Chapter 53: Spring Blockbuster
"Cheers!" Aaron raised his glass with the Phone Booth crew.
Soon after, Jack Wells and Adam Sandler were talking quietly, causing Jack to furrow his brow.
"Eri Emmanuel… your former agent?"
Jack patted Adam on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."
At this point, Adam Sandler was one of Aaron Anderson's protégés. Aaron trusted his own instincts and valued Adam highly.
Adam's performances on Saturday Night Live were steadily improving; he could write, act, and just needed the right break.
"What's going on?" Aaron approached Jack.
Jack smiled lightly. "Nothing major. Adam's former agent, Eri Emmanuel, reached out to him."
"By the way, Emmanuel has left ITA and become an independent agent. Jews really don't seem to have much loyalty or friendship, huh?"
"Was it a threat?" Aaron asked.
"Maybe," Jack said. "Eri Emmanuel comes from a family of three brothers—the eldest followed in his father's footsteps as a doctor, the second went into politics, and Eri joined the entertainment industry. They're Israeli immigrants with some ties to the Chicago Jewish mob, though now they're just ordinary middle class."
Aaron had already done his homework when recruiting Adam. Eri Emmanuel had long been interested in Adam, which explained his persistence.
"Sounds like it."
Jack patted Aaron on the shoulder. "Relax. I can handle it. Don't forget, I come from a family of bounty hunters."
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "This is Los Angeles, not Chicago."
Jack shrugged. "Does it matter? New York, LA, Chicago, San Francisco—they're all crime capitals. Every year there are countless shootings, murders, robberies…"
As for millionaires and billionaires, Jack wasn't worried. Eri Emmanuel was just a regular middle-class guy.
Aaron narrowed his eyes. "You're not thinking of… taking him out, are you?"
Jack shook his head. "I'm not a psycho. Just find a chance to rough him up. You know I like using a baseball bat."
Aaron thought about it. True—this guy even made Warren Beatty a target before. Compared to that, Eri Emmanuel was a minor nuisance.
Jack leaned closer. "Listen, here's how we can do it—find a few guys at night, hit him, rob him a little while you're at it, and rough him up."
"Dark as night. No one will know a thing."
Aaron smirked. "Don't you think doing it yourself would feel even better?"
Jack shook his head. "You're crazy. What if that bastard pulls a gun? Better be careful. There are plenty of guys in South Central LA and Compton—cheap, ready to work, and dark-skinned. Perfect for this kind of job."
"Weren't you broke before? Why would a rich man do this himself?"
Aaron had worked as an agent for a year. He didn't know much about high society, but he was well-acquainted with the underworld.
If you wanted chaos, South Central LA and Compton were the worst—densely populated by African-American communities and gang members. South Los Angeles was often even rougher than downtown.
West LA was a wealthy area, though some neighborhoods, like Venice Beach, still had safety issues.
"Got it…"
That night, in a West Hollywood bedroom, Aaron exhaled a long sigh on the bed.
Before long, Nicole Kidman slipped out from under the covers and headed to the bathroom.
After a short while, Nicole returned and climbed into bed beside him. "Still awake after all that drinking?"
"Not much," Aaron replied.
"I heard TMNT premiered and did really well—over $25 million in its first three days!"
Aaron smiled, running his hand through her blonde hair. "New Line released it in 2,006 theaters, opening weekend grossed $25.4 million."
"A successful comic-to-action adaptation. And the production cost was just $13.5 million!"
Nicole blinked. "Your instincts are spot on. Every film you've backed has turned out well."
"What about Ghost?" she asked.
"Yeah, you just wait. Kevin Costner's a solid actor. Ghost is the highest-budget film I've personally invested in so far."
Aaron had already calculated it—production costs for Ghost could be kept under $18 million.
To maintain control, it was essential for Dawnlight Films to produce independently. By pooling his own funds and taking a small bank loan, Aaron could handle the financing himself.
"I understand. I'll head back to Australia first, then come back to fully prepare for Ghost."
"Sure. Call me if anything comes up."
The spring season coincided with the Oscars. By mid-April's Easter weekend, Driving Miss Daisy, which had won Best Picture, hit $90 million at the North American box office, approaching $100 million.
Meanwhile, the art film Born on the Fourth of July stalled at $70 million.
Yet two low-budget films released in March exploded at the box office. Disney's Touchstone Pictures produced the romantic comedy Pretty Woman, distributed by Buena Vista, which grossed $65 million domestically.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-based Golden Harvest produced and New Line distributed TMNT. Although it premiered two weeks later than Pretty Woman, it had already earned $72 million!
When Aaron arrived in New York, Golden Harvest executive Zou Wenhai personally came to thank him for proposing the staged revenue-sharing model last year: over $50 million, Golden Harvest took 10%; over $100 million, 20%.
Everyone knew TMNT would surpass $100 million, guaranteeing Golden Harvest at least $5 million in extra revenue.
Originally, 20th Century Fox had been the first to contact Golden Harvest. Seeing TMNT's phenomenal success, one could only wonder what Joe Roth thought.
Aaron, however, had come to Sony Pictures Entertainment's New York office. Sony's Columbia TriStar International Pictures was interested in the Asian rights for Phone Booth, which meant Aaron didn't need to fly to Japan after all.
Soon, he met Sidney Gannis, president of Columbia TriStar Pictures.
Sony's American divisions—Sony, Columbia, and TriStar—could all produce and distribute films. Sony's international business was branded under Columbia TriStar International.
"Mr. Gannis!"
Aaron was there to negotiate the Asian distribution rights for Phone Booth.
"Aaron," Sidney smiled, "besides overseeing Columbia TriStar International, I also head Columbia's production department. I'm very optimistic about your Ghost project!"