Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 451 I understand

Under Warner's arrangement, Cao Yang accepted interviews from several mainstream media outlets and participated in several talk shows and television interview programs, which can be considered as completing a wave of promotion for "Joker".

Meanwhile, taking advantage of Cao Yang's publicity, Warner Bros. arranged for some film critics and well-known directors with good working relationships with Warner Bros. to lavish praise on "Joker" and Cao Yang.

Why praise Cao Yang?

It's actually quite simple. Cao Yang's collaboration with Nolan on "The Dark Knight" was a great success, and it's the highest-grossing and most critically acclaimed film in the "Batman" series.

Then Cao Yang directed "Joker," which was another hugely popular art film that broke out of its niche and brought the box office of art films to a height that "it" did not belong to. Its word-of-mouth, combined with the background of the economic crisis, was also ridiculously good.

When interviewed by the media and on television programs, because Warner Bros. has always claimed that "Joker" is a "prophetic" film, reporters and hosts will definitely ask Cao Yang why he made "Joker".
Or rather, the purpose of making "Joker".

Why make "Joker"? Because Cao Yang knew an economic crisis was coming, and this movie perfectly matched the backdrop of the economic crisis, so the box office was sure to be high.

Most importantly, under this background, it becomes easier to win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and achieve a grand slam.

Although Warner Bros.' questionable actions prevented the film from being shown at the Berlin Film Festival, Cao Yang certainly couldn't say that.

"When Warner Bros. approached me and said they wanted me to take over 'Batman,' I initially refused. At the time, I was busy with 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' and I was exhausted. I was hoping for a nice vacation."

However, I don't know why, but in my spare time I found Nolan's "Batman Begins" to watch, and then I found that Nolan's directing style is very distinctive, and some of his ideas coincide with mine.

So when Warner Bros. contacted me again, I agreed to produce and write The Batman 6 as a producer and screenwriter, and I also contacted Nolan to ask him to continue directing The Batman.

As for why I didn't direct "Batman," it's because I suddenly became interested in the Joker. I don't know why, but there seemed to be a very strong voice in my heart telling me that I must make a movie about the Joker.

So you've seen it, my collaboration with Nolan on *Batman* was a great success, and *Joker* exceeded my expectations.

"So, you decided to let Nolan continue directing 'The Dark Knight,' right?"

After the host asked Cao Yang this question, he explained to the camera: "I have some data here. Nolan's Batman Begins grossed $2 million in North America and $3.7 million worldwide."

Cao Yang's collaboration with Christopher Nolan, *The Dark Knight*, grossed $5.98 million in North America and $12.3 billion worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film in both North America and worldwide to date.

Upon hearing this, Cao Yang realized that the host was being unfair; wasn't he stirring things up? While praising himself, he was subtly belittling Nolan.

Of course, Cao Yang could understand that, for the sake of the show's effect, the host would definitely find some "gimmicks" to attract attention.

Nolan became a "target".

There's no way around it. Although Nolan is also white, he is British, not American. Americans love to make fun of stereotypical and eccentric British people.

However, Nolan speaks highly of Cao Yang both in public and in private, so Cao Yang should also defend Nolan.

“As I said, I really like Nolan’s directing style and I think he will become one of the best directors in the world. As you have seen, The Dark Knight was very successful, which proves that I made the right choice in choosing Nolan.”

The host nodded, skipped the topic, and continued asking:

"You just said that there was a very strong voice in your heart that compels you to make a movie about the Joker?"

"Yes."

Cao Yang nodded.

"Joker" was a film that achieved both critical and commercial success. I told myself at the time that I had to make it, and maybe I could even win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

As for how you interpret those words, that's none of my business.

"So Warner Bros. is right. This is a prophetic movie. It is God wanting the world to know about this global economic crisis. It is a warning to the world and a selection of people... Viewers who haven't seen Joker yet should definitely watch this 'prophet' movie."

The host said with a fervent expression.

