Chapter 669: The Only Chance

Mr. Chow's restaurant, located in the luxurious area of Beverly Hills, is a frequent haunt for Hollywood celebrities. It's not that the food is particularly outstanding, but the restaurant strictly prohibits journalists and any form of photography, creating a seemingly private space that Hollywood stars favor.

Any cuisine that seeks widespread popularity overseas must undergo some modifications, and Mr. Chow's is no exception. The Chinese food they offer, in Murphy's eyes, is a fusion, having been Westernized and served in a typical Western style.

Murphy and his companions sat around a circular table, chatting as they ate.

"How's the project with Netflix going?" Robert Downey Jr. asked Murphy after swallowing a bite of beef. "Is the filming complete?"

"I'm not sure about the specifics." Since the Oscars, Murphy had devoted all his energy to "Dark City." "You'd better ask Gail about that."

Gail Gadot, who also served as a producer on "House of Cards," ended her whispering with Margot Robbie and said, "They're still filming. Paul Wilson took the crew to Washington for location shoots. We expect to finish shooting the first season by the end of the year, and Netflix plans to release the series next fall."

"On Netflix's website?" James Franco asked curiously. "Not through TV channels?"

Gadot, who handled the communication with Netflix, nodded. "The premiere will definitely be on Netflix. We'll see about other platforms later."

If the series became a hit, selling its broadcasting rights to other networks wouldn't be an issue. If the response was poor, it would be hard for Stanton Studio and Netflix to push "House of Cards" onto television.

"By the way," Margot Robbie asked out of curiosity, "who did the crew finally choose as the female lead?"

"Robin Wright," Gadot replied, seeing Robbie's puzzled look, and added, "the actress who played the female lead in 'Forrest Gump'."

Robbie nodded in understanding. "Oh, Forrest Gump's girlfriend."

The atmosphere at dinner was pleasant, with everyone talking about mutual interests, especially Hollywood gossip.

"Have you heard?" Robbie said mysteriously. "Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis broke up because of a third party."

"A third party?" Franco, well-informed, asked, "You mean Amber Heard?"

"Isn't Amber Heard a lesbian?" Gadot asked, surprised.

Robbie shrugged. "Maybe she's bisexual."

She took a sip of water and continued, "Anyway, Johnny Depp is utterly infatuated with Amber Heard. Rumor has it he's planning to propose, but Heard has always kept some distance from Depp."

Downey Jr. rubbed his chin. "A young lesbian woman interested in a notorious older man…"

"Maybe she's fishing for a big catch," Murphy speculated. "Hooking Johnny Depp."

"You people," Gadot shook her head, "why can't it be because of love?"

Despite her words, even Gadot didn't believe what she said.

"Alright, enough about that." Franco shifted the topic and asked Murphy, "Are you interested in Sony Columbia Pictures?"

"It's something I'm considering," Murphy admitted. "Just an initial thought."

Downey Jr. pondered for a moment and said, "Sony Columbia Pictures hasn't been doing well in recent years."

"They've been at the bottom of the Big Six for years," Gadot added. "But things are improving this year. 'The Amazing Spider-Man' just came out in July."

Murphy hadn't paid attention to this and asked, "How's the box office?"

"It's alright," Robbie answered first. "It made over $62 million in its opening weekend in North America and has grossed over $200 million domestically and over $500 million worldwide."

Franco shook his head. "Pretty mediocre, considering it's Spider-Man."

It was clear that Sony Columbia Pictures had overexploited Spider-Man, leading to underwhelming performance compared to the original Spider-Man trilogy.

"The worse 'The Amazing Spider-Man' performs…" Downey Jr. observed, "the more likely Sony Entertainment will sell Columbia Pictures."

Murphy sighed. "Even if Sony Entertainment wants to sell Columbia Pictures, it would require a huge sum of money."

The rights to Spider-Man and the James Bond series alone would require a significant amount of capital. Although Murphy was wealthy, acquiring a company the size of Sony Columbia Pictures wasn't easy.

Furthermore, it was uncertain whether Sony Entertainment would want to divest Columbia Pictures.

The others understood this reality and knew they couldn't help much in this area. Compared to Murphy, their assets were far smaller.

Murphy also knew that while people like Downey Jr. and Franco had substantial incomes, most of their wealth was tied up in real estate and stocks, not in cash. Moreover, their high income came with high expenses.

For instance, Downey Jr.'s private life, like many Hollywood stars, was extremely lavish. His monthly expenses would shock many B-list stars.

Murphy knew that his friend spent about $20,000 a month on alcohol alone. His nine properties required $45 million for full renovations. His private yacht's purchase and renovation cost $13 million.

As a superstar, Downey Jr.'s luxurious lifestyle didn't stop there—he only flew on private jets, which added $200,000 a month in maintenance. His 24/7 security team cost $150,000 a month. He was also an avid collector of Hollywood memorabilia, art, jewelry, and guitars, owning over 200 art pieces worth millions, including works by Andy Warhol. He even collected memorabilia from stars like Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando, worth millions and requiring 12 warehouses for storage, costing over a million in storage fees.

Apart from these fixed expenses, Downey Jr. occasionally spent money on social events. A few years ago, he spent $2 million to fulfill a childhood friend's will by launching his ashes into the sky with a cannon…

Murphy and Gadot together spent about $200,000 to $300,000 a month, while Downey Jr.'s private expenses reached around $1 million monthly.

Of course, given Downey Jr.'s income level, these expenses weren't particularly high and were even less than what stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, and Brad Pitt spent.

Dinner wrapped up around 9 PM. Murphy returned to Wave Manor and instructed Gadot to keep a close eye on Sony Columbia Pictures. If he remembered correctly, "The Amazing Spider-Man" had improved Columbia's performance slightly, but the second installment was a disaster, leading to the series' cancellation.

Perhaps there would be an opportunity then?

In the current Hollywood landscape, starting a company and growing it to the scale of the Big Six was unrealistic. The best strategy was to acquire one of the existing major studios, like Sony Entertainment and Viacom had done.

Murphy saw clearly that after several years of relative success in the early 2000s, the overexploitation of franchises like Spider-Man had left Sony Columbia Pictures as the only chance for him and Stanton Studio.

Leaving this matter to Gadot, Murphy refocused on filming. In late September, news came from 20th Century Fox that "Diego Ross" had officially ended its run in North American and overseas markets. Leveraging its Oscar buzz, the film had grossed $132.78 million domestically after nearly ten months.

Including international earnings, the film's global total reached $285.65 million!

By any measure, "Diego Ross" was an exceptionally successful film. While Fox had yet to send over the financial statements, substantial profits for Stanton Studio were assured.

Meanwhile, filming on "Dark City" continued, with Margot Robbie joining the cast. Her role was shrouded in mystery, but Robbie's performance was excellent, especially in scenes with Henry Cavill.

Seeing Robbie's improving performance, Murphy decided to move up the schedule for some challenging scenes, including direct confrontations between Jay Rachel and the Magician.

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