American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 25 Princess Project
Burbank, California, Disneyland.

Michael Eisner, Hollywood's notorious tyrant, sat on his Iron Throne, listening to the report with a somber expression.

"Harry Potter officially premiered on November 16th, and since then, our Monsters, Inc. has been ranked second at the North American box office. If nothing unexpected happens, it will drop to third place in a few days at most..."

"Based on past experience, the box office of Monsters, Inc. in North America still has room to grow by about 50 to 60 million, and it should have no problem reaching 250 million. As for the global box office... it should... exceed 500 million."

Monsters, Inc. was officially released on November 2nd.

As of today, it has grossed $1.92 million at the North American box office.

Yes, they did come into contact with "Harry Potter," but not head-on. Releasing a film adaptation of a novel that has sold over 1 million copies on the same day is just plain stupid. But even if "Monsters, Inc." "stole" the box office, Disney wasn't happy.

The reason is simple:
1. That means they didn't steal enough, but they stole too much.

2. The film that achieved outstanding results was a Pixar project.

The story behind the second reason has already been explained, so I won't repeat it here.

As for the story behind the first reason...

That's related to DreamWorks.

This summer, DreamWorks released the animated film "Shrek," which grossed $2.69 million in North America in just 60 days. Currently, its global box office has reached $4.2 million, and the final box office should be around $4.5 million.

When this data came out, all the media outlets said that Disney's animation empire was now dead in name only.

In the past, they were glorious, but now, new talents like Pixar and DreamWorks have emerged in the animation industry.

And the culprit is none other than Disney's tyrant, Michael Eisner.

He believed that computer animation was not the future.

After experiencing a failure, they cancelled the development of computer animation.

He is the one who made DreamWorks what it is today.

Everyone knows that Jeffrey Katzenberg, the head of DreamWorks Animation, was his deputy.

If Eisner hadn't felt that his achievements were too great and posed a threat to his position, and hadn't ousted him from Disney, DreamWorks certainly wouldn't have been able to establish and have an animation department as smoothly as it does today.

Because of the pessimism surrounding Disney's future, Eisner has to lead Disney to achieve results; otherwise, he will be ousted by the shareholders. Everyone is now questioning his abilities.

But the problem is, what the outside world is right: Disney has lost its ability to create dreams.

When Disney can no longer produce computer animation itself, they have to rely on Pixar for their core business.

And rely on Pixar to achieve success?
I rely on!

Isn't this just sticking out your face to be slapped by Jobs?

Yes--

Eisner's feeling that *Monsters, Inc.* had both underperformed and overperformed at the box office wasn't due to some kind of internal power struggle or a conflict between his left and right brains. Rather, it stemmed from the fact that in the two weeks leading up to *HP*'s release, *Monsters, Inc.* hadn't achieved the box office success he desired—that is, surpassing *Shrek*'s earnings. Furthermore, in the week following *HP*'s release, they raked in an additional $3000 million, potentially pushing their total box office gross beyond that of *Shrek*.

The former means that the debate over whether DreamWorks will surpass Disney will continue to rage.
Pixar couldn't even beat DreamWorks!
The latter means that Sulley and Mike Wazowski have become new IPs;

HP surpasses SW and Toy Story 2!

Even so, Monsters, Inc. did not simply disappear from the market!
Doesn't this prove how powerful Monsters, Inc. is?
To put it simply, Eisner currently wants Pixar to be strong because it can help boost Disney's performance, but he doesn't want Pixar to be too strong, because if Pixar is too strong, Disney will be at a disadvantage when negotiating contract renewals with them.

So……

"Why didn't Harry Potter kill Monsters, Inc.?"

Eisner felt a bit annoyed at the thought of Jobs showing off in front of him.

He gritted his teeth and looked at the subordinate who came to report, "So what does Pixar mean?"

What are their thoughts on contract renewal?

"Uh... they haven't commented on the contract renewal yet."

Eisner's assistant pursed his lips.

"What?"

Eisner narrowed his eyes.

The assistant explained, "Because Steve Jobs doesn't have time to manage Pixar right now. He's in negotiations with the Big Five in the music industry, wanting to lead Apple to create an online music store. Warner has responded, Universal is hesitant, Sony is firmly opposed, and EMI and BMG are wavering..."

The music store the assistant was talking about was actually the iTunes Store.

