New York 2006

Chapter 245 Harry Potter actually lost money

Luo Ji pretended that nothing happened, nodded politely and left.

Warner CEO David Zaslav took a sip of wine and looked at his leaving figure with a playful smile on his face.

A clever subordinate hurriedly came over: "Boss, why are you so happy? What were you and Logic talking about just now?"

Warner CEO David wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, it wouldn't be a bad thing to tell him, so he said, "He just asked me if I could invest in Warner's comic-book superhero movie!"

The clever subordinate hurriedly said: "When he saw that our Batman made a billion dollars in box office, he wanted to come and get involved. He wants to eat shit!"

Warner CEO David said with a smile: "You can't say that about our partners."

The clever subordinate said disdainfully: "He wanted to eat shit, and he is quite thick-skinned."

"Hahaha, being thick-skinned is an essential quality for successful people."

"Boss, what you said is really right. Think about Logic's shameless image in the media. He made a bet and said he would run naked, hype up scandals with different women, tell lies, and take all the credit for himself. He is not shameless. You can’t do something so dishonorable.”

"Hahahaha." David Zaslav burst into laughter.

Having said that, the two of them looked at Luo Ji's figure not far away with envious eyes, wishing they could take his place.

…………

Christine came to Luo Ji and asked with concern, "Dear, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so depressed?"

Luo Ji sighed and said, "There are no fools in this world. Everyone is so smart."

Kristine said softly: "What's wrong? Can you tell me? I'm your girlfriend. If you have anything, you can tell me."

"Ok."

Luo Ji said, "I found that comic-book superhero movies have become quite popular in recent years, so I was wondering if I could invest in Warner's superhero movies. I mentioned this to the CEO of Warner just now, but was rejected."

Kristen patted her boyfriend on the back and comforted her: "My dear, you are already very successful. There is no need to worry about such a small thing."

"It's up to you." Luo Ji scratched her nose.

It was reasonable to be rejected. Luo Ji just asked as a test. He didn't feel much disappointed after being rejected, he was just a little sad.

Luo Ji took Kristine to Thomas Tull, the boss of Legendary Pictures. He smiled and said, "Congratulations, it's been a great year. Not only did you invest in my "Twilight", but you also invested in Warner's The Dark Knight."

Thomas Tull waved his hand: "Hahaha, but your company still doesn't make money. I only have a small share in your movies, and you are the ones who make the big money."

Luo Ji lowered his voice and said, "Can you tell me about your agreement with Warner?"

"It's no secret."

Thomas Tull said without hesitation: "My film company signed an agreement with Warner Bros. in 2005 to co-produce and co-finance more than 40 films within seven years. This is how I can participate in " Reasons in The Dark Knight.”

Luo Ji asked in surprise: "Do these 40 movies include the Harry Potter series?"

Thomas Tull rolled his eyes: "Of course not. The Harry Potter series had already been successful at that time. How could such a good thing happen?"

"Okay." Luo Ji nodded.

Kristine suddenly said: "By the way, why wasn't Harry Potter released last year? Wasn't there one every year in these years?"

Thomas looked around vigilantly and found that no one was eavesdropping. Then he whispered: "This matter is still a secret in Hollywood. The author and actor of the novel "Harry Potter" had a conflict with Warner Bros. The film was shot for nine months last year. It took months to complete.”

"Nine months? How much does it cost?" Luo Ji couldn't imagine that it took nine months to shoot a movie.

"I heard that the cost reached 2.5 million U.S. dollars." Thomas Tull continued: "Thank you for talking through Brad Pitt. If the filming of "World War of the Dead" drags on for several months like Harry Potter, It is estimated that the cost overrun will also be severe.”

After hearing this, Luo Ji's depression disappeared. The production cost of 2.5 million US dollars was indeed beyond his reach.

"Twilight" performed very well last year, and Luo Ji wants to ask Warner Bros. for a mid-July schedule this year.This is the best summer time of the year.Almost every year the global box office record is set at this time.

However, it is obvious that Warner has reserved this schedule for his own son "Harry Potter".

Then Warner proposed to move "Twilight" to the Christmas schedule. This schedule is indeed a big schedule. Every year, one or two movies can enter the top ten of the global box office rankings.

But this year's Christmas season is so special. James Cameron, the director who produced "Titanic", the highest-grossing film in history, will release the movie "Avatar" that he has been honing for ten years during this Christmas season. Luo Ji is confused. Only then would she confront him in order to prove her courage.

Under Luo Ji's threat to change distribution channels, Warner could only schedule "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" to be released in early June, and adjust the comedy film "The Hangover" produced by their company to be released in early May.

This made Luo Ji reluctantly satisfied, but it was the first time that Luo Ji experienced the pain of not having a distribution channel.

Christine suddenly said: "Logic, your focus is wrong, isn't it? In other words, shouldn't you pay more attention to why Warner had conflicts with those actors?"

Luo Ji patted her on the back gently: "Hahaha, after all, I have my own film company and I am very cost-sensitive."

Thomas Tull lowered his voice and explained: "Which actors get a share of the net profit of "Harry Potter", but the production cost of "Harry Potter" in 2007 was US$1.5 million, and the global box office was US$9.4 million. Warner Bros. informed those actors that the net profit loss was $1.67 million."

Luo Ji was extremely shocked: "Warner is so ruthless... Is it so outrageous to falsify accounts?"

Thomas Tull whispered: "This news has not been published yet, so you must not spread it."

