"Sir, may I ask who you are? Today's meeting involves trade secrets. If you don't have the proper credentials, I'll have to ask you to leave." President Smith's tone was polite, but his meaning was clear.
When Luke followed the two directors into the conference room, they hadn't had a chance to introduce him yet. Naturally, President Smith assumed he was just some staff member.
"Oh, him? He's one of the actors in these two directors' movies — some yellow-skinned monkey chasing a Hollywood dream. I don't think an actor has any business being in this meeting."
Director Somers' words were sharp and laced with open disdain. Using a slur for an Asian wasn't going to cause him any real trouble — not in this room, anyway. If Luke had been Black, Somers wouldn't have dared be so blunt. After all, Asians weren't exactly known for standing up and fighting back the way others might. Rights were something you had to seize for yourself.
"An actor, huh? Then you really shouldn't be here. Please, see yourself out." President Smith gestured toward the door.
"Sorry, but I believe I have every right to be part of this meeting. Allow me to introduce myself — my name's Luke. I'm here today as a representative of an investor." Luke smiled, calm and composed.
"An investor representative?" Smith raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. I'm representing Mr. Eisen at this meeting."
"Oh, you're Mr. Eisen's representative? Well then, of course — you have every right to be here." President Smith's tone changed immediately as he finally looked at the handsome young Asian man in front of him.
He had already heard the rumors — the legendary Mr. Eisen, who had refused to invest in movies for years, had made an exception for a young Asian actor, funding Jurassic Park 3, a project many in Hollywood had already written off.
Now that the "exception" himself was standing right in front of him, Smith couldn't help but reevaluate. After all, a man like Eisen wouldn't vouch for someone casually.
Director Somers hadn't expected Luke to show up as an investor's representative either. Seeing Smith's attitude shift, he decided not to press the issue. Instead, he snorted and dove straight into his agenda.
"My marketing budget is way too low. I need it increased by ten percent."
"Sixty percent and you still think it's low? Why not just ask for a hundred?" Director Cohen shot back immediately.
"Seventy percent of the production cost for marketing is excessive. The higher the budget, the greater the risk. Fifty percent is plenty." Director Johnston added reasonably.
"That's because your movies are trash. You let that yellow-skinned monkey take too much screen time, and now you're worried the audience won't like it? I'm not worried about percentages — the higher, the better." Somers sneered.
Luke knew exactly what they were talking about — the ratio of a film's marketing budget to its production cost.
Big Hollywood blockbusters usually spent between 50% and 100% of their production budget on marketing. Somers thought his 60% share wasn't enough and wanted to push it up to 70%.
For The Mummy Returns, which had a production cost close to $100 million, that extra 10% meant another $10 million in marketing funds.
Even the best movie in the world wouldn't sell itself — a good film still needed a massive campaign. So as long as the movie's quality was solid, a higher marketing budget could make a huge difference.
But Universal Pictures' overall marketing budget was fixed. If Somers got a bigger slice of the pie, Fast & Furious and Jurassic Park 3 would lose part of theirs. Naturally, the other two directors were against it, and the room broke out into a heated debate.
Luke didn't join the shouting match. Instead, he quietly flipped through the folder in his hands, studying the upcoming release schedule.
Then his gaze froze on a movie set to release in mid-May. His eyes sharpened. Could this be the butterfly effect caused by his rebirth?
He double-checked, then smiled — a slow, knowing smile. The trap was already in place. Now he just needed Somers to walk right into it.
"Director Somers," Luke said casually, "you really think The Mummy Returns is that good? That it'll make huge profits for the studio?"
Hearing him speak, the other two directors fell silent. They trusted Luke — the man who'd pulled off miracle after miracle.
"Of course! The Mummy Returns will be Universal's most profitable film this year! If it weren't for your trash projects dragging things down, I could even challenge for the year's box office crown."
That last claim was pure bravado. Even with confidence, hitting number one at the box office required timing, luck, and audience mood — no one could guarantee that.
But talk was cheap, and no one was going to call him on it anyway.
"What if we're not dragging you down?" Luke asked, still smiling.
"What's that supposed to mean? You think you can give me more budget?" Somers scoffed, thinking Luke was bluffing.
"You said you believe in your movie. Care to prove it?" Luke countered, giving him no way to back out.
"What's there to be afraid of? If you give me the budget, I'll prove it!" Somers snapped, not believing for a second Luke would actually follow through.
"It's a deal."
"How much are you giving up?"
"I'll raise The Mummy Returns marketing ratio to 100%. You'll have all the ammo you need." Luke said evenly.
"You're serious?" Somers could hardly believe it. A 100% marketing budget meant top-tier promotion — an extra $40 million compared to what he had now.
With The Mummy Returns already being a big-budget production, pairing it with that level of marketing could really make it a box office contender.
Greed flickered in his eyes. This was his shot — the kind of career-defining opportunity that could catapult him into Hollywood's elite.
Normally, a chance like this wouldn't fall into his lap. But now, his opponent had handed it to him on a silver platter.
He wanted to laugh — even if he didn't end up winning the year, a $600 million global box office haul would still make him a powerhouse director.
"Absolutely. We have a deal." Luke said firmly.
The two men both smiled, each thinking the other was the fool.
"But… you guys are okay with this?" President Smith finally spoke, baffled. Luke had just handed over a massive chunk of resources to his rival — was he insane?
"I trust Luke. Let's go with what he said," Director Cohen said, recalling Luke's earlier instruction to back him unconditionally today.
"I agree," Director Johnston added.
"You're all crazy! I can't let you gamble with the company's projects!" Smith protested, the only rational voice in the room.
"Mr. President," Luke said smoothly, already prepared for this moment, "I understand your concern. But please — hear me out first."