America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 172. The Dead Are More Useful Than the Living

The date is March 1st.

The Purge has finished its overseas run, with Japan contributing $3500 million to the box office, bringing the global total to $1.83 million.

This achievement is even more impressive than that of "Sharknado," which was not released overseas. With this, AK Films has now opened up two cash cows.

At midnight, Get Out officially hit theaters.

This is not a bad movie. Jordan Peele received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for it, and won the Best Adapted Screenplay award.

Even with the added benefit of political correctness more than a decade later, it is still a good film.

So Eric approved a $1000 million budget for publicity, which is double the production cost, and news of this has been circulating for more than two months.

The propaganda primarily targeted Black communities, Black radio stations, Black rights websites and forums—basically, it targeted areas where Black people congregate.

Besides focusing on racial issues, the publicity also highlighted James Wan and Colosseum, though the former actually generated more buzz and fame than the latter.

Although Closévignon is an Oscar nominee for Best Actress, her art-house films are still too niche, her fan base is not large, and her box office performance is questionable.

In contrast, James Wan became a sensation in the film industry this January with "Saw," and his signature non-mainstream hairstyle made him instantly recognizable to many.

He is also considered by many to be a promising new director, and his Asian identity, like that of Indian director M. Night Shyamalan who became a sensation with "The Sixth Sense," makes it impossible for him not to attract attention.

Many movie fans and critics are waiting for his second film. If it succeeds, they will praise it again; if it fails, they will ridicule it to the extreme.

When the time comes, he'll be labeled with terms like "director of a movie," "director of no inspiration," and "director of bad luck." It's because he's Asian; his tolerance is worse than that of white people.

In the movie theater, Eric was sitting in the back corner with the three Olsen sisters.

Although it was a midnight showing, there were still quite a few viewers, with an occupancy rate of about 40%, and most of them were Black.

With a few minutes left before the movie started, Eric eavesdropped on the conversation of the people below.

"Dude, I bet Sony is pulling strings behind Jackson's back. His copyrights could bring in billions of dollars; who wouldn't want that?"

"That's right. Look at those news reports and interviews, especially that video. My dad is a huge Jackson fan, and he said if Martin Bashir stood in front of him, he would shoot him dead with his shotgun!"

"No, no, no, killing is not an option, that's too violent. But look at Sony's attitude, they don't dare to say a word, they're just giving it the cold shoulder."

"I'm boycotting Sony products—music, movies, games—go to hell, you damn Japanese!"

"I support you, bro, but what if I really like Spider-Man? I want to see Spider-Man 2 next year."

"You can rest assured about that. Everyone around me is criticizing Sony right now. They won't last long. Sony's stock price will definitely plummet tomorrow."

"As soon as the stock price drops, the Japanese will immediately kneel down and apologize. It's their tradition. The incident will be over by next year, so it won't stop you from watching Spider-Man."

"Oh, by the way, I saw some people online calling for a protest at Sony's headquarters to teach the Japanese a lesson. Are you going?"

"Isn't Sony in New York? This is Los Angeles, it's too far. I'll just protest online, the plane tickets are too expensive."

"Not Sony's headquarters, but Sony Columbia's film division is in Los Angeles County, right? We plan to go there to protest."

"No problem then, count me in!"

Unsurprisingly, the most discussed topic among viewers was the dispute between Mike and Sony.

Eric nodded to himself. Let them make a scene, make as much noise as they want, and it would be best if they stormed into the Sony building and looted and burned it.

Click!

The lights went out, the big screen lit up, and the audience was plunged into darkness.

The lion with its thick fur roared a few times, and the movie officially began.

"I wonder when my movie will finally hit the big screen," said the woman with a hint of envy. "I really want to see myself in theaters."

Mary gently patted her younger sister's head: "Don't worry, it'll be quick."

Eric was sitting in the middle, Ashley was on his left, Mary was on his right, and Elizabeth was on the far right.

Darkness is the best cover, and Eric's gaze was fixed on the big screen when Ashley suddenly caught him.

