"Courage Under Fire," created and released by 20th Century Fox, generated $25 million over the weekend, securing the third spot;
Films like "The Untold Story," "The Nutty Professor," and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" ranked fourth through eighth, collectively making over 15 million US dollars this weekend; other movies such as "The Informer," "The Big Wave," and "Sunset Park" also performed well at the box office.
"Damn it!"
"All these films are in the top 40 of the North American box office this year. I'm going to tackle them head-on!"
Kyle glanced at the box office results and clenched his teeth.
1.327 million US dollars!
That's right, this is the weekend box office result for "Hard Candy" during its opening.
"Boss, given that so many big films are out right now, it's not surprising that our 'Hard Candy' isn't faring well," Victor remarked.
Kyle nodded and smiled, "It's fine, I'm just venting, at least we'll recover our investment soon."
Director Zack Snyder also released a breath of relief: "As long as the film doesn't incur losses, I've got a justification."
"Hahaha!"
After hearing this, Kyle gave Zack a friendly pat on the shoulder and jokingly scolded, "Zack, congratulations on the success of your debut film! Beyond the box office, I can also profit from the DVD and videotape rights."
The box office performance of "Hard Candy" wasn't particularly high, but when you think about it, the figures aren't too shabby.
It's summertime, a time dominated by blockbuster films!
Even with numerous blockbusters having been in theatres for a week or two, their draw to the audience remains far stronger than that of smaller films like "Hard Candy." It's quite impressive for a film to earn over one million dollars at the box office.
After all, "Hard Candy" had a modest budget!
The total expenses, including promotional and distribution costs as well as film copies, did not exceed $1.6 million. The projected box office for this movie stands at around $5 million. The share of the box office alone will recoup the investment, and additional revenue from licensing and copyright sales will be pure profit.
Even a modest amount is still money.
Three films are currently in the works. Now that "Hard Candy" has hit theatres, only "Wrong Turn" and "Juno" remain.
"Wrong Turn," a gruesome horror film, is slated for a Halloween release;
While "Juno" is a youthful comedy and family-friendly movie that hasn't wrapped up filming yet, expected to premiere around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"Boss, I have some fantastic news to share with you," Victor interjected suddenly.
"Oh? What is it? Hurry, tell me," Kyle encouraged.
Zack Snyder, who was nearby, also looked interested.
Victor went on, "Boss, remember how we acquired the online merchandise rights for Independence Day a while back? That's the good news I want to present."
Upon hearing this, Kyle quickly recalled, "Of course, I remember. Those 20th Century Fox vampires offered me $1 million.
Haha, they must be regretting that decision now."
"Absolutely!" Victor chuckled. "They must be kicking themselves. In less than 20 days, we've racked up over $5.5 million in sales of Independence Day-related products on Amazon."
Clapping his thigh in excitement, Kyle exclaimed, "Fox and his crew must be stunned. They thought it would be easy to take advantage of me."
Zack, overhearing the conversation, couldn't help but ask, "So you will make a significant profit then?"
Victor nodded with a grin, "It's not merely about the amount of money we generate, but about generating a significant amount. It's projected that the online merchandise for Independence Day will yield at least $2 million in profits for the company by the end of this month."
Hearing this, Zack didn't fully grasp the details but understood that Page Pictures was on the verge of a financial windfall!
A profit of $2 million in the first month alone is substantial. Although the buzz around "Independence Day" will likely diminish over time, Page Pictures is assured to reap considerable profits over the two-year licensing period.
Kyle is poised to become very wealthy!
As the saying goes, "Good fortune rarely comes alone, and misfortune rarely comes without company," which Kyle found quite relevant.
This was also underscored by the successful global registration of the copyright for " Got Talent"!
This news indicated that Kyle had struck another goldmine.
"Victor, you should promptly arrange for someone to go to the UK and discuss the copyright for ' Got Talent' with the BBC," Kyle instructed without hesitation.
"Understood, boss."
Victor acknowledged and exited the office to make the necessary arrangements for a trip to the UK.
Zack inquired with interest, "Mr. Page, what do you mean by copyright for Got Talent? Is it a new film?"
Kyle shook his head, chuckling, "Zack, I've told you repeatedly; just call me Kyle. As for 'Got Talent', it's not a film but a variety show I devised that I plan to sell to the BBC."
"Oh..."
Zack made it known he understood, though he was polite enough not to press further.
Damn it!
He refrained from asking more, yet Kyle was so frustrated he felt like losing his temper.
Come on, why won't you stop asking? I haven't revealed anything yet!
How am I supposed to play it cool if you keep this up?
Zack Snyder couldn't fathom the immense profits "Got Talent" was destined to bring to Kyle.
Hundreds of millions of dollars!
....
At the same moment.
In an office at 20th Century Fox, two individuals were grinding their teeth in anger, cursing Kyle for his dishonesty.
"Independence Day's online merchandise amassed nearly $6 million in sales within 20 days?!"
"Considering the revenue split, Page Pictures stands to make at least $2 million this month!"
"Damn it! We're suffering major losses!"
"Indeed, we should not have charged only $1 million for the licensing fee. It should have been multiple times. No, we shouldn't have sold the license at all. We're 20th Century Fox! If we had managed the operations, the online sales for Independence Day's merchandise would've surpassed $6 million!"
They were filled with regret!
But it was too late to rethink!
The $30 million penalty made breaching the contract impossible. Witnessing the large chunk of profits going to Kyle left them feeling extremely aggrieved.
In their hearts, they harboured resentment towards Kyle!
If Kyle were present, he would have told them to cut it out; it's simply because of "Independence Day," the top box office film in North America this year. If it were another movie, would it still perform well online?
You're daydreaming!
Any other film would struggle.
However, they couldn't comprehend that right now. They believed that Kyle had taken advantage of them!
As time moved slowly.
Before they realised it, a week had passed.
The employee who went to the UK to negotiate the copyright of "Got Talent" returned to Los Angeles and brought some news that was neither good nor bad.
"You mean the people from the BBC are interested in our "Got Talent" but are not willing to pay much money?" Kyle said to Martha in front of him.
Sister Martha nodded and said, "Yes, their attitude is very firm. Advertising revenue sharing is impossible. Even if they buy the copyright, it can't exceed 3 million pounds."
3 million pounds?!
It's like sending away a beggar!
"If I remember correctly, the copyright fee that the British sold to NBC in the United States for the show 'Got Talent' was as high as 70 million US dollars." Kyle couldn't help but curse the BBC for being shameless.
How to break the deadlock?
Kyle immediately fell into deep thought.