Cao Yang smiled but didn't reply.

Warner Bros. really knows how to pull off something; they'll use any means necessary to boost box office sales.

To say that this black... cough, to say that this black host wasn't part of a pre-written script by Warner Bros., Cao Yang would never believe it, not even if you beat him to death.

After several programs featuring Cao Yang aired, the box office of "Joker" saw a significant rebound, and online speculation began again that "Joker" was created by God to choose humanity...

Cao Yang felt a pang of emotion, and couldn't help but wonder if Warner Bros. would go crazy hyping up the doomsday theme if he were to collaborate with them on "2012".

Given Warner's usual practices, they would absolutely dare to go so far as to spread rumors that the world is about to be destroyed.

After Cao Yang participated in several programs, many observant people learned that he had come to the United States.

As a result, executives from several large companies that had previously collaborated with Cao Yang began frantically calling him, all with the same goal: to discuss cooperation.

This year has been a breakout year for Cao Yang.

Although "Pirates of the Caribbean" was released in 2007, its release date was December 21st. Ten days later, it was already 2008, so it can also be considered a movie from 2008.

If we include "Pirates of the Caribbean," Cao Yang has directed and produced three Hollywood films, the other two being "The Dark Knight" and "Joker."

Let's take a look at the current global box office rankings.

The number one film is "Titanic," with a global box office of $18.42 billion.

Second on the list is "Joker," which has grossed $13.8 billion worldwide in just 22 days since its release.

The third-ranked film is "The Dark Knight," with a global box office of $12.3 billion.

Fourth on the list is "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," with a global box office of $11.19 billion.

Fifth on the list is "Pirates of the Caribbean," with a global box office of $10.7 billion.

……

The eighth-ranked film is Inception, with a global box office of $9.28 million.

Of the top five highest-grossing films worldwide, three are related to Cao Yang, two of which were directed by him, and three of the top ten are also directed by him.

Hollywood used to think highly of Cao Yang not only because he could win awards and promote other people, but also because he held the copyrights to many promising novels.

However, after "Joker" swept the box office as an art film, even though some Hollywood professionals believed it was because "Joker" perfectly fit the current environment, coupled with its reputation as a "cursed" film.

But no matter what, box office revenue is box office revenue, and it won't be taken back just because of some special reason.

Moreover, this is no coincidence; there were also blockbusters like "Batman," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and "Inception."

Therefore, if you were to rank the directors that Hollywood film companies most want to work with, Cao Yang would definitely be number one right now.

As for James Cameron, known as the "King of the World," although his wrecked ship is still "invincible" for now, given his filmmaking efficiency that can drag on forever, large companies are unwilling to work with him when given a choice.

Small and medium-sized companies... unless they want to drag the company into bankruptcy.

Of all the people who called Cao Yang, the one who called the most was Disney CEO Robert Iger.

Against the backdrop of the economic crisis, which top Hollywood film company wouldn't want to produce a movie that grosses a billion dollars?
With other listed film companies experiencing sharp or slight declines, Warner Bros.' stock price bucking the trend and rising sharply is quite striking.

But who wouldn't want something so "eye-catching"?

Robert Iger really wanted to.

So he called Cao Yang almost every day, and each time he said the same thing:
"Dear Director, it's been a long time! When are you free to meet up?"

"Dear Director, are you free today? I just managed to get my hands on a limited edition bottle of Macallan, and I'm just waiting for you to come and try it..."

"Dear Director, are you free today? I just got my hands on a bottle of rare Moutai, but I don't know if it's real or not. Could you come and take a look for me?"

“Dear Director, I just got my hands on a box of tea that is said to have been exclusively supplied to the emperor. Do you have time today? Come and have a taste.”

……

As Disney's CEO, Robert Iger didn't have to do this, but then again, it was Cao Yang's "New Pirates of the Caribbean" that solidified his position as CEO.

