Early Monday morning, a luxury sports car pulled up in front of the Plan B Films building with a loud roar. Brad Pitt parked the car, grabbed the newspaper he’d bought on the way, and stepped out. He walked into the office, gave a friendly nod to several employees, and headed into his private office, where his assistant imdiately brought him a steaming cup of coffee.
He took the coffee and had a sip; the temperature was just right. Brad first glanced at the papers on his desk, picked them up, and read through them again. The Wachowski brothers' project, "Cloud Atlas," was in pre-production and needed its second round of funding. Plan B was set to wire $40 million to the account of a third-party guarantor company as soon as possible.
After reviewing the docunt and seeing that the auditor had already signed off, he picked up a pen and added his own signature. Then he asked his assistant to send the papers to the finance departnt to complete the transfer without delay.
With this latest injection of funds, Plan B had already poured $70 million into the "Cloud Atlas" project, with the remaining $30 million ready to go.
But he didn't feel the pinch; most of the money had co from financing and pre-sales, with only $40 million being a direct investnt from Plan B.
For a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars, it was an affordable sum.
However, taking on another major project at the sa ti would be a bit of a strain.
Brad thought of Andrew's "John Carter" and couldn't help but frown. He had officially made contact with Andrew two days ago, and Andrew's biggest challenge at the mont was the lack of financial support from Disney. Since Walt Disney had just acquired Pixar Studios, the entire group was short on cash, and Disney Pictures' priority was "Pirates of the Caribbean 4." A sequel with such a guaranteed return ant they could only offer Andrew tens of millions for his project.
Andrew's greatest interest in casting Matthew as the male lead stemd from his reliance on Matthew's star power to raise the necessary funds.
"Matthew Horner is a box office guarantee now!" He couldn't help but recall Andrew’s words. "If we can get him for the lead, raising the two hundred million dollars plus will be no problem. I'm sure of it."
He already knew that Matthew Horner’s Studio 13 and David Ellison’s Skydance Pictures were interested in investing in the project.
Brad opened the left drawer of his desk. Inside lay the script and project plan for "John Carter." The fact that Andrew was willing to give him the script and plan was a clear signal that he wasn't solely relying on Matthew.
In any business partnership, profit always cos first.
Brad tapped his finger on the desk and closed the drawer, rembering the newspaper he’d bought on his way in. Sothing had happened in the film market over the weekend that would directly impact whether he should invest in "John Carter" in the future.
Turning to the entertainnt section of the paper, he found the relevant report.
"Everyone thought this year would go down in history with a record-breaking sumr box office, but the fall season, which saw major ambitious films flop one after another, and a holiday season where market excitent cooled faster than expected, has left Hollywood terrified, especially after the disastrous debut of 'The Golden Compass.' The last hope is now pinned on this week's release of 'I Am Legend,' and everyone is hoping that the box office king, Matthew Horner, will save the day."
Brad couldn't help but frown. Who said Hollywood's hopes were pinned on Matthew Horner? Not his Plan B!
"Who says reality isn't like the movies? Fate leads to an unpredictable future, but this dramatic turn is now playing out in Hollywood for real! Yes, the glorious debut of Matthew's 'I Am Legend' has dispelled the gloom and not only illuminated a somber Hollywood but also made people exclaim: Matthew is a legend!"
Brad scoffed at those lines and continued reading.
"$115.8 million! This result surpassed all previous expectations! 'I Am Legend,' like rain after a long drought, has once again lifted Hollywood's spirits. Horner has re-established himself as the new-generation box office king, and this ti, his power is on full display—look, there are no other major stars in Matthew's show, no big-na director, no adaptation of a hot new novel. There's only him. Or are you going to tell
it's the zombies that are drawing the crowds?"
Who would have thought that a film like this, from its initial conception, would gross over $100 million in its opening weekend? Brad was lost in thought, though his eyes were still on the newspaper.
"Over 4,200 theaters and an unusually impressive per-screen average of over $27,000; the $115.8 million debut is not only the fourth-largest opening of the year, behind 'Spider-Man 3,' 'Shrek 3,' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean 3,' but also the highest December opening for a North Arican film, even surpassing the three 'Lord of the Rings' films!"
"Although 'Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem' cos out next week, this film has Matthew Horner to protect it. Therefore, we can confidently predict that 'I Am Legend' will gross at least $350 million in North Arica alone, adding another triumph to Matthew's resu."
$350 million... A helpless smile touched Brad’s lips. Of all the films he had starred in, the highest North Arican box office was still extrely far from that figure. With "Troy," he had fantasized about $400 million in North Arica and a billion worldwide, only to be crushed by reality.
In the last two years, which of the films Matthew had chosen hadn't grossed $300 million in North Arica and over $500 million worldwide?
And the films that went head-to-head with his often ended up defeated.
This weekend was no exception. Influenced by the box office explosion of "I Am Legend," the family film "Alvin and the Chipmunks," which opened the sa weekend, earned only $32 million in its first week. "The Golden Compass" dropped to below $5 million in its third weekend, and "Enchanted" fell to $6 million. Art-house films showing in limited release, however, were not significantly affected due to the vast difference in genre.
Putting the newspaper down, Brad picked up his now-cold coffee and drained it in one gulp.
He had learned that at the project's inception, "I Am Legend" had not been well-received, and Warner Brothers had been hesitant to invest until Matthew chose it. It turned out to be a massive return on their investnt.
Matthew's eye for projects...
A box office of $115.8 million was undeniable. Brad couldn't ignore it.
He sat in his high-backed chair, considering various factors like financing, production, and lead roles. He thought about the substantial liquid capital he still had on hand, the possibility of drawing from other funds, and setting up a safety net if necessary.
Brad picked up the phone and, as soon as the other party answered, gave his order. "Go to Pixar Studios headquarters in Eryville and arrange a private eting for
with Andrew. I need to see him as soon as possible."
After hanging up, he suddenly pulled the script from his desk drawer and flipped through it. His eyes fell on the character of the Princess of Mars, and he couldn't help but think of Natalie Portman. He picked up the phone again and dialed her number.
"Hi, Nat, it's Brad. Do you have so ti today? Maybe you could stop by Plan B? I have sothing I want to talk to you about. It’s Andrew's film, 'Princess of Mars,' and I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in the role of the Martian princess... Great, I’ll see you in my office then."
As he hung up the phone, Brad's thoughts were becoming clearer and clearer.
***
The outstanding opening week of "I Am Legend" lifted many spirits, and David now had even higher hopes for his collaborations with Matthew.
"What did I tell you?"
Inside the mansion, David turned to his sister, gan Ellison. "It's absolutely the right move to follow Matthew's choices. It's the safest way to invest in a film."
He crossed his legs. "Now I can only imagine how high the future box office and comrcial revenues for 'Fast & Furious 4' and 'Twilight' will be!"
gan, surprisingly, didn't argue. She simply stared at the Los Angeles Tis in her hand. Even the major, more reserved newspapers were heaping praise on this Matthew guy.
"This past weekend at the North Arican box office, Warner Brothers' 'I Am Legend' earned a colossal $115.8 million in its debut. With such an impressive performance, the Matthew-led film easily topped the box office chart."
"'I Am Legend' has beco the highest-grossing film of December 2007 and one of the best solo performances for a Hollywood actor, so much so that Warner Bros. and Matthew are grinning from ear to ear. In this film, Matthew is the last man on earth, but in real life, he has a significant number of fans, as evidenced by the $115.8 million box office."
Faced with such box office numbers, gan couldn't refute them. Although she and David invested in films with completely different approaches—she preferred independent cinema—it all ultimately ca down to comrcial profit.
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