Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 358: Verbal sparring, guess what the film industry is forging ahead

In Hollywood, after the huge success of "Paranormal Activity 2", many articles about "Guess the Studio Threat Theory" appeared in the media. Even the famous film master Woody Allen publicly criticized the film for being shallow and vulgar.

For a time, there were many reports in the media criticizing Guess What Pictures.

Director Rob Reiner, former president of Castle Rock Pictures, came out to criticize Guess What Pictures for bullying the market.

The reason is that "Paranormal Activity 2" was shown in more than 13 theaters, which is more than the blockbusters such as "Apollo 3" and "Die Hard " in the summer vacation. As a result, many excellent niche films were unable to obtain a high screening rate when they were released. This practice must be strictly prohibited.

More than 30 unemployed filmmakers ran to the building of Guess Pictures and raised flags, demanding that Guess Pictures stop competing with the Big Seven studios, reduce the number of films produced, and allow Hollywood to return to its original order.

Guess What Pictures did not ignore these negative sentiments, and the head of the public relations department Liu Xiaoli responded in a timely manner.

It is claimed that the reason why "Paranormal Activity 2" has a large release scale is because it is currently the off-season, there are not many movies showing in theaters, and there are more vacant theaters, so this movie will be released in more than theaters.

In addition, "Paranormal Activity 2" has wonderful content and the audiences have enthusiastically supported it. Seeing the good box office performance of the film, the theater chains are willing to arrange for their theaters to screen this film instead of showing those unpopular films that are made for the director himself rather than for the audience.

Regarding the point that the rise of Guess What Pictures has led to chaos and even decline in the North American film market.

Liu Xiaoli opposed this statement and used real data to refute it.

In the past three years, Guess What Pictures has released more than 30 critically acclaimed films, including "Seven", "Speed", "Léon: The Professional", "Good Will Hunting", "The Shawshank Redemption", "Sense and Sensibility", "The Mask", the "Paranormal Activity" series, and many more.

These films have won more than a dozen awards including the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Berlin Film Festival Best Director Award, and the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or. They have also pioneered the "pseudo-documentary" film trend, the "Link-style film" wave, and the "Jim Carrey-style comedy film" and so on.

These blockbusters attracted countless filmmakers to follow suit, and as a result, a large number of outstanding filmmakers and film works emerged.

In the past three years, due to the participation of Guess What Pictures, the total box office performance of North American films has been higher every year, from 93 billion in 45 to 52 billion US dollars.

The increase in box office revenue has made the North American film market more prosperous and increased incomes for practitioners.

In the past three years, Guess What Pictures has produced 32 films, signed work agreements with more than 12 actors and related practitioners, paid out more than billion US dollars in film remuneration and salaries, and benefited more filmmakers and their families.

In the next three years, Guess Pictures expects to add at least 500 permanent jobs and short-term jobs, allowing more filmmakers to share the fruits of the booming film market.

These are tangible benefits.

It can be said that without the rise of Guess What Pictures, the North American film market in 94-95 would not have been as prosperous as it is today.

"Ms. Liu, do you mean that the prosperity of the North American film market should be attributed to Guess What Films?"

At the press conference, Los Angeles Times reporter Al Simmons raised his hand and asked.

"Without a doubt, yes!"

Liu Xiaoli was standing at the front desk, wearing a black women's business suit, a white bra, revealing her fair and smooth skin at the collarbone, and an exquisitely shaped jewel necklace. Her black medium-length hair was simply draped over her shoulders, making her look beautiful and capable.

In response to the reporter's question, she gave an affirmative answer.

"In 93, Guess Pictures' annual total box office ranked sixth in the industry, and in 94 it ranked first in the industry. This year, our company's box office performance is currently ranked first in the industry. From 93 to 95, the box office market share of Guess Pictures' films also increased from 9% to more than 25%, ranking first in the industry, and also strongly driving the development of the film industry.

Judging from these data, the prosperity of the North American film market is closely related to the rise of Guess What Pictures. Even if it is not 80% of the contribution, it is at least %. "

“Ms. Liu, you mentioned earlier that the reason why Paranormal Activity 2 was able to be shown in more than 2 theaters was because of the support of the theater chains, but we understand that when Guess What Films released Paranormal Activity 2000, it spent more than million U.S. dollars on publicity.

Such an investment is far beyond what an ordinary film company can afford. I would like to ask if your company is suspected of excessive publicity and bullying the market by doing this?"

the Indian reporter from the National Enquirer wondered loudly.

