Incisive

Harvey Weinstein looked at the cigar in his hand, which flickered intermittently. The rich aroma eased his restless mind to some extent. Through the hazy smoke, he recalled the frustrations of these past days.

Although Lyman was not enthusiastic about the collaboration he proposed, Harvey still secretly arranged a meeting with George, the representative of EuropaCorp. However, in the end, he still couldn't secure an opportunity to enter. This time, he was completely snubbed.

Since the premiere of "3 Idiots" on January 21st, the crowds of moviegoers had shown no signs of diminishing throughout the past week. At the same time, the officials in Sundance were extremely optimistic about this film. They conducted a survey, and the top three most impressive films in the audience's minds during the screening period were "3 Idiots", "Personal Velocity: Three Portraits", and "The Last Kiss".

In terms of film critics, "3 Idiots" overwhelmingly surpassed the other two films with absolute praise. It was evident that the more intense the discussions and the larger the audience, the higher the reputation of this film soared. In other words, if Sundance were the Toronto International Film Festival, it would almost be a foregone conclusion that the Best Picture award would go to "3 Idiots".

During this period, George had also held talks with negotiation teams from Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Subsequently, with the recommendation of the host Robert Redford, he also had discussions with the distribution departments of Columbia Pictures, MGM, and Fox Searchlight. Except for Disney, which was not adept at handling live-action films and had no plans to engage in such business, the top distribution giants in Hollywood had all joined this game.

However, EuropaCorp's team still had no intention of getting in touch with Miramax. Yes, getting in touch, they weren't even willing to give a chance to listen to each other's conditions. That was the reason why Harvey's mood was so terrible.

Harvey took a deep puff of the cigar, and the mellow taste began to spread through his body and mind. He turned around and shouted, "Chris, come in!"

Chris, a middle-aged man who had been waiting outside the door for instructions, respectfully walked in. "Mr. Weinstein!" He lowered his head slightly and said in a deep voice.

Yes, Chris was the film buyer who had been tricked by Lyman at the Venice Film Festival, and he was also a well-regarded mid-level manager within Miramax. His words carried an unusual hint of nervousness. Chris knew very well that his boss had a temper that couldn't be described as good, not to mention his current extremely terrible mood. He needed to be extra careful, even to the point where he didn't dare to lift his head after speaking.

"What do you think of Lyman?"

"Just a lucky and inexperienced young man," Chris tried to go along with the situation. In fact, he still believed that Lyman was a talented director, but it wasn't appropriate to say that in this context.

"Hmph! How is the situation in the film industry now?" Harvey relaxed on the sofa and asked his subordinate.

"Paramount Pictures has taken over the distribution rights for "3 Idiots". Although we don't know the specifics of the negotiation, according to the information provided by EuropaCorp, the deal is priced at $8M plus a 40% box office revenue share."

Harvey took a deep puff of his cigar, anticipating this situation to some extent. George's constant search for collaborations placed the greatest pressure on their longtime partner, Paramount Pictures. For Paramount Pictures, giving up on this French ally so easily was obviously not something they were willing to do. Even if they knew it was a pit, they would willingly jump in.

Of course, the premise was that the pit couldn't be too big, otherwise, it would be normal to give up the collaboration in a minute. In business dealings, the choices made depended on judgments regarding interests and future prospects.

"Chris, do you know why Miramax always leads the way throughout the awards season?"

It's because you're shameless, Chris silently thought, but what came out of his mouth was a flattering remark, "It's because of your good taste, sir. You always select films that the judges love!"

Spreading rumors, smearing competitors, elevating oneself, and building relationships—these were among the tactics that Harvey Weinstein often used to pursue the Oscars. Back then, Miramax had used these methods to defeat the competitor "Saving Private Ryan" and successfully position "Shakespeare in Love", ultimately helping Gwyneth Paltrow secure the most mediocre Best Actress Oscar in the twentieth century. Indeed, the benefits of having competent subordinates were being demonstrated. Chris was indeed someone who knew how to speak.

A smile appeared on Harvey Weinstein's face as he chuckled, saying, "How are our actions progressing?"

"Director Rebecca Miller has agreed to our conditions, and our company will handle the distribution of "Personal Velocity: Three Portraits"."

