Six Hundred and Thirty-Nine-A Singer Who Longs for Hollywood

In 1998, Warner Bros.'s opening year revenue was very good. "The Dark Knight" was successively released from overseas regions, allowing the distribution department to begin to recover a large amount of cash flow. In addition, the second part of "The Matrix" is also facing a downturn, and the peripheral and copyright operations of the two films have gradually entered a fever pitch.

Warner Bros.'s number one position among the six major Hollywood studios seems to be unshakable. Countless people in the industry know this well, and as long as Wayne is still closely linked to Warner Bros., such results will only continue to happen.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? Kevin and the others prepared a celebration dinner for me alone."

Outside Madison Square Garden in New York, Wayne waved to George Lucas, who was already sitting in the car, and asked again tirelessly.

After the award ceremony, he was not interested in the various parties in the music industry at all, so Kevin Tesuhara called and asked him to go there because he was celebrating winning the Grammy Award for Newcomer of the Year. Have a chat.

"No, I have other arrangements. Let's make another appointment when we return to Los Angeles."

George Lucas shrugged, nodded to Nina, who was standing next to Wayne, and motioned for the driver to start the car.

The father of Star Wars is not stupid at all. Kevin Tetsuhara, the head of Time Warner, stopped calling early in the morning and stopped calling later. But he just happened to call after the award ceremony. It was obvious that he wanted to meet him alone. , joining in the fun by yourself will only become an eyesore and an old nuisance.

"Yo, brother, really don't you want to go to the carnival together?"

As soon as the father of Star Wars' car drove away, Will Smith showed no scruples at all. He hugged an African-American girl and walked swaggeringly from behind.

The black Hollywood superstar has a great rap voice. When chatting in private, he habitually sounds like he is rapping, especially when he just walked out of the Grammy Awards. Such an environment made the rhythm in his voice even stronger. stand up.

"Listen to me, brother." Will Smith glanced at Nina, winked at Wayne, made an expression that all men understand, and whispered: "Believe me, in the New York music circle, the methods are comparable. Hollywood is a lot crazier and you’ll definitely regret it if you don’t go.”

"I still have a date, let's forget it this time."

Reaching out and fist-bumping Will Smith, Wayne still shook his head and refused. Although he was also very curious now about how those music superstars with more bold and bold styles were so crazy in private, after all, he had already promised Kai Ven-Tsuhara, there is no way to go back on your word.

After the awards ceremony, Nina received a large pile of business cards from singers he knew, faces he was familiar with, and even singers he had no memory of. From the moment she got in the car, the assistant lady was playing with these things.

"What do they mean?"

Then she put the selected business cards into her briefcase. The assistant looked up at her boss and asked curiously: "There are not many connections between those singers and us, right?"

"At least nine out of ten singers want to enter Hollywood and make movies."

After glancing at the business cards, Wayne didn't take them seriously. He just replied casually and once again set his sights on the streets of New York at night.

The thing is so strange. When it comes to personal income in the entertainment industry, even Hollywood's top stars who have entered the 20 million club are actually not as good as the big singers of the same level. These singers are the real ones. It exists like a money machine.

But the strange thing is that here, no matter what level of big singers, even those A-level celebrities, it seems that they really want to enter Hollywood and make movies. Even if they give their own money and time, it has never been a problem in this circle. example.

Barbra Streisand's success in many fields has been seen in the entire Hollywood circle, and she has been a rare existence for decades. In fact, everyone knows that when a popular singer enters the film industry, the most she gets is acrimony. Ironic, but it has never hindered the desire of more singers to enter the film industry.

If you look at the singers who have worked in movies, you will find that those who have achieved great success like Eminem and Latifah are only a small part of them. There are even more like Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. Losers, it can be seen that this road has not always been smooth.

But why are there still so many people who are very good in the music industry, even kings and queens, but they still flock to Hollywood movies?

If you analyze it carefully, a small part of them are simply because of their inflated mentality and they go to the big screen just to get a chance to play. Just like Bob Dylan, he has such a mentality. People don't care whether the movie has success or not, or how many bad reviews it gets, they just play it and leave.

There are also some people who really like acting and regard becoming an actor as a dream, but they just happen to become famous first by singing. For example, Will Smith came to Hollywood to look for opportunities after receiving the Grammy. , only a few years have passed, and already countless viewers have forgotten that this guy was actually a big singer before.

