America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 37, Section 39: Acquiring the Transformers Copyright (Seeking monthly votes and donations)

Early in the morning of the new week, a Lincoln was on its way to Los Angeles International Airport.

There were four people in the car: Charlie Cooper, Eric Cooper, Chen Xing, and a driver.

The destination of this trip is New York. Negotiations with Hasbro have ended, and this flight is to sign the contract.

We'll hold a press conference immediately after signing the contract. If we're going to do it, let's make it big and build up the buzz beforehand!

So even Dad got involved; this will be the first major decision for the new MGM.

After flipping through the newspaper, there wasn't much important news, but there was one piece of gossip that he found quite interesting—the final trial of Winona Ryder's theft case had begun.

It's not a coincidence of names; she's the goddess in the hearts of countless people who starred in classic films such as "Edward Scissorhands" and "Little Women," and has already been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.

In December 2001, she secretly stuffed $4760 worth of clothes and accessories into her bag at a department store in Beverly Hills, and the whole thing was recorded by surveillance cameras.

This kind of thing is morally reprehensible and illegal, let alone when she is a public figure.

Moreover, it was only shortly after 9/11, and the whole of America was still recovering from grief and anger when Winona was betrayed by the goddess, instantly becoming public enemy number one.

In a short period of time, she lost her film contracts and her job, becoming a discarded person, but at the same time, she attracted countless media outlets to follow her 24 hours a day.

This Monday, after nearly a year, the final trial of the theft case finally began, and the previously subsided public interest has resurfaced. I believe we will see photos of Winona entering and leaving the courtroom in the newspapers tomorrow.

Eric shook his head: "I don't understand. She's the hottest actress, the leading lady in the hearts of countless directors. Why would she steal? Is it some kind of special fetish? Wouldn't it be better to steal props from the crew? Everyone does that!"

Charlie Cooper sighed regretfully as well: "Nobody knows what she's thinking. When the news broke last year, the whole of Hollywood was stunned. Of course, many actresses were overjoyed."

"But I guess the pressure was too much. Every Hollywood star has this worry: Will I get this role? Will my movie be a box office failure? Will I be surpassed by the younger generation?"

"This is the most realistic arena of fame and fortune, even if you win an Oscar, it doesn't matter. And Winona Ryder, despite her great fame, has never starred in a blockbuster movie."

"Moreover, with the emergence of many younger talents in recent years, such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, they may feel the pressure and might do anything that causes a temporary mental breakdown."

Eric recalled that Winona had been out of the public eye for a long time after that. Although she gradually returned to the public eye, she never had a decent starring film again. It has to be said that one wrong step led to another.

"Chen Xing, how's the box office performance of 'Red Dragon'?"

After reading the gossip, Eric got down to business.

Without thinking, Chen Xing blurted out, "The North American box office dropped by 52%, to $1490 million, while the total box office in Europe in the second week was $2950 million."

"The opening weekend box office figures for other countries are also in: $1065 million in Japan, $580 million in South Korea, $600 million in Australia, and $2220 million in New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, and other regions combined. The total global box office for *Red Dragon* is now $2.3 million!"

"$2.3 million, not bad results. It seems those analysts are quite right. I estimate the final box office will be around $3 million."

"The story wasn't strong enough," Harry Cooper said nostalgically. "Back then, 'The Silence of the Lambs' went for $1900 million for $2.7 million. That was in 1991, $2.7 million 11 years ago."

"Times have changed, Dad. Once we get our hands on Transformers, MGM will take off. $2.7 million? You'll just laugh at that!"

"Eric, you've always been so confident!"

"Because confidence is more important than gold!"

Rhode Island, Hasbro headquarters building.

Inside the meeting room, the two leaders sat on either side of a long table.

The filming of a live-action Transformers movie is a groundbreaking event for Hasbro, and with Charli Cooper in attendance, Hasbro CEO Alan Hasenfeld naturally had to be present as well.

After three rounds of negotiations, the specific details have been finalized, and signing the contract is just the final step.

In the end, Hasbro could not resist the temptation and chose to sign a performance-based agreement, but with some modifications to the details.

The percentages for all terms have been increased or decreased. For example, if toy sales increase by more than 200% within a year, Hasbro will only share 5% of MGM's net profit.

Eric's most important goal was to increase toy sales from three times to four times, but if this were to be achieved, Hasbro would have to give up 4% of its equity to MGM, or pay 55% of the toy's net profit.

They sat down together and chatted for a while, exchanging some pleasantries. Then, Harry Cooper and Alan Hasenfield signed their names on the contract.

The moment the pen touched the paper, the Transformers copyright was secured, and the performance-based agreement officially took effect.

Afterwards, everyone took their positions and posed for a group photo. A beautiful hostess then led everyone to the press conference venue.

The hall was already packed with people, mostly representatives from major entertainment media outlets, as well as some mainstream media representatives, who had set up their cameras and microphones, aiming at the row of seats directly in front of them.

Hasbro is currently the largest toy distributor in the United States, while MGM is one of the seven major film and television giants. Although this giant has weakened and is not as competitive as companies such as New Line Cinema and Lionsgate, it is still an established brand with considerable influence.

The fact that the two companies have jointly released news indicates that something big is about to happen.

As people entered, countless flashes began to go off.

After some brief introductions, Alan Hasenfeld announced in a deep and powerful voice: "As you can see, Hasbro and MGM have reached an agreement. We will grant MGM the film and television rights to Transformers for development, and co-produce a live-action Transformers movie!"

Before he could finish speaking, gasps of surprise erupted from the audience.

The media had already speculated about this before receiving the invitation, but the fact that it was actually presented to everyone still surprised them.

That's Transformers! Most of the male reporters present had seen it as children and even bought the toys. The female reporters hadn't seen it, but they had at least heard of it.

This group of Autobots has been a fixture in the animation and toy market for decades, and now they're quietly making a feature film.

After Alan Hasenfield finished speaking, the host signaled for the media Q&A session, and a large number of arms immediately went up in the room.

(End of this chapter)