Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 442 Joint Ownership
New York, Manhattan, Times Square.

Just before Christmas, Universal officially moved from Rockefeller Center into the Dawn Center Building;
The same applies to Crescent Moon Films, Twilight Films, Universal Music, AMC Cable, Putman Publishing, and other businesses!
Of course, there's also Aaron's Tianhai Fund and Christina Yerry's Victoria's Secret Angels agency, both located in the Dawn Center office.

In his top-floor office at Dawn Center, Aaron sat on the sofa, with the Manhattan skyline visible through the window!

“Microsoft split its stock again, a 1-for-2 split,” Aaron muttered to himself, after all, Microsoft’s stock price had risen to $154 per share.

Last year's Windows 95 operating system was indeed a groundbreaking product.

A short while later, Ethelyn Beckett arrived at Aaron's office, her voice trembling with excitement, "The figures for Rush Hour are in! $1.4 million in North America, plus $1 million overseas, for a total of $2.4 million worldwide!"

Aaron laughed, "Jack Cheng and Will Smith, what a surprising pairing!"

With a production cost of $3300 million, plus other marketing and distribution expenses, the total investment for "Rush Hour" was approximately $5000 million.
Now, it has garnered $2.4 million in box office revenue worldwide. How can this not be alarming?
"Boss, Will Smith's 'Men in Black' will definitely get more attention next year."

Will Smith has solidified his status as a Black action-comedy star through "Bad Boys" and "Rush Hour"!
However, Aaron knew that Will Smith was not only good at action and comedy, but also very capable in art films and dramas.

How much did Disney's animated feature film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" gross?

"The North American box office is $1 million, and the global box office is $3.2 million!"

Aaron nodded. "Disney Animation spent $1 million to produce this 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'."

"Pixar's 'A Bug's Life' is currently in development and is estimated to cost around that amount as well."

It's worth noting that Pixar's first film, Toy Story, only cost $3500 million;
Besides the competition among animation companies, the main reason is that DreamWorks Animation poached animators, which has greatly increased the cost of animation production.

Actually, the current seven major Hollywood film studios are already quite numerous, especially with Dawn Universal having Aaron Anderson as a variable, which has taken away a significant share from other film companies;

Now another DreamWorks SKG is coming, waving US dollars and attracting top Hollywood film talent to collaborate.

Aaron sighed, took out a script and placed it on the table: True Love!
It tells the story of a former black slave and her life after the abolition of slavery, living on a plantation with her daughter Dan and friends.
One day, the appearance of a strange girl triggers a series of strange events that stir up the protagonist's terrifying past memories.

"It's a project directed by Jonathan Demme, but it's a work about Black people, and the main characters are all Black. What a pity!"

Now, this kind of script has no market whatsoever. I don't know what Jonathan Demme was thinking.

Etherine Beckett looked up. "What does the boss mean?"

Aaron shook his head. "He wants a budget of $8000 million!"

Originally, director Jonathan Demme had already collaborated with Dawn on three successful films: The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, and The Silence of the Lambs: Red Dragon.
Aaron would definitely support him, even if it was a money-losing project, it wouldn't matter, but spending $8000 million to make a suspenseful drama about black slaves was simply unacceptable. "Let Jonathan Demme raise the funds himself. If he can't find a distributor, Universal can distribute it for him!"

However, given Jonathan Demme's fame, if Universal doesn't support him, other distributors will likely support his filming.

"clear."

"By the way, I've already read the adapted version of the script for 'The Mummy,' and it's pretty good. We can officially start preparations now."

"Young actors like Brendan Fraser, Chris O'Donnell, and Matt Damon all fit our criteria;"

"Let Kate Beckinsale play the female lead!"

Brendan Fraser, Chris O'Donnell, and Matt Damon are all young Hollywood actors who have risen to fame in the last two years.
Kate Beckinsale already has considerable fame in the horror film genre thanks to "Scream";
This new version of "The Mummy" is a sci-fi blockbuster that cost $8000 million, no longer the small-scale horror film that Universal made back then!

Ethelyn Beckett nodded. "And then there's our new project, *The Truman Show*. Jim Carrey has signed a contract with us for $1200 million this time."

"Based on his party flag, filming can officially begin in the second half of next year."

Aaron closed his eyes. "In the second half of '97, let's inform director Peter Weir and get the crew ready in advance!"

As for the actress in "The Truman Show," Aaron has already decided that Cate Blanchett will play the role...

Meanwhile, Panasonic has already launched its own DVD player last month!
DVD has obvious advantages. First, it has excellent compatibility. It can not only play DVD discs, but also is compatible with common disc formats such as CD and VCD. This makes it convenient for users to play different types of discs and meet diverse usage needs.
Secondly, the picture quality is clear. The Panasonic DVD-A100 player uses advanced video decoding technology, which can provide image quality that is several times clearer than VCD. The horizontal resolution is greatly improved, the picture effect is delicate, and the immersive experience is stronger when watching movies and other video content.

Finally, it boasts superior sound quality. In terms of audio, it supports multiple audio encoding formats, enabling high-fidelity sound playback.

The launch of the Panasonic DVD-A100 accelerated the popularization of DVD technology in the market and promoted the development of the DVD industry.
Compared to VCD, this comprehensive upgrade demonstrates a huge advantage in picture and sound quality, enough to change the viewing habits of many people!
It's believed that DVDs will become increasingly popular soon, and in the future, new films from Dawn, such as "Rush Hour" and "The Rock," will be released on videotape and laser disc, as well as some DVD discs.

At night, a charity gala was held at the Pierre Hotel in Midtown Manhattan!
Charles Dolan of the CVC Group specifically consulted Aaron about NBA matters.

Aaron smiled at the other person, "Running the NBA is very simple; just leave the professional tasks to the professionals."

"And then, you have to be willing to spend money!"

The MSG Group (Madison Square Garden), home to the NBA's New York Knicks, is jointly owned by ITT and CVC, owned by the Dolan family.

(End of this chapter)