I am Hollywood

Chapter 759: Chapter 760: Celebration Party

[Chapter 760: Celebration Party]

As December rolled in, Scream continued its successful run in theaters, entering its third week. Even though Thanksgiving had passed, the film maintained its popularity among teenagers, raking in $13.56 million that week, bringing its cumulative total to $52.11 million.

In comparison, Firefly Group's Bad Boys had an impressive opening week with $42.57 million, which initially thrilled everyone. However, it faced a steady decline with over a 40% drop in ticket sales for two consecutive weeks. By its third week, the film's earnings fell to $15.6 million, which put it at a disadvantage against Scream, which saw just a 20% decline. There was a possibility that this low-budget thriller might even surpass Bad Boys in its fourth week.

Despite their differing box office trajectories, it was already evident that both films would surpass $100 million at the North American box office in the coming weeks. With both films having production costs not exceeding $20 million, including total costs around $30 million, they emerged as surprise hits for the year-end 1995 lineup. Other films released around the same time saw their three-week totals remain under $30 million. As a result, the respective film companies might escape losses, but their profits would pale in comparison to those of Scream and Bad Boys.

...

The unexpected success of Scream significantly boosted MGM's stock issuance plans for December.

In recent years, several major film companies in North America had nearly completed their transformations into media conglomerates. Even Columbia and Universal had large multinational groups backing them to extend their business operations beyond film. Meanwhile, MGM, which struggled with financial difficulties and debts for over a decade, remained limited to simple film production and distribution. If not for their enhanced power after acquiring major film rights from Flower Films and DreamWorks, securing capital through stock issuance would have been a tough sell.

However, backed by a string of successful film rights including Charlie's Angels, 007, Mission: Impossible, Night at the Museum, Resident Evil, and the recently triumphant Scream, MGM's stock issuance in December went off without a hitch. Their plan to issue 70 million shares was fully subscribed within a week of the launch.

Typically, a company's stock price trends downward during a stock issuance, but thanks to the positive sales of Scream, MGM's stock price not only remained stable but actually surged 6% over the week, reaching $15.80 per share. After the issuance, MGM's total shares hit 435 million, with a market capitalization reaching a new high of $6.873 billion. With the $1 billion raised through this issuance, MGM finally escaped its cash-strapped status, and its $1.7 billion debt no longer posed a significant threat, placing the company firmly on a path to recovery.

...

At the Firefly Group headquarters in Burbank, Kelly Haynes knocked on Eric's office door and walked in.

"Eric, I just received the casting information for Sex and the City from New York. They've narrowed the candidates down to eight."

Eric gestured for Kelly to sit down as he perused the actor profiles in his hands. After Candace Bushnell disagreed with Elizabeth Hurley taking on the lead role, Eric delegated the casting rights to A&E Television Network's production department.

However, during the casting process, Eric added a few original actresses to the audition list. As he reviewed the audition results from New York, he was surprised to find that Sarah Jessica Parker was still on the shortlist for the lead character Carrie Bradshaw, along with another name that caught him off guard: Mary-Louise Parker, known for her role in the show in which she played a single mom.

Just by looking at the names, some might mistake them for sisters, but Eric was aware the two women had no relation whatsoever. In the character evaluation column, Mary's comments noted that she had years of experience on Broadway, was a skilled actress, sharp-eyed, and charming, making her a good fit for the urban writer character.

Due to the type and era of the series, Eric had a better impression of Mary-Louise Parker's character in the series Weeds. He recalled her character struggling for survival amid chaos, and he could only think of the innocently bright gaze that shone from those dark, soulful eyes.

Sitting across from Eric, Kelly noticed a strange smile creep across his face. Curiosity piquing, she asked, "Eric, what's going on?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied, shaking his head as he marked a cross on Mary-Louise Parker's profile.

Even though Mary-Louise Parker seemed to resonate more with him than Sarah Jessica Parker, Eric couldn't separate her from the single mom role in his memories for Sex and the City, especially since the original lead actress was already on the final candidates list. He decided he wouldn't complicate things further.

Confirming his decision, Eric flipped through the profiles of the other candidates but found no familiar faces.

Handing the materials back to Kelly, he said, "Let's go with Sarah Jessica Parker for the lead. I'll leave the other three female roles to Annie and the team to decide."

Kelly looked puzzled. "Eric, aren't you going to watch the audition tapes? They should arrive by tomorrow."

Eric shook his head. "No need. Since they've narrowed it down to eight, these candidates are surely suitable."

"Okay, I'll head out then."

Kelly gathered her things and was about to leave when Eric called her back. "By the way, Drew is throwing a party tonight at the Liberty City Manor to celebrate the successful stock issuance and the box office success of Scream. Do you want to come?"

Kelly paused, turning to shake her head. "I'm afraid I can't make it tonight. I promised Nina I'd take her to see a movie."

