'Palm-greasing' Hollywood producers eager to make box office flop to please Trump: analyst

A merger between two major Hollywood studios could be one step closer as they begin "palm-greasing" the president by greenlighting a Rush Hour sequel.

Donald Trump's love of the buddy cop movies, which starred Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, was made evident earlier this year when the president made clear his wishes to see a fourth installment in the franchise. It appears the president will get his wish, but a much more lucrative reason is behind the decision, according to The Bulwark's Catherine Rampell.

The movie, which has reportedly been greenlit and will be distributed by Paramount Skydance, could be a box office bomb — but could affect the hopeful merger of the distributor and Warner Bros. Discover, Rampell wrote.

She added, "It’s a merger that would normally face ginormous antitrust obstacles, given that the companies collectively control a third of the North American box office. But the administration has shown an inclination to dispense with regulatory hurdles when it comes to its friends."

"And ponying up the cash for a potential box-office dud will, if nothing else, further ingratiate Paramount to Trump."

Making Rush Hour 4 may be a short-term financial loss the studio can take if it means a massive pay-out as part of a merger which could face resistance if Trump is not appeased.

Rampell added, "After all, let’s say Rush Hour4 costs a couple hundred million bucks. That’s pocket change compared to a ~$75 billion merger."

"Even if it ends up being a box-office flop, Rush Hour 4 would still be a bargain—because producing this movie is a cheap way to extract something much, much more valuable from the president."

The Bulwark reporter went on to suggest Trump could even financially benefit from the making of Rush Hour 4, with director Brett Ratner, who recently directed the Melania Trump documentary, set to return to the directing chair.

Ratner has not directed a feature film since 2014's Hercules, and has remained out of the Hollywood limelight following allegations of sexual assault and harassment were filed against him in 2017.

Rampell added, "The resurrection of a sex pest, otherwise banished from polite society. The palm-greasing for Trump. The nostalgia for extremely dated and borderline racist cultural references. The president showing more interest in being a kung-fu film producer than leader of the free world."