America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 355 New and Old Debts

Upon seeing Martin, Scott showed no curiosity whatsoever, walked over and said, "Idiot, come with me."

Bruce stood at the front desk, unwilling to move, intending to let Martin go to see Sophia alone.

Martin grabbed his arm and pulled him, saying, "What are you afraid of?"

Scott turned around, grinning and showing his teeth. "At most, you'll only experience this once you've gone through it a few times. You'll understand that it's actually a kind of enjoyment."

Martin patted Old Brooks on the shoulder: "I understand why you're always so nervous and scared; you haven't experienced enough of that!"

Bruce didn't say a word. Martin was a scoundrel; the more you resisted, the more excited he became.

For Elena's sake, Scott reminded her, "You know Sofia; her biggest concerns are reliability and safety."

Martin nodded. "Thanks."

Scott opened the door and led the two into the meeting room.

Sofia sat on the sofa and said, "Martin, Old Brooks, please make yourself at home."

Martin chose a single sofa.

Bruce entered the room and leaned against the wall, his back firmly against it. Anyone who wanted to attack him from behind would have to break through a concrete wall first.

Sophia, never one to mince words, glanced over Martin and Bruce's backsides and said, "Someone from Warner Bros. came over this morning and invited me to participate in the investment for Terminator 4."

Martin said, "They offered me the lead role, but I turned it down."

Sofia asked, "You don't think this project is promising?"

Martin may not be optimistic, but he wouldn't say it like that: "The film projects I've been involved in over the years don't represent myself. My success today is thanks to Louise, Kelly, and you, Sofia."

With his acting skills and a nine-tenths genuine delivery, it was exactly the same as the truth: "When I consider commercial projects, I'm not just thinking about myself, but also about whether your investment can be profitable. The more profitable you are, the more support you will give me, and the higher and further I can go."

Sofia recalled the investments she had participated in.

"Louise rejected the investment, and so did I." Martin didn't mention the role, nor the Terminator or Cameron, because those things were meaningless to Sofia: "Without Pacific Pictures, a veteran company in the industry, I wouldn't dare to invest, much less ask you to invest."

He spoke the truth: "In the years I've been in Hollywood, what has impressed me most is not how much profit I've made from investments, but the deception and fraud they've committed. They'll do anything, especially targeting investments outside the industry."

Sofia chimed in, "It's not just this one industry."

Martin nodded and then gave an example: "Sophia, you've definitely heard of 'Saving Private Ryan.' It was a very successful film both commercially and in terms of awards, but can you believe it? It lost money for the investors!"

Sofia was somewhat surprised: "A loss?"

Martin continued, "With this film, Spielberg made a lot of money, Tom Hanks made a lot of money, and the distributor DreamWorks made a lot of money, while investors from outside the industry lost money! There are many similar examples. Take Warner Bros. for example. With 'Troy,' Brad Pitt made tens of millions of dollars, and the distributor Warner Bros. also made tens of millions of dollars in profit, but what investors saw in the end was a loss-making account."

Sofia asked, "Are these people in the industry colluding to create a financial scam?"

Martin shook his head: "No, it's not a scam, it's all legal. For example, the publisher has to advance the marketing and distribution costs. Many media channels are owned by Warner Bros. As for the cost of overseas promotion, even God probably doesn't know. Also, the distribution fees advanced by Warner Bros. can be borrowed from other Warner companies, and the high interest will be included in the marketing and distribution costs..."

Sophia understood and replied, "They don't take overseas investors seriously. Many North American investors are like me; even if they reap some of the investment, they actually make a profit. For various reasons, even if they are dissatisfied, they won't choose to resort to legal action."

“That’s right.” Martin seized the opportunity to turn back: “Our investment goes through Pacific Pictures’ channels. Although we’ll have to pay a management fee, we’ll basically get all the profits we’re entitled to.”

Sofia invested all the proceeds from "The Hills Have Eyes" into "Wanted," a project that underwent its first settlement last December, yielding more than double the initial investment.

Martin said this precisely because he knew these things. He also invested in "Wanted." Although it took a full year for the film to be officially settled financially, Davis Studios received more than $12 million from its initial $5 million investment.

Subsequent offline revenue will be settled annually.

Sofia grinned, her face revealing a deep, fleshy grin: "Martin, you know I've always supported you."

Martin said, "This year, Pacific Pictures and my Davis Studios will also be investing."

Sofia wants stability and manageable risks: "Remember to let me know."

After chatting about their past in Atlanta, Martin and Bruce said goodbye and left.

Sofia called the entertainment lawyer and professional accountant she had hired at high salaries. After making a few calls, she took out the business card she had just received that morning and dialed the number.

