Chapter 344 342. Another $3 billion spent
"Mother"
Liu Xiaoli opened her eyes tiredly and saw her daughter standing in front of the bed.
"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you sleeping? It's only what time is it now."
"I woke up and couldn't find Eric. No one was in the bathroom either. Do you know where he went?"
Old Liu thought to himself, where can I go? After making trouble for your mother, I can just pat my butt and leave.
Eric had already told her about the situation. There were six hungry tigers and wolves at home, and he would not easily stay overnight outside.
"He, he left. He left after you fell asleep."
"Ah? Why are you leaving? You didn't even tell me."
Looking at her somewhat silly daughter, Liu Xiaoli sat up, and her skin immediately became red and swollen. The damn guy had no mercy on women at all.
"Xixi, sit here, I want to talk to you about something."
"What's up?"
"About you and Eric."
It is now mid-June and a fierce battle is taking place in movie theaters.
Disney's blockbuster "Mulan 2" was released. Seven years ago in 1998, also in mid-June, the first Mulan met with global audiences.
As an ancient Chinese legend, Mulan's military service was given a new twist by Hollywood, a film based on the story of a wealthy Chinese woman joining the army.
After Disney's production, the characters were vivid and interesting, and eventually the film grossed over $300 million worldwide.
That was $300 million in 1998. Needless to say, it was one of the top ten best-selling movies in the world that year.
The Chinese character Hua Mulan also became one of the Disney princesses.
This incident dealt a heavy blow to domestic filmmakers at the time. It was an indescribable irony.
As a sequel, "Mulan 2" is naturally highly anticipated. Many children and adults are waiting to go to the cinema to experience Mulan and Mushu again.
Unfortunately, ideals are full and reality is very skinny.
Although it was produced by the original team, "Mulan 2" received rave reviews after its release.
Since there is no blessing of legendary stories, the screenwriter applied modern core concepts to the ancients and turned the movie into a melodramatic love story.
This forced adaptation created a serious sense of disconnection and discomfort, and directors Rell Rooney and Lynn Sutherland were almost scolded by the audience and critics.
Such a good subject is wasted like this, it would be better not to shoot it.
Elizabeth wanted to take Eric to the premiere, but he refused.
"Baby, promise me you won't watch it. It's a completely terrible movie. You will be disappointed."
"Why? How do you know when you haven't even seen it yet?" Ao Mei was a little dissatisfied.
"Because this movie was shot last year, it has been sitting in Disney's film library for a year."
"If it was really a high-quality, high-quality film, they would have already taken it out last year to snipe at MGM."
"But the fact is that Disney chose to let the film sit in the library and collect dust. Why do you think that is?"
"Although your analysis makes sense, I still want to see it. That's my childhood. Okay, will you go with me?" Ao Mei pouted and started to act coquettishly.
Eric was so pestered by her that he had no choice but to agree: "Call me daddy and I'll take you there!"
"dad!"
"Good boy, let's go."
Then Olsen vomited before she even finished watching the movie, and cursed as she vomited, saying that it was a pure money-making movie with no sincerity at all.
MGM released a blockbuster in June, "Rampage" starring Fassbender.
This movie is actually the Fast and the Furious Rio bank robbery brought to the big screen.
As the protagonist, Fassbender naturally takes over Paul Walker's role.
Then they also brought in Dwayne Johnson, with a bald head on top of a bald head, and his target was naturally the family hero Vin Diesel.
Although Johnson will become a top Hollywood star in another ten years, his popularity is not as high as Vin Diesel's now.
His main job is still in WWE. In the film industry, he made a cameo appearance as the Scorpion King in "The Mummy 2" and starred in the spin-off movie "The Scorpion King".
The other works he starred in received mediocre responses. When I received the invitation and saw that it had two male protagonists and was an A-level production, I was so happy that my nose was bubbling.
The female lead role was given to Eliza Dushku, who had gained some fame for playing Agent Carter in "Captain America".
At this point, the film tailor-made for the British trio is complete.
And "Rampage" is just as its name suggests, a high-speed race in the cinema.
