America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 895 Irrigating with Money

With Thanksgiving approaching, "Beauty and the Beast," co-produced by Disney Studios and Davis Studios, will be released in North America a week before Thanksgiving.

This live-action fairy tale film had a production cost of $1.5 million.

The film premiered at Disneyland in California.

Once these kinds of films are successful, box office and DVD revenue are secondary; the real profits come from various related merchandise.

Elsa's dress could generate enough profit to make countless top-tier productions with investments of $2 million weep with envy.

Martin and Alan Horn attended the film premiere together.

However, neither of them walked the red carpet.

Standing in front of the Disney theater, Alan Horn said, "This is where Pirates of the Caribbean premiered."

Martin smiled and said, "Judging from pre-sales, Beauty and the Beast is much more commercially successful than Pirates of the Caribbean."

"Disney has prepared millions of Belle's dresses," Alan Horn said.

With the film and its merchandise selling like hotcakes, both sides are profiting. Martin said, "Based on feedback from all sides, this film is a strong contender for the title of this year's global box office champion."

Just as Martin Scorsese and Alan Horn predicted, "Beauty and the Beast" was a huge hit upon its release.

On its opening day in North America, it set a new single-day box office record for November—$6777 million!

The corresponding record for the highest-grossing November opening weekend in North American film history was also held by "Beauty and the Beast," with a box office of $1.78 million!

The film has also received excellent reviews from audiences.

"After being poisoned by dark fairy tale movies for more than a decade, we finally saw a real live-action fairy tale movie. Beauty and the Beast has captured what a fairy tale movie should look like."

"This is the fairy tale I remember!"

Beauty and the Beast became Hollywood's most successful live-action fairy tale film, grossing over $4.5 million in North America and nearly $10 billion worldwide by Christmas.

According to predictions from authoritative market institutions, the film's North American box office will exceed $5 million, and its global box office may reach $13 billion.

Even more astonishing than the box office success was the phenomenal success of the film's merchandise in the global market.

In just one month, Belle sold more than 500 million dresses, generating $1.8 million in sales.

As for other related merchandise, sales were equally impressive.

That's the power of Disney.

The huge success of Beauty and the Beast also strengthened Disney's resolve.

Anya Taylor-Joy, recommended by Martin, won the role of Cinderella after only one audition.

Meanwhile, the live-action animal version of "The Lion King," in which Davis Studios is involved, and the live-action version of "The Jungle Book," have also been pushed into preparation by Disney Studios.

Saoirse Ronan's fame soared, firmly establishing her as a top Hollywood star.

…………

With the Christmas holidays over, Martin returned to Los Angeles from Atlanta, where Hollywood remained in turmoil.

Hundreds of Black and LGBTQ people have been staging sit-ins for several days on Weshill Avenue in Beverly Hills, near the main entrance of the college's administration building, urging the college to implement its promised diversity reforms as soon as possible.

This wave is bound to affect the voting at this year's Oscars.

In the executive committee chairman's office, Tom Sherac stood by the window, looking at the protest signs along the street. He had a headache and said to the person next to him, "They're really making a scene. They're like the worst students in school, throwing a tantrum at the slightest thing."

Kathleen Kennedy, however, focused her attention on the reporters constantly taking pictures around her, and said, "It's not all bad. The mainstream media in North America have been reporting on it for days, and the awards season is back to its former excitement. This year's Oscars are sure to be highly anticipated."

Tom Sherac could certainly imagine the implications: "What's the situation with the Koreans?"

Kathleen Kennedy simply stated, "The three production teams have invested tens of millions of dollars and are currently promoting the film all over Los Angeles, holding events to lobby the judges."

Tom Sherac nodded slightly: "It seems that internationalization and diversity are the answers to restoring the glory of the Oscars."

"For now, yes." As CEO of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy sees things more clearly: "Internationalization is fine, but who knows how long diversification can last? It might backfire in a few years."

She smiled and said, "The mainstream society actually rejects these things."

Tom Sherac wasn't going to worry about it for long: "It works for now, so let's use it for now."

