Rebirth of America, this is my time

In fact, when Ethan set his entrepreneurial goal as an electronic arcade, he had regarded North American movie theaters as his target customers. Firstly, it was because the movie theater had a fixed business location, a stable passenger flow, and met the standards for electronic arcade machines; secondly, because in his previous life, various arcade machines were stored in major movie theater chains.

During his school years, he had been attracted by Tom Cruise's name to a New York movie theater, where he saw the absolutely shitty The Mummy.

However, although the movie is rubbish, the Mummy game console in the theater is very interesting. IMAX and HTC have jointly produced a VR version of the monster-fighting game. The rich experience of more than ten kinds of venues allows players to interact with Tom... Together, Cruise fights an endless horde of mummies.

In addition, he also vaguely remembered that in his hometown in the East, there were many arcade machines in major theaters. There were claw machines that sold items in disguise, shooting machines for people to play, and some that were placed for profit. A fishing game machine that everyone knows...

It is precisely because these arrangements are so fresh in Ethan's memory that when he first cooperated with Atari two years ago, he was really looking forward to the Green Snake taking over North American theaters.

No way, who makes merchants like this kind of large and stable customers?

But after he followed Jobs and delivered a month's supply, he was surprised to find that his favorite target customers didn't have much demand for electronic arcade machines.

When Snake was sold, only a few dozen theaters in North America purchased this arcade machine. The subsequent Pac-Man was a little better, but the audience was only in a hundred theaters.

This fact made Ethan very confused. He didn't understand why a mass entertainment venue like a movie theater would reject a product with extremely high profit margins such as an electronic arcade. At the time, he didn't find the answer. But after Fox came up with the promotion plan, Ethan, who discovered the problem, also asked what he was thinking.

Only then did he learn the truth from people in the industry.

Ethan, your question is very simple.

The fat director of Fox looked at Ethan with a smile and said: Why don't North American theater chains purchase electronic arcade machines in large quantities? That's because we don't allow it. Not only us at Fox don't allow it, but other Warner, Universal, Disney, Columbia, and Gao Mei, they don’t allow it.”

As for why it's not allowed?

The reason for this problem is actually simpler.

Because all of us know that when electronic arcades enter North American theaters, our movie box office will suffer a huge impact.

That's right!

This is the key to why Snake and Pac-Man were not purchased by theaters!

Because Hollywood giants have seen the power of video games!

They are afraid and want to protect their own interests!

Before the advent of electronic arcades, movies were the cheapest form of entertainment in North America.

The US$200 million box office miracle of Gone with the Wind was achieved by the North American public with nearly 200 million moviegoers. This can even be called a textbook example of small profits but quick turnover.

Although after years of development, movie ticket prices in America have also increased, but compared with other forms of entertainment, the price of just a dollar is still extremely cheap.

Unfortunately……

Since the advent of arcades, movies have never been cheap!

Many people may think that arcade games that cost tens of cents to play for a few minutes at most are more expensive than a few hours of visual enjoyment, but this is not how it is calculated.

Because dozens of cents actually represent a lower threshold for playing.

At the same time, video games also have the advantage of transparency that movies do not.

In life, after spending one dollar and entering a movie theater, many people will find that they have been deceived by Hollywood propaganda, wasted two hours, and more importantly, paid for shit.

The electronic arcade is different. When it appears openly on the streets, people who want to experience the game can watch others play it first, and then choose whether to play it themselves.

When the two advantages of low barriers to entry and choice appeared at the same time, discerning people in Hollywood naturally knew that the electronic arcade product could definitely kill movies. So when Nolan Bushnell wanted to sell Atari, Universal and Disney Only then will they come into contact with them and try to enter the market.

And before they come in themselves...

It is absolutely intolerable for those game companies to extend their hands into their own back gardens!

When Ethan finished listening to the description of the fat director, he felt a little emotional, because this kind of unrelated conflict of interests was indeed not the direction he originally considered.

The leakage of these inside stories also made Ethan a little excited, because he knew that if it weren't for Fox's desperate desire to recover all the tens of millions of investments in Star Wars, then they would never be as dedicated as they are now. Lead the way for yourself.

