If 'Thor' ended up as a total failure, Kevin Feige, as the CEO of Marvel Studios and the film's producer, would undoubtedly be the first to take responsibility. Everyone understood this, but no one casually mentioned it. It was clear that the success of Marvel's superhero films, including 'Iron Man,' owed much to Kevin Feige's efforts.
Stan Lee, however, wasn't finished. He pointed at Kevin Feige again and said, "When Murphy Stanton wanted to work with Marvel, you rejected him because of some personal grudge. If he had joined Marvel..."
"And what would have happened if he joined Marvel?" Kevin Feige interrupted. "Would Marvel's superhero films follow a dark path, becoming as brooding and tormented as Superman or Chris Dane?"
"That wouldn't be so bad! There's a market for it!" Stan Lee, old but still spirited, countered. "Our Marvel heroes have depth too!"
Everyone present knew that Stan Lee had a point. Many of Marvel's superheroes had a dark tone in their comics. Especially with the recent 'Civil War' storyline, if the film adaptation took a darker, deeper route, it would undoubtedly be highly appealing.
"Enough!"
Avi Arad, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up to interrupt the argument between Stan Lee and Kevin Feige. "We need to solve problems, not create them!"
As the CEO of Marvel Comics, Avi Arad wouldn't stand by and watch the company's leadership fall apart due to internal conflicts over Murphy Stanton.
Avi Arad had enough authority to temporarily quell the argument between Kevin Feige and Stan Lee.
He then shifted the topic. "Let's not focus solely on North America. 'Thor' is performing quite well in the overseas markets."
Thanks to a strong foundation, 'Thor' was released in multiple overseas markets last week, unlike 'Chaos City,' which was only showing in North America. It outperformed 'Fast & Furious 5' to become the top-grossing film in international markets outside of North America.
Avi Arad's words temporarily diverted most people's attention. Many turned to the documents in front of them to check 'Thor's' overseas box office performance.
In the UK, 'Thor' grossed nearly $9 million in five days. In France, it earned $6.1 million from 579 theaters. In South Korea, it made $4.7 million from 513 theaters. In Italy, it grossed $3.5 million from 455 theaters. In Spain, it earned $4 million from 377 theaters.
In addition to Europe and the Far East, 'Thor' also topped the box office in smaller markets like Singapore and the Philippines. For example, it grossed $2.1 million in Taiwan and $308,000 from 19 theaters in Vietnam, setting a new three-day box office record for a Marvel superhero film in Vietnam.
Moreover, in Australia, where 'Thor' had been showing for a week, it still earned $2.3 million from 226 theaters in its second week, reaching 42% of the previous week's earnings, with a cumulative box office nearing $10 million.
So far, 'Thor' had grossed $63 million in international markets, bringing its global total to over $100 million.
This global box office performance led many in the meeting room to believe that 'Thor' was still doing quite well overall.
However, Kevin Feige thought otherwise. 'Chaos City' had yet to be released internationally. According to information from 20th Century Fox, it would be launched in international markets this weekend, likely impacting 'Thor's' future box office performance.
He was well aware that under current circumstances, 'Thor' would likely fail to recoup its costs.
While this alone wouldn't be a big issue, given that the film was intended to pave the way for 'The Avengers,' and Marvel Studios had made substantial profits from the two 'Iron Man' films, Kevin Feige's biggest concern was that 'Thor's' poor reviews and box office performance would drag down next year's 'The Avengers.'
If 'The Avengers' failed to meet expectations, Kevin Feige would have no choice but to resign as CEO of Marvel Studios.
He could only hope that the upcoming 'Captain America: The First Avenger' at the end of the year would restore some of the lost goodwill towards Marvel's superhero films.
Even though only a weekend had passed, he had to admit that, when compared to Murphy Stanton's 'Chaos City,' 'Thor' was not only unsuccessful but could be considered a failure.
On the same Monday, the atmosphere at 20th Century Fox was entirely different.
"Releasing Murphy's film at the start of the summer season was a wise decision."
