Nowadays, after the great film industry star Barry Diller was poached by the media tycoon Merck with a large sum of money, the helm of Paramount has become Mr. Lemmon.
Raymond originally studied journalism and advertising at Harvard University in the United States. After graduation, he worked in an unknown advertising company, mainly doing advertising design and promotion work.
Later, by chance, because of his outstanding creativity, he was discovered by American media tycoon Redstone and became the head of the advertising department of his "Viacom Entertainment Empire".
Mr. Raymond has always been grateful to the tycoon Redstone, worked diligently and vigorously, and made Viacom's advertising business in Europe prosperous.
Now, the big boss Lei Shidong said that he had an important task assigned to him and asked him to come back from Europe. After receiving the news, Lei Meng worked non-stop and prepared to return to his hometown in glory.
But the first thing I did when I returned to the United States was not to sit down to drink coffee or sip red wine, but to take over the declining Paramount.
As we all know, the Petroleum Capital Group purchased Paramount in 1966, making it a subsidiary of Gulf and Occidental Petroleum Corporation. With the revival of the American film industry in the 1970s, Paramount filmed "The Godfather" (Episodes 1 and 2)
, "Grease", "Weekend Night" and other films with high box office value, the company has made a profit year after year, and reached a record number in 1978.
However, the good times did not last long, and Paramount began to decline until the genius Barry Diller took over. At this time, Viacom, headed by entertainment tycoon Redstone, acquired Paramount.
Redstone has high hopes for Barry Diller, hoping that he can lead Paramount to a beautiful turnaround.
Unfortunately, in the end, Barry Diller was poached halfway by Redstone's old rival, another media tycoon, Merck, causing Paramount to fall into another trough.
There is no way, outsiders are unreliable.
Redstone can only trust his own people, and his most capable subordinate is undoubtedly Raymond.
So Mr. Raymond was hastily recalled from Europe to the United States to take over as President of Paramount!
Damn it, when did I ever make a movie?
You guys are just rushing the ducks to the shelves!
This was Mr. Raymond's first reaction after receiving the news.
But the meaning of the head office is very simple. Movies and advertisements are the same concept, they are both commodities. As long as you sell movies as advertisements, you will be able to sell well and help Paramount come back to life.
Mr. Raymond's ideological state still lingers on "I am a brick of the company, and I can move it wherever it is needed." He can only obey the appointment of the head office.
In contrast, Mr. Raymond's wife was particularly resistant.
"What, damn it, I didn't let you take a job in the head office, but I sent you to Paramount!"
"Everyone knows that damn Paramount has been in bad luck recently. Whether it's filming or producing, it only loses money but never makes a profit!"
"Also, what pisses me off the most is that there are so many female stars in Paramount. You are weak-willed and so unable to withstand temptation. If you fall in love with some vixen, will I still have a good life?"
In response to this, Mr. Raymond could only spread his hands and smile bitterly, "I don't want to either, dear baby! But if I don't be the president, who will be the president?!"
So, in this very difficult atmosphere, Mr. Raymond took office. He originally thought that with talents like himself, Paramount would be able to come back to life, and he would be able to show off his talents. Unexpectedly, the first film invested by Fox would be
The joint investment of nearly 200 million US dollars and the sinking of the "Titanic" completely plunged Raymond into the abyss of venture capital.
Mr. Raymond is bleeding inside. No wonder so many people are unwilling to take over this mess. Paramount's water is too deep.
Fortunately, in December 1997, "Titanic" was finally released, and the box office continued to soar.
Mr. Raymond, who was bleeding from the inside, could really be described as "crying with joy", but a box office explosion is not a good thing.
Fox started playing tricks again and wanted to get more profit share.
Raymond is not a fool, so of course he won’t do it.
So, everyone took the most common procedure in the United States - filing a lawsuit!
Profit sharing is delayed again and again.
The withdrawal of capital has been delayed again and again.
Mr. Raymond's heart was bleeding again.
Having learned a heavy lesson from "Titanic", Mr. Raymond began to be prudent in his investments. He no longer made any big investments, but only started some low-cost film productions, and occasionally bought some films with good potential to increase their popularity.
After the lawsuit is over, the investment of hundreds of millions will be recovered.
In fact, Mr. Raymond purchased Dimension Pictures' "Moonlight 7" on behalf of Paramount, as well as three films from the newly established Fantasy Pictures. The reason is to let everyone know that Paramount is still
It's very coquettish, and it's not quiet anymore. Look, even on Halloween, we have four movies released.