Of course, at the same time, a doubt arose in Ethan's heart.

That means Fox’s behavior of leading the way is breaking the rules? After all, threatening North American theaters to ban the purchase of electronic arcade machines was a decision jointly made by several major Hollywood companies. Now that Fox has taken the lead in tearing up this tacit agreement, won't this cause other companies to join forces to attack?

But when he asked the question, the fat executive at Fox laughed.

We at Fox break the rules?

Oh Ethan, if the other families dare to say this, we will definitely tear their mouths apart!

What are the rules?

Trade rules are just that companies in an industry feel that malicious competition cannot make money, so they are forced to sit down and have serious discussions in an attempt to use rules to protect their own interests!

As long as there is a company that can break through the vicious circle of malicious competition...

Then he will definitely tear up the rules!

And, judging from the current situation, Warner is the first to break the rules, right?

They bought Atari!

Although Atari is currently making home consoles, no one can guarantee that they will turn around and make electronic arcade machines. When Warner is a big step ahead of us in the field of electronic games, what other companies we want to do most The thing is to take a knife and stab them all to death!

If you are allowed to sell electronic arcade machines into theaters, which will force Warner's tens of millions of investments to be wasted, then I believe that whether it is Universal, Disney, Columbia, or MGM, they will all support it! Or... they may not actually show up, but they will definitely help you behind the scenes, not to help you succeed, but just to disgust Warner!

Besides, there's a little benefit to doing this.

That means we no longer have to worry about subsequent attacks from Warner and Philips.

When your retaliation makes them feel uncomfortable, they will definitely find a way to get back the lost face. In this case, once you release the game, they will definitely smear it like crazy.

If your customers are still the same retail investors as before, then they will definitely be affected by public opinion. After all, not every customer can come to California to see the machine. But if your customers are all high-end institutions such as North American theater chains, If they are a big company with thousands of stores, it will be easy for them to communicate. As long as they reach an agreement with the boss, all the stores below will definitely sell the goods!

…………

The conversation that took place a few weeks ago was still fresh in Ethan's memory.

At that time, he was smiling like a flower, because he knew that he was not fighting alone.

After greeting the bosses of North American theaters, the group didn't waste time and sat down in the Fox screening room to review the Star Wars movie.

Then……

Ethan discovered that the joy of his previous life that had been hidden for many years finally appeared.

After Spielberg's modifications and Industrial Light and Magic's post-processing, the Star Wars movie finally had its own color. After the logos of 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm flashed by, that The backward text in the starry sky made Ethan smile.

The one without the title Part 4 of A New Hope is the purest first-generation movie.

The opening plot of Darth Vader chasing Princess Leia is a standard narrative technique for Hollywood commercial movies. It cuts to the point quickly and accurately, letting the audience know who the good guys and villains are.

When the two opposing sides are clear, the public's movie-watching experience will be very good, because they will read the story told by the director based on the quality of the characters.

The content of the movie Star Wars is also very simple. It tells the story of a galactic empire in a distant galaxy. Their establishment was very disgraceful, so even after they were established, there was still a resistance alliance fighting against them. struggle. In order to destroy the resistance, the Galactic Empire built a weapon called the Death Star, which was powerful enough to destroy a planet.

In order to prevent the Galactic Empire from using this super weapon, Princess Leia, the leader of the resistance, stole its intelligence and was captured by the Empire's dark lord Darth Vader during her escape, but before that, the princess destroyed the Death Star. The design drawings and distress information were hidden in a robot called R2-D2, and sent to the planet Tatooine to seek help from the legendary Jedi Knight Obi-Wan.

In the process of asking for help, the robot met a young man named Luke Skywalker. During the rush, the young man found Obi-Wan and learned about his life experience. His father was once a Jedi Knight, but was later killed. Darth Vader killed. Obi-Wan invited him to join the resistance, but Luke refused. But when Luke returned home, he found that his uncle and aunt were killed by imperial soldiers searching for robots, so he decided to follow Obi-Wan to save the princess. , and in the process, they hired a bounty hunter named Han Solo and boarded the other party's Millennium Falcon...