But more singers take this path at all costs, actually because of the sense of crisis in the music industry. It can be said that the music industry is changing at an extremely fast pace. Today, you are famous all over North America, but tomorrow you may be abandoned by your fans and become a has-been singer.

Strictly speaking, the shelf life of Hollywood actors is not very long, but it depends on who they are compared to. If compared with the turbulent music industry, the shelf life of a movie star is much longer than that of a singer.

People like Zeta-Jones, Mark Wahlberg, Rafe Hewitt, etc., if they had not changed careers and entered the film industry, they would have been forgotten by now. It's just that these singers only see perfect amphibious superstars like Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez, but they don't see how difficult this road is.

"What do those movie companies think? Do they expect these singers to sing well in movies?"

Nina saw several childhood idols tonight. She followed Wayne in Hollywood and came into contact with many film company executives, so she knew very well that these big singers would perform on the big screen. It is tantamount to giving up all your own advantages, and the probability of failure is far higher than success.

"You can talk to Jeff about this issue later." Wayne shook his head with a smile, pointed at the assistant lady, and said half-seriously and half-jokingly: "I'm telling you clearly, Hollywood Film Company will So we don’t reject these singers just to let them sing well in the movie.”

Film companies, which represent capital, are never stupid. The fact that singers have joined the film industry has something to do with the foresight of the film companies. Letting famous singers throughout North America play roles in their own movies can not only introduce new faces, but also attract their fans to the theater. From this aspect, it is much safer than simply introducing new talents.

Most movie companies do the same thing. The performance task they assign to singers is to sing well for me in the movie. Movie companies and theater companies don't care at all about the vitriol and vitriol from film critics and the media. Besides, they are also criticizing the singers who appear. What does it have to do with the movie companies behind the scenes?

Regardless of movies starring singers or as supporting actors, they often do not do well at the box office. However, once these movies are released from theaters, they will immediately become the main force in the video market, and the brain circuits of fans and movie fans are very different. Big difference, a large number of fans are willing to pay for their idols.

With the development of time, there is another bigger factor for singers in the music industry to go to Hollywood, and that is the short-lived popularity of retro musicals.

Since Nicole Kidman starred in "Moulin Rouge" and became popular all over the world in the form of retro musicals, vampire-like Hollywood film producers, like sharks smelling blood, have begun to produce low-cost productions. musical.

Even the long-lasting Broadway drama "Chicago" was adapted to the big screen in a short period of time. Riding on the short-lived trend of retro musicals, it achieved gratifying results both at the box office and at the Oscars.

Facts have also proved that retro musicals are just a trend. After it blows away like a wind, it really returns to the point where no one cares about it again. Although Hollywood film companies are still very cautious about filming musicals, no one is willing to let this golden mountain go easily.

Therefore, recruiting actors who are qualified for this type of movies has become a backup option for many companies. One thing is always undeniable. To train a singer who is born with singing talent to become a qualified actor, It’s much easier than simply finding the right actors.

After all, 99% of this type of musicals are low-budget, and small-scale productions are the main reason why film companies are willing to give singers opportunities.

A singer who is famous throughout North America may be paid only one-tenth, or even one percent, of a similarly famous Hollywood star for appearing in a movie. It is not a matter of the Hollywood film company to let the singer pay for his own money. Can't do it.

In the eyes of capital, they are the cheapest labor force, and they have a large flow of cheap labor.

"Warner Bros. is obviously unwilling to wait until after the Oscars for "The Dark Knight."

Seeing that she was about to arrive at Times Square, Nina seemed to remember something. She glanced at her boss who was doing nothing and started talking about work. "The latest news from Colin Howard is that just now, the licensing of postcards, cultural shirts, stationery, toys, and other life-related products has brought Warner Bros. more than $300 million in revenue!"

After taking a look at Wayne, she found that he was still indifferent to these figures that could not bring him any profit. The assistant lady blinked and said again:

"Just after we set off to New York, Warner Bros. has contacted us to come to the factory. It can be said that as soon as we win any Grammy awards, the single "Something just like this" will appear in all North America tomorrow morning. In the surrounding stores..."

The biggest difference between Warner Bros. today and before the 1990s is the channel development of various movie derivatives. With the continuous success of the DC movie series led by Wayne, Warner Bros. has already begun to rectify this aspect. Among major Hollywood movie companies, Warner Bros. is second only to Walt Disney in terms of channel advantages in movie peripherals and derivatives. Disney exists.

