Chapter 616: The Two of Them

[Chapter 616: The Two of Them]

At the end of May, Firefly Group was gradually entering the actual distribution phase for the $8 billion bonds issued for ABC, marking the first summer blockbuster season after their acquisition of ABC. This summer was crucial for Firefly. If the films in the summer season did not maintain the impressive box office performance of Firefly's previous releases, it would severely impact investors' interest in Firefly's bonds.

Although Firefly's acquisition of ABC was finalized, the attention from investors and media towards Firefly Group had not diminished in recent months. Under the spotlight, the three films that Firefly planned to release this summer faced overwhelming skepticism. War drama, Saving Private Ryan, and the 2D animated feature, The Lion King, were both viewed unfavorably by the media and investors. Additionally, after Arnold Schwarzenegger crashed and burned with Last Action Hero the previous year, the upcoming collaboration with Cameron on True Lies had already begun to draw some dissenting boos even before its release.

Critics attributed Firefly's decision to pivot away from their strengths in CG effects films in favor of creating "niche" films to Eric's personal blind arrogance, claiming he had let past successes go to his head, thinking of himself as an infallible god. Many shareholders, including Warren Buffett, inquired about Eric's intentions behind transferring hot project titles like Men in Black, Night at the Museum, and Resident Evil to other ventures. Although the shareholders used a seemingly harmless tone, Eric could sense a strong undercurrent of distrust, realizing that they implied he should not aid "competitors."

The originally planned one-week trip to Boston was delayed from May 9 to May 25. Many matters remained unresolved, but Firefly Group was a significant funding source for Eric's subsequent industry plans. Sensing that both Hollywood and outside forces were growing increasingly restless about Firefly Group's situation, Eric left the negotiations for the partnership with Microsoft to Chris and the Yahoo management team, and hastily returned to Los Angeles to regain control.

...

Once Firefly's business jet landed at Santa Monica Airport in Los Angeles, Eric rushed to Firefly's headquarters in Burbank.

"Today's release of Beverly Hills Cop 3 and the upcoming release of The Mummy in two days will be significant competitors to Saving Private Ryan next week," Michael Lynn reported worriedly in the conference room at Firefly headquarters. "Paramount has arranged over 2,900 screens for Beverly Hills Cop 3's opening, and Universal's strategy for The Mummy clearly mimics last year's Jurassic Park, launching with series openings at 3,100 screens. Paramount's other film, Star Trek VII, is set to launch right after True Lies on June 10, hitting theaters on June 17. This film only costs $35 million, and the quality cannot compare with True Lies. However, that also means Paramount faces no box office pressure and can promote it with ease. Plus, the Star Trek series has built decades of popularity, so if it surprises, it could significantly impact True Lies' performance. Lastly, Warner Bros. unexpectedly adjusted the release date for Lethal Weapon at the beginning of the month to coincide with The Lion King on June 24, making their intentions pretty clear."

After Michael finished, Eric asked, "What about July?"

Michael understood Eric was asking about the situation regarding Charlie's Angels and Men in Black, which were to be distributed by MGM and Columbia, but Firefly retained significant rights in both films. "Both Charlie's Angels and Men in Black, along with... Fox's Dumb and Dumber 2, have no formidable competitors in the same timeframe."

In the original timeline, Dumb and Dumber 2 took over ten years to emerge primarily because New Line could not afford Jim Carrey following the first film. Since the rights now lay with the financially robust Fox, that issue no longer existed, and a sequel was not surprising. Eric responded with a light laugh, "They seem to have it easy."

Michael continued, "I have kept the PR department attentive to the trends in public sentiment and have already sent lawyer letters to six newspapers and television stations that maliciously attacked us. The marketing department drafted a plan to add $10 million to the promotional budget for each film; I had someone send it to your email last night. You might not have had a chance to check it yet."

Eric nodded in acknowledgment but then shook his head. "There's no need to add more to the budget. The average promotional expenditure of $40 million per film has already saturated the market. Continuing to increase it would be counterproductive; this isn't the first time we've faced this type of situation, and we don't need to be so flustered just because they strike a pose. Honestly, you should see that they are betting Firefly will encounter a Waterloo this summer. Whether it's the niche film Saving Private Ryan, the genre-rejected True Lies, or the drastically altered strategy for The Lion King, it all suggests to them that Firefly might fail. They're just waiting for that moment to arrive and make our failure even more thorough."

He smiled with a hint of sarcasm, "But have they considered that perhaps the scenario they imagined might flip entirely?"

Firefly Group had reached a level where competition with other major film companies could not be swayed by petty underhanded tactics; in the end, it all came down to film quality -- an area where Eric held a considerable advantage. Moreover, he decisively entrusted Firefly's day-to-day management to more professional hands like Katzenberg and Michael Lynn, focusing the majority of his energy on film production. Given this scenario, a film that had already proven its box-office potential in the original timeline would still do well, even if it didn't hit the same heights due to the butterfly effect; the likelihood of complete failure was virtually non-existent.

Eric's words served as a reassurance to everyone present; before that, Michael Lynn and others had shown signs of worry influenced by external sentiments.

With their minds settled, they began discussing upcoming countermeasures.

