belamy20

Chapter 209: Securing the Copyrights

Added 2025-03-30 21:02:26 +0000 UTC

Fast & Furious, Jurassic Park, and The Ugly American—these are currently the three most valuable franchises owned by Universal Studios.

Among them, Fast & Furious and The Ugly American are not only profitable but also well-received by audiences.

So when Wayne expressed interest in acquiring the Fast & Furious franchise, Barry Diller immediately rejected the idea without a second thought.

However, Wayne persisted, saying, "If you give me this IP, I can make it even better. Once it's completed, I’m willing to sell it back to Universal under the same conditions, giving you priority distribution rights."

This time, Barry Diller hesitated slightly.

He believed that if Hemera Pictures were to produce Fast & Furious, the reviews and box office performance would likely surpass the current results.

But on the flip side, buying back the Fast & Furious IP after production would cost far more than producing it in-house.

As such, the improved box office and reputation might not necessarily translate into greater profits. After thinking it over for seven or eight seconds, Diller still declined.

"Sorry, Mr. Wayne, but Fast & Furious is out of the question. It’s Universal's most important franchise for the next several years. Please choose another one."

Barry Diller offered a sincere, apologetic smile.

"Then how about The Ugly American?" Wayne suggested.

This made Barry Diller’s breath hitch, and his forced smile froze in place.

Though The Ugly American is merely a campus comedy, its box office earnings and critical reception for the first installment were better than those of Fast & Furious 1.

Especially in terms of box office revenue—due to fierce competition during this summer season, Fast & Furious 1 grossed $20 million less than it did in Wayne’s previous timeline, earning just $170 million globally.

On the other hand, The Ugly American 1, released in 1999, grossed $235 million worldwide.

However, since campus comedies have limited franchise potential, Universal prioritized Fast & Furious more internally.

But selling the The Ugly American IP outright? That was nearly impossible—unless the upcoming The Ugly American 2 experienced a disastrous box office performance, which seemed highly unlikely, especially given Wayne’s confidence in its potential.

"If that’s the case, let’s forget about it. I have other matters to attend to—"

Wayne’s tone and demeanor made it clear he was ready to end the conversation, which immediately made Barry Diller anxious.

"Wait, Mr. Wayne! How about this—$230 million. We’ll pay $230 million for the rights to Wedding Crashers!"

"Sorry, Barry, but this isn’t about the money," Wayne replied, rejecting the offer without hesitation.

"But I truly don’t have the authority to sell either of these two IPs. If I tried, the corporate headquarters would surely intervene."

"Then let’s proceed with a standard transaction."

"..."

Standard transaction? This was obviously a trap for Universal!

"Wait a moment, Mr. Wayne! What about Jurassic Park? Could we offer you the Jurassic Park IP instead?"

Having ruled out the possibility of selling Fast & Furious or The Ugly American, Barry Diller finally thought of Jurassic Park.

On the other end of the call, a gleam flashed in Wayne’s eyes, and his lips curled into a faint smile. Still, he maintained a calm tone and said indifferently, "Come on, Mr. Diller, I’m well aware of the situation with Jurassic Park."

"If it were just poor box office performance, that would be one thing. But the critical reception is abysmal, with a rating of just 4.9, solidly placing it in the ‘flop’ category. Does this IP even have any value left?"

"Not even Spielberg could save it—do you think anyone else could?"

Even with his thick skin, Barry Diller couldn’t hide a trace of embarrassment at these words.

An IP’s value lies in its strong reputation, which bolsters its sequels. For a franchise, box office performance is secondary—reviews and ratings are the key factors.

Currently, due to the disastrous reception of Jurassic Park 3, moving forward with a fourth installment would not benefit from the franchise’s reputation. Instead, it would face backlash from the previous film's poor reviews, potentially earning even less than expected.

More importantly, as Wayne pointed out, if Spielberg couldn’t revive Jurassic Park, who could?

As a result, the Jurassic Park IP held minimal value for Universal. While it might have been worth $300 million before, now even $30 million seemed like a stretch.

"Ahem. Perhaps you and Hemera Pictures could rescue it, Mr. Wayne. What Spielberg couldn’t achieve, you just might," Barry Diller said with a sycophantic smile.

"Heh," Wayne responded with a cold chuckle, saying nothing more.

Still, Barry Diller wasn’t discouraged. The fact that Wayne hadn’t hung up the phone meant there was room to negotiate.

"$200 million in cash, plus the Jurassic Park IP. How about that?"

Realizing this was likely Barry Diller’s bottom line, Wayne didn’t counter. After a brief pause, as though he were carefully considering, he agreed.

On the other end of the line, Barry Diller finally exhaled, the suffocating silence from earlier dissipating at last.

Even as Universal’s president, he couldn’t help but feel nervous during such a major deal.

After all, if the transaction fell through and Wedding Crashers and The Ugly American 2 released at the same time, it could result in disastrous box office losses, damaged reputations, and even the potential destruction of The Ugly American IP.

If that happened, Diller’s position as president would undoubtedly be in jeopardy.

With so much at stake, it was no wonder he felt the pressure.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Wayne. When shall we finalize the contract and complete the transaction?"

"I’ll inform Sarah shortly. We should be able to proceed anytime."

"How about tomorrow morning?" Barry Diller, eager to close the deal, suggested quickly.

Wayne, naturally, had no objections to someone rushing to give him money, and he readily agreed.

However, the details of this transaction remained confined to the major studios and a few other distributors. Universal had no plans to release Wedding Crashers anytime soon, opting to wait until The Ugly American 2 finished its run instead.

