Reborn America, this is my time

Chapter 129 My Lord!Food defense!
In fact, when Ethan set his entrepreneurial goal as an electronic arcade, he once regarded North American movie theaters as his target customers.Firstly, it was because the movie theater had a fixed business location and a stable passenger flow, which met the standards for electronic arcade machines; secondly, it was because in his previous life, there were all kinds of arcade machines stored in the major movie theater lines.

During his school years, he was lured into a movie theater in New York by the name of Tom Cruise, and saw a shitty "The New Mummy" there.

However, although the movie is rubbish, the "Mummy" game console put in the theater is very interesting. IMAX and HTC have jointly produced a VR version of the monster fighting game. The rich experience of more than ten kinds of venues can make players and Tom. Together, Cruise fights against the endless army of mummies.

In addition, he still vaguely remembers that in his old home in the East, there are many arcade machines in the major theaters, there are claw machines for selling items in disguise, there are shooting machines for people to play, and they are placed for profit. A fishing game machine that understands everything...

It is precisely because these arrangements are still fresh in Ethan's memory, so two years ago, when he first cooperated with Atari, he really looked forward to the green snake occupying the North American theaters.

No way, who makes merchants like this kind of huge and stable customers?
But after he followed Jobs to deliver the goods for a month, he was surprised to find that his favorite target customers had little demand for electronic arcade machines.

When "Snake" was sold, there were only dozens of theaters in North America that purchased this arcade machine. After that, "Pac-Man" was a bit better, but the audience was only a hundred theaters.

This fact made Ethan very puzzled. He didn't understand why a mass entertainment place like a movie theater would reject a product with a high profit margin like an electronic arcade machine. At that time, he didn't find the answer. Ethan, who discovered the problem, also asked what was on his mind.

Only then did he learn the truth from insiders.

"Ethan, your question is very simple."

The chubby director of Fox looked at Ethan with a smile, and said, "Why don't North American theaters purchase a large number of electronic arcade machines? That's because we don't allow it. Not only Fox, but other Warner, Universal, Disney, Columbia, Gao Mei, none of them allow it."

"As for why it is not allowed?"

"The reason for this question is actually simpler."

"Because all of us know that when the electronic arcade enters North American theaters, our movie box office will suffer a huge impact."

That's right!

This is the key to why "Snake" and "Pac-Man" were not purchased by theaters!

Because Hollywood moguls have seen the power of video games!

They are afraid and want to protect their own interests!
Before the advent of electronic arcades, movies were the cheapest form of entertainment in North America.

The box office miracle of "Gone with the Wind" was [-] million US dollars, which was raised abruptly by the North American people with nearly [-] million movie viewers. This can even be called a textbook-style small profit but quick turnover.

Although movie ticket prices in America have risen over the years, compared with other forms of entertainment, the price in the first dollar is still extremely cheap.

Unfortunately……

The cheapness of movies has not existed since the advent of electronic arcades!
Many people may think that an arcade game played for tens of cents, or a few minutes at most, is more expensive than a few hours of visual enjoyment, but this is not the case.

Because tens of cents actually represent a lower threshold for playing.

At the same time, video games also have the advantage of transparency that movies do not have.

In life, many people will find that they have been deceived by Hollywood's publicity after spending a dollar to enter the movie theater. Not to mention wasting two hours, and more importantly, they paid for eating shit.

Electronic arcades are different. When they openly appear in the streets and alleys, people who want to experience the game can watch others play it first, and then choose whether to play it or not.

When the two advantages of low threshold and choice appear at the same time, the discerning people in Hollywood will naturally know that the product of electronic arcade can definitely kill movies, so when Nolan Bushnell wanted to sell Atari, Universal and Disney Only then will they come into contact with them and attempt to enter the arena.

And before they enter the arena themselves...

That is absolutely unbearable for those game companies to stretch their hands into their back gardens!
After Ethan listened to the fat supervisor's description, he felt a little emotional, because this kind of irrelevant conflict of interests did not become the direction he had considered at the beginning.

And the outflow of these inside stories also made Ethan a little excited, because he knew that if Fox hadn't broken the pot and wanted to get back all the tens of millions of investment in "Star Wars", then they would definitely not be as they are now, and do their best. Lead the way for yourself.

