"The first weekend of December saw the North American market welcome two new wide releases, maintaining a high level of market activity. Produced by Sandsea Entertainment and distributed by Embassy Pictures, Final Destination did not suffer from the failure of The Kingsman—another collaboration between the two companies. Opening in nearly 2,600 theaters, Final Destination grossed $28.69 million over its first three days, surpassing the $27.2 million earned by Toy Story 2, and secured the top spot at the weekend box office."
In the office, Eduardo Sanchez put down the newspaper and looked at his partner, Daniel Malek. "Michael Davenport's new movie didn't fail?"
Daniel Malek's face turned sour. "No, it didn't."
Eduardo Sanchez opened his mouth, suddenly at a loss for words. Everything he might say seemed like it would be a slap in Daniel Malek's face.
Daniel Malek took off his glasses and rubbed his slightly aching eyes, feeling a wave of despair. He had struggled for thirty years without success. Why could Michael Davenport succeed so easily?
He had just read the newspaper, noting not only that Final Destination had a strong opening weekend of $28.69 million, but also that The Kingsman, despite being a failure, had still accumulated $8 million at the North American box office. With other sources of income to follow, it wasn't a complete disaster.
Thinking Michael Davenport would go bankrupt? That wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
Daniel Malek realized that Michael Davenport was genuinely capable. The success of The Blair Witch Project...
He quickly shook his head, refusing to dwell on it. The successful template of The Blair Witch Project was clear, backed by a major company like DreamWorks, making the sequel's success more likely.
If the sequel succeeded, it would prove his worth to those who had looked down on him!
"Eduardo!" Daniel Malek called out. "Put down the newspaper and get back to work!"
At the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Beverly Hills, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority had rented an entire floor for their Los Angeles branch office.
Early Monday morning, Samir met with Aziz, who had just arrived from Abu Dhabi.
"Your last report mentioned that one of Michael Davenport's movies failed?" Aziz, a thin man and Mansour's representative, asked. "Will this affect our plans?"
Samir replied, "Yes, The Kingsman failed at the North American box office. It has only made $8 million so far, far below its budget, and has had little impact."
Aziz frowned. "Eight million dollars? I remember we invested $25 million through the Investment Authority."
"That $8 million isn't all revenue for Sandsea Entertainment; at least half of it goes to the theater companies," Samir explained. "There will be some additional revenue from overseas box office and home entertainment, but according to multiple authoritative forecasts, this film will not recoup its investment."
Aziz recalled Mansour's words. "Commercial investments can fail. The Minister wants to know if this failure significantly affects Sandsea Entertainment and Michael Davenport?"
Samir thought for a moment before responding, "There was some negative impact initially, but the success of Final Destination has offset all of it."
Aziz, unfamiliar with the specifics since he had just arrived in Los Angeles, asked, "Can you explain in detail?"
"Final Destination opened last weekend," Samir began, "grossing $28.69 million in three days, taking the number one spot at the North American box office. In just three days, the film almost recouped its production budget."
He added, "This year, Michael Davenport released three films: The Blair Witch Project, The Kingsman, and Final Destination. So far, it's confirmed that The Kingsman failed, but The Blair Witch Project and Final Destination have been huge successes."
Aziz said, "I read about The Blair Witch Project back home. They called it a miracle."
Samir showed a trace of envy. "Michael Davenport bought The Blair Witch Project for less than $100,000, and its North American market alone has grossed over $100 million!"
"$100,000 to $100 million?" Aziz's face twitched.
Samir, still somewhat naive in the industry, added, "Yes!"
Aziz couldn't help but say, "That's more profitable than selling oil. Compared to him, our money-making methods seem so primitive!"
Samir continued, "This morning, I read a report in the Los Angeles Times predicting that Final Destination could also reach $100 million at the North American box office."
"This film's budget was $15 million," Aziz said, feeling a bit pained. "Does Hollywood make that much money?"
