Chapter 274: Fox Misjudgements

[Chapter 274: Fox Misjudgements]

"Hello, Mr. Williams," Raymond Chow said, trying to maintain a composed demeanor, though his expression carried a hint of eagerness. "Mr. Williams, I saw your film, Running Out of Time. To be honest, it shared a lot of similarities with some styles of our Hong Kong cinema. Coincidentally, it was our company, Golden Harvest, that distributed the film in Hong Kong, and it did quite well at the box office."

"I've always had a fondness for Hong Kong films," Eric replied. "Take Bruce Lee's movies, for example, like Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, The Big Boss, Enter the Dragon, and that half of Game of Death. It's such a shame." Eric shook his head regretfully as he mentioned the last title.

Hearing Eric suddenly say this, Raymond's face also lit up with nostalgia, and he shook his head. "It indeed is a shame. Ah, it's been more than ten years since those days. I still remember the first time I worked with Bruce."

After saying that, Raymond suddenly looked up at Eric and remarked, "I remember you, Mr. Williams, are only 19 this year. When Bruce passed away, you must have only been three. It's hard to believe."

"Good films are always good films," Eric continued. "Speaking of which, during my last shoot in Seattle, I made a special trip to Bruce Lee's grave. Even now, after more than a decade, it's still common to see fans from all over the world leaving flowers there."

Raymond paused for a moment, a fleeting look of embarrassment crossing his face. If it hadn't been for Bruce Lee, perhaps he wouldn't have achieved what he had today. However, aside from attending Bruce's funeral, he hadn't been back to Seattle much since. "Once I wrap things up, I'll also visit Seattle to pay my respects."

Eric nodded, remaining non-committal. He then glanced at Robert Shea, who had been quiet up until now, unaware of Robert's intentions to introduce him to Raymond.

In front of Raymond, Robert pulled Eric aside and said, "Here's the thing. Last year, I was involved in a film that Golden Harvest invested in, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You've heard of it, right? Initially, Fox agreed to distribute it, but after seeing the final cut, they backed out."

Upon hearing the words Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Eric quickly remembered this film. They invested $13.5 million, and in the end, the film made almost $130 million in North American box office. That figure could easily place Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles among the top ten box office hits.

It was puzzling for a film with such potential to have been abandoned by Fox. However, it seemed understandable; Fox had a history of making similar blunders. In the past, they had also dropped distribution for Titanic, selling it to Paramount for a measly $60 million, and in the end, Titanic made over $600 million at the North American box office. Despite learning from such experiences, Fox repeated their mistakes later on, with James Cameron's Avatar. Fearing financial risks, they brought in other investors, and Avatar ended up becoming a massive box office success, costing Fox billions due to misguided decisions.

Shaking off these chaotic thoughts, Eric asked, "Robert. What are your thoughts on this?"

Robert Shea said, "Well, Eric, the total budget for this film is $13.5 million, which is no small sum. New Line has also invested $3 million into it. Now that Fox refuses to release it, we'll have to take matters into our own hands. I thought your insights into films would be valuable, so I wanted you to take a look at the final cut and offer some suggestions."

"Did you bring a copy?" Eric inquired.

Robert Shea paused. "No, I only brought Mr. Chow here to meet you and mentioned this matter in passing. We can head to the office tomorrow to watch it together."

Realizing he might have been a bit hasty, Eric acknowledged that, although he had a private screen at home, he couldn't possibly leave the hundreds of guests in the lobby just to watch a film. That would have been terribly rude.

"Alright, then, I'll come to the office tomorrow morning, and we can check it out together."

"Great, sounds like a plan," Robert said, gesturing towards a familiar face nearby. "I see an old friend over there and want to say hello."

"Go ahead, enjoy," Eric said with a smile.

...

As he watched Robert walk away, he noticed that Raymond had not followed him.

"Mr. Chow, do you have something else on your mind?"

"No, it's just that, Mr. Williams, you mentioned how much you liked Hong Kong films. What do you think about the current state of Hong Kong cinema?"

As they made their way to the buffet table, Eric grabbed some food, and the two found a spot by the large windows. Upon seeing Eric approach, a couple lounging on the sofa quickly vacated their seats for them.

Once seated together, Eric said, "Mr. Chow, I feel that Hong Kong cinema has lost its sense of rationality; it gives off this feeling of a final frenzy before a collapse."

Raymond had initially intended to casually discuss some great Hong Kong films with Eric and build rapport, hoping for a potential collaboration. He hadn't expected to hear Eric criticize the state of Hong Kong cinema. With a bitter smile, Raymond remarked, "Everyone's making money like crazy; who has time to think about all that? Yet here you are, Mr. Williams, as an outsider, seeing things so clearly. Given this situation, do you think there are any solutions?"

What solutions could Eric offer? He was merely spouting thoughts based on his past life experiences.

Given the various limitations, the future of Hong Kong films seemed more or less predetermined. After a moment of thought, Eric replied earnestly, "Although I do enjoy many Hong Kong films, I honestly don't have any solutions for this situation."

Raymond sighed, looking at Eric tentatively, and asked, "So, Mr. Williams, do you think there's a possibility for collaboration between us?"

*****

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