America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 863 Nolan's New Project

From 2000 to 2012, for twelve years, too many Hollywood movies made money from DVDs.

Take Martin's Davis Studios, for example. The standard DVD version of a popular movie sells for $15 to $20, while the Blu-ray high-definition version can sell for around $30. The cost of mass-producing these DVDs is only one percent of that.

Excluding distribution costs, the net profit from a single regular DVD can exceed $10.

With the rise of Netflix, the online streaming market is expanding rapidly, showing a strong trend of replacing DVDs as the first offline revenue stream after a film's theatrical window.

Davis Studios asked for $1 million for the first year.

These negotiations, which cannot reach an agreement in the short term, may continue until "John Wick 3" is taken off the screens in North American theaters.

After Martin and his group returned from their vacation in Hawaii, Bruce immediately led his men to Paris to meet Olina.

Lily and Elizabeth weren't idle either; through Davis Studio's PR team, they launched a smear campaign against Martin.

Numerous negative stories about Martin have surfaced online and in entertainment media.

"Hollywood's number one playboy—Martin Davis!"

The article details Martin's romantic experiences in Hollywood, from his girlfriend Eliza Cuthbert to his many girlfriends, and how he frequently had affairs with other beautiful actresses during his relationships with each of them.

Other examples include residents of the Sunset Boulevard North neighborhood accusing Martin of disturbing community order, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening angrily denouncing Martin, Leonardo, and Nicholson as three bastards for throwing fireworks into their home, and a small business owner in Atlanta revealing that Martin staged accidents to extort money before he became famous.

These things are of little to no harm to Martin today, but they can break through the filters of the internet and let the whole world know that he is not a god, but just a person with emotions and desires who has done a lot of bastard things.

Before the movement to create a god could even produce one, the concept of a god was automatically shattered.

However, fans still support Martin.

"I envy Martin's life."

"A member of Hollywood's infamous trio of bastards, he's undoubtedly a bastard himself."

"I think Martin is a cute jerk."

"Yeah, he's a cute jerk!"

The Cult of Cola is a pan-faith organization without any constraints. Although its members like and worship Martin, they do not regard him as the Pope of the Vatican.

Inside a luxury villa in Malibu Hill.

Kevin Tsujihara put down his newspaper, looked at Jon Berg, who was sitting on the sofa, and said, "Your deification campaign has failed. The other side has a very keen sense of smell."

Jon Berg was holding his phone, scrolling through Twitter, and seeing the trending news that was being widely shared online.

Some of these tweets revealed damaging information about Martin.

As someone working in the media industry, Jon Berger only needed a little analysis to determine that these were deliberately released.

He frowned and asked, "Could the news have leaked?"

"Impossible," Kevin Tsujihara said. "This idol-making plan is known to only five people, including you and me. The media we contacted also don't know what's going on. The box office of 'John Wick 3' has been soaring, and Martin Davis has become a big name. The editors of those media outlets thought that Disney or Davis Studios was behind it."

Jon Berg said, "To elevate someone to godlike status, and then shatter that illusion and let them fall from the top... I never imagined they'd go bankrupt so quickly."

Kevin Tsujihara analyzed, "It's probably not that the plan was leaked, but rather that Martin Davis realized the risks of such media coverage."

Jon Berger felt a headache coming on: "Does this bastard have paranoia?"

"Let's call this off." Kevin Tsujihara shook his head. "We originally planned to push Martin's reputation to its peak before 'Joker' was released, and then let him plummet to the bottom after we'd made enough money from 'Joker.' Now that he's exposed all of this himself, there's no point in pushing it any further."

Jon Berger asked, "Can't we do it through the Joker project?"

Kevin Tsujihara said helplessly, "Don't forget, I have strong competitors on the board and at Time Warner. If someone finds something wrong with my business, it will be very troublesome. The license for 'Joker' has already been given to Nolan and Martin, and Warner Bros. is in charge of distribution. Now the head of Warner Bros. is Daniel, who is not on our side."

Hearing these words, Jon Berg hated Martin even more. He was originally the president of Warner Bros. If Martin hadn't committed fraud, would he have ended up in a situation where he couldn't make it in Hollywood?

