Chapter 54

After a moment of silence in the meeting room, Katzenberg said, "The risk is too high; a failure would directly implicate DreamWorks." Although he had reservations, he did not outright reject the idea.

Chen Tiandu added, "The best way to reduce the risk is to bring in more investors. Perhaps Paramount, Disney, Warner, and other big players might be interested in me."

Spielberg finally spoke up, "Let me share my thoughts. I agree with investing in this film, but not entirely. We should discuss the specific budget after a professional analysis."

Finally, the first step was taken. After a busy day, the two returned home. Chen Tiandu picked up his water cup and gulped it down, realizing only then that he was thirsty after all the talking.

Kate asked, "How was it today? Did you make any progress?"

"Of course, DreamWorks has agreed to invest," Chen Tiandu replied. "But the budget I proposed was a bit high, which scared them. It might take some time."

"It's good to have made progress. Big companies are like this. They conduct various risk analyses before shooting each film and won't easily invest unless they get a risk number they're satisfied with. Even so, films that are supposed to lose money still do." Kate joked, and Chen Tiandu agreed.

"By the way, Raven called, asking if you want to take on some advertising endorsements and if you're interested in trying out for a few films."

"What?" Chen Tiandu was puzzled. He knew Raven was Kate's new agent, but was she asking him?

Kate, feeling frustrated, said, "You don't have an agent, so they can only contact mine."

"Ha ha~~" Chen Tiandu laughed. "Let Raven handle it for now. She can screen the endorsements for me, and I'll pass on the film offers. I probably don't have much time. If she gets a deal, I'll give her a commission, say 5%. Tell her not to say I'm stingy; it's extra income."

Kate couldn't help but smile.

The news came back quickly: Warner, Sony, Disney, and Paramount were all very interested in the film.

Chen Tiandu beamed, knowing the next step was to choose the best terms.

However, after DreamWorks' professional budget analysts reviewed it, the budget for *The Matrix* was reduced from $90 million to $75 million. After much negotiation, Disney and Paramount, who had initially asked for too much, were excluded. Warner offered the best terms, agreeing to invest $15 million and share the global distribution, taking 25% of the box office revenue. DreamWorks agreed to invest $30 million, handle production and distribution, and take 40% of the box office revenue. Matrix Studios would cover the remaining $30 million, taking 35% of the box office revenue. This was also the distribution of the film's copyright.

Warner proposed that Steven Spielberg serve as the film's producer, and he agreed.

This contract was the most profitable for Warner, as they invested less but took a larger share. However, their distribution capabilities were the strongest. Chen Tiandu, of course, was not satisfied. The script was his, and he had done the most preparation and invested the most, yet he was getting the smallest share, which was unreasonable.

So the negotiations continued.

However, there wasn't much room to move on the box office revenue. Even after much haggling, the shifts were only around 1%, which wasn't significant. The only option was to focus on merchandise. Warner would take 30% of the merchandise revenue, DreamWorks 40%, and Matrix 30%.

This was a strategy to offset potential box office losses. Matrix Studios wasn't good at generating revenue from merchandise, so this contract was beneficial for them.

Chen Tiandu reluctantly agreed but made one condition: all rights to the film's sequels would belong to him. DreamWorks and Warner hesitated, but Chen Tiandu held his ground, and they eventually agreed. An insurance clause was added, allowing the other two parties to participate if a sequel was made.

With the signatures of all three parties, the project, a major production with a $75 million budget, was officially launched.

The next day, the entertainment section of the *Los Angeles Times* featured a headline:

"Still wondering if the director of *The Sixth Sense* will have a second film? You're behind the times. His newly established Matrix Film Studio, along with Warner and DreamWorks, has announced a major sci-fi film with a $100 million budget. Chen Tian will continue to direct, star, write, and produce the film. However, it's clear that DreamWorks isn't entirely confident in Chen, so they've brought in a strong lineup to support him. The other producer is none other than the renowned director Steven Spielberg..."

The actual budget was $75 million, but they announced it as a $100 million production.

Even before the film was shot, the publicity had already begun, a successful strategy of big companies. They had successfully commercialized the uncertain film industry, ensuring that most of their investments were profitable.

Chen Long's *Rush Hour* stopped at $141 million in North America and $245 million globally. His salary was $5 million, and it was unclear if he would get a bonus. This was Chen Long's best performance in North America, but compared to another compatriot from the mainland, it was nothing.

"Americans are simply crazy. That film didn't have much publicity, yet it managed to gross $300 million in the U.S. and over $600 million globally. It's unbelievable." Chen Long, attracted by the media's constant praise, found time to watch the film in a cinema.

To be honest, he didn't have much of a reaction. Perhaps the structure of the film was indeed brilliant, but how could such a tepid horror film be more appealing to Americans than an action-packed action film? He couldn't understand it.

Domestically, the news was already a hot topic. A student from the Central Academy of Drama had become the global box office champion of the year, a mythic story! Perhaps Chen Tiandu was still unknown, or the public simply didn't believe it, so most media outlets were unsure whether to report it extensively. Initially, it was only covered in the margins.

But as time passed, the film's box office continued to rise, and its impact in the U.S. was significant. It even became a hot contender for the Oscars next year. Public interest naturally grew. After all, *Titanic* had been a sensation, grossing $360 million, which drew more attention to Hollywood.

Just as the *The Sixth Sense* craze was still ongoing, the media suddenly received news.

Chen Tiandu was going to make his second film, with a $100 million budget and Spielberg personally overseeing it as a producer.

"Wow, is this a dream?"

The domestic media erupted, with almost every entertainment section featuring the news. Even the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, which had not planned to import *The Sixth Sense*, started to hear voices saying, "Import *The Sixth Sense*."

The public was very curious about what the first film of this young man, who had created a miracle, looked like.

In an era when domestic films could only aspire to the three major European film festivals, occasionally winning awards, and commercial films were only being made by Feng Xiaogang, what kind of film could gross over $600 million globally?

After all, this figure was almost equivalent to the cumulative box office of Chinese films over several years.