America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 757 750: Behind the Mask

Escalade drove out of the DreamWorks Animation campus, and Martin made a few calls, getting the latest situation in the theater through the people at DreamWorks.

Bruce asked, "The film rights were sold?"

"No, the price wasn't right," Martin put away his phone and said, "The people from the big companies have left, and at the end, some unknown company offered only 30 million US Dollars."

Bruce said, "A production that cost 150 million US Dollars, 30 million, honestly, is indeed too little."

Martin said, "The distribution side has to buy it, then promote and push it through distribution channels, they won't think of a wide release without putting in another 30 million US Dollars."

Bruce, puzzled, asked, "You still want to buy it?"

Martin simply explained, "When I told you to come up with 30 million US Dollars, I was planning to mark it up by 10 million US Dollars and resell it to Netflix."

Bruce couldn't help but say, "You think of Netflix as a garbage dump?"

Martin laughed heartily.

The two chatted and shot the breeze, returning to Burbank in high spirits and pleasure.

In contrast, the atmosphere inside the DreamWorks theater was somewhat oppressive.

Megan Ellison sat in the row of chairs in front of the screen, staring at the alloy screen, glossy as a mirror, not wanting to say anything.

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"The Seventh Son" not being sold was not unexpected.

But what did those bastards mean by their offers? They were completely insulting!

The last guy even backtracked with the quotation, just like Martin Davis; he also offered 30 million US Dollars.

What's the status and identity of Martin Davis? What's his relationship with Megan Ellison? A 30 million US Dollar offering was to be expected.

Is it something just anyone can compare to?

Megan Ellison still maintained outward confidence, and she still had full confidence in herself, but in fact, her composure had begun to unravel.

She asked Wilson, "What about your Hollywood connections? Keep selling 'The Seventh Son' to them."

Wilson told her the hard truth: "For transactions of several tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of US Dollars, the favor I owed them from before isn't enough."

Megan Ellison then asked, "Do you think we can succeed in finding someone to distribute and release the film?"

Warner Bros. had already terminated the distribution contract with Anna Purna.

Wilson could not answer that question, for there is no reliable formula or inevitable rule of success in the film market.

Over the years, Hollywood has been using the successful models they've summarized, mass-producing commercial films on a production line. There have been many successes, but failures are just as common.

And in recent years, the failures have been increasing; the successful Hollywood production line model seems to be faltering with many markets and audiences not buying into it.

In his eyes, "The Seventh Son" was a typical product built on the production line model for success.

Yet not one of the distributors from major studios was interested.

Wilson had no choice but to say, "Martin's influence is too great."

Megan Ellison, already aware of what had happened previously, nodded slightly and said, "Keep reaching out in private, if possible, for 300 million US Dollars..."

She clenched her fist, lowering her expectations even further: "200 million US Dollars is also fine."

Wilson knew it was going to be tough, but as long as he was in his position, he would strive to do his job well. After all, his job at Anna Purna Pictures wouldn't last much longer, and he needed to think about his next position.

Megan Ellison stood up, gripping the chair's armrest. Her father Larry Ellison's face, once also filled with that signature confidence, was nowhere to be seen. She said, "Grab the copy, let's go."

......

In San Francisco, inside a Japanese-style mansion in Woodside,

Larry Ellison sat in the tea house, skillfully handling the Japanese tea set, but his gaze was fixed on David Ellison sitting across from him.

Initially, he thought this son was not so reliable and that his daughter resembled him more in personality and action.

But you can't just look at day-to-day behavior; true colors show only after actual execution. Megan really wasn't as capable in major matters as David.

Larry asked, "Megan's situation isn't good?"

Being in Hollywood, David naturally understood, but he was a smart man and wouldn't make offhand comments about his sister, "It's all written in the media."

Larry nodded, "You can't help out from your side?"

"My Skydance Media doesn't have the capacity to distribute, even if I bought Megan's movie, I couldn't get it into theaters," David didn't want to meddle in his sister's affairs; after all, their father had always favored her since they were young: "Skydance Media hasn't independently invested and produced for a long time, I've been involved only in other companies' cohort projects."

Larry understood his son's thoughts and said, "I got it, you don't need to worry about this matter, but keep an eye on your sister's safety in Hollywood."

David could manage that, "Even though Hollywood is a world unto itself, prone to deception against outsiders, they wouldn't dare mess with the Ellison family."

"What's the deal with Martin Davis?" Larry Ellison asked.

"A guy who came out of the Atlanta slums, who made his way up by sleeping with one woman after another, you could even say he's a classic example of someone who succeeded by living off women," David said these words, but his tone held no hint of disdain.

