381-385

*Chapter 381: What a Good Son*

"Sigh, what do I do now?"

In the villa, David Ellison put down his phone and sighed repeatedly, feeling extremely frustrated.

To make this movie, he had pulled a lot of strings and used many favors, even mortgaging several of his properties and luxury cars.

But with a $110 million investment, the movie only grossed a mere $20 million in its opening week—a total disaster.

He couldn’t understand why New Century could invest in a few random films and always succeed, while he couldn’t.

New Century Pictures often invested only $7-8 million or $10 million per film—small-scale projects—and yet their returns were an astonishing 10 times or more.

On the other hand, he had invested over $100 million in Stealth, a script that came from New Century’s production department as a backup project, which had excellent quality.

Both the director and the cast were proven at the box office, so there shouldn’t have been any issues.

In terms of production and cast, Stealth completely outclassed New Century's projects. Yet at the box office, Stealth couldn’t even surpass New Century’s worst-performing movie in recent years.

Why was this happening?!!

The more David Ellison thought about it, the more upset he became, angrily kicking the furniture.

"What are you doing?"

Larry Ellison walked in, holding a newspaper, his face stern.

"Uh, nothing."

David quickly stood up and moved the table back into place.

Larry glanced at him, then sat down to read the newspaper.

A servant came in, placing a cup of coffee in front of Larry.

David glanced at his father, then tried to quietly sneak out.

"Stop!"

Larry rubbed his chin, eyeing his son up and down.

"Uh, Dad, what’s up?"

Being stared at by his father made David uncomfortable, so he forced a smile, hoping to get out of the situation quickly.

"I heard your movie was released. How’s it doing at the box office?"

Larry asked.

David’s heart started pounding. This was exactly what he had been trying to avoid.

When he saw his father come in, he had tried to slip away, worried his father would ask about the movie’s box office performance. Unfortunately, he hadn’t left fast enough.

"Answer me! Why are you just standing there like an idiot?"

Larry looked at his son with dissatisfaction—he was nothing like the capable man his father was.

"Not bad!"

David scratched his head as he replied.

"Oh? How many days has it been? How much has it made?"

Larry asked.

David opened his mouth, wanting to tell the truth, but the opening week gross of just $20.1 million was too embarrassing to admit.

"Cough, cough. Dad, it’s in the newspaper. You can see for yourself. I’ve got to go. Bye! ┏(＾0＾)┛"

David waved his hand and quickly ran out of the villa.

"Phew."

At the door, David let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest. That was close.

Looks like he couldn’t stay at home for a while. He’d have to lay low outside. He had planned to stay at his beachfront villa, but since all his properties were mortgaged, he was now homeless.

How tragic.

With slumped shoulders and a defeated expression, David left the villa.

---

Seeing how quickly David had left, Larry frowned and called his secretary.

After a while, the secretary arrived with all the relevant materials for the Stealth project, including box office numbers and reviews.

Larry opened the file and saw that the movie had made $20.1 million in its first week, placing fourth for the week.

"This box office result isn’t bad. Why was David embarrassed to say anything?"

Larry was puzzled.

The secretary paused for a moment. "Sir, Stealth had a production budget of $110 million, with promotional costs currently around $20 million. It needs to make at least $40 million in its first week to avoid losing money, $50 million to break even, and $60 million to make a small profit."

Larry’s brow furrowed deeper. "And at $20 million?"

"It’s a massive loss. Based on our projections, the total domestic box office for the movie will be around $40 million. Even with international sales and video revenue, it’s estimated to lose at least $70 million."

"$70 million?"

Larry’s frown deepened. Even though he was worth over $18 billion, $70 million was still a significant amount.

David Ellison’s very first film project was set to lose that much—a colossal failure.

"This movie had a budget of over $100 million, and it was backed by Columbia Pictures. How did it fail so miserably?"

Larry asked.

"The newspapers say it’s mainly due to the poor quality of the film, plus stiff competition in the summer season. Stealth flopped right out of the gate.

Also, the summer box office for the first three months is 15% lower than the same period last year, so the market isn’t great.

Another theory is that several blockbusters performed too well at the beginning of the summer. Mr. & Mrs. Smith grossed $256 million domestically, Star Wars Episode III $362 million, and War of the Worlds $228 million.

These films came out in May and June, and by late June and July, movies like The Fast and the Furious 4, Cinderella Man, and The Island all performed much worse than expected."

