With the deals for Charlize and Jas settled, Zane and Victor turned their attention to the surprising phone call from the United Kingdom.
"The contact's na is Smith, Head of the Content Departnt for the BBC," Victor began, still looking slightly incredulous. "Their position was very clear. They want us in London as soon as possible to discuss a developnt deal for the Teletubbies copyright."
Victor was mystified. Wald Pictures' first film, Static, hadn't even been released, yet sohow his boss had managed to get on the radar of a global dia behemoth like the BBC.
"Hold on," Zane said, a shrewd glint in his eye. "You said they seed anxious?"
"That's the thing," Victor confird. "Smith's tone was calm, but for the head of a major departnt to make the call himself is significant. And there's more..." Victor leaned forward, his voice dropping conspiratorially. "I have a friend who works in the IT departnt at the BBC. After the call, I asked him to do so discreet digging. He told the BBC and a production company called Ragdoll were already in developnt on a new children's educational series. The strange part? The content is almost identical to the Teletubbies copyright we registered. In fact, their working title was Teletubbies."
Victor saw it as a bizarre coincidence. Zane knew it was a declaration of victory.
The original creators of the show had been developing it in good faith, only to find out at the eleventh hour that a savvy, unknown Arican had legally claid their intellectual property right out from under them. Zane imagined the looks on their faces when the Copyright Office had rejected their application.
Checkmate, he thought with the thrill of a predator.
The BBC and Ragdoll had already invested a significant amount of money and were convinced they had a hit on their hands. Giving up now was not an option. They had no choice but to co to him, the legal owner.
"Victor, have our team make initial contact," Zane ordered, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "Probe them, explore their bottom line. Let them sweat a little. In a week or two, you and I will fly to London personally to close the deal."
This wasn't just business. It was a heist, executed perfectly.
Just as one fire was being stoked, another erupted. The release of Static had hit a major snag.
"You're telling MGM is pressuring the theaters to drop us?" Zane asked, his good mood evaporating instantly, replaced by a cold fury.
"Yes, boss," Victor said, his own anger palpable. "We had verbal agreents for 315 screens for the premiere. This morning, the calls started coming in. Theaters are backing out left and right. We're down to 120 screens, and that number is still falling. It's sabotage, pure and simple."
This was Victor's first major film release as CEO, and it was being strangled in the cradle. He had only found out who was behind it because a friendly theater manager had discreetly tipped him off.
Damn MGM, Zane thought. It was retaliation for the Spider-Man deal. He had expected it, but the brazenness of the attack was still infuriating.
He tapped his fingers on his desk, his mind racing. "Alright. Don't panic. You keep working your contacts at the theater chains. I'm going to call in so favors."
His first call was to John Lasseter. As the director of the previous year's box office champion, Lasseter's na carried significant weight in the industry. As predicted, his friend was imdiately on board.
"MGM is playing dirty?" Lasseter said, his voice full of loyalty. "Don't worry, Zane. Your business is my business. I'll make so calls."
Zane's next call was to Utah, to the cantankerous but honorable retailer, Billy Jarder.
"Zane, my boy, you called the right person," Billy bood over the phone after hearing the situation. "I have my own history with those snakes at MGM. They cheated on a deal years ago. Don't you worry about a thing. In Utah, my word still ans sothing. I'll get you your screens."
A day later, the tide had turned. Through Victor's relentless efforts and the considerable influence of Lasseter and Billy Jarder, they hadn't just recovered their lost screens; they had gained more.
The final count was 355 screens.
"They wanted to play hardball," Zane said to Victor, a grimly satisfied smile on his face. "So we'll play harder. Move the release date up. Instead of the 12th, we're opening this Friday, April 5th."
The first battle in Zane's war with old Hollywood was about to begin, and he had just fired his first counter shot.
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