As mentioned before, because Denis inserted at the right time, Winona and Dep had just started dating, so he successfully snatched her away. Therefore, all the rumors that should have belonged to Dep and Winona now fell on him. This was a very interesting thing. It seemed inappropriate to say that the media and Winona were not on good terms. Although there were reporters who often said that she had an ambiguous relationship with someone when she was filming, most of them were still on her side.
But they always held on to her. Any news about Winona was bound to be a scandal after a few paragraphs, and neither Dep nor Denis had such treatment. If the media didn't like Dep because of his bad boy title, Denis's image had always been very good. Even if the scandal with Aniston was confirmed, his image as a good man in front of the public didn't change much. Why was this?
"Probably because of the aftermath of the 'Breast Odor Faction'." Adriaan said as he looked at the newspaper reports about the triangle relationship.
The title of the 'Breast Odor Faction' was given by the veteran actors in the 1980s to the famous Tom Cruise and others. Simply put, they were dissatisfied that they were too young but too popular too quickly. Although this situation was a trend, at least Adriaan knew that in the 21st century, there were many young and popular actors everywhere. Of course, whether they could maintain it was another matter. But it didn't prevent those actors from complaining. Calculating the time, Winona was about to reach the end of this period, so it was normal that she was not liked. However, she fit the aesthetic standards of the public very well, so she was very popular with many people. She always maintained the image of a "fair lady", so it became so contradictory.
Of course, these were all Adriaan's guesses. He wasn't sure what was going on. After all, he was not omniscient. He could only let the media's tireless behavior go. At most, he would ask a few of his own media to be a little more careful. In fact, he didn't need to remind them. Whether it was ABC or TBS, they were all well-known media. Too much fabrication would only damage their reputation. As for the few newspapers that they bought … it was better not to mention.
The current situation of AC Media was that TBS was currently the best developed. There was no need to talk about CNN. Ted Turner was indeed very insightful. In terms of entertainment, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was aimed at teenagers, received good ratings among cable television stations. As the female lead, Sarah was gradually becoming the audience's favorite actress. Millionaire was still very popular. Because of the adjustments, it had not yet shown any signs of fatigue. As for Sex and the City, which was aimed at housewives, although there were ups and downs, TNT had accumulated a lot of experience. With the support of the higher-ups, it wouldn't take long for them to catch up with HBO.
Next was ABC and the three major film studios. Everyone Loves Raymond was not as popular as Friends, but it still attracted a lot of family members to watch it. The viewership ratings were very stable, and it was always in the top tier. After the adjustment, Survivor also started to pick up and was gradually getting rid of its awkward position at the start. In addition, ABC had a strong foundation. They had a lot of good TV series and programs. Although they might not be able to turn a profit this year, their losses were definitely much smaller than before.
As for the three major film companies, because Miramax and New Line had a share of the pie, Bosworth's status had dropped. Their profits had also decreased, but at the same time, they were not always at the forefront of the storm like they were two years ago. New Line and Miramax were doing well, especially New Line. Independence Day was so popular that it did not lose to Saving Private Ryan at all. Wherever Robert Shay went, he would hold his head up high.
However, he would not be so lucky next time. Although Adriaan and Claude both admired Shay, New Line was different from Miramax. Miramax also had autonomy, but it was a wholly-owned subsidiary of AC Media. New Line still had some shares in Shay's hands. If AC Media wanted to do anything to New Line, they would either have to get Shay's permission or kick him out.
Big companies would not like this situation. Although Adriaan did not care, he already had a general plan in mind for the three film companies. He could give Shay some benefits, but he could not give him too much power.
"In my plan, there is one last piece of the puzzle. I believe we can put it together after next year," Adriaan said to Claude.
"You have a big appetite, Eide." After knowing his specific approach, Claude said with a smile, "Are you sure we can take it?"
"There won't be a problem. Even if we can't do it next year, there will still be a chance in two years." Adriaan did not care. "Of course, the premise is that the most important thing this year and next year must be completed smoothly."
The reason why they had to wait until next year to put the last piece of the puzzle together was mainly because the opportunity to make money was right in front of them. One must know that both ABC and TBS were considered behemoths. As a new media company, the only way to swallow them up was to rely on a strong financial base. Even so, the acquisition of ABC still required a lot of financing. Adriaan could certainly choose to continue financing. As long as the two of them added up to no less than 35%, he could still firmly control the company in his hands.
However, from Adrian's point of view, this was a little too careless. Even if it was only a matter of time before it was shared by others — there were now two more people on the board of directors — it would be more valuable if it was shared. There was clearly a great opportunity to earn money in front of them, so why would they choose another path?