As for whether to make money or not, Raymond doesn't think much about it. At this stage, even if these movies can make money, how much can they make? 1 million? 2 million, or 3 million? God, this is a good thing for people who are waiting hard for the billion-dollar box office share of "Titan"
For Mr. Raymond, it was just drizzle.
However, "Moonlight 7", one week after its release on Halloween, performed well at the box office, ranking fourth on the list with US$4.5 million, and finally not at the bottom. This made Mr. Raymond feel a little brighter.
He breathed a sigh of relief. In the office, Mr. Raymond put one hand in his pocket and looked at the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, below which was the bustling city of Los Angeles.
There was a knock on the door, and the female secretary came in with a cup of coffee and put it on the table, "Sir, the coffee you asked for."
"Well, thank you, Nina, leave it there for now." Raymond turned around, "By the way, has the movie data report been released this week?"
"It's already out, sir. Look, this is it." The female secretary took out a piece of information from many official documents and handed it to Raymond.
Raymond took the information, sat down and looked at it carefully.
The content of the information is very boring data, but in the eyes of professionals like Raymond, it is the symbol of a fierce battle.
Seeing the wonderful place, Raymond couldn't help but pick up the coffee and take a sip.
Suddenly, his eyes paused on the information, and the coffee in his hand shook, spilling some...
The female secretary was standing next to him. She had been serving Mr. Raymond for so long and she had never seen him so absent-minded.
"Sir, is there anything wrong with this report?"
"Oh no, I'm just curious... Is the weekly box office of "The Ghost Story" really $960,000?"
"Yes, this data is absolutely accurate."
"Then what's the number of films we should schedule for this drama?"
"It doesn't seem to be very high, less than one-seventh of "Moonlight"..." the female secretary answered honestly.
"Really, less than one-seventh?" Mr. Raymond's eyes narrowed.
"Also, I heard that this drama is mainly scheduled to be screened in the morning..." the female secretary added.
Mr. Raymond's heart skipped a beat again.
Damn it, it’s showing in the morning?!
Everyone knows that the worst time to show a movie is in the morning. Just imagine, who would come to watch a movie early in the morning?!
What's more, in a spooky time like Halloween, the best time to show it is in the evening, or even in the afternoon. Only the devil wants this shit time in the morning.
"Who arranged this? How come it was arranged in the morning?"
"Oh, I heard that it seems that the other party requested it himself..."
"What?" Mr. Raymond was really shocked this time. "The other party asked for it. Why?"
Yes, why?
Could it be that some people are still afraid that their films will be too profitable and the box office will be too high?!
Mr. Raymond's mind was at a loss for the moment.
"Ahem, Mr. Yi Feiyang said that the content of his drama is too scary and it would be better to screen it during the day," the female secretary explained.
"The movie is too scary, please show it better during the day?!" This answer once again gave Mr. Raymond the illusion of being struck by lightning.
Mr. Raymond considers himself to be the best at calming down, but he was surprised one after another by Yi Feiyang and his "Ghost Record".
Who can’t calculate math problems?
Raymond can calculate with his buttocks that if the film schedule of "The Ghost Story" is expanded seven times and it is scheduled to be released at night, then its box office will be a terrifying figure!
16 million, 17 million, or even 20 million!
Yes, maybe, the box office champion next week will be this small production that I have never noticed!
Raymond took a deep breath to calm down. As the president of Paramount Pictures, he understood what he was going to do now...
…
The phone that Yi Feiyang was waiting for finally rang.
Yes, the call he had been waiting for for a week finally rang just when he was about to give up hope.
The content of the phone call was very simple. Mr. Raymond, the president of Paramount, wanted to see him.
"No problem, of course no problem!" This was Yi Feiyang's reply.
So that afternoon, Yi Feiyang met the legendary President of Paramount in Mr. Raymond's CEO office.
In fact, in Yi Feiyang's opinion, Mr. Raymond is very young, in his forties at most.
He behaves well and is gentle. He doesn't wear any brand-name watches or suits. If you have to say the highlight of his body, then it is the casual brooch on his chest.
Yes, it is a small delicate pin with a green vine growing vigorously upward. If you are knowledgeable, you can tell at a glance that this is the emblem of the "Ivy League Club" in the United States.
There are eight major Ivy League universities in the United States: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, and Cornell.
These eight universities have produced almost countless U.S. presidents, as well as economic and political stars, including Yale University alone, which has produced 13 presidents, known as the "cradle of presidents"; and Harvard University has produced countless economic giants, so that
Some people say that the entire Wall Street is the main battlefield of Harvard University. As long as these guys from Harvard University move their mouths, the Wall Street stock market will jump three times.
