Robert Shaye (founder of New Line Cinema), Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein (founders of Miramax), Ronald Meyer (CEO of Universal Pictures), Terry Semel (CEO of Warner Bros.), Tom Rothman (CEO of 20th Century Fox), Brad Grey (CEO of Paramount), Michael Eisner (Chairman of Disney)—these individuals share one extremely significant commonality: they are all Jewish.
That's right, the owners of these major Hollywood studios are, without exception, all Jewish.
This is an undeniable, ironclad fact that no one can erase, and people in Hollywood are very aware of it.
Therefore, the notion that Jewish people control Hollywood is by no means an exaggeration or baseless claim, but a real, indisputable truth.
At this moment, Kazier Gray stood tall before two industry magnates.
When he implicitly acknowledged his own Jewish heritage, Terry Semel and Tom Rothman's attitudes towards him instantly changed noticeably.
After all, since Tom Rothman mentioned his background, it indicated that he had conducted a background check on him.
"I understand."
Terry Semel's lips curved slightly into a faint smile, and Tom Rothman also nodded in agreement.
"But business is business; that will absolutely not change."
"Exactly, that's a fundamental principle of doing business."
"Alright, then you state your terms first! Kazir, how much do you want to sell the North America distribution rights for? As long as the price is reasonable, I can consider it."
Terry Semel was the first to break the silence, posing the crucial question.
Kazir instinctively licked his lips; to be honest, he had never dared to dream of having such an opportunity in his life, to negotiate face-to-face with these powerful figures who wielded immense influence in Hollywood.
He was just an ordinary person with a dream of filmmaking and a love for movies, yet now he was haggling with the helmsmen of Hollywood. This huge contrast made him feel somewhat dazed for a moment.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
Salvatore Barlo, standing beside him, also grew tense, unconsciously clenching his hands. His future depended entirely on what Kazir would say next.
"2.5 million, plus 10% of North America box office!" Kazir mustered his courage and stated his desired terms.
"Are you serious?" Terry Semel raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Serious." Kazir nodded firmly.
Terry Semel and Tom Rothman exchanged glances, then both couldn't help but laugh.
Having been in this circle for a long time, they had seen too many people who would make exorbitant demands for money. Kazir's offer, though somewhat unexpected, was still within reason.
"Kazir, to be frank, the conditions you've proposed are simply impossible to achieve. You're not yet at the stage where you can negotiate box office percentages. How about this, I'll offer 3 million to buy out the North America distribution rights."
Although Terry Semel had a good impression of Kazir, in business, he was absolutely uncompromising—Jewish businessmen are famously shrewd, and this was fully evident in him.
"I need to think about it."
Kazir said truthfully. In fact, this price was already much higher than what other companies had offered, making him somewhat tempted but also hesitant.
"Then I won't bother you. Kazier Gray, I look forward to our potential cooperation." Terry Semel stood up and extended his hand to shake Kazir's hand.
"Me too, Terry." After a polite handshake, Terry Semel left the studio with producer Enrico Pusi.
"Enrico, contact Kazir later. If he breaks off talks with Tom Rothman, you can go up to 3.5 million—that's my bottom line, no need to discuss it if it's more than that."
Terry Semel instructed Enrico Pusi as he got into the car.
"Yes, sir." Enrico Pusi replied respectfully.
Watching the car slowly drive away, Terry Semel mused to himself, "Kazier Gray… interesting."
Another Jewish director, Terry Semel was happy to see it, after all, in Hollywood, one more talented member of the same ethnic group meant one more source of strength.
"Kazier Gray… honestly, you do intrigue me. I've seen your previous three films, and they weren't very good."
Tom Rothman said straightforwardly after Terry Semel left. He was always a direct speaker and disliked beating around the bush.
Kazir, hearing this, couldn't help but laugh.
"Thank you for the compliment, Tom."
"Alright, 2.3 million, plus 5% of the North America box office—but with conditions: if the box office exceeds 50 million, you get 3%; if it exceeds 100 million, we'll add another 2%, for a total of 5%. How about it? Do you have confidence in your film?"
Tom Rothman spread his hands, watching Kazir with interest, wanting to see his reaction, but secretly thinking to himself: 'Is this kid crazy? Where does he get such confidence? He must be hallucinating.'
But on the surface, he maintained an unchanging expression.
"I agree." Kazir nodded without hesitation.
Actually, in his previous life, the box office for napoleon dynamite never exceeded 50 million, but now that he had changed the film, a strange impulse surged within him, and he decided to take a gamble.
"Alright. But let's be clear, for the first week, we'll only release it in 12 theaters. We'll see the market reaction first, then decide whether to expand the distribution scale." Tom Rothman put forward his condition, which was also within Kazir's expectations.
"Understood."
Kazir nodded. This arrangement was normal, as no one could accurately predict market reaction in the early stages of a film's release.
"Pleasure doing business, I hope it's a success." Tom Rothman extended his hand and shook Kazir's hand.
"Me too, thank you, Tom." Kazir said sincerely.
After the negotiation, Salvatore Barlo breathed a long sigh of relief. He had thought Kazir would argue for better terms.
In his opinion, 2.3 million was already a good amount, and he would get a 69,000 commission, which for a small agent was equivalent to a year's income, enough to keep him excited for quite a while.
The next day, after Kazir's lawyer, Terrence Downey, carefully reviewed the contract, he solemnly signed it.
The contract clearly stated that if the North America box office exceeded 50 million, he would get 3%; if it exceeded 100 million, he would get 5%.
Additionally, he would receive 2.3 million in cash. He looked at the numbers on the contract, his hands trembling slightly.
Kazir was very satisfied with this result, feeling that his efforts had finally paid off.
Tom Rothman was unavailable to attend the signing ceremony, so he sent Nancy Utley to represent him—a CEO like him had endless tasks to handle every day, and it was already a miracle that he had personally met Kazir.
"Sir."
Enrico Pusi walked into Terry Semel's office, his lips pursed and his expression somewhat nervous.
"What is it?" Terry Semel looked up and asked Enrico Pusi.
"Kazier Gray signed with Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2.3 million plus 5% box office split, with tiered conditions." Enrico Pusi quickly said.
"Understood."
Terry Semel nodded; he had expected Tom Rothman to take over.
To be honest, these terms were within his expectations, but he still felt that Kazir was not yet qualified to sign such a contract.
"Either they're both crazy, or at least one of them is."