The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 953 Plainness is the truth

As an iconic symbol of the American cultural industry, the image and story of Superman Clark Kent have become popular all over the world along with the expansion of American global hegemony. Warner Bros., which acquired DC Comics and established DC Films, can be said to have a golden goose in its hands.

However, the reality is that DC movies have not performed very well.

Reeve Superman laid the foundation for a generation and established the basic screen image of Superman, but that success was short-lived, ultimately ruining the reputation of Superman movies. Subsequent DC blockbuster films haven't all been as successful, leading to the joke that it's a DC curse.

Although Paul Levits didn't used to believe in curses or anything like that, he would only point at the priest and ask, "How many little boys have you been messing with to be so cocky? Are you crazy to talk to me like that?"

But sometimes, you really have to believe in fate.

Despite the huge success of Nolan's first Batman film, and despite the immense hype surrounding "Superman Returns," a project that involved the combined efforts of Warner Bros. and DC executives—even leading to financial disputes with Nolan—it was a film that garnered widespread attention.

The result is that, looking only at the total investment and box office losses, "Superman Returns" lost nearly 200 million dollars. Brandon Routh, who played Superman, was blacklisted by superstitious Hollywood, and several films that were in talks were all canceled.

A bright new star, destined for greatness, has fallen.

"Dick is furious right now because this setback means Time Warner's third-quarter financial report has to be redone, otherwise there's absolutely no way to explain it." Just thinking about how that bearded fat man is probably in a terrible predicament makes Edgar want to laugh.

Dick Parsons is the current CEO of Time Warner. He officially took office in 2002. Under his leadership, Time Warner gradually recovered from the disastrous consequences of its acquisition of AOL and rebuilt its relationship with Wall Street.

He spearheaded the divestiture of Warner Music, directly selling off several business units, including Warner Music Group and a book publishing business, in order to significantly reduce the company's debt.

Even so, Time Warner's stock price has only barely returned to around $20 this year, which is still more than half of its peak stock price of $47 in 2000 and has not recovered since.

"Wouldn't that make them even less willing to give up the Chinese market?"

Zhou Yi frowned: "Or will he ask for an exorbitant price?"

He had always been curious about one thing: why Warner Cinemas would so abruptly withdraw from the Chinese market when Time Warner's parent company's stock price was cooling down—ultimately, the foreign ownership restrictions in mainland China were also a story to tell.

After all, it's not like we're stopping you from playing.

In fact, Time Warner is the only foreign cinema chain that has truly withdrawn from the Chinese market; the others are still operating very well in China despite the restrictions.

“In the past, you definitely wouldn’t have been able to win without spending money or going through a protracted process for a year or two, even if Superman Returns was a huge loss.”

Sitting in the back seat of the van, Edgar Jr. explained the situation to Zhou Yi: "Unfortunately, a bloodthirsty wolf has joined Time Warner this year, and Dick's focus is now entirely on fighting that wolf named Carl Icahn..."

Carl Icahn, nicknamed the corporate sniper, is one of Wall Street’s most notorious and dangerous investors.

In 2006, Carl Icahn officially set his sights on Time Warner, a media giant that was going through a downturn. Through corporate acquisitions, nominee shareholdings, and the backing of the UAE royal family, he successfully became Time Warner's largest individual shareholder.

Then he started operating it—

Carl Icahn recently joined forces with several hedge funds to put pressure on Time Warner, wanting to break up the media giant. He proposed splitting it into four companies, divesting AOL, and advocating for a $200 billion stock buyback program and a reorganization of the board and management.

Of course, his purpose in doing this was merely to dismantle the door before opening the window. His real objective was to acquire a large number of shares in the target company, Time Warner, and then force Time Warner to repurchase them at a high premium.

Dick Parsons has been battling this guy from the first half of the year to the second half, but it's clear that Dick is at a disadvantage, as even Time Warner's stock price has fallen below $20 this month.

"In this situation, what Dick needs is not a pie-in-the-sky story about the future, but immediate help. This is why he reluctantly gave up Warner Cinemas' business expansion in the Chinese market, but did not give up Time Warner's other businesses in the Chinese market."

"To put it simply, it's the same as when he sold Warner Music back then—cutting off an arm to save himself."

"There are many buyers from China, so cinemas don't have to worry about sales."

