Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren were born in the 1920s, and the couple began working on paranormal investigations and exorcisms in the 1950s.
In the 1970s, influenced by the massive popularity of *The Exorcist*, paranormal incidents across North America began to receive frequent media attention, and the Warren couple rose to fame during that era.
The source material for these two horror films, *The Conjuring* and *The Haunting in Connecticut*, are both adapted from the personal experiences of the Warren couple, and both stories took place in Connecticut, north of New York.
However, the sources of the intellectual property for the two projects are different.
After gaining fame, the Warren couple accepted various interviews everywhere and authorized several writers to create books, leading to many true and false paranormal stories.
Furthermore, the experiencers of the paranormal incidents themselves also accepted media interviews.
For these two projects, the former originated from the Warren couple's personal accounts, while the latter was an adaptation of a novel based on interviews with the family who experienced the incident, the Snedeker family.
After lunch, Simon brought Danny Morris to his office, and the two continued their discussion.
"Regarding the scriptwriting, I will take time to draft some ideas for you," Simon said as the two sat opposite each other at the desk. "The most important issue right now is still the copyright. The Warren couple must have accepted many interviews and granted many authorizations over the years. Next, I need you to thoroughly investigate the status of all external authorizations granted by this couple. Danny, I don't want someone suddenly popping up after the film is released to sue us for infringement and demand $100 million in compensation."
In the original timeline, after *The Conjuring* was released and achieved excellent box office results, an author authorized by the Warren couple to write about their paranormal investigation experiences brazenly demanded $900 million from Warner.
Hollywood sees countless similar lawsuits every year, and $900 million would, of course, just be a joke.
However, due to his greater ambitions for this series, Simon did not want to encounter these frustrating issues that could lead to endless, avoidable disputes.
Danny Morris was naturally aware of Hollywood's frequent copyright disputes, but he affirmed, "Simon, the copyright should be fine. For the concept of *The Conjuring*, we have retained recordings of the Warren couple and signed an authorization agreement. Although *The Haunting in Connecticut* is also related to the Warren couple, it is a novel written by horror novelist Ray Garton after interviewing the Snedeker family, and we have also signed an agreement with Garton."
Simon nodded, then shook his head, saying, "Actually, here's the thing, Danny. I believe the experiences of the Warren couple are worth far more than just this one film, *The Conjuring*. The materials you gave me show that the Warren couple have been working in paranormal investigation for thirty years and have preserved a large number of cursed or paranormally disturbed items. Have you ever considered turning their experiences into a long-running franchise?"
The story of *The Conjuring* was just one snippet from the Warren couple's long career as paranormal investigators. Danny Morris hadn't initially thought that far ahead, but hearing Simon say this, he immediately had a realization: "That is indeed a great idea, Simon. I will immediately have someone investigate all potential external authorizations by the Warren couple later."
"Actually, you still don't quite understand," Simon said, a smile playing on his lips. "What I mean is, since we have successfully created a DC Extended Universe, perhaps we can also build an interconnected horror film cinematic universe using the Warren couple's thirty-year career as paranormal investigators as the source material."
The DC Extended Universe is definitely one of the greatest innovations since the birth of Hollywood.
For most Hollywood filmmakers, the only thing that can contend with the DC Extended Universe is probably the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which Daenerys Entertainment holds and is waiting to develop.
Danny Morris hadn't expected Simon to place such importance on the Warren couple, even planning to create a dedicated cinematic universe.
This is a 'Cinematic Universe.'
Although he clearly knew that due to the market capacity limitations of horror films, this cinematic universe certainly couldn't compare to the DC Extended Universe, if successful, it would definitely become a classic business case study in Hollywood.
Moreover, compared to the DC Extended Universe, which involves investments of $70 to $80 million at every turn, the greatest advantage of horror films is their low cost, thus making the risk lower.
After a moment of rapid thought, Danny Morris subconsciously swallowed. Realizing his reaction, he gave a self-deprecating laugh, but quickly became serious again: "It looks like I'll have a lot on my plate."
