Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 356 Transformers

After getting up, Wu Yuchen shook himself awake and picked up the newspaper that had been delivered to him. He naturally read the review of *Pirate King 3*.

Captain Jack Sparrow's surreal adventure story boasts breathtaking visuals and is packed with action sequences. —Chicago Tribune

Depp has never turned the tide like this in a film; a must-see finale! —The Hollywood Reporter

Pirate King 3 is funnier, bigger, more exciting, and bolder than the previous two films! —New York Post

A pirate adventure story that lasts a full 168 minutes, yet never feels long or tedious. (Wall Street Journal review)

The nearly three-hour film continues the audacious behavior of "Pirates of the Caribbean 2," completing the pirate trilogy with a satisfying and memorable story. (Detroit News review)

Captain Jack Sparrow's surreal adventure story boasts breathtaking visuals and unforgettable action sequences! (Los Angeles Daily News review)

The visuals and music are perfect, along with a perfectly timed, desperate plot! Wu Yuchen creates a classic pirate trilogy! (News Daily review)

The Pirate King trilogy vividly portrays the complexities of human trust and competition. Captain Jack Sparrow, seemingly powerful despite his protagonist aura, is actually quite vulnerable. Yet, through his spirit of freedom, he conquers the seas and the audience! (New Yorker review)

The story that had been building up in the first two films reached its climax. The excellent pacing clarified the complex relationships between the characters, and the well-placed humor made people laugh. Moreover, the film was more magnificent than the first two films in terms of both world-building and scene creation, especially the extremely shocking whirlpool naval battle that is still fresh in people's minds!
Wu Yuchen smiled after seeing these comments. Last night's premiere was not for nothing. The newspapers were almost unanimously full of positive reviews for "Pirate King 3". Even if there were negative reviews, they would probably have to wait a few days before they came out.

Afterwards, Wu Yuchen opened Rotten Tomatoes on his computer, which would more realistically and clearly reflect the audience's reaction to "Pirates of the Caribbean 3".

"169 minutes, a feast for the senses, not at all tedious or long! I was completely captivated and couldn't tear myself away!"

"Wu has created a masterpiece of marine fantasy stories, with his music, cinematography, and narrative scope all reaching a pinnacle!"

"Continuing the exciting storyline of the previous two films with its multi-party power struggles, it filled in all the plot holes and brought the Pirate King series to a perfect end, making Jack Sparrow a classic character on the silver screen!"

"What makes 'The Pirate King' is not just Johnny Depp; the complicated love story between the blacksmith and Elizabeth is also a major highlight. The trilogy is incredibly impressive, and the third film elevates the visuals to a whole new level. The vortex battle is simply high-energy from start to finish!"

"As its name suggests, 'The Pirate King' is the king of pirate movies! I don't think any pirate film will ever surpass this series!"

"I watched 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World' with great excitement, but after the ending, I felt a pang of sadness. This wonderful 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series is coming to an end!"

"Waaaaah! I'm so reluctant to say goodbye! There are still so many places to explore in the world of Pirate King, and so many stories to tell. Why does it have to end like this?!"

"I really wanted the Pirate King series to continue, but it's such a shame! Wu has already announced the end of the Pirate King series..."

"The Pirate King series has left me with so many deep impressions: the charismatic Captain Jack Sparrow, the brave little blacksmith and Elizabeth who pursue love, the immortal pirates, the mysterious and fantastical ghost ship, the great waterfall at the end of the world, the terrifying giant octopus sea monster... and so many more!"

Seeing the curtain finally fall felt like personally bidding farewell to these dear friends.

Farewell, Captain Jack Sparrow! Farewell, my Pirate King!

Seeing these praises and expressions of reluctance to say goodbye to "Pirate King 3", Wu Yuchen smiled, which fully proves the success of the "Pirate King" series.

He did indeed announce last year that the Pirate King series was coming to an end, and that this would be his last Pirate King film. DreamWorks may reboot Pirate King in the future for profit, but it's unlikely that John Woo will direct it again.

