I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 235 The Uncertain Fate of Pirates of the Caribbean

The fate of the Caribbean pirates changed.

In its previous life, it was funded by Disney, with Bruheimer serving as producer.

In this life, however, it has become a joint investment by Warner Bros. and DreamWorks, with Steven Spielberg, Jerry Bluheimer, Chad Orman, and Mike Statham serving as producers, and Gore Verbinski as director.

This is definitely a powerful lineup.

However, compared to the lineup Liu Jin remembered, the two core figures, Bruheimer and Gore Verbinski, were retained, while Spielberg was added.

It should be even more powerful!

should be……

Liu Jin never expected that Mela would actually kick Disney out.

Although Warner Bros.' heritage is no less than Disney's, something still feels off.

Hopefully, Warner Bros. won't turn Pirates of the Caribbean into Harry Potter.

Although both are fantasy, their styles are completely different.

Liu Jin still had some worries in his heart.

……

Actually, the terms offered by Disney were quite good.

With 20 million for three films, this has already set a record for the highest adaptation fee in Hollywood history.

It's worth noting that the adaptation fee for J.K. Rowling's first four Harry Potter books was only $1800 million.

The adaptation fee for "The Da Vinci Code" is likely to be even higher in the future, reportedly between 650 and 800 million.

Actually, it's not much different from Disney's current offer.

But Liu Jin was not satisfied!

Because he knew very well how much revenue Caribbean pirates could generate.

Meera, on the other hand, simply wants to outdo Harry Potter.

That little British magician became a sensation in France.

France, as the center of European literature (as the French see it), was beaten without any power to fight back.

Fortunately, Amos appeared!

Although he is of Chinese descent, he lives in France, writes in French, and communicates in French...

Yes, that's French literature!

Especially since the publication of "The Old Man and the Sea," many French people regard Liu Jin as one of their own because the prototype of the novel was in Marseille.

It has to be one of our own!

Otherwise, what face will France have left?
Disney's 20 million has already met Mela's needs.

The issue is……

During the negotiations between the two parties, something happened.

With the success of "Harry Potter" and J.K. Rowling's improved negotiation skills, the two parties renewed their contract in early February.

J.K. Rowling announced that the entire Harry Potter series has been conceived and will consist of seven books.

Furthermore, a series of works will be created based on the Harry Potter universe.

Warner Bros. announced that it had bought the adaptation rights to the last three films for $20 million, and at the same time signed a series of revenue-sharing agreements with J.K. Rowling.

This upset Mela.

She then proposed her profit-sharing terms to Disney.

But what is Disney's status?

Harry Potter is a proven work.

As for "Pirates of the Caribbean"... 20 million is already the limit.

Negotiations between the two sides subsequently broke down.

Disney believed that Mela and Liu Jin were too greedy, so it decided to suppress them.

From Disney's perspective, Mela is French and Liu Jin is Chinese, with no roots in Hollywood whatsoever.

Okay, a little bit.

Liu Jin and David Lynch also have another film, "Identity," which has already started filming.

That's all!
Disney doesn't believe David Lynch has any power.

But Mela showed her cunning.

First, through family connections, they contacted Barry M. Mayer, the chairman of Warner Bros., and then managed to reach Spielberg, expressing their intention to cooperate.

Subsequently, Warner Bros. President Alan Horn contacted Bruheimer.

After consulting with Bruheimer about the prospects of "Pirates of the Caribbean," the matter was reported to Barry M. Mayer, and quickly passed through board discussions, leading to the decision to join the project.

The whole process was very rapid. "Mainly because your 'The Old Man and the Sea' continued to grow in February."

During their investigation, sales of *The Old Man and the Sea* did not decline; on the contrary, they grew even stronger. The person in the White House expressed their fondness for the book, believing it fully reflected the spirit of America: indomitable, resilient, and free!
According to Amazon's data center, sales of The Old Man and the Sea are expected to approach 10 million in February and surpass 10 million in March, making it the first book in 2002 to break the 10 million mark.

Meanwhile, influenced by The Old Man and the Sea, sales of Pirates of the Caribbean also increased significantly. In January, Pirates of the Caribbean sales surpassed three million units, and February's sales are likely to be even higher. This has further boosted its value.

Mela expressed her appreciation for Liu Jin in her words.

Liu Jin pursed his lips and said nothing.

In short, with the involvement of Warner Bros. and DreamWorks, Bruheimer's attitude changed.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, the two parties quickly reached a cooperation agreement.

The three Pirates of the Caribbean films were bundled together, with an adaptation fee of $23 million.

At the same time, box office revenue sharing was increased.

Liu Jin will receive 5% of the box office revenue.

A very sincere number.

Mela did not raise any further conditions, but simply signed a supplementary agreement with the other party.

If Liu Jin continues to create "Pirates of the Caribbean" in the future, then Warner Bros. and DreamWorks will have priority.

Furthermore, if Liu Jin does not continue creating sequels to "Pirates of Gariby," Warner Bros. and DreamWorks will retain priority rights. However, a buyout fee will be required, the specific amount to be negotiated separately.

In addition, Mela made another condition.

An additional financial audit team will be sent to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" production team.

Don't believe a single word of the sweet talk from those people in Hollywood.

"The Curse of the Black Pearl," with a projected budget of $1.8 million, is highly anticipated. Without a review team, who knows what tricks they might pull?

"You only asked for a share of the box office revenue, not a share of the merchandise revenue?"

Chloe suddenly asked a question.

"Do you think those people in Hollywood run a charity? The merchandise is the lion's share, it's their exclusive domain. If I proposed a share of the merchandise revenue, do you believe Barry Mayer would immediately turn hostile and stop negotiations? Without Warner Bros., relying solely on DreamWorks... and from my trip to Hollywood this time, I could sense that DreamWorks' situation isn't too good."

Liu Jin had to admit that Mela was very rational.

Her rationality lies in knowing what she can fight for and what she cannot.

Why did J.K. Rowling stumble so badly with the last two Harry Potter books?

The most direct reason is that she threatened Warner Bros.' profits.

She wanted the surrounding area...

As a result, Warner Bros. managed to turn the last two films into losses through a series of accounting manipulations, leaving Rowling with a bitter pill to swallow.

As an author, it's perfectly fine for you to fight for your rights.

But you can't eat everything.

Even so, J.K. Rowling still earned $9500 million from the contracts for the last three films.

……

A $1.8 million investment?
It feels like the investment was much higher than I remembered.

The Black Pearl's curse, was orchestrated by Disney in its previous life, with an investment of around $1.3 million or $1.4 million?
During this period, Warner Bros. was indeed the No.1 in Hollywood, with plenty of money!

"Do you have suitable candidates for the financial audit team?"

Liu Jin suddenly asked.

"I haven't decided yet."

"Let's get my accountant, Brown Raphael, on board. He's a dirty guy, good at dealing with Warner's methods."

"can!"

"By the way, when will it be announced?"

Mela said, "May!"

"why?"

"Actually, I don't care. It's Random House that's in contact with Warner Bros."

They will be releasing the second Pirates of the Caribbean film in May, in a joint release with Warner Bros.

They're just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Liu Jin expressed his understanding.