America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 345 343. Formulate new industry rules

"Breaking news, Eric Cooper acquires Lucasfilm for $3 billion, deal completed."

"Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark have changed hands, and the first Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian, will be available to everyone in the near future."

“George Lucas, the father of Star Wars, sold the company and became the second-largest individual shareholder in MGM.”

"George Lucas announced his semi-retirement. In the future, he will focus on experimental films and establish a foundation to support newcomers in creating experimental films."

"MGM has its own special effects factory. The worst part has been completed. This lion has given itself wings."

"Eric Cooper announced that he will not make large-scale changes to the existing personnel structure of Lucasfilm and is willing to increase investment and update technical equipment."

"Another big earthquake has occurred in Hollywood. Lucasfilm, which was founded in 1971 and has a history of 35 years, is about to welcome its new owner."

"Warner's acquisition is imminent. At this juncture, Eric Cooper's strong purchase of Lucasfilm will have a new impact on the antitrust assessment?"

"With continuous acquisitions, Eric Cooper is reshaping the new landscape of Hollywood, and the emperor is about to ascend the throne!"

As Eric spent $3 billion to buy Lucasfilm, the news immediately caused a sensation in the American entertainment industry.

It has also ushered in extensive discussions among Star Wars fans and Raiders of the Lost Ark fans.

Fans and moviegoers are generally very optimistic about this deal, because their idea is very simple, what I want is a good story.

It doesn't matter who is weaving the story.

Obviously, the Star Wars prequel trilogy has almost exhausted George Lucas's spiritual energy.

An old man in his 60s, whose interest has long since left Star Wars, is not as reliable as a young man in his 20s.

What's more, this young man also has a lot of titles.

He is the youngest screenwriter in the history of the Emmy Awards, the youngest screenwriter in the history of the Golden Globe Awards, and the youngest screenwriter in the history of the Oscars.

There are also Screen Actors Guild Awards, MTV Awards, and all major awards in the United States, whether commercial or literary.

If we didn't pay attention to the awards in Europe, the three awards would certainly not be a problem.

In addition to being able to write stories and know what young people want to watch, he is also the richest man in the world and admits that he is also a fan of Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

With the three identities of rich man, screenwriter, and fan, there is simply no more suitable buyer than Eric Cooper in the world.

"Eric, you really made a big joke to the whole world, and you started too quickly."

Eric laughed loudly: "With Facebook's successful IPO, the funds in my hand are extremely abundant. If it weren't for Weta Digital's background in the New Zealand government, I would actually be more inclined to buy your company."

Peter Jackson also laughed: "If you are willing to exchange MGM shares, to be honest, I am very excited about this proposal, but it is a pity that I can't make a decision."

"Tell me, do you have any ideas? You are not an honest guy."

"As I said to the media, make Industrial Light and Magic bigger and stronger. In addition, I promised Lucas that I would retain his company name and logo."

"Haha. Lucas has already given up on this. Seriously, where do you plan to start? How much do you plan to invest?"

"What are you doing? Are you trying to trick me?"

Peter Jackson didn't hide it either: "Yes, the major special effects companies on the market are Industrial Light and Magic except Weta Digital. I don't mean to look down on other companies, but they are really far worse."

"Last year MGM was the super financier of Weta Digital, but now you bought Industrial Light and Magic, we need to re-write the rules, Eric."

"Business is business, friendship is friendship, I understand."

"Then tell me what you think."

After a moment of silence, Eric said: "Let's make an appointment for us to meet. I'm not an expert and I need to seek professional advice."

"No problem, how about this weekend? I happen to have a resort in Quebec. We can go skiing and cool off in the summer."

"No, you actually know how to ski?"

"Hey! Boy, although I have become fat now, it does not mean that I was a fat person before."

"Haha...see you then."

After hanging up the phone, Nicole looked at him curiously: "I seem to have heard the word fat. Who are you talking to? Are you talking about us?"

The other girls also looked over.

