Chapter 629

It was September, and the popularity of the movie market had finally dropped. Although there would be a small climax later, it had started to drop from the peak to the bottom for now. Therefore, Hero was released at this time. The previous blockbusters had entered the fatigue period, and the later movies aimed at the end of the summer hadn't been released yet, so it was the perfect time to fill the gap.

This was normal. Although Hero was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and had done a lot of promotion before, and most of the critics gave it good reviews, it was a Chinese movie after all, and Universal had their doubts. It was understandable that they put it at this time. However, they soon relaxed, because with the preparation of 2,000 cinemas, the film earned 21 million in the first week in North America.

As mentioned before, generally speaking, as long as the top four box office figures in the first week were similar to the number of theaters, then the potential was worth exploring, so this was a good start.

But that was not what Adrian needed to pay attention to. He was confident in "Hero." Although it was a little different from the original, and it was released a year earlier than the original, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had aroused the curiosity of Americans about martial arts culture. Coupled with the fact that the promotion was on point, the box office in North America would definitely not lose to the original.

Perhaps the box office would at most be equal to the cost of purchasing the distribution rights, but don't forget that it was a buyout. The profit from the DVD sales was Universal.

Therefore, he went to Las Vegas at this time, not to relax. Although he had come to Las Vegas with women many times, and Las Vegas was very close to California, it was the first time he came alone. The reason for this situation was naturally for work. Jeffrey Katzenberg was in Las Vegas discussing a business deal.

"Steven has roughly told me that he agrees with you, but I don't think it's necessary. You also admit that our animation studio has a bright future. Eide, I have reviewed the production plan, and the second installment of Shrek has been put on the agenda. I believe this animation can bring the studio back to life, "said the bald man in glasses in Katzenberg's suite.

This guy. Adriaan couldn't help but laugh in his heart. Did he really think that coming to Las Vegas was a sign of weakness?

After entrusting Spielberg to pass on the message, he called Katzenberg and learned that he was in Las Vegas. So, Adriaan came to talk to him face to face. Although he showed his sincerity, he also gave Katzenberg the impression that he was in urgent need.

"This is something that will happen sooner or later, Jeffrey." Adrian smiled and said slowly, "Forgive my rudeness, but even though DreamWorks is doing well for now, it will not be easy for us to expand any further. But we can't not expand either. You know, collectivization is the trend for media companies, so whether we expand or not, it's not optimistic. So why not leave a backup plan for ourselves? "

Katzenberg was a smart guy. Although the three giants of DreamWorks were somewhat idealistic, he was qualified to be the CEO of DreamWorks. Adriaan went straight to the point. That's right, he wanted DreamWorks' animation studio.

"Yes, I admit that what you said is a possibility. After the launch of the new 3D animation, the studio will be reborn — but there is also a possibility that it won't. No one can predict the future with words, right? There are three most likely scenarios. DreamWorks maintains a good momentum in the film and television production, and the studio is revived because of the new animation. This is the best scenario. "Then, there is a loss in the film and television industry, and the animation studio continues to lose money. This is the worst scenario. Also, the film and television industry is doing well, and the animation studio continues to lose money, and the animation studio is doing well. "Adriaan smiled and waved his hands.

"I don't need to say the best scenario." He continued, "But if it's the middle two, I'm afraid no one will be willing to take over. As for the last one, there may be a lot of people who want to take over."

Then, Adriaan stopped and looked at Katzenberg with a certain expression.

"I know." The bald man was silent for a while, then shrugged. "But there's nothing wrong with this. It's not too late to talk about separation at that point."

"This is your hard work, Jeffery." Adriaan raised his eyebrows. "And it's hard for you to explain to the shareholders, isn't it? There is more than one way to beat Disneyland. "

"Looks like you're well prepared, Eide." Katzenberg took off his glasses and squinted at Adriaan. Adriaan smiled and did not say anything.

The advantage of talking to a smart person was that some things did not need to be said too clearly. Adriaan's meaning was clear. He was also one of the shareholders of DreamWorks and had a representative on the board. Even though he was basically only involved in the day-to-day management, he had the right to make this decision at the board meeting. And DreamWorks was not like AC Media, where they had someone who could make the final decision. So, if he really wanted to make a move, even if he did not achieve his goal in the end, he could still cause serious consequences to DreamWorks.

Moreover, DreamWorks and AC Media had a very close relationship, to the point that if they stopped working together, it would definitely be a huge blow to them and give others an opportunity to take advantage of them. If Adriaan carried out a hostile takeover, unless they could find another media group to compete with him, it would be very difficult to escape the hands of AC Media. Even if he took a step back and did not seek control of DreamWorks, if he waited until the animation studio was separated, he would definitely seek complete control, not the current form of cooperation.

