America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 741 Digging a Hole, Propelling Fire In

In today's North American film market, for a film that has a wide release but a poor opening, to turn things around, it needs not only rave reviews but also a lot of good luck.

The difficulty of a comeback for "The Lone Ranger" is undoubtedly beyond hell.

This film is somewhat like Johnny Depp himself; it has a certain appeal under certain circumstances, but once outside that context, it can only be described as "terrible".

After a disappointing opening day at the box office, Depp faced a backlash as the media, eager for newsworthy events, were quick to smear him.

In addition to the recent series of events, even River Phoenix, who died in Depp's bar in 1993, has been brought up by the media, who claim that the bar owner, Depp, gave River Phoenix too many drugs, leading to the subsequent tragedy.

When things are going smoothly and a celebrity is constantly creating huge commercial value, all that surrounds them are good people and good deeds.

Even drug use and alcoholism can be touted by the media as a tenacious fight against alcohol and drug addiction.

Celebrities who fall rapidly in popularity will find themselves surrounded by petty people and villains, and even the smallest problems will be blown out of proportion by the media.

Johnny Depp still has a large fan base, but he has lost public favor due to continuous media coverage.

These factors are directly reflected in "The Lone Ranger".

On its second day of release, Saturday, the film's box office revenue declined significantly, earning only $658 million.

After three days of its North American opening weekend, "The Lone Ranger" unsurprisingly took the top spot at the North American box office, but its cumulative box office is only $1855 million.

This box office figure shocked the entire Hollywood.

That's absolutely terrible!

If things continue like this, who will dare to produce mega-productions costing over $2 million in the future?

But many people also enjoy watching the drama unfold, because the losers are the outsiders who wave their money around and wreak havoc in Hollywood.

Who wouldn't want to see the madman Ellison family suffer?

Subsequently, Cinemascore released audience reviews from theaters, giving it an average score of C, on par with Transcendence, and predicting a North American box office of around $4000 million.

…………

Burbank, Davis Studios.

In Martin's office, Nicholson sat on the sofa, his face crinkling with laughter, and said, "Our 'Operation Depp,' which has lasted for more than six months, has finally achieved a major victory!"

"Guys!" Martin poured three glasses of champagne and handed them to Nicholson and Leonardo. "We have to drink to this!"

The three of them toasted in celebration.

Leonardo put down his glass and said, "In the past, when I saw other superstars' movies fail, I would always feel sad. Why do I only feel good when I see this now?"

He slapped his forehead, finding his reason: "It must be those two bastards who led me astray, turning me from a good person into a complete scoundrel!"

"You're a good guy?" Martin exposed his past: "Back in 1998, James Cameron said, 'Leo, you're a complete jerk!'"

Nicholson nodded: "I remember this, and I can vouch for it."

Leonardo DiCaprio showed no embarrassment at being exposed and quickly changed the subject, asking, "Was the budget for 'The Lone Ranger' incredibly high?"

Martin is acutely aware of this: "Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures bought the rights from Disney for $8000 million plus confidential post-production revenue sharing; my studio was in the running for that price."

Nicholson was unhappy with his attempt to mislead, saying, "You're digging a hole and stirring up trouble to drive up copyright prices."

Martin chuckled, seeing no need to deny it in front of his best friend, and added, "I don't know what Megan Ellison is thinking, but it might be related to her wanting to make this subject into a so-called new Pirates of the Caribbean series. Annapurna Pictures didn't include the copyright transfer fee in the production costs."

Leonardo patted the sofa armrest with a smile: "That's really good news."

Martin continued, "The initial production budget for 'The Lone Ranger' was $2 million, but due to Depp's various demands, it was eventually increased to $2.5 million. The film's publicity and marketing were a joint effort between Annapurna and Warner Bros., with a budget of $1.5 million, and it is said that Annapurna contributed half of that."

Nicholson immediately understood: "Megan Ellison invested in a series of films before even knowing how well the first one would perform. That kind of confidence is something not everyone has."

Leonardo DiCaprio said frankly, "Because she has a father with a net worth of $30 billion, and her father is known for his confidence and arrogance."

Martin took the champagne and poured some for Leonardo and Nicholson, saying, "During filming in Death Valley National Park, Megan Ellison was extremely dissatisfied with Depp, and the two had a very sharp conflict, but for the sake of the film's commercial future, she had to endure it."

Leonardo said, "The more times you hold back, the more terrifying your outburst will be."

"Even if Megan Ellison doesn't explode, we'll provoke her!" Nicholson said coldly, his face grim. "That bastard Depp dared to orchestrate a car accident; doesn't he know Martin is under my protection?"

