Chapter 210: Disaster Film Director

In the evening, as the sun set, the blue Mediterranean Sea lapped against the white beach. On the other side of the beach was the Promenade de la Croisette lined with luxurious hotels and various boutique fashion shops. 

During the Cannes Film Festival, the number of tourists increased significantly, perhaps hoping to spot casually dressed celebrities. 

Arthur, dressed casually, strolled along the beach with Christiana Reali, who wore a light summer dress. "How do you like it? Cannes is a great place with mountains and sea. No wonder so many people love vacationing here!"

The long beach, ever-blooming flowers, white buildings, blue sea, and rows of tall green palm trees created a picturesque view of Cannes. It was no wonder it could rival Nice and Monte Carlo as one of the three major tourist centers in Southern Europe.

Christiana, in a loose floral dress that revealed her stunning figure, held Arthur's waist and smiled. "It's really lively during the festival. I've spent so much time in Paris that I've missed out on a lot."

Arthur turned and kissed her. "Don't worry, there's plenty of time. Later, we can even vacation in Brazil. The beaches of Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro and the Fernando de Noronha Islands are great holiday destinations!"

"Really? Since my family moved to France, I haven't visited Brazil much," said Christiana, who was born in São Paulo and was eager to go back.

"Of course, it's no big deal," Arthur said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they continued walking.

"Arthur, look, is there a movie premiere happening over there? There are so many reporters."

In front of a theater, many reporters were snapping photos around the red carpet.

Arthur found it normal. During the film festival, premieres were commonplace. 

As they got closer, they saw it was the premiere of the Hollywood action film Universal Soldier. The two main stars, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, had just had a scuffle on the red carpet, pushing each other around.

Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren were well-known action stars. Ever since Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger popularized muscle-bound action films, there had been a trend for such movies. 

Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis were slightly less famous but still top action stars, with Van Damme, Lundgren, and Steven Seagal ranking just below them.

"It's just a publicity stunt," Arthur said, immediately understanding. Universal Soldier was all about Van Damme and Lundgren's intense fight scenes. Their red carpet scuffle was to attract media attention and promote the movie.

This year, Steven Seagal also had an action film, Under Siege, set to release. The 1990s were indeed the golden age of action films. 

However, Arthur's attention wasn't on Universal Soldier or the action stars Van Damme and Lundgren. He focused on the film's director, Roland Emmerich, a future disaster film master from Germany who was just starting out in Hollywood and not yet 40 years old.

Thinking about Emmerich's future blockbusters like Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012, Arthur saw him as a talented director. Emmerich was one of Hollywood's best in utilizing and mastering special effects.

"It's another production by Carolco Pictures," Arthur remarked, understanding Mario Kassar, Carolco's chairman, and his affinity for sci-fi action films. The distributor was Columbia TriStar, which had a partnership with Carolco.

"Is it the same Hollywood studio that produced Basic Instinct'?" Christiana asked.

Arthur nodded. Mario Kassar had recently secured significant funding from Germany. With sufficient backing, he had conducted a purge at Carolco this year, completely removing the members who had stayed after co-founder Andrew Vajna left a few years ago. Even the current second-in-command, Peter Hoffman, who disagreed with Kassar's lavish spending, had been fired. Carolco was now fully under Kassar's control.

For independent film companies, the North American market was the most important since overseas rights were often sold before filming to raise funds. Carolco, without its own North American distribution, relied on Sony, sacrificing some distribution fees in North America but retaining the international profits.

Carolco invested heavily in films, raised significant funds from abroad, and sold many rights.

Arthur's Galaxy Entertainment was different. To ensure profits, it only sold limited market rights, with most production funds raised through bank loans, maximizing profits upon release. This meant Galaxy couldn't release dozens of films annually like other companies.

Arthur also strictly controlled movie budgets, avoiding blind investments in big stars. The biggest investment Galaxy made was in A Few Good Men with a budget of $35 million, half of which went to pay Tom Cruise and director Rob Reiner. Hiring Sophie Marceau and Anthony Hopkins instead of Demi Moore or Jodie Foster saved several million dollars.

The Bodyguard, with a $32 million budget, mostly covered Kevin Costner's salary. Though Arthur could lower salaries and opt for profit-sharing, for a sure hit like The Bodyguard, no one would choose that model.

Back at the hotel, Christiana Reali received a call from the crew of The Three Colors Trilogy, asking her to come in a few days for an audition.

"Don't worry, it's just a formality," Arthur said, holding her on the sofa.

"Okay," Christiana replied, kissing Arthur. "I'll buy an apartment in Paris soon, so you won't have to stay in hotels when you visit."

Arthur stroked her face. "Come to America when you have time."

"Sure," she said, leaning in to kiss Arthur. 

Arthur responded passionately, quickly pulling off her dress and caressing her smooth, round body.

*****

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