Made in Hollywood

"Although Sony Entertainment is an outsider, it is Columbia Pictures."

In the cafe, Doug Walter put down his coffee cup and looked at Sony Columbia executive Milk Ince.

Milk Ince nodded solemnly, "Sony Columbia Pictures is aligned with Warner Bros. and other major companies in safeguarding our common interests and market share."

In fact, as early as last year, the executives of the Big Six met and agreed on certain things, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney, Sony Columbia and 2 Tenth Century Fox cooperates and competes at the same time, but it will never allow new companies outside the traditional power to join them and share the biggest piece of the cake.

In this regard, the Big Six, even the declining MGM, naturally stand together.

"Mill, Warner Bros. has reached an agreement with Universal Pictures, Walt Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount Pictures." Doug Walter didn't go around the circle and went straight to the subject, "We're still going to be like this summer. Like the past two years, from publicity to distribution to theaters, try your best to suppress DreamWorks!"

"Sony Entertainment has no opinion."

Obviously, before Milk Ince came, Sony Entertainment had already made a decision, "We will be consistent with you."

Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's most popular director yes, but DreamWorks is not just Spielberg's DreamWorks, but even if it is Spielberg's DreamWorks, major companies will Compassionate pressure.

Now even Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, which are most closely cooperating with Spielberg, have joined in. Of course, Sony Columbia Pictures, represented by Milk Ince, will not hesitate.

Doug Walter finished his cup of coffee and said again. "DreamWorks has been around for a few years now, and David Geffen, Jerefer Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg are very ambitious and want to make DreamWorks bigger, not only in live-action movies, but also in With animated movies, records, book publishing, and all kinds of stuff, Warner Bros. and Time Warner don’t want to see a giant company rise up. It’s a market that should be ours.”

"Sony Entertainment doesn't want to see it either." Milk Ince agreed.

"DreamWorks' blockbuster this year is "Crash Between Heaven and Earth."

Re-ordering a cup of coffee, Doug Walter continued on the topic just now, "The investment is a huge $80 million. If you include the cost of publicity, it will exceed $110 million. If this project fails, DreamWorks' capital chain will definitely be Something went wrong."

"Then let's try to make it fail."

Although the "Matrix" released by Warner Bros. is Sony's biggest competitor to Columbia Pictures. However, the competition between the two parties will not affect the cooperation on this matter, and the two of them tacitly did not mention this matter. The competition between "The Matrix" and "Godzilla" is related to the short-term interests. The rise of DreamWorks would seriously threaten their long-term interests.

This is just a microcosm of how common Hollywood competition and collaboration are.

After a brief meeting with Sony Columbia Pictures, Doug Walter left the cafe. When I got into my car, I made calls to Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Some of these three parties were also working together in private, preparing to start operations on the big production of DreamWorks.

This is the most simple, direct and effective way. As long as the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars can not be recovered, even if the funds seem to be well-funded DreamWorks. The capital chain will definitely be tense, and maybe it will break.

"Doug." Ron Mayer, CEO of Universal Pictures, said into the microphone in the office of Universal Pictures, "I have said it many times. Universal Pictures will be consistent with other companies. We have only one attitude towards DreamWorks. Unless they abandon their current ambitions and transform into a normal production company, Universal Pictures will never change their stance!"

Just put down the phone, before Ron Mayer had time to think, the assistant reminded him, "Mr. Spielberg's phone."

"Steven?"

Frowning, Ron Mayer said immediately, "Take it!"

Universal's involvement in the crackdown on DreamWorks is one thing, but it's another with Spielberg, who had been hoping that Ron Mayer would direct the third Jurassic Park.

"Hi, Steven."

Big directors are definitely a scarce resource in Hollywood, just like Jeff Robinoff treats Duke, Ron Mayer doesn't shy away with his smile even on the phone, "I just wanted to ask you to go with me. Golfing..."

"What? Oh, no problem, it's just a trifle, Duke Rosenberg is good enough in the summer season, and it's time to be unlucky! Don't worry, Universal Pictures must be on the rating of "The Matrix" Will be on your side, as long as his films are like the past few, I guarantee they must be R-rated."