Samir earnestly replied, "I'm not sure about others, but from my observations over the past six months, Michael Davenport is very skilled at making movies. Even the failed The Kingsman wasn't a complete disaster. But the successful films can earn ten or even a hundred times the profit!"
Aziz nodded repeatedly, considering how to report this to Mansour.
Samir continued, "Even without considering the promotional and influence factors, just the profitability makes Michael Davenport and his company worth our attention! His value is immense!"
"I understand," Aziz said. "My visit to Los Angeles this time is to assess Michael Davenport and Sandsea Entertainment."
Samir reminded, "It's not just Sandsea Entertainment. There's also Embassy Pictures, which Michael Davenport acquired this year. Distribution is crucial in Hollywood. Without a distribution company, a production company alone can't grow strong."
Aziz asked, "Do you have detailed information on Embassy Pictures?"
Even though Abu Dhabi was relatively progressive, it was far from Los Angeles and less familiar with the situation there.
"I've collected some information. I'll give it to you later," Samir said, reminding once more, "If we proceed with an acquisition, we must keep Michael Davenport. Based on the data I've collected, he is the key to this series of successes. Without him, our plans would be meaningless."
Aziz considered Samir's words carefully.
Unlike Prince Salih before him, Samir was undoubtedly a more pragmatic individual. "Even if we manage to enter Hollywood, we are very unfamiliar with the film industry. We need the right person to manage the company. The Jewish influence in Hollywood is immense and very exclusionary towards us. We need someone at the forefront. Michael Davenport is one of the few friends of Arabs in Hollywood. There's no one more suitable."
"Is that appropriate?" Aziz had doubts. "It's his company. Wouldn't that risk him sidelining us?"
Samir was confident. "As long as we secure majority control, this won't be an issue."
"I'll report this to the Minister," Aziz said.
Samir asked, "When do you plan to contact Michael Davenport?"
Aziz replied, "Not yet. We want to gather information first and decide specifics in January."
After Final Destination's opening weekend box office results, both Sandsea Entertainment and Embassy Pictures breathed a sigh of relief.
If Final Destination had also bombed after The Kingsman's failure, it would have been a fatal blow to the recently stabilized companies.
"Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't happen."
On the phone, Michael told Carmen Case, who was in Europe, "Otherwise, I might have gone bankrupt."
Carmen Case, familiar with commercial investments, asked, "I remember you mentioned that these two movies were financed. The investors bear the losses, right?"
Michael, not embarrassed to be exposed, laughed, "But the promotion and distribution costs were borrowed from the bank."
The promotion and distribution costs for The Blair Witch Project included $10 million secured with the revenue from Final Destination as collateral.
"Financing is a good way to solve capital problems," Carmen Case said over the phone. "Michael, you've given me some inspiration."
Michael immediately asked, "Are you planning to finance?"
Carmen Case didn't deny it. "I have plans. My reputation in Estonia is rising quickly, so it won't be difficult to secure financing."
Michael reminded her, "Be mindful of the legal boundaries."
He didn't want the future Estonian female tycoon to end up in jail because of his influence.
Carmen Case said, "I know. I won't do anything illegal. I won't sacrifice the future for immediate gains."
"Good," Michael said, changing the subject. "I'll visit Europe next year. I'll come see you then."
Carmen Case laughed, "Sure, I'll be waiting."
They talked a bit more about their respective situations before ending the call.
With the success of Final Destination at the North American box office, a series of plans were moving from paper to action. The top priorities were the Bourne series and the sequel to The Purge.
The primary issue for both was securing directors quickly.
For the The Purge sequel, Sandsea Entertainment's production manager, Andrew, was in preliminary negotiations with James Wan's agent, Edward.
Because Edward had postponed the talks until after the release of Final Destination, there was still no agreement on James Wan's salary.
For Bourne, Tony Gilroy's writing team had produced part of the script. Michael wasn't entirely satisfied with some parts, so after a script meeting, they were sent back to continue revisions, aiming for a first draft after the New Year.
Then there was Paul Greengrass. After a cooling-off period, Michael was ready to reconnect with him.