The Western Film Expo in Las Vegas is held once a year at the Bellagio Hotel. It is called Western and is actually the largest domestic film ordering fair in America.
The fountain in front of the hotel entrance is very famous, and many tourists come here to take photos as a souvenir.
The promotion meeting of "Top Gun" was held on the second night of the opening. At the live promotion meeting, the three biggest stars, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis, all appeared at the
on the podium.
However, what they faced were not enthusiastic movie fans, but hundreds of movie theater buyers across the country who came to place orders.
Although Ronald is already well-known in the industry, he is more attractive to these movie buyers as an actor.
This is not only because the audience likes to watch celebrities star in movies, but they can also take the opportunity to take photos with the stars and get their autographs, which are great gifts to take home for their children.
"Are you also from the Paramount crew? How about this movie? I heard it was about fighter jets. I watched Clint Eastwood's 'Firefox' the year before last. Air combat is always very boring.
"
A young-looking buyer, chewing gum, asked Ronald who was sitting in the audience.
"I'll tell you a secret. This movie looks like it's about air combat, but it's actually a passionate sports movie. It's very enjoyable."
"Oh yeah? How did you know?" The young buyer looked at him in surprise. Generally speaking, the actual content of this kind of movie is not consistent with the publicity. The person who knows the truth must be a senior executive at Paramount.
Relatives in charge?
"Thomas, Thomas Stephenson," the buyer extended his hand and shook his hand.
"My name is Ronald, are you so young to be a cinema buyer?" Looking at the people in the audience who started in their thirties and forties, and there are also employees in their fifties, Ronald said to this man who looked like he was in his twenties.
Young people in their early years are also curious.
"My dad runs a movie theater. I have been selling tickets at the box office since I was a child, and then cleaning the movie theater. Hey, man, that is the most annoying job."
No wonder, it turned out to be a family business. Ronald understood.
Stephenson was an acquaintance, and he soon had a great time chatting with Ronald.
He told Ronald all about his situation. He was now the buyer of his father's theater chain. In New Jersey, the father and son owned less than ten movie theaters, and they also came to Las Vegas on behalf of other movie theater owners.
After watching the film at the Vegas show, I can be considered a moderate buyer.
"Now, I invite Ronald Lee, the director of this film, to answer questions."
"I have to go up."
Ronald greeted Stephenson, went on stage, and began to answer questions raised by buyers. For example, how many air combat scenes are there, how long is the movie expected to be, and whether there is a love scene between the male and female protagonists.
"Ah...I remember." Stephenson looked at Ronald and suddenly exclaimed. These were the first two movies that had been shown for seven or eight months in the latest multiplex theater he owned at home.
The director of "The Dragon King" and "Break Dance"?
When he came here, his father, Thomas Sr., specifically told his son that he must keep an eye on such a director to see what films he would make this year. Many directors will have a period of time when their skills go smoothly, and during that period, no matter what they make, they will be a hit.
, the audience just loves to see their works.
I just didn't expect him to be so young, he seems to be about the same age as me.
"Hi, Ronald, I didn't expect you to be able to direct Paramount's masterpiece at such a young age. I didn't recognize you just now because I didn't know you were so young and promising. Can I invite you to have a beer and chat with me?
?”
Little Stephenson took the initiative and wanted to know more about the inside story of the movie.
"No problem. When I finish here, we will have time to chat together in the evening." Ronald also wanted to chat with these grassroots practitioners. They are a group of practitioners within the film industry who are closest to the audience.
"How is your business? Now that the movie box office is booming again, you should be making good profits, right?"
In the evening, Ronald came out to meet little Stephenson. The two found the bar, drank beer and chatted.
Although Paramount spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to build marketing materials for the exhibition, specially edited a trailer, and had three celebrities come to support it, most of the actual distribution contracts were still settled in private chats in bars and cafes.
"Actually, our profit margin is very low. Just relying on ticket revenue from screenings, our gross profit will not exceed 10%."
"Indeed, before the popularity of movies and television, there were simply two markets." Ronald believed this figure, which was consistent with the data he had previously settled with Atlantic. Many cinemas would be in arrears with box office revenue for a year, and would occupy the first
It takes a year to renovate a movie theater, but every bit of interest is needed.
"You are absolutely right. Among all the studios, directors and actors I have come into contact with, you are the only one who understands our business. They always feel that we make a lot of money and deduct their profits. In fact,
We rely on box office, and if we buy one or two movies that are not successful in a year, it will easily be in vain."
