…..

  [Two Days Later - Juh, 2010]

  [Location - Red Pictures HQ ]

  …..

  Deonte Maravich - the President of Red Pictures Distribution, sat in the dimly lit sing room.

  His gaze fixed on the s as the climax of the film unfolded before him.

  To his right was Regal - the film's director.

  On his left sat Pete Harty, Film Acquisitions Executive of Red Pictures - the very person responsible for scouting potential films and dug initial quality assessments before they reached the higher-ups.

  Ironically, it had beee who rejected this very film when Regal had first approached the pany, hoping for a distribution deal.

  A, here they were now, watg it under vastly different circumstances.

  A few rows behind them, two older men sat in silence, the sing with an air of quiet authority.

  One of them is Stephen Sr., responsible for the sing.

  Beside him sat - William Rush - the former CEO of Red Pictures, a man who had once overseen both the produ and distribution divisions before they were split into separate entities.

  More than that, he was the founder of Red Pictures itself.

  ….

  Moments ter, the credits rolled, and the lights came on.

  Deonte Maravich stood up, prompting Regal ao do the same.

  He extended his hand toward Regal, a firm handshake - the sed ooday, after their initial meeting a few ho.

  "That was a solid film, Mr. Regal." Deonte said evenly.

  "I appreciate it." Regal replied simply.

  Meanwhile, the two older men slipped out of the room without a word - their business here was done, and the rest to them to iate.

  Deouro Pete. "So Pete, what do you think? Was the film to your liking?"

  His tone was ral, devoid of praise or criticism, though beh it y an unspoken warning.

  He wasn't about to reprimand his own employee in front of an outsider, but Pete uood the subtext clearly.

  Pete stiffened. "...D-definitely, sir. It was impressive."

  Standing beside them, Regal barely suppressed a smirk. Not out of pettiness - he wasn't the type to gloat over a previously rejected film now being residered - but because the performance before him was so transparent.

  Deonte ae were pying their parts well.

  The firm but fair superior subtly corrected his subordinate in front al to frame the past reje as an ht.

  At the same time, Deonte was carefully distang himself from the inal decisioing the stage totiate as if the reje had never happened.

  It was a clever move. Regal could respect that.

  If anything, it firmed ohing - they were ied.

  Still though, he wasn't about to let them have it so easy.

  "...well, everyone has their own preferences, Mr. Deonte. 't really fault them for that." He said casually.

  "Right…" It wasn't the response Deonte was expeg.

  With a single sentence, he flipped the script.

  Instead of going along with Deonte's attempt to smooth things over, he subtly suggested that Pete still might not have liked the film - reinf that the past reje was real and that this little performance wasn't going to ge anything.

  It was a quiet but firm pushback.

  Deonte, unfazed, decided to keep up the act. He straightened slightly, slipping bato his professionalism.

  "Now I see where the maturity in your writing es from, Mr. Regal."

  Regal didn't say anything at the sudden shift.

  Birds of a feather, he thought to himself. That was the only thing that came to mind.

  ….

  After this, the three of them relocated to a more formal setting - a boardroom, where iations would unfold properly.

  They went over the details.

  The number of theaters. The promotional budget.

  …and, most importantly, the profit distributioween the director and the distribution pany.

  Regal has used the same strategy he used during his book unch.

  He is obviously taking the pertage based deal.

  Ordinarily, uhe director sells the film ht, standard deals heavily favor the distributor, often taking 70%-80% of share revenue.

  However, Regal wasn't looking for a quick payout.

  He was certain his film would exceed expectations, and with that fidence, he ensured he retained trol, avoiding a full buyout.

  The boardroom, however, was much colder than he had anticipated - far less receptive thamosphere he had entered wheiating his book deal.

  The executives seated across the table assessed him with a precise, calg iy, their expressions shifting as they weighed the advantages and drawbacks of each point he raised.

  Finally, the lead executive - a sharply dressed man in his 50s - tapped a pen against a thick folder and spoke.

  "We like the film." He said. "We think it has potential. Five million dolrs. Full rights transfer. Standard deal."

  5 million.

  Regal had fuhe film himself for half a million.

  That meant a tenfold return on iment.

  He acted as if he were sidering it, letting the weight of the offer settle in the room.

  His gaze drifted across the executives. None of them looked particurly tehey thought this was already in the bag.

  They had been through this before - sitting across from indie directors who were eager to see their films reach a wider audience, desperate for validation from a major studio.