He slammed his hand on the sofa armrest: "Go for Depp! This time, go all out and make him unable to take care of himself!"

Martin wholeheartedly agreed: "I've devised two plans. One will be handled by Musk in Silicon Valley; he's already hooked up with Depp's wife, Amber Heard!"

"This guy has really strange tastes!" Leonardo interjected. "Isn't he afraid of soiling his bed?"

Nicholson looked Martin up and down and said, "I thought you were going to do it yourself, but someone else has already taken the lead."

Leonardo frowned: "You, who specializes in stealing other people's wives, haven't made a move? That's illogical!"

Martin retorted angrily, "Because I'm a mathematician, I can solve math problems..."

Leonardo's expression changed drastically: "I was wrong, it's all my fault! Martin Davis is an upright man, he pursues women with integrity, and he even steals someone else's wife with integrity!"

Martin shoved his middle finger right into Leonardo's face.

Nicholson said, "We're talking about how to mess with people, can you two be serious for once?"

Martin and Leonardo have stopped fooling around.

Nicholson asked Martin, "What's next?"

Martin said, "Find an opportunity to provoke Megan Ellison in person, let her vent all the pent-up dissatisfaction and anger she has towards Depp, and let Depp fully experience the rage of a billionaire princess."

He picked up his glass, took a sip of champagne, and said, "Musk will orchestrate Amber Heard's divorce from Depp. According to his information, the famously love-struck Depp didn't sign any prenuptial agreement with Amber..."

Nicholson slapped his thigh in frustration: "If only I had let Lorraine hook up with Depp."

Martin and Leonardo were utterly speechless at their silly boss.

Nicholson said, "Depp still has a large fortune, and Amber could get a share if they divorce."

"That's not all." Martin suddenly laughed. "That bastard Musk also enjoys this game we've planned, preparing to let Amber Heard successfully become a victim of domestic violence."

Nicholson nodded. "That's exactly what we wanted." He exclaimed, "Indeed, the bastard you know is just as much of a bastard as you."

Leonardo suddenly laughed: "Depp is getting the best treatment ever. The three of us are watching him, Megan Ellison is watching him, and Elon Musk from Tesla is watching him. He should pay a special visit to thank him for this honor."

Martin said, "You can call Depp."

"Who should provoke Megan Ellison?" Such an interesting proposition naturally piqued Nicholson's interest: "I'll go, I'm experienced..."

Martin had worked so hard to create this situation, so of course he wanted to enjoy it: "Megan Ellison snatched the project from me, and my personal involvement was the most effective."

Leonardo DiCaprio didn't want to miss out either: "A few years ago, Megan Ellison asked me for an autograph and a photo, saying she was a fan of mine. If I, as her idol, turn the tables on her, it will be even more effective."

The three of them were locked in a dispute for a while, each wanting to go up and have some fun.

Such an opportunity is too rare.

As the leader of the trio of scoundrels, Nicholson made the final decision: "Here's the deal, the three of us will go together, and we'll decide who goes based on the situation. That's fair and reasonable, and even those who don't go can just sit back and watch the show."

Leonardo agreed: "Great idea."

"That's settled then." Martin thought for a moment, then added, "Our task now is to find out Megan Ellison's whereabouts as soon as possible and where she might appear."

Nicholson, with the widest range of opinions, said: "Leave it to me."

…………

Annapurna Films, President's Office.

Megan Ellison sat motionless in the boss's chair for more than half an hour.

On the desk in front of her was the latest data report for "The Lone Ranger".

The $1855 million box office in its opening weekend in North America seemed to have a terrifying effect, making Megan Ellison unable to look directly at it.

So much was invested, so much was given, and there was so much confidence in the project and the film, yet this is the result. Who could accept this? Who could calmly accept it?

Even though she is the daughter of the madman Larry Ellison, and even though she has a billionaire father, this painful defeat still makes Megan Ellison's heart bleed.

Megan can tolerate the failure of her previous film, Transcendence; after all, who hasn't failed in their entrepreneurial ventures?

But this "Lone Ranger" was another failure, and Megan couldn't understand it.

With a production budget of $2.5 million, the film is well-funded.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is a highly regarded and respected producer in Hollywood for over two decades. His works, including Breakdance, Bad Boys, The Rock, The Great Disaster, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean, and National Treasure, all demonstrate his ability and vision.

Director Gore Verbinski is exceptionally talented and has just directed the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

The male lead, Johnny Depp, is a top-tier Hollywood star with immense star power.

These people had just created the glory of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.

Add to that her exceptional investment skills, and she has practically gathered all the elements for success.

But the film just happened to fail, and it was a complete failure!

(End of this chapter)