Chapter 477: Steve Jobs in the Film Industry

Late at night, Gibson and several companions left the cinema and walked onto the street. If it weren't for the bright streetlights and the surrounding modern buildings, one might think they had stepped into a strange world.

Before leaving the cinema, they made a large purchase at the concession stand and had put on many of the items they bought.

For example, Gibson was wearing a gray pointed wizard hat, holding an old-fashioned wooden staff, and draped in a gray robe. At first glance, he looked like Gandalf arriving in North America.

His companions weren't much different. Some were holding Legolas's short bow, others were carrying Aragorn's long sword, and the most exaggerated was a girl who wore Arwen's velvet gown…

"It's such a shame."

The girl, named Loki, seemed a bit dissatisfied, complaining to her companions, "The concession stand didn't have any limited edition Lord of the Rings jewelry for sale. I've been saving up my pocket money for a year just to buy a set, but they sold out."

"Loki, you're a rich woman now!" Gibson joked, then said seriously, "That stuff was priced at $3,999!"

"I don't care!" Loki said nonchalantly, "I'd gladly spend all my pocket money on this movie. I don't care if I max out my credit card!"

The group of them started teasing her, and Loki stared at them, saying, "Don't talk about me. Since Lord of the Rings came out, how much have you all spent on merchandise? Has any of you spent less than $3,000?"

Gibson and the others scratched their heads, not speaking. Tonight alone, each of them had spent over $300.

"Let's stop talking about this." Gibson quickened his pace, "After watching Return of the King, I keep thinking about the first two movies. How about we hurry up and go back to watch the DVDs?"

"I agree!" Loki was the first to agree.

Others quickly joined in, and they walked faster and faster, eventually disappearing into the streets of New York.

For many movie fans across the U.S. and even the world, this weekend was an exciting and happy one.

But no matter how long the weekend is, it eventually comes to an end.

The sun once again illuminated the North American West Coast. In a small conference room at Pixar Studios in Emeryville, Steve Jobs finished a glass of water, not looking at Ed Cammell, who was preparing documents beside him. Instead, he picked up a few newspapers in front of him and began flipping through them.

He quickly skimmed through the political and tech sections, finding no noteworthy news. Then he turned to the entertainment section, and as expected, the section was almost completely filled with reports related to Return of the King.

Following his usual habit, Steve Jobs set aside the front-page headline for now and flipped to the later pages to see how the market was reacting. Just like with Apple's products, whether it was computers, media players, or movies, his priority was always the user experience.

Though the user feedback in the papers might not always be truthful, it often revealed some issues.

"Because I watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I now believe that somewhere in this world, at some point in time, there really was a land called Middle-earth. In this land, there were hobbits with deep blue eyes walking barefoot, royal descendants covered in dust riding horses and wielding swords, elven princes with silver hair shooting bows, and white-robed wizards wielding magic. The Shire, Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor, all once truly existed under the sky."

"In 2001, 2002, 2003, three years of anticipation, nearly nine hours of shared joy and sorrow. Every time it seemed like the movie was nearing its end, I feared it would be the true ending! Only when Frodo closed the leather-bound book did I feel that the long-awaited matter had finally come to an end, and a sense of peace filled my heart, yet a deep sense of melancholy emerged."

"I've seen a fan at the cinema after Return of the King, after the movie ended, in front of everyone's astonished gaze, rise and bow deeply to the screen. It wasn't just a movie; it made people believe in everything that happened in it. In this era when dreams are no longer believed, Duke Rosenberg has woven a magnificent dream for us!"

Reading this, Steve Jobs looked up and asked Ed Cammell, "Have you watched Return of the King?"

Ed Cammell, the CEO of Pixar, paused his work, adjusted his glasses, and said, "I saw it on Friday. It's a masterpiece, truly deserving of greatness! Duke Rosenberg's talent in filmmaking is unparalleled!"

He turned to the others, saying, "John and the others watched it twice."

John Lasseter shrugged, "This movie is more than just great; Duke Rosenberg's practical techniques have inspired me. I think some of the techniques he used could be applied in our animation production and be very helpful."

"After watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you can't help but admire Duke Rosenberg," said Andrew Stanton, the director of Pixar's upcoming animated film.