The secretary explained slowly.

Larry looked over the box office data.

Not all movies released in July did poorly, though. Films like Wedding Crashers, Fantastic Four, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were doing quite well.

Overall, Stealth’s failure wasn’t due to poor timing or strong competition. There was only one reason: the movie was bad.

After the secretary left, Larry looked at the critical reviews. They were scathing, calling Stealth a disaster at the box office. The critics had plenty to say.

Many reviews even called out David Ellison by name, accusing him of being clueless about filmmaking, meddling in the production, and getting involved with the actresses on set.

Some articles even made a big deal out of his family background, saying Oracle’s "crown prince" David Ellison was throwing money around Hollywood to impress women, with Stealth being the result of his reckless spending. They placed most of the blame for the movie’s failure on David.

"This idiot!"

The more Larry read, the angrier he became. Everyone was criticizing his son for being irresponsible and incompetent.

He picked up the phone, ready to call David and tell him to come home for a scolding.

After thinking for a moment, he called his secretary instead and ordered close supervision of David’s finances, instructing them to make him work at New Century and stop his reckless spending. If David didn’t shape up, Larry would cut off his credit cards.

"Uh, sir, there’s something we’ve just learned."

The secretary said over the phone. "David doesn’t have any money or properties left. He mortgaged everything for $20 million to make the movie. Now that it flopped, he can’t get that money back, and he’s $500,000 in debt."

"..."

Larry’s face darkened even more. What a "good" son. This was the same son who had once vowed to make $10 billion, $100 billion, and take over Oracle. And this was what he had to show for it.

---

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 382: During the Match

"Sigh~ Richard, what should I do?"

At the Brad Manor, on the sunlit grassy field, David Ellison slumped in a chair, sighing repeatedly, looking utterly dejected.

Richard curled his lips, not really wanting to see him.

Just a moment ago, he and Ms. Bündchen were happily playing with the kids, having a great time. Then David Ellison showed up. Not only did he come, but he also kept sighing nonstop, looking like someone down on his luck.

Talking to someone in such a low mood really dampened Richard’s spirits.

"Stop sighing. If the movie tanked, it tanked. It’s no big deal. You lost $20 million. Didn’t New Century lose just as much? No one’s asking you to pay it back."

Richard blew on his tea and took a sip.

“No big deal?”

David Ellison shook his head with a grim expression. "You have to understand, that $20 million was my allowance that I’d saved up over 17 or 18 years, and now it’s all gone in an instant. I’m so unlucky."

Richard twitched his mouth. "The movie's a loss. That's a fact. You can’t change it. The best thing to do is face it bravely. Sighing won't bring the money back."

David Ellison shook his head, blinking at him pitifully.

"Richard, everyone knows how brilliant you are. You’re not only famous and influential, but you have massive box office appeal. You’re also a master at movie promotion.

“A lot of your films’ box office numbers didn’t look promising at first, but when people thought your movies would flop, you’d pull off some huge publicity stunt—like lifting a car, showing off martial arts on a show, or catching criminals in the street.

“Can’t you come up with something like that for Stealth? Give it some major headlines?”

Richard smiled. "So, you're saying my films don't do well at the box office, and they only succeed because of my marketing? Which film are you referring to exactly?"

“Uh…”

David Ellison thought for a moment but couldn’t come up with anything. It seemed like Richard’s films had always been box office hits.

“So stop thinking that way. My films do well because they're blockbusters. The real reason they succeed is their quality. If a movie is good, the box office follows. If it’s bad, the audience won’t show up, no matter how much you promote it.”

Richard explained.

“That’s not it. The original promotional budget for Stealth was $30 million, but before the release, they cut more than half of it, leaving just over $10 million. We only got through the first round of previews, and there was no further promotion after that. The movie had low exposure, so of course the box office was bad.”

David Ellison defended himself.

Richard wiped his forehead, speechless. This guy clearly didn’t understand movie distribution and marketing at all. No wonder the film flopped.

There was a report from New Century regarding the promotional budget for Stealth.

Before the movie’s release, the distribution company held a few internal screenings for theater representatives, production companies, and professional critics.

The main purpose was evaluation. First, theater representatives would rate the film. The higher the rating, the more theaters would show the movie. Second, the marketing team would evaluate the promotional budget. The better the movie, the higher the marketing spend.

