Chapter 387

As mentioned before, because Denis's timing was just right, Winona and Dep had just started dating, so he successfully snatched her over. Therefore, all the rumors that should have belonged to Dep and Winona now fell on him. This was a very interesting thing. It seemed a bit inappropriate to say that the media and Winona were at odds. 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 grabbed onto her. Any news about Winona would inevitably be twisted into a scandal after a few paragraphs, and neither Dep nor Denis had received such treatment. If Dep was not liked by the media 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 public did not change much. Why was this?

"Probably because of the aftermath of the 'Milky-Smelly Pie,'" Adriaan said as he read the newspaper's report on the triangle relationship.

The title of Milky-Smelly Pie was given by veteran actors in the 1980s to the famous Tom Cruise and others. Simply put, they were dissatisfied that they were too young and too fast to be popular. Although this situation was a trend, at least Adriaan knew that in the 21st century, young and popular actors were everywhere — of course, whether they could maintain it was another matter — but it did not prevent those actors from complaining. Calculating the time, Winona was almost at the end of this period, so it was normal for her not to be liked. However, she was very in line with the public's aesthetic standards and was welcomed by many people. She always maintained the image of a "beautiful girl," which was why it became so contradictory.

Of course, these were Adriaan's speculations. He was not sure what was going on. After all, he was not omniscient. As for the media's tireless behavior, he could only let it go. At most, he would ask several of his media outlets to pay a little attention. In fact, he did not need to remind them. Whether it was ABC or TBS, they were well-known media outlets. Fabricating facts would only damage their reputation. As for the newspapers that he had acquired … there was no need to mention them.

The current situation of AC Media was that TBS was currently the best. Not to mention CNN, Ted Turner was indeed very insightful and thoughtful. In terms of entertainment, the ratings for "The Tiring Vampire Buffy", which was aimed at young people, was considered good among cable television stations. As the female lead, Sarah was gradually becoming the most popular actress among the audience. "Millionaire" was still very popular because it had not shown any signs of fatigue until now. Although "Sex and the City", which was aimed at housewives, had its ups and downs, TNT had also accumulated a lot of experience. Coupled with the support of senior management, it would not take long for it to catch up to HBO.

Next were ABC and the three major film companies. "Everybody Loves Raymond" was not as popular as "Friends," but it attracted a lot of family members to watch it. The ratings were very stable and had always been in the top tier. After the adjustments, the ratings for "Survivor" had also started to rise and had gradually gotten rid of its awkward position at the beginning. In addition, ABC itself had some foundation and had a lot of good television series and programs. Although it might not be able to make a profit this year, it was estimated that the losses would definitely be much smaller than in the past.

There was no need to mention the three major film companies. Because Miramax and New Line took a share of the profits, Bosworth's status had declined, and his profits had also decreased. At the same time, he was not always at the forefront like he was two years ago. New Line and Miramax were both doing well, especially New Line. "Independence Day" was very popular, and it did not lose to "Saving Private Ryan" at all. Robert Shay looked proud and elated wherever he went.

But next time, he would not be so lucky. Although Adriaan and Claude both admired Shay, New Line was different from Miramax. Miramax also had independent management rights, but it was a wholly-owned subsidiary of AC Media, and part of the New Line's shares were still in Shay's hands. If AC Media wanted to do anything to New Line, they would either have to get Shay's consent or kick it away.

Big companies would not like such a situation. Although Adriaan did not care, he already had a general arrangement for the three film companies in his mind. It was okay to give Shay some benefits, but he could not give him too much power.

"In my plan, there is still one last piece of the puzzle. I believe that after next year, we can put it together," Adriaan said to Claude.

"You have a big appetite, Eide." After learning about his specific approach, Claude said with a smile, "Are you sure we can really swallow it?"

"There will be no problem. Even if it doesn't work after next year, there will still be a chance in another two years." Adriaan did not care. "Of course, the premise is that the most important things this year and next year must be completed smoothly."

The reason why he wanted to wait until after next year to put the last piece of the puzzle together was mainly because the opportunity to make money was right in front of him. One had to know that ABC and TBS were both behemoths, and as a new media company, it relied on its strong capital to be able to swallow them up. Even so, the acquisition of ABC still required a lot of financing. Of course, Adriaan could 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, in Adriaan's view, this was a bit arrogant. 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 was more valuable to share. There was a great opportunity to make money in front of them, why would they choose another path?

