America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 217 216. Three visits to China

"You know YouTube? It's the most fun website in the world. You can always find something new on YouTube."

"When you enter YouTube, you feel like you have entered a new world. You will find that the purpose of the Internet is to truly understand the world and what people you are not familiar with are doing."

"Here, you will see geniuses, ordinary people, idiots, scientists, artists, teachers, everything you want is here!"

As the British BBC, France's Sky TV, Australia's Sydney TV, Japan's Tokyo TV and other countries began to report on what was happening in the United States.

The shoulder-shaking dance has successfully spread from the United States to the world, and many people are also aware of the emerging video website YouTube.

Although YouTube currently only operates in the United States, its servers have not yet entered other countries.

However, the server configuration eliminated by the military network can still alleviate the impact of cross-border network speeds to a certain extent, allowing many people who like new things to explore this strange website across borders.

Unlike Facebook, YouTube does not even require users to have an account. Visitors can also browse casually, which is simple and convenient.

Howard Hughes reported to Eric: "Boss, tens of thousands of IP accounts from other countries are accessing the website every day. We have really become popular!"

“That’s fine, both Facebook and YouTube will inevitably go global. Facebook will take the lead, but it seems that YouTube can catch up.”

"Boss, I have discovered a phenomenon. The connection between Facebook and YouTube is gradually forming, and it is not just the most basic connection such as account interoperability."

"Because we have set up a bonus pool, many video creators will choose to share their videos on Facebook in order to get rewards."

"Of course, this is only a small part. The main force is users. Many interesting videos give everyone a sense of freshness that they have never experienced before."

"Many users took the initiative to share it after seeing it, and it also helped their Facebook accounts gain followers. The two parties formed a promotional effect."

Eric had already expected this. When Lionheart Network comes online again in a while, these three will form a trinity.

Provide support and ammunition to each other, and ultimately form a situation of mutual promotion.

"Are the videos for "ppap" and "Shark Dance" ready?"

"Well, I've been holding it in my hand for several days, just waiting for you, boss, to give orders."

"Very good. The popularity of shoulder-shaking dance has not passed yet. When the popularity subsides, we will put it on the market to attract another wave of traffic."

"receive!"

Late at night, on a plane flying to China, Eric and Michael were sitting in the first class cabin.

Eric is okay, even though he has been in the limelight recently, winning the Golden Globe Award and the title of the youngest billionaire.

However, the spread of his popularity is still limited to the United States. Even in the United States, many people do not know him.

If you don’t believe me, ask yourself, who is the youngest rich man in China? Who is the 51st richest person in the world?

A few ordinary people can answer it, but everyone only knows the richest man and the most famous ones.

Only when Eric replaces Bill Gates or wins an award that attracts more attention from outsiders, such as Best Director, will his popularity skyrocket.

Mykko was different. He was so famous that even if he was sitting in first class and the passengers around him were all successful elites, he was still very excited to see him.

These people came up frequently to ask for autographs and photos, and Eric was pushed to the back by them.

The flight attendant didn’t care, because the flight attendant was also waiting in line for autographs and photos.

It took a long time for these people to settle down, so sometimes celebrities really need to hire bodyguards or buy a private jet or something.

On the one hand, you are responsible for your own safety, and on the other hand, you are also responsible for the order of the place, because there have been too many incidents of crazy star chasing causing congestion and riots.

"Everyone is so enthusiastic that my seat has become a public place." Eric complained.

Maikou smiled and said: "Just get used to it. When you become a big star, these things will be essential. You will experience it soon."

"Forget it, I have no interest in being watched. The spotlight only makes me feel dazzled, so I can do it as a director, but I won't do it as an actor."

Maikou pointed at Eric: "If your face appears on the camera, it will definitely attract the attention of countless young girls."

"Well, what I said is the same as what my dad said. The path he originally arranged for me was to be an actor. He thought that with this face, I would be able to become at least a second-tier star."

"Even if the business is not up to standard, by the time you get older and become more mature, you will already earn enough money to spend the rest of your life."

