Chapter 072

After Peter Sanders rushed back to Los Angeles on Saturday night, Simon didn't hear from Fox for three days.

This result did not come as Simon expected. After all, his qualifications in Hollywood are still too shallow.

A young man under the age of 20 not only asks for high share terms from big film companies, but also demands absolute control over film production. This kind of thing has never happened in Hollywood.

But with the box office success of "Lola Run," Simon is no longer as short of options as he was a few months ago.

With the help of the crew of blood corpse night, Simon also made some plans for "death is coming" in private. This plasma thriller is very suitable for the year-end Halloween schedule. From the end of February to the end of October, the eight month period of preparation, production and publicity is just right.

Therefore, Simon does not intend to tie himself to fox. If fox doesn't respond by the end of the week, Simon plans to let the news out and seek another partner.

At the same time, with the continuous fermentation of popularity and word-of-mouth, "Lola Run" box office in the second week of release not only did not fall, but also increased again.

From February 20 to February 22, due to the increase in the number of screens in the second week, the box office of "Lola Run" still increased by 21% compared with the four days in the first week, reaching US $6.69 million.

Then, after the following four working days, the box office of "Lola Run" in the second week was as high as US $9.56 million, second only to US $11.1 million of "field platoon", ranking second in the North American box office list.

The two films released by our company occupy the top two positions in the box office of a single week at the same time, and the box office of the two films in North America is expected to exceed 100 million US dollars, so Orion film is in the limelight for a while.

"Lola Run", a film that has become the focus of the whole federal topic, naturally has no hindrance to its subsequent release.

Mike medova, President of Orion pictures, originally planned to expand the screening scale of the film as soon as possible, but after a detailed telephone conversation with Simon, he agreed with his concept of "hunger marketing". In the end, Orion did not rush to significantly increase the screening scale of "Lola Run" in the third week, but only increased the number of screens to 536, and the related cinemas are still concentrated on the west coast of the United States.

Many years later, when a film is released for three weeks, either its popularity has faded or its pirated resources are flying all over the world. It is meaningless to continue to increase the screening scale.

However, in the mid-1980s, the speed of information dissemination was far less rapid than that of the Internet era, and film and television piracy was not as rampant as it was later. There was also a multi round screening mechanism from metropolis to small towns. Many small towns in the third and fourth tier often took one or two months to see some blockbusters.

Therefore, the three weeks of word-of-mouth accumulation does not seem to be long for "Lola Run", it will only increase the audience's expectations.

Simon, on the other hand, waited patiently until Friday, but fox still didn't give any reply. He called Jonathan Friedman and asked his agent to reveal that he was looking for a partner for "death is coming.".

Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

It's Monday, March 2.

Ronald Goldberg, President of fox pictures, walked into the Morton restaurant where Hollywood filmmakers often eat in the evening. As soon as he entered, he felt that many people who used to eat were looking at each other.

Although inexplicably embarrassed, Ronald Goldberg said a few words to the waiter as if nothing had happened, and then he was taken to a table.

At this time, there was a middle-aged man in his forties sitting at the dining table. He was bald and unsightly. He had the same standard Jew's big nose. However, no one in the restaurant despises each other because of their appearance. The middle-aged man is Barry Diller, the current chairman and CEO of 20th century fox.

Notice that Ronald Goldberg is coming, and Barry Diller, who was reading a newspaper, immediately gets up, smiles, steps forward, shakes hands with him, and the two return to the table to sit down.

After ordering dinner, Ronald Goldberg glanced at the newspaper in front of Barry Diller. This is "La pioneers", and there is also a striking butterfly picture on the page. As an evening paper which is also more inclined to Hollywood industry trends, Ronald Goldberg easily judged that this picture should be related to "Butterfly Effect".

Barry Diller followed Ronald Goldberg's gaze to the newspaper in front of him and asked, "I heard that this movie didn't have a good audition?"

Ronald Goldberg said with some hesitation: "we all think the story is complete and wonderful. However, several critics who participated in the audition didn't like it very much. They thought the plot of the film was too scattered and the main line was not clear enough."

Barry Diller frowned at the words. In this era, the most direct impression of ordinary people on a film is the newspaper film review. If the film review is not good, it will undoubtedly hinder the enthusiasm of the audience to enter the cinema.After thinking about it, Barry Diller asked, "what are you going to do?"

Ronald Goldberg said: "there will be an in-house audition on Wednesday, with some adjustments depending on the situation. And then, I'm going to schedule it for Easter. You know, the "Lola Run" might be a hit

That's what Ronald Goldberg said, in a distinctly bitter tone.

A week ago, Peter Sanders brought back Simon's demands for "death is coming" from Arizona. Ronald Goldberg almost laughed with anger.

That young man is so bold. Ronald Goldberg has worked in the media industry for 30 years. He has never met anyone who dares to make such a request to a film company. Does he think he is Spielberg?

So, Ronald Goldberg simply chose to ignore each other.

However, with the news that Simon westero is looking for a new partner for "death is coming" over the weekend, and the box office data of last weekend's three days this morning, Ronald Goldberg is hesitant again.

