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---
"What? I get 5% of the box office?" Martin was stunned. "Aunt Nancy, are you joking? Do newcomers usually get this kind of deal?"
Nancy burst into laughter, clutching her sides as she recovered from Martin's reaction. "You can thank your dad's investmentโand your Aunt Nancy's negotiation skills."
"Not to mention, Mr. Eisner believes in you."
"But keep in mind, this is a one-time exception. If you continue in this industry, remember you're still a newcomer. Don't get ahead of yourself."
"I understand." Martin nodded earnestly, but he couldn't help asking one more question. "Are you sure it's a box office share and not a profit share?"
In Hollywood, the difference between a box office share and a profit share is huge. Profit shares are notoriously tricky, with studios often using "creative accounting" to show losses on major films. Can you believe even Harry Potter was claimed as unprofitable?
But box office shares were a safer bet.
"Relax. I've got it covered. And remember, your dad isn't just any outsider investor. He's experiencedโhe even invested in Jurassic Park back in the day."
"Then I feel totally secure," Martin grinned, doing some mental calculations.
In the original timeline, The Parent Trap grossed around $92 million with a budget of $15 million.
If he got 5% of that, he'd be looking at around $4.6 millionโa huge sum, especially in the 1990s.
And he was confident that, with himself starring in the film, it would do even better. That's the demon charm talking.
---
November arrived quietly, and Kung Fu Panda hit the shelves.
Random House decided to hold back on revealing Martin's identity as the author. They planned a joint marketing campaign with Disney, set to begin in June, one month before the movie's July release.
When the time came, both companies would simultaneously promote Martin as a "prodigy writer" to generate massive public intrigue.
---
At school, Martin's friends were gathered around him as he said his goodbyes before heading off to join the movie set. Lindsay Lohan and Mark Zuckerberg stood beside him, with their towering classmate Johnโthe former school bullyโstanding guard behind Martin like a personal bodyguard.
Lindsay Lohan: "Martin, I'm so jealous! You're off to be a movie star. I wish I could act in a movie, too."
Mark Zuckerberg: "Martin, you're really going to be in a movie. This is amazing! My best friend's going to be a star. Oh, hey, can I get your autograph first?"
Lindsay Lohan: "And mine too!"
The two eagerly pulled out brand-new copies of Kung Fu Panda from their backpacks.
John glanced at the three, scoffing to himself. "Ha, so childishโall three of them."
But inwardly, he was thrilled. "With Martin gone, I can be the big boss again!"
"John, John, what are you thinking about?" Martin's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Uh, I'm here!" John immediately straightened up, looking almost soldier-like. His obedience had become a reflex around Martin.
"John, while I'm away, you're not allowed to bully anyone, got it?"
"Uh, right, no bullying."
"And if someone else is getting bullied, you need to stand up for them."
"Right, stand up."
"Remember, you're not some villain who picks on the weak. You're supposed to be a hero."
"Right, a hero."
For some reason, every time John looked into Martin's bright blue eyes, a sense of loyalty surged within him, washing away any mischievous thoughts.
Martin smiled, nodding in satisfaction at John's eager obedience. For a demon like Martin, "persuading" someone was never difficult.
---
Meanwhile, at J.P. Morgan's investment office, Grant and Nancy were having a sibling conversation, one seated and the other standing.
"Nancy, when is filming set to start? I hope you can keep the schedule tight. I don't want Martin missing too much school." Grant sipped his wine and looked at Nancy expectantly.
"I'll make sure he has a tutor on set. His schoolwork won't suffer too much. But honestly, Grant, I never thought you'd let him go into acting. Hollywood's the most chaotic place on Earth when it comes to fame and fortune."
Grant set his glass down and replied with a smile, "Martin's a lot like you, you know. Dad was dead set against you entering the film industry, but you stubbornly charged right in, didn't you? Remember how furious he was back then? What was it he used to say?"
"We're a 'family of financiers!'" Grant and Nancy shouted in unison, both breaking into laughter.
"If I hadn't softened him up over the years, you two would probably still be feuding!"
"Hmph, like I care. That old man was always so stubborn." Nancy rolled her eyes, recalling her father's rigid, overbearing attitude that still frustrated her to this day.
Grant shrugged with a chuckle. "That's exactly why I don't want to be a rigid, overbearing father. If little Martin wants to try his hand at being a star, let him. Plus, he's a boyโhe'll have it easier than a girl would."
"This industry is full of people who 'play for both teams,' you know," Nancy reminded him.
"Hmph. With me backing him, I'd like to see anyone try to mess with him."
As J.P. Morgan's head of investment banking, Grant wielded a powerful network of connections; he held the purse strings of countless wealthy clients.
"Alright, alright. Martin's not just your sonโhe's my nephew, too. I'll make sure no lowlifes get close to him."
"Perfect, Nancy. I'm entrusting Martin to you. Now, let's discuss the investment. How much do you need?"
"At least $7.5 million. I estimate the total budget for the film will be around $15 million, and Disney's only willing to cover half. Plus, they insist on handling distribution."
"Those greedy hyenas!"
"Hey, Grant, you're not backing out now, are you?" Nancy raised an eyebrow, looking ready to argue.
"Of course not. For my dear sisterโand my dear sonโI'll gladly invest $7.5 million," Grant said, spreading his hands. "Just keep an eye on that money, Nancy. It's not a lot, but I don't like being swindled. I have no interest in becoming one of those fools who throw cash at Hollywood for nothing."
"Relax. As the producer, I'll keep the budget under control."
"By the way, Random House only gave us eight months. That means we have to release the movie by next summer. If we miss the deadline, they'll move forward on their own. Time's tight. When can Martin start filming?"
"Are the preparations complete?"
"Absolutely."
"Then tomorrow. Martin already took today off to say goodbye to his friends."
"Good, tomorrow it is."
[๏ปฟโขโโโโขโโโโขโโโโข]
๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐จ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐จ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐ข๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฎ. ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐!
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ:
โข ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ
โข ๐ผ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐๐๐
โข ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ฒ
๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ป๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ:
โข ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐: ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ด๐ฑ+ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐.
โข ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐๐-๐ข๐๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ!
๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐. ๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐'๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ท๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐!
๐ ๐ ๐ค๐๐ฃ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ: ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ค๐ฃ.๐๐ค๐ข/๐๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ง
๐ฌ ๐ผ๐ก๐จ๐ค ๐ผ๐ซ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐: ๐๐ฎ ๐ผ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฉ! ๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ค๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐ช๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค๐ก ๐๐ค๐ง $30โ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ 10% ๐๐๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ! ๐ ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐: ๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ.
๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐พ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ผ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฉ, ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ก๐๐จ๐จ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ ๐พ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ซ๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ-๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐๐ฎ, ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ก. ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค๐ก ๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ง๐๐จ๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐จ, ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐!
๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ: ๐๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ค๐ฃ.๐๐ค๐ข/๐๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ง/๐๐๐ค๐ฅ