"Ninety-three million dollars!" Matt exclaimed enthusiastically the moment he walked into the meeting room.
Owen turned his head toward him.
He saw him approaching with his arms wide open and a huge smile, so he barely had time to stand before Matt reached him.
He hugged him tightly. He even shook him a little and managed to lift him a few inches off the floor.
Owen let out a laugh, "Easy," he said, amused.
But Matt clearly wasn't taking it easy. After that, he went straight toward Eric.
Then Tyler, and finally Curry.
He hugged the latter too, as if he had been involved in every single day of filming.
Curry laughed as he gave him a couple of pats on the back, "I wasn't part of the movie, but alright... I'll take the hug."
"You were in the vlog," Matt replied as he let him go, "That counts as marketing."
Curry let out another laugh.
Matt didn't even sit down.
He planted both hands on the enormous conference table and let out a long breath, as if only then was he allowing himself to slow down.
Eric and Tyler didn't make any comments about how ridiculously energetic he was either.
Because this time, they understood him, and they were just as surprised as he was.
They had worked on the technical side of that movie.
A horror movie with a six-million-dollar budget.
They themselves had worked on Paranormal Activity, which had cost only twenty thousand dollars, and back then the last thing they had imagined was that it would make more than a hundred million.
At the time, their most optimistic expectation was probably just that someone would buy it and distribute it.
Lights Out had started from a completely different position.
It was still low-budget horror, yes. But six million dollars already allowed them to work with far more resources.
Second Take Films also came in with an established reputation. The original short film had gone viral.
Universal was behind the distribution.
It was obvious that it had a much better chance of succeeding than Paranormal Activity.
They had known that from the beginning.
What they hadn't expected was this. Another horror hit. But not simply a moderate success.
Not a six-million-dollar movie that ended up making forty, fifty, or even seventy million.
Ninety-three million in its worldwide opening weekend.
It was insane.
Curry settled back into his chair and spoke this time in a slightly more serious tone, "Dude... in three days it made almost as much as Insidious did during its entire theatrical run."
That put the number into even greater perspective.
Insidious had been released in 2011.
Directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell, and produced on a budget of approximately one and a half million dollars, it ended up becoming one of the prime examples of the Blumhouse model.
Cheap horror, which meant little financial risk and creative freedom.
If it worked, the return was completely disproportionate.
The first Insidious had grossed around 54 million dollars in the United States and Canada, plus another 43 million internationally.
Close to 97 million dollars worldwide.
For Blumhouse, it had been much more than simply a hit.
It had helped solidify Jason Blum's model and had also been one of the important films in the relationship that would eventually turn Universal into the company's regular distribution partner.
Then came sequels, prequels, basically an entire franchise.
Now Lights Out had just come within four million dollars of matching the entire worldwide gross of that first film.
In three days.
Both were supernatural horror movies, both had low budgets, and neither depended on an existing franchise.
Except Lights Out had arrived with something Insidious had never had during its original release.
Owen's enormous reach.
At this point, one thing was already completely certain.
Lights Out wasn't going to stop anywhere near one hundred million. It would probably cross that mark either that same day or the next.
That was why Matt, Tyler, and Eric were so excited when they saw those numbers.
On one hand, there was the obvious reason: they had worked on the movie.
Seeing something they had poured time, effort, and months of work into performing that well was already enough to make them proud.
But there was also the money.
Owen had included bonuses for part of the crew if Lights Out surpassed certain box office milestones.
In Matt's case, the situation was even better.
In addition to his salary as director, he was entitled to 2% of Second Take Films' backend after the theatrical run.
That meant that if the movie reached one hundred million dollars, approximately half of it would end up staying with the theaters.
It wasn't an exact split, since the percentage varied depending on the market and territory, but it worked as a quick estimate.
100 million at the box office.
50 million would be left for Owen and Universal/Blumhouse.
The deal Owen had closed was a 50/50 split between both sides.
That would leave around 25 million for Owen, and two percent of that amount would go to Matt.
Around five hundred thousand dollars.
From that alone, Matt could already end up making more from backend than from the salary Owen had originally paid him as director.
"How much do you guys think it'll make?" Tyler asked curiously.
Eric raised one hand completely open, showing all five fingers, "Five hundred million," he replied.
Owen snorted, "I wish," he said as if it were impossible.
