America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 344, Section 342: Another $30 billion was spent.

"Mother"

Liu Xiaoli opened her eyes wearily and saw her daughter standing in front of the bed.

"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you sleeping? It's only this early."

"I'm awake, and I can't find Eric. He's not in the bathroom either. Do you know where he went?"

Old Liu thought to himself, "Where could I go? After I've finished dealing with your mother, I'll just pack up and leave."

Eric had already explained the situation to her; there were still six hungry wolves at home, and he rarely stayed out overnight.

"He's gone. He left after you fell asleep."

"Huh? Why are you leaving? You didn't even tell me."

Looking at her somewhat dazed daughter, Liu Xiaoli sat up, immediately causing redness and swelling. That damned guy had no sense of chivalry whatsoever.

"Sisi, sit here, I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"About you and Eric."

By mid-June, fierce competition was raging in movie theaters.

Disney's blockbuster "Mulan 2" has been released. Seven years ago, in mid-June 1998, the first Mulan film was released to audiences worldwide.

As an ancient Chinese legend, Mulan's story of joining the army has been given a fresh twist by Hollywood on the other side of the ocean.

Thanks to Disney's production, the characters were vivid and interesting, ultimately grossing over $3 million worldwide.

That was $3 million in 1998, a figure of immense importance that goes without saying, ranking it among the top ten highest-grossing films worldwide that year.

The Chinese figure Mulan has also become one of Disney princesses.

This incident dealt a significant blow to filmmakers in China back then, and it's ironic in a way.

As a sequel, "Mulan 2" is naturally highly anticipated, with many children and adults waiting to go to the cinema again to experience the charm of Mulan and Mushu.

Unfortunately, ideals are often grand, but reality is often harsh.

Despite being created by the original team, "Mulan 2" received a flood of negative reviews after its release.

Without the support of legends and stories, the screenwriter applied modern themes to ancient people, turning the film into a melodramatic love story.

This forced application created a severe sense of disconnect and discomfort, and directors Rale Rooney and Lynn Sutherland were practically berated by audiences and critics.

Such a great subject matter has been wasted; it would have been better not to make it at all.

Elizabeth wanted to take Eric to the premiere, but Eric refused.

"Honey, promise me you won't watch it. It's an absolutely terrible movie, you'll be disappointed."

"Why? How do you know if I haven't even seen it?" the young woman said, somewhat displeased.

"Because this movie was filmed last year, it has been sitting in Disney's film library for a year."

"If it were truly a high-quality masterpiece, they would have already launched it last year to target MGM."

"But the fact is, Disney chooses to let its movies sit idle in its archives. What do you think is the reason for that?"

"Although your analysis makes a lot of sense, I still want to watch it. It's my childhood. Please come with me, okay?" The young woman pouted and started to whine.

Eric, unable to resist her pestering, finally agreed: "Call me Daddy, and I'll take you!"

"dad!"

"Okay, let's go."

Then I threw up before I even finished watching it, cursing as I did so. It was a pure money-grabbing movie with absolutely no sincerity.

MGM released a blockbuster in June, "Raging Storm," starring Michael Fassbender.

This movie is basically a fast and exciting version of the Rio bank robbery.

As the main character, Fassbender naturally takes over the role previously played by Paul Walker.

Then they brought in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is bald on top of bald, and his counterpart is naturally Vin Diesel.

Although Dwayne Johnson will become a top Hollywood star in ten years, his popularity is not as high as Vin Diesel's right now.

His main job is still in WWE, and in the film industry, he made a cameo appearance as the Scorpion King in "The Mummy 2" and also starred in the spin-off film "The Scorpion King".

His other works had received lukewarm responses, but when he received the offer, he saw that it was a dual male lead production and an A-list big-budget production, and he was so happy that he almost snotted from nose to nose.

The female lead was given to Eliza Dushku, who played Agent Carter in Captain America and had already gained some fame.

With this, the film tailor-made for the British trio was completed.

And just like its name suggests, "The Ride" unfolded at breakneck speed in the cinema.

