Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The Western Film Expo in Las Vegas is held annually at the Bellagio Hotel. Called Western, it is actually the largest domestic film ordering fair in America.

The fountain in front of the hotel entrance is very famous, and many tourists come here to take photos.

The "Top Gun" promotion meeting was held on the second night of the opening. At the live promotion meeting, three of the biggest stars, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis, all appeared on the podium.

However, what they faced were not enthusiastic movie fans, but hundreds of movie theater buyers across the country who came to place orders.

Although Ronald is already well-known in the industry, he is more attractive to these movie buyers as an actor.

This is not only because the audience likes to watch celebrities star in movies, but they can also take the opportunity to take photos with the stars and get their autographs, which are great gifts to take home for their children.

"Are you also from the Paramount crew? How about this movie? I heard it was about fighter jets. I watched Clint Eastwood's 'Firefox' the year before last. Air combat is always very dull. "

A young-looking buyer, chewing gum, asked Ronald who was sitting in the audience.

"I'll tell you a secret. This movie looks like it's about air combat, but it's actually a passionate sports movie. It's very enjoyable to watch."

"Oh yeah? How did you know?" The young buyer looked at him in surprise. Generally speaking, the actual content of this kind of movie is not consistent with the propaganda. Who knows the truth, could it be a senior executive at Paramount? Relatives in charge?

"Thomas, Thomas Stephenson," the buyer extended his hand and shook his hand.

"My name is Ronald. Do you want to be a cinema buyer at such a young age?" Looking at the people in the audience who started out in their thirties and forties, and there are also employees in their fifties, Ronald said to this man who looked like he was in his twenties. Young people in their early years are also curious.

"My dad owns a movie theater. I've been selling tickets at the box office since I was a child, and then cleaning the movie theater. Hey, man, that's the most annoying job."

No wonder, it turned out to be a family business. Ronald understood.

Stephenson was an acquaintance and soon had a great time chatting with Ronald.

He told Ronald all about his situation. He was now the buyer of his father's theater chain. In New Jersey, the father and son owned less than ten movie theaters. They also came to Las Vegas on behalf of other movie theater owners. Watching movies at the Vegas show,

He is considered a moderate buyer.

"Now, I invite Ronald Lee, the director of this film, to answer questions."

"I have to go up."

Ronald greeted Stephenson, went on stage, and began to answer questions from buyers. For example, how many aerial combat scenes are there, how long the movie is expected to be, and whether there are any love scenes between the male and female protagonists.

"Ah...I remember." Stephenson suddenly exclaimed as he looked at Ronald. These were the first two films that had been shown for seven or eight months in the latest multiplex theater he owned at home. The director of "The Dragon King" and "Break Dance"?

When he came here, his father, Thomas Sr., specifically told his son that he must keep an eye on such a director to see what films he would make this year. Many directors will have a period of time when their work goes smoothly. During that period, no matter what they shoot, they will be a hit, and the audience just loves to see their works.

I just didn't expect him to be so young, he seems to be about the same age as me.

"Hi, Ronald, I didn't expect you to be able to direct Paramount's masterpiece at such a young age. I didn't recognize you just now because I didn't know you were so young and promising. Can I invite you to have a beer and chat with me? ?”

Little Stephenson took the initiative and wanted to know more about the inside story of the movie.

"No problem. When I finish here, we will have time to chat together in the evening." Ronald also wanted to chat with these grassroots practitioners. They are the group of practitioners closest to the audience within the film industry.

"How is your business? Now that the movie box office is booming again, you should be making good profits, right?"

In the evening, Ronald came out to meet little Stephenson. The two found the bar, drank beer and chatted.

Although Paramount spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to build marketing materials for the exhibition, specially edited the trailer, and had three stars come to support the show, most of the actual distribution contracts were still settled in private chats in bars and cafes.

"Actually, our profit margin is very low. Just relying on ticket revenue from screenings, our gross profit will not exceed 10%."

"Indeed, before the popularity of movies and television, they were simply two markets." Ronald believed this number, which was consistent with the data he had previously settled with Atlantic. Many cinemas will be in arrears with their box office revenue for a year, so they will take up a year's funds to renovate the cinemas, and they will have to grab every bit of interest.

"You are absolutely right. You are the only one among the many studios, directors and actors I have come into contact with who understands our business. They always feel that we make a lot of money and deduct their profits. In fact, We rely on box office, and if we buy one or two movies that are not successful in a year, it will easily be in vain."