Ron Mayer remembers well that The Matrix was just a collaboration between Duke Studios and Warner Bros. The other five companies that had a say in the MPAA, and a few who really wanted to see their collaboration continue to be successful ?

Hollywood doesn't have many secrets to speak of, let alone this near-public rivalry, Doug Walter learned a little later that Michael Ovitz and Steven Spielberg were teaming up to fight Warner Bros.' summer season opens with a slap in the face of The Matrix.

However, he was neither surprised nor surprised, and Duke was neither surprised nor surprised when he came to the Duke studio to mention it.

This is the norm in Hollywood, and Sony Columbia Pictures actually regards "Clash of the Earth" as one of its competitors, otherwise it would not have been so happy to agree to this meeting with Doug Walter.

"We're also in touch with DreamWorks."

Sitting across from Duke, Doug Walter said as a matter of course, "Although DreamWorks didn't make it clear, "Godzilla" was released on their third weekend, and this time period if "Clash of the Earth" did not perform well , the number of theaters will inevitably be impacted by "Godzilla"."

"So..." Duke nodded, "If the timing is right, they'll also attack Sony Columbia Pictures?"

Doug Walter is obviously used to seeing this. "If you want to win big in the summer season when the movies are released together, you have to do everything possible to win the competition."

Duke is not a rookie in the summer program, of course he understands these reasons, he frowned and asked, "PG-13 is very difficult?"

"Unless you make major changes to the film." Doug Walter sighed softly, "Warner Bros. is still a little short in the MPAA, and Duke..."

He smiled helplessly, "Although the total amount of the North American film market is rising every year, the market is so big that we have taken too much share, which means that the income of several other companies may decrease. Empire is just a collaboration between Duke Studios and Warner Bros., we have no other support."

"Doug, try your best." Duke pinched his forehead, "It's impossible to make major changes to The Matrix. There's really no way to do it, then it's R-rated."

The Matrix was once rated R.

Doug Walter nodded and added, "Don't worry, Duke, we won't let the two competitors take it easy."

Warner Bros. is actually no less than DreamWorks and Sony Columbia Pictures.

Holding his chin in his left hand, Duke tried hard to recall the relevant information of "Godzilla" and "Clash of the Earth", but these two films have changed a lot from before, especially "Godzilla", although the director Or Roland Emmerich, but it has become Michael Ovitz's packaging project. Will it bring variables?

Although Michael Ovitz is a veritable mediocrity at the helm of the film company, no one can underestimate him when he returns to the ranks of the agent.

After thinking for a while, Duke asked, "Doug, is there Morgan Freeman in "Crash"?"

"He's one of the leading actors." Doug Walter's eyes suddenly lit up, "Did you hear those rumors?"

Duke shrugged. "Some rumors are often fatal to actors and films."

The veteran black actor seemed to be a standard gentleman, but Duke clearly remembered that some of the rumors about him like jokes were the truth. This guy was even more extreme than Woody Allen. , Today is not the 21st century, the tolerance of mainstream society and mainstream audiences is far from comparable to that after the Internet explosion.

It is not uncommon for a main actor who has been caught in a scandal to drive the entire film to be boycotted by some people.

"The Matrix" was released the weekend before "The Matrix". If the box office performance is not good, the number of theaters in the next weekend will inevitably plummet under the suppression of the six major companies, so that "The Matrix" can win more. Number of theaters.

The number of theaters released is directly related to the box office performance of the film.

And Duke is very conscious. As the largest individual shareholder of Warner Bros., it is his natural choice to suppress the rise of DreamWorks.

"Warners will do the work." Doug Walter was about to leave. "Duke, Warners still wants you to finish the film early so that we can start a preview."

Duke nodded, "No later than April 10th."

"Are you going to this year's Oscars?" Doug Walter asked again.

"Me? Forget it."

Although he knew that Warner was for publicity, Duke still shook his head, but suggested, "Find a way to get two awards for Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, the hero and heroine are more important than the director. topicality."

Behind the Oscar presenters, there is also a game between various film companies and brokerage companies. (To be continued ~^~)

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