chapter 119. Part 2.

Last Time on Chapter 119.2 –

This zeal of his was empowered by a feeling.. after seeing the Killing Joke and talking with Marc. He felt like he owed it to the man that everyone who read his review at least knew what this film is about and gave it an honest chance without being misled by the other paid critics and greedy reporters.

Now Continuing –

After his talk with Roger Ebert, he felt like he was on cloud nine, he had done it. Even if it was only a semi original, the Killing Joke had earned its place in the hearts and minds of its audience. And even though he had played it off as a big gamble on whether he would be profitable or not, he had already done his homework.

Their market research had shown that a huge chunk of his fan base was in the 18 to 35 age group. It's because with him, his fans had also grown up, and now they were young adults who could even watch an R rated movie.

This was the benefit for starting early, by doing so he got to impress and make a fan base out of a huge number of people in their teens or early twenties. It is the point in time where their minds are the most impressionable and malleable.

The brand of Marc Spector and Eidolon was slowly coming together; he had seen its effect in the Box Office numbers of Knives Out last year. It had surpassed even his wildest expectations, and this time he even had a skill to boost the word of mouth effect of his film.

He was certain that his film would do good, he just didn't know how much. Was it gonna go beyond 500 million? 750? He had no clue, and he was fine with that, as his focus was completely on finishing Beauty and the Beast. And he had yet to decide on which character he'll be voice acting as..

'Hmm, maybe I should just let Jess decide on which character she would like to see me as.' He thought to himself and soon came up with a solution for his dilemma.

'I just hope she doesn't pick Gaston, that womanizing bastard who already had a harem of women vying for him, but he ignored them to go after belle.'

'Wait a minute.. I don't think I can speak on it. After all, I'm trying to have a harem myself.. welp at least I take care of mine.'

"Mark!" He heard a voice call out to him, he heard it before.

When he turned around, he saw that it was Ron Meyer, the CEO of Universal, alongside a woman who was probably his assistant, as she looked too young to be his date. If he remembered correctly, the man was already married.

He extended for a shake and cordially greeted him, "Hey Ron! Did you like the film? I hope it wasn't too scary."

"It was great, I still have goosebumps. This is my secretary, Susan Levin." He said with a smile for once, as he had been having an easier time at Universal after swinging that deal with Marc.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, sir!" the cute woman said, who seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties.

"The pleasure is all mine. I hope you liked my film, be honest.. How would you rate it?" He asked, wanting to test her.

"9.8." She said after thinking for a few seconds.

"Where did I miss?" He asked, intrigued, she didn't pander to him by giving him a full score.

"It's just a.. personal bias." She was hesitant to answer.

"You can speak freely, I promise I won't be offended." He replied sincerely wanting to hear her speak her mind.

She seemed to look at Ron for permission who gave an encouraging nod, she gathered her courage and spoke up. 

"Sir, I'm a big fan of DC Comics, so I could tell at first glance which characters had been inspired from whom. I just wanted them to be using the names of their original characters."

"I know you don't have the rights, nor will Warner ever agree to film like this. It's just me being nitpicky."

"If it wasn't for that, I would've given it a full score. It's the best movie I've ever seen, and I can promise you that I'll be going to watch it on repeat with friends." She said at the end with a blush.

"Thank you for the support. I appreciate it." Mark said with an eye smile, after which he turned to Ron and his gaze as it was time for business.

"So, Ron, shall we talk business?" He asked as he gestured for them to head somewhere else to talk in private.

"Sure, I wanted to ask you about how we are going to handle the Advertising and release of this film."

"Great, over here." He said as he led the two towards a private booth.

"So, where do you guys wanna start?" He asked after they had all sat down.

"Well, I got a memo from your side that you'll be putting in 20 million dollars for advertising?" He asked for confirmation as putting in such big amount for an R rated movie was unheard of.

"Yeah, that's 10 for domestic and 10 for international." He replied with a nod.

"Marc, I would advise against investing so heavily in advertising as this is an R rated movie. But it's your money.." Ron tried to say, but he fell silent, after seeing Marc's stare.

"I'm sure about my decision, just get it done, Ron." He said forcefully in reply.

"Moving on, what's next?"

"Sir, we need to decide on a release date for your movie." Susan said, wanting to take Marc's mind off of her boss and cool his temper from his offhanded comment.

Mark looked thoughtful at her comment and then said, "Hmm, do you have a list of release dates of films from Disney and Warner.. Preferably with their budget included."

"I don—" Ron began to say, but Susan saved him from embarrassment.

"Of course, we came prepared." She said as she took a file from her handbag and got up to hand it over to Mark.

"Thank you." He replied politely and opened the file to see the movies release dates, their budget, major casts, age ratings and some even had audience ratings from the test/press screenings.

The attention to detail and the way she had organized the information impressed him, and he couldn't help but praise her as he went over the file.

