America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 55, Section 56: The Funeral Bells

The box office for "Saw" continues to rise, especially with its surprisingly positive online reviews. Horror movie enthusiasts have become enthusiastic advocates, recommending the film to each other.

While this situation was somewhat unexpected, upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.

American horror movies have always relied on gore and blood as their selling point, with the vast majority of them attracting viewers through screams and flying tomato sauce.

As for the plot, that's not important. How many viewers watch horror movies for the plot? Plus, the cultural atmosphere is different, so Eastern-style psychological horror films often don't work in this region.

Looking back, you'll see what kind of films American horror movies are all about: the four old kings – Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, Michael Jackson, and Jason Statham.

Aside from Freddy Krueger, Eric's favorite character from Dreamland, the other three all follow a violent path, and all four series are old relics from the last century.

For example, the last movies of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" were both released in 1994. It is said that there will be sequels this year, but it will be 10 years later.

Later hits like "Child's Play," the "Scream" series, and the newly released "Final Destination" also received positive reviews.

Final Destination was indeed a fresh take on the genre, while Chucky and Scream were essentially the same old thing.

The current horror film market is extremely thirsty for innovative films like "Final Destination," and movie fans are eagerly awaiting them.

Saw perfectly fulfills this need; it doesn't kill for the sake of killing. It has its own positioning and its own theme, which alone surpasses most horror films and is why it has received widespread praise.

A few days ago, the weekly box office figures were released, and MGM was all smiles. A whopping $4250 million, a real darling of the company.

At the Cooper family home, Eric invited James Wan and Rey Warner to a family gathering in the backyard. Now, the two are highly sought after, and many people want to invite them to dinner.

After we had a satisfying meal, my mom brought out some freshly made desserts.

"Try it, it's my specialty," Emily Cooper said with a smile.

James Wan quickly stood up and took the plate: "Mrs. Cooper, your cooking is superb. This is the most delicious meal I've had since I came to America."

Emily immediately covered her mouth and laughed heartily: "What a sweet-talking young man! This father and son have never said anything like that before."

Revanal picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, then gave a thumbs up. He didn't need to say anything to flatter him.

After his mother left cheerfully, Eric looked at the two of them and said, "Do you know what my biggest feeling is right now?"

"What?"

"It's confidence. I see confidence and composure in you. Think back to when we first met at Super Burger King, you were like completely different people."

As a Westerner, Reyward had a more flamboyant personality, stating noncommittally, "Successful men are always confident."

Hahahaha

The three of them laughed at the same time.

After the laughter subsided, it was time to get down to business. Eric crossed his legs and asked, "What are the next steps?"

"I'm going to write the script for Saw 2," Rey Wonner replied.

James Wan shook his head: "I don't know, at least there are no plans at the moment, but as we talked about last time, I've lost interest in directing 'Saw 2,' but I'm still willing to participate in the behind-the-scenes work."

"I knew you'd say that, so take a look at this, my next movie project for you." Eric handed over a script outline.

"Get Out, that's a pretty interesting title."

Reignar joined in, and the two of them watched together, while Eric stood up and walked around to digest his food.

After a while, once the two had finished reading, James Wan seemed thoughtful: "Although it's just a script outline, there's no denying it's an interesting story. Let me guess, 'The Barber Shop' inspired you, right?"

"You guessed right."

Eric did not deny that although "Barbershop" was only shown for a month before being taken off the screens, it still earned MGM $8000 million at the box office.

The film's actual cost was only around $800 million, making it a huge profit.

According to subsequent research, more than 80% of the audience for this film were Black, which made Eric realize the vast Black market.

From that time on, he was thinking about how to develop this market, and then James Wan came along and Get Out jumped into his mind.

As a screenwriter, Leigh Wrenner clearly saw things more deeply; after carefully reviewing the text, he praised it highly.

"Eric, this script has great potential. It looks like a horror film, but at its core it actually expresses racism and the exploitation of black people by white people."

"The plot of using hypnosis to possess a body is not new, but it is new if a white person uses hypnosis to possess a black person's body."

"Race is always a top concern for Americans, and this film offers a very fresh perspective."

"Who is the screenwriter? Please introduce me to him; he has an amazing imagination."

Eric didn't speak, just stared at him blankly for a moment before Reyward reacted.

"Is it you?"

"Otherwise what?"

"What! You shouldn't be a producer, you should be a screenwriter. This is definitely one of the best horror movie ideas I've ever seen."

"I can't accept such praise, and I've only provided an outline; the specific details still need to be filled in."

Reignar patted his chest eagerly: "Leave it to me, I'll definitely do this job perfectly."

"But the script for Saw 2?"

"Don't worry, I guarantee it won't be delayed. These two notebooks are my main focus this year. If anything goes wrong, I promise I won't take any of the profits."

Having said all that, Eric couldn't refuse, so the two put their hands together, and the deal was done.

He then looked at James Wan and asked, "James, if Ray is going to be the screenwriter, would you take the directing role?"

Before James Wan could even respond, Reignard had already wrapped his arms around his neck: "We're a golden duo, are you really going to abandon me?"

Shrugged and said somewhat helplessly, "OK! A good script plus a good producer, I don't think I have any reason to refuse, and it really is an interesting story."

Late at night, after seeing off James Wan and Reignard, Cooper and his son sat in the study.

"Dad, how's the stock situation going?"

"We just sold off all $5.3 million today, bringing in $6.4 million. I don't know which unlucky guy swallowed it up."

"Heh. Someone always has to take over, right?"

"That's right, so shall we announce the news?"

Inside the study, the midnight bells rang at that very moment.

Eric nodded: "Release it. I feel like I'm hearing funeral bells!"

Please continue reading! These three days are crucial for the third round, so please don't let the book sit idle. Thank you!

(End of this chapter)