Chapter 123: Five Hundred-Million-Dollar Films in Ten Years
Chapter 123: Five Hundred-Million-Dollar Films in Ten Years
There was no need to discuss the earlier period for now.
Although the current storm would not cause too much real damage to Creative Artists Agency, many people still could not resist stepping forward to spit on it and make things worse.
From Eric’s perspective, however, even if CAA endured this crisis, it would still continue charging forward without stopping.
Although many people in the media were trying to expose CAA’s operating methods, Eric knew very well that the agency’s true terrifying strength still had not completely formed.
Back when Pretty Woman had been made, if the original cast had remained intact, Richard Gere would have played the male lead.
Although Eric had absolute confidence in Al Pacino’s acting skills, he had still occasionally worried that replacing the original Richard Gere might affect the film’s box office performance.
Fortunately, the final result had turned out quite well.
Then, when inviting Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks afterward, Eric gradually realized even more clearly how overwhelming CAA’s future influence would become.
After handing the manuscript for The CAA Revelation to Allen to contact newspapers, Eric buried himself in work again until quitting time, then drove to meet Hanks for dinner.
Inside an upscale restaurant in Beverly Hills, after meeting Hanks, Eric did not immediately bring up poaching him.
Instead, the two chatted about Running Out of Time.
Although Hanks had already guessed Eric’s true purpose for inviting him out, he did not believe moving to United Talent Agency was necessarily a good idea.
So he was perfectly happy discussing a topic that interested him more.
“CAA’s doing pretty well right now,” Hanks said. “For the moment, I don’t really have any plans to switch agencies.”
“You don’t even want to hear my conditions first?” Eric asked with a smile, not bothered in the slightest.
“It’s probably just lowering the commission percentage,” Hanks replied. “CAA’s cut from me isn’t very high anyway, Eric. And honestly, if I suddenly switched to another agency, I don’t even know how long it would take me to adapt to a new environment.”
“Besides,” he continued frankly, “although I know Kapoor Sid is a very capable agent, UTA’s scale is still too small. Al Pacino and Julia Roberts already occupy most of the agency’s resources. I don’t think UTA still has enough energy left for me.”
Eric was somewhat surprised by Hanks’s clear and logical analysis.
But after thinking about it, he understood.
Although Hanks looked simple and honest on the surface, how could an actor who would achieve such tremendous success in Hollywood possibly not be intelligent?
“Listen to my conditions first,” Eric said. “It’s not something as low-level as lowering commissions.”
Smiling, he raised his right hand and spread all five fingers.
“As long as you join UTA, within the next ten years, I can arrange at least five films for you that each gross over one hundred million dollars.”
Hanks’s eyes immediately widened in shock.
What kind of concept was five one-hundred-million-dollar films within ten years?
Tom Cruise had debuted in 1981, and over nearly ten years had only starred in one film that crossed one hundred million dollars: Top Gun.
Rain Man, which originally should have surpassed one hundred million as well, had been suppressed by the appearance of Eric’s Home Alone. Its current box office had still not reached eighty million dollars. Whether it could eventually cross the hundred-million mark depended on how much additional box office the Oscars would bring afterward.
“Domestic box office?” Hanks subconsciously asked.
Eric smiled.
“Of course. At least five films with over one hundred million dollars in North American box office within ten years.”
After a moment’s thought, he added:
“And all of them starring you as the male lead.”
“But…” Hanks had not been dazzled by Eric’s promise. “How can I believe what you’re saying is true? Sure, all your previous films made over one hundred million, but that doesn’t mean things will continue like that forever.”
“We can sign a secret contract,” Eric said without hesitation. “If within ten years I fail to arrange at least five one-hundred-million-dollar films for you, then I’ll pay you a huge sum of compensation.”
“Of course,” he added, “you’ll also have to appear in a certain number of films. If you sign the contract and then retire immediately just to sit around waiting for the payout, I definitely won’t compensate you.”
Hanks laughed at Eric’s final remark.
“I obviously wouldn’t do that. I love acting. If I couldn’t continue being an actor, I honestly wouldn’t know how to live anymore. Once someone gets used to doing something, suddenly stopping would probably become so boring they’d want to die.”
“So,” Eric asked directly, “do you agree?”
Hanks still shook his head.
“Eric, your offer is definitely tempting. But I still can’t agree that easily.”
“If I switch agencies and you fail to fulfill your promise, then how much compensation would I actually receive ten years later? Ten million? Twenty million?”
“For the damage to my career, that would be insignificant.”
He stood up as he spoke.
“Well then, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first. Dinner was enjoyable, Eric. If there’s a chance later, I’ll treat you next time.”
“One hundred million dollars.”
Eric remained seated, staring directly at Hanks as he spoke each word heavily.
“One hundred million dollars, Tom.”
“If I fail to fulfill my promise, I’ll compensate you one hundred million dollars.”
“We can sign a contract and have it notarized through a third-party institution. I can even establish a fund and place the one hundred million dollars into it in advance.”
“Even if your salary rises to ten million dollars in the future, you’d still need to film at least one movie per year for ten years to earn one hundred million.”
“That should be enough to prove my sincerity, right?”
Hanks finally looked genuinely moved.
Even the motion of putting on his coat slowed noticeably.
“Eric… are you serious?”
“Of course. And you know very well that right now, I absolutely can afford that amount.”
“Then… I need some time to think about it,” Hanks still did not agree immediately.
“All right,” Eric replied with a smile despite his disappointment. “I’ll wait for your good news.”
Hanks finished putting on his coat, gave Eric another strange look, then turned and walked toward the restaurant exit.
Eric sat motionless in his seat for a while.
Disappointed, he picked up his coffee and took a sip.
Just as he was about to call for the bill, Hanks’s figure suddenly appeared before him once again.
“Eric,” Hanks said as he sat back down across from him, waving a hand with a trace of boldness, “if you’re willing to put up one hundred million dollars as a wager, then I honestly can’t figure out why I should still hesitate.”
“I’m in on this bet.”