On the eve of the Super Bowl, The Last of Us and Iron Man both completed their full production work.
Compared to The Last of Us, Iron Man faced its test first. Robin Wilder, the current CEO of Touchstone Pictures, was invited by Gilbert to attend Marvel Studios' internal preview screening.
Robin Wilder's overall viewing experience was excellent. The film displayed an exceptionally high level of quality and had great potential to become a major summer hit.
After the screening, Gilbert asked Robin Wilder, "Well? The movie looks pretty good, doesn't it?"
"It's more than just good!" Robin Wilder exclaimed. "This is even more exciting than when I first saw Spider-Man! I believe this movie will perform brilliantly in the summer season."
"Hahahaha," Gilbert laughed. "Then I'm relieved. Robin, I hope Touchstone Pictures will devote enough resources to the promotional campaign."
"Of course. Touchstone's main priority this summer will be Iron Man," Robin Wilder readily agreed.
After discussing Iron Man's distribution details with Marvel Studios for a while, Robin Wilder took his leave.
Watching him depart, Kevin Feige, who was standing beside Gilbert, said, "Only recently have I realized just how complicated the film industry really is.
It's not enough to simply make a great film; the promotional process is even more complex."
"That's exactly why we need Touchstone Pictures," Gilbert said. "Even though they'll take a percentage from the distribution, that's the price we have to pay."
"Do you think it's possible for us to distribute films ourselves someday?" Kevin Feige asked.
Gilbert shook his head slightly. "Not really. The rights to distribution aren't something you can just reach for whenever you want.
You've seen what happened with DreamWorks—even with my support, Marvel Studios still can't go far down the distribution path."
Distribution rights and channels are among the key factors that define Hollywood giants, and even wealth alone isn't always enough to secure them.
That's also one of the reasons why MGM-UA, even after being acquired by Arab investors, was never kicked out of the ranks of Hollywood's major studios.
The ownership changed, but the resources remained the same, and the distribution channels stayed intact.
Prince Abdul appointed an Arab executive to run MGM-UA. This man, a capable senior professional manager named Mohammed, was highly skilled.
In the Arab world, if you threw a brick, half the men you hit might be named Mohammed but this Mohammed was different; he was a capable Mohammed.
He was well-versed in Hollywood's ways and understood the rivalries among the major studios.
So when he first took office, he cleverly used the conflicts among the big studios to help MGM-UA survive its most dangerous period.
Afterward came the signing of a five-film distribution contract between MGM-UA and Sky Dance Studios.
This year, MGM-UA also invested in the production of several films, including a 007 series movie titled Casino Royale.
For ordinary directors and actors, Hollywood's rejection of MGM-UA didn't affect their willingness to direct or star in its films.
And after all, it was 007—what man could say he didn't want to be James Bond?
Even Gilbert's trusted associate, Nolan, openly admitted he was a loyal fan of 007, showing just how influential the series was.
Kevin Feige could more or less guess what Gilbert was thinking. "So, we'll continue working with Touchstone Pictures?"
"Pretty much," Gilbert replied. "Touchstone Pictures is actually in an awkward position right now. At the beginning, its purpose was to help Disney distribute live-action films that Disney itself couldn't release.
But after Bob took office, that situation changed. Disney's main division began handling live-action releases directly, and Touchstone's power was weakened.
Bob giving Iron Man's distribution rights to Touchstone is probably just his way of letting them have a share of the profits.
I'm guessing Bob plans to initiate a reform, consolidating the company's subsidiaries."
The Weinstein brothers, claiming they couldn't get along with Disney's major shareholder Gilbert, withdrew from Disney's subsidiary Miramax and started their own company, The Weinstein Company, continuing to distribute independent films and compete for Oscars.
But the deeper reason was that the Weinstein brothers had been marginalized within Disney, and their authority had been greatly reduced.
Former chairman Michael Eisner, in his effort to expand Disney's live-action business, had acquired or founded many second-tier Hollywood production companies.
Famous ones included Buena Vista Pictures, Miramax, and Touchstone Pictures. It all seemed a bit like grasping at straws in desperation.
With so many subsidiaries, there were bound to be differences in how resources were distributed, and the power of each subsidiary's leader varied as well.
In addition, the numerous subsidiaries created problems in financial management and bloated staffing.
Because of this, Robert Iger proposed at last year's board meeting to cut down and consolidate some subsidiaries while actively reaching out to promising production companies and studios.
This plan received the support of Gilbert and many other shareholders, and that's also why the Weinstein brothers decided to leave and start fresh.
Connecting all the changes happening inside Disney, Kevin Feige couldn't help but feel a strange sense of unease.
"Gilbert, don't tell me you're planning to sell Marvel Studios to Disney?"
Gilbert didn't answer directly but instead asked, "Kevin, do you want to move to a higher position?"
"A higher position?" Kevin Feige asked, confused.
"Would you like to be president of Disney?"
Before Kevin Feige could respond, Gilbert patted him on the shoulder and said, "Work hard, buddy."
Then Gilbert walked away with a mysterious smile, leaving Kevin Feige standing there in shock.
President of Disney — that was a position countless people dreamed of. But how could he, Kevin Feige, possibly qualify for such a thing?
Even though it seemed impossible, a seed called ambition was quietly planted in Kevin Feige's heart from that moment on.
Gilbert hadn't said those words on a whim or to tease Kevin Feige — he had thought about it seriously.
It was simple. Robert Iger was only nine years younger than Michael Eisner, and he too would one day retire. After Iger, Gilbert needed a president who would act in his own interests.
Inside Disney, there had always been people unhappy with him — especially the Disney family shareholders led by John Disney.
But thanks to Iger's support, and because Gilbert consistently brought in impressive box office returns that boosted Disney's stock price and performance year after year, his position at Disney was still secure.
However, once Robert Iger retired, things might change.
So while Iger still had at least another decade or so to lead, Gilbert planned ahead — he would help elevate Kevin Feige.
This plan had been carefully discussed by Gilbert, Ivanka, Cameron Diaz, David, and Sheena Boone, and its feasibility was considered very high.
As for Robert Iger, Gilbert would need to keep communicating with him and slowly paving the way.
Back when Iger worked at ABC, the network had nothing to do with Disney. It was only after Disney acquired ABC that Iger managed to enter Disney's inner circle.
Kevin Feige could follow a similar path. Once Marvel's films exploded with massive success, Disney would no longer be able to sit still.
Distribution rights could always be snatched away by other companies but if Marvel Studios became a Disney subsidiary, that problem would disappear entirely.
....
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