Chapter 388

The silver Rolls-Royce car drove onto Fifth Avenue, and the speed inevitably slowed down. Although it was not the peak time for commuting, the traffic conditions in the crowded Manhattan were still worrying. Sitting in the spacious rear seat, Duke watched After looking at the watch, it is still early, even if he is stuck here for an hour, he will not be late.

As a Marvel Comics company-Marvel only changed its Chinese name in 2009. In order not to conflict with the present, it will be called Marvel-the largest shareholder and a member of the board of directors. He came to New York specially this time. The executives discussed their future plans.

Maybe Marvel has been confused in the past few years and can't see the direction of the future road, but the first part of "X-Men" soared more than 150 million US dollars in the box office in North America, enough to make them sober.

People who can become the top executives of well-known companies in the United States, including those who make wrong decisions and cause the company to lose money, are all human beings.

The daily tasks performed in Manhattan every day happened. The car came to a complete stop. Duke simply leaned on the backrest and closed his eyes to think about the topic of today's meeting.

As a major shareholder of Marvel, Duke did his homework before flying to New York.

There is no doubt that Marvel has come to a turning point in history.

Since 1995, the North American comics industry has ushered in a freezing period. Not only the Marvel family, but also the DC and Dark Horse comics, the life is not easy, and the sales of comics are also falling all the way, even in the lowest year. , The sales of comics in the United States are less than 300 million US dollars!

Since last year, the situation has improved slightly, but the ice age of paper comics is far from over. The comics industry wants to get rid of the trough, and relying solely on comics cannot solve it.

The pan-entertainment of comics is the way out for comic companies. In this regard, dc comics are far ahead of Marvel. Both Superman and Batman are typical examples of the successful pan-entertainment of comics.

However, even though Superman and Batman movies were once big hits, and the first "X-Men" had a stunning start, comics movies are far from the mainstream of the market.

To truly become a part of mainstream films, comic films must go through a long process of investigation, analysis, integration, preparation, and compilation.

Now that "X-Men" is selling well, Duke can give Marvel some suggestions. Speed ​​up this process, but Marvel wants to reach the height it once was, and it will never be possible to do it in two or three years.

Although his experience is different, he only has the most normal human head. It can't be found on the spot and omnipotent like a computer. Moreover, over time, even Marvel's things have been ignored. En? McLean's Magneto evokes related memories.

Maybe there are really omnipotent super geniuses in this world, but Duke knows that he is not one of them. He can make some suggestions based on the recalled memory, but these suggestions need to be summarized and implemented by Marvel professionals. Moreover, Marvel has fallen for many years, and the internal inevitably needs to be reorganized and rectified. This is not a person standing there and talking. Things that can be solved in a while.

This country worships individual heroism, but even as powerful as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Warren Buffett, it needs a team with the same outstanding ability as an executive.

In fact, anyone who knows a little about the comics industry can tell. Now Marvel's problem cannot be solved by a successful movie.

After half an hour. The silver Rolls-Royce stopped in front of 417 Fifth Avenue. As soon as Duke got off the car, Marvel staff greeted him and led him to the elevator to the office floor belonging to Marvel.

Although he was not late, it was not too early. Duke followed the staff directly into the meeting room. We greeted Marvel's board members and several other executives who attended the meeting one by one.

Of course, among these people sitting in the conference room, only one Duke really had an impression, Stan Lee, wearing a pair of sunglasses and full of age spots.

Even if I admire the other party for creating so many comic heroes. Duke maintained his proper attitude, treating him no different from treating other people. This is a business activity. If it is too affectionate, it will be a bit rude not to say that it does not fit his identity.

Only five minutes later, it was confirmed that everyone was there, and the Marvel board meeting kicked off. The person who presided over the meeting was Marvel's CEO Kevin Fitch.

After a few simple topics, the meeting soon came to the comic hero side.

"I believe everyone has seen the charm of our heroes. It is not only DC's Superman and Batman that can succeed on the big screen, but also our superheroes!"

Sitting at the front of the long conference table, Kevin Fitch said sonorously, "Everyone, we must not sell the copyright of our superheroes at will!"

This ceo, who only sat in a high position at a critical moment, was not a standard corporate executive with a meticulous tie and suit. He was huge and wore a Marvel character-themed hoodie, with bulging semi-old jeans and gray sports. Shoes are not like a company's decision maker at all.