Wow, he's a real corporate sniper. The high-level players on Wall Street really know how to play the game.

Zhou Yi knew of Carl Icahn, but he had only heard of his glorious achievements, such as targeting TWA, setting up Yahoo, and messing with Motorola. He was very bold and ambitious, and he always managed to get away unscathed after setting up a scheme.

However, judging from Time Warner's historical trajectory and financial reports for next year and the year after, Carl Icahn probably didn't achieve great success with Time Warner. It's likely that they reached a settlement, with Carl Icahn taking the money and leaving safely.

Dick Parsons's strategy of selling off assets was quite effective; instead of breaking up the company, he packaged and sold off some of the more profitable business units and subsidiaries separately.

"Judging from this, he must have a pretty high status within Time Warner."

Unless the leader has a lot of support, this kind of selling spree will definitely not pass the voting test.

"He's alright, not as good as me. The main thing is that his successor has already been decided, and he will take office in January 2008."

Edgar Jr. is quite familiar with his old rival, and even openly boasted about himself: "His relentless efforts against Carl Icahn are also to give his successor a good start."

This notorious corporate raider can be considered Dick Parsons' final test at Time Warner.

Thirty minutes later, in the CEO's office of Time Warner, Zhou Yi met with Dick Parsons, the head of Time Warner, once again.

He had a belly comparable to Qian Jiang's, a round face with a full beard, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

"Ed, Spike, it's been a long time."

Dick greeted the two warmly, personally pulling out chairs to invite them to sit down: "Would you like something to drink?"

"Coffee, no milk, you know what I mean." Edgar Jr. pushed up his glasses, revealing his signature suave yet roguish smile.

Zhou Yi smiled and said without ceremony, "Champagne, let's celebrate my new album."

Let's start by putting on airs.

He is now the only designated super-dad in the global record industry, a man who has single-handedly driven billions of dollars in output value across the upstream and downstream sectors. It is perfectly reasonable for him to drink a glass of champagne from the president of Time Warner.

“If this is to celebrate your new album, then my champagne isn’t enough for Spike. To be honest, I regret selling you and Warner Music to Ed back then.”

After pouring a glass for each person, Dick Parsons remarked with emotion.

Edgar Jr. looked very smug, and even winked at Zhou Yi, who was looking at him.

"That's why I'm here to help you out, Dick."

Zhou Yi took a sip of champagne, swirled the glass, and laughed, "Believe me, Carl Icahn is no match for you. You will win in the end."

"hope so."

Dick Parsons smiled slightly: "However, we're talking business. Although we've reached a preliminary agreement, it hasn't been finalized yet, has it? You know, China has a vast market and many buyers."

"Someone's trying to take it from me?"

"It's competition, Spike."

Zhou Yi smiled and revealed the name of the competitor: "Era Classics? He's not as rich as me, Dick."

Zhang Baoquan, head of Shidai Jindian, is a real estate businessman.

In 2004, he made a huge bet on the film industry using EVD technology and established numerous EVD cinemas across the country. However, compared to most cinemas, Zhang Baoquan's EVD cinemas simply projected movies onto the screen using EVD players, a business model considered unconventional in the industry.

Therefore, he turned his attention to movie theaters.

“I know what you’re capable of, Spike. But the key question is, how many can you take on?” Dick Parsons retorted.

Currently, Warner has a total of 6 cinemas in China. Of these, it has subscribed to shares in 4 cinemas: Yonghua Cinema (in cooperation with Shanghai Film Group), Nanjing Shanghai Film Warner Cinema, and 2 cinemas in Chongqing and Changsha (in cooperation with Shenzhen International Trust & Investment Corporation).

Besides holding a 49% stake in Yonghua, Warner holds a 51% stake in the other three cinemas.

The remaining two cinemas are one in Nanchang in cooperation with Shenzhen Investment Holdings and the other in Guangzhou in cooperation with Guangzhou Jinyi. Warner is only responsible for operation and management, but now it is time to subscribe for the equity of the two cinemas.

In addition, there are several cinemas that have not yet started construction, such as another cinema in Shenzhen that is in cooperation with Shenzhen Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. This cinema has completed its civil construction and is scheduled to open next year.

