Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 376 Annual Box Office Rankings Released, Seven Major Studios Plot Again (6K)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 291 films were released in North America in 1995, grossing a total of $53.6 billion, a 1.3% increase from the previous year.

Last year, 11 films grossed over $100 million at the North American box office, one less than in 1994; 32 films grossed over $50 million at the North American box office, two more than the previous year.

Last year's box office champion was "The Sixth Sense".

As of the end of February, the film had grossed $450 million in North America and $9.68 million worldwide.

The second place went to "Apollo 13", which grossed $1.73 million in North America and $3.55 million worldwide.

The third place went to "Pocahontas," which grossed $1.43 million in North America and $3.46 million worldwide.

Fourth place goes to "The Butterfly Effect," which grossed $1.41 million in North America and $3.23 million worldwide.

Fifth place: Pet Detective 2, $1.2 million, with a global box office of $2.24 million.

Sixth place: GoldenEye, with a North American box office of $1.08 million and a global box office of $3.52 million.

The seventh film is "The Shawshank Redemption," which grossed $1.06 million in North America and $1.96 million worldwide.

Eighth place: Paranormal Activity 2, with a North American box office of $1.06 million and a global box office of $2.15 million.

Ninth place: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, $1.005 million, $2.6 million worldwide.

The tenth-ranked film, "Casper," grossed $1.003 million worldwide and $2.81 million globally.

Five of the top ten films on the list were produced by Guessing Pictures, firmly occupying half of the list.

Including the hit video movie "The Man from Earth," guess what? Six films from the film industry grossed over $1 million in North America last year.

In the ranking of total box office revenue in the film industry, Guess Movies released 12 films last year, with a total box office of $12.81 billion in North America, up 38.85% year-on-year, and a global box office of $24.35 billion, up 17.6% year-on-year.

The second place went to Universal Pictures, which earned $6.85 million in North America and $15.3 billion worldwide last year with 21 films including Apollo 13, Game of Thrones, and Waterworld.

Disney ranked third, releasing 19 films last year, including "Pocahontas" and "Crimson Tide," which grossed $6.12 million in North America and $14.37 billion worldwide.

Columbia Pictures ranked fourth, releasing 18 films last year, including "Jumanji," "Bad Boys," and "Legends of the Fall," which grossed $5.86 million in North America and $12.72 billion worldwide.

However, last year Columbia Pictures invested in Guessing Pictures’ films, including Paranormal Activity 2, Two Sights, and At All Costs. With the box office revenue sharing from these three films, Columbia Pictures’ North American box office performance last year surpassed that of Disney, which ranked third.

Fifth place goes to Paramount Pictures, with $5.42 million in North America and $9.44 million worldwide.

Warner Bros. Pictures ranked sixth, MGM Studios ranked seventh, Fox Studios dropped to eighth, New Line Cinema ranked ninth, and Miramax Studios ranked tenth.

The release of the list caused a huge stir in Hollywood.

In 1994, Guess What Movies became the highest-grossing film in the industry with $9.24 million in box office revenue.

This year, it once again topped the box office charts with $12.81 billion.

This achievement also broke Hollywood film industry records, making it the first film company in North America to have annual box office revenue exceeding $12 billion.

Furthermore, five of the top ten films in North America last year came from Guess Movies, and the same number remains this year. This demonstrates that Guess Movies is not only developing rapidly but also very steadily, without any fluctuations in its growth.

This is even more impressive than the seven major film studios.

Following the release of the two lists, mainstream American media outlets widely reported on them and offered their commentary.

Mainstream media marveled at the box office earning power of the film studio, Guess what, in a year, earned roughly equal to the combined box office of the second and third place studios. Once upon a time, the seven major film studios were the most powerful film companies in Hollywood, the ceiling of the industry.

However, just over four years later, the combined box office of the two strongest companies among the seven major film studios is still less than that of Guess Movies alone.

Los Angeles Times commentator James Kissick enthusiastically praised Guess Movies' achievements in the film market last year, saying that Guess Movies is making new progress every year and is steadily ascending to the throne of Hollywood dominance.

