America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 328, Section 326: The Six Major Alliances Collapse!

"I'm leaving now. Take good care of everyone and have fun."

"Are you kidding me? This is a big party, you're the star, we're all waiting for you to lead the way."

"I won't wear this hairstyle today. Maybe next time, I'll arrange for some minor celebrities to join us."

"Besides, I'm not used to eating takeout, and I can't even take care of the people at home."

"So you're afraid of dirt. You can rest assured about that. They don't accept just anyone. They guarantee your health, so nothing will happen."

"Never mind, you might not feel comfortable if I'm here. Let's leave it at that, I have to visit someone."

"A visit? You actually used that word; it seems the other party is someone important."

"Heh. His last name is Adams."

"Adams, which Adams?"

"The Adams who drafted the Declaration of Independence."

"Gulp! Okay, I won't delay your business any longer. On behalf of everyone, I thank you."

"Yeah, have fun."

After saying goodbye to Sergei, Eric continued on to John Adams's house.

His purpose in coming to New York was to attend Hasbro's shareholders' meeting.

The popularity of "Iron Man" and "Captain America" ​​has directly made Marvel merchandise a hot commodity.

Following Eric's instructions, a large batch of goods produced ahead of schedule was almost completely sold out, resulting in excellent sales performance and earning more money than in the previous year.

With the addition of various licenses from MGM recently, Hasbro has been doing quite well these past few months, with its stock price rising every day.

As long as there's money to be made, people will naturally be willing to follow you.

Those who initially outwardly submitted but inwardly resentful gradually lost their objections.

Once these people settled down, communication and interaction between Hasbro and DoubleStar Entertainment became much smoother.

A talent mobility mechanism has now been established between the middle and lower levels of both sides, and this mechanism will eventually be extended to the upper levels.

Since the two companies have similar positioning, integrating resources is the key.

After Shuangxing Entertainment goes public in a while, it will be time for a deeper integration.

Having given prior notice, John Adams waited at home for Eric.

Upon seeing him, the middle-aged man immediately smiled and walked over to hug Eric, his attitude incredibly warm.

Why did you ask?

Of course, it's because Lionheart.com gave him a substantial share of the profits.

John Adams helped Eric solve problems related to the network in exchange for a 5% stake in the company.

As Lionheart expands its network, this 5% stake can bring him tens of millions of dollars in revenue every month.

What would your attitude be if someone gave you tens of millions every month?

After the servant left, John Adams asked, "What could possibly require you to come all this way? It can't be something as trivial as filming."

"It's related, but it's not really. However, making it will be very beneficial for future filming."

"Speak."

"Hmm, do you know about the Paramount Act?"

John Adams shook his head: "I only know Paramount movies."

"This bill was enacted in the last century, almost 60 years ago."

"Back then in Hollywood, big studios had almost absolute power of life and death over directors, screenwriters, and actors, and even over the audience."

"Wait, what about the union?"

"The unions existed, but their influence was far less than it is today. Ultimately, this was because large corporations could control both filming and screening."

"You mean the movie theater?"

"That's right. Back then, theater chains and film companies were one entity. It wasn't until the Department of Justice introduced a new bill that forced the separation of film companies and theater chains that the film industry structure you see today was created. That new bill was the Paramount Act."

John Adams nodded. "Okay, what do you want to do?"

"I want the Paramount Act repealed. To be precise, it's not just me who wants it, but several of our large companies do."

"Things are different now. In the 90s, Hollywood was invincible and had no rivals all over the world, but things are different now."

"The whole world is developing, and governments around the world are paying more and more attention to the film and television industry."

"Although the box office revenue of the film and television industry is insignificant, its output of ideology and culture is more powerful than that of missiles and artillery."

"As the competition gets stronger, business in Hollywood becomes increasingly difficult."

"Especially now that production costs are constantly increasing, a single film can easily cost tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, which would have been unimaginable in the past."

"However, compared to the ever-increasing production costs, the revenue earned by film and television companies has been declining year by year."

"We have to negotiate with theater chains, with censorship agencies in various countries, and with tax authorities. We are hampered by too many departments and regulations."

"John, do you know what system China practices?"

John Adams shook his head slightly.

"MGM established a branch there two years ago. It turns out that China allows cinema chains to participate in film production, just like Hollywood in the last century."

"Everyone else is progressing while we are regressing. I predict that within ten years, Hollywood's advantage will be gradually caught up, and we need reform."

"Reintegrating the resources of film and television companies and cinemas to reduce costs and increase efficiency is the best way out for the future."

After Eric finished speaking, John Adams nodded while looking troubled: "Repealing a law is not that simple; it will affect the interests of many people."

"To put it bluntly, the three major cinema chains will definitely object, as you are essentially taking away their livelihood."

"Besides that, Eric, I have a question for you."

"you say."

Who is the current president?

"George W. Bush, he was just re-elected last month, what's wrong?"

"Whose interests did George W. Bush represent?"

"Republicans, wait, okay, I get it."

"That's right. Most people in Hollywood have always been staunch supporters of the Democratic Party. Not everyone is as focused on making money as you are."

"Imagine, just a few months ago, those Hollywood stars were cheering for our president's opponent; do you really think he'd repeal the law now?"

"If it were me, I wouldn't agree either," Eric sighed.

John Adams suddenly changed the subject: "That's right, but it's not entirely impossible. It all depends on how much sincerity you're willing to show."

"How much money is needed? Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem."

John Adams laughed and said, "Money is only one aspect; what's more important is that you take sides."

"Huh? You don't mean to make me join the Republican Party, do you?"

"That's not the point. The point is the midterm elections two years from now."

"Although George W. Bush won re-election, the Democrats now hold a majority of seats in Congress."

"In the midterm elections two years from now, if you can help the Republican Party, as long as they can win."

