Chapter 51: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

In the early morning, Arthur got up from Winona Ryder. "What do you want for breakfast? I'll make it!"

Winona Ryder felt Arthur's strong body. "Baguette with Butter and Jam. It's better than oatmeal."

Arthur nodded. "I'll make it. I'm tired of eggs and ham every day too."

An hour later, Winona Ryder, having showered, came to the dining table and started eating while Arthur sat beside her reading the newspaper.

MGM's boss, Las Vegas gambling tycoon Kirk Kerkorian, had sold MGM Studios to an Italian consortium. This was his second time selling MGM!

Arthur scratched his head, thinking this news was too distant to care about. He looked up at Winona Ryder and reminded her, "Ask Jessica to bring me the scripts you've received. I'll help you pick a high-grossing project."

"Okay, I'll call her later," Winona Ryder agreed. Arthur was a screenwriter, so he should be more professional!

After breakfast, Winona Ryder and Arthur sat on the sofa watching the news on TV. She remembered something and reminded, "Edward Scissorhands will be released at the end of the year."

Arthur, hearing it was at the end of the year, said, "Looks like it's aiming for awards season. That's good. Tim Burton's personal style is very distinct and will attract a loyal audience."

Not long after, Jessica James brought over several script copies. Arthur looked through them and saw they were mostly independent films.

"I also think these scripts won't do," Jessica James explained.

"Are there any more commercial ones?" Arthur rubbed his eyes. "Winona needs to increase her visibility now. High-grossing films are more important than critical acclaim."

"Unless it's the Golden Globes or Oscars, other awards don't have much impact!"

Jessica James thought for a moment. "Touchstone Pictures is preparing a remake of the 1950s classic, Father of the Bride. The lead roles will be played by veterans Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. They have a daughter's role for Winona!"

'The original Father of the Bride was a box office success back then, with Kimberly Williams playing the daughter.'

Arthur thought for a moment. "A comedy," he looked at Winona Ryder. "It should be fine. Let's accept the new Father of the Bride. These independent scripts might not even secure funding for production, and even if they do, they may not make much impact."

Winona Ryder nodded. "Then we'll do the new Father of the Bride this year."

Jessica James agreed. Winona's pay for commercial films was higher, and even though she wasn't the absolute lead, she was one of the two main female leads!

"By the way, I heard Touchstone has a 1930s gangster film, Billy Bathgate, casting soon?"

Arthur recalled Nicole Kidman mentioning this project last night.

Jessica James nodded. "The director is Robert Benton, with Dustin Hoffman and Bruce Willis as the male leads, and a newcomer recently signed by CAA as the female lead. The other key supporting roles are still being arranged by CAA."

Arthur Smith, being smart, understood that this was a CAA package deal. Director Robert Benton, male leads Dustin Hoffman and Bruce Willis, and female lead Nicole Kidman were all CAA clients. The rest of the important supporting roles would surely be filled by CAA clients as well.

"Got it," Arthur nodded. Given this, he knew he had no chance to fight for a role.

He decided to focus on the filming of Sleeping with the Enemy first. Perhaps after the release of Sleepless in Seattle, his chances would improve!

As March approached, the start date for Sleeping with the Enemy was drawing near. Arthur and director Joseph Ruben were making shooting plans at Orion.

At the same time, the currently largest-budget movie, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, held a grand launch event!

Director James Cameron, main actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, and Robert Patrick attended the event.

With a $100 million investment, it was the highest investment for a single project at the time!

Moreover, the distribution rights for Terminator 2: Judgment Day had shifted to Columbia TriStar. It's known that Orion had the distribution rights for The Terminator.

The first Terminator was jointly invested by HBO, Orion, and investor John Daly, making Orion the distributor.

Now, the investors were Carolco Pictures and Columbia, making Columbia TriStar the distributor!

"No wonder I've hardly seen Orion's head Mike Medavoy lately. Turns out he went to New York to sell the distribution rights for Terminator 2," Arthur couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Arthur could understand though. Carolco Pictures owned the rights, being the production company, while Orion had the distribution rights. With such a large investment, both sides had to contribute to the production budget.

This relationship was similar to James Bond. Eon Productions owned the series rights, while MGM-United Artists had the distribution rights. However, for James Bond, the distributor mainly funded the production, thus taking a larger share of the revenue.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day's production budget was $100 million. Orion could hardly afford half or even a quarter of that. There were also distribution costs. The marketing and distribution costs for Terminator 2: Judgment Day wouldn't be cheap, likely another $20-30 million.

In Orion's office, Arthur put down the newspaper, thinking how James Cameron always went big.

The highest investment for a single movie until then was Rambo III, released two years earlier. Stallone's sequel, filmed in Israel, cost $63 million due to severe overspending. Stallone had earned a record-breaking $16 million salary for that film, but Schwarzenegger's sequel now topped that with a $100 million budget. Thankfully, Schwarzenegger's salary for Terminator 2 was only $15 million!

At this moment, Mike Medavoy's assistant came over, asking Arthur to go to his office.

"I'm coming," Arthur got up immediately.

Damn, Mike Medavoy better not have sold the distribution rights for Sleeping with the Enemy too!

Arthur felt there was some conspiracy between Medavoy and Sony. Otherwise, how could the distribution rights for Terminator 2 be sold so easily?

Now everyone knew Terminator 2 was going to be a big hit. Would Sony get those rights without some good deals?

"Mr. Medavoy, did you need me?" Arthur asked with a smile as he entered Mike Medavoy's office...

*****

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