Stealth received very low marks in the internal screenings. Theaters and production teams generally believed it wouldn’t perform well at the box office. The more they invested, the more they’d lose, so the distribution side naturally reduced the marketing budget.

But David Ellison still didn’t accept this, blaming the movie's poor box office performance on the lack of promotion and exposure. He was clearly out of his depth.

“David, you should check the newspapers. Over half of the reviews lately are talking about Stealth. The exposure isn’t that low. Especially in the last two days, there’s been more commentary. While a lot of it is negative, there are some positive reviews too. Maybe next week the box office will pick up a bit. Why don’t you wait and see?”

Richard advised.

“Sigh, I guess that’s all I can do.”

David Ellison replied with a pained expression.

Richard was speechless. It was only a few million dollars of allowance lost. Was it really worth acting like it was the end of the world?

"Richard, do you think I'm cut out for the movie business?"

David Ellison thought for a moment and asked.

That was a tough question. Should he encourage him or discourage him, to make him give up?

“David, do you enjoy making movies?”

Richard asked.

“I love it! I became a producer because I genuinely love movies.”

David Ellison said.

Richard nodded slightly, but he only half-believed the statement. For a guy in his twenties, he probably liked women and fame even more than movies. Having been through his twenties himself, Richard understood that mindset easily.

“If you love it, then keep going. Start from the basics, learn as much as you can, and once you’ve learned how to be a producer, then take charge of a movie. You’re with New Century, and they have five or six projects every year, so there’s plenty for you to learn from.”

Seeing that David wanted to say something, Richard raised a hand to stop him and continued:

“I know you’ve been a producer for a year and are somewhat familiar with the job, but you still need to learn the basics of filmmaking.

“While producing a big movie is great for experience, the cost of learning that way is too high. A movie with an investment of over $100 million can cause huge losses for the investors and for you personally if it fails. But with smaller projects—ones costing a few million or ten million—even if they flop, it’s within a manageable range.

“Plus, having worked on a big-budget production, you'll be even better prepared to produce smaller films in the future. What do you think?”

Richard took a sip of tea. Talking with this guy was exhausting.

David Ellison nodded.

“You’re right. I don’t understand film production very well, and I’m not doing a good job. Even though I was the producer on Stealth, my involvement was minimal. Most of the production work was handled by Mr. Medavoy. I need to improve my knowledge.”

David Ellison stretched and stood up.

"Richard, I'm going back to New Century’s production department to keep working as a producer's assistant. I’ve made a plan for myself—to spend the next five years laying a foundation, and after that, I’ll try being a producer for smaller projects."

“That’s a good mindset.”

Richard smiled.

It was a good plan, but the key would be sticking with it. Could this guy really go five years without getting into trouble?

That was uncertain.

After David left, Richard returned to the villa and saw the kids happily playing the electronic piano with the nannies. Not wanting to disturb them, he changed into his workout gear and headed to the training room for a boxing session.

On Saturday, he flew to London, England, to face his second opponent of the year—British boxer Danny Williams—at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre at Victoria Dock.

Williams was initially not very well-known but shot to fame last year after a shocking victory over Mike Tyson. He was hailed as the successor to Lennox Lewis.

This fight drew a lot of attention, especially in the UK, where many of Richard’s fans were eager to see him fight in London.

Likewise, many Brits hoped to see someone from their country finally defeat Richard Brad, the boxing legend. After all, he had fought in five matches in the UK and hadn’t lost a single one, which was a bit of an embarrassment.

On fight day, over 35,000 spectators packed the exhibition center. The venue had limited seating, so many fans were standing in the aisles, with the stands completely filled.

The match began at 6 p.m. Richard initially let his opponent attack to gauge his punching power and speed. Williams had decent boxing skills, with a well-rounded offense and defense. His style was similar to other British and Irish boxers.

In terms of power, he was slightly weaker than Paul, but he had a strength worth noting—his defense after attacking was solid.

Overall, Williams was a B+ fighter. Compared to top-tier boxers like John Ruiz, James Toney, and Chris Byrd, he still had quite a gap to close.

Richard exchanged punches with him for three rounds, throwing 165 punches in total. In the third round, he knocked Williams down three times in a row, finishing the fight with a final straight punch.

After the match, Richard flew back to New York.