"Once we take over Congress, whether we amend or repeal the Paramount Act, it's not a problem."

Upon hearing this, Eric frowned.

He has never wanted to get involved in American partisan politics.

Has no one contacted him?

Of course, his father, Charlie Cooper, is a Democrat, but Eric has never gotten involved in these matters.

Although I knew in my heart that I couldn't avoid it sooner or later, I didn't expect it to happen in this way, and by the Republican Party no less.

"Eric, actually, some people have approached me before. They know about my relationship with you and hoped I could persuade you, but I didn't agree."

Why?

"Some people hope to use Facebook's influence to achieve their own goals. In the past, everyone's attention was focused on television and newspapers, but the emergence of Facebook has given many people new ways of thinking."

"And then there's Lionheart.com. Through numerous live streams, Lionheart.com can attract tens of millions of people online simultaneously on trending topics. Do you realize how much political resources are involved?"

"Although I am also a shareholder of Lionheart.com, I am only responsible for profit sharing and will never interfere in other matters."

"However, if you're willing to show sincerity, many things can be easily resolved, understand?"

Eric nodded; he wasn't a fool.

Moreover, judging from the situation in later generations, especially during the era of Trump, the use of Twitter to govern the country was evident to all, and social media, elections, and politics had long been indistinguishable.

In theory, however, supporting the Democratic Party is actually more in one's own interest.

However, it will be at least four years later, during Obama's term, before the Democrats come to power.

But then another problem arose: even if he were to join the Democratic Party now, he would still be considered a newcomer.

The three major theater chains are long-time customers with excellent relationships with the Democratic Party. Whether they can pass the bill if they want to amend it is another matter.

"John, I've never understood which party you belong to?"

"I'm sorry, that's not quite accurate. The military can't take sides, but I'd like to know which side you support?"

John Adams gave a playful smile: "I don't support either side, nor do I need to, but if you want to ask the Adams family..."

"We are present in all walks of life, and we have long been integrated into every important sector of the country."

"In other words, we support both sides; we'll help whichever side is stronger."

"Riding the fence?"

"No, if you are weak and yet hesitate, that's called sitting on the fence."

"But if you are powerful enough, this is called going with the flow."

"So, do you think I should take this train two years from now, or the train four years from now?"

"Haha, why are you so hung up on it? You don't actually think that because you helped the Republicans win the midterm elections, the Democrats will hold a grudge against you or try to take action against you?"

"If you have this kind of thinking, you've already put yourself in the position of the weak."

"Eric, you're a businessman. Essentially, helping anyone is still doing business, as long as you seize the opportunity to grow your own power."

"When you become powerful, others will only be eager to do business with you; who would want to offend you?"

That should make things quite clear.

"Alright, you help me smooth things over first, just name your price."

"My first move is to acquire Warner Bros., which will definitely face antitrust investigations. This can be considered our first collaboration."

John Adams stretched: "Wait for my news. By the way, when are you planning to go public with Lionheart?"

"The specific time is not set, but it is expected to be at least a year from now. I am used to laying a solid foundation before moving up."

"OK, I'm not going to worry about operations anyway."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Time flies, and a week has passed since the meeting in Santa Monica.

Eric had no idea what the six families did or talked about after he left.

The good news is that Paramount and Universal have contacted him privately.

Brad Gray unleashed a torrent of abuse on the phone at Michael Ianas and Barrymeyer.

The reason is about the cooperation plan they proposed, in which Lionheart would give up 40% of its shares, Disney would take 15%, Warner would take 10%, and the remaining four companies would share 15%.

Paramount knew that its strength was the weakest, and if this was the only option presented to it, it had no objections.

But Eric's proposed solution was 7.5% for each company, a difference of two times.

This isn't a difference in status, it's a generational gap!

Is there even a choice? Anyone with a brain knows what to do.

So Brad Grey made a demand: if Eric would lend him an interest-free loan to pay off his debt to Disney, Paramount would immediately sever ties with him.

Money can solve anything; a few hundred million is nothing to Eric right now.

They can simply lend Paramount a sum of money directly from Lionheart's account.

As we approach the end of February, the Grammy Awards ceremony is just a few days away, followed by the Oscars.

With these two ceremonies, the four major awards in the American entertainment industry concluded, marking the end of the year-end review for 2004.

At the last minute, Paramount suddenly released an announcement.

"Looking back on the past year, Hollywood has experienced one of the most chaotic periods in its history."

"We have fallen into an endless vicious competition, which not only brings a bad experience to the audience, but also seriously affects the livelihoods of directors, screenwriters, actors and other practitioners."

"This kind of competition is obviously unhealthy and unsustainable, and it also affects the development of the entire film and television industry."

"Therefore, Paramount decided to withdraw from this unfair competitive relationship and resume its cooperation with MGM, especially by increasing exchanges in the development of its streaming platform."

As soon as Paramount released its announcement, MGM and Lionheart responded positively, expressing their warm welcome.

Less than an hour later, Universal also released its own announcement.

They not only want to strengthen exchanges in streaming media, but are also willing to sell the rights to the Hulk and Namor back to Marvel.

Marvel naturally gave it their all, inwardly shouting "Long live Daddy!"

They also announced that they would explore film adaptations of Hulk and launch a solo movie as soon as possible.

I wonder if Paramount and Universal's firm stance provoked Sony and Fox.

After the announcement was issued, Eric quickly received calls from both companies.

That same evening, Sony and Fox also released similar announcements.

Following Eric's suggestion, both parties decided to jointly develop the copyrights for superheroes such as Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool.

Although fans don't understand what this joint development means, it's definitely a great thing.

With this, Operation Rio was declared bankrupt, and the six major alliances disintegrated!

(End of this chapter)