Yes, "this is your hard work" and "there is more than one way to beat Disneyland" meant that Katzenberg could continue to be in charge of all the affairs of the animation studio, and what Adriaan wanted was to monopolize the 3D animation market in Hollywood. In short, they could still hold shares of the separated studio, but he would be the major shareholder and have a certain degree of control.

Based on Adriaan's current power, this was a big concession, and he had a good reputation in this area. At least so far, whether it was Pixar or Blue Sky, he had a lot of creative freedom.

"I need some time to think about it, Eide," Katzenberg finally said.

It was understandable that the profits of animated movies were too high. The profits of a popular animation were at least several times that of a big production with a similar box office. Naturally, Katzenberg would not give up easily.

"No problem. I'm going to stay in Las Vegas for a few days anyway. You have plenty of time to think about it." Adriaan smiled.

He would let Katzenberg think about it himself. Anyway, he had already made it clear that he was determined to get DreamWorks Animation Studio. In fact, it was fine to wait a little longer. Katzenberg had also said that Shrek 2 had been approved. As long as DreamWorks Animation Studio returned to the ranks of 3D animation, profits could be expected. Although they had AC Media's support in other aspects, they might suffer another loss like 'Pearl Harbor'. At that time, even if Katzenberg didn't want to, he would have to take the initiative to separate them. It wouldn't be too late to make a move then.

However, Adriaan did not want to share it with more people. When that time came, everyone could see the future of DreamWorks Animation Studio. If he had more funds, he would not be able to achieve his plan of monopolizing the 3D animation market.

Moreover, Katzenberg did not have many choices. Even if he wanted to separate from the studio, he probably did not want to have too much funds. At least, they knew Adriaan's background. More importantly, although he was confident in his animation studio, he was not sure how far it could go in the future. Also, due to some changes, the studio's losses in 2D animation were relatively high.

Adriaan's advantage in information was obvious. In the first ten years of the 21st century, the animation film market in North America and even the world was basically divided between Pixar, DreamWorks, and Blue Sky. Blue Sky was limited by the size of Pixar and DreamWorks Animation Studio. Although after ten years, the animation studios that the various film companies nurtured slowly began to show their strength, this situation continued to be maintained.

Think about it, how much profit would there be if all three major studios were in his hands, and how much influence would AC Media have? This was one of the reasons why he specifically came to Las Vegas to talk to Katzenberg.

"Fifteen points, big." As the dealer uncovered the gambling equipment, two 6's and one 3's dice were clearly revealed.

"You lost again." The gambler next to him suddenly laughed.

Adriaan shrugged and let the dealer take away the chips. Then, in the next round, he threw the last 2,000 chips on 15 points. This kind of gambling method was meaningless, so the 2,000 chips were gone.

"Your luck is really bad, man. You should have stopped when you lost the second round," another gambler said, shaking his head as if he felt sorry for him.

"It's okay." Adriaan smiled in a friendly manner, then got up and left. He had only exchanged 20,000 chips. At first, he won two small rounds and doubled his chips, but he soon lost all of them. No wonder the people next to him said that.

But Adriaan did not care. He did not like gambling, especially this kind of gambling. It was not a problem to spend some money to improve his mood, but as for gambling like in some movies … Forget it. For someone who had lived two lives, coupled with so many years of training, rational thinking had been engraved in his bones. It was not that Adriaan had not gambled before, but it was certainly only when there was a 70% chance of winning. So, whether it was Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or other gambling resorts, it was impossible to make money from him.

Coming out of the casino in Caesars Palace, Adriaan leisurely strolled along the street. When he walked to the street corner and looked back, he suddenly remembered what happened in Caesars Palace when he visited Las Vegas. Although Julia and Zeta-Jones did not object to his handling, they were somewhat uncomfortable. But now, they were used to it, so even if they saw Rheia on his private plane, he would not care.

After training, Leah Disson had officially boarded the plane and replaced Pu Yaka, who had gone to continue her studies in medical school, as the new fourth stewardess. After Lin Xilei's training and Adrian's full development in bed, Leah had become very obedient. She had long understood that everything about her was in the hands of this person, so she always tried to find ways to show off in front of him.

For example, in a special party organized by Elisa to celebrate her first flight as a newcomer, although she was attacked by the other three women, she still fought back under Adriaan's watchful eyes. Cleverly, she only focused on Elisa, the initiator, and completely defeated her in the 69 round. But after this battle, she and Elisa became good friends. Every time the few of them went on a trip, and Elisa could not take it anymore, she would volunteer to take over.