Of course, pursuing friendships in Hollywood can be expensive, but seeing Warner Bros.' stock price buck the trend, Robert Iger was heartbroken.

He felt it would be better to talk to Cao Yang about their friendship.

Besides, it's been a year since "Pirates of the Caribbean" was released, it's time for a sequel. Robert Iger believes that Disney's stock price will definitely rise as soon as the news of a sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean" is confirmed.

The prerequisite is that Cao Yang directs.

Cao Yang did not meet with Robert Iger. He had some things to do in Los Angeles. After finishing that, he would return to China to continue the post-production of "Like Father, Like Son". He definitely wouldn't have time to work on the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean" before the end of the year.

Cao Yang has a studio dedicated to managing the copyrights of his novels, and another studio dedicated to "processing and filling" scripts, both located in Burbank, Los Angeles.

The head of these two studios is Bellman, who started collaborating with Cao Yang before he became completely "successful." He was formerly the head of Sony Classic Marketing.

"Cao, are you sure you want to make a move now? The market is still unclear, especially with the global economy in recession. Cash is king right now, so I think it's best to wait a bit longer."

Especially for companies like Amazing, every extra day they wait means another day their stock price will fall. We can afford to wait, but they can't.

Even though Marvel Entertainment has shown some promise with "Iron Man," which was released in May, it's worth noting that this is the only successful film Marvel has had in recent years.

Besides that, they can only make a living by constantly selling the copyrights to some of the company's 'heroes'.

Bellman dutifully offered his advice.

Bellman was somewhat puzzled as to why Cao Yang had come to see him on a weekday, asking him to purchase shares and film rights to Amazing Entertainment in the name of his studio.

Marvel Entertainment's "Iron Man" performed well at the box office after its release in May this year, grossing $3.18 million in North America and $5.85 million worldwide, but we can't judge a book by its cover.

Iron Man is arguably the only successful film Marvel Entertainment has produced in recent years.

However, the success of this film could not save Marvel from its crisis.

Everyone in the industry knows that Marvel's production of "Iron Man" was a gamble.

Marvel secured a $5.25 million loan from Merrill Lynch by mortgaging the rights to second-tier superhero movies, betting the entire company's future on this high-stakes gamble.

Even though Iron Man was a huge hit, Merrill Lynch's debts are still outstanding and haven't been fully repaid yet, and Marvel doesn't have the money to pay them back either.

It's important to know that Merrill Lynch was severely impacted by the subprime mortgage crisis and was on the verge of bankruptcy. To avoid collapse, on September 14th of this year, Merrill Lynch was acquired by Bank of America for approximately $44 billion.

This acquisition was also quite dramatic.

First, Merrill Lynch employees earn an average annual salary of $23, while Bank of America employees earn an average annual salary of only $7. This huge salary gap has caused dissatisfaction among Bank of America employees.

In particular, Merrill Lynch was burdened with huge debts, and Bank of America only realized the seriousness of the problem after the acquisition and was eager to cancel the deal.

However, the government halted the program, stipulating that systemically important financial institutions should not fail, the so-called "too big to fail" principle.

This incident indirectly triggered the US government to launch a $7000 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Putting aside these dramatic events, the first thing Bank of America did after Merrill Lynch was acquired was to generally reduce the salaries of Merrill Lynch employees.

The second thing is to collect the debt.

Unfortunately, Marvel Entertainment became a company being chased by debt collectors.

As a result, Amazing's stock price continued to fall, which is why Bellman wanted to stop Cao Yang from letting him buy Amazing stock.

Of course, there is a more important reason.

Marvel, which later became known as Marvel Studios, produced the 1994 version of "Fantastic Four," which nearly flopped at the box office.

Furthermore, Marvel (before it changed its name to Marvel at the time) expanded recklessly in multiple areas such as collectible cards and toys, creating a bubble in the comic book market. When the bubble burst, the entire industry suffered a severe blow.

