Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Ronald, I love and hate you at the same time." Debbie Reynolds, a veteran movie star who runs a dance studio, hugged Ronald and opened her mouth happily.

"What? I think your business is very good, why do you still hate me?"

"Since your break dance was released, the number of people who come here to practice dancing has increased several times. Everyone wants to come and see the dance scene in the movie. But the people who come here are not learning the tap dance I plan to teach, but this new style. Dance." Reynolds stretched out her hands and twisted them twice. She has good dancing skills and her break dancing has a unique flavor.

"Ah, hahahaha..." Ronald knew the other party was joking.

"To be honest, no one dances that classic Hollywood dance anymore. When I was young, young women were doing this kind of dance to keep fit and keep their waists in shape so that their husbands would come home on time. Have a meal."

"Hahahaha..." Ronald liked talking to this open-minded veteran star.

"Your friends are waiting for you."

Ronald entered the small room inside the dance studio that Helen Slater had rented to practice her voice and piano. Also do some exercise.

"Hey Helen, have you made your decision?"

"Ronnie, yes, I still can't bear to have long hair." Helen wore a hair tie and Jane Fonda-style high-waisted bodybuilding pants, looking very sexy.

Helen Slater's piano and singing skills landed her the lead role in "The Baseball Player's Wife." "The Legend of Billie King" still required her to cut her hair and not wear a wig.

Her beloved long hair has been dyed blonde after Supergirl, but she finally chose the former.

The two chatted for a while, and Helen was excited to be in a film adaptation of this kind of play.

Ronald is happy to have fulfilled his promise to Gerrard. His affairs in Los Angeles came to an end for the time being, and he took the evening flight back to New York with Little Bud.

"Little Bud, your mother will be very happy to see you."

Aunt Karen left little Bud to have lunch at home, asking him to tell his mother the good news first, and prepare to return to Staten Island to reunite with his mother and family tomorrow.

His extended family has all become employees of the leg warmer factory and live in workers' apartments on the island. Their dilapidated house in the Bronx has been sold, and his younger sister's school has been transferred to a kindergarten on the southern end of Staten Island. Tverskaya Public Secondary School.

"Let's go back to Staten Island with little Bud tomorrow. We haven't seen your old friends and neighbors for a long time." Ronald encouraged Aunt Karen to go back together.

"Okay, it's time for me to go back and tidy up the old house. Donna is going to MIT soon. I'm very lonely here alone, but I still have old friends on the island. I can go back and chat with them on the weekends, here in Manhattan It’s hard to make new close friends.”

"Then it's settled, I'll drive you there then." Ronald was secretly happy and asked Douglas Jr. that the new house he bought on the land has been completed and he can give his aunt a surprise tomorrow.

Little Bud went back to his old neighborhood in the Bronx in the afternoon to meet his old neighbors. Come back and tell Ronald that the black people there all like "Break Dance" directed by Ronald. Many people have watched it twenty or thirty times in a row, which is much more popular than "The Street Boys".

Ronald also drove out for a walk after that. In many mainstream theaters, "Break Dance" had already been released, leaving some old grindhouse theaters (large screening rooms) and second-tier small theaters with five or six shows a day. Play.

It is said that many viewers will come to the ticket office to ask about the release time of the sequel after watching it. That commercial Minahan did in the film's closing credits made breakdancing lovers tickle their hearts.

On the other hand, the box office of "Long Wei Boy" is still as stable as ever. It has been in its ninth week, and the attendance at each show is still very high. The total weekly box office is still over 6 million US dollars, and the total box office has exceeded 60 million. With this momentum, it seems that this movie will continue to become popular.

According to common estimates, a movie's box office is always highest in the first two weeks and then gradually declines. When the average box office per theater drops to a certain level, it will be replaced by new films.

But "Longwei Boy" doesn't seem to follow this rule very much. There was no big hit at the beginning, nor did it fall sharply afterwards. It always remained at more than 6 million US dollars at the weekend, then another 6 million US dollars, and then another 6 million US dollars...

In the two weeks when Ronald and Stallone were having a verbal spat, there was still a slight rebound.

Most of the people who come to watch the movie are parents who bring their children with them as a family, and most of them come to see the movie after hearing recommendations from relatives and friends. After watching the movie, their children have obviously changed in their bravery.

Anyway, the four movies Ronald made as a director did not conform to the general box office rules, which made him wonder whether the experiences he summarized were really effective.

The yellow ferry can ferry cars. Ronald bought a car ferry ticket, and the family went to Staten Island with little Bud.

Little Bud arrived first at his new apartment. He and his mother hugged each other at the door. The sisters were very happy and came out with delicious food to share with everyone.

The family finally did not make the same mistake as Bud's father, and the boy returned home safely after joining the army. Ronald and his family ate some lobster fillets that Bud's sisters fried with fresh shrimp meat, then said goodbye and went home.

"You're going the wrong way, Ronnie." Aunt Karen smiled and hit Ronald on the arm. She didn't go back to Staten Island for a long time. The road here was renovated because the factory had to transport goods. Even Donna was a little bit No longer recognized.

"Yes, our new home is over there." Ronald drove onto the road in the affluent area where the Douglas family lived, and drove along the cement road to a large open space on the edge.

There is a new house above, built with old-fashioned building materials, red brick and gray stone. It has three floors, tall chimneys, a small courtyard and a lawn.

