Chapter 794: Leapfrog
In the first week of June, the entire North American film market, only a heavyweight film on the Matrix, and several other new films were premiered by the independent film company, which was about 1000 screens. The Matrix was a family. The big one, in addition to the film's red-hot reputation, the first three days of the first weekend, the Matrix robbed a $45.7 million box office, plus the previous dot and midnight box office data, the cumulative box office reached $ 51.03 million.
On the following business day, the Matrix of the Matrix fell by only 40% compared to the weekend box office. On June 7, the first week of the Matrix’s box office was released, with a total of $78.45 million in terror data, far exceeding the second killing time of $21 million. The box office data, without any suspense, achieved the position of the box office of the week.
When the data came out, no one doubted whether the Wachowski brothers had messed up the project, but instead became the most watched newcomer director in Hollywood.
Burbank, Firefly Group headquarters.
Kasenberg returned from a business trip to New York.
Every year in April and May, it is the time when major TV networks and cable TV stations in North America determine the start of new dramas and advertisements for the whole year. The TV series, TV stations, Disney channels and TV networks of the Firefly Group will determine the whole year. New drama production plan and advertising bidding work.
Kasenberg has just returned to his office after attending a new week's film release conference, and his assistant has placed a report on the advertising bidding data for the Firefly TV business on his desk.
After two months of advertising bidding, TV Network relied on friends, emergency room stories and survivors and other ace episodes, advertising bidding revenue reached a new high, reaching an unprecedented 2.3 billion US dollars, you know, before this, TV The highest year of online advertising bidding was in 1992, at $1.9 billion.
In addition, several TV stations such as TV stations, Disney Channel and TV network have also achieved advertising revenues of 19.7 billion.
In total, the advertising revenue of Firefly's TV business from 1996 to 1997 is expected to reach 42.7 billion US dollars.
In addition to advertising revenue, the main income of the Firefly Group's TV business includes syndicated copyright distribution, franchise authorization, video tape sales and overseas distribution. According to previous years' data, the entire TV business segment, advertising revenue probably accounts for about 30% of the revenue data. In this way, the total revenue of the Firefly Group's TV business this year will reach 14 billion US dollars. Compared with last year, the revenue is expected to be large. Increased by 35.
Kasenberg is not a blind supporter of the company's listing. During the Disney period, because as a listed company, Disney must announce the compensation data of the directors of the board of directors. Kasenberg, who does not like to expose his financial situation, has refused to join the Disney board. .
However, at this time looking at the advertising bidding report in hand, Kasenberg couldn't help but imagine that if the Firefly Group chooses to go public, the exposure of the advertising bidding data will stimulate the stock price, perhaps, the growth of 10 They are just very conservative.
The office door was knocked, and Kasenberger screamed. The secretary opened the door and said, "Mr. Kasenberg, Mr. Kurt and Mr. Wachowski come over."
Kasenberger nodded and took the initiative to meet the hacker producer Robert Cotter and the director Wachowski brothers who walked into the office.
After the amazing first-week box office of the Matrix, the Wachowski brothers couldn’t wait to discuss the sequel’s production plan with the Firefly executives. Eric was shooting the Royal Casino in the Bahamas, and Kasenberger personally took it. This matter is to express the importance attached to the Wachowski brothers. After all, now any movie company in Hollywood has an eager attitude toward the two brothers, and the firefly high-level will never mind doing some small buying behavior.
Enthusiastically screaming with the Wachowski brothers, Kasenberg told the secretary to rush over the coffee, then pointed to the small meeting room next to his office and said: "Let's go in and talk."
Several people sat at the desk in the small meeting room, and the secretary quickly took the coffee.
Kasenberger indicated that the three of them were free, and they also took a few drinks of coffee. Then they took the initiative to say: "So, do you have a complete idea about the sequel?"
Robert Cotter looked at the Wachowski brothers, Andy Wachowski pulled out the script from the bag he carried, saying: "Actually, we originally designed the script according to the trilogy concept. This is after Two scripts, Mr. Kasenberg, you can take a look."
"Jeffrey," Kasenberger took over and said, "Give me Jeffery."
Andy Wachowski nodded and watched Kasenberg open the script and said: "This is the case, Jeffrey, we hope that the latter two sequels can be filmed all at once, which can save some production costs. It is also better to maintain the coherent unity of the two sequel styles and the plot."
Kasenberg quickly read the script, but did not prevent him from using it with one heart and one mind. With the word-of-mouth and box office displayed by the first section of the Matrix, and the box office data of some countries released in the same period overseas, the global box office of this film is expected to be At around $600 million, with the cost of film production and publicity totaling $100 million, Fireflies can earn hundreds of millions of dollars in net profit at the box office, turning the script in front of them one more page, he said: "Of course, if If you can, two consecutive shots are not impossible."
Robert Cotter and the Wachowski brothers heard that Kasenberg said that they had a satisfactory expression on their faces. When Kasenberg was focused on reading the script, he did not insert too much dialogue, although they still wanted to talk. The sequel's director's pay and the like, but these are not in a hurry.
Kasenberg quickly swept through the scripts of the two sequels, and his brows gradually wrinkled.
After half an hour, Kasenberger looked up again and looked at the Wachowski brothers and shook his head. "To tell the truth, Andy, Larry, I didn't understand."
The expressions of the two brothers are a glimpse, Andy Wachowski said: "Jeffrey, maybe you just watched it too fast."
