sinovels Chapter 69 Forcing Fox to Resign
Chapter 69 Forcing Fox to Resign
Chapter 69 Forcing Fox to Resign
On the first day of 1997, 20th Century Fox had to convene an important high-level meeting with many of its management team members who were still on vacation.
The atmosphere inside the meeting room was heavy, completely out of place with the bright sunlight outside the window, offering no warmth whatsoever.
At the long, oval conference table, almost all of Fox's core management team were present. Their brows were furrowed, and even their breathing was deliberately subdued.
At the head of the table, Mary Jenny Harrison, the company's legal representative and senior vice president, wore a sharply tailored Armani suit, her weary face betraying her exhaustion from not having slept all night.
He tapped the table in front of him, producing a crisp, yet somewhat menacing sound.
"Let me first explain the specific situation to you all," Harrison's voice was as steady as ever, but it couldn't hide a hint of hoarseness.
"According to our sources, James attended MGM's New Year's Eve party last night and met with Ernst and Robert Iger. The meeting reportedly went well, and the three of them warmly embraced and escorted James to the hotel entrance."
After a pause, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold surface of the table, Harrison continued, "Later that day, I received a call from James."
"The other party indicated that if 20th Century Fox could not immediately decide whether to increase the post-production and publicity costs required for 'Titanic,' they hoped that we could let MGM take full responsibility for the funding. They also implicitly suggested that if Fox did not have a positive outlook on the project, they could take the lead in transferring the project to MGM."
"Bang!" The words had barely left his lips when someone angrily slammed their hand on the long table. "That ungrateful bastard! Has he forgotten who gave him what he has today?"
2th Century Fox has always considered itself James Cameron's mentor. Although Cameron's first film, Piranha II: The Birth of the Piranha, was not produced by Fox, Cameron did not fully complete the film, as it was replaced midway through.
Strictly speaking, Cameron's first full-length feature film was The Terminator.
In 1981, when Cameron was just an art director working odd jobs at Roger Corman's New World Films, it was Lawrence Gordon, a senior producer at Fox, who discovered his talent.
Orion invested in "Terminator" because they only valued Cameron's script and did not trust the director.
Although this film has no connection with 2000 FC, it is said that the approval of Fox executives led Orion to agree to let him direct the film.
Later films like *Alien 2*, *True Lies*, and *The Pit* were all produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
The two sides have been working together ever since, and the name Cameron has become inextricably linked with Fox XII.
In the public eye, Fox is Cameron's mentor, while Cameron is Fox's sharpest sword.
However, Cameron does not agree with the idea of a talent scout and a promising individual; he believes that it is a mutual achievement.
Twentieth Century Fox gave him many opportunities, but he also brought huge returns to Twentieth Century Fox.
"This is not the time to talk about these things," Harrison said, raising her hand to signal for quiet. The meeting room fell silent instantly, demonstrating the powerful woman's status at Fox.
Since 20th Century Fox was acquired by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Harrison Harrison has been Murdoch's spokesperson at 20th Century Fox for many years, responsible for communicating with him, due to Murdoch's desire for control.
"Clearly, although Cameron didn't say it outright, the implication of a power grab is obvious. We need to make a decision now, not discuss anything about ingratitude."
A brief silence fell over the conference room, broken only by the soft hum of the central air conditioning system.
Finally, it was CFO Hendrix Walker who pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and broke the deadlock.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we must face the budget issue squarely."
Walker's voice carried the calm characteristic of an accountant: "Titanic was originally planned for an $8000 million budget, but the actual expenditure has already reached $1.91 million. According to Cameron's post-production list, the additional $6000 million he requested covers special effects upgrades, original soundtrack recording, and global premiere expenses, among others. But given his past misdeeds, who can guarantee that this $6000 million is the final cost?"
Looking through the financial statements in his hand, Huntley shared his thoughts: "My advice is to stop investing and not increase the budget, regardless of whether the project is sold to MGM or not."
Marketing Director Turdova took over the conversation. This Bulgarian, who had previously led the global marketing campaign for "Independence Day," spoke with undisguised skepticism.
"According to the latest market research, among the core movie-going group aged 18-35, only 23% of the respondents expressed interest in the sinking of the Titanic, while less than 15% were looking forward to a disaster romance film."
"Judging from market feedback, the future of the disaster romance genre is too uncertain."
"And don't forget about the box office. According to Cameron, another $60 million would be enough to cover all the post-production and promotional costs, but that would require Titanic to gross $550 million worldwide before we could break even."
Turdova glanced at everyone present and chuckled. "Do you believe Cameron?"
"If costs continue to rise, how much box office revenue do we need from this shipwreck? Six hundred million or seven hundred million? Can it even do that?"
"What does a $7 million box office mean? Last year's global phenomenon, *Independence Day*, only grossed $8.17 million."
Billions. But that's a science fiction disaster film, with visual spectacles like alien invasion and the White House explosion. And *Titanic*? A wrecked ship that sank a hundred years ago, and a fictional love story.
Prior to this, only three films had grossed over $700 million worldwide.
Jurassic Park, The Lion King, and Independence Day, which gave 20th Century Fox a much-needed boost last year.
There isn't a single romance film in this list, nor was any of them directed by James Cameron.
Looking at the current situation, the Titanic project is likely to be a loss-making venture. If someone is willing to take it over, why not?
"I disagree. What if Titanic explodes? Then 20th Century Fox will become the clown of Hollywood and the laughingstock of our peers."
"I think we should take a gamble. Even if we don't invest more, we shouldn't sell our shares to MGM."
"MGM has now shared a lot of the risk with us. Even if the movie loses money, Cameron wouldn't be able to lose tens of millions of dollars. We can afford it."
The production department's statement immediately drew ridicule from CFO Huntley: "You think you can afford to lose money? Is Fox your company?"
"Tens of millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars could be used to produce a star-studded A-list blockbuster."
"And don't forget, Cameron has clearly reached some kind of agreement with MGM. Although he didn't say it explicitly, the meaning is simple: either Fox continues to invest, or the project is sold off completely."
"Are we supposed to argue with them and kick this big director off Fox's list?"
""
The two sides argued endlessly, but the final decision rested with Harrison.
Actually, she was inclined to transfer the Titanic project, not for any other reason, but because News Corporation, the company behind it, was also having a tough time.
Murdoch's aggressive expansion over the years has resulted in an ever-growing business empire, but it has also led to a mountain of debt.
News Corp. has a total debt of $75 billion, with annual interest payments exceeding $200 million.
Fox News can no longer rely on News Corp. If problems arise, no one can save Fox.
"Could you arrange a meeting with Ernst for me? I want to talk to him before making a decision."
The secretary nodded and made a note of it, but Ernst didn't have time to answer his call right now.
"Press your chest a little higher, lift your buttocks a little more, good, very good."
Kate Winslet, the British actress who is new to Hollywood, obviously doesn't want her first big-budget Hollywood production to be unable to be released normally.
So after Cameron left last night, Ruth not only stayed behind, but also offered to take the drunken Ernst home.
Upon waking up in the morning, Ernst was suddenly inspired and began to paint.
Unfortunately, while his enthusiasm for painting was high, his painting skills need further examination.
A perfectly beautiful picture of a woman emerging from her bath has somehow been turned into a pornographic image.