Chapter 391

As Disney's CEO, Robert Iger has many things to deal with every day.

He joined the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) shortly after graduation and spent more than twenty years rising through the company, finally reaching the position of Disney CEO.

To be honest, it was unexpected for most people that this "local" could become Disney's CEO.

For a large company like Disney, when choosing a CEO, they mostly hire very famous professional managers in the industry rather than promoting from within the company.

Robert Iger's predecessor, Michael Eisner, was the president of Paramount before serving as Disney's CEO.

Simply put, if it weren't for Michael Eisner's "support," Robert Iger wouldn't have been able to become Disney's CEO.

Michael Eisner was a very capable person. Before Disney poached him from Paramount, the company was facing a very big crisis; it was after he came to Disney that Disney was brought back to life and developed and grew.

It was also he who promoted Robert Iger, letting Robert Iger slowly become Disney's number two figure.

But Michael Eisner was also a very strong-willed person; he forced out Disney's original number two figure, Jeffrey Katzenberg, who turned around and founded DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen.

And DreamWorks' animation company became Disney's biggest competitor in the field of animated films.

Next, he forced out Disney president Michael Ovitz, who had been hired by the board of directors, and also drove Disney's own nephew, Roy Disney, away from the board.

He promoted Robert Iger, who had followed him for more than a decade, to be Disney president.

Logically speaking, Robert Iger should be grateful to him.

However, Michael Eisner said in the board of directors that Robert Iger was a very good "executor" and could perform well as an executor, but he lacked courage and absolutely could not become Disney's CEO.

Shortly thereafter, Michael Eisner was driven out of Disney by the board of directors, and Robert Iger, the person he didn't think highly of, "picked up the leak" and gained the support of some directors on the board, becoming the new Disney CEO.

The first thing Robert Iger did after becoming Disney CEO was to specially set up an honorary director seat for Roy Disney, Disney's nephew who had been driven out of the board by Michael Eisner.

And he arranged an office for him, and promised that he would be allowed to attend the board of directors for every major decision of Disney...

From this, it can be seen that Robert Iger likely teamed up with the Disney family.

Full of palace intrigue flavor.

Although Michael Eisner was driven out of Disney, he had worked in the position of Disney CEO for twenty years, and many directors on the board were his people.

It is estimated that if the Disney family hadn't exerted force in secret, he wouldn't have been driven away, and Robert Iger wouldn't have become the new CEO.

Therefore, for Robert Iger, a CEO who has only been in office for a little over a year, there are many people on the board who oppose him, especially the directors who supported Michael Eisner; they hate Robert Iger, this "traitor," even more.

Rebooting "New Pirates of the Caribbean" was Robert Iger's decision. If this rebooted film bombs again, added to the uncertainty of ABC broadcasting the Oscars caused by the screenwriters' strike, his CEO position would really be in jeopardy.

This is also the reason why gold-medal producer Jerry Bruckheimer said those things in his office, thinking that as long as he wasn't stupid, he would shift the resources of "New Pirates of the Caribbean" to "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

But how could Jerry Bruckheimer know Robert Iger's situation at Disney?

If there were no screenwriters' strike and no uncertainty about the Oscar broadcast, for Robert Iger, if "New Pirates of the Caribbean" succeeded, it would definitely be a happy ending, but even if it failed, it wouldn't threaten his CEO position.

But under the current circumstances, whether "New Pirates of the Caribbean" succeeds or not already relates to whether Robert Iger can sit securely in the position of Disney CEO.

This is also the reason why, in a situation where "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" performed very well and another competitor, "I Am Legend," exploded, he added 10 million in promotional expenses for "New Pirates of the Caribbean."

Robert Iger wants "New Pirates of the Caribbean" to succeed more than anyone, even more than Cao Yang.

As long as "New Pirates of the Caribbean" doesn't lose money at the box office, it is a success, it is profitable.

By then, even if the Oscars cannot be held and ABC has to pay a huge sum due to broadcasting problems, Robert Iger will be able to deal with it more calmly.

The 34.6 million USD for the first day of "New Pirates of the Caribbean" in North America, for Robert Iger, is not just a matter of the success of the film he decided to reboot.

According to this first-day result, as long as the film's word-of-mouth doesn't collapse, it can have at least 300 million USD in box office in North America, and it should be able to hit 600 million globally; maybe it can even reach 700 million, or even the 800 million Cao Yang mentioned is not impossible.

A reboot film being able to make so much box office, making money at the box office is secondary; the most important thing is that, reflected in the stock market, and with sequel plans in place, it will definitely rise sharply.

And reflected in Robert Iger, this Disney CEO?

It's stable!

His CEO position is definitely stable for the next few years.

And with these few years, if he still can't sit securely in the CEO position, it can only be said that Robert Iger is indeed incapable, and it serves him right to be kicked out.

Robert Iger sat in his office, beaming with joy as he looked at the stack of newspapers sent by his secretary. He didn't look at the news and reviews about "New Pirates of the Caribbean" online, always feeling that it was a bit unreal.

And these newspapers, newspapers in black and white, newspapers exuding the fragrance of ink, were more solid and could let him truly feel the influence of "New Pirates of the Caribbean."

As a major entertainment industry newspaper in Hollywood, "The Hollywood Reporter" not only provides detailed reviews of films but also covers information on film production, release, box office performance, and other aspects.

Its film critics usually have rich industry experience, and their evaluations are relatively objective and in-depth.

Robert Iger first flipped through this newspaper.

There were several pieces of information and reviews about "New Pirates of the Caribbean" inside. Robert Iger found an article written by a very famous film critic, Royce.

"... Those who know Depp should all be clear that his works before meeting Director Cao Yang were mostly gothic, dark, and manic characters; gloomy, grotesque, and neurotic seemed to have become his labels.

But his most successful performances and works were after meeting Director Cao Yang, in the series of works he collaborated on with Director Cao Yang.

The insidious and perverted politician in 'Milk,' the ordinary and sleazy little person in 'District 9,' the shrewd and high-IQ dream master in 'Inception.'

And this time, Director Cao Yang once again unexpectedly molded Depp into a lying, humorous, brave, resourceful, and both righteous and evil pirate.

He is always full of resilience; put him in a desperate situation, and he will definitely be able to escape back lively, turning all dangers into humorous jokes, and displaying his neurotic image exceptionally brilliantly!

Director Cao Yang has always been known for his ability to shape characters. In this rebooted film, we once again saw his skill; he once again proved this point.

A successful character will make a film more full and will make the audience remember it vividly.

And the main characters in 'New Pirates of the Caribbean' all have their own characteristics.

The honest, brave, and highly skilled little blacksmith, the governor's daughter who shows independence, wit, and courage, the pirate captain who is determined to get rid of the curse...

I think this is also the key point for 'New Pirates of the Caribbean' to stand out and succeed in the fiercely competitive Christmas slot."

This article talked about the film's characters without using professional jargon to speak in generalities; this is also the characteristic of film critic Royce. His reviews are almost entirely about the shaping of film characters.

Robert Iger smiled; he knew that film critic Royce would definitely praise Cao Yang and the film's characters. After all, the characters in this film are all very brilliant.

Actually, those who know Royce know that this guy belongs to the "die-hard" acerbic type. Don't look at how he praises "New Pirates of the Caribbean"; most of his reviews are all sharply satirizing that the film's director is shit, the actors' acting is a piece of crap...