"Alright, Betty, that's enough, okay? By the way, do you know what the phrase 'that's enough' means?"
"..."
Obviously, Betty didn't know what the phrase meant, so she could only pout as Lawrence reluctantly escorted her onto the school bus.
This amusing scene brought smiles to many of the onlookers.
However, the film acquisition experts remained focused, carefully taking notes and analyzing, noting things like "the lead actress is very attractive" and "the little girl playing her is very cute, likely to be well-received."
The soft sound of their pens scribbling made Susan, who had been closely observing their actions, feel increasingly nervous.
Objectively speaking, the story of "Gifted" definitely doesn't have the novelty, excitement, or allure of movies like "Accepted" or "Happy Death Day." Even though the script was written by a renowned screenwriter like Alan Ball, it remains just a heartwarming family story.
Even though the current version of "Gifted" is quite excellent in all respects, there's still the possibility it could be a critical success but a commercial failure.
That's why Wayne initially asked Ball to add some moderate comedic elements to the script, steering it slightly towards a "family comedy" direction.
But even with those adjustments, this type of film has a limited audience. Strictly speaking, it might even be more niche than horror films.
Susan, Gus, and Sarah were well aware of this, and it could become a key factor affecting the film's copyright price.
The hundred-minute film soon concluded, and unlike before, the representatives from the distribution companies didn't engage in much small talk; instead, they hurried back to prepare their reports with mixed feelings.
Yes, mixed feelings.
In terms of film quality, with the talents of Gus, Ball, and Sarandon, plus the impressive performances of Naomi and Dakota Fanning, this film is quite outstanding.
While it might not win any awards, an Oscar nomination could still be within reach.
It's like a cup of delicate tea—if viewers come to the theater, sit down, and watch this movie, they would definitely be drawn in and feel it was worth the ticket price by the end, moved by the story.
However, the subtle aroma of tea is not as strong as that of wine or coffee, and finding a way to attract people to taste it becomes a challenging issue.
For example, both "I Am Sam" and "Gifted" are about family love. "I Am Sam" has a high score of 9.0 on Douban, and "Gifted" isn't far behind with an 8.3.
Moreover, "Gifted" was released in 2017; if it had been released in the same year as "I Am Sam" (2001), its rating might have been a few points higher.
But while "I Am Sam" achieved a global box office of $208 million, "Gifted," despite the popularity boost from "Captain America," only grossed $43 million worldwide.
Had it been released in 2001, it might have only reached around $28 million—a significant difference.
The film's quality is definitely not the key factor causing such a vast gap in box office results. The popularity of "Captain America" and Mckenna Grace clearly surpasses that of Sean Penn, who was then mainly known in Europe, and Dakota Fanning, who had just starred in her first movie. Thus, the critical difference in box office performance lies in the marketing strategy.
"I Am Sam" was distributed by Warner Bros., while "Gifted" was distributed by Fox Searchlight, a subsidiary of Fox. Since there isn't much difference in their sizes, the key difference still comes down to the specific marketing strategies used.
However, with only 20 days left until Christmas, time is very tight.
So, from the perspective of these distribution company representatives, this upgraded version of "Gifted" is certainly worth buying, but deciding on a reasonable price to pay for it requires careful consideration.
"Is that so? Universal's offer is $26 million, Warner's is $27.5 million, and DreamWorks' highest is $28 million."
"Honestly, it's a bit lower than I expected, but it's close enough."
"What? Harvey Weinstein has made an interesting proposal? $20 million, plus an additional $3 million for every $10 million the box office exceeds $70 million?"
"That's actually a pretty good proposal."
That night, Wayne received a call from Sarah.
Just as Susan and Sarah feared, the first-round offers from more than a dozen distribution companies, including the Big Seven, were not very high for "Gifted."
From this, it's evident that they generally believe the global box office for "Gifted" is unlikely to exceed $100 million.
Of course, even if the global box office is only $100 million, buying it at this price would allow them to make a small profit from the box office alone. Adding the revenue from DVD sales, the return rate could still exceed 60%, making it a fairly high-quality project.
"Try to push the price to over $30 million, preferably as a one-time cash payment. If that doesn't work, consider Harvey Weinstein's proposal. Frankly, I don't like that guy, so try to negotiate for the best possible terms."
Wayne thought for a moment before speaking.
To be honest, he didn't like Harvey Weinstein, a guy who is untrustworthy and likes to take things for free. If all the top Hollywood insiders were like him—preferring to use force and take things without paying—it would only destroy the well-established rules that had been built up.
However, as a qualified new capitalist, he also needs to learn to occasionally compromise for profit.
With the way Harvey Weinstein proposed, as long as "Gifted" could gross over $100 million, the profit he could make would be higher than selling it to other distribution companies.
With this in mind, there was no reason for him to refuse.
Additionally, if Harvey continues to grow, he will certainly want to lead Miramax out independently, which could stir things up and, to some extent, impact Disney's development. This could be beneficial for both him and Hemera Pictures.
Over the next few days, under Sarah's persistent negotiation efforts, the offers from various distribution companies gradually began to increase.
It's worth mentioning that Sarah's dealings with Marvel were very discreet, and since Marvel was still just a struggling comic book company on the verge of bankruptcy, none of the top Hollywood production companies usually paid much attention to it. Thus, they had no idea that Wayne and Hemera Pictures urgently needed funds to acquire Marvel.
They still thought Hemera Pictures had one last card to play: to distribute the film themselves in North America and sell the overseas rights to foreign distribution companies.
(End of Chapter)