America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 173. A Plunge of 8 Billion, Even Sony Has to Kneel.

"Eric, you can't imagine how surprised I was when I saw Larry Feldman and Mathis standing outside Neverland Ranch, begging me to open the door like clowns."

"I was planning to call the police, but they kept begging me not to, and they told me about what they had been through these past few days. They were like two drowning dogs, so pathetic, as if they were about to drown at any moment."

Listening to Michael's description over the phone, Eric chuckled and asked, "Seeing these two guys looking so pathetic, doesn't it feel good?"

"Of course, it was absolutely awesome!" Mike said without any attempt to hide his excitement.

"After letting them in, I specifically searched them to make sure they weren't trying to cheat."

"The two wanted me to let them off the hook and not prosecute them, in exchange for them persuading Janet Avizo to drop the charges and being willing to smear Sony."

"It seems that Evan Chandler's death has really terrified them. They're hiding in their rooms and don't dare to come out. Larry Feldman has received death threats, and Mathis has been shot."

Eric scoffed, "When it comes to life, nothing else matters. They'd be willing to throw dirty water on Sony, let alone say it was Bush Jr. who ordered it."

"Eric, did you do this?"

"Of course not. Although I hired a private investigator to investigate them, that was legal. Death threats are going too far. Maybe some righteous person couldn't stand it anymore. Anyway, things are going very well now, aren't they?"

Eric did it, of course, but he could do it but couldn't say it.

Since Mike asked this question, he must have his own inclination, and the two of them just kept it to themselves.

"Mike, hasn't Sony contacted you yet?"

"I contacted him, but it was just an executive I didn't know. He asked me what my purpose was, but I ignored him. Tom Motora knows what I want."

"However, even though Tom Motora is the president of Sony Music, he wouldn't dare to make a decision to leave Sony with his shares; he would have to report to Sony headquarters first."

"Hehe. Let's drag it out then. We'll continue to build up public opinion. Sony's stock price will definitely continue to fall, and Tokyo will inevitably react. Let's see how long they can hold out."

After hanging up the phone, Eric's attention returned to filming "House of Cards".

Sony is a diversified multinational corporation with businesses spanning film and television, music and entertainment, electronic products, video games, financial services, and many other areas.

Sony Music's position in these major areas is not actually that high.

In this year, its most profitable industry is still electronics, followed by film and television, while video games and music entertainment account for a relatively small proportion of its financial statements.

However, the music business has now dragged down the entire group's stock price by a quarter, a classic case of penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Therefore, Eric did not believe that Sony could tolerate it. Even if the United States refused to back down, Tokyo, the headquarters, would definitely force it to do so.

After a day of filming, Eric hosted a party at his home that evening.

The event invited more than a dozen people, including James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Deadpool, Chris Evans, the Russo brothers, Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Judy Warren, and others.

As for his own women, he certainly couldn't invite any of them; they were all women he'd had affairs with, and if they met, they'd probably fight.

Dissatisfied with the party not being lively enough, are you planning to sacrifice yourself and perform a show?

What a fuss!

Only when I become stronger can I gradually train them to accept each other.

The group chatted and ate in small groups, while Wen Ziren tossed his unconventional red hair.

Eric began, "James, Get Out is a great film. It has received high scores from critics and audiences. With the contributions of the Black guys, the box office is sure to be high as well."

"I want to congratulate you; these two films have already made you an excellent box office director."

James Wan smiled shyly: "It's all thanks to the excellent script, you and Whannell. I was just responsible for presenting the script."

"Tsk tsk. I'm the director. Don't I know the importance of a good director to a script? This is America, after all. Even a little bit of skill can be exaggerated to ten. Humility isn't fashionable here."

"By the way, after 'Get Out' leaves theaters, have you considered your next movie?"

James Wan nodded: "Lionsgate has approached me with a script, also in the horror genre. I've accepted it and plan to start filming after taking a break for a while."

Upon hearing Lionsgate, Eric's mind immediately went to that name.

