Chapter 243 Negotiation Chip
Obviously, Anson forgot one very, very important thing -
It is not 2023, but 2000.
When superhero movies are on the rise, movie companies and actors often sign contracts with each other for a long time. Disney, in particular, signed a contract with Chris Evans in one fell swoop with a salary of US$300,000 per movie. Six movies in, ready to squeeze every ounce of residual value out of Chris.
Of course, actors and agencies also fought back. After the brilliant success of Marvel movies, Chris's agent teamed up with other actors to sit down and negotiate with Disney, and negotiated for these "willing to surrender" The actors have won a new contract and their treatment has been fully upgraded.
However, that was all after 2008:
In that year, "Iron Man" swept the box office of 300 million US dollars in North America, and "Batman: The Dark Knight" detonated 530 million US dollars in North America. US dollar box office.
Now, in 2000, because other genres of movies are still vital, and because originality and superstardom are still at their peak, superhero movies are just a common genre in the market.
Led by B-level movies such as "Blade", "Underworld" and "Hellboy", superhero movies adapted from comic books are still a niche; even 20th Century Fox's acclaimed "X-Men" achieved great success this summer, with a box office of only US$130 million in North America.
——Successful, of course, it is successful, but compared with other types of movies such as science fiction, action, comedy, romance, etc., it has no advantages.
On the contrary, computer special effects are not mature enough at present, and superhero movies need to face difficulties. They must either take the B-level route and make small-scale productions with a small cost; or they can take the high-end route, but the production costs cannot stop the car. Therefore, Sony Columbia produced "Spider-Man" , can be regarded as taking a desperate risk.
An adventure. A gamble.
Even Sony Columbia itself is frightened.
It is against this background that Sony Columbia is extremely cautious in treating "Spider-Man" -
With an investment of US$100 million, this can be regarded as the first crab-eater in Hollywood. .
For reference, in 1992, "Batman Returns", which was both well-received and a hit, invested US$80 million. The final North American box office was only US$160 million, and it did not land in overseas markets. Warner Bros. ultimately relied on video rentals to achieve profitability.
You can imagine how much courage it takes for Sony Columbia to spend $100 million to make a superhero movie adapted from a comic book.
Currently, the whole of Hollywood is looking at a joke. No one is optimistic about the prospects of "Spider-Man". Sony Columbia must have been desperate before seeking medical treatment.
At this juncture, Edward Furlong, the unofficial male lead, was cast, unexpectedly! In!
Sony Columbia is simply a mess.
In the end, after going around and around, Sony Columbia finally selected a suitable actor, and it was a choice that everyone agreed on without objection -
This was Edgar's bargaining chip.
The twists and turns of the matter, Edgar has figured it all out.
"It is true that you are a newcomer, your resume is still new, and your bargaining chips are limited; but don't forget that the 'Spider-Man' project is also a new attempt."
"'X-Men' There are many characters, and Hugh Jackman's popularity completely caught 20th Century Fox off guard. This was not their original plan; so Sony Columbia has no reference object, and they cannot negotiate based on 'X-Men', even if they want to, I don’t want to either.”
"So, we need to be firm."
"Now, I have two ideas and need to ask for your opinion."
Maybe Edgar lacks experience, but he does not lack wisdom and Ambition, he had been waiting for this moment from the moment he secretly stuffed Anson's resume into the brown paper bag.
He is calm and bold enough.
“The first way is that we sign a series of works, Sony Columbia will definitely plan the second part, but I guess the third part should also be in the proposal, but they need to refer to the box office results of the first part.”
"So, we proposed a stepped remuneration, the first part is 3 million US dollars, the second is 5 million US dollars, and the third is 10 million US dollars." It is not only bold, but also crazy.
For reference, the current "Twenty Million Club" in Hollywood is still at the top of the pyramid. Before entering the 20 Million Club, a salary of 10 million US dollars is the threshold for top actors. Now you can Only a small number of actors receive this salary figure, no more than fifty at most.
As for Anson, he has only guest-starred in one TV series and filmed one movie - which has not been released yet, but Edgar is aiming for such a goal.
I have to say that the lion opened his mouth.
Even Anson showed a little surprise when he heard this number. It was a figure that he could not earn in his previous life, and a figure that even his father's Ponzi scheme could not reach. It was placed in front of him in such an understatement. No wonder everyone said Hollywood is Wall Street's game.
Edgar seemed to be aware of Anson's eyes, and he also showed a shy smile, inadvertently revealing his lack of experience.
“In William Morris, all agents are competitors. It’s not many, but it’s not uncommon for us to compete for each other’s clients and projects.”
“However, recently, For a period of time, innovative artists were too strong, so William Morris briefly united. We need to win this project, and more than just win it, we need to set a benchmark: This is William Morris, and we have such professional business capabilities. .”
No wonder.
If William Morris can secure "Spider-Man" for a complete newcomer like Anson, and on incredible terms, they can also make a name for themselves in the face of the aggressive momentum of innovative artists and once again prove that they are still young.
Anson raised his chin slightly and didn't say much -
Anyway, this was just William Morris's idea, and it is still unknown how the negotiations will proceed.
"What about the second thought?" Anson was not in a hurry to jump to the conclusion.
Edgar was no longer surprised by Anson's maturity and calmness, and continued talking.
"Second, we sign a contract for a work. If there is a sequel, we have the first right to choose whether to continue to star in it. We will discuss the specific contract terms at that time. If we reach a consensus, we will continue to cooperate. If we do not reach a consensus, we will get together and break up. It's more flexible for us and for them."
"However, the salary number cannot be too low, we should consider six million dollars."
Wow!
As soon as you hear it, you will know that this is a clause proposed by the agent, who considers the actors in all aspects and does their best to maximize the interests of the actors.
Obviously, Sony Columbia would not agree——
At least, Anson wouldn't have given the nod if he were Sony's Colombia negotiator.
But this is negotiation. Both parties throw out their chips and conditions, and then slowly pull the strings.
Edgar looked at Anson, "What do you think?"
Anson did not speak immediately, but thought carefully, digesting the mixed thoughts in shock and shock, expectation and joy. , waited for a while, raised his eyes and looked at Edgar.
“I have a third type here, why don’t you listen to it?”
The fourth update.
(End of this chapter)