"They can't hold on much longer. I offered a price of 500 million US Dollars. It's hard for them to refuse. I have already started to arrange things on the other side to ensure that there will be no mistakes." Claude gave an affirmative answer to Adriaan's advice.
"Only 500 million US Dollars …" Adriaan couldn't help but sigh softly.
This was naturally about the acquisition of Marvel. This veteran comic company with 5,000 comic characters and as famous as DC was currently at the end of the road. It may be an exaggeration to say that it was at the end of the road, but it was definitely gloomy. In the case of poor management, they had begun to close some inconspicuous departments, such as film production or animation production.
But who would have thought that only three years later, the company would miraculously be reborn. In the first decade of the 21st century, most of the comic heroes that were put on the screen and popular came from them. Marvel not only succeeded in turning the situation around, but also gained development that could not be underestimated. Now, except for Adriaan, no one would have thought that Marvel would have such a change.
How much did Dennis spend when they bought Marvel? 5 billion or 4 billion? Adriaan thought silently in his heart. Now they only need one-tenth of the cost to take it for themselves. This is simply robbery!
He originally wanted to remind Claude to buy Marvel as soon as possible, but after thinking about it carefully, he decided to forget about it. Before "Independence Day", there were movies that used CG in production, such as "Terminator 2" or "Jurassic Park" and so on. No one thought of buying Marvel because of this. Moreover, the CG in "Independence Day" still felt a little unreal when you looked at it carefully. The real large-scale use of CG in movies started with "Titanic", so as long as the acquisition was completed before then, there would not be a problem.
Still, no one could see the future of Marvel now except for Adriaan.
With Marvel, in the structure of AC Media, publishing companies and record companies could probably stay in the third tier at the same time. Although the record company had not developed particularly well in the past few years, the singers they promoted were still very popular. Moreover, not long ago, they had acquired Motion Records. If they kept this up and accumulated enough strength, they would play the two cards in their hands at once. They were bound to reach a higher level.
The same was true for publishing companies. When the "Harry Potter" series started to fully develop, they would definitely earn more profits. Moreover, Adriaan more or less remembered the names of a few best-selling novels, so it was completely possible to find the original authors to provide ideas and then publish them.
As for the other aspects, needless to say, Pixar had enough funds to continue with the second and third animation, and all of their employees were there. The second success was almost certain. Blizzard and several other game studios also made a lot of profits from the games they produced. According to the feedback, they were doing well.
On the IT side, they made a lot of money. Except for the money that they needed to keep, they basically followed the model of "investment – increase in online users – sell", which was completely according to Adriaan's plan. Although it was a pity that the IT industry would be even crazier in two years, it was better to be content.
The most inconspicuous was probably the "Victoria's Secret" that Claude sold. So far, their profits had not changed much, which was normal. "Victoria's Secret" was a little uncomfortable in the beginning. After all, AC Media was a media company and did not seem to have much connection with underwear products.
However, they had basically adjusted. People who could run a company and develop it to a certain scale were not fools. Several executives of "Victoria's Secret" were willing to stay after the acquisition because they saw the advantages and prospects of AC Media. In addition, with Adriaan's help, they were completely relieved when they invited Cindy Krau to be the spokesperson. Although they were still working with ABC, they believed that in a long time, they would definitely not disappoint.
In short, AC Media, like its two bosses, was young and full of vitality. At the same time, they were ambitious and had reached out in all aspects and achieved certain results. Nevertheless, compared with the established media groups, they still had a big gap in some aspects, such as newspapers, magazines, and other print media.
After all, these print media were established very early. After decades of changes, they had basically been carved up. The equity structure was more complicated than that of those broadcasting companies. It was basically difficult for new media companies to reach in, unless there were major changes. It was not easy for Murdoch to get the Times, and News Corporation only had the New York Post in the United States. It basically relied on luck (the Wall Street Journal was acquired in 2007).
Adriaan did not have a good way to deal with this situation. Although with the development of time, the traditional print media would disappear sooner or later, he definitely would not see it. Therefore, having one or two good newspapers and magazines was good for the entire AC Media. However, Adriaan was not omniscient and did not have much to refer to in this regard. He only knew that Warner once had the intention to sell Time, but that would be more than ten years later.
"It's okay. It's not a good thing to develop too comprehensively. Once the limit is exceeded, it may collapse." Adriaan could only comfort himself like this.
It was not that he did not have any ideas. After all, the him from 90 years ago had more or less learned some things in university. In addition, he now had a rich amount of information. After a few years of being influenced by what he saw and heard, he knew a lot of things and could still make some decisions. However, there was obviously a lot to do now, so he pushed it to the back.