To be honest, the plot of Star Wars is not profound. If I have to describe it, it is the most classic Hollywood hero script, that is, the protagonist encounters a problem, the protagonist wants to solve the problem, and grows in the process, and then simply renders it Talk about family and family ties, and finally kill the villain with a blast.

Its whole selling point, that's the special effects.

From a viewer's perspective, Ethan feels that the special effects of this movie are very good. Even if he watches it again after many years, he can still praise George Lucas's imagination.

But for some reason, after watching this movie, the bosses of the North American theaters all had troubled expressions on their faces, their brows were furrowed, and their expressions looked like they hadn't taken a dump in seven days.

Will the audience really like this movie? Richard Smith, the boss of GCC, said with his hands on the sofa seats in the screening room: The story is complete, but there is nothing new.

Ted Mann, the owner of Mann Theaters, nodded and said: Yes, I thought this was a movie similar to Planet of the Apes, where science fiction is just an embellishment, and what is really discussed is the humanistic core, but... …I didn’t expect it to be like this…”

AMC boss Stanley Durwood didn't hold back, saying: This movie looks too fancy, using too many lights and explosions. I don't understand why it is like this.

If it is an action movie, then I can understand it, but science fiction movies...don't today's science fiction movies discuss the meaning of life?

At this point, Stanley Durwood also set his sights on George Lucas.

George, this is not the first time we have contacted each other. Your previous American Graffiti was very good... I always thought you were a smart director because you studied with Francis (Coppola), and He also made a great movie like The Godfather in front of you, so...can you tell me why you want to make a movie like Star Wars?

Do you really think...

Will the audience like this movie?

When this question appeared, everyone at the scene turned their attention to George Lucas.

Faced with everyone's stares, Lucas, who was no longer confident as before, pursed his lips and said, I...

He hesitated and then said nothing.

After repeated blows, he actually didn't know whether his movie was good or not.

But Ethan, who witnessed this scene with his own eyes, smiled and patted him.

That concerned gesture made everyone at the scene turn their attention to him.

Finding that he had become the focus of the audience, Ethan did not show off and said directly:

You think this movie is not good, that's normal.

Because this movie is for those who have fantasies.

You think it is a science fiction film, but it is actually a fairy tale drama. It depicts the heroic dream that ordinary people have had in their hearts...

Only then did Ethan finally understand why no one liked the movie Star Wars.

Because when a group of people in the industry look for depth in a fairy tale, and when a group of theater owners look for the core in those hard-core movies, they will never be able to understand Star Wars in their lifetime!

What is Star Wars about?

That's how the poor boy Luke Skywalker picked up his father's lightsaber to save the world!

The whole story is the most popular plot among ordinary people!

The whole movie is matched with classic special effects!

When Luke Skywalker harnesses the power of the Force and cuts down those evil Stormtroopers...

Want to be a hero! Ordinary people who fantasize about reaching the top of the world will be very happy!

Under such circumstances, let some bosses who are obsessed with money and practitioners who are obsessed with bitterness and hatred evaluate this movie?

Isn't this just the blind man telling the deaf man that he saw the mute singing?

Before this kind of movie becomes successful, they won't know what ordinary people really need!

And Ethan...

I didn’t bother to talk to them anymore.

Ethan showed his resolute attitude, and the theater owners and Fox executives present fell silent. They looked at each other for a few times, and then smiled and asked Ethan to show off his arcade machine.

After all, all the bosses on site are here for the electronic arcade.

They don't care about the Star Wars movie at all. They just want to break through the blockade of Hollywood giants and get a piece of the gaming pie.

This was indeed an uncomfortable fact, and Ethan knew that he was powerless to change it. He shook his head and stood up on stage, but at this time, Lucas pulled him down.

Thank you. The bearded man said softly.

When he looked at him, Ethan saw tears in his eyes.

But that was only fleeting. The bearded man blinked his eyes and then gave a thumbs up.

come on.

The response made Ethan laugh.

Stretch out your right hand and strike with it.

Give me five!

