Dunn's in a real pinch right now.
After pouring money into stocks, movies, and copyrights one after another, the cash on his books is shrinking fast—like, *scary* fast.
Sure, the second payout from *Titanic* has hit his account, but he can't touch it. That's earmarked for April's tax settlement. In the U.S., you can mess with pretty much any organization—except the tax folks. Those guys you *have* to steer clear of.
So, getting *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* into theaters ASAP is a top priority—like, yesterday-level urgent.
Brian Lord tagged along with Dunn to Twentieth Century Fox to hash out the distribution details for the film. Bill Mechanic was his usual warm self and wasted no time setting up a screening team to check out the movie in the theater.
This was Brian Lord's first time seeing the finished cut of *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*. He'd pinned a lot of hope on Nicole Kidman and was counting on Dunn to nail this one. If it worked, it could squeeze out *Blade*'s breathing room *and* give Nicole a career turnaround. Talk about a win-win!
The movie clocks in at 108 minutes—over 10 minutes longer than the original. They've beefed up the plot with extra twists, making the story a lot meatier.
It all kicks off with Tula, a woman from a Greek-American family. At 30, she's still single. Her parents run a Greek restaurant, and she works at the dance club there, reeking of bread from head to toe. She's so over it that she bails and takes a job at her aunt's travel agency.
But life there's no picnic either. Her cousin at the agency bullies her, mocks her, and throws shade nonstop. Living under someone else's roof, Tula just grits her teeth and takes it. She watches her gorgeous cousin snag dates with hot guys every day, feeling a mix of envy and bitterness. Where's *her* Prince Charming, huh?
Then, bam—something wild happens at the agency. A customer suddenly collapses. With the little first-aid know-how she's got, Tula teams up with Ian Miller, a high school teacher, for 20 nail-biting minutes of CPR. Finally, the guy comes to.
That's how Tula and Ian meet.
After some time getting to know each other, Ian catches on to how tough Tula's life is and decides to help her stand up for herself. His secret weapon? His high school students!
Ian snags a secondhand fancy dress and rallies his class to pitch in. They brainstorm, get creative—makeup, styling, hair—the works. After a busy afternoon, a brand-new Tula emerges!
At her cousin's birthday party, the cousin's friends are all hyped up to laugh at Tula, waiting to see the "ugly duckling" flop. But when she walks in? Total jaw-drop moment. Tula's rocking a stunning red gown, hair flowing, eyes sparkling—no trace of that "ugly" vibe. She's glowing, stealing the spotlight like nobody's business.
Her cousin's friends—especially the guys—shift their focus hardcore. They're all about Tula now, trying to chat her up and win her over. And then Ian Miller does something *insane*—he proposes! Right there!
It's supposed to be the cousin's big day, with all her friends there, but suddenly everyone's cheering for Tula and Ian. The crowd's shouting, hyping them up, blessing the new couple. Wild, right?
Bill Mechanic, a producer through and through, watches this unfold and smirks, "They build her up after tearing her down—classic Cinderella move. It hooks the ladies *and* gets the guys invested. Dunn's got a knack for grabbing an audience—Spielberg-level good."
Brian Lord, though, is laser-focused on something else. He's thrilled—beyond thrilled!
Nicole Kidman's performance in this? It blows his mind. Dunn took a risk no Hollywood producer dares touch—playing up the "ugly" angle—and nailed it *perfectly*.
By starting with Nicole looking rough, he shows off her acting chops, then uses Ian to transform Tula into a stunner, letting Nicole shine at her most glamorous. It's raw talent meets goddess vibes. Dunn Walker crafted this movie like it was made *for* Nicole Kidman!
And that angle? It's gonna hook every woman watching. Logic aside, who doesn't dream of a Prince Charming swooping in to make them prettier, better, *perfect*?
Plus, that line—"There's no such thing as an ugly woman, just a lazy one"—oh, that's *definitely* gonna be the year's most quoted gem among women. Mark my words!
Brian Lord's feeling smug about betting on Dunn. This young guy's a goldmine—Nicole's savior, maybe even the fix for all the chaos at the agency!
Picture this: if Dunn's movie takes off, the agency's stock soars. With Dunn Walker *and* Steven Spielberg as their ace directors, who's gonna mess with them?
Bill Mechanic and Brian Lord might see it from different angles, but they're on the same page: this movie's got *potential*.
These days, with Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz killing it, female-led comedies are hot. *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*? It's got Nicole matching their comedic flair *plus* Meryl Streep-level acting.
When the lights come up in the screening room, everyone's on their feet, clapping like crazy.
Bill Mechanic slaps Dunn's shoulder with a grin, "Dunn, you're a mystery, man. How much talent you hiding in there?"
Brian Lord grabs Dunn's hand tight, "Dunn, I'm so glad Nicole's in your hands."
"Uh, hold up…" Dunn blushes a bit, "Brian, Nicole's Mrs. Cruise. What's this 'in my hands' stuff? Let's not start rumors!"
Bill Mechanic, sharp as ever, cracks up laughing.
Brian Lord gives Dunn a sly look, leans in, and whispers, "Hot news: Nicole and Tom split up."
"What?!" Dunn's face freezes, totally caught off guard.
Brian Lord shakes his head at him, smirking, "Come on, let's go talk distribution."
---
Distributing an indie film is always the biggest hurdle to profit.
For a typical indie flick, the distributor takes 25-35% of the box office, then subtracts promo costs, print fees, labor, wear-and-tear, insurance—all that jazz. Whatever's left is the producer's cut.
That's why indie movies in Hollywood rarely break out.
But there are exceptions. Take Lucasfilm's *Star Wars*—every studio's dying to distribute it, so they slash their cut to 10% and throw in sweet deals. Fox handles theaters, DVDs, and rentals, but Lucasfilm keeps the juicy TV pay-per-view and broadcast rights locked down tight.
Twentieth Century Fox might bend over backwards for *Star Wars*, but they're not cutting Dunn that much slack—even with his buddy-buddy vibe with Bill Mechanic.
Dunn stays quiet during the negotiations, letting Brian Lord and Bill Mechanic duke it out. It sounds chill, all smiles and laughs, but Dunn's sharp enough to catch the tension simmering underneath.
After nearly an hour of back-and-forth jabs…
"Brian, your ask is nuts—15% across all channels? Hollywood doesn't roll like that," Bill Mechanic shakes his head.
Brian Lord chuckles, "Rules are made to be broken, right? Dunn's only 20!"
"20%, or I can't justify it to the board," Bill counters, stone-faced.
Brian Lord perks up like he just remembered something, "Oh, Dunn, you know Ron Meyer? My old partner. He's running Universal now and mentioned grabbing dinner with you sometime."
Dunn grins, "Sweet, I'd be honored."
Bill Mechanic clears his throat, "Brian, personal stuff later. Let's wrap up work first. 15% feels steep, but we can tweak the details."
"Oh? How so?" Brian's got that half-smirk going—dunno what Bill thinks, but Dunn's itching to wipe it off his face.
Bill explains, "15% on box office, fine. But DVDs, tapes, and some side rights? That's tough work—needs 20%."
Brian doesn't budge, "Then pay-per-view and first-run TV rights drop to 10%."
Bill Mechanic lets out a wry laugh. Normally, they'd pawn this off on underlings, but Brian Lord's a big shot—Bill's gotta handle it himself. And man, this guy's a tough nut to crack.
"Alright, Brian, you win. No point fighting over a great movie," Bill waves it off, stepping back.
Brian grins, "Best outcome, right? Oh, and Bill—you know I'm helping Dunn plan a Marvel Entertainment buyout. Once it's done, we're launching a superhero flick."
Dunn jumps in, "Yup, a blockbuster—over $100 million budget!"
Brian nods, "I want that one locked at 10% commission."
Bill's face stiffens, "Brian, that's pushing it. I can't put that in a contract—the board would flip!"
Brian raises a hand, "Relax, I just want your word. I trust you, Bill."
Bill exhales, "If it's really a $100 million blockbuster, 10% isn't crazy."
Brian claps lightly, "Awesome, Bill—we're finally on the same page!"