Of course, at the same time, there was also a doubt in Ethan's heart.

That is, is Fox's leading behavior breaking the rules?After all, threatening North American theaters to ban the purchase of electronic arcade machines was a decision jointly made by several major Hollywood companies, and now that Fox has taken the lead in tearing up this tacit understanding, won't this cause several other companies to attack?

And when he asked the question, Fox's fat executive laughed.

"We Fox broke the rules?"

"Oh Ethan, if the other families dare to say this, we will definitely tear their mouths apart!"

"What are the rules?"

"Guidelines are nothing more than companies in an industry feel that malicious competition can't make money, so they are forced to sit down and negotiate, trying to use the rules to protect their own interests!"

"As long as there is a company that can break through the vicious circle of vicious competition..."

"Then he will definitely tear up the rules!"

"And, judging from the current situation, Warner was the first to tear up the rules, right?"

"They bought Atari!"

"Although Atari is currently making home consoles, no one can guarantee whether they will turn around and make electronic arcade machines. When Warner is a big step ahead of us in the field of video games, what other companies want to do most The thing is to take a knife and stab them all to death!"

"If you sell electronic arcade machines into theaters and force Warner's tens of millions of investment to go to waste, then I believe that whether it's Universal, Disney, Columbia, or MGM, they will all agree with it! Or...they may not really show up, but they will definitely help you behind the scenes, not to help you succeed, but to disgust Warner!"

"Also, there is a little advantage in doing so."

"That is to stop worrying about subsequent attacks from Warner and Philips."

"When your counterattack says they are uncomfortable, they will definitely find a way to get back the lost face. In this case, once you release the game, they will definitely smear it wildly."

"If your customers are still retail investors as before, then they will definitely be influenced by public opinion. After all, not every customer can come to California to see the machine, but if your customers are all North American theaters with high-end If you are a big player in thousands of stores, then they will be able to communicate easily, as long as you reach an agreement with the boss, all the stores below will definitely distribute the goods!"

…………

The conversation that happened a few weeks ago is still fresh in Ethan's memory.

At that time, he was smiling like a flower, because he knew that he was not fighting alone.

After greeting the bosses of the North American theater chain, the group didn't waste any time and sat down in the Fox screening hall to evaluate the movie "Star Wars".

then……

Ethan discovered that the joy of the previous life that had been dusty for many years finally appeared.

After Spielberg's modification and the post-processing of Industrial Light and Magic, the movie "Star Wars" finally has its own color. After the logos of Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm flashed past, that The retrograde text in the starry sky made Ethan smile.

It is the purest original movie without the title of "Fourth A New Hope".

The plot of Darth Vader chasing Princess Leia at the beginning is the standard narrative technique of Hollywood commercial movies. It cuts to the point quickly and accurately, letting the audience know who the good and the villain are.

When the opposing sides are clear, the public's viewing experience will be very good, because they will read the stories told by the director according to the quality of the characters.

The content of the movie "Star Wars" is also very simple. It tells that in the distant galaxy, there is a galaxy empire. struggle.In order to destroy the rebels, the Galactic Empire built a weapon called the Death Star, which could even destroy a planet.

In order to prevent the Galactic Empire from using this super weapon, Princess Leia, the leader of the Rebel Army, stole its information, and was captured by the dark lord Darth Vader of the Empire during the escape, but before that, the princess will die Star The blueprint and distress information of the robot were hidden in a robot called R2-D2, and it was sent to the planet Tatooine to seek help from the legendary Jedi Knight Obi-Wan.

In the process of asking for help, the robot met a boy named Luke Skywalker. After running around for a while, the boy found Obi-Wan and learned of his own life experience. His father was a Jedi Knight, but was later killed. Darth Vader killed.Obi-Wan invited him to join the Rebels, but Luke refused, but when Luke returned home, he found that his uncle and aunt had been killed by imperial soldiers searching for robots, so he decided to follow Obi-Wan to save the princess , and in the process, they hired a bounty hunter named Han Solo and took the opponent's Millennium Falcon...