"Then why not follow this path? It sounds much simpler than what you are doing now."

Eric made a gesture that insulted the stick: "Although it is simple, the upper limit is only a little. If you really go this way, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with your case, and we won't be sitting here now." On the flight to China."

Maikou nodded thoughtfully: "It sounds like everything is destined."

The plane landed slowly at Yanjing Airport. This time, Maikou signed a three-day contract with CCTV, charging 100,000 yuan for a performance.

It's an almost negligible number, obviously symbolic, and far less than a Super Bowl performance.

Although the remuneration for the Super Bowl halftime show is also very low, the standard is based on the union. Even if it is low, the NFL will still spend millions of dollars on it after accounting for the split between artists, artist teams, agencies, etc.

The remuneration for the Spring Festival Gala is even lower, which means hiring foreign talents will cost a fortune.

With such little money, CCTV naturally had to take care of food and accommodation, but Eric refused.

The place arranged by CCTV was crowded with people, so it was better to live with him.

Here, Susan was asked to make arrangements for McQueen and his team, and Eric went to Oriental MGM in the Science and Technology Park first.

I have helped with so many things, and the feedback here is also very fast. I will give him a reply before the New Year.

The secretary led him to the office, where Chen Ou and Han Sanping were drinking tea and chatting.

Seeing Eric stand up immediately, Old Han still had the same bold character and came up to give him a bear hug first.

Chen Ou was more elegant, and the two smiled and shook hands and sat down.

"Old Han, we haven't seen each other for only two months. There's no need to be so excited every time. I'm still not used to hugging men."

Old Han laughed and said, "I get excited when I see you. When I get excited, I don't have any rules when it comes to doing things."

"He can't help but be excited. The filming of "The Meg" has already been approved. The organization has discussed his work, and the results will be announced in the next few days."

Chen Ou told the reasons. They were all people with interests, and the results would be announced soon. There was no need to hide it.

Eric raised his eyes and looked at Lao Han: "Did you straighten it?"

"Haha. The results haven't been announced yet, but they are close to ten, so they should be stable."

"congratulations!"

Lao Han said happily again: "I'm glad I'm glad. It's thanks to your support of my work that things can go so smoothly."

"Looking at it this way, I should call you Director Han from now on."

Old Han waved his hand.

"Director Han, or Old Han sounds kind, I'm used to it. Besides, how can I, the chairman, be compared to you, the chairman?"

"You are worth billions of dollars, and ten of me combined can't compare to you."

"Hahaha, you can't say that. Money doesn't represent power. There are seven major Hollywood film companies, and there are also powerful second-rate companies such as New Line, Lionsgate, and Dimensions."

"In Hollywood, I can't say the same thing as you. People can ignore me if they don't want to sell my face, but in China, no one dares not to drink your tea."

Chen Ou said: "That was in the past, and soon those people will not dare not to drink your coffee."

"What do you mean? Have you agreed?" Eric turned to look at him.

Chen Ou nodded and motioned for Eric to sit down.

"Eric, regarding your last proposal, after I reported it to the director, the bureau took it very seriously."

"We held many meetings and studied it. Although there was resistance, it was finally passed. After reporting it to the leadership, it was also approved."

"In principle, a three-year exploratory period is set. As long as it does not violate public order, good customs and the law, American dramas will be allowed to be re-introduced for domestic broadcast."

Old Han patted him on the shoulder: "Eric, the bureau has decided. We will proceed according to the results of our discussion last time."

"China is unified and Eastern MGM is solely responsible for the introduction. The official document is expected to be issued soon after the year."

"Once the documents are released, the introduction work can start."

"This is what you have been thinking about, and it's done!"

Eric's face was filled with joy: "Bureau Chen, Lao Han, you gave me a big surprise today. I thought it would take a few months no matter how fast it went."

“I was all ready to solve the resistance problem, but I didn’t expect it to pass so smoothly.”

"It took a lot of effort, thank you, thank you very much!"

Chen Ou nodded: "Friends are meant to help each other. Eric, you have been helping Chinese film and television culture expand its overseas influence."

