America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 19. Transformers: The Walking Dead and Gal Gadot

The conference room in the MGM Grand building was much less crowded at this point.

A moment later, someone walked in carrying a large stack of scripts: "Boss, these are the movies that are currently in production and those that are planned for production next year."

Eric picked up a book and started flipping through it. He saw the title was "The Groom Got into the Wrong Bed," an urban light comedy. He'd never heard of it before and figured it was a money-loser. He immediately tossed it aside.

I picked up the second book. The movie was called "Alien Dog," targeting the teenage market. I'd never heard of it before, so it was probably going to be a money-loser. I threw it away!

The third book is the movie "Time to Kill," starring Denzel Washington. The contract has been signed, and filming is about to begin.

Eric does have some recollection of this movie, but not a good one, because it wasn't a box office success.

On the contrary, Denzel Washington's domineering and diva-like behavior was criticized by the entire crew, which made it into the entertainment news and made filming difficult. So how could the outcome be good?

With a sigh, he casually tossed the script aside and flipped through several more scripts before his eyes lit up when he saw "Legally Blonde 2".

Although the investment in "Legally Blonde 2" has doubled, with an estimated cost of $26 million, I recall that it grossed over $100 million at the box office. With the added revenue from the DVD market, television stations, and other sources, making money is a certainty, making it a high-quality resource.

But that's about it. Apart from this one and a 007 movie that they co-invested in, almost all of the dozens of scripts were garbage.

MGM, a company of such stature, has absolutely terrible film sense and market sense.

Seeing Eric's unpredictable expression, the middle managers knew things were going to get bad, and they remained where they were, not daring to say a word.

With a sigh, Eric tossed the script for "Legally Blonde 2" back to him: "Continue making this one, but be careful to cut costs. $2600 million is a bit too high. Try to reduce it to under $2200 million, and scrap the rest."

"???"

The meeting room suddenly became suffocating, and even the father, Charlie Cooper, looked completely bewildered.

"Eric, isn't your decision too hasty? Some of these films have already started filming, and some contracts have been signed. We'll lose tens of millions of dollars!"

Eric smiled. "Dad, trust my judgment. Those are just a bunch of trash. It's better to cut our losses than to keep investing and lose even more. What we need now is victory, we need a blockbuster movie. Trust me!"

Seeing the determination in his son's eyes, Charlie Cooper paused for a moment, recalling their promise.

New MGM itself was at the helm, the captain of this big ship, but Eric had absolute power in choosing film and television productions until his first project failed.

"Everything is being done according to Eric Cooper's wishes. Regardless of whether filming begins or contracts are signed, all these scripts are temporarily shelved."

Although Charlie Cooper was heartbroken, he still gave the order in an unquestionable tone: if he could win with ten million, he could definitely win this time too.

Moreover, since his son had just joined the company, he needed to be fully supported in order to establish his authority.

The others looked at each other, not saying anything more. Anyway, it's your company, do whatever you want with it, just pay me my salary on time.

Judy then asked, "So, the company only has 'Red Dragon' and 'Barbershop' left for release this year, and 'Legally Blonde 2' is planned for next year. Do we need to add any new projects?"

"Of course we need it, and I've already set our sights on Transformers. For the next two years, MGM's major project will be this!"

Eric thought for a long time about what to make his first movie. He initially thought that traveling back to 2002 would be pretty good, but after carefully recalling those blockbuster movies, he suddenly felt that it was a waste. If it could have been a few years earlier, it would have been perfect.

For example, the Pirates of the Caribbean series has grossed 45 billion yuan from 5 movies, averaging 9 million yuan per movie. But unfortunately, the first movie is set to be released next year, and Disney has been producing it for over a year, so it's impossible for them to hijack it now.

J.K. Rowling sold the rights to the Harry Potter series to Warner Bros. long ago, and the first film was released in 2001.

The Fast and Furious series is arguably the only racing movie franchise that has truly succeeded, raking in billions at the box office. Unfortunately, the first film was also released in 2001.

The Jurassic series, a masterpiece of the last century.

The Star Wars series, another masterpiece from the last century.

The Lord of the Rings series, like Fast & Furious, was released in 2001, and Tolkien's rights had already been sold long ago.

In short, almost every blockbuster series that comes to mind is the first installment released one or two years ago.

Now you know why time travelers love to do it around the turn of the millennium.

After some thought, Eric set his sights on one of the few overlooked ones – the Transformers.

