indianbanksassociation Chapter 282 Marvel's Predicament
Chapter 282 Marvel's Predicament
February 26, 2009, Los Angeles.
The sunlight on the second day of the Lunar New Year streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
When Fu Yibai came downstairs, Annie was already busy in the kitchen.
She was wearing the white shirt he had "requisitioned" countless times, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and she was frying eggs.
Scarlett sat at the dining table, holding a cup of coffee in her hand. Her long golden hair was casually draped over her shoulders. She wore a slip dress with one shoulder strap slipped down, revealing her fair shoulder.
"morning."
Fu Yibai walked over and kissed Scarlett on the lips.
"morning."
Scarlett responded lazily, holding the coffee cup to his lips.
"Try these, my new beans, Ethiopian."
Fu Yibai took a sip, the slightly bitter coffee melting on his tongue, leaving a lingering floral and fruity aroma.
"good."
Annie came over with the fried eggs, bent down and kissed him on the other cheek.
"Let's eat."
The three people sat around the dining table eating breakfast. The sunlight grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire dining room.
What are the plans for today?
Scarlett asked as she cut the fried egg.
"Margaret said the rough cut of Iron Man 2 is out, and she told me to go take a look."
Fu Yibai took a sip of coffee.
"Jon Favreau was unsure of himself as he was directing such a big project for the first time."
Anne put down her fork and wiped her mouth.
"Can I come with you? I don't have any work scheduled today, and I'm bored staying at home."
"OK."
Scarlett also put down her fork.
"I'll go too. I'm just killing time anyway."
Fu Yibai looked at the two women and a smile curved his lips.
"Let's go."
At 10 a.m., the car came to a stop downstairs at the franchise film studio.
Fu Yibai led Annie and Scarlett into the building. The receptionist greeted them warmly as soon as she saw them enter.
Fu Yibai nodded and walked straight to the elevator.
In the screening room, Margaret and Jon Favreau were already waiting.
Upon seeing Fu Yibai enter, Qiao En immediately stood up, her face showing a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.
"Director Fu."
"Jon, sit down."
Fu Yibai sat down in the main seat, with Annie and Scarlett sitting on either side of him.
"Let's begin."
The lights dimmed, and the big screen lit up.
After the 120-minute rough cut was shown, the lights in the screening room came back on.
Jon turned his head and looked at Fu Yibai, his eyes filled with trepidation.
"Director Fu, what do you think...?"
Fu Yibai leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a few seconds.
"The overall framework is fine."
He finally spoke.
"The action scenes are very smooth in terms of pacing, and Tony Stark's character arc is more complete."
but--"
Jon's heart jumped.
"But the pacing of the second act is a bit slow."
The scene where Tony discovers the new element has too much dialogue and can easily distract the audience.
Furthermore, Scarlett's fight scenes were edited too fragmented.
He turned his head and looked at Scarlett.
What do you think?
Scarlett raised an eyebrow.
I think you're right.
I filmed that scene for three whole days, but now the edited version is only forty seconds long, and it's all close-ups, so you can't see the continuity of the movements.
Jon was taking notes quickly in his notebook.
"I see.
I will work with the editor to readjust the pacing, the dialogue scenes in Act II, and Natasha's fight scenes.
Jon closed his notebook, his anxiety largely gone, replaced by a sense of relief.
"Thank you, Director Fu. Your advice was crucial."
"What are you thanking me for?"
Fu Yibai stood up and patted him on the shoulder.
"You made this film very well."
I just get a clearer view from outside.
Margaret followed him out of the screening room.
"Boss, there's something I forgot to tell you yesterday."
"What is it?"
"It's from Marvel."
Fu Yibai gestured for the two women to go and look around, while he took Margaret back to his office.
Margaret took a document out of her briefcase and handed it to her.
"They want to launch the Avengers project."
Fu Yibai took the document and raised an eyebrow slightly.
The Avengers.
He certainly knew the value of this IP.
Marvel laid the groundwork with a series of solo films before finally releasing the first Avengers movie in 2012, which grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and established the Marvel Cinematic Universe's dominance.
But that was in a previous life.
"Tell me the specifics."
"Marvel is in a bad situation right now."
Margaret opened her notebook, her tone tinged with emotion.
"In 2006, they made Captain America, which only grossed $57 million worldwide."
In 2007, he made another film, "Thor," which did slightly better at the box office, grossing $93 million, but still didn't break $100 million.
The two movies combined didn't even earn as much as our single "Iron Man" movie.
Fu Yibai nodded. He knew the general situation, but this was the first time he had heard the specific figures.
"During last year's financial crisis, the stock price of Marvel Entertainment, Marvel's parent company, fell by 60%."
They originally planned to use the remaining copyrights as collateral to finance the production of "The Avengers," but now the banks are simply not willing to take on the project.
Margaret paused, looked up, and her gaze fell on Fu Yibai's face.
"Most importantly, they don't have any key personnel."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yibai's lips curved slightly.
The IPs of Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, and X-Men are all owned by Franchise Entertainment.
Marvel wants to make "The Avengers," but it doesn't own the rights to half of the core members' characters.
Marvel has already lost before the battle even begins.