Chapter 199 198. The bell of listing rings, and the layout of Marvel Universe begins

Hahahaha "Did you see the expressions of my classmates? They must be envious to the point of going crazy?"

In a private cafe, Eric and Liu Yifei sat face to face.

After finishing the CCTV6 program, he turned down the invitations from Zhang Yimou and Lou Ye and made an appointment with Liu Yifei to come here. It was the latter who found the place, so it seems that she is very experienced.

Today is the first time for the two of them to date alone. Although they had met before and contacted each other privately through mobile phones, Liu Xiaoli was always watching them eagerly whenever they met.

He slept with someone's mother. The girl is only 16 years old, no, she's almost 17.

Anyway, he was too embarrassed to act like a ghost openly, so at most he would tease the other person during a private chat.

Liu Yifei's response was also very positive. She went to the United States when she was 10 years old. Although she was not as open as the Olsen sisters, who were also 17 years old, she was able to catch up on most topics.

However, whenever Liu Xiaoli was around, she would usually become silent and speak less, mainly because her mother was very strict.

"Haha. Let them be envious. I just saw that these people looked down on Huang Bo, so I did it on purpose."

"Eric, you're such a good man."

"Uh... don't say that. What I hate most is the nice guy card."

"Nice guy card? Why?"

"Because when a girl tells you that you're such a nice guy, it often means that she's rejecting you emotionally."

Hearing this, Liu Yifei's heart skipped a beat and she couldn't help but secretly rejoice.

"Is he trying to tease me by saying this? How hateful! Why does he always say such inexplicable things? Hehehe."

"Eric, what movie are you going to let Huang Bo star in?"

"The project that MGM East is about to launch is a shark disaster movie. Spielberg called it Jaws, and this one is called The Meg."

"There will be many Chinese characters in the movie. Let Huang Bo play one of the supporting roles and give him a funny death. Whether he can stand out depends on himself."

"Hahaha. Huang Bo should be okay. Although I'm not familiar with him, it's interesting to listen to other people discussing this person. Also, is there a role suitable for me in the movie?"

Eric shook his head slightly: "No, it's just a minor role with a few minutes of scenes and not many lines, so don't get involved."

"The protagonist is a divorced scientist with children. Your age and temperament don't match up, so don't even consider it."

"When the Transformers thing is over, MGM will start a new movie, The Hunger Games. You can play a supporting role with more screen time. It has more prospects than The Meg."

Liu Yifei was a little disappointed: "Eric, when can I play the leading role?"

Eric patted her head and said, "You want to play the leading role after only one or two dramas. You haven't accumulated enough popularity yet. Be careful that your reputation will be ruined. No one will dare to use you in the future."

"Just listen to my instructions and especially practice your Kung Fu. I will arrange some great action scenes for you in The Hunger Games."

"There will be a fierce battle between you and the heroine. You may even be stronger than her and chase her down all the way."

"Although you were defeated in the end, it was not because of the use of force. You were besieged and killed by a surprise attack."

"What kind of characters are more memorable? Such characters. Their powerful fighting ability is the most eye-catching label of the characters."

"Your characters make the audience feel pity for them, and they buy into it, rather than just passing by and leaving the theater with no memory of it."

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up: "I know, just like Lu Bu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Although he didn't appear much, the scene where the three heroes fought against Lu Bu made him shine, and everyone knows him."

"Yes, this is the route I planned for you. You have lived in the United States and should be aware of the limitations of yellow skin. Start with supporting roles and work your way up. Then, playing the leading role will be less controversial."

"And you have a huge advantage, you know that?"

"What?" Liu Yifei looked at Eric curiously.

"Age, age is your advantage. Just like Huang Bo is almost 30 years old and still in school, you have been waiting for the small screen for a long time."

"Then don't be impatient. Give yourself more time to grow. In the future, I will turn you into a world-class female star."

Liu Yifei's anxious heart calmed down: "Okay, then I will listen to your arrangements. You must be responsible for me."

"Career responsibility or emotional responsibility?"

"Eric, you're being annoying again!"

Although she said she hated it, Liu Yifei still added in her heart that it was of course an emotional responsibility.