"Mr. Reporter, you asked too many questions. I didn't hear you clearly. Please say it again."

Liu Xiaoli said lightly.

The reporter opened his mouth helplessly and could only say it again with his tongue sticking out.

"No! Guess What Pictures is also an ordinary film company. We will not deliberately increase costs when promoting a film. Doing so will not be good for the company's development. In addition, as I said just now, the scale of the promotion of "Paranormal Activity 2" is mainly determined by the current box office data. If the audience likes to watch it, the company's distribution department will work hard to promote it. The higher the box office performance, the more investment in promotion.

Our purpose in doing this is to make more people aware of the film through publicity, fully reflect the entertainment value of the film, and also reflect respect for the work of the production staff. "

Liu Xiaoli said with a cold expression.

"Ms. Liu, you just mentioned that Paranormal Activity 2 is a movie made for the audience, while some movies are made by directors for themselves. Are you referring to the movie Aphrodisiac directed by Woody Allen?"

The New York Post reporter asked.

"I haven't seen 'Innocent Aphrodisiac', but I've heard about it from several reliable critics and know that this movie is not for my taste. The kind of movie I'm talking about is not specifically 'Innocent Aphrodisiac', but refers to this kind of niche movie that is not suitable for ordinary audiences to watch."

Hahaha!
Hearing her say this, dozens of reporters at the scene burst into laughter.

Liu Xiaoli's answer was similar to what director Woody Allen said on TV before.

Her answer was obviously due to her dissatisfaction with Woody Allen's accusation that "Paranormal Activity 2" was a bad movie.

"Shit! How could this hateful woman say that? She is disrespecting me by saying that. How dare she, a Chinese woman, disrespect me?"

In the cafe, director Woody Allen listened to the Guess What film press conference on the radio. When he heard Liu Xiaoli say this, he was very unhappy.

As a world-class film master, he has a very high reputation in Hollywood. Although he has done some despicable and immoral things, because he is famous enough, no one dares to make public remarks that disrespect him.

It is particularly despicable that Liu Xiaoli, a woman, dares to criticize him and his movie in this way.

"Woody, don't be angry. You have a large number of fans all over the world. If a spokesperson for the film industry dares to publicly accuse you, it will definitely cause disgust among fans, and the movies they release will also be affected. In the end, they are the ones who suffer the loss if she says this."

Harvey Weinstein counselled.

Woody Allen frowned, "Harvey, guess what? The studio can spend more than 2000 million dollars to promote that crappy movie. Why can't Miramax be bolder and spend more money on promoting "Mighty Aphrodisiac" to let more people know about this movie? Our movie has a good reputation. As long as the promotion is stronger, the box office will definitely increase significantly."

Harvey was helpless. It was not that he didn't want to spend more money on movie promotion, but that he couldn't do it and was unwilling to do it.

First, the box office performance of the more than ten films released by the company this year was very poor, with a total loss of more than 60 million US dollars, and the company did not have that much money in its account to promote new films.

The second is that the subject matter of "Non-Powerful Aphrodisiac" is very niche. Although it has a good reputation in the film industry, the audience did not buy it, resulting in poor box office results. The North American box office is expected to be around 5 million US dollars. Even if it is a hit in Europe, the company will still lose several million US dollars.

As a veteran film businessman, he would not invest too much in a project that he knew would lose money.

However, considering Woody Allen's great influence in the circle and a group of billionaire friends who have good relationships with him, he decided to express his persuasion more tactfully.

"Woody, it's the fall season now, and horror and thriller movies are doing better at the box office. We chose to release "Non-Powerful Aphrodisiac" on a small scale at this time. The main purpose is not to compete for the box office, but to prepare for the awards season at the end of the year and the beginning of next year, and strive to get more nominations in the Golden Globe Awards and Oscars at the end of the year.

With these awards, the box office performance of "Non-Powerful Aphrodisiac" will increase significantly. Even if it cannot surpass the bad movie "Paranormal Activity 2" in terms of box office performance, it can crush that movie in terms of word of mouth and popularity. "

Harvey persuaded.

Woody Allen nodded approvingly, and every year his films are the favorites at the Academy Awards.

On the one hand, the films he shot are relatively old-fashioned and have a certain artistic quality, which is also suitable for the tastes of the group of old white male judges at the Academy.

