Chapter 626: The Box Office Emperor

Early Monday morning, a luxury sports car roared to a stop in front of Plan B Entertainment. Brad Pitt parked, grabbed the newspaper he had bought on the way, and entered the company. He nodded at a few employees who greeted him, then walked into his office where his assistant handed him a steaming cup of coffee.

Taking a sip, the temperature was perfect. Brad Pitt glanced at the documents on his desk, picked one up, and read through it. The Wachowski siblings' "Cloud Atlas" project was in pre-production and needed a second round of funding. Plan B had to quickly transfer $40 million into a third-party escrow account.

After thoroughly reviewing the document and seeing that the auditor had signed off, he added his signature and instructed his assistant to send it to the finance department to expedite the transfer.

With this additional investment, Plan B would have invested $70 million into the "Cloud Atlas" project, with the remaining $30 million already prepared.

It wasn't too burdensome for him, as most of the money came from financing and pre-sales, with only $40 million actually coming from Plan B's own investment.

For someone with a net worth in the hundreds of millions, this was manageable.

However, taking on another major project simultaneously would be challenging.

Brad Pitt thought about Andrew Stanton's "John Carter," frowning slightly. He had recently met with Stanton, who was facing a lack of sufficient funding from Disney. Walt Disney Studios had just acquired Pixar, causing a financial strain. Disney's top priority was the guaranteed hit "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," leaving Stanton with only a few tens of millions of dollars.

Andrew Stanton was interested in casting Matthew Horner as the lead, relying on Horner's box office appeal to attract investors.

"Matthew Horner is a box office guarantee!" Brad Pitt recalled Stanton saying. "With him as the lead, raising over $200 million wouldn't be a problem."

Brad Pitt had learned that Matthew Horner's Thirteen Studios and David Ellison's Skydance Productions were both interested in investing in the project.

He opened the left drawer of his desk, pulling out the "John Carter" script and project plan. Since Stanton had given him these materials, it showed that he wasn't solely relying on Horner...

Who in Hollywood would tie themselves to just one tree?

Take Matthew Horner, for example. After collaborating with Warner Brothers on "300," "I Am Legend," and "Hancock," Warner wanted to continue distributing his next two projects. But Disney offered better terms, and he didn't hesitate to switch allegiances.

In commercial partnerships, profit always comes first.

Brad Pitt lightly tapped the desk, closing the drawer. He thought about the newspapers he had bought on the way, realizing that the events of last weekend had a direct bearing on whether he should invest in "John Carter."

Flipping to the entertainment section, he read the reports.

"Everyone thought this year would be historic for breaking box office records during the summer, but the series of high-profile flops in the fall and the sluggish holiday season chilled Hollywood. The dismal opening of 'The Golden Compass' was particularly disheartening... Now all hopes are pinned on this week's release of 'I Am Legend,' with everyone looking to box office emperor Matthew Horner to turn things around."

Brad Pitt frowned slightly. Who said Hollywood's hopes were pinned solely on Horner? His Plan B wasn't!

Well, maybe it was, seeing how closely his company's fortunes seemed to follow Horner's successes...

He stopped overthinking and continued reading.

"Who says reality isn't like the movies? Though fate leads to an unpredictable future, dramatic turnarounds are happening in real-life Hollywood! Yes, the stunning opening performance of 'I Am Legend' by Matthew Horner has swept away the gloom, rejuvenating Hollywood and leading people to exclaim: Matthew Horner truly is a legend!"

Brad Pitt snorted derisively and kept reading.

"$115.8 million! This figure exceeded everyone's expectations! 'I Am Legend' has revived Hollywood like rain after a drought. Matthew Horner has once again solidified his position as the new box office king, and this time it's unmistakable—there were no other stars, no famous directors, no hot novel adaptations, just him. Are you going to tell me the zombies drew the crowds?"

Who would have thought at the project's inception that it would gross over $100 million in its first weekend? Brad Pitt pondered, but kept reading.

"With over 4,200 theaters, a per-theater average of $27,000, 'I Am Legend' not only ranks fourth among this year's openings, just behind 'Spider-Man 3,' 'Shrek the Third,' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,' but it also set a new record for the highest December opening weekend in North American history, surpassing all three 'Lord of the Rings' films!"

"Though 'Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem' looms next week, with Matthew Horner at the helm, it's boldly predicted that 'I Am Legend' will gross at least $350 million domestically, adding another highlight to Matthew's resume."

$350 million... Brad Pitt smiled wryly. The highest-grossing film he had starred in, "Troy," fell far short of this, despite his hopes for a $400 million domestic and $1 billion global box office, which were crushed by reality.

In recent years, every film Matthew Horner chose grossed over $300 million domestically and $500 million globally.

Films that went head-to-head with his were often crushed...

This weekend was no exception. "Alvin and the Chipmunks," which opened the same weekend, grossed only $32 million, "The Golden Compass" fell below $5 million in its third weekend, and "Enchanted" dropped to $6 million. Only the art-house Oscar contenders remained unaffected due to their different audience.

Putting down the newspaper, Brad Pitt downed his now-cold coffee.

He had learned that "I Am Legend" wasn't particularly favored when it was first proposed. Warner Brothers hesitated until Matthew Horner chose the film, leading them to invest, and it proved to be a lucrative decision.

Matthew Horner's project selection...

The $115.8 million box office figure couldn't be ignored by Brad Pitt.

Sitting in his high-backed chair, he considered the financial, production, and casting factors. He had significant liquid assets, could finance part of the budget, and could resort to loans if necessary...

Brad Pitt dialed a number. "I need you to go to Pixar's headquarters in Emeryville and arrange a meeting with Andrew Stanton as soon as possible."

Hanging up, he pulled the script from the drawer and glanced through it. Seeing the character of the Martian princess, he thought of Natalie Portman and dialed her number.

"Hi, Nat, it's Brad. Do you have time today? How about coming to Plan B? I have something to discuss regarding Andrew Stanton's 'John Carter.' Are you interested in the role of the Martian princess? Great, I'll be in the office."

Putting down the phone, Brad Pitt's thoughts became clearer. When it's time to act, one mustn't hesitate!

The impressive opening weekend of "I Am Legend" had many excited, including David Ellison, who had even higher expectations for his collaboration with Matthew.

"What did I say?"

In a mansion, David Ellison told his sister Megan, "Following Matthew's choices is foolproof. It's the safest way to invest in films."

He crossed his legs, "I can already imagine the box office and commercial success of 'Fast & Furious 4' and 'Twilight'!"

Megan Ellison, surprisingly, didn't argue. She simply read the Los Angeles Times in her hand, noting that even the stably-positioned top-tier newspapers praised Matthew Horner.

"In last weekend's North American box office battle, Warner Brothers' 'I Am Legend' grossed a staggering $115.8 million, easily claiming the top spot."

"'I Am Legend' is the highest December opening film in 2007 and one of the best performances by an actor in Hollywood history. Such a high box office has Warner Brothers and Matthew Horner grinning from ear to ear. In the film, Matthew Horner may be the last man on Earth, but in real life, he has countless supporters. The $115.8 million box office is the best proof of that..."

Facing such numbers, Megan Ellison couldn't argue. Though she and David invested in films differently—she in indie films and he in commercial ones—they were both ultimately after commercial success.

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