“Is this how you treat your woman?” Connelly squinted at Ernst, who was in the leather office chair, her tone a mix of three parts playful reproach and seven parts provocation.
“My woman?” He twirled a gold-plated pen, and as he looked up, MGM’s iconic lion head logo was reflected in his eyes, hanging on the wall opposite his desk.
In MGM’s chairman’s office, Ernst was now seated, having transformed into a true Hollywood big shot, a power-holder.
Wenger’s efficiency was swift; or rather, Wells Fargo Bank’s loan processing speed was swift.
The Hunger Games soared in the global market, turning Wells Fargo Bank’s previous risk assessment into waste paper.
Now it was no longer about currying favor with Ernst, but about this loan becoming a rare, high-quality asset.
As soon as the loan was disbursed, Ernst swiftly completed the acquisition with the Italian consortium, becoming the largest shareholder.
With 41.2% of the shares, he directly grasped MGM’s steering wheel in his hand.
After taking control of MGM, Ernst immediately brought out two scripts, and the first person he thought of was Connelly, with whom he had a fleeting romantic connection.
“Now, all of Hollywood is spreading rumors that the global first love goddess has become your exclusive accessory.” Connelly nestled in the velvet seat, like a black panther poised to strike.
Her smoky gray velvet dress, with a bow at the neckline and a hollowed-out design in the middle, seemed to play a game of feigned resistance.
The way her legs were crossed conveyed a feline laziness, and the satin skirt was creased by her knees, revealing the delicate skin on the inside of her calves.
But what was most captivating was her expression when she lowered her gaze; her eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows on her eyelids, like a forest lake at dusk.
The slight upward curve of her lips carried a hint of casual charm, as if hiding an unspoken invitation.
“Exclusive accessory, huh?” Ernst suddenly slid his chair back, tracing a provocative arc in the spacious office.
“Since I’ve been labeled, shouldn’t I show my owner some ‘value-added services’?” Connelly rolled her eyes hard enough to spark, but still walked around the desk in her stilettos.
When the secretary entered, she just brushed past Connelly who was leaving, and seeing the corners of her mouth not yet wiped clean after her ‘snack,’ she silently cursed her as a bitch.
“Boss, the Farrelly brothers have agreed to direct There’s Something About Mary, and the contract has been signed.
The behind-the-scenes team has been successfully assembled; next is the casting.
Helen asked me to inquire if there are any other arrangements?” There’s Something About Mary was one of the opening gifts Ernst had prepared for MGM.
The cost was not too much; production and promotion fees combined were less than 23 million US dollars, yet it raked in 370 million US dollars globally, enough to make a name for MGM in the Ernst era.
Moreover, Ernst further reduced the production cost; aside from the Farrelly brothers’ 2 million US dollar directing fee, the highest actor salary was for the female lead, Connelly, at only 500,000 US dollars.
This was a female-led film, and everyone else could be considered supporting cast.
Ernst planned to control the entire production cost to around 13 million US dollars, and then allocate 7 million US dollars for promotion, bringing the total budget to around 20 million US dollars.
This was also why Connelly came knocking.
Although her image was typecast, making it difficult for her to get big productions, Connelly’s fame was undeniable.
Her asking price for a film ranged from 3 million to 5 million US dollars, so Ernst’s 500,000 US dollar offer was a severe cut.
However, she was eventually persuaded by Ernst’s appeal to ’emotion’ and ‘reason,’ but the key was that this was a female-led film; as long as the box office wasn’t too bad, it could help Connelly successfully transition.
“Let Helen handle the remaining roles.” Helen Maxon was once Garrins’s absolute protégé.
After Garrins’s incident, Helen had not fared well at MGM for over a year.
But now that Ernst had become MGM’s new ruler, the situation had completely reversed.
For this film, There’s Something About Mary, Ernst personally appointed Helen as its producer.
Hollywood operates on a producer system; on set, the producer holds the most power.
Even world-class directors like Spielberg and Cameron are constrained by producers.
Similarly, Sarah, the secretary in front of him, had also seen her fortunes change.
She was Garrins’s first secretary, and after Garrins’s incident, no one was willing to take her on, so she could only become a regular clerk at MGM.
On his first day at MGM, Ernst summoned her.
First, he needed a secretary.
He couldn’t always be at MGM; more of his energy would still be focused on the internet technology industry.
Once a satisfactory professional manager was found, he would let go of MGM’s management.
So he needed a secretary to report on MGM’s internal situation at all times, and also to act as a check on the professional manager.
Of course, a more important reason was Sarah’s loyalty, her loyalty to Garrins.
Even Ernst, who didn’t often meet Garrins, knew that this female secretary had taken the blame for him.
“Also, regarding The Man from Earth, Beasley wants to increase the budget.
He thinks a production cost of one million is too little, saying it’s not even enough for the actors’ lunchboxes.” This was another work Ernst brought, a true small-budget, big-return film.
In the history of global cinema, when it comes to return on investment, two films are absolutely unavoidable.
One is The Blair Witch Project, which grossed 248 million US dollars worldwide on a budget of 60,000 US dollars, a return rate of over 4100 times.
However, this film’s marketing outweighed its content, requiring the right time, place, and people, more like a stroke of luck, and was discarded by Ernst.
The other is The Man from Earth, which, with a production cost of 20,000 US dollars, achieved a global box office of 350 million US dollars, an astonishing return rate of 17,500 times.
“One million US dollars isn’t enough?” Ernst frowned.
“The entire film is basically completed in one cabin, and the main draw is the dense dialogue.
How could the cost be too little?” Sarah shrugged, “You know, movies aren’t just about sets, there are also salaries.” Could Ernst not have thought of this?
The reason he gave a budget of one million US dollars was to make the film more refined, both in terms of sets and actors.
“Tell Beasley, for this film, I need cheap, effective, and experienced veteran actors, and I don’t want to consider the actors’ fame.
If he can’t handle it, then I’ll find someone else to handle it.” Giants have the advantage of excellent teams and various talents.
But giants also have their disadvantages; when asked to do big things with little money, they all act blind.
“Also, this film must make it to this year’s Thanksgiving holiday slot.” America’s film release slots are mainly divided into five major periods: the winter slot, spring slot, summer slot, autumn Thanksgiving slot, and year-end holiday slot.
The winter slot starts from the first Friday of the new year until around early February.
This slot usually screens some small-budget films and sequels, primarily focusing on small returns and word-of-mouth.
The spring slot runs from spring break until the Memorial Day weekend.
This slot usually sees the release of medium-sized films, and like the winter slot, these two slots are considered America’s off-season for films.
From late May to September each year, the peak season begins, officially entering the summer slot.
This is America’s most important film slot, usually a time when big-budget, high-production films cluster together, and it is the hottest box office market of the year.
The fourth is the autumn Thanksgiving slot, from late September until before Thanksgiving.
This slot generally features female-centric films, small-genre films, and the like.
Finally, there is the year-end holiday slot, starting from Thanksgiving in November, spanning Christmas, and lasting until the end of the new year.
This slot is also a battleground for Hollywood giants, but the most intense period is around Christmas, with Thanksgiving being relatively less competitive.
There’s Something About Mary won’t be released this year; Ernst plans to make it the beginning of MGM’s summer slot.
But The Man from Earth is different; filming will take less than half a month, and editing is also convenient, making it more than enough to catch the autumn Thanksgiving slot.
Opening one or two weeks before Thanksgiving, it can build word-of-mouth and then explode during Thanksgiving.
By the time it enters the intense Christmas slot, the film will have largely exhausted its residual warmth.