[Chapter 278: Following Premiere and Hundreds of Millions in Profit]
Charlie kept tearing at the clothes in his hands, ripping one shirt after another. Without looking up, he said sharply, "I'm not interested in hearing excuses. What about your factory inspections? Enough, no need to explain further. Based on the contract, you compensate 10% of the funds, and within half a month, deliver new ones. Remember, Adams, this is the last time. Otherwise, consider it a breach of contract, and don't expect to get the clothing licensing rights for New Zealand, and you'll owe ten times the compensation."
Corleone Consumer Goods Company currently didn't have the capability to sell its film-related merchandise globally. These places, of course, needed to authorize local businesses first and collect licensing fees.
Generally, these fell under international distribution affairs, but at that time, Charlie's deal with Fox was for theatrical, TV, and radio contracts.
"Yes, Mr. Corleone, believe me, this won't happen again!" Adams beat his chest, taking responsibility and constantly assuring him.
"That's better!" Charlie liked this kind of work attitude and nodded with a smile.
Charlie never feared team members making mistakes, as long as they didn't repeatedly mess up. What he feared was shirking responsibility.
Because when mistakes happened, avoiding them could easily turn a small error into a big disaster.
Even when choosing partners, Charlie hoped their companies would grow well.
After bidding farewell to Adams, Charlie and his group headed back.
---
When the elevator doors opened, assistant Pierre rushed out, "Boss, a Wellington councilman invited you to a party tonight..."
"Alright!" Charlie nodded.
Although a bit tired inside, this was the producer's job -- extremely tedious, sometimes like a worker or a nanny, other times like a social butterfly.
Taking money from New Zealanders wasn't for nothing.
After a busy day, rejecting many fun invitations from businessmen at the party, Charlie returned to the hotel with his assistant and two bodyguards.
Charlie kept clean and careful when going out, never engaging in reckless activities with unfamiliar people.
One careless step into a honey trap wouldn't just lose hundreds of millions of swimmers, but in serious cases, you might lose hundreds of millions in assets.
---
Days passed in this quiet, uneventful life.
Except for lacking a woman by his side, Charlie was quite comfortable -- eating and drinking with many locals, sailing around on weekends.
His daily work also brought him a lot of freshness.
Free from the messy management of Lion Corleone Group's CEO chores, creating big projects, building worlds, looking at mountains, rivers, fantastic creatures, discussing their settings and characters -- it was wonderful.
It really was creating a whole new world!
As a producer, Charlie didn't handle the detailed work, just directed and oversaw, like a talking god -- very comfortable.
---
Inside Weta Digital's small modeling workshop, Charlie squatted on the floor, discussing with effects artists and assistant directors on how to make the dwarf houses look better.
"The drain pipes outside the houses made of bamboo tubes look a bit odd."
"But they look good, don't they? The audience won't care about such minor irregularities."
"No, change it."
After discussion, Charlie stood up to stretch his back and neck, "I'm going to grab some water."
---
Just outside the rolling door, Pierre eagerly approached, "Boss, Following has premiered."
"Oh? How's it doing?" Charlie asked with interest.
They walked through a small garden in front of the courtyard, entering the lobby with sunlight streaming in.
Pierre explained the details.
Following was the first film purchased externally by Lion Corleone for North American theatrical release.
And it was Nolan's, so Charlie cared a bit more.
It premiered on October 16, with several theaters holding early screenings, which went quite well.
It wasn't a prime release slot, but releasing Following during an off-peak period actually worked in its favor.
Another big production releasing at the same time was Practical Magic, a fantasy romantic comedy starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, costing over $70 million but tanked badly.
Its opening weekend grossed just over $10 million, topping the box office.
Following wasn't much better, making just over $6 million.
"It's alright," Charlie nodded indifferently.
"Yes, we basically reached profitability. After four weeks, when the film leaves the theaters, total box office hitting around $15 million is no problem. Hollywood finally breathed a sigh of relief," Pierre said smiling.
Following, as Nolan's first film, had achieved success both commercially and critically.
After all, Nolan wasn't a pure commercial director like James Cameron, Michael Bay, or Zack Snyder.
Following had a more obscure flashback structure than Pulp Fiction, with an intricate layered timeline comparable to Triangle.
Even after Charlie's suggested edits, it was still not very friendly to audiences.
In fact, this rookie director's achievement was practically overnight fame!
Without Rachel's investment and Lion Corleone's support, Nolan would have needed at least five or six years of industry grind to reach this level.
"Nolan called immediately to sincerely thank you. He was almost incoherent with excitement on the phone."
Charlie chuckled and held the elevator door, "Completely understandable; everyone gets excited after initial success. Opportunities are so rare. After some rough experiences, you realize success isn't guaranteed."
"Exactly," Pierre nodded in empathy and then smilingly said, "Luckily, I met you, boss."
"Oh, I think it's our mutual luck. Finding the right partners isn't guaranteed either," Charlie humbly replied.
They went upstairs to Charlie's temporary office.
---
Pierre reported on Following's other plans, mostly international distribution.
He introduced the fiery success of Jackie Chan's films previously stocked in the Corleone library and the plans to push his ten-some films into the VHS and DVD home entertainment markets.
DVD was still struggling since few Americans had DVD players.
But videotape rentals recently soared, and Jackie Chan's films topped Blockbuster's weekly rental charts.
These brought in several million dollars for Lion Corleone.
After Rush Hour left theaters, the home market would boom again.
---
This year, combining home entertainment and international distribution, and including theatrical releases, the company's total profit for the first three quarters was about $500 million!
Terrifying indeed.
Films grossing over $100 million in North America would at least double that globally.
American Pie 2 made $280 million, Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me $310 million, The Gaia Lake Werewolf Project $220 million. Including merchandise and TV, that's roughly the revenue.
After sharing this, Pierre frowned and said, "This company data is strictly confidential, but I guess the Big Six can estimate it. Even Forbes can calculate your net worth, boss. Michael has been discussing international distribution contracts expiration with Rothman, Eisner, and MGM. This might not be favorable for negotiations."
*****
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