Soon, the fight’s stats were released. While the UK’s viewership market wasn’t as large as North America’s, the fight drew 2.1 million pay-per-view views in 24 hours. Although lower than in the U.S., it still broke the UK’s domestic boxing viewership record.

The previous record was 1.5 million views, set in 2003 during Richard’s match against Lennox Lewis. The third-highest was the 2002 Tyson vs. Lewis fight.

In North America, this fight had 3.5 million pay-per-view views.

Television rights brought in $280 million, while ticket sales and sponsorships totaled $110 million.

Richard's personal earnings amounted to $86 million—$40 million plus a share of the PPV revenue and ticket sponsorship deals. Although slightly less than his last fight, earning that much abroad left both him and his management team satisfied.

After the match, Richard returned to Morocco to continue filming.

"The 425th scene 1 shot, start!"

  ——

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 383: Filming and Box Office*

"Charge!!!"

On the set of Kingdom of Heaven in Morocco, Richard, dressed in a Crusader general's armor, charged on horseback with hundreds of cavalrymen into the Arab coalition’s camp.

This was the second siege by the Arab coalition. The first siege occurred after King Baldwin's death, when Duke Lusignan allowed his lords to attack Arab caravans, provoking war.

Soon, retaliation came under the leadership of the Arab commander, Saladin, with tens of thousands of Arab troops laying siege to Jerusalem.

The Holy City of Jerusalem was originally sacred to the Arabs.

Since 1096, Europeans, with the permission of the Pope in Rome, launched over 200 years of religious military invasions.

Led by feudal lords and knights from Western Europe under the banner of "reclaiming lands occupied by Arab Muslims," they waged wars on the eastern Mediterranean countries, known as the Crusades, which happened a total of nine times.

The cross, a key Christian symbol, was worn on the chests and arms of every participant, giving the wars their historical name, the Crusades.

During the time of Kingdom of Heaven, Jerusalem was occupied by French nobility, who were preaching there.

The Arabs, having lost the Holy City, were naturally unwilling to accept defeat and constantly sought to reclaim it.

Now, with the king of Jerusalem dead, the new king was too young and power was seized by influential ministers. The city was also divided into peace and war factions.

Politically and militarily, the city was severely weakened.

To make matters worse, Duke Lusignan and other hawkish lords recklessly plundered Arab caravans and territories, making war inevitable.

As the Arab army advanced towards Jerusalem, they passed through Balian’s fief.

Facing the massive Arab forces, Balian did not retreat. He sent messengers back to the city while leading his knights in an attack on the Arab vanguard.

"Kill!"

Richard swung his longsword, cutting down foes left and right, blood splattering all over his face and body, his armor scarred from battle.

After several rounds of fighting, Balian and his cavalry finally held off the enemy’s vanguard, but were nearly out of supplies.

At that moment, reinforcements arrived.

War scenes are incredibly challenging to shoot, requiring almost half a month of preparation before each take.

To capture the grandeur and authenticity of these battle scenes, the crew had to shoot bit by bit.

Richard, as the lead actor, had many war scenes and appeared frequently.

The first large-scale battle scene took five days to film. Each day, he spent hours on horseback, swinging his sword and splattering fake blood made from tomato juice.

This not only drained his energy, leaving him sore and cramped, but he also smelled horrible by the end of each day, the mix of sweat and tomato sauce fermenting under the sun. After shooting, his body was practically unbearable to smell.

After ten days of filming the first battle scene, they moved on to the second major war scene, which, thanks to prior preparation, was ready to shoot right away.

This time, it was a city defense battle. After the Arab attack, Duke Lusignan recklessly led an assault, losing over ten thousand men.

With the failure of the counterattack, the Arab army laid siege to Jerusalem, placing the Holy City on the brink of collapse.

Balian took over the city's defense, becoming the military leader. He personally led the defense, repeatedly thwarting the Arabs' attempts to capture the city.

The siege lasted over half a month, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.

In the end, the Arabs prepared to breach the city walls using siege engines, and Jerusalem was on the verge of destruction.

At that moment, Balian led a daring sortie, surprising the Arab forces and nearly killing Saladin. Unfortunately, Saladin managed to escape with only minor injuries.

Balian’s fearless charge caused the Arabs to halt their advance.

It was a small victory, but it didn't drive the Arabs away. Balian's forces had to retreat back into the city.

The Arabs no longer launched direct attacks but surrounded Jerusalem, cutting off supplies.

