Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 710 Trying to Secure a Scheduling

"DreamWorks Animation's 'The Rock' performed terribly this year. It did well at the North American box office with $5000 million, but only $2500 million at the international box office!"

Aaron shook his head. Speaking of DreamWorks animated feature films, after all, the international distribution rights for DreamWorks Animation belong to Dawn Global Pictures.

Tom Rothman shrugged. "It wasn't very good, but Chicken Run did exceptionally well at the box office, grossing about $2.2 million worldwide!"

With a budget of $1 million, Chicken Run grossed over $1.2 million in North America and nearly $4500 million overseas, making it the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film worldwide.

Unfortunately, it was a collaboration between Aardman Animations and DreamWorks in the UK. DreamWorks distributed it in North America, while Aardman Animations found its own distribution agents internationally. Universal Pictures was only responsible for a few markets, such as Japan and Australia.

"By the way, I heard that Jeffrey Katzenberg went to NATO again to file a complaint, accusing them of discriminating against DreamWorks' works?"

Aaron asked with a smile.

Tom Rothman shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it. The seven major Hollywood distributors are the main force in film production, so release dates naturally have to be based on what the seven major distributors do!"

The Paramount Decree has long been defunct. Not to mention that each major distributor now has its own chain of cinemas in which it has invested, cinemas certainly wouldn't dare to offend the seven major distributors when it comes to content distribution.

Hollywood film studios are a very powerful group, unlike other places where theaters are the weaker party.

Aaron smiled without saying a word. DreamWorks was being targeted because of Michael Eisner's suggestion last time. The Big Seven would definitely support it. The market is only so big, and they can't let DreamWorks come in and take a slice of the pie!

Now Jeffrey Katzenberg has to personally lobby small theaters one by one to lower his revenue share in order to secure a release date...

Meanwhile, the adventure film "Cast Away," directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, was released, grossing $2800 million in its opening weekend.
The entire film was shot over a period of sixteen months, following the plot development exactly. From a middle-aged, overweight, and greasy Tom Hanks to a drastically thin, primitive savage, actor Tom Hanks gained weight before filming and then began to lose weight as the plot progressed to his awakening on the desert island.

Filming was suspended for a year, during which time director Robert Zemeckis led the same production team to shoot another film, "Behind the Lies," which achieved a box office success of $1.5 million in North America and $2.9 million worldwide!
Cast Away received a lot of positive reviews, but also some negative ones.

The Hollywood Reporter: "Cast Away is an exploration of the human psyche; it's a film that dares to contemplate the complexities of life."

Rolling Stone: "Cast Away is not a romance or thriller; it's just a documentary about one person on a desert island. This somewhat dull 'one-man show' has allowed Tom Hanks to create yet another Hollywood legend."

Premiere: "Cast Away clearly wants to express what is most important in life, but the adventure story is only an intermittent success. Although the film is very close to the theme, it does not fully grasp it."

The San Jose Mercury News: "Cast Away feels hollow at the core!"

With the announcement of the nominations for the 58th Golden Globe Awards, three films produced by Dawn Universal—Erin Brockovich, Gladiator, and Traffic—have been nominated for Best Motion Picture—Drama.
With nominations for films like *Cast Away* and *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, Yan Xushuguang's competitiveness at Hollywood awards is evident. Meanwhile, George W. Bush, elected the 43rd President of the United States, delivered a brief farewell address at the Austin State Legislature in Texas, reluctantly resigning from his six-year term as Governor of Texas to fully dedicate himself to forming the Bush administration and implementing policy initiatives.

George W. Bush will not be inaugurated as President of the United States until January 20th of next year, which is only a month away, making it very tight;
Five hours after George W. Bush resigned, Texas Republican Lieutenant Governor Rick Perry was sworn in to fill Bush's vacancy.

As George W. Bush left the Capitol, he told reporters, "It has been a great honor to work with such a group of elites in Texas and serve the people. Although I am now moving, Texas will always be my home!"

At Bel Air Estate in Beverly Hills, Aaron sat on the sofa, talking on the phone with Jack Wells.

"You've seen the news, haven't you? Civil rights activists from all over the country are planning various protests in Washington, D.C., when the new president takes office!"

Aaron remained unmoved by Jack Wells's teasing and laughed, "At a time like this, can't we let him vent a little?"

While such a scene might seem rather unpleasant in retrospect, George W. Bush's handling of this year's Florida election controversy was indeed disgraceful!

"By the way, preparations for George W. Bush's inauguration are in full swing. I heard they're planning a grander celebration than ever before?"

"That's right. According to my information, the Presidential Inauguration Commission will solicit donations of 20 to 30 million US dollars from the public to hold a celebration for George W. Bush!"

Aaron patted his knee. "3000 million US dollars, that's really arrogant, but it doesn't matter. We'll provide as much as they want."

Aaron is not afraid to spend money now. During George W. Bush's campaign, Aaron contributed more than $3000 million, which was definitely the largest single amount.
With the support he received from other members of both parties, Aaron has spent a total of $1 million on his campaign this year!

"Well, Aaron, we'd like to give it, but they wouldn't dare accept it. We estimate it'll be at most 2000 million, donated by many private organizations."

“You know, Texas will provide at least half of the funding.”

Aaron scoffed. "Boring. Bush will probably be going to Washington, D.C. soon, huh?"

"Of course, this year's presidential election wasted too much time. The new president only has half the preparation time of previous presidents. Bush will definitely have to hurry!"

After hanging up the phone, Aaron stood up from the sofa and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, where the sunset illuminated the entire city of Los Angeles.

Shortly after, Catherine Zeta-Jones, who had just finished attending the Golden Globe nomination luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, arrived at the estate!

(End of this chapter)