The eight universities form an invisible force...the Ivy League, and these people are actually in charge of the future national destiny of the United States.
If there is an alliance, there must be exchanges, so the "Ivy League Club" came into being. Celebrities from all walks of life gather together to communicate with each other and decide the development direction of the United States, political and economic reforms and next steps...
It can be said that this is not just a pin, it is a show of glory and strength. It represents the unknown powerful energy behind it and represents its recognition by the top elites in the United States.
At this moment, there is such a brooch that countless people dream of, but it is inconspicuously pinned on a very ordinary suit, which not only makes people feel that it does not fit well.
Yes, it doesn't fit very well.
In particular, Mr. Raymond's dress and behavior do not look like a Hollywood tycoon at all. No matter how you look at them, he looks like an ordinary office worker.
Office workers, this is Mr. Raymond's first impression of Yi Feiyang.
But Yi Feiyang knew that it was this kind of person who boldly invested in "Titanic" and replaced geniuses like Barry Diller to completely support the originally weak Paramount and become the overlord of ZTE.
People cannot be judged by their appearance.
Yi Feiyang reminded himself.
Just as Yi Feiyang was sizing up each other, Mr. Raymond was also sizing up Yi Feiyang.
Judging from the profit sharing agreement signed by Yi Feiyang and Paramount, this guy is obviously a fool. But judging from the fact that he planned the first part of "The Witch" and made a total of 200 million US dollars, the other party is as smart as a monkey.
The huge contrast made Raymond even more curious about this young man.
Now looking face to face, this Chinese Yi has a pair of profound eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul. Raymond has always believed in this, so he made a judgment that this Chinese Yi is definitely not a simple person.
"Hello, I'm Raymond."
"Hello, I'm Yi Feiyang."
The two shook hands cordially.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Raymond. I wonder why you invited me here today?" Yi Feiyang asked with a smile.
"Oh, that's it." Raymond guided Yi Feiyang to sit down and said with a smile, "I read this week's movie data report, and the three movies from your Fantasy Pictures have great potential. Yes, especially that one
"The Ghost Story", I am very optimistic about it, so I would like to discuss with you to increase the film schedule of this drama."
"Haha, I really couldn't ask for your proposal." Yi Feiyang did not hide his joy at all. "Actually, I have been very depressed. I am depressed that the amount of films you have given me is too small. Haha."
"So I want to apologize to you," Mr. Raymond said in a very approachable manner. "I didn't think much of your show at first. To be honest, I just thought they were too cheap and the publicity was not good."
"Don't worry about this, Mr. Raymond. As long as you are willing to increase the filming schedule of these three dramas of mine, I will make these three dramas completely popular tomorrow, yes, tomorrow!"
"Oh, is it true?" Raymond looked at Yi Feiyang in disbelief, at this Chinese man who was full of weirdness.
"Haha, if you are familiar with me, you know that I never like to talk big words. Yes, I am an honest gentleman. I despise those people who talk big words and spit everywhere! I like to speak with facts. So I say
, as long as you are willing to increase the number of films scheduled for my three dramas, I will definitely find ways to stir-fry my dramas to ensure that they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and fragrant!"
"Oh, dear Yi, it sounds like you are cooking your famous Chinese food...Chinese food, I like it!" Mr. Raymond praised. "So let's do this, I will immediately order someone to triple it for you
As long as your play performs well, I will continue to increase the schedule for you, what do you think?!"
"This suggestion seems to me... very good. Haha, okay then, Mr. Raymond, I will do what you want. I believe that your decision is absolutely correct, because you will see it soon.
Miracle!"
"A miracle? I'm looking forward to it!" Raymond stretched out his hand again, and Yi Feiyang took it without hesitation.
After another brief conversation, Yi Feiyang left.
Looking at Yi Feiyang's leaving figure, Mr. Raymond shrugged, "This is a cunning Chinese. I just don't know what method he has to stir up his drama..."
Mr. Raymond was thinking as he sat down and took the share agreement signed between Yi Feiyang and Paramount.
Looking at the agreement, 25% will be shared in the first week, 35% will be shared in the second week, and 45% will be shared in the third week...
No matter how you look at it, you think this Chinese is a complete fool. But for some reason, Mr. Raymond suddenly had an ominous premonition, especially when he looked at this incredible brain-dead agreement. He couldn't believe that a cunning person with an I.Q.
