Chương 659: Chapter 659: Interesting People
"Rupert Murdoch went back to England, right?"
At the Capet headquarters building, Charles was sitting in his office chair.
Phyllis Jones nodded, "He already flew to London!"
"Alright," Charles wasn't too concerned about him. He deeply despised News Corporation due to how strongly it manipulated the media. "In Hollywood, box office performance matters. This year is full of big releases, and the competition will be fierce!"
"Universal Animation's new movie, Hop, just premiered with a North American opening weekend of $37.5 million. That's a lot less compared to Capet Illumination Studio's first movie, Despicable Me!"
Charles waved his hand, "Hop's production cost wasn't that high, only $63 million. Isn't it true that Twentieth Century Fox only has one big summer movie, X-Men: First Class?"
"This mid-month, Blue Sky Studios has an animated movie, Rio, coming out. They also have a new Planet of the Apes movie for the summer," Phyllis quickly answered. "X-Men: First Class is a new start for the X-Men series by Twentieth Century Fox. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a remake based on an old film from Twentieth Century Fox's library!"
Charles laughed, "This year besides Warner Bros.' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, and Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which film could be competition for our Universal?"
There is also Disney and Pixar's Cars 2, and Paramount with DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 2, and Puss in Boots.
In live-action films, Capet Universal would bring results that would make Hollywood despair this year!
...
In the evening, at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Disney held a retirement party for George Lucas.
Being a famous Hollywood director who created the Star Wars series, George Lucas certainly had a high place in the industry.
Charles attended as well, bringing along the sultry Megan Fox, only to find his mother, Evelyn, there too.
"You better behave yourself lately," Evelyn grabbed her son and gave him a stern look.
Charles awkwardly smiled and quickly changed the subject, "Mom, do you think George Lucas will really retire?"
"Retire, yeah right. Star Wars is like his baby, how can he just let it go?" Evelyn shook her head, not fully convinced.
"And what about Kathleen Kennedy, does she have the ability to lead Lucasfilm? She used to be Steven Spielberg's assistant."
"Now that Disney is developing a new Star Wars movie, George Lucas is definitely keeping an eye on things from behind the scenes!"
Charles nodded in agreement, "Last year, besides Tim Burton's big success with Alice in Wonderland, Disney's other live-action movies didn't do well.
The major game adaptation movie, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time cost $200 million to make and grossed just 300 million globally.
The sci-fi film Tron: Legacy had a production cost of 170 million but also only grossed around 400 million globally.
The fantasy film The Sorcerer's Apprentice cost 150 million and its global box office just about reached 200 million!"
Charles spoke with a tone of joy, "It's only been less than two years since Rich Ross took over as chairman of Disney's motion picture group from Dick Cook. I don't think he'll hold the position well."
Evelyn also seemed a bit gleeful, "But Disney now has DreamWorks under Steven Spielberg, so it's hard to say!"
Ever since DreamWorks shifted to Disney a couple of years ago, they have been helping Disney develop movies like Real Steel and War Horse.
And also partnering with Paramount on CG 3D animations like The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and Cowboys & Aliens, DreamWorks has plenty of projects every year!
"Oh, let me introduce you to someone interesting," Evelyn said as she pulled Charles to the other side.
"Megan Ellison, the boss of Annapurna Pictures," Evelyn smiled. "Megan started Annapurna Pictures after graduating from USC and climbing Annapurna Peak, the tenth highest mountain in the Himalayas. Annapurna Pictures just funded an independent movie, Lawless. Last year's Paramount film True Grit, directed by the Coen Brothers, was also produced by Megan. And this year, she produced The 44 Rules of War starring Bruce Willis!"
"Oh, good evening, Megan!" Charles directly smiled and shook hands with Megan Ellison.
Larry Ellison's daughter, he had a nice chat with her brother David Ellison last year. Now David Ellison's Skydance Productions has a partnership with Paramount.
His sister Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures mainly focuses on independent films.
Of course, Charles knew Lawless, a drama directed by John Hillcoat and starring Tom Hardy.
The project had been in development since early last year but struggled to find a distributor or investor.
"Good evening, Charles," Megan Ellison, dressed in a suit looking like an ordinary person, seemed somewhat reluctant to speak. "Actually, I was planning to invest in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, but I heard Capet Film Studio under Universal is investing in it."
"Oh, feeling disappointed?" Charles asked with a smile.
Megan Ellison shook her head, "For these indie films that can't easily find investors, I feel we should provide more support. If movies only consider commercial value, that would be too dull! I admire you, Charles. The films you developed back then like Lost in Translation, Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, No Country for Old Men, and last year's Black Swan, are all my favorite types."
"Really? I also think those films are great," Charles nodded.
"But in recent years, Capet's primary investment has shifted to commercial blockbusters with special effects. I think, Charles, you should pay more attention to the art film market!"
Charles touched his chin, "Megan, you need to understand that I am managing a large enterprise with tens of thousands of people relying on me for their livelihoods. If there aren't enough profits, Capet Universal wouldn't sustain itself!"
Megan Ellison looked at Charles, "I understand that, but I think you could still put a little effort into art films. For example, Focus Features should not drastically cut its film projects. I also believe with your vision, the films wouldn't lose much. If financial support is needed, so long as the script is good, I can back it..."
*****
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