It's not that he didn't try hard enough; it was just that his luck was terrible, and his competitors were too strong!
With a film purchase cost of $22 million, the budget left for marketing was clearly limited. If he wanted to steal enough attention away from the three blockbuster films, the original marketing funds he planned wouldn't be sufficient.
However, if he decided to increase his investment, the risk of losing money would rise significantly.
So, should he go for it?
Harvey locked himself in his office and spent the entire morning contemplating.
To be honest, in the past, when faced with such a strong competitor, he would have likely chosen to reschedule the release.
But the contract he signed with Hemera Films stated the movie had to be released before January. This was Hemera's way of preventing him from sitting on the film for years.
Besides, spending $22 million in cash had already strained Miramax's liquidity. He really couldn't afford much more.
Yet, if he didn't change the release date, he would have to boost his marketing budget. Otherwise, with all the attention focused on those other three films, "Gifted" would be left to fate.
And Harvey Weinstein wasn't someone who left things to fate. He believed in controlling his own destiny — not even God could dictate his fate.
After much internal struggle, he finally called his assistant into the office, his face serious.
"Increase the marketing budget. Start with an additional $2 million! I want to see our movie featured on the front page of the top 10 entertainment papers in Hollywood within the next three days, and the coverage should take up at least a third of the page!"
"Got it, boss."
The assistant, who had been considering helping Harvey "relieve some stress," immediately straightened up and rushed out of the office. She knew that in matters like this, there was no room for delay. Otherwise, no matter how good she was at "relieving stress," Harvey would fire her without hesitation.
The same day Harvey took action, Sarah called Wayne to inform him of the situation with "Gifted" and Harvey's decision.
"Don't you hate that fat guy? I thought you'd enjoy hearing this news."
Wayne shrugged with a smile but said nothing.
Any beneficiary of a given set of rules naturally despises those who break them, which is why he disliked Harvey. But as for genuine hatred, it wasn't that serious. After all, he hadn't even met Harvey yet.
"There's no need to dwell on a film that's already been sold. Tell me about what's happening with Marvel," Wayne said, changing the subject from Harvey and "Gifted" to the acquisition of Marvel.
"Don't worry, not only did we avoid cutting the price, but we've also sweetened the deal. Avi Arad is thrilled and definitely won't refuse," Sarah said with a laugh.
Avi Arad's original asking price was $40 million, so his actual expectation was probably lower.
Think about it — Marvel's remaining third-rate heroes were all bundled together for a mere $10 million. How could the rest — an old building, some equipment, and a declining comic book division — be worth $30 million? Ridiculous.
But under Wayne's instruction, Sarah not only agreed to Avi's $40 million asking price but also gave him a 2% stake and promised to invest $10 million immediately after signing the contract to buy back the superhero rights Marvel had previously sold off.
Additionally, they committed to investing no less than $50 million over the next year to acquire new rights and produce Marvel's own superhero movies.
Avi Arad would have to be out of his mind to reject that.
In fact, not knowing that next year's "Spider-Man" would be a box office smash, Avi Arad probably thought Wayne was the one who'd lost his mind.
Of course, Wayne's explanation that he was paying for "sentimental value" was somewhat plausible.
Whether Avi believed it or not, Wayne didn't care.
"As a show of good faith, and probably because he's afraid you'll back out, Avi said he's ready to fly to Europe and sign the deal whenever you are. But are you really planning to use that $10 million to buy back Iron Man first? Isn't he considered a third-rate hero?" Sarah asked, puzzled.
"Well, don't you think I have a bit of a resemblance to Iron Man?" Wayne casually responded, leaving Sarah speechless.
She had actually studied Iron Man's character and backstory in preparation for the acquisition.
Marvel, after all, would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Hemera Films, and as CEO of Hemera, she needed to familiarize herself with the business.
But no matter how much she studied, she couldn't see how Wayne resembled Iron Man.
Was it the playboy persona? Come on, if that counted, then 99% of men in the world would resemble Iron Man.
"So, when are you planning to have them come over?" Sarah asked.
"As soon as possible," Wayne replied. Avi Arad feared he would back out, and Wayne was just as worried about something going wrong if they delayed.
"Do you really have that much faith in Marvel?" Sarah couldn't help but ask.
"Absolutely," Wayne said after thinking for a moment. "Did you see the huge success of 'X-Men' this year? While Marvel's remaining superheroes aren't as famous as the X-Men, I believe they have potential."
"Alright then, I'll get in touch with Avi Arad soon and bring the lawyers with me when we go."
"No problem. Compared to dreary Paris, Germany is much more pleasant."
After a few more casual remarks, Wayne hung up and went back to filming. Even though Germany was better than Paris, it was still no match for the warm and pleasant climate of California, so he hoped to finish shooting and return home soon.
Besides, after more than a month apart, he was starting to miss Charlize, Naomi, and Annie.
"Soon, you'll come out from here, and the CIA agent sitting here will attack you, but you'll easily take him down in a few moves. Throughout the entire scene, your gaze should mostly remain on your boss. I know this might not seem realistic, but trust me, it looks cooler, and the audience won't care," Doug Liman explained the scene to Wayne as he returned to the set.
This scene was where Bourne finally infiltrates the CIA's secret base and captures the boss who's been trying to eliminate him.
Interestingly, the role of Bourne's boss, Alexander Conklin, would not be played by Chris Cooper, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor a few years later but remained relatively unknown. Instead, the role went to Ian McKellen, who had recently gained massive popularity for his portrayal of Magneto in "X-Men 1."
(End of Chapter)