Hollywood Immortal Chapter 241 242: Step Up 2 Revenue

[Chapter 242: Step Up 2 Revenue]

After checking on Will, Linton went on to discuss the specific fighting style and action choreography of the film with Yuen Woo-ping.

Strictly speaking, the movie The Man from Nowhere wasn't just an action movie; it was more like a violent drama.

The film used the extre innocence and vulnerability of the little girl, So-mi, to touch the softest parts of the audience's hearts.

First, it showed the viciousness and terror of the criminal gang, intending to destroy this tender beauty. Finally, it relied on the male protagonist's brutal thods to vent the audience's fury.

The fighting in the film wasn't flashy at all; the moves were fast, precise, and rciless, using only the deadliest techniques -- it was a massacre.

Only the gang's ultimate assassin at the end could barely stand up to him. Of course, even this ruthless figure was no match for the protagonist and was quickly taken down.

It reminded one of those invincible online novels emphasizing the thrill of striking down foes with one blow and being unstoppable.

After reading the entire script, Yuen Woo-ping asked, "For the final battle, should the hero be defeated by the villain's assassin first, then counterattack to win?"

This is a classic action movie formula worldwide. No matter how powerful the hero is, he always gets pushed to the brink by the enemy near the end, then his inner power awakens and finally he slays the formidable villain.

"No," Linton said. "The story's pacing is the focus. So-mi's being captured and facing organ trafficking is enough to ignite the audience's rage."

He shook his head, "This is an extre personal heroism film. The hero might get shot and injured, but he can never be knocked down. His power crushes everything; he's invincible."

Toward the end, Yuen Woo-ping still voiced concerns about Will, "Linton, I don't think Will is right for the gang's ultimate assassin."

"Why?"

"He's too weak. Even after a month of intensive training, his combat skills haven't improved much. He can't convincingly play a powerful villain."

"Yuen, this is Hollywood, not Hong Kong. There are no action stars trained since childhood here. Even if we skip Will, finding soone better would be tough."

"You have to understand, in action movies, the villain's setting is crucial. Without a strong villain, how can the hero's strength shine? Without a strong villain, how can the fight scenes be thrilling?" Yuen worried the action wouldn't excite the audience enough.

"It's fine. In The Man from Nowhere, the hero is a top ace from the US Delta Force. His power isn't even on the sa plane as the gang's thugs, so he takes them down easily. Thus, the villain's skill matters little."

"So the fight choreography's main the is clean, one-hit kills."

...

The Rock had finished filming in San Francisco, and the crews of Pulp Fiction were shooting at Universal Studios.

When Sophie Marceau, Winona Ryder, and Heidi Klum learned Linton had also co to Universal Studios, they all called to invite him to stay at the crew hotel one evening for a party.

Linton naturally couldn't refuse the invitation from such beautiful won. He happily went to Sophie's room that night and spent a delightful evening with all three.

During the day, Linton worked on film preparations on set and kept an eye on the promotion of Happy Death Day.

At night, he sotis returned to the manor to party with Cristiana and the other three won, other tis played with Sophie and the others at the Universal Studios crew hotel. He lived a joyful life.

---

In the blink of an eye, it had been half a month since Step Up 2 had left theaters.

After two months of release, the film grossed a total of $132.5 million in the North Arican market.

The overseas box office also perford excellently. As of last week, it surpassed $180 million and was expected to exceed $220 million total overseas.

After review and confirmation by accountants from both sides, Universal Pictures and Linton Films settled the revenues of Step Up 2.

Firstly, the box office revenue. The final North Arican gross was $132,500,000. According to the agreent, Linton Films' share was $46.375 million.

Secondly, television rights: Universal sold the seven-year TV rights for $13 million, with the studio's share of $10.4 million.

Thirdly, videotape rental and sales rights: Universal sold the 7-year videotape rental and sales rights to BlockBuster at a base fee of $14 million plus 30% rental and sales share. The base fee to the studio was $11.2 million.

Fourthly, movie rchandise like clothes, hats, and dolls of Leo and Jennifer from the film generated total sales of $60 million. After deducting costs and royalties for the likeness rights of the two stars, profit was $24 million, with $19.2 million belonging to Linton Films.

Fifthly, overseas copyrights: Universal Pictures acquired the full overseas rights for Step Up 2 for $56.975 million, which is 43% of the North Arican box office.

Summing it all up, Linton Films earned a total revenue of $144.15 million, plus $9.5 million in advertising fees received before filming, totaling $153.65 million.

This excluded inco from the movie soundtrack and videotape rental and sales profits settled quarterly. The initial investnt was only $12 million, making this a super high return project.

The biggest winners from the film's success were Linton Films and Universal Pictures.

...

The film's leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer, skyrocketed in status and firmly stepped into the ranks of near top-tier stars thanks to this movie.

Additionally, Leo and Jennifer earned huge profits from film-related rchandise, each receiving $4 million in royalties from Universal Pictures for their likeness rights for doll sales in North Arica.

They also followed Hollywood practice by selling overseas doll likeness royalties to Universal at North Arican market value.

That ant just from doll likeness royalties, both Leo and Jennifer earned $8 million each.

Keep in mind, Leo's salary for this film was only $200,000, and Jennifer's was slightly higher at $450,000.

Also, their strong rchandise sales unlocked massive increases in their comrcial value.

Their announcent fees, promotional fees, and endorsent earnings soared to first-tier levels, and invitations to various events flooded in -- even more than when Linton and Naomi had finished filming the first installnt.

To ride this massive wave of popularity, cent their fa, and maximize appearance fees, their agencies arranged for them to tour across major U.S. cities for announcents, promotional events, and brand endorsents.

Both rushed back from other locations specifically to settle doll likeness fee shares.

*****

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