Eisner knows this.

Moreover, he also knew that the current Steve Jobs wanted to revolutionize the Big Five.

Although the assistant's explanation was reasonable, Eisner still snorted coldly.

He felt that no matter how important Apple was, it wouldn't prevent Jobs from managing Pixar.

Steve Jobs remained silent simply because he was waiting for Jobs to back down.

And this...

"Since he doesn't have time, let him go ahead and do his work."

Eisner waved his hand irritably.

"I refuse to believe that Steve and Sony can negotiate for a year!"

Eisner wanted to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

He believed that Jobs would definitely take the initiative.

The reason Jobs was able to remain calm when his contract expired was because Pixar didn't have any new movies coming out next year.

But things will be different the year after next. Pixar wants to release its new film, Finding Nemo, in the summer of 03.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, Jobs only had six months to spare. For a blockbuster to make money, marketing and promotion need to be done a year in advance. At present, Disney's channels are truly the best resources that Jobs could access.

The reason is simple—

Steve Jobs' digital music distribution plan was a revolution against traditional music companies. The money he wanted to make was already in someone else's hands. Under such circumstances, he would have to be out of his mind to hand over the distribution of animated films to Warner, Sony, and Universal.

Isn't that like handing someone a knife?

If we don't cooperate with these companies, are we supposed to cooperate with Fox and Paramount?
Neither of these two companies has the same animation distribution capabilities as Disney!
Just as Eisner waved his hand, indicating to his assistant that he could leave and that he wanted some peace and quiet.

The assistant then said, "Boss, there's one more thing I'd like to report to you."

"what's up?"

"It's still related to Harry Potter. The impact of this movie on us is not limited to Monsters, Inc."

"What do you mean?" Eisner frowned.

The assistant opened a folder he carried with him, took out a report, and handed it over.

"This is the data that the marketing department asked me to pass on to you."

"Harry Potter had a huge impact on our live-action film business because Hermione Granger became a hit..."

In the public's perception, Disney is all about making animation.

There's really no problem with that, because their animation is so famous.

In fact, Disney had already ventured into the live-action film industry back in the 1960s. In the early stages, they did not achieve good results and were constantly learning from their mistakes, but starting in 1984, they have been releasing high-quality films in a cool and sophisticated way.

Films like "The Mermaid," starring Tom Hanks, and "The Night of the Strangers," directed by Chris Columbus, were both Disney productions. In fact, in 88, their profits from live-action films even reached the top in the industry.

However, they weren't using Disney's brand back then; they were using a touchstone instead.

However, after 88, they have been on a downward trend.

There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that Eisner couldn't tolerate talented people.

Initially, his possessive behavior didn't seem problematic to anyone. Everyone is fascinated by power, so it's understandable. Besides, Disney's main business is animation; as long as the core business isn't neglected, a slightly weaker live-action film doesn't matter. But after Eisner ousted Katzenberg, the collapse of the animation business revealed who was swimming naked when the tide went out.

Because Eisner's actions were so outrageous, everyone began to question his abilities.

This made him want to save himself.

In animation, he created "Dinosaur," and in live-action film, he created...

Pearl Harbor.

Everything exploded.

However, unlike the situation in animation where they had no films to back them up, they did have projects that were completed in the live-action film sector.

The movie was called The Princess Diaries.

"Previously, the marketing department thought that as long as the sequel to 'The Princess Diaries' was developed, it would definitely be a success, and Anne was the real-life princess we were looking for. But now, with the appearance of Harry Potter, the marketing department feels... Anne can't beat Isabella."

"Because Hermione Granger is too dazzling. As long as the Harry Potter story doesn't fall apart, we can forget about making teen movies for the next ten years. There probably won't be another girl in the world as dazzling as Isabella."

On the surface, Anne Hathaway and Isabella Heywood, the stars of "The Princess Diaries," are not the same type of actress. There is an eight-year age difference between them; Isabella was born in 90, and Anne Hathaway in 82.

But actors in Hollywood aren't categorized that way.

HP is a Young Adult film, and so is The Princess Diaries.

Therefore, Isabella and Hathaway are the same type of actress.

Not to mention, the movie "The Princess Diaries" is about an ordinary American girl who suddenly becomes a European princess. Although Hathaway was already 18 when it was filmed, she played a 15-year-old girl.