"Then do you have some other ways to make money?" Ronald thought to himself, how can anyone work for nothing just because they love movies.
"I like your movies very much. My dad said that as long as they are directed by you, we will sign a distribution contract unconditionally. Our six old-fashioned theaters and the latest multiplex theater will buy a total of eight copies.
, plus colleagues from surrounding towns, I can buy fifteen copies here this time."
"Then thank you." Ronald shook hands with him. Under the current distribution model, the country is divided into more than a thousand "regions", each with a population ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands. In
A studio can only sign an exclusive distribution agreement with one movie theater in a region.
This can significantly reduce the number of movie copies required. Nationally speaking, an average movie only needs about a thousand copies to meet the needs of national distribution. Even the most popular sequel blockbuster only needs one copy.
Less than 1,500 copies can satisfy a nationwide audience.
Expensive movie copies are also a huge expense for distributors. Naturally, the fewer the better, so this exclusive theatrical release model has been retained to this day.
"In addition, I also have a sequel to Longwei Boy, and I will hold a press conference tomorrow. You can also come and take a look."
"Are you the director of the sequel? If it is you, then I will definitely buy it." Little Stephenson said simply, I came here just because of your name.
"I haven't agreed yet, but it is very likely that I will participate. Even if I am not the director, the story will develop according to my ideas." Ronald replied.
"Very good, I'll go to the platform to order it." Little Stephenson high-fived him again, "Last time, Breakdancing 2 was not directed by you, so I almost did something bad if I bought it. Fortunately, the breakdancing trend hasn't passed yet, so it's okay.
No loss."
"There will be no problem with the sequel of Dragon King. Mr. Weintraub and I will bring the story to Ryukyu this time. It will definitely be interesting. You can still buy a dozen copies and you won't lose money." Ronald
It was just a good time to promote his work, and he also wanted to see how the other party would react.
"I will definitely buy it, but it's impossible to buy it in the same quantity. Boy Longwei, I only need five or six sets of copies at home. For the rest, I have to make long-distance calls to see what the old guys want."
"Oh, why? Aren't you optimistic about my Dragon King sequel?" Ronald was a little surprised. This buyer had obviously more confidence in Top Gun than in the Dragon King sequel.
"No, this is actually our business secret. Hi...but you are the director, and you know everything I said. It doesn't matter if I talk to you."
Little Stephenson took a sip of beer, "Originally, I didn't have that much confidence in Top Gun, but on the one hand, you directed it... On the other hand, I read your brochure and the clips, and I found that
This movie is very suitable for fathers to take their children to watch.”
"Father, take your children to see it?" Ronald repeated. This short sentence contained a lot of business wisdom.
"Yes, we always like this kind of movies that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The last time Spielberg's ET was released, we made the right decision and bought an excessive amount of copies. In addition to showing the box office to a full house, we can also rent it out to other industry players to make more money.
One stroke.
This time your movie is suitable for fathers to take their children to see. They buy Coke and popcorn much more generously than mothers."
"There is knowledge everywhere. It seems that this kind of action, sports, and competition-themed movies really attract audiences."
…
The next day, Ronald came to the "Dragon Boy 2" booth to support Weintraub.
"You know, Ronald, Frank Sinatra once had shares in this hotel, and he made a lot of money. Later, the FBI focused on him and said he was involved..., so he withdrew his shares.
It was only after the commander-in-chief came to power that he was completely freed from the investigation."
"The commander's forgiveness?" Ronald was talking about a privilege of the commander-in-chief. He can forgive the crimes of anyone who commits a crime while in office.
"It didn't reach that point. Sinatra was already a star in Hollywood and the music industry. It was not easy for the FBI to touch him. The commander-in-chief awarded him a medal and they automatically dropped the investigation."
Because the heroine of "The Kid 2" has not been confirmed yet, and the hero Ralph Mazzio is still filming, only Noriyuki Morita, who was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and Ronald came to the stage this time.
"Why do we need this kind of imported mineral water from China? Just use our own Wrigley."
Weintraub was very busy and personally arranged the press conference, which seemed to save a lot of money.
"You are such a big boss, can't you just ask your subordinates to do these things?" Ronald looked at him puzzled. Weintraub is not like Roger Corman's business philosophy, he is also like a big shot.
maded.
"Probably because I am a Jew. When I see a small place like this, which can obviously save money, but I don't know why it is so pompous, I have to open my mouth." Weintraub himself laughed.
