"The competition during the Thanksgiving release window is incredibly fierce. 'Kingsman' doesn't have any advantage."
In the conference room of Embassy Pictures, the Director of Theatrical Distribution, Thomas, said, "That's why we originally set the premiere date for November 19th."
Michael Davenport was flipping through the information on 'Kingsman' without saying much.
Garcia then asked, "How many theaters have confirmed the premiere?"
Thomas replied, "We held a screening for theater representatives. They were generally satisfied with the film's genre and action sequences, but the lead character's background..." He glanced at Michael and continued, "Theaters unanimously questioned the protagonist's background, which affected the resources they're willing to commit."
This was entirely within Michael's expectations. An Arab as the main character in a North American film was unlikely to be a big hit.
"The premiere will open in about 1,500 theaters," Thomas added. "But most theaters will only dedicate one screen, with some sharing a screen with other films."
Garcia, familiar with the situation, turned to ask, "What about the marketing?"
David Villa's assistant, Gilberto, said, "We've already invested $1.3 million in marketing, focusing on outdoor ads and minority-targeted television and newspapers. We plan to spend another $700,000 before the film's release."
Michael closed the file and said, "Let's decide on additional investments based on the premiere's performance."
"Okay," Garcia said. "We'll prepare 1,500 copies and ensure they're all delivered by November 18th."
He then spoke to Finance Director Fiona, "All expenses for 'Kingsman' and 'Final Destination' should be covered by loans from Relativity Entertainment."
"Understood," Fiona replied.
Garcia moved on to the next topic. "Now, let's discuss 'Final Destination.'"
Robert spoke first, "Director James Wong is not satisfied with some of the voiceovers and music. He's been gathering the main actors for re-dubbing since last Thursday. It should be done in about a week. We've scheduled the media and theater screening for next Monday morning."
Thomas continued, "Due to the success of 'The Purge,' theaters have some confidence in James Wong's new film. With no strong competitors that weekend, we can secure about 2,000 theaters for the opening. The exact number and scheduling will depend on the feedback from the theater representatives after the screening."
David Villa added, "Pre-release marketing is progressing steadily. We will ramp up promotions from mid-November. 'Final Destination' will also be previewed in 'Kingsman,' and we've arranged with Sony Columbia to include trailers for both 'Final Destination' and 'Kingsman' in the latest James Bond film, 'The World Is Not Enough.'"
Hearing this, Michael asked Garcia, "Have the negotiations with Sony Columbia been completed?"
"The major terms are agreed upon; we're just ironing out a few details," Garcia answered. "We should sign the formal agreement by the end of the week."
They were talking about the overseas rights for 'The Blair Witch Project.'
Michael had delegated the overseas rights negotiations to Embassy Pictures, with Garcia handling them personally. Garcia had conducted exploratory talks with five companies capable of international distribution and ultimately chose to work with Sony Entertainment, as they offered the highest price.
In the end, Relativity Entertainment authorized Sony Columbia Pictures to distribute 'The Blair Witch Project' overseas, including theatrical releases, home entertainment, TV broadcasting, and merchandise rights, for $50 million.
The only remaining detail to be settled was the duration of the licensing agreement.
This film alone could generate over a hundred million dollars in revenue for Relativity Entertainment.
Placing trailers for 'Final Destination' and 'Kingsman' before 'The World Is Not Enough' was part of this deal.
James Bond's influence is enormous, and attaching trailers to such a film would save Embassy Pictures a significant amount in marketing costs while delivering effective promotion.
Trailers are one of Hollywood's oldest and most effective promotional methods.
Selling the overseas rights for a hit North American film is never difficult. However, Michael didn't bundle 'The Blair Witch Project' with Sahara Entertainment's VHS films. He had few films left with unsold overseas rights and needed to reserve them for key projects like 'Final Destination.'
Though initially tempted, Michael quickly realized that since he fully controlled 'The Blair Witch Project's' rights, there was no need to share the profits.