"This is just an idea of mine," Simon said, tempering Danny Morris's excitement slightly. "The key is whether these two projects succeed. If the box office performance of both *The Conjuring* and *The Haunting in Connecticut* is too mediocre, then the idea of a cinematic universe will be off the table. So, you had better not casually discuss this with anyone, at least until both films are released."
Danny Morris nodded again. Even without Simon's reminder, he would have done the same.
It wasn't just to avoid becoming a laughingstock if they failed; if the outside world learned that Daenerys Entertainment planned to build a new cinematic universe, it would definitely attract a host of opportunistic imitators looking to profit.
Danny Morris was already rapidly thinking about how to sign an exclusive agreement with the Warren couple.
Seeing Danny Morris lost in thought, Simon did not interrupt for a moment. He opened a document and read it briefly. When the time was right, he looked up again and said, "There's also the matter of *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective*. I think the actor named Jim Carrey has a very unique performing style. You can give him as much room as possible to perform during the production process. Oh, right, how was the contract signed?"
Hearing Simon change the subject, Danny Morris temporarily withdrew his thoughts.
*The Conjuring* and *The Haunting in Connecticut* are scheduled for next summer at the earliest, but *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* is slated for next Easter.
Regarding Jim Carrey, Danny Morris didn't quite understand why Simon had taken a liking to this unknown minor actor's performance.
Jim Carrey is thirty years old this year. He had previously played minor roles in various films, the most notable being a supporting role in *Peggy Sue Got Married*, directed by Coppola in 1986.
It wasn't until two years ago, relying on the moderately successful TV comedy *In Living Color*, that Jim Carrey's popularity barely reached second-tier status.
Since Simon had designated him to star in *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective*, Danny Morris was certainly not lenient with this unexpectedly lucky minor actor. He said, "Following the terms of Julia Roberts' original contract, it's for five films total. The salary for *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* is $200,000, and the subsequent four films are capped at a maximum of $5 million, with a contract term of 15 years."
If he could foresee the future, Simon was certain Jim Carrey would never sign such a contract, even if it killed him.
In the original timeline, 1994 was not only a year when Hollywood produced many excellent films but also Jim Carrey's most brilliant year. The comedy star released three films that year: *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective*, *Dumb and Dumber*, and *The Mask*. All three films were major box office hits, and *Dumb and Dumber* and *The Mask* even squeezed into the top ten annual box office rankings.
Ordinary people always talk excitedly about which star has joined the $20 million salary club in Hollywood. What many people don't know is that the first Hollywood star to reach a fixed salary of $20 million without relying on profit sharing was Jim Carrey.
If, after starring in consecutive blockbusters, his maximum salary could only reach $5 million—although that was already the standard salary for an A-list superstar—based on Simon's understanding of Jim Carrey, the star would certainly not be content.
However, there is clearly no medicine for regret in this world.
Of course, there is one more point: Simon will exercise a little control this time and will not give Jim Carrey the chance to have three massive hit films in one year again.
Of the three films Carrey starred in from memory, the script for *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* is already in the hands of Daenerys Entertainment, and *The Mask*, adapted from a comic book by Dark Horse Comics, has also been acquired. The last film, *Dumb and Dumber*, is a bit troublesome.
In the original *Dumb and Dumber*, the director and screenwriters listed in the main credits were the Farrelly Brothers.
In reality, this was not the case.
The script for *Dumb and Dumber* originally came from John Hughes.
However, because the script was incomplete, merely resembling a story outline, and was not valued by John Hughes, after New Line Cinema paid to acquire the story, following negotiations, John Hughes voluntarily waived his credit, and the film thus became the work of the Farrelly Brothers, who took over and completed the script.
Following the massive success of the *Home Alone* series, John Hughes completely abandoned directing in recent years, focusing on running his Hughes Entertainment company as a screenwriter and producer. He also once again raised the stakes for the profit sharing required for his films. For his recent collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures, *Dennis the Menace*, Hughesdirectly demanded an escalated deal: 10% of gross revenue across all channels.
Gross revenue and net profit are completely different concepts.
Taking the box office as an example, gross revenue is equivalent to the studio's share of the film's box office, without deducting production and promotion costs, and John Hughes directly takes 10% of that.