He glanced at her, but Ashley kept looking straight ahead without changing her expression, then took his hand.

Then he felt a soft little hand reach in.

Heaven can attest that Eric truly had no ill intentions today; he simply wanted to get closer to the three sisters. After all, the two older sisters were already his women, and the younger one would undoubtedly be his woman in the future, so he couldn't keep distancing himself from them.

Who would have thought that all Mary wanted to do was watch a movie, but Ashley actually took the initiative and made a move. If Mary hadn't been next to little Elizabeth, she probably would have done the same.

Eric's initial focus on watching the movie was disrupted, leaving him with no choice but to silently enjoy it.

After playing like this for a while, as the movie progressed past the halfway point, the tense and suspenseful atmosphere caused the black guys to exclaim in surprise from time to time.

bell.

Suddenly, the clear ringing of the telephone interrupted the interest of many people.

"Oh man!"

"Bro, silence your phone right now."

"Don't you know the rules? Cell phones aren't allowed in the movie theater!"

Eric could only apologize when he saw that the call was from Chen Xing.

Calling your boss so late at night means something really serious has happened.

Eric pulled his hand out, and Ashley tactfully withdrew her green onion as well. He got up and walked outside.

However, the Nibelungen had not yet shriveled at this time, and when passing by little Elizabeth, it accidentally brushed against her arm.

Eric didn't notice and hurriedly went outside to answer the phone.

"Chen Xing, what's wrong?"

It was Chen Xing's voice, both nervous and excited: "Boss, I just received news that a murder has occurred in New York. The deceased is Evan Chandler, who extorted money from Michael in 1993."

"It is said that gunshots were heard in his apartment, and then the neighbors called the police. When the police arrived, they found that he had committed suicide by shooting himself, and the bullet went straight through the back of his head."

Upon hearing the news, Eric was initially surprised, but then overjoyed.

He sneered, "He's smart to admit he's made the right decision."

"Yes, I heard that Evan Chandler has always had a bad relationship with his family. Although he got the money, nobody liked being around him."

"Moreover, he has been harassed and insulted by Michael Jordan's fans for years, and with his son Jody Chandler now testifying against him in court, he has been completely abandoned."

"It is foreseeable that this guy will face both legal and public judgment; his life is over, and there is no hope left."

"So rather than living a miserable life, it's better to end it all with one shot."

Eric suddenly chuckled: "Good riddance! He died at the perfect time. He's more useful dead than alive; we can use him to our advantage."

"Chen Xing, remember what I'm about to say, and send someone to do it immediately."

"Okay, boss!"

"Go find Janet Avizo, Larry Feldman, and Mathis. Remember to hide your identities and threaten them with Evan Chandler's death."

"I need them to admit that Sony was behind everything, and I need to pin the blame squarely on Sony's head."

"The three of them are in a state of extreme fear right now. Evan Chandler's death will absolutely drive them crazy."

"In short, use coercion and enticement to break down their fragile psychological defenses, understand?"

"Understood, boss!"

After finishing his business, Eric returned to the movie theater and discovered that little Elizabeth was sitting between her two older sisters.

This is terrible. There are no secrets left. No matter how thick-skinned the three of them are, they can't do anything shameful in front of Elizabeth.

Ashley and Mary could only laugh awkwardly, and Eric could only shrug helplessly.

In another two or three years, when Ao Mei has fully developed and her peach has ripened, it will be time for the three sisters to sleep together.

After watching the movie, Eric took the three sisters home. It was late at night, and Eric felt embarrassed to stay overnight, so he had to return to Beverly Hills.

The following day, the vortex of public opinion continued to engulf Sony.

Evan Chandler's death indeed made the front page of major media outlets. The news reports, citing the New York Police Department, all stated that he committed suicide by shooting himself.

Gossip tabloids and online media are less discerning, and many conspiracy theories naturally emerge, with murder to cover up the crime being the most prevalent.

So who is the most likely killer?

