I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 254 This Chinese man can save us!

In the 90s, with the collapse of the comic book market and reckless expansion, Marvel Comics was mired in a financial crisis and was eventually forced to sell the copyrights of its various superheroes in order to survive.

In 1999, Hollywood giant Sony Pictures, through its subsidiary Columbia Pictures, acquired the film rights and related merchandise rights to "Spider-Man" from Marvel for approximately $700 million...

This deal became a crucial turning point for Marvel's desperate attempt to survive.

Starting with this film, Marvel Entertainment, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, finally gained a breather by successively selling the film rights to core characters such as Spider-Man, Nightcrawler, and S.M.A.R. Men...

What seemed like a lifeline turned into a nightmare as films like "S. Men" were released and achieved phenomenal box office success worldwide. Everyone at Marvel realized they had let Marvel miss out on the biggest goldmine of the superhero movie era…

The release of "Spider-Man" raked in a staggering $8.12 million at the global box office, a feat that left Marvel Comics filled with regret and nearly driven them mad!
..............................

9 month 7 day.

Hollywood was shrouded in continuous rain.

Carl Wilson, head of copyright at Marvel Studios, has left Sony Pictures for the 30th time.

"Karl, tell your CEO that what you sold for 700 million, you won't get back for 30 billion!"

The cold laughter of Sony Pictures executives echoed in my ears.

His suit and shirt were soaked through by the rain.

He stood in the parking lot, watching the record-breaking box office figures for "Spider-Man" playing on a loop on the LED screen of the Sony building.

The figure of $8.12 million gleamed with a blinding red light in the rain, it was unusually glaring.

Since 2000, Carl Wilson has been cleaning up the mess left by his predecessor, including but not limited to buying back various copyrights and producing entirely new superhero movies.

During this period, Marvel Comics also produced several brand-new original superhero movies, such as Wolfman and Lord of the Ocean...

He longed to recreate the miracle of "superhero movies" with these films. However, the rise of superheroes is by no means an overnight success. It often requires decades of accumulation and refinement based on comic book culture.

Just as a towering tree needs deep roots to thrive, every iconic superhero character originates from countless revisions and reshapings within the comic book world, as well as the support of countless comic book fans. A brand-new superhero movie, completely lacking any foundation, not only failed to make a splash in the market after its release, but also caused [Warcraft Entertainment] to lose a considerable amount of money…

Watching DV Entertainment next door making a fortune with superhero movies like "Superman" and "Daredevil"...

Seeing that all the superhero rights that [Various Marvel Entertainment] sold in the past have become bestsellers on the market, there seems to be a trend towards creating a global superhero era...

[Warcraft Entertainment] ultimately shifted its strategic focus to fully reclaiming the superhero rights it had sold and cutting costs...

Between 2000 and 2002, in order to cut costs for the entire [Warcraft Entertainment], Carl cut 75% of redundant comic book licenses, focused on developing core characters, and carried out financial consolidation of the entire company, as well as a series of layoffs and expenditure reductions in unnecessary positions...

Cost-cutting is achievable, but obtaining copyright for open-source content...

How could the rights to superhero movies, which were sold years ago, become huge hits in the market, and make money for other film companies, be so easily taken back?

It rained harder and harder.

Carl silently got into the car.

I had just gotten into the car when my phone rang.

"Mr. Carl, the performance-based agreement you signed in 2000 is expiring in a month..."

"You are still approximately $1.2 million short of meeting the box office target for Marvel Studios. If the deadline is reached, you will incur hefty penalties and lose nearly 5% of Marvel Entertainment's shares..."

"..."

The rain was pattering outside the window, and the voice on the board's phone was cold.

Carl took the box office figures handed to him by his secretary...

There will never be a shortage of gamblers in this world.

When Carl took over Marvel's copyright department, he was ambitious.

He aspires to use his abilities and a series of maneuvers to become one of the core leaders of [Warcraft Entertainment] and enjoy the benefits of the superhero era.

To this end, he signed a four-year agreement, staked 5% of the shares of [Weiman Entertainment], and made various betting agreements with capital, thus gaining control of [Weiman Entertainment] for four years.

But four years have passed in a flash...

The high spirits of the past have now become a joke.

Aside from reorganizing Marvel Studios and offending many executives, he seems to have accomplished nothing in the past four years.

“$1.2 million, in just one month…” Karl sighed, his mood plummeting to rock bottom.

How did he manage that?
Back at the company, the moment I sat down in my office...

