American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 125: Withdrawal Makes Way for a New God

In reality, by the time Murdoch officially launched Operation Umbrella, this year's summer movie season was already in complete chaos, because even the biggest entertainment news can't outweigh social issues. Therefore, with problems like racial discrimination dominating the public eye for so long, film promotion simply couldn't be done.

To put it bluntly, anyone who dares to grab headlines at this time will be subjected to a barrage of angry criticism from the public.

If the publicity doesn't work, the project will fail, and if the project fails, the film company will lose money.

That's why General Electric and Viacom attacked Fox so frantically during that period.

They own not only broadcasting and television networks, but also film companies!

Even if their film company doesn't have epic IPs, does that mean people without big IPs don't deserve to live?
They also have movies they want to promote! They have huge productions! They also want to make money during the summer blockbuster season!

Take General Electric for example. They just bought Universal, and Universal was actually the frontrunner, or rather, the first to jump the gun. Universal invested $170 million in "Van Helsing," which was the first big film of the summer season, with its premiere date set for May 7. Then... on May 5, Fox and Warner officially went to war.

When both sides' punches land and their moves are deadly, the very essence of morality is obliterated by their attacks.

Under these circumstances, affected by the overall environment, "Van Helsing" only grossed $2700 million in its opening weekend!

This infuriated Universal!
Although, according to public feedback, the movie "Van Helsing" was indeed not very well made.

Even if it's bad, it's still a special effects blockbuster, and its box office could never reach 2700 million in three days!

A film with an investment of 1.7 million yuan only made 2700 million yuan in its opening week?
That time slot can only be described as absolutely terrible!

So when Hollywood studios realized that this year's summer box office might be a disaster, they were already wishing the Murdoch family well, and they only stopped offering their congratulations when Fox surrendered.

However, just when they thought the disappearance of social hotspots meant that normal publicity could begin.

The ever-changing beaver has reappeared.

This completely stunned them.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Miss Beaver has the same effect as social trends, making it impossible for other film companies to promote their own works. Rather, it's because Miss Beaver has generated so much buzz that other companies' promotional revenue is dwindling.

E.g……

Pacific Time, May 17, 2004.

California.

10 Universal Studios Plaza in Los Angeles is a skyscraper that is 506 feet above the ground.

This is the headquarters of Universal Pictures.

At this moment, several senior executives were sitting in the conference room on the 36th floor.

Everyone is looking for a way out for Universal's summer movie plans this year.

"Personally, I think Universal can withdraw from the first half of this summer's box office battle."

"Because judging from the current situation, we have absolutely no chance of winning."

Ronald Meyer, president and CEO of Universal Pictures, adjusted his glasses and said, "According to my sources, in the past week, video sales and rentals of 'The Philosopher's Stone' and 'The Chamber of Secrets' have increased by nearly six million dollars, and more than 300,000 copies of the Harry Potter novels have been sold."

"This is a truly terrifying set of numbers."

"A number so terrifying that we can already surrender."

Ronald Meyer's words silenced the conference room at Universal.

Everyone could understand what he meant.

Everyone can understand the meaning behind the data he listed—

The novels and films of "The Philosopher's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets" have been out for a long time, and those who like them have already supported them.

Therefore, their sales curves should be very flat before new installments in the series are released.

If the sales curve fluctuates or shows growth, it can only mean that the external environment has given them some kind of stimulus.

So what kind of stimulus can the outside world provide for them right now?
That's just Marvel fans making fun of Hailey Bieber's meme!
Then, this kind of fun excited netizens who like to have fun, and they joined in.

To be honest, the major film studios initially didn't care about Marvel fans researching Harry Potter.

In their eyes, this kind of research is nothing more than empty talk.

Because the target audiences for comics and novels don't overlap much.

People who enjoy reading comics are more interested in sensory stimulation, while those who enjoy reading novels tend to imagine their own unique world based on the author's words. Therefore, no matter how much Marvel fans hope that Chris Columbus can save Marvel's movies, there probably aren't many people who actually read the Harry Potter novels or study the film adaptations.

but……

Sales of the novels and videotapes of "The Philosopher's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets" really did increase.

That's utter nonsense.

What's even more absurd is that this increase is not just a tiny bit.

There are a lot!
It's terrifyingly high!
Well, the reason why the price increase can be described as terrifying is quite simple—

Assuming that all Marvel fans who study Harry Potter also buy both The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, then when the two novels sold more than 300,000 copies in the past week, the number of paid Harry Potter subscribers would have increased by 150,000 in just one week.

Is this okay?

Then, this number seems very small.

Because "The Order of the Phoenix" sold 500 million copies in the UK and US alone within 24 hours of its release.

It is the number one best-selling physical book in the world every day.