"Then do you have some other ways to make money?" Ronald thought to himself, how can anyone work for nothing just because they love movies.

"I like your movies very much. My dad said that as long as they are directed by you, we will sign a distribution contract unconditionally. Our six old-fashioned theaters and the latest multiplex theater will buy a total of eight copies. , plus colleagues from surrounding towns, I can buy fifteen copies here this time."

"Then thank you." Ronald shook hands with him. Under the current distribution model, the country is divided into more than a thousand "regions", each with a population ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands. In a territory, a studio has an exclusive distribution agreement with only one movie theater.

This can significantly reduce the number of film copies required. Nationally speaking, the average movie only needs about a thousand copies to meet the needs of national distribution. Even the most popular sequel blockbusters only need less than 1,500 copies to satisfy the national audience.

Expensive movie copies are also a huge expense for distributors. Naturally, the less the better, so this exclusive theatrical release model has been retained to this day.

"In addition, I also have a sequel to Longwei Boy, and I will hold a press conference tomorrow. You can also come and take a look."

"Are you the director of the sequel? If it is you, then I will definitely buy it." Little Stephenson said simply, I came here just because of your name.

"I haven't agreed yet, but it is very likely that I will participate. Even if I am not the director, the story will develop according to my ideas." Ronald replied.

"Very good, I'll go to the platform to order it." Little Stephenson high-fived him again, "Last time, Breakdancing 2 was not directed by you, so I almost got into trouble if I bought it. Fortunately, the breakdancing trend hasn't passed yet, so it's okay. No loss."

"There will be no problem with the sequel of Dragon King. Mr. Weintraub and I will bring the story to Ryukyu this time. It will definitely be interesting. You can also buy a dozen copies and you won't lose money." Ronald It was just a good time to promote his work, and he also wanted to see how the other party would react.

"I will definitely buy it, but it's impossible to buy it in the same quantity. I only need five or six copies of Longwei Boy. For the rest, I have to make long-distance calls to see what the old guys want."

"Oh, why? Don't you like my sequel to Dragon King?" Ronald was a little surprised. This buyer was obviously more confident in Top Gun than in the sequel to Dragon King.

"No, this is actually our business secret. Hi...but you are the director, and you know everything I said. It doesn't matter if I talk to you."

Little Stephenson took a sip of beer, "Originally, I didn't have that much confidence in Top Gun, but on the one hand, you directed it... On the other hand, I read your brochure and edited clips, and I found that This movie is very suitable for fathers to take their children to watch.”

"Father, take your children to see it?" Ronald repeated. This short sentence contained a lot of business wisdom.

"Yes, we always like this kind of movies that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The last time Spielberg's ET was released, we made the right decision and bought an excessive number of copies. In addition to showing the box office to a full house, we can also rent it out to other industry players to make more money. One stroke.

This time your movie is suitable for fathers to take their children to watch. They buy Coke and popcorn much more generously than mothers. "

"There is really knowledge everywhere. It seems that this kind of action, sports, and competition-themed movies really attract audiences."

…

The next day, Ronald came to the "Dragon Boy 2" booth to support Weintraub.

"You know, Ronald, Frank Sinatra once had shares in this hotel, and he made a lot of money. Later, the FBI focused on him and said he was involved..., so he withdrew his shares. It was only after the commander-in-chief came to power that he was completely freed from the investigation."

"The Grand Commander's forgiveness?" Ronald was talking about a privilege of the Grand Commander. He could forgive the crimes of anyone who committed a crime while in office.

"It didn't reach that point. Sinatra was already a star in Hollywood and the music industry. It was not easy for the FBI to touch him. The commander-in-chief awarded him a medal and they automatically dropped the investigation."

Because the heroine of "The Kid 2" has not been confirmed yet, and the hero Ralph Mazio is still filming, only Noriyuki Morita, who was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and Ronald came to the stage this time.

"Why do we need this kind of imported mineral water from China? Just use our own Wrigley."

Weintraub was very busy and personally arranged the press conference, which seemed to save a lot of money.

"For a boss like you, can't you just ask your subordinates to do these things?" Ronald looked at him puzzled. Weintraub doesn't have the business philosophy of Roger Corman; he also shoots big-budget projects.