His previously calm expression vanished instantly, and he slumped into his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

With the failures of "Wolf Warrior" and "Lord of the Ocean," the company no longer had enough funds to support their film production.

Moreover, even if a movie were made now, it would be impossible to gross $120 million in a month...

"It seems like everything is over!"

He sighed again. Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

Karl, who had been somewhat dejected, instantly regained his spirits.

When the person came in, his expression gradually became listless again.

Kevin walked in; he was one of his few good friends at Marvel Studios.

"Karl, I heard about the board's news..."

"Hmm, what are their plans for me afterward?"

"They're probably changing the CEO; they've already found someone..."

"Oh."

Carl nodded.

The office then fell into a long silence.

Kevin hesitated slightly, but then looked at Carl: "A box office of $1.2 million is actually possible..."

"how?"

Have you seen the Saw movie directed by that Chinese director?

“I’ve heard of it. I’ve heard it’s the most amazing box office miracle in Hollywood history…” Carl nodded. “But the rights to Saw are held by Paimon, so we can’t remake it. Besides, we don’t have much money left…”

“Take a look at their company’s early films…” Kevin remained silent for a long time, then suddenly took out a few discs from his bag and handed them to Carl.

Carl was slightly taken aback after taking the disc.

..............................

Hollywood is quiet in the early morning.

in the office.

Carl, who stayed up all night, silently watched one movie after another.

From "The Monkey King vs. Superman 2" to "The Haunted Village," then to the two "Wu Hun" series films, to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings" to "The Reboot"...

From the initial nausea, like eating shit, to the terror brought by "The Haunted Village", to the passion of "Martial Soul", his gaze finally settled on "The Distant Man: Reboot", where he witnessed Superman's descent into darkness...

After watching the movie, he felt as if he had grasped something, but that thing quickly vanished.

Kevin stared at him and said, "This Chinese director's previous film hasn't even made it to Hollywood yet... Now, we have a chance!"

"You mean..."

"Yes, we'll acquire the film rights to his movies and act as the distributor. While there are companies interested in his previous film rights, my research shows that most are looking for a cheap, bundled buyout. If we..."

"We don't have much money..."

"I have another thirty million dollars here. If you need it, we can spend it all!"

"Thirty million US dollars? My God, Kevin, are you crazy? Thirty million US dollars to buy the screening of these movies that have already been shown in China? Damn it, we're going to lose a fortune! Since 2000, apart from 'Qin' which had a little box office revenue, all the other Chinese films that have had global premieres have lost a fortune..." When Kevin heard this, he instantly stood up from his chair and stared at Kevin with wide eyes!

Kevin looked out the window, and after a moment of silence, said, "Not only will we spend $3000 million to buy the global distribution rights to all his films, but we will also give him a share of the profits!"

Karl's pupils constricted sharply!

He stared at Kevin as if he'd seen a ghost!

I gasped!
The fact that $30 million was used to buy out all the film rights to this young Chinese man is already terrifying!

Who would have thought that Kevin would actually give this Chinese man a share of the box office revenue!

"You are crazy!"

"No, I'm not crazy, I'm very calm!" Kevin took a deep breath and stared at Karl: "Their company is about to release a movie called 'Black Robe Alliance: The Rise of Spider-Man.' Although I don't know the specifics of the movie, I can tell from his remarks that he's preparing to create a similar anti-superhero alliance movie system. Besides that, he also has the 'Martial Soul' system, which is selling well in China and surrounding areas. I heard that another movie of his is also about to be released..."

"You mean..." Karl was taken aback!
"He's been making movies since June of last year, and he's never truly failed, which is enough to give us more leverage! I just had someone analyze the chances of success for anti-superhero movies like 'Human Reboot'... there's still a chance!"

"But there are a lot of Hollywood blockbusters coming out in September, which will probably put a strain on the global competitiveness of these Chinese films... They might end up losing thirty million dollars..."

“Everyone knows that September, and even the second half of the year, is when Hollywood blockbusters sweep the globe. So, even though Saw performed well at the box office, everyone was very cautious when buying the film. That’s why we wanted to take a gamble. What if the ‘anti-superhero’ system behind it succeeded? If it did, it would mean that we would control the rights to another type of superhero movie!”

"..." Karl stared at the CD on the table, lost in thought.

After a long silence, he finally nodded as if he had made a momentous decision: "Go to China!"

"I already bought your plane ticket. Now pack your things and let's head over as soon as possible!" Kevin said with a smile.

"..."

(End of this chapter)