After a month of siege, with no reinforcements, the city fell into chaos, with riots, plague, and heavy casualties.

Seeing no other option, Balian personally went out to negotiate with Saladin, agreeing to surrender Jerusalem on the condition that there would be no massacre and that the safety of the city's inhabitants would be guaranteed. Otherwise, they would fight to the last man, leaving the Arabs with only an empty city.

After some consideration, Saladin agreed.

——

While filming, Richard also kept an eye on the box office performance of Little Miss Sunshine, the second film from New Century Studios.

This film had a budget of only $8.5 million, with no major stars, and a fairly simple story.

It tells the tale of the Hoover family, a quirky group of six.

Mr. Hoover is a motivational speaker who teaches others how to be successful, but he’s a failure himself, losing his business and eventually his job.

Mrs. Hoover is a housewife who tries to comfort her family during crises.

Their eldest son, Dwayne, is extremely introverted and dreams of getting into the Air Force Academy. He takes a vow of silence, which he’s kept for nine months, until he finds out he’s colorblind just before his exam.

Uncle Frank is a psychology professor who falls in love with a male student. After being rejected, he discovers the student has hooked up with his academic rival, who also wins the award Frank had hoped to get. Devastated, Frank attempts suicide but is rescued, only to sink into depression.

The family's grandfather is a drug addict kicked out of his nursing home for using drugs and is also quite lecherous.

Though the family is full of problems, no one takes the time to address them or listen to each other. Their dinner table is often the scene of loud arguments.

One day, amidst the chaos, the seven-year-old daughter, Olive, hears about the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant on the radio.

Olive makes a bold decision to enter the pageant. After much persuasion, the family agrees to support her, embarking on a journey together to help her chase her dream.

This film is neither a romance, action, nor comedy, with no dramatic twists and no conventional happy ending. It leans heavily into the artsy genre.

By all accounts, it seemed destined to flop.

But its box office results were shocking.

In its first week, it grossed $33.82 million across 1,825 theaters, earning the top spot at the box office.

This was an incredible figure.

With just an $8.5 million budget and a modest theater count, it achieved such astonishing success.

When the first-week numbers came out, the film industry was stunned.

The script for this movie had been written seven years ago and had been passed on by five or six production companies.

Fox, Summit, Miramax, and others had all turned it down, despite recognizing the quality of the script, because they didn’t believe the return would justify the investment.

No one could have predicted New Century would take the risk, not only making the film but also achieving such high box office results.

Companies that had passed on the project were now kicking themselves. How did they miss such a dark horse?

And what was New Century’s secret? How did they keep producing hit after hit?

Meanwhile, the media's reviews of the film were equally positive.

"A family dramedy that uses a child to open the audience’s heart. Though many films of this genre exist, few capture the magic this one does. Without a doubt, New Century has once again produced a high-quality, classic film." — Variety

"The only notable actor in the film is Steve Carell, who gained fame with The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He plays only a supporting role, while the film’s investor, Richard Brad, had no prior involvement in the industry. Yet this film achieved stunning success, both critically and commercially, thanks to the stellar performances of the entire cast." — Film Review

"Little Miss Sunshine follows the style of National Lampoon’s satire but with a darker tone, reflecting the realities of life in a way that feels closer to home. Highly recommended." — The Washington Post

With such a strong box office and positive reviews, the film expanded to 2,625 theaters in its second week, with increased promotional spending.

In its second week, Little Miss Sunshine grossed $31.05 million, a drop of less than 10%, showcasing its long-term potential.

By the time the film had been in theaters for three and a half weeks, Richard had wrapped up his scenes in Kingdom of Heaven and returned to New York, where he saw the third-week box office results for Little Miss Sunshine.

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 384: The Feeling of Heartache*

"Frank, what’s the total box office for Little Miss Sunshine?"

At the Brad Manor, Richard called Frank Marshall to ask.

"Haha, not much, just a cumulative box office of $89.87 million."

Frank laughed.

Richard raised an eyebrow. "So the total U.S. box office for this movie is likely to hit $100 million?"

"Hit $100 million? That’s a piece of cake for Little Miss Sunshine. We plan to extend its run. The box office will hit at least $120 million."

Frank chuckled.

Hearing this, Richard couldn’t help but feel excited. "Great, congratulations to everyone. Remember to give bonuses to the crew—decide the amount yourself."

