"Didn’t expect to see you here, Duke." In the exhibition area, David Ellison sat down at the small round table across from Duke without any hesitation. Looking at Duke, he pointed around and said, "I thought you were too busy to pay attention to this kind of messy stuff." After coming over, David Ellison had specifically gone to watch the footage of that film. Naturally, Duke could guess his intentions. He smiled and said, "If a movie wants to be a big hit, it needs massive investment in publicity and marketing. Transformers is no exception." "Mr. Ellison, Director Rosenberg..." The Vice President of Anchor Bay Entertainment walked over. With his seniority, of course, he recognized the two sitting here as top-tier wealthy figures in the industry, both owning their own film studios. "I’m Justin Lively, in charge of the film business at Anchor Bay Entertainment." "Nice to meet you..." Duke shook hands with him, while David Ellison just waved his hand. "Justin, I’m a little interested in that film." From Duke’s tone, it was clear that he didn’t really care much about the movie. "Would your company consider transferring the rights to me?" David Ellison was still staring at Duke, as if trying to see the real intention behind his indifferent expression. He didn’t believe for a second that Duke had come all the way here to buy a film’s rights just because he was a little interested. Sitting between Duke and David Ellison, Justin Lively showed a reserved smile but didn’t respond immediately. Sure enough, just as he expected, David Ellison slowly said, "I’m also a bit interested. Sky Flim Studios wants that film too." David Ellison believed that it wouldn’t be long before that movie became the star of the indie productions at the expo. The reason was simple it had attracted the interest of Duke Rosenberg. That alone would be enough for many people to try and buy the rights, hoping to get lucky as long as the price wasn’t too outrageous. Justin Lively looked at Duke, then at David Ellison, revealing a troubled expression. Duke leaned back in his chair, tilting his head slightly, giving a once-over to the defiant-looking David Ellison before saying, "David, in business, we should honor first come, first served." "First come, first served?" David Ellison shook his head and said, "In Oracle and the Ellison family’s business principles, deals are always won through strategy and competition." With that, David Ellison turned to Justin Lively, "I heard Duke just offered a hundred thousand dollars for the rights?" Without caring what Duke thought, he continued, "Five hundred thousand dollars!" Justin Lively didn’t respond but instead looked over at Duke. Everyone in Hollywood knew that there was some tension between David Ellison and Duke. Duke smiled and said, "Justin, let’s settle on five hundred thousand dollars. Will you choose Warner Bros or Sky Flim Studios?" Was there really a choice to be made? Justin Lively immediately wanted to nod in agreement. This was a film that the company had acquired for just a few thousand dollars and had gone unnoticed until now. He had full authority to handle it. Using this film to build a relationship with Duke Rosenberg and Warner Bros. was definitely a very worthwhile deal. David Ellison’s lips curled slightly. He had seen this kind of situation countless times when accompanying his father in business negotiations many people claimed to have no interest, but that wasn’t what they truly felt. Although the character claiming to be God in the footage was incredibly absurd, he trusted Duke Rosenberg’s judgment. If he hadn’t gotten the news fast enough, and if the booth from Illuminated Entertainment hadn’t been right nearby, he wouldn’t have had a chance to step in. Quickly forming his judgment, David Ellison raised two fingers at Justin Lively, "Two million dollars." Upon hearing that number, Justin Lively immediately swallowed the words he was about to say and couldn’t help but look toward David Ellison. Building relationships through business was important, but actual profit was even more so. Duke turned his head and once again looked at the LCD screen, silently shaking his head. This film titled The Man from Earth simply wasn’t worth continuing to tangle over. But he had already guessed David Ellison’s intentions earlier and had mentioned increasing publicity a comment laced with psychological implication to guard against David Ellison pulling a Larry Ellison move and throwing out a huge offer. When it came to spending money, he and David Ellison weren’t even in the same league. But given Duke’s personality, he wouldn’t do something that tasteless in such a setting. Most importantly, The Man from Earth did have some value, but it simply wasn’t worth that level of effort. Duke had always disdained doing things where the investment and returns weren’t proportional. It was just that David Ellison’s personality, like his old man’s, was hard to like. After throwing out the two-million-dollar offer, David Ellison kept his eyes fixed on Duke. He now had some understanding of the film market and wasn’t just shouting out numbers randomly. Two million dollars was his ceiling. In the business world, there was too much