Chapter 108: Sincerity
On the other side, Jones-Butler, who had negotiated with Murphy before, looked at Murphy with incredulous eyes. She had expected a high price, but the amount shouted by Murphy was outrageously high.
This was not 30 million yen, but 30 million dollars!
Thirty million dollars! If Miramax were to acquire this film at such a price, along with distribution expenses, it would need to gross over a hundred million dollars globally to break even.
His appetite was simply too voracious. Just because a small, albeit somewhat successful, production had been achieved, he seemed to forget who he was.
Harvey Weinstein scrutinized Murphy thoroughly, as if observing a young, reckless, and impulsive creature.
Murphy sat quietly, his expression calm.
It was obvious that thirty million dollars was not a spur-of-the-moment remark. Weinstein could tell that this was a calculated offer, not a whim.
Was a horror film worth this much? Could such a large investment yield sufficient returns? Weinstein was experienced in the business. Reflecting on the film's content and calculating Miramax's distribution capabilities, he could draw a preliminary conclusion. With a bit of luck, the film might have the potential to challenge a ten-million-dollar North American box office. If the North American performance was assured, the overseas box office wouldn't be too bad either...
But no one could guarantee a film's success. There was always the possibility of failure. Investing thirty million dollars in a low-budget horror film seemed insane.
Even if the chances of success were high, he wouldn't invest thirty million dollars. In fact, even slashing it by half wouldn't be possible.
Obtaining high returns through relatively low-cost means was Miramax's modus operandi.
"Do you really think the film is worth that price?" Weinstein didn't wait for Murphy to respond but gave his own answer, "It's not! Young man, this is not a game."
He looked at Murphy, his gaze becoming sharper, as if trying to apply pressure through this method. After a while, he finally extended a hand and raised his fingers one by one, "Five million dollars."
Even though this price might not secure a theatrical release, he was confident in recouping the investment through the video market.
Murphy frowned slightly. For a film with an actual production cost of only eight hundred thousand dollars, a selling price of five million dollars was definitely not low. A return on investment of six times was enough to astonish many.
But he wasn't satisfied. "Mr. Weinstein, I don't sense any sincerity from Miramax."
"Sincerity?" A smirk appeared at the corner of Harvey Weinstein's mouth. "You can try other companies and see if anyone is willing to accept your 'sincerity'."
The top six companies in Hollywood would probably scoff at such a film. While the second-tier distribution companies were competitors, they also maintained some unspoken agreements, just like the top-tier companies, both competing and cooperating, maintaining some tacit understandings, such as squeezing as much as possible from small film production companies.
Some things were intangible but real in Hollywood.
No one would offer tens of millions of dollars for such a seemingly low-cost film. The excitement of the film was one thing, but risk management was another.
Murphy Stanton was still a relatively unknown director, and "Saw" was not part of any major franchise.
Without enough qualifications, Murphy couldn't possibly gain the upper hand in such negotiations. The difference between the two sides was several levels. He couldn't use shady tactics against Harvey Weinstein as he did in prison. Otherwise, he might as well say goodbye to the film industry.
He remained silent for a while before bringing up the old topic again. "I think we can explore a different way of cooperation, without necessarily resorting to a buyout, right?"
Harvey Weinstein's smirk became more evident. "Signing a distribution contract? Shifting all the risks of distribution and screening to Miramax?"
If it were the works of Wes Craven or Quentin Tarantino, or even directed by Robert Rodriguez, he might consider it.
Jones-Butler looked at Murphy and shook her head suddenly. She knew Harvey Weinstein's strong demeanor very well. Today's negotiations were doomed to be fruitless.
Moreover, her boss's success in Hollywood was not solely based on surface tactics. Just like how "Shakespeare in Love" defeated "Saving Private Ryan" at the Oscars, he had many methods to achieve his goals.
Harvey Weinstein also knew he couldn't pressure too forcefully. Without waiting for Murphy to say anything, he raised another finger. "I'll add another million dollars, six million dollars!"
The fat man's intentions were already very clear. He wanted to cooperate with Miramax, and buying the rights was a prerequisite.