However, Eric has many scandals, although none of them have been confirmed. But as a powerful person, Liu Yifei doesn't believe that there are no women around him. Maybe those scandals are true.

Besides, there is also Liu Xiaoli's reason, so even though Liu Yifei has a good impression of Eric, it is still too early for her to accept him.

The two met and had something to eat in a cafe at noon, and then she flew back to the United States in the afternoon.

She asked for leave from the crew without Liu Xiaoli's knowledge, and it was only for one day.

As a newcomer, no one knew her background, and Liu Yifei didn't want to publicize her relationship with Eric for the time being, so she hurriedly flew back to China and then hurriedly flew back to the United States.

It can be imagined that after returning, Liu Xiaoli will inevitably face a storm.

In the evening, Eric and Gadot jointly participated in the recording of "A Date with Luyu". Since its launch, this program has achieved huge influence across the country and has good ratings.

Although what were circulated on the Internet later were Lu Yu’s spoofs and dark history, this does not deny the program’s social influence at the time.

"Lu Yu, your show is great, but I heard that you didn't major in hosting."

“Yes, I studied journalism.”

"Really?"

"Of course it's true. You can check it at my university."

"I don't believe it!"

After two busy days, Eric and Gadot did not continue recording the show.

They strolled around Wangfujing, visited the Ming Tombs, and climbed the Badaling Great Wall again.

As the show aired, the popularity of both of them soared, especially Gadot, who was the heroine of the movie and was very easy to recognize.

During the period, there was a one-stop service of signing autographs, taking photos and group pictures, and the main theme was to be close to the people. These things were once again featured on the entertainment pages of websites such as Sina and Sohu, and had a positive effect on the growth of box office.

After staying in China for nearly four days, the two boarded a plane to Australia to start the last leg of their journey.

On the other side of the ocean, the box office battle in the United States is still raging.

"The Last Samurai" only earned 24.4 million US dollars in the first three days of its weekend. This number surprised many of Cruise's fans and analysis agencies, and was also unexpected by Warner Bros.

That's Tom Cruise, the hottest international action star in the world today, and the investment was 140 million US dollars. It was an absolute big production, but it only got 24.4 million at the box office, which is no different from "The Polar Expedition". Both Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe are no longer effective.

The box office performance only ranked second among the new movies released this week.

Even better than it is "The Magic Cat", a family-friendly movie for children, invested by Universal.

Although the movie was criticized for being shoddy, it still took in $40.1 million at the box office thanks to the huge advantage of its G-rating, far exceeding "The Last Samurai."

Ranked third is "Dirty Dancing", invested by Universal, starring the sweet beauty Jessica Alba.

The youth dance genre has a low ceiling, but Alba's beauty can attract a group of people to the cinema, and the film earned 14 million US dollars in box office in the first three days.

Turning our attention to old movies, films like "Kill Bill" and "Haunted Mansion" continue to be suppressed, and the one sitting on the championship throne and making the loudest laugh is still "Transformers".

After earning $97 million in its second week, "Transformers" took in another $52.5 million this week, bringing its total North American box office to $337 million.

Overseas, the film was released in more than a dozen new countries this week, injecting new vitality.

The overseas box office took in $95 million, and the total overseas box office was $363 million.

"Transformers" has grossed $704 million worldwide, officially breaking the $700 million mark, fulfilling Eric's bold statement in just three weeks.

At the same time, "Transformers" also beat "Pirates of the Caribbean" with $654 million to become the third place in the 2003 movie box office rankings.

What’s standing in the way now is The Matrix 2’s $739 million, but everyone knows that even the savior can’t hold on and it will definitely be broken next week.

After flying for more than a week, the two returned to Los Angeles. Gadot wanted to play for a few more days, but Eric really couldn't spare the time.

Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds' European tour has not yet been completed, but AK Films is already urging them to do so.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

During this period, Warren called Eric, hoping to release Ryan Reynolds as soon as possible, because Christmas was approaching and "Sharknado 2" was about to be released, and he was needed to promote it.

At the same time, the Olsen sisters have been urging Eric to come back, because "Blue Is the Warmest Color" will be released in half a month, and he must show up as the director.

Charlize Theron also asked several times when he would come back. On the one hand, she missed Eric, and on the other hand, "Monster" was about to be released.

