America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM.

Chapter 345 343. Formulate new industry rules

"Breaking news, Eric Cooper's $30 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm is complete."

"Star Wars and Indiana Jones have changed hands, and the first Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian, will be available to everyone in the near future."

"Star Wars creator George Lucas sold his company and became the second largest individual shareholder of MGM."

"George Lucas announced that he is entering semi-retirement and will focus on experimental films in the future. He will also set up a foundation to support newcomers in creating experimental films."

"MGM has welcomed its own special effects factory. The worst link has been made up. This lion has given itself wings."

"Eric Cooper announced that he would not make large-scale changes to Lucasfilm's existing personnel structure and was willing to increase capital investment to update technical equipment."

"Another major earthquake has occurred in Hollywood. Founded in 1971, Lucasfilm, which has a 35-year history, is about to welcome its new owner."

"Warner's acquisition is imminent. Will Eric Cooper's strong purchase of Lucasfilm at this critical juncture have a new impact on antitrust assessments?"

"With a series of acquisitions, Eric Cooper is reshaping the new landscape of Hollywood. The emperor is about to ascend the throne!"

As Eric spent $30 billion to buy Lucasfilm, the news immediately caused a sensation in the American entertainment industry.

It has also sparked widespread discussion among Star Wars fans and Indiana Jones fans.

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

It doesn't matter who weaves this story.

And it is obvious that the Star Wars prequel trilogy has almost exhausted George Lucas's spiritual energy.

An old man in his 60s, whose interest has long since faded from Star Wars, is no more reliable than a young man in his 20s.

What's more, this young man 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 the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the MTV Awards. He has won all major American awards, both commercial and artistic.

If he didn't pay too much attention to awards in Europe, winning the three major awards would certainly be a piece of cake.

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

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

"Eric, you really played a big joke on the whole world. You acted too quickly."

Eric laughed. "Facebook's IPO was a success, and I now have a lot of money. If Weta Digital didn't have New Zealand government background, I would actually be more inclined to buy your company."

Peter Jackson also laughed: "If you are willing to exchange it for MGM shares, to be honest, I am also very tempted by this proposal, but unfortunately I can't make a decision."

"Tell me, what are your thoughts? You are not an honest guy."

"Like I told the media, I want to make Industrial Light & Magic bigger and stronger. In addition, I promised Lucas that I would keep his company name and logo."

"Haha. Lucas has long lost interest in this. Honestly, where do you plan to start? How much money do you plan to invest?"

"What? Are you trying to trick me?"

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

"Last year, MGM was the biggest moneymaker for Weta Digital, but now that you've bought Industrial Light & Magic, we need to redefine the rules, Eric."

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

"Then tell me what you think."

After a moment of silence, Eric spoke: "How about this, let's make an appointment to meet. I'm not an expert and need to consult a professional."

"No problem. How about this weekend? I happen to have a holiday estate in Quebec. We can go skiing and cool off at the same time."

"No, you can actually ski?"

"Hey! Young man, even though I'm fat now, it doesn't mean I was fat before."

"Hehe...see you then."

After hanging up the phone, Nicole looked at him curiously: "I think I 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 body-discriminatory person."

"What about age? Will you still love us if we get old?"

Eric said without hesitation: "Of course, as long as you stick with me, I will stick with you through thick and thin."

Charlize Theron pretended to vomit: "This kind of corny talk sounds so fake. Don't you men like young people?"

"Who said that! This is a one-sided understanding of us men by women. Elizabeth is indeed very young, but if Nicole married early, she would be old enough to be my mother. Don't I love her just as much?"

"You go to hell!"

Nicole threw a pillow at him.

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

"If there is a woman who is as smart, beautiful, gentle, generous, lovely, sexy, charming, and elegant as you..."

"Even if she was 50, or even 60, I would still admire her."

With every word Eric said, the women's smiles deepened. Although they said they disliked the corny words, they wanted them to be even cornier than anyone else.

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

"Peter."

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

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he was interrupted by Mary, and the six bitches laughed together.

But let me make fun of you, this is the feeling of home.

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

According to my own observation, Nicole's favorite is Elizabeth, and the two of them often warm each other up, probably because Nicole has always wanted a child.

Wait, this seems even weirder.

Anyway, this combination was a bit surprising to him. Eric thought that Neeko should get along best with Charlize Theron.

As for Theron, her performance is about the same as Gadot and Ashley, while the others are relatively less.

Mary likes to play with Gadot the most, but after all the calculations, Gadot is the busiest one.

