America takes intellectual property protection seriously—it's a key driver of cultural growth.
Of course, in Dunn's view, it also means a hefty financial hit for the average American.
Take a family sitting down to watch a Tyson vs. Holyfield boxing match on TV—the pay-per-view fee is a staggering $99.99! To Dunn, who grew up watching free matches in his past life, that's downright unthinkable.
Then there's the World Cup, the European Championship, the NBA, tennis opens, Formula 1 racing… Sports events are huge overseas for a reason: people pay to watch them!
Sure, NBC or CBS might air a few games for free now and then, but it's just a hook to reel in more fans, get them hooked on sports, and ultimately open their wallets for premium access.
In this environment, Hollywood's easily the biggest winner.
The standard DVD of Spider-Man sells for $19.99—about 160 yuan back in China. Over there, who'd buy it? Even pirated discs at 10 yuan a pop barely move!
But in the U.S., it's a whole different ballgame!
In its first week, Spider-Man sold over 5 million DVDs. Sales tapered off in the weeks that followed, but that's typical—VHS and DVD markets mirror the box office with a big opening-week surge.
Still, a month in, North American DVD sales for Spider-Man topped 8 million copies: 5.86 million standard editions, 2.18 million deluxe editions, plus another 730,000 VHS tapes. Total revenue? $220 million!
Even after the middlemen and distributors took their cut, Dunn Pictures pocketed $155 million.
Overseas, though, sales grew more slowly—not nearly as explosive as in North America. Current figures show 3.7 million units sold, at lower prices too. Factor in translation, reformatting, and new packaging costs, and Dunn Pictures' international haul so far hasn't topped $30 million.
Still, that's a solid result!
Based on Universal Studios' past experience, with Spider-Man's current sales momentum, it could hit 10 million units in North America and 6 million overseas by May.
That means Dunn Pictures could rake in $250 million from VHS and DVDs before Spider-Man even airs on TV!
This is the golden age of DVDs!
And, of course, it's all thanks to Spider-Man's massive pull.
In Dunn's past life, Sony Group had a rough go of it in the early 2000s, selling off assets left and right to stay afloat. The Spider-Man franchise played savior more than once.
It's just that profitable!
So much so that Sony even flirted with the idea of ditching tech entirely to become a full-on entertainment company.
By comparison, horror films—like Saw, which thrives in the DVD and VHS market—don't come close.
So far, Saw has been on sale in North America for two weeks, moving over 1 million DVDs at $12.99 each.
Unlike Spider-Man, which Universal distributes, Saw is fully under Dunn's control. With Dunn Pictures pouring everything into building up the Tarz network, it's a no-brainer to air Saw there too.
Dunn's got it all mapped out: Spider-Man kicks things off, followed by Saw, then the heavy-hitting drama Six Feet Under, and after that… the nuclear-grade mini-series Band of Brothers!
Sure, jacking up Tarz's subscription fees might lose some viewers at first, but Dunn's confident this lineup will win them back—and then some. He's aiming to push Tarz's subscriber base past 10 million!
That's no exaggeration. In his past life, HBO rode Band of Brothers to a breakout moment, surging to 15 million subscribers and kicking off its reign as the global leader in premium content.
…
Nina Jacobson was back at the company, looking radiant after her maternity leave. She'd filled out a bit, and after six months away, her eyes sparkled with creative energy.
Her first stop? Dunn's office.
"Whoa! Look who's here—a legendary mom!" Dunn exclaimed with exaggerated flair, jumping up to give her a light hug.
Nina Jacobson laughed. "You're still the same old goof, huh? Never serious."
After the quick embrace, Dunn helped her over to the sofa, his face full of concern. "Didn't you say you'd be back in March? It's only February."
Nina smiled. "I've recovered pretty well. Plus, with Spider-Man tearing up the VHS market, I figured I'd get Marvel Studios back in gear and chase some more glory!"
Dunn flashed a thumbs-up. "Nice! With dedicated folks like you, I can sleep easy."
"By the way," Nina said, her tone shifting to serious, "I heard the company's cash flow's a little tight. That won't slow down Marvel Studios' projects, will it?"
Dunn Pictures was down to $410 million in cash reserves, with $100 million earmarked for premium series to supply Tarz. And then there was the massive Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone looming on the horizon, hungry for funds.