Originally for the promotion and marketing of "The Dark Knight", Warner Bros. released the "Something just like this" single during the movie's release. It actually didn't make much money. At that time, everything was serving the movie's box office.

The situation is different now. "The Dark Knight" has begun to be downloaded on a large scale around the world. It can be said that Warner Bros. will not let go of anything that can bring revenue to the company.

Just as Wayne received the Grammy award, they immediately made preparations to release additional single records. The pricing of the records released at this time was very different from a few months ago, and there was no such thing as the "Bat" "The Dark Knight" collaboration with a lot of discounts.

This income is closely related to Wayne. He is the songwriter and singer. According to relevant regulations, a large part of the profit will be distributed to him in the later stage.

"Nina, compared to these piecemeal things."

Bang, Wayne closed the car door casually, stood beside the car and said to the assistant with a smile: "I am more concerned about the remaining box office share, let Colin keep an eye on this part of the money."

"The Dark Knight" has a global box office of approximately US$1.22 billion. According to the director's contract he signed with Warner Bros., he can receive 20% of the global box office as the director's post-production remuneration.

The money that Warner Bros. has put into Greenberg's studio is only the US$400 million share of the North American box office. It can be said that in terms of his director's remuneration, there is still a large amount of income that has not been realized. This is what he is most concerned about. Big money.

"Colin kept pushing."

Nina picked up her briefcase, pushed up the glasses on her face as usual, stood next to Wayne, and waved to Sergey in the car.

Then he turned to look at the boss who was observing Times Square, and continued in a low voice: "This part of the income is traceable, and basically there is no way to fake it. The accountant team led by Colin Howard mainly focuses on " The follow-up income from films such as "The Matrix" and "The Departed"."

Wayne nodded, and actually understood very well. The box office share of "The Dark Knight", regardless of whether you get it all at once, is a lot of money, but for a long-term stream, it depends on the joint investment between the studio and Warner Bros. Projects, and the subsequent income from these projects can ensure that you will still have money after ten or twenty years.

"Warner Bros. is not short of cash flow right now, not at all."

As the two walked, Nina reported in a low voice. "I think that Warner Bros.'s financial department will not wait until the end of the share-sharing period. Before "The Flash" is officially released, the financial department of Warner Bros. will transfer the share of "Batman: The Dark Knight" to the studio."

"hope so......"

Compared to Nina, Wayne understands the ethics of the film company better. This has nothing to do with whether he is the majority shareholder of Warner Brothers. From this standpoint, the two parties are collaborators.

According to his estimate, if Warner Bros. strictly deducts the time limit for this share and allocates each share according to the maximum time, then at least it will not be able to get all the money until this time next year.

The less will definitely not be less than a penny. You must know that Warner Bros. receives the box office share from the theater company in time. If we calculate one by one according to this time, the timeline will be stretched very long, especially the overseas box office part, which will inevitably enter a slow and waiting rhythm.

Times Square, also known as Times Square by the public, is still brightly lit and crowded with people even though it is approaching midnight. There are nearly 40 large shopping malls and theaters gathered here. It is considered the core shopping and entertainment center of the entire Big Apple City and is also the first choice for tourists from all over the world.

The theaters on Broadway, a large number of dazzling neon advertisements, and building billboards that look like TVs. In the minds of more ordinary people, this is the symbol of New York as a whole, even Wall Street ranks behind it.

Wayne and Nina were not in a hurry and walked slowly on the streets of the square. They were surrounded by colorful neon lights, different types of street performers, news and song MVs scrolling on the building, and a completely different night atmosphere from Los Angeles. Both of them felt a sense of freshness.

The most obvious difference is that there are more people. In the land of North America, I am afraid that only Times Square in New York can have so many people at night. Although the Big Apple is a famous city of sin, in this place, it seems that all sins have been covered up, leaving only the prosperity that is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

The headquarters of Time Warner is also in Times Square. It is not only a large entertainment center, but also the headquarters of many world-class news media, including the American Broadcasting Corporation, as well as news centers and studios in many countries around the world.

"Don't tell me, this is the celebration banquet you prepared for me?"

At this time, in the CEO office of Time Warner headquarters, Wayne opened his hands and gave Kevin Tetsuhara a warm hug. He glanced at the coffee table in the sitting area by the window. There were several burgers placed carelessly on it. Obviously, this was the dinner for the CEO of Time Warner.