"Disney hasn't gone mad yet. The release date of Finding Nemo is far enough from Return of the King," said John Lasseter with a smile.

"Michael Eisner hasn't been infected by that fool Michael Ovitz," John added, then looked at Steve Jobs and asked, "Steve, has the opening weekend box office come out?"

"It should be out by now," Steve Jobs turned to the front page of the entertainment section, looked at the prominent numbers, and said, "It made $42.11 million on Sunday!"

"$42.11 million!" John Lasseter, a big fan of the series, immediately started calculating, "Friday made $40.35 million, Saturday made $44.21 million, and Sunday made $42.11 million. The opening weekend total for three days is…"

Steve Jobs answered, "$126.67 million! A new North American weekend box office record!"

John Lasseter added, "Including the preview screenings, Return of the King has already grossed over $130 million in North America… actually, it's $133.28 million!"

Ed Cammell and Andrew Stanton exchanged glances and smiled helplessly. Duke Rosenberg's strength in the summer blockbusters was as strong as ever!

Putting down the newspaper, Steve Jobs couldn't help but think about that young director who was always calm. For once, he felt a little bit of admiration. Although due to business reasons, they were unlikely to become friends, Jobs respected all capable people, and without a doubt, the man named Duke Rosenberg was one of the best in his industry.

In fact, Steve Jobs felt that Duke Rosenberg was to the film industry what he was to the computer industry—truly exceptional!

As Brad Bird and others arrived at the meeting room, Pixar's bigwigs were all present, and the meeting began.

"Ed," Jobs said directly, "Tell us about the negotiations with Warner Brothers and Duke Studios."

"I've had four meetings with Tina Faye, Duke Rosenberg's senior assistant, and Warner Brothers' representatives in the past month."

In this energetic and creative company, even a meeting with Steve Jobs wouldn't be too serious. Ed Cammell spoke at a moderate pace, trying to be concise, "I can sense that Duke and Warner are sincere. They really want Pixar to join their system, and the terms they've offered are far better than Disney and Michael Eisner's."

"The specific terms are in the documents in front of you," Ed Cammell sighed lightly, "It's really tempting."

"Disney's side?" Jobs asked again.

"They've made some concessions," Ed Cammell shook his head, "They agreed to give us 30% of the box office revenue."

"I don't want box office revenue!"

Steve Jobs knew very well where the profits for animated films came from. "Are they still unwilling to budge on merchandise?"

"Yes," Ed Cammell replied.

Hearing this, Jobs thought for a moment and said slowly, "Let the negotiations with both sides continue. We're not in a hurry. Pixar has enough capital now, and Pixar can change the Hollywood landscape!"

Pixar still had a contract to fulfill with Walt Disney for an animated feature film, so there was no rush to negotiate. Jobs was still observing. What he wanted was the most beneficial outcome for Pixar and himself, Steve Jobs!

The closed-door meeting continued until the afternoon, and afterward, Steve Jobs left Pixar Studios and flew to Los Angeles to attend a reception hosted by Sony Entertainment.

Before entering the reception, Jobs received another set of data reports from his secretary. Seeing the even more staggering numbers on it, he once again thought about the idea that Duke Rosenberg was truly the Steve Jobs of the film industry.

Jobs, a half-disciple of the late Akio Morita, knew this was the main reason he was invited to the reception.

However, Sony Entertainment clearly didn't invite him for that reason. The representatives from Sony Entertainment soon approached him.

"Steve, are you interested in collaborating with Sony Entertainment?"

The one speaking to Jobs was Michael Ovitz, who had helped Sony acquire Columbia Pictures. He was acting as a broker once again. "Sony is very eager to collaborate with Pixar Studios."

"Sony Entertainment?"

For someone like Jobs, he wouldn't hide his feelings and shook his head directly. "Sony Entertainment is not worthy of Pixar Studios!"

Indeed, Pixar needed a massive media platform to shine, but among the six major Hollywood companies, Sony Entertainment ranked last. For Pixar, who was in high demand now, Sony Entertainment really wasn't worthy!

Michael Ovitz, who knew Jobs well, wasn't bothered and continued, "Steve, I guarantee…"

"Guarantee?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jobs interrupted him, "Do you think your guarantee is trustworthy?"

.....

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