Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The Las Vegas Western Film Expo is held once a year at the Bellagio Hotel. Although it is called Western, it is actually the largest domestic film ordering fair in the United States.

The fountain in front of the hotel gate is very famous, and many tourists come here to take photos.

The promotion of "Top Gun" was held on the second night of the opening. At the on-site promotion, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Kelly McGillis, the three biggest stars, all appeared on the rostrum.

However, they were not facing enthusiastic fans, but hundreds of movie theater buyers from all over the country who came to place orders.

Although Ronald is already very famous in the industry, for these movie buyers, actors are more attractive.

This is not only because the audience likes to watch stars in movies, but also because they can take this opportunity to take photos with the stars and ask for autographs, which are very good gifts for their children when they take them home.

"You are also from Paramount? How is this movie? I heard it's about fighter jets. I saw Clint Eastwood's "Fire Fox" two years ago. Air combat is always boring."

A young buyer, chewing gum, asked Ronald who was sitting in the audience.

"Let me tell you a secret. This movie looks like an air combat, but it's actually a passionate sports movie. It's very good."

"Oh yeah? How did you know?" The young buyer looked at him in surprise. Generally, the actual content of such movies is not consistent with the publicity. The person who knows the truth must be a relative of a Paramount executive?

"Thomas, Thomas Stephenson," the buyer stretched out his hand and shook hands with him.

"My name is Ronald. Are you a buyer for the theater at such a young age?" Looking at the audience, who were all in their thirties and forties, and some were in their fifties, Ronald was also curious about this young man who looked to be in his early twenties.

"My dad runs a movie theater. I've been selling tickets at the box office since I was a kid, and then I cleaned the theater. Hey, man, that's the most annoying job."

No wonder it's a family business. Ronald understood.

Stephenson was very outgoing, and soon he had a very happy chat with Ronald.

He told Ronald everything about himself. He is now a buyer for his father's chain of theaters. In New Jersey, the father and son own less than ten theaters. They also represent other theater owners to watch movies at the Las Vegas exhibition. He is a buyer of some size.

"

"I have to go up."

Ronald greeted Stephenson, went on stage, and began to answer questions raised by the buyers. For example, how many air combat shots are there, how long the movie is expected to be, and whether there is a love scene between the hero and heroine.

"Ah... I remember. "Stephenson looked at Ronald and suddenly shouted. Isn't this the director of the first two movies, "The Karate Kid" and "Breakdance", which have been showing for seven or eight months in the newest multi-hall theater in his home?

When he came, his father, Thomas Sr., specifically told his son that such a director must be closely watched to see what kind of film he will make this year. Many directors will have a period of good luck. During that time, no matter how they shoot, they will be a hit, and the audience just loves to watch their works.

I just didn't expect him to be so young, he seems to be about the same age as me.

"Hey, Ronald, I didn't expect you to be able to direct Paramount's masterpiece at such a young age. I didn't recognize you just now because I didn't know you were so young and promising. Can I invite you to have a beer and chat?"

Little Stephenson took the initiative to learn more about the inside story of the movie.

"No problem, wait until I finish here, we have time to chat together in the evening." Ronald also wanted to talk to these grassroots practitioners, who are the group of practitioners in the film industry closest to the audience.

"How is your business? Now that the movie box office has recovered, it should be profitable, right? "

At night, Ronald came out to meet Stephenson Jr., and the two found a bar, drank beer and chatted.

Although Paramount spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to build marketing materials for the exhibition, specially edited a preview, and invited three stars to show their support, the actual distribution contract was mostly settled in private chats in bars and cafes.

"In fact, our profit margin is very low. The gross profit from ticket revenue alone will not exceed 10%."

"Indeed, before the popularity of movies and television, they were simply two markets." Ronald believed this number, which was consistent with the data when he settled with Atlantic Company before. Many cinemas will default on box office revenue for a year, occupy a year's funds to renovate the cinema, and grab every bit of interest.

"You are so right. You are the only one who understands our business among so many studios, directors and actors I have come into contact with. They always think that we make a lot of money and deduct their profits. In fact, we rely on box office revenue. If we buy one or two unsellable movies in a year, it is easy to work in vain. "

"Then you have other ways to make money, right?" Ronald thought. Who would work for free just for the love of movies?

