"I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!"
The lines from SpongeBob SquarePants were everywhere.
"Knowledge can't replace friendship," SpongeBob's voice said on TV. "I'd rather be an idiot than lose you."
Kids all over California were repeating these lines. Parents loved it, too, because it was funny and positive. In just ten days, SpongeBob had become a phenomenon.
Even though Zane was at home, busy polishing new movie scripts, he kept getting good news.
Good News #1: From his old friend, James.
"Man, you are sitting on a goldmine!" James shouted over the phone. "Our merchandise is selling like crazy!"
"In just ten days," James reported, "our seven stores made over $2.4 million! Our profit is over $1 million!"
That was more money than they had made in the last three months combined. SpongeBob toys were even more popular than Toy Story toys!
"This is just the beginning," Zane thought with a smile. He knew that by 2020, SpongeBob would make $13 billion. It was a massive gold mine.
Good News #2: From Donna, the CEO of UPN.
"Boss," she said, "our ratings are over 1.05%. Before the season ends, I bet we'll hit 4%!"
4% sounds small, but in America, that meant at least 25 million people watching. That was huge!
Zane gave Donna clear instructions: "Reinvest all the profit from SpongeBob back into the TV network. I want UPN to grow. And I want America's Got Talent ready to launch by February!"
"Understood," Donna said. "I'm already talking to ITV in the UK. We're going to create a global talent show craze!"
Good News #3: From Victor, the CEO of Wald Pictures.
The movie Juno had finished its run in theaters.
"Total box office: $165 million!" Victor reported. "That makes it the 4th biggest movie of 1996!"
Since Wald Pictures made and distributed the movie, they kept most of the money. The profit was huge.
And because SpongeBob was so popular, over 20 big retail chains were begging to sell SpongeBob toys in their stores.
"Sell them!" Zane ordered. "But wait a little longer. Let the show get even more popular first. Then we can charge them more money!"
Zane was a smart businessman.
After hanging up, Zane looked at the scripts on his desk.
The Sixth Sense
300
Final Destination
The Purge
Peppa Pig
He was ready.
He picked up The Sixth Sense. He had already finished the script, and his team had polished it. Now, he just needed the right director.
"M. Night Shyamalan," Zane decided. "He did a great job on Wrong Turn. He's perfect for this."
Zane knew The Sixth Sense was going to be a monster hit. In his old life, it made $670 million worldwide!
But it would cost a lot to make—about $50 million. It would be his most expensive movie ever.
"We have to release it before December 1997," Zane thought carefully.
Why? Because in December 1997, a terrifying ship was coming to theaters... Titanic.
Zane wasn't foolish. He wasn't going to fight Titanic.
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