"Alright, we’re planning to set aside $3 million in bonuses. Everyone will get at least $50,000 as a big red envelope."

"Let’s do that, then."

Richard smiled.

A movie that cost $8.5 million to make, reaching over $100 million in the U.S. box office, maybe even $120 million, with a return of more than tenfold. This achievement was even more impressive than Crash, which had made New Century’s name well-known.

Richard had been involved in Crash too. He hadn’t asked for a salary and had done a lot of promotional work for free. Factoring in those costs, the total production and marketing expenses for Crash had been at least over $10 million.

But Little Miss Sunshine relied entirely on a few unknown actors, an unknown screenwriter, and an unknown director, yet it became both a box office and critical hit.

The result was impressive.

“What’s up? Why are you smiling so brightly?”

Ms. Bündchen came downstairs and, seeing his face, asked curiously.

Richard smiled, "Have you seen Little Miss Sunshine from New Century?"

"No, I haven’t had time. I heard it’s doing well at the box office?"

Ms. Bündchen walked over, sipping from a cup of water.

"Haha, it’s not doing that well. Just average. $8.5 million invested, around $120 million in U.S. box office, and about $200 million globally."

Richard spoke with a faint smile on his lips.

Ms. Bündchen rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you pretending? With those results, you must be over the moon inside."

"Haha, it’s okay. Darling, do you have time this afternoon? Let’s take the whole family to the movies. Little Miss Sunshine is also good for the kids to watch."

Richard hugged her and kissed her.

"Sure, whatever you say."

Ms. Bündchen smiled.

—

"What’s the third-week box office for Little Miss Sunshine?"

At New Century Films, Monday morning, David Ellison couldn’t wait to ask as soon as he got to the office.

"The third week brought in $26.02 million."

A colleague responded.

"Still so high in the third week?"

David Ellison furrowed his brows tightly, his breathing quickening.

Ever since the box office flop of Stealth, he had developed a strange psychological condition where he couldn’t stand hearing about other films doing well at the box office.

Whenever he heard about a successful film, he felt bitter, depressed, frustrated, and angry, sometimes to the point where he could barely breathe.

But when he heard about a flop, it was like a heart patient taking a quick-relief pill—soothing. He wanted all films to flop together. That would be fair.

This time, when New Century’s Little Miss Sunshine was about to be released, he attended the internal screening and didn’t like it. He thought the film would surely flop.

If New Century’s film flopped, he would feel great for two reasons: first, it would prove that the second half of the summer season had poor box office potential, giving Stealth a pass; and second, it would show that filmmaking wasn’t easy, even for a company like New Century, which frequently produced surprise hits.

But Little Miss Sunshine disappointed him. From the day it was released, it showed its potential as a dark horse, grossing $21 million on its opening day.

When David saw this number in the newspaper, it was like being struck by lightning—his ears buzzed, his vision blurred, and his head spun.

He couldn’t believe it. How could a low-budget film, made with only $8.5 million, make more on its opening day than Stealth made in its entire first week?

Stealth had a $110 million budget, a large-scale production with an all-star cast. How could that boring film, Little Miss Sunshine, compare?

It must be fake.

He immediately called to verify, but the shocking truth was confirmed—the low-budget film had really grossed $21 million on its opening day.

Since then, he had been asking himself one question: Why?

He watched Little Miss Sunshine two more times and still thought it was a terrible film, far inferior to Stealth.

But despite that, this small-budget film kept shattering his expectations at the box office—$21 million on the opening day, $33 million in the first week, over $31 million in the second week, and another $26 million in the third.

The numbers were too beautiful, so beautiful that they made him want to cry.

Why couldn’t such beautiful box office results belong to his film?

Stealth had grossed $21 million in its first week, but after four weeks, it had only accumulated $39.62 million, with a global total of less than $80 million. The investors and theaters had collectively lost at least $75 million, and the $20 million he personally invested? He hadn’t seen a single penny back.

David Ellison clenched his fist and pounded his chest—he was in real pain!

"David, are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

A colleague, seeing his pale face, thought he was ill.

"No, I’m fine."

David waved them off and left.

"David, the box office results just came in today. Little Miss Sunshine has grossed $92.13 million so far. It looks like it’ll break $100 million in the next three days."

A colleague shouted.

"Wow, amazing!"

"$8.5 million invested and over $100 million in box office returns. We’re getting big bonuses again this year."

