America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 202.200. Planning Ahead

On December 17th, "Transformers" marked its one-month anniversary of release, and the box office figures for the fourth week were released.

After grossing $5250 million in its third week, the North American box office took in $2700 million this week, a normal decline, bringing the total North American box office to $3.64 million.

Despite the relatively low number, it still secured the top spot at the box office this week, marking its fourth consecutive week at the top.

Films like "Cat's Dream," "The Last Samurai," "Honey Hot," and "Kill Bill" are no match for it.

Even Sony Columbia's newly released film, the romantic comedy "Love Is Compromise," which features veteran actors Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, and Keanu Reeves, failed.

Jack Nicholson is indeed a superb actor, especially for his roles as The Shining and the Joker, but unfortunately, he is getting older and his appeal to younger audiences has diminished.

If he were to play a supporting role and Keanu Reeves were to play the lead, the box office would definitely be a level higher.

Ultimately, "Love Is Compromise" only grossed over $1600 million, ranking third at the box office.

"Sweetheart Dance" was pushed down to fourth place, while "Magic Cat" has fallen to fifth place due to its terrible reputation.

On the contrary, "The Last Samurai" remains strong, still sitting in second place, having earned $2650 million at the box office this week, just a hair's breadth away from taking the top spot.

However, this is its last chance. Failing this week means it won't even get a weekly championship, because "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is about to be released.

It is foreseeable that Transformers will also gracefully step down from the throne and hand over the crown to the Knights of Middle-earth.

Winning the championship for four consecutive weeks is already a remarkable achievement, and Eric and everyone at MGM are very satisfied.

Regarding overseas box office, the film was released in more than 20 countries this week, and the box office decline was relatively small.

After earning $9500 million in the third week, it raked in $7700 million this week, unsurprisingly taking the top spot in these countries.

Currently, Transformers has grossed $8.05 million at the overseas box office, officially surpassing the $8 million mark.

Last week, The Matrix Reloaded was knocked out of the game, and Transformers left the savior behind by a huge margin of more than $60 million.

Now, only "Finding Nemo" stands in their way, and Disney is still trembling with fear because the two are less than $7000 million apart.

Even though the Transformers craze has ended, with the last of its energy reserves, it might not earn $7000 million a week, but it'll be a sure thing for two weeks.

The Nemo clownfish and his son will most likely be unable to withstand the onslaught of the Autobots and will have to relinquish their title as the highest-grossing franchise worldwide in 2003.

But Autobots shouldn't get too excited yet; the Knights of Middle-earth have already secured the annual championship, and no one can change that.

The clownfish held the champion's throne for at least another six months, while the Transformers should have been dethroned in just one month.

The good news is that the Lord of the Rings trilogy has ended, and the market will need to recover for a few years before another film is made. Transformers, on the other hand, has just started, and a sequel could be released in the next year or two.

At the premiere of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," Eric Carle and Gal Gadot attended to show their support, which immediately drew cheers from fans. Many people like both movies.

Peter Jackson put his arm around his shoulder: "Look at you, you're way more popular than me. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was your home turf."

Eric pushed aside his beard: "You need to lose weight, Peter. And this beard makes you look ten years older."

"Do you know why I'm more popular than you? Because I'm younger and more handsome!"

Cate Blanchett, who plays the Elf Queen, and Liv Tyler, who plays the Elf Princess, happened to pass by and burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Female celebrities in Europe and America are generally more uninhibited; the idea of ​​not showing teeth when smiling, maintaining a proper appearance, or having perfect makeup doesn't apply to them.

Especially at informal galas and ceremonies, they are often caught making funny faces and causing all sorts of jokes, which are not meant to be derogatory.

This kind of performance doesn't actually lower their status in the hearts of fans; on the contrary, it makes them seem more down-to-earth and attracts more fans.

Peter Jackson pointed at Gadot's back and said, "See? If you want to really become a big star, you can't rely on me; you can rely on this young man."

"Come on, beautiful ladies, I'm giving you the chance now. Perhaps you can get the lead role in his next film."

As he spoke, he pushed Eric into the arms of Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler behind him, and left with his suit, which was about to burst open from his big belly. The two women then stood on either side of Eric and struck a pose.

