Chapter 204: Two New Goals

At this moment, Spielberg, having outlined the general plot, presented an offer unmatched in Hollywood.

"$30 million, plus 8% of the box office revenue as a priority share!"

The offer made Wayne raise his eyebrows in surprise.

Even if the box office didn't perform as well as Spielberg projected and remained at the $352 million from Wayne’s previous life, that would still be $44 million.

He couldn’t offer himself such a high paycheck!

In this era, actors who didn’t participate in production—whether it was Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, or Will Smith—couldn’t dream of such terms.

The highest salary purely as an actor was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $30 million for Terminator 3.

For an 8% box office share, even stars like DiCaprio and Cruise would have to lower their upfront salaries to $7-8 million.

Even twenty years later, when Tom Cruise starred in Top Gun: Maverick, he had to reduce his upfront fee to $13 million to secure a 10% box office share, despite the sequel's built-in hype.

In this era, $30 million plus 8% box office revenue was a singular offer, unprecedented.

“Additionally, the film's streaming rights post-release would belong to you,” Spielberg added.

Wayne took a deep breath.

This was another gift that, while worth only $700,000-$800,000 today, could appreciate tenfold in value in a decade.

Honestly, he hadn't intended to accept, but such a generous offer made him waver.

For someone passionate about acting, this would have been hard to refuse. After all, earning $44 million personally versus someone else offering it to you carried a different weight entirely.

Spielberg's move was undoubtedly boosting Wayne's prestige.

Unfortunately, Wayne's motivation for filmmaking was primarily financial—to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle with plenty of beautiful women.

Spielberg's offer, though tempting, couldn't match the profits Wayne earned starring in his own productions. Plus, being a guest in another director's crew didn’t compare to being the boss of his own set.

Thus, Wayne politely declined. "Sorry, Steven. I’ve already committed to filming Wanted and The Bourne Supremacy 2 later this year, so I won’t have the time to take on this project."

In truth, besides these two films, Wayne was also planning to co-star with Charlize Theron in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

So, not just the second half of this year—finding time in the first half of next year would be a stretch.

"That's truly unfortunate," Spielberg said regretfully.

While the offer was generous, Spielberg believed Wayne's immense popularity would yield even greater returns.

He also genuinely admired Wayne's acting.

Spielberg thought his move would achieve three goals: securing a talented actor, generating profits, and building a stronger relationship with Wayne.

Unfortunately, he misjudged Wayne’s attitude toward acting.

Truth be told, if this were Wayne during his college days in his previous life, he might have had artistic aspirations—starring in more classics and winning awards.

But his years of struggling at the industry’s bottom rung had long since awakened him.

In this toxic entertainment world, who would stick around without financial incentives?

Even so-called "zero salary, zero profit-share" roles were about networking or gaining exposure—still chasing profits in the end.

As the saying goes, "The world is bustling for profit," and it couldn't be more accurate.

“By the way, how is Eva doing in Men in Black 2?” Wayne asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.

Men in Black 2 began filming mid-last month.

Although Wayne ultimately didn’t invest, Sony-Columbia still handed him the female lead role.

Wayne’s keen eye for casting was now widely acknowledged in Hollywood. Offering him the role wasn’t even considered a favor—just strengthening the collaboration.

In Men in Black 2, the female lead was the alien villain.

Naturally, Wayne selected Eva Green, fresh off her performance in Heidi and Grandpa.

After all, Eva Green wasn’t just "bad"; she was charismatic in her badness.

And Spielberg happened to be directing this film.

Yes, even with his own production company, Spielberg continued directing for others—partly due to pressure from the big studios and partly to make money.

"She’s excellent. Among actresses her age, her talent is remarkable, but her aura truly sets her apart. She’s perfect for the role of a seductive villainess. I must say, your casting choices are impeccable," Spielberg praised sincerely.

The conversation then shifted naturally to filmmaking, with Spielberg sharing some wistful thoughts about his career.

Lately, Spielberg wasn’t having the best time.

In April, DreamWorks released Shrek, which grossed $268 million at the North American box office on a $60 million budget.

Additionally, international distribution rights fetched $53 million, and subsequent DVD sales earned nearly $200 million in profit.

However, that success belonged to Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former Disney chairman in charge of DreamWorks Animation, and had little to do with Spielberg.

Meanwhile, his self-directed sci-fi film A.I. Artificial Intelligence, released last month, garnered decent reviews but underwhelming box office results.

This was true in Wayne’s previous life as well.

Though A.I. earned Spielberg several nominations and awards, it only grossed $78.61 million domestically—on a $100 million production budget!

Its poor domestic performance made international sales challenging.

Although DVD sales eventually made up for some losses, the film still incurred a minor $20-30 million deficit.

This marked one of the biggest setbacks of Spielberg's illustrious career.

Furthermore, his upcoming films faced similar struggles.

Jurassic Park III, set to release on the 18th of this month, carried a massive $93 million budget. Despite its high-profile IP, it only managed $368 million globally—a profit, but far below expectations.

---

Moreover, this movie's IMDb score is only 5.9—shockingly low, with terrible reviews.

This is why Universal Pictures shelved this major IP for 15 years, only rebooting it in 2015 with Jurassic World.

The rebooted Jurassic World grossed an astounding $1.67 billion worldwide.

In addition, movies directed by him, such as Minority Report (to be released next year) and Catch Me If You Can, as well as Men in Black II, where he served as a producer, all made money but performed far below box office expectations.

