Hollywood Director 1992

As "Paranormal Activity" was enjoying a successful run in North American theaters, its overseas distribution also commenced smoothly.

However, given that Guess Who Films was a relatively new company, it lacked the capacity for international distribution.

Therefore, the overseas distribution of "Paranormal Activity" was primarily managed by Sony Pictures Releasing International, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Sony Pictures Releasing International is backed by the Sony Corporation.

After "Paranormal Activity" surpassed $100 million at the North American box office, the seven major Hollywood studios and film distributors from various countries flocked to Guess Who Films, hoping to acquire the overseas rights to "Paranormal Activity."

During negotiations, Sony Pictures Releasing International presented the most sincere offer.

It included a base rights fee of $15 million, 20% of the overseas box office revenue, and 18% of the video cassette distribution revenue.

Sony Pictures Releasing International also requested the rights to the "Paranormal Activity" sequel, and hoped that Link would continue to direct the sequel.

This offer was better and more secure than the prices offered by overseas distributors, and it also promised a faster return on investment.

After careful consideration, Link agreed to collaborate with Sony Pictures Releasing International.

However, some modifications were made to the terms of the deal.

The $15 million rights fee and 20% of the overseas box office revenue remained unchanged.

The video cassette distribution rights for "Paranormal Activity" were sold to Sony Pictures Releasing International for $6 million, with Guess Who Films relinquishing any share of the profits, regardless of sales volume.

The sequel rights to the blockbuster film were sold to Sony Pictures Releasing International for $8.5 million. Link would write the scripts for two sequels and potentially serve as a producer, but he would not continue directing.

The advantage of this approach was a rapid return on investment.

For a large company like Sony Pictures Releasing International, generating tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for over a decade through video cassette distribution was a steady stream of income.

But for Link, receiving a lump sum payment upfront was more worthwhile than collecting a small percentage each year.

Upon receiving the revised terms, Sony Pictures Releasing International responded two days later, indicating their acceptance, but with one condition: they wanted to sign a three-picture deal with him.

For his next three films, Sony Pictures Releasing International would have the first right of refusal to invest, with an investment stake of no less than 30%.

After thinking it over, Link changed the three films to a "1+2" deal, agreeing to collaborate on one film first to assess the partnership's success.

If the collaboration went smoothly, they could work on more films together. If not, both parties would have the right to reconsider.

Furthermore, while his first two films were hits, subsequent films were not guaranteed to perform as well.

If his next film performed poorly at the box office, Sony Pictures Releasing International could change their mind and discontinue investing in his films.

This agreement could be treated as an informal understanding and did not need to be written into the contract.

Sony Pictures Releasing International accepted his suggestion.

The reason Sony Pictures Releasing International was so agreeable was primarily due to Sony's own situation.

In 1988, the Japanese electronics giant Sony was preparing to enter Hollywood.

After several months of negotiations, in January 1989, the Sony Corporation acquired CBS Records, a subsidiary of CBS Columbia.

By October, Sony successfully acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for $3.4 billion, assuming Columbia's $1.6 billion in debt.

Columbia Pictures, one of the seven major Hollywood studios, becoming a Japanese-owned company caused great turmoil in Hollywood, with many viewing it as a 'Japanese cultural invasion' and a 'new Pearl Harbor.'

Initially, after acquiring Columbia Pictures, the Sony Group appointed many Japanese executives to manage the company. However, they struggled to adapt, nearly bankrupting the company.

In 1990, the Sony Group had to announce the removal of all Japanese employees serving at Columbia Pictures.

At the same time, they acquired Guber-Peters Entertainment Company for $200 million and appointed the company's two partners, renowned film producers Peter Guber and Jon Peters, as co-chairmen of Columbia Pictures.

This gradually put Columbia Pictures back on track.

Although Columbia Pictures was an established company with nearly 70 years of history, it was essentially a brand-new film company after being acquired by the Sony Group.

To survive the competition among the major studios, the Sony Corporation increased its investment in film and continued to collaborate with independent film companies.

