Here's an analogy that sums up Dunn Films' spot in Hollywood right now.
Think of Hollywood as one big family, run by six elders: Warner, Universal, Fox, Columbia, Disney, and Paramount.
Normally, these elders are scrapping with each other, all trying to grab a bigger slice of the pie.
But as the family grows, new blood starts popping up—scrappy contenders like DreamWorks, New Line Cinema, Lionsgate, Miramax, and Dunn Films.
The six elders might bicker among themselves, but when it comes to holding onto power, they'll band together to keep the newbies from taking over. Their playbook? Squash 'em or buy 'em out.
New Line got swallowed by Warner, Miramax by Disney… DreamWorks, though? Too stubborn to sell, so they've been stuck in the crosshairs.
Dunn Films? No surprise there—this summer, Fox and Disney nearly teamed up to take it down.
So, to join the elder council and call the shots in this family, with the six holding a delicate balance of power, you've got two paths: knock one out and take their seat, or tame one and make them your ally.
With the elders locked in a united front, taking one out? Forget it.
That leaves one road: win one over and bring them into your corner!
Sony, the global giant, pulled this off by snapping up Columbia Pictures, landing a seat at the elders' table and a grip on Hollywood's reins.
Time Inc. nabbed Warner, Viacom scooped Paramount, Vivendi grabbed Universal—same deal.
Dunn wanted to follow Sony's lead, eyeing Universal Pictures to muscle into the elder ranks.
But here's the hitch: Dunn Films ain't Sony! It's not Time Inc. either!
Universal's been a ruling elder for decades—why would they bow to Dunn Films' orders?
Money?
Get lost—Middle Eastern oil tycoons have deeper pockets and still wouldn't dare!
Boils down to this: Dunn Films lacks the juice, the clout.
So Dunn's top priority is to juice up Dunn Films' influence—enough that when Vivendi's ready to ditch Universal, he's got the chops to bring that elder to heel.
Then bam—Dunn Films, the rookie, slams head-on into Elder Disney.
Disney, to crush the upstart, tosses family rules out the window and drops a jaw-dropping blacklist bomb!
Where does Dunn Films go from here?
Call in outside help?
Big mistake!
If Dunn Films dared drag in outsiders to fight Disney, even if they won, they'd be toast in the family.
Family dirt stays in the family!
Internal beefs get settled behind closed doors. Leak it, and you're a traitor!
Disney broke the rules, sure—but it's just family rules. Handle it quietly, no problem.
If Dunn Films aired that dirty laundry to the world, tanking the family's rep and future profits, they'd be the family's biggest sinner!
Take Dunn's takedown of Jon Landau three years back.
Dunn's flings with actresses? Family gossip—deal with it internally. But Landau, an insider, spilled to the press. How's that different from a snitch? No way the family keeps someone like that around.
Or look at Harvey Weinstein's fall in the last life—overnight, he went from kingpin to jailbird.
That started as an internal power grab at Weinstein Company. Bob Weinstein wanted to oust Harvey, but Harvey wouldn't budge. So Bob brought in outsiders, exposing Harvey's mess.
The six elders flipped out, teamed up, and crushed Harvey. With ruthless moves, they tanked Weinstein Company from Hollywood's top indie outfit to bankrupt in a flash.
Why? The fallout was massive—irreparable damage to the family's image and insane financial hits. Annual revenue dropped 27%, ticket sales crashed 62%.
To fix it, the elders and overseers huddled up, launched a purge to clean out the family's bad apples, and salvage their rep.
It was an internal sweep, family rules—not legal stuff.
So, the "E_T" movement wasn't about criminal proof—it was about "guilty by vibe"!
Anyone tied to that kind of scandal was basically done.
Right now, Dunn's head's crystal clear. The dicier it gets, the cooler he's gotta stay.
If he lost it and ran to the media, pulling in outsiders, he might beat Disney—but he'd have no place left in Hollywood's family.
