On July 7, 2005, several explosions in London once again made Western citizens feel the long-lost cry of terrorism.
"Los Angeles has also recently strengthened controls on public transportation enforcement. The bus and subway bombings in London still served as a reminder to the government," Charles said, sitting in his boss's chair in his office, the newspaper in his hand particularly conspicuous.
Donna Williams frowned slightly, "It's not just Los Angeles; almost all major cities in the United States have strengthened public control."
"This London bombing is the largest terrorist attack since the 9/11 incident in the United States."
The Spain 3/11 incident was a bombing attack targeting the railway system that occurred outside Madrid last year, resulting in 200 deaths and over 2,000 injuries.
The London 7/7 incident also resulted in over 50 deaths and more than 700 injuries.
"This world is too unsafe," Charles said, dropping the newspaper in his hand. The more crowded a place is, the greater the unsafe factors.
Charles now has 4 to 10 bodyguards, with varying numbers of bodyguards depending on the occasion. Is the number still a bit small?
Donna Williams just shrugged when she heard her boss's mumble, because Charles's security measures were very meticulous.
Soon after, Phyllis Jones knocked on the door and came in to report to Charles about Sofia Coppola's next directorial work, "Marie Antoinette."
"Sony Columbia invested $40 million for her to make it?" Charles smiled. Originally, Sofia Coppola had a good relationship with Capet Pictures after collaborating on "lost in translation."
However, a Mary Sue romance film depicting Queen Marie of France, with a $40 million investment, Charles certainly couldn't make.
"Francis Coppola's American Zoetrope is the production company, and the elder Coppola also serves as a producer for the film," Phyllis Jones explained.
Charles stood up, stretched, and sighed with some emotion, "Ah, having a good background in Hollywood is truly enviable!"
"lost in translation," frankly, wasn't as excellent as reported, but it was thought to be the beginning of Sofia Coppola's directing career, yet it turned out to be her peak.
Thinking about Sofia Coppola's future films like marie antoinette and "The Beguiled," which received various accolades and awards at film festivals, the media even called it Hollywood's "shameless forced promotion."
"By the way, is Universal releasing a comedy film called "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" next month?" Charles suddenly asked.
Phyllis Jones checked the film list and nodded in response, "Yes, it's a wide release. It's the debut work of new director Judd Apatow, a low-budget comedy starring Steve Carell."
Charles nodded, "Keep an eye on this new comedy director Judd Apatow, and that comedian Steve Carell should also be watched."
"The Hollywood Frat Pack is about to add new members!"
The Frat Pack is the term "Entertainment Weekly" used last year to refer to a group of comedic actors led by Ben Stiller, with core members including Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Vince Vaughn.
They often play roles in vulgar, crude, and spoof comedy films.
"wedding crashers," featuring two of these "scumbags" Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, also falls within the scope of Frat Pack films.
Phyllis Jones nodded. The boss's intention was certainly to collaborate with these two in the future, and the production department also needed to be prepared.
Vulgar and spoof comedy has always been a major feature of American culture. Perhaps the overseas box office isn't great, but it still has considerable appeal in the North American market.
"Boss, there's a lot of opposition from the Vatican regarding the release of "the da vinci code." Our crew faced protests from some religious figures while filming in the UK," Phyllis Jones brought up another headache for Charles.
Charles pouted, "Ignore them. The louder their protests, the more they will attract audiences to the cinema to enjoy the film."
"They are just a group of people who maintain their status through the religious system. Jesus turned from God into a man, and they can't accept it?"
"the da vinci code" is just an adaptation of a novel, involving some Christian secrets and hidden organizations. At least it didn't cause religious controversy like "the passion of the christ."
"Boss, Lionsgate Films also seems interested in that British Red Bus Film Company we're watching," Donna Williams reminded.
"Lionsgate, isn't Red Bus just a British independent film distributor? It doesn't have many copyrights in its film library, does it? Does Lionsgate want to acquire any company that sells its film library?" Charles wanted to open up distribution channels in overseas markets, and Commonwealth countries and regions like the UK and Australia are certainly the first targets.
After the integration of Atlantis Pictures in Canada, Capet Pictures became more complete in North America, and the current goal is naturally set on the UK.
In terms of cultural heritage and program production capabilities, the UK is by no means inferior. After all, British and American cultures are inherited from the same lineage.
America is a cultural and historical desert; in terms of heritage, it still has to look to its big brother, the UK.
"Red Bus Film Company owns about 130 film copyrights, most of which are British films they invested in and shot themselves. The price is a bit higher than the previous Atlantis Pictures!" Donna continued to explain.
Charles nodded. Atlantis Pictures was basically just a small distributor specializing in buying films for distribution in Canada.
"Red Bus Film Company is my first attempt to expand into overseas markets. Lionsgate, does it have as much cash flow as we do?" Charles scoffed, completely unfazed.
"Send someone to negotiate directly. Pay cash directly for anything under $25 million!"
Some low-budget British films can never compare to mainstream Hollywood films. Capet Pictures now urgently needs a base in Europe.
"Understood!" Donna Williams nodded in response and then left the office to issue the notification.
Building overseas distribution channels was indeed a difficult task for Charles, not as effortless as in North America.
Aside from a few developed countries where it can be quickly and conveniently set up independently, most other countries and regions require time to cultivate.
Funding, manpower, and film heritage are all constraints on Charles right now.
"Phyllis, I estimate I'll have to go to Europe again this year," Charles said after returning to his seat and thinking for a while.
"Hmm, go to Europe, when does the boss plan to go?"
"Let's wait a while," Charles really didn't want to go to Europe right now. Who knows if there would be another attack like the London 7/7 bombings.