Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 83 I'm Not in a Hurry

A premiere of "Dances with Wolves" took place at the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard;

Aaron and Nicole Kidman were also in attendance.

"Has Orion become wealthy after selling the rights to The Silence of the Lambs?"

Aaron looked at the scene and it was still the same.

Nicole Kidman smiled and whispered to Aaron, "Orion doesn't even dare to release 'The Silence of the Lambs,' and you're rushing in to give them money?"

Aaron was speechless, "They say big breasts mean no brains, but your breasts aren't big, so why can't you figure it out?"

"Before, 20th Century Fox didn't dare to release that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Looking at the results, aren't you filled with regret?"

"This kind of thing depends on your perspective. When 'The Silence of the Lambs' comes out next year, Orion will probably be crying!"

"Okay, I can't beat you," Nicole Kidman admitted defeat decisively.

Nicole Kidman had just worked with Kevin Costner in "Ghost", so it was normal for her to come to support each other's movie premiere;
However, Aaron seemed to have no interest in these activities.

Later, backstage at the theater, Aaron met Mike Medver, the head of TriStar Films, who was one of the producers of Dances with Wolves.

Another work, "The Silence of the Lambs", now belongs to Dawn Pictures, and Aaron just wants to talk to them about distribution matters.

"When The Silence of the Lambs was first proposed, it was met with a lot of opposition. It was only after my strong support that Jonathan Demme agreed to direct it."

"We were not optimistic about Jodie Foster as the female lead, but she loved the novel and personally persuaded the director. Also, other actresses who were approached were not very interested in the role, so we decided on Jodie Foster."

"After that, we approached Anthony Hopkins, who had returned to the UK to perform in a stage play, and sparks flew between us during our first audition!"

Mike Medver talked about the film's production process, "The budget was limited, so we had to save money in many areas. Fortunately, we only spent $1900 million;"

"Do you know what people outside are saying about this movie?"

Aaron smiled, "How do you rate it?"

"First-rate actors, second-rate script and third-rate director," Mike Medward shook his head.

"As Orion's financial situation worsened, they brought in new investors, but to their surprise, The Silence of the Lambs was still sold!"

Mike Medver said, looking at Aaron Anderson, "Let TriStar distribute it. I know you have a good cooperation with Columbia, but I have a different view on "The Silence of the Lambs";"

"It's the same old rule, 15% commission for publishing..."

"Mr. Medward, I'm actually not in a hurry," Aaron couldn't accept the 15% publishing commission;

He has obviously been involved in several successful films and his vision has been proven, but he still charges such a high commission of 15%. This is definitely not acceptable.

Sony distributes the works of some film production companies such as Carlock and Castle Rock, and the commission is about 10%;

Why do I have to pay 15% more when it comes to me?

"Boyz N the Hood" is a "three-no" product, so the 15% commission is reasonable. "The Silence of the Lambs" has Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster.
Moreover, this is a work that cost nearly 2000 million U.S. dollars to shoot, not a low-budget workshop production of a few million dollars!

"You have 'Boyz n the Hood' coming out in March next year, and 'Ghost' in the summer. It seems that you are very confident in your work?" Mike Medver certainly understood what the other party meant. After all, the distribution of those two films was undertaken by Columbia.

"I have always been confident in my own vision!"

It would be much easier to just wait until "Boyz N the Hood" is released in March and it's a success, then talk about releasing "The Silence of the Lambs";

Moreover, "The Silence of the Lambs" will also compete for the Oscars next year, and Aaron is not willing to release it too early.

Mike Medver smiled and said, "The sooner you get the publishing contract, the easier it will be to get a bank loan. With about six months left, aren't you planning on developing other titles?"

Dawn Pictures invested in three movies this year. How much money did they have?
The film "Ghost" was mostly financed by bank loans, and since Orion was willing to sell "The Silence of the Lambs", it must have been a cash transaction.
Could it be that Mike Medver didn't know about the situation in Orion?
Aaron thought about it and realized that this was indeed the problem. If he had the distribution contract for "The Silence of the Lambs" in hand, even if the bank was not optimistic about the film;

But if those investment funds have the distribution contract as collateral, then lending Aaron several million dollars will not be a problem. After all, it is a work worth nearly 2000 million dollars, and it has Jodie Foster in it. With the box office, videotapes and TV broadcasts, the bank will not worry that "The Silence of the Lambs" will lose everything!
Aaron sighed, "13% distribution commission, and the film must be released in no less than 800 theaters;"

"I'm sure Mr. Medver has also seen the finished film, The Silence of the Lambs. It's not just a horror thriller, but one with profound meaning, touching on women's rights, religion, and other aspects."

"It's definitely a fantastic film, otherwise Mr. Medward wouldn't have pushed for its development!"

Mike Medward thought for a moment and nodded. "I can promise you, but the date has to be February or April next year."

"Well, why is that? Isn't the spring season suitable for this type of film?"

Although Aaron didn't think about scheduling it for the summer or Christmas season, at least he planned to schedule it for the fall season, which would be nice during Halloween.

"Because Samsung needs to release more movies at this time. Oliver Stone's biopic 'The Door' will be released in late February or early March;"

“Let’s schedule The Silence of the Lambs to be released in April!”

Aaron was puzzled and looked at the other person with a confused expression.

"I know Columbia has 'Boyz on the Hood' and 'Fatal Minds' coming out in the spring, and they're also staggered in time."

Facing Aaron Anderson's gaze, Mike Medver explained: "Next year, Sony will ensure that there are three new movies released every month, and Sony will have big movies in the summer and Christmas seasons;"

“Do you want your work to be released during that time?”

Definitely not. At that time, Columbia and TriStar would focus on releasing blockbusters, and other films would be cannon fodder.

Although more than half of the works released by Sony are cannon fodder, at least in certain periods, the competition is less.

"Let's arrange it in mid-to-late April." After all, May is summer vacation, so we can catch up!

"Yes, it's a pleasure to work with you."

"Happy cooperation!"

The two shook hands and reached an agreement.

"Okay, the movie is about to start, and we should go back to the theater!"

Mike Medver patted Aaron on the shoulder.

(End of this chapter)