The seven major film studios are now a thing of the past.

The Hollywood landscape has officially shifted to a "one superpower and seven strong contenders" or "one big player and seven small players" structure.

Entertainment Weekly commentator David Eastman claims that since 93, the seven major film studios have repeatedly joined forces to try to stop the rise of Guess the Movie, but each attempt has failed.

The seven major film studios have repeatedly proven through their failures that the power of Guess the Movies is an irreversible fact.

Therefore, starting this year, all Hollywood professionals must accept the fact that Guessing Game will not disappear, but will become increasingly powerful in the future, becoming the most powerful force in the film industry. Everyone must get used to the existence of Guessing Game.

"Barry, what are your thoughts on the recent public opinion?"

In the Hollywood club, Ron Mayer put down his newspaper and asked Barry Diller, who was also the president of Fox Studios, a question.

Barrydiller's expression was not good at this moment. Before 93, 007th Century Fox performed above average among the seven major film studios, often ranking between second and sixth, and had never been last. This year, MGM achieved good results with films such as "GoldenEye" and "Shorty" and surpassed Fox.

With Fox Studios ranking last, he, as the head of Fox, is under the most pressure. Since the beginning of the year, many shareholders on the parent company's board of directors have questioned his abilities and suggested that someone else be appointed as the CEO of Fox Studios.

He was able to remain in office only with the support of Murdoch and others, but this support will not last long. If Fox's box office performance continues to be poor this year, Murdoch and others will not be able to keep his position.

Now, just thinking about this problem makes Baridyl feel frustrated. "Damn Link, what's the point of a director starting a film company? If it weren't for Guessing Films, we wouldn't be under so much pressure."

Because of the immense influence of the Jewish community in Hollywood, the seven major film studios, despite internal competition, do not engage in fierce battles for box office revenue; they maintain a balance.

The goal is to maintain and expand racial dominance in Hollywood, squeeze out or absorb other forces, and ultimately unify the American entertainment and cultural sphere.

However, after Link and Guess the Movies emerged, this tacit understanding and balance were broken, the established order of Hollywood was also broken, and their power and status were greatly weakened. This situation made Barrydiller and others unable to help but resent Link.

“Barry, complaining is useless. David Eastman is right. The existence of Guessing Movies is an irreversible fact. What we should do now is not to curse Link, but to find a way to destroy Guessing Movies and prevent it from growing further.”

Given the current situation, if Guess What Films continues to dominate the annual box office charts, at least two of the seven major film studios will go bankrupt due to financial problems.

Langmeyer frowned as he spoke.

"What suggestions do you have? The situation is critical right now. Any suggestion, as long as it can stop Guess Movies from continuing to devour the box office, is worth a try."

"Baridil said."

"Let's talk about it when Ovitz and Harvey arrive."

"All right!"

Barrydiller shrugged. He used to avoid getting involved in the actions against Guess Movies because he didn't believe Guess Movies could grow to the level of the Big Seven studios, nor did he believe Guess Movies could affect the interests and status of the Big Seven studios.

However, after Guess Movies topped the annual box office charts for the second consecutive year, he had to admit that he had to take it seriously. Guess Movies had accomplished in less than four years what the seven major film studios took six or seven decades to achieve. If he were given another two or three years, half of the seven major film studios would really collapse.

The two chatted for a few minutes, and Michael Ovitz, Shirley Lansing, Mig Goss, Harvey Weinstein and others arrived at the club one after another.

The originally empty oval desks gradually became full.

This meeting was chaired by Harvey Winstein.

Harvey Weinstein stood at the front to chair the meeting. He put forward his first point: Guess what? The film industry has become the mortal enemy of the seven major film studios, to the point that it has to be eliminated. He asked everyone if they agreed with this.
Barry Diller and Ron Meyer expressed their support.

Barrydiller stood up and bitterly denounced the harm that Guess Movies had done to the film industry. After Guess Movies' films became huge hits, the North American film market became chaotic, bad movies were rampant, and film companies went bankrupt one after another. Guess Movies was like a withered weed in the industry and had to be removed as soon as possible, otherwise the seven major film studios would face a bankruptcy crisis.