"Oh, that's fine then. I wouldn't want to keep you from being a good mom."

"Ha, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to my office."

Kelly chuckled, leaving Eric's office, but not even five minutes later, she turned back in.

"Eric, New Line called and said the English version of the project we collaborated on, Rumble in the Bronx, has been completed. Do you want to review it?"

Eric nodded and glanced at his watch before telling Kelly, "Have them prepare it. I'll stop by at three."

"Got it." Kelly nodded and exited the office.

...

Finishing up some work, Eric made his way to the file cabinet, pulled out a script, and then headed to the office building's screening room.

After several years, New Line had seamlessly integrated into the Firefly system. However, under Eric's guidance, the New Line team still maintained their original production strategies while ensuring collaboration continued with Golden Harvest across the ocean.

Rumble in the Bronx was another attempt by Golden Harvest to penetrate the North American market; they financed and produced the film while New Line contributed a portion of the investment and provided filming support, securing North American distribution rights. The film had reached completion last year and had been widely released in Asia, with its North American release scheduled for Easter next year.

While in our original timeline Rumble in the Bronx grossed over $30 million at the North American box office, Eric's interests lied only in the film's potential to boost the lead actor's popularity in North America.

At that moment, the other script in Eric's hand was the true focus of his plans.

This script, written by a little-known screenwriter named Ross Limon, was famous in the original timeline - it was Rush Hour.

At this time, the Rush Hour script was still just a simple and straightforward buddy-cop action film, quite similar to Bad Boys and previous series like Beverly Hills Cop and Lethal Weapon. They hadn't yet confirmed a fully Asian lead, and the story's plot was also significantly different from the original.

However, Eric only focused on the general story outline of the script; he planned to modify the detailed plot according to his vision later.

There was even a notable side note: Ross Limon, the writer of Rush Hour, also wrote another script called Titanic, revolving around the famous ship's story. However, this script was unrelated to the project Cameron was currently shooting. Some production companies had shown interest in the script, but once Firefly announced the Cameron-led Titanic project, Ross Limon's script became a complete afterthought.

...

Arriving at the headquarters' screening room, Eric encountered not only the head of New Line but also a few Asian faces, though the lead actor was absent.

"Mr. Williams, let me introduce you. This is Johnny Lee, the producer of Rumble in the Bronx, and this is Jack's agent, Chen," the New Line head introduced the two as Eric approached.

"Hello, Mr. Lee, Mr. Chen. Welcome to Los Angeles," Eric shook hands and said, "Shall we start the screening?"

Producer Lee responded enthusiastically, "Of course, Mr. Williams. I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

They exchanged minimal small talk before stepping into the screening room.

After the screening wrapped up, Eric patiently listened as the New Line representative explained the distribution plan. He simply nodded, not intending to interject. Instead, he split the Rush Hour script and handed copies to the New Line head and the lead actor's agent.

"I came across this script, and I think with some modifications, it could be a great fit for Jack. I've written detailed notes on the script, but I believe Jack will likely have many personal ideas if we move forward. So, Mr. Chen, feel free to discuss this with him, and if he's interested, we can seal the deal immediately."

Though he also received a few pages of the script, the Golden Harvest producer noted that Eric hadn't mentioned their interests. He glanced at Jack's agent, pondering whether to speak.

However, Jack's agent beamed at Eric's offer. "Mr. Williams, are you saying that if Jack is willing, we can sign right away?"

"Absolutely," Eric nodded with a smile. "If all goes well, I hope the film can hit theaters by next year's end."

Mr. Chen then asked, "So, Mr. Williams, will this film be produced by New Line, or is it under Firefly's main label?"

Eric explained, "New Line, but Mr. Chen, our various labels under Firefly, whether that's New Line, Firefly, or Disney, only differ in terms of the type of films produced. So there's no need to worry that New Line's production will lead to any unfavorable treatment."

While he hoped for a partnership, Mr. Chen pressed further, "Mr. Williams, what will Jack's salary be?"

"Ha, you can discuss that with New Line's team," Eric chuckled, replying.

Though Eric considered locking the deal for three lower-budget films at once, he determined it wasn't necessary to be too aggressive. After all, a win-win collaboration was the best route.

...

By the end of the screening, it was nearing five o'clock. After discussing Rush Hour, Eric handed off the follow-up work to the New Line team and hurriedly left to return to the Liberty City Manor.

Scream entered its fourth week, pulling in another $10.65 million, bringing its total to more than $62 million. With the upcoming Christmas season, a box office rebound seemed imminent; breaking the $100 million milestone was only a matter of time.

Additionally, with the smooth execution of MGM's stock issuance plan, Drew pestered him enough to gain permission for a celebration party at the Manor to toast MGM's recent successes.

By the time Eric returned to the Manor, it was already past six, and guests had started to arrive.

*****

/Sayonara816.

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