Michael Eisner's departure had no impact on Martin.
Roy Disney and Robert Iger were also close to him.
Especially Robert Iger.
As soon as Michael Eisner left, Robert Iger immediately invited Martin to dinner, targeting the voting rights of Martin's shares.
"Sorry, Robert, the vote can't be given to you, and I need to have a proxy on the Disney board—just Drew!" Martin said firmly.
"Of course, Drew is also the CEO of Meyers Films, so she will basically not interfere in your decision-making. As long as it does not affect my interests, she will always be on your side," Robert replied.
Martin was no fool.
The original decision to hand over the voting rights to Michael Eisner was just a temporary measure to obtain shares. Martin would not let go of the opportunity to gain a say in a giant like Disney. At Warner, Martin did the same thing, but the agent was Ivanka.
...
The time had come for September.
The lively North American summer vacation was over.
This summer, in addition to the huge success of The Devil Wears Prada, there were also several box office hits like Mission: Impossible 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Fast & Furious 3, and X-Men 3.
What's interesting is that these are all sequel movies, and they are all third episodes.
Additionally, family-friendly cartoons like Cars and Don't Mess With the Ants also emerged as unexpected box office surprises.
But wherever there is success, there is also frustration.
Another ambitious work from Warner Bros. following The New Batman—Superman Returns—failed both at the box office and critically.
The movie was released on the last day of June.
Warner's promotional expenses alone exceeded $80 million. Including production costs, the total investment in this movie exceeded $270 million, which is even less than the new Batman trilogy combined.
Yes, Superman Returns.
It's just that this time Superman had a new face, played by Brandon Routh, though he still donned the classic look of the previous Superman, Christopher Reeve, with the red cape, red underwear, and blue tights.
The story is not complicated at all. It tells the tale of Superman, who has mysteriously disappeared for many years, returning to Earth. In order to save the Earth from being swallowed by a flood, Superman runs around and flies across the globe.
However, this time there were many complications.
On one side, the old rival wants to kill him.On the other, Superman faces the danger of his girlfriend changing her heart, and he encounters unprecedented difficulties...
Of course, in the end, Superman overcomes all obstacles and saves the Earth, adding to the legendary heroics of Superman.
However, while Superman won in the movie, outside of it, he was completely defeated.
An investment of $270 million only brought back a global box office of $390 million. If you look closely, it's the whole world. This is a significant loss!
In the words of the media: "If you were looking forward to this blockbuster, you should see a doctor, because maybe your brain is already messed up."
And on the internet, there was even more criticism:
"To be honest, I was really looking forward to the movie before it came out, but I was disappointed after watching it. The film tries to add a dark style like the new Batman, but it always gives off a nondescript feeling. Perhaps Bryan Singer imitated it too hard. He forgot that Superman is not Batman. Batman is an ordinary human being. Superman is an alien!"
"I agree with the comment above. In this movie, I couldn't see the strength of Superman as Superman at all. His extremely weak fighting power made me almost think I was on the wrong set. If you want to see a real 'super fight' in the movie? Sorry, it doesn't exist—unless you are willing to regard that turtle punching a human punching bag as a super battle. When I saw Superman kneeling on the ground, being abused by the villain, maybe the director wanted to be a little sensational, but I'm sorry, I only saw ridiculousness."
"Man, this movie wasted my expectations. I had high hopes, but now I'm so disappointed. Even if it can't be as exciting as the final battle between Superman and Zod in Man of Steel, which destroys the world with fists, you can't put the battle in the same league. It looked like gangsters fighting. Bad review!"
Warner headquarters held an emergency meeting.
"Someone has to be responsible," Alan Horn slapped the table angrily.
The failure of Superman Returns earned him fierce criticism from the board of directors.
If he hadn't brought many good projects to Warner over the years, he might not even have been able to keep his position as president.
His anger needed to be released.
Chris Lee, the producer of Warner Productions, turned pale.
Director Bryan Singer lowered his head and said nothing.
When he filmed X-Men 1 and 2, he achieved unexpected and huge success, allowing him to leap from a little-known director to a hot commercial director in Hollywood.
Then he was spotted by Warner Bros., who hired him with a high salary to direct Superman Returns.
Bryan Singer originally wanted to take Superman Returns to the next level, but unexpectedly he fell into the abyss. The halo from X-Men was almost completely consumed.
Alan Horn continued: "Martin had doubts about this project from the beginning. What did I say at the time? Be cautious! But were you cautious?"
"Chris Lee, you were the one who patted your chest and said this project would be successful."
"Bryan Singer, you originally recommended Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (the screenwriters of Superman Returns). At that time, Martin read the script and said it would be better to overhaul it. It was you who stood with Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris and insisted the script was fine."
"Martin also said your directing style may not be suitable for the Superman series. It's funny that I supported you at the time."
Speaking of this, Alan Horn regretted it deeply. Why had he lost his mind in the first place? He had been bewitched by these two—Chris Lee and Bryan Singer—and forgot that Martin's vision never missed. Damn it!
Thinking of this, Alan Horn gritted his teeth and said, "Chris Lee, you can pack your things and leave."
Then he looked at Bryan Singer and said, "Bryan, your cooperation with Warner ends here!"
Chris Lee and Bryan Singer left sadly.
Alan Horn said to his assistant, "Roses, call Martin immediately and ask him what he thinks of the Superman series and whether there is room for salvation."
When Martin received the call, he was surprised.
His original evaluation of the Superman Returns project wasn't taken at face value, and he made some suggestions based on what he remembered.
But Alan Horn hadn't listened, and he'd forgotten about it.
He didn't expect that Alan Horn still wanted to save the Superman series.
Martin touched his chin. "Superman Returns" is definitely not salvageable, but should Superman: Man of Steel be released in advance? How about getting it out earlier?
Martin hesitated on the phone and ultimately made no decision.