Chapter 180 179. Equity swap, borrowing a knife to kill

Time flies and it's four days later. During this time, Eric not only returned to the "House of Cards" crew to film, but also took turns rolling around with Nicole, Theron and the Olsen sisters.

He rolled three times in four days, each time for several hours, and whenever the donkey came, he would kneel down and foam at the mouth.

Dealing with four women was such a high-intensity task that even with the support of health wine and green juice, he still felt tired.

But there's nothing I can do. I've been dealing with Maikou's affairs for some time and have neglected a few women.

The fields lack irrigation, so as a farmer I have to plow the fields and loosen the soil.

Fortunately, Gadot hasn't come back yet, otherwise she would be working non-stop without a single day of rest.

The second week North American box office of "Get Out" has been released. Although there was a decline, the decline was smaller than expected, at around 34%.

Black brothers still have strong support, and the topic of racial discrimination is highly discussed in society.

As word of mouth spread, many white people also went to the cinema to find out what it was like.

The final box office revenue was reported to be 34 million US dollars, continuing to lead the period and winning the second weekly box office championship.

Still in second place is "Pirates of the Caribbean". The Black Pearl's tenacity has not been exhausted and it continues to rake in more than 17 million US dollars at the box office.

From this we can see that a truly big-budget production with a good reputation has both explosive power and lasting box office success.

However, horror and alternative movies like "Get Out", "Saw" and "Sharknado" usually have only explosive power but lack lasting power. Their box office potential will be exhausted in a month or more.

As for Tobey Maguire's "Sea Horse," with a box office of less than 10 million U.S. dollars, no one cares about it anymore.

In the MGM building, Chen Xing brought Isaac Perlmutter and Avi Arad into the office.

Eric stood up and shook hands with both men.

These two people gave Eric completely different feelings.

Isaac Perlmutter was wearing a neat brown suit, shiny black leather shoes, and his hair was combed neatly.

This man's face gave people a sharp and vicious feeling. Eric could detect cunning from his eyes. In short, he was dressed like a very authentic businessman.

Avi Arad, on the other hand, is just the opposite. He has a full beard, and the beard on his chin is long enough to be as long as a finger.

He was wearing a sports short-sleeved shirt and casual shoes with Captain America's logo printed on them. He looked more like an old otaku than a corporate executive.

"Hello Mr. Cooper, it's an honor to meet you."

"Hello, Mr. Cooper."

Even the way of speaking when saying hello gives people a completely different feeling.

The three of them sat down, chatted with each other about some nonsense like how they had long admired each other, and then got down to business.

Isaac Perlmutter said, "Mr. Cooper, I'm sure you know why we're here this time. We're mainly here to get investment from Marvel."

"Marvel is now developing very well, and our performance has been rising steadily over the past three years."

"In recent years, Spider-Man and Blade have both achieved great success in film and television adaptations. As an industry insider, you understand this best."

"So Marvel is preparing to restart its film and television division. We intend to start cooperation with major Hollywood companies to jointly bring superheroes to the big screen."

"We are now planning to develop Thor and Captain America, two well-known comic book characters that will interest any comic book fan."

As he spoke, Isaac Perlmutter took out a financial report document and handed it to Eric, which showed that the company had indeed been profitable for three consecutive years.

But this thing is okay for ordinary people, and Eric is not unfamiliar with it. He has even investigated Marvel's situation in advance.

Why didn't the company have a clue about the three consecutive years of profitability? That's because it has hit the bottom. What else can it do if it doesn't rebound? If it falls further, it will be the eighteenth level of hell. A normal and honest operator can make the company profitable.

So this thing has no credibility.

Eric glanced at it briefly and threw it aside, looking at the other party with amusement: "Mr. Perlmutter, the value of this thing is far less than the S&P 500 index. I think there is no need to read it."

"Tell me what you think. What kind of cooperation method does Marvel intend to adopt? What reasons do you intend to use to convince me to invest?"

Isaac Perlmutter was not embarrassed by Eric's words. He continued speaking with a calm expression.

"The cooperation method we are considering is that Marvel will provide copyright and related comic knowledge support, and bear 50% of the filming and publicity costs."

