Chương 637: Chapter 638: I Don't Want to Owe You Anything
[Chapter 638: I Don't Want to Owe You Anything]
"Mr. Katzenberg has personally initiated your plan through an associated private equity fund under the group. Hathaway, State Street Global, and Firefly Investments are also following up. If we want to avoid detection from Marvel, we probably need about a month," Kelly said as she handed over the next document. "Also, a few newspaper groups have made second-round offers on our print media assets, with Conde Nast currently holding the highest bid of $1.4 billion."
Eric quickly scanned the document in his hands and said, "Let Jeffrey initiate negotiations for the acquisition. Yahoo and AOL need a lot of cash. Tell Jeffrey not to be too picky about the price. As long as it reaches the expected $1.5 billion, that's fine, but I want the buyer to pay in cash as quickly as possible."
Kelly nodded and jotted it down in her memo before looking up and continuing, "That's all the serious business for now..."
Eric glanced at the closed office door and joked, "Are you planning to do something indecent in here?"
Kelly shot him a look and handed over the last document. "This is a note from Miss Murdoch. The New York Post intended to publish it tomorrow, but she stopped it. She said to handle it yourself. She can stop The New York Post's report, but not other newspapers. There's also a copy of the files related to this press release."
Eric looked at the headline of the press release: "The Dark Past of a Child Prodigy," and his eyes narrowed.
Seeing Charlize's name in the article, Eric almost guessed the gist of it. After briefly reading through the article, he confirmed his assumption.
In the original timeline, Charlize was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Monster. During the subsequent media war, the story of how her father was shot by her mother after being abusive while drunk when Charlize was fifteen resurfaced. Initially seen solely as a victim, Charlize was inappropriately linked to the term "patricide" by unscrupulous media outlets. Eric hadn't paid much attention to that media storm; ultimately, Charlize still won the Oscar for Best Actress.
At this moment, perhaps due to the upcoming release of Fox's Dumb and Dumber 2, the box office momentum of Charlie's Angels showed no signs of weakening. The New York Post dug up this news from somewhere and seemed to entertain thoughts similar to those of the media in the past. However, possibly out of consideration for Firefly, the article didn't distort facts as it had in the original timeline, though its slanted implications stirred speculation.
"Now that the media has uncovered this matter, it can't be kept under wraps," Eric contemplated for a moment, ripping off a piece of memo paper and writing down a line. He handed it to Kelly, saying, "You personally communicate with ICM, and tell the PR department to assist as much as possible in guiding the narrative according to this guideline. I don't want to see any messy news pop up."
Kelly took the note Eric handed her. Upon reading, "A Tragic Family Story, the Resilient Girl Emerging from the Shadows," she nodded and added, "MGM's CEO, Frank Mancuso, doesn't have the number here. He called me and wants to set a meeting to discuss Charlie's Angels. MGM hopes to commence production on two sequels simultaneously."
"Let them talk to Jeffrey about those matters and sort everything out first..." Eric started to say, then lifted his head to ask, "Are you facing some issues?"
Just as Kelly was about to speak, Eric suddenly realized, "Oh, it must be Penny and the others."
Kelly nodded. "The head of DreamWorks wants to sign Penelope and the others for the two sequels all at once, but Michelle Simons at ICM hasn't responded."
Eric replied, "I'll check in with them to see what they're thinking. Just let MGM focus on distribution."
...
In the following days, with the coordination of Firefly's PR department, ICM, and MGM, various media outlets began to run stories about Charlize's past as a teenager. However, most of the information painted Charlize entirely from the perspective of a victim, showing plentiful sympathy while effectively promoting her story of conquering Hollywood on her own. They sculpted the image of a girl triumphantly emerging from the shadows.
The first impression effect on the general public was incredibly strong. Since they were fed this narrative first, any subsequent media attempts to smear Charlize would likely provoke widespread backlash. Meanwhile, originally under-recognized in Charlie's Angels, Charlize's popularity surged significantly, benefiting from the situation.
...
In the second week of July, Fox's Dumb and Dumber 2 officially opened, but it suffered from the strong box office setback caused by the unstoppable momentum of The Lion King and Charlie's Angels. The film only earned a little over $33 million in its opening weekend, which was $4 million lower than Charlie's Angels, and it was expected to finish its first week under $45 million. However, compared with Charlie's Angels with a production cost of more than 80 million US dollars, the biggest cost of this vulgar comedy is only Jim Carrey's salary, and the total production budget is less than 40 million US dollars. Therefore, Fox is still very profitable with this film.
