Chapter 136: Crowned Box Office Champion Again

"The first weekend of December saw the release of two large-scale films in North America, and market enthusiasm remained at a high level. Produced by Shāhǎi Yúlè and distributed by Embassy Pictures, 'Death Comes' was unaffected by the failure of another film, 'Ace Agent,' which the two companies had collaborated on previously. It debuted in nearly 2,600 theaters over the opening weekend, raking in $28.69 million in its first three days, surpassing the $27.20 million earned by 'Toy Story 2' and firmly securing the weekend box office crown."

In the office, Eduardo Sanchez put down the newspaper and looked at his partner, Daniel Maylick. "Ronan Anderson's new film didn't fail?"

Daniel Maylick's face soured a bit as he replied, "No, it didn't."

Eduardo Sanchez opened his mouth, suddenly unsure of what to say. Everything he thought of seemed like he was going to smack Daniel Maylick in the face.

Daniel Maylick took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, feeling a surge of emotion that made him want to cry. He hadn't succeeded in thirty years, so why could Ronan Anderson do it so easily?

He had just read the newspaper. Not only did "Death Comes" rake in $28.69 million in its opening weekend, but the failed "Ace Agent" had accumulated $8 million in North America by now, with additional revenue from other sources still to come. It wasn't as much of a disaster as he thought.

Did he want to see Ronan Anderson go bankrupt? It was unlikely in the short term.

Daniel Maylick realized something. Ronan Anderson really had the ability! The success of "The Blair Witch Project"...

He shook his head quickly, refusing to dwell on it further. The success template of "The Blair Witch Project" was already laid out before him, backed by major companies like DreamWorks. The sequel was sure to be even more successful.

If the sequel succeeded, he could prove himself to those who looked down on him!

"Eduardo!" Daniel Maylick called out. "Put down the newspaper and get back to work!"

At the Beverly Hills Century City Intercontinental Hotel, the Abu Dhabi Investment Bureau had rented an entire floor as the office for its Los Angeles branch.

On Monday morning, Sameer met Aziz, who had just rushed over from Abu Dhabi.

"Your last report said Ronan Anderson's movie failed?" Aziz, representing Mansour's interests in full, was naturally a level above Sameer, and he asked, "Will it affect our plans?"

Sameer replied, "The North American box office for 'Ace Agent' failed. So far, the North American box office is only $8 million, far below the investment, and its influence is minimal."

Aziz frowned. "Eight million dollars? I remember the Investment Bureau gave Ronan Anderson $25 million."

"This $8 million isn't the revenue of Shāhǎi Yúlè. At least half of it will go to the theater chains." Since Sameer came to Los Angeles, he had learned some relevant information. "There are also revenues from overseas box office and home entertainment, but I've seen forecasts from multiple authoritative institutions, and this film won't recoup its investment."

Aziz thought of Mansour's words and said, "Commercial investments always have failures. What the Minister wants to know is whether this failure will have a big impact on Shāhǎi Yúlè and Ronan Anderson."

Sameer thought for a moment and said, "There were some unfavorable effects recently, but after the release of 'Death Comes,' all the unfavorable effects were offset by its success."

Aziz had just arrived in Los Angeles and didn't know the specific situation. He asked, "Can you elaborate?"

"'Death Comes' just premiered last weekend," Sameer could only speak based on the surface information he knew. "It earned $28.69 million in just three days, won the North American box office crown, which means in just three days, the film has almost recouped its production costs."

He added, "This year, Ronan Anderson released three films: 'The Blair Witch Project,' 'Ace Agent,' and 'Death Comes.' So far, it's certain that 'Ace Agent' has failed, while 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Death Comes' have been hugely successful."

Aziz said, "When I was in my country, I also saw reports about 'The Blair Witch Project.' They all said it was a miracle."

Sameer looked a bit envious. "Ronan Anderson bought 'The Blair Witch Project' for less than $100,000, and its revenue in North America alone exceeded $100 million!"

"$100,000 to $100 million?" Aziz's face twitched.

Sameer was still a novice, and he hadn't reached the level of understanding the inside story, so he said, "Yes!"

Aziz couldn't help but say, "Much higher profit margins than selling oil. Compared to him, our means of making money seem too primitive!"

Sameer continued, "This morning, I read a report in the Los Angeles Times predicting that 'Death Comes' also has a chance to surpass $100 million in the North American box office."

