Chapter 173 173. A sharp drop of 8 billion, Sony is about to kneel down

"Eric, you have no idea how surprised I was when I saw Larry Feldman and Mathis standing outside Neverland Ranch, begging me to open the door like clowns."

"I was planning to call the police, but they kept begging me not to call the police and told me about their experiences over the past few days. They were like two drowned dogs, in a desperate state, as if they were about to drown at any moment."

Listening to Michael's description on the phone, Eric asked with a smile, "Does it make you feel good to see these two guys in such a mess?"

"Of course, it's awesome!" Michael said without hiding anything.

"After letting them in, I searched them to make sure they were not trying to cheat."

"They want me to let them off the hook and not prosecute them, in exchange for them convincing Janet Arvizo to drop the lawsuit and throwing mud at Sony."

"It seems that Evan Chandler's death really scared them. They hid in their rooms and dared not come out. Larry Feldman received death threats and Mathis received a bullet."

Eric snorted coldly: "When it comes to life, nothing else matters. Not to mention asking them to throw dirty water on Sony, they would be willing to do so even if they were told that George W. Bush ordered it."

"Eric, did you do this?"

"Of course not. Although I hired a private detective to investigate them, that is legal. Death threats are too extreme. Maybe some righteous person couldn't stand it anymore. Anyway, the situation is pretty good now, isn't it?"

Of course, Eric did it, but he could do it but not say it. And since Michael asked the question, he must have his own inclinations in his mind. The two of them just understood each other tacitly.

"Michael, Sony hasn't contacted you yet?"

"I did get in touch, but it was just an executive I didn't know who asked about my purpose. I ignored him. Tom Mottola knew what I wanted."

"But if you want to leave Sony with your shares, even if Tom Mottola is the president of Sony Music, he doesn't dare to make the decision. He has to report to Sony headquarters."

"Haha. Let's just drag it out. We'll continue to build momentum. Sony's stock price will definitely fall, and Tokyo will definitely react. Let's see how long they can hold out."

After hanging up the phone, Eric turned his attention back to the filming of House of Cards.

As a comprehensive multinational corporation, Sony's business scope includes film and television, music entertainment, electronic products, video games, financial services and many other aspects.

In fact, Sony Music does not have a high position in these major areas.

In this year, its most profitable industry is still electronic products, followed by movies and television, while video games and music entertainment account for a relatively low proportion in the financial report.

But now, because of the music business, the stock price of the entire group has been lowered by a quarter, which is a typical case of losing the big picture for the small.

So Eric didn't believe that Sony could endure it. Even if the United States refused to bow its head, the Tokyo headquarters would definitely force it to bow its head.

After a day of shooting, Eric hosted a party at his home in the evening.

More than a dozen people were invited, including James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Deadpool, Chris Evans, the Russo brothers, Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Judy, Warren and others.

As for his own women, he certainly couldn't invite any of them because they were all gossips about him and would fight if they met.

Do you think the party is not lively enough and want to sacrifice yourself to perform a show?

Only when I become stronger can I slowly train them to accept each other.

People were eating and chatting in groups of three or four, and James Wan ruffled his non-mainstream red hair.

Eric said, “James, Get Out is pretty good. It has received high ratings from critics and audiences. With the contribution of the black guys, the box office will definitely not be low.”

"I want to say congratulations. These two films have made you an excellent and box-office director."

James Wan smiled shyly: "The script is good enough. It's your and Warner's credit. I am only responsible for presenting the script."

"Tsk tsk. I'm the director. Don't I know the role of a good director in a script? This is America. People can exaggerate even a little bit of ability. Humility is not popular here."

“By the way, after Get Out is released, have you thought about your next movie?”

James Wan nodded and said, "Lionsgate has approached me with a script, which is also a horror film. I have accepted it and plan to start filming after taking a break for a while."

When Eric heard the word Liongate, his mind moved and that name naturally came to his mind.

"James, can you tell me the name of the movie?"