"Okay." Luo Ji nodded.

Kristen said empathetically: "These big studios are going to squeeze actors."

"Hmm, haha."

Thomas smiled awkwardly. He was also one of the bosses of the film company.Luo Ji also chose to remain silent. Under his supervision, Christine's salary for the two "Twilight" films was really not high.What he was most afraid of was that the air would suddenly become silent, but Luo Ji was already a veteran, so he picked up his wine glass and looked around.

Kristine seemed to have noticed something, and she hurriedly said: "I didn't talk about you, I talked about those big companies."

These words made the three of them even more embarrassed. Kristen touched the non-existent sweat on her forehead to hide her embarrassment.

Luo Ji began to change the subject: "Christine, let me tell you some good news. Yesterday Mattel Toys contacted us. They want to make a "Twilight" Barbie doll. There will be a licensing fee, and it will be issued at the end of the month. Go to your account and remember to check it.”

"Ok."

"By the way, there is also the authorization fee for Xiyin's clothing, which will be paid together when the time comes."

"Yeah." Christine narrowed her eyes and smiled cutely at Luo Ji.

Thomas Tull asked curiously: "Have you even come to license Barbie now?"

"Of course." Luo Ji rambled on: "Recently, not only clothing, toys, and posters, but also jewelry, carpets, furniture, and brand-name bags have come to us."

"It's a pity that it has nothing to do with me." Thomas said helplessly.

"Uh..." Luo Ji let it slip when he was excited.

For example, if Legendary Pictures only invested in "The Twilight Saga", their share only includes box office, DVD sales, digital downloads, TV on demand and the sale of film and television rights.

Licensing fees for such toys, clothing and other derivatives.All income belongs to Logic Pictures and has nothing to do with them.

Most of this kind of licensing money will also flow into the hands of film companies, and has little to do with actors like Kristen.Because the screen images they shoot legally belong to the film company, these actors can only get a small share.

Or the entertainment industry in the United States is developed. This is the reason. Even if the movie box office does not return the money, but with strict copyright protection, the income from other channels is too much.

This is especially true for animated films, which sometimes earn more than live-action films at the same box office level.

The air was a bit solemn, and Thomas livened up the atmosphere: "Logic, when will you recommend to me a series of movies that can be popular all over the world, just like your "Twilight"."

Luo Ji said jokingly, "I'm still waiting for you to introduce me."

Thomas Tull laughed: "Hahaha, just wait."

"OK, don't forget it." Luo Ji looked at Christine next to him: "You will be the witness then!"

Kristen laughed: "Hahaha, okay."

Thomas stopped smiling and got down to business: "Logic, what did you think of the script for "Pretty Girls" I gave you some time ago?"

"It's okay, I'm willing to invest."

Luo Ji had already read the script and was "very satisfied."

Because when he was reading the script, Tianqi made a video.The content is about a twin-tailed blond girl holding a samurai sword, fighting against an ancient Japanese giant samurai holding a Gatling and wearing armor.

The whole fight was very exciting, and Luo Ji watched it with relish in his mind.

However, Luo Ji also gradually learned the negotiation skills, which is not to let the other party see his negotiation intentions.Therefore, he never took the initiative to contact the other party, but waited for the other party to take the initiative to ask him.

Thomas nodded: "Okay, the budget is 8000 million meters. I will have someone send you the film plan tomorrow. How about giving you 30% of the investment share then?"

Luo Ji pretended to be casual and said, "I thought you would give me 49% of the investment share."

Thomas stared at Luo Ji's face for a while before saying, "Logic, your acting skills are terrible. You are very optimistic about this movie, right?"

Luo Ji didn't feel embarrassed at all about being exposed. He reacted quickly and replied sideways: "After all, it is the new film directed by Schneider. His previous resume is not bad. Even for him, I am willing to take a gamble. However, his script It’s really average.”

Thomas smiled: "Your negotiation skills are all leftover from my practice."

"Whatever you think, this is what I really think." Luo Ji said calmly: "I can invest 30%, 40%, or 50%."

Thomas couldn't tell Luo Ji's true state of mind for the moment, so he remained silent and lost in thought.

Christine saw the two people were deadlocked, so she took three glasses of champagne from the tray held by the waiter passing by and handed them into their hands: "Let's have a glass of wine first and then talk."

Thomas silently picked up the wine glass and took a sip. He paused for a moment and said, "Let's do this. I'll give you 40% of the investment share."

Yes! Yes!Luo Ji was ecstatic.

Luo Ji was extremely solemn at this moment, and his expression just now was a bit inappropriate.

He tried his best to control his expression and use his best acting skills. He raised his glass and nodded casually, as if he was saying something insignificant: "Happy cooperation!"

Thomas glanced at Luo Ji again, then raised his glass and said, "Happy cooperation!"

Christine saw that her boyfriend had negotiated a big deal worth tens of millions in just a few words, and her whole body suddenly felt hot. She couldn't help but take her boyfriend's arm and press close to him.

Luo Ji turned around and asked with concern, "Don't you have a cold? Why are you so hot?"

"It's okay, I'm fine." Kristen's face turned red.

Luo Ji touched her head with his hand: "Fortunately, she doesn't have a fever. Maybe you just took a sip of wine. Aren't you used to drinking this kind of champagne?"

Kristine said: "I rarely drink."

Thomas rolled his eyes: "You two can slowly show your affection here, and I'll go talk to Zack Snyder."

(End of this chapter)