Chapter 660 Further Action
Since "Spider-Man 3" broke the first-week box office record of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", this summer has been destined to be a busy one.
On May 18, "Shrek 3" was released and grossed US$121.62 million at the box office in its first week, becoming the second movie this summer to have a box office of over 100 million US dollars in its first week.
However, the sensation caused by this box office exceeding 100 million US dollars is not as explosive as "Spider-Man 3", and the most popular commercial films in recent years seem to be getting closer and closer to the first 100 million US dollars box office position.
But in any case, since DreamWorks was carved up, the value of Paramount’s acquisition of DreamWorks Animation Studio has been fully reflected in this summer.
Moreover, the profit focus of animated movies has never been on the box office, but on peripherals.
However, "Shrek 3" did not remain arrogant for too long. The next weekend it ushered in a heavyweight opponent, the sequel to last year's highly successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.
However, there are still some interludes before the movie is released. Warner Pictures clearly informed Disney and Melon Studio that after the third part of the series ends, Warner will not participate in the production of subsequent series.
After hearing about Warner Pictures’ decision, Disney felt that the executives of Warner Pictures were out of their minds and clapped their hands and laughed.
Will this series be exclusive to Disney in the future? That’s not right, there is also Cantaloupe Studio.
Currently, Warner Pictures and its parent company Time Warner Group are orderly exchanging their shares of Melon Studios for Warner shares in the hands of Gilbert Jr.
I heard that there is still a large amount of capital seeking to purchase the shares of Xigua Studio, and I would like to participate. But Keeley Rose's plan was to completely eliminate Gilbert's influence from Warner Pictures, so she didn't agree.
Think about it, if we don’t take back all the Warner shares in Gilbert’s hands, how can we eliminate Gilbert’s influence?
Of course, Warner has only said that it will not participate in the follow-up production of the two IPs "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Lord of the Rings", but it has not said that it will not participate in the "Harry Potter" series.
Perhaps the profitability of "Harry Potter" is so strong that Warner is reluctant to give up, so it continues to maintain its share of the market.
In fact, in the original history, "Pirates of the Caribbean" did not have a follow-up fourth or fifth part. In fact, if the first part failed, there would be no follow-up.
But the box office is too high and the returns are too generous.
Disney, which couldn't stand the actors' high salaries, simply kicked out the other two, leaving only Captain Jack Sparrow as the core protagonist for subsequent series of movies.
It’s just that Johnny Depp is sometimes difficult to deal with. Not to mention his high salary, he also has a very weird temper.
Just after Warner decided to withdraw, Gilbert Jr. called Robert Iger and stated that the series of movies could continue, as long as the core character of Captain Jack was retained.
Robert Iger is doing his best, and although the third film has not yet been released, the idea of making a fourth film is already under Disney's consideration.
The decoupling between Warner and Melon Studios is not limited to movies, but also includes movie peripherals.
For example, the Disney-Warner Park, which has started construction in Shanghai, became an investment of Disney due to Warner's withdrawal.
Of course, apart from part of the other half of the shares being bought by local Chinese businessmen, the rest fell into the hands of little Gilbert.
Warner's series of actions are so big that it cannot be hidden from others. Many people want to get involved and see if it is profitable.
But Warner and Melon Studios moved very quickly. Almost as soon as one side sold off, the other side immediately took over, leaving very few opportunities for people to intervene.
What puzzles many people is why Warner is so anxious to complete the separation from Gilbert Jr. You must know that Little Gilbert is Warner's performance guarantee. Wouldn't this be self-destructive?
Although David Ellison was stolen from Megan Fox by Gilbert Jr. recently, Andrew Garfield even ran away to Gilbert Jr.
But he has been extremely honest during this period, and has no intention of revenge at all, which makes people feel less like him. But in fact, David Ellison received a warning from his father Larry Ellison, telling him to keep a low profile during this period and not to be accidentally injured.
In the past, the competition between him and Gilbert Jr. was generally controllable and considered a legitimate competition.
But the fight between that group and little Gilbert is basically a life-and-death struggle. If David Ellison gets involved without thinking, the one who will die in the fight will be David Ellison. So sad.
David Ellison has also seen the situation that Will Smith and his wife have been in in Hollywood recently. This is the person who does things for them, and they will abandon them as soon as they are told.
Although David Ellison is working in Hollywood, he also belongs to the old Silicon Valley capital and is still a squid man.
Even if he hates little Gilbert personally, he must remain neutral in this situation to prevent unnecessary trouble to the Ellison family.
Sure enough, little Gilbert saved the day, but David Ellison felt that the matter would not end so easily. The decoupling of Warner Bros. and Melon Studios is a foreshadowing of the next step, and there is something big hidden behind it.
Michael Ovitz basically agreed with David Ellison's analysis. He said: "On the surface, Warner's behavior is indeed stupid.
But this stupidity is superficial. Behind the scenes, there is actually a bigger plan.
I have heard the news, a private placement on Wall Street. The editor has been in contact with Warner Pictures. It is estimated that Warner Pictures has the remaining shares of Melon Studio and the copyrights of so many high-quality series of movies. "
David Ellison has been messing around for a few years and has a brain. Not stupid, he immediately said: "So these people want to interfere with Xigua Studio?
But is this useful? To cause trouble?
Everyone knows that although those movie rights are high-quality assets, the most important thing about Melon Studio is always Little Gilbert. According to the current situation, it is basically impossible for those people to control little Gilbert.
If you can't control Little Gilbert, even if you control Cantaloupe Studio, all this will be meaningless. "
"Indeed," Michael Ovitz shook his head and said: "This is not only a war at the Hollywood level, it may also involve a war between Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and those established consortiums.
We know too little information and can only maintain this attitude of bystanders. David, only people of your father's level are qualified to participate. ”
David Ellison was a little unconvinced, and Michael Ovitz meant that little Gilbert was also on the same level as his father.
But after calming down and thinking about it, it’s true that the two sides are not on the same level.
But David Ellison is still unconvinced. Forget about other aspects. On the movie level, I, David Ellison, am the only opponent of Little Gilbert.
Only I am qualified to defeat him, no one else.
After thinking about it, David Ellison said to Michael Ovitz: "Be optimistic about Mel recently and don't let him cause trouble.
I'm too sensitive now. If I show up, I'll be killed as the first one. "
Michael Ovitz nodded: "Don't worry, I have told him, Australians will be honest. ”
Mel Gibson obviously hates little Gilbert. After all, because of little Gilbert, he went there and squatted there for more than ten years. But this is not the time for revenge. Mel Gibson has to calm down. .
(End of this chapter)