Although the later Transformers movies were indeed a disappointment, their box office success is undeniable, averaging over 8 million yuan per film.

Moreover, Paramount hasn't bought the film and television rights yet, so if we communicate with Hasbro now, we're very confident we can secure the rights.

As for the biggest difficulty in filming Transformers, it must be the special effects technology. MGM's special effects department is no match for this; you have to find professional teams like Industrial Light & Magic or Weta Digital.

The original Transformers began production in 2005, while our own filming was estimated to start in 2003. The two-year difference meant that the special effects technology was perfectly adequate.

Actually, if we're talking about the most profitable movie projects, the Marvel series should be considered the pinnacle.

Although 20th Century Fox had already produced the X-Men series and Sony had just released the first Spider-Man movie, it was actually Iron Man in 2008 that truly ushered in the era of superhero movies.

From Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame, superhero blockbusters have swept the globe in 11 years, greatly squeezing the survival space of other types of films.

But after 11 consecutive years of glory, Avengers: Endgame, though dazzling, was more like the afterglow of a setting sun, followed by a cold winter night and a major collapse of superhero movies.

There are many reasons why superhero movies fail, such as the pandemic, political correctness, and questionable actions by DC and Marvel executives. However, in Eric's view, these are not the fundamental reasons.

The root cause is actually aesthetic fatigue, especially Marvel's popcorn movie formula, which has remained unchanged for 11 years. Audiences around the world are tired of it, and the potential for watching movies has been exhausted.

This situation can only be reversed over time. Superhero movies can only revive once a new generation of moviegoers grows up. No other methods will work. Even if one or two blockbuster movies emerge later, it will only be an isolated phenomenon.

Although his glorious period was short-lived, he made a lot of money. At worst, he could just change his business later. Eric was definitely going to take a bite out of this lucrative opportunity soon.

DC was acquired by Disney back in the last century, but Marvel remains independent, though in a terrible situation, so bad that it has to sell its children to make ends meet.

Spider-Man and his friends, along with Ghost Rider, were sold to Sony; the X-Men series was sold to 20th Century Fox; the Hulk was sold to Universal; and Black Widow was sold to Lionsgate.

Even Iron Man was sold to Universal, but Universal later realized it wasn't worth the investment and sold it to 20th Century Fox.

20th Century Fox also felt that this second-tier hero was difficult to film, so they sold it to New Line Cinema.

Newline held onto the project for several years, still unsure how to make a movie out of this metal lump, and finally sold it back to Marvel.

Marvel took a desperate gamble, mortgaging its entire fortune to the bank, and finally created Iron Man, turning the tide of the battle.

In short, given Marvel's current dire situation, this is definitely a great opportunity for acquisition.

However, having just acquired MGM, Eric is worried that even his father might not support him in pursuing a new acquisition.

Without the foresight of others, Marvel is now a mess, utterly worthless.

Eric had set the timeline for acquiring Marvel once he achieved success, with next year as the target year in mind.

"Mr. Volvo, you should contact Hasbro first, and it would be best to secretly acquire the copyright before announcing it. I don't want any unnecessary complications."

Volvo was a talent recruited by his father; he had worked at a small film company for twenty years and was very experienced.

"Don't worry, I'll contact Hasbro as soon as possible."

Eric nodded: "Besides that, I also plan to start filming a TV series, a zombie-themed one, about a sudden global infection that leaves only a few survivors struggling to survive in the apocalypse."

Eric was referring to The Walking Dead, of course. Compared to movies, TV series are a lucrative market that can't be overlooked, as are variety shows.

However, the selection of TV series is quite complicated because revenue is greatly affected by viewership ratings. The statistics for viewership ratings in the United States are completely different from those in China. Not all TV series can be compared together because, like movies, American TV series are also classified into public and cable channels.

TV dramas on public broadcasters are all free to watch. In 2002, the public broadcasters with the widest coverage were CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC, WB, UPN, and PBS.

PBS is somewhat unique, as its content mainly focuses on education and children. For example, Sesame Street is produced by them, and it has nothing to do with American TV series.

As for CW, which is frequently mentioned in China, it was formed in 2006 by the merger of WB and UPN, and it has not yet been officially established.

Public television is strictly regulated, and generally you can't see nudity or vulgar language. Even some sensitive words are censored, which is equivalent to a PG-13 rating in movies. For example, Eric's favorite show, Friends, is on NBC.