  Directors who would trade ownership for a lucrative payday without hesitation.

  They had Regal pegged as one of them.

  A self-funded filmmaker who had lucked into a strong film, just waiting to be bought out.

  The kind they could acquire for a few million, repackage, and turn for a profit.

  As, Regal wasn't one of them. He knew how this worked.

  If Red Pictures secured full rights for a retively modest sum, they would trol everything - distribution, box office revereaming, and iional markets.

  They would maximize its potential, reap the full rewards, and move on.

  The only problem?

  They were severely uimating what they had.

  The numbers were already crystal clear in his mind.

  Fal -

  This wasn't a 10 million film.

  It wasn't even a 50 million film.

  This was a 100 million film… and with the current stats running through his mind, it might even be worth a little more.

  They just didn't see it yet.

  Sal pyed his role - a man seemingly flicted, hesitant, unsure, and someone willing to take a gamble.

  Typically, indie films are bought ht for 1-5 Million, giving distributors full trol.

  So he put forth what he wanted. "I appreciate the offer, really. But I was thinking more of a partnership rather than an ht sale."

  The executives exged gnces.

  Performance-based meant they didn't have to it to a high upfront payment.

  It also meant they kept trol, at least for the initial earnings.

  But there is just one more thing - this wasn't what they pnned.

  "You mean a profit split?" one of them asked, skeptical.

  "I am willing to take a risk alongside you." Regal said. "No big upfront check. I believe in the film. We split the earnings fairly, based on how it performs."

  That got their attention.

  He wasn't desperate. He wasn't pleading for a check. And that made them listen.

  "Go on." one of them prompted.

  Regal knew if he started too high, they would shut him down. If he started too low, they would see him as naive.

  So he let them think they were winning.

  "Something tired." He said. "If it underperforms, you get the majority. If it overperforms, we both win big."

  He id out the structure:

  > If the film made less than 20 million, they would receive 75% of the box office - leaving him with roughly the same 5 million they had initially offered.

  > If it nded between 20 million and 50 million, they would still hold the majority - 60%.

  > Even if it surpassed 50 million, their share would remain at 55%.

  > The tide would only shift if the film broke past 100 million - at that point, they would have to split it 50/50.

  A tiered system that protected the distributor heavily in the beginning.

  …and they bit.

  They took the insuraher thaing on the film reag a fantastical box office performance.

  They were vihe film wouldn't reach the upper tiers.

  "We work with that." the executives nodded.

  Even if it flopped or barely scraped past 15 million, they would walk away with a fortable profit while leaving Regal with nothing.

  Then, just as they thought they had locked him down, Regal spoke again.

  "One more thing." He said. "Home eai and streaming - let's keep that simple. You have 50% the first year. After that, it flips to 75/25 in my favor. After five years, I get full rights back."

  "...." A pause.

  One of them furrowed his brow. "You want full ownership after five years?"

  "Yeah." Regal shrugged, like it was an afterthought. "I mean, indie films don't make much after a few years, right? I just want trol for archival purposes."

  That was a lie - or at least the sed part.

  It was true that most films made their biggest profits in the Blu-ray and DVD market during the first few years.

  But Regal was looking ahead - He knew physical media would dee.

  Streaming oforms and OTT were the future.

  And by regaining full rights, he could release the film wherever he wanted and keep every t of the revenue.

  "Fine…" one of them said with a dismissive wave. "Nobody's gonna buy Blu-rays after the initial release anyway."

  Regal nodded. He had just secured millions down the line for free.

  And now there was only o thing.

  He sat forward. "O point - marketing costs. We need a cap."

  At that, most of the executives who thought the deal was fiurheir heads in sync.

  "You are saying we 't rearketing costs?"

  "No, nal said, shaking his head. "Let's cap recoupable marketing at 5 million. Anything beyond that will not be from my share."

  That line earned a few smirks.

  "No problem." It ted pretty easily and almost amusingly.

  And Regal uood why?

  Hollywood Ating.

  It was a method built to keep filmmakers broke - where studios infted marketing costs, piling on 'expenses' so high that, on paper, a film urned a profit.

  But that trick was usually reserved for major blockbusters.

  To them, his film wasn't even worth the effort.

  "Good doing business with you." Regal said, sealing the deal with a firm nod.

  "Likewise." - the executives exged looks of satisfa.

  All that was left now was to finalize the tracts with the wyers and sign oted line.

  .

  ….

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

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