The crisp sound was heard by everyone. Perhaps they had already heard the excellence of the game from Fox's mouth, so the bosses did not rush. Instead, after Ethan came on stage and showed Star Wars to everyone, That's not inferior to the performance of Pac-Man and they are very satisfied.

Oh no!

It was a great surprise to them!

How much does this machine cost?

After Ethan introduced the machine, Stanley Durwood, the boss of AMC, asked decisively: Is it the same as Pac-Man for two thousand dollars? If so, give me a thousand units.

We have more than 500 theaters at AMC, and we can put two to three in urban areas and one in rural areas.

Oh, by the way, can I get a discount if I buy so many?

One thousand and fifty?

After all, your original Snake only sold a thousand and two dollars?

Such words made everyone at the scene burst into laughter.

Richard Smith, the boss of GCC, waved his hand and said: Oh Stanley - Snake sold for one thousand and two thousand, that's because they are circuit board games!

That kind of game doesn't have much technical content, so it's normal that the price is not high.

And now it's the CPU era!

If you still want to buy an arcade machine for the price of a circuit board, then you really have no sincerity at all!

If you can't afford it, just tell me earlier and don't waste our time here!

Who can't afford it? Isn't it just two million? It's easy for us at AMC! Stanley Durwood, the boss of AMC, became unhappy after hearing this ridicule and said, We AMC wants a thousand units, how many can your GCC take?

You have more movie theaters than we do!

You can't buy less than us, right?

Although the boss of AMC was a bit provocative, the boss of GCC ignored him.

He smiled and said to Ethan: Before the movie is released, I hope to have a thousand arcade machines in my theaters. This shouldn't be difficult for you Destiny Games, right?

After all, most of our theaters are in California.

AMC and GCC just bickered, and then they left two thousand electronic arcade machines. This kind of relaxed and happy decision is simply rare in the world.

At the same time, this number also made Mann Theaters owner Ted Mann a little panicked.

When old friend Richard Smith finished speaking, he quickly said: We at Mann Theaters need two thousand sets, with an average of three sets in each theater!

I have learned about your company, and I know that your company will definitely not be able to deliver goods to your door in a short period of time, so I can ask the theater managers to drive directly to your factory to pick up the goods!

But at the same time, I also have a request, that is, you cannot sell the Star Wars electronic arcade to other companies or individuals. Our North American theaters must enjoy unique game bonuses!

When these words appeared, no matter whether it was the bosses of AMC and GCC who had already spoken, or the businessmen of the small and medium-sized theater chains who had not yet expressed their stance, they all nodded in unison.

They think this proposal is very good!

There is no way, everyone is working in Hollywood, and everyone knows that those who monopolize special codes are the best businesses in the world. When a game is related to a movie, it makes sense to have it in theaters. Firstly, this can help the movie advertise, and secondly, it can let the audience play the game immediately after watching the movie. When this kind of business where you can sell tickets by raising your head and collect money by lowering your head appears, they don't want anyone else to come and share!

As for this kind of proposal...

Ethan just smiled and said: Although the three of you asked for 4,000 units, I think the remaining bosses will definitely not be able to ask for another 4,000 units, right?

‘? ’

Everyone didn’t understand what Ethan meant.

Ethan did not give in and continued: It's not that I'm conceited, but the game I created has never sold less than 12,000 units.

'Snake' doesn't have that, 'Pac-Man' has it higher.

And now, everyone in America knows that I, Ethan Jones, have a new game.

In this case, even if you don't buy it, other merchants will buy it up.

So if you want a monopoly, show some sincerity.

I'll build 20,000 units, and you'll want them all.

If you agree, then I can guarantee that we will no longer sell arcade machines to external parties within a year!

That's right!

Although Ethan knew that the North American theater chain bosses in front of him were the best customers he could find at the moment, he was still not prepared to lick these people!

This is not only because he knows that Star Wars will definitely explode, but also because he is very confident in his reputation! He firmly believes that under the protection of Snake and Pac-Man, this new game called Star Wars will definitely sell better!

What's more, after he worked hard to catch up with the popularity of Star Wars, what he wanted to do most was not to simply sell a machine, but to ride on the tide of the times and spread Star Wars This arcade machine sells a new record! Tell everyone at the same time——

Tamagotchi and Atari are garbage!

