Chapter 79: Securing Loan

"How arrogant is he?" Harvey Weinstein tapped the table.

Bob Weinstein poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat on the couch. "He seems to look down on small independent distributors like us, thinking he can act with impunity because he has Orion backing him."

"Orion, huh. A mini-major distributor. Doesn't he know that Orion is in serious financial trouble right now?"

"They're green-lighting projects worth tens of millions of dollars, using domestic rights to secure bank loans and selling international rights in advance to finance them," Harvey Weinstein waved dismissively. "Don't worry about him. When the time comes, we'll make sure he regrets it."

Miramax was currently focused on acquiring international films at low prices, re-editing and dubbing them in English, and then showing them in theaters, highlighting their affordability and international cultural appeal.

"For now, let's quickly schedule the release dates for the films we bought at the international film festivals."

Southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Arthur and Winona Ryder had just finished visiting an art museum. 

Enjoying both entertainment and leisure made Winona Ryder very happy. "Arthur, you should visit San Francisco sometime."

"Don't worry, we'll get visit eventually," Arthur said, wearing sunglasses and a T-shirt, putting his arm around Winona Ryder.

"Yeah," Winona Ryder nodded and gave Arthur a kiss.

As they passed by a community theater, Winona asked, "Arthur, do you want to watch a movie?"

"Since we're free, let's watch it," Arthur said, buying two tickets for him and Winona Ryder. The movie had already been playing for nearly half an hour.

The theater was small, with about fifty seats, but only a few people were scattered in the darkness.

He pulled Winona Ryder into his arms, his hand slipping inside her dress to feel her softness.

"Arthur, aren't we watching a movie?" Winona Ryder's breathing grew heavier, but seeing that there weren't many people around, she kissed Arthur.

"It's okay," Arthur whispered into Winona Ryder's ear. "Honey, I'm a little hot right now."

Feeling Arthur's change, Winona Ryder just smiled slightly. "You're different today."

Winona Ryder then leaned down and began to help her man with a special service.

"Phew," Arthur leaned back in his seat, stroking Winona's hair while staring at the screen.

After the movie finished screening, Arthur bought a bottle of soda for Winona Ryder. After drinking and rinsing her mouth, she threw the napkin into a nearby trash can.

"Do you still want to go shopping?" Arthur asked, putting his arm around Winona's shoulder.

Winona wrapped her arm around Arthur's waist. "Yes, let's head over to the Angel's Flight Railway!"

At night, in West Hollywood, Winona Ryder lay in Arthur's arms. "What's wrong? You've been preoccupied ever since we came back."

Arthur smiled and shook his head, placing his hands behind his head. "I just feel like our business is developing too slowly."

From May last year until now, it had been more than a year, and Arthur had only accumulated around a million dollars.

Galaxy Pictures needed to start developing its own projects as soon as possible. Time waits for no one!

"It's not slow. Although Sleepless in Seattle didn't bring you instant success, it proved your vision and capability," Winona said as she lay on top of Arthur.

"Sleeping with the Enemy and The Silence of the Lambs are both projects you developed. That speaks volumes."

Arthur placed his hand on Winona's back. "You really know how to comfort someone. Thank you. But I think I can't wait any longer. I need to start developing Scream as soon as possible. Galaxy Pictures needs to accumulate its initial capital quickly!"

Winona nodded. "I'll support you fully. I can even take on a role in your movie."

"A low-budget teen horror film? You don't need to take on such projects now," Arthur hugged Winona tightly.

"But I want to. I want to do this for you," Winona said, leaning closer to Arthur's ear. "Just like during the day in the cinema, as long as it makes you happy, I'm happy too."

"Is that so," Arthur smiled and moved closer to her neck. "Then I'm really lucky."

Winona bit Arthur lightly. "But during the day, I felt like you were distracted. Have we not tried for a while, and my skills have gotten rusty?"

"No," Arthur shook his head. "You made me very comfortable. I was just thinking about other things!"

He smiled. "You can't always have your mind on these things."

Winona playfully slapped Arthur a few times. "Clearly, it's you who always thinks about it, not me!"

"Alright, alright. When the time comes for Scream, I might really need you to make a cameo. A brief appearance is fine," Arthur wasn't stubborn. Winona Ryder had some fame.

With the upcoming release of Edward Scissorhands at the end of the year, her recognition would only grow.

After that, Arthur hugged and kissed Winona.

As August approached, Arthur felt the urgency of time. Although The Silence of the Lambs was still in production, Scream couldn't wait any longer.

Through the ITA agency, Arthur secured a loan from Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank in Japan.

"Arthur, have you thought this through?" Tracy Jacobs tried to persuade him again.

"I've thought it through. I'll negotiate the distribution with Mike Medavoy from Orion Pictures," Arthur exhaled. "Let's go in!"

Tracy Jacobs and Arthur entered the Los Angeles office of Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank together.

At present, Japan, as the world's largest creditor nation, had vast overseas assets. Japanese banks occupied seven of the top ten global banks and monopolized the top six positions.

The top ten Japanese banks included Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Fuji Bank, Sumitomo Bank, Sanwa Bank, Mitsubishi Bank, Sakura Bank (formerly Mitsui Bank), Kyowa Bank, Tokai Bank, and Daiwa Bank.

Japan's financial strength was complemented by its industrial giants like Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Yawata Iron & Steel, showcasing formidable hard power.

Arthur secured a $4.5 million loan from Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank using half of the rights to The Silence of the Lambs as collateral, guaranteed by the overseas distribution contract with Columbia TriStar.

Along with his own $1 million, he planned to independently develop Scream through Galaxy Pictures.

Seeing Arthur secure the loan, Tracy Jacobs knew he was serious. "Arthur, should we talk to Orion Pictures about the distribution in advance?"

Arthur shook his head. "No rush. Now that we have the funds, we can discuss distribution after Sleeping with the Enemy is released. I'll have more leverage then."

"Do you really have that much confidence in Sleeping with the Enemy?"

"Yes. Sleeping with the Enemy was my project from the ground up, unlike Sleepless in Seattle, which had other big names attached."

A successful box office for Sleeping with the Enemy would be a solid testament to Arthur's capabilities, ensuring that Scream wouldn't lack for interested distributors.

"What about the director and actors?"

"Get me a list of new directors and actors from ITA. I'll screen them."

In Scream, the main roles were a few female characters that needed to be chosen carefully. The lead actress had to be not only beautiful but also experienced. For the two significant supporting roles, one could be Jennifer Aniston, and the other would need to be slightly older and selected from a list.

As for the director, there were many horror film directors, with many new directors starting with horror films. With a budget of $5 million for Scream, which was all of Arthur's assets, it had to be handled carefully.

If Jonathan Demme wasn't busy with The Silence of the Lambs, Arthur would have handed the script to him directly.

Unfortunately, Jonathan Demme was tied up with the post-production work for The Silence of the Lambs, making him unavailable for several months to prepare Scream.

George A. Romero, the master of horror known for Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead, came to Arthur's mind. However, Romero wasn't interested in horror films with a comedic touch.

"What's wrong, Arthur?" Winona Ryder, organizing files, noticed Arthur putting down the phone and asked.

"Nothing. George A. Romero probably thinks the investment is too small. I can't go after such big names," Arthur leaned back in his chair. "Having you as an assistant is really a waste of talent!"

"I don't have much to do these days. Is there no suitable director at ITA?" Winona came over to massage Arthur's shoulders.

Arthur shook his head. "No suitable directors yet, but there are some good actors."

"Let's go have dinner first," Winona kissed Arthur on the cheek...

*****

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