Chapter 131: Applying Pressure

In the meeting room, Paul Greengrass sat with a serious expression, staring silently at the painting on the opposite wall. The first-week box office of $4.1 million was an absolute disaster compared to the publicly announced $25 million production cost by the production company Sand Sea Films.

Even if the actual production cost didn't reach $25 million, given the current situation of "Agent Ace," it was still a failure.

Would he have to go back to the UK after such a disastrous Hollywood debut?

Going back now would make it even harder to re-enter Hollywood.

Perhaps he might never be able to come back.

There might never be another action film with a budget of over ten million dollars for him to direct; he'd be stuck in the British independent film scene.

Paul Greengrass swallowed hard; although he had anticipated that the film might not perform well at the box office, this number shattered his illusions.

The bullet-like pace, the sharp editing, the innovative action scenes - supported wholeheartedly by the producer Ronan Anderson - had created a spy film unlike traditional action movies. Paul Greengrass had thought it would bring audiences a fresh excitement, but it turned out he had overestimated.

Was innovation really that difficult? Was Hollywood really so resistant to innovation? And this wasn't even a revolutionary innovation; it simply incorporated some personal style into the existing action movie formula.

Paul Greengrass was a rather pure director, feeling a bit ashamed at this moment: he had let down Ronan Anderson's full support.

In Hollywood, where producers held the reins, most directors were simply overall commanders on set. But Ronan Anderson, this producer, had almost given him the greatest authority a director could have, with little input even during post-production editing. This film was essentially completed according to his vision.

Forget about Hollywood, it would be difficult to find such a producer in the UK as well.

Dean glanced at the silent Paul Greengrass and said softly, "Paul, it's okay. Trust me, there will be another chance."

Paul Greengrass smiled at Dean, adding a touch of bitterness to his otherwise very artistic demeanor.

Having barely entered Hollywood at almost fifty years old, Paul Greengrass cherished the opportunity even more.

"In fact, it's my fault," Dean demonstrated the professional ethics of an excellent producer, taking the blame initiative, "I should have advised you to turn down Ronan Anderson's project back then. The Arab male lead wasn't reliable from the start. I was too anxious and let the immediate opportunity blind my judgment."

Paul Greengrass shook his head, "Dean, it's not your fault." He sighed, then added, "It's not Ronan Anderson's fault either. It's mine."

"I told you, the crew and Ronan Anderson, as well as his backing company, Sand Sea Entertainment, gave me the greatest support. I almost had the same creative freedom on set as top Hollywood directors. Such creative freedom, not to mention in Hollywood, is also very rare in the UK."

Paul Greengrass slapped his thigh, "But I messed up."

Dean didn't know what to say for a moment because he saw very clearly the extent of Ronan Anderson's support for Paul Greengrass, and neither could he fault it.

He had also seen the finished film, and what Paul Greengrass had accomplished was quite good, but there were ten thousand reasons why, in the eyes of the production and distribution side, it didn't compare to box office failure.

Ronan Anderson had high hopes for Paul Greengrass before this failure; would this failure change everything? In Dean's inherent impression, among the production companies, directors who had box office failures were not even as good as wild chickens in the mountains.

Who in the business didn't seek profit?

As William Morris's junior agent, with only Paul Greengrass as his prime director client, he didn't want to give up easily.

The door of the meeting room was opened from the outside, and Dean and Paul Greengrass turned to see Ronan walking in.

"Good morning," Ronan greeted the two, "Sorry to keep you waiting; I was just in a meeting."

Dean observed Ronan deliberately, but couldn't discern any signs of discontent or anger on the young man's face. He quickly smiled and said, "It's okay, managing two companies must keep you busy."

Ronan sat down on a couch, saying, "Just got all the statistics for 'Agent Ace,' need to process them. Took a bit longer."

Paul Greengrass couldn't help but feel a twitch in his eyelids; this film's box office failure was, in his opinion, his main responsibility.

Dean tentatively asked, "About this film..."

"I've already halted all plans related to 'Agent Ace,'" Ronan's words sounded genuine, "The company won't invest any more in promotion and distribution. Right now, the most urgent thing is to cut losses."

Dean didn't want to give up this line of connection yet, saying, "Wherever I can help, just let me know."

Ronan gave a slightly disappointed smile, "I can handle it over here." He rubbed his temples, "Just not sure how to explain to the investors; it's going to be very difficult to raise funds again from Abu Dhabi."

