Chapter 209 Careers
It was also because of the poor market performance of "Batman and Robin" that it gave other films released at the same time a chance.
"My Best Friend's Wedding", which brought together big names such as Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz, as well as Robert De Niro, took advantage of this opportunity to score $32.472 million at the box office in its first week.
Although it did not win the weekly box office championship, the film received good reviews and the box office curve is very healthy.
More importantly, the film investment is relatively small, but "Batman and Robin" is a large-scale production with an investment of 125 million US dollars, which can be ranked at the forefront of film history.
"Batman and Robin" proves that the bigger the investment and the stronger the star cast, the better. It still depends on the quality of the film.
The film assembled stars such as George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it still failed.
This is also one of the few films that Mr. Governor has made a big hit at the box office, and it hit a big one when it hit the street.
Warner tried various methods to remedy the situation, but it didn't work, and the film was still on the road to failure. That's why this high-level meeting was held.
Warner Pictures CEO Jeff Robinoff is personally responsible for this project. For such a major project to fail, he cannot escape the blame. He must explain to the parent company and may even end his term early.
But Jeff Robinoff didn't expect to find someone to take the blame, and he couldn't find one.
At this time, you must make up your mind.
When no one spoke, Jeff Robinoff said: "I suggest that the "Batman" movie series be temporarily sealed and wait for the right time to restart."
It's sealed again. It seems that Superman has been sealed for many years.
Fortunately, DC is already a subsidiary of Warner Pictures, so there is no copyright dispute. Otherwise, if the movie fails, the comic company will most likely have to take back the copyright.
There is no other way to seal it. Now that the reputation of "Batman" is bad when it is released, if you don't seal it and continue filming, the probability of it being thrown out is the highest.
Executives unanimously agreed, so the "Batman" movie was canned and all sequel plans were cancelled.
This project is the profit focus of Warner Pictures. The temporary loss of Batman means that Warner has lost a major business pillar.
Warner's luck seems to be bad this year. "Fast 2" bombed the box office and "Batman and Robin" also failed.
Batman is gone, it’s time to find new profit points.
In recent years, another important business pillar of Warner Pictures has been Little Gilbert's movies.
Fortunately, this summer, Gilbert Jr.'s movies have been performing steadily. The North American box office of "The Sixth Sense" has reached 300 million US dollars, giving Warner some psychological comfort.
Thanks to the excellent performance of Gilbert Jr.'s movies, Warner's stock price is still very strong despite the box office failure of "Batman and Robin."
The problem now is that it’s time for Warner to find new profit points.
As head of distribution, Doug Walter is leading the project for this year's "The Sixth Sense." If Jeff Robinoff is held accountable, he is most likely to take over as CEO.
But he didn't hide anything at this time. Gilbert's agent Sheena Boone came to see him a few days ago and gave him a children's book.
So Doug Walter told his assistant to bring the book.
"Jeff, look at this..." Doug Walter passed "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and showed it to Jeff Robinoff.
"What is this?" Jeff Robinoff took it with a puzzled look on his face, turned it over, and then looked at Doug Walter in surprise: "This is it? A children's book?"
"Yes, Miss Boone brought it. She said that Director Gilbert Jr. values this and it has good commercial potential." Doug Walter said.
Upon hearing that it was a novel that little Gilbert valued, Jeff Robinoff immediately paid attention to it and planned to read it seriously.
After the meeting, the two went to the CEO's office together. Jeff Robinov read it roughly. It was a good novel and very readable. The magical world set by the author is quite attractive, and Jeff Robinoff also thinks it is good.
After reading it, Jeff Robinoff asked Doug Walter, "What did Little Gilbert mean?"
"What he means is that he hopes to join hands with us to promote this work, and when the time is right, we can adapt it into a film and television version." Doug Walter said.
"I'm afraid, Miss Boone has not only come into contact with our Warner Pictures, but also with Disney." Jeff Robinoff said.
If nothing else happens, Warner will have to cooperate with Disney again, because it is impossible for either party to leave the other party alone and cooperate with Little Gilbert without paying a huge price.
Jeff Robinoff is right…
While the meeting was taking place at Warner, in Disney's Michael Eisner's office, Robert Iger was pitching "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to Michael Eisner.
"After I got this book, I read it carefully, and I felt that the novel really has potential." Robert Egger highly praised it.
However, Michael Eisner didn't seem to be very concerned. Instead, he talked about another thing: "I heard that the board of directors is actively working together to oust me?"
"Well," Robert Iger's tone was stagnant, and he quickly said: "President, don't worry about this issue. Since you led Disney, Disney's performance has been booming, and the directors all know it."
"Yes, we all know it!" Michael Eisner sighed: "Disney is not my Disney, there is a Disney family in it.
Robert Egger, I'll leave this to you. "
It seems that Michael Eisner, who is caught in internal strife, has no time to focus on any new projects. In the past, he had to personally handle each project.
But now there is a lot of decentralization, and thanks to this, Robert Iger's power is unprecedentedly powerful.
Concealing the surprise, Robert Egger was out on an errand, he claimed.
Internal undercurrents were surging, and everyone had different intentions. Even Robert Iger was aroused in his ambition to ascend to the position of president and see the scenery at the top.
After returning from Europe, little Gilbert learned about the latest situation. Warner was very active in contacting it, while at Disney, Robert Iger was the most active.
Robert Egger came to the Melon Manor privately to meet with little Gilbert and talk about internal matters within the company.
"Little Gilbert, I feel that Mr. Eisner is gradually losing his former authority in the internal fighting." Robert Egger said.
"This is an opportunity, Bob, your opportunity has come." Little Gilbert said with a smile.
"In the past, Mr. Eisner would definitely get rid of these directors who opposed him." Robert Iger was worried that if he jumped back at this time, he would be regarded as a typical example and killed by Michael Eisner.
But Gilbert Jr. said: "That was before. Now that Mr. Eisner is old and in poor health, it's time for him to rest.
After you ascend to the position of president, just let him retire honorably and take care of himself. "
Robert Iger nodded, seeming to convince himself: "For Mr. Eisner's health, I should succeed him and take charge of Disney."
Robert Iger has decided to challenge the position of president, and Gilbert Jr. certainly supports it.
He had a good personal relationship with Robert Egger, a good relationship.
Robert Iger's ascension to the position of president is a good thing for Gilbert Jr.
"The villain kills his master, what!" "I am the Master", a passerby cannon fodder through time, and his predecessor was curious and perverted.
Causes the apprentices to have psychological distortions. Fortunately, they haven't grown up yet.
Alas, why is the work efficiency so slow this year?
(End of this chapter)