"No, of course not."

Kevin Tetsuhara nodded to Nina in a gentlemanly manner, raised his arm and patted Wayne on the back. After the three of them sat down, he proudly took out a bottle of red wine from behind the coffee table. "I don't have Victory Champagne in my collection, but I suggest you try this guy."

"Okay, Nina, let's try some of Kevin's treasures."

Smiling and nodding, Wayne shrugged at the Time Warner CEO without being polite at all. While the other party was opening the red wine, he opened the cigar box on the table, selected a cigar with its cap cut off, lit it carefully with a spray gun, and then leaned on the sofa and took a leisurely puff.

'Ding. ’

The two men did not ignore the little transparent assistant lady. The three of them touched their wine glasses together and took a sip together with the neon lights flashing downstairs.

"There are people within the group who don't want to see Jeff hold the position of head of Warner Bros. for a long time."

The two of them can be said to have a community of interests. Kevin Tetsuhara was not polite, casually glanced at the silent Nina, turned to look at Wayne seriously, and got down to business. "Moreover, in the DC series, some people are also worried about your existence."

Time Warner is similar to Walt Disney in that it has never been anyone's company, and its shares have long been dispersed. What's special is that although Time Warner has many high-quality assets, Warner Bros.'s importance within the group has always been number one. This is completely different from the status of several other Hollywood companies in the parent company. .

As Warner Bros. becomes more and more brilliant, there are actually growing concerns about it within Time Warner. No one wants to see a CEO who controls his own financial lifeline all year round, and no one wants the DC series, which is about to have a market size of tens of billions, to be dominated by a director from beginning to end.

This is a common problem among large companies. Although the restrictions on rights of media groups have always been driven by profits, more shareholders will also worry about the risks behind them while making money.

"I see."

Wayne held the wine glass and nodded with an obvious sarcastic smile.

How could he not understand the thoughts of those people? On the one hand, they hope that you can continue to make money for them, but they also hope that even if one day they kick you out, they will continue to make money without delaying the same project. This is the nature of capital.

"I only discovered it recently." Kevin Tetsuhara leaned on the sofa and continued in a deep voice: "There should be some shareholders who want to elect a more obedient person after Jeff. ceo.”

Neither of the two people present here hope that there will be turmoil within Warner Bros., whether it is the DC series that accounts for an increasing share of revenue, or Warner Bros.’s large-scale investment sequel projects that have always maintained a success rate, or they are actively The Little Wizards series was promoted, and even cooperated with Greenberg Studio to gradually start more and more film projects. As long as there is turmoil, it will inevitably be affected.

However, there are many factions in large companies. If one person wants to control such a world-class media group, Kevin Tesuhara simply cannot do it. To put it bluntly, he is just a jobber, and shareholders can attack him at any time. A vote of no confidence.

"I can't influence Time Warner."

Speaking of this, Wayne was obviously more confident than Fang Zu. He curled his lips without hesitation and said, "Don't worry, even if Jeff wants to "retire" in two years, I am sure to let Bruce take over. All plans for Jeff to stay.”

As he said, Time Warner not only has Warner Brothers, but also a series of other business sectors including Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Life Magazine, Turner Television Network, HBO, etc., which can be said to span across Publishing, television, film, music and all other related media fields.

Wayne really has no influence on such a huge media giant, but he only owns two companies: Warner Bros. and DC Comics. His influence is at the top level. If he supports someone clearly, other competitors basically have no influence. Opportunity to struggle.

"I hope so."

Kevin Tetsuhara nodded. In fact, he had a headache when he talked about this. The person he appointed, Jeff Robinov, was so sharp and smart that others didn't chase him away. When given the opportunity to step down, he chose the wisest path.

And he wanted to talk to Wayne this time, just to find out the other party's specific attitude. If you follow the concept of a capital boss, he will not choose to support anyone with a clear-cut stance before a dispute arises, because Wayne no longer needs to provide help in times of trouble. He often walks between the two contending parties to gain more. Interests.

When personal feelings conflict with interests, what do personal feelings mean? How could a lot of green Franklin be tempting?

Obviously Wayne understood what the other party meant and made his commitment from the beginning. Only in this way can the two of them stay on the same boat, and those plans that have just begun and require long-term management can be implemented smoothly.