"Hey, it almost made a hundred million in three days," Eric shot back, looking at him, "Doesn't sound that crazy, does it?"
"I doubt it'll reach three hundred million," Owen said, shaking his head.
Seeing the look on Eric and Tyler's faces that clearly said explain, he kept talking, "The Nun in 2018 opened with 53 million dollars domestically and another 77 million internationally. A 130-million-dollar opening. It ended its worldwide run with 366 million."
Hearing that, Eric understood and simply let out an oh.
If a movie that had opened with 130 million in its first weekend had still fallen well short of 500 million, Lights Out would have an even harder time getting there.
Owen gave another example: Halloween, also in 2018, had had a worldwide opening of close to 92 million.
Practically the same territory as Lights Out. Its final gross had been approximately 255 million.
Owen did a quick calculation in his head, "I'd say somewhere between two hundred thirty and two hundred seventy million," he concluded, "Around there."
"I think it'll have better legs than Halloween. I say it passes two hundred fifty-five," Curry commented.
Owen thought about it for a few seconds before eventually nodding, "Good point."
Halloween had had a huge opening because of the IP. It had received around 79% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and approximately 72% from audiences.
Its hold afterward hadn't been nearly as extraordinary as its opening.
Lights Out, on the other hand, was performing slightly better in terms of reception.
With more than one hundred professional reviews accumulated, it was holding an 82% approval rating from critics.
Among audiences, with more than six thousand five hundred verified ratings, it was sitting at around 80%.
Its CinemaScore had also already come in.
CinemaScore was a company that measured immediate audience reaction by directly surveying selected moviegoers as they left certain screenings on opening night.
They weren't critics, nor people voting days later from home.
They were people who had literally just finished watching the movie.
Lights Out had received a B+ grade.
For a horror movie, that was a pretty positive sign.
A B+ indicated that audiences had generally walked out satisfied.
'More than two hundred fifty million...' Matt thought, swallowing hard.
That meant more than a million dollars for him.
Tyler, meanwhile, frowned slightly and looked at Owen, "Why are you always so calm about this stuff?"
Owen raised an eyebrow, "About what stuff?"
"Ridiculous numbers," Tyler replied, "I remember you said in an interview at the premiere that Lights Out could surpass Paranormal Activity. Now it opens with ninety-three million and you're just sitting there making comparisons like it's any other Monday."
Eric and Curry laughed.
Tyler pointed at Owen with an increasingly suspicious expression, "This isn't the first time you've said something was going to happen and then it happened. Can you see the future or something?"
A small smile appeared on Owen's face, "I'm not calm," he replied, "It's just that my less dignified reaction already happened last night."
"Last night?" Tyler repeated.
"After midnight. Jason sent me the preliminary numbers," Owen replied, "So I've already had a few hours to process it."
He wasn't lying.
He had been genuinely surprised.
Universal had shown him projections during the weeks leading up to the release.
But ninety-three million in the worldwide opening weekend was above even the most optimistic scenarios.
On the other hand, Tyler wasn't entirely wrong about Owen seeming to have a strange knack for being right.
There was just a reason none of them could possibly know.
Owen already knew Lights Out had potential.
In his previous life, that movie had come close to 150 million dollars at the box office.
That didn't mean he knew exactly what was going to happen here.
Too many things had changed: actors, marketing, release dates, budget, distribution...
But at least he knew the foundation worked.
The curious thing was that, for the first time, one of his movies seemed poised to clearly outperform its original version.
Paranormal Activity hadn't done it.
It had been a phenomenon in this world, yes, but the movie from his previous life had grossed much more, and back in 2007.
Good Will Hunting had surpassed the original in nominal terms.
But even there, there was a small catch.
More than twenty-five years had passed.
If he truly adjusted for inflation and ticket prices, he couldn't say that his version had achieved a greater commercial impact.
If his estimate of two hundred fifty million ended up being correct, Lights Out would be the first movie financed by him to clearly outperform, without needing too many excuses or adjustments, the commercial performance of the version he remembered from his previous life.
"Oh, right. Universal and Blumhouse already called me about a sequel," Owen commented.
Tyler raised his eyebrows, "Seriously? That fast?" he asked.
Although, thinking about it, it wasn't that strange.
When a movie exploded at the box office, studios didn't wait months before starting to talk about the next step. Sometimes two or three days of strong numbers were enough for the first conversations about a continuation to begin.