It has sold over 3000 million copies to date.

but--

The Order of the Phoenix achieved its daily sales miracle only after Goblet of Fire had already set a record.

Before "The Goblet of Fire," the number one best-selling physical book worldwide was "Azkaban."

The Order of the Phoenix was able to sell 500 million copies a day because Harry Potter had been building up its sales for eight years!
Therefore, the original books of "The Philosopher's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets" sold more than 300,000 copies in a week.

Harry Potter's paid subscribers have increased by at least 15.
This increase can only be described as explosive!
But what's even more explosive is...

“I support Ronald’s opinion.”

Donna Langley, senior vice president of Universal Pictures, said, "As Azkaban is about to be released, these new paid subscribers are very likely to become the impulse buy group for Azkaban. Hundreds of thousands of real paid subscribers can generate tens of millions of dollars in box office revenue because they are unlikely to go to the theater alone."

"And tens of millions of potential box office revenue is a terrifying incremental figure no matter what day it is."

"If it happens on the opening weekend... that would be a nightmare for the entire industry, because such an increase could very well make Azkaban the second film in the world, after Spider-Man, to gross over $100 million in its opening weekend."

"In the face of absolute strength, any boasting is useless."

"Therefore, I suggest that our 'Century Cop' should be shifted immediately."

That's right.

What's even more explosive is that Harry Potter suddenly gained a user base of passionate consumers.

These are the people who are most likely to pay the price for their emotions.

When they become really into something, a new version of that thing is bound to be released soon.
That's exactly what these people love to do most!
Then, Harry Potter suddenly gained hundreds of thousands of passionate consumers.
This……

This is simply leaving no way for our competitors to survive!

When this fact occurs—

The thing Universal executives want to do most is to reschedule their other summer blockbuster, "Century Cop"!

"Century Cop" is actually a sequel to "Pitch Black," starring Vin Diesel.

The total investment for this film was 1.2 million yuan.

The original release date was June 11.

Going back a little further, on June 4th, there was "Azkaban".

Uh……

Actually, Universal knew from the beginning that the release date for "Century Cop" wasn't good.

There are two reasons why "Century Cop" was scheduled for June 11th, despite knowing the adverse conditions:
Firstly, there are too many IPs in this year's summer movie season, so no matter where you choose to compete, it will be difficult.

So, with Vin Diesel's personal achievements being quite good, his breakout film "Fast & Furious" grossed 2.07 million yuan with an investment of 3800 million yuan, and his subsequent film "xXx" also broke even with an investment of 8800 million yuan and grossed 2.77 million yuan, perhaps he could find a way to survive in the cracks when he works with "Harry Potter".
Secondly, Ronald Meyer, president and CEO of Universal Pictures, has a daughter named Jennifer Meyer.

Her boyfriend's name is Toby Maguire.

Yeah~
Peter Parker, the Spider-Man.

The two had been talking for some time, and Ronald Meyer liked his son-in-law very much.

Tobey Maguire almost got fired by Sony during the filming of "The Loser's Man 2" due to frequent lateness and diva-like behavior. It was only after Ronald Mayer intervened and spoke to Sony's chairman, Howard Stringer, that the matter was resolved. So…

He couldn't possibly let his own film steal screenings from his son-in-law's, could he?

Therefore, "Crossfire" and "Azkaban" are now in the same boat.

Of course, that was the situation before.

The current situation is...

"Ronald, how do you want to move it?" Stacey Snyder, chairman of Universal Pictures, tapped his index finger on the table.

She knew Ronald Meyer's little scheme.

But not important.

Because everyone in the circle has their own agenda.

For example, her...

Actually, they're from DreamWorks.

She was able to become the chairman of Universal Pictures because of Jeffrey Katzenberg's recommendation.

DreamWorks has brought a lot of profits to Universal.

and so……

Why did X-Men choose to crash into Azkaban instead of Shrek, which was easier to crash into?

This is really hard to guess!
hee hee~
"Then let's move it to July?"

Since everyone has their own ulterior motives, Ronald Meyer then shared his thoughts.

However, before he could finish speaking, someone in the conference room said, "July is not a good time to release. Will Smith's 'I, Robot' is in mid-July, and our own 'Bourne' sequel is in late July."

"What about August?"

"August is fine, there's only 'Alien vs. Predator' in August, but August is the end of the summer movie season, and putting Vin Diesel there... given his temperament, he might not be happy?"

Vin Diesel isn't an ordinary person either... well, there are no ordinary people in this industry.

Normal working-class people wouldn't want to offend him, but Ronald Meyer...

"Does he want to be crushed by Azkaban if he doesn't want to go to August?"

"Do not make jokes."

"For us right now, August is already the best time to book."

"So... let's leave it at that..."