"James, would you mind revealing the movie's name?"

"Of course, it will be announced in a while anyway. The movie is tentatively titled 'Dead Silence,' and the script is quite creative."

"Dead Silence, hmm. Not bad. Lionsgate had good taste in choosing you. Keep it up!"

Hearing Eric's encouragement, James Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Eric. I thought you'd be angry. I'm relieved now."

"Heh. Why would I be angry? We didn't sign a slave contract. You have the right to accept the films you like."

"However, we can't let our guard down on Saw 2. Even if I'm not directing, I'll still be producing. As for the next collaboration, we can talk about it after you finish filming Dead Silence."

James Wan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I will fulfill my responsibilities as producer. Eric, you have shown me great kindness, and I will never forget it."

Eric patted him on the shoulder and offered a few words of encouragement. He said that as a child who has achieved some success, he will naturally have his own ideas, so let him go and explore.

Although Dead Silence was terrible and flopped at the box office, at least it was no longer a small-scale, confined room movie.

Even if it results in a loss, Lionsgate is paying for it anyway. At least it will hone James Wan's ability to direct large-scale scenes and accumulate experience for shooting more commercial blockbusters in the future.

Given his potential, Eric can't keep him stuck in horror movies forever.

"Fast & Furious," "Transformers," or superhero movies will inevitably use his work in the future.

Your neighbor paid for your child to practice; you got a great deal!

Seeing that Eric and James Wan had finished their conversation, Tom Hardy, who had been secretly glancing over, hurriedly came over.

"Tom, what's wrong?"

"Director, I have some questions I'd like to ask you about that script."

"Inception?"

"Yes, I don't know if there's something wrong with my intelligence, or..."

"Or is there a problem with my script?" Eric added the next line for him.

Tom Hardy gave an awkward laugh: "You know what? I spent at least ten hours reading this script because the dreams are constantly nested. Every time a character enters a new layer of the dream, I have to go back and flip through the script to find the reason."

"When I finished reading it the first time, I thought I understood it, but when I calmed down and thought about it carefully, I found that I didn't understand it anymore."

"Especially many of the details, I've racked my brains trying to figure them out, but I still don't have the answers."

"To keep this a secret, I can't discuss it with anyone else. I really can't hold it in any longer, Director, you have to tell me the answer."

Eric looked at the other person with amusement. When Inception was first released, it sparked a huge amount of discussion, with many people saying they weren't smart enough to understand the film.

In fact, most viewers can understand the plot if they watch the movie carefully.

But the key lies in the details. After recalling them, you'll find that many details don't match up, and you'll feel that there's a logical bug.

Then I wondered if I hadn't understood it, or if there was something wrong with the script?

Eric believes both factors are present, but another important factor is the translation issue.

Translation problems are common in English-to-Chinese translation, but they can be fatal for a mind-bending mystery movie.

Eric spent a month and a half trying to patch up the logical flaws, but even after repeated checks and scrutiny, he couldn't guarantee that no new flaws had been created.

This is ultimately just a commercial film, not a space shuttle, so it can't be perfect or cover everything.

"Tom, are you planning to take this role?"

Tom Hardy nodded vigorously: "Needless to say, this is the coolest notebook I've ever seen."

"Then don't ask anymore, because other people will have the same question as you. I'll answer all your questions before filming starts, so just keep it to yourself."

"what?"

After chatting with everyone for a while, the phone rang. It was Theron calling.

"A phone call so late at night, does it mean there's good news?"

Eric answered the call excitedly: "Theron, it's me."

"Hmm? Eric, it sounds lively over there."

"I'm having dinner with friends and a family gathering."

"Boyfriend? Or girlfriend?"

"Heh. Jealous?"

"I didn't. If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

"He's my boyfriend, don't worry, my heart is full of you right now." Eric started his usual flirtatious remarks.

The two now exchange text messages daily, and after their last passionate kiss, Theron doesn't seem to mind Eric's flirtatious remarks, sometimes even responding to them.

