I am Hollywood

Chapter 35: Selling Overseas Rights



[Chapter 35: I'll Show You Affection Another Day]

Eric was just about to speak when Barry Diller continued, "Eric, hold on a second before you decline. Maybe you don't know, but Stuart Ronkel, the lead from Home Alone, has signed with CAA. They've been expanding rapidly lately and their appetite is getting bigger and bigger. Just the other day, Michael Ovitz barged into MGM headquarters, having a heated argument with the CEO over the distribution of a film, and MGM had no choice but to make concessions. You can imagine that if you decide to independently produce Home Alone again in the future, CAA will certainly come asking for a big cut."

Although Barry Diller made a valid point, Eric still directly refused. Home Alone might need Stuart Ronkel, but Stuart Ronkel also needed Home Alone to stabilize his fame. In Eric's past life, Macaulay Culkin had only that one standout film to his name; his other movies had all performed mediocre at best. Eric didn't believe that things would be any different this time around. If CAA truly didn't see the situation correctly and came demanding more than they should, well, they could just wait and see who had the patience. Eric wasn't planning to stake his entire career on just one film.

"Mr. Diller, if we keep this conversation going, it's going to end badly. So let me lay my cards on the table: I can sell the overseas rights for Home Alone to Fox for $25 million, but next year, I intend to make three films, including a sequel to Home Alone. I need Fox to sign a package distribution agreement with me, and I want 35% of the North American shares and 10% of the overseas shares."

The reason Eric chose to sell the overseas rights outright rather than opt for a share was that he suddenly realized he needed a quick influx of cash, and $25 million was certainly a better deal than trying to rely on future earnings.

Barry Diller listened patiently to Eric's proposal but frowned. "Eric, the $25 million is definitely within Fox's reach, but like you mentioned, your films have only been low-budget productions. That being said, your percentage offers are too high; only big-budget films could secure such a split. If it were just the sequel to Home Alone, Fox might consider it, but the other two films..."

Seeing Barry Diller shake his head, Eric smiled slightly and confidently replied, "I believe my films are worth that price. How about this, Mr. Diller, why don't we draft up a wager agreement?"

"Uh..."

Barry Diller nearly choked at the suggestion. Given the fallout from a similar wager agreement at Columbia, where President Cohen Blount's position had become shaky and he could very well be ousted, Barry Diller wasn't about to follow in those footsteps.

"Perhaps I should leak my terms to others; I'm sure a few other studios would be quite interested. Michael Eisner has called me more than once trying to recruit me."

Barry Diller chuckled, "Eric, you can't fool me on that one. I know why Michael is reaching out to you."

Eric shook his head. "No, Mr. Diller, I'm not trying to deceive you. I'm saying that after that meeting, Mr. Eisner has contacted me again."

Having once been Barry's assistant, He knew Michael Eisner all too well; he was quite a cocky guy. So Barry found it surprising that Eisner would be considering a second chance. Little did he know that Eric's impressive performance during their last meeting had left a lasting impression on Eisner.

Diller didn't believe Eric would lie about something so easily disproven and, in the process, felt an increasing respect for Eric. He still trusted the eye of his former assistant. Unlike Cohen Blount, Barry Diller wasn't one to dither. After a brief pause to weigh the pros and cons, he made his decision. "Alright, Eric. I'll agree to your terms."

"Then here's to a fruitful partnership," Eric raised his right hand.

Barry Diller smiled and raised his hand, giving Eric a light slap on the hand. The two of them had basically reached an agreement, and the upcoming signings felt like a formality.

...

"Hey, Eric! I missed you so much!" Eric returned to the reception hall when a light green figure floated over and jumped into his arms.

The girl's excited voice drew the attention of many people in the room.

Eric quickly stopped Drew Barrymore from getting any more affectionate. After all, she was only thirteen. A bit of closeness in private was one thing, but showing it off in front of so many people could lead to misunderstandings.

Drew realized the situation was a bit off and stuck out her tongue. She let go of Eric's waist and quickly shifted to link arms with him instead, carelessly brushing her little chest against his arm.

"Drew, how did you get out? Is your treatment over?" Eric asked as he walked toward Penny Marshall's group, momentarily glancing down at Drew, coincidentally peeking through the slightly loose neckline of her light green dress, noticing that she was without a bra.

Drew keenly caught Eric's gaze, flashing a mischievous smile while puffing her little chest to tease him, she coyly said, "I was supposed to be discharged tomorrow, but when I heard you were coming to this party tonight, I just had to sneak out early."

"Drew, you just got out of rehab. You really shouldn't be drinking."

"Of course not! The waiters here won't serve me any alcohol; I'm only thirteen." Regardless of private drinking habits, at least on the surface, the rules had to be respected, especially in a well-known venue like the Hilton, which would be extra careful with these details to avoid scrutiny.

...

"Hey, Eric! We haven't seen each other in a week! What have you been up to? I haven't heard a peep from you. Are you planning on retiring early?" Penny Marshall remarked with a teasing tone as she approached Eric and Drew.

Eric casually grabbed a glass of red wine from a tray held by a waiter and stepped closer to Penny Marshall. "Retirement? No way! I'm only eighteen, not eighty; no plans to retire yet, just wrapping up a novel."

"A new novel? I want to read it! I want to read it!" Before Penny could chime in, Drew eagerly pulled at Eric's arm.

Penny Marshall teased, "Hey, Drew! Try to be a bit more ladylike. Eric likes girls who are a bit

quieter."

"That's not true!" Drew pouted in defiance. "Jennifer Aniston isn't a lady at all! By the way, where's that fat girl? Haha, Eric, did you break up?"

Eric gave Drew a playful knock on the head. "Alright, Drew, Jennifer just happened to have other things to do tonight. How could we possibly break up?"

"Ugh, Eric, that was really hurtful," Drew whined, rubbing the spot Eric had knocked.

...

"This way," Penny Marshall guided Eric and Drew to a long table, introducing, "This is Miss Elizabeth Perkins, the star of Big. And you definitely know this one; Mr. Tom Hanks."

"Hello, I'm Eric Williams," Eric greeted both of them, "Mr. Hanks, I really enjoyed Big; you portrayed that kid perfectly. How did you do it?"

Tom Hanks, smiling warmly, replied, "Just call me Tom, Eric. As for how I did it, you'd have

to ask Penny."

Upon hearing this, Penny Marshall couldn't help but show a bit of pride as she explained, "Well, during filming, I had David Moscow, who played young Josh, act it out according to the script while Tom followed along in character. That rascal David even tricked Tom at one point. Speaking of which, if David were just a few years younger, he could've easily played Kevin in Home Alone. By the way, Eric, do you have plans for your next film?"

*****

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