Without his father being Larry Ellison, if he had been born into an average social stratum, could he have fought his way to Martin Davis's level?

In Hollywood rumors, Martin Davis can satisfy two female producers at the same time.

David Ellison admitted he couldn't do that.

Larry frowned, "Is this guy tough to deal with?"

David Ellison replied, "Extremely tough. He has deep connections with the Donkey Party, the aura of an American national hero on the outside, and the status of Sect Hierarch of the Cola Cult on the inside, capable of influencing a lot of core voter loyalties. His public image is very good and he's rumored to be extremely kind to friends and those close to him, but his actual personality... How should I put it? I think 'mad dog' would be an apt description. Once he bites into an enemy, he won't let go without tearing off a chunk of flesh, no matter the cost to himself."

"And another thing, he's adept at using public opinion, at manipulating it, and he's very wealthy." David Ellison clearly had done his homework, "Some media report that he's worth at least 1 billion US Dollars, but I feel it's more than that. He recently invested in Elon Musk's Tesla and has a decent share in Apple and Netflix. Personally, I estimate his net worth to be around 2 billion US Dollars."

Larry Ellison said, "I see."

David didn't say more. After having the tea skillfully brewed by his father's Japanese tea ceremony technique, he departed shortly.

Larry Ellison picked up his phone and made a call, "Keep an eye on Megan, but don't intervene for now. Leave things as they are for the moment."

......

Burbank, Davis Studio.

In the newly arranged screening room, Martin, Louise, and Jennifer Siebel were together watching the new film that the latter had finished producing and directing.

Last year, after getting a lot of firsthand information and budget funds from Martin, Jennifer Siebel began production on her second film.

She was both the producer and director of this film and also appeared in it.

At this moment, the film had reached its ending, with Harvey Weinstein being convicted and sentenced to prison.

It was a documentary, titled "Inside the Mask."

The content detailed the causes and effects surrounding the Weinstein scandal and related cases.

The film had Martin's full support in its production, and Jody, who was most familiar with the background, also appeared in it, along with dozens of victims including Jennifer Siebel.

Without a doubt, this was a documentary where Jennifer Siebel expressed her views on female empowerment and accused Harvey Weinstein.

But it was well made, mainly because it met Martin's position and needs, turning Harvey Weinstein into a demonic figure.

As the film ended, the lights came on.

Jennifer Siebel took a deep breath and turned to see Martin and Louise's reactions.

Strictly speaking, she had already left Hollywood.

As a former actress and director who once harbored dreams, Jennifer Siebel sought recognition from the top professionals within the circle.

Louise stood up and gently embraced Jennifer, "Thank you for speaking up for all women. This documentary is an incredible achievement."

Jennifer nodded vigorously, "It's what I should do."

Martin looked at Louise, thinking that women's empathy truly had a great effect.

He went over to shake Jennifer's hand, "I plan to release this documentary in theaters and submit it for next year's Oscar documentary category."

This time it was Louise's turn to be impressed. Martin was really something—was he planning to gift Gavin Newsom, the current Lieutenant Governor of California, an Oscar statuette?

Given Hollywood's current political correctness, and Martin's experience in orchestrating the Oscars, who else could possibly compete for Best Documentary once this film is released?

These words were entirely unexpected to Jennifer. All she had hoped for "Inside the Mask" was a release on Netflix's streaming service, similar to her previous work.

But Martin's intentions were not just a theater release, but also an Oscar submission.

This suited her needs too. Jennifer felt it was compatible with her objectives.

Although the production costs of the film were funded by Davis Studio, she had also invested a lot of time and effort.

Gavin also attached great importance to the effects that the film would have afterward.

At this point, what influenced the election wasn't just the candidate but also their family.

Jennifer Siebel said with a smile, "Martin, I'm counting on you to take good care of it."

Martin smiled and said, "This is a movie invested in by Davis Studio, of course, we should operate it in the safest way possible."

Jennifer Siebel naturally wouldn't refuse and said, "As the director, I'll follow the arrangements of you, the producers."

Louise pointed at her watch, "It's almost noon. Let's go have lunch first and discuss the details afterward."

Jennifer Siebel went with the flow, "Sounds good."

Martin led the way, "There's a very unique restaurant on Bowery Street, I've already made a reservation."

As the three of them had lunch, they further discussed the specifics of distributing and promoting "Inside the Mask."

To be considered for the Oscars, the film must be shown in Los Angeles theaters, which is a prerequisite.

Of course, this wasn't a problem for Martin. There wasn't even a need to find a distributor. Directly negotiating with a few theaters for private screenings would suffice.

Nobody could expect this kind of documentary to attract a large audience or box office numbers.