The King of Huayu Science Fiction

Chapter 152 Universal's Olive Branch
Jeff Miller is the co-chairman and executive vice president of film production of Universal Pictures. It is worth mentioning that his grandfather was a director of Comcast Telecom and once served as president.

Comcast is the parent company of NBC Universal, the parent company of Universal Pictures.

And his mother is the vice president of CAA.

So Jeff Miller is definitely a powerful figure in Hollywood, but at this time he is smiling in front of Chen Jingxing, making people happy.

Regarding Jeff Miller's flattery, Chen Jingxing did not pretend to be modest. This meeting looked relaxed and happy, like meeting old friends, but it was actually a negotiation, and humility was the least necessary.

Besides, as a foreign director, he used two small and medium-budget films to get hundreds of millions of dollars in the box office in the North American market within a year-the estimated box office of "Signal" is likely to exceed 5000 million.

For Hollywood, it would be fair to say he was the biggest discovery of the year.

"Chan, you don't know how many people in Hollywood are curious about you." Jeff Miller still had a pleasant smile on his face: "You are a director who is naturally suitable for Hollywood. If you join Universal, I can guarantee you have editing rights."

For this kind of wooing, Chen Jingxing had encountered many times when "Fatal Identity" hit theaters the last time he came to the United States, and of course he was unmoved: "The fact that I am the owner of DreamWorks should be known to all Hollywood companies, right? "

Jeff Miller shrugged: "This does not affect our cooperation, and I also know that DreamWorks has just received a second round of financing. I know that your focus is in China, but here, Hollywood, is the global film industry. Manufacturing center and film and television product radiation center.

DreamWorks is very lucky to have a talented director like you, but it is a waste of your talent to be completely confined to Huaguo. DreamWorks is not necessarily the DreamWorks of Huaguo, but it can be the DreamWorks of the world, the DreamWorks of Hollywood. . "

Chen Jingxing was a little surprised. No wonder such a heavyweight as Jeff Miller was dispatched to this meeting. He was puzzled when he heard that the executive vice president of Universal Pictures wanted to ask him out for a talk. "Gravity" Things don't need to go to this level, right?It turned out that Universal Pictures wanted to buy DreamWorks directly.

Seeing Chen Jingxing's silence, Jeff Miller thought that he was moved, and once again raised his chips: "As long as Universal obtains a controlling position, it will be fine, and we are willing to offer DreamWorks a higher valuation price for this round of financing, 4 million U.S. dollars." If you buy 51% of the shares in your hand, then DreamWorks will become a studio spanning China and the United States, and all the films you make can be directly distributed in North American theaters, and they will be marketed around the world with the help of Universal’s distribution capabilities.”

Naturally, Chen Jingxing didn't feel any wavering in his heart, but he couldn't help but secretly smiled bitterly. He used similar words to Mo's president Xu Sheng not long ago. Sure enough, the rules of the game in this world are big fish eat small fish, and the size of fish is relative. of.

He rejected the olive branch offered by Universal's vice president without any leeway: "Mr. Miller, of course DreamWorks is not only China's DreamWorks, it will become the world's DreamWorks, but it will not be Hollywood's DreamWorks."

For Chen Jingxing's refusal, Jeff Miller did not show any disappointment. Of course, this kind of matter cannot be settled in one meal, but he was still a little surprised by Chen Jingxing's decisive attitude in his heart—— The young man didn't seem to be bothered at all.

In fact, Chen Jingxing's win-win and DreamWorks' acquisition plan are actually advocated by him. In the past 20 years, the Matthew effect in Hollywood has become stronger and stronger. Disney and Warner hold comic resources and several classic IPs, which completely subverted the long-term creation of the film industry. model.

Industrial films, especially A-level productions with a huge investment of billions, are high-risk, high-return commodities. Even industrialized processes cannot change their essential attributes. It is not uncommon for commercial giants with large investments to hit the box office. A phenomenon that film companies cannot avoid.

However, the comic film has changed the rules of the game. He has turned A-level production into a low-risk high-yield commodity, or a low-risk medium-yield commodity.

This makes other studios that do not have manga movie projects in their hands gradually drop out of the team. In the past, everyone was on the same starting line, and when shooting large-scale productions, they all opened blind boxes. What tests everyone is the technology of opening blind boxes. The street rush rate of production has been reduced to less than 10%, and capital naturally flocks to it.

In this way, original scripts gradually disappeared from A-level productions, and those who mastered the resources of comics naturally made special films. Those who did not have this resource also invested funds in big IPs created by predecessors, adaptations of best-selling novels or remakes of twice-cooked meat, and worked hard. Reduce the risk of A-level blockbusters.

In the eyes of Jeff Miller, Chen Jingxing is a director with great investment value. The three works he has made so far, including his debut "Comet", which is only released on the Internet, have achieved good results and attracted young audiences. favorite.

Well, before Chen Jingxing’s Waterloo, he was a low-risk big IP, and Universal has developed big IP and sequel movies to the extreme in the past few years, and several series of movies have already shot the seventh and eighth movies.

If these franchises are fed up with audiences, where is Universal's next golden hen?Is it possible to go back to opening the blind box directly like 20 years ago?
Making IP is not an easy job, it is completely a model of spreading the net, making ten movies, seven hit the market, two make a small profit, and the remaining one movie may have the value of becoming an IP golden hen.

And DreamWorks, or Chen Jingxing might become Universal's next golden hen.

Chen Jingxing didn't know how much the global vice president in front of him valued him. After swallowing the last piece of steak, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said with a smile, "Let's get to the point quickly."

topic?

Jeff Miller raised his eyebrows and sighed: "Chan, your courage surprised me and my peers. Your space sci-fi film project, even our Universal, may not have the courage to directly initiate the project." Universal This meeting with Chen Jingxing was actually triggered by "Gravity".

If it’s at Universal’s project initiation meeting, it’s not an adaptation of a best-selling novel, a remake of a classic movie, a sequel to an established big IP, let alone a comic film, and there is no historical sentiment bonus, such as what myths and ancient legends are used as With the background, he can be sure that this project will never pass in Universal.

Chen Jingxing smiled: "I understand, 'Paying money for an original script is doing charity', this is a famous saying in Hollywood."

Jeff Miller laughed loudly: "Yeah, my mother said this sentence, but I only agree with 50%. I appreciate people who pay for original scripts. I admire your courage and courage. Universal is also prepared Well, let’s do our best to contribute to this sci-fi masterpiece.”

(End of this chapter)