The violent car scenes, especially the one in which a safe is used as a weapon to rampage through the streets, made every audience member who walked into the cinema excited.
It's so exciting, this is what racing is like!
Although film critics did not acknowledge the film's connotation, they praised it as a qualified commercial blockbuster.
If you want to get your adrenaline pumping, go watch Drive at the movies.
As for "Fast and Furious", the pressure is on them.
Fassbender, Johnson and Eliza Dushku also became famous overnight, and this will become their masterpiece.
However, although "Storm" was very fierce, it could only get the second place.
Because there is also a national super IP "Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith".
As a Chinese in his previous life, Eric had seen the Star Wars movies, but to be honest, he didn't think they were that great.
He would still buy Transformers and Lord of the Rings peripherals, but Star Wars had never occupied his heart.
But it’s different after coming to the United States. When Star Wars elements pop up around you from time to time, you will naturally blend in with it over time.
It’s like a kind of cultural identity, the atmosphere has been formed and will gradually assimilate the people around.
Just like the old TV series based on the Four Great Classical Novels, everyone says they are good, and you slowly accept them.
Moreover, compared to "Attack of the Clones", George Lucas is obviously more attentive in this film and has made progress in polishing the script.
The big IP and good reputation naturally brought explosive box office.
In just half a month, it has grossed $488 million worldwide, not only allowing Lucas to redeem himself from his previous failures, but also making Fox's biggest hit of the year.
As for the sniper plan that Eric and Judy had originally made, it was no longer necessary.
Now MGM is the industry leader and Warner is about to be acquired. Anyone with a discerning eye knows how to choose.
"Drive" took in $124 million in North America, and Box Office predicts that it will eventually reach $450 million worldwide. Whether it can reach $500 million depends on luck.
Mulan 2? No one cares about that piece of garbage anymore.
While the box office battle was raging, entertainment journalists were focusing on the other side.
Hundreds of media outlets carrying cameras surrounded a holiday villa in Santa Monica.
Even at the seaside, the weather in June was very hot, but even though these people were sweating profusely, they were reluctant to leave and were still waiting for the villa door to open.
"How long have they been in there?"
"It'll be an hour soon, damn it, come out quickly, why did you choose this place?"
"It's only been an hour. I guess we'll have to wait for a while."
"It's hard to say. The content should have been agreed upon in advance. Just sign it at the last minute."
"I hope so, but the movie hasn't been released yet. Why doesn't George Lucas wait for a while? The higher the box office, the more he gets."
“Maybe they have paid according to the estimated box office. And don’t forget that “Drive,” “The Conjuring 2” and “Chronicle” have also kept MGM’s stock price growing.”
"What does Lucasfilm have? It's nothing more than the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series. There won't be a sequel to Star Wars in the short term, and there are no plans for Indiana Jones."
"If we keep dragging our feet, Lucasfilm will fall further and further behind MGM. We might as well do a favor and join now."
"I heard that George Lucas is planning to retire. Maybe it's true. The Star Wars prequel trilogy has ended. He has indeed completed his mission."
"I've heard this rumor before. He must be at least 60 years old. It would be better for him to enjoy some leisure time at this age."
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
"It's amazing! Once MGM swallows up Lucasfilm, special effects technology will usher in a qualitative leap. This lion is constantly strengthening and improving itself."
"I think Disney is in trouble. It will become increasingly difficult for it to resist the attack from MGM."
"Mulan 2 is such a bad movie, but Michael Aeneas still refuses to step down. I don't understand what Disney's board of directors is doing."
"According to rumors, they are already considering firing Michael Ainas, and they might even ask for peace."
“Is this true or false?”
"I don't know. I said it was just gossip."
Clap, clap, clap. At this moment, everyone in the villa stood up and applauded.
Eric and George Lucas held hands and signed their names on the document on the table, symbolizing the official completion of the acquisition of Lucasfilm.
The transaction cost a total of US$3.055 billion and was made in a combination of equity and cash.
The contract includes Lucasfilm, as well as core resources such as Industrial Light & Magic special effects company and Skywalker mixing studio.