Michael shifted his focus away from 'The Blair Witch Project's' overseas rights, delegating detailed work to his team while ensuring proper oversight.
"How many media and theater representatives are invited?" Michael asked.
Thomas responded, "Representatives from seven chain theaters, including Empire Entertainment, AMC, and National Amusements, will attend, along with managers from some independent theaters near Los Angeles."
David Villa added, "Reporters from the top three industry magazines, 'Variety,' 'Entertainment Weekly,' and 'The Hollywood Reporter,' will be there, as well as representatives from film-specific magazines like 'Premiere.' I've also contacted entertainment reporters from major newspapers."
Michael was pleased with the outcome. After the success of 'The Purge,' James Wong had gained substantial influence.
"Robert, how's the collection of real-life cases going?" Michael asked.
"There are plenty of real-life cases. I found several involving the families of the victims," Robert said with a shiver. "I'm starting to believe in the Grim Reaper myself."
He chuckled and continued, "I've gathered a lot of information, especially from recent years. I also had some family members interviewed on video, and we agreed on compensation for using these stories in our promotions. I've handed everything over to David."
David Villa said, "We'll hype these real-life cases during the most critical promotional period."
Michael thought for a moment and said, "Mix the film's fictional story with these real-life cases in a convincing way."
Mixing a fictional story with several real events can easily make people believe it's true. Michael vaguely recalled reading online media reports in his previous life that mentioned 'Final Destination's' plot, suggesting it was based on real incidents from the 1970s.
Back then, as a student, he searched everywhere to watch the film and was genuinely scared.
Honestly, 'Final Destination' was one of the few horror movies that genuinely frightened Michael, possibly because he was younger then.
Later, when he watched 'Saw,' he felt more nauseous than scared.
Michael highly appreciated James Wong's horror concepts. The unseen is always the scariest.
Many moviegoers share similar sentiments. For instance, Michael found 'Se7en' incredibly engaging in the first half, but when Kevin Spacey's character was revealed, the film's allure diminished instantly.
After the meeting, Michael didn't stay at Embassy Pictures. After lunch, he went to Merrill Lynch's Los Angeles branch to meet with his stockbroker, Scott.
It was early November 1999, and it was time to deal with his investments on Nasdaq.
"Mr. Davenport, are you planning to increase your investments?" Scott asked with a hint of excitement and fervor. "Nasdaq is on fire right now, with many stocks skyrocketing daily, creating wealth miracles every day!"
Michael observed as he entered Merrill Lynch; most people there shared Scott's abnormal excitement.
The stock market had driven many people crazy.
Michael remained calm and said, "Scott, I'm not here to invest more."
Scott was stunned, completely caught off guard. He instinctively asked, "You're not increasing your investment?"
"I've just acquired a film distribution company and need a lot of money to expand overseas distribution channels," Michael said, avoiding any mention of the stock market. "I'm short on funds and urgently need cash flow."
He glanced at the surprised stockbroker. "Scott, I want to sell my shares in Cisco and Yahoo."
Scott quickly said, "Now is not the best time to sell! Yahoo's stock price is close to $230 per share…"
Michael interrupted, "Starting in December, manage the sales appropriately. Gradually sell off all my shares in both stocks before the new year."
Michael didn't know the exact timing, only that Nasdaq crashed quickly after 2000 began. Without precise knowledge, it was best to cash out early.
He had bought Yahoo shares at under $70 each, and now they had more than tripled.
Cisco had increased even more.
He had already made substantial gains.
Michael had invested twice: $9 million after Abu Dhabi and $5 million from 'The Purge's' returns, totaling $14 million.
Given the skyrocketing values of Yahoo and Cisco, this investment was relatively small.
Selling in batches likely wouldn't affect the stock market.
Scott wanted to persuade him otherwise, but Michael was determined.
Over the next few days, Michael visited Merrill Lynch several times. Scott quickly devised a plan to sell off the stocks, starting in December and selling a portion every other day, ensuring everything was sold before the new year.