While Men in Black II's disappointing box office can't solely be blamed on a producer, Hollywood can sometimes be even more superstitious than Hong Kong.

One box-office flop and four underperforming films in a row left Spielberg in a slump. He took more than a year off to adjust his mindset before directing his next movie in 2004.

For a top-tier director like him, not working for over a year could mean losing hundreds of millions of dollars.

To be fair, Spielberg was indeed struggling to grasp the market and keep up with audience preferences during this period.

Thankfully, Wayne sold him Hotel for Dogs, which helped him recoup some losses.

From a long-term perspective, this move could help DreamWorks endure the pressure from the "Big Seven" studios and gain more attention.

"That said, with Jurassic Park III's poor box office and dismal reviews, perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to buy the rights from Universal," Wayne thought as he looked at Spielberg.

Of course, just having The Ring (American version) or Heidi and Grandpa wouldn't be enough. At the very least, he'd need the success of Wedding Crashers, a film he starred in.

While that might reduce the profit from Wedding Crashers, the long-term benefits would outweigh the short-term loss.

After all, without the Jurassic Park franchise, Vivendi's sale price for Universal in 2004 would certainly drop. Buying now would essentially be an early acquisition.

"Come to think of it, in this world, Vivendi should still sell Universal, right?"

After the party, Wayne returned to the manor and instructed Maida to investigate Vivendi's debt situation.

The results reassured him.

Just like in his past life, Vivendi had rapidly acquired Universal Music, PolyGram, a 10% stake in the world's second-largest satellite TV operator, EchoStar, and Universal Pictures through heavy borrowing. The company had skyrocketed to become the world's second-largest media conglomerate, second only to Time Warner.

Comcast, Viacom, and even the Hearst Corporation were left in its dust.

However, high debt brings high risk.

If, as in his previous life, Vivendi were to lose €23.3 billion in 2002, it would have no choice but to sell Universal Pictures.

After all, its most valuable asset would be Universal Pictures, which generates over $1 billion in annual profits. It would have to sell it at a steep discount.

"Besides, Blizzard Entertainment under Vivendi is also a high-quality asset," Wayne mused.

With advancements in technology, the weight and influence of games in the entertainment industry are growing significantly.

Consider League of Legends and Genshin Impact—each generates annual profits far exceeding those of any studio in the Big Seven, except Disney.

Before these, the most globally renowned, player-heavy, and profitable game was undoubtedly Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, which launched in November 2004.

Such a cash cow is crucial for someone like Wayne, who aspires to build a comprehensive entertainment empire.

"Looking at it this way, acquiring Blizzard Entertainment might actually be a higher priority than Universal Pictures," Wayne thought to himself.

Anyway, in a few decades, the era of streaming will arrive. Streaming revenue will surpass physical media, making Universal Pictures' overseas distribution channels less critical for him.

With that in mind, Wayne checked the time on his watch and saw it was past 10 PM. After some hesitation, he called Li Ying and instructed her to keep an eye on Blizzard Entertainment.

If a suitable opportunity arose, he could decisively acquire it even before Vivendi's financial crisis in 2002.

Two days later, Wayne attended a party hosted by Universal Pictures' president, Barry Diller.

The party's theme was to celebrate the global box office of The Fast and the Furious, which had surpassed $100 million last month and was still showing.

"Mr. Wayne, it's been a long time. I'm delighted you could join us tonight," Barry Diller greeted Wayne warmly.

Though Universal's performance over the past two years had been decent, Barry Diller, being a capable executive, remained humble and enthusiastic in front of Wayne.

After all, as an employee, who wouldn't want better performance and higher bonuses?

Still, Barry was rather unlucky.

Despite his excellent leadership and Universal Pictures' stellar performance under his guidance, Vivendi's financial troubles forced it to sell Universal to stop the bleeding.

As a result, Barry was replaced in March 2003 by Jean-René Fourtou, who was sent by the parent company to oversee the sale.

Sometimes, fate has a cruel sense of humor.

But for now, Barry was still basking in the limelight.

"Let me introduce you. This is Michelle Rodriguez, the leading actress in The Fast and the Furious, and Jordana Brewster, who plays the protagonist's sister."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Barry brought over Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster.

Apparently, in his eyes, the two women were quite charming.

However, he seemed unaware that both Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster had auditioned for Wedding Crashers before.

Neither of them had mentioned this to him either.

If they had, he might not have made such a move.

Glancing at Michelle and Jordana, who seemed calm on the surface but betrayed subtle hints of anxiety and pleading in their eyes, Wayne smiled faintly and acted as if he were meeting them for the first time. He greeted them politely.

This gesture of graciousness made Michelle and Jordana silently breathe a sigh of relief and filled their hearts with gratitude toward Wayne.

However, this seemed to give Barry Diller hope.

"I need to attend to some other guests, so please make yourself at home, Mr. Wayne," Barry said, leaving Michelle and Jordana to keep Wayne company before walking off.

"Sorry, Mr. Wayne, we—"

"It's fine. It's no big deal," Wayne interrupted with a smile, steering the conversation toward movies. His gentlemanly behavior further endeared him to the two women.

Yet, despite Barry Diller's status as the host and a high-ranking executive, not everything at the party was under his control.

Shortly after he left, many women at the party, like sharks drawn to blood, swarmed toward Wayne.

(End of Chapter)