Hollywood What If

Chapter 487

The filming of Shadows Beneath didn't have much of a problem. However, the production crew faced a problem regarding the budget.

You see, the crew had to work against time and props.

The announcement of this project was abrupt, and they had to finish the filming within two to three months... They couldn't help but blame Kazir for that. Still, money is money, and they couldn't deny that their salaries were quite good, so they were not bitter.

Anyway, they faced problems such as the props and background settings. They needed to make props if those specific props couldn't be bought, which required time and perhaps money, especially if they needed to hire more prop makers.

Also, the background settings. The movie was not only filmed in a single location like the mental hospital. The production crew also needed to make a hospital room in the studio for specific scenes.

Making the background required time, but most importantly, it required manpower. To make sure that background settings were done before the start of filming, the production crew had to spend money to hire more manpower.

Because of this, they overspent...

The expected budget of Shadows Beneath was only $15 million. Yet, they had already spent $17 million.

This was the first time that Kazir overspent on his movie. His clean record was no more.

Just to keep up with the schedule, they needed to spend more money. Kazir understood it.

His record of never overspending was not meant to be taken seriously. At least Kazir didn't take it seriously.

Thankfully, except for the small problem of adding another $2 million, their filming was smooth sailing. The cast didn't experience mental blocks while on the set, they were performing great.

Just like that, two months passed while Kazir spent time filming Shadows Beneath. The premiere for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest would happen in a week.

Kazir finished the filming of Shadows Beneath two days before the premiere, and he quickly returned to Hollywood to join the promotion of the movie. He attended many shows together with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley to promote the movie.

Johnny Depp never talked to Amber Heard after the incident, at least that was how Kazir saw it. He hoped that the two were done in this timeline.

By the way, while Kazir was busy with Shadows Beneath, many big movies were released in the summer.

In May, movies such as Mission: Impossible III, The Da Vinci Code, Over the Hedge, High School Musical, and X-Men: The Last Stand were released. These movies received great reception when they were released.

In June, movies such as The Break-Up, The Omen, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, The Lake House, Nacho Libre, Click, Superman Returns, and The Devil Wears Prada were released. These movies received great reception when they were released.

And now that July has arrived, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest would have an introduction on July 6, Thursday.

Superstars such as Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Director Kazir Grey showed up on the red carpet. Considering that they had constant projects in Hollywood every year, they were qualified as superstars.

The premiere was spectacular as Grey Pictures didn't hesitate to spend money.

The Bourne Ultimatum, which was released in April, already grossed $406 million in North America and $382 million internationally. The movie grossed $788 million worldwide. It was a success that the Big Five jealously stared at because they couldn't get a piece of it.

Because of the success of The Bourne Ultimatum, Grey Pictures had no problem spending for the promotion of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. After all, this movie was directed by Kazir Grey.

...

...

...

"Did we get scammed?"

Barry Mayer, the person who currently held the highest position in the management of Warner Brothers, weakly muttered while staring at the newspaper.

The first weekend of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was a whopping $135 million.

On Friday, the movie grossed $55 million.

On Saturday, it grossed another $44 million.

On Sunday, it grossed another $35 million.

Making the movie gross a total of $135 million.

"The Pirates of the Caribbean is going to make a lot of money," Barry easily deduced.

"As for us..." He sighed.

One of their biggest movies this year was Superman Returns. This superhero had given them so much profit back in the '70s and '80s. They believed that Superman would perform well in this era. But the statistics said the opposite.

Superman Returns grossed $199 million after 9 days of screening. It looked promising, but the experts determined that the fuel of the movie was quickly disappearing. People didn't like it, and the ticket sales quickly went down. Furthermore, the CinemaScore of Superman Returns was an average B+. It was not a good sign.

"People just bought tickets for the hype, but they are not satisfied or excited to watch it again."

Barry muttered the statements of the data experts in the company.

Superman Returns had all of the formulas to succeed, except for one thing. Superman didn't have an enemy, an enemy that could pose a threat to the godly being. That was the biggest factor why the audience didn't like it. It didn't help that the production cost of Superman Returns was a whopping $270 million, the promotion budget was not even included. The movie would have a hard time making a profit.

Compared to Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean had a better reception.

"That damn Kazir. He made an amazing movie this year, but his performance last year was mediocre. Batman Begins just barely made money at the box office."

That was the reason why Barry Mayer felt like Warner Brothers was scammed.