"They won't be able to hold on for long. I offered them a price of 500 million USD, and it would be difficult for them to refuse. I have already started to arrange things on the other side to ensure that nothing goes wrong." In the face of Adriaan's advice, Claude gave a positive answer.

"Only 500 million USD …" Adriaan couldn't help but sigh softly.

Of course, he was talking about the acquisition of Marvel Comics. It might be an exaggeration to say that this veteran comic company, which was as famous as DC Comics with 5,000 comic characters, was currently at the end of its rope, but there were definitely gloomy clouds hanging over it. 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, this company would miraculously be reborn. In the first decade of the 21st century, most of the comic book heroes who were put on the screen and were popular came from them. Marvel not only successfully turned around but also achieved development that could not be underestimated. No one except Adriaan would have thought that Marvel would have such a change.

How much did Disney spend when they acquired Marvel? 5 billion or 4 billion? Adriaan said 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 acquire Marvel as soon as possible, but after careful consideration, he decided not to do so. Before "Independence Day", there were also movies that used CG in the production, such as "Terminator 2" or "Jurassic Park" and so on. No one used Marvel because of this, and if you look closely, the CG in "Independence Day" still feels a little unreal. The real large-scale use of CG in the movie began with "Titanic", so as long as the acquisition is completed before that, there will be no problem.

Again, there is basically no one else who can see the future of Marvel except for Adriaan.

After acquiring Marvel, in the structure of AC Media, the publishing company can probably stay in the third tier at the same time as the record company. Although the record company's development in the past few years is not particularly good, the singers that they have released are still quite popular. Not long ago, they also acquired Motion Records. If they can maintain this, when they accumulate enough strength, they will definitely be able to play the two cards in their hands in one go, and they are bound to rise to a higher level.

The same goes for the publishing company. When the "Harry Potter" series starts to fully develop, it is bound to make more profits. Moreover, Adriaan more or less remembered the names of a few best-selling novels, so it is entirely possible to find the original authors to provide ideas and then publish them.

As for the other aspects, needless to say, Pixar, with sufficient funds, is continuing to produce the second and third animated series. Moreover, all the employees are still around, so it is almost certain that they will succeed again. As for Blizzard and several other game studios, the games that they produced have also made a lot of profits, and according to the feedback, they are all developing well.

On the IT side, they have made a lot of money. Other than those that need to be kept, they basically follow the "invest — the number of online users skyrockets — sell" model, operating according to Adriaan's intentions. Although it is a pity that the IT industry will be even crazier in two years, it is better to be content.

The most inconspicuous is probably "Victoria's Secret" sold by Claude. So far, their profitability has not changed much, which is normal. "Victoria's Secret" was a little uncomfortable at the beginning. After all, AC Media is a media company, and it does not seem to have much to do with underwear products.

But now, they have basically adjusted. People who can run a company and develop it to a certain scale are not fools. Several executives of "Victoria's Secret" were willing to stay after being acquired because they saw the advantages and prospects of AC Media. In addition, with Adriaan's help, they invited Cindy Krau to be the spokesperson. They are completely relieved. Although they are still working with ABC, they believe that they will not be disappointed in the long run.

In short, AC Media, like its two bosses, is young and full of vitality. At the same time, it has a lot of ambition. It has extended its tentacles in all aspects and has achieved certain results. Even so, compared with the established media groups, they still have a big gap in some areas, such as newspapers, magazines, and other print media.

After all, these print media were established very early. After decades of change, they have basically been carved up. The equity structure is more complex than that of broadcasters. It is basically difficult for new media companies to reach in unless there is a major change. It was not easy for Murdoch to get "The Times", and News Corporation only has one newspaper in the United States, the "New York Post", basically relying on luck ("The Wall Street Journal" was acquired in 2007).

For such a situation, Adriaan has no good solution. Although with the development of the times, traditional print media will disappear sooner or later, he absolutely can't see it. Therefore, having one or two good newspapers and magazines is good for the entire AC Media. But after all, Adriaan is not omniscient and omnipotent, and there is not much in this regard to reference. He knows that Warner once had the idea of selling "Times", but that was more than a decade later.

"It doesn't matter. It's not a good thing to develop too comprehensively. Once it crosses the line, it may collapse." Adriaan can only comfort himself in this way.