"This is really great work Susan, did you make this your—"

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List of movies releases planned by The Walt Disney Company this year —

1. Rocketeer –

Total Budget: $40 million; Production budget: $35 million, Advertising budget: $5 million. Age Rating: PG, Release Date: June 21st, 1991. 

STARRING — Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton and Tiny Ron Taylor.

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"This is perfect, I can target this movie with the killing joke." Mark muttered under his breath as he read along.

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2. White Fang –

Total Budget: $14 million; Production budget: $12.5 million, Advertising budget: $1.5 million. Age rating: PG, Release Date: January 18th, 1991 (already released). Latest box office: $28.3 million.

STARRING — Ethan Hawke, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Seymour Cassel and Jed the Wolfdog.

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"Aww, I missed the chance to screw Disney on this, I was way too busy filming and completing the edits." He lamented at the missed opportunity but moved on.

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3. Father of the Bride –

Total Budget: $20+ million; Production budget: $20 million, Advertising budget: N/A. Age rating: PG, Release Date: In late November to December, 1991. 

STARRING — Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

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"This one will be stomped by Home Alone."

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4. The Beauty and the Beast –

Total Budget: $30+ million; Production budget: $30 million, Advertising budget: N/A. Age rating: G, Release Date: In October to November, 1991.

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"Hmph, they dare to just add a ''the in the front and make a film that's a copy of mine. But I was the one who actually copied from them, so who's the real thief? But I'll give this to the tyrant, he really does have some balls, it's a shame I'm gonna have to rip them off."

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5. What About Bob? —

Total Budget: $39+ million; Production budget: $34.5 million, Advertising budget: N/A. Age rating: PG-13, Release Date: May 17th, 1991.

STARRING — Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss.

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'Damn, another high budget movie from Disney, I really need to target this. Hmm, if I want to cause the most damage, then I should place the release date of the killing joke right in the middle of Rocketeer and this film.'

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6. Shipwrecked –

Total Budget: $40 million; Production budget: $35 million, Advertising budget: $5 million. Age rating: G, release date March 1st, 1991 (already released). Latest box office: $9.1 million.

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After reading the list of Disney movies, he already had a rough idea of when he wanted to release his movies. But he decided to read Warner's section as well because he wanted to make sure that his films drove away business not just from Disney but also from Warner as well. 

He knew it in his gut that those bastards at Warner would be coming after him and sue him for either the rights to The Killing joke or the share in the profits from the box office. Neither of which he was willing to give up.

List of movie releases planned by Warner Bros. Inc this year —

1. Hamlet –

Total Budget: $15 million; Production budget: $14.5 million, Advertising budget: $0.5 million. Age Rating: PG, Release Date: January 18th, 1991. (already released). Latest box office: $21.3 million.

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"Missed it." He grumbled under his breath.

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2. The Never Ending Story II: The Next Chapter –

Total Budget: $35 million; Production budget: $32.5 million, Advertising budget: $2.5 million. Age Rating: PG-13, Release Date: February 8th, 1991 (already released). Latest box office: $11.3 million.

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"Missed again, thankfully it bombed anyways." He said with a grin.

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3. New Jack City –

Total Budget: $8 million; Production budget: $7 million, Advertising budget: $1 million. Age Rating: PG-13, Release Date: March 8th, 1991 (already released). Latest box office: $12.9 million.

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"This one's earning a bit too well. I need to crash them with a scandal or something."

Usually he didn't have to, and he also wouldn't resort to such dirty and underhanded tactics to win against his opponents. But he wanted to buy out Warner Bros. Studios as soon as possible, and to be realistic, he could do it right now if he wanted to. 

All he would have to do is ask the [Crown Consortium], which was his own company, to back him up. But he didn't just want to buy Warner, he wanted to bankrupt it, to dethrone it from its position as one of the Big Six of Hollywood.

He wanted to get rid of all the arrogant, no-good executives who think they can edit the movies and make it better than the one envisioned by the director and writers.

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.

..

…

4. Defending Your Life – (March 22, 1991)

5. Switch – (May 10, 1991)

6. Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead – (June 7, 1991)

7. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – (June 14, 1991)

8. Ricochet – (October, 1991)

9. Curly Sue – (October, 1991)

10. The Last Boy Scout – (December, 1991)

11. JFK – (December, 1991)

12. Until the End of the World – (December, 1991)

…

..

.

"Hmm, Okay I've decided, we'll at least need 2 months to properly advertise [The Killing Joke], so the 2nd week of June is fine with me. Is that possible?" Mark asked, finally looking at Ron after going through the list of movies that were slated to be released by Warner and Disney this year.

"You don't worry about it, Mark, I will get it done." Ron replied with full confidence.

"Thanks Ron." He said happily.

"What about your other movies, though?" Ron asked curiously.

"You see "the Beauty and the Beast" on this list?" He asked while doing air quotes with his fingers, "I want my animated film to be released just a week earlier than theirs."