Therefore, once HP was able to wipe out SW, no one in the Young Adult category would be able to compete with Isabella in the future.

Of course, this doesn't mean that other Hollywood studios can't make young adult films.

Instead, whenever there's a movie in the Young Adult genre, everyone thinks of Hermione Granger.

"So what does 'marketing department' mean?"

"Uh... they don't recommend that the production department continue developing 'The Princess Diaries'..."

The assistant pursed his lips. Since this matter had nothing to do with him, and he was merely a messenger, he hesitated somewhat when reporting.

But after a moment's thought, he added, "They also said that the Princess Project should be suspended."

"Is this a suggestion that I give up on Anne Hathaway?" Eisner frowned.

“Yeah.” The assistant nodded.

Eisner was upset.

In the future, when people mention Disney's live-action princess series, the first movie that comes to mind will likely be the record-breaking "Alice in Wonderland," which they will consider the pioneering work of Disney's live-action princess series.

However, this induction is incorrect.

Alice was just the first live-action princess movie Disney made, while the first live-action princess movie Disney made was The Princess Diaries. Or rather, Anne Hathaway was the first live-action princess Disney chose.

This is actually the key to Hathaway's overnight fame.

Disney promoted it.

Why didn't Disney use existing princess IPs when promoting Hathaway?
It's very simple; it's because Disney lost money in this era.

Disney can't compete with DreamWorks in animation, and is only keeping itself afloat thanks to Pixar. Its live-action films have been a complete disaster, and the company is losing so much money that it's almost being acquired. In times like these, the princess series has become Disney's trump card for making money!
Eisner can indeed develop old IPs, but if he fails, his shareholders will throw him into the Pacific Ocean to feed the fish!

For this reason, Disney's early plans for live-action princess movies had to be implemented in a roundabout way.

"The Princess Diaries" was their first attempt. After its success, their second project was not even a sequel to "The Princess Diaries," but "Enchantress." They thought that if it was successful again, it would prove that there was a market for live-action princess movies.

Then they can focus on developing the old IPs.

But all of that is in the past.

When the selling points of the Disney Princess series are 'magical world', 'strong female lead', and 'teen growth'—

Honey, what magical world can compare to HP these days?
Honey, Hermione's academic genius persona is what a true female lead is all about! Even Disney princesses still pursue love!

Honey, no matter how amazing a movie is, it can only explore a small part of 'teenage growth'. But what about Harry Potter? Everyone in the industry knows that J.K. Rowling is going to write seven novels! David Heyman wants to make seven movies!
Then I ask you:
What 'exploration of adolescent growth' could be more impressive than watching actors grow up little by little?

To put it bluntly, once Harry Potter appears, no matter how well Disney's live-action princess movies are made, they can only be the executive vice GOAT at best. Movies with a lot of special effects require an investment of more than 100 million, so spending 100 million to compete for the overall runner-up?
If Larry Bird heard this, he'd laugh himself to death!

"Oh--"

Eisner closed his eyes in anguish.

He leaned back helplessly.

Disney is currently facing a lot of troubles.

So he really didn't expect that the explosion of HP would ruin his own live-action princess movie project.

As for questioning the market department's research and judgment?
Come on—

Not to mention that he's not blind, he can see the market reaction to HP, and he's even seen the HP movie!

Yes, he watched Harry Potter because it was so popular.

Then he admitted that the little beaver on screen was cute.

What does Bob mean by that?

After leaning back in his chair and pondering for a while, Eisner asked the question that had been bothering him.

The Bob he was referring to was Robert Iger.

Currently, he is the president and chief operating officer of Disney.

He is the number two person in charge of actual business operations.

If Eisner saw the marketing report, then Iger couldn't possibly not know.

And his reaction was—

“Oh, Michael, I mean, let’s put the Princess series on hold.”

"Because I've already seen Harry Potter, it's fantastic, especially Hermione Granger. The girl named Isabella played her very well; I'd even say her performance was the most impressive of the trio."

"With her around, it's not easy for our princess series to succeed."

"This kind of success doesn't mean failing to recoup box office revenue, but rather being the first to own everything."

Hollywood is also a winner-takes-all world.

If your IP can become number one in the world, you can reap all the premium benefits.

As for the second one?

Putting aside everything else, the price difference in toys alone is significant.