...
After returning from Boston to Los Angeles at the end of May and navigating over a month of intense busyness, Eric reviewed most of the film projects that required his personal attention. His schedule gradually lightened. Besides focusing on the competition to acquire Marvel Entertainment, he also dedicated more time to preparing for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
In the Victoria's Secret studio, Eric had just sent off the head of the Firefly music department, who had brought in a stack of singer demo tapes. The three girls who had returned from their promotional tour in Europe and East Asia, along with Penelope's sister Monica, walked into his office. Penelope and Kate each held a set of elaborate angel wings.
After greeting Eric, Penelope eagerly held the butterfly-wing costume behind her and asked, "Eric, is this what they'll wear for the fashion show? It's so beautiful!"
Eric smiled as he watched the two girls trying on the angel wings. "You definitely took those from the rack by my office. Those are scrap pieces destined for disposal. The chosen angel wings are kept in a vault."
Kate asked curiously, "If these are so pretty, the selected ones must be even more dazzling! Can we see them?"
Eric shook his head. "I'll get you a few tickets for entry, but no one can see them until then."
Kate stuck her tongue out at Eric, saying, "You're so stingy."
Ignoring the comment, Eric glanced at Charlize, who had been notably quiet and appeared troubled since entering. He joked, "Charlie, are you planning to steal Kate's role in the sequel?"
"No, of course not," Charlize quickly shook her head.
Before Eric could continue speaking, Penelope seized the moment and chimed in, "Eric, you won't believe it! When we promoted in Tokyo, there was a guy who saw Kate and started crying, and he almost rushed the stage. It freaked us out!"
Kate dissatisfiedly pushed Penelope away, saying, "Why do you assume he was coming for me? Maybe he wanted to rush you!"
Penelope laughed, "Even though I couldn't understand his Japanese, I heard 'Selena' loud and clear."
Eric stated, "I saw it in the paper. Kate, you're now Japan's most popular Western star. How does that feel?"
Kate waved her hand dismissively, "Not great. Those people always feel strange."
"That's due to cultural differences. Different countries and ethnicities perceive outsiders differently; otherwise, we wouldn't have issues like racism," Eric briefly explained. "Enough of that. Someone asked me to check how you three feel about the sequel."
The three girls exchanged glances, momentarily silent.
Eric pointed at Penelope, "Penny, you go ahead."
"Eric, we don't mind filming sequels, but we don't want to rush through them too quickly. If it's just one a year, we'll surely be typecast in those roles."
Eric recalled that MGM hoped to include the two Charlie's Angels sequels in DreamWorks' ten-film production plan, which had been initially set to span three years. Understanding Penelope's point, he realized what she meant.
After tapping his desk thoughtfully for a moment, Eric noticed the girls looking increasingly anxious, and he suddenly laughed, "Do you not have faith in me? Are you worried I'll sell you out?"
Even though Eric was generally gentle, he often came across as strong when it involved movies. The three girls were genuinely concerned he might push them to film one each year. Hearing him say this eased Kate, who playfully replied, "Who told you to have such a shady reputation?"
Eric laughed, "Looks like I need to find a moment for you to remind me of all my bad deeds."
Kate paused, attempting to recall, but after a moment, she couldn't remember anything and huffed defiantly.
Eric remained patient and clarified, "You're all probably overthinking it. Let's say two years between each film. Any film production plan in Hollywood isn't set in stone. Involving tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, it's perfectly reasonable to be thorough in the production process, and various changes occurring during that time are normal. Even if the agreement initially set ten films within three years, if they don't complete it for any reason, the remaining projects may either be dropped or postponed. Take Spielberg, for instance; he's still not finished with several film contracts with Universal, and some are reportedly from over a decade ago. Who knows, maybe nobody will even mention those anymore."
Penelope's eyes darted thoughtfully, "What about our salaries?"
"Your salaries aren't much concern for me," Eric chuckled, "While Firefly holds a 30% stake in DreamWorks, the film production budget primarily comes from Europe. So just let Michelle negotiate for you guys. The higher, the better, but don't go too far. Be careful everyone doesn't walk away in a huff."