Eric quickly denied: "What are you talking about? You are too sensitive. I am not a person who discriminates against size."

"What about age? If we are old, will you still love us?"

Eric did not hesitate: "Of course, as long as you never leave, I will depend on you for life and death."

Theron said with disgust: "Such disgusting words sound so fake. Don't you men all like young people?"

"Who said that! This is a woman's one-sided understanding of us men. Elizabeth is indeed very young, but if Nicole gets married early, she will be my mother. I love her too!"

"You go to hell!"

Nicole threw a pillow at her.

"Hahahaha... I'm just giving you an example. What we men like is never young, but beautiful."

"If there is a woman who can be as smart, beautiful, gentle, generous, cute, sexy, charming and temperamental as you..."

"Even if she is 50 or even 60, I will still appreciate her."

With every word Eric said, the women's smiles deepened. They said they disliked corny things, but they wanted more corny things in their hearts.

"Wait, who were you talking to on the phone just now?"

"Peter."

"Peter Parker! Oh my God! Honey, can you communicate with Spider-Man?"

Just as the words came out, they were interrupted by Mary, and the six bitches laughed together.

But being teased is teasing, this is the feeling of home.

After more than a year of getting along, their relationship is getting better and better. When Eric rests, they comfort each other.

According to his own observation, Nicole's favorite is Elizabeth. The two of them warm each other up the most, probably because Nicole has always wanted children.

Wait, this seems even weirder.

Anyway, this combination surprised him a little. Eric thought Nicole should get along best with Theron.

And Theron is about the same as Gadot and Ashley, and the others are relatively less.

Mary likes to play with Gadot the most. After all, Gadot is the busiest one.

Eric probably thinks it's because she has always maintained a good habit of fitness. She has a certain amount of muscles and looks a bit masculine.

If Eric is not here, then she will naturally become the best substitute.

"Ahem. It's Peter Jackson, the bearded man. He asked me to go skiing in Quebec this weekend and talk about business."

"Skiing? Can I go?" Ao Mei asked hurriedly.

"You? You don't know how to ski."

"If you don't know how to ski, you can learn. I have a lot of athletic talent. The teacher said so."

"But I don't have time to learn with you. Let's do it next time."

Theron raised her chin: "I can teach Elizabeth. My skills are very good. You will know when we filmed "Inception."

"Then I want to go too. The filming was too rushed. I didn't have enough fun." Theron also raised her hand.

Gadot, Ashley and Mary looked at each other and stared at Eric.

"No way, you all are going?"

"I'm really going to talk business, not fooling around."

"We're really going to have fun, not to mess with your business, and it seems to be our first time going on vacation together."

Eric thought about it. Canada's entertainment industry is very underdeveloped. Whether it's movies or music, it's probably equivalent to the United States in the late 1980s.

Last year, the total box office of the film industry was only 1.5 billion US dollars, not even one-tenth of that in the United States.

The reason is self-evident. Talents have been attracted by Hollywood. Anyone with a little dream and ability will choose to come to California. Who would stay in backward Canada?

The backwardness of the industry has led to a depression in the paparazzi business. It may not be possible to hear a hot news in a year.

So taking the six of them together may not matter. There should be no negative news.

"Since you want to go so much, how can I not agree to it? Just treat it as our family vacation."

"Yes!"

Oscar jumped up happily and pecked Eric on the face.

Boo!

Gadot also followed and kissed him on the other side of the face.

mua!

Ashley kissed him on the nose, and Mary left a tooth mark on his neck.

Theron came over, and Eric's forehead was covered with red marks.

Finally, Nicole gave him a wet French kiss.

On Friday afternoon, a private plane was about to take off.

Although it was Eric's plane, it was the first time for the crew to see him bring so many beautiful stars up with him.

Even the captain, who was used to seeing big winds and waves and had extremely rich flying experience, was stunned, let alone others.

When the flight attendant came to bring them drinks and food, Eric was wandering around Theron unscrupulously.

After the flight attendant left, Olsen asked worriedly if the secret would be leaked.

