Top of the big era

Goldman Sachs' consulting fees are really expensive. A case costs 1 million US dollars and the deadline is 2 weeks.

After a long time, there will be an additional charge.

The six major Hollywood film companies all have their own long-term cooperative platter investment funds, each of which is different. Some companies also have 2-3 platter partners.

Every negotiation between different agencies is a case.

There are many kinds of things, and it may be necessary to connect with more than a dozen institutions and platter funds, including docking with film companies. The whole process will not be too easy.

Hearing that Boss Zhou intends to go to the UK to acquire a wealthy football club, Goldman Sachs has expressed a very strong interest.

In the face of such a super big customer, we must serve well!

Goldman Sachs sent a team of 14 people, the chief expert in the fields of corporate mergers and acquisitions and investment negotiations, and vice president Mr. Rose Weir, to serve the gold master in person.

It's really professional.

When Zhou Buqi and Xu Baihui met the team at the Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, they had already produced a detailed movie list.

Movies that are working and movies that are going to be working, as well as those platter investment funds behind the major film companies.

Behind Disney is the fund of the Bank of Boston, behind Fox is the fund of Dune Capital, behind Paramount is the fund of Merrill Lynch, behind Warner Bros. is Legendary Pictures, and behind Sony and Universal is the Hill Road Fund of Relativity Media. ...

Bearing the brunt of course is Paramount.

Merrill Lynch has been acquired. In the past six months, it has been actively trying to sell it. Many movie platters have been sold at a discount of 30-70%.

"Forget about Paramount." Zhou Buqi shook his head, and immediately refused, "Merrill Lynch has been half-dead for more than half a year, and all the good things have been divided up, and the rest are unwanted."

The main reason is that Paramount is too good, and it has been unable to make good films.

This wave of entry is mainly focused on Disney, Warner and Universal, which are the future top three in Hollywood.

Rose Weir offered a second suggestion, "Let's go to Fox!"

Then, he dug out a document and handed it over.

Slowly explained: "Fox has been cooperating with Dune Capital since 2005. In January 2005, a cooperation involving 28 films with a total value of 325 million US dollars was reached; in December of the same year, another 16 additional films were announced. Co-financed film projects, an additional $325 million."

This kind of large company can produce about 15 movies a year. In addition to the films distributed by other companies, there are more than 25 films to be operated in a year.

A supermajor like Warner Bros. may run more than 40 films a year.

"These two contracts have been fulfilled, right?" Zhou Buqi looked down at the materials.

Rose Welldow: "Yes, we can focus on their third contract, which was signed in August last year, involving a total of 32 films, with a total investment of up to 500 million U.S. dollars."

"32 films should be a two-year plan. It has just passed a year now, which means that there are still about 16 film platter shares left outside."

"Yes, Jimmy from Dune Capital is an old friend of mine, I've already asked. We have a great chance!"

"oh?"

Zhou Buqi's eyes lit up.

Rose Well said with a smile: "Our luck is very good. Because the cooperation between Dune Capital and Fox has been very good in the past few years, with an annual income of more than 16%, so despite the poor economy in the past six months, Dune Capital has no plan to terminate the cooperation. , I want to continue. However, after the Lehman incident, the financial market environment has undergone earth-shaking changes."

Zhou Buqi glanced at him with a calm expression.

He is not a good stubble either.

When Chinese people go overseas to do business, they are often tricked by the investment bankers. For example, taking advantage of the financial crisis, many super-large state-owned enterprises waved their banknotes to go overseas to buy and buy, and they were all tricked into vomiting blood.

This Roswell and the people from Sandhill Capital are old friends, so when the transaction is made, will they lean towards the other side? Will you come to the stupid local tyrant with the idea of ​​cheating Asia?

"The financial tsunami broke out, and all platter investments have to be withdrawn. Not only must the price be low, but I also have the right to choose!"

"Option?"

Rose Well didn't get his point.

Zhou Buqi said: "In the past six months, Paramount's platter investment has been sold at a price of 30-30% off. I don't need to suppress the price too much, and this price is enough. However, I need to purchase selectively, not Take it all."

"This..." Roswell was stunned for a moment, "This is not easy."

Zhou Buqi was very firm: "Mr. Will, we all understand the current situation, no one has extra money to enter the market! You can either die or sell it to me!"

In the platter investment plan, there is no right to choose movies. That is to say, the investment foundation invests in all films produced by the film company without distinction, whether it is a literary film or a commercial film, whether it is a small investment or a large investment, it is the same. Regardless of the project, they all account for the same proportion of shares.

In the hands of Dune Capital, there are about 16 films that Fox will put into production in the next year. But among these 16 movies, there must be many that are not profitable.