To be honest, the plot of "Star Wars" is not profound. If you have to describe it, it is the most classic Hollywood hero script, that is, the protagonist encounters problems, the protagonist wants to solve the problem, and grows in the process, and then simply renders it Focus on family and affection, and finally kill the villain with explosive seeds.

Its all selling point, that is the special effects.

From an audience's point of view, Ethan thinks that the special effects of this movie are very good. Even if he rewatches it after many years, he can still praise George Lucas's imagination.

But I don't know why, after watching this movie, the bosses of the North American theaters all showed troubled faces, frowning, as if they hadn't shit for seven days.

"Will the audience really like this movie?" Richard Smith, the boss of GCC, propped his hands on the sofa seats in the auditorium, and said: "The story is complete, but there is nothing new."

Ted Mann, the owner of Mann Theaters, nodded and said: "Yes, I thought it was a movie similar to "Planet of the Apes". The science fiction is just an embellishment, and the real discussion is about the humanistic core, but... …didn’t expect it to be like this…”

AMC boss Stanley Duwood didn't hold back, saying: "This movie looks too expensive, using too much light and explosions, and I don't understand why it is like this."

"If it's an action movie, then I can understand it, but sci-fi movies... don't the current sci-fi movies discuss the connotation of life?"

Having said that, Stanley Duwood also set his sights on George Lucas.

"George, this is not the first time we have contacted. Your previous "American Style" was very good...I always thought you were a smart director because you studied under Francis (Coppola), and He also made great movies like The Godfather in your presence, so...can you tell me why you want to make a movie like Star Wars?"

"Do you really think..."

"Can this movie be liked by the audience?"

When this question appeared, everyone at the scene turned their attention to George Lucas.

Facing the stares of everyone, Lucas, who was no longer confident before, pursed his lips, "I..."

He faltered, and then said nothing.

Under repeated blows, he actually didn't know whether his movie was good or not.

But Ethan, who witnessed this scene with his own eyes, smiled and patted him.

That concerned action caused everyone at the scene to cast their gazes over.

Realizing that he had become the focus of the audience, Ethan didn't hold back, and said directly:

"You guys think this movie is not good, that's normal."

"Because this movie is made for people who have fantasies."

"You think it's a sci-fi film, but it's actually a fairy tale. It portrays the heroic dreams that ordinary people have had in their hearts..."

It wasn't until this moment that Ethan finally understood why no one liked the movie "Star Wars".

Because when a group of people in the industry are looking for the depth in a fairy tale drama, when a group of theater owners are looking for the core with those hardcore movies, they will never be able to understand "Star Wars" in their lifetime!
What is Star Wars about?
That's how poor kid Luke Skywalker picked up his father's lightsaber to save the world!

The whole story is the Shuangwen plot that ordinary people love to watch!
The whole movie is the classic special effects that go with it!

When Luke Skywalker harvests the Force and cuts down those vile stormtroopers...

Want to be a hero!Ordinary people who fantasize about climbing to the top of the world will be very happy!
In this case, let some bosses who are full of money and practitioners who are full of bitterness and hatred to evaluate this movie?

Isn't this the blind man telling the deaf man that he saw the mute singing?

They won't know what the average person needs until this kind of movie is successful!

And Ethan...

I don't even bother to talk to them anymore.

Ethan showed his resolute attitude, and the theater owners and Fox executives present fell silent. They looked at each other, and then smiled and asked Ethan to show his arcade machine.

After all, all the bosses on the scene came for the electronic arcade.

They don't care about the "Star Wars" movie at all, they just want to break through the blockade of Hollywood giants and get a share of the game field.

This is indeed an uncomfortable fact. Ethan also knew that he was powerless to change, so he shook his head and got up to take the stage, but at this moment, Lucas pulled him down.

"Thank you." The bearded man whispered.

When looking at him, Ethan also saw tears in his eyes.

But that was only fleeting, the bearded man blinked his eyes, and then gave a thumbs up.

"come on."

The response made Ethan laugh.

Stretch out your right hand and hit it.

"Give me five!"

The crisp sound was heard by everyone. Perhaps they had heard the game's excellence from Fox, so the bosses did not urge them. After Ethan took the stage and showed "Star Wars" in front of everyone, That's not inferior to the performance of "Pac-Man", which made them very satisfied.