Eric smiled and waved his hands: "Don't worry, they all signed confidentiality agreements, and they won't even tell their families a word."

"If the news leaks out, they will face a huge compensation of millions of dollars, not to mention that I pay them twice the salary of the industry."

"Why do you hire older crew members?"

"In addition to having experience, they naturally have families and children to support."

"If you have a family, you have a weak spot, you will cherish this job, and you will be easily manipulated."

"Capitalists are so hateful!" Theron complained angrily.

"But you are enjoying the resources of the capitalists. Come on, let me check, have the relatives left?"

"Don't move! I want to watch a movie."

"The movie is playing over there."

Elizabeth took out the disc as instructed, flipped it, and had a look of helplessness on her face: "OMG! Don't you have any other types of movies here?"

"Father and Son" and "Time Reveals the Heart", how come they are all movies about the San Fernando Valley!"

Eric slapped his forehead: "Sorry, I remembered it wrong, it's the other side."

Theron twisted in Eric's arms: "Wait, just watch the first one, it sounds good."

The plane landed at Montreal Airport a few hours later after a happy journey.

It is indeed a country with a vast land and a sparse population. Even a relatively large city like Montreal does not have a lot of traffic.

Then we took a car directly to the resort, where Carol had rented a large villa in advance.

After settling in, Eric looked at the time: "I'm going to see Big Beard, you guys have a good rest."

"Now?"

"He is in a manor not far away. I drive there very quickly. I stopped by to have a meal with him and finish the conversation early. We will go skiing tomorrow."

"Then you come back early and drink less."

Nicole came over to tidy up his clothes. Although she was the oldest in the family, she was also the most caring.

Eric nodded, went out and got into the back seat of the car. The bodyguard stepped on the accelerator and drove away. In less than half an hour, he arrived at the Bearded Resort Villa.

"Haha. Look who is here. Welcome. I have prepared authentic New Zealand lobster and lamb for you. You will definitely like it."

"It should be said that I prepared it, and you only moved your hands a few times." The bearded wife Fran Wells rolled her eyes.

"Hehe. Doesn't it mean that what you cook is made by me? At least I bought the ingredients."

"Hmph! Just wait a few more minutes. You can eat right away. Eric, what would you like to drink?"

"Brandy? Whiskey? Or try New Zealand's most authentic white wine."

"Okay, but just half a cup is fine. Flying is very tiring, and I don't want my head to hurt too."

"You think too much young man, drinking will only make you sleep more soundly."

Soon, the fragrant dishes were brought to the table, and they tasted really good when paired with white wine.

"Peter, I think you are right. It's time to re-establish the rules."

The expressions of the two couples became serious: "What do you think?"

"OK, let me ask you, how can I make more money?"

The two couples looked at each other, and Eric tapped the table gently: "It's very simple, a legal monopoly."

"You and I, Weta Digital and Industrial Light \u0026 Magic, we should abandon our competitive attitude, we must work together."

"First, increase exchanges between the two parties, whether it is technology or customers, and break down barriers between the two parties."

"I know that technically Weta Digital is more advanced, but I have more resources in terms of customer base, so you won't suffer."

"Second, we need to be consistent in our external communication and have a unified voice. We should not engage in price wars. Weta Digital will reduce prices appropriately, and Industrial Light and Magic will increase prices appropriately."

"But if we do this, customers will choose those small companies instead of us."

"You're right, that's the third thing I want to say, let's work together to bring down those small companies."

“To be in the special effects business, to put it bluntly, it’s about salary and interest.”

"I can afford the salary, and Industrial Light and Magic is also about to be upgraded, and I'm sure the future will be dominated by special effects."

"So I need to recruit more people, and here I can assure you that Peter will not poach people from Weta Digital."

"Small companies like Blue Sky Studio are my goal."

"I have the best equipment in the world, and I give the highest salary and benefits in the industry. If you don't believe me, they won't change jobs."

"When we wipe out all the competition, binggo! This cake is yours and mine."