Aziz said, "I remember the budget for this movie was $15 million." Aziz felt a bit of a headache. "Hollywood movies make so much money?"

Sameer said seriously, "I'm not sure about others, but based on my observations over the past year, Ronan Anderson is very capable in managing movies. The failure of 'Ace Agent' is not a big loss, but successful films can earn ten times or even a hundred times more!"

Aziz nodded repeatedly, considering how to report to Mansour.

Sameer continued, "Even if we don't consider the factors of publicity and influence, just in terms of profitability, Ronan Anderson and his film company are worthy of our attention! This man is of great value!"

"I understand." Aziz said, "I came to Los Angeles this time to investigate Ronan Anderson and Shāhǎi Yúlè."

Sameer reminded, "It's not just Shāhǎi Yúlè, but also Embassy Pictures, the distribution company Ronan Anderson acquired this year. Hollywood distribution is very crucial. Without a distribution company, a mere production company can't grow strong."

Aziz asked, "Do you have detailed information about Embassy Pictures?"

Although Abu Dhabi was relatively open-minded, the situation in Los Angeles was not very well understood from the Middle East.

"I've collected some. I'll give it to you later." Sameer reminded again, "If we're going to acquire it, we must keep Ronan Anderson. Based on the various information I've collected, Ronan Anderson is the key to this series of successes. Without Ronan Anderson, our plan is meaningless."

Aziz considered Sameer's words carefully.

Compared to Prince Saleh before, Sameer was undoubtedly a more practical person: "Even if we can break into Hollywood, we are very unfamiliar with the film and television industry. We need suitable people to manage the company. But Jews have a huge influence in Hollywood and are very opposed to us. We need someone to stand at the forefront. Ronan Anderson is one of the few Arab friends in Hollywood. No one is more suitable than him."

"Is it appropriate?" Aziz had doubts. "After all, it's Ronan Anderson's company. Will he overshadow us?"

Sameer was confident. "As long as we can acquire absolute controlling rights, these won't be issues."

"I'll report to the Minister," Aziz said.

Sameer asked, "When do you plan to contact Ronan Anderson?"

Aziz replied, "Not for now. We want to gather information first. Let's talk about it in January next year."

After the box office success of "Death Comes" was announced, both Shāhǎi Yúlè and Embassy Pictures breathed a sigh of relief.

"If 'Ace Agent' had failed after 'Death Comes,' it would have been a fatal blow to the company, which had just started to gain momentum."

Over the phone, Ronan said to Carmen-Katja in Europe, "Otherwise, I might have gone bankrupt."

Carmen-Katja, also involved in commercial investments, understood some of the business aspects and asked, "I remember you mentioned before that these two movies were financed. Isn't it the investors who lose if they fail?"

Ronan, without any embarrassment, chuckled and said, "But the marketing and distribution costs were borrowed from the bank using the revenue from 'The Blair Witch Project' as collateral."

"Using financing to solve funding issues is a good idea," Carmen-Katja said over the phone. "Ronan, you've given me some inspiration."

Ronan immediately asked, "Are you also planning to raise funds?"

Carmen-Katja didn't deny it and said, "I have plans. My reputation in Estonia is rising rapidly, so financing shouldn't be too difficult."

Ronan reminded her, "Pay attention to the legal boundaries."

He didn't want to see the future richest woman in Estonia end up in jail because of his influence.

Carmen-Katja said, "I know. I won't do anything illegal. I won't sacrifice the future for a little immediate benefit."

"That's good," Ronan changed the subject. "I'll come to Europe next year, and I'll look for you then."

Carmen-Katja smiled and said, "Sure, I'll be waiting for you."

The success of "Death Comes" at the North American box office paved the way for a series of plans, with the first priority being the sequels to the "Bourne" and "Purge" franchises.

The primary concern for both was resolving the directorial issues as soon as possible.

Regarding the sequel to "The Purge," Andrew, the production manager hired by Shāhǎi Yúlè, was in preliminary negotiations with Edward, James Huang's agent.

Since Edward postponed negotiations until after the release of "Death Comes," the two sides had not yet reached an agreement on James Huang's salary.

As for the "Bourne" series, Tony Gilroy's writing team had already produced some script drafts. Although there were parts that Ronan wasn't entirely satisfied with, after a writers' meeting, they were tasked with continuing to revise and create. They aimed to have a preliminary draft of the script completed after the new year.

Then, there was the matter of director Paul Greengrass. After a cooling-off period, Ronan planned to contact them again.