New York, Times Warner Company Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.
The date is December 16th.
Inside the conference room, the board of directors, core management team, and significant shareholders of Time Warner Group are gathered. The debate has been raging for the entire afternoon.
When Terry Semel opposed Gerald Levin's immediate takeover of Time Warner Group, Levin swiftly turned his criticism towards Semel.
"Terry, regarding DC, this is undoubtedly the greatest mistake of our film division. We could have had the entire DC cinematic universe, but because of your personal incompetence, the rights to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are now controlled by Daenerys Entertainment, and we have no say in their production."
Terry Semel, as the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures, did not have direct oversight over DC Comics.
In fairness, the decision to share the DC cinematic universe with Daenerys Entertainment, aside from Superman, which was purchased by them at a high price, was made directly by the head of the group, Steve Ross. However, at this critical juncture, Semel could not afford to undermine Ross's authority, as it would weaken the position of Ross's direct subordinates in assuming control of Time Warner.
"Gerald, I completely disagree with your perspective. DC Comics has been around for over half a century. If the DC cinematic universe were so easy to establish, why didn't anyone come up with the idea in the past decades? Therefore, partnering with Daenerys Entertainment on the DC cinematic universe project is one of the smartest decisions our film division has made, not a mistake. In recent years, the DC cinematic universe project has contributed nearly half of Warner's film industry profits."
Gerald Levin remained resolute, staring down Terry Semel: "But we could have gained more, couldn't we?"
Meeting Levin's gaze, Semel replied coldly, "If you intend to keep arguing without reason, I have nothing more to say."
"Whether I am unreasonable or not, everyone here knows," Levin said, scanning the room before turning back to Semel. "Losing the rights to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman might be understandable, but what did you do afterward? If I'm not mistaken, the original plan was to produce two DC movies a year. Now? We follow Simon Westeros's whims. Moreover, to accommodate Daenerys Entertainment, you've deliberately stifled the development of other superhero films. If I were in charge of the film division, I would never let this happen. Furthermore, after the success of the DC cinematic universe, projects like Green Lantern, Aquaman, Shazam, and Martian Manhunter, whose rights we still fully own, could have been launched. Yet, you did nothing."
Levin's words prompted many in the room to nod in agreement.
When Simon first revised the DC cinematic universe's development pace, from the original plan of two movies a year to two or even just one movie every year, many high-level executives at Time Warner were unhappy, including Steve Ross himself at the time.
However, because Daenerys Entertainment held so much control over the DC cinematic universe project and Simon's strong stance, the deal was finalized.
Now, Levin's rehashing of these old grievances and mentioning the undeveloped projects still under Time Warner's control sparked further resonance among the senior executives.
Noticing the reactions around him, Terry Semel, with his thoughts stirring, responded to Gerald Levin, "I think you understand that overexploitation of rights will only lead to audience fatigue, Gerald. Moreover, the DC cinematic universe involves contracts with Daenerys Entertainment. I don't think just a few words from you can make Simon Westeros relent."
"Of the five major superhero movie series developed so far, four are distributed by us." Levin had clearly thought this through and immediately countered, "If Daenerys Entertainment doesn't want these projects dumped into dead release periods or if they want timely revenue settlements, they must compromise."
Major studios delaying revenue sharing with independent production companies, much like inflating distribution costs, has long been a norm in Hollywood. This norm often serves as a 'weapon' for major studios to suppress competitors.
For the five major superhero movie series in the DC cinematic universe, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Cyborg, except for the Wonder Woman series distributed by Daenerys Entertainment, the other projects are handled by Warner Bros. Pictures.
If Warner wanted to choke Daenerys Entertainment, they could indeed use tactics like assigning poor release dates, inflating Hollywood accounting budgets, or delaying revenue sharing from box office and other channels.
But would this force Simon Westeros to compromise?
Terry Semel immediately thought of the "The Bodyguard" soundtrack incident from a couple of years ago.
When Arista Records tried to swallow up the soundtrack revenue, Daenerys Entertainment simply stopped the distribution of that soundtrack, disregarding the potential massive loss from a record that could have sold tens of millions of copies.
The stakes in the DC cinematic universe are undoubtedly much higher than "The Bodyguard" soundtrack, yet, from Semel's understanding of Simon, if Warner dared to play tricks with the DC cinematic universe, they would likely face Daenerys Entertainment's most forceful retaliation.
Semel's recent thoughts had just guided Levin to say what he just did.
Since the goal was achieved, he saw no need to argue further with Levin.
After all, today's meeting was destined to end without any conclusions.
Seeing that Semel had stopped rebutting, Levin did not let up, continuing, "If everyone agrees to let me manage this company, I will immediately begin renegotiating with Daenerys Entertainment. While our film division might heavily rely on the DC cinematic universe, Daenerys Entertainment is equally dependent on it. Even in the worst-case scenario, if we temporarily stalemate, we only lose Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Without these three superheroes, DC can still develop The Flash, Cyborg, and Green Lantern."
Robert Daly, another Warner executive aligned with Semel, couldn't take it anymore and sarcastically remarked, "Gerald, you have no idea what losing the Big Three means to DC."
Irritated by the interruption, Levin retorted, "Of course, I understand. I'm merely suggesting that Time Warner can gain more control and share more benefits instead of being continually constrained by a young upstart."