He sighed. "Warner Bros. is almost a separate company from Warner Bros., can't you get Daniel?"

"Not at this stage. The current board of directors at headquarters doesn't have enough trust in me," Kevin Tsujihara said thoughtfully. "Right now, the entire Warner Bros. and Time Warner are focused on the Justice League cinematic universe. If this series is as successful as the Avengers, I can use that success to demand more power and regain control of Warner Bros.

Jon Berg understood the importance of the Justice League series; once it achieved critical and commercial success, its profitability far exceeded that of ordinary films because of its broader range of peripheral revenue.

Kevin Tsujihara added, "Martin tricked us before, so we can use Warner Bros. to trick Martin in return."

Jon Berg, reflecting on his own tragic experience, said, "If you need my help, just let me know."

…………

Warner Bros. Studios, Interstellar Studios.

Martin, Nolan, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain, dressed in formal attire, stood in front of a black backdrop, allowing photographers from Time magazine to take pictures.

This big-budget sci-fi production will be released in mid-July. The three major production companies, DreamWorks, Paramount and Warner Bros., have spared no expense in marketing and distribution, bombarding audiences on television and the internet with promotional hype such as "a poem of time and space".

As for behind-the-scenes footage, it's an essential part of the marketing and promotion of every Nolan film.

Claims like planting hundreds of hectares of corn or using his daughter's name as the film's code name are typical marketing tricks used by Nolan.

Warner Bros. contacted Time magazine to prepare to feature Martin, Nolan, and two other key members of the creative team on the cover of the July issue of Time magazine.

The photographer kept pressing the shutter, then politely asked Nolan and Martin to change positions slightly, from the sides to the center, to continue taking pictures.

After the photo shoot, there was a brief interview.

Martin, Nolan, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain sat in front of the spotlight, engaging in mutual flattery and revealing some behind-the-scenes "secrets."

These are all basic publicity skills for celebrities and directors, especially since the production team had prepared the scripts in advance.

The group worked until late afternoon before finishing their tasks.

Martin went to the locker room to change his clothes. Just as he reached the door, Jessica Chastain from next door came up from behind.

"Are you free tonight?" Living in Hollywood, Jessica Chastain was used to these kinds of things: "Martin, it's been a long time since we spent the night together."

Martin's girlfriend wasn't in Los Angeles at the moment, so of course he wouldn't refuse the invitation: "You know I'm in my room at the Ritz-Carlton, where shall we have dinner together tonight?"

Perhaps because her skin is too fair, Jessica Chastain's face always appears flushed: "Okay, I'll be there before seven."

She winked at Martin and went into her dressing room.

Martin opened the door to change clothes and remove his makeup. He had just changed back into his casual clothes when there was a knock on the door.

The bodyguard went over and opened the door, where Anne Hathaway, dressed in a suit, stockings, and high heels, was standing.

Martin said, "Come in and have a seat."

Anne entered the room, sat on a chair with her legs together and her hands in front of her lower abdomen, looking just like a lady.

She glanced at Martin across from her, and that feeling of regret welled up in her heart again, making her head spin with discomfort.

Seeing that she was maintaining this innocent and ladylike demeanor without speaking, Martin took the initiative to ask, "Annie, is there something you need?"

Anne pursed her lips into a thin line, first revealing a charming smile, before saying, "You've helped me a lot these past two years. Can I treat you to dinner tonight?"

Martin thought of Jessica Chastain from earlier.

Seeing that he didn't respond immediately, Anne quickly said, "Martin, you have to give me a chance to express my gratitude." She clutched her protruding left breast with one hand, "Otherwise, I'll always feel uneasy."

Martin thought for a moment and then said directly, "Jesse also asked me to go with her tonight, and I agreed to go to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel."

Anne knew perfectly well that Martin's long-term private room was in this hotel, and she also knew that Jessica Chastain and Martin had a history of having multiple affairs.

The purpose of inviting Martin out that evening was self-evident.

"Can I go?" Anne asked. She looked at the wall separating the changing rooms. "I'll talk to Jesse; she shouldn't refuse."