The bearded man is absolutely right. If you were to ask who the hottest female star in Hollywood is right now, fans and the media would undoubtedly tell you it's Gal Gadot.

With just two movies, MGM turned her into a global icon, with countless interviews and invitations pouring in, and fashion magazines and brand endorsements following one after another.

Eric used to be able to walk into Gadot's apartment openly and do whatever he wanted.

That's not the case anymore. Since "Happy Death Day," there have been more paparazzi, and now there are paparazzi staking out the place every day.

The two could only sneak out on dates, and Eric considered that it was time to give the last house to Gadot.

"For Frodo!"

"For Frodo!"

Amidst roars of righteous indignation for Frodo, the Middle-earth coalition charged toward Mordor.

As the One Ring was dragged by Gollum into the lava of Mount Doom, Sauron's great eye instantly collapsed, the orc army fled in disarray, and the allied forces achieved victory.

In the White City, during the coronation of King Aragorn, everyone knelt down to thank the four hobbits.

Even though he had seen this scene many times, Eric still felt a surge of emotion. Classics truly never go out of style; they can move people no matter when you watch them.

He was not alone in sharing this sentiment, as evidenced by the thunderous applause that followed the film.

"Oh no! I have a bad feeling, darling," Gadot whispered.

"What's wrong?" Eric looked at her curiously.

"This movie, Lord of the Rings, is better than I expected. My God, I don't usually like epic fantasy, but I was still drawn in."

"Look at these crazy fans, their screams are practically lifting the ceiling, it's terrifying."

"Uh, what's wrong? Isn't this normal? I like it too."

"Why have you suddenly become stupid, Eric? I mean the box office, the box office for Transformers. We might lose."

Eric slapped his forehead, thinking to himself, "Are you daydreaming? You actually want to beat them?"

He gently squeezed Gal Gadot's hand: "It's okay to lose. Don't worry about it. Losing to a masterpiece like 'The Lord of the Rings' that is destined to be remembered in film history is not shameful at all."

"You can think of it this way: we're qualified to compete with 'The Lord of the Rings' for first place, but do other movies have that qualification?"

"So we've already succeeded. Doesn't that make you feel much better?"

Gadot chuckled: "You know how to comfort people."

"Heh. Go talk to those people. I need to speak with Peter Jackson."

"Um."

After the premiere, Eric and Peter Jackson left together and found a quiet, artsy bar to sit down.

My presence here today to help out is just a pretext; my real purpose is to make plans for the future.

John Adams wrote a while ago, saying that the network issues are now resolved.

Five days ago, Facebook underwent a maintenance upgrade, which was actually a preliminary test of connecting the network to it.

The results are fantastic. Previously, it took users two or three seconds to load a homepage, but after the upgrade, it can load almost instantly.

An online questionnaire received excellent user feedback.

If Facebook is fine, then YouTube and Lionheart must be fine too.

Howard Hughes and Robert Miren, along with a team of over 300 people, finally completed their algorithm after more than half a year of work.

After testing, it initially met Eric's requirements, and the next step is continuous updates and development.

The backend databases of the three software programs have been synchronized to the same format, so one account can log in simultaneously once the system is online.

It can be said that all preparations have been completed.

In less than a month, MGM will be relisted, and YouTube will be available immediately after the relisting.

Once the YouTube channel stabilizes, Lionheart.net is expected to launch in about two weeks.

Using YouTube would certainly not raise any alarm among other film and television companies; in fact, it might even be seen as a joke.

Lionheart.net is different; it will inevitably face a crackdown.

According to Eric's recollection of Netflix, many people in the industry at the time were aware of the open and covert rivalry between the two companies.

After Netflix burst onto the scene and started streaming media, it quickly faced hostility from several major companies and television stations.

Several companies have joined forces to target Netflix, banning their own works from appearing on the Netflix platform.

Behind the scenes, they resorted to all sorts of underhanded tactics, including threatening special effects producers to choose between two options: if they wanted to continue working with them, they wouldn't be allowed to work with Netflix.

The harsh environment forced Netflix to seek help from organizations in Europe and Asia.