This included co-producing "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" with Carolco Pictures, "Bram Stoker's Dracula" with American Zoetrope, and "A Few Good Men" with Castle Rock Entertainment, among others.

Spending tens of millions of dollars to acquire the overseas distribution rights, video cassette rights, and sequel rights to the blockbuster film "Paranormal Activity" was merely a small transaction for Columbia Pictures, backed by a large corporation.

During the negotiations, seeing how easily the Sony Pictures Releasing International representative agreed to the terms, Link wondered if his asking price was too low. He thought that he should have asked for more, perhaps earning tens of millions of dollars more.

After the negotiations concluded, Sony Pictures Releasing International, in accordance with the contract, transferred $29.5 million to Guess Who Films' account in three installments within a week.

Looking at the numbers in his account, Link felt once again that it was too little.

After acquiring the overseas distribution rights to "Paranormal Activity," Sony Pictures Releasing International immediately began working on the film's release.

In its opening weekend, "Paranormal Activity" was released in 21 countries and regions outside North America, grossing approximately $36.29 million.

The box office performance exceeded expectations, and the president's office of Sony Entertainment Group sent Link a congratulatory message, praising the film's immense box office potential and calling it a film deeply loved by people around the world, expressing their hope for in-depth collaboration.

Link also expressed his anticipation.

Currently, the Japanese stock market was soaring, and all Japanese companies had money. The Sony Corporation was naturally wealthy, and collaborating with Sony Pictures Releasing International offered many benefits.

Ring! Ring!

In his office, Link put down his documents, picked up the phone on his desk, and was surprised to find that it was Jennifer Connelly calling.

This woman was beautiful but rather aloof, always wearing a serious expression as if everyone owed her a few dollars, a typical case of 'little fairy' syndrome.

"Director Link, are you busy?"

"A little. But to receive your call, any amount of work can be put on hold."

"Why?"

"Because you have a very pleasant and interesting voice. Communicating with you is a delightful experience, more enjoyable than work."

"Really? Sam says I'm not good at socializing and don't know how to talk to people. Is it really enjoyable to chat with me?"

"Of course. When I'm talking to you, sometimes I don't even need to hear your voice. Just knowing that it's you on the other end of the line, listening to your breathing, is a very pleasant experience."

The breathing on the other end of the line became erratic.

"I'm not that great. I have a bad temper and sometimes I lash out for no reason. My mom often says I'm very willful."

"You probably lash out because people don't listen to your opinions or respect your choices, is that right?"

"How did you know?!"

"I can tell. You're different from other beautiful girls. You not only have an excellent appearance but also a strong and independent heart. You hate being controlled by others in your life. For the sake of personal freedom and independence, you resist through tantrums and non-cooperation. This also shows that you are a brave woman."

"I'm not that great."

The voice on the phone suddenly became very gentle. "Link, what are you doing right now?"

"Looking at box office data, both North American and overseas. There's a lot, but I have to look at it. I need to understand market trends through the data, whether we need to continue promoting the film, or contact the distribution department, and so on."

"Link, you're amazing. Not only can you act and write scripts, but you can also direct movies and manage a company. You're so amazing, no one is more amazing than you."

Jennifer Connelly said in a light tone.

"Is that sincere? Right now, many people in the industry say I'm just a trashy director who only knows how to make money and doesn't understand film art."

"They're talking nonsense. They're jealous of your talent. They can't beat you at the box office, so they want to belittle you in other ways. In fact, the artistry of 'Buried' and 'Paranormal Activity' is no worse than those mainstream films, but those people refuse to admit it. Once they admit it, it will make their films seem very unsuccessful and their lives very unsuccessful. That's Hollywood, they are used to stepping on others to highlight themselves, very vain."

"Jennifer, you have such a pleasant voice."

"Haha, not really, it's just that I feel very relaxed and happy chatting with you."

"I feel the same way. What are you doing right now?"

After chatting for more than half an hour, Link hung up the phone, looked at the unfinished documents, and shook his head with a smile.