The violent car chases, especially the scene where a safe is used as a weapon to rampage through the streets, get every audience member who walks into the theater excited.

This is so exciting! This is what racing should be like!

While critics didn't acknowledge the film's deeper meaning, they praised it as a decent commercial blockbuster.

If you want your adrenaline to surge, go watch the movie "Raging Wave".

As for "Fast & Furious," the pressure was on them.

Fassbender, Johnson, and Elizabeth Dushku also rose to fame in this fight, which will become their signature performance.

However, despite its fierce performance, "Raging Storm" could only secure second place.

Because above it is a national-level super IP, "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith".

In his previous life, Eric was Chinese. Although he had watched the Star Wars movies, he didn't find them particularly outstanding.

He would buy Transformers and Lord of the Rings merchandise, but Star Wars never truly captured his heart.

However, things are different after you come to the United States. When Star Wars elements pop up around you from time to time, you will naturally blend in over time.

It's like a kind of cultural identity; once the atmosphere has been formed, it will gradually assimilate the people around it.

Just like the old TV adaptations of the Four Great Classical Novels, everyone says they're good, so you gradually accept them.

Moreover, compared to Attack of the Clones, George Lucas clearly put more effort into this film, and the script has been polished to a higher level.

A major IP combined with positive word-of-mouth naturally led to explosive box office success.

In just half a month, it has already grossed $4.88 million worldwide, not only redeeming Lucas but also giving Fox its biggest hit of the year.

As for the sniping plan that Eric and Judy originally devised, it is no longer needed.

MGM is now the industry leader, and Warner is about to be acquired. Anyone with eyes can tell which one to choose.

"Rampage" grossed $1.24 million in North America, and Box Office predicts it will eventually reach $4.5 million worldwide, though whether it will reach $5 million depends on luck.

Mulan 2?

Nobody cares about that pile of garbage anymore.

While the box office battle raged on, entertainment reporters focused their attention on the other side.

Hundreds of media outlets, armed with cameras and microphones, surrounded a vacation villa in Santa Monica.

Even by the sea, the weather in June was extremely hot, but despite being drenched in sweat, these people were unwilling to leave and continued to wait for the villa gate to open.

"How long have they been inside?"

"Almost an hour, damn it, hurry up and get out here, why did you have to choose this location?"

"It's only been an hour, but I estimate we'll have to wait a while longer."

"Who knows? The details should have been agreed upon in advance. All that's left is to sign the papers."

"Hopefully so, but the movie's still showing, why doesn't George Lucas wait a while? The higher the box office, the more he'll get."

"They may have already paid according to the estimated box office, and don't forget that 'Crazy,' 'The Conjuring 2,' and 'Chronicle' have also kept MGM's stock price rising."

"What does Lucasfilm have? Nothing more than Star Wars and Indiana Jones. There won't be a sequel to Star Wars anytime soon, and there are no plans for Indiana Jones."

"If we keep dragging this out, Lucasfilm will fall further and further behind MGM. We might as well do them a favor and join now."

"I heard that George Lucas is planning to retire. It might be true. The Star Wars prequel trilogy is over, and he has indeed completed his mission."

"I've heard this rumor too. He's at least 60 years old, at that age he should be enjoying leisure and entertainment."

"That's amazing. Once MGM acquires Lucasfilm, its special effects technology will experience a qualitative leap. This lion is constantly strengthening and perfecting itself."

"On the contrary, I think Disney is in trouble. It will become increasingly difficult to resist MGM's offensive."

"With Mulan 2 being such a terrible film, Michael Ianas still hasn't stepped down. I don't understand what the Disney board of directors is doing."

"Rumor has it that they're already considering firing Michael Ainas, and might even seek a settlement."

"Really?"

"I don't know, I told you it was just a rumor."

*Clap clap clap*

At this moment, everyone in the villa stood up and applauded.

Eric and George Lucas clasped hands, and their names were signed on the documents on the table, signifying the official completion of the acquisition of Lucasfilm.

The deal cost a total of $30.55 billion and was conducted through a combination of equity and cash.

