As late August rolled around, the summer movie season was winding down.
The big blockbusters that had packed theaters were starting to cool off.
Spider-Man 2 had raked in $560 million at the North American box office and a whopping $1.29 billion worldwide, outshining the first Spider-Man directed by Dunn. British director Ridley Scott's talent was getting even more props for this one.
But by now, Spider-Man 2 had pretty much run out of steam. Only 32 theaters in North America were still showing it, pulling in less than $100,000 a week. Overseas, the weekly take had dipped below $400,000. Word was, the movie would officially leave theaters by August 31.
Then, on September 1, it'd hit the shelves as VHS tapes and DVDs.
The first Spider-Man had made a killing in the home video market over the past two years—$680 million globally from tapes and DVDs alone! That brought Dunn Studios over $300 million in pure profit from that market.
Once Spider-Man 2 left theaters, there was still a huge market waiting to be tapped.
A lot of people think that once fans see a movie in theaters, they won't bother buying the DVD. But that's dead wrong. The biggest DVD buyers are usually the die-hard fans who've watched Spider-Man 2 in theaters once—or even multiple times.
Never underestimate Hollywood's smarts.
Filmmakers have fans' habits down to a science.
DVD versions often differ from what you saw in theaters. They'll toss in deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and other bonus goodies. For example, the standard Spider-Man DVD had an extra 5 minutes of footage and 10 minutes of featurettes. The deluxe edition? 10 minutes of extra scenes and 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes content.
Those extras are what hook fans into buying.
And then there's a movie like Instinct. With its bold, risqué content, its VHS and DVD sales were through the roof. Some scenes that couldn't quite make it to theaters? You bet they're on the disc—everything you could want.
Sharon Stone, the star of Instinct, once blasted the deluxe DVD release, saying it left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
For Spider-Man 2's DVD release, they're sticking with the same playbook as the first film, with a slight price bump: $15.99 for the standard DVD and $36.99 for the deluxe version. The VHS? Just one version at $59.99.
With Spider-Man 2 about to leave theaters, its $1.29 billion global box office was dazzling.
But under that blinding spotlight, the other two summer hits from Dunn Studios felt a bit overshadowed.
Pirates' League: Curse of the Black Pearl had been out for seven weeks, earning $280 million in North America and $310 million overseas, for a total of $590 million. That matched the global haul of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones!
Signs, starring Mel Gibson, crossed $200 million in North America after three weeks, with $130 million from overseas markets. At this pace, its global box office was projected to land between $380 million and $420 million—enough to comfortably recoup its costs.
Looking ahead—
In September, New York Shadows would hit theaters. October brought The Hours. November had Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. And in December, Gone Girl and Chicago were set to premiere.
This year, Dunn Studios and its subsidiaries had a total of 10 films hitting theaters, and every single one had grabbed major attention from entertainment news.
Even a low-budget horror flick like Saw II had its moment in the spotlight.
September's New York Shadows, directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz, was shaping up to be a star-studded event.
But in late August, the buzz around this film wasn't as loud as you'd expect across North America's entertainment scene.
Why? Because there was even bigger news.
On August 18, Fox News reported: "Since last summer, Hollywood's been whispering that Dunn Studios was looking to swallow Universal. The rumors sparked all kinds of speculation, and now it's happening. With Universal's parent company, Vivendi, drowning in debt, Dunn Studios is making its move! They're expected to seal a deal with Vivendi within a month, and the price tag? It could hit $17 billion."
On August 19, The New York Times entertainment section chimed in: "Vivendi owns a ton of valuable businesses. After this acquisition, they might be left with just Canal+ and Gaumont Pictures in France, while their American assets would likely go to Dunn Studios. Here's the kicker: Vivendi's entertainment division is $10.2 billion in debt, and this deal could wipe that slate clean."
Also on August 19, CNN reported: "Word is, Dunn Studios will shell out at least $15 billion to snag Universal Pictures, Universal Music, Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Houghton Mifflin Publishing, and the USA Network, among others. Universal Pictures alone comes with heavyweights like Jurassic Park, E.T., King Kong, and Schindler's List."
On August 22, The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Dunn Studios' president, Bill McNickle, who said: "The fit between Dunn Studios and Universal Pictures is unmatched. It'll let us create even more compelling, high-quality content and boost our global reach. This is a win-win deal, and we'll see results soon."
On August [date missing], The Los Angeles Times splashed a bold headline on its front page: "Deal Done! $16.2 Billion! Dunn Studios Successfully Acquires Universal Pictures and Related Assets."
But that same day, CNBC threw in a twist: "According to two sources in the know, the deal between Dunn Studios and Vivendi is still in talks. Dunn Studios has made a new offer, pushing to lower the price below $16 billion and deepen ties between the USA Network and Canal+."
…
The whirlwind of news coverage quickly spread from entertainment pages to business sections.
Dunn Studios' acquisition of Vivendi's entertainment assets had become the hottest topic in America.
Last year, U.S. media had sounded the alarm with headlines like "Watch Out, America! Europe's Coming!" They fretted over Jean Messier's push into the U.S. media market, warning about "this wolf from Europe" and noting that "European companies are back in the game" and "Vivendi's now neck-and-neck with Time Warner and News Corp."
But just a year later?
Dunn was stepping up to bring America's "national treasures" back home.
Whether it was Universal Pictures, Universal Music, or Houghton Mifflin Publishing, these were iconic American brands with deep histories. The idea of them being owned by foreigners didn't just raise cultural concerns—it hit a nerve.
On August 26, Dunn personally called Vivendi's board chairman, Jean Fortu, and CEO, Jean Lévy.
On August 27, he hopped on a private jet and flew to Paris…
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