Cable TV is a pay channel, so the content is naturally more explicit. After all, I've already paid for it, so why would you show me SpongeBob SquarePants?

Well-known cable channels include FX, AMC, CNN, HBO, and Showtime, which are further divided into basic and premium channels. Basic channels may consider teenagers to some extent and include some adult content. Premium channels, on the other hand, generally do not contain any adult content and are more explicit.

For example, AMC, a basic channel, is known for shows such as Gossip Girl, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and The Walking Dead. The premiere of The Walking Dead Season 5 set a viewership record for a basic cable drama series.

HBO, a premium channel, boasts a string of hit shows, including Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, True Blood, Band of Brothers, and Sex and the City. Each of these shows is a top-tier production. HBO even made a self-deprecating video with the tagline, "This isn't porn, this is HBO."

Even on a highly competitive cable channel filled with excellent shows, "The Walking Dead" may not have the highest ratings or the highest overall viewership, but it is the most profitable and has received good reviews. Eric naturally wanted to get his hands on such a great show first.

It's not too late to develop high-scoring shows like "Breaking Bad" after we've made money, because although "Breaking Bad" is the highest-rated American TV series, the ratings for the first three seasons and even the first half of the first four seasons were not high, and it was almost canceled.

The main reason for the high viewership is that after the plot reaches its climax, many viewers who haven't seen the previous seasons pay to watch the earlier episodes, which brings in higher ratings. However, the cost-effectiveness of "Breaking Bad" is far less than that of "The Walking Dead".

"Billy, you and the marketing and legal departments should do some research first, especially in the comics field. I don't want to have to go through copyright lawsuits later. Give me an answer within three days."

Billy understood that this was his first test, and immediately solemnly said that he had no problem.

Eric then looked at the creative department: "George Martin, do you know this guy?"

A mid-level manager hurriedly replied, "I know him. He's a writer and screenwriter, but his screenwriting skills aren't that great. He worked in Hollywood for a few years but didn't create any well-known works, although his novels are highly regarded."

"Yes, I want the rights to his novel. A Song of Ice and Fire is a great work, and we want to acquire it before other companies do."

"Also, keep an eye on horror movie scripts on the market, collect them and send them to my office. That's all for now."

After Eric finished speaking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The company was not yet stable, and taking too big a step could easily lead to disaster.

After that, Charlie Cooper made some more arrangements, and everyone gradually left the conference room.

"Judy, wait a minute."

Hearing Eric's voice behind her, Judy couldn't help but turn around and pull back the leg that was about to step out the door.

"What is it, boss?"

With no one else around, Judy suddenly became unserious, drawing out long, strange sounds.

"Stop messing around, I have a question for you. I remember you're Jewish, right?"

"Yes, what's wrong? Do you hate Jews? But it's too late to say that now."

Eric thought to himself, "Even if I really hate Jews, I wouldn't dare say it. Look at Mel Gibson, how many celebrities have been blacklisted for saying the wrong thing?"

"It's good that you're Jewish. I have something I need you to do."

Judy's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Warren and the Geese brothers have all been assigned work, but I've been left out. So you have a secret mission."

"Ahem. What secret mission? It's all for work. Take a look at this first."

Eric took out a magazine, opened it to a page, pointed to a smiling girl, and asked, "How is she?"

Judy's eyes lit up. She snatched the magazine, examined it closely, licked her lips, and said, "What a beautiful young woman! Wait, when did you start paying attention to the fashion world?"

"I recently came across this girl by chance. Her name is Gal Gadot. She's an Israeli Jew. I think she's very good and has potential for the big screen."

Judy chuckled: "Many models want to enter the film industry, but very few actually succeed. I admit this girl is pretty, but how do you know she has potential? Just by looking at her face?"

"Yes, it's purely based on looks!"

"Well"

Judy was speechless for a moment before asking, "Okay, what do you need me to do? Help you hunt for women?"

"Don't put it so harshly. It's all for work. Find out Gal Gadot's address and contact information, and see if she's interested in developing her career in Hollywood. I'll give you some authority; you can make some promises as appropriate."

Judy shrugged. "No problem. I'm good with women, especially pretty ones. Just to confirm, you really aren't interested in her? If not, I'm going to make my move!"

Eric: "Don't do anything reckless, she's still a minor."

"Really? That makes me even more interested!"

"."

Like I said before, don't try to raise books; they'll really die.

Comments are welcome; please share any good ideas or suggestions you may have.

(End of this chapter)