On the other hand, the Academy Awards was founded by Jews. There are many Jewish directors on the Oscar jury, and Jewish directors and actors also receive extra care during the selection process.

From 1978 to the present, he has been nominated for 18 Academy Awards, winning 1 Best Director Award and 2 Best Screenplay Awards.

At next year's Academy Awards, he is also confident that he will receive at least two nominations for "Mighty Aphrodisiac".

After getting nominated, the box office of the movie will indeed increase, while that bad movie "Paranormal Activity 2" will just quietly disappear from the local theaters after its release, no matter how high the box office performance is, and no one will mention it again. This is the difference between art films and commercial films.

Director Woody Allen adjusted the legs of his glasses with pride.

Seeing Woody Allen's relaxed expression, Harvey Weinstein grinned and said, "Woody, our company is currently shooting an art film. The supporting actress is an 16-year-old beauty with a petite figure. She looks less than years old. However, her acting skills are very poor. We need professional help. Woody, do you have time? Can you give me some advice?"

Because Woody Allen is less than 170 cm tall and thin, he likes petite and young women.

Harvey knew this and tried to win over Woody Allen in this way.

Director Woody Allen raised his eyebrows and said kindly, "Harvey, we are friends, you don't need to do this, but I like to give guidance to actors, so you can go and have a look if you have time."

"Haha, I understand. No matter when you come, I will make arrangements for you in advance and ensure that there will be no problems."

Harvey winked and smiled.
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After the Guess What Film Press Conference ended, Liu Xiaoli's answers to reporters attracted a lot of attention in the circle and also caused a lot of controversy.

Some support her statement, believing that Guess What Pictures has released many good films, making the North American film market more prosperous and the film themes more diversified.

In addition, many films produced by Guess the Movies are groundbreaking and have inspired fellow filmmakers. The way Guess the Movies distributes films is also worthy of learning and imitation by peers.

But some people think that Liu Xiaoli is bragging and that Guess Pictures does not have such a big impact on the American film industry.

The rise of Guess What Pictures not only disrupted the inherent order of Hollywood, but also profoundly affected the stability of the North American film market. In comparison, Guess What has a greater negative impact.

Some people think that Liu Xiaoli's way of refuting director Woody Allen is somewhat disrespectful to the veteran artist and she should stand up and apologize.

Some people also support Liu Xiaoli, thinking that her answer was very clever. An old man like Woody Allen who has no moral integrity should be attacked with the most harsh language to make him feel ashamed. Liu Xiaoli's speech at the press conference was not only not excessive, but rather somewhat tactful. It would have been better if it could have been sharper.

Michael Leeson, CEO of Guess What Pictures, also came out for an interview and refuted many negative reports in the media.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said that since its establishment in 1992, Guess What Pictures has been growing hard under the pressure of its peers. Thanks to the good leadership of Chairman Link and the unity and cooperation of the company's colleagues, Guess What Pictures has withstood test after test and become stronger with each test.

Therefore, Guess What Pictures is not afraid of suppression or questioning.

Regarding the current 'Guess What Films threat theory', Michael Leeson said that this argument has little impact on the company.

Guess What Pictures will not reduce the number of films it produces because of these negative reports. Instead, it will find ways to improve the company's film production capabilities and strive to reach the level of the Big Seven film studios, producing more than 20 films each year.

Although this approach will increase the intensity of competition in the film industry, it can also inspire the fighting spirit of peers, allowing them to devote more attention to film creation, make more good-looking films, and better serve the audience.
After hearing Michael Leeson's response, ordinary audiences agreed with him and hoped to see more good movies in theaters in the future.

After reading this report, the management of the Big Seven film studios burst into curse words. Guess What Pictures produces about ten films a year, which has already caused chaos in the North American film market and brought huge pressure to the Big Seven film studios. If Guess What Pictures increases its annual output to 20 films, the consequences will be disastrous.

"Gray, guess when the film company will conduct the third round of financing?"

In the Universal Pictures office, Ron Mayer looked at the spread-out newspaper and called Greg Davis, chief investment officer of Vanguard Capital, one of the shareholders of MCA, the parent company of Universal Pictures. Greg is also a Jewish investor.

"The third round? The second round was only completed in May. I guess there is no shortage of funds at the moment, so there will probably not be a third round of financing in the short term. In addition, Link values the shares in his hands very much, so he probably won't conduct a third round of financing in the next five years."

Greg Davis responded.