Eric gets busy and forgets to message her, but Theron will proactively send her messages, and she's starting to find herself falling for her.

"You'd be a fool to believe that. I'm calling to tell you that I've already made an appointment with Kate Winslet."

"Really? When? Where?"

"August 7th, a few days later, at my house, that day was my birthday."

"Your birthday! That's a big day, so is this an invitation to me?"

"Whether it counts or not is up to you to consider, whether you come or not is up to you."

"Haha, of course I'll come, and I'll present you with the most special gift."

"No, I'm already very happy that you came. Besides, if the gift is too expensive, people will have opinions."

"I'll think it over carefully, and I'll bring my friends with me."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

I can't believe that I just celebrated Neeko's birthday not long ago, and now it's Theron's turn.

The gift is a must, and it has to be extravagant enough, not only for Theron's benefit, but more importantly for Stewart Townsend's. I bet he'll be furious.

When he gets angry, he'll definitely lose his temper, and the more angry he gets, the more clearly Theron can see the other person's true colors.

Then it would be easier for me to take advantage of the situation. It was a real pity that I didn't manage to win her over at Theron's house last time.

The next day, as expected, Sony's stock price fell again at the opening due to the negative impact of the accusations made by Larry Feldman and Mathis.

Within minutes, the price plummeted and triggered a circuit breaker, closing trading for fifteen minutes.

After trading resumed, the price fell again, but this time the drop was not as severe. It fell by 7.7% initially, and then began to rise slowly.

It's either because major players are supporting the market, or institutions are buying on the dip, or both.

But Eric isn't planning to buy at the bottom this time, because if Mike really leaves Sony with the copyright, it's uncertain whether the stock price can recover.

Even if prices rebound, it will probably take a considerable amount of time. He has funds that he can use and cannot afford to be tied up.

Fans and righteous individuals continue to condemn Sony online and in real life, and anyone who dares to say they use Sony products will be instantly bombarded with criticism.

Over the course of a few days, Sony's global sales volume plummeted, especially in major markets such as Europe and North and South America, where sales almost stopped.

This situation continued until 2 p.m., and the market was about to close again. Sony's stock price only rose by 5 percentage points after the circuit breaker was triggered, which is equivalent to a loss of more than $2 billion in market value.

Adding to yesterday's $50 billion and the day before's $80 million, nearly $8 billion in market value evaporated in just three days, a truly devastating loss.

At this critical juncture, Sony held another press conference. This time, not only Sony Music President Tom Motora appeared, but also Howard Stringer, head of Sony America, whose position was higher than the former's.

When asked by reporters, Howard Stringer did not answer, but instead posted a message on his own.

"Sony will meet with Mr. Michael Jackson tomorrow to discuss how to handle the current situation."

"Sony and Mike have a long history of cooperation. We were like-minded friends in the past, we are now, and we will continue to be in the future."

"We also believe this is just a minor hiccup on the road to cooperation, and we hope the public and media will not exaggerate it."

"After the negotiations conclude tomorrow, we will announce the results in due course. Please believe that we will achieve a satisfactory outcome."

The press conference was very short, lasting less than ten minutes. Eric immediately called Mike after watching the live broadcast.

"Mike, Sony contacted you?"

"Yes, Howard Stringer contacted me personally. We'll be negotiating tomorrow morning. The stock price has dropped so much; it seems they've finally learned to be scared."

"Howard Stringer's words are somewhat reliable. He is the head of Sony in the United States, and his power is much greater than that of Tom Motora, and no less than that in Tokyo."

"Michael, seize the opportunity. Remember you still have a trump card. Having it and using it are two different things. Use it to threaten the other side when necessary."

"I remember, wait for my good news," Mike said emphatically.

Following the press conference, investor confidence rebounded, and within minutes of the market closing, Sony's stock price began to rise.

The stock eventually closed up 8.1% above pre-circuit breaker levels, at least recovering some of the losses.

As for whether it will rise or fall tomorrow, that depends on the outcome of the negotiations.

(End of this chapter)