A grand premiere event was once again held at Disneyland. Perhaps believing that John Carter could boost the park's projects, Disney, as the distributor, decided to host the film's global premiere at Disneyland in California, inviting numerous celebrities to join the event.
As a Disney partner, Matthew naturally received an invitation.
Walking down the long red carpet to the newly opened Disney Theater, Matthew encountered Disney's CEO, Robert Iger.
"What's wrong?" Matthew asked curiously as he shook Iger's hand. "You seem a bit down."
Iger glanced at the giant poster of John Carter displayed in front of the theater and sighed. "The recent films haven't been doing so well."
Hearing this, Matthew was a little indignant. "Disney's films not doing well? Come on, Bob, have some sympathy for the rest of us."
Iger spread his hands. "It's the truth."
Matthew didn't hold back. "Didn't Alice in Wonderland pass the billion-dollar mark worldwide? And Iron Man 2 has grossed $300 million in North America and $700 million globally so far, right? Then there's Toy Story 3, which is both a critical and commercial success—clearly another $300 million+ in North America and $800 million+ worldwide! Disney's struggling? Small companies like ours would die for numbers like that."
Iger gave a Mickey Mouse-like grin but then pointed to the John Carter poster. "I'm talking about this film."
Matthew feigned curiosity. "The test screenings weren't good?"
At this point, review scores for John Carter on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb hadn't been released, but the film had gone through several test screenings.
Typically, after such screenings, a blockbuster would lift the review embargo if the reception was positive, using it as free marketing.
Films that withheld reviews usually fell into one of three categories: those with no public screenings, those with massive confidence like Avatar, or those with poor test screening results.
Matthew had been keeping an eye on John Carter, and although the reviews were still embargoed, there were plenty of critics praising the film.
Of course, insiders knew better than to take such early reviews seriously. Most critics were paid to write them.
"It's been very poor," Iger said, shaking his head slowly. "I'm already bracing for failure."
"Oh?" Matthew raised an eyebrow.
Iger sighed. "Andrew's abilities in live-action don't even come close to what he achieved in animation. Fortunately, Disney only invested $50 million in this film."
Matthew didn't know what to say, considering that he had almost been cast as the lead.
Just then, Iger's gaze shifted to the red carpet, where Brad Pitt, looking dashing in an ivory suit, was making his entrance.
"Luckily, the $200 million budget came from Brad Pitt's own investments and financing," Iger added. "Otherwise, Disney would be facing a brutal loss."
Matthew thought for a moment and asked, "Is it really that bad?"
From where he stood, Brad Pitt appeared confident, smiling as he walked the red carpet as though the film had already been a massive success.
"Worse than you can imagine," Iger replied solemnly. "Do you know how much the pre-sales are?"
Matthew shook his head. "That data hasn't been released."
Iger sighed again. "Brad Pitt's Plan B Productions spent a lot of money to keep those numbers hidden."
"Is it that bad?" Matthew asked again.
Iger nodded lightly. "Yes, opening weekend pre-sales in North America are under $5 million."
Matthew was momentarily speechless. For a film with a $250 million production budget, $5 million in pre-sales was beyond terrible.
Turning into the considerate business partner, Matthew suggested, "Bob, Disney might want to see how the first day's box office performs before deciding on further marketing investments."
From a cost-saving perspective, this was the wisest move.
Iger smiled wryly. "I've already halted additional marketing spending for the film."
It made no sense to keep throwing money into a film that was likely to flop.
Unlike Plan B Productions and Brad Pitt, Disney wasn't tied solely to John Carter.
Seeing someone approach to greet Iger, Matthew excused himself and walked away, watching as Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman took turns walking the red carpet.
To be a successful actor, you needed thick skin. Judging by their smiles, neither Brad nor Natalie showed any concern about John Carter's potential failure. It was as if box office success was a given.
Of course, there were films that performed poorly in test screenings but still exploded at the box office after release.
This explained why Disney and Plan B still went ahead with such a grand premiere. Perhaps Iger held out a sliver of hope for success.
But poor pre-sales and negative test screenings were clear signs to Matthew that John Carter would likely fail.
Moreover, Iger had hinted that director Andrew Stanton had made significant mistakes.
Problems with the cast could be overlooked, but issues with the director were often fatal for a film.
After watching the main cast of John Carter pose for photos, Matthew turned and walked toward the theater entrance.
A film with such significant issues? This was exactly what he wanted.
Just think, if John Carter performed poorly, Disney would recoup its marketing expenses and distribution cuts, but how much would be left for Plan B?
It was likely that Brad Pitt and Plan B Productions wouldn't even recover a tenth of their investment.
After two consecutive flops, who would dare hire Brad Pitt or Natalie Portman for another big-budget film?
Failing once might be bad luck, but two back-to-back failures would severely damage their reputations—even for a star as big as Matthew.
Shortly after Matthew entered the theater, Brad Pitt finished posing for photos and headed toward the entrance as well. As soon as he turned away from the cameras, the smile on his handsome face vanished, replaced by worry.
Poor test screenings were one thing, but terrible pre-sales? That was deeply concerning.
Pre-sales often reflected a film's actual appeal, including the draw of its director and stars.
With less than $5 million in pre-sales, Brad now fully understood that, outside of Pixar's animated films, Andrew Stanton had little to no draw for audiences. And both he and Natalie Portman lacked the commercial clout to carry the movie on their own.
It was a bitter realization but one that couldn't be avoided.
Perhaps choosing to star in a massive commercial film had been a mistake? Brad suddenly had a moment of clarity.
But if he wanted to be a superstar, he had no choice. In today's market, without strong box office results, an actor had no chance of becoming a true A-lister.
Brad's thoughts were interrupted when someone suddenly approached him as he entered the theater.
The man wore glasses and a black suit, his face sharp and businesslike.
"Antonio, what are you doing here?" Brad's previously somber expression now showed a hint of anger.
"I was invited," Antonio, the middle-aged man, replied coolly, not fazed by Brad's demeanor. "I came to remind you of something."
Brad glanced around and pointed to a quiet corner of the theater lobby. "Let's talk over there."
The two men walked to the corner, where Antonio got straight to the point. "Brad, I need to remind you that your debts must be repaid on time."
Brad's expression fluctuated between frustration and concern. "You'll get every penny I owe you."
Antonio smiled. "And how do you plan to do that? Don't tell me you're counting on John Carter's profits." He didn't give Brad a chance to respond. "I suggest you liquidate your assets soon. If we're forced to take legal action, the value of your collateral will drop significantly."
Brad's hand trembled slightly, but he didn't panic.
"We already extended your loan from Cloud Atlas, allowing you to delay repayment until this year," Antonio continued. "But extensions only happen once. There won't be a second time."
Antonio was a debt collector representing a consortium of lenders and banks. He had been keeping a close eye on Brad Pitt and Plan B Productions. The poor test screenings and pre-sales for John Carter hadn't escaped his notice.
"I'll think about it," Brad replied, barely containing his frustration. "My film hasn't even been released yet. Nothing is set in stone!"
Having delivered his message, Antonio smiled and said, "Good luck to you and John Carter."
Watching Antonio walk away, Brad stood there in silence for a long time. The combined loans and financing for Cloud Atlas and John Carter exceeded $100 million.
And that didn't even include interest or the money he had raised from investors.
The thought of failure shook him to his core. It could leave him with nothing!
No! Brad shook his head vigorously. John Carter hadn't even been released yet. Who said it couldn't be a massive box office hit?
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]