America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 13, Section 13: A Conversation Between Father and Son

As soon as the match between South Korea and Germany ended, Eric did not give the four players any more time off and asked them to return home the next day.

The four men's wealth skyrocketed in a short period of time. They knew who the big and small kings were, and since they weren't football fans, it was time for them to return home after a month of enjoying themselves abroad.

By the morning of June 24, the four had gradually returned to Los Angeles.

Beverly Hills, the Cooper family home.

After thanking Emily Cooper for bringing the fruit and drinks, the four of them followed Eric into his room.

"Warren, your face has definitely gotten rounder. How was the food in Hong Kong?"

Warren rubbed his chubby face: "I knew it, I shouldn't have gone. All my efforts to lose weight have been wasted, but the food there is fucking delicious."

Judy jumped right onto Eric's bed: "Latin beauties are the best! You guys have no idea how crazy those girls are. This is such a wonderful memory."

"Singapore is nice too, it's a beautiful city, but I saw a foreigner get whipped for spitting on the ground."

Bordeaux gently rubbed his backside and said, "Let's get down to business. What's next?"

All four men turned their attention to Eric. Nearly 11 billion US dollars was an astronomical sum, and they all wanted to know how Eric planned to use it.

"First, I need to set up a company, a shell company will do, and then I plan to acquire MGM."

"MGM? You want to enter the film industry?"

"That's right, that's why I'm planning to acquire it, and with MGM's new movie flopping, now is the perfect time."

"But Eric, we don't understand the film and television industry at all. This decision is a bit too bold."

Eric glanced at them with a smile: "Have you forgotten that my dad is the CEO of MGM?"

In an instant, the four friends realized that this was actually a grand scheme.

"Alright, give the orders, Eric. What do you need us to do?"

Warren said with great enthusiasm that, without realizing it, they had come to regard Eric as the gang leader, as if it were only natural.

"It's simple. First, set up a shell company, then study the film industry thoroughly. Once the acquisition is complete, you'll have plenty of work to do."

"Also, if you'd like to invest, I'd be very happy to do so."

Two weeks later, a company called AK Films was established in Los Angeles. Although the name was fierce and domineering, it had nothing to do with weapons. It was just taken from the initials of Eric Cooper.

On July 13, Windtalkers, which had been in theaters for nearly a month, finally left theaters. Its North American box office did not even reach $40 million, and its global box office was only about $77 million.

It was a failure, a complete and utter failure. After deducting the revenue share, MGM would only receive about $3000 million. Although the cost of $1.3 million was exaggerated, it still resulted in a loss of at least $8000 million.

In addition, there are marketing and promotion costs. Even if MGM does its own marketing and promotion, the cost is still about $3000 million. All things considered, MGM is estimated to lose more than $1 million.

What's even more frightening is that "Windtalkers" is different from John Woo's previous film style, and it didn't do well in the DVD market. Its revenue in other areas was also negligible. The result can only be described as disastrous.

Eric had been watching MGM's stock price closely, and sure enough, it plummeted. That's how it is for film companies; their stock prices can soar because of a hit movie, and plummet because of a flop.

Late at night, Eric heard a noise at the door and knew his father was home; he had been coming home very late lately.

"Dad, are you working overtime again?"

Charlotte Cooper was taken aback. He looked down at the time and realized it was already 2 a.m. He hadn't expected his son to still be awake.

Eric walked over and took his father's coat, noticing the weariness on his face, and asked, "Want a drink?"

Realizing that her son had been waiting for her, Charlotte Cooper sat down on the sofa, even though she really wanted to sleep.

Bang!

He unscrewed the beer and handed it over; the two of them chugdredged up half a bottle each.

"Are you having a headache over Windtalkers?"

"Otherwise what? Spider-Man, perhaps?" Charlie Cooper gave a self-deprecating wry smile; he had nothing to hide from his son.

"Are the losses very serious?"

Harry Cooper nodded: "Given the current situation, we'll lose at least $1 million, which is practically a disaster for MGM."

As he spoke, he gulped down another large mouthful of beer, truly wanting to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

"Dad, is there something going on with you inside MGM?"

Charlotte Cooper frowned. "Why are you asking this? Don't worry, I'll handle everything. I don't want to talk about those troublesome things at home."

Eric handed him another bottle of beer: "Dad, remember our agreement from over a month ago? It's time to talk. I need to know the real situation at MGM."

Upon hearing this, Charlie Cooper paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered that his son had taken the $1000 million he had given him and then stayed at home for more than a month, seemingly doing nothing.

I've been busy with company matters lately and have neglected him. It's 1000 million US dollars, which would fill a truck if it were just a blank sheet of paper.

"Okay, Eric, tell me the situation first. How much of that $1000 million is left?"

In Charlie Cooper's mind, his son must have squandered most of the money.

Eric dipped his beer in his beer and wrote the number 11 on the table.

"Only 11 yuan left?" A gasp suddenly rang out from the living room.

Eric smiled and shook his head: "Have some faith in your son. It's $11 billion, but $20 million of that is financing, so to be precise, I traded $10 million for $1.08 billion, with a net profit of $1.07 billion."

After Eric finished speaking, the living room fell silent instantly, and Charlie Cooper looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Son, I'll take you to see a psychiatrist tomorrow. Have you been having frequent headaches lately?"

Seeing that his father indeed didn't believe him, Eric repeated his words very solemnly.

Clang!

A beer bottle fell to the ground, and the spilled beer soaked all of Charlie Cooper's shoes.

"Eric, is what you're saying true?"

"Of course it's true. If you still don't believe me, I can take you to the bank to check your bank statements when it's light. That won't lie to anyone."

At this moment, even the seasoned father, who had seen it all, couldn't help but clutch his head and roar, "Why...why...I don't understand...how did you do that?"

It was a mix of truth and lies. Eric recounted the events, and it took his father a while to recover.

He looked at his son as if he were a monster: "So, you're not kidding when you say you want to acquire MGM?"

"Why joke around? I've been serious from the beginning, Dad. I need the truth about MGM."

(End of this chapter)