Of course it's Sony. Right now, it's the most evil villain. Anyway, all the bad things were done by Sony, so just put all the blame on the Japanese.

Just like the internet in later generations, all the bad things were done by the United States, and even things that seemed completely unrelated were also done by the United States. Just pin it on them.

Meanwhile, attacks on Sony occurred in several cities, including its branches and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo, and Paris.

Many people held up signs and chanted slogans as they blocked Sony's gates, promoting a boycott of Sony products.

Some people even carried high-powered speakers and set them up in front of the Sony office building, playing Michael Jackson songs at such a loud volume that it was impossible for people inside the building to concentrate on their work.

Some even went so far as to throw rotten tomatoes, rotten eggs, their own feces, and other disgusting things. The area in front of Sony's headquarters in New York was so foul-smelling that it was impossible to walk through.

Driven to the brink of desperation, Sony had no choice but to call the police.

When the police arrived, these people naturally scattered like birds and beasts. Even if a few were caught, they would only be detained for a maximum of twelve hours, because there were too many people and it was impossible to determine who threw the feces.

After being released, you can still be interviewed and share your experiences online, which will attract a lot of attention. Why not?

Once the police left, the crowd returned and continued their harassment.

Affected by a series of negative news, Sony's stock price suffered a major blow after falling 5.4% yesterday, plunging 11% within minutes of opening and triggering the first circuit breaker mechanism.

After trading resumed 15 minutes later, the price plummeted again by 12%, triggering a second circuit breaker.

After trading resumed again after 15 minutes, the price dropped by 6.7% for the third time and fluctuated around this level. It was clear that major players intervened to support the market. Fortunately, the circuit breaker mechanism was not triggered for the third time.

If this is triggered a third time, according to the rules, Sony's stock will be immediately closed.

Even so, by the time the market closed in the afternoon, Sony's stock price had still plummeted by 27.4%, a drop of more than a quarter, wiping out more than $50 billion in market value.

Faced with such a dire situation, Sony finally broke its silence and held a press conference at its New York headquarters at 4:30 p.m.

Sony Music President Tom Motora appeared and gave an interview.

He denied everything when faced with various questions from reporters.

"Mr. Motora, how do you explain the content of Martin Bashir's video?"

Tom Motora countered, "Did he say it himself in the video? Did Martin Basher say he was acting on Sony's orders?"

"Although there wasn't, his ambiguous performance and language proved everything."

Tom Motora said seriously, "Mr. Reporter, you need evidence to support your claims. Even if Martin Bashir said nothing, it's possible he was drunk and talking nonsense, deliberately slandering us, isn't it?"

"I also have to respond to Michael Jackson's comments. Since Sony started working with him, the company has paid him more than a billion dollars. He has earned more money than any other star in the world."

"If you knew the privileges and treatment he received, you would definitely feel indignant for other singers. The average singer spends $20 to record an album."

"The better ones are $50, top artists like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey are only $100 million, while Michael Jackson is over $2000 million."

"He's already gotten too much from Sony, but he's still not satisfied. He wants more money; he's a greedy devil, which is why he's done all this."

"All the allegations are false. We have decided to file a lawsuit against Michael Jackson and related individuals. We must defend Sony's dignity through the law!"

After finishing his sentence, Tom Motora was about to leave. There were many things he couldn't explain in detail, nor could he answer any questions. He figured he might as well finish speaking and go.

At this moment, the Fox News reporters and the guards whispered among themselves, and then rushed forward, unstoppable by the security guards.

The reporter grabbed Tom Motora's arm: "Mr. Motora, please wait a moment, one last question."

Tom Motora forcefully shook him off: "No, that's the end of the press conference. I'm not answering any more questions!"

Seeing that the other party was about to return to the office building, the reporter shouted: "We have just received news that Larry Feldman and Mathis have publicly accused them of framing Jackson at Sony's behest."

"What?!"

Tom Motorola turned around abruptly, then was hit in the nose by the revolving door and fell to the ground with a thud.

Thank you Luciferhx for the 100-coin donation.

(End of this chapter)