America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 52, Section 54: A Minor Shock

In January, Sharknock was almost finished with its theatrical run, with only a few theaters still showing it.

After grossing over $13 million, its box office potential has been fully realized, and it is estimated that the final box office will reach $115 million.

Because it was released in December, its box office ranking is based on 2002. It is currently ranked 18th on the North American annual box office chart, swimming into the top 20 in a way that no one expected.

Once it's released in Europe, Australia, Africa, and other regions, it's expected to gross another 20 to 30 million US dollars.

As for Asia, they're not really buying into this yet, so they've simply stopped showing it.

Meanwhile, the Oscar nominations were announced, with films such as Gangs of New York, About Schmidt, The Hours, The Pianist, Chicago, Spider-Man, and The Lord of the Rings among those nominated.

The announcement of the nominations actually has no impact on the box office of most of the films; it only affects the subsequent sales of DVDs and copyrights.

However, this is not absolute. For example, films like "The Hours" and "Chicago" are still in the stage of large-scale screenings, hoping to boost box office revenue after the nominations are announced.

The movie "The Hours" boasts a strong cast, including three Oscar-winning actresses: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep, but it only grossed a paltry $33 in its opening weekend.

You read that right, it's only $33, not even breaking the million mark. Even with some improvement later, it's still far from ideal. The North American box office hasn't even reached $2000 million yet, and the producers are just hoping for this to recoup some of their losses.

Along with the announcement of the Oscar nominations, media reviews for "Saw" have also been released, with most critics giving it positive reviews and recommending it for viewing.

Film magazine: "Saw" is one of the top three horror movies I've seen in recent years. Unlike other horror movies, it tells a story with profound meaning and is superior in terms of script concept. I highly recommend watching it to the end. You will find surprises similar to those in "The Others"!

Chicago Tribune: I must say, Saw was a pleasant surprise. Before going to the theater, I didn't have high hopes. I took its tagline, "Want to understand the meaning of life? Want to truly live?", as a joke. But after leaving the theater, I have to tell you that if you want to understand the meaning of life, you need to watch this movie seriously.

The Independent: A mediocre film, *Saw* lures audiences into theaters with its seemingly profound gimmicks, but it has too many flaws. Perhaps on the first viewing, the gore and thrilling scenes will make you forget to think, but once you come to your senses, you'll find yourself being treated like a fool. It's just a mediocre film.

Fox News: This is a stunning film. James Wen and Leigh Whannell, these two young men set a great precedent for horror films in 2003. When you watch this movie, I hope you don't focus too much on the blood and torture instruments, but think more about its message. I'm pretty sure MGM has struck gold this time. The box office of "Saw" will definitely give this lion a good meal!

The media reviews this time are the complete opposite of those for "Sharknado," and not only traditional media have given it praise, but the internet is also full of praise.

On IMDb, some bold movie fans have even preemptively crowned "Saw" as the best horror film of 2003.

Positive word-of-mouth naturally drew more people to the cinema, and the attendance rate for "Saw" increased every day.

Amidst widespread praise, the box office results for "Saw" were released, showing a gross of $33 million over three days. After deducting production costs of $5 million and marketing costs of $10 million, the film has almost broken even.

The Cooper family.

My dad, beaming with pride, pulled out a bottle of red wine; he's been riding high lately.

First, "Red Dragon" had a successful opening at the box office, "Barbershop" also made a profit, and then "Sharknado" gave him a pleasant surprise.

Even "Saw" was a box office hit, and "Die Another Day" also made a profit.

The money he earned was one thing, but the sense of pride and accomplishment he gained was another. His continuous success allowed Charlie Cooper to hold his head high in front of his peers.

cluck cluck

Red wine is poured into the glass, but it's a pity Joshua isn't there; the 49ers' offensive lineman is currently recovering from an injury.

So he became a regular starter, and the training intensity was very high, but Joshua wanted to seize this opportunity and hadn't been home for a while.

"Thank the Lord, He provides us with food and keeps us alive. Amen!"

With her eyes closed and palms together, Mom finished her pre-dinner prayer. She was an enlightened believer who never asked her family to pray with her, and she always went to church alone.

"Eric, where did you find this gem, 'Saw'? You initially asked me to approve $1000 million for marketing, and to be honest, I thought it was a complete waste, but it really surprised me!"

Eric cut off a piece of tender beef and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.

"Dad, you should attend more internal screenings. Chen Xing has asked for permission several times, but you're always too busy."

Charlie Cooper's tone was somewhat helpless: "Didn't I entrust everything about the film to you? To be honest, I was very worried at first, but now I can rest assured."

"Success once could be a fluke, success twice could be too, but if it happens every time, it just means you were born to do this."

"Once we receive the box office revenue sharing in a month or two, it will greatly alleviate MGM's financial situation."

Eric hadn't really paid much attention to financial matters. They had paid Kerkelien $20 billion in a lump sum, but they still had $11 billion in liquid funds.

The company hasn't started many projects recently, with the only major one being "Transformers." Although they've spent a lot on things like buying the rights, Eric thinks they shouldn't be short of money. However, judging from his father's expression, that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Dad, is there a problem with the company's finances?"

"Not at the moment, but aren't we planning to acquire Hasbro's stock? The stock price has risen quite a bit now, and if we continue to buy, we'll need even more capital. The reason you can't find me is because I'm trying to raise the money."

What is the current stock price?

"At $35.1 per share, Hasbro's stock price rose another 7% on the very day the movie's male and female leads were announced. Of course, I think the bigger reason was Weta Digital."

Eric nodded. "I remember we acquired a 5% stake a while ago. What about now?"

Harry Cooper held up three fingers: "8%. During this period, I secretly took another 3% of the share, but at the cost of $2.3 million. Now MGM has $5.3 million tied up in the stock market."

"Besides MGM, there are clearly other companies secretly acquiring Hasbro's stock. The stock price has been rising recently, and if they want to continue acquiring it, they'll face significant financial pressure!"

"The Hassenfield family?"

"Hassenfield is definitely involved, since only the two of us knew the inside information in advance, but other participants may have also been involved after the information was released."

Eric tapped the table slowly, and his mother gently patted the back of his hand: "Eric, that's impolite!"

"Sorry!"

"Dad, if good news can make Hasbro's stock price go up, how much do you think bad news could cause it to drop?"

After a moment of contemplation, Eric narrowed his eyes, his tone chilling.

"What?"

"If the market believes the Transformers movie will be a failure, do you think Hasbro's stock price will drop? How much will it drop?"

Dad hesitated for a moment: "It will most likely return to its original price, but if a sell-off occurs, it's not impossible for prices to continue to fall, although not by much, since Hasbro is essentially a toy company."

"Pretty much, that's what I was thinking too, Dad. Let's prepare to sell off our stock holdings. It's time to give them a little shock!"

We've advanced to the third round! Thank you all for your support! I'm thinking of making a video tomorrow, but I don't know if it will pass the review. If it doesn't, please check the comments section.

(End of this chapter)