Martin glanced at the time: "Director Nolan is looking for me. It's almost time. I have to go now. If you're okay with it, let's meet at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at 7 p.m.

"Okay, I'll go find Jesse." Annie got up and went next door.

After taking his belongings out of the dressing room, Martin went to the director's office.

Nolan was waiting for him and said with a smile, "I have good news for you."

Martin sat on the sofa next to him: "Are the advance ticket sales high?" His salary included a tiered share of the box office: "Hopefully, the advance ticket sales will reach $5000 million."

"Currently, we only have $1850 million in pre-sales." Nolan is well aware of the film's market prospects: "This is an original, hard science fiction film, and it's unlikely to be a huge hit like your John Wick 3."

Martin agreed: "That's the final chapter of the trilogy; the first two films laid the foundation for the audience."

The market for original films, especially when they first come out, is much narrower than that for adaptations and sequels.

Nolan said, "I'd be happy if this film grosses half of what John Wick 3 did at the North American box office."

Martin smiled and said, "I think $3 million is no problem." He then asked, "What's the good news you mentioned?"

Nolan briefly explained, "Spearman and I invited many directors in the industry, including Ridley Scott, James Cameron, George Lucas, and David Fincher, to a private internal screening."

He added, "We were originally going to invite you too, but you were in Hawaii at the time. The preview screening went well; they all gave the film very high marks."

Martin Scorsese has collaborated with Nolan many times, but this is the first time he has invited so many colleagues to hold an internal screening.

He immediately grasped the key point in Nolan's words and asked, "Chris, are you planning to make Interstellar a contender for an Oscar?"

Nolan said, "Yes, I have communicated with the studio and we are aiming for nominations in three categories: Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture."

Martin has already achieved both fame and fortune, and so has Nolan, but compared to Martin, he lacks one crucial element: recognition from major awards.

Nolan has never won an Oscar, nor any of the three major European film awards, nor even a BAFTA Award.

Although the absence of these awards will not affect his status in the industry, something is still missing.

Nolan asked directly, "Do you have any specific suggestions regarding public relations and publicity?"

"Not for now." Martin hadn't even considered that. He said, "Just do normal publicity and public relations. With our established reputations, getting a nomination shouldn't be difficult."

He frankly admitted, "Winning an award is probably quite difficult."

Nolan anticipated this, saying, "I'll start with a nomination, and then go all out for awards with my next film."

Martin, who had memories, wasn't surprised, but simply asked, "You have a new project?"

Nolan opened his office drawer, took out a thin document, and handed it to Martin: "The script's synopsis and setting, these two were just written."

Martin took it and glanced at the cover. It had a place name written on it—Dunkirk!

Nolan said, "It's an ensemble piece, the main characters are all the British people, there are no particularly important roles."

Martin understood what he meant, quickly glanced at the synopsis, and said, "This really isn't suitable for me; you should have used a British actor instead."

This film shattered his filter on Hollywood and Nolan movies in his previous life. Needless to say, the beaches of Dunkirk, which were cleaner than a dog had licked, were simply speechless.

If you didn't know better, you'd think the British had defeated the Germans and gone home.

The decline of Hollywood movies is not without reason.

Nolan continued, "It's too difficult for science fiction films to win an Oscar. Films based on true events are more suited to the Oscars' tastes."

Martin nodded: "That's right. The Dunkirk evacuation is world-famous, almost on par with the Normandy landings, so it naturally attracts attention."

Nolan said, "The theme of this film is to focus on humanitarian concern and civilian rescue efforts, rather than the grand evacuation."

Martin's impression was that this was a great escape by the British after their failed appeasement efforts. He didn't know much about other aspects, so he didn't offer any opinions.

In contrast, he believed that the key to the European theater of World War II lay in Stalingrad and the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front.

But the power of discourse in this world is in the hands of the Western world, and ultimately it was the American soldiers who saved everything.

Martin only talked to Nolan about the Oscar race and didn't comment on his new project.

The two talked for over an hour before Martin left Warner Bros. Studios and went to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

World War II, East-West divide, and so on were quickly forgotten by him.

Martin is enjoying the present.

(End of this chapter)