novelno Chapter 166 Second Week Box Office
Chapter 166 Second Week Box Office
Chapter 166 Second Week Box Office
The long walnut table in the chairman's office gleamed with a cold luster. As soon as Ernst's fingers touched the receiver, the unique chill of the metal surface spread from his fingertips.
Even if he is the chairman, he cannot bring a phone into the small dark room; that's the rule.
Being able to come and go as he pleases is his only privilege.
So these past few days, all the calls to Ernst have gone to his office, where Mayer would inform him, the chairman.
He leaned against the edge of the table, half of his weight on the cold surface, and held the receiver to his ear.
Ernst's pupils contracted slightly when his gaze fell on Mayer.
The woman was kneeling on the Persian carpet, dealing with the documents that had been accidentally blown off the floor. Her silk shirt was stretched taut by the movement of her bending over, and the skin of her lower back was faintly visible as she wiped.
Her body was bent at an almost physics-defying arc, the silhouette outlined by her pencil skirt casting ambiguous shadows in the sunlight.
Ernst reached out and slapped Mayer's huge buttocks, and Mayer's body tensed up instantly, then went limp as if his bones had been removed.
Looking up and back, his eyes were like honey-soaked vodka, burning and dreamy.
"What's wrong?" Ernst's voice was emotionless after answering the phone, but his fingertips were gently stroking the spot he had just touched.
The call was from Robert Iger; he wouldn't have made the call unless it was something important.
He had the authority to make decisions on most matters concerning MGM, and rarely needed to consult Ernst.
The moment the receiver touched my ear, the breathing I heard carried an obvious, barely suppressed excitement.
"The people from Citibank just left my office," Robert's voice came through the static. "They offered to restart financing negotiations, and their attitude is completely different from before."
Ernst’s large hand left the shapely buttocks, his knuckles tapping lightly on the table, the rhythm miraculously matching the ticking of the pendulum clock.
He recalled his previous meeting with Citigroup CEO John Reid at a Goldman Sachs cocktail party, where Reid thought he was unreasonable because of his $75 billion valuation, but now Reid had taken the initiative to come to him to restart negotiations.
"The second-week box office figures for 'Titanic' are out?" He understood the key to the other party's change of attitude.
The question caused a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by an incredulous exclamation: "You didn't read the briefings and newspapers? The whole of Hollywood is talking about this number!"
'
There's all the news about "Titanic" out there, and MGM has increased its promotional efforts. Robert Iger didn't expect that there would still be people who didn't know about "Titanic's" box office.
The most ridiculous thing is that this person is the owner of the company that produced "Titanic" and has been a staunch supporter of the film from beginning to end.
Ernst didn't answer. He loosened his tie, revealing the exquisite embroidery on his shirt collar, and then gave an awkward laugh.
His mind had been focused on Ernst Asset Management lately, leaving early and returning late, and he hadn't paid any attention to entertainment news, let alone had time to check the briefing sent to him by his secretary at MGM. "Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me already."
Ernst was also very much looking forward to it. Since the film had already surpassed the previous record for opening weekend box office in the North American market alone, he was very curious about how it would develop in the second weekend.
The European market, in particular, has always looked down on Hollywood's industrialized films, believing that film is art and that Hollywood has no art whatsoever.
But Titanic is different. It is considered a classic even in Europe, which is the most important reason why Titanic was able to achieve such a high global box office.
Robert Iger's voice trembled as he spoke, "You can't believe it, this film not only achieved a box office reversal in North America, but the power it displayed in Europe still feels like a dream..."
Ernst's forehead instantly creased with anger, and even his large hand, which had been stroking the giant buttocks, lost some of its interest.
Perhaps sensing Ernst's unusual behavior, Mayer turned around, her eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow in the sunlight.
Her kneeling motion was as fluid as a meticulously choreographed dance, and the sound of metal clinking as her fingertips unbuckled her belt made a soft, metallic clanging sound.
With a hiss, Ernst gasped, interrupting Robert Iger's reverie.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Ernst said casually. "What I want to know right now is how much Titanic will gross in its second week."
Robert Iger then realized he had gone off-topic, and laughed as he said, "Did you know? Titanic's second weekend box office actually exceeded one hundred million dollars, reaching 1.02 million dollars."