"MGM will bear the other 50% of the filming and promotion costs, and the filming will be jointly controlled by the two companies."

"We will share the box office revenue equally between the two companies. The film and television copyright belongs to Marvel, but the filming of the sequel will still be completed by our two companies together."

Before Isaac Perlmutter finished speaking, Eric had already sneered in his heart, but due to his status, he was too embarrassed to roll his eyes at him.

What a bullshit proposal! According to this plan, I will become your employee.

If the copyright belongs to MGM, there is still room for negotiation. If the copyright still belongs to Marvel, then I am not a pure Joker.

After laughing a few times, Eric said, "Mr. Perlmutter, the conditions should be put forward from the position you should stand in."

"What are your grounds for making these demands? What's your confidence? It's not ten years ago. The environment has changed."

"I think you should face reality. The era of comics has long since declined, and Marvel is no longer the market leader it once was."

"So my advice is to be pragmatic, otherwise this encounter can end early."

Avi Arad hurriedly explained: "Mr. Cooper, although the era of comics has passed, the era of superhero movies has just begun."

"Last summer, Spider-Man grossed $850 million worldwide, Blade 1 grossed $170 million, and Blade 2 grossed $150 million."

"X-Men 1 grossed $420 million, and this year's X-Men 2 also grossed $400 million."

"The prospects of superhero movies have been widely recognized by the market, and everyone still likes superheroes."

"So the cooperation is beneficial to both parties. Thor and Captain America are just as famous as Spider-Man, and the movie will definitely bring MGM a generous paycheck."

"If it's $100 million, $200 million, or even more than $300 million, you should really think about it."

"What about the Hulk? Is the Hulk less famous than Spider-Man?" Eric asked back.

After a moment's hesitation, Avi Arad replied, "Of course not. According to the survey, if aliens attack the earth, people think that the Hulk will be the first to jump out to protect everyone."

"So, how do you explain the failure of the Hulk? It was in June this year, during the summer season, but this movie caused Universal to lose tens of millions of dollars."

"There are also Spawn, The Punisher, The Duke of Hell, etc. None of them made money."

"Overall, the market prospects for superhero movies are not clear, and most of them still lose money. Moreover, the investment is often over 100 million yuan, which is too risky."

"Gentlemen, I would like to ask, which film are you planning to make? How much is the estimated investment?"

Avi Arad was speechless when asked, and Isaac Perlmutter replied: "It would be best if Thor and Captain America were filmed together."

"Thor is set in a fantasy setting, involving the Nine Realms and the World Tree, and will use a lot of special effects, with an estimated investment of $100 million."

“Although Captain America can save a lot of special effects, it is set in the background of World War II and will involve war scenes.”

"Props, costumes, extras, sets, etc. will be a huge expense, with an estimated investment of $120 million."

Seeing Eric staring at him expressionlessly, Isaac Perlmutter suddenly felt guilty and changed his tone, "Actually, it should be OK with a smaller investment. I think we can make this movie with $100 million."

Noticing that Eric's eyes were still sharp, he changed his words and said, "For $80 million, we can appropriately streamline some scenes."

Avi Arad immediately became anxious: "80 million is not enough. If the movie doesn't work, it's better not to make it. We can't ruin our reputation any more."

Isaac Perlmutter quietly hit him on the leg from below, signaling Avi Arad to stop talking.

Just get the money first, and then make additional investments during filming. Isn’t it easy to find a reason?

How did Cameron's "Titanic" come about? It wasn't the first time that he was able to get an investment of 200 million yuan, but in the end, Paramount and Fox were forced to pay.

If you don't want to pay, you can't finish the filming. Are you going to ignore the sunk costs? Are you going to lose the initial investment? The two were also very helpless. Marvel is too poor now. The maximum liquidity it can take out on the books is 50 million US dollars.

It is simply a fantasy to want to make a superhero blockbuster with this little money.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

They don't want to sell the copyright anymore or take it to the bank for mortgage, so they can only go to major film and television companies to see if there will be any fools who will be fooled.

Eric is so young, so he should be easier to fool than the old foxes in other companies.