"I like your movies very much. My father said that as long as you direct them, we will sign a distribution contract unconditionally. Our six old theaters and the newest multi-hall theater will buy a total of eight copies. Together with our peers in the surrounding towns, I can buy fifteen copies this time."

"Then I thank you." Ronald shook hands with him. Under the current distribution model, the country is divided into more than a thousand "regions", each with a population ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands. In a region, a studio only signs an exclusive distribution agreement with one cinema.

This can greatly reduce the number of film copies required. From a national perspective, ordinary movies only need about a thousand copies to meet the needs of national distribution. Even the most popular sequel blockbusters only need less than 1,500 copies to satisfy the national audience.

Expensive film copies are also a huge expense for distributors. Naturally, the fewer the better, so this exclusive theater release model has been retained to this day.

"In addition, I have a sequel to The Karate Kid, and a press conference will be held tomorrow. You can also come and see it."

"Are you directing the sequel? If you are, then I will definitely buy it." Little Stephenson was very straightforward. I came here just for your name.

"I haven't agreed yet, but I am very likely to participate. Even if I am not directing, the story will develop according to my ideas." Ronald replied.

"Very good, I will go to the platform to order." Little Stephenson high-fived him again, "Last time, Breakdance 2 was not directed by you, and I almost got into trouble when I bought it. Fortunately, the craze of breakdance has not passed, so I didn't lose money."

"The sequel to The Karate Kid will be fine. Mr. Weintraub and I will bring the story to Ryukyu this time, and it will definitely be good. You can still buy a dozen copies, and you won't lose money." Ronald just wanted to promote his own work, and he also wanted to see how the other party would react.

"I will definitely buy it, but it's impossible to buy the same number. I only need about five or six copies of The Karate Kid. For the rest, I have to make long-distance calls to see what the old men think."

"Oh, why? Don't you think highly of my sequel to The Karate Kid?" Ronald was a little surprised. This buyer was obviously more confident in Top Gun than The Karate Kid sequel.

"No, this is actually our trade secret. Hey... But you are the director, you know everything I said, it's okay to talk to you."

Little Stephenson took a big sip of beer, "I didn't have such great confidence in Top Gun, but on the one hand, you directed it... On the other hand, I read your brochure and the edited clips, and I found that this movie is very suitable for fathers to take their children to watch."

"Fathers take their children to watch?" Ronald repeated. This short sentence contains a lot of business wisdom.

"Yes, we always like this kind of movie that the whole family can go out to watch. Last time Spielberg's ET, we bought a lot of copies. In addition to the full box office, we can also rent it to peers to make another profit.

This time your movie is suitable for fathers to take their children to watch. They buy Coke and popcorn more generously than mothers."

"There is knowledge everywhere. It seems that this kind of action, sports, and competitive-themed movies really attract audiences."

...

The next day, Ronald came to the booth of "The Karate Kid 2" again to support Weintraub.

"Do you know, Ronald, this hotel once had shares of Frank Sinatra, and he made a lot of money. Later, the FBI targeted him and said he was involved in..., so he withdrew his shares. It was only after the President came to power that he completely got out of the investigation."

"The President's forgiveness?" Ronald was talking about a privilege of the President, who could forgive the crimes of anyone who committed a crime while in office.

"It didn't get to that point. Sinatra was originally a star in Hollywood and the music world. It was not easy for the FBI to touch him. The President awarded him a medal, and they automatically withdrew the investigation."

Because the female lead of "The Karate Kid 2" has not yet been determined, and the male lead Ralph Mazzio is still filming, only Morita Noriyuki, who was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and Ronald came to the stage together.

"Why do we need this imported Japanese mineral water? We can just use our own Wrigley."

Weintraub was busy arranging the press conference himself, and it seemed that he saved a lot of money.

"You are such a big boss, can't you just tell your subordinates to do these things?" Ronald looked at him puzzled. Weintraub's management philosophy is not like Roger Corman's, he also likes to make big productions.

"Maybe because I am Jewish, I see such small places, where they can obviously save money, but I don't know why they are so ostentatious, so I have to speak up." Weintraub himself laughed.

"But I may not have time to take care of these things soon."