Disney co-CEO Michael Ovitz and Paramount Pictures president Shirley Lansing remained silent, deep in thought, and did not immediately offer their opinions.

Miguel Goss of Warner Bros. tapped his fingers on the table and said, "I don't object to dealing with Guessing Movies, and I'm willing to stand with everyone. However, could you please temporarily refrain from targeting Link in the upcoming actions? Batman Forever hasn't been released yet. This movie cost over $100 million to make. If the movie's revenue is affected because of Link, Warner Bros. will not agree."

I agree with that.

MGM President Stephen Cooper raised a finger and said, "Link has agreed to take over directing the '007' sequel, which is a key project for our company with an estimated investment of over $100 million. I also hope that the actions taken against Guess the Movies will not affect Link."

"I also have a suggestion."

Columbia Pictures president Jon Peters frowned and said, "We still have five film contracts with Guessing Movies outstanding. Can't we wait until our contracts expire before considering how to ruin Guessing Movies? If unforeseen circumstances arise at Guessing Movies and several film projects are affected, who will compensate our company for the losses?"

Upon hearing their words, Harvey couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse the three men in his heart.

The purpose of everyone's gathering here today is very clear: to discuss how to destroy Guess the Movies and restore the dominance of the seven major film studios in Hollywood.

As soon as he began to define Guess Movies as an 'enemy,' Miggos and his two companions objected, while Michael Ovitz and Shirley Lansing remained silent.

From this perspective, the top executives of the seven major film studios have not yet reached a consensus on the matter of Guess Movies.

Harvey found this ridiculous. Guess what? Studios was now stepping on the heads of the Big Seven studios, preparing to dominate Hollywood and starve them, but the executives of the Big Seven studios still couldn't see the situation clearly and were unwilling to go all out to deal with Guess what?

How can they possibly defeat the powerful Guess the Movies if they think like that?
Harvey is increasingly able to understand the Michael Ovitz of the past. It turns out that Ovitz led the Seven Studios to suppress Guess Movies, but they lost every battle. Harvey thought it was because of his incompetence, but now it seems that the root cause was the lack of unity within the Seven Studios and their inability to recognize the reality.

Harvey Weinstein took a breath, composed himself, and looked at the three presidents who had asked the questions. "I understand what you mean. You also want to destroy Guess Movies, but you don't want the company's interests to be harmed. That's normal."

However, I want you to understand one thing: the North American and global film box office markets have fixed annual profits with little increase, while Guess what? Film studios see a significant increase in profits from films each year, while the profits of the Big Seven studios shrink considerably.

According to assessments by magazines such as Total Cinema, if the current situation continues, at least one film company will go bankrupt within the next five years.

Now I have a question: Which is more serious, a company going bankrupt or losing one or two hundred million US dollars?

Harvey Weinstein's expression was serious, and his tone was urgent, giving off a dangerous and tense feeling. However, the three presidents were all seasoned veterans and were not affected by his speaking style. Miggos said, "Harvey, I know that allowing Guess Movies to continue to grow and expand is extremely harmful to the Seven Studios, and I also know that the consequences of the company's bankruptcy are even more serious."

But I also know that if "Batman Forever" loses over a hundred million, the board will fire me. I have to keep this project profitable to keep my job and my generous retirement fund. I hope you understand.

MGM President Stephen Cooper also spoke out, saying, "I also think that dealing with Guessing Movies doesn't need to involve Link. Link is a very capable director. He not only makes movies quickly, but he's also very good at making money. He's practically a money-making machine."

"Breaking him down isn't a necessary option for us. Actually, we could try to take down Guess the Movies, turning Link into a powerless independent film director, which would allow us to make even more money off him."

Jon Peters, along with Shirley Lansing, Michael Ovitz, and others, nodded in agreement.

Guess what? Film Studios is a cancer in the film industry; with it around, other companies can't survive. But Link is a treasure; whichever company signs him for a long-term partnership will see their performance skyrocket.

What they want to do now is to find a way to separate the cancer from the treasure, to eliminate the cancer and keep the treasure.

"This is impossible."