"Of course, it will be announced soon anyway. The movie is tentatively titled 'Dead Silence' and the script is quite creative."

"Dead Silence", um. Not bad. Lionsgate is quite discerning in choosing you. Keep up the good work!"

Hearing Eric's encouragement, James Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Eric, I thought you would be angry, now I feel relieved."

"Haha. Why would I be angry? We didn't sign a slave contract. You have the right to take the movies you like."

"But you can't relax on Saw 2. Even if you don't direct, you have to be a producer. As for the next cooperation, it won't be too late after you finish filming Dead Silence."

James Wan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I will fulfill my responsibilities as a producer. Eric, you have been very kind to me and I will never forget it."

Eric patted him on the shoulder and said a few words of encouragement. The child would naturally have his own ideas after achieving some results, so let him go for it.

Even though "Dead Silence" is terrible and a box office flop, at least it's no longer a small-scene escape room.

Even if it's a loss, it's Lionsgate that pays for it. At least it can train James Wan's ability to direct large scenes and accumulate experience for shooting more commercial blockbusters in the future.

With his potential, Eric couldn't possibly let him keep playing in horror movies.

"Fast and Furious", "Transformers" or superhero movies will definitely use him in the future.

The neighbor paid for your child to practice, it's a good deal! Seeing Eric and James Wan finished their conversation, Tom Hardy, who had been sneaking a peek, hurried over.

"Tom, what's wrong?"

"Director, I have some questions for you about the script."

"Inception?"

"Yes, I don't know if there is something wrong with my IQ, or..."

"Or is there something wrong with my script?" Eric added.

Tom Hardy smiled awkwardly: "You know what? I spent at least ten hours reading this script, because the dreams are constantly nested. Every time the character enters a new layer of dreams, I have to go back to the script to find the reason."

“When I finished reading it for the first time, I thought I understood it, but when I calmed down and thought about it carefully, I found that I didn’t understand it anymore.”

"Especially for many details, I've been thinking about them for a long time but still can't find the answers."

"In order to keep it confidential, I can't discuss it with anyone else. I really can't hold it in any longer, Director. You must tell me the answer."

Eric looked at the other person with amusement. When "Inception" was first released, it sparked a huge amount of discussion. Many people said that they were not smart enough to understand this movie.

In fact, as long as you watch the movie carefully, most viewers can understand the plot.

But the key lies in the details. After recalling, you will find that many details do not match, and it feels like there is a logical bug.

Then I wondered if I didn't understand it or if there was something wrong with the script?

Eric thinks it's a combination of both, and another important factor is translation.

It is common to have translation problems in English translation, but it is fatal for a brain-burning mystery movie.

Eric spent a month and a half trying to fill in the logical loopholes, but even after repeated checks and scrutiny, he could not guarantee that no new loopholes would arise.

After all, this is just a commercial movie, not a space shuttle, and it is impossible to be perfect and comprehensive.

"Tom, are you going to take this role?"

Tom Hardy nodded his head vigorously: "Needless to say, this is the coolest script I have ever come across."

"Then don't ask, because other people will have the same questions as you. I will answer them before the filming starts. Just keep it to yourself."

"ah?"

After chatting with everyone for a while, the phone rang. It was Charlize Theron calling.

"You called me so late at night, is there something good?"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Eric answered the call excitedly: "Theron, it's me."

"Hmm? Eric, it sounds lively over there."

“I’m having dinner with friends, family gatherings.”

"Boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

"Haha. Are you jealous?"

"I didn't. Forget it if you don't want to."

"It's my boyfriend, don't worry, my heart is filled with you now." Eric began his usual flirting.

Now the two of them text each other every day. After their last passionate kiss, Theron didn't mind Eric's dirty talk and sometimes even responded.

Even when Eric was busy and forgot to send her messages, Charlize Theron would still send her messages on her own initiative, and she could no longer help herself.

