Time flies like a white horse passing by.
It was March 2001 when Lin Yuan set foot on California soil again.
California was the state with the highest GDP in the United States. It not only had famous cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, but also industrial clusters such as Hollywood and Silicon Valley.
In 2000, California's GDP reached 1.36 trillion US dollars, and its status in North America was similar to that of Guangdong Province in China.
Even if California were considered an independent economy and included in international GDP rankings, it would only be behind the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and was equivalent to the total economic output of France.
As for mainland China at that time, its GDP was just 1.2 trillion US dollars.
It could be said that California's strong economic strength was a microcosm of America's economic hegemony.
The reason why Lin Yuan came to California was because the headquarters of Universal Studios was located in California.
Universal Pictures, one of the eight major Hollywood studios along with Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros., and other film studios, was a well-deserved giant.
"The Fast and the Furious," "Jurassic Park," "The Mummy Returns," "The Bourne Supremacy," and other series of famous IP movies were all produced by Universal Pictures.
By the time Universal Pictures acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016 and its old rival MGM fell into a bankruptcy and reorganization crisis, Universal Pictures had even regained the position of the top film studio in Hollywood.
This was one of the strongest pillars in Hollywood. Lin Yuan had a deep connection with Universal Pictures. The two films he was currently involved in were both produced by Universal Pictures.
His visit here today was naturally related to these two movies.
The post-production of "The Fast and the Furious" and "Jurassic Park III" had been basically completed, and they were now about to enter the stage of publicity and preparation for release.
A decision-making meeting on the release of these two films would be held today.
When Lin Yuan arrived at the Universal Pictures headquarters building at 100 Universal City Plaza, Director Cohen and Director Johnston were already waiting for him.
Director Johnston smiled and waved upon seeing Lin Yuan, while Director Cohen came forward and said, "Today's meeting is very important. It's related to the success or failure of our two films. We must take it seriously."
Lin Yuan nodded: "The most important thing is the release plan, right? Will we encounter any trouble today?"
The release plan included various details such as how much money would be used to promote the film, when it would be released, and whether a box office guarantee would be promised to theaters.
This involved a complete marketing plan targeting both audiences and theaters, which played a crucial role in a film's final box office performance.
The release plan might seem complicated, but it really came down to two things: how much money were you willing to spend, and how much money were you confident you could make back?
These two points were actually tied together. Expect high investment to lead to high results, but investment did not always have to be high. Spending money indiscriminately might cause a project that was originally profitable to suffer losses.
This kind of highly subjective planning was easily disturbed.
Therefore, Lin Yuan immediately guessed that there might be changes.
Director Cohen said with some worry, "You're right. My old friend at Universal has let me know that things aren't looking good today. It's going to be a tough battle."
"Could it be stuck at a critical juncture?" Lin Yuan asked.
"We may not get what we want." Director Cohen was obviously in a low mood.
Lin Yuan smiled and patted Director Cohen on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I'm ready."
"What did you do again?"
"I've made some small preparations; it would be best if they are not used. If I say anything today, please do as I say!" Lin Yuan replied with a smile, appearing very confident.
"Do as you say?" Director Cohen asked.
"Yes, believe me!"
"Well, you have always been right." Director Cohen thought about the past and realized that Lin Yuan had never lost.
Director Johnston pulled the two of them along, saying as they walked, "Let's go! Don't be late. Old Cohen, trust Lin Yuan. With him around, a miracle will happen."
Director Cohen had a closer relationship with Lin Yuan, but Director Johnston was also full of confidence in Lin Yuan.
Perhaps it was because Lin Yuan showed too many remarkable things during the filming of "Jurassic Park III" that Director Johnston now blindly believed in him.
The three of them hurried to a meeting room on the third floor, where two people were already sitting and chatting happily. It was obvious that they had a very good personal relationship.
Lin Yuan did not recognize one of them, a man in his sixties with a hooked nose and sharp eyes. However, Lin Yuan did recognize the other one: Sommers, the director of "The Mummy Returns."
Lin Yuan still vividly remembered the hostility shown by Director Sommers during the brief meeting that night.
He also completed the system task by himself and had to surpass the target.
[Mission 1: Star in a Hollywood movie that surpasses The Mummy Returns at the global box office.]
Seeing someone come in, the hook-nosed man and Director Sommers stopped talking.
"President Smith, I'm sorry to bother you today." Director Johnston walked forward with a smile and extended his right hand.
"I will do my best to fulfill my responsibilities. The key to success or failure lies in the quality of the film itself."
President Smith simply shook hands lightly and gestured for Lin Yuan and the other two to take a seat.
Several stacks of information had been placed opposite him, which was obviously the position arranged for Lin Yuan and others.
President Smith himself sat together with Director Sommers, and the closeness of their relationship was obvious at a glance.
Director Cohen had already introduced before coming that President Smith, who was chairing the meeting today, was the vice president of Universal Pictures, responsible for film release and promotion.
Director Sommers had always relied on President Smith's relationship, and he would definitely use this relationship to grab more resources in today's meeting.
Directors Cohen and Johnston, on the other hand, were connected to another vice president in charge of film production.
President Smith, who was in a competitive relationship with them, naturally would not take too much care of the two of them, so Director Cohen was worried about today's meeting.
If a film could not obtain sufficient resources and formulate a suitable release plan, it would be at a disadvantage at the starting line.
In this regard, Lin Yuan could only sigh: Where there are people, there is the world of martial arts. The world of martial arts was not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and worldly wisdom.
Who said the Americans didn't use personal connections?
Fortunately, President Smith had his professional qualities. He would still proceed from the interests of the company and support requests within a reasonable range.
After all, the company had invested heavily in making a movie, so it certainly hoped to bring in returns.
"Now that everyone is here, let's get started," said President Smith.
"Wait a minute, something is wrong!" Director Sommers spoke, his eyes fixed on Lin Yuan.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" asked President Smith.
"Kick this guy out first! Who is he? How is he qualified to participate in today's meeting!" Director Sommers pointed at Lin Yuan and said coldly.