Well, the main reason why he thought of this was because he was currently alone in Las Vegas. For Adriaan, this kind of situation had basically not happened in the past two years.

If he found another chick under the bed tonight, he would do her as soon as possible. Such a thought popped up in his mind, and then he heard a noise coming from the side.

Following the sound, it was a young man and woman, wearing sunglasses, arguing with a person who seemed to be the owner of a small shop on the street. Adriaan was a little surprised and raised his eyebrows. He originally planned to walk away, but after thinking about it, he still walked over. "What he means is that this little thing costs ten dollars, not eight."

He was speaking French, and their argument was actually very simple. The young man and woman from France were not very good at English. They could basically understand the daily conversation, but if there were some slang mixed in, it would be a little troublesome. Moreover, this was only a small shop, unlike those big hotels that had specialized service staff to deal with foreign customers. It was inevitable that misunderstandings would occur during communication.

"This costs ten dollars? What a joke. " After the young man understood, he cried out in complaint. Although the girl looked like she really wanted the little doll, he still returned it, indicating that he did not want it.

Adriaan then helped to translate this sentence back. Although the burly shop owner frowned in dissatisfaction, he did not say much and took the doll away.

"Thank you, sir. If it weren't for you, I might have called the police." After resolving this matter, the young man and his girlfriend thanked Adriaan.

"It's not a big deal. It's just a communication problem. If you want to buy souvenirs, each hotel has a special counter. It may be a little more expensive, but the service is very good. Places like this are generally where locals go to buy goods." Adriaan explained to them.

"Your French is very good. Are you French?" The girl asked curiously.

"No, beautiful lady, I am American." Adriaan smiled slightly.

"If you don't mind, let's find a place to sit down and talk." The young man looked around and then pointed to an open-air cafe not far away.

Since Adriaan had nothing to do now, he agreed.

"Are you here to travel?" Adriaan asked casually after sitting down and ordering a cup of coffee to send the waiter away.

"Well … sort of." The French girl replied. She took off her sunglasses and smiled. However, the French young man immediately said, "In fact, we want to see if Las Vegas is suitable for a grand wedding."

"You want to get married?" Adriaan was a little surprised. "If I'm not wrong, you won't surpass … Wait a minute!"

He looked at the girl and suddenly narrowed her eyes. She had delicate eyebrows and light makeup, giving people a sense of beauty and a little temptation. Her dark brown hair suited her very well. If her hairline could be a little lower, it would be perfect.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, but have we met before?" Adriaan asked abruptly.

Asking such a question as soon as they met, especially when it was asked to a man's girlfriend, would make people unhappy. However, the young man was not angry. Instead, he smiled proudly and then hugged his girlfriend. "Look, my dear, your fame has spread all over the United States."

The girl smiled a little embarrassedly and then reached out her hand. "Hello, my name is Alice, Alice Jacquet. This is my fiancé, Jeremy Chatley."

"Ha, I remember now. You are the famous French female singer who covered Madonna's' La Belle Isle '." Adriaan's eyes flashed with a glimmer. "Madonna once praised you and said that you sang very well."

"Really?" The French girl named Alice widened her eyes. She looked excited, but at the same time, a little doubtful.

"Of course, although she doesn't like to talk to me, she did say that." Adriaan smiled. Then, he thought of something and introduced himself to the young man. "Oh yes, my name is Adriaan, Adrian Kewell. I am a Hollywood film director and producer."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kewell." Chatley said. Then, he took a deep breath and looked at Adriaan in disbelief.

Alice, who was next to him, also reacted at this time. Her mouth also opened wide.

"You said … you said … you are that … that Miracle Director?" Chatley asked with a stutter.

"If no one else in Hollywood is called that, then it should be me." Adriaan smiled and then took out his business card. It was the one with the director's name on it, not the one with the chairman of the board of directors of AC Media.

"Oh my God!" After the business card was confirmed, Chatley could not help but exclaim, "You are really Miracle Director? You really are Miracle Director! "

Although Alice knocked him a little awkwardly and felt that his reaction was a little rude, she could not help but cast an excited look at Adriaan.

"Calm down, buddy. We are on the street now." Adriaan reminded him with a smile.

"Oh, yes, of course, I am just … a little excited." After taking two deep breaths, Chatley finally calmed down. After all, he was a young man who was not even 20 years old.

But Alice didn't care about that.

"Can I have your autograph?" She immediately found a pen and a small notebook and handed it over, her eyes shining.