On April 1st, three other new films also joined the competition for the Easter holiday slot.
Apart from Tim Burton's 'Beetlejuice', the other two new films posed no threat to 'When Harry Met Sally'.
Simon was well aware of 'Beetlejuice's box office potential; in the original timeline, it was the success of 'Beetlejuice' that landed Tim Burton the directing job for 'Batman'.
However, Warner Bros. at the time clearly didn't have high expectations for 'Beetlejuice'. Although they gave it an Easter release, they only provided a meagre 1,000 opening screens for the film, far fewer than the 1,700 screens for 'Police Academy 5' two weeks prior.
As a result, during the Easter week, 'When Harry Met Sally' collected another $15.49 million with a slight box office drop of only 13%, bringing its cumulative box office to $37.05 million.
Following closely behind 'When Harry Met Sally' was 'Beetlejuice', which debuted with a first-week box office of $13.24 million, almost double the first-week box office of 'Police Academy 5'.
Immediately, Warner Bros.' deep roots as one of the seven major Hollywood studios became apparent.
Due to its successful first week, 'Beetlejuice's screen count directly expanded to 1,523 screens in its second week.
In comparison, 'When Harry Met Sally' was in its third week of wide release, but its screen count remained at 1,077. Although Disney didn't refuse to add more screenings for the film, they stated that the process would take at least four weeks.
A quick look at the box office data for films currently showing in North America makes it clear that Disney would rather give over 1,500 screens to 'Good Morning, Vietnam', which was only making a little over $2,000 per screen per week, than allocate more screens to 'When Harry Met Sally', which was raking in over $13,000 per screen.
This was the reality.
If it weren't for the guaranteed 1,000 screens clause in the original contract, the situation for 'When Harry Met Sally' might have been even worse.
April 11th.
Today was the day of the 60th Academy Awards ceremony. The Hollywood writers' strike was still ongoing, and the Oscars, originally scheduled for late March, had been postponed until now.
Although he would attend the awards ceremony in the evening, Simon spent the entire day busy.
It was the fifth week of release, the third week of wide release, and the Easter holiday had ended.
During the three-day weekend from April 8th to April 10th, the box office drop for 'When Harry Met Sally' inevitably widened to 25% compared to the same period previously, taking in another $8.11 million over three days, bringing its cumulative box office to $45.16 million.
Starting this week, Disney would receive 18% of 'When Harry Met Sally's North American box office as commission.
Burbank.
It was already afternoon.
Simon and Amy left the Disney headquarters together. After getting into the car, Amy looked at Simon, who was leaning back in his seat, eyes closed in thought. After waiting for a moment, she said, "The company currently has quite a few projects spread out, Simon. I think we should consider Eisner's suggestion".
With 'When Harry Met Sally' released and its box office and critical reception settled, Simon began to consider subsequent distribution. Due to the priority clause in the original contract, an agreement with Disney was necessary in this regard.
Simon and Amy had come to Burbank to discuss this matter with Michael Eisner.
Based on 'When Harry Met Sally's' box office curve, assuming a domestic North American box office of $100 million, Disney's contract with theatres was a 50/50 split. There was naturally some padding in this, which Daenerys Pictures could only accept.
Thus, from the future $50 million in production and distribution shares, subtracting Disney's 18% commission and an estimated $10 million in promotional expenses (which would also be padded), Daenerys Pictures would likely recover around $22 million. This already ensured Daenerys Pictures recouped its production costs and generated some profit.
In Hollywood, not many films actually recoup all their costs during the domestic theatrical release phase. Of course, for a film expected to gross over $100 million in North America, not recouping costs would be a joke.
As for other distribution channels, after negotiations with Michael Eisner, Daenerys Pictures successfully retained the domestic video and television broadcast rights. The overseas theatrical, video, and television broadcast rights were sold to Disney by Daenerys Pictures for a package price of $30 million.
The $30 million was roughly equivalent to the $35 million buyout price for the corresponding overseas distribution rights of 'Run Lola Run' last year.
At that time, Simon's foundation in Hollywood was too shallow, and to raise funds for the stock index futures market as quickly as possible, the subsequent distribution rights for 'Run Lola Run' were completely sold off at a low price. The $200 million overseas box office alone allowed Warner Bros., who bought the full overseas distribution rights for 'Run Lola Run', to make a fortune.