Of course, there were also negative reviews. For example, some people who hadn't seen the first two movies and went straight to the third one found it a bit confusing; others felt that the plot of the third movie had become a bit complicated and too long, making it tiring to watch; and still others complained about the tragic ending, which wasn't what they wanted!

However, all of this was within Wu Yuchen's expectations. It's impossible for a movie to be liked by everyone. He was already satisfied with the current public opinion and the fact that he was able to make money.

Just as Wu Yuchen was watching, a petite and beautiful body darted into his arms.

Scarlett Johansson, wearing only a thin gauze dress, sat on Wu Yuchen's lap, her voluptuous body nestled in his arms, while she looked at the comments on the computer screen. Wu Yuchen smiled and casually placed his hand on the armrest, gently kneading it.

"Wu, you're amazing! So many people are obsessed with you!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Scarlett, what about you?"

“I’m a million times more obsessed than them!” Scarlett said, tilting her head back and giving Wu Yuchen a sweet kiss.

Wu Yuchen happily enjoyed Scarlett Johansson's enthusiastic service, fully aware of her predicament. He certainly had the ability to help Scarlett Johansson overcome her difficulties, but that depended on her determination and enthusiasm. What could one night possibly accomplish? He needed to give her at least a trial period!

He was still pondering when to call Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba over together to jointly assess Black Widow.

Both women are currently busy filming. Jessica Alba is filming "Step Up 2," which is nearing completion. Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, is filming "Spider-Man 3." Her "The Princess Diaries 2" finished filming last year and will be released next month. Both women's careers are currently on a fast track.

Of course, they would come immediately upon receiving Wu Daddy's summons. However, Wu Yuchen was not in a hurry.

In the afternoon, after resting for a while, Wu Yuchen arrived at DreamWorks and met with Spielberg as promised.

Spielberg was very happy at this moment, and there were still some news articles about "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" on the table:

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End breaks single-day box office record again with 6548 million!" "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End sparks summer movie-going frenzy!"

The previous film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," already set a new single-day box office record in North America, or rather, the world, with $2 million. This time, with 4435 theaters showing the film—6080 more than the sequel—and being the finale, the single-day box office record has been broken once again.

This box office performance naturally pleased Spielberg. "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" was enough to recoup the hundreds of millions of dollars DreamWorks lost on "The Island."

Spielberg now regrets his decision. When Wu Yuchen wanted to film the second and third installments of "Pirates of the Caribbean" back-to-back, he was worried about the risks and did not allow DreamWorks to invest more in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3". Wu Yuchen, on the other hand, chose to increase the investment and converted all of his director's salary for the third film into investment. In other words, DreamWorks' share of the profits in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" will be further reduced.

If we calculate it, Miracle Pictures and director Wu Yuchen will take nearly 62% of the profits, while DreamWorks will only get 38%.

Even so, it's enough for DreamWorks to make a profit. If we calculate based on a global box office of 10 billion, the production company can get about 5.5 million in box office revenue.

Of the $4 million grossing in North America, at least $3.1 million will go to the producers, because "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" is such a hit that the producers will definitely get the lion's share. Even if they take more than 85% of the revenue, the theaters will reluctantly accept it. But this time, the producers only asked for 78% of the revenue, in order to secure more theaters showing the film.

而另外的全球6亿票房，按照40%的分成算，也会有2.4亿美元进账。因此票房收入会在5.5亿左右。就算扣掉1.3亿的宣传营销费，也有4.2亿的利润。梦工厂能分到1.6亿。

The DVD rights can still sell for at least 4 million, and with other miscellaneous rights, it will be no less than 5 million, which will give them another nearly 2 million.

Therefore, "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" alone could bring DreamWorks hundreds of millions in profit. With "Pirates of the Caribbean 2," DreamWorks took a larger share, earning 6 million from the film, and even after deducting the 1 million production cost, they still made a profit of 5 million.