From then on these things belonged to Eric's personal property.
That’s right, it doesn’t belong to MGM, but to Eric personally.
Because Lucasfilm is a company that is 100% owned by George Lucas and is not listed on the stock market at all.
So Eric bought it for $2 billion and 3.87% of MGM's equity.
With this equity, George Sr. becomes the second largest individual shareholder of MGM.
However, he said that he would not participate in the operation of the company. He just wanted to quietly collect dividends and ensure that he would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life.
On the contrary, Warner spent $51 billion on this acquisition.
But since it is a listed company, what Eric bought is actually equivalent to the shares of those on the board of directors.
He will personally become Warner's largest shareholder, but Warner does not belong to him personally. A lot of money belongs to the market and shareholders.
"Let's go. There are still many reporters waiting outside. It's time to announce the good news to everyone."
"good."
George Lucas nodded, and the two walked in front side by side.
Snap!
The door of the villa opened, the waiter greeted them, and the reporters immediately shouted "Long live" in their hearts and hurried in.
After arriving at the hall and waiting for a while, I saw a young man and an old man with a white beard walking out, each with a group of people.
"I am honored to announce to you that I have just reached a cooperation agreement with Mr. George Lucas."
"I will personally purchase the entire Lucasfilm from Mr. Lucas in a combination of equity and cash for $3.055 billion."
The old man took over the conversation: "This is definitely an exciting collaboration. Eric is a very capable and accomplished filmmaker and entrepreneur."
"Under his leadership, it is foreseeable that the company will develop better, which is what I look forward to."
After saying this, the two hugged each other gently in front of everyone, and then faced the reporters, allowing them to take photos to record this important moment.
After a burst of flashes, reporters at the scene began to raise their hands to ask questions.
"Mr. Cooper, owning Lucasfilm means you own Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Do you plan to make a new series?"
Eric smiled and pointed to the ceiling: "Revenge of the Sith is still in the theaters now. I don't think Star Wars will be restarted in the short term."
"But I've considered doing a TV series. Star Wars has never been on the small screen, and it would be an interesting story."
Hearing this, the reporter asked excitedly, "I'm a big fan of Star Wars, Mr. Cooper, have you written the script yet?"
"No, I just had an idea. This story will take place after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order, and will revolve around the remote star belts of the galaxy far away from the control of the New Republic."
"There are many clues and characters to explore, which will connect the plot of the Star Wars series together."
"Is there a name? Have you named this series?" another reporter asked quickly.
"Yeah! I want to call it The Mandalorian."
The reporters immediately memorized the name and published articles as soon as they returned. It would definitely attract a huge amount of traffic when the movie was released.
"What about Indiana Jones? Are there any plans for Indiana Jones? The last movie was more than a decade ago."
Eric was thinking back to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Although it was produced by Spielberg, the film received mixed reviews.
The plot did not capture the pulse of the market and the times, and was met with a wave of criticism.
Although the word of mouth is not as good as the first three films, the box office is very popular, with nearly 800 million US dollars worldwide.
The $800 million in 2008 was much higher than that of "Iron Man".
After all, it is the return of a big IP after more than ten years, and it can make a lot of money by selling feelings.
If you can avoid those big pitfalls and change the plot, the movie will be very interesting.
"Yes, I personally also like the Indiana Jones series very much. Indiana Jones is every man's dream hero."
"I will make the fourth part, maybe it will be available to everyone during the Christmas season next year."
The reporters were in high spirits again, with breaking news coming one after another.
After a few more questions, they turned their attention to George Lucas.
The old man smiled and waved his hand: "Yes, I will not be involved in the development of the Star Wars series in the future. At most, I will serve as an art director or something like that."
"I am an old man who can no longer keep up with the times of the young people. Let me take a break."
"What do I want to do?"
"I will probably try to shoot some experimental films. This has always been my wish, but I just don't have the time, you know."
“Of course, I have 100% confidence that Eric can bring new life to both series, and I will definitely pay attention to The Mandalorian.”
(End of this chapter)