Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 561 Money and Shopping

"Paramount CEO, got Fox job!"

Today's New York Times, on the front page of the business news, is the news that Barry Diller, the former chairman and CEO of Paramount, resigned and went to work for Twentieth Century Fox.

The report listed many of Diller's critically acclaimed films during his time at Paramount, such as "Ordinary People", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Lightning Dance" and so on.

This time, he resigned not only from Paramount, but also as the president of Paramount's parent company Gulf West, as well as a series of concurrent positions at Simon & Schuster Publishing House.

The compensation for giving up all this is his detached position at Twentieth Century Fox.Fox's boss, oil tycoon Marvin Davis, will give Barry Diller a junior partner position, at least 250 percent of the shares, and no less than his annual salary of [-] million in Paramount.

Barry Diller will assume his new role on September [-].

Paramount president Michael Eisner, 42, and production executive Jeff Katzenberg, 33, flew to New York this afternoon to meet Martin Davis, president of Paramount parent company Overseas West.

The two are rumored favorites to succeed Barry Diller.Although Gulf Western said that Barry Diller's position and responsibilities are likely to be taken over by multiple different people, Paramount is also seeking to reshuffle the executive positions.

Martin Davis said that the new management will be announced in the near future.And he said he hadn't heard of Barry Diller's intention to resign before Monday night.

"Mr. Eisner is currently busy fighting for more power games in the high-level reshuffle. About your new movie, he will discuss with you as soon as possible after successfully taking over as CEO."

Agent Nisita relayed Eisner's thoughts.Barry Diller resigned suddenly, he and Katzenberg were a little off guard, and now all that matters is getting the nod from Gulf West president Martin Davis.

There were also rumors that Katzenberg wanted to become president of the newly formed Tri-Star, and Eisner was trying to convince him to stay with him at Paramount.

"I didn't expect the salaries of their executives to be so high." Ronald was very interested in the annual salary of the former Paramount president Diller disclosed by the newspaper. The annual salary plus bonus was 250 million U.S. dollars. [-]% of the shares are taken, and these executives do nothing, just sit and get money, and they are the easiest people in this industry to make money.

"Hey, your income is considered very good among directors." Nisita said very happily. He drove himself and picked Ronald up to the Cannon Company. It was Minahan who notified the first "Breakdancing" dividends today. day.

"Our movie, Breakdance, has already exceeded 500 million at the box office in the American market alone. Facts have proved that our Cannon can make a lot of money in the movie business!" Minahan waved his hand violently. !

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

When I entered Cannon's office, I heard Minahan holding a staff meeting.On the stage in the screening room, Minahan held a microphone and announced the good news loudly to the employees with a happy face.

"Soon we will give everyone a special bonus. In the days to come, we will shoot more and better movies. We will also strive for Oscar and Golden Globe nominations."

"Papapa" The employees applauded quickly when they heard the bonus.

"Next, we will go in two ways. On the one hand, we will shoot more commercial blockbusters. We have already recruited Bruce Lee's partner, and Chuck Norris will continue to shoot commercial films. On the other hand, we have also recruited Ender Rei Goncharovsky, making art films..."

Minahan babbled on to the staff for 10 minutes before he finally saw Ronald arrive.Handing the microphone to his subordinates, he happily dragged Ronald to the meeting room.

"Your accountant has arrived, Lawrence, Lawrence," Minahan called the name of Ronald's accountant who had arrived earlier.

"Have you finished reconciling the accounts?"

"It's done." Lawrence smiled all over his face. This time, the dividend was even more than he expected.

As of now, America's box office total is in the early seventy-five million and is expected to exceed $500 million.

Excluding the 700 million box office issued by MGM, Cannon's own distribution is also close to 4000 million.

The total gross profit attributable to the producer and distributor is about 3000 million.In addition, the distribution fee from MGM, the copy production fee from Cannon Pictures, and the cost of marketing materials on site are also included.The final profit available for distribution is 500 million.

According to the director's contract, Ronald can get a 150% dividend, which is [-] million US dollars.

This part of the money is just the profit on the account, and all the box office revenue will be recovered until next year.Of course, Minahan will not let this long and excessive billing period hinder his investment in other movies.

Using this income as a guarantee, he borrowed $1000 million in low-interest loans from Belgian banks.Today is the first dividend, and Ronald can get half of the total dividend amount, which is 75 US dollars.