"That's good, Chris. You've done well." Chris smiled but remained silent.

Not everyone was a freak like Lyman, disregarding Miramax, which excelled in award season campaigns, and repeatedly provoking them. When Rebecca Miller heard that Miramax, represented by Chris, was willing to help her film make an Oscar run, she made significant concessions even in terms of revenue sharing. Not only did she symbolically receive $800,000 as a buyout fee for the distribution rights, but she also agreed to forgo offline channel profits, settling for only 30% of the box office revenue.

"Are we really going to campaign for this film as an Oscar contender this year?" Chris curiously asked because he felt that Harvey Weinstein wasn't someone who made decisions so easily. In the past, they would always select a few seed candidates from dozens of films to campaign, and it wasn't decided without comparison at the beginning of the year.

Chris's guess was correct. Harvey Weinstein pursed his lips, shamelessly saying, "Of course not, that film has no market value, so let's give up on it." Verbal agreements were not something Miramax adhered to, especially when the film truly had no market value.

On the other hand, "3 Idiots" was indeed a rare masterpiece due to its unique theme and profound meaning. Being a non-English film, it faced some constraints in terms of audience reception in the distribution market. However, this disadvantage also turned into a unique advantage. For example, competing for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, just as Harvey had initially thought, he immediately recognized the unparalleled advantage of "3 Idiots" in this regard.

Having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received unanimous acclaim from audiences, film critics, and even official judges, being a film financed and produced by French parties, with an all-Indian cast but a production team largely of French origin, it was like being "neighbors" within the same cultural circle.

This made the PR and publicity for "3 Idiots" in the Oscars highly coveted. The members of the Academy were a group of old men who were deeply rooted in their old ways and overly conservative. Over the years of interaction, Harvey Weinstein had long figured out their routines and temperaments.

Could they resist giving votes to such a sincere film?

Believe it or not, if a film with a more intricate storyline were placed in front of that group, it would indeed be more to their taste than "3 Idiots", and they could cast their votes for "3 Idiots" without hesitation. This wasn't the first or second time; every time, Harvey could use this aspect to achieve his desired goals. He was the king of the Oscars!

It had to be said that, as Harvey had mentioned, after years of operation, the Oscars always found the best balance between political harmony, various power plays, and relative fairness. While there may be no possibility for truly outstanding films to be left without nominations according to the rules of this operating system, the ultimate winners often came as a surprise, which was quite normal.

And the reason why Miramax repeatedly achieved success at the Oscars was not because Harvey was exceptionally manipulative but because, in addition to the network he had built, he thoroughly understood the tastes of the members of the Academy.

Just think about it, being able to offer up a politically correct and morally appealing delicacy that closely matched the taste of the judges—who could resist that? In essence, Harvey had done the best and strongest job of analyzing and comparing data regarding the Oscars. He could even estimate, after watching a film, how many supporters that particular work could gather among the over one thousand judges and how much hope there was for nominations and awards.

And the aspect of making choices needed to be done well. One couldn't be greedy or delusional about completely controlling the Oscars. This was where Harvey Weinstein excelled—he never overstepped his boundaries.

Even though he understood that he wielded significant influence at the Oscars, he never truly made choices on behalf of the judges. Sometimes, when making choices for oneself and when having someone else make choices for you, there was always someone who couldn't handle it well. But that didn't apply to Harvey. He was always sensible, adept at pleasing those "gentlemen" and winning everyone's favor without going overboard.

"Help me arrange a meeting with Robert Redford, tonight."

"Yes, sir."

Chris knew that his boss was going to make a move again. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to arrange a meeting with the person in charge of the Sundance Film Festival at a time like this. However, he wondered if Miramax could satisfy Robert Redford's tastes. After all, if EuropaCorp hadn't made certain award campaign measures for "3 Idiots", he wouldn't believe it.

As Chris respectfully took his leave and disappeared from sight, Harvey Weinstein quietly extinguished his cigar and placed it back in the box. His gaze became ethereal, as if he was thinking of Lyman's repulsive face.

Hmph, let this ignorant little fellow experience the power that Miramax possesses.

Harvey thought this, and his gaze gradually turned fierce...