After a full afternoon of fruitless arguing among Time Warner's top brass in their East Coast headquarters, on the West Coast, Daenerys Entertainment was celebrating the premiere of their year-end blockbuster, "Jurassic Park."
Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
By the afternoon on the West Coast, the area near the Chinese Theatre was packed with fans. Daenerys Entertainment had spared no expense in promoting "Jurassic Park," rolling out a long red carpet outside the theater.
At six o'clock, the guests began to arrive.
Fans lined the streets, calling out names like Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, Bruce Willis, and Demi Moore.
As the clock neared seven, the appearance of Steven Spielberg, Sam Neill, Rene Russo, and other key figures from "Jurassic Park" sent the crowd into a frenzy.
With the red carpet ceremony concluded, the premiere officially began.
Besides a large number of celebrity guests and media reporters, hundreds of lucky fans were also invited to watch this dinosaur-packed visual extravaganza.
While many in the city were having a typical evening, the audience inside the Chinese Theatre experienced a mesmerizing two-hour visual journey.
Even though the recent DC cinematic universe projects had already showcased the immense appeal of movie CGI effects, seeing prehistoric creatures come to life on the big screen still left everyone awestruck.
The following day was Thursday, and confident in "Jurassic Park," Daenerys Entertainment lifted the media review embargo a day before the film's release.
The Hollywood Reporter praised "Jurassic Park" as "a monster movie among monster movies, showcasing the powerful allure of film technology once again."
The Los Angeles Times lauded, "Spielberg has created another monster movie milestone after 'Jaws,' with the resurrected dinosaurs in 'Jurassic Park' being both awe-inspiring and exhilarating."
Alongside The Hollywood Reporter and The Los Angeles Times, other mainstream media outlets such as Variety, The New York Times, and The Washington Post also gave "Jurassic Park" rave reviews, with an initial average media score of 9.3.
With months of intense promotion by Daenerys Entertainment leading up to this moment, the audience's anticipation for "Jurassic Park" reached its peak with these positive reviews.
On the same day, amidst the numerous articles about "Jurassic Park," The New York Times published another piece that caught Hollywood's keen attention.
The headline read, "Time Warner to Renegotiate DC Cinematic Universe Contract with Daenerys."
The article began with the usual "insider sources," detailing how Gerald Levin, Time Warner's vice-chairman, had stated in a meeting the previous day that Time Warner had been too passive in its collaboration with Daenerys on the DC cinematic universe and that he intended to renegotiate the terms with Daenerys once he took control of the company.
Furthermore, Levin suggested that if Daenerys Entertainment did not agree to sufficient concessions, Time Warner would rather halt the development of projects for Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and proceed without Daenerys Entertainment to create its own exclusive DC cinematic universe with other superhero rights they still owned.
As of the summer release of Wonder Woman, the DC cinematic universe had only released four films, yet these four films alone had generated over $10 billion in revenue from box office, home video, and merchandise sales. The potential profits from fully executing the plan are enormous for both companies.
Therefore, The New York Times article quickly sparked widespread media coverage, with reporters contacting the top brass of both companies for more information, and countless DC cinematic universe fans expressing their concerns through calls, letters
, and online platforms.
Faced with the sudden article in The New York Times and the ensuing media frenzy, not to mention the subsequent drop in Time Warner's stock price, Gerald Levin had to clarify that he did not intend to halt the Big Three projects and accused The New York Times of misinterpreting his statements.
However, this admission also confirmed his intention to renegotiate with Daenerys Entertainment.
In response, Daenerys Entertainment's CEO, Amy Pascal, issued a statement on the Egret portal that morning, expressing disappointment at Levin's remarks which seemed to undermine the good relationship between the two companies.
Alongside this official response, Egret Portal also featured another news piece about the latest home video sales figures for the animated film "Spider-Man" released earlier this year.
Released during Easter in April, this 2D superhero animated film had sold over 8 million copies worldwide by December, with long-tail sales likely to reach 10 million in the coming years.
Anyone with common sense could see that Daenerys Entertainment was not afraid of a falling out with Time Warner.
If they lost the DC cinematic universe, Daenerys Entertainment could quickly pivot to developing the Marvel cinematic universe.
However, without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, could the DC cinematic universe still be called the DC cinematic universe?
Thanks to The New York Times' sudden article, the day was destined to be very eventful.
After Egret Portal's response, other online media platforms also weighed in on the matter.
Many believed that Daenerys Entertainment might be bluffing.
Given the huge profits from the already released DC cinematic universe films, it seemed unreasonable for Simon Westeros to jeopardize this partnership.
The DC cinematic universe is vital to Warner and equally significant for Daenerys Entertainment.
After all, who could guarantee that starting the Marvel cinematic universe would replicate the success of the DC cinematic universe?
Moreover, the DC cinematic universe is Daenerys Entertainment's most low-risk and stable long-term project. Aside from this, they don't have any other similar heavyweight franchises.
The saying that there are only two kinds of movies in Hollywood: DC cinematic universe films and everything else, isn't just a saying.
Even though Daenerys Entertainment has consistently produced hit movies in recent years, none match the revenue scale of the DC cinematic universe. Not even the "Home Alone" series comes close.
Amidst these speculations, on Friday, December 18th, "Jurassic Park" premiered on 3,153 screens across North America.
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