"However, I may not have time to take care of these things soon."
"What?" Ronald felt there was something in his words.
"I'm telling you quietly, don't tell anyone else. Kerkorian, the boss of MGM Studios and the MGM Resorts in Las Vegas, has been talking to me for the past two days about restoring United Artists.
'Leave it to me to take care of the sign."
"Oh? Do you want to restore the configuration of the eight major studios?" Ronald raised his eyebrows. This is a big deal. After United Artists was acquired by MGM, the distribution channel was merged into MGM, but many experienced
The old employees are still there. More importantly, United Artists is still a member of the MPAA organization in charge of classification, and is also a member of the Producers Association, which has come forward to negotiate with major labor unions.
These two institutions are old institutions with great power. Outsiders, such as Minahan Golan, have to work hard for a long time to get in. Especially the MPAA is still dominated by the old eight. They
films tend to receive more lenient ratings criteria."
"Korkorian hopes that United Artists will restore the tradition of artists taking the lead in film shooting. Ronald, no one is worried about a director like you who spends all his money on making films on the screen.
After you finish filming these two movies, you can sign a long-term film contract with United Artists. Then you can make whatever subject matter you want and how you want to make it. If you want the actor to come, I will find it for you. How about that?
"
"Very good conditions, Mr. Weintraub. But for such a big matter, I have to discuss it with my agent first." Ronald remembered that Eisner from Paramount had also said this to him, but unfortunately he now
After going to Disneyland, I still haven't straightened out my relationship. The idea that I can shoot whatever I want has become empty talk.
"Of course, when this matter is settled, our filming of Dragon King 2 will basically be finished, and we can talk slowly at that time."
Ronald thought this was a big deal, so he went back to his room and called his agent immediately.
Niceta and Richard also heard rumors that United Artists was going to make a comeback, but they didn't expect that Kerkorian, a gambling tycoon, would choose Weintraub to run the business.
The three decided on the phone that they should wait until they return to Los Angeles to discuss the impact of this incident on the industry and whether to accept Weintraub's film contract.
In the evening, Ronald went downstairs again and started walking around the Bellagio Hotel. Many movies that will be released in the second half of this year and next year will take the opportunity to promote them.
Posters for movies such as Paramount's "Star Trek: The Movie 4", Fox's "Alien 2", and Weintraub's "The Kid 2" are all hung on both sides of the avenue as you enter.
Many movies have not yet decided on the main creators, so they are just conceptual posters. For example, "The Dragon King 2" only has a big face of Miyagi-sensei, played by Noriyuki Morita, and the title of the movie below.
However, those buyers, relying on this information, can make an accurate judgment about the movie's box office prospects, and then sign an intention contract first.
"What kind of movie is this?" Ronald saw a poster for "Orion" from a medium-sized producer. There was only a soldier in military uniform, his back to the audience, and a helmet occupying the center of the screen.
"Platoon", Ronald stood at their platform for a while, and picked up the pamphlet and read it.
"It turned out to be a work by Oliver Stone." Ronald knew that the director who had written Conan the Barbarian for Conan the Barbarian had now begun to direct and act on his own.
"No one has made a Vietnam War movie in the past two years," Ronald muttered in a low voice. However, Oliver Stone has never followed the trend, so he might make a good film. He didn't miss many mistakes.
"Cannon, cannon, ninja, break dancing, karate."
Two young dancers dressed as bunny girls danced and handed out Cannon Pictures introductions to passers-by.
"Minahan", Ronald went up and called his old friend.
This Israeli still likes this vulgar but effective propaganda trick to make it look very popular.
"Ronald!" Minahan rushed over and hugged him fiercely.
"How was the filming of Runaway Train?"
"Hey, Konchalovsky is so slow. It would be great if he could be as fast as you." Minahan waved his hand and said regretfully, "It won't be released until the end of the year, so it can only be in time for next year's film festival.
Already."
"But we also have a lot of new movies," Minahan thrust several posters into his hands.
"It's Ninja America, it's Invasion of the USA, it's Hercules, it's Vietnam War, remember? It starred Chuck Norris."
"That's the imitation..." Ronald chuckled. Isn't this a copycat version of Stallone's "First Blood 2" filmed by Minahan?
"That's him, Gaga Gaga. We might release it before his movie."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Today's video conference was delayed, and there is another chapter to be completed tomorrow.