Ah no!
It was a great surprise for them!
"How much is this machine?"

After Ethan introduced the machine, AMC boss Stanley Duwood asked decisively: "Is it the same as "Pac-Man" at two thousand dollars? If so, give me one thousand."

"We at AMC have more than 500 theaters, and we can put two or three theaters in urban areas and one in rural areas."

"Oh, by the way, can I get a discount if I buy so many?"

"One thousand and five ones?"

"After all, your original "Greedy Snake" only sold for one thousand and two?"

Such words made everyone at the scene burst into laughter.

The boss of GCC, Richard Smith, waved his hand and said, "Oh Stanley - "Snake" sells for [-] yuan, that's because they are circuit board games!"

"That kind of game doesn't have much technical content, so it's normal that the price is not high."

"And now it's the CPU era!"

"If you still want to buy an arcade machine at the price of a circuit board, then you really have no sincerity!"

"If you can't afford it, tell us earlier, don't waste our time here!"

"Who can't afford it? Isn't it just 200 million? It's easy for us AMC!" AMC's boss Stanley Duwood was immediately unhappy when he heard this mockery, and said: "Our AMC It’s going to be [-] units, how much can your GCC eat?”

"You have more movie theaters than us!"

"You can't buy less than us, can you?"

Although the boss of AMC was a bit provocative, the boss of GCC ignored him.

He smiled and said to Ethan: "Before the movie is released, I hope that there will be a thousand arcade machines appearing in my theaters. This should not be difficult for your destiny game, right?"

"After all, most of our theaters are in California."

AMC and GCC just quarreled, and then they had to leave two thousand electronic arcade machines. This kind of relaxed and happy decision is simply rare in the world.

At the same time, this number also made Mann Theaters owner Ted Mann a little flustered.

When the voice of old friend Richard Smith fell, he also said hastily: "Our Mann Theaters wants [-] sets, and each theater puts three sets on average!"

"I have known your company before, and I know that your company will definitely not be able to deliver the goods to your door in a short period of time, so I can ask those theater managers to drive directly to your factory to pick up the goods!"

"But at the same time, I also have a request, that is, you can't sell the electronic arcade machines of "Star Wars" to other companies or individuals. Our North American theaters must enjoy the unique game bonus!"

When these words appeared, regardless of whether it was the bosses of AMC and GCC who had already spoken, or the businessmen of small and medium-sized theater chains who had not expressed their views, they all nodded in unison.

They think this proposal is very good!

There is no way, everyone is in Hollywood, and everyone knows that monopolizing special codes is the best business in the world.When a game is related to a movie, it makes sense for it to appear in theaters.On the one hand, doing so can help the movie advertise, and on the other hand, it can let the audience play the game immediately after watching the movie.When this kind of business where you can sell tickets by looking up and collect money by bowing your head appears, they don't want others to come and share it!

And for this proposal...

Ethan just smiled and said, "Although the three of you asked for [-] units, I don't think the rest of the bosses will be able to ask for another [-] units, right?"

'? '

Everyone didn't understand what Ethan meant.

Ethan didn't hold back, and continued: "It's not my ego, but the game I created, and the current sales volume has never been less than 1 units."

""Snake" is not, "Pac-Man" is higher."

"And now, everyone knows that I, Ethan Jones, have a new game."

"In this case, even if you don't buy it, the rest of the merchants will buy it."

"So, if you want a monopoly, show some sincerity."

"I built [-] units, and you want them all."

"If you agree, then I can guarantee that I will no longer sell arcade machines to the outside world within a year!"

That's right!

Although Ethan knew that the owner of the North American theater chain in front of him was the best client he could find at the moment, but he still wasn't going to lick these people!
This is not only because he knows that "Star Wars" will explode, but also because he is very confident in his reputation!He firmly believes that under the escort of "Snake" and "Pac-Man", this new game called "Star Wars" will definitely sell better!

What's more, when he tried his best to catch the popularity of "Star Wars", what he wanted to do the most was not to simply sell a machine, but to step on the tide of the times and make "Star Wars" This arcade sold a new record!Tell everyone at the same time——

He Mirov and Atari are trash!