Harvey said with a stern face, "Link is the owner, founder, and spiritual leader of Guessing Movies. As long as he is there, Guessing Movies will never go bankrupt. On the contrary, without him, Guessing Movies will decline rapidly. So, to bring down Guessing Movies, we must first bring down Link."

"What suggestions do you have for taking down Link?"

"Ovitz asked."

Harvey looked at the people present and said, "This is also the purpose of our meeting. First, we need to distinguish between friend and foe, and clarify who our real enemy is. Then, we can discuss ways to deal with the enemy. If we cannot reach a consensus on the question of 'who is the enemy,' there is no need to discuss other issues, because if we are not united, even the best methods will be useless."

“I support Harvey’s statement.”

Barrydil spoke up, looking at Miggos, "Mig, 'Batman Forever' is coming out in May, right?"
We are still discussing how to deal with Link and Guess the Movies, and we won't actually launch an operation until July or August.

By then, the North American box office figures for "Batman Forever" will be mostly out, and even if Link's situation affects the film's box office, the impact won't be too significant.

To eliminate the enormous threat that is Guess Guess Movies, each of our companies will suffer losses, and Warner Bros.' losses are acceptable.

Miguel Goss tapped his fingers on the table. "Barry, you're right, but if Batman Forever does well at the box office, Warner Bros. will continue to seek Link to make sequels. If we can't use Link, our losses will be more than just a little."

Seeing that Harvey was about to interrupt, he waved his hand and said, "I don't object to targeting Link, but I'm considering the cost-effectiveness. From our company's perspective, dealing with Link does more harm than good, but for the benefit of all of us, we can make some sacrifices."

"Haha, very good!"

Barrydiller couldn't help but chuckle, then looked at MGM President Stephen Cooper, "When you invited Link to direct the '007' sequel, did you sign a contract, and what was the penalty for breach of contract?"

Stephen Cooper said, "We signed a contract last week, and we're paying a base salary of $1000 million. If the company breaches the contract, we'll lose $1000 million."

"Ten million is not much! As long as we can bring down Guess Movies, after Guess Movies falls, the seven major film studios will collectively divide its assets and box office share, and the profit will be more than ten million times."

Harvey waved his hand and said.

Stephen Cooper did not continue speaking, but indicated that he would consult with Kirk Koccorian, the owner of MGM Resorts, and that he would not object if Koccorian agreed.

Finally, everyone turned their attention to Columbia Pictures president Jon Peters, who was now the only one who hadn't agreed.

Jon Peters shrugged. "The contract between Columbia Pictures and Guess the Movie is worth $5 million. It's halfway done. If we give up halfway, the losses will be too great, and the group's top management won't agree to it."

However, we can remain neutral and will not interfere when you join forces against Guess Movies. If Guess Movies goes bankrupt as a result, we will bear the losses ourselves.

Harvey was very dissatisfied, but he also knew that Jon Peters' boss was Japanese and that he couldn't make many decisions. He didn't press the issue further, only stating that if Columbia Pictures didn't participate in the next steps, there was no need to know how they would deal with Guess Movies and Link.

"Okay, I have work to do, I'll be going now."

Without a second's hesitation, Jon Peters readily stood up, said goodbye to everyone, and left.

Harvey's face darkened; he was very unhappy. Jon Peters's hasty departure clearly indicated that he didn't approve of their plan.

"Alright, let's discuss how to bring down Link."

"and many more!"

Miggos asked, "Why not target Guess Movies directly instead of Link? You should know that Link is worth billions of dollars, a top director, and has extensive connections. I think it's easier to deal with Guess Movies than with Link himself."

Harvey said, "It's precisely because Link is rich and good at making movies that we have to deal with him directly. Without Link, Guessing Films will lose its backbone and backing, and will not be far from bankruptcy."

"As long as Link is around, even if Guess Movies goes bankrupt, he can quickly start a new film company and continue competing with us. This approach doesn't eliminate our competitors at the source."

Miggauss tapped his finger on the table, without asking any further questions.

"Harvey, what are you planning to do about Link?"

"Shelly Lansing asked."