In addition, the sales of "break dance" overseas are gratifying, because a break dance appeared in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, and more than 2 million viewers around the world who watched the program were fascinated by this dance.Many countries have purchased a lot of film copies.

According to the share ratio agreed in advance, Ronald can get 40% of the income from the sale of all overseas copies, which is [-] US dollars.

The total income of 110 million US dollars made Ronald overjoyed.It's the first time he's grossed more than $100 million from a single movie.

"Your friend Miss Jodie Foster has called and I've asked her to audition. We're still going to let Goncharovsky decide for himself. Also, the filming of the Breakdance sequel is done. Would you like Let's take a look?" Minahan had just enjoyed Ronald's joy of counting money, so he didn't pull him to say more, and after explaining a few words, he ordered the driver to take Ronald and his party back.

He quickly wrote a check to his agent, accountant, lawyer, etc., and he had more than 90 dollars left. Ronald felt that he could indulge himself a little.

"I want to buy a house in Los Angeles so I don't have to rent a house when I'm socializing and partying."

"Haha, it's easy to buy a house in Los Angeles, but it's not so easy to buy a house where people in the circle can be easily invited to parties." Nisita explained to Ronald with a smile.

In Hollywood, mansions are mainly distributed in three areas.One is the traditional Beverly Hills, where since the [-]s, the most powerful people live in a collection of mansions.The richer people live closer to the top of the mountain.

The second area is Malibu, where in addition to the typical sunny beaches in Southern California, there are many strange rocks, which is an ideal choice for stars' vacation homes.Many people will go there for vacation in summer, but it is not suitable for permanent residence all year round.

The third area is a gathering place for bachelors mainly on Mulholland Road.It is also known for its frenzied parties.But since Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando and other golden bachelors have led the way, the housing prices here have also been inflated.

The cheapest small building in the three areas, which is suitable for parties, costs more than US$100 million.

It's not that Ronald can't afford it, but he doesn't want to invest all his money in this kind of luxury house, nor does he want to take out a mortgage.Instead, I want to use it to invest in film production, or simply buy some stocks to eat dividends.

"Okay then, I'll continue to rent. Find me a big house that is convenient for parties, with at least three living rooms, a three-car garage and a driver's house. The lawn, swimming pool, and tennis court should also be sound."

Nisita made an OK gesture to show that he knew, "Three garages? Are you going to buy a new car?"

"Yes, my driver in New York, Bud, will be here soon. I want a good car with a car phone installed in the back, and the kind where you can read and write in it. It's a waste of time to drive by yourself."

"Then Mercedes-Benz is the most suitable for you. It has all the facilities you mentioned, and the price is not very expensive. The quality of German products is guaranteed." Nisita said, "Three garages, you still need to buy a A sports car?"

Hollywood star actors, and directors, the first thing they do before and after is often to buy a sports car.

"Yeah, I want to see a Ferrari." Ronald remembered Jane Morgan's teachings, he couldn't let others look down on him, he had to have a sports car commensurate with his status.

"Welcome to Ferrari," said a silver-haired salesman, stopping Ronald and Nisita.He saw the handmade suits of the two of them and the Armani boat shoes on their feet, and he had a rough idea of ​​what model this customer could afford.

"Let me recommend the 308 for you," he led Ronald to an open-top Ferrari.

"This 308 used to be the protagonist's car in the TV series Magnum PI, so Ferrari fans also call her Magnum PI. The lead actor Tom Selleck himself also drives this 308."

Ronald opened the door and sat in, the driver's seat was a little smaller.

The silver-haired salesman helped him adjust the seat, "This is a compact Ferrari, and it is also the most suitable one for beginners. It is equipped with a 2.9-displacement V8 engine."

The salesman turned on the headlights. The 308 is a hidden headlight. With a snap, the headlights flipped out from the front of the car.He got into the co-pilot and said to Ronald, "Try?"

Ronald followed suit and drove out.

The engine screamed sharply, Ronald drove around on the road, turned off the engine and got out of the car.

"Do you have a bigger one?" Ronald felt that the driver's seat was uncomfortable. The price of this car was more than 5000 US dollars. It was indeed very entry-level and well-known.Belong to inexpensive.It's a pity that the space in the driver's seat is too small for him to drive comfortably.

"Of course, look at this one"

The silver-haired salesman thought that what Ronald disliked was that the car's displacement was too small, and immediately introduced him to the latest Ferrari Testarossa.

