Chapter 357 Cooperation Negotiated

When Wu Yuchen asked about the investment amount, Spielberg said: "We are going to invest 150 million for "Transformers" and Miracle Pictures will invest 50 million. How about it?"

150 million and 50 million will be given to Miracle Pictures, which is one-third or 33.33% of the share. To be honest, one-third of the share is not too small, but Wu Yuchen wants more. After all, this is "Transformers"!

With an investment of 150 million, "Transformers" has a global box office of 700 million U.S. dollars, and the DVD copyright sales are extremely high, exceeding 300 million U.S. dollars. It is a purely profitable project!

Moreover, "Transformers" is not just popular for the first one, but the whole series is very profitable. Although its plot has been criticized more and more as time goes by, the box office of the "Transformers" series is rising steadily!

From 700 million for the first part, 836 million for the second, 1.124 billion for the third, and 1.104 billion for the fourth, they were all hits at the box office. Even the fifth and most failed film in the series, the one with a box office of 600 million, still made no loss compared to the production cost of 250 million.

And its extra, "Bumblebee", which invested 100 million, also earned 467 million at the box office!

It can be said that in the entire "Transformers" series, no one is losing money, it is just a matter of making more or less. For such a series, Wu Yuchen certainly wants to get as much of the pie as possible!

However, Wu Yuchen couldn't show it right away. He had to have a good excuse, otherwise Spielberg would be suspicious if he directly grabbed the share.

Wu Yuchen said to Spielberg: "Steven, 50 million is not a small number. I need to measure it. You know, I value the script of the movie very much. I want to see what you want to shoot." What kind of story. Then decide whether to make this 50 million investment.”

"Of course!" Spielberg had already made preparations and handed the script to Wu Yuchen.

Afterwards, Wu Yuchen found a place and read the script comfortably. Spielberg smiled and started doing his own thing.

After a while, Wu Yuchen closed the script and came back to Spielberg. The latter smiled and asked: "Wu, how are you?"

Wu Yuchen looked at the script in his hand, then shook his head slightly and asked: "Steven, is this your final version of the script? If the movie is shot according to this script, then I will not invest."

Spielberg immediately frowned upon hearing this, and then asked with concern: "Wu, do you think there is any problem?"

In fact, this is not the final version of the script, but the second version. Spielberg also thinks there are some problems, but now he wants to hear the opinion of the master Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen did not hide it. He first praised: "Steven, the main line of this story is very good. It focuses on 'a boy and his car', which embodies the theme of adulthood and responsibility." ”

Spielberg smiled as he raised the topic. In America, where cars mean everything, a driver's license is more important than an ID card, especially for men. Every American boy dreams of having his own car! So telling the story of a boy and a car will make Americans feel very involved. This is a very good angle. So Spielberg asked two screenwriters to create this script based on this main line.

But then Wu Yuchen changed his voice and pointed out the problem: "However, this script has a fatal problem. The whole process is unfolded from the perspective of the male and female protagonists. What's even more terrible is that the Transformers don't even have a single line. I can not believe it!"

Yes, in this version of the script, none of the Transformers have a single line!

Spielberg took a breath after hearing this, and then explained to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, this is the concept of producer Tang Murphy. He believes that talking machines will look ridiculous and make the audience feel very strange. "

Wu Yuchen directly cursed: "Shit! He doesn't understand Transformers at all! Why is "Transformers" called Transformers? Because these big guys who can transform are the real protagonists! Shouldn't he think that, All the audiences come into the cinema to see how a boy picks up girls, right?

What they want to see is the collision of Transformers, and they want to see these big guys interacting and communicating with humans! I want to see them become our human friends!

If the Transformers didn't have any lines, they would really be a bunch of people! And this movie has lost its soul! I will not invest in a movie like this that is doomed to fail! "

When Spielberg heard Wu Yuchen's words, instead of being angry, he smiled:

"Wu, you know what? Your ideas coincide with mine! I also think that if you don't let the Transformers speak, it would be a betrayal of the Transformers fan base! So I really need you, you should Join the Transformers project!"

Wu Yuchen shook his head, spread his hands and said, "Steven, you should know that I don't have time."

Although Wu Yuchen refused, Spielberg was not discouraged and persuaded: "Wu, our time is not that urgent, and we will not delay your filming of "Batman"!

How about you be one of the producers? Transformers needs your ideas! And I hope you can check the script of Transformers and guide the two screenwriters in the direction of creation. You are a recognized master of scriptwriting! "

Sometimes, the producer of a movie can be named in name only. For example, after Wu Yuchen invested this time, he can actually be named as a producer, but sometimes he has to actually pay.

And Spielberg hopes that Wu Yuchen can do something to increase the success rate of Transformers. At the same time, he also has more ideas. That is, if Wu Yuchen is named as a producer and screenwriter, it can also become a publicity point.

This publicity is not for the audience, but for those major advertisers!

The movie Transformers is not like Pirate King, which takes place in the ancient sea, but in a modern metropolis, which is very suitable for product placement!

Since Hasbro and DreamWorks discussed and planned the launch of Transformers last year, they have listed hundreds of advertisers suitable for product placement in Transformers, and will select them according to the plot. Select the most suitable advertiser.

Adding Wu Yuchen's name to the list of producers and screenwriters will undoubtedly increase the trust of these advertisers in the success of the film!

Although Spielberg did not say it, Wu Yuchen naturally understood it.

As a producer, he provided ideas for "Transformers", that is, he supported Spielberg, and as a screenwriter, he grasped the direction of the script's creation. At the same time, he used his own name to increase the weight of advertisers. Wu Yuchen looked at Spielberg in silence for a few seconds, and then said:

"Steven, if it is according to what you said, one-third of the investment share is too little..."