Since Shenzhen Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. is transferring all the cinemas, and each cinema has an investment of at least 2000 million yuan, the total amount is at least in the hundreds of millions of yuan.

And that doesn't even include the premium.

"Apart from Shanghai Film Studio, I'm open to anything else," Zhou Yi said with a slight smile, speaking casually.

He definitely couldn't get involved in the collaboration between Time Warner and Shanghai Film Group on the cinema chain. Shanghai Film Group was determined to take over the whole business, and he didn't need to get involved and offend anyone, since that wasn't his core business.

But he wouldn't let go of Shenzhen International Trust, which was just looking for someone to take over, and he could also buy Jinyi and then subscribe to its shares to take it all at once.

This is to ensure our bargaining power in the future after cooperating with Wanda, since Wanda has already expanded to 18 cinemas, showing a strong growth momentum and is poised to become the number one cinema chain in mainland China.

Moreover, without him, Zhang Baoquan would have already taken over all the cinema chains under Shenzhen International Investment Group.

As for China Film Group—just kidding, do you even know what China Film Hengdian Warner Bros. is?

We can talk, we can talk!

We're all one family!

“You have a big appetite, Spike.”

“You know I’m always happy to help, Dick.” Zhou Yi’s words made both of them laugh.

You are happy to help others, but you're mostly helping women.

"Well then, I wish us a pleasant cooperation?"

"Of course, it's a pleasure to work with you."

....................................

Breaking News! Warner Cinemas Greater China Director Yin Gang Reportedly Resigns!

Major upheaval? Warner Cinemas China executives suspected of resigning en masse?

Warner Bros. International Cinema Company Global Vice President Stieg Warner resigns! Time Warner's strategy shrinks!

9 month 12 day.

Like ducks sensing the warmth of spring waters, domestic media outlets sprang into action. News of the dramatic turmoil within Warner Bros. theaters spread throughout major cities via their reports, leaving many who followed this development somewhat bewildered.

If you're not a buddy, why did you quit?

Is it because of poor performance?
Isn't it?

You promised to say a few kind words to help us secure some theater rights, right?
Dude, we just had drinks together, and you guys quit and ran away? What about all the gifts I gave you and the drinks we had?

Zhang Baoquan, who was in Beijing, was completely numb. He kept making phone calls, and finally learned a truth that filled him with despair—

"Let me be honest with you. Zhou Yi met directly with the CEO of Time Warner in the United States. No matter how much I speak up for you or act as a go-between, I can only influence Warner Bros. International Cinemas, a subsidiary. Zhou Yi directly reached a deal with the parent company, Time Warner."

"So, do you understand what I mean? Now it's not just the theater chains, even Warner Bros. International Cinemas (China) is under Zhou Yi's control. Otherwise, why do you think Vice President Stieg would have left?"

Do not!
Do not! !

Do not! ! !
Zhang Baoquan, who had just been hung up on, was practically kneeling on the living room floor and howling to the heavens.

He studied the theater chain plan for two years, but how come it still couldn't compare to Zhou Yi, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?
Why did he fire a large number of people right away? Doesn't he know about maintaining stability?

Or……

Was he already prepared to simply replace someone else in charge?

While attending celebration banquets all over the capital, Cheng Hao was momentarily stunned when she received one inquiry call after another. However, she quickly came to her senses and remembered Zhou Yi's plan to acquire the cinema chain.

Is this... done?
She was a little unsure.

If it really works out, then we'll have made a fortune.

This year, her first low-budget film as a producer, "Crazy Stone," achieved tremendous success nationwide. With the strong promotion from Zhou Yi and the well-developed publicity campaign, the film's box office soared to 6319 million yuan.

It far exceeded her estimate of 1200 million yuan in box office revenue, and also surpassed Zhou Yi's estimate of 5000 million yuan.

Without needing to go through the process of being a hidden gem or wasting time, "Crazy Stone" achieved an astonishing box office of over 70 million yuan despite having preferential screening arrangements. Its return on investment has outpaced the entire entertainment industry, and it is already a shoo-in for a spot in the top ten of the year's box office.

Although it can't compare to the box office of Zhang Yimou and his contemporaries who easily rake in hundreds of millions of yuan, "Crazy Stone" had a low production cost.