trickery. If Duke Rosenberg kept bidding up for such an obscure indie production, he would have to think twice. After all, this was just a small indie film. Just like how British black comedies often flopped in the North American market, their audiences were limited and wouldn’t expand just because someone wished it. From I Am Legend, Duke could see David Ellison’s progress. He wasn’t dumb enough to lump all rich kids in with idiots like Rick Salomon... If David Ellison were an idiot, Duke would definitely have raised his offer from two million to five million dollars. Even Paris Hilton, whom he met last time, wasn’t that dumb—let alone David Ellison, who had already accumulated some experience. Shaking his head, Duke no longer lingered and stood up without hesitation. "Director Rosenberg..." Seemingly not expecting Duke to do this, Justin Lively also stood up. Duke simply smiled faintly. He wasn’t petty enough to hold a grudge over such a trivial matter. As he prepared to leave, he caught sight of the curve of David Ellison’s lips. "This film isn’t suited for a theatrical release." Duke shook his head again at Justin Lively. "If it goes to the videotape market, who knows how long it’ll take to recoup costs..." Having said that, he didn’t stay any longer and left the exhibition hall without looking back. David Ellison turned his head to watch Duke walk away, frowning slightly. Not suited for theatrical release was it really not suited? The curve of his lips rose even higher. Sky Flim Studios was in the process of building a distribution department—perhaps they could give it a shot. Duke truly had no regrets or attachment toward that film, and what he said about it being unsuited for theatrical release was sincere. Of course, knowing David Ellison’s style, he likely wouldn’t care in fact, he’d probably go in the opposite direction. If it’s pushed into theaters, then there’ll need to be investment in marketing, promotion, and physical film prints. On top of the $2 million spent to acquire the rights, the total cost of The Man from Earth could rise to $4 million or more. David Ellison might not care about that amount of money, but from a business perspective, this is a losing proposition. Films entering theaters even with $2 million spent on promotion would almost certainly flop. And if even more were invested in marketing? The larger the investment, the bigger the potential loss... This film, once rumored across the ocean to have earned over $100 million in box office revenue from a production cost of less than $100,000, was well known to Duke never to have been released in North American theaters. That so-called $100 million box office was merely a fantasy born from the hopes of its fans. Even if it were forcibly pushed into theaters, with this kind of niche genre and viewing habits, how many people would actually go to the cinema? The Man from Earth’s greatest value lies in the DVD and videotape markets, and even there, it’s just a niche choice. Investing several million dollars in such a product—how long would it take to recoup? The North American film market has its own rules. These rules won’t change because of personal preferences. Not for David Ellison, and not even for Duke or James Cameron. A niche film is still a niche film. Just like Quentin Tarantino’s movies most of them are excellent, but their theatrical performance is relatively average given the director’s fame. A North American box office breaking $100 million would be a standout case. That’s just the way the market works. Even with Harvey Weinstein backing him, Tarantino’s box office results remain modest. His profits rely on post-theater revenue: television, DVDs, and videotapes. Indeed, in the eyes of many, The Man from Earth is a good movie. But good movies don’t necessarily perform well at the box office. There are far too many examples of good films flopping financially. Perhaps The Man from Earth might undergo some changes in David Ellison’s hands—but the chances are slim. A film’s genre heavily influences its reception in theaters. Just like Duke once told reporters these days, with TV, internet, DVDs, and so many ways to watch movies, watching at home is far more comfortable than going to the cinema. So why would audiences pay for a ticket and leave their homes? The key reason lies in the big screen delivering an experience that the small screen can’t replicate. Take a movie like Transformers Duke wouldn’t just continue using IMAX technology for production, but would also shoot with James Cameron’s improved 3D techniques. The audiovisual spectacle it brings is something no small screen could replicate. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁 After leaving the exhibition, Duke completely put The Man from Earth out of his mind and resumed preparations for Transformers. Hi For access to additional Chapters of Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters) Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters) Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters) Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters) Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters) The Great Ruler (30 Chapters) Join pateron.com/Translaterappu