"Why?" Ronald felt that he had something to say.

"I'm telling you quietly, don't tell others. Kerkorian, the owner of MGM Pictures and the owner of MGM Hotel Group in Las Vegas, has been talking to me these days to restore the brand of 'United Artists' and let me take care of it."

"Oh? Are you going to restore the configuration of the eight major studios?" Ronald raised his eyebrows. This is a big deal. After United Artists was acquired by MGM, the distribution channels were incorporated into MGM, but many experienced old employees are still there. More importantly, United Artists is a member of the PAA agency that oversees film ratings, and is also a member of the Producers Guild that negotiates with major unions.

These two institutions are both established institutions with great power. Outsiders, like Minahan Golan, had to fight their way in for a long time. Especially PAA, the world is still dominated by the old eight, and their movies tend to receive more relaxed rating standards. "

"Korkorian hopes that United Artists will restore the tradition of artists taking the lead in film shooting. Ronald, no one is worried about a director like you who spends all his money on making films on the screen.

After you make these two movies, you can sign a long-term film contract with United Artists. Then you can make whatever subject matter you want and how you want to make it. If you want the actor to come, I will find it for you. How about that? "

"Very good conditions, Mr. Weintraub. But for such a big matter, I have to discuss it with my agent first." Ronald remembered that Eisner of Paramount had also said this to him, but unfortunately he now After going to Disneyland, I still haven’t straightened out my relationship. The saying that you can take pictures of whatever you want has become empty talk.

"Of course, by the time this matter is settled, we will have basically finished filming Dragon King 2, and we can talk slowly at that time."

Ronald thought this was a big deal, so he returned to the room and called his agent immediately.

Niceta and Richard also heard rumors that United Artists was going to make a comeback, but they didn't expect that Kerkorian, a gambling tycoon, would choose Weintraub to operate.

The three decided on the phone that they should wait until they returned to Los Angeles to discuss the impact of this incident on the industry and whether to accept Weintraub's film contract.

In the evening, Ronald went downstairs again and started walking around the Bellagio Hotel. Many movies that will be released in the second half of this year and next year will take the opportunity to promote.

Posters for films such as Paramount's "Star Trek: Part 4", Fox's "Alien 2", and Weintraub's "The Kid 2" are all hung on both sides of the avenue entering the building.

Many movies have not yet decided on the main creators, so they are just conceptual posters. For example, "The Dragon King 2" only has a big face of Mr. Miyagi played by Noriyuki Morita.

However, those buyers, relying on this information, can make an accurate judgment about the movie's box office prospects, and then sign an intention contract first.

"What kind of movie is this?" Ronald saw a poster for "Orion" from a medium-sized producer. There was only a soldier in military uniform, his back to the audience, and a helmet occupying the center of the screen.

"Field Platoon (ptoon)", Ronald stood at their station for a while, and picked up the pamphlet and read it.

"It turned out to be the work of Oliver Stone." Ronald knew that the director who had written Conan the Barbarian for Conan the Barbarian had now begun to direct and act on his own.

"No one has made a Vietnam War movie in the past two years," Ronald muttered. However, Oliver Stone has never followed trends, so he might make a good film. He didn't miss much.

"Cannon, cannon, ninja, break dancing, karate."

Two young dancers dressed as bunny girls danced and distributed Cannon Pictures introductions to passers-by.

"Minahan", Ronald went up and called his old friend.

This Israeli still likes this vulgar but effective propaganda trick to make it look very popular.

"Ronald!" Minahan rushed over and hugged him fiercely.

"How was the filming of Runaway Train?"

"Hey, Konchalovsky is so slow. It would be great if he could be as fast as you." Minahan waved his hand and said regretfully, "It won't be released until the end of the year, so it can only be in time for next year's film festival. ”

"But we also have a lot of new movies," Minahan thrust several posters into his hands.

"It's America, it's Invasion, it's Hercules, it's Vietnam, remember? It starred Chuck Norris."

"That's the imitation..." Ronald chuckled. Isn't this a copycat version of Stallone's "First Blood 2" filmed by Minahan.

"That's him, Gaga Gaga. We might be out there before his movie."

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Today's video conference was delayed, and there is another chapter to be made up tomorrow.