In fact, Jason Blum had brought it up the same night he sent Owen the preliminary weekend figures.
Of course, in this case there was one important difference.
Universal and Blumhouse could want a sequel. But they couldn't simply greenlight one on their own.
The IP belonged to Owen. They needed to convince him.
"So Lights Out 2 is real," Eric said with a smile.
He remembered seeing several comments on the vlog theorizing about whether one of the announcements in the channel's new video was a movie, and whether it might be Lights Out 2.
Curry looked first at Owen and then at Matt, "Are you going to continue it?"
Owen and Matt exchanged a glance. Neither of them seemed particularly excited about the idea.
"I don't know," Matt replied, "If it happens, I'm not directing it."
He was being sincere. He wasn't the kind of filmmaker who dreamed of spending years inside the same franchise.
He had enjoyed making Lights Out. But now he was completely immersed in Chronicle.
Owen already knew Matt's position.
"I'll probably just license the IP," Owen said, "We'll see."
Because even though he was now building Second Take Films precisely so it could produce several movies at the same time without him having to personally set up every project, he didn't want to fill that capacity with sequels simply because they were easy money.
If the company could handle four projects simultaneously, Owen would rather they be four different movies.
Promising new stories.
Scripts he remembered from his previous life. Or original projects that someone like Curry could drop onto his desk.
So what he was thinking of doing was temporarily licensing the IP to Universal and Blumhouse.
Giving them the rights to produce sequels for a set number of years, under certain conditions, while Second Take Films retained ownership.
Owen would be paid for the use of the franchise. He could negotiate a share of the profits.
And he wouldn't have to tie up millions of dollars or occupy part of his team with a movie that another company was perfectly capable of producing.
The other possibility was selling the IP outright, like he had done with Paranormal Activity.
But this time, he didn't like that idea nearly as much.
Second Take Films was growing.
Owen was starting to think long-term as well. The more properties he retained, the larger the company's catalog would become.
So, for now, selling Lights Out wasn't very high on his list.
Owen suddenly remembered something. He stood up from his chair, "Wait here," he said before leaving the room.
The others exchanged confused looks, although Owen didn't take long to return.
This time, he was carrying a small wooden box in his hands.
"What's that?" Eric asked.
Owen returned to his seat and placed the box on the table, "Davidoff Signature 6000."
Curry stared at him in complete silence for a second, "What?" he asked, confused.
Matt pointed at the box and replied, "In normal language: expensive cigars."
Eric and Tyler laughed.
Owen shook his head, amused, and opened the lid.
Inside were twenty-five perfectly arranged cigars.
"James gave them to me," he explained, "He told me to save a few and light one whenever I had something to celebrate."
"I think this qualifies," Matt said with a smile.
Owen nodded and began handing them out. One for Matt, one for Eric, another for Tyler, and finally one for Curry.
Tyler held it between his fingers and smelled it curiously, "This looks like it cost way too much."
"Yeah. The box costs more than six hundred dollars," Owen replied.
For James, with the salary he had, it was still a reasonable gift.
Expensive, yes. But not ostentatious.
Owen took out a cigar cutter and carefully cut the cap off his.
Then he picked up a butane lighter, "Watch," Owen said so they would pay attention.
"We're getting into rich-people habits," Curry muttered, amused.
Tyler let out a small laugh, although both of them were watching quite closely.
Owen brought the flame near the foot without touching it directly, "First, you toast it a little. Don't stick the flame right into it like you're lighting a candle."
He began slowly rotating it between his fingers.
"You keep turning it so the edge lights evenly. Then you take a few gentle puffs while you keep rotating it."
Matt didn't need a tutorial. He already knew how to do it.
Eric more or less did too.
Tyler and Curry, on the other hand, were looking at their own cigars as if they had just been handed a small practical exam.
Owen finished lighting his and took a short puff, "And most importantly: don't inhale. Keep the smoke in your mouth and then let it out. It's not a cigarette."
Several minutes passed, and by then they were all smoking their cigars with a seriousness that made them look like executives from a century-old company closing a multi-billion-dollar acquisition.
Curry took a puff, held the smoke in his mouth for a few seconds, and then slowly exhaled it.