"I don't believe you. I'm calling to tell you that I've made an appointment with Kate Winslet."

"Really? What time? Where?"

"August 7, a few days later, at my house, it was my birthday."

"Your birthday! It's a big day, so is that an invitation to me?"

"It's up to you to decide whether to come or not."

"Hahaha, of course I'll come, and I'll give you the most magnificent gift."

"No, I'm very happy that you can come, and if the gift is too expensive, others will have opinions."

"I'll think it over carefully, and I'll bring my friends with me when the time comes."

"Well, I'll wait for you."

I didn’t expect that just after celebrating Neeko’s birthday not long ago, it’s already Charlize’s birthday.

The gift must be given, and it must be exaggerated enough, not only for Charlize Theron to see, but more importantly for that guy Stuart Townsend to see. I don't believe he won't be annoyed.

He would definitely lose his temper when he was annoyed, and the more angry he was, the more Theron could see his true face.

Then it would be convenient for me to take advantage of the opportunity. It was a pity that I didn't get her at Charlize Theron's house last time.

The next day, as expected, Sony's stock price fell again at the opening due to the negative impact of Larry Feldman and Mathis's accusations.

The market plunged and the circuit breaker occurred within a few minutes, closing trading for fifteen minutes.

After the resumption of trading, it fell again, but this time the drop was not as severe. It first dropped by 7.7% and then began to rise slowly.

Either there are major players supporting the market, or there are institutions buying at the bottom, or both.

But this time, Eric is not going to copy the bottom, because once Michael really leaves Sony with the copyright, it will be uncertain whether the stock price can go back up.

Even if the price can go back up, it will probably take quite a long time. The funds he has on hand are all useful and he cannot be trapped.

Fans and righteous people continue to criticize Sony online and in real life. Now anyone who dares to say that they use Sony products will be instantly drowned in spit.

After a few days, Sony's global commodity trading volume plummeted, especially in the major markets of Europe and North and South America, where sales were almost impossible.

This situation continued until two o'clock in the afternoon, and the market was about to close soon. However, Sony's stock price only rose by 5 percentage points after the circuit breaker, which meant that the market value evaporated by more than US$2 billion.

Adding yesterday's $5 billion and the $800 million the day before yesterday, nearly $8 billion in market value evaporated in three days, which is a heavy loss.

At this critical moment, Sony once again held a press conference. This time, not only Tom Mottola, president of Sony Music, but also Howard Stringer, general manager of Sony America, appeared. The latter had a higher status than the former.

Faced with reporters' questions, Howard Stringer did not answer, but instead released a message on his own.

"Sony will meet with Mr. Michael Jackson tomorrow to discuss how to deal with the current situation."

"Sony and Maxco have many years of cooperation experience. We were like-minded friends in the past, we are still friends now, and we will continue to be friends in the future."

"We also believe that this is just an episode on the road of cooperation, and hope that the public and the media will not continue to exaggerate it."

"After tomorrow's negotiations, we will announce the results in due course. Please believe that we will achieve a satisfactory result."

The press conference lasted only a short time, and ended in less than ten minutes. Eric called Michael immediately after watching the live broadcast.

"Michael, did Sony contact you?"

"Well, Howard Stringer contacted me personally. We will negotiate tomorrow morning. The stock price has dropped so much. It seems that they are finally afraid."

"Howard Stringer's words are quite reliable. He is the head of Sony in the United States. He has much more power than Tom Motorola and is not weaker than Tokyo."

"Michael, seize the opportunity. Remember you still have a trump card in your hand. Having it and using it are two different things. Use it to threaten the other party when necessary."

"I'll remember it. Wait for my good news." Mike said heavily.

After this press conference, investors' confidence returned, and Sony's stock price began to rise within a few dozen minutes before the market closed.

At the end of the day, the price rose back to 8.1% before the circuit breaker, at least recovering some of the losses.

As for whether the price will rise or fall tomorrow, it depends on the results of the negotiations.

(End of this chapter)