I am Hollywood

Chapter 523: Chapter 524: The Final Countdown

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[Chapter 524: The Final Countdown]

Eric Williams had been cornered by Peter Guber for nearly an hour. If he hadn't had an important meeting to attend afterwards, Eric figured he would have been completely worn out by this guy by the end of the morning.

After sending Peter Guber on his way, Eric quickly arrived at the large conference room at Firefly headquarters. By this time, nearly all the department heads from Firefly's film division had gathered, along with several high-ranking executives from overseas branches, totaling around forty to fifty people. With the arrival of the summer blockbuster season in June, it marked the busiest time for a film and entertainment company.

To avoid disrupting work, the management decided to hold the mid-year operational and financial summary meeting at the end of May. Since Firefly was not a publicly traded company, it did not require waiting for the formal mid-year financial report to complete the business summary and adjustments requested by the board.

The North American film market had performed tepidly in the first half of the year, with only Paramount Pictures' Easter release of a film titled Indecent Proposal lucky enough to cross the $100 million mark. Firefly had released a total of seven mid to low-budget films in the first six months of 1993, with the best performer being a family adventure comedy called Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, produced under the Disney brand and distributed by Buena Vista. It garnered over $43 million at the North American box office, but the combined box office total for all seven films was only $180 million.

While that figure seemed rather unimpressive, Firefly's total revenue from video tape sales, peripheral rights operations, theme parks, Disney stores, and other business lines had reached $2.2 billion, with a pre-tax profit exceeding $250 million. That meant the revenue from box office ticket sales had accounted for only about ten percent of Firefly's total

revenue.

Eric understood that if the company truly achieved such a revenue proportion, it would be a healthier business model for a comprehensive media group. This approach would also enhance a media company's resilience to risks, lowering the chances of bankruptcy due to the failure of one or two films.

However, in reality, Firefly was far from that point. The temporary revenue split primarily resulted from the film industry being in a downturn for most of the first half of the year, with the hottest releases scheduled for the latter half, including the studio's major films. Just the combined production costs of Jurassic Park, Deep Impact, and A Bug's Life would exceed the production and distribution costs of the first half's seven films.

...

The entire meeting continued until four-thirty in the afternoon. Although there was still half an hour until the workday ended, Eric had already planned to leave early. However, just as he packed up, Jeffrey Katzenberg stopped him, and behind him was Patrick Schneider, head of Disneyland Paris. Due to last year's major operational missteps at Disneyland Paris, Eric and Katzenberg had initially planned to pull Patrick Schneider back to headquarters. However, after Patrick Schneider had improved operations at Disneyland Paris, Eric and Katzenberg decided to allow him to stay for the time being.

Today's meeting also addressed the state of Disneyland Paris. In the first two quarters, the total number of visitors reached six million, bringing the park to a break-even point, with potential profits in the second half of the year. As a project that had been severely mismanaged during its development, Eric's only requirement for Disneyland Paris was to maintain financial balance and not become a burden on the group. The prospect of turning a profit delighted him. In the original timeline, Disneyland Paris had incurred billions in losses for Disney headquarters each year after opening, with few years of actual profit.

"Eric, it's like this -- Louis Bartolo, the representative of the French investors for Disneyland Paris, is also here in Los Angeles," Katzenberg stated matter-of-factly, "They are not too satisfied with the current situation and want to reclaim management rights for Disneyland Paris."

Eric didn't take the two back to his office but instead indicated for them to sit at the meeting table. He asked, "I remember we clearly outlined the situation at Disneyland Paris to them last year. We made significant changes. Isn't everything moving in a positive direction? Why would they still have that notion?"

Seated across from them, Patrick Schneider had the most insight into the matter. He answered, "Mr. Williams, the situation at Disneyland Paris is indeed improving; however, compared to the profitability of Tokyo Disneyland, the gap is still quite large. The French are likely influenced by the way the Japanese have been able to operate Tokyo Disneyland."

Eric scoffed in his mind. The French had a good plan, but they didn't consider whether they had the capability to pull it off. The success of Tokyo Disneyland stemmed from the Japanese's recognition and admiration of American culture, something that didn't exist in Europe. He recalled that in the original timeline, due to early massive losses at Disneyland Paris, Disney headquarters was forced to relinquish control, resulting in years of stagnation and increasing burden for Disney. This alone ensured Eric would never give up control of Disneyland Paris. Disney headquarters, after all, possessed rich operational experience, which enabled Disneyland Paris to quickly adjust and improve within a year of recognizing issues. Handing it over to the French was a gamble he was unwilling to take.

"Regardless, we certainly won't relinquish control of Disneyland Paris," Eric asserted, looking at the two men. "Does Luis Bartolo want to meet me?"

"He invited us to a dinner tonight to discuss this matter. We've accepted, since he's here after all, just letting you know and seeing how we might handle this," Katzenberg said, fully aware that Eric would likely decline the dinner.

"I won't be going," Eric shook his head, thinking for a moment. "Since the French are envious of Tokyo Disneyland, if they really want control back, it's not impossible..."