Simon westero's news is not mentioned for the time being. As long as fox does not give up, it is impossible for the other side to cooperate with other film companies.

But it's not.

The box office data of "Lola Run" in the past three days has really attracted many people's attention.

In the third week, the number of screens increased to 536, but the box office of "Lola Run" still reached $20110.

According to a report inside Hollywood, due to a series of media hot discussions recently, "Lola Run" has not only attracted the interest of audiences of all ages, but also formed a wave of watching among young audiences. These young people think that "Lola Run" is a very cool film, so they generally choose to watch it repeatedly.

The results of the report even show that the scarcity of screening theaters has stimulated many people to queue up for tickets to watch the films.

Finally, in the third weekend, the box office of "Lola Run" reached 10.78 million US dollars, which easily suppressed the new line cinema. This week, the movie "ghost Street 3", which was painted on 1343 screens, won the top position in the weekend box office ranking.

So far, the total box office of "Lola Run" in North America has reached $27.31 million. Just this box office figure has been out of the reach of most Hollywood films.

And now that it's top of the weekend box office charts, it's easy for "Lola Run" to keep its title for a long time in the off-season.

First place is always the most watched.

"Lola Run" already has a very high degree of topic, and then continue to maintain the weekly box office champion position, will definitely attract more people's interest in the film, and then form a virtuous circle.

The box office of the film has reached 27.31 million in two and a half weeks. Then, if the "cycle" continues, the final box office of the film is likely to be even better than the general expectation of the media.

Ronald Goldberg's thoughts come here and he doesn't even want to think about it any more.

I'm sorry.

The waiter brought the dinner up, but Barry Diller didn't pick up the tableware. He looked at Ronald Goldberg opposite him and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Barry Diller and Ronald Goldberg are two decades old friends.

It was Ronald Goldberg, who was still in the ABC production department, who promoted Barry Diller. That's why Barry Diller's continuous glory in ABC television network and Paramount Pictures.

Three years ago, Barry Diller was ousted by Martin Davis, chairman of paramount's parent company, who was envious of talent and ability. It was just under the introduction of Ronald Goldberg that he became chairman and CEO of 20th century fox.

20th Century Fox company is in charge of Fox television network and fox pictures. Ronald Goldberg has elected his former subordinates to be his immediate superior.

It's two times of gratitude.

So Barry Diller has always been grateful to Ronald Goldberg.

However, as the head of fox pictures, Ronald Goldberg managed the film company poorly. For three consecutive years, fox pictures has not produced a film with a box office exceeding 100 million in North America.

Because of his deep personal friendship, Barry Diller will not drive Ronald Goldberg out of the company in any case. He even rarely interferes with Ronald Goldberg's management of fox pictures. But both sides are very clear that if the situation continues, Rupert Murdoch, the company's major shareholder, will not tolerate Fox's being so tepid.

After a moment's silence, Barry Diller said, "Ronald, I've heard about that young man and the news from the weekend."

Ronald Goldberg gave a wry smile and said, "Barry, do you think I should promise him? He was just a kid under 20 years old, but he put forward the harsh conditions that even Spielberg would not speak easily. ""Isn't there a premise?" Barry Diller said: "it's $16 million. Although the guarantee is a little lower, if you only need $8 million in production cost, fox will definitely be able to make a profit."

Ronald Goldberg said: "if it's just like this, it can be talked about. However, he also demanded absolute control over the project. Director, actor, shooting, and final editing all has the final say. How can I be relieved. "

"I just saw" Lola Run "this afternoon," Barry Diller said, "it's absolutely a wonderful film for an 18-year-old. So, Ronald, if you can be sure that "Lola Run" is really completed by him, maybe you can promise it

Ronald Goldberg hesitated: "that's for sure. It's just, Barry, you know, it's never happened in Hollywood

"It just happens to be a propaganda point for the future," Barry Diller said with a smile, "just like his 18-year-old age. It's really a wonderful film marketing. If he wasn't 18 years old, the movie would have made up to $10 million or $20 million at the box office. But now, it can get $120 million. If the relevant marketing plan is also planned by the young man, it will be amazing. So, Ronald, I suggest you bring this young man to fox as much as possible. Maybe you will get a second Spielberg. "

Ronald Goldberg understood Barry Diller's good intentions when he heard so much. He has always admired Barry Diller's vision and ability, otherwise he would not be willing to be inferior, so he naturally attached great importance to his suggestions.

What's more, Ronald Goldberg is more aware of his current situation.

If the situation of fox pictures can not be improved as soon as possible, he will not only have to leave after his contract expires next year, but it will be difficult for him to find a suitable job in other studios in the future.

To attract a young man who has just come to the fore in Hollywood, although he feels a bit anxious to go to the doctor.

However, the well-known Hollywood directors either have a very stable cooperative film company, or they have a lot of endless contracts. Ronald Goldberg can't have more choices at all.

With that in mind and a nod, Ronald Goldberg said, "well, I'll talk to him as soon as possible."