Kate asked, "What do you think is a reasonable asking price?"
Eric pondered for a moment and replied, "For the two sequels, how about $12 million each? Let's not even mention percentage splits; since there are three of you, an average of $18 million in salary per film is already exorbitant, and the production company still needs to invite other actors. Total actor expenses could reach $25 million. If you ask for too much, the production company can only cut the budget, which will harm the quality of the sequels and be detrimental to you guys."
Eric stated this casually, but even Charlize, who had seemed contemplative until then, couldn't help but gasp. After all, their salaries from the first film were only around $200,000 to $300,000, and they had endured so much struggle. Now, out of the blue, their worth surged to millions, something they had never even imagined.
After the shock wore off, Kate quickly thought of something else. "Is $18 million too high? I heard Nicole Kidman can earn over $30 million for a film like The Mummy."
The Mummy had been a massive hit in both the North American and overseas markets and was expected to net Universal around $400 million in profits over the following years. Michael Eisner regained control of Universal after heart surgery due to the success of The Mummy, easily overpowering Michael Ovitz.
However, the biggest personal gain from the film undoubtedly went to Nicole, whose 8% all-channel revenue share would net her no less than $30 million, making her the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, a position likely to remain uncontested for the next decade.
"Just like Jack Nicholson's exorbitant fee for Batman, Nicole getting that much was merely a coincidence; Universal likely regrets it now. Initially, they could have paid only $10 million to hire her, but they ended up paying three times that. Plus, if Nicole joins the next sequel, I bet she'll just have to take the standard salary."
Penelope said, "Then we'll negotiate based on what you've suggested."
Eric nodded, glancing at the angel wings nearby. "Those need to be worn with the right inner outfit to look good. There's a fitting room next to you; go try them on and show me."
Kate immediately blushed and shot him a glare, but Penelope with a grin grabbed the wings and pulled Kate towards the door, saying, "Come on, Kate, let's try them on. We don't necessarily have to show them to anyone."
As the two girls exited the office, Eric turned to the wide-eyed Monica, pointing at the door, "You go too, help your sister change."
"Um... okay," the young girl, who was growing more lovely, seemed to realize something, lowered her head, and hurried outside.
Once the office door closed, Eric asked Charlize, "Is something bothering you?"
"No," Charlize shook her head, hesitating before adding, "Michelle told me everything, and I saw your note. I... I just wanted to thank you."
"Oh," Eric nodded and joked, "You know, I'm a capitalist. You've made me money, so of course, I've got your back."
Charlize bit her lip, conflicted for a moment. "I don't want to owe you anything."
Eric laughed, "While I'd love to grandly claim you owe me nothing, you know, all men have a bit of vanity. So what I really want to say is, if you feel you owe me anything, just keep owing me! The mere thought of a stunning woman feeling indebted to me satisfies me immensely."
Charlize finally couldn't hold back and let out a laugh for the first time since entering the office. However, her expression quickly shifted to a playful glare as she lightly reproached, "Is this how you charm girls in private?"
"Not necessarily; it depends on the person. For instance, you need a different approach. Making you feel I am letting go while holding you tightly," Eric smiled broadly and pointed outside, continuing his cheerful banter, "For Kate, with her slightly aloof demeanor, you should be a bit more assertive; as for Penny... well, there's no need for any approach."
"You're such a jerk," Charlize couldn't help but laugh again, but she had unknowingly moved closer to the door.
Then, to Eric's surprise, Charlize reached over and locked the office door, storming toward him. Eric, puzzled and about to rise, was promptly pushed back down onto the wide leather chair by Charlize. The slim girl leaned in, pulling at Eric's tie like a suddenly passionate kitten, but her eyes betrayed her underlying panic.
Eric opened his mouth to say something, but Charlize swiftly used the tie as a blindfold, covering his eyes.
Then, her cool lips awkwardly pressed against him.
When that pair of trembling lips finally pulled away, Eric instinctively quipped, "Charlie, you know certain crimes in America don't solely target men, right?"
Yet, just as that statement left his mouth, Eric felt a sharp bite on his shoulder.
As the man gasped in shock, the trembling-voiced girl stubbornly remarked, "That was for you intentionally ignoring me all along."
"Your Highness, this is an office. Shall we discuss this at home instead? Don't worry; I definitely won't let you off the hook..."
"Shut up, don't move."
*****
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