Wayne had no objections to this either, as he knew a significant event was about to take place in America.

Releasing a film during such a time would undoubtedly impact its box office performance.

---

"Tang Wei and Gao Yuanyuan have returned to China to film The Legend of the Condor Heroes. They probably won’t be flying back anytime soon."

"The others either don’t have much work right now, or their work is based in Los Angeles. For the next month, none of them seem to have plans to take a flight."

"Oh, right. Jet Li should be coming over from the Hero set soon to film his scenes for The Butcher. Let’s check the filming schedule later and try to wrap up his scenes within the month," Wayne thought to himself after receiving an international call from Tang Wei and Gao Yuanyuan, who informed him they had landed safely.

Regarding the catastrophic terrorist attack that would shock the world next month, Wayne had no intention of interfering. He planned to remain a bystander.

After all, why should it matter to him whether Americans lived or died? If this terrorist attack didn’t happen, how would those superhero movies go on to rake in massive box-office revenues?

Moreover, from the numerous reports in his previous life, it was hard not to suspect that the attack had been a power play by the American elite. At the very least, some people likely knew it was going to happen.

This only made Wayne more resolute about staying out of it.

"The Hulk’s scheduled filming start date is September 20th, right? The crew will head to New York for filming by then, which should also boost the goodwill of New Yorkers," he mused, a playful smile forming on his lips.

The smile faded as he noticed Russell Crowe and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson walking over, arms slung over each other’s shoulders like old friends. Wayne walked toward them.

Although Dwayne Johnson had a reputation as a bit of a playboy—he divorced his ex-wife and manager after gaining fame and married a stunning beauty—his personality was genuinely likable.

At the very least, his emotional intelligence was far higher than Vin Diesel’s.

Despite being only a C-list actor at the moment, Johnson had already become good friends with an A-list star like Russell Crowe. He also had a decent rapport with Wayne.

With networking skills like that, it was no wonder his rise to stardom had been so fast and enduring.

“Hey, Wayne! This guy Johnson here wants to take time off to attend Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Concert next month! He’s so unprofessional! I think you should just fire him!” Russell Crowe teased as soon as he saw Wayne.

Of course, it was all in jest.

“Don’t listen to him,” Johnson said, feigning a hurt expression. “Someone gave my wife a few tickets. It’d be a shame not to go, especially since each ticket costs $1,600!”

Seeing Johnson’s exaggeratedly pained expression, Wayne couldn’t help but laugh and join in the joking.

However, Crowe’s words suddenly sparked an idea in Wayne’s mind.

After excusing himself, Wayne returned to the lounge and called Avril.

“Hello? Sweetheart, why are you calling me at this hour? Did you miss me?” Avril’s voice was filled with delight when she answered the phone.

“Of course I missed you, baby,” Wayne chuckled, indulging her with some sweet talk. He promised to pick her up for dinner after work and then brought up the real matter at hand.

As expected, Howard Stringer hadn’t forgotten about Avril, one of the women Wayne adored the most. Stringer had arranged for Avril to perform as a guest artist at Michael Jackson’s final two concerts. He had even planned for Avril to duet with Michael Jackson.

This was a rare honor.

Michael Jackson had sung duets at concerts before, but those were ordinary performances. Sharing the stage at his 30th Anniversary Concert was entirely different in significance.

The concerts were sold out, and the televised version later attracted over 45 million viewers.

If Avril agreed to perform, she could skyrocket to fame across America from that one performance alone, instantly becoming a top-tier pop star.

After all, her talent and potential were undeniable.

To be honest, even Wayne was tempted by such an opportunity. In the entertainment industry, fame always favored the early risers. However, prioritizing Avril’s safety, he stuck to his decision.

“Turn it down,” Wayne said firmly.

“Okay!” Avril agreed without hesitation, catching Wayne off guard.

He chuckled before explaining, “There’s a Chinese saying: ‘A tall tree attracts the wind.’”

“You’re in the perfect position right now. Sharing the stage with Michael Jackson at such a high-profile event would elevate you to a level you’re not ready for yet. Without a single album released or any track record, you wouldn’t be able to hold your ground there.”

“If you stand on that stage now, Michael Jackson’s fans and those of Madonna, Britney Spears, and other female artists you’d overshadow will all see you as a target for criticism and backlash.”

“That’s not good for you. Right now, your priority should be completing your debut album.”

Avril quickly grasped the reasoning. “I don’t care about their criticism, but I’ll do whatever you say, honey. If you don’t want me to go, I won’t.”

Wayne couldn’t help but laugh.

Who would’ve thought that Avril, the cool punk princess, was, at her core, a hopeless romantic?

With her decision made, Wayne felt relieved.

Although the concerts would be held on the 7th and 10th at Madison Square Garden, it was better to be safe than sorry. Avoiding flights and New York altogether seemed like the best course of action for now.

Later that afternoon, Wayne drove alone to the recording studio.

While waiting for Avril, he opened his system interface for a quick check:

*[Remaining Film Investment Budget: $703.7 million]*

*[Current Film Projects:]*

- Ocean’s Eleven (18%): Estimated $15 million, Invested: $15 million

- Pirates of the Caribbean (16%): Estimated $20 million, Invested: $6 million

- Spider-Man 1 (22%): Estimated $30 million, Invested: $30 million

- Star Wars: Episode II (4%): Estimated $15 million, Invested: $15 million

- The Transporter (50%): Estimated $8 million, Invested: $8 million

- Heidi and Grandpa: Estimated $15 million, Invested: $12 million

- Wanted: Estimated $170 million, Invested: $95 million

- The Intern: Estimated $60 million, Invested: $40 million