The company lost all its investment in collectible cards, and the distribution agreement backfired. The company quickly became heavily indebted, and its stock price plummeted from $35.75 in 1993 to $2.38 in 1996. It also laid off one-third of its employees.

This almost led to the company going bankrupt.

In an effort to save the company, a tearful Marvel sold off the filming rights to many of its superheroes, including Spider-Man and the X-Men series.

Spider-Man was sold to Sony for a mere $700 million, X-Men and Fantastic Four fell into Fox's hands, and Blade and Hulk were also sold off.

These "heroes" who were sold are actually Marvel Comics' most popular A-list heroes.

Meanwhile, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, who were still with Marvel, were all considered "worthless" second-tier heroes at this time, and their popularity was incomparable to those that had been sold.

This is the main reason why Bellman is not optimistic about Marvel – what investment value does a company have that sells the copyrights of all its most valuable "heroes" have?

Bellman didn't know the value of wonder, but Cao Yang did.

Next year, Disney will again acquire Marvel through a stock swap to acquire the copyrights to more than 5000 well-known cartoon characters under the Marvel brand, and then rename it Marvel.

This deal involves $40 billion.

Amazing also figured out Disney's psychology, knowing that they acquired the rights to more than 5000 well-known cartoon characters, so it can be said that Amazing took a "ruthless" bite out of Disney.

Who could have imagined that Disney's acquisition of the copyrights to over 5000 well-known cartoon characters would lead to the global phenomenon of superhero movies?

It was a lucky accident, I suppose.

Therefore, before Disney announces its intention to acquire Marvel, and given the current economic crisis, now is the best time to buy Marvel shares and film rights.

Cao Yang never actually considered taking control of Jingqi; that was unrealistic.

This isn't about money; it involves other aspects as well.

He simply wanted to acquire enough stock before Disney acquired Marvel.

What does "enough" mean?

It would be enough to become a small shareholder, preferably with some say, and to buy the adaptation rights to a few key "hero" movies.

Given Cao Yang's status, this level of achievement is sufficient.

“Behrman, I understand what you mean. I just want to stockpile more film rights. Acquiring Marvel stock was a side effect, as it makes it easier to buy film rights.”

Cao Yang said to Bellman.

He certainly wouldn't explain too much; it would be best to let people think he was interested in the film adaptation rights.

The two major American comic book companies are DC and Marvel.

The Joker is a character from DC's Batman comics, and his current success might lead people to mistakenly believe that Cao Yang is after the adaptation rights to Amazing's superhero.

After all, DC is currently entirely owned by Warner Bros., and with Warner Bros. backing it, it has no reason to sell the movie adaptation rights to its superheroes.

Given its heavy debts and past record of selling its "Heroes" franchise, it's not surprising that Surprise is selling its copyrights again.

"Is it mainly film copyrights?"

After thinking for a moment, Bellman seemed to understand what Cao Yang meant.

"No, no, no, Behrman, if you go ahead and buy the movie rights to Marvel in a big way from the start, because it's me who's buying it, they'll definitely raise the price, and it might also attract the involvement and 'snatching' of other companies."

Therefore, let's first acquire some of their stock. Once we have enough leverage, we'll be considered one of their own, making it easier to sit down and finalize the deal.

Cao Yang emphasized this to Bellman.

After thinking for a while, Bellman suddenly realized something.

Got it, got it all.

Cao Yang definitely wants to acquire enough shares of Amazing first, then negotiate the film rights with Amazing behind closed doors as "one of his own". Once the agreement is reached and the news is announced, given Cao Yang's status, won't Amazing's stock price surge?

Then, we can sell those stocks and maybe even make a profit from the movie rights!

Even if we don't sell for now, once the news comes out that Cao Yang will personally adapt and direct the film, the stock price of Amazing will surge. If the film does well at the box office, the stock price of Amazing will rise even more!

Therefore, acquiring Amazing's shares is an inevitable step.

(End of this chapter)