Compared to Daenerys Entertainment's 10% share of only the domestic box office, John Hughes' 10% this time, although only equivalent to half of Daenerys Entertainment's share percentage in domestic box office, covers all channels, including global box office, video sales, TV broadcast revenue, and even movie merchandise sales.
Under such conditions, if the film's box office performance is not outstanding, the studio might easily suffer a loss, while Hughes is guaranteed a profit and bears no risk whatsoever.
Simon generally knew that the *Home Alone* series was essentially John Hughes' peak, and after the 1990s, with the rise of blockbusters, Hughes' film style was quickly phased out by Hollywood.
Therefore, *Home Alone 2* is considered the last project Daenerys Entertainment will collaborate on with John Hughes.
In the original timeline, New Line was able to spend a large sum just to buy a script idea from the still-hot Hughes, who had consecutively produced two *Home Alone* films, ultimately getting a great deal. Daenerys Entertainment clearly cannot do that now.
Furthermore, the current Simon has no interest in putting out *Dumb and Dumber* while risking creative conflicts.
Barring any surprises, this lowbrow comedy will likely be completely scrapped.
After continuing the discussion with Danny Morris for half an hour, it was basically decided that the two projects, *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* and *The Mask*, would be produced consecutively, both starring Jim Carrey.
*Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* will be produced in the second half of the year, scheduled for next Easter. *The Mask* will start filming early next year, scheduled for the end of next year. Doing this will save a large amount of money. Since *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* has not yet been released, Jim Carrey's salary for starring in *The Mask* can still be controlled at the level of several hundred thousand dollars.
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After Danny Morris left, the female assistant came over to remind him that the next item on his schedule was a regular meeting for Daenerys Entertainment's recent annual financial review.
The 1992 financial report won't be available until February. This meeting was only a weekly phase report.
According to the plan, Daenerys Entertainment will begin preparations for its IPO starting at the end of this year and is expected to officially go public in the summer of 1994.
Therefore, the 1992 financial data is crucial for advancing Daenerys Entertainment's IPO process.
In the recently concluded year 1992, Daenerys Entertainment's most important business remained film.
The top ten films on the 1992 North American box office chart, calculated using the cutoff date of December 31, 1992, were roughly:
First Place: *Wonder Woman*, $371 million
Second Place: *Aladdin*, $176 million
Third Place: *Jurassic Park*, $163 million (Still screening)
Fourth Place: *Lethal Weapon 3*, $143 million
Fifth Place: *Home Alone 2*, $142 million (Still screening)
Sixth Place: *The Ring*, $131 million (Still screening)
Seventh Place: *A Time to Kill*, $114 million
Eighth Place: *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*, $113 million
Ninth Place: *Sister Act*, $108 million
Tenth Place: *Indecent Proposal*, $93.11 million
Just from this list, it is easy to see that aside from *Aladdin*, *Lethal Weapon 3*, and *Sister Act*, the other seven films are all related to Daenerys Entertainment.
This proportion is basically comparable to last year.
However, compared to 1991, after Daenerys Entertainment merged with MCA, the increased distribution strength of the three film labels in 1992 significantly boosted its power again, thus bringing more market share to this rapidly rising Hollywood giant.
For the entire year of 1992, the total North American film market box office reached $5.36 billion.
Of this, the films directly distributed by Daenerys Entertainment—a total of 41 films—calculated within the period of January 1 to December 31, 1992 (including the 1992 box office portion of films released in 1991, and excluding the 1993 box office portion of films released in 1992), reached a total box office figure of $2.13 billion, representing a market share of 39.7%.
If the box office revenue of $294 million from the three external co-production films—*A Time to Kill*, *Indecent Proposal*, and *The Last of the Mohicans*—is included, the proportion increases further to 45.1%.
If other major studios can exceed 20% of the annual box office market share, it is already cause for massive champagne celebrations. In a fiercely competitive Hollywood market where The Big Seven coexist alongside a large number of second and third-tier film companies vying for position, the sudden appearance of a behemoth occupying nearly 40% of the market share is an awe-inspiring oligopoly level.