"Clint," Matthew asked directly, seated in his chair, "how much do you estimate we'll need for the film's budget?"
As a seasoned director, Clint Eastwood had already calculated the expenses. "Including both your fee and mine, around $80 million," he replied.
This figure was lower than Matthew had expected. "Is that enough?"
"More than enough," Clint assured him. "The primary focus will be on sniping, with limited large-scale battle scenes." He paused, adding, "The prep time may take longer than usual. At best, we'll be able to start filming by the second half of the year."
Matthew nodded lightly. "That works." Starting in the latter half of the year would keep them on schedule for a release the following year. The next step was for Bella Anderson to start reaching out to distributors. Given Matthew's star power, finding a distributor would be easy; the only question was which offer would be the most favorable.
Clint Eastwood added a reminder, "Matthew, I know you've played military roles before, but snipers are a specialized unit. I'd like you to set aside time for intensive training."
"I will," Matthew assured him. "My bodyguard, Brown Williams, is a former Delta Force member, and I'll also be working with Chris Kyle regularly." In fact, since investing in Chris Kyle's military contracting company, Matthew had been familiarizing himself with sniper rifles, prepping for the role.
"Oh, and Matthew," Clint continued, unreservedly, "could you give Scott a role?"
Matthew, familiar with Clint's family, asked, "Scott Eastwood?" Seeing Clint nod, he smiled. "The characters Ryan Job or Weston might be a good fit. As the director, you have the final say on casting."
"Thank you," Clint said with a nod.
"You're welcome," Matthew replied, unfazed. Clint's director's fee of $6 million was indeed a friendly rate, and as for Scott Eastwood, Matthew remembered him as a robust and well-built young man—ideal for a soldier role.
Besides casting himself as the lead, Matthew gave Clint full freedom to cast the remaining roles, with only the female lead yet to be finalized. After discussing some additional details, Clint Eastwood soon took his leave.
Watching Clint's tall, distinguished figure depart, Matthew felt a touch of admiration. There's a popular notion in North America: people aspire to look like Matthew Horner from 20 to 40, like George Clooney from 40 to 60, and like Clint Eastwood over 60.
The "Old Cowboy" was indeed the epitome of Hollywood cool for anyone over 60.
Though American Sniper wouldn't premiere until next year, summer was fast approaching, bringing the intense 2011 summer box office battle. Matthew's Fast & Furious 5 was set for a summer release. Warner Brothers' Green Lantern would kick off the season, so Disney, Fast & Furious 5's distributor, chose to release it in late June, just ahead of Independence Day.
Internationally, the movie would release about a week earlier in several major markets, especially across the Pacific.
The global premiere of Fast & Furious 5 would take place in China, hosted in Shanghai to align with the Shanghai International Film Festival, which had extended a warm invitation. The festival's commercial focus made it an ideal setting for the blockbuster, allowing the movie to enjoy an exclusive early release before North America, circumventing unofficial distribution protectionist measures.
Officially, the North American summer season runs from early May through the end of July, though in recent years, August has also been included. In China, however, the summer blockbuster period aligns differently, with students—key cinema audiences—beginning summer break in late June or early July.
Starting in late June, Chinese regulations limit new Hollywood revenue-sharing releases. Films already in theaters, however, can continue screening through July, capturing the audience surge during the summer.
After consulting with Disney, Matthew decided to release Fast & Furious 5 in China during this prime period, ensuring that the film would be shown throughout July when student viewership peaks.
Securing such a valuable slot wasn't easy. The Shanghai premiere underscored their commitment, while Disney played a crucial role in leveraging its Chinese distributor, Buena Vista International, to finalize the date. Without their efforts, Fast & Furious 5 might have been postponed to September—when the primary audience would be back in school, and piracy would have likely already saturated the internet, jeopardizing its profitability.
The Chinese market is vast, but its quota and revenue-sharing restrictions had historically dampened its appeal. However, a landmark agreement reached in February this year improved the situation. The U.S. and China signed a historic film import agreement that set quotas, release conditions, and revenue-sharing terms for Hollywood films in China.
The quota rose to 34 films annually, and Hollywood's revenue share increased to 25%.
As an official revenue-sharing release, Fast & Furious 5 stood to earn substantial profits. With potential earnings of up to 1 billion RMB, the film could net $250 million in revenue, with at least $100 million expected based on Fast & Furious 4's performance.
While the 25% revenue share is notably lower than the global standard of 40%, which frustrated many Hollywood executives, Matthew was more than content. After all, it's far better than losing access to the market altogether.
Hollywood's understanding of the Chinese market remains limited. For example, the Big Six studios have consistently urged Washington to push China to abandon its "empty period" policies that restrict Hollywood blockbusters during peak viewing times. They also sought to control the release schedule to prevent studios from competing directly, with multiple blockbusters released on weekdays rather than weekends.
Matthew considered this unrealistic. China was unlikely to make further concessions on revenue-sharing releases in the short term. But the new agreement was enough to usher Hollywood into a golden age in China.
The agreement not only promised increased revenue from Chinese box office sales but also opened Hollywood to an influx of Chinese capital eager to claim a share of the industry.
Matthew himself had attracted interest, with two Chinese companies looking to invest in the Fast & Furious franchise or even acquire a stake in Studio 13. Currently, Studio 13 was solely owned by Matthew and David Ellison, and Matthew had no intention of adding another major shareholder.
However, he welcomed Chinese investment in individual films. As long as they were willing to join purely as investors sharing in box office profits, their participation in the Fast & Furious franchise would be entirely welcome.
Many Hollywood films were starting to add Chinese elements to appeal to this enormous 1.3 billion-person market. But Matthew understood better than most that adding Chinese elements for the sake of it could backfire. Casting Daniel Wu and Liu Yifei in substantial roles rather than token appearances was a step few other blockbusters dared to take.
Other studios often cast Chinese or Chinese-American actors in minor roles, unaware that this could alienate Chinese audiences. Similarly, "special" or "localized" versions not officially sanctioned by Chinese censors failed to impress audiences.
Few in Hollywood had as clear a grasp of the Chinese market as Matthew did. Elements haphazardly added to appeal to Chinese audiences often ended up as points of mockery rather than points of interest.
Ill-conceived "Chinese elements" that Hollywood imagined would appeal often came across as shallow or inauthentic, becoming either minor annoyances or significant liabilities affecting the film's reception.
In reality, Chinese audiences in this era were probably among the easiest to please in the world. They simply wanted fair treatment and were put off by films that poked at sensitive topics. As long as a movie offered a coherent plot, large-scale visuals, and action-packed scenes, box office success was almost guaranteed.
Fast & Furious 5 would be released in identical versions in both China and the U.S., with scenes set in Brazil and featuring epic action sequences. Matthew was confident it would win over audiences in China once again.
Before heading to China, however, Matthew had accepted an invitation from Warner Brothers to attend the premiere of Green Lantern.
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