Although the box office performance of 'When Harry Met Sally' was not as good as 'Run Lola Run', Simon was no longer the rootless young man he was last year, so it was naturally impossible for him to constantly concede.
However, the $30 million buyout price was still the result of Simon making a compromise.
As long as 'When Harry Met Sally's overseas box office was comparable to its domestic North American box office, Disney would essentially turn a profit, not to mention the lucrative video and television broadcast distribution.
Daenerys Pictures transferred the overseas distribution rights for $30 million, allowing Simon to retain the domestic video and television channel distribution rights for 'When Harry Met Sally'.
After settling the post-release distribution of 'When Harry Met Sally', Michael Eisner also proposed to continue distributing several other films held by Daenerys Pictures, which was what Amy had just thought was worth considering.
Simon heard Amy's words, came back to his senses, looked at his female executive beside him, and shook his head, saying, "Amy, I've made too many compromises lately, and that's enough. So, I want you to know that this recent negotiation was my last concession to Hollywood. After this, no one will be able to take advantage of Simon Westeros so easily again".
Amy sensed some emotion in Simon's tone and said, "These two things aren't in conflict, Simon. Daenerys Pictures is still very small right now. We definitely need to establish our own distribution channels as much as possible, but considering the company's situation, we must maintain some cooperation with the Big Seven".
Simon didn't deny it, nodding and saying, "Of course, Amy. However, among Daenerys Pictures' upcoming films, the distribution rights for 'Pulp Fiction', 'Basic Instinct', and 'Rain Man' are already with other film companies. I can't give up any more. Eisner offered a 10% commission, which seems very generous. But look at 'When Harry Met Sally'. 'Beetlejuice' could easily expand its screening scale by 50% in its second week, while we could only passively wait for Disney to grant us more screens. I don't want Daenerys Pictures' other films to encounter this situation again".
Amy said, "Simon, if we distribute independently, the number of screens we get from theatres might not even be as many as Disney gives us".
"The theatres also want to make money. I don't believe that after a series of hit films like 'Run Lola Run', 'The Butterfly Effect', 'Final Destination', and 'When Harry Met Sally', North American theatres would still reject films produced by Daenerys Pictures. What's more, the writers' strike has been going on for over a month. If it continues for another one or two months, the summer blockbusters might not be affected, but in the second half of the year, the seven major studios definitely won't be able to provide enough films for theatres, and that will be our opportunity".
Amy thought of the several so-called reality TV shows the company was preparing, and a hint of worry appeared between her brows. She said, "The Writers Guild has resumed negotiations with the Producers Alliance, and they might reach a settlement before the end of the month. Next month is the new season for TV show pitches, and both sides probably don't want to mess this up; it would only be a lose-lose situation".
Simon just shook his head slightly and said, "Amy, if you feel you're too busy, you can continue to hire. We'll have to do a lot of things ourselves going forward. There's no negotiation on that".
"Alright", Amy could only nod, then glanced at her watch and said, "It's already two-thirty. The Oscars are tonight. Aren't you going to get ready?"
Simon casually said, "This outfit is fine, and besides, I still have something to deal with later".
Amy hesitated, then said, "The Macmillan thing?"
Simon nodded somewhat helplessly.
Returning to Daenerys Pictures' headquarters in Santa Monica, Simon looked at the bustling scene inside the office building, which had expanded in scale once again. He pondered the idea of finding a more spacious office for the company and soon arrived at his office on the second floor.
Ron Macmillan, the producer who had assisted Simon in completing 'Run Lola Run', was already waiting in the office.
Building on the collaborative relationship established through 'Run Lola Run', Ron Macmillan naturally became the company's first signed producer after Simon founded Daenerys Pictures.
After completing 'Final Destination' with Wes Craven last year, Ron Macmillan was currently also working with Wes Craven on 'Scream'.
The matter Simon needed to discuss with Ron Macmillan was precisely related to 'Scream'.
Seeing Simon enter, Ron Macmillan, who was noticeably more affluent compared to his somewhat down-and-out state two years ago, enthusiastically stood up to shake his hand and greeted, "Simon, how did the talks with Disney go?"
"It's settled" Simon shook Macmillan's hand, then went to his desk and sat down, pulling out a folder. "Ron, we need to have a serious talk".
Ron Macmillan sat opposite Simon, and seeing his expression turn serious, he unconsciously felt a little uneasy: "Is there a problem?"
