Chapter 52 54. A small shock
In January, "Sharknado" was almost out of theaters, with only a few cinemas still showing it.
After earning more than 13 million US dollars, its box office potential was exhausted, and it is estimated that the final box office results will reach 115 million US dollars.
Since it was released in December, its box office ranking belongs to 2002. It is currently ranked 18th on the North American annual box office list, and has reached the top 20 in a way that no one expected.
After the film is released in Europe, Australia, Africa and other places in a while, it is expected to earn another 20 to 30 million US dollars.
As for Asia, they are not very receptive to this at the moment and simply decide not to release the film.
At the same time, the Oscar nomination list was announced, and films such as "Gangs of New York", "About Schmidt", "The Hours", "The Pianist", "Chicago", "Spider-Man" and "The Lord of the Rings" were selected.
The announcement of nominations actually has no impact on the box office of most of the films, it only affects the subsequent sales of discs and copyrights.
But it is not absolute. For example, "The Hours" and "Chicago" are still in the stage of large-scale screening, and they are hoping to generate some box office revenue after the nominations are announced.
For example, the movie "The Hours" brought together three film queens, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep, and the lineup was very strong, but the box office in the first weekend was only a pitiful 330,000 US dollars.
You read that right, it’s 330,000 US dollars, not even breaking the million mark. Even if there is some improvement later, it is still not ideal. Now the North American box office has not even broken 20 million, and the producers are waiting for this wave to make some money back.
Along with the announcement of the Oscar nominations, media reviews of "Saw" were also released. Most film critics gave it positive reviews and recommended it for viewing.
Movie Magazine: "Saw" is one of the top three horror movies I have seen in recent years. Unlike other horror movies, it tells a profound story and is superior in terms of the script concept. I strongly recommend watching it to the end, you will find surprises similar to "The Island"!
Chicago Tribune: I must say that "Saw" gave me a pleasant surprise. Before walking into the cinema, I didn't have high hopes. I thought its slogan "Do you want to understand the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?" was just a joke to me, but when I walked out of the cinema, I have to tell you that if you want to understand the meaning of life, you must watch this movie seriously.
The Independent: A movie with a mediocre plot, "Saw" uses seemingly profound gimmicks to trick audiences into the cinema, but it has too many loopholes. Perhaps when you watch it for the first time, the blood and exciting shots will make you forget to think, but as soon as you come to your senses, you will find that you have been treated as a fool. This is just a mediocre work.
Fox News: This is an amazing work. James Wan and Ray Whannell, these two young men have made a good start for horror movies in 2003. When watching this movie, I hope you will not pay too much attention to the blood plasma and torture instruments, but think more about its intentions. I am sure that MGM has picked up a treasure this time. The box office of "Saw" will definitely give this lion a good meal! The evaluation given by the media this time is completely different from "Sharknado", and not only the traditional media gave praise, but even the Internet also praised it.
On IMDB, some bold movie fans have even crowned "Saw" as the best horror film of 2003.
Good word of mouth naturally drove more people to the cinema, and the attendance rate of "Saw" increased every day.
Amidst all the praise, the box office for Saw's first weekend was released, grossing $33 million in three days. After deducting the $5 million production cost and the $10 million publicity and promotion cost, it has almost achieved a break-even.
Cooper's house.
My dad took out a bottle of red wine with a beaming face. He has been in great spirits recently.
First, "Red Dragon" had a good start at the box office, "Barbershop" also made a fortune, and then "Sharknado" also gave him a surprise.
Even Saw is doing really well at the box office, and Die Another Day is also expected to make a killing.
Earning money is one thing, and being proud is another. The continuous success has allowed Charlie Cooper to hold his head high in front of his peers.
Gulp Gulp The red wine is poured into the glass, but it's a pity that Joshua is not here. The 49ers' offensive lineman has been injured and is recuperating.
So he became a regular starter and the training intensity was very high, but Joshua wanted to seize this opportunity and had not been home for some time.
"Thank God, it is He who gives us food and keeps us alive. Amen!"
With her eyes closed and her palms clasped together, my mother finished her prayer before the meal. She was an open-minded Christian and never asked her family to pray with her. She even went to church alone.
"Eric, where did you find this nugget of gold, Saw? When you asked me to approve $10 million for publicity, to be honest, I thought it would be a waste, but it really gave me a big surprise!"
Eric cut a piece of tender beef and put it into his mouth, chewing it carefully.
"Dad, you should participate in more internal screenings. Chen Xing has asked for your permission several times, but you are always busy."
Charlie Cooper said helplessly, "Didn't I give you full authority over the film business? Frankly speaking, I was very worried at first, but now I can rest assured."
"Success once can be said to be accidental, twice can also be said to be accidental, but if it is true every time, it can only be said that you are born to do this job."
"When we get our share of the box office revenue in a month or two, it will greatly ease MGM's finances."
Eric really didn't pay much attention to financial matters. He paid Kerkorian $2 billion in one lump sum, but they still had $1.1 billion in liquid funds.
The company hasn't launched many projects recently, the only big one being "Transformers". Although it cost a lot to buy copyrights, Eric thinks they shouldn't be short of money. However, looking at his father, it doesn't seem to be the case.
"Dad, is there any problem with the company's finances?"
"Not at the moment, but aren't we going to buy Hasbro's stock? The stock price has risen a lot now, and if we continue to eat, we will need more capital. You can't find me because I'm trying to raise money."
“What’s the current share price?”
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"35.1 USD per share. On the day when the leading actors and actresses of the movie were announced, Hasbro's stock price rose by another 7%. Of course, I think the bigger reason is Weta Digital."
Eric nodded: "I remember we took 5% of the shares some time ago, what about now?"
Charlie Cooper held up three fingers: "8%. During this period, I secretly took another 3% of the share, but the cost was $230 million. Now MGM has $530 million stuck in the stock market."
"Besides MGM, there are apparently other people who are secretly buying Hasbro's shares. The share price has been rising recently. If we want to continue to buy, the financial pressure will be huge!"
"The Hassenfelds?"
"Hasenfeld must have been involved. After all, we were the only two companies that knew the inside information in advance. But after the news was announced, there might be other participants."
Eric tapped the table slowly, and his mother patted the back of his hand lightly: "Eric, this is impolite!"
"Sorry!"
"Dad, since good news can make Hasbro's stock price go up, how much do you think it can go down if it's bad news?"
After thinking for a moment, Eric narrowed his eyes and his tone was cold.
"What?"
“If the market believes the Transformers movie will fail, do you think Hasbro’s stock price will drop? How much?”
Dad hesitated for a moment and said, "It will most likely return to the starting point, but if a sell-off occurs, it is possible that the price will continue to fall, but not too much. After all, Hasbro is essentially a toy company."
"That's pretty much what I think, Dad. We're getting ready to sell off our stocks. It's time to give them a little shock!"
I have advanced to the third round. Thanks to all the readers for their support. Thank you all! I want to drive the car tomorrow, but I don’t know if it will pass the inspection. If not, please pay attention to the comment section.
(End of this chapter)