Unfortunately, this was the method Murphy least wanted to accept. This was a whole series, and selling the rights undoubtedly meant selling the future of the series.
Indeed, it might be premature to talk about a series without success. However, letting go like this was also impossible.
"Sorry, Mr. Weinstein." Murphy shook his head slowly and resolutely. "I can't accept such conditions, nor can I justify them to my crew and the entire team."
He spoke as if there were indeed a whole team waiting for a high price for "Saw."
Of course, according to Hollywood's custom, if the film did well, the production company would generally give a bonus to the crew. From this perspective, perhaps the entire crew also hoped for a good return on this film.
Few people liked to see the films they worked on fail.
If it were another film, Harvey Weinstein would have given up long ago. However, the impact of the recent screening was very strong, and he had great confidence in the film's market potential. Suppressing his impatience, he made another offer.
"Miramax can sign a contract with you,"
This condition wasn't offered casually. From "Hard Candy" to "Saw," Harvey Weinstein could see the tremendous progress of this young director. It was like when he first saw Quentin Tarantino. "We'll invest in your next film and handle the marketing."
Murphy was moved. His first thought was also Quentin Tarantino. Without the strong support of Miramax and Harvey Weinstein, "Pulp Fiction" would never have achieved such glory.
There was an impulse in his heart, a voice shouting loudly, "Accept these conditions!"
It was truly tempting. Even Murphy, a rational person, wanted to agree outright. But thinking that there were still three other distribution companies, he suppressed the impulse.
These conditions were good, but they fell short of what he wanted to strive for.
Most importantly, he was unwilling. If the film were marketed properly, it could generate profits that might need to be calculated in tens of millions of dollars. Moreover, if the first film succeeded, sequels would naturally follow.
While Miramax had distribution advantages, the thought of all of this falling into their hands while he only received six million dollars and a contract that might not even be fulfilled left Murphy feeling unbalanced.
Many films he only knew achieved success but didn't have clear box office numbers. "Saw" was an exception. Although the time and company had changed, whether it could achieve its original commercial value was uncertain. But he still had confidence in the film he had made.
Everyone had greed and wanted more, and Murphy was no exception.
It wasn't time to hang himself
on the Miramax tree when there were still other options available.
"Can I have some time to consider?" Murphy spoke slowly.
"It's best to decide as soon as possible. Miramax has many projects to handle." Weinstein stood up.
Murphy could hear the underlying message in Weinstein's words and nodded, "I'll give you an answer as soon as possible."
If other companies didn't offer better conditions, Miramax might also be a good choice.
The initial negotiation ended here. Murphy joined Seth Rogen and James Franco, who had copies of the film, and left Burbank, driving towards Santa Monica.
"Six million dollars!"
Upon hearing Miramax's offer, Seth Rogen in the back seat could no longer remain calm. He leaned over to the front passenger seat where James Franco was sitting and exclaimed, "This is six million dollars! Our investment has multiplied by six. What else is there to consider!"
James Franco turned his head and stared at Murphy with a look of disbelief. "Can't you see? His brain must be damaged!.
Six million dollars... James Franco thought about the pile of cash.
The three of them had become close, and their relationship was good. Seth Rogen leaned over Murphy's seat again and exclaimed, "Why did you refuse? Why did you refuse? With this money, you can expand the studio and establish your own distribution department!"
"Seth!" Murphy shouted, "Don't lean on my seat. Do you want us to get into an accident?"
"Sorry..." Seth Rogen quickly retreated and leaned over to James Franco's seat again.
"Who said I refused?" Murphy turned the steering wheel, and the car turned onto the right road. "With such a big deal, I need to think about it carefully."
Seth Rogen scratched his head. "Yeah, you should consider it carefully."
Murphy reminded them again, "When you heard six million dollars, you both forgot that Miramax isn't the only one interested in 'Saw'."
James Franco slapped his thigh. "I'll call Jonah, that fat guy, and see how it's going over there."
If there are any issues, please let me know, and I'll be happy to revise it further.