His proposal was unsurprisingly supported by everyone including Duke.

After receiving Duke's investment, Marvel's financial pressure was greatly eased, and now it is natural that he does not want to stupidly sell the copyrights of other comic heroes.

Obviously, Kevin Fitch has the support of the majority of the board of directors. As long as the decision he makes is in the interests of Marvel, Duke will also support him.

With sufficient support, Kevin Fitch also put out a series of reform plans to optimize the internal Marvel and gradually solve the contradictions and problems accumulated over the years.

What surprised Duke most was that he proposed Marvel's pan-entertainment concept, and wanted to promote the reorganization of anime, especially the establishment of a special Marvel Pictures to produce superhero movies belonging to Marvel.

His plan is indeed very exciting, but Duke knows that it can only be a long-term plan, as he thought in the car when he came, the problems that Marvel is facing now cannot be solved by relying solely on movies. For the time being, the situation and ability of making a successful movie can only be a luxury.

And some people will always be blinded by immediate interests, and there are two executive directors who directly recommend that Marvel join the ranks of the film industry to earn money as soon as possible.

However, both Kevin Fitch and his deputy Avi Allard are sober enough.

"For the film industry, the entire Marvel is a layman." Kevin Fitch's gaze fell on Duke. "Here is one of the most successful directors in Hollywood. Why don't we listen to Duke's advice."

Everyone's eyes turned to Duke. There will be no real idiots and **** to appear in this meeting. I understand that Duke has a say in this aspect than all of them combined, and he himself is the biggest of Marvel. It is impossible for shareholders to say something unreliable.

"Kevin, let someone post the information I brought."

This is also a long-term meal ticket for the future. Just like understanding the animation industry, Duke has formulated a detailed plan based on vague memories and the future development of the film industry.

The two assistants opened the two thick large document bags that Duke's driver had brought in, walked on both sides of the long conference table, and placed the documents in front of many executives.

Many people couldn't wait to open the file, and the two executive directors who were a little impatient, just glanced at them roughly, and frowned unconsciously.

One of them said, "The five-year preparation period is too long, right?"

Others looked at Duke again, and Duke slowly put his arms on the table, "On the contrary, when all conditions will develop to our expectations, it will take five years to meet Marvel's needs, otherwise it will be longer. "

Since the beginning of the meeting, Duke has basically been silent, more like a mascot, but in his area of ​​expertise, his voice is no weaker than Kevin Fitch.

"Everyone, continue to turn back the information in your hands." His voice is not too high, but it is unusually loud, "This is not a simple movie plan, but to connect our superheroes to a world with movies. in!"

"Marvel's internal reorganization takes time, the establishment of a brand-new Marvel Pictures takes time, and the search for partners and distributors also takes time!"

He directly pointed out the issue of time, "Marvel is just a newcomer in the film industry. Even if I am around, it takes time to get acquainted with the circle. Everyone, there is never less tricky in the film industry, and Hollywood is no more competitive The business circle is simple."

"Also, the most important points!" Duke turned his gaze to Stan Lee, "The Marvel universe is extremely chaotic, and the relationship between the protagonists is extremely complicated. The copyrights of many heroes are not completely in our hands. If we want to To maximize the benefits, we must take back all the copyrights of the superheroes I listed in the plan. It also takes time to negotiate!"

Stan Lee has been flipping through the plan. When he saw the last few pages, his hands trembled slightly, and his voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement, "Duke, your plan, your final plan..."

"Yes, that's not wrong!" Duke said seriously, "We put Marvel's popular characters in the same space, connected them together in a movie, and then used new comics, cartoons and The series serves as a supplement to the world structure. Finally, our superheroes gather to meet the toughest challenge and form the Avengers!"

"And this is not the end!" Duke continued, "If the plan really goes well, we can get out of the earth and set our goal on Marvel's ultimate universe!"

His words and plan are not too complicated. These are just suggestions. The best person to realize the plan is undoubtedly the person who created the Avengers and knows the Marvel universe best.

"Of all these film plans, the most important is the first one. If the first one fails, the subsequent plans will encounter major setbacks, and we must be cautious! Sufficient preparation time is the basic condition for success."

The plan that Duke threw out attracted the extreme attention of Marvel management. The board of directors was extended from one day to three days, and the feasibility of the plan was basically discussed in the next two days. (To be continued...)