Dean and Paul Greengrass didn't know the full story, thinking Ronan was under tremendous pressure.

A loss of over twenty million dollars, and it was still uncertain how much of the investment could be recouped in the end; no one would feel good about it.

After hearing Ronan's words, Paul Greengrass opened his mouth, then hesitated before finally saying, "Sorry, Mr. Anderson, it's my fault for not doing my job well."

Ronan shook his head, "It's all of our faults." His gaze quickly swept over Dean and Paul Greengrass, then he looked at his wristwatch, stood up, and said, "Sorry, gentlemen, I have a call with Abu Dhabi in ten minutes. We'll talk more later."

Dean understood immediately; Ronan was about to face the investors' complaints. "We won't disturb you," he said sincerely, "Ronan, if you need anything, just give me a call."

"How much 'The Blair Witch' can earn, William Morris has made a rough estimate," Dean said, "This 'Agent Ace' failure won't put Sand Sea Entertainment and Embassy Films in a difficult position. Besides, there's still 'The Grim Reaper' coming up, which both the media and theater chains are optimistic about. Ronan Anderson has enough room to maneuver."

A producer wasn't a director; as long as he could raise funds, planning new film projects wasn't a problem at all.

Dean didn't want to cut off this line just yet.

Dean and Paul Greengrass shook hands with Ronan before leaving. Before leaving Embassy Films, Dean turned back and looked at the worried expression on Ronan Anderson's face as he left the meeting room.

Outside Embassy Films, Dean said to Paul Greengrass, "Don't accept any media interviews for now; take some time off."

Inside Embassy Films, Ronan walked into Robert's office.

"Is it settled?" Robert asked.

Ronan pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "I've sent Dean and Paul-Green Grass away."

Robert curiously asked, "Why not discuss cooperation directly? I reckon Dean and Paul-Green Grass wouldn't refuse."

"It's not the right time," Ronan explained simply. "The film just suffered a setback at the box office. If we rush to negotiate, Dean might notice something is wrong, leading to unexpected complications. Agents are sensitive to these things. We need to cool them off for a while. With the current box office performance of 'Ace Agent,' Paul-Green Grass won't find suitable work in the short term. Dragging it out a bit longer will work in our favor."

He smiled, "I want to sign a three-part director contract with Paul-Green Grass. We must first suppress them. With the failure of this film looming over us, the pressure will only increase day by day."

Robert understood, saying, "As long as we can sign the trilogy director contract, even if the first part is successful in the future, we'll have to give the director a raise, but the initiative will still be in our hands."

"Exactly," Ronan could imagine. When 'Spy Heavy' succeeds continuously, how much will we have to pay Paul-Green Grass? It might even involve backend profits.

As long as we can use this contract to lower it by ten percent, it might be worth several million dollars.

Apart from admiring, Robert didn't know what to say.

"You can profit from failed films," Robert sighed, "Ronan, you're born for this line of work."

Ronan raised his eyebrows, "That doesn't sound quite right."

Robert laughed, "It's a compliment, really."

Ronan sighed, "Who wants to fail when they can succeed? I also hoped 'Ace Agent' would be a box office hit. But since we received the investment from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, today's result was inevitable."

When dealing with institutions like Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Ronan still took his contracts seriously. If we agreed to an Arab protagonist, then an Arab protagonist it would be.

The losses weren't just his money; he could also deduct a reasonable amount from the film's revenue.

"Is everything okay with Abu Dhabi?" Robert asked with concern.

Ronan said, "No problem. I communicated with Saleh yesterday. Movies are also a form of investment. There are times of success and times of failure. And they received the samples we sent over. Mansur and other senior officials at the Investment Authority are satisfied with the plot and effects of the film."

As long as these Arab tycoons holding huge sums of money and power think the film is good, the losses aren't really a big deal. After all, the film portrayed an extremely positive image of an Arab protagonist.

Moreover, the party leader Saleh has always regarded Ronan as a "brother of the Arabs," speaking highly of him.

Ronan then asked, "How is the premiere preparation going?"

"It's almost done," Robert said. "All the materials are ready, and the media has been contacted. We're just waiting for the theater to free up the space for setting up the venue."

Ronan asked again, "What about the guests?"

"We sent invitations to many celebrities and talent agencies according to your plan, but there's been little response," Robert replied.

This answer wasn't surprising to Ronan. How easy is it to invite A-list celebrities?

With "The Grim Reaper" still two weeks away from release, the pre-release publicity was at a critical stage.