I am really sorry for Zhou Buqi's foresight to buy all the shares of these 16 movies in a package.

Of course, buy those more well-known films.

None of the rest.

Under the financial tsunami, capital institutions all over the world are thinking about saving their lives. Even if they know that they are buying the bottom now and may make a lot of money in the future, they really can't afford it.

Withdrawal, guaranteed cash flow, and life-saving are the most important things.

Without the slightest hesitation, Rose Well immediately got up and went out to make a phone call.

While looking at the documents and materials, Zhou Buqi looked at Xu Baihui next to him with a smile, and said amusedly, "Do you feel something now?"

Xu Baihui was very distressed, "Yes."

"I want you to learn more English. If you want to do international business, how can you do it if you don't have enough English?"

"I'm learning. The old man speaks too fast. Before I can understand a word, he said two or three sentences."

"Well, huh?"

Zhou Buqi was slightly startled, he was holding Fox's list of 16 films in preparation. The titles of the movies are all in English, which caused Zhou Buqi a lot of cognitive obstacles, and he couldn't equate them with the movies in his mind.

There are only two that he can accurately distinguish through the Chinese names - "Avatar" and "Shu Lai Bao".

This is great!

Even Cameron's blockbuster can hit.

Look at the investment ratio again, ho! It’s really not low. The total fund of this contract is 500 million U.S. dollars. In the past year, 260 million U.S. dollars have been spent, and 240 million U.S. dollars are left. The total cost of the 16 films was $710 million. That is to say, the share ratio of platter investment is 2.4/7.1=33.8%.

Zhou Buqi's heart beat violently.

It seems to have found a treasure!

In the past few years, many Sino-US co-productions in China have been a very unequal cooperation. Domestic film companies cannot obtain income dividends from the global market, but can only obtain income and distribution rights from the domestic market.

But this kind of platter investment contract is different, which has global benefits. Not only the box office, but also related derivative income such as DVD income and TV broadcast income.

Box office revenue also accounts for 25% of total revenue.

Roughly estimated, the box office of "Avatar" is divided into 1 billion US dollars, the total revenue is 4 billion US dollars, 33.8% is 1.3 billion US dollars?

This time the bull broke!

When luck comes, you can't stop it!

With "Avatar" in the market, the operation of this wave of platter investment will be guaranteed.

Just when Zhou was not excited, Roswell had already returned from the phone call, "We have communicated, and they are willing to split and sell."

"That's right. I remember that many independent film projects are sold separately. High-quality projects are sold at a 30% discount, and those that are worse are sold at a 30% discount. I don't have too strict requirements, just a little bit better. .”

"As I said, they will send a team over tomorrow."

"good!"

Zhou Buqi felt that this was a good start.

It is indeed much easier to do things in Hollywood than in Silicon Valley. It is much easier to negotiate because you will not meet hardliners like Ballmer. They are all profit-seeking people.

Next came Universal, Warner, and Sony, which got a bit more complicated to work with.

Their main partners are Legendary Pictures and Relativity Media.

Although it is also a platter investment, the operation process is different.

Like Fox and Paramount, both film companies and capital funds are docked, and the meaning of copyright is more about the right to dividends. Both Legendary Pictures and Relativity Media are companies in nature. Wall Street's money is not handed over to the six major film companies, but to these two companies for operation, and then these two companies will connect with the six major film companies.

For example, with the cooperation between Legendary Pictures and Warner, Legendary Pictures can get the real copyright, not just the right to dividends, which is equivalent to gaining more benefits. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to withdraw capital. If Wall Street wants to withdraw its capital, it has to go through two processes. First, there was a big sale of Legendary Pictures, selling Warner's movie platter shares, and then Wall Street withdrew from Legendary Pictures... This is almost impossible.

The money invested in the film can be withdrawn, but it is too difficult to withdraw the money invested in the company.

In other words, it is not realistic to want to buy out the platter investment contracts in the hands of Warner, Universal, and Sony.

If Paramount is ruled out, Warner, Universal, and Sony are no good, Fox is operating, and MGM is on the verge of bankruptcy, then there will only be one Disney and a dozen independent film companies left.

It seems that if you want to acquire the film copyrights of those abandoned by Wall Street, the options are not too high, only Fox and Disney.

But here comes the problem again.

Disney's cartoons are so good, and Pixar is the ace that attracts money. These are impossible to lose money, and there is no risk.

It is impossible for Disney to put these movies that are sure to make money and not lose money on the platter of investment.

They can only participate in some live-action movies that they are not very good at.

Zhou Buqi has no confidence in Disney's live-action movies. Except for the ace series "Pirates of the Caribbean", there are no decent works.

Well, except for the two studios that Disney acquired in the later period-Marvel Pictures and Lucasfilm.