The movie *Blade* was released in North America, but it didn't make much of a splash. Its budget went way over, and as a superhero flick, it had to compete with some tough rivals during its release. New Line Cinema was disappointed again—they even slashed the marketing budget to almost nothing.
These days, New Line Cinema releases a superhero movie every year, but the response... well, it's been pretty bad. At the higher-up meetings, everyone was pretty pessimistic about this one. Even though *Blade* might just be one of the best superhero movies Hollywood has made in recent years.
Now, look at how *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* is being promoted—warm, romantic, and heartwarming! Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg's latest hit has everyone talking. Most movie buffs have seen it, and those brutal war scenes really hit home for North American audiences who've always lived in peace. It was their first real glimpse of war's cruelty and bloodshed.
But come on, we can't exactly encourage North American audiences to take another emotional hit by watching *Blade*, right? That'd be politically incorrect!
*My Big Fat Greek Wedding* is the trend now. You can bet that in future summer seasons, especially at the tail end in late August, more feel-good, heartwarming movies will choose to release then.
*Blade* opened in just 22 theaters, with a measly $10,000 at the box office for its first weekend. Ouch.
But what about Dunn's movie? Thursday previews raked in $9.8 million, Friday brought $10.3 million, Saturday jumped to $13.5 million, and Sunday added $11.8 million. That's a whopping $45.4 million for the opening weekend! It beat out *Godzilla*'s $44 million and *Deep Impact*'s $41 million, once again topping the North American charts.
Who would've thought a niche romance film with a $15 million budget would be the shining star of this summer season?
Now, *Blade* is the second-place movie on the weekly box office chart, but its market positioning clashes big time with *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*. At the end of the summer season, it's the last chance for families and couples to go out and have fun. Naturally, the decision-makers—dads in families, girlfriends in couples—are all drawn to *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*. Poor *Blade* ends up being the sidekick.
You can bet this situation will only get worse in the coming week.
"Last summer, the $1.6 billion *Titanic* drove everyone wild. This year, the $15 million *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* is holding its own. Dunn Walker, a young, astonishing, and wildly talented director, has conquered North America with just two films!"
That promo on Yahoo Entertainment shot Dunn Walker's name straight to the top of Yahoo's trending searches.
Meanwhile, Dunn Studios welcomed an unexpected visitor—a big shot, Eli Emanuel. He used to be one of the top dogs at AA, a colleague of Brian Lord. Back in 1995, during some shake-ups at AA, he left and founded Endeavor, an elite talent agency.
Dunn immediately knew why he was here.
"Sorry, Mr. Emanuel, I've already signed with AA," Dunn said straight up. No point beating around the bush with someone like this. The stakes were clear, even if Dunn didn't spell them out.
Eli Emanuel, smooth as ever—just like Brian Lord, honestly. For a moment, Dunn almost felt like he was talking to Brian himself.
"No worries. It'd be great if we could work together, but even if we can't, it won't affect our good relationship, right?" Eli smiled. "Still, I'll lay out what we can offer: a 3% commission, handling everything from investments to acquisitions to endorsements. Most importantly, we won't tie you down with a long contract. If you're not happy, you can walk away anytime."
Dunn chuckled. "Mr. Emanuel, I appreciate your sincerity, but I'm happy with AA. Plus, Brian and I have a great friendship."
"Brian?" Eli raised an eyebrow, laughing. "That guy's still trying to one-up me, huh?"
Dunn just smiled, staying out of it.
Eli's face turned serious. "I hear... you're planning to acquire Marvel?"
Dunn's heart sank.
Eli still had some pull at AA, didn't he? Something this confidential was usually handled by Brian Lord's inner circle.
"Don't get me wrong," Eli said, waving a hand as Dunn's expression darkened. "I'm not here to stir trouble. Actually, when Marvel went bankrupt and restructured, Avi Arad and a few others managed to break free from Wall Street's grip and acquire Marvel—I was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes."
"Oh?" Dunn's face lit up. "So, you've got a good relationship with Avi Arad and Ike Perlmutter?"
"Naturally," Eli said with a light smile.
Dunn took a deep breath. Sure, he and Brian Lord had already set a trap for Marvel, but that was all behind-the-scenes work. If someone could step in publicly, his chances of success would skyrocket.
An extra ally meant an extra shot at winning.
Marvel Entertainment? Dunn was determined to get it.
"What do I need to do?" Dunn asked, his tone serious. He knew this was the moment to trade favors. "But I'm not leaving AA."
Eli held up two fingers. "Simple. Two conditions."
"Go on."
"The sequel operations for the *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* series—my company handles the whole package."
In Eli's eyes, with such low investment and high returns, *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* was bound to get a sequel. That's just how Hollywood works.
Having this series in hand would give his new company a major foothold.
But to Dunn, it was almost laughable. A sequel? If this movie could really have a sequel, he wouldn't have given 20% of the rights to Fox Studios in the first place.
His perspective wasn't Hollywood rules—it was the future.
"Fine. Second condition?" Dunn said, keeping his cool.
"I need a male or female lead role."
"Sorry, I'm not sure I follow."
Eli smiled. "You're not acquiring Marvel just to publish comics, right?"
Dunn got it. "You want a role in one of my superhero movies?"
"Exactly. A lead role."
Dunn laughed. "Eli, it seems like all of Hollywood isn't too thrilled about superhero movies these days."
Eli shrugged. "True. Honestly, I'm not thrilled either."
"Then why...?"
Eli pointed at Dunn. "But I'm betting on you!"
Dunn rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. "Alright, Eli, you've convinced me."
If Dunn acquired Marvel, the first movie he'd greenlight would be *Spider-Man*—no question about it. As for the leads, Dunn had no clue yet. Probably a big casting call, right?
Spider-Man's role was crucial, no room for mistakes. But the female lead? Letting Eli's Endeavor agency handle that wasn't a big deal. It's just a decorative role anyway.
They stood up, shook hands, and decided to have their lawyers draft the contract that afternoon.
Suddenly, Dunn remembered something. "By the way, I hear Marvel invested a lot in *Blade*. With the box office tanking, we can't let Marvel make the same dumb mistakes they did back then."
Eli knew the game behind *Blade* but didn't call it out. He gripped Dunn's hand firmly, his tone resolute. "Don't worry. Until you acquire Marvel, not a single superhero will slip away!"
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