Planning Ahead for Marvel Comics

There was also the matter of scheduling.

However, the Black test audience's reaction gave them a basic impression: this film had the potential to become a huge hit.

For a film with a production budget of three million dollars, it would recoup its costs with just ten million at the box office. Of course, factoring in publicity and marketing expenses, it would still avoid losses with a total box office of twenty million.

It could also make money later through DVD sales and licensing through other channels.

And based on the quality they had experienced firsthand, as long as the film secured a decent release window and enough screens, it absolutely would not lose money.

Jeff Robinov approached Kevin with a smile.

"Congratulations. You've successfully made another outstanding film."

Shaye also came over and said, "Director Kevin, the final box office numbers for Saw are out. Shall we settle your share today while we have the chance?"

The quality of Kevin's new film had been recognized during their internal review. Since that was the case, Kevin, who could consistently produce high-quality films, naturally held a different status in their eyes.

Under normal circumstances, if a film company settled a movie's box office share within a year after it left theaters, that already meant the company had no intention of cheating anyone.

But in Kevin's case, New Line Cinema had proactively offered to pay him his box office share just three months after the film had left theaters.

It had to be said that this represented how highly New Line Cinema regarded him.

At the same time, it showed how much New Line Cinema valued its cooperation with him.

Naturally, Kevin would not refuse New Line Cinema's goodwill.

Three months after its North American run ended also meant that its global box office results were in. Saw had ultimately earned a total of 166 million dollars worldwide.

A five-percent box office share meant roughly eight million dollars, no small sum. Of course, it was nowhere near enough for New Line Cinema to fall out with him.

With Kevin's abilities, continuing to work with him would earn them who knew how many more eight-million-dollar profits.

So not only had they not tampered with anything, the money was transferred quickly as well.

Otherwise, if they held onto the money for a year or two, they could still earn quite a bit in interest.

After receiving his share from New Line Cinema, Kevin's days did not become any less busy. At Kevin's insistence, the release date was set for May 1.

After investigating, they found that there were no major blockbusters opening during that period.

Or rather, there were some, but they were already nearing the end of their runs, and theaters were gradually reducing their screenings.

Across North America, there were fewer than two thousand cinemas, but more than twenty thousand screens.

When Saw first opened, it was immediately granted screenings in eight hundred theaters. That was already a massive scale.

The later scheduling would depend on each theater's own adjustments based on Saw's performance.

The reason it had received such a large release was naturally because the major big-budget and sequel films had already come out by then.

When the mountain had no tiger, even a monkey could call itself king.

Of course, this could not have happened without New Line Cinema's North American distribution channels.

Being shown in so many theaters at once was not something just any film company could accomplish. Having such channels meant the company was at least medium-to-large in scale within Hollywood.

As for the Big Five, their greatest difference from other film companies was actually overseas distribution. Of course, their own theater chains were also an advantage.

The Big Five possessed complete overseas distribution capabilities. If a film exploded in North America and wanted to profit overseas, it had to cooperate with them.

Otherwise, it could earn only the money from North America.

That was why they could be called the Big Five.

"Get Out is holding a preview screening in three days?"

Harvey Weinstein's face darkened when he received the news. His experience at the Beverly Hills party remained vivid in his mind.

Ever since founding Miramax, Steve Kevin was the first person to make him feel so displeased.

Rubbing his chin, Harvey Weinstein stood in the company's high-rise building and looked out through the glass.

He considered how to trip Steve Kevin up.

At the very least, he could not let him be so pleased with himself. No one could dare reject Harvey Weinstein like that without paying a price.

Still, the specifics would have to wait until after the preview screening, when he could identify specific problems based on the film itself.

Harvey Weinstein was quite confident about that. He knew quite a few film critics.

Three days later, at Warner Bros. headquarters.

A group of middle-aged white men, formally dressed and clearly elite professionals, entered the building one after another.

These people were renowned film critics with a certain degree of fame throughout the United States. Every one of them held some influence over moviegoers' choices.

There were forty or fifty critics in all, and the public relations expenses alone would cost over a million dollars.

Warner Bros.' confidence in Get Out was clear from that investment. Naturally, Kevin and New Line Cinema would jointly bear those publicity expenses as well.

Besides the film critics, several media reporters had also been invited.

The normal film release process usually began with a test screening, an internal viewing session.

It was used to conduct an initial assessment of the film's quality.

If the film's quality was sufficient, the second step would be a preview screening, attended by professionals who could help promote the film.

After the preview screening, they would establish an initial positive reputation for the film.

Then came the premiere and official release.

Kevin did not need to attend the preview screening. While the critics were attending Get Out's screening, Kevin, having received his eight-million-and-two-hundred-thousand-dollar box office share from New Line Cinema, arrived at the headquarters of a comic book publisher.

Marvel's owner, Perelman, was rather curious when he heard that a well-known director had come to see him, and he agreed to meet him.

Inside the office of Marvel Comics' owner.

With his balding hairstyle, standard suit, and cigar, the first impression Ronald Perelman gave Kevin was that he was an extraordinarily successful tycoon.

In fact, he was.

Ronald Perelman, whose net worth exceeded one billion dollars, would rank eighty-third on the Hurun Global Rich List of Entrepreneurs on April 6, 2020, with a fortune of 100 billion yuan.

Without question, a tycoon of his level did not remain in a single industry.

Marvel Comics was acquired by him only two years earlier. After operating it for two years, he had finally successfully taken Marvel Comics public.