"Of that, $4471 million came from the North American market and $5729 million from overseas." Robert's voice trembled noticeably.
"The craziest place was Europe, which contributed a staggering $4164 million at the box office. Keep in mind, we haven't even rolled out the film across Europe yet, just in major city theaters..."
'
Ernst's gaze fell on the floor-to-ceiling windows. He could imagine the long lines outside cinemas in London, Paris, and Rome, where European audiences, who had always considered themselves the guardians of the art of film, were now going crazy for a Hollywood blockbuster.
The thrill of this contrast certainly can't compare to that of Mayer.
The little rascal suddenly sped up his movements, and a muffled groan escaped Ernst's throat, abruptly stopping the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Are you alright over there?" Robert found himself getting a little lost in his box office fantasies again.
"It's nothing." Ernst pressed his knuckles against his forehead, forcing himself to concentrate.
Robert Iger's voice came through again: "Of these, Germany contributed 680 million, Britain 1160 million, France 870 million..."
"
"Starting this week, we will have a simultaneous release in 37 countries across Europe. Based on this trend, the box office is likely to continue to decline in the third week."
"Do you know what this means? Titanic is very likely to create a new box office legend and will most likely break the global box office record."
Ernst ignored the other man's loud pronouncements and was also taken aback.
It grossed nearly $40 million, which is almost $40 million more than the original record.
Ernst anticipated that Titanic would be a huge hit, but he didn't expect it to be this massive and unbelievable.
No wonder Citibank had to restart financing negotiations; the situation has completely reversed now.
I wonder what John Reed is feeling right now; he's probably kicking himself to death.
When it was $65 billion, you thought it was expensive; when it was $75 billion, you thought I was messing with you; now even $75 billion is impossible.
MGM has once again demonstrated its potential. Want to raise funds? You have to give me a premium, and a multiplied premium at that.
According to Ernst's estimates, "Titanic" will bring MGM at least $10 billion in net revenue.
Based on a box office of $700 million in North America, $13 billion overseas, and a total global box office of $2 billion.
Hollywood production companies can get about 40% of the overseas box office revenue, with little fluctuation, which is about $5.2 million.
The revenue sharing in North America is quite different, as the box office revenue sharing mechanism in North America is different from that in any other country.
In North America, a floating revenue-sharing model is typically adopted. Generally, the distributor receives a higher share of the revenue during the first week or two of a film's release, which may reach 70% or even 90%, in order to protect high-budget blockbusters.
After the first week or the first two weeks, the issuer's share of revenue will be reduced in stages, such as 60%, 50%, and 40%.
The longer the film is shown, the more the revenue share is allocated to cinemas, in order to encourage them to screen the film for an extended period.
On average, from the start of a film's run to its end, the total box office revenue is roughly split 50/50 between the distributor and the cinemas.
However, it depends on the film. For blockbuster films, it's not uncommon for the distributor to take more than 60% of the revenue, and it's not impossible for it to exceed 65%.
Based on a 60% box office revenue share, MGM would receive $4.2 million from the North American box office revenue of "Titanic".
In other words, this movie alone could bring in at least $9.4 million for MGM from box office revenue, and that's a conservative estimate.
How much was the film's budget? Less than $250 million. Even if MGM increases its promotional spending later, the total budget will not exceed $300 million.
One film earned over six hundred million US dollars in box office revenue alone, not even counting other income such as merchandise, copyright licensing, videotapes, and television broadcasting rights.
If we don't demand an exorbitant amount now, when will we?
"Tell the Citi team to put the financing negotiations on hold for now. MGM will notify the major financial institutions when the financing will take place."
0
The moment he hung up the phone, Ernst swept Mayer up in his arms, scattering documents from his desk all over the floor.
The antique clock struck the hour, and in the distant echo, he looked down at those eyes that were always moist. "Now, it's time to settle our score."
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the New York cityscape appears dated, but inside this office, a triumphant song is unfolding that is a thousand times more beautiful than the view outside.
Ernst slammed his large hand down; he was determined to examine this enormous buttocks closely today to see if they were made of silicone and whether they would deform.