This car has air intakes on both sides, and behind the doors is a shark fin-shaped air intake.

"The 4.9-displacement V12 engine can accelerate from [-] kilometers in only six seconds. It is also the car of Don Simpson, the protagonist of another TV series 'Miami Vice'."

Ronald looked around the Testarossa. This car was bigger than the 308 just now. The engine is a classic mid-mounted configuration. The whole car is square and full of power.

After sitting on it, the driver's seat is very spacious. Ronald turned the key and turned on the ignition, and also took a test drive.The power of this car is much better than the previous one, and the sound is very wild.Ronald was a little unsure at the beginning, but after he got used to it, he drove very well.

"This one is a bit too big and too muscular." Ronald drove the car back to the original place. The engine noise was very loud when the car was driving. If the window was open, the co-pilot could not hear it clearly.

Coupled with the front and rear square lines, which are completely inconsistent with the streamlined design of a traditional Ferrari car like a female body, Ronald hesitated a bit.

"Are there any models in between?"

The silver-haired salesman shook his head slowly. Although this person is personable, he is obviously a layman in sports cars. For him, maybe a 308 is the most cost-effective choice for going out with face.This Testarossa costs [-], which is a waste in the hands of people who don't appreciate it.

What a good engine, good design, in the hands of celebrities who don't know cars, it's a waste of money.

"Vince, let this gentleman take a look at that parallel-imported car." The owner of the dealership turned out from behind, and he recognized Nisita, a client who could be accompanied by this CAA gold broker, It must be a big deal, since he doesn't like these two cars, why not show him the car that was put on hold after the customer went bankrupt after it was introduced.

"Okay, please follow me." The silver-haired salesman showed pain on his face. It was specially designed and manufactured by Ferrari for participating in road GT races.

At the corner behind, a red Ferrari was parked quietly.

"Isn't this the same as 308?" Ronald looked at the front face, which was also a hidden headlight.Behind the door are two air intakes, where the body narrows like a woman's waist.

"No, he is unique." The silver-haired salesman stepped forward to open the car door and put the key in.Then ask Ronald to go in and test drive.

Turning the key lightly, Ronald heard a soft engine sound, as if a girl was speaking softly.

Really extraordinary.Ronald started the car and turned up the headlights.It opened slowly.The appearance of the front of the air intake of this car is somewhat similar to that of the 308, but the air intakes on both sides are much larger.And the sound of the engine is very light, which is different from the sharp 308 and violent Testarossa.

As soon as he stepped on the accelerator, Ronald felt the difference.The throttle response of this car was very quick, and the engine sound was very soft, as if he didn't bother to show his glory at this speed, Ronald continued to step on the gas pedal.

"Woo..." The low-pitched engine is like a lady, singing softly with ease.

"I'm very satisfied, how much is this car?" Ronald drove the car back and asked the silver-haired salesman.

"This is the Ferrari GTO288, and only a little over 200 were built in the world."

The silver-haired salesman stroked her tenderly, "It's designed for GT Rally racing, with a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 racing engine. There's also an air-to-air intercooler, fuel-injected, and a portrait-mounted model in racing configuration, There is room for the rear of the transmission, so wider tires can be installed for faster speeds.

Let me tell you, this is the fastest street-legal vehicle in America right now.Because only [-] cars were built, they did not meet the standards for imported cars in America, so they had to be introduced in parallel as European property in the name of an exclusive car by the company.

The company of the owner who just made the reservation went bankrupt, and he only stayed here for a few days, so he was expected to be snatched up soon. "

"Okay, how much is it?" Ronald inexplicably had a good impression of this GTO288, perhaps it was the gentle and powerful feeling that made him find a resonance.

"The original price is [-] U.S. dollars. After all the import procedures have been completed, the total is [-]. If you have a company, you can go through the transfer procedures immediately." The shop owner came over and said.

"Is it too expensive?" Nisita knew that Ronald didn't spend much money on toys, so he wanted to bargain.

"That's her." Ronald liked it more and more, took out the checkbook and signed it and handed it over.

"Please wait a moment, let me confirm." The store owner took the check and went to the backstage to call the bank for confirmation.

"This is a beauty that needs to be appreciated by a strong man, and controlled by a man with control." The silver-haired salesman came over to shake hands with Ronald, congratulating him on his vision.

"I will treat her well," Ronald nodded in agreement.

　Something is delayed today

　
(End of this chapter)