Chapter 352: Paramount’s Olive Branch

Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Paramount’s Olive Branch

One week later, the opening weekend box office figures for Saw were officially released: 42.06 million dollars.

This number was like a bombshell, echoing loudly in the executive offices of major studios.

In the top-floor conference room of Paramount Pictures, Sherry Lansing stared at the box office report, somewhat lost in thought.

At both ends of the long table in front of her, the marketing director, head of production, and other executives sat in silence, with only the numbers on the report shining dazzlingly under the lights.

"42.06 million dollars..." Sherry repeated the number in a low voice, her tone filled with a complex mix of disbelief. "A small production with a budget barely over a million dollars, with scenes confined to a few dilapidated rooms, and not even a B-list star. How could it achieve such results?"

She raised a hand to rub her temples, her gaze sweeping across the group. "The last time I saw a box office miracle like this was The Blair Witch Project in 1999, right? But what was the fate of that film?"

The marketing director sitting to her left immediately chimed in:

"Ms. Sherry is right. The Blair Witch Project exhausted audience trust by relying on the gimmick of a mockumentary marketing campaign. Although the opening weekend box office was stunning, the subsequent word-of-mouth plummeted, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 43% and a Douban rating of just 6.4. Audiences left the theater full of disappointment, and the sequel plan was rejected by the market as soon as it was proposed. It was a one-hit wonder."

He paused, then added, "But Saw is completely different. Right now, its Rotten Tomatoes score is stable at 87%, with an audience rating of 4.7/5. Most critics have also given positive reviews, saying it ’used a low budget to create a high-level suspense structure,’ and some even predict it will become the progenitor of a new generation of horror IPs."

Sherry picked up the coffee in front of her but had no heart to drink it, staring instead at the ripples in the cup.

"I truly admire Irene Coppola’s vision. When James Wan was hitting dead ends with this script, he also submitted it to our company, but after reviewing it, the production department felt the ’room slaughter’ theme was too niche and rejected it outright.

I didn’t pay much attention to it then, but I never expected that she not only invested in it but also came up with the brilliant idea of using a Facebook game to build hype. Now, look at it. The movie is incredibly hot. She’s really struck gold!" Her tone held both reluctance and undisguised admiration.

As one of the few top female executives in Hollywood, Sherry Lansing had been at the helm of Paramount for many years, establishing her footing through precise commercial instincts and a tough management style.

She had spearheaded the operations of classic IPs like Titanic, Mission: Impossible, and Saving Private Ryan, but very few works could be turned into franchises.

Apart from Mission: Impossible, the company currently had no other ace series to present, which had always been a sore point for her. Therefore, when she learned that Irene Coppola was going to make a move on Transformers, she decided to intercept it without hesitation, even if it meant being mocked by the media.

"What’s even more terrifying is that the long-tail effect of this film has already manifested." The head of the distribution department pushed up his glasses, his tone grave.

"According to feedback from theater chains, after the opening weekend, attendance not only didn’t drop but actually increased by 15% due to word-of-mouth spreading. Many viewers are watching it a second or third time just to look for Easter eggs and plot foreshadowing in the game. Now, major theater chains are actively increasing screenings. It is expected that the final box office will exceed 100 million dollars."

Sherry put down her coffee cup, her fingertips tapping lightly on the table, creating a crisp sound. It seemed Irene Coppola had developed another new series, an important series with low production costs but an exceptionally high return on investment.

She suddenly changed the subject. "How is the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel going on Irene’s side? Has she given a clear timeline on when she can start filming Transformers?"

This question caused the atmosphere in the conference room to stall slightly.

Everyone was well aware that the battle for the Transformers rights had once been a minor stir in Hollywood.

Irene had been the first to see the adaptation potential of this IP and had contacted Hasbro multiple times to negotiate, but because she didn’t have a distribution company at the time, she was looked down upon and rejected by them.

Paramount had succeeded in intercepting it thanks to its powerful industry resources, but Sherry Lansing had made an unexpected decision: to invite Irene to be the director.

No one knew Sherry’s true considerations. Only she knew that this was a win-win calculation.

Irene’s directing talent was evident to all. The success of the first Pirates of the Caribbean had already proven her ability to handle major commercial blockbusters. Meanwhile, Irene also needed Paramount’s distribution channels and Oscar PR resources.

Although Future World Pictures was rising rapidly, it lacked a foundation in terms of award campaigns and had no experience in distributing large-scale commercial films. As a veteran studio, Paramount’s experience and resources in Oscar PR were top-tier, and it had indeed provided some assistance in helping Million Dollar Baby win the Oscar for Best Picture.

The production assistant sitting in the corner quickly opened their notebook.

"According to our latest communication with Irene’s team, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is currently filming the final battle scenes, with an expected one month left in the shooting schedule. Irene stated that after filming wraps, she will be involved in the post-production editing throughout, and it will be at least May of next year before she can completely clear her schedule to invest in the preparation work for Transformers."

"May?" Sherry raised an eyebrow, a subtle smile appearing on her face. "That’s fine. Tell Irene not to rush. She should take a good rest after finishing Pirates of the Caribbean. She’s still so young, only in her early thirties. There’s no need to wear herself out. We have plenty of time to polish Transformers."

These words sounded considerate, but in reality, they hid deep-seated calculations.

The executives present knew well that the two sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean were already on the schedule, and according to the plans of Fox and Disney, they would be released in the summer slots of 2004 and 2005, respectively.

The summer slot had always been Hollywood’s golden period, where major studios would bring out their best IPs to fight for market share. As a phenomenal IP, the box office appeal of Pirates of the Caribbean was unquestionable.

Sherry picked up her coffee and finally took a sip, her tone calm but with unquestionable decisiveness. "Set the release date for Transformers for the 2006 summer slot."

"2006?" The marketing director was taken aback. "Ms. Sherry, although the 2006 summer slot avoids the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, there’s Warner Bros.’ Superman Returns and Fox’s X-Men 3, as well as our own Mission: Impossible 3, which is also expected to be released in 2006. Won’t the competition be too intense?"

Sherry put down her coffee cup. "Think about it. The audience for Pirates of the Caribbean is all-ages, focusing on fantasy adventure, whereas the core audience for Transformers is teenagers and the male demographic. While they might seem to conflict, they can actually complement each other. More importantly, the 2006 time window gives us enough time to make full preparations."

She stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and overlooked the city skyline of Los Angeles.

"The difficulty of adapting Transformers is far beyond imagination. Hasbro has strict requirements for the robot designs and plot direction. We need time to work with Irene on the script, and even more time to build an effects team.

The live-action plus special effects filming style that Irene demonstrated in Pirates of the Caribbean is very suitable for this project, but this mode requires a massive amount of pre-production preparation. From prop making to special effects testing, it simply cannot be done without a year or more."