The massive online buzz generated by Hailey Bieber led Universal Pictures to back down.

At this point, regardless of how outsiders judge them, they will no longer confront Azkaban head-on.

Paramount is in a similar predicament to Universal; at this moment, they...

Another corner of Los Angeles.

Paramount headquarters at 5555 Melrose Avenue.

Paramount Chairman Shirley Lansing sat in the conference room, listening to a report from her subordinates. "Right now, Harry Potter is unmatched."

The Paramount senior vice president in charge of distribution, a white man, looked at his colleagues in the conference room with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi - mixed feelings of emotion and reflection).

"The Harry Potter I know now is someone who can spit out spider silk with a flick of his wrist."

"This is absolutely outrageous."

"Even if you brought Darth Vader here, and he shouted 'I am your father' while swinging his lightsaber, sparks flying, he still couldn't beat Harry Parker, who has a wand in one hand and can spit spider silk in the other!"

"Hahahaha-"

The vivid analogy elicited laughter from the Paramount conference room.

That's right.

Paramount currently believes that Harry Potter and Peter Parker have merged into one.

This is not only because Spider-Man is the most popular superhero in Marvel, but also because Spider-Man is the most popular Marvel movie right now. When Marvel fans are eager for Chris Columbus to produce a good Marvel movie, Spider-Man is definitely the standard by which they judge the quality of a movie. Therefore, Harry Potter has gained 'some' new fans?

These fans must be fans of the Spider-Man movies!

And the new fans of Harry Potter are fans of Spider-Man movies.
Just thinking about this is terrifying!

Because both Harry Potter and Spider-Man are epic IPs.

When an epic IP can draw inspiration from another epic IP for its development...

Now, even if the Sith Lord himself were to come, he probably wouldn't be able to defeat him.

"So, was Isabella really a girl blessed by God?"

Another senior vice president pushed up his glasses and shook his head, saying, "Although the current public opinion is born out of Marvel fans' expectation that Chris Columbus can bring them good movies, this is just the surface."

"The real reason is that Isabella is loved by everyone, or rather, she is very interesting."

"If she hadn't created a cartoon beaver, if she hadn't made the public accept her cartoon character, then I personally think that Harry Potter would never have been able to win over Spider-Man fans."

"To put it bluntly, the reason why Marvel fans think Isabella can join Marvel is because Isabella's cartoon image is very versatile. No matter how she is portrayed, no one will feel that it is out of place."

At this point, the senior vice president, who was wearing glasses, stopped speaking.

Looking around, his colleagues nodded in agreement.

Everyone agreed with him.

Without the cartoon beaver, even if Marvel fans love Isabella, they wouldn't be able to smoothly bring her into the Marvel family. So how did the cartoon beaver come about?

First of all, that must be because J.K. Rowling compared Hermione Granger to an animal when she wrote Harry Potter;
Secondly, the novel "Harry Potter" became so popular that it was adapted into a movie;
Next, the director in charge of the adaptation must be a business tycoon, because only such people have the ability to optimize the character of Hermione Granger. Hermione Granger in J.K. Rowling's book is not as likable as the one on screen.
Then, the actress playing Hermione Granger had to embrace the image of an animal herself. She had to create an adorable beaver and display it in public, act it out, and even the platform for displaying it had to be a record-breaking variety show...

Honestly, in the eyes of those in the industry, or rather, in Paramount's eyes, this entire process was an impossible task! Because every step required divine intervention! This was simply beyond human comprehension!

However, these are the things that have happened.

and so……

Nowadays, when facing such people, their ideas are no longer insurmountable.

But whoever opposes her will be banished by God.

The same is true.

Edgar Bronfman Jr. was beaten so badly he had to run to his mother.

Rupert Murdoch is just one step away from spiraling to heaven.

If things continue like this, even if the Sith Lord really does descend, Paramount believes that the meddlesome crowd will have Little Beaver kick him away, then raise his lightsaber and shout, 'May the Force be with you!'

That being the case...

"Okay, so you mean we should re-update 'The Copycat Wife'?"

Seeing that everyone's attitude was clear, Shirley Lansing immediately started banging on the table and took control of the situation.

"The Stepford Wives" is one of the big films Paramount is preparing for this summer's blockbuster season.

The film stars Nicole Kidman and has a budget of over 9000 million.

Its release date is the same as "Century Cop", June 11.

As for why they chose to release their movies at this crazy time?

Very simple.

Paramount has a lot of big films this year. The most valuable one, "Collateral," starring Tom Cruise, is already on the back burner. The second most valuable one, "The Secret," starring Denzel Washington, is also on the back burner.

Paramount is already trying every possible way to avoid encountering the gods who control lightning!

The release of "The Copycat Wife" on June 11th was simply out of necessity.