“No,” Kasenberger shook his head. He was a strong advocate of high-concept movies, advocating movie stories that could finish the story in one sentence, but when reading the script, Kasenberg didn’t understand it at all. What the Wachowski brothers want to express, if you have to use a less pleasing word to describe it, it is a mystery. Some things that Kasenberger can fully explain clearly, the Wachowski brothers deliberately left suspense, and even some of the acts of the protagonist Nio in the plot, people seem to look like clouds and clouds, I don't know why I want to insert these episodes: "I mean, the story of the sequel is too esoteric."
"But the audience likes it, isn't it?" Robert Cotter said: "Jeffrey, everyone is praising the philosophical elements implied in the first part, so I feel that the sequel's script has slightly deepened some of the plots in this respect. Did not say anything bad."
"I don't think this is deepening. The philosophical elements that are being released are just right. Moreover, the audience is mainly watching the innovative shooting techniques and the hot gun battle scenes in the film." Kasenberg shrugged and said: Although the sequel's script also has these elements, the whole story is completely confusing. I think you need to modify the script."
With Kasenberg's hot and tough character, patiently speaking these words is already very convergent. He is not a person who does not know how to treat people. Otherwise, he has already used words like shit.
However, the Wachowski brothers who have been enthusiastically sought after by the media in recent days are still somewhat uncomfortable. Andy Wachowski said: "Jeffrey, I think, perhaps you should first give the script to Eric, he I will definitely appreciate this script."
Whether it is the official department or the enterprise group, the management of different levels is very taboo, which will not only interrupt the management order of a department or company, but also affect the personal authority of the corresponding management. In the face of Kasenberg, Andy Wachowski said that Eric should personally judge the script, which is almost equivalent to playing Kasenberg's face in person.
Robert Cotter heard Andy Wachowski recklessly said these words, his face has changed slightly, and even if you want to give the script to Eric Williams, you don't have to be in front of Kasenberg. Say it out. As a producer in the Firefly Group system, Robert Cotter is very clear that Kasenberg is not the kind of boss who is good at communicating with the subordinates.
However, Robert Cotter unexpectedly did not come out, and Kasenberg’s mouth showed some strange smiles. “Of course, no problem, I can let the secretary pass the script to Eric now.”
After working together for so long, Kasenberg has made clear about Eric’s film concept. Although his boss also likes to make some innovative film projects, and occasionally there are some unexpected investment behaviors, but in the mainstream movies of fireflies. Eric’s insistence on high-concept movies is no worse than him. After all, the rapid rise of fireflies over the years has been inseparable from the firm philosophy of the company’s insistence on high-concept commercial film production.
Although in Hollywood, the status of Oscar's art film is often seen by ordinary people, in fact, whether it is a big film company or a stand-alone film company, the most valued is always in the eyes of those critics. Commercial film.
Such a cloud-clouded script was handed over. If the Wachowski brothers did not touch the nose, Kasenberg would be willing to burn the script in his hand.
Seeing that the three did not say anything at the same time, Kasenberger took the initiative to exchange the secretary, and personally told them in front of them: "Sally, immediately fax the script to the Bahamas."
"Okay, Mr. Kasenberg," the secretary took the script and left the small meeting room.
Kasenberg will not be too stiff with the three. After all, although he disapproves of the Wachowski brothers' script, he also knows that after the script is revised, the sequel needs two brothers to take charge.
"So, it's almost noon, there is a good restaurant nearby, have a lunch together? Eric is very busy recently, maybe it will take two or three days to reply, so you may have to be patient."
The Wachowski brothers have not yet reacted from Kasenberg's recent move. Robert Cote has already got up and took the initiative to slow down: "Of course, Jeffrey, how about my visit?"
"No, of course I said I came," said Kasenberg, looking at the Wachowski brothers. . .
The Wachowski brothers have been too smooth in the past, and they have been rejected by Kasenberg. They subconsciously want to take Eric to crush Kasenberg, but they are not the idiots with negative emotional intelligence. Soon after, he regretted doing this.
Seeing Kasenberger did not mean anything angry, the two brothers finally reacted, along the steps given by Kasenberg, Andy Wachowski said: "Of course, this is our pleasure."
Bahamas, Paradise Island.
Eric has not seen Ivanka for almost three years. The former proud Lolita is already a 15-year-old girl. She inherits the model gene of her mother. The girl’s height is close to 170, although she still carries A little bit of baby fat, but standing in the middle of the three supermodels of Giselle, Alexander and Miranda, the momentum is not weaker than the other three women.
The Royal Casino has been filming for a week. Such a huge crew is too extravagant to follow the normal weekend system. After all, it is not the United States. Therefore, the agreement between the producer and the crew and actors is a six-day break.
Giselle's three women and Ivanka mother and daughter flew to the Bahamas two days ago. After a rest day of the crew, Eric arranged the short shots of the four girls today.
Anyone with the increase of age and experience increased, Ivanka did not have the pride of the year in front of Eric, but it looked like a girl, the girl from the rich family, after all, is better than ordinary children. I know more about the energy and power represented by Eric's huge wealth.
Eric is a look of nothing. From the production assistant, he took the props that had been prepared for Ivanka. It seems that he wants to sneak a slap.
At this time, outside the Paradise Island Ocean Park Club, the crew is probably ready, but most of the staff are interested in watching the director spoof the exclusive mascot in his film, even the mother of nearby Ivanka is a pair. Look at the excitement of the new. To be continued.
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