Simon handed over the folder he was holding and said, "Regarding 'Scream', I remember I said in the first production meeting that the character of Casey, who is killed at the beginning, is crucial for establishing the film's horror tone. To increase the impact on the audience, we need to choose a relatively well-known actress".
Ron Macmillan opened the folder and saw an actress's profile inside, and a guilty expression immediately flashed across his face.
However, under Simon's gaze, he still said in a relaxed tone, "Simon, doesn't Amanda Wyss meet your requirements? She debuted ten years ago and has appeared in many films".
"They were all minor roles. If I hadn't seen her profile, I wouldn't even know who she was", Simon shook his head, looking at Macmillan. "Ron, that's not the most important thing. During the initial casting process, I chose Phoebe Cates and asked you to contact her. You told me Phoebe Cates refused, and then you bypassed all other alternatives and sent over the information for this actress you had.
But, Ron, you overlooked one thing: I'm not some outsider who made a fortune and wants to invest in one or two movies in Hollywood to gain some fame. Phoebe Cates is an artist under WMA. This is just a phone call. Then, Jonathan told me that Phoebe Cates and her agent never received any offer related to 'Scream'".
Exposed by Simon face-to-face, Ron Macmillan's expression immediately became a bit sheepish. After hesitating, he still argued, "Simon, it's just a small role".
Simon frowned and said, "Ron, I don't mind you guys finding some fun using your positions in private; the whole of Hollywood is like that. However, the premise of all this is that you must be responsible for the project in your hands. The production cost of 'Scream' is $10 million. Do you know what that means? In any city, just $1,000 is basically enough to find a very good quality woman.
$10 million can find 10,000 of them. If you lower the standards, this money can even find 100,000, 100,000 women you'll never be able to sleep with in your lifetime. So, no woman is worth risking a $10 million project for, and I will not allow anyone to risk my $10 million. Do you understand?"
Ron Macmillan's face changed for a while, and he finally said in a low voice, "I'm very sorry, Simon".
Simon continued to observe the middle-aged man opposite him for a moment, then softened his tone and said, "Ron, I cherish our experience of completing 'Run Lola Run' together, and I hope we can continue to cooperate. So, re-negotiate with Phoebe Cates. As for this woman, you can give her another small role. I don't want any messy rumours to spread. Remember, this is a one-time thing, don't let it happen again".
After dismissing Ron Macmillan, Simon leaned back in his leather chair, feeling a bit tired.
These days, as Daenerys Pictures' scale expanded, various problems also began to emerge.
At the beginning of the month, Simon visited the set of 'Rain Man' in Palm Springs, Eastern California, and found that the entire crew was in a state of 'letting loose,' a light-heartedness. Simon could clearly sense that the main creators, including Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, already believed from the bottom of their hearts that the film would be messed up, and thus they were filming with a vacation-like attitude.
To prevent the already very loose budget from being overspent again, Simon sent additional accountants to be stationed at the 'Rain Man' set. He still insisted on checking the daily rushes of 'Rain Man' twice a week and was determined to personally participate in the film's post-production to ensure that the film would not encounter any accidents.
For the other films currently in preparation, many filmmakers who received invitations held a 'fat sheep in front, why not slaughter' mentality, offering universally higher salaries than the industry standard.
Simon also began to understand why Carolco Pictures in the original timeline frequently produced films that broke budget records, and even produced Hollywood's first film with a production cost exceeding $100 million, 'Terminator 2'. This film company, backed by German tax-evading capital, was clearly also being treated as a cash cow.
Simon's words to Amy on the way back from Disney were entirely the result of his accumulated emotions during this period.
Due to a deep-seated indifference, Simon didn't harbour any resentment towards those who treated him as a fool. However, Daenerys Pictures would naturally not easily cooperate with them again in the future.
Having acquired the rights to the Tolkien Middle-earth series, 'Superman' and 'Batman', 'The Fast and the Furious', 'Forrest Gump', 'Dances with Wolves', 'Pretty Woman', and many other copyrights, plus many other bestselling movie scripts from his memory, Simon had now accumulated enough leverage. If he wanted, he could even produce a North American box office champion every year. Therefore, Simon had no intention of giving Hollywood the illusion that he was a cash cow any longer.
Want to take advantage of the rich? No problem, just try to see if your teeth are hard enough.