So DreamWorks really can live comfortably on this one series. They certainly deserve "The Island".

However, even though he could afford to lose money, Spielberg didn't want to lose money!
Especially with the new project to be discussed next, which involves an investment of up to 1.5 million, and considering Michael Bay's recent failure, they naturally have to be extremely cautious.

Spielberg greeted Wu Yuchen with a smile as he entered, first asking, "Wu, are you really not considering a sequel to the Pirate King series?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "Steven, let's not talk about this anymore. From now on, I'll only be involved in production at most, I won't be directing anymore. In my heart, the Pirate King trilogy is already complete!"

Spielberg sighed: "Okay, Wu, the reason I called you here today is to discuss a new project with you."

"A new project?" Wu Yuchen asked, feigning curiosity, though he already had a vague answer in his mind.

"Yes. You definitely know it, Transformers!"

"Wow! Steven, when did you get the rights? Is DreamWorks planning to bring Transformers to the big screen?" Wu Yuchen exclaimed.

Spielberg laughed and said, "Last year, Hasbro and producer Murphy contacted me. I've always been interested in Transformers, so I reached a cooperation agreement with them. To be honest, Wu, if you have the time, I really would like you to direct Transformers!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "It's a pity, Steven, but I've already taken on 'Batman,' and I really don't have time to make another big-budget production."

"Therefore, I can only narrow down the director selection to someone else, Michael Bay. His application of large-scale explosions and special effects should be very suitable for the style of 'Transformers.' Are Miracle Pictures interested in collaborating?" Spielberg asked.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said directly, "Steven, you really are... If 'The Island' hadn't failed, I don't think DreamWorks would have considered asking me to join them, given their current abundant cash flow?"

"Oh, Wu, you've really misunderstood me! No matter how abundant our DreamWorks' cash flow is, can it compare to those big companies? Even they want to share the risks."

Hollywood studios, leveraging their reputation, have more options. The most common approach is to set up an investment fund, attracting investment from various sectors and regions, allowing them to contribute to the film's production costs. They don't care if the film loses money, and if it makes a huge profit, they only give the fund 10% to 8% of the profits.

This is how big companies operate; other companies don't have this reputation, so they can't do it even if they wanted to.

To be honest, if Wu Yuchen had been the director of "Transformers," Spielberg would have definitely invested independently and wouldn't have given up any share. At most, he would have given Wu Yuchen a share of the profits.

However, Michael Bay's recent failures, including the disappointing "Pearl Harbor" a few years ago and the massive flop of "The Island," have increased Spielberg's doubts about him. Yet, Spielberg still genuinely believes Bay is the right director for the moment, and thus wants to partner with Wu Yuchen to share the risks.

Wu Yuchen didn't agree immediately. Instead, he thought for a moment and asked, "Steven, if Michael Bay were to direct 'Transformers,' how much would his director's fee be?"

"2000 million US dollars, that's the price we've agreed on so far."

"No profit sharing?" Wu Yuchen pressed.

Spielberg shook his head: "No."

Michael Bay's salary for directing "Pearl Harbor" had already reached $25 million, even though it was released at the box office against "The Pirates of the Caribbean" and was a box office failure. However, it didn't have much of an impact on him. He then directed "Bad Boys II," earning $20 million plus 10% of the North American box office revenue.

However, after "The Island" flopped, his salary naturally dropped, and now he only receives a 2000 million yuan paycheck, without any profit sharing.

Wu Yuchen nodded upon hearing this and then said, "If that's the case, then I can consider it. After the failure of 'The Island,' Michael Bay should realize that he's not suited to making art films. If he honestly goes back to his old style of explosions, the risks of 'Transformers' should still be within a controllable range."

Seeing that Wu Yuchen was interested, Spielberg smiled and nodded in agreement: "Wu, I think so too!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and then asked, "Steven, how much of a share is DreamWorks willing to offer?"

(End of this chapter)