Flip it around: if Dunn plays it patient, sticks to family rules, will the other five elders just sit back and let Disney trash the code?
Rules are rules!
They're the bedrock of the family's shared interests.
Break that line, and you're screwing the family—and the other five elders' bottom lines.
Disney blacklisting Dunn Films? That's straight-up wrecking Hollywood's fair competition. No way the other five big dogs let that slide!
…
Dunn saw through Michael Eisner's game—he wasn't about to step into the trap. "Blow this up, and Disney's the one laughing," he said with a grin.
Bill Mechanic exhaled, relieved. He'd been worried Dunn might go off half-cocked like old times, charging at Disney with no plan.
West Cotton chimed in slow and steady. "Right now, Disney's blacklist looks like it's got us cornered. But… if we play it right, this could be our shot!"
"Oh? How's that?"
"Dunn Films is the new kid—old powers eyeing us warily and smacking us down makes sense. Turning that around fast? Tough. But Disney's blacklist might be our opening. They swung first, broke the rules—doesn't that shove the other five studios right into our lap?"
Bill cracked a smile. "Exactly! We're the underdog—underdogs get sympathy. Plus, Disney's move was over the top, bad optics. If they botch this, it screws Hollywood's whole game."
Dunn stayed calm, nodding slightly. After a beat, he asked, "So, what's our move? Got any ideas?"
West raised two fingers. "We're on defense—options are slim. Two paths: passive—send out an SOS and wait for the cavalry; the other five won't just watch. Or proactive—pick a fight with Disney ourselves. Small-scale, contained skirmish—to drag the big five in quick to mediate."
This Disney-Dunn Films clash wasn't just about box office anymore—it's market-wrecking nastiness. Won't last long, that's for sure.
Dunn glanced at Bill. "What's your take?"
Bill weighed it carefully. "Safer to play it steady. Disney broke the rules, but they've got the muscle to swing it. If we pull the same stunt, the blowback could be ugly."
Dunn frowned. "So, you're for sitting tight?"
"It's the safest bet."
"Nah, that's not us!" Dunn shook his head, bristling. "When's Dunn Films ever backed down? We can't blast this wide open, sure—but even in a tight circle, I'm not bending for Disney! Others might quake at Michael Eisner—I don't!"
"Dunn, you're—?"
"Simple. Eisner wants to play? I'll play! When the wall's falling, everyone pushes. If he's dumb enough to tank Hollywood's market just to crush us, Disney's fat fortune's gonna bleed dry."
Dunn's that never-say-die type. Bringing in outsiders would be digging his own grave—gotta keep it in-house.
But stirring up a storm inside? That's how he proves his chops—shows the big shots what Dunn Films is made of.
It's a golden ticket to boost their industry clout.
If Dunn's the gas pedal for Dunn Films, Bill's the brakes—can't run without both. He jumped in, wary. "Dunn, if you're going on the attack, you need a full plan. No rash moves. Eisner didn't swing without a backup—he's not wrapping this up easy."
"I get it!" Dunn waved him off, standing with a smirk. "Disney's too big, and Eisner's loaded for bear. Jumping in blind might play right into his hands. So… how about we walk both paths at once?"
"Both?" West's face lit up, gears turning.
Bill mused, "Not a bad call. Wait for the big five to step in—then we hit back. Inside-outside combo, squeeze Disney from both ends!"
Dunn laughed loud. "Exactly—inside-outside!"
West hesitated. "Might take a while, though. The five teaming up means meetings, talks—time. If Dunn Films sits quiet too long, people might think we're chickening out…"
Dunn nodded. "So, Bill, you're up. Work the big five hard—get them to step in fast!"
Bill's eyebrow twitched. "Dunn, me alone? Gonna take some legwork. How about I toss you a name? Someone to anchor this, smooth things with the studios—cut the effort in half."
"Oh? Who?"
"Former AA head, ex-Disney president—Michael Ovitz!"
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