It's not that he doesn't have ideas in his mind. After all, 90 years ago, he still learned some things in college. In addition, he now has a wealth of information. After a few years, he has learned a lot of things, and he can still make some decisions. It's just that there is obviously a lot to do now, so he pushed it back.

After the premiere of "Broken Arrow," there is basically no other movie worthy of his attention, so he then put his energy on the post-production of "Wide Awake, Warning." It is worth mentioning that although the first-week box office of "Broken Arrow" is not bad, close to 20 million, it is not enough compared to "Saving Private Ryan" and "Independence Day." Harvey Weinstein is quite depressed because of this, while other film companies applauded and celebrated.

Finally! They all said so in their hearts. Although it is a little self-deprecating, the power of the miracle director is evident.

The post-production of "Wide Awake, Warning" is actually nothing special. Most of the soundtrack is old songs or symphonies. As for the preliminary editing, Adriaan rarely shoots any extra scenes, so he just needs to hand it over to the editor and let him do it according to his requirements. Except for one thing —

"Mr. Adriaan, is there something missing here?" After cutting out the opening cocktail party, the editor took the memo to Adriaan and asked.

"Yes, I have some other considerations about this, so I don't have to worry about it for the time being," Adriaan said after reading the key points.

The editor left without a doubt, and Adriaan laughed after stretching. The missing scene is the scene when Cruise fantasizes about his wife having an affair. Yes, it is the scene when Adriaan made a cameo appearance on the set with Nicole Kidman. He put it away as soon as it was over. How could he take it out for the editor to edit?

"Naturally, I will edit it." Adriaan said with a chuckle. He still takes it out from time to time to appreciate it.

The whole shooting process was almost thirty NGs, including the final fake scene, which was almost more than an hour. Nicole showed her amorous feelings, especially the last scene. The passionate scene was not inferior to that of an AV. Especially after they were done, Adriaan deliberately held her from behind in front of the camera. That scene was enough to make anyone's blood boil.

However, there are two regrets. Because of the filming needs, the lighting is very dim, so the whole picture has a kind of black and white gray. Secondly, the lens is fixed. At best, there is only a stretch adjustment, so it may feel boring after watching it for a long time.

It doesn't matter, there will be better ones in the future. Adriaan said in his heart, not knowing what he was referring to. However, there was definitely no chance now. After Nicole's scenes were completed, she never appeared on the set again, and his relationship with Cruise was not good. Before "Mr. Sweetheart", he had attended two parties hosted by Cruise, and after that, he had never been invited again.

It doesn't matter, she can't escape from his palm. Besides, there are women around him at all times.

"In short, now that I have finished shooting, can you tell me what the surprise is?" Liv asked, pestering him. She has asked several times since the beginning.

This really surprised Adriaan. He just said it casually at the beginning and never mentioned it again. How could she remember it so clearly?

"How could she not remember it clearly? She didn't see what she did at that time." Sarah, who saw his thoughts next to him, muttered.

"What are you talking about! What do you want to say! " Liv immediately pounced on Sarah with her fangs and claws. The advantage of her height made her look quite oppressive.

However, Sarah is not to be trifled with. One must know that she practiced a lot of things with Luo Fu. "I Know What You Did Last Summer", like most of the films that opened the way for the summer vacation, was released before the official arrival of the summer vacation, which is also a very good time for a low-budget horror film.

The box office was not bad. Before it went offline, it took almost 40 million in the box office, which was basically a profit. The company held a small party internally, and several of the leads attended. Although Luo Fu looked no different from before, as long as Sarah gave her a look, she would immediately go over and smile.

She was indeed taught badly by me. Looking at Sarah, who was chased around the car by Liv, Adriaan laughed in his heart. He knew how Sarah did things. Stick and carrot, and she used Adriaan's name to make empty promises. Sarah didn't hide anything from him. Adriaan didn't blame her either. It was good to let Sarah do this and train her wrists. Also, with him around, he wasn't afraid of Luo Fu stirring up any trouble.

"Okay, girls, I brought you here to see the scenery." At this time, Adriaan interrupted their play and then reached out to pinch Liv's cheek. "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 pool, Adriaan also had a few threesome with them, but the relationship between Sarah and Liv was quite good, completely incomparable to that of Monica and Julia, not to mention Kate and Charlize. If the explanation was that they were in the same boat, it didn't seem convincing anymore. 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. "Two movies may start production at the same time, but both need the same producer. So, which one should I let him be in charge of?"