"You might not know this, but they are making a copy of my film, so I need to make sure that we release ours first and then the public will be able to judge who is truly better." He said further explaining the gist of the situation to them.

"As for my third movie, it's a holiday special. Just release it sometime around Christmas and I'll be happy." He replied nonchalantly, knowing that Home Alone was a banger, and it was going to earn him a bank. As long as it was released somewhere around Christmas to take advantage of the holiday spirit.

.

..

.

"Mark!" He heard Nicholas call out to him.

"Nic! How was the film?" He asked, turning around, shaking hands with his business partner and good friend.

"I got no words, man. I have never seen something like it before, I would definitely be watching it again and again when it finally comes out in the cinema's. Have you decided on the release date yet?" Nic asked as he gestured for him to walk with him.

"Yeah, it'll be around the 2nd week of June. You wanna come to the premier? I will send you a few tickets for the best seat in the house." He replied and asked back as he followed along.

"Of course, I would love to be there." Nic replied with a smile.

"Anyways where are we headed? And how's our business going?" 

"I'm taking you to meet someone whom you've been wanting to meet for years now." Nic said with a teasing smile.

"As for the business, it's booming as usual, by the way I got some of the companies you wanted me to buy in, some of them completely, some not." 

"Stop teasing me, Nic. Are you trying to kill me kill the suspense? Just gimme the goddamn details." Mark said, elbowing his ribs lightly.

"Fine, fine.. stop hitting me." He replied grumbling.

"Sorry. Sometimes I don't know my own strength, I guess." Mark replied in an apologetic tone.

"It's fine. The first business we were able to buy a majority stake into is [Starbucks] a multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971."

"We currently hold a 59% stake of ownership and are trying to get it into the high 60s."

"Great, finally we got into beverages as well." Mark said with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Hmm, the next business is one of the Video game publishers you asked me to look into, this one's based in Rockville, Maryland. [Bethesda Softworks]."

He just smilingly nodded and gestured for him to go ahead.

"The next is [Thums Up], an Indian soft drinks company. We bought it in full just like you ordered, but the profits ain't much to say about for now."

"Lastly the operation to start our own brand of soft drink here in the US, it's still going slowly. We will need at least 4 to 6 more months before we can produce and supply en masse."

"Mark, are you trying to pull an Ichiraku's again?" He asked Mark as he gave him a side glance.

"Am I that obvious?" Mark asked in an exasperated tone.

"Nah, it's just.. after working with you for so long, I can somewhat guess what you're trying to do.. at least sometimes." He replied with a shrug.

"So [Nuka Cola] is going to be your next Ichiraku's?" Mark nodded in confirmation, "What are you going to feature it in? A novel? A comic book? Or a video game?" He was intrigued.

"For now a book," Mark replied as he scratched his head, "and later on a video game probably.. a few years down the line."

"Got it. And we are here, I'll tell you about the rest of the businesses later on." He said with a nod as he stopped outside the door to a booth.

"Are you gonna tell me who's this mystery person I'm gonna meet, so I can mentally prepare myself?" Mark asked him a deadpanned look, as if he just couldn't be bothered.

"Jim Simmons." He replied in a serious tone.

"No.. it can't be.. you're not joking?.. he's really here?.." Mark was stunned, as he couldn't believe that Nicholas was actually able to get him a meeting with the Jim Simmons.

He was or rather will be "The Greatest Investor of Wall Street."

His hedge fund, called the [Medallion Fund], was one of the highest paying hedge funds of all time. 

A study conducted on its profitability rate showed that if someone had invested just $100 into Jim Simons' Medallion Fund in 1988, their investment would be worth over $400 million in 2023 when he had passed away.

By contrast, investing $100 in the S&P 500 in 1988, would only net someone roughly $2,000 in 2023.

It was an absurd figure, this was a legendary figure in Wall Street that very few knew about while he was still alive.

"The one and only." He said with a proud grin.

"Now, don't keep the man waiting." He said, patting his shoulder, inwardly praying for his friend to succeed.

"Also, he saw your movie and really loved it, Mark.. use that to your advantage, but remember to be sincere with him."

"Falsehood and deception won't work with a man like him. He is an Ex-CIA, after all, so keep it to half-truths and don't tell him an outright lie."

"Got it, thanks for setting this up, Nic." Mark sincerely thanked his friend, he couldn't even imagine just how many strings he must have had to pull and how many favors he had to call just to arrange this meeting.

"Hey, don't go emotional on me." Nic replied with a teasing smile and took his leave, while Mark pressed on the bell to announce his arrival so they could let him in.

— To be continued...

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Word Count: 3,034 words (after excluding the disclaimer, opening Author's Note and the closing Author's Note.)

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{CA/N: Current list of stories being written over at my Pat. reon —

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5. Marvel: Price Of Power. OC Protagonist Prologue completed. (Chapter 1: 60% done)

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