If the Oscars don't boost viewership, the ratings will be unwatchable.

Against this backdrop, "Moonlight" became a darling of Hollywood, receiving widespread praise in the media and being hailed by industry insiders as having captured the soul of the film.

The spotlight on "Spotlight" was gradually overshadowed by this special film.

In today's society, the messy affairs of church priests are nothing compared to the antics of the LGBTQ community.

The impact of "The Split" was also significant.

Martin spent tens of millions of dollars on publicity, marketing and public relations, with a huge professional PR team lobbying not only the judges in North America, but also the overseas actor judges.

Having money doesn't guarantee an Oscar, but it can get you through most of the obstacles in the race for the award.

In addition, among all the films vying for major awards, "Split" has the widest audience.

Martin Scorsese's new film has grossed $2.37 million in North America in two and a half months, and has also grossed over $2 million overseas.

The film is still being released overseas, and its global box office is expected to reach $5 million.

Over this period of time, Split's reputation has declined, most notably in its IMDb rating, which has dropped to 8.3.

However, Martin's character has received increasing praise, from Hollywood insiders to North American media and general audiences alike.

Various forecasting agencies believe that Martin is the top favorite for this year's Best Actor Oscar.

Even the betting agencies in Las Vegas have suspended betting on Martin's winnings.

Although the new year of 2016 has arrived and the awards season situation is becoming clearer, in the Best Actor category, the only ones who can truly compete with Martin Scorsese are Tom Hanks for Bridge of Spies, Eddie Redmayne for The Danish Girl, and Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs.

The male lead of "Moonlight" never applied for this award.

Martin's philosophy has always been simple and direct: if you want to win an award fairly and squarely at the awards ceremony, all the work must be done in advance.

If you can't even apply for awards, and you're not even eligible for nominations, what do you have to compete with?

After Martin Scorsese received his Oscar votes, he did not conduct a fair and impartial voting process because Leonardo DiCaprio was still filming in Canada. Apart from his own and Aniston's films, he mostly chose familiar names or movie titles for the other eligible awards.

Unfortunately, he hadn't seen most of the candidate films, so he had to resort to this simple and convenient method.

This is also the ultimate goal of Oscar promotion, because statistics over the years show that more than 60% of Oscar voters do not actually watch the nominated films.

Therefore, when they choose to vote, familiarity becomes very important.

Spending millions of dollars on publicity is simply a way to become a familiar face to most of the judges.

As awards season progresses, Martin Scorsese has almost swept all the preliminary awards for Best Actor.

Independent awards, including the Los Angeles and New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the People's Choice Awards, have all awarded Martin Scorsese the Best Actor award.

At the Golden Globe Awards for Television Movies held in mid-January, Martin Scorsese won Best Actor in a Drama Series.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, a true bellwether for the Oscars' acting awards, subsequently announced its winners, with Martin Scorsese once again taking home the Best Performance award.

All of this indicates that Martin is getting closer and closer to winning his second Oscar for Best Actor.

The prerequisite is to first get a ticket to the competition, which means an Oscar nomination.

In Davis Studio, people gathered in the large conference room.

Martin's agent Thomas, manager Bruce, studio directors Jessica and Emily, and producer Louise were all glued to the television.

The camera had already switched to ABC television, where Academy President Tom Sherak and Emily Blunt announced the nominees for this year's class.

The list quickly moved on to Best Actor.

"Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks; Steve Jobs, Michael Fassbender; The Split, Martin Davis..."

Applause and cheers erupted in the conference room.

Thomas and Martin bump fists.

Louise hugged Martin and asked, "How about a party tonight?"

Martin immediately rejected the idea: "The party will be held when we receive the prize."

Bruce whispered a reminder: "Martin doesn't like opening champagne at halftime."

"That's easy to backfire," Martin said casually. "Anything can happen before you get the Best Actor Oscar."

Louise nodded slightly: "When you win Best Actor, I'll throw you a huge celebration party."

After the Oscar nominations were announced, the people in the meeting room congratulated Martin and then gradually left.