Ning Hao has transformed from a "henchman MV director behind the scenes of the I Ching" into a "hot new star in the directing world," and Cheng Hao, as the producer, has seen her reputation in the industry soar—after all, it's rumored that she was the one who brought in this film.

Gao Yuanyuan, who had just finished promoting "Rob-B-Hood" and hadn't even returned to the mainland yet, heard this shocking news. She immediately tried to call them, even though it was still dark, but the call wouldn't go through.

On the phone now.

While Xiao Wang was in the UK, working as a love story warrior and part-time as a subtitler, he received a call from his father, who told him to tidy himself up and go to California in a few days to meet someone with him.

"Who are you seeing? Why are you flying over in such a hurry?"

"The Book of Changes" (周易).

"what?!"

A series of clanging and rattling sounds came through the other end of the phone, accompanied by occasional "Holy crap!"s, pronounced clearly and distinctly.

"I can meet Zhou Yi?! Can I get his autograph?! Take a photo with him?! Film a video? This isn't a secret, is it? Can I tell my classmates or other outsiders about it?"

You could tell that Xiao Wang was unusually excited.

Lao Wang: "..."

"of course can."

Zhouyi Residence, Beverly Hills, California, USA.

Zhou Yi, swirling his wine glass, sat on the sofa and looked at Sun Yanzi, who had come over and was looking around like he'd never seen the world before. He smiled and said, "Don't even mention staying here, you could retire here."

"I don't want to, I have my own house."

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the balcony, overlooking the entire city of Los Angeles, Sun Yanzi raised her hands, stretched, and asked curiously, "But you, how come you bought so many houses?"

Even for investment, one shouldn't buy in a place like this; it's already at its peak.

"It was given to me by Ed."

"..."

This is the first time in my life I've ever hated a dog-owning family so much!

Turning around, she was met by Zhou Yi's gesture of raising a glass in invitation. Sun Yanzi's lips curled into a smile, and she rushed to his side, nuzzling him with her head: "You really bought the theater chain?"

"It's a small matter, not worth mentioning."

Zhou Yi took a sip of red wine and said calmly, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Money and movie theater profits are just external things."

If his expression hadn't been so smug, his words might have had a tiny bit of persuasive power.

Back in the United States, the moment Time Warner officially announced the deal, Hollywood moguls, sensing a business opportunity, all called Zhou Yi—

Just kidding, the cinemas are like fathers!
Especially considering it's a Chinese cinema chain, Zhou Yi is clearly a future local tyrant.

The Hollywood actresses who were brought out to the banquet were all dressed in glamorous and sexy outfits, and the red sofas were practically placed on his doorstep.

Of course, there are also some people who are heartbroken—

"What a fool! Spike is making money in America to buy up businesses in China! We're aiding the enemy!"

"Every dollar you spend on a Spike album will one day become a bullet that hits us right in the face!"

Since Time Warner has not yet announced the specific amount of the contract, the public will have to wait until the annual report at the latest to find out, or at the earliest, Time Warner's third-quarter financial report. Therefore, those who made the threat were shouting so desperately in the interview.

Of course, nobody listens to them now.

The Book of Changes is the sacred phoenix, the spokesperson of the gods, and the new king who will establish a new era of pop music.

Who do you think you are?

"Music knows no borders, don't you understand? You bunch of short-sighted idiots!"

The boomerang that was once aimed at these critics has ultimately struck back at them.

The organizers of last year's revived Victoria's Secret Fashion Show practically knelt at the entrance of the I Ching office—

"Mr. Spike, we cordially invite you to attend the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show this November..."

We missed each other before, but this time let's make it work, okay?
Meanwhile, Zhou Yi was still nonchalantly showing off in front of Xiao Wang, signing his album and clothes with a flourish.

I also gave him a ticket.

Those were his tickets to his last music festival, front row.

At just 18 years old, Xiao Wang wasn't the foul-mouthed bastard who later argued with netizens about his girlfriend not being a prostitute and ended up getting beaten up and forced to shut up. When he received a gift from his idol, he smiled with pure innocence and cheerfulness.

Old Wang couldn't resist adding, "Learn more from your brother Yi..."

He doesn't ask for much; he'd be happy if he could learn even half of the insights from the Book of Changes.

Well, as long as you don't talk about the I Ching, it'll be fine.

(End of this chapter)