The current situation arose not only due to Firefly Group's expansion blocking other film companies but also because of the influence of other shareholders and Wall Street capital forces. This was a crucial moment for Firefly Group's bond issuance; should the $8 billion bond issuance be impeded, per the additional terms agreed upon during Firefly's acquisition of ABC, it would either need to raise interest rates or reduce the size of the bond issuance and cover the remaining parts with equity. Whichever option it was, both outcomes would please investors.

Thus, Katzenberg, who had specially returned from New York, said, "Eric, while in New York, Tom Murphy asked me several times about Firefly's cooperation with Sony and MGM. We cannot alter the existing contracts. However, I believe we should reclaim the distribution rights for films like Mission: Impossible and Night at the Museum from Miss Barrymore. Given Columbia's current standing, the resistance should be minimal. Doing so can greatly enhance the confidence of those shareholders and creditors, making it easier for us to issue bonds."

Over the years, under Peter Guber's management, Columbia had become such a mess that finding a reason to reclaim the rights would be relatively easy. However, many of Eric's plans would be interrupted: "Columbia would have to cover 50% of the marketing costs for these movies and only take a 15% share of the box office. Even if we could squeeze out distribution resources from films like Independence Day or Jurassic Park 2, Firefly could not afford such terms, could we?"

Katzenberg nodded in resignation. With average production costs above $40 million for major films, Columbia needed a minimum of $130 million in North American box office to break even. Of course, they had acquired rights for overseas distribution, which could yield some profit, but home video and licensing rights still belonged to Flower Films. Naturally, Flower Films would choose Firefly as a partner. In totality, when compared to the expected multimillion-dollar profits from these blockbusters, the bulk of profits were divided between Flower Films and Firefly, leaving Columbia -- a major studio -- at the losing end.

Eric thought that if he were a major shareholder at Columbia, he would do everything in his power to throw a manager like Peter Guber in prison. But in reality, Sony remained very comfortable with this executive. And everyone in Hollywood knew that Columbia's situation was deteriorating more and more.

"Eric, since the primary issue at hand is ensuring the smooth issuance of the company's bonds, I think we mainly need something positive to stimulate the market," Michael Lynn said, after which everyone attending the meeting looked at Eric.

Eric of course knew what they were thinking. He smiled, "As it happens, I've recently written a nice script and plan to invite Julia Roberts to play the lead. Maybe we can announce that news tomorrow."

"That's not enough," Frank Wells added. "Eric, you'd better direct it yourself like in Pretty Woman. Everyone has been eagerly awaiting what your next film will be since last year's Jurassic Park."

Eric shrugged helplessly. "You know I've got other things to handle. At most, I can take on the role of producer."

Katzenberg interjected, "Eric, I recall you mentioning your plans for The Matrix. If we announced that project simultaneously, it would definitely have a better effect."

Eric thought for a moment; The Matrix could also be brought up now. "No problem, you can start preparing the press release, but I won't be participating in the press conference. I need to check on the production progress of all the projects I'm currently overseeing in the coming days."

Once they settled that, Katzenberg outlined the restructuring progress at ABC, while heads of departments reported other minor matters before the meeting came to a close.

...

On the way back to the Liberty City Mansion, Eric accidentally fell asleep in the car. When he opened his eyes, he found himself still leaning back in the rear seat, but next to him, a soft body snuggled close, and a blanket covered both of them.

Thinking about how Drew always managed to be at his side the moment he returned to Los Angeles brought a warmth to Eric's heart.

He realized they must be in the garage, and it was undoubtedly dark outside. Feeling a sense of fatigue, Eric lazily didn't check the time. He didn't mind being in the car and planned to continue his sleep while hugging Drew. But perhaps sensing his movement, Drew woke up.

"Eric..." she called lazily, rubbing against him as usual, then began to complain, "It's so dark, Natasha, turn on the lights."

In the darkness, Eric couldn't help but chuckle. Just as he was about to remind her they were in the car, a gentle sound filled the cabin and light illuminated the space. Eric was astonished to find two identical figures sitting in the front seat. Moreover, this wasn't the Mercedes he had ridden in upon his return; it was a spacious SUV. Eric didn't typically gather cars, but Drew frequently bought luxury cars on a whim, and without even noticing, they had amassed more than twenty vehicles in the mansion's underground garage. Because they rarely drove them, most were still shiny and brand new.

Looking at the grinning girl wanting to act cute beside him, Eric pinched her little ear and asked, "How did you let them sit in front?"

Drew giggled, "You want them to sit in the back too?"

"Yeah, and then you go drive," Eric replied helplessly, then opened the door to get out, with Drew and the twins following him down.

Eric looked at the unfamiliar SUV in front of him and kicked the tire, asking, "Is this a Hummer? When did you start liking vehicles like this?"

"It's for you," Drew came over and linked her arm with Eric's, saying, "A birthday gift."

Only then did Eric remember that he had just turned 24; he shrugged nonchalantly, moving outside. "Why do I need a Hummer?"

Drew pouted in protest, "This is military-grade, very sturdy!"

"And then...?"

Drew blinked, seeming to realize...it didn't matter. The truth was, Eric rarely drove these days, much less a conspicuous military vehicle around: "If you don't like it, I'll just get you another birthday gift."

Eric pretended to be curious and asked, "Oh, there's a backup? What's that?"

The girl pointed to the quiet twins following behind, "Well, them."

*****

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