"After the leaders learned about it, they recognized and valued it very much. There is an old saying in China that it is disrespectful to come back and not reciprocate."

"Let a friend only suffer a loss without getting anything in return. Chinese people cannot do such a thing."

"Those small African countries have helped us a little, and China has always returned the favor tenfold. A country of etiquette pays attention to benevolence and justice."

Han Sanping explained: "There is actually another important reason why it passed so quickly this time."

"Now in China, Korean and Wanwan idol dramas are popular in the streets and have a great impact on society, especially young people."

"So the higher-ups also hope to reintroduce American dramas to dilute the influence of Hallyu and Wanwan, speed up the integration of the domestic cultural market with international standards, and promote faster maturity."

"Then when I get back in a few days, I will immediately start setting up a new company." Eric said.

"Well, I'm considering not airing the first drama on CCTV for the time being, and letting Yanjing Satellite TV be the one to take over."

Eric understood Chen Ou's worries and was still afraid of the possible negative impact, so he asked the local government to make the first splash.

"This is your business, I won't interfere, but let Yanjing TV broadcast it. Why don't you see Lao Zhou today?"

"He is busy with the Spring Festival Gala. Tonight is the Spring Festival Gala of Yanjing Satellite TV, and he can't get away."

"But I have already told him the matter. Lao Zhou is a man of affection and understands the rules, so he has already agreed."

"After he finishes his work today, you can meet and discuss before you leave what genre to introduce for the first play."

"Be the first to fight. If we want to fight, we must start. Only after we start can we report to the leadership."

The introduction of the American TV series was settled so quickly. Eric was also very happy. The three of them had dinner together at noon and talked about "The Meg".

After Eric left the script last time, the project was quickly approved after some revisions, and the money was already available.

In fact, if filming is to start, it can start a month in advance, and it is mainly stuck in the casting process.

MGM helped find Guo Dastanson to play the leading role. Although Guo Da is not currently a first-line action actor, there are some in the second line.

Especially last year, he contributed wonderful fighting and performance in "The Trafficker" written by Luc Besson, which made him famous.

The film only made a small profit at the box office, but the video tape market was booming, selling tens of millions, which was better than many major productions.

He is only one hit movie away from being a top action actor, perhaps next year's "Trafficker 2".

At this point in time, we are in a stage where the pay is not high but the price-performance ratio is very high. Action movies are declining again, so we only spent 3 million US dollars to sign the film.

It was very easy to decide on the male lead, mainly because the Chinese female lead was the leading one in China.

After the news was released, not to mention the big names, even the slightly famous actresses wanted to participate.

Michelle Yeoh, Karen Mok, Zhang Ziyi, Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin, Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, Xu Qing, Shu Qi, Xu Jinglei

As long as the age and image are not too different, female stars will almost come out to compete for this role.

Films co-produced by China and the United States will still be hotly contested even after more than ten years, let alone at this time.

Moreover, the investment for "The Meg" was US$50 million, split half between MGM and China Film.

The investment in "Heroes" two years ago was US$30 million, and the investment in "The Meg" almost doubled.

With such a good opportunity, I took advantage of the poor insurance and immediately jumped into the international arena, becoming as famous as Gong Li and Maggie Cheung. Who wouldn't be tempted?

Eric didn't know what kind of fighting and competition went on internally, but Han Sanping must have taken the photo.

The heroine eventually fell to Xu Jinglei, the darling of Beijing circles.

At this point in time, the Beijing circle still has a great influence in the Chinese entertainment industry, so a lot of money must have been paid to help her get this role.

But Eric doesn't care about these things. Who the heroine loves has almost no impact on the movie.

"The Meg" is a man's drama, to be more precise, it is a drama between men and sharks. The addition of a heroine is purely for co-production and embellishment.

Just like "Transformers", the audience chose to watch this movie because they went to watch romance.

After lunch, Eric returned to the hotel. After resting for a while, he accompanied Michael to CCTV in the afternoon to prepare for the rehearsal.