Although North America doesn't have a tradition of celebrating an opening success, having the first summer release exceed expectations and take the top spot at the box office made the executives at 20th Century Fox jubilant. "Kara, you did a great job this time."
The speaker was James Murdoch, the new co-chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox.
Kara Faith smiled but didn't say much. They had been high school classmates.
She knew that James Murdoch had chosen to join 20th Century Fox because of significant troubles he faced in the UK.
James Murdoch, with his ambitious goals and widely seen as Rupert Murdoch's most suitable successor, fully supported his old high school friend Kara Faith, laying the groundwork for his future at 20th Century Fox.
Although he previously served as the CEO of Sky Television, James Murdoch had always kept an eye on 20th Century Fox. Unlike Kara Faith, who studied journalism and business management after high school, he specialized in film and literature, aiming to lead 20th Century Fox.
He wasn't a complete outsider to the Hollywood film industry.
"Kara, you're good friends with Murphy." James Murdoch asked, "When does he plan to shoot the second part of 'Chaos City'?"
20th Century Fox had invested $300 million in the production and marketing of 'Chaos City.' Unless the box office performance remained exceptionally strong, achieving a blockbuster number, it would be difficult to recoup the investment quickly. As CEO, James Murdoch had to consider the return on investment.
Kara Faith shook her head, "I don't know. He hasn't mentioned it."
James Murdoch frowned, "You haven't asked?"
"No." Kara Faith straightforwardly replied, "Murphy will tell me if he wants to."
"Oh?" James Murdoch didn't quite understand the dynamic between Kara Faith and Murphy.
"Based on Murphy's personality and working style."
Although good friends, James Murdoch was still her boss, so Kara Faith explained, "He will soon start planning his next film after 'Chaos City.'"
She glanced at James Murdoch, "However, it probably won't be the next installment of 'Chaos City.' I've heard from Robert Downey Jr. that Murphy plans to make a biographical gangster film with a friend."
"A biographical gangster film?" Despite being new to the role, James Murdoch was well-informed and said, "Regardless, I have one request: 20th Century Fox should still be the producer and distributor of the film!"
"I can't guarantee the next film will be that." Kara Faith knew that Gal Gadot strongly opposed Murphy making the Ross biographical film, and Gal Gadot was perhaps the only person who could make Murphy change his mind. She added, "As long as our terms are not worse than other companies, Murphy will likely continue to work with 20th Century Fox."
James Murdoch nodded slightly. This wasn't a problem; they always valued talents who could create significant value.
Thinking of this, James Murdoch asked, "I haven't been here long, but I know that 20th Century Fox and Murphy's Stanton Studios have collaborated on several projects. 'Game of Thrones' is still ongoing, and there are other joint projects with shared copyrights."
Kara Faith glanced at James Murdoch, guessing what he was about to say.
Sure enough, James Murdoch tentatively asked, "If 20th Century Fox were to acquire Stanton Studios, would Murphy be willing to sell?"
"Probably not." Kara Faith said honestly, "Murphy doesn't lack money."
She knew this area well. Besides Murphy's directing fees and high percentage of profits, he invested in several films during Hollywood's cash-strapped phase following the 2008 subprime crisis. Films like 'Transformers' had since been released, bringing him substantial returns.
If not counting future inheritances, Murphy's current personal wealth likely surpassed James Murdoch's.
James Murdoch understood that even if they wanted to acquire it, they couldn't rush. He said, "Let's talk about this later."
Kara Faith didn't say anything more, but she knew that Murphy selling Stanton Studios was unlikely. The company, though currently just a shell, was not only involved in producing films and TV series in collaboration with companies like 20th Century Fox but also handled Murphy's tax exemption and avoidance, among other tasks. Starting a new one would be too much hassle for someone like Murphy.
After pacing the office a few times, James Murdoch said, "Give me Murphy's contact information. I'll be hosting a party soon, and I want to personally invite him."
Having arrived in Los Angeles, he needed to build his network.
Kara Faith left Murphy's personal contact information and then left James Murdoch's office to continue with the promotional work for 'Chaos City.' To achieve excellent weekday box office results, they couldn't afford to relax.
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