In other words, "La Vie en Rose" will not be released until next year, otherwise Nicole would have to ask.

Many people at MGM were also waiting for him to come back, as many projects required his signature to go through the formalities.

On the Marvel side, Avi Arad was also looking for him, and it had been a month since the two parties completed the share swap.

But Eric was busy with Transformers and didn't have much energy to take care of Marvel for the time being. Avi Arad waited and waited, but never got any attention.

So he began to worry about gains and losses, and was very worried that Eric was another Perelman who only regarded Marvel as a financial toy and had been waiting anxiously.

In addition to this, the most important thing is MGM's re-listing.

Especially the issue of profit distribution before listing is the key among the keys.

Since the Coopers took over MGM, the company has entered a stage of reconstruction.

Everyone has worked hard with you for more than a year, and they have put in a lot of effort. Naturally, they cannot be left behind when the cake is divided.

Especially when they left their original company, they followed you because they trusted you. Why did they abandon their stable jobs and enter a new environment with an uncertain future? Is it for a fixed salary? They worked hard and waited for this moment, waiting for dividends.

Being willing to make concessions is an ability and character that a qualified boss should possess, and only interests can unite others around you.

In addition to distributing the cake, equity also needs to be nested to ensure that even after MGM goes public again, power will still be firmly in Eric's hands.

For this important event, he postponed the launch time of Lionheart.com and YouTube.

Early Wednesday morning, Avi Arad hurried into Eric's office.

After seeing Eric, he finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Mr. Cooper, I finally see you. This is really not easy."

Eric smiled and asked Chen Xing to make him a cup of coffee.

"Please sit down, Avi. I know you are anxious, so you will be the first person I see after returning home."

After taking the coffee and saying thank you, Aviarad was in no mood to drink it.

"Eric, regarding Marvel, now that you are the largest shareholder, what are your plans?"

"I mean, it's been over a month, we have to do something."

"Avi, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush. You just want to go the film and television route. I agree with this strategy."

"The only valuable characters we have are Thor, Captain America and Ant-Man. The other characters are not worth having independent films."

"I have been thinking about it for a while now. The first movie I will shoot is Captain America."

Hearing this, Aviarad held back all the words he wanted to say. He thought it would take a lot of talking to get them to agree, but he didn't expect it to be so easy.

But then he asked cautiously: "What about the investment amount?"

"Don't worry, I know better than you how much money a superhero movie costs. It won't be less than $120 million."

"Yes!"

Avi Arad excitedly pumped his fist. He was so young that he could actually do such a thing. He was indeed childish. What a true love! "I haven't finished yet. You can wait a while before getting excited."

"What?"

"I plan to create a Marvel superhero movie universe, not just Captain America, he will only be the beginning of this movie universe."

"Then gradually bring characters like Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange and others to the big screen."

“At the same time, we need to let these characters make cameo appearances in other people’s movies, and use a main line to connect all the characters together.”

"I've already thought of the main plot. I'll use six Infinity Stones, one for each main character."

"Then we set up a biggest villain, and Thanos is quite suitable. His powerful equipment in the comics is the Infinity Gauntlet."

"In order to collect the Infinity Stones, he clashed with the heroes of Earth. When all the major characters were brought to the big screen, that was when Thanos was released."

"That's about it, do you understand?"

Avi Arad is a fan of comics himself. The multiverses in American comics are more chaotic and complicated than what Eric described, so he understood it instantly.

After I understood it, I became even more excited. It turned out that Eric had already made a plan, and it was more far-reaching than my own.

He is still determined to make a film to test the waters, but people have already drawn up a plan for the next decade or so.

No wonder he managed to lead MGM out of the quagmire in just one year. He is indeed a great strategic master.

"It's good that you can understand. I will write the script myself during this period."

"Boss, what do you need me to do?"

"Your task is even harder. Try your best to get the copyright back from the major companies."

Avi Arad sighed heavily, "Selling the copyright is my most painful memory. I will do my best."

"Well, do you have any talent who is proficient in the film industry?"

Aviarad thought for a moment and said, "There seems to be a good young man. He is currently working at Beech Toys and we get along well."

"What's your name?"

"Kevin Feige."

(End of this chapter)