Chapter 206: I’ve Got an Old Colleague

Steve Jobs couldn't have been happier with Dunn's suggestion to buy up Apple stock—it was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was dozing off. Perfect timing. 

And speaking of timing, when luck's on your side, even a sip of cold water feels refreshing!

By August, *Spider-Man* had been in theaters for a full 40 days, racking up $440 million in North America and $620 million overseas—a global haul of $1.06 billion! Just as the media predicted a month ago when it debuted, it became the third film ever to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide, following *Titanic* and *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace*. And the director? 

Dunn—again! 

This superhero flick, which plenty of pros had doubted, etched itself into film history as a textbook commercial blockbuster. Dunn had heard that over the past few weeks, schools like USC's School of Cinematic Arts, the American Film Institute, Columbia University's School of the Arts, Syracuse University, and Chapman University had all launched new research projects around *Spider-Man*. Even NYU's Tisch School of Arts—usually too snooty for Hollywood—coughed up $2 million for a study called *"On the Rhythm and Narrative Flow of Spider-Man-Related Cinema"*. 

Dunn Walker's name wasn't just ringing out in the profit-driven halls of Hollywood anymore. After a string of wins, this commercial director had landed in the textbooks of art schools. That's a miracle in itself! Even the legendary Steven Spielberg only made it into academia with *Schindler's List*, not his popcorn hits like *Jaws*, *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, or *E.T.*.

Back in April, Dunn couldn't catch a break—targeted by the feds, investigated by the FBI, screwed over by Disney and Fox. Even the Cannes Film Festival debated yanking *Girl, Interrupted* from competition, not wanting a "criminal suspect's" work in the mix. But by July, the tide turned. August? It was a lucky streak for the ages.

Beyond *Spider-Man*'s box office domination, Dunn Capital snagged 18.45 million Pixar shares for $1.9 billion, making Dunn the second-biggest shareholder behind Jobs. At Apple's shareholder meeting, they voted him onto the board as an independent director, with over 78% backing Jobs' bold reform and revival plans. *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* kicked off filming in the U.S., scoring at least $15 million in tax rebates thanks to Luc Besson's French connections. Add in nearly $20 million from car, clothing, and cosmetics sponsorships, and the film—nominally a $100 million Dunn Pictures investment—had its real cost slashed to $65 million. That's the perk of big stars and modern blockbuster standards.

But the real cherry on top? Bill Mechanic. He's the one who made Dunn feel like luck was truly on his side. Dunn still had one nagging issue: building a full, independent film distribution arm for Dunn Pictures. Bill Mechanic was like a lifeline. "Dunn, I've got someone to recommend—perfect for the job opening we've got."

At first, Dunn didn't think much of it, chuckling, "Not another one of your old crew, right?"

Bill Mechanic's face flushed, and he waved it off with an awkward grin. "Well… yeah, it is!"

Dunn straightened up. "Bill, I was just kidding. If it's good for the company, you can bring in your whole old squad—I don't care!"

Bill Mechanic nodded calmly, easing into it. "You know how Fox released *Titan A.E.* this summer? Big flick—cost close to $100 million with marketing, but it barely scraped $12 million worldwide. Total disaster. It's already out of North American theaters, and Fox is scrambling to calm the shareholders with a blame game."

Dunn snorted. "Tom Rothman wanted a showdown, huh? That's what he gets for crossing me. Is he stepping down? Hah—serves him right!"

Bill Mechanic sighed, shaking his head. "Tom's not me. He's got his private playbook ready."

"Huh?" Dunn blinked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "*Fight Club* lost $40 million and they canned you—a Fox veteran. *Titan A.E.* bombed so hard they're in the red up to their necks, and Tom Rothman's still sitting pretty?"

"That's the thing," Bill said, a mix of resignation and clarity on his face. "Power games? Guys like him—suits from the admin side—they're pros at it." He'd come to terms with it: when Rothman ousted him, it wasn't unfair. When it came to movies, Bill knew he could hold his own against anyone. But power plays? He had to hand it to Rothman. For *Titan A.E.* to flop that badly and Rothman to still be chilling as 20th Century Fox's chairman and CEO? That took skill.

Dunn picked up on the undertone in Bill's words. "So… Rothman found a fall guy?"

Bill nodded firmly. "Yup."

Dunn took a sharp breath, quietly impressed by Rothman's maneuvering. Good thing his beef with Fox was mostly on the movie front—out in the open, a straight-up fight. Quality films with solid buzz guaranteed market share; no backroom tricks could touch that. That was Dunn's ace in the hole—he never lost there. 

But in the behind-the-scenes stuff? He wasn't so sure, and he'd taken hits before. Take Mattel's classic Barbie doll, for example. Late last month, Mattel announced a deal with Disney to create a "Disney Princess" toy line. They also said they'd launch Mattel Animation Studios to independently develop Barbie cartoons. Translation: they were telling the world they wouldn't team up with Dunn Pictures for a strategic toy IP deal like Hasbro did. They were going solo, taking on Hollywood alone.

To a lot of industry insiders, that was a laughable pipe dream. An outsider breaking into Hollywood without a major player's backing? Good luck. Maybe Mattel's execs thought their Disney deal meant they'd get help from Disney's animation team. If so, they might as well all quit now. 

When Dunn tried to buy into Nickelodeon, Viacom shut it down, scared of letting a tiger loose—even if it meant risking Disney's encroachment. Did Mattel really think Disney wouldn't see them coming? Barbie and Disney Princesses were already rivals, targeting the same crowd. Toy competition was one thing—small potatoes for Disney. But if Mattel dared put Barbie on the big screen to challenge the Disney Princesses? Pure fantasy. Disney never held back when it came to crushing rivals.

Dunn's jab at *The Sixth Sense* star Bruce Willis had snowballed into an all-out war with Disney. If Mattel Animation dared roll out a Barbie movie series, Disney would cut ties instantly and come down hard. Simple logic said Mattel Animation wouldn't get a big film off the ground—maybe some cheap kids' cartoons or TV movies for a children's channel, but nothing with real clout.

Every time Dunn thought about it, he felt bad for Mattel's execs—pitiful, tragic, shortsighted. They had a goldmine IP like Barbie and didn't know how to tap it. Obsessed with the crumbs from Disney Princess toys, they were blind to Barbie's massive potential. What a waste! 

On the flip side, it showed Disney's brass had sharp eyes and slick moves. Just licensing "Disney Princess" to Mattel killed off a dangerous rival's shot at the big screen while smashing Dunn's animation and IP plans in one go. Two birds, one stone—brilliant.

It taught Dunn a lesson: petty tricks wouldn't topple giants like Disney or Fox. They might sting for a minute, but shaking their foundations? No chance. To win this game, he'd need raw power and a bold, open strategy—grabbing market share they couldn't block. It'd take time. Good thing Dunn was young.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dunn refocused on Bill Mechanic. From their quick chat, he'd pieced it together: Rothman had pinned the blame on someone at Fox. And that scapegoat? Bill had his eye on them, wanting to bring them to Dunn Pictures to shine.

*Titan A.E.*'s flop was brutal—whoever took the fall had to be high up at Fox. If not Rothman, at least a VP-level exec. Dunn was curious—who was this talent Bill had in mind?

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