With the legacy of classic animated films, Disney's princess IP can rest on its laurels even without making live-action movies.

And if you do it...

If they succeed, great; but if they fail, all the rival media outlets have to do is say, "Disney's old-era IPs can no longer board the ship of the new era," and they'll instantly look like idiots.

"Okay, I understand what you mean."

After sending his assistant out to attend to other matters, Eisner dialed Iger's number.

As the other person explained, he nodded, "Then—the production department's next task is—"

"All resources are being poured into Pirates of the Caribbean."

Are you sure this project will succeed?

"uncertain."

"..."

"But we have no other choice, do we?"

In the office, Iger, also leaning back in his chair, stared at the ceiling and said, "Besides 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' we have nothing else to do, so... we have to take a gamble..."

Eisner took a deep breath.

He admitted that Iger was right.

He has no cards left to play.

but--

Isn't there a trick in this world called creating cards out of thin air?
“Okay, I generally agree with your idea. Let’s hand over all of Disney’s production resources to Caribbean.”

"Then, I still want to try the princess series. After all, the returns from 'The Princess Diaries' were more than five times, so... I'll just leave 'Enchantress' to Miramax."

"Let Weinstein fund it."

"If we succeed, we'll make a profit; if we fail, it doesn't matter, because Miramax isn't listed alongside us."

Eisner's arrangements were without objection from Egger.

He dared not object.

At Disney, anyone who didn't listen to Eisner got kicked out.

However, when distributing the work, he gave the marketing department his own 'personal' instructions—

"From today onwards, we will focus on Isabella Heywood."

"She reports to me whenever there are any changes to her information."

The marketing department had no questions.

Every Hollywood studio does this kind of thing: monitor actors.

Collaborations in the entertainment industry are fluid; if you film a Warner project today, you can film mine tomorrow.

There are personal connections in this circle, but it's mostly business.

After hanging up the phone, Aiger also started reviewing Isabella's report again.

When he saw that she had taken the initiative to contact Warner after her father's death, Iger immediately smiled.

"What a pity—"

He shook his head and sighed, "The Mickey Mouse Club is closed..."

"We also had a falling out with Warner..."

"Otherwise, I could just poach you right now..."

"Ugh!"

Disney's pain is unknown to anyone.

Even if the outside world finds out, at this moment only the media that love hot topics and the other five major companies that wish their competitors would die out would be excited.

While Disney's tyrant Michael Eisner is troubled by Hermione Granger's sudden appearance, and Disney's second-in-command Robert Iger changes the group's production strategy because of Hermione Granger's brilliance...

The girl both of them were longing for was happily filming as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, Isa—stop laughing! It's your turn!"

Chris Columbus put his hands to his mouth, making a megaphone shape.

"Coming, coming~"

The little girl, who had been chatting with someone while covering her mouth, wrapped her Hogwarts robe tighter around herself and ran over quickly.

And in the center of the venue...

Harry, covered in dust and dirt, stood beside Hagrid.

　Notes: ① Katzenberg worked for Eisner for many years and was handpicked by him. Projects he spearheaded included *Roger Rabbit*, *The Little Mermaid*, *Beauty and the Beast*, and *Aladdin*. ② Eisner's fascination with power stemmed from his own experiences. In his youth, he was Barry Diller's deputy, and they worked together at Paramount from 1976 onwards. Because Diller consistently stated he disliked the film industry and only wanted to work in television, promising to hand over power to Eisner after leaving, Eisner longed for Diller to succeed him, but unfortunately, he didn't. ③ Barry Diller was the originator of the television movie concept. He initially worked at ABC, became CEO of Paramount in 1974, and moved to FOX in 1984, founding the FOX television network. ④ After Eisner led Disney into its decline, Roy Disney of the Disney family launched an attack on him, initiating the "Save Disney" campaign in 2002 and 2003. Prior to this, Katzenberg's departure was also related to him. Disney's animation department had always been managed by Roy, with no one else allowed to interfere. The level of control was so tight that even when Eisner needed to start a separate subsidiary for "Dinosaur," he couldn't get resources. ⑤ The falling out between Disney and Warner refers to Disney's separation from WarnerMedia in 2001. Before that, the two networks were interconnected. ⑥ In the early 2000s, Comcast wanted to acquire the struggling Disney and made an offer, but Disney shareholders refused to sell, so they turned to Universal instead.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)