Chapter 121: Plans for the Next Pirates of the Caribbean Sequel

"Kevin, you're here."

Upon hearing the news of Kevin's arrival, Robinov greeted him with a smile on his face.

Just by seeing Robinov's smile, Kevin knew that the opening day box office must have been good.

Otherwise, Robinov wouldn't be so happy.

"What was the opening day box office for The Dark Knight?"

Kevin asked curiously, "So, how much was the opening day box office?"

"You wanna guess?" Robinov replied with a smile, teasingly.

"$30 million?" Kevin guessed without hesitation.

Robinov's expression froze. Well, he sure dared to say that.

Last year, the Pirates of the Caribbean series had an opening day box office of just over $20 million, and it already ranked first in the North American box office.

I can't believe you said that.

Robinov smiled awkwardly, no longer keeping the suspense, and said directly, "The opening day box office was $24.33 million. And the word-of-mouth among Batman fans and your fans is good, so the likelihood of a box office slump is low."

"Based on preliminary analysis by industry professionals, a global box office of around $500 million should be achievable."

With the two Batman movies and marketing expenses, the total production cost was $170 million.

This meant that once the box office reached $500 million, the production costs of both movies would be covered.

Moreover, there would be additional revenue from DVDs and merchandise, making a decent profit.

The Dark Knight had already recouped all its costs, including DVD sales and other sources, and was already turning a profit.

So, the next installment of The Dark Knight, its box office earnings would determine their profit.

From Warner Bros.' perspective, there was a high probability that the next film would surpass the first installment.

In other words, at least 70% of the gross revenue of $500 million would be almost equivalent to their company's profit.

Robinov already imagined the praise he would receive from Warner Bros. after this year's financial report came out as the president.

Of course, there would be a substantial bonus as well.

Just the thought of it made Robinov burst into laughter.

Since the data came out, Robinov had been excitedly wandering around the company, and almost everyone saw his rarely seen smiling face.

That was the reason why Kevin saw him so happy as soon as he arrived.

Kevin nodded but didn't seem too excited.

In the original timeline, the first installment of the Batman trilogy, released several years later, had a total box office of around $370 million.

Considering the $80 million production budget, it was already a substantial profit for Warner Bros.

And now, Kevin was adapting a successful case, which only brought in a little over $100 million in box office.

That alone was not enough to make Kevin overly excited.

It was the second film that was his trump card.

After all, the second Batman film in the original timeline grossed over $1 billion at the box office.

That box office performance ranked fourth in North American box office history (first among 2D movies) and thirteenth globally.

That was where Kevin made Warner Bros. a lot of money.

However...

Kevin chuckled inwardly, knowing that the billions of dollars he earned from Batman movies would eventually be used to fill the DC Extended Universe with dark films, a plan he had in mind.

This wave... it's a profit that feels like a loss.

Facing a delighted Robinov, Kevin reminded him, "Don't forget about additional marketing. The next installment of The Dark Knight should seamlessly connect."

"We can't afford to stop promoting even for a moment during these three months."

Robinov nodded, concealing his smile and said seriously, "Don't worry, Kevin. Warner Bros. is not some small film company. We have extensive experience in maximizing the potential of a blockbuster film. We know how to make it shine."

Kevin nodded, exchanged some promotional plans with him, and then left.

Once a film is released, most of the matters are handled by the film company itself.

There's very little a director can intervene in.

Warner Bros. doesn't need him to worry about Batman; they're more invested in it than he is.

His current task is to handle his own company's affairs.

...

In an upscale restaurant, Kevin called his two assistant directors.

Zack Snyder and his old classmate, Will Mitt.

Since the completion of Batman, they had enjoyed a good time traveling around, taking a well-deserved break.

Now, they were back in full form.

"Director Kevin, did you call us because there's a new project?" Mitt asked playfully with a smile.

During this period, he and Snyder had a great time together, enjoying themselves.

Being suddenly summoned by Kevin, they felt like they hadn't had enough fun yet.

Seeing the two of them still immersed in their holiday mood, Kevin couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

He hadn't even had much time to relax, but they seemed to have a blast.

In response, Kevin directly dropped a bombshell, cutting off any thoughts of them continuing their vacation.

"Do you want to be directors?"

Mitt didn't catch on immediately and laughed, saying, "But we've always been directors."

Zack Snyder, on the other hand, understood Kevin's idea.

His face instantly lit up with excitement.

"Kevin, are you suggesting that we direct our own films?"

Mitt also realized what was being implied and looked at Kevin with anticipation.

In the face of their eager expressions, Kevin nodded slowly and explained:

"Yes, the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean is about to start filming, and the rights belong to our company."

"If everything goes as planned, Dawn Films will be the primary investor, with MGM Films as the secondary investor. Dawn Films will contribute 60% of the funding and receive 60% of the film's profits, as well as future rights revenue. As for DVD revenue, it will be distributed proportionally between Dawn Films and MGM."

"MGM will receive a 40% share of the profits and a portion of the rights revenue."

Kevin explained this so clearly because he planned to give Zack Snyder and Mitt a certain share of Dawn Films' stocks and dividends in the future.

Zack Snyder had already proven himself as a renowned director in Hollywood, and Mitt, despite lacking a bit of intuition, had shown solid directorial skills in other aspects, which Kevin could help compensate for.

Both of them could become pillars of Dawn Films in the future, supporting its business operations.

For a film company, the most important thing is to consistently produce profitable films. This is how they can gain the favor of theater chains.

Through such success, a film company can establish better relationships with theater chains.

To put it bluntly, once they have earned the trust of theater chains, they will have more leverage in securing favorable screening slots.