Inside the halls of Walt Disney, Michael Eisner and a group of Disney executives gathered to watch the rough cut of Final Destination.
The executives were buzzing with excitement over this incredibly imaginative horror film, praising it as something they'd never seen before in the genre. Disney's film selection experts also gave the movie high marks, recommending that it get a wider theatrical release.
After the screening, Michael Eisner even had a quick chat with Gilbert, encouraging him to keep up the great work. For Gilbert, Michael Eisner was a big shot, a top executive. It's tough not to feel a bit overwhelmed when someone like that is speaking to you so kindly.
But Gilbert handled it calmly, probably because he'd seen so much over the years that he could stay cool in any situation. Still, Gilbert could sense the coldness in Michael Eisner's eyes, despite the friendly exterior—a gaze that suggested he didn't really see anyone else.
"Keep up the good work, Gilbert," Michael Eisner said, patting Gilbert's shoulder. "As long as you keep creating value for Disney, Disney won't let you down."
Gilbert secretly frowned but managed to act flattered, pretending to be thrilled as he shook Michael Eisner's hand. "Thank you, Chairman. It's just what I should be doing."
"Hmm..." Michael Eisner patted Gilbert's shoulder again, then walked out.
Robert Iger, on the other hand, had a much better demeanor. He was approachable and charismatic, making people feel at ease.
"Gilbert, this film's quality is beyond what I imagined. You did a great job," Robert Iger said with a smile.
"No problem, Bob," Gilbert replied, making it clear it was expected since he had his own box office share and investment in it.
"Good," Robert Iger said, pleased with Gilbert's humble attitude. He added, "I have a bottle of excellent champagne, I'm saving it for you. Once the film is a success and we have a celebration, I'll open it for you."
Now that's how you recruit talent! Gilbert was really happy with Robert Iger's approach. "Don't worry," he promised, "we'll definitely be drinking that champagne."
After their chat, Gilbert went back to the studio to focus on post-production, while Robert Iger headed off to discuss the summer film releases with Michael Eisner.
Since the start of 1992, Walt Disney's film distribution business had really shrunk. This year, Warner had twenty films to release, and other major studios had at least a dozen. Disney, however, only had five or six films, including the animated movie Aladdin and a few small-budget live-action films. Even Samsung from Korea was releasing two films in the North American market; Disney was almost getting beaten by outsiders.
Luckily, Disney, which started with animation, was doing great with merchandise. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Winnie the Pooh, and other characters brought in significant revenue for Disney each year. Plus, the Disneyland Paris park opened this year, which also sent Disney's stock up. From that perspective, you can see why Disney was paying so much attention to Gilbert's project. Among the available options, Final Destination was actually a pretty good live-action film project for Disney.
In Michael Eisner's office, Robert Iger was reporting on the promotional preparations.
"Currently, we're gradually rolling out our publicity resources. Tabloids are just the first step; next, we have trailer releases, TV show promotions, and more. Based on our discussions with theater chains, we expect the film to open in 1,800 cinemas," Robert Iger stated.
Michael Eisner was very pleased with Robert Iger's work. "Good, I'm giving you full responsibility for this. Go out there and make some noise!"
"I understand, Mr. Eisner," Robert Iger replied, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "I hear the board has been a bit restless lately?"
"Hmph," Michael Eisner snorted. "That kid John isn't being honest again."
John was a member of the Disney family. Disney was founded by Roy Disney, and the Disney family held significant sway on the board. Since becoming Disney's CEO in 1984, and later its chairman, Michael Eisner had to deal with the Disney family. While Disney was no longer solely the Disney family's company, it certainly wasn't the Eisner family's either.
The two sides played a careful game, maintaining a balance that allowed the Disney ship to grow from a market value of $4 billion to over $10 billion today. However, as the company grew, some board members became unhappy with Michael Eisner's autocratic style and began to rally support. As Michael Eisner's trusted confidant, Robert Iger was well aware of the internal conflicts.
"Mr. Eisner, my suggestion is to bring in one of our own as CEO," Robert Iger advised. "This would break the board's animosity towards you and prevent anyone from saying you're too autocratic."
The accusations of being autocratic stemmed from Michael Eisner holding both the chairman and CEO positions. In fact, Michael Eisner was quite dictatorial within Disney; many of the company's business moves came from his personal preferences. For instance, he opened Disneyland Paris despite opposition, simply because he believed Paris was a city of art, and he loved art. Another example is when he interfered with the production of an animated film, changing the female protagonist to a male. Such incidents were numerous and a constant source of criticism against him within Disney.
Michael Eisner carefully considered Robert Iger's suggestion. In truth, if Robert Iger had enough seniority, he would have loved to put him in the Disney CEO position. However, at that moment, Michael Eisner remembered someone else: his childhood friend, the current king of Hollywood's agency world, Michael Ovitz.
Michael Ovitz had been incredibly prominent these past two years. His agency, CAA, represented countless major directors and stars, and he had facilitated Sony's acquisition of Columbia and Panasonic's acquisition of MCA and Universal Pictures. From those two acquisitions alone, Michael Ovitz walked away with $70 million in commissions.
But Michael Eisner was absolutely confident that if given the chance to become the CEO of a film studio, Michael Ovitz would readily give up everything he had now, including CAA. The reason was simple: Hollywood would always be the world of film studios and media giants. The title of "king of the agency world" might sound impressive, allowing him to lord over ordinary directors and stars, but in front of a major media company CEO, he'd have to humble himself.
It was said that Michael Ovitz once danced a comical tap dance on a table to please Warner Bros. Thankfully, it wasn't the internet age of twenty or thirty years later, or this "king of entertainment agencies" would have instantly gone viral. From this perspective, you can understand why Michael Eisner was so sure Michael Ovitz would agree to come to Disney as CEO—even eagerly so. Because no matter how big an agency gets, it will never compare to a major media entertainment group.
Michael Eisner needed to plan carefully to use Michael Ovitz to eliminate internal obstacles within the group.