He looked at the cigar with genuine surprise, "I have to admit, it's good..." he said, "I was expecting something horrible, like a cigarette. And that's coming from someone who smoked for a while."
Matt looked at his own and commented, "If it tasted the same as a normal cigarette, James would've been ripped off."
It wasn't exactly the same experience.
Premium cigars were made with whole cured tobacco leaves, without paper wrapping or the same combination of additives that could heavily alter the taste of a conventional cigarette.
Also, since the smoke wasn't inhaled, a large part of the experience came from the flavor and aroma.
The notes changed as the cigar burned.
That was why, from a purely flavor-based perspective, a good-quality cigar could be considerably more complex than a cigarette, whose taste tended to feel much drier and more bitter.
Owen took another puff before speaking, "It's still tobacco, though. The cancer risk doesn't disappear just because it comes in a nice six-hundred-dollar box."
"You kind of ruined the mood," Eric said.
"I'm just saying, don't turn this into a habit," Owen continued, "Having one once in a while to celebrate something is one thing. Starting to smoke every day is something completely different."
"You have to die from something," Tyler said with complete seriousness.
He took a puff that was far too ambitious.
He exhaled the smoke and almost immediately started coughing.
There was a second of silence. Then everyone burst out laughing.
"Great speech for someone who started coughing pathetically right after," Eric commented.
Tyler raised a hand while still coughing slightly, "Shut up."
Curry looked at the group again. Five guys around a huge table, in an expensive office doing absolutely nothing, celebrating a movie's box office by smoking cigars.
Suddenly he smiled, "Why don't we take a picture?" he asked.
Owen looked at him, "A picture?" he repeated.
"Yeah. You post it to celebrate Lights Out," Curry replied with a shrug.
Owen thought about it for a few seconds.
Actually, it wasn't a bad idea.
Although he didn't want a photograph where they were trying to look like extremely important billionaire businessmen either.
That would be too pretentious.
But if they did the exact opposite, that could work.
Besides, he could use the post to thank everyone for supporting Lights Out and remind them that the new Second Take Films video was already available.
"Alright. But if we're doing this, we have to look as stupid as possible," Owen said.
He went to get a camera and a tripod.
Since they didn't have anyone behind the camera, they had to use the timer.
That was when Matt and Curry stepped in.
As directors, both of them wanted the framing to be perfect.
They ended up spending several minutes adjusting the camera.
The first photo came out surprisingly well.
The five of them sat around the table with completely serious expressions and cigars in their hands. Like they had just closed a multi-billion-dollar financial deal.
By the second one, they were already starting to lose their composure.
Tyler was coughing dramatically.
Curry was smiling while trying not to laugh.
Matt was waving a hand in front of his face as if he were trying to clear all the smoke out of the room.
For the last one, they completely abandoned any attempt to look normal.
Tyler decided to climb onto the table and lie flat on his back, motionless, as if the cigar had knocked him out.
Eric stood off to one side, still smoking with complete calm as if he didn't care that his friend was dying.
Curry had both hands on his head, staring at the scene in disbelief.
Matt had taken Tyler's cigar and now had two in his mouth.
Owen, still sitting in his seat, gave the camera a thumbs-up.
When they were done, Owen looked through the photographs.
He swiped several aside.
Went back to one. Then another.
'These three,' he thought.
They were perfect for an Instagram carousel.
The first was serious enough to look like a real celebration photo.
The second showed that they were actually a bunch of idiots trying to look serious in the first one.
The third made absolutely no sense anymore.
After that, Owen checked the time. They had procrastinated quite a bit.
He returned to his seat, opened the laptop, and went to the Second Take Films channel.
The video he had promised to publish that day was already fully uploaded.
Matt, Eric, Tyler, and Curry leaned slightly closer to look at the screen.
Owen moved the cursor and clicked Publish.
The video was titled: "What's Next for Second Take Films? – New Movies, Black Mirror & More"
The thumbnail showed Owen and Matt standing in front of a whiteboard, as if they were planning the entire future of the production company.
On the whiteboard:
BLACK MIRROR?
SUPERHEROE MOVIE?
NEW MOVIE?
???
After that, Owen uploaded the Instagram post with the three pictures they had just taken.
@owenasfhord:
$93M worldwide opening weekend 🗿
Thank you for all the support on Lights Out.
New video out now on Second Take Films.
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Link: https://[email protected]/Nathe07