but the vast budget made Gaumont hesitant.
Arthur smiled, "Such an investment-grade movie won't work with just the French market; it needs to make a name for itself in the North American market. And getting Hollywood to finance it isn't simple. You need a comprehensive plan; otherwise, it's hard to secure investments from Hollywood, let alone get Americans to buy into it."
Luc Besson relied mainly on Gaumont, a French film company, while Galaxy handled North American distribution but would not invest significantly in the film's production.
Galaxy was mainly responsible for the promotional investment for North American screenings, with the primary investors being French film companies and television stations.
You couldn't blame Arthur; the style differences between French films and Hollywood were too significant. Unless it was an action movie, other types of French films rarely achieved commercial success in the U.S.
Arthur remembered that The Fifth Element had a 90 million U.S. dollar investment but only achieved over 60 million U.S. dollars in the North American box office.
Nevertheless, The Fifth Element achieved more than 250 million dollars in global box office revenue in the future, and with the advent of DVDs at that time, the results were considered quite good.
"I'd better focus on finishing Leon: The Professional first," Luc Besson understood Arthur's point. Although he was a renowned director in Europe, he hadn't proven himself in Hollywood.
Such a massive investment required, Hollywood would not easily trust a European director.
After Luc Besson left, Christiana Reali entered the office. "Many people in Paris are also celebrating Marseille's Champions League victory!"
"Paris Saint-Germain is currently second in Ligue 1, just behind Marseille. Marseille is likely to win the Ligue 1 championship," Arthur said, putting down Le Monde.
"Marseille's club president, Bernard Tapie, is quite something. He got into politics and sold Adidas after being elected Minister of Cities!"
In late 1989, French businessman Bernard Tapie acquired Adidas, which was then in financial trouble, from the Dassler family.
Now, Bernard Tapie, moving into politics, sold Adidas for 2.1 billion francs to an investment group led by Credit Lyonnais.
"Is Adidas in such bad shape now?" Arthur was lost in thought. Just a few years ago, Adidas was the world's leading sports brand.
In the U.S. market, Adidas was overpowering both Reebok and Nike. Now, Adidas was lagging behind Nike and Reebok.
"Why, Arthur, are you interested in the sports brand Adidas?" Christiana poured Arthur a glass of wine.
Arthur smiled, took a sip, "I don't have that much energy right now."
Currently, Arthur's business range was vast, with many types of ventures, and he did not have extra capital to manage these.
Perhaps the luxury goods industry related to fashion attracted Arthur more, but for now, Arthur's main task was to store IPs for Galaxy.
At the same time, Galaxy's action blockbuster Speed had grossed over 60 million U.S. dollars in North America after three weeks in theaters.
With explosive special effects, thrilling action, and gripping plot scenes, Speed was considered an excellent action-thriller film by the media.
Stallone's blockbuster Cliffhanger, distributed by Columbia Pictures, grossed 16 million U.S. dollars in its opening weekend, receiving positive reviews as Stallone's best-reviewed action film in years.
However, the most anticipated movie remained Steven Spielberg's upcoming Jurassic Park, set to release next week!
In the evening, at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Arthur attended a business cocktail party.
"Mayor, the unemployment rate in Paris seems quite high now?" Arthur chatted with the current Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac.
Jacques Chirac had served two terms as Mayor of Paris and two terms as Prime Minister of France, having lost two presidential bids to Francois Mitterrand. But Arthur knew that after Francois Mitterrand, the next President of France would be Jacques Chirac!
Jacques Chirac said helplessly, "The French economy isn't doing well now. The franc's exchange rate has decreased, and some people want us to withdraw from the European Monetary System. Last year's sterling crisis is still fresh in our memory."
Arthur laughed, "I believe the economy will soon recover!"
"Arthur, are you interested in increasing investments in Paris? The current policies aren't bad," Jacques Chirac reminded.
Arthur thought for a moment, "Last year, I just acquired The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Maybe we can build one in Paris."
The Ritz Hotel itself could be considered the incubator of The Ritz-Carlton brand, but having another Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Paris wouldn't be a bad idea.
*****
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