It's because they can't sell me the arcade machines, so they only dare to fight with each other!
Then in this case...

North American cinema owners want to use thousands of arcade machines to monopolize the industry?
Ha ha--

grown ups!Food defense!
And when Ethan stated unabashedly that he was the strong party in this negotiation...

The previous bosses who dared to criticize the film badly were all silent.

Because they knew what Ethan said was true.

Over the past few years, when they haven't been around, Ethan has been selling arcade machines out of retail alone.

Now, they are indeed begging Ethan to let the arcade of "Star Wars" enter the theater.

If Ethan doesn't agree and instead sells them recklessly, the cinema will suffer in the end.

After all, when the gaming craze hits, they're going to have to show the movie anyway.

Thinking of this, the theater bosses in North America also began to look around.

After making eye contact for a while, they said they needed a private space for a brief discussion.

Ethan agreed to this reasonable request.

Since it was already meal time, he took Lucas in his arms and asked him to take him to Fox's cafeteria to get some food. After he returned to the screening room again, the boss of the North American cinema chain also made a decision.

"We can only ask for six thousand at most," said Ted Mann, owner of Mann Theatres.

"And the 25 units must be delivered before May 24th, which is before the official release of "Star Wars", and no later than [-] o'clock in the evening on May [-]th Western time."

"At the same time, we hope that you can't sell Star Wars electronic arcade machines for three months after the official release of the movie and the game."

"If you promise, we can give a 40.00% advance payment within a week."

"The rest is cash on delivery."

Such words made Ethan laugh.

He loves this compromise!
But he doesn't like this time.

"One month at most." He said, "I can only let you send one month first."

"This month's time has already allowed you to earn several times the income. Even if I continue to sell arcade machines, you who occupy the cinema will also have the advantage of geographical location."

"At the same time, you have to promise me that in the first week of the film's release, the film schedule of "Star Wars" cannot be lower than 50.00%!"

"I just want this week because the grades will tell."

"If you can agree, then we will sign the contract directly."

Yes!

This is the real reason why Ethan and the owner of the North American theater chain discussed cooperation!
The "Star Wars" in the previous life was not directly spread in North America.

Because no one was optimistic about it, all major theaters screened it on a small scale. After the movie's reputation exploded, they expanded the lineup to satisfy the hungry fans.

But in this life, Ethan doesn't want to wait any longer!
When he put the name of "Star Wars" on the game, what he wanted to see most was——

Games and movies, take off together!
As long as "Star Wars" is slower, it is disrespectful to the reputation he has accumulated with "Snake" and "Pac-Man", and to "Star Wars", America's No. [-] IP!

As for why he was in such a hurry?
Very simple!
He can do other things slowly.

But to strike an opponent, one must achieve success with lightning speed!
Now that you've punched——

Then you must punch your opponent with one punch!Enter!earth!inside!

　Note: ① The "Mummy" game in this article has only been displayed in IMAX theaters in New York and Los Angeles. ② "Space Invaders" is the first arcade machine to be popular in bowling alleys, dance halls, and billiard halls in North America, and it is also the first arcade machine to really enter gas stations, movie theaters and other major public places.North American movie theaters did not dare to push arcade machines before this, and it was indeed threatened by Hollywood. As for the point where the balance was broken, it was indeed Warner's official acquisition of Atari. ③ "Star Wars" is a fairy tale This is what Lucas said in an interview with "Time" on May 77, 5. Please don't spray me on this point, this is not what I said.The original sentence is 'A film for a generation growing up without fairy tales'. ④There are three types of theater chains in North America. The first type is commercial theater chains, which is the current theater chain. The big shark O'Neill in the film has been opened before, and that is where art films and foreign films are shown.The combination of these three theaters combined into tens of thousands of screens, and among them, only the commercial theaters screened Hollywood movies at the same time, so don’t think that the one-time sale of 30 units in the article is less, I actually added this figure 1200.Appropriate exaggeration, understand.

　　PS1, no more.

　　PS2, I have a lot of things to do tomorrow, I will try my best to write, if I can't write it, see you on the 9th.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)