They just can't sell me the arcade machines, so they only dare to talk!

In this case...

North American theater chain owners want to monopolize the industry with thousands of arcade machines?

hehe--

grown ups! Food defense!

And when Ethan made it clear that he was the stronger party in this negotiation...

All the bosses who had dared to criticize the movie before were silent.

Because they knew what Ethan was telling the truth.

In the last few years when they haven't been around, Ethan has sold out arcades just from retail sales.

Now, they are indeed begging Ethan to get Star Wars arcades into theaters.

If Ethan disagrees and sells it wantonly, then it will be the theater that suffers in the end.

After all, when the gaming craze hit, they were going to have to show the movie anyway.

Thinking of this, theater chain owners in North America also began to look around.

After making eye contact for a while, they expressed that they needed a private space for simple discussions.

Ethan agreed to this reasonable request.

Since it was already dinner time, he put his arms around Lucas and asked him to take him to the Fox cafeteria to get some food. When he returned to the screening room again, the boss of the North American theater chain also made a decision.

We can only ask for 6,000 at most, said Ted Mann, owner of Mann Theaters.

And all 6,000 units must be delivered on May 25th, which is before the official release of Star Wars, and no later than 12pm on May 24th, Western Time.

At the same time, we hope that you will not be able to sell Star Wars video arcades for three months after the official release of the movie and game.

If you agree, we can give you a forty percent advance payment within a week.

The rest is cash on delivery.

Such words made Ethan laugh.

He loves this compromise!

But he doesn't like this time.

One month at most. He said, I can only let you send it for one month first.

This month has allowed you to earn back several times your income. Even if I continue to sell arcade machines, you will still have a geographical advantage by occupying the theater.

At the same time, you must promise me that in the first week of the movie's release, the number of Star Wars films will not be less than 50%!

I only want this one week because the results will speak for themselves.

If you can agree, then we will sign the contract directly.

Yes!

This is the real reason why Ethan discussed cooperation with the boss of the North American theater chain!

In the previous life, Star Wars was not directly launched in North America.

Because no one was optimistic about it, major theaters screened it on a small scale. After the movie became a hit, they expanded their screenings to satisfy hungry movie fans.

But in this life, Ethan doesn’t want to wait any longer!

When he named the game Star Wars, what he wanted to see most was--

Games and movies, take off together!

If Star Wars takes off slowly, it would be disrespectful to the reputation he has accumulated with Snake and Pac-Man and Star Wars, America's number one IP!

As for why he was in such a hurry?

Very simple!

He can do other things slowly and leisurely.

But to attack the opponent, you must achieve success with lightning speed!

Now that I have punched——

Then you must hit your opponent with one punch! Enter! earth! inside!

Note: ① The Mummy game in this article has only been displayed in IMAX theaters in New York and Los Angeles. ② Space Invaders is the first arcade game to be popular in bowling alleys, dance halls, and billiard halls in North America. It is also the first arcade game to really enter major public places such as gas stations and movie theaters. North American cinemas did not dare to promote arcade machines vigorously before this, and it was indeed threatened by Hollywood. As for the point where the balance was broken, it was indeed Warner's official acquisition of Atari. ③ Star Wars is a fairy tale. This was said by Lucas himself in an interview with Time on May 30, 1977. Please don't criticize me on this point. This is not what I said. The original sentence is ‘A film for a generation growing up without fairy tales’. ④There are three types of theaters in North America. The first is commercial theaters, which are the current chain theaters. The second is drive-in theaters, which screen movies in the open air and the audience drives to watch. The third is independent cinemas, NBA The Shark O'Neal's had opened there before, and it was a place where art films and foreign films were screened. These three theater chains add up to tens of thousands of screens, and among them, only commercial theater chains screen Hollywood movies at the same time, so don’t think that the six thousand units sold at one time in the article is less. I actually added up to this number. 1200. Appropriate exaggeration, please understand.

PS1, no more.

PS2, I have a lot of things to do tomorrow, so I’ll try my best to write. If I can’t finish it, I’ll see you on the 9th.