"Mr. Cooper, you can actually shoot one first. MGM only needs to invest $40 million, and you can get hundreds of millions of dollars in return soon."

Eric was no longer going to talk about the two people's daydreaming attitude.

He interrupted the other party directly: "Mr. Perlmutter, please stop for a moment. The lobbying ends here. I have no interest in your cooperation plan at all."

"But I also have a plan, would you like to hear it?"

The two were stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"As a businessman, we are all for money and profit, but Marvel's development has been very sluggish in recent years, so you haven't made any money."

"Now that superhero movies are gaining popularity, I want to get a piece of the action, but I don't have the money, and I can't afford any risks, so I have to find someone else to work with, right?"

Isaac Perlmutter nodded slightly, but Avi Arad remained silent.

"You can't make money without taking risks. So I'm going to give you a suggestion."

"Sell your shares to me, I can buy them at a premium, you can cash out and leave, and each of you will get hundreds of millions of dollars and return to Beech Toys to continue to be an executive."

"As for the hot potato of Marvel, just pass it to MGM. After all, you haven't been able to handle it for several years, which can only mean two things."

"One is that Marvel has long been unable to adapt to the market environment, and the other is that you simply have no ability to manage it."

"Instead of letting this burden continue, it's better to give it to me as soon as possible. It's a good thing to get rid of this burden, isn't it?"

"As for the risks, MGM will bear them alone. Whether it is Spider-Man or the Hulk, that is my business."

"Think about it, it's sound advice."

Eric finished speaking and the two looked at each other.

They came here to attract investment, but how come they were suddenly acquired? The script is wrong.

But when I think about it, the proposal is still very tempting, especially since Eric said he was willing to buy it at a premium.

If you are willing to give more, it is not impossible to consider it.

After a long silence, Eric was about to send the guest away when Isaac Perlmutter suddenly said, "Mr. Cooper, I want to ask a question. Is MGM planning to go public again?"

"That's for sure, what's the matter?"

"So I guess the re-release will be after Transformers is released, right?"

Eric did not deny that MGM had already submitted the relevant materials, and if you use your connections to inquire internally, you can find them.

"Almost. I have this plan."

"Mr. Cooper, I also have an idea. I hope to exchange my Marvel shares for your MGM shares."

Eric was shocked. He had just proposed a purchase, but the other party offered a replacement. It turned out that he was a businessman with a keen sense of smell.

"Mr. Perlmutter, you want to exchange your shares in MGM and then cash out when it goes public?"

“Yes, that’s an idea, and I’m very optimistic about the future development trend of MGM.”

"Mr. Cooper, since you took over MGM, the lion seems to have regained its vitality. Every movie and every project is profitable."

"This rate of return and accuracy is simply too scary. I believe that under your leadership, MGM will regain the glory of the last century and become the leader among the seven major film and television companies."

"So if we carry out an equity swap, I also plan to hold MGM shares for a long time and obtain a stable income."

“But when the stock is relisted, once major institutions get involved, I’m afraid I won’t even be able to get 1% of the shares with my personal strength.”

"So this is also a good opportunity. Forget about acquisition. The only way I can accept is equity swap."

Eric looked at Avi Arad, but unexpectedly the latter refused very decisively.

"I will never sell my shares in Marvel. I love comics, and these superheroes are like my friends and my children."

"I can accept cooperation in making a movie, but it is absolutely impossible for me to sell my own child!"

After saying that, he stood up and left, walking out of the office without any hesitation.

Isaac Perlmutter reached out to grab him, but the other person shook him off and ignored his companion.

"Sorry Mr. Cooper, Avi is just an old nerd, and he has the most affection for those comics and toys."

"But don't pay attention to him. I don't have such deep feelings for Marvel. Let's continue to talk about the equity swap."

Eric took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

"Mr. Perlmutter, you personally only hold 17% of Marvel's shares. Even if the exchange is completed, I am not the largest shareholder of Marvel. It is meaningless."

"So it's not impossible to discuss replacement, but the prerequisite is that you have to deal with your companions."

"I want the shares of both of you. Contact me after you finish this."

Thanks to Luciferhx for the 100-coin reward.

(End of this chapter)