"Five years? No, this cycle is too long."

Langmeyer said sternly, "Gray, can you find a way to urge Link to conduct the third round of financing ahead of schedule, get more shares, and strive to control Guess What? Pictures? Guess What? Pictures has seriously affected the interests of the seven major film studios, and also affected our interests and control in Hollywood. This situation cannot continue, and it must be corrected as soon as possible."

“That’s probably difficult. Although Link holds less than 50% of the shares, he has more than 70% of the voting rights. Guess what, the work of the film company is still decided by him, and it is difficult for other shareholders to threaten his position.

In addition, under his management, Guess the Movies has developed rapidly in the past two years, with a very high return on investment. Shareholders are very satisfied with his performance, trust him and are willing to support his work.

As long as Link doesn't make major mistakes in his film investments, no one can threaten his position in the company, let alone control Guess What.

As for what you said, the rise of Guess What Pictures has seriously affected the interests of the seven major film studios.

I have a question.

As film companies, the Big Seven Pictures have decades of production experience, countless film talents, a huge number of film resources, and the support of media groups.

Guess What Pictures was established only four years ago. It has no people and no funds. Its production, publicity and distribution channels are still under construction. All aspects are very imperfect, and its overall strength is far inferior to that of the Big Seven film studios.

In this case, the seven major film studios combined cannot compete with Guess What? This is very strange. Can you tell me the answer? "

Greg Davis asked.

"This"

Longmeyer didn't know how to explain it.

Greg is right. No matter in terms of hardware or soft power, any of the Big Seven studios is stronger than Guess What?, but they often cannot compete with Guess What? at the box office, which makes the top executives of the Big Seven studios very embarrassed.

They have also studied this issue.

The main reason is that Guess Pictures has extremely high levels of film selection, production and distribution. Guess Pictures also has Link, a director with both high level and high output.

But he couldn't tell Greg this fact, because Greg would think they were incompetent.

Seeing that he did not respond, Greg Davis advised him not to just think about competing with Guess What Pictures, but to learn more from Guess What and Link and try to find the secret of Guess What Pictures' success.

As long as Universal Pictures and several other film companies can become strong again, get more box office share, and counter-suppress Guess What Pictures, they don't have to worry that Guess What Pictures will destroy the old order of Hollywood, or that Link will threaten the rights and interests of Jews in Hollywood.

His proposal to use capital to control Guess What Pictures, suppress its box office revenue, or bankrupt the company is not in the interests of investment companies, and the Investment Ministry Federation will not support such an approach.

When Ron Mayer heard him say this, he sighed helplessly, said he understood his thoughts, and claimed that he would strengthen the company's management, strive to get more box office, and create more benefits for shareholders.

After hanging up the phone, Langmeyer called Jewish executives from several other investment companies.

Among these senior executives, those who own shares in Guess the Movie have no interest in suppressing the movie company. Instead, they persuade them to work harder and surpass Guess the Movie company.

Those who do not hold shares in Guess the Picture expressed their willingness to help, but they would not simply spend money to suppress Guess the Picture. They hope for a specific plan.

After successfully bringing down Guess What Pictures, they will be able to share as much profit as they can. The more profit they make, the more support they will give. If it is just a blank check, sorry, they are the capital side and will not make such an investment with no benefits.

Ron Meyer thanked them for their support and said he would let them see the benefits.

After negotiating with the investors, Ron Meyer continued to call Barry Diller, Michael Eisner and others to ask them what they thought about the possibility that Guess What Pictures might continue to win the annual box office championship.

Barry Diller and others also said that the situation was serious and needed to be treated with caution, and asked him what suggestions he had.

Before Michael Ovitz left, he was usually the one who took the lead in such matters, with the participation of the seven major film studios.

Now that Ovitz has jumped to Disney, it is inconvenient for the seven major film studios to unite without anyone to act as a go-between.

Longmeyer recommended Harvey Weinstein as the new leader, asking him to replace Ovitz's role, connect with the seven major film studios, unite all the forces that can be united, and work together to deal with Guess What? Pictures.

At the same time, it is proposed to step up pressure on the films of Guess Pictures in the film market, put pressure on the senior management of Guess Pictures, and increase the probability of them making mistakes in their work.

Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, Shirley Lansing, Mig Goss and others accepted the offer.

After receiving the news, Harvey Weinstein readily agreed and said that he would actively fight to bring down Guess What Pictures and Link as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)