Dunn grinned. "Relax, I've got it covered. By May, Spider-Man and Saw will bring in a solid $300 million from VHS and DVDs. Taxes are light right now—only about $25 million. Plus, The Web is killing it at the box office—over $60 million in North America already. Money's not an issue!"
Nina let out a relieved breath and smiled. "Good to know. Honestly, I wasn't worried about Spider-Man 2 or Daredevil—with you overseeing them, funding's never a problem. I'm actually thinking about another project."
"Which one?"
"Signs." Nina shot him a sly, triumphant look.
"Signs?" Dunn blinked, puzzled. "Since when did we greenlight that…? Wait—you mean Signs?!"
Now it was Nina's turn to look shocked. "You know about it?"
Dunn's eyes lit up with excitement. "Nina, tell me—did you lock down M. Night Shyamalan for this? Signs is his next film, right?"
Nina stared at him, a mix of awe and disbelief in her eyes, then shook her head with a wry smile. "Dunn, I swear, it's like you've got X-ray vision into people's heads."
Dunn laughed heartily. "So I nailed it? Awesome! A director like Shyamalan—I'm all in!"
Truth be told, Dunn didn't think much of Shyamalan's skills. But the guy used to be Disney's golden boy, and with Joe Roth's downfall, he was a free agent. Snagging him would boost Dunn Pictures while sticking it to Disney's film division—a win-win.
"Then I'm relieved," Nina said, smiling. "So… how about we talk Spider-Man's sequel? It's Marvel Studios' flagship, after all!"
Dunn shook his head. "I can't direct the sequel myself, but I've lined up someone stellar for you."
"Who?"
"Ridley Scott!"
"Scott?" Nina sat up straight, stunned. "Dunn, you're not kidding, right? He never does sequels. He even turned down Alien 2, and that went to James Cameron."
"Well…" Dunn rubbed his nose. "He'll probably do me a favor, right?"
Nina frowned. "Dunn, big boss, this is serious! I need a straight answer. I'm back now, and I'm ready to kick off Spider-Man 2. The director's a make-or-break choice. If Ridley's not in, we need to start scouting backups ASAP."
Dunn coughed awkwardly. "Alright, uh… hang on, I'll call him right now and get a firm yes or no!"
With his staff this fired up, Dunn couldn't afford to slack off—it'd kill morale.
Ridley Scott picked up the phone himself. Hearing it was Dunn, he jumped right in. "Dunn, I heard you've already started Harry Potter?"
Dunn paused, then answered honestly, "Yeah, we're casting in the UK right now. David Heyman's on it."
"Man, Dunn! How could you not tell me about something this big?" Ridley's tone carried a hint of reproach.
"What's up?"
"You don't get what Harry Potter means in the UK!" Ridley paused for effect. "Did you know the top acting talents there are tripping over themselves to join the cast? Even legends like Richard Harris are begging to work for free!"
Dunn's jaw dropped. "No way! Harry Potter… it's just a kids' movie…"
"Don't forget, those hall-of-fame artists have grandkids too!" Ridley snapped, half-exasperated.
Dunn had a lightbulb moment and couldn't help but chuckle.
Hilarious!
Now he got why the Harry Potter series roped in nearly every top-tier British actor—most of them working for free. That's how the first five films averaged just $130 million in costs.
Compare that to the five-film Pirates of the Caribbean series, and you see how dirt-cheap Harry Potter was to make.
Dunn grinned. "Ridley, don't tell me your granddaughter's nagging you to join Harry Potter too?"
Ridley didn't deny it. Instead, he asked, "Who's directing?"
"Huh?"
Dunn froze. Was Ridley Scott eyeing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?
No way that could happen!
"The director's locked in—Chris Columbus, a pro at kids' comedies," Dunn said quickly, then softened his tone. "Ridley, a chaotic kids' flick like that is better for a younger director. I still say Spider-Man 2 is your perfect fit."
Ridley frowned. "What about producer?"
Dunn's eyes sparkled. "Oh, you could totally be a producer! It'd be an honor for the whole Harry Potter crew!"
Ridley grunted. "I already turned down Black Hawk Down."
"Smart move!"
Dunn snapped his fingers and gave Nina a firm nod. "Ridley, trust me—Spider-Man 2 is your best bet!"
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