Harvey made three requests to the crowd.

First, starting today, all film companies are prohibited from working with Link. Previous collaborations are disregarded, and after the collaboration ends, no company may hire Link to make films again.

Secondly, starting today, directors, screenwriters, actors, producers, etc. who cooperate with the company are not allowed to participate in GuessSee Pictures' film projects. At the same time, it was announced that GuessSee Pictures is being blacklisted, and all filmmakers are required to actively isolate GuessSee.

Third, in the event of future actions targeting Link, all film companies should unite and do everything in their power to deal with Link. Only in this way can they have a chance to defeat Link and destroy Guess Movies.

"Harvey, are you kidding me?"

Before Harvey could finish speaking, someone voiced their opposition.

The first condition is barely acceptable, but the second condition is impossible to meet.

First, the rule prohibiting filmmakers under the company from cooperating with Guess Movies is suspected of being monopolistic, and no one would agree to it;
Secondly, top directors and actors in the industry have a high degree of autonomy and would never accept such conditions. Second and third-tier directors and actors have little influence and are easily replaced by others, so even if they accept them, it won't make a difference.
Finally, Link himself is a top director with extensive connections in the entertainment industry. He not only has many director and actor friends, but also dozens of first- and second-tier actress girlfriends. In addition, don't forget that he has deep relationships with executives of CAA and WMA agencies.

This tactic had no effect on him whatsoever; perhaps Link would have been better off using it against the Seven Studios.

The third point is also considered impossible by some, because the presidents present are just managers of the company, not owners. Their job is mainly to do a good job on the company's projects and make the company profitable, so as to keep their positions and annual salaries, rather than ruining Guessing Movies and Link.

It will be difficult to get them to unite and do everything in their power to deal with Link.

“Harvey, any other suggestions? If that’s all, we can’t possibly take down Link and Guess what.”

"Ovitz said, puffing on his cigarette."

Harvey frowned deeply, his greasy forehead resembling pig skin fried in an iron pan, indicating that he was not in a good mood.

"If we want to defeat Link and Guess the Movies, we have to pay a price. We can't give up just because it's difficult. The Big Seven studios will never be able to defeat Guess the Movies."

Harvey said.

“Harvey, it’s not that we don’t want to do it, it’s just that your proposed method is inappropriate.”

"Yes, guess what? The film company has no shortage of funds, good projects, or artist resources. They are also willing to invest in publicity and distribution. We have tried the three suggestions you made before, but they were completely useless."

"Harvey, think again. Come up with some more effective methods. As long as your proposed methods are effective, we will support you no matter how many resources it takes."

The CEOs present all chimed in with their opinions.

Harvey opened his mouth, somewhat helpless. Although the executives of the seven major film studios wanted to bring down their formidable rival, Guess Movies, each of them had their own calculations. Some didn't want to spend money or take risks, some didn't take the current crisis seriously and were hoping for the best, and some only cared about their personal future and didn't consider the long term.

To discuss with such a group how to bring down a multi-billion dollar company and a multi-billion dollar billionaire is nothing short of delusional.

"Harvey, why don't you think about it again?"

Ovitz stubbed out his cigarette and said, "Last time, Mayer said that Guess Movies' movies can't be profitable forever. There will always be times when they lose money. The two movies at the beginning of the year proved that. If we wait until Guess Movies suffers huge losses before we make our move, we will have a chance to severely damage Guess Movies. For now, we can continue to observe."

"Mike is right."

Miggos, Jon Peters, and others spoke out in support.

Harvey shrugged and said nothing more.

After Miggos and the others left, only Harvey and four of his fellow countrymen—Baridler, Langmeyer, and Michael Ovitz—remained in the office.

“Link is already an enemy of our race. I suggest we use the most brutal means to eliminate him. Every second he exists is a threat to our survival.”

Harvey said with a ferocious expression.

"The cruelest methods? What do you intend to do?"

Ovitz frowned and asked.

Harvey made a trigger-pulling gesture.

"This"

Ovitz, Langmeyer, and Baridiller all looked surprised.

Is such an extreme measure necessary?

(End of this chapter)