After the premiere of Broken Arrow, there were basically no other movies worth his attention, so he put his energy into the post-production of Eyes Wide Open. It was worth mentioning that although Broken Arrow's first week box office was not bad, close to 20 million, compared to Saving Private Ryan and Independence Day, it was not enough. Harvey Weinstein was quite depressed because of this, while the other film companies were applauding and celebrating.
'We finally got through it!' They all said so in their hearts. Although there was a hint of self-deprecation in it, the power of Director Miracle was also evident.
There was nothing special about the post-production of Eyes Wide Open. Most of the soundtrack was selected old songs or symphonies. As for the initial editing, Adriaan rarely shot extra scenes, so he just needed to leave it to the editor and let him do according to his requirements. Except for one thing —
"Mr. Adriaan, is there something missing here?" After the opening of the cocktail party was edited, the editor took the memo to Adriaan and asked.
"Yes, I have some other considerations about this, so I can leave it for now," Adriaan said after reading the main points.
The editor did not suspect anything and left. Adrian stretched his back lazily before bursting into laughter. The scene that was missing was the scene where Cruise fantasized about his wife having an affair. Yes, it was the scene where Adriaan and Nicole Kidman fought on the set. As soon as it was over, he put it away. How could he let the editor edit it?
"Of course, I will edit it." Adriaan said with a chuckle. He still took it out from time to time to appreciate it.
The whole shooting process had almost 30 NGs, including the last scene where the fake scene became real, it took about an hour or so. Nicole displayed her amorous feelings to her heart's content, especially the last time. That passionate scene did not pale in comparison to the AV at all. Especially after the tender moment, Adrian purposely hugged her from behind and displayed it in front of the camera. That scene was enough to make anyone's blood boil.
However, there were two regrets. Because of the needs of the shooting, the lights were very dim, making the whole picture have a kind of gray that was close to black and white. Secondly, the lens was fixed, at best, there was only a stretch adjustment, which may be boring after watching for a long time.
It's okay, there will be better in the future. Adriaan said in his heart, but he didn't know what he was referring to. However, there was no chance for him to do so now. Nicole had never appeared on set again after her scenes were completed, and he didn't have a good relationship with Cruise. Before filming "Mr. Sweetheart", he had attended two parties hosted by Cruise, but after that, he had never been invited again.
It's okay, she can't escape from his hands. Besides, there are women around him at all times.
"Anyway, now that I'm done, you can tell me what the surprise is, right?" Liv pestered, she had asked several times since the beginning.
This made Adriaan really surprised, you know, at the beginning, he just casually said that, and then never mentioned it again, she remembered it so clearly.
"How can she not remember, look at what she did at that time." Sarah, who saw his thoughts, immediately muttered.
"What are you talking about! What are you trying to say! " Liv immediately pounced on Sarah with bared fangs and brandished claws. The advantage of her height made her look quite oppressive.
However, Sarah was not someone to be trifled with, you know, she used Lov to practice a lot of things. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" was like most of the movies that opened the way for the summer break. It was released before the summer break officially arrived. This was also a pretty good time slot that a low-budget horror movie could get.
The box office was not bad, it made almost 40 million yuan at the box office before it went offline, which was basically a profit. The company held a small internal party, and several of the leading actors attended. Although Lov looked the same as before, as long as Sarah gave her a look, she would immediately go over and smile.
She was indeed taught bad things by me. Looking at Sarah, who was chased around the car by Liv, Adriaan laughed in his heart. He knew what Sarah did, a stick and a carrot, and a blank check in Adriaan's name. Sarah didn't hide anything from him. Adriaan didn't blame her. It was good to let Sarah train her hand, and with him around, he wasn't afraid that Lov would cause any trouble.
"Okay, girls, I brought you here to see the scenery." Adriaan interrupted their playfulness and pinched Liv's face. "Especially you, Liv, I brought you here for Sarah's sake. Don't be so arrogant, understand?"
Speaking of which, it was really interesting. After the threesome in the swimming pool, Adrian had a few threesomes with them. However, Sarah and Liv's relationship was quite good, completely incomparable to Monica and Julia. Needless to say, Kate and Charlie were even more so. If the explanation was that they were in the same boat, it would not be convincing enough. So, what was the reason?
"As long as you answer my question, I won't say anything," Liv said with a smile.
"Okay, okay, but I have a problem." Adriaan looked at her with a smile. "There are two movies that might start at the same time, but they both need the same producer. Which one should he be in charge of?"
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