"Haha, big bonuses, awesome!"

The entire production department cheered loudly.

The better the film did, the bigger their year-end bonuses, which was a rule Richard Brad had set.

As long as the company wasn’t losing money, the year-end bonuses would never be reduced. Even last year, when New Century had two flops and made less than $70 million in profit, everyone still got a red envelope.

This year, the company had released three films—Ray, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Little Miss Sunshine—and all three had been huge hits, with profits exceeding $200 million, even better than in 2003. So this year’s year-end bonuses were sure to be hefty.

"Wow~~"

The thought of year-end bonuses had the employees shouting even louder, and everyone was getting a bit impatient for Christmas to arrive.

Hearing their cheers, David Ellison curled his lips. Annoying.

—

"Did you see the box office results for Little Miss Sunshine?"

In the Weinstein Company president’s office, Weinstein stared at the numbers on his computer, his face dark, his neck bulging.

"Yeah, it’ll break $100 million tomorrow or the day after."

Bob shrugged.

Three years ago, this script had sat at Miramax for a while.

But at the production department’s review meeting, Bob had personally rejected it, thinking the plot was bland with few highlights. Even if they invested in it, the box office wouldn’t be great.

He hadn’t expected things to change so quickly. The script had ended up in the hands of their old rivals, New Century, who had not only made the movie but had also turned an $8.5 million investment into over $100 million in box office returns.

It was a slap in the face.

Bob wiped the sweat from his greasy face, both frustrated and regretful. If he had a second chance, he would never have let this dark horse go to New Century.

"Yeah, it’s almost at $100 million. The final box office won’t be less than $110 million."

Weinstein’s heart bled. An $8.5 million investment yielding over $100 million in box office returns—why did this dark horse have to belong to New Century?

"Bob, you idiot! Why did you reject that script? If you’d kept it, this project would’ve been our company’s dark horse."

Weinstein said furiously.

Bob froze for a moment. "Boss, you read that script too. You said the investment potential was small."

“...”

Weinstein thought about it for a moment. He had indeed read the script. He gave a light snort. "I’ve told you before to keep an eye on New Century and disrupt them whenever possible. Why didn’t you?"

Bob spread his hands. "Boss, the Weinstein Company had just started up at the time. We were so busy. How could we have time to meddle?"

"Hmph. Now that the company’s stable, focus more on New Century from now on. If you find a good project, don’t hesitate. Our company is still new, and we need hits."

Weinstein said.

"Uh... how do we define a good project? Cinderella Man seemed like a good project, but look how that turned out."

Bob said, looking troubled.

Weinstein shot him a glance. 'First, get the script, and then we'll bring it back for a group discussion.'

'Okay, okay!' Bob shrugged.

In truth, he really didn't want to compete with New Century. New Century had become a top production company in the industry, while Weinstein Company had just been established—it couldn't compare at all.

'Boss, I think it’s better if we just focus on making our own films.'

He cautiously suggested.

'Hmph, you think I don’t know that? Just do your job.'

'Fine, fine!' Bob patted himself off and walked away.

Weinstein squinted at the computer. Ever since that guy came to Hollywood, he'd been unlucky. Was this guy his nemesis?

Bang! A cup shattered on the floor.

—End of Chapter—"

Chapter 385: Super Rookie

Little Miss Sunshine has been in theaters for four weeks, earning $115 million at the box office, staying an extra week before finally closing with a total of $123 million domestically.

This film, with a production and marketing cost of less than $15 million, ultimately brought in $123 million, truly making it a dark horse hit.

Thanks to this low-budget film, New Century Pictures has once again shocked the film industry.

A professional data company crunched the numbers for New Century: this year, they released three films, with total profits estimated at around $248 million. Add in Little Miss Sunshine's international box office, and there's another release in October, Saw III, the hottest horror franchise of the past two years, which always performs well.

So, the film data company believes New Century's net income this year could exceed $300 million.

What does it mean for a film company to net $300 million annually? In Hollywood, it means you can easily rank in the top eight, including among the Big Six studios. In the independent film sector, only New Line Cinema could compare.

“Richard, I suddenly think your previous goal of $500 million in annual revenue might not be that unattainable after all.”

In the office, Frank was smiling as he flipped through company reports.

Since all three films were distributed by New Century, the company had full control over the investment and marketing. The production costs and investment figures they announced to the public weren't necessarily accurate.

