Hollywood starts with a broker

"Steven Soderbergh and David Lynch have won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for American independent films for two consecutive years!"

Michael Kuhn smiled and clinked glasses with Aaron. The main funding for David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" came from PolyGram.

"Independent films seem to have great potential!"

Aaron said calmly, "Does PolyGram want to increase its independent film projects?"

"There are quite a few independent filmmakers here in Hollywood, allowing you to develop projects as you wish."

Michael Kuhn took a sip of wine, "The investment in a film is basically an expenditure of several million to tens of millions of dollars, so it needs to be carefully considered."

"Few people can invest in and develop a new director's work so quickly like you!"

Aaron knew that he was talking about "Boyz n the Hood", a crime film about the Black community. After all, the director, John Singleton, was just a recent Black college graduate.

Aaron smiled, "There's no other way. The Hollywood agencies are raising prices too fiercely. Famous directors are expensive."

"James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola were paid $6 million each for filming "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "The Godfather Part III."

"Other directors who have produced good works are also asking for $3 million or more, and those with bigger names are directly asking for $5 million!"

"Although new directors are cheaper, the risk is too high," Michael Kuhn wouldn't dare to play like Aaron.

Carolco's investment in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" was indeed a grand gesture, with a budget exceeding $100 million, breaking records.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's salary was directly a Gulfstream IV private jet, costing over $12 million!

Carolco's boss, Mario Kassar, is a typical example of generosity.

"By the way, Aaron, do you know Joel Coen and Ethan Coen?"

Michael Kuhn asked.

"The Coen brothers? A few years ago, they gained a foothold in the independent film circle with their debut work, "Blood Simple", winning the 1st Independent Spirit Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2nd Sundance Film Festival."

"After that, they released "Raising Arizona", and it seems they also have a film called "Miller's Crossing" coming out this year."

"The Coen brothers' works are mainly black thrillers, full of suspense and strong personal style!"

The Coen brothers are representatives of the American independent film industry, so Aaron is certainly familiar with them.

Michael Kuhn smiled, "This time, PolyGram invested $9 million to let the Coen brothers shoot the thriller "Barton Fink."

"The North American co-distributor is 20th Century Fox!"

Aaron smiled, "Why doesn't PolyGram cooperate with The Samuel Goldwyn Company or The Samuel Goldwyn Company?"

Cooperating with these independent distributors would give PolyGram more bargaining power.

Michael Kuhn looked at Aaron, "PolyGram acquired 49% of StudioCanal in the UK."

"We actually want to have our own film production company in Hollywood. I am very optimistic about your Dawn Films!"

I treat you as a partner, but you want to acquire me?

"Michael, Dawn Films only wants to maintain its independence. I know that PolyGram and StudioCanal have jointly formed a third-party film distribution company, Manifesto Film Sales."

"StudioCanal is responsible for production, and Manifesto Film Sales is responsible for sales, backed by the PolyGram Group. European art films are different from Hollywood commercial films."

"Entering Hollywood is not as easy as it seems."

PolyGram was originally owned half by Philips of the Netherlands and half by Siemens of Germany.

However, three years ago, Siemens withdrew from PolyGram, and now Philips Group is PolyGram's sole controlling shareholder!

The fastest way to enter Hollywood is to directly acquire Columbia TriStar like Sony.

Relying on investing in a few low-budget independent films, isn't that just messing around?

Michael Kuhn shrugged, "Philips is different from Sony. They haven't thought about playing so big!"

"Alright, if there's a chance in the future, we can still cooperate..."

Burbank, Disney headquarters.

Michael Eisner sat on the sofa in his office, and the group president, Frank Wells, walked in.

"Hollywood Pictures' first work, "Arachnophobia", will be released next month. It's just a low-budget horror comedy!"

Hollywood Pictures is a film production company for adults that Michael Eisner formed under Buena Vista Distribution last year.

With the success of Touchstone Pictures, Michael Eisner decided to form Hollywood Pictures again to create internal competition with Touchstone.

"What I'm concerned about is not this movie, but the cooperating Amblin Entertainment."

Amblin Entertainment was co-founded by Steven Spielberg and his assistants Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

As the number one director in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg only helps Universal and Warner Bros. direct films. Other film companies are eyeing Spielberg covetously, and Disney is no exception!

Cooperating with Amblin is just a start.

Frank Wells certainly understood, and then said: "'Dick Tracy' has only grossed $24 million in half a month since its release, and the word-of-mouth is also very poor."

None of the words are wrong, one by one!

"The media predicts that "Dick Tracy" will only gross $50 million in North America when it leaves theaters."

Michael Eisner nodded, "When will the comic adaptation of "The Rocketeer" start shooting?"

"Jeffrey has arranged for the start of shooting in August. He seems very optimistic about this movie!"

Frank Wells responded.

Because this year's "Pretty Woman" was a hit, Jeffrey Katzenberg, who discovered the film, has been in the limelight at Disney.

In contrast, "Dick Tracy", which was decided by Michael Eisner, has been plagued by problems. Not to mention the high production costs, director and male lead Warren Beatty's sensational scandal occurred before the release, and Disney vigorously helped him with public relations.

But what was the result? It was still disappointing. Not to mention having half the box office of "Pretty Woman", now it's estimated that it won't even reach a quarter!

Frank Wells sighed in his heart. Both Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg are extremely capable people, but they both have a strong desire for control and power.

Now, Jeffrey Katzenberg's reputation is rising rapidly, which Michael Eisner doesn't like.

"Has everyone discussed the "The Rocketeer" project and wanted to increase the budget?"

Michael Eisner asked again.

"Yes, the producer submitted a report, hoping to increase the budget from $25 million to $35 million to have more big scenes."

"However, Jeffrey is still considering it. He said he will wait to see the shooting effects of the movie before making a decision!"

Michael Eisner looked up at Frank Wells, "The most important thing for us about "The Rocketeer" is to be able to promote peripherals and toys."

"The character and prop designs must be taken seriously. Increasing the budget by $10 million is worth it."

Frank Wells was stunned, and then nodded. He still had to find Jeffrey Katzenberg to discuss it together.

As a lubricant between the two strong men, Frank Wells needs to maintain their harmony!