Wu Yuchen's meaning is very clear. After doing these, he is confident that he will increase the success rate of "Transformers", so he wants more investment shares.

Spielberg also understood Wu Yuchen's words, so he asked: "Wu, how much do you want?"

"50%." Wu Yuchen said directly.

"Oh, No, No! Wu, 50% is too much. We at DreamWorks have prepared so much in the early stage. It is impossible to give you half of the share! "

The Transformers project is not a small IP. Although it has risks, it is a DreamWorks-led project after all. And Spielberg also believes that with Wu Yuchen's participation, the success rate of Transformers will definitely increase, so he doesn't want to give up too much of his share.

The two negotiated back and forth and finally decided that the total investment of Transformers was 150 million US dollars, and Marvel Pictures would invest 60 million, which means it would occupy 40% of the share.

Although it was only 6.67% higher than the initial one-third, Wu Yuchen was still quite satisfied.

The most critical point is that he set the investment rights for the subsequent Transformers series for Marvel Pictures, ensuring that after the Transformers became popular, his own Marvel Pictures would not be abandoned.

"Happy cooperation, Steven!" After the talk, Wu Yuchen smiled and stretched out his hand to Spielberg.

Spielberg also shook hands with him: "I also hope that this will be another pleasant and successful cooperation for us! ”

Being able to negotiate "Transformers" is undoubtedly a very happy thing for Wu Yuchen. After returning, he took Scarlett Johansson to start a happy celebration carnival!

Whether it is as a responsible Daddy teaching a disobedient daughter, or as a master taming a wild horse, or taking his obedient puppy for a walk in the garden, Wu Yuchen is very happy!

After the first weekend, the first weekend box office of "Pirate King 3" reached 162 million, which did not break the 1.6 of "Pirate King 2". 900 million first weekend box office record.

It's not that the number of people who came to see "Pirate King 3" was less than "Pirate King 2" or the audience's enthusiasm was reduced. It was caused by the filming schedule.

"Pirate King 3" is 167 minutes long, while "Pirate King 2" is 151 minutes long, which means that the second part is 16 minutes shorter than the third part!

It is because of this short 16 minutes that many cinemas that originally scheduled 7 shows a day for "Pirate King 2" only schedule 6 shows a day for "Pirate King 2"!

You can calculate the time, "Pirate King 2" 7 The first film was 1057 minutes long, while the six films of Pirate King 3 were 1002 minutes long, which is not much different.

But if you calculate it this way, the total number of films in the first three days of the first weekend of Pirate King 3 is one-seventh less than that of Pirate King 2! In this case, even if there are more than a hundred theaters than in the second film, it is difficult to make up for it. The box office can reach 162 million, which is actually because the audience is more enthusiastic than when they watched the second film!

However, Wu Yuchen does not have so many regrets about whether to break this record or not, anyway, the first weekend record of Pirate King 2 is also set by him, Director Wu!

Just because of the extra 16 minutes, the total box office of Pirate King 3 is probably difficult to catch up with Pirate King 2. The number of filming sessions in the theater is still very important for the influence of passers-by audiences, especially after the time is extended.

Although Pirate King 3 has a huge fan base, passers-by audiences are a very important force for any movie. Fewer filming sessions means less passers-by audiences, which is really difficult to make up for under the same movie quality.

At this time, Wu Yuchen had returned to the crew of "Batman". Most of his energy was spent on filming "Batman". At the same time, he also spared a small amount of energy to work with "Batman" every night. The two screenwriters of "Transformers" communicated to guide them in the direction of script creation and gave their own opinions.

Time passed by slowly, and it was already August. After Wu Yuchen finished his busy shooting today, he returned to the hotel room and stretched himself. At this time, Anne Hathaway's delicate body was pressed against Wu Yuchen's body: "My dear, do you want me to help you relax?"

"Of course~" Wu Yuchen said with a smile.

Anne Hathaway put Wu Yuchen's head in her arms, leaned against her soft body, and then pressed him with moderate strength with both hands.

In the past half month, her "Princess Diaries 2" was released, and now the North American box office has reached 76.8 million, and it has not exceeded 100 million. Anne Hathaway came here, on the one hand, to announce the good news to Wu Yuchen, and at the same time, she took the opportunity to blow some pillows, hoping to obtain resources for her next film.

Anne Hathaway now has a trilogy of "Spider-Man" and two "Princess Diaries" that stand alone at the box office, and has already entered the forefront. At the same time, she also acted in Li An's "Brokeback Mountain". This film, which was nominated for the Olympics, will add to her honor book.

And her next film will be a film in which she shows her appeal and completely consolidates her position as a first-line actress, so it is also very important.

While Wu Yuchen was lying in the arms of little Princess Anne, enjoying the gentle massage, while rubbing his hands on her smooth and delicate thighs, he asked: "Baby Anne, have you been in contact with Jessie recently?"

Anne Hathaway said with a smile: "Jessie's filming of "So You Think You Can Dance 2" has come to an end. I think it will be over in the next few days. Then she will definitely come to her Daddy Wu as soon as possible~"

Wu Yuchen smiled and nodded when he heard this: "Okay, when she comes, I will introduce a new partner to you~"

Anne Hathaway's heart moved and she asked: "Oh? New friend? Who is it? Are they from China?"

Wu Yuchen said with a smile: "Annie, you have to keep some mystery to have surprises. You will know when the time comes."

His filming of "Batman" is almost finished in a few days. It started shooting in April and it has been 4 months now. After the movie is finished, he will also relax for a few days. Then he will bring Scarlett Johansson over and let Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba inspect her together!