Chapter 119: Bob's Helplessness

[Chapter 119: Bob's Helplessness]

"Hey, boss. So glad to see you!"

Gore and the others had just wrapped up a day of shooting.

The cameramen, prop crew, and actors all came over to greet Charlie.

Even the unnamed head of Lions Gate Studios and staff approached to say hello.

Charlie effortlessly shook hands and bumped fists with everyone.

He gave a brief two to three minute speech, telling the crew members they would receive a share of the merchandise sales revenue.

Everyone cheered excitedly.

Getting a cut of merchandise from a blockbuster like Independence Day -- even just 1% -- was a substantial sum, and it lasted for the life of the license.

Distributors would invest millions, even tens of millions, to allocate funds accordingly.

Charlie's generosity was extreme. No other movie studio would offer such generous terms to the entire production team.

Even under union regulations, most members would only get a few hundred or thousand dollars annually from major projects.

Charlie had to show generosity. The filming schedule for Wrong Turn was tight and the tasks demanding.

He needed to present this as a goodwill gesture to build a great reputation for Corleone Entertainment Group in the industry. Whether it was a long-term investment or other reasons, this benefitted the company's growth.

Of course, this all depended on Wrong Turn's success and the profit-sharing wouldn't be excessive.

Charlie was an excellent boss and knew he had to cheer his team on and pay them well.

Exhausted but hopeful about the future, everyone took a brief rest before heading off to their personal lives.

They kept work and life well separated.

Charlie didn't waste time planning a group dinner that would have held them back.

After the employees left, the startup team kept busy.

...

After painting a big picture for Gore, Charlie told him he'd join the post-editing that night but told Kevin, Gore, and the others to rest and eat first.

He then took a car with Jason and Bob to dine in downtown Park City.

Jason introduced Charlie to some local officials and business members.

They discussed Wrong Turn.

At the table, several people flattered Charlie, praising how successful and young he was.

They also courteously talked about strengthening cooperation and other goodwill topics.

Though Charlie disliked such socializing, he was unbothered and easily handled it with humor and polite, practiced pleasantries.

When you reach a certain level, a big boss becomes a mascot, spending days giving empty encouragements and managing social connections to expand the market.

These tasks bored him, even if there was some fun.

But there was no choice -- it had to be done.

Thankfully, the small talk didn't take too long. After dinner, Jason and the others left.

Charlie specifically stayed behind with Bob for the serious talk.

...

Semi-reclined on the restaurant sofa, Rachel tidied up his clothes while Charlie, in a big boss demeanor, smiled and looked at Bob, "Buddy, now you've got some free time, tell me why you came here?"

Bob glanced enviously and resentfully at the obedient Rachel.

She was kinder looking and a bit comical when smiling but with squinted eyes, she resembled a sly old fox.

"Haha, Charlie. Didn't you know? Your horror theme park plan, boosted by Wrong Turn's hot promotion, has attracted a lot of attention. I'm here with a local Park City company preparing to take on design and management of the park, to discuss cooperation."

"Oh really? That has nothing to do with me. Corleone Copyright Management only handles licensing and holds a symbolic 4% park share, with no involvement in the company's operations," Charlie played dumb.

Rachel, leaned on him with interest, listened quietly.

Jill Messick by Bob's side snorted but watched silently.

Bob shrugged helplessly, knowing this little guy was tough and decided to get straight to the point.

"You must understand, Miramax doesn't have the resources or capability for this. I represent Disney in these talks."

Charlie's expression didn't change, staying silent.

Bob continued with a concerned tone, "Listen Charlie, this is bad news for us. Disney has extensive theme park operations, part of the huge industrial ecosystem. They won't let a small film company control these brand operations and resources!"

"So?" Charlie crossed his legs, wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulder, and suddenly laughed like a cocky gang leader.

"Stop joking, Bob. Have you lost your mind? Look at Park City's environment. Even in the best season, the average temps are just about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This is Canada. Although the metropolitan area of Calgary is one of the largest cities in the world, its population is only about one million! Traffic and infrastructure isn't great either. Most Americans think Canada is just a small rural appendage. You must be crazy to open a large amusement park here!"

Bob's face darkened.

This guy was as arrogant and rude as Harvey.

But he knew this place wasn't suitable for big parks or tourism ventures.

Yet somehow, they intended to do just that. Why?

Before Bob could ask, Charlie smirked, "Jason isn't stupid, the Trumm family isn't, and so aren't Park City businessmen. We never planned a true large-scale theme park. For this small town, even a weak yet interesting horror brand is enough. If it can attract just tens of thousands of tourists or film crews annually, the brand grows stronger. The resource owner of Horror City can create endless profits!"

So that was their plan! Loud promotional claims but only a modest success needed.

This shameless deception was clearly Charlie's idea.

Bob, after several days here, finally understood everything and felt unsure how to respond.

Charlie took the offensive, "Disney's top brass knows theme park projects well. Those big companies wouldn't have missed the huge profits or Wrong Turn's box office success to come seek cooperation. Unless someone with deep Disney ties and influence lures them in with flattery.

I guess Harvey pulled that off!"

Bob chuckled awkwardly.

He handled the practical work and wasn't as smooth-faced as his brother.

That guy really had the charm of a big boss during work.

Rachel looked up and smiled at Charlie, thinking of his actions on set and now.

She glanced at the stunned Bob, shaking her head slightly and quietly blaming him for not challenging Charlie more.

*****

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