The Best Entertainment Era

Although it will take some time for Pixar Studios to integrate into the system of Relativity Entertainment, Relativity Entertainment has already started to operate products related to Pixar Studios from the moment the two parties signed the acquisition agreement.

For example, the latest two Toy Story animated short films quickly landed on Netflix streaming media, and the derivative short film Big Eyes' New Car from Monsters, Inc. will also enter Netflix streaming media after revision.

In addition, inform the major broadcasting channels that after Walt Disney's authorization for Pixar animated films expires, if they want to continue broadcasting, they need to negotiate a contract with Pixar Studios again.

Then there are the crucial peripheral products. According to the copyright return agreement, Disney has a one-year buffer period for the use of peripheral products. After one year, it needs to pay for authorization or remove it from the shelves.

Since the beginning of 2006, Relativity Entertainment has placed a large number of orders with processing agents on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. In the next few months, related products related to Pixar Studio animation films will continue to flow through the marketing channels of Embassy Pictures. Distribute goods to the global market.

In addition, the blu-ray version dvd of these animated films is also being pressed and will be available on the shelves soon.

These animated films like Pixar Studios have been operating for a long time through peripheral channels, each of which means a profit of more than one billion US dollars.

The first month of 2006 was quiet throughout Relativity Entertainment.

On the one hand, it is digesting the gains of the Disney Project, such as Pixar Animation Studios, the live-action copyright of classic animated films, and the establishment of Princess Animation Studios.

On the other hand, external publicity and public relations resources are fully tilted towards Brokeback Mountain.

With the help of social trends, as well as the unique culture and values ​​of a small number of special groups in the United States that cannot be provoked, Brokeback Mountain has become the number one favorite for this year's Oscars.

In January, after Ang Lee ate fifty plastic chickens, Brokeback Mountain scored big in the main outpost awards.

At the American TV Movie Golden Globe Awards, Brokeback Mountain won a big victory. Although it didn't win any acting awards, it won the most important two awards of Best Film Director and Best Dramatic Film.

On the two most important weather vane awards, Ang Lee won the Best Film Director at the Directors Guild Awards, and Brokeback Mountain won the Best Film at the Producers Union Awards.

The victory of these two weathervane awards also made Brokeback Mountain the number one favorite at this year's Oscars.

early february,

The 78th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Brokeback Mountain won Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor and Best Picture totaled eight Oscar nominations.

The propaganda and public relations work of Embassy Pictures is very good.

However, there are also some strange voices. After all, there are also a lot of conservative straight men of steel, and some of them call films like Brokeback Mountain very disgusting through the media or online social media.

This is normal, a gay film is bound to bring huge controversy.

It's not ten years from now, after all.

Fortunately, Brokeback Mountain filmed by Ang Lee is very subtle, and most centrists will not be disgusted when they read it, and it can even arouse emotional resonance.

In this regard, it has to be said that Ang Lee's oriental background played an extremely important role.

If it were shot by a European director, it might be a hot-eyed style such as men on the left and right, men on top of men, and men who are valuable. An art master like Lars von Trier might have a warm heart. of direct footage.

It is very rare for Ang Lee to shoot a film with an extremely sensitive subject matter that can be accepted by most people.

In this regard, the box office data of the film is the best proof.

Before the Oscar nominations were announced, Brokeback Mountain had been showing in more than a dozen theaters, and the cumulative box office in North America was only 1.73 million US dollars.

With eight Oscar nominations and becoming the No. 1 Oscar favorite, Embassy Pictures began to expand its screenings on a large scale. The film's North American screening theaters soared to 2,189, and it earned a box office of 19.88 million US dollars that weekend.

Due to the outstanding word-of-mouth of the film and the Oscar effect, if it can gain something at the Oscars in the later stage, the North American box office is very likely to hit 100 million U.S. dollars.

It’s hard to say overseas, but judging by the equal rights situation of the gay community in Western society today, the overseas box office should not be lower than the North American box office.

Ang Lee still has a certain appeal in the European market.

Embassy Pictures is still stepping up public relations for Brokeback Mountain, striving for the two extremely important awards.

In early February, some statistical data of Relativity Entertainment was released. After years of copyright accumulation, channel development, acquisitions and mergers, Relativity Entertainment's profits in 2005 increased rapidly.

After the listing of Netflix Network, as the most expensive subsidiary, Netflix Network's financial accounting has been officially separated from Relativity Entertainment.