Eric guessed that it was because she had always maintained a good habit of fitness, and had a certain amount of muscles on her body, which made her look a bit masculine.

Since Eric is not here, she is naturally the best substitute.

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

"Skiing? Can I go?" Olsen asked hurriedly.

"You? You can't ski."

"You can learn if you don't know how to do it. I have a talent for sports. My teacher said so."

"But I don't have time to study with you, maybe next time."

Charlize Theron raised her chin: "I can teach Elizabeth. I have good skills. You will know it when I filmed Inception."

"Then I want to go too. The filming was so rushed that I didn't have enough fun." Charlize Theron also raised her hand. Gadot, Ashley and Mary looked at each other and stared at Eric.

"No way, you all are going?"

"I really went there to discuss business, not to fool around."

"We are also really here to have fun and not to interfere in your business, and this seems to be the first time we go on vacation together."

Eric thought about it and realized that Canada's entertainment industry was very underdeveloped, whether it was movies or music, it was probably equivalent to the United States in the late 80s.

Last year, the total box office revenue of the film industry was only 15 billion US dollars, less than one-tenth of that in the United States.

The reason is self-evident. All the talents have been attracted to 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, where you may not even hear a breaking news piece in a year.

Therefore, maybe it would be okay to take the six of them with me, and it shouldn't generate any negative news.

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

"And it is!"

Olsen jumped up happily and pecked Eric on the face.

Boo!
Gadot also kissed the other cheek.

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

Theron leaned over and saw red marks appear on Eric's forehead.

Finally, there was Nicole's 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, both young and old, aboard.

Even the captain, who was used to strong 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 aunt left, Ao Mei asked worriedly whether the secret would be leaked.

Eric laughed and waved his hands: "Don't worry, they have all signed a confidentiality agreement, and they won't even reveal a word to their families."

"If the news leaked, they would face millions of dollars in compensation, not to mention that I paid them twice the salary of the industry."

“Why hire older crew members?”

"Besides their experience, they naturally look to them because they have families and children to raise."

"Having a family means you have a weak spot, you will cherish your job, and you will be easily taken advantage of."

"Capitalists are so damn despicable!" Charlize Theron complained angrily.

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

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

“The movie is playing there.”

Elizabeth took out the disc as instructed, flipped through it, and looked helpless: "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 set in the San Fernando Valley!”

Eric slapped his forehead and said, "Sorry, I remembered it wrong. It was the other side."

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

We had a joyful journey and the plane landed at Montreal Airport a few hours later.

As expected of a country with vast land and sparse population, even in a relatively large city like Montreal, there is not much traffic.

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

After settling down, Eric looked at the time and said, "I'm going to meet the bearded man. You guys have a good rest."

"Now?"

"He lives in a manor not far away. It's very quick to drive there. We can stop by and have a meal with him. And if we finish the conversation early, we can go skiing tomorrow."

"Then come back earlier and drink less."

Nicole came over and tidied 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, they arrived at the bearded man's holiday villa.

"Haha. Look who's here. Welcome, welcome. I've prepared authentic New Zealand lobster and lamb for you. You'll definitely like it."

"You should say that I prepared it and you just made a few moves." The bearded man's wife, Fran Wales, rolled her eyes.

"Hey, what you make is just like what I make. At least I bought the ingredients."

"Hmph! Wait a few more minutes, we'll be eating soon. Eric, what would you like to drink?"

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

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

"You're overthinking young man. Drinking will only make you sleep better."

Soon, the delicious dishes were served, and paired with white wine, they tasted really good.

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

The couple's expressions became serious: "What do you think?"

“OK, let me ask you, how can we make more money?”

The couple looked at each other. Eric tapped the table lightly. "It's simple. It's a legal monopoly."

"You and I, Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic, we should abandon the competitive attitude, we must work together."

"First, we need to increase exchanges between the two sides, whether it is technology or customers, and break down the barriers between the two sides."

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

"Second, we need to be consistent and unify our stance. We should not engage in price wars. Weta Digital should appropriately reduce prices, and Industrial Light & Magic should appropriately increase prices."

"But if we do this, customers will not choose us, but those small companies."

"That's right. That's the third point I want to make. Let's work together to bring down those small companies."

“To put it bluntly, working in special effects is all about salary and interest.”

"I can afford the salary. ILM is also going to upgrade. And I'm sure special effects will dominate the future."

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

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

"I have the best equipment in the world, and I offer the highest salary in the industry. I don't believe they won't change jobs."

"When we wipe out all our competitors, binggo! This piece of cake will be yours and mine."

(End of this chapter)