Chapter 39: Internal Conflicts

At Walt Disney, Michael Eisner gathered Disney executives to watch the initial cut of "Final Destination." The executives were full of praise for this imaginative and thrilling horror film, expressing that they had never seen anything quite like it.

Disney's film selection experts also gave the movie high marks, recommending that more theater resources be allocated to its release.

After the screening, Michael Eisner personally spoke with Gilbert, encouraging him to keep up the good work. To Gilbert, Michael Eisner was a significant figure. For someone of his stature to speak kindly to him was both flattering and a little overwhelming.

However, Gilbert remained calm, likely because he had weathered enough storms to handle any situation with composure. He could sense, though, that beneath Michael Eisner's friendly demeanor lay a cold and calculating gaze, one that looked through people as if they were insignificant.

"Keep it up, Gilbert. As long as you continue to create value for Disney, the company will not treat you poorly," Michael Eisner said, patting Gilbert on the shoulder.

Despite feeling uneasy, Gilbert feigned surprise and gratitude, pretending to be excited as he shook Michael Eisner's hand. "Thank you, Chairman. It's what I should be doing."

"Good," Eisner replied, giving Gilbert another pat on the shoulder before walking away.

Behind him, Robert Iger had a much more pleasant and approachable demeanor, making those he spoke with feel at ease.

"Gilbert, this film exceeded my expectations. You've done an excellent job," Robert Iger said with a smile.

"Thank you, Bob. Given that I have a share in the profits and an investment in the film, it was the least I could do," Gilbert replied modestly.

"Indeed," Robert Iger responded, clearly pleased with Gilbert's humility.

He then added, "I have a bottle of fine champagne waiting for you. Once the film is a success and we have a celebration, I'll open it for you."

Now, this was the attitude of someone who truly appreciated talent! Gilbert was quite pleased with Robert Iger's approach and assured him, "Rest assured, we'll definitely be enjoying that bottle of champagne."

After their conversation, Gilbert returned to the studio to continue with post-production, while Robert Iger went to discuss the film's summer release strategy with Michael Eisner.

Since the start of 1992, Walt Disney's film distribution business had significantly shrunk. This year, Warner Bros. was releasing twenty films, and other major studios had at least a dozen or more. But Disney, even with its animated feature "Aladdin" and a few low-budget live-action films, had only five or six releases.

Even Samsung from South Korea was releasing two films in the North American market, making Disney's performance look weak by comparison.

Fortunately, Disney, which had built its reputation on animation, continued to generate substantial revenue through its merchandise. Characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Winnie the Pooh brought in considerable income each year. Moreover, the opening of Disneyland Paris this year had also boosted Disney's stock price.

From this perspective, it was clear why Disney placed such importance on Gilbert's project. Among their limited slate of live-action films, "Final Destination" was one of the more promising ones.

In Michael Eisner's office, Robert Iger was reporting on the preparations for the film's marketing and distribution.

"We've begun allocating promotional resources. The tabloid coverage was just the first step. Next, we'll release the trailers, schedule television appearances, and more. Based on our discussions with theater chains, the film is expected to open in 1,800 cinemas," Robert Iger explained.

Michael Eisner was pleased with Robert Iger's work. "Good. I'll leave this entirely in your hands. Make a success of it!"

"I understand, Mr. Eisner," Robert Iger acknowledged, then hesitated for a moment before adding, "I've heard that the board has been a bit restless lately?"

"Hmph," Michael Eisner snorted coldly. "That little upstart John is acting up again."

John was a member of the Disney family. Although Disney had long ceased to be owned by the Disney family, they still held significant influence on the board.

Since becoming Disney's CEO in 1984, and later its chairman, Michael Eisner had had to manage his relationship with the Disney family. Disney might no longer belong to the Disney family, but it certainly wasn't going to belong to the Eisner family either.

The two sides had engaged in many power struggles over the years, yet they had managed to keep the Disney ship sailing, growing its market value from $4 billion to over $10 billion.

However, as the company expanded, some board members became dissatisfied with Michael Eisner's authoritarian leadership, and began to stir up trouble.

As Michael Eisner's close confidant, Robert Iger was well aware of the internal conflicts.

"Mr. Eisner, my suggestion is to bring in one of our own as CEO. This could alleviate the board's hostility towards you and prevent accusations of autocracy," Robert Iger advised.

The accusations of autocracy stemmed from Michael Eisner holding both the chairman and CEO positions, which had led to these rumors. In fact, Michael Eisner did have a tendency to be autocratic, with many of Disney's business decisions driven by his personal preferences.

For example, despite opposition, he had insisted on opening Disneyland in Paris simply because he viewed Paris as the city of art and he loved art. He had also intervened in the production of a Disney animated film, changing the lead character from female to male. Such actions contributed to the ongoing internal criticism of him.

Michael Eisner carefully considered Robert Iger's suggestion. In fact, if Robert Iger were more experienced, Eisner would have already considered him for the CEO role at Disney.

However, at this moment, Michael Eisner thought of another person—his childhood friend and now a kingpin in Hollywood's talent agency world, Michael Ovitz.

In recent years, Michael Ovitz had been riding high, with countless top directors and stars under his Creative Artists Agency (CAA). He had also facilitated Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures and Panasonic's acquisition of MCA and Universal Studios. These deals alone had earned Michael Ovitz $70 million in commissions.

But Michael Eisner was absolutely confident that given the chance to become a CEO of a film studio, Michael Ovitz would jump at the opportunity, even abandoning everything he currently had, including CAA.

The reason was simple: Hollywood would always belong to the movie studios and media giants. No matter how powerful a talent agent might be, they could never compare to the CEO of a major media company.

It was rumored that Michael Ovitz had once danced a ridiculous tap dance on a table to curry favor with Warner Bros. Fortunately, this wasn't the age of the internet, or the entertainment agency king might have gone viral.

From this perspective, Michael Eisner was certain that Michael Ovitz would accept the offer to become Disney's CEO, and he might even be eager to do so.

Michael Eisner needed to carefully plan this, using Michael Ovitz to clear away the obstacles within the group.