Last year, the entire group achieved a net profit of US$2.1768 billion.

This data is mainly composed of box office, copyright peripheral operations and stock market investment, etc.

Including several small-scale overseas films purchased, Relativity Entertainment released 21 films last year, with a total box office profit of 712.12 million US dollars.

The biggest contributors to box office profits were Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Bourne Shadow 3 and Despicable Me.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2 has a global box office of 1.2 billion US dollars, and the box office of the latter two also exceeded 600 million US dollars. The three films contributed nearly half of the total box office profit.

Once a film with large investment and large production is successful, it will create more profits.

Except for the profits from Disney's equity, the remaining profits mainly come from TV dramas and various peripheral channels.

The single most profitable project comes from Peppa Pig. Last year, its annual revenue reached more than 600 million U.S. dollars, but its production cost and publicity and distribution expenses are quite low.

As more big-budget movie projects come online and hit TV shows come out, Relativity Entertainment will only become more profitable.

Compared with profits, Relativity Entertainment's debts have always been under control. Even though the acquisition of Pixar Studios mobilized a large amount of cash, the group company's capital chain is still operating smoothly and maintains a considerable cash reserve.

In 2006, Relativity Entertainment does not count outsourced films, and will still release more than 15 films, including many heavyweight works.

The weekend after the Super Bowl, Embassy Pictures released Relativity Entertainment's first film of 2006.

The film The Da Vinci Code of the same name is adapted from popular religious themes and is co-invested and shot by Sea Entertainment and Tom Hanks' Preton Pictures.

Compared with the relatively fast shooting and production speed of Relativity Entertainment, Tom Hanks is the producer and the film directed by Ron Howard can be said to be a typical operation mode of large-scale Hollywood productions.

One year of preparation, one year of filming and production, and another year of publicity and release.

According to the cross-investment agreement reached between Shahai Entertainment and Prattone Pictures on Mamma Mia and The Da Vinci Code, Ronan basically did not participate in the production of The Da Vinci Code, and the whole film basically All under the control of Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.

The special religious themes, coupled with the almost profane content in the original content for religious people, have caused countless controversies since the film was prepared.

The Da Vinci Code has been in constant turmoil since the beginning of filming. The protests and letters of opposition from the Catholic League and ministry groups made the film the most controversial film in 2005 and 2006.

Opus Dei once hoped that the name of the organization could be anonymized when the film was adapted and filmed. After this request was rejected, Opus Dei launched a campaign to rectify its name, publicized it through various media, and used various methods to explain the wrong use way to describe its organization.

Some bishops even launched their own blogs to refute the untrue words in The Da Vinci Code.

The level of protest has also intensified as the movie's release looms.

But movies are always a very special commodity, and the potentially fatal controversy on other commodities is often a booster for movies.

Like The Passion of the Christ, the controversy brought The Da Vinci Code widespread attention.

A film that can cause widespread controversy often means that the film can be commercially successful.

Relativity Entertainment and Embassy Pictures are also experienced in this area.

For example, on the eve of the release of The Da Vinci Code, many religious experts called on all Catholics to watch this film full of fallacies, only in this way can they discover the mistakes in it.

Such a call has also been echoed by some religious groups.

It is undeniable that most experts are high-end elites.

But there are also some experts who are veritable brick experts!

However, no matter how controversial the film is, the crew will not be directly involved. Tom Hanks and Ron Howard are also smart people.

At the premiere, in the face of interviews from many media reporters, Ron Howard wisely held high the banner of fiction: The film will not be overly entangled in religious issues. Dan Brown is a successful writer rather than religion and history. Home, we made this movie because I love the story.

Tom Hanks also made it clear: The focus of the film is on the thriller and suspense. What we want to do is to make a good film that doesn't have too much religious overtones.

Ronan didn't go to the media to join in the fun. Religion is too sensitive. Relativity Entertainment stayed behind Tom Hanks' Preton Pictures and made as much money as possible.

Like what Embassy Pictures did with Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

Ronan just greeted the guests in the VIP room, and then went straight into the theater, waiting for the movie to be shown.

Frankly speaking, as a non-religious person who has never studied the Bible, it is somewhat rare to understand The Da Vinci Code.

Some organizations and allusions appearing in it will not be well understood by Eastern audiences.

This can cause some viewers to look confused.