Lauren was drinking coffee in a coffee shop, thinking about her next breakthrough, when she answered the phone and her expression turned somewhat grim.

We had just talked in the morning, but in the afternoon, the people from Wild Beasts House rejected Warner Bros.' investment offer.

These country bumpkins...

Lauren couldn't help but shake her head. If Hollywood weren't short of money, why would Warner Bros. give her an investment opportunity?

If we can't handle this, then we'll have to rely on Asians.

Lauren decided to go to Asia.

…………

Bruce drove over, and Martin got in and called Louise and Kelly one by one, and even contacted Wu Maoting.

It's hard to say about the latter, but Louise and Kelly won't abandon him for the time being.

Kelly once said that if something is both beautiful and functional, then while you can enjoy it, you should enjoy it for as many years as possible.

Meanwhile, Martin, needing to make some necessary preparations, put down his phone and asked, "Old Brooks, is Ivan still in Los Angeles?"

Bruce probably understood Martin's thoughts: "He's been keeping an eye on Pete's situation."

Martin had many considerations: "Could we keep Ivan in Los Angeles for an extended period?"

Bruce immediately understood what Martin was worried about and said, "Even if Sophia chooses to cooperate with Warner, it will only be a simple business cooperation."

Martin said, "It's just about managing risk."

Bruce nodded: "Don't worry, I'll handle it. Ivan has no relatives in Atlanta. He was my partner when we were in other industries."

On both occasions, Ivan played a role, so Martin simply said, "I'll give Ivan a long-term, stable income..."

"No!" Bruce interrupted him. "Ivan is employed by me; it has nothing to do with you."

Martin pointed at him: "Old Brooks, you're really full of shit."

Bruce said, "I caught it from you!"

Martin took out his phone and called Thomas first: "Keep an eye on news about Warner Bros.' Terminator project."

He then said to Bruce, "Go to Pacific Studios."

After thinking for a while, Martin found a phone number that Cody Horn had given him at the golf course last time.

"Hi, Martin." A familiar female voice came through the phone.

Martin had already prepared his excuse: "Cody, you said you'd teach me how to play golf last time, and I've been waiting for you to teach me the techniques. When are you free?"

"What bad luck," Cody said with a hint of regret. "I've been getting my body in shape for the Oscars these past few days, so I'm not fit to play."

She tentatively asked, "Martin, can we wait until after the Oscars?"

Martin replied, "Of course, we'll arrange it another time."

Cody laughed. "Then it's settled."

Martin hung up the phone and suddenly noticed strange looks from the person next to him.

Bruce said, "Sure enough, there's a reason I'm so bad."

"Don't make excuses or justifications for your nonsense." Martin said helplessly, "I'm just gathering information to keep track of what's going on over there, so I can respond immediately if anything happens."

The Oscars ceremony is just around the corner.

Upon arriving at Pacific Film Studios, Martin went into Louise's office and discussed the recent events in detail.

When men and women discuss matters, they sometimes use both hands and mouths, working together in unison.

Just one day before the Oscars, Martin received a message from Thomas that Christian Bale's agent, Parker, was in contact with Warner Bros. to begin preliminary discussions about the Terminator project.

It seems there's a very high chance Bale will be in the role.

Martin remembers clearly that Christian Bale played John Connor in this film.

This also proved to Hollywood that without Batman, his commercial appeal is not strong at all, and he is not capable of carrying the box office on his own.

Everything seems to be progressing in an orderly manner.

But Martin is still being watched closely; Bale tricked him in "The Prestige," and if given the chance, he'll get his revenge.

The British media and police can all attest that the Bell Sponge tearing incident at Pinewood Studios was caused by Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, and had nothing to do with Martin Davis.

So, this feud isn't over yet.

Not only him, but also Bell kept a very clear record of every single expense.

The last weekend of February 2007 arrived, and the 79th Academy Awards ceremony kicked off on time at the Kodak Theatre.

The biggest question this year is whether Martin Scorsese can realize his dream.

Those in the know know that the probability is as high as 90%!

Although Martin knew he was destined to be a runner-up, he still walked the Oscar red carpet; he wouldn't make the same mistake Leonardo made when he was young.

The year the movie "Big Ship" became a hit, Leonardo DiCaprio refused to walk the Oscar red carpet because he was not nominated for Best Actor, and even publicly declared that he was "worried about stealing the spotlight from the Oscars."

Those who follow Hollywood know what happened next.

On the day of the awards ceremony, Martin arrived in a Cadillac flagship car, wearing a Briony haute couture gown, and raised a Coca-Cola with members of the Coca-Cola cult on the red carpet.

Then they met up with Nicholson and Leonardo in the media area, forming the super trio of bastards as they walked into the Kodak Theatre.

(End of this chapter)