"The Romance of Fairy Wood"

"This is my gift to you, Aunt Karen." Ronald pulled his aunt out of the car and pointed to the small building to introduce her, "This is the parking garage, this is the kitchen with the oven. This is the servant's room. And the driver's room, the first floor is the living room with a fireplace, the second floor is two bedrooms, the third floor is the attic and guest bedroom, and there is a lawn in the front yard, where you can have parties with veteran families at any time, without waiting for the annual veterans' ceremony Went to Hansen’s house on the anniversary.”

Aunt Karen was very happy. She touched the oven that was several times larger than her Manhattan apartment, and looked at a brand new Toyota SUV parked in the garage, as well as the wooden bed in the bedroom, and the sofa and TV in the living room. They were all the brands she was used to, only better and bigger.

"Thank you, Ronnie. It's a lot like retiring from the leg warmer factory now and coming back to party every day with my old friends." Aunt Karen gently stroked Ronald's hair, as if returning to the time when she just When he got it back from the hospital.

"And here." Ronald opened the door to the living room on the second floor and pulled his aunt and Donna to the balcony, where they had an unobstructed view of the lawn below.

"Look across the way." Ronald pointed to an open space and said to his aunt, "Our leg warmer factory is large enough, and everyone's income is good. Little Douglas said that their family is planning to develop a new residential community, right here A place very close to your new home.

By then, Teresa, a partner in the leg warmer factory, her husband David, their baby, and little Bud's family will all be able to live here. "

The wages of Bud's three sisters and mother in the factory could fully afford the monthly mortgage payment. He won't treat him badly if he works as his driver. In short, he can leave the low-income community and truly buy a house in a place with good security.

"Ronnie, you really changed the life of Totville Town, Staten Island." Donna looked at Ronald and said with emotion, "I read in the history books that great figures can change the lives of ordinary people, probably I’m talking about people like you.”

"Hahaha..." Ronald touched Donna's hair, "I'm glad you said that, although I'm far from great. Let's go to the restaurant where my aunt used to work for dinner. I will rest in New York this time. After a while, I will send you to MIT."

Everyone spent the night in their new home, and Douglas Jr. asked people to buy all the furniture and appliances. The aunt secretly asked Ronald, "Do you have enough money? Such a nice house cost you a lot of money, right? I like it very much. It's very similar to what my mother pointed out to me when she took me to Manhattan when I was a child. It’s an old family house, and I have saved up over the past few years. If I don’t have enough money..."

"Don't worry, aunt, little Douglas gave me a preferential land transfer fee, and also took the initiative to help me find a builder. It didn't cost much. And the 'Break Dance' I directed was a sharing contract, look. I can get a share of at least one million US dollars in income, so this money is not a problem, you should keep it for Donna to prepare for college expenses."

The aunt hugged Ronald happily, and now she only had the desire to watch Ronald get a wife and have children. A few days ago, she was in front of the supermarket and saw the New York City Ballet's new season poster. Antonia's name was already on the list of main actors.

"Hey," the aunt sighed. Ronald must be very popular in Hollywood now. Whether it's Antonia, Diane, or Helen, one has to choose to go home. How beautiful it will be when the third generation plays on the lawn.

In the evening, little Douglas came to visit with gifts, and he also brought a coffee machine as a gift. Aunt Karen immediately went to bake cookies for him to take back as gifts.

"Have we got any plans for our new movie? Is it ready to shoot a movie like 'The Kid'?" Douglas Jr. couldn't wait to ask Ronald.

"It's still far from it. With my money and your money, I can only make some exploitation films that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars at this stage. Film is a very expensive art."

"Didn't you make more than one million again?" Little Douglas disapproved, "You take out one million, I will allocate another one million, and then go find investors. It is still very easy to make a production of about eight million. .”

"How can it be so much? My current income will first be taken away by the federal government, and then the state government. California and New York state both want to collect taxes from me." Ronald handed a glass of whiskey to little Douglas. It was stuffed into the wine cabinet when the other party was renovating the house.

"Then my income must be divided first between 10% of my agent, 5% of my lawyer, and 2% of my accountant. Now I don't have a manager. If I hire one to take care of my daily affairs, I will also have to Pay him five percent. Finally, it’s the public relations company, and they’re brave enough to ask for it even after they collect the money.” Ronald felt sick when he thought about the fees charged by public relations companies in Los Angeles.

"These share ratios are all calculated based on pre-tax income. I haven't smelled the U.S. dollars yet, and nearly half of them have been taken away. I can still use some cash to build a house, mainly relying on my previous lyrics and writing , director and other work, the remaining work will be divided into quarterly dividends.”

"You artists are so miserable. No wonder you often hear news about the bankruptcy of has-been stars." Douglas Jr. also felt miserable for Ronald after hearing this. "You'd better start the company as soon as possible. The corporate income tax is after deducting expenses. The profit part is then taxed. It is much more cost-effective than private income tax.”

"How about we make a low-cost movie?" Douglas Jr. still wanted to be a producer and try the fun of selecting actresses during auditions.

"I have asked Eddie and his agent in Los Angeles to collect the scripts. They are mainly teenage romantic comedies, with appropriate low-cost science fiction films, and martial arts films. You can also collect scripts there." Ronald and He toasted.

In short, it is not a bad thing for the company to practice with low-cost small productions at the beginning. Especially in America, before any business can be launched, one must first find a lawyer to negotiate a contract. Ronald does not have much experience in this area, and Douglas Jr. is not familiar with the production business, so the two decided to discuss it with their own lawyers first. detail.

Unexpectedly, before Ronald could consult with a lawyer, his personal lawyer, Miss Lindsay Dole, called and someone sued Ronald's leg warmer company.

"Ronald, someone is suing your company. They say the leg warmers ended a dancer's career."

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :