Chapter 148: Live Stream

After lunch with Simon and Semel, negotiations between Daenerys Film Production and Warner Brothers on the specifics of their collaboration on "Batman" began swiftly.

Although money can't guarantee the success of a movie, a high budget obviously makes it easier to produce an outstanding film. Given Simon's fearless nouveau riche temperament, throwing $50 million into the project, Warner decided to let Daenerys Film Production take the lead in testing the waters.

Securing "Batman," Simon, pleased within, accepted the gaze of those who saw him as an easy mark and continued to expedite his plans as such.

On the other hand, on the Saturday after finalizing "Batman" with Semel, the 45th Golden Globe Awards ceremony took place at the Beverly Hills Hilton, where Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" unsurprisingly became the biggest winner of the Golden Globes, while "Run Lola Run," despite its five nominations, came up empty-handed.

Simon quickly brushed aside the snub "Run Lola Run" received at the Golden Globes. With the American Screenwriters Guild Awards overlooking it, he didn't harbor much expectation for the Golden Globes and wasn't too disheartened by the outcome.

Although "Run Lola Run" had the joint push of Warner and Orion, in terms of networking, resources, and PR, it couldn't match Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun," which also left empty-handed.

However, the announcement of the 60th Oscar nominations following the Golden Globes showcased Hollywood's conservatism again.

Many had thought "Run Lola Run" would secure several major nominations even if it didn't win any awards. Yet, it only received a nominal Best Editing nomination, with nothing else.

After analysis, many attributed this primarily to Simon's complex identity.

Had Simon been solely a rising young director in Hollywood, "Run Lola Run's" spectacular achievements would have undoubtedly received Oscar encouragement.

But now, Simon was not just a director but also a billionaire. The jurors might have felt that someone who earned a massive fortune in just over a year was not immediately suitable for honor.

Regardless, "Run Lola Run" ultimately received only a technical Best Editing nomination.

Of course, the nominee for this award was still Simon himself.

In early February, while negotiations for "Batman" were ongoing, Westero Corporation discreetly signed another contract with the Tolkien Estate for $20 million.

Though the price was double that of "The Lord of the Rings" rights, Simon gained more.

Successfully securing "The Silmarillion," Westero Corporation also renegotiated the rights to several of Tolkien's works with the Tolkien Estate for $20 million.

The original 1969 contract required the copyright holder to pay the Tolkien Estate a 7.5% net profit share.

Now, with a one-time payment of $20 million, the original profit-sharing terms for "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" were canceled, and "The Silmarillion" contract also excluded such terms, granting Simon rights to these works until the end of their copyright protection period.

Moreover, the new contract expanded Westero Corporation's product development range to avoid potential future disputes.

Recalling a lawsuit over the digital game rights not explicitly covered in the 1969 contract, which led to a $80 million claim from the Tolkien Estate against Time Warner, settled privately but at a cost far beyond the $20 million now.

Perhaps the Tolkien Estate's managers lacked foresight, but with Simon raising the transaction price by tens of millions, money played its significant role.

Perhaps feeling each had secured a great deal, the transaction was completed without public disclosure by either the Tolkien Estate or Westero Corporation. As for the future, regardless of the outcome, both sides had made their bed.

Frankly, Simon wasn't 100% sure the Tolkien Middle-earth series would achieve the same success as in the original timeline, but his odds were significantly better.

From mid-January to mid-February, the negotiations between Daenerys Film Production and Warner Brothers took a month, finally concluding the detailed cooperation plan for "Batman."

The five-year licensing term remained unchanged, with Daenerys Film Production paying $2 million for the "Batman" rights, acting the part of the "sucker" once again compared to "Spider-Man's" $200,000. The agreement stipulated that Daenerys Film Production would finance the first movie, with Warner Brothers securing global distribution rights. If the first film succeeded, Warner had the option to invest up to 50% in the sequel. However, Warner had to decide within a month of the sequel's initiation whether to invest, or they would automatically forfeit their right.

In terms of movie distribution, Warner stood firm, and Daenerys Film Production only managed to secure an opportunity to renegotiate distribution commissions for the sequel without gaining independent distribution rights.

Merchandise rights, buoyed by the success of "Star Wars," became a focal point of negotiations.

The final contract, covering numerous details about merchandise from live-action and comics, as well as from the first movie and sequels, took over ten pages of negotiation, resulting in Warner Brothers' DC Comics gaining a one-time 10% net profit share of merchandise related to the live-action "Batman" films, with the remaining profits determined by the parties' investment shares.

In summary, this was another disadvantageous cooperation deal for Daenerys Film Production, like the recent "Rain Man."

However, securing the "Batman" rights was an absolute victory for Simon. Having acquired the rights, he never intended to let them go. Holding onto "Batman" ensured future leverage would be on his side.

To be more 'proactive,' a week after officially signing the contract with Warner Brothers, Simon again used his financial power to buy the "Superman" rights from British producer Alexander Salkind.

With "Superman" and "Batman," along with Tolkien's Middle-earth series, Simon's copyright acquisitions were tentatively complete.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, February came to an end, and a very special day arrived.

February 22nd.

Simon's 20th birthday.

In a mansion halfway up Beverly Hills, this was Sandra Bullock's new home.

After impulsively kissing someone one evening and subsequently facing the paparazzi's relentless pursuit, she had to change her residence. Too much had happened over the past six months. After Simon and Janet reconciled, coupled with some guilty conscience, Sandra found herself inevitably drifting away from Simon.

However, today was his 20th birthday party—a perfectly valid reason to attend.

Yet, something felt odd.

Reflecting on her own 20th birthday, still in college then, she had no clue about her future.

His 20th.

Sigh.

Standing so high, untouchable, wasn't he afraid of falling?

Hmph.

It was already five in the afternoon.

Dressed in a carefully chosen aqua blue evening gown, just stepping out of the dressing room, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the makeup artist she had booked.

Her assistant Gina went to open the door, while Sandra carefully sat on the living room sofa. The TV, which had been on, caught her attention only now, showing a live CNN broadcast discussing Simon, with the screen behind the hosts displaying live footage outside his Palisades mansion.

This was over the top.

Just a birthday party, yet it attracted CNN for a live broadcast.

Still, considering what he had achieved from two summers ago to now, CNN's response seemed not too exaggerated.

Turning up the TV volume, Gina entered with the makeup artist. Sandra signaled for the makeup to be done right there in the living room, her eyes glued to the screen, intrigued by the hosts and guests' discussion.

"Indeed, Jim, Simon Westero reminds me of Howard Hughes, but he's even more legendary. His first movie was a box office hit in North America, grossing $400 million worldwide—a miracle at his age. What's more astonishing is his operation in the futures market last year, closely following the S&P 500's ups and downs, as if he could predict the index movements."

The other guest, a woman wearing glasses, said, "However, Daniel, I think Simon Westero has been completely reckless since last year's stock market crash. Especially recently, his capital operations seem haphazard, from his spat with Motorola, selling off all its shares, to his attempted acquisition of New World Entertainment, which he quickly abandoned after a setback. And Daenerys Film Production is just him throwing money around. He's reportedly initiated eight movies, and with the recent additions of 'Batman' and 'Superman,' that makes ten. I've gathered a list based on public information, and these movies generally lack appeal but have budgets well above Hollywood's average. Like 'Rain Man,' have you heard of it?"

Daniel nodded, "I've heard some. A movie starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, reportedly rejected by all major Hollywood studios, and Daenerys Film Production apparently signed a very unfavorable contract with MGM-UA. But I always feel Westero has other considerations. If anyone thinks a 20-year-old who's made over a billion dollars is a fool, then they're the fool."

"Hey, Daniel, are you talking about me?" the woman guest joked, then added, "But I do believe Simon Westero's recent actions are utterly reckless. If this continues, his fortune might significantly diminish in a few years."

"That's just your speculation, Katie. When Howard Hughes produced 'Hell's Angels,' everyone thought he'd go bankrupt, but it grossed $8 million in 1930, more than the box office of 'Star Wars' or 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.' And I believe Simon Westero's assets are mainly in tech stocks. After selling Motorola shares, given recent stock prices, his assets in this area alone exceed $1.3 billion."

"Probably more," the host added, "After failing to acquire New World Entertainment, Westero Corporation recently started acquiring shares in tech companies, such as Silicon Graphics. Simon Westero personally visited this San Francisco-based graphics workstation company last month. According to the latest filings, Westero Corporation's stake in Silicon Graphics has reached 11%. And Oracle, 9%, followed by Microsoft, Intel, and others, where the stake increased from 5% to over 7%. Altogether, Simon Westero has invested at least half of the proceeds from selling Motorola shares into these stocks. Wall Street has also begun to follow suit, significantly boosting the tech stock sector. Now, Simon Westero's stock assets are worth nearly $1.6 billion."

After the host finished, Daniel gestured towards the woman guest, "See, it's $1.6 billion. Simon Westero's profit from last year's stock market was about $1.6 billion. Now, Katie, according to you, after a period of recklessness, his fortune has not decreased but increased."

The woman guest responded, "Still, I don't believe anyone, as long as they're human, can keep creating miracles forever."

The host suddenly asked, "Katie, do you think Simon Westero is normal?"

Daniel laughed.

The woman also smiled, "Okay, Westero is indeed not quite normal. But my point is, unless he's an alien, which I doubt, he will inevitably face failure. Like those movies from Daenerys Film Production, Westero might ensure the success of one, two, or three films, but he can't guarantee all. Major Hollywood studios regularly have box office hits, yet often report losses, not due to Hollywood accounting, but actual losses. The reason is their array of failures alongside those successful films."

After the woman finished, the host lightly clapped, "Regardless of the future, today is Simon Westero's 20th birthday. This young man, who rose to prominence just over a year ago, has already created numerous miracles. I believe everyone is very curious about him, so let's return to our reporter on the scene."

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