It wasn't until "House of Cards" broke through the encirclement and a series of high-quality films and television series followed that they broke through the blockade and achieved a miraculous survival.

But the crackdown didn't end there. Unable to block the film supply, major companies put pressure on film festivals and award ceremonies such as Cannes, Berlin, and the Oscars.

Films that claim to be released online simultaneously cannot be called films and are not worthy of competing for awards with other films released in regular theaters.

Even the three major film festivals had to succumb to this force and had to refuse Netflix's nomination.

If they can't stop your development, they'll stop your honor.

The blockade remained unbroken until Eric crossed it.

Netflix has gone through so many disgusting things, and Lionheart will inevitably suffer the same fate.

All Eric could do was plan ahead and make some preparations in advance.

Peter Jackson was just one of the people he was looking for; Eric would also contact second-tier independent film companies such as DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and New Line Cinema.

It's good to have at least one ally; what if they're willing to cooperate?

They each opened a bottle of beer.

"Eric, congratulations to Transformers for taking second place! It'll be a piece of cake to beat Finding Nemo!"

"Heh. Making fun of me? The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is of very high quality. I concede defeat in advance, okay?"

The two laughed heartily and chugged a bottle. This bearded man had a bold and arrogant personality, unlike Spielberg who drank red wine from a glass.

belch!

"Speak, what do you want from me?"

"Can't I just ask you for a drink if there's nothing wrong?"

"If I were a stunning beauty, that reason might be somewhat believable. Eric, what exactly are you trying to do?"

I want to give you money, lots and lots of cash.

Upon hearing this, Jackson frowned, his eyes filled with doubt.

"We had a very pleasant collaboration on Transformers. I am very satisfied with Weta Digital's technical level and efficiency, so I plan to continue to work with you."

"For the next two years, you'll be in charge of all the special effects for all MGM films. How about that? Isn't that a good thing?"

Peter Jackson, however, did not show any sign of joy; something was amiss.

"I don't understand why you would do this. You should know that Weta Digital's level is top-notch in the industry, but its fees are also the highest in the industry."

"The special effects for many movies don't actually require our involvement; most small companies can do them."

"You're wasting your own money, and it will cost you tens of millions of dollars more each year. It's completely unreasonable, Eric Cooper."

"I'm not stupid; I don't believe anyone would willingly give money to another person."

Eric didn't intend to hide it from him; Peter Jackson wasn't a film company owner and there was no competition between them.

After he finished speaking, the bearded man's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"OMG! Do you know what you're doing?"

Eric nodded slightly.

After a moment of stunned silence, Peter Jackson stared intently at him, then suddenly chuckled.

"Eric, I just had a feeling that suddenly rose in my heart, a very complicated feeling."

"This feeling is a mix of surprise, admiration, arrogance, contempt, and respect—it's something I can't quite put my finger on. That's how I feel about you."

"You want to challenge the entire Hollywood all by yourself; your courage is admirable."

"I'm 42 years old this year, and I suddenly have an urge to go on a wild adventure with you. It feels like my youth has returned."

Eric smirked: "Peter, once the contract is signed, if anyone causes you trouble, you can easily claim you were deceived by me."

"After all, who would complain if there's money to be made? Right?"

"Haha, it seems you've even thought of a backup plan for me."

"Of course, I've always been open and honest with my friends, and I won't force you if you're not willing."

boom!

The bearded man slammed his hand on the table: "I'm joining! I can make money and annoy certain people at the same time. I'm definitely joining."

"Anyway, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is over, and I want to take a break for a while. I won't be working on any big productions for at least a year."

"So, tell me, how many films are you planning to make next year?"

Eric thought about it and realized that Marvel alone would have at least two movies next year, plus The Hunger Games, Inception, Transformers, and others.

He spread his five fingers: "At least five big productions, plus others, I'm a little worried about whether Weta Digital can handle it."

Peter Jackson patted his chest and said, "I can do as much as you have; it's just a matter of increasing the number of machines and people."

"Alright, we can sign a contract first, tentatively agreeing to 30 movies."

"30 films in two years?"

"More, not less!"

(End of this chapter)