Chapter 37 39. Obtaining the copyright of Transformers (asking for monthly tickets and rewards)

It's a new week, early in the morning, and a Lincoln is on its way to Los Angeles International Airport.

There were four people in the car, Charlie Cooper, Eric Cooper, Chen Xing and a driver.

The destination of this trip is New York. The negotiations with Hasbro have been completed, and this flight is to sign the contract.

A press conference will be held immediately after the signing of the contract. Since we are going to do it anyway, we might as well make it a big one to build up momentum in advance!

So even Dad has come forward, and this will be the first major decision of the new MGM.

After flipping through the newspaper, he found no important news, but there was a piece of gossip that he read with great interest - the final trial of Winona Ryder's theft case.

It's not a coincidence, she is the goddess in the hearts of countless people who has starred in classic movies such as "Edward Scissorhands" and "Little Women", and has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.

In December 2001, she was caught on surveillance camera stuffing $4,760 worth of clothes and accessories into her bag at a department store in Beverly Hills.

This kind of thing is immoral and illegal, not to mention that she is a public figure.

Moreover, it had not been long since the 9/11 incident, and the whole United States had not yet recovered from the emotions of sadness and anger. Then, she was stabbed in the back by the goddess, and Winona instantly became a public enemy.

In a short period of time, her film contracts were cancelled, her job was lost, and she became an abandoned person, but at the same time she also attracted 24-hour follow-up by countless media.

Until this Monday, nearly a year later, the final trial of this theft case finally opened. The heat that had been dormant has risen again. I believe that tomorrow we will see photos of Winona entering and leaving the court in the newspapers.

Eric shook his head. "I don't understand. She is the most popular actress and the heroine candidate in the minds of countless directors. Why would she steal things? Is it a special hobby? Isn't it good to steal some props from the crew? Everyone loves to do this!"

Charlie Cooper also sighed with regret: "No one knows what she is thinking. When the news broke last year, the whole of Hollywood was stunned. Of course, many actresses were also very happy."

"But I guess it's just too much pressure. Every Hollywood star has this worry: Can I get this role? Will my movie fail at the box office? Will I be surpassed by someone younger than me?"

"This is the most realistic world of fame and fortune, even if you have won an Oscar. Although Winona is very famous, she has never starred in a hit movie."

"Besides, in recent years, many younger generations have emerged, such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. They may feel the pressure and become mentally disturbed for a while, so they may do anything."

Eric recalled that he had the impression that Winona was silent for a long time because of this. Although she gradually returned to the public eye later, she never starred in any notable movies again. It has to be said that one wrong step led to another.

"Chen Xing, how is the box office of Red Dragon?"

After reading the gossip, Eric asked about serious matters.

Chen Xing blurted out without thinking: "The North American box office fell by 52%, with a box office of 14.9 million. The total box office in Europe in the second week was 29.5 million."

"In addition, the first weekend box office figures for several other countries have also been released, with Japan taking in $10.65 million, South Korea taking in $5.8 million, Australia taking in $6 million, and New Zealand, India, Hong Kong and other regions taking in a total of $22.2 million. Now the global total box office for Red Dragon is $230 million!"

"$230 million, not bad. It seems those analysts are quite capable. I estimate the final box office will be around $300 million."

Charlie Cooper said with some nostalgia: "The story is still not strong enough. The Silence of the Lambs made $270 million for $19 million. That was in 1991, $270 million 11 years ago."

"Times have changed, dad. Once we get the Transformers, MGM will take off. $270 million, you'll just think it's a joke!"

"Eric, you are always so confident!"

"Because confidence is more valuable than gold!"

Hasbro headquarters building in Rhode Island.

In the conference room, the bosses of both sides sat on both sides of the long table.

The filming of a live-action Transformers movie is a groundbreaking event for Hasbro. In addition to the personal attendance of Charlie Cooper, Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld will naturally also be present.

After three rounds of negotiations, the specific details have been finalized and the signing of the contract is just the final process.

In the end, Hasbro couldn't resist the temptation and chose to sign a bet agreement, but modified the details.

The proportions of all the terms have been increased or decreased. For example, if toy sales increase by more than 200% in a year, Hasbro will only share 5% of the net profit with MGM.

The one that Eric cares most about is that toy sales will increase from 3 times to 4 times, but if this is achieved, Hasbro will have to give 4% of its equity to MGM or pay 55% of the net profit of the toys.

They sat down and talked, said some nice words, and then Charlie Cooper and Alan Hassenfeld signed their names on the contract.

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The moment the pen was put down, the copyright of Transformers was acquired and the bet agreement officially came into effect.

Then everyone stood in position to take a group photo, and a beautiful etiquette lady led everyone to the press conference.

The hall was already crowded with people, all of them were representatives from various entertainment media, as well as some mainstream media. They had their cameras positioned and aimed at the row of seats in front of them.

Hasbro is currently the largest toy distributor in the United States, and MGM is one of the seven major film and television giants. Although this giant has weakened and is even less competitive than New Line, Lionsgate and other companies, it is still an old brand and its influence is still there.

Now that the two companies have jointly released the news, there will definitely be big moves.

As people entered the venue, countless flash lights began to flash.

After some interludes, Alan Hassenfeld announced in a low and powerful voice: "As you can see, Hasbro and MGM have reached an agreement. We will grant the film and television rights of Transformers to MGM for development and jointly shoot a live-action Transformers movie!"

Before he finished speaking, exclamations broke out on the field.

In fact, the media had already speculated before receiving the invitation, but when this fact was laid out before everyone, people couldn't help but be surprised.

Those are Transformers. Most of the male reporters present had seen them in their childhood and bought toys of them. The female reporters had never seen them but had heard of them.

This group of Autobots has occupied a place in the animation and toy market for decades, but unexpectedly, they are going to make a big movie quietly.

After Alan Hassenfeld finished speaking, the host signaled for the media to ask questions, and a lot of arms were raised in the audience.

(End of this chapter)