Before Eric could finish, Katzenberg interjected, "Eric, absolutely not."

Eric waved off Katzenberg's objection, smiling as he continued, "Wait for me to finish! You know I've been dealing with Peter Guber for a while. If we outright refuse, I'm sure the French will continue to harass us. Let's set a price. If they aspire to have control like the Japanese do, then they should buy back all our shares in Disneyland Paris. We can structure it as an agreement similar to Tokyo Disneyland -- just collecting royalties."

Katzenberg instantly relaxed upon hearing Eric's stance, while Patrick Schneider chimed in, "That's a solid plan. If the French are willing to buy back our shares, headquarters can shed this burden, and we can reliably profit from Disneyland Paris. Even if Disneyland Paris ultimately can't sustain itself under the French, we won't bear too much responsibility." Despite Disneyland Paris showing signs of recovery, Patrick Schneider felt a weight on his shoulders as head of the park, constantly worried about a sudden downturn. If he could escape this burden and return to headquarters, he would jump at the chance, though he knew the likelihood was slim. The French wouldn't be foolish enough to take on all the risks themselves, so Eric's proposal effectively extinguished their desire to reclaim Disneyland Paris.

Katzenberg added, "In that case, Eric, maybe you should join tonight's dinner. It would be better for you to communicate this proposal directly to Louis Bartolo. I can't wait to see his face when he hears this."

Eric shook his head. "No need for that. Besides, Jeffrey, even with this condition as a shield, I'm sure you can effectively convey the details to him. No need for the French to be constantly

reminded of this."

"Alright, I understand," Katzenberg nodded, and after wrapping up the conversation, the three left the conference room, exchanging light banter.

...

As they walked toward the elevator, Patrick Schneider spoke up, "Mr. Williams, I heard the company is planning to establish a new art film division specifically for making award-

winning films. Is that correct?"

Eric nodded, grinning. "Michael is currently in charge of planning that department. You're not suggesting you want to self-nominate as head, are you?"

There were many Michaels, but Patrick Schneider understood that Eric was referring to Firefly's CEO, Michael Lynn. "Certainly not, Mr. Williams. However, having been in France, I have good connections in that film circle. There's an excellent young French director looking to break into Hollywood. He's just in his thirties but has already received several Cesar nominations. It's notable that he earned a nomination for his first feature film at the age of twenty-five -- a rare feat in the conservative French film industry, where it's a hundred times tougher for young talent to break through compared to Hollywood. What's more impressive is that his work balances both commercial success and artistic merit."

The three entered the elevator, and Katzenberg remarked, "Getting Oscar recognition is not easy for French directors unless they start their careers in Hollywood." Patrick Schneider was merely passing on information to Eric, fully aware of the truth in Katzenberg's statement. As they were about to answer, they heard Eric ask, "What's the name

of this director?"

"Luc Besson," Patrick Schneider replied.

Eric chuckled, "What a coincidence. I just happened to have seen his film, La Femme Nikita. It

was quite good."

If John Woo's three trademarks in Hollywood were slow motion, character close-ups, and pigeons, Eric's impression of Luc Besson's "trademarks" was chasing, chasing, and more

chasing.

This wasn't to say Luc Besson's film style was singular; rather, in the films Eric had seen directed by him, there seemed to be an abundance of chase scenes. From the early La Femme Nikita, to later films like Taken and the inexplicably successful Lucy, they all leaned heavily on that formula, and yet audiences consistently engaged with the adrenaline-pumping

simplicity of those plots.

Contemplating this, Eric asked, "Patrick, what's this about Luc Besson wanting to develop in

Hollywood?"

Patrick Schneider replied, "He plans to make a hitman-themed film, shooting in New York, and is currently seeking collaborators from our side."

Eric guessed it must be the film now known as Leon: The Professional, and felt a thrill. "Let's have the production department reach out to him. I'll look at the script. If it works, Firefly can handle the investment and production."

Patrick Schneider was taken aback by Eric's on-the-spot decision but nodded. "No problem. He's currently in Los Angeles, and I'll get in touch with him tonight."

After exiting the elevator, the three said their goodbyes and each got into their cars.

...

As the driver hit the highway, Eric gazed out the window, lost in thought. The world's trajectory had changed so significantly under his influence. While the director remained the same, and the lead actor was likely also the same, he couldn't help but wonder if Mathilda was

still that same Mathilda.

As they passed a movie theater, Eric caught sight of the towering poster for Jurassic Park

plastered on the outside wall and snapped back to reality. Jurassic Park was about to premiere -- now that was what mattered most.

The $25 million promotional budget had been fully utilized, and without hesitation, Eric had allocated another $25 million. With the successful saturation release of Mr. & Mrs. Smith as a reference, he decided to raise the opening number for Jurassic Park to over 3,000 screens. Without a doubt, Jurassic Park would become the first film in North America to open on over

3,000 screens.

Now, Jurassic Park was entering its final countdown phase.

*****

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