Typically, a film only has one producer, and they often overestimate the budget slightly.

For example, in films exclusively produced by New Century like Crash 2, the Saw series, and the Butterfly Effect series, the announced budgets are at least 20% higher than the actual costs.

This allows the company to show higher profits and gives the accountants some leeway for creative financial management.

Then there’s Stealth, the film that left David Ellison frustrated. Its budget was over $100 million, which was likely inflated. Now that it has bombed at the box office, New Century, as one of the investors, is in a dispute with Columbia Pictures and the distributors, insisting on a full audit. If they find any discrepancies, they might recover some of their losses.

Richard also smiled as he looked at the report in his hand, “Frank, don’t get too excited just yet. We got lucky with Mr. & Mrs. Smith this year. We can’t always count on hitting projects like that. So, reaching $500 million in annual revenue is still a big goal. I hope we can achieve it during New Century’s second phase of development.”

In New Century’s second phase, there will be a slight adjustment in strategy, shifting from mainly low-budget investments to medium and large commercial films, with art films playing a secondary role.

If New Century lands a few good commercial hits, reaching $500 million in annual profits is very possible.

“Richard, New Century is growing stronger, and we’re all confident we can break the $500 million mark in revenue,” Frank said confidently, waving his hand.

Richard smiled. As the largest shareholder of New Century, he certainly hoped the company would make more money. However, at this stage, reaching $500 million annually would still be quite challenging.

New Century Pictures has been around for less than five years, making it a super rookie in the film industry.

In terms of production, promotion, and distribution, they still have some gaps compared to major studios like Universal or Warner Bros., which can release 20 films a year without a problem. New Century can't do that.

With a low annual output of about five films, New Century needs to increase its production to make more money. To do that, the company must expand and enhance its production and distribution capabilities.

But right now, Richard and the New Century executives have no plans for expansion. New Century is growing well, and expanding too soon could disrupt their momentum, doing more harm than good.

“Richard, there were rumors recently that you were one of the shareholders involved in the MGM acquisition. Is that true?” Frank asked curiously.

“No, I’m not interested in MGM,” Richard replied.

Back in June and July, something big happened in Hollywood. The 90-year-old MGM was acquired by Sony and other companies at $12 per share, for a total of $4.8 billion, which included over $3 billion in debt.

MGM, one of Hollywood’s original Big Eight studios, was also the founder of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, launching the Oscars. The roaring lion was once a symbol of Hollywood films.

After the acquisition, MGM became history, reducing Hollywood’s Big Eight to the Big Seven.

The MGM acquisition was mainly done by six companies: Providence Equity Partners (29%); Texas Pacific Group (21%); Sony America (20%); Comcast (20%); DLJ Merchant Banking (7%); and Quadrangle Group (3%).

Before the deal, the first two investment companies had also approached Sun Island Venture Capital and Richard’s investment firm, encouraging him to participate in the MGM acquisition, with 20% of the shares valued at around $1 billion.

Richard thought about it and declined. MGM was a sinking ship. While it had some valuable assets, like hotels and theater chains, along with a massive film library including franchises like James Bond and Rocky, it wasn’t worth the investment.

With New Century growing rapidly, he didn’t want to waste time and energy on an old, outdated company.

Besides, owning only 20% wouldn’t give him full control of the company, which made him even less interested.

With $1 billion, he could invest elsewhere and get a much higher return.

Richard set the report down and asked, “Frank, is the investment for the Iron Man project finalized?”

“Yes, the budget is set. Production costs will be around $120 million. There’s a lot of high-tech special effects in this film, which makes it expensive. $120 million is just the initial estimate, and it could go higher once filming starts. So this investment carries a lot of risk,” Frank said, handing a document to Richard.

The $120 million Iron Man investment had been negotiated earlier. New Century and Marvel Studios would split the cost, with Marvel handling most of the production, while New Century would help with production and be responsible for marketing and distribution.

Once the film was released, both companies would share the rights equally. If the film did well at the box office, they could continue working together on sequels.

“When will filming start?” Richard asked, flipping through the document.

“Marvel is still working on concept art, which is moving slowly. Filming probably won’t start until late next year or even later,” Frank explained.

Richard nodded slightly. “Next year or the year after is fine. The later, the better. That way, Arnold won’t be complaining.”

“Haha, I was thinking the same thing,” Frank laughed.

—End of Chapter—