Or rather, compared to "Collateral" and "The Stepford Wives," Paramount considered "The Stepford Wives" to be a potential flop. But being a potential flop and intentionally flopping are two different things, right?

therefore……

"I support rescheduling."

"I also support rescheduling."

"It's not shameful to change your filing at this time."

"Yes, knowing we can't beat Azkaban and still going to fight it would only make Mr. Redstone question our capabilities."

After giants like Universal and Paramount chose to lie low and run away, other companies lost interest in even trying to bluff their way out.

For example, Walden Media changed the release date of "Around the World in 80 Days," which was originally scheduled for the 16th, to September.

Yes, Jackie Chan's "Around the World in 80 Days" is not a Disney movie.

Disney only handled distribution; the real investor was Walden Media, owned by Philip Anschutz, a shareholder of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American billionaire, and one of the top ten ranchers in the United States.

Philip Anschutz's family was in the energy business. He became a billionaire by buying his father's oil company for one dollar, a company that was worth $15 billion in 1975.

Although Philip Anschutz is very wealthy and the entertainment industry is just a small toy for him, he doesn't have a penchant for losing money.

Right?

Films scheduled after "Azkaban" can easily be pulled from their release schedules, but films scheduled before "Azkaban" are much harder to pull, because they might have to withdraw before "Azkaban" even airs...

This behavior is spineless no matter how you look at it.

Then, the problem arises.

Although Azkaban hasn't been released yet, it's already grabbing headlines!

While the general public in North America and even the UK were playing Hail Beaver, the film studios were getting their ads swallowed up one by one, which left them very helpless. The most helpless one in this situation was Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Because Shrek 2 is scheduled to be released on May 19th.

He has high hopes for this IP!

Or, to put it another way, the better Shrek 2 performed when he was preparing to split up with the other two founders of DreamWorks, the higher the cooperation price he could get from other investors after the split.

Well, he doesn't plan to run an animation company by himself.

He's not Steve Jobs.

So when he discovered that the promotional effect of "Shrek 2" seemed to be somewhat below expectations, he was very upset.

And after Shrek 2 is officially released...

He just exploded!
因为上映首日，5月19日，《史瑞克2》在全美3737家影院里砍下了1178万美金的票房。

On May 20, the day after its release, Shrek 2's box office in the United States dropped by 22.3%, closing at $915.87 million.

When this result came out, Jeffrey Katzenberg was completely stunned!

This is not only because the first Shrek movie grossed $4.92 million worldwide!

Furthermore, a single-day figure of 1000 million is simply pitifully low!

Yes!
May 19, 2004 was a Wednesday!

May 20th is a Thursday!

Shrek 2's release date is not a holiday!
but--

Box office revenue can be low on weekdays!
But it can't be ridiculously low!
Take The Matrix for example.

Last year's "Reloaded" grossed 37.5 million yuan in its first day of release on a Wednesday in May!
and so……

Shrek 2 only made 900 million a day?
This……

This……

Does this mean the audience doesn't like Shrek?

"Or is it Isabella's allure that can overcome everything?"

5 month 21 day.

In the general manager's office at DreamWorks Animation.

Jeffrey Katzenberg's voice trembled as he stared at the report.

To be honest, at that moment he simply couldn't believe his eyes!

And the rest of Hollywood...

They couldn't believe the facts before them!

"Is Isabella really that crazy? She can single-handedly shut down other movies?"

"That can't be right! There's definitely something wrong here!!"

"But DreamWorks has done everything they could in terms of marketing and distribution!!"

"Yeah! DreamWorks' marketing is fine! I've seen Shrek 2 too, this movie is fine too!!"

"OMG—can anyone tell me who's the problem?!"

When Shrek 2 only grossed $2094 million in its first two days, everyone's first reaction was that the world might have gone mad, and the second reaction was that Jeffrey Katzenberg was finished.

Based on the success of "Shrek 2," he could have put on some decent clothes and jumped off a building.

However, after May 21st quietly passed...

Shrek 2's box office revenue surged by 209.4% in a single day!

The daily revenue reached US$2834 million!
Let's wait until May 22nd passes...

On its fourth day of release, Shrek 2 continued its daily box office performance, rising by 58.1%!

Daily revenue reached 4479.70 million!
When this number came out, the entire Hollywood fell silent!

Spider-Man, released in 2002, grossed $4360 million on its opening day.

This number was the highest in North American film history before Shrek 2 was released.

So, when Shrek 2 came out...

The highest-grossing film in North America on a single day was Shrek 2.

That's right!

Shrek 2 grossed $4479.70 million in the US on its fourth day of release, setting a new record in North American film history!

How could a movie break a new box office record on its fourth day of release?

"Dxxn!"

"What the hell is this!"
-
(End of this chapter)