"Probably because I'm a Jew. When I see a small place like this that can obviously save money, but I don't know why it's so pompous, I have to open my mouth." Weintraub himself laughed.

"However, I may not have time to take care of these things soon."

"What?" Ronald felt there was something in his words.

"I tell you quietly, don't tell others. The boss of MGM Studios and the boss of MGM Resorts in Las Vegas, Kerkorian, has been talking to me for the past two days to restore United Artists 'Leave it to me to take care of the sign."

"Oh? Do you want to restore the configuration of the eight major studios?" Ronald raised his eyebrows. This is a big deal. After United Artists was acquired by MGM, the distribution channels were merged into MGM, but many experienced The old employees are still there. More importantly, United Artists is also a member of the MPAA organization in charge of classification, and also a member of the Producers Association, which negotiates with major labor unions.

Both of these institutions are established institutions with great power. Outsiders, like Minahan Golan, had to fight their way in for a long time. Especially MPAA, the world is still dominated by the old eight, and their movies tend to receive more relaxed rating standards. "

"Korkorian hopes that United Artists will restore the tradition of artists taking the lead in film shooting. Ronald, no one is worried about a director like you who spends all his money on making films on the screen.

After you make these two movies, you can sign a long-term film contract with United Artists. Then you can make whatever subject matter you want and how you want to make it. If you want the actor to come, I will find it for you. How about that? "

"Very good conditions, Mr. Weintraub. But for such a big matter, I have to discuss it with my agent first." Ronald remembered that Eisner of Paramount had also said this to him, but unfortunately he now After going to Disneyland, I still haven’t straightened out my relationship. The saying that you can take pictures of whatever you want has become empty talk.

"Of course, by the time this matter is settled, we will have basically finished filming Dragon King 2, and we can talk slowly about it then."

Ronald thought this was a big deal, so he returned to the room and called his agent immediately.

Niceta and Richard also heard rumors that United Artists was going to make a comeback, but they did not expect that Kerkorian, a gambling tycoon, would choose Weintraub to operate.

The three decided on the phone that they should wait until they returned to Los Angeles to discuss the impact of this incident on the industry and whether to accept Weintraub's film contract.

In the evening, Ronald went downstairs again and started walking around the Bellagio Hotel. Many movies that will be released in the second half of this year and next year will take the opportunity to promote.

Posters for films such as Paramount's "Star Trek: Part 4", Fox's "Alien 2", and Weintraub's "The Kid 2" are all hung on both sides of the avenue entering the building.

Many movies have not yet decided on the main creators, so they are just conceptual posters. For example, "The Dragon King 2" only has a big face of Mr. Miyagi, played by Noriyuki Morita, and a line of title below.

However, those buyers, relying on this information, can make an accurate judgment about the movie's box office prospects, and then sign an intention contract first.

"What kind of movie is this?" Ronald saw a poster for "Orion" from a medium-sized producer. There was only a soldier in military uniform, his back to the audience, and a helmet occupying the center of the screen.

"Field Platoon ()", Ronald stood at their station for a while, and picked up the pamphlet and read it.

"It turned out to be the work of Oliver Stone." Ronald knew that the director who had written Conan the Barbarian for Conan the Barbarian had now begun to direct and act on his own.

"No one has made a Vietnam War movie in the past two years," Ronald muttered. However, Oliver Stone has never followed trends, so he might make a good film. He didn't miss much.

"Cannon, cannon, ninja, break dancing, karate."

Two young dancers dressed as bunny girls danced and distributed Cannon Pictures introductions to passers-by.

"Minahan", Ronald went up and called his old friend.

This Israeli still likes this vulgar but effective propaganda trick to make it look very popular.

"Ronald!" Minahan rushed over and hugged him fiercely.

"How was the filming of Runaway Train?"

"Hey, Konchalovsky is so slow. It would be great if he could be as fast as you." Minahan waved his hand and said regretfully, "It won't be released until the end of the year, so it can only be in time for next year's film festival. ”

"But we also have a lot of new movies," Minahan thrust several posters into his hands.

"It's Ninja America, it's Invasion of the USA, it's Hercules, it's Vietnam War, remember? It starred Chuck Norris."

"That's the imitation..." Ronald chuckled. Isn't this a copycat version of Stallone's "First Blood 2" filmed by Minahan?

"That's him, Gaga Gaga. We might be out there before his movie."

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Today's video conference was delayed, and there is another chapter to be made up tomorrow.

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