The contract includes Lucasfilm, as well as core resources such as Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Mixing Studio.

From that point on, these items became Eric's private property.

That's right, it doesn't belong to MGM, but to Eric personally.

Because Lucasfilm is a wholly-owned company of George Lucas, it is not publicly traded.

So Eric spent $20 billion and 3.87% of MGM's shares to buy it.

With this equity stake, George H.W. Smith became MGM's second-largest individual shareholder.

However, he stated that he would not participate in the company's operations, but only wanted to quietly collect profits and ensure that he would be financially secure for the rest of his life.

Conversely, Warner's acquisition cost $510 billion.

However, since it is a publicly traded company, what Eric bought was actually equivalent to the shares held by the board members.

He will become Warner's largest shareholder, but Warner does not belong to him personally; a lot of money belongs to the market and shareholders.

"Let's go, there are still many reporters waiting outside, it's time to announce this good news to everyone."

"it is good."

George Lucas nodded, and the two walked ahead side by side.

Click!

The villa gate opened, and a waiter greeted them. The reporters cheered inwardly and hurried inside.

Upon arriving at the hall, after a short while, a young man and an old man with a white beard each led a group of people out.

"I am honored to announce that I have just reached a cooperation agreement with Mr. George Lucas."

"I will personally pay $30.55 billion in a combination of equity and cash to buy the entire Lucasfilm from Mr. Lucas."

The old man chimed in: "This is absolutely an exciting collaboration. Eric is a very capable and accomplished filmmaker and entrepreneur."

"Under his leadership, I can foresee that the company will develop even better, which is what I expect."

After saying this, the two embraced gently in front of everyone, and then faced the reporters, allowing them to take photos to record this important moment.

After a burst of flashes, reporters at the scene began raising their hands to ask questions.

"Mr. Cooper, owning Lucasfilm means owning Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Are you planning to make a new series?"

Eric chuckled and pointed to the ceiling: "The Sith are still taking their revenge in the movie theaters right now, so I don't think Star Wars will be rebooted anytime soon."

"But I've been considering making a TV series. Star Wars has never been on the small screen before, and that would be an interesting story."

Upon hearing this, the reporter excitedly pressed on, "I'm a huge Star Wars fan, Mr. Cooper, have you finished writing the script yet?"

"No, it's just an idea. This story will take place after the fall of the Empire and before the rise of the First Order, and will revolve around the outer star belts of the galaxy, far from the control of the New Republic."

"There are many clues and characters to explore, which will connect the storylines of the Star Wars series."

"Does it have a name? Have you named this series?" another reporter asked quickly.

"Yeah! I want to call it The Mandalorian."

The reporters immediately memorized the name and went back to publish their articles, hoping to generate a huge amount of traffic during the movie's release.

"What about Indiana Jones? Is there a plan for Indiana Jones? The last movie was over a decade ago."

Eric recalled "Indiana Jones 4," a film produced by Spielberg that received mixed reviews.

The plot failed to capture the pulse of the market and the times, drawing a wave of criticism.

Although its critical reception wasn't as good as the first three films, it was a box office hit, grossing nearly $8 million worldwide.

The $8 million in 2008 was significantly higher than that of Iron Man.

After all, it's a major IP returning after more than a decade, and selling nostalgia can make a fortune.

If you avoid those major plot holes and revise the storyline, the movie has great potential.

"Yes, I personally love the Indiana Jones series. Indiana Jones is every man's dream hero."

"I will produce a fourth installment, which may be released next Christmas."

The reporters were in high spirits again, with one bombshell after another.

After asking a few more questions, they turned their attention to George Lucas.

The old man smiled and waved his hand: "Yes, I won't be directly involved in the development of the Star Wars series going forward. At most, I'll serve as an art director or something similar."

"This old man can't keep up with the times anymore. Let me rest."

"What do I want to do?"

"I'll probably try to make some experimental films, which has always been my wish, but I simply don't have the time, you know how it is."

"Of course, I have 100% confidence that Eric can revitalize both series, and I will definitely be following The Mandalorian."

(End of this chapter)