Louise followed Martin into his office, sat down on a sofa in the reception area, and said, "This year's Oscars are much more exciting than last year's. Black people are causing trouble, LGBTQ groups are demanding reforms at the Academy, and Koreans are spending money like crazy in Los Angeles to win awards. I feel like there's a hand pushing things along."

Martin said, "Your intuition is correct; the force behind this is from the Academy's Executive Committee."

Louise said, "I wonder what Oscar will end up like."

The intercom on his desk rang. Martin went to answer it, and his assistant's voice came through: "Miss Saoirse Ronan is here."

Martin said, "Let her in."

Louise glanced at her watch: "I'm leaving now. Remember to come see me in Sherman Oakson in the next couple of days."

Martin waved his hand: "Got it."

Louise went out, turned the corner in the corridor, and ran into Saoirse Ronan.

With "Beauty and the Beast" becoming the highest-grossing film of the year in North America and worldwide, Saoirse Rosa is currently incredibly popular.

But when she saw Louise approaching, she immediately smiled and greeted her warmly, "Good afternoon, Ms. Mel."

"Long time no see, Saoirse." Louise stopped and glanced at Saoirse briefly before saying, "I have a project here, a lesbian-themed one, and I need two actresses, one Chinese and one young. Kate Winslet has already agreed to play one of the female leads..."

Saoirse quickly said, "Madam, please inform my agent directly about the role script and the specific audition process."

Although she knew that she had only caught Louise's eye because of her current popularity, she wouldn't be foolish enough to reject such a top female producer in the industry: "I'm ready to audition for the film anytime."

Louise nodded in satisfaction: "You've been doing well lately. Keep it up, and good luck."

"Thank you." Saoirse watched Louise enter the elevator, then gently pressed her hand to her chest to calm herself down before heading to Martin's office.

Martin asked, "What brings you here today?"

Saoirse smiled and said, "Congratulations on your Oscar nomination for Best Actor."

Martin casually remarked, "It's not like it's the first time I've been nominated, what's there to congratulate me on?"

"I'm going to Sacramento tomorrow to film 'Lady Bird'," Saoirse said, looking at Martin. "It'll be a long time before I see you, teacher."

Before investing in "Lady Bird," Martin had several discussions with Greta Gerwig about the film's production, saying, "Your director friend has a lot of ideas, and working with her long-term would be a great help to your career."

Saoirse replied, "We've always been good friends."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Greta told me that once Lady Bird is finished, she wants to remake Little Women."

Martin, who vaguely remembered the novel having been adapted into countless films and television series, asked, "Are there any copyright issues involved?"

Saoirse knew: "Little Women has already entered the public domain, and Greta plans to film a completely new version. How so? Basically, she wants to portray female independence."

"Here's what we'll do: after 'Lady Bird' is finished filming, have Greta come to me to discuss the new project." Martin felt that if the investment was well controlled, the chances of the film being profitable were quite high: "Your director friend has a lot of ideas."

Saoirse smiled and said, "I know. Without you, teacher, my friendship with her wouldn't be as good as it is now."

When it was time to leave work, Martin and Saoirse left the studio together and went straight to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Before they even arrived at the hotel, Anya Taylor-Joy called again, wanting to have a good talk with Martin.

Saoirse, being considerate of her teacher, asked in a low voice, "Your little lover?"

Martin covered the microphone: "Anya."

Saoirse knew who it was: "If she doesn't mind, she can come over and join us. I don't mind."

Martin said a few words on the phone, and Anya immediately agreed.

When the two arrived at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Anya was already waiting inside.

The three of them went into the suite on the top floor together.

In the lead-up to the Oscars, the top contenders were still engaged in public relations and promotion.

This year, the college seems to have relaxed its standards because of its focus on Black people and diversity.

Film is art, but the film industry is an industry.

Without market acceptance, the flower of art will wither.

How can the flower of art bloom even more brilliantly?

In fact, there is a generally accepted answer in the film industry: use money to cultivate it.

(End of this chapter)