It was a rare day off for Charles Capet on the weekend; he slept in and woke up feeling refreshed.
Soon after, Evelyn came over, looked at Charles Capet, and immediately said, "Tom Hanks and his wife want to meet with me to discuss something. Change your clothes, let's go!"
"Tom Hanks!" Charles Capet's eyes lit up. It was already the end of the month. Had Tom Hanks been swayed?
Soon, Charles Capet changed his clothes and brought a folder with him when he left.
Evelyn was a bit puzzled but didn't pay much attention to it.
Charles Capet and his mother arrived early at the meeting place. They waited for about half an hour before Tom Hanks and his wife arrived.
It was a coffee shop in Beverly Hills. Evelyn and Charles Capet stood up to greet them.
"Good morning, Mr. and Ms. Hanks!"
"Good morning, Ms. Capet!"
"This is my son, Charles Capet. He greatly admires Mr. Hanks, so I brought him along to meet you!"
"Good morning, Mr. and Ms. Hanks!" Charles Capet also greeted them with a smile.
After the four of them sat down, Tom Hanks smiled and said, "Rita told me that the script for 'my big fat greek wedding' has been bought by Ms. Capet. Since Rita is also of Greek descent, she really likes that story, and I also think it's very suitable for the big screen."
"So, I'd like to acquire the script."
Just as Evelyn was about to speak, Charles Capet tugged at his mother's arm. Then, under Evelyn's puzzled gaze, he took out a file and handed it to Tom Hanks.
"Mr. Hanks, this is the film proposal for 'my big fat greek wedding' that I've been working on. Would you mind taking a look?"
"Adapting it into a film is also my idea!"
Shocked, this was quite sudden. Tom Hanks, who had seen many big scenes, looked at Charles Capet specifically after a moment of Stunned before smiling and taking the proposal.
As for Rita Wilson, after her initial shock, she couldn't help but smile. A film proposal made by a child?
Evelyn, on the other hand, turned to look at Charles Capet, completely bewildered.
Charles Capet, however, just gently patted his mother's arm, signaling her to be patient. This was a preemptive move; otherwise, given their respective statuses, it would be a completely unequal negotiation.
Tom Hanks actually started reading it. At first, he was just casually humoring them, but the more he read, the more interesting he found it. The budget required for production was not much, about 5 million would suffice. As for the cast, besides Nia Vardalos as the actress, all other directors and staff would be newcomers.
Preparation, production, and subsequent promotional plans all had some ideas and operational methods, with a focus on promoting ethnic minority communities and groups in North America.
Although a bit rough, with professional refinement, it would become a complete proposal.
"This, you made this?" Tom Hanks asked in surprise after finishing the proposal.
"Yes, I've been preparing for over a month, ever since I discovered the theater performance," Charles Capet said calmly.
Tom Hanks looked at Evelyn again, who shrugged and said somewhat blankly:
"I knew Charles Capet was working on some film proposal every night after coming home, but I thought he was just doing it for fun!"
Tom Hanks nodded. Although he appeared simple and honest in films, the real Tom Hanks was incredibly shrewd.
"Charles Capet, what are your thoughts?" Seeing this, he already understood what needed to be discussed.
"Cape Film Production Company will participate in the production. I want to be one of the producers. There will be no upfront payment for the script fee or producer's salary. Cape Film Production Company wants 15% of the global box office and DVD profits after the film's release," Charles Capet stated directly.
Evelyn was stunned but didn't say anything. When did her son become so formidable?
"Kid," Tom Hanks said with a smile, quite fond of Charles Capet,
"Making a film isn't that simple. I need to set up the crew, invest, and find distributors. You're asking for too much with 15%."
"I'll buy the script for 150,000 US dollars. As a producer, you can get % of the net box office profit. After the film's release, there will also be box office bonuses, up to 1 million US dollars!"
Charles Capet shook his head, and the negotiation began.
Ultimately, with no other choice, Charles Capet proposed a tiered box office revenue sharing.
"For North American box office up to 25 million US dollars, Cape Film Production Company will receive 200,000 US dollars for the script plus producer fees, plus % of the net box office profit; up to 50 million, the percentage remains the same, but producer's salary increases by 100,000 US dollars."
"Above 50 million US dollars, % of box office profit plus a minimum 500,000 US dollar check;"
"Above 100 million US dollars, % plus a minimum 1 million US dollar bonus; if it's above 200 million US dollars, % profit sharing plus a 2 million US dollar bonus; above 200 million US dollars, % box office profit sharing plus a minimum 3 million US dollar bonus."
"Overseas box office and DVD revenue sharing ratios will follow the North American ratios!"
Charles Capet's conditions utterly shocked everyone. Did he really dare to think so big?
Tom Hanks even laughed. It was just a low-budget romantic comedy with a budget of only 5 million US dollars, and all the participants were newcomers.
North American box office of 50 million US dollars, then over 100 million, and even over 200 million?