Pretending to look displeased, Kevin spoke with a slightly annoyed tone, "So you're saying that those tens of thousands of films are worth that much money? Earlier, you mentioned that your company can produce hundreds of films in a day. Am I wrong?"
Griffin, the chubby man, looked slightly embarrassed. He hadn't anticipated revealing their production capacity during their conversation. Now he struggled to find a way to save face.
But he was an experienced company owner and quickly composed himself, maintaining a poker face. He said, "Well, it's not as simple as that. Even if we can produce hundreds of films a day, it doesn't mean they are not valuable. The actresses and other people put in a lot of effort. If we sell them too cheaply, I wouldn't be able to explain it to them."
Although he said this, Griffin knew deep down that these films were not actually worth much. They were just adult content featuring people having sex. Except for a few popular actresses whose films sold relatively well, the rest had long lost their sales. Whatever they could make from selling them now was pure profit for them.
Their company's annual profit was only a small amount, around forty to fifty million dollars after deducting labor costs, taxes, and expenses. And their profits were declining. Being able to make some money from these useless films was a pure gain for them.
Griffin's words were merely a negotiation tactic.
Kevin clenched his teeth, appearing visibly torn. Suddenly, he said, "This price may work, but I hope to acquire more films. Can you help me contact other film companies? If they are willing to sell at relatively lower prices, then I can buy your entire stock for ten million dollars."
Griffin nodded and readily agreed. He didn't care about the prices of other film companies. Being able to acquire the rights to Pirates of the Caribbean's 18+ version with their useless stock was a highly profitable deal.
In fact, the increase in the number of film companies in the San Fernando Valley was due to the lack of technical requirements for making these films. The quantity of such films was growing exponentially. For them, film resources were not important. A beloved actress was the most crucial asset.
The stock they had was simply garbage. Griffin believed that if he spread the word in the San Fernando Valley that someone was willing to purchase their stock, others would probably sell it at a throwaway price.
After reaching an agreement, the three of them left Sunrise Films and returned to the San Fernando Valley to assist Kevin in acquiring these outdated films.
(Well looks like he's going to be the founder of Phub alright)
...
Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three days, the box office of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises had been slowly declining in a very consistent trend. In this period, its biggest competitors were Universal Pictures' mischievous film Casper and the storm of Crimson Tide produced by Buena Vista Company.
There was also a film that Kevin was very familiar with—Braveheart, which had won the Best Picture Oscar in 1996.
These three films, along with Kevin's The Dark Knight Rises, dominated the summer box office from May to June.
However, thanks to the immense influence of the Batman IP, Kevin successfully dominated the summer box office. The Dark Knight Rises led by a wide margin with a total box office of $130 million and a daily box office of over $10 million.
Casper, with its strong family-friendly appeal, followed closely behind with a total box office of $70 million and a daily box office of $10 million.
Below them were the persistent contenders Crimson Tide and Braveheart, both earning daily box office revenues of over $9 million.
Under Warner Bros.' indication, the media once again praised The Dark Knight Rises.
"Director Steve Kevin once again proves his identity as a Hollywood heavyweight through box office numbers."
"From Saw in 1992 to Batman: The Dark Knight Rises in 1995, Steve Kevin's legendary career is just beginning."
"He defeated Mel Gibson's self-directed and self-acted film Braveheart and Tony Scott's Crimson Tide with a comedic superstar Jim Carrey as the main antagonist and an ordinary male star as the protagonist."
"He has demonstrated his directorial prowess, comparable to Spielberg's, through his abilities and achievements..."
...
In the 20th Century Fox office, Braveheart, as a joint venture between Fox and Paramount, was a film primarily backed by Fox. Mel Gibson, as the lead actor and director, closely followed the box office news at Fox every day.
At this moment, Mel Gibson looked at the news in the newspaper, his displeasure evident on his face, which anyone could tell.
As a top-tier Hollywood star and director, his position in Hollywood was well known. Few dared to step on his toes.
These media outlets blatantly compared him to Steve Kevin and, based on the success or failure of a film, placed him beneath the emerging director, Steve Kevin.
This naturally infuriated him.
His temper was not particularly good either.
Immediately, he contacted the media he was familiar with and provided comments on the news in the newspapers.
...
Inside Nicholas Cage's villa, three people were sitting together, barbecuing and chatting.
Kevin smiled as he grilled the meat and said, "Johnny, theoretically, your salary increase should indeed exceed 5 million dollars. But do you know why I'm not willing to pay that little extra?"
Johnny Depp, who was beside him, looked visibly uncomfortable. Kevin's superior attitude made him uneasy. But his fate was in Kevin's hands, so he had to bow down.
If Kevin really replaced him as the lead actor in Pirates of the Caribbean, and he couldn't deliver a decent work in one or two years, his destiny as a rising star would plummet like a shooting star. This was a lesson he had learned in the past two days.
Even if Steve Kevin changed the actor, with his ability, he probably wouldn't lose money, but he might earn a little less. However, if he lost Pirates of the Caribbean, the consequences would be completely different.
In such a situation, he couldn't do without Pirates of the Caribbean. That made everything simple. He had no bargaining power. Either he accepted the price and honestly played the role in Pirates of the Caribbean, or he watched Steve Kevin replace him with another actor, causing him, the superstar, to lose his most famous representative work.
"...Because it's me who needs Pirates of the Caribbean, not Pirates of the Caribbean that needs me. I've come to realize this," Johnny Depp finally nodded, showing that he wasn't foolish to the end.