Chapter 113: Selling the Sequel

After the meeting, Robert didn't leave immediately. Instead, he followed Ronan into the office.

"With 'The Blair Witch' selling so well, the company's morale is high," Robert suggested, "Shouldn't we throw a celebration party?"

He pulled up a chair opposite Ronan and continued, "It would be beneficial for both sides to deepen our cooperation and mutual understanding."

Ronan gave it a brief thought and agreed, "We can arrange a celebration party after the movie finishes its run in North America. We'll hire an event planning company to organize it."

The film had made significant profits, so spending a small amount on a company event wasn't a big deal. Besides, such parties were good for networking.

Robert then brought up another matter, "A few days ago, I heard that Daniel Mayleck is planning to collaborate with DreamWorks, seemingly on another horror film. Someone from DreamWorks reached out to him proactively."

"Considering the success of 'The Blair Witch,' it's not surprising," Ronan replied, not at all taken aback. "Some film companies may believe he'll continue to be successful."

Detecting an underlying implication, Robert asked, "You don't have faith in Daniel Mayleck?"

Ronan shrugged slightly, "As a director, Daniel Mayleck has already borrowed from the future. Unless he can produce genuinely high-quality films, success will be challenging."

"It seems like DreamWorks and Daniel Mayleck want to replicate the success of 'The Blair Witch,'" Robert remarked.

Ronan responded, "Let's wish them success then."

This form of leveraging reputation for marketing, given the negative impact 'The Blair Witch' brought, mostly fell on Daniel Mayleck and his team. Anyone seeking to collaborate with him for a second success in the short term was asking for trouble.

Robert joked, "Let's wait until you meet Susan Arnold before saying that; I'm sure she'd be delighted."

"Who's Susan Arnold?" Ronan had forgotten encountering this woman on TV.

Robert explained, "She's a producer at DreamWorks. She was responsible for 'The Haunting,' which premiered around the same time as 'The Blair Witch.' It's Susan Arnold who persuaded Daniel Mayleck to collaborate with DreamWorks."

Ronan recalled this female producer. Just as he was about to comment, the phone on his desk rang, furrowing his brows as he answered it.

After hanging up, Ronan informed Robert, "Diana, our lawyer, just called. Daniel Mayleck has filed a lawsuit against Relativity Entertainment in the Los Angeles County Court, demanding a share of the box office revenue. The summons will likely arrive soon."

"What?" Robert was indignant. "How shameless can one be?"

Relativity Entertainment was clearly acting according to the contract. He asked, "What did Diana say?"

Ronan remained calm, "This lawsuit might drag on for a long time. Diana believes their aim is to secure a settlement outside of court."

He had made up his mind during the call, "I won't settle outside of court. We'll abide by the contract. If Daniel Mayleck starts spreading rumors in the media, we'll publicize our copyright agreement with him."

Every year, many people envy the profits from blockbuster movies, leading to numerous disputes over profit distribution and copyright. This wouldn't be the first or last time.

Hollywood film companies faced numerous disputes over profit distribution and copyright each year.

Robert questioned, "Should we only consider the box office share? What about the advertising and distribution costs?"

It turned out everyone's heart was dark.

Ronan weighed the pros and cons, especially considering the potential repercussions from Abu Dhabi.

If it were just a private foundation, it would be one thing, but since the investment bureau belonged to the UAE's official institutions, he had some reservations.

Even a country, even an Arab country, held significant power.

After all, Relativity wasn't Warner Bros. Like Warner Bros., which had the strength and heritage to make countless profits from box office to peripherals, it dared to turn 'Harry Potter' into a loss...

"Let's tentatively set the distribution share at forty percent," Ronan didn't make an immediate decision.

It was still early before the film's release. He would see how things unfolded.

Skipping ahead, Robert brought some news to Ronan within two days. In a bid to lure Daniel Mayleck into collaboration, DreamWorks' Susan Arnold had provided legal assistance to him. Currently, Daniel Mayleck had submitted a script for a new horror film project to DreamWorks, but it was rejected.

DreamWorks and Susan Arnold were aiming to replicate the success miracle of 'The Blair Witch,' not just any ordinary horror movie.

Ronan quickly made a decision to have Mary contact real estate agents, giving the impression that Relativity was planning to buy office buildings and was in desperate need of money. Among the assets they intended to sell was the sequel rights to 'The Blair Witch.'

Selling only the sequel rights was meaningless to them, but it could be attractive externally.

Robert chimed in, "Definitely attractive!"

Ronan continued, "Let's discreetly spread the word, especially to DreamWorks. Let's say Relativity is planning to sell off some assets to raise funds, including the sequel rights to 'The Blair Witch.'"

Selling only the sequel rights could still fetch a considerable sum of money.

Robert then had a doubt, "What if DreamWorks isn't interested?"

Ronan replied, "We can sell the sequel rights to other companies. Money is money. If no one wants to buy, we'll have wasted a bit of saliva, but there'll be no other losses."

In the future, whenever the name 'The Blair Witch' surfaced, fans would think of this ruse.

This film had exhausted all its potential.

Selling the sequel rights could be seen as making the best of a bad situation.

Robert asked, "What's the plan?"

Ronan whispered, "I just want to sell the sequel rights of 'The Blair Witch' to them."

Robert was puzzled.

"The success of 'The Blair Witch' can't be replicated by sequels," Ronan stated simply. "The sequel rights mean nothing to us, but they might be appealing to others."

Robert added, "Definitely appealing!"

Ronan continued, "Let's secretly spread the word, especially to DreamWorks. We'll say that Embassy Entertainment is planning to raise funds to buy office buildings and is currently short of cash. We're considering selling off some assets to raise money, including the rights to the sequel of 'The Blair Witch Project'."

"We're only selling the sequel rights; of course, we're not selling the rights to 'The Blair Witch Project' itself."

"Great idea!" Robert gave a thumbs up. "We can still make a lot of money selling the sequel rights."

"How much could the sequel rights to a film that's about to cross the $150 million mark in North American box office sell for? Seven figures would be easy."

Robert then raised a concern, "But what if DreamWorks isn't interested?"

Ronan replied, "We can sell the sequel rights to another company. Money is money. If nobody wants to buy, we'll just have wasted some breath, no other loss."

In the future, whenever the name "The Blair Witch Project" comes up, fans will think of this scheme. The film has exhausted all its potential. Selling the sequel rights can be seen as making the most of waste.

Robert said, "I'll handle this matter."

In just two days, Robert brought some news to Ronan. In order to attract Daniel Myrick to collaborate, DreamWorks' Susan Arnold provided him with legal assistance. Currently, Daniel Myrick has submitted a new horror film project script to DreamWorks, but it was rejected.

DreamWorks and Susan Arnold want to replicate the success miracle of "The Blair Witch Project," not just an ordinary horror movie.

Ronan quickly made a decision. He asked Mary to contact real estate agents, making it seem like Embassy Entertainment was preparing to buy office buildings and was in need of funds. They were considering selling off assets, including the rights to the sequel of "The Blair Witch Project." They spread the word about the sequel rights.

Whether they could entice someone to buy the sequel rights was uncertain.

By September, after eight weeks of screening, "The Blair Witch Project" had smashed through the $150 million mark at the North American box office, reaching a total of $151.2 million.

The film's market lifespan was almost over, but Ronan ensured that Embassy Entertainment communicated with theater chains to keep screening until the eve of Halloween, before going offline just before the release of DVDs and videotapes.

After dealing with these matters